Chocolate Turtle Cookies

 

Sunday evening I attended my first Christmas cookie exchange. There was eight of us. We all had been in a Bible study together this spring/summer, and a cookie exchange was the perfect event for all of us to get together again.

Being the Pinterest addict that I am, I went straight to my "YUM!" board to find some cookie recipes I had pinned that I wanted to try. I stumbled across these chocolate turtle cookies and knew they were the perfect cookie to bring.

Since I am quite the planner, I did a test run of these using the original recipe and measurements. It only made 1 1/2 dozen cookies, so I knew I had to quadruple it to make sure I met the cookie exchange requirement of 60 cookies. My parents and boyfriend loved the cookies, and they loved that I had to make a test batch!

These cookies look great and are quite easy to make! Here is the altered recipe I used for the cookie exchange:

 

My lovely plate of 60 cookies! It was quite the tower!

I had a great time at the cookie exchange, and I loved coming home with a variety of cookies (four dozen to be exact!). The evening was full of laughter and fun, and I hope we all get together again soon!

Positive quote of the day:

"You gotta look for the good in the bad, the happy in your sad, the gain in your pain, and what makes you grateful not hateful."

-Karen Salmansohn

Christmas Favorites

I have probably been in the holiday spirit for the past two months. I love this time of year. I think I have been perusing the "Holiday/Events" section of Pinterest since late September/early October for Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas. There are so many fabulous and creative ones out there!

Over the past few days, I have been thinking I need to do a post on some of my favorites during this season. I have drafted a list of a few things I wanted to share with you all! I plan on doing a later post about Christmas traditions in my house.

So here we go!

• Holiday song: "Christmas in Hollis" - Run DMC or "Silver Bells" - Bing Crosby and Carole Richards -- I could not just choose one! Sorry. I love the both of these, and they are quite different. I mean one is rap, while the other is grandparent friendly! :) And no, momma, The Carpenters Christmas carols were not even close to making the list. Sorry! :)


• Holiday hymn: "Silent Night" -- This is such a pretty song, and it is definitely my favorite one we sing at church!


• Holiday animated movie: "The Year Without a Santa Claus" -- I really love 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family because they play classics and new movies up to Christmas day! My favorite part of this particular movie is when Heatmiser (probably incorrect spelling!) sings his little song. LOVE this movie!


• Holiday real movie: "It's a Wonderful Life" -- My family watches this movie each year on Christmas Eve. We are so in love with this movie our dog was named after one of the daughters, Zuzu, of George and Mary Bailey. Also, my daddy quotes the movie quite often by saying, "Zuzu! My little gingersnap!". Like EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.


• Holiday event: Christmas Eve service -- I love going to the service at my church on Christmas Eve. It is just nice to see everyone the night before the BIG day! Everyone is in a festive mood, and it is just a super positive and fun atmosphere!


• Holiday gathering: Aunt Becky's -- I love getting together at her house. My momma and her sisters are super close, and the whole day is filled with fun and great food. I mean seriously delicious, could-be-in-a-magazine food! She goes all out to make it a special day.


• Holiday ornament:
  I really do not know why I love this ornament so much. It was originally one of my momma's ornaments when she was young. There really is nothing Christmas-y about it, but I think I have always loved it because of its bright and colorful beads.

• Holiday decoration:
  I love our Christmas bell. This was another decoration that belonged to my momma (and her sisters and Paw Paw) growing up. Ours plays "Silent Night" when you pull the string. For a few years my momma and her sisters would take turns having the bell each year. Then one year my momma gave her older and younger sister bells of there own. As part of her master plan she got to keep the original one haha.

Those are all I can think of right now as far as my Christmas favorites go! I might add more if I think of some!

Positive quote of the day:

"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."

-Abraham Lincoln

Magnolia Christmas Wreath

I am finally back with another blog post! This past week I made another wreath for my momma's front door. This wreath was just a couple dollars more than my budget of keeping wreathes under $15, but it was totally worth it!

A few weeks ago I saw a lovely wreath on Pinterest (my favorite site!) that Better Homes and Gardens had posted. After looking at the tutorial, I knew I had to make one myself! It was super easy.

Since my parents have two magnolia trees in the yard, I had tons of greenery to supply my project! The only thing I had to purchase was the wreath form. My momma already had a red bow from a previous wreath. I used a 15-inch Oasis brand wreath form. It must be made of floral foam to work. Styrofoam will not do!

I placed my wreath form in the sink to saturate it with water. Be careful not to dent it up a bunch! The form is rather delicate! Then I cut about 6-7 limbs from the tree (each having around 15-20 leaves. Then I cut the leaves off of the limbs. Try to leave about a 1-inch stem on each leaf.

Take the wreath form out of the sink. It will drip water, so you might have to place some newspaper or plastic down on your work surface. I started sticking the leaves in the outer area first. I tried to place the leaves in rings, but I had to use a few extra leaves to provide better coverage. I angled my leaves all in the same direction. Once you get to the innermost circle, you will have to place the leaves almost perpendicular to the form. This makes sure the form cannot be seen from front.

After filling the form with leaves, place a simple red bow on the wreath. Then hang it on your front door with a sturdy wreath holder. Finally, enjoy your lovely holiday wreath!

Positive quote of the day:

"I can change by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it."

-Maya Angelou