Am…musings

In an effort to save time, I’m experimenting with my Christmas cookies. Bar cookies are my time-saving solution … mix them, press them in the pan, bake for 30ish minutes, cut and eat. No dropping by rounded spoonfuls and baking countless trays at 8-minute intervals.

Bar oatmeal and chocolate chip aren’t out of the ordinary. Although I drizzle the oatmeals with white icing. And I found a crazy Pampered Chef recipe with chopped candy bars on top of the chocolate chip cookies that I just made and they look yummy.

Where I’m getting a little crazy … I’m rolling out the sugar cookies and baking them in one big piece. Then, I’m cutting them with cookie cutters in the pan after they’re baked and still piping hot. I’m not sure this will work, but my inspiration is the ornament-shaped sugar cookies I usually make in the normal way, but then I make a hole in each one with a drinking straw after they are baked and that works great … almost better than regular cutting because they have a nice, crisp edge.

I’m also trying peanut butter blossoms (the peanut butter cookie with the Kiss on top) in the bar pan. I’m really worried about this one working, but figure what the heck.

My plan if they don’t work? Cookie shots … the sugars with drizzled icing and the peanut butters with the Kisses. All the hip restaurants are serving desserts in shot glasses so I’ll play it off as creative and trendy.

If you still need holiday gifts (or have family and friends asking for your wish list), try Etsy.com. In addition to the great baby clothes and toddler t-shirts I blogged about earlier, there are tons of options for everyone on your list.

Try the search function if you need to locate something specific … I found a great gift for my dad by searching for “Buick.” Pendantflair is another favorite seller of mine that offers really unique soldered pendants. The jewelry options on Etsy are fantastic … I’ve been spying some great pieces on thepebblecollection. And I made another awesome find, but will post about it after the holidays because I don’t want the gift recipient to see it here first.

Happy shopping!

As happy as it’s making me, I’m so relieved I did it. No … it’s nothing earth shattering or life (or body) altering. I just decorated for Christmas.

I traveled for Thanksgiving and am heading to Pennsylvania on Christmas day to stay a few days with my uncle’s wife’s sister’s cousin’s dog (ok, really, it’s just my uncle’s wife’s sister, but the rest sounded fun). As I was planning the trips, I was a little Grinchy. In all my years living out of town, I’d only traveled on Thanksgiving once (instead we did a friends’ Turkey Day in Florida, which was always fun) and I remembered it being tough to get everything done in time for Christmas. And heck, I wasn’t even going to be here on the day so why bother with the tree and other decs.

However, as a girl who lists decorating as a hobby, and one who really loves all her pretty Christmas things, I just couldn’t stand it. So I started a little early, feeling silly as I played holiday tunes and decked the halls the weekend before Thanksgiving. I did it all except the tree, which I had time to do Sunday because we drove back a day early from Texas (the intent was to do laundry, but that can always wait!).

And it just makes me smile.