Thanks so MUCH Nadine!

I received my country pleasures apron swap package yesterday while I wasnt home, luckily my neighbor grabbed it for me :) I just got with her and opened it up and WOW is the only word I can say there were so many little things in it that added a thoughtful touch! Nadine made my kids each something
A crayon Roll for Megan and Hunter

 and an amazing color book for zachary made from different bits of fabric.

she even made a burp cloth for Madalyn who is currently residing in my tummy :)

 My apron is Gorgeous and very comfortable I love it

 along with all the other tuck ins

there was chocolate too but it didnt make it lol.  just wanted to say THANKS to Nadine @ Apron Valley Rd and thanks to mrs sue @ Country Pleasures for allowing me to participate in such a fun event....The kids are all being so quiet right now Megan and hunter are coloring using their new crayons and loving the crayon roll and Zacharys reading his color book We all Love our swap stuff :)

cookie press....I am in love

I was delighted on Black Friday to find a cookie press for only 10 dollars :) I have wanted one for a while but honestly have always forgotten to grab one around the holidays so this year I will be using it every chance I get it came with 13 different disks which means 13 shapes of fun :) Today's recipe is one my mother in law makes, they are my hubby's favorite Christmas cookie (seriously y'all I mean hide an extra bucket so the kids and I can have some too favorite lol )and I have now adapted them into our Christmas cookies we make yearly. These cookies are soft and delightful. Alright so lets get going to what you need

2 cups butter (which equals 4 sticks)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup sugar
2 t vanilla extract (or you can use almond depending on your preference or you can add 1 t of each)
4 cups all purpose flour
A few drops of green food coloring
colored sugars to decorate with.

Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a glass mixing bowl. Add the sugar after the first 2 ingredients are creamed and cream it as well. then add the extract of your choosing. Mix well. Finally add your flour in slowly while continuing to mix. lastly tint your dough by adding a few drops at a time till you get the desired green make sure its mixed well you dont want streaky dough . Chill your ingredients in the fridge for a few minutes. while this is chilling you need to find the wreath or tree disk and place it on your cookie press. roll into a cylinder shape and place in your cookie press. press these cute little cookies out about 1 inch apart from each other now is the time to add the colored sugars. bake @ 400 degrees for about 5-8 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. seal in an airtight container for about a month afterwards although if they last that long I would be shocked :)

I think winter may have forgotten its in the south this year we have had snow flurries like crazy already which is not typical southern tn weather before January at least. The hubby's wishing for a white Christmas like he had back home and I am just thankful we are alive and well to see another year. hope y'all have a wonderful week and will talk to y'all all again soon

St. Nicks Day

OK so for those of you who don't know I married a man from Wisconsin lol and sometimes our traditions vary just a tad so we try to incorporate them all basically our kids will grow up and carry them on we hope. for the past few years my hubby has been asking me when we were filling up the stockings for our little guys. I was raised with the tradition that your stockings were filled Christmas eve, but the hubby was brought up a little different....Today is December the 5th which is St. Nicks day...now honestly didn't know too much about him till I did some research. the tradition is to leave your boots (stockings) on your bedroom door and if you wake up and there is coal in them you have been naughty but if theres candy and a small gift then you know Santa Claus is coming the 24th. now at my house anything is a reason to celebrate the season. So for the first time this year we are participating in st. nicks day.I bought some Christmas candy and each of the kids a small toy under $5.00 we are decorating our stockings today and will place them on our doors tonight will be most definitely posting pics of the kids waking to their treats lol I would love to hear some traditions that you and your families do each year. traditions are a wonderful way to bridge the gap between generations. Sorry I haven't posted that cookie recipe yet all of my little ones have been sick the past few days so not much has gotten done. Have a wonderful day y'all