WARNING: I need to be totally upfront with you from the beginning. This cookie dough needs to be refrigerated for several hours (ideally overnight) before you bake. For cookie dough fanatics like me, that can be delicious…problematic. That’s it. Consider yourself warned. I never knew Grandma Ada. I’ve been told she was tall. I did…
A Cookie Party
It was November of my 9th grade year. I was walking through the halls with my best friend Kim when she turned to me and said, “So, who are you inviting this year?” Confused I asked, “What are you talking about?” And in some exasperated tone she replied, “Who are you inviting to the cookie…
How to Make Your Christmas Tree Tell A Story
Let me kick this one off by saying something totally generic. I love this time of year. L. O. V. E. I love the silent nights and the jingle bells. I love sitting in a dark room with the Christmas lights on, when everything feels still and magical all at once. I love that “family-ness”…
Christmas Service Star
Many of my most vivid holiday memories have very little to do with the “prettiness” of Christmas. Pictures of these moments-if we even had them-would surely not be very Pin-able. I was probably wearing my over-sized basketball shorts, the lighting would have been awful, and there were definitely no burlap banners with matching drinks in…
Christmas Storybook Countdown – A Christmas Tradition
I have a sister (she won’t be named, but there are only 2 so you might be able to figure it out) that may or may not have believed in Santa until she was 12. One reason for her dedicated and long time belief being this tradition…or more specifically the book mentioned in the book…
The Turkey Ticket
I was probably 15 years old the first time this long little paper showed up. I’m sure it was a Monday night, and I’m pretty sure I brought my 15-year-old attitude to the family room. Thirteen years later, I’m pleased to tell you I’ve grown up a little bit and that this long…
First Snow Cinnamon Rolls
Many snow days ago, one of our most favorite traditions showed up on our Colorado doorstep-quite literally. It was a sweet neighbor with a warm plate of cinnamon rolls. (Could there be a better combination?) She explained that every year, on the first snow, she would clear her day to make, enjoy, and then share…