Our favorite cookie recipe...

These yummy little snowballs of powdered sugar goodness are always a hit with the family.

I only make them at Christmas....otherwise we would all hurt ourselves stuffing our faces : )

I happen to be enjoying them right now with my coffee.....and so is Mom....so she can't tell me I can't have cookies for breakfast....lol

Wedding Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup Crisco Butter Shortening 

2 cups powdered sugar, divided

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Directions:    

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine shortening, 1 cup powdered sugar and vanilla extract in bowl.  With an electric mixer beat on medium speed until well blended.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl.  Ad  to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in walnuts and mix well.

Roll dough into walnut-size balls and place on ungreased baking sheet about 1 1/2" apart.

Bake 15 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly.  Cool on baking sheet until cool enough to touch, but still warm.  Roll in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, place on cooling racks to cool completely.

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So here on the homestead we have an elf named Katy.  She's an elf on a shelf.

Taylor has been so excited for her to arrive.      

Over the weekend we got the tree up and she finally arrived on Monday morning.

She has been a very silly elf this year.....yesterday morning we found her zip lining through the dining room and this morning we found her in a bag of marshmallows.  

If you don't know about the elf on a shelf.....it's a cute little elf that comes to our house every year at Christmas.  She leaves at night when Taylor goes to bed and reports her behavior to Santa.  Then she comes back every morning and we find her in a different place in the house.....doing very silly things.

She's really alot of fun but I know the day is going to come when Taylor is too old for her elf and she will find out the truth about Santa.  Mom found this letter on Pinterest this morning and I just had to share it.

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Dear Child,

   You asked a really good question, "Are Mom and Dad really Santa?".  We know that you want to know the answer, and we had to give it careful thought to know just what to say.

   The answer is no.  We are not Santa.  There is no one, single Santa.

   We are the people who fill your stocking and choose and wrap the presents under the tree- just as our parents did for them, and you will do for your kids someday.

   This could never make any of us Santa, though.  Santa is lots and lots of people who keep the spirit of Christmas alive.  He lives in our hearts- not at the North Pole.  Santa is the magic and love and spirit of giving to others.  What he does is teach children to believe in something they can't see or touch.  Throughout your life you will need this capacity to believe: in yourself, in your family, in your friends and in God.

Author Unknown

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Merry Christmas to all of my stitching friends...

Smiles,

Stacy