New Year, New Place?

 Things have been busy around here this week.  We placed an offer on this beauty today.

Now, it's always a possibility that our offer won't be accepted.  

But who doesn't like to look at a pretty house anyway?  Pretty front door, isn't it?

 Gorgeous view

 Family room fireplace.  It obviously needs built-ins.  Californians love their built-ins. 

Definitely needs a rug too.

Pretty kitchen minus some appliances. Theft in the real estate market.  Stupid people.

One dirty, but amazing sink and faucet.

Master bedroom fireplace.

Master bathtub.

Downstairs en-suite bath. 

If we get this house, there could be some fun project blogging in the next year. 

Merry Christmas

The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, 

which means "God with us."  Matthew 1:23

I wanted to post a beautiful picture with sparkly lights, ornaments, snow or poinsettias.  But, this little nativity is the real reason we are celebrating, laughing, giving and worshiping today.  God is with us!  

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday Mom!  I love you!

It Never Rains in California. . .

Who wrote that song, really?  Well, this week "it pours, man it pours".  So, we went to Disneyland anyway.  Yep, it was the last day of this year we could use our passes.  We bundled up and hit the rides.  Well, the indoor rides.  Disneyland is beautiful at Christmas.  Even in the rain.  

You wouldn't believe how many layers we had on. I think I had 5 layers total. 

 These three photos above are IPhone shots.  Not too bad, actually.

Disneyland sold thousands of ponchos on Friday.

 Pardon the rain drops on the lens.

Disneyland sparkled in the rain!

Rainy Day Baking

I'm biting into a luscious chocolate cookie that I just baked.  There are three of us at the house these days.  I try to bake everybody's favorite cookie and that's all.  Of course, we serve the cookies to whoever may walk in the door and give some away as best we can.  My husband's favorite are Sugar Cookies, DD2's favorite are Peanut Butter Blossoms.  Mine, well, mine are the best by far.  Mine are the awesomest cookies.  They are Chocolate Covered Cherry cookies.  Now, you can't tempt me with chocolate covered cherries.  But, these cookies are amazing.  This is an old, old recipe from Better Homes and Gardens.  They don't even have it on their website.  {Whoa, I just discovered a short cut that I didn't know about.} Okay, on to the recipe.  

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

Frosting
2- 10 oz jars small maraschino cherries (about 48) or 24 large cherries, halved
1- 6 oz package (1 cup) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt; set aside.

 I used really awesome cocoa from Sur La Table that a salesperson talked me into.

In a large mixer bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.  Add sugar and beat on low till fluffy.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well on medium speed.  Gradually add flour mixture to butter/sugar mixture, beating on low till well blended.  

Shape dough into 1 inch balls; place balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment and a Silpat, not together). Press down center of each ball with thumb. Drain maraschino cherries, reserving the juice. Press a small cherry or a large cherry half into the center of each ball of cookie dough.

The frosting is placed on the cookie BEFORE baking. Weird, I know. For frosting, in a small heavy saucepan melt chocolate pieces and sweetened condensed milk over low heat, stirring often. Stir in 4 tsp of reserved cherry juice. Spoon about 1 tsp frosting over each cherry, spreading to cover cherry. If necessary, add additional cherry juice 1 tsp at a time to thin frosting.  

Bake in a 350* oven about 10 minutes or till done.  Remove and cool on wire rack.  Be careful because they can break easily before they cool off.  Makes 48 cookies.  

So incredibly good!  You'll need a glass of milk.  Enjoy and let me know if you try them.
I'm adding this recipe to Pleasant Home's Cookie Exchange.  Check out the amazing cookie recipes posted. 

Floral Fridays

{bhg}

I lived really close to Shady Hill Nursery in Illinois which specializes in poinsettias in the Fall and geraniums in the Spring. I especially miss them this time of year. The varieties were amazing. You don't really realize how wonderful something is until you move away. Now if I could only keep my Plain Jane poinsettia alive for  one more week.  Does anybody have any secrets to help?

Dessert in a Cup

I took a little break from all the crazy party preparations Tuesday and decided to enjoy a little delicacy.  On Monday night I had fun preparing my gift for the exchange. You can see the photos in my last post. I bought three hot chocolate mixes from Spice Merchant, a cute mug from Target (not the one below) and made homemade peppermint marshmallows from Martha. They were really easy. Since the marshmallows don't last that long, I gave most of them away, but, not all!  Cuz a girl needs her chocolate, even if it's drinkable and in a cute mug from Wal-Mart.  

My hot chocolate was this delicious mix from Williams Sonoma.  YUM!  It's kind of a Christmas must have around here.  Have you stopped and taken a breather this week?

Parties and Pretties

 I'm all ready for the festivities.

Now I'm just tweaking things a little here and there.

This is a picture of my first Christmas.  A LONG time ago.

New table and new lantern equals new look.

Bird and music stars from PBarn.

 My friend, Kathy, made this yummy chocolate and peppermint cake for our Bible Study gift exchange.

There was some stealing going on.

 This is the cake lady.

 Tonya is our miracle.  Can I say REMISSION!

The girls pile into my living room.

Three of us are missing, but we have an awesome group! 

Whew, getting ready for another party tonight.

I'm participating in the Christmas Tour of Homes at The Nesting Place and Hooked on Houses. Check out the amazing homes participating!  My other Christmas links are our tree, the "not gingerbread house" and our apartment

Annual Trailer Park Construction

If you haven't been with me for long, I need to explain our annual trailer park for you.  For years and years, I would attempt to make Gingerbread houses with my daughters.  I'd buy the candy and even make the frosting sometimes.  Another year went by when it just didn't happen.  So, I whipped out the graham crackers and we went to work.  One year my oldest daughter made hers into a mobile home with wheels and flat roof.  Every year since then, we have made a trailer park.  It took the pressure off of having a perfect gingerbread house and is a unique and fun tradition for us.  We have definitely improved our technique over the years.  Here's a glimpse of this year's park.

 It all begins on a piece of foam core.

Lots of candy and royal icing.

 DD2 was very intent on her construction.

 E. . . doesn't like her picture taken. See her wheelbarrow by the garden shed?

I made a cobblestone driveway.

A view of the lane.

My cute helpers.