On the Twelfth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, 14 cookies baked into a wreath...

And a random sampling of all of the ones I missed...

 

"J" is for Jesus!



These cookies remind me of my three girls... 

Reader R. would obediently have her cookie tucked under her wing for safekeeping. 
Curious K. would be caught nibbling, "Just a taste."

Little L. would just be standing there, all adorable,
with a sticky grin and a look that said "What candy cane?"

 

Amazing "Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Buttercream"   I wish I could remember where I found the reciepe. (When I do, I will add credits and a link, here.)  I topped the real ones, for Christmas, with a chunck of chocolate/peppermint bark.  These I decorated to look like my family: His, Hers, 3 little girls!  

I am such a cheeseball!



My sweet Little L!  She is the best helper!
She got this adorable apron for Christmas!



 Well,  there you have it.  Christmas... finally over.  Actually, we just exchanged our last presents last night, so I guess it is time to take down the tree and put the Christmas cookie cutters away until next year. 

Merry Cookie Christmas!

Sarah

Kid's Cookie Bake Cookies!



P.S. - Lessons learned: No one wants to see Christmas cookies in January, not even me.   All of my cookie friends have TOTALLY moved on to Valentine's Day.  Plus, this all would have worked out a little better if I had PLANNED what I would post on each of the 12 Days BEFORE I started.  (And, I should have made a "Wise Men" cookie or something for tomorrow, but I didn't.) Oh well...  MERRY COOKIE CHRISTMAS, anyway!

On the Eleventh Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, Eleven Cheerful Cardinals...

These were for the annual William Jewell ~ Alpha Gamma Delta ornament exchange.  I thought they we appropriate because the Jewell mascot is a cardinal, and I couldn't muster up the squirrel with a wreath that I really wanted to do.  I LOVE red and white together... so I included some snowflakes too.

This fun cookie was the hostess gift for my dear friend, Mary Catherine.  She sent me a postcard like this from the U.K. with a container of my favorite British "Biscuits" after I found out I was pregnant with my third child... What a blessing that I will never forget.  I still have the postcard, and used it to create yummy "Thank you!"

I also was really happy with these red and white ornaments, too.  They were also inspired by my Isaiah Bible Study, and were a gift to the leaders of that study.



“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
Isaiah 1:18

Merry Cookie Christmas!
Sarah

On the Ninth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, nine Reindeer Noses...

These aren't quite right... I started to run out of brown icing and tried to stretch it too far.  Nevertheless, I thought they were hillarious! Unfortunately, I can't remember where I saw this great idea... but it wasn't mine... oh, well.

Merry Cookie Christmas!
Sarah

On the Eighth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, Eight Outrageous Ornaments... (whew, where's Reader R's new Thesaurus when you need an "O" adjective...)

Plus, a couple fun extras...

Merry Cookie Christmas!

Sarah

On the Seventh Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, Seven Sparkling Spruces... (Ok, that is a stretch...)



Traditional Tree



Modern Tree Set



 

I made TONS of trees this Christmas, but this is my favorite.  The idea came from my Isaiah Bible Study.  I love the little heart-shaped red hots for the "fruit."  (Although I went overboard on the leaves.  In this case, less would have been more.)

 "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit."Isaiah 11:1

Christmas Stamps

Day and Night Snowy Window

 These trees were fun to try too!

My "Curious K" got a LOT of practice decorating cookies this Christmas.  She created this one at her preschool Christmas party.  Now, that is my kind of craft!  (I baked the cookies and frosting.  Katie helped make the star-shaped mints for the topper.  They are decorated with M&Ms.  Fun and YUMMY!)

Merry Cookie Christmas!



Sarah

P.S. - I am also very much aware that it is painfully obvious that I can not count.  I can, in fact, count... I just have too many fun cookies to share, so I am having to squeeze them in somehow. ;^)

On the Sixth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, six Sneaky "Gingerbread" Sweets...

"Faux Gingerbread" Sugar cookies with brown Royal Icing

Plus, six hats and gloves...

 

Merry Cookie Christmas!

Sarah

On the Fifth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, Handel's "Messiah..."


I got this idea from Laura's Cookies. 
Thanks, Laura for sharing yoru great ideas so graciously!

 (I made this single cookie day FIVE because I think I ate four mistake cookies in the creation of this one final cookie...)  Actually, it was a special extra cookie for my friend Diane with her Christmas order.  Thank you for your encouragement, Diane!

Her response: "You did an awesome job for me Sarah! Especially loved the cookie with the musical staff and notes from the Halleluiah chorus on it." ~ Diane

But, since we are on Day 5... how about stockings for my "five" family (as my almost 4 year-old calls us).

 

And five light bulbs and a couple of funny reindeer.

Merry Cookie Christmas!

Sarah

On the Fourth Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, four vintage ornaments...

Signature Sugar Cookies with Sanding Sugar for sparkle.

All dressed up and ready to PARTY!

I made these for Gina's Small Group Ornament Exchange. 

Thank you for your order, Gina!

I also couldn't help but think that the frosting was "Tiffany's" color,

so I made this little gift for myself! ;^)

Merry Cookie Christmas!
Sarah

On the Third Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, three Smiley Snowmen...

Merry Christmas!

Sarah

On the Second Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, two special stars...

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned."Isaiah 9:2

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."  Isaiah 9:6

And a birthday cake for Jesus! (read Je-e-e-us...)



"And she gave birth to her firstborn son

and wrapped him in swaddling cloths

and laid him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn."

Luke 2:7

Merry Christmas!

Sarah 

One the First Day of Cookie Christmas...

Sweet Sarah gave to me, a birthday cake for Jesus! (read Je-e-e-us...)

 

"And she gave birth to her firstborn son

and wrapped him in swaddling cloths

and laid him in a manger,

because there was no place for them in the inn."

Luke 2:7

Merry Christmas!
Sarah

Baby, It's Cold Outside...

It is time to break out the hats and mittens in Kansas City!  We even got our first dusting of snow earlier this week! 

 

(Sorry these images haven't been edited... we've been having some computer issues...)

Keep Warm!
Sarah

Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours!

A gingerbread copy of our home decked-out for Christmas!

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas

full of many happy memories

and yummy cookies!

Sarah & The Roses

Let it Snow!

Well, ok, it isn't actually snowing... but we had fun decorating snowflake cookies this afternoon anyway!  Sitting around the kitchen table in our PJs (at 4 oclock in the afternoon) with Christmas K-LOVE blarring, we blissfully ignored the fact that 2/3rds of my children were kept home from school today for ear infections, and pretended it was a snow day!  

Which design is your favorite?

Don't worry, we'll keep our germs to ourselves.  These cookies will be completely consumed by immediate family! ;^)  (Probably before this time tomorrow!)

Dreaming of a white Christmas,
Sarah

The First Sunday of Advent

Happy Advent! 

This is the season where we prepare our hearts and homes for our celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God.  The first candle on the advent wreath is the prophecy candle. 
It symbolizes the messages from God that the prophets of scripture shared which foretold
of Christ, specifically his birth, but also his life, death, resurrection, and reign eternal. 

This candle is also sometimes called the "HOPE" candle because it reminds us of the hope that we have through Christ alone.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Sarah

Nuts! Nuts! Nuts!

I love how busy little squirrels run around and prepare for winter.  I feel their excitement as I prepare for the holiday baking season.  I am stocking up on all my basic supplies (flour, sugar, powdered sugar, parchment), and searching for all those fun special touches too... SPRINKLES, luster dust, fancy candies, and of course, all of the best holiday cookie cutters!  Scurry, scurry, scurry. 

I have also been busy confirming my December cookie orders.  Last year, I baked 21 dozen cookies between Thanksgiving and Christmas for friends, family, class parties, etc.  Right now, I have a feeling I will make at least that many this year... I do only have room for a couple more orders though, so if you were thinking of ordering cookies for something special next month, now (well, actually, Monday morning) is the time to get that booked. ;^)

"Who Cooks for You?" 
Sarah would be happy to!

(Note: This was last week's post, but I was too sick to bake. Not tragically sick, just uncomfortable and  inconvenient sick. It made me kinda silly for complaining, since I know two families that have been battling REAL sickness, tragic sickness, for several YEARS, and made me really grateful for the overall good health of my family.  So, now that I have stopped coughing and sneezing, I am happy to say that I am back in the kitchen again... less grouchy and more grateful.)

Scurry, scurry, scurry.

It is begining to feel a lot like Christmas!

Break out your red mittens, it is COLD out there! 

And it is only 52 days until Christmas! 

Time to book your cookie orders for the holidays.  The calendar is filling up FAST!  (Especially with late November and December birthday orders.)

Who wants to be planning birthday party details when there is eggnog to drink, carols to sing, and gifts to wrap?  Or who wants to bake cookies for a holiday party AND clean their house?