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

Happy 5th Birthday Emma!

This weekend I baked these adorable balloon cookies for one of my favorite 5 year olds, sweet Emma!

(Of course, my sweet girls got their own set of monogrammed balloon cookies, too!)

I hope your birthday and the year-to-come
are as sweet and special as you are!

Thank you, Ranee, for your order!

Cheers!

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

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving! 

(Really, I am in favor of any National Eating Holiday...)

No, seriously, it is just a good solid holiday filled with quality things: gratitude, family, history, patriotism, parades, food..., err uhm, I mean a bountiful harvest and so much more.

We have so many blessings for which to be thankful. 

Among many other things, this year, I am thankful for the Sweet Shoppe and the opportunities that it is providing for me and my girls to grow, to learn, to have fun together in the kitchen, and for the relationships that I am building with you, my friends and customers, and with other small business owners and cookie bakers. 

So, this Thanksgiving I am wishing you blessings too many to count!

Have a

Happy Thanksgiving...

And Gobble 'til you Wobble!

Pumpkin Pie Sugar Cookie

A special "Thank You" to Ali Bee's Bake Shop
for the tutorial on pie cookies on Sweet Sugarbelle's Blog.  Curious K. could not even wait for this Pumpkin Pie cookie to dry before she gobbled it down!  (I had to crop her hand reaching for the fork out of the photo!)

Sarah's Sweet Shoppe is now closed for Thanksgiving and will reopen on Monday, November 28, ready with my first batch of Christmas cookies and some pinkalious birthday cookies for a sweet 5 year old!

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.

Confessions of a Cookie Baker: Laura's Pocket "Cookie-d"

So, now, its time for another edition of Confessions of a Cookie Baker, with the Happy Homemaker (the part of the blog where Sarah comes out and confesses something silly about her cookie company adventure).

"Once you start 'seriously' baking cookies,
you may never look at the world quite the same way again." 

Do you remember the Tootsie Roll commercial*:

The world looks mighty good to me, because Tootsie Rolls are all I see...
Whatever it is I think I see becomes a Tootsie Roll to me!

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaXk6PVXqJE&feature=related)

Well, that is kind of how it is with me and cookies right now.  Everywhere I turn, I see something that would make a cute cookie... For instance, the other day at Bible Study, my sweet friend Laura had on this very cute top, and I thought "Wow! That would make a super cute cookie!"  So, being the dork that I am, I asked if I could take a photo of her pocket.

This is Laura's Birthday Week, (yes, she celebrates all week), so tomorrow (Lord willing), I planning to surprise her with this:

Happy Birthday, Laura! 

(Thanks for letting me take a picture of your pocket!)

I am afraid that is is only the beginning of my "cookie-d" crafting.  Since the pocket, I have seen dozen of things that would make adorable cookies... so, the lesson is, if you have an idea, take a picture, tear it out of the magazine, e-mail me a link, just tell me about it.  I would love to give it a try! ;^)   Watch out world, tomorrow, I am planning on trying to "cookie" my house!

 * For the record, I was was only two when this commercial came out. ;^) 

Why I remember it so vividly, "the world will never know." ;^)

Henry and the Happy Hippos...

Henry and his preschool class, The Happy Hippos, at Awesome Kid Preschool, are enjoying this box of "pumpkin" cookies at their Fall Party today! 

2 dozen medium pumpkins
(NUT FREE - Vanilla)

I love baking for school parties.  For the Happy Hippos, we needed to go NUT FREE, so I fine-tuned my vanilla frosting and substitued vanilla for almond extract in the cookies, too.  So if you are planning treats for a school party and need them to be baked NUT FREE, I would be happy to bake them this way for you (although I do still have nuts in my kitchen to be aware of for the SERIOUS allergy).

Also, I do make a point to include one special, extra, cookie with each order.  In this case, I have included enough so that each teacher can have a large "Big Momma" pumpkin to enjoy later!

Thank you for your order, Ingrid!  I hope that the pumpkins were a smashing hit and that everyone had an "Awesome" time at the party!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

"Awesome cookies Sarah!! Thanks ! All of the kids LOVED them! :-)"

- Ingrid

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?