~ Cookies with a Kick ~

phfr ~*~ Cookie Edition ~*~

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday, at Like Mother, Like Daughter
&
Linking up to Cookie Recipe Swap at Sweet Boutique

This Friday is our Home School Group's 17th Annual Cookie Exchange...which is being hosted at my home this year.

Besides the Exchange and Refreshments shared, we recite the Rosary together.  Praying together and asking for prayers for the intentions in our hearts...a mother's heart. 

It's a good opportunity for the moms to get out and meet the knew moms in our group and to build friendships and provide support.

This year we will have two options, with regards to the Cookie Exchange:

The Traditional Exchange and the Revised Exchange.

Traditional exchange:
Bake 1 dozen of your favorite cookie/bar; so if a total of 10 moms participate, you bring 9 dozen of one kind of cookie to trade with the other moms. You take home 9 dozen different cookies to serve our family, or to give away as gifts.


Revised exchange:

Bring only your favorite cookie/bar recipe and samples to have at the party. You don’t exchange the actual cookies/bread, just the recipe.
You don’t have to bake the cookies for each participant, but you also don't get to take cookies home.

{pretty}

This year I'm opting for the Revised Exchange and I will be making:

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies.



pretty scrumptious

I went online and found several forms of this recipe, but in the end, I tried this one (Recipe originally from Martha Stewart) which I found through this helpful blog.

The Ingredients.

The Bakers.

Teamwork!

Making and Baking cookies has never been easier. :D

{happy}

I'm happy to have helpers!

Making/Baking cookies the Old Fashioned Way...using some *elbow grease*!

Keep up the good work, girls!  (coach and mom...and taste tester).  :o)

{funny}

The secret ingredients that gives these cookies their kick?...chile powder! 
Intrigued?  I was.

funny, you would never guess that chile powder is used.

Will the fun ever end?  (and time to start brewing some tea)

{real}

Yield:  3 1/2 dozen amazing cookies.

I didn't think that there would be enough cookie dough to make a dozen,
let alone 3 dozen...but there was plenty!  For real.

Delicioso!  Maravilloso!

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter to find more contentment!

Linking up to Holiday Cookie Recipe Swap...Blog Hop at Sweet Boutique

~ Peace & Good Will ~

We have been reading different versions of The Gingerbread Boy/Man (along with our Advent/Christmas readings).

And, we have been baking cookies all week.

Yesterday, Butterfly was feeling under the weather; she has a little cold.
Little Lamb wanted to make her sister something that would make her feel better...

Gingerbread girl with big bow

So she made her sister some chamomile tea and a gingerbread girl...

And there was peace in the house.  :o)

 

Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

~ Luke 2:14

~ 2nd Sunday in Advent ~

We light the 2nd candle...

This Sunday my son served as Episcopal Server for the Archbishop...so we attended Mass over at our Cathedral.

They have a beautiful shrine on display which they made for the patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe.  She's so lovely and the roses surrounding her were so vivid.  Her feast day is tomorrow, December 12.

I tried to take a picture from the other side of the nave (discreetly) with my phone...this is what I captured:  (wish I had a better camera, and that I had been closer - oh well.)

We arrived early, so we had the opportunity to listen to the choir warm their voices...absolutely glorious.

The Offertory Antiphon really raised one's thoughts heavenwards.
They chanted Deus tu convertens

(You will turn toward us, O God,)

This Advent Season, I am hoping to really focus on preparing my stubborn heart to receive the Infant Child, with a pure and clean heart instead of this heart of mine. 

Nativity of my childhood

My mother gave me the above nativity.  As a child, I would *play* with it...sometimes to the point that the figures would come off.  lol.  My mom must have glued those figures on a hundred times and I think she even did touch up paint on some of them.   The moss that was on the roof is no longer lush...and Joseph's staff is missing.  I don't remember her ever scolding me.  I love this nativity.

I have to stop myself from scolding Little Lamb when she wants to touch this nativity...I want to preserve it, but I remember how I loved to imagine myself in this place - and touch it I did!  It obviously survived me (and probably a few of my other six siblings).

At our Parish Advent Retreat this week, the Retreat Master said, "You don't lose your patience; it's not gone - You just need to cultivate it"  I seriously need to cultivate my patience.  :o)

Entrance Hymn:

"Behold, O Zion, God will come to save the nations of the earth.  Your hearts will quicken at the sound of his majestic, glorious voice. "  ~ J.S. Bach

~ Time Flies ~

This weekend we met up with friends that we hadn't seen in years.  YEARS!!!  Like 9 or 10 years.

Their oldest son, who is now playing college basketball, was in the area...so we decided to take a drive and watch the game and catch up.



We had a great time...great game, great company, great visit.
Their children had grown.  Our children had grown...they met Little Lamb for the first time...

TIME FLIES.

We decided to grab some dinner with the group after the game...we had such a good time.  We laughed, and laughed. 
I really appreciate these friends - who have been like family.  My husband has been friends with Mr. D ever since elementary school! 

I appreciate the effort they make to keep in touch and to reach out.

I've really been reflecting on what kind of friend I've been to others.  How I often let time pass without making that effort...because of a (tiny) fear that it may lead to a bigger investment (of much more than I'm willing to spend).  The funny thing is, I've never regretted it.  In fact, it has always enriched me... 
Time.  I've been very stingy with my time lately.  A regular ol Scrooge.
It felt good to give up some time...and as the saying goes:

"Time flies when your having fun"

I love these sayings about Time:

Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow. ~Denis Waitely

The Future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is. ~C.S. Lewis

And Lastly,

"Tempest Fugit, Memento Mori" or "Time Flies, Remember Death"

 

 

How are you spending your time?

 

~ Peppermint Hot Chocolate ~

 

On the vigil of St. Nicholas' feast day...

 

 

 

 

The girls didn't need to be reminded to put their slippers out by the fireplace.

Conductor...needed reminding. :o)

The slippers were placed by the fireplace...in anticipation of *three golden coins*.

On Dec. 6th - the actual feast day:
After morning Mass, we hurried home to continue our St. Nicholas tradition...

Ta-da...

~ Peppermint Hot Chocolate ~

Here is our version:
(I don't usually measure...so these are approximation measurements)
(Also, either Hot Chocolate or Hot Cocoa...you can use chocolate bars or cocoa powder - whatever you have on hand).

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 bar (2 oz) Ghirardelli 100% unsweetened cocoa (or Lindt 70% cocoa - Intense Dark), MELTED
          (you can substitute with 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder - I use Hershey's Special Dark
          100% cocoa)
dash of salt
1/3 cup hot water
5 cups milk
3/4 tsp. vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon
1 peppermint candy cane, crushed
mini marshmallows (optional)

1.  Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in a large saucepan; stir in Hot water.
2.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils; boil and stir 2 minutes.
3.  Stir in milk and peppermint and heat.  DO NOT BOIL.
4.  Remove from heat; add vanilla and sprinkle with cinnamon.
5.  I use this fun tool to whip it up a bit, creating a light foamy layer on top.
6.  Drop in a few marshmallows (kids love them...me, not so much)

Mexican Hot Chocolate Mixer

Little Lamb added a little something extra this time...adding to the chocolaty richness (I opted out on this version).

My kids each received a bar of this Polish chocolate from our pastor, the morning of, to commemorate St. Nicholas!  (St. Nicholas was not Polish, but our pastor is).  :o)  This is good stuff!

We shared our peppermint Hot Chocolate with some freshly baked bread and fresh oranges from my father's orange tree...

Yum.  (mouth-watering yum)

Simple gifts...*bag of coins* and a crozier candy cane (for the hot chocolate).  Simple.
This year, I used dark peppermint chocolates for the coins.  Just three coins in each bag.  Perfect.

We printed out some coloring sheets from the St. Nicholas Center

Little Lamb's work:

Butterfly's work:
(I like how she added the patches on the children's clothes)

And wise-guy's Conductor's work:
(he was teasing me). :o)

And, Speaking of HOT CHOCOLATE...
Through several trails of wonderful and helpful blogs...I stumbled upon this Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies Recipe.  I am going to try baking them TODAY and (hopefully) share them on this Sweet blog.

I have to say...I am so thankful for all the beautiful and helpful blogs out there...so many wonderful ideas and lovely ladies that are willing to share.  St. Nicholas would be pleased.  :o)

 

St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra

He's every body's patron saint.  :o)

 

 

Linked up to Sweet Boutiques:

Super Sweet Saturday

~ Miracles do Happen ~

St. Catherine Laboure and the
Miraculous Medal

...even tiny miracles...

Every year, usually during the month of November or December, my First Communion Class will recieve a Miraculous Medal.  This year, since it was closer to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8), we recognized this Feastday.

Tiny Miraculous Medal all the way from...
the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, in Rue du Bac, Paris, France. 

It is another step towards their preparation of the Sacraments:
First Confession (also known as Reconciliation or Penance)

and

First Holy Communion.


Waiting for their blessing...

Each month, the children will go up to the Communion rails and our pastor will bless them and present them with *blessed* devotional articles, or sacramentals.

"Sacramentals are liturgical ceremonies instituted by the Catholic Church that bear some resem­­blance to the seven sac­ra­ments and dispose the Christian to receive and cooperate with grace. Each includes a prayer of blessing accompanied by a sacred sign representing bene­fits obtained through the intercession of the Church."

The blessing of the medals...

For example:
In October, the children recieved a rosary and in Feburary, they will recieve their First Communion Candle - for the occasion of Candlemas.

This card holds the information about St. Catherine Laboure
and the Miraculous Medal...
and the journey of this tiny medal.

Often, the intentions of Holy Mass will be said for them and their preparation to recieve their sacraments.

The children are so wonderful...so full of love for Him.

As you prepare for your First Holy Communion,

remember to ask Our Blessed Mother to keep and guard you

and ask her to prepare your heart to receive her Son, Jesus, in Holy Communion.

 

St. Catherine Laboure...Pray for us.
Mother Mary...Pray for us.

Linking up to Catholic Bloggers
Blog Roundup

over at Catholic Bloggers Network

~ Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real ~

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday, at Like Mother, Like Daughter

{pretty}

Butterfly re-arranged her desk...

A collection of PRETTY gifts from her grandmother (m), mother, aunt and friends from over the years.

So sweet and lovely...just like our Butterfly.

 {happy}

This is one HAPPY little girl...and no complaints from the pup, either. 

{funny}

FUNNY bookstands...gift to Butterfly, from a friend (from last Christmas).

So perfect for her...my little bookworm.

{real}

This is the birthday card that Butterfly made for me...

She hand made this card from candy wrappers that she saved and dried flowers that she pressed.

You cannot see the details in this photo...but it is REALLY beautiful. 

This is such a treasure to me.

This child is so lovely and good and sweet.

(how did I get to be her mother?)  really!

Go to Like Mother, Like Daughter to find more contentment!