Delightful December Day 2 - Chocolate Mint Cookies!

Okay, the weekend is getting away from me. Time to get back to posting all of my favorite things that make December Delightful! I think it's time to get baking...

I love cookies, and these have to be my favorite! They are chocolaty and chewy, and have the perfect topping of melted mint chocolate! My Aunt Pam always makes them, and now they are a tradition in our house as well.

Chocolate Mint Cookies

• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons water
• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (2 cups)
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• Andes Creme de Menthe candies, broken in half

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Over low heat, combine butter, sugar and water. Heat until melted and add chocolate chips until partly melted. Remove from heat and stir. Pour into large mixing bowl. Let stand 10 minutes to cool slightly.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time on high speed. Reduce mixer to low speed and add flour, salt and baking soda. Beat until well-blended.
4. Chill one hour.
5. Roll into balls, place two inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes.
6. Place an Andes Mint half on top after taking them out from the oven. Allow to melt slightly and spread with a spoon. Allow to cool completely before stacking cookies. 
7. Enjoy the chocolate-minty goodness!

Delightful December Day 1 - Homemade Ornaments

This is such a magical time of the year, 

I just love the festive month of December! 

It is time to celebrate with 

25 days of Christmas fun! 

The first thing my family does the day after Thanksgiving is set up our Christmas tree. I just love opening the box of ornament, filled with so many memories, and watching the kids hang each ornament. Yes, I usually have to go back and rearrange a bit, but it is still one of my favorite days of the year! My favorite ornaments are the homemade ones, especially by the kiddos!

Here are a few ideas to fill in those empty spots on your tree this year...

I just love this cute hand print snowman family I found from Stephanie over at Full of Great Ideas! 

You can find the tutorial HERE. 

I am also an owl lover. I know they are all over the place these days, but I loved them before they were cool! You can download a free pattern to make these adorable little hoots for your tree at Juicy Bits!

 And some of my very favorite ornaments are ones the kids have made with their sweet little pictures on them. We even have one that my hubby made when he was little! I found this thrifty idea using shower curtain rings that would definitely be worth a try. Check out Homeworkshop.com for the details!

I remember making salt dough ornaments with my mom when I was little, a classic that has to be passed on! It gets even cuter when you add a little hand print like Moment of Mommyhood did here!

Okay, now it's time to share YOUR favorite homemade ornament ideas!

Ultrasound Results: It's a...

BOY!!!

It looks like the wives tales were wrong! We got a very clear shot and the doc said "do I need to tell you what it is?" No question about this one, he's all boy! I am excited that Baby Lu will get to stay the princess of the house, even though I was really picturing a sister. I have had three boys but have given away all of my baby boy stuff. 
I guess it is time to shop!!!


I just love this pattern from Carter's, this blanket set is so cute!





Hooray for snips and snails and puppy dog tails! 
We are SO blessed!!!

Magazine Deal- 1 year Rachael Ray for $5!

I am watching the Rachael Ray show right now, oh how I wish I was there! She is giving away some awesome prizes to her audience! She is also offering you an awesome deal...
For one week you can get a one year subscription to Rachael Ray magazine for only $5! That is an 87% savings and makes each issue only 50 cents each!!!
Check out the deal HERE!

Money Saving Monday

I find myself looking for little ways to save money, especially during the holidays! We don't have a huge budget for gifts, so every little cent counts! 

One of my biggest money savers is making my own laundry detergent. I use the Duggar Family recipe. For only a few dollars it makes 10 gallons and yields 180 loads for top loading or 640 for front loading! 

We also cut out cable and use an antenna for local channels and Netflix for movies and instant view TV series shows. This saves us $100 a month!

I use cloth diapers, which saves us the $20/week trip to the store we were spending before.

I use coupons for most of my shopping and this has cut our grocery bill in half (sometimes more). Yes, I am also one of those crazy Black Friday shoppers!


Please share...What are some of your money saving tips?

My Memories Giveaway WINNER!!!

This is my favorite part of blogging!
I am so excited to announce that  the winner
of the My Memories Digital Scrapbook Software is...

Congrats Janelle!
You have been contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond
or we will have to choose another winner.


Thank you to all that entered and stay tuned for many more fun giveaways!

Wordless Wednesday - Whoo are you looking at?!

The owl that watches over my parents' back yard.