Mmm mmmm!

Peppermint Whoopie Pies...its a beautiful thing! :) Here are the treats I made for Christmas, and let me tell you, they are D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes/per batch
Yield: 18-21 large pies or 33-38 medium (I would cut this in 1/4 unless you are making for a big batch of people!)

For Cookies-

Ingredients:
3 c. sugar
1 c. unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs, room temp.
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tbs vanilla
6.5 cups of all-purpose flour
2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark cocoa)
1.5 tbs baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 c. milk (I used whole)

Directions:

Preheat Oven to 350. Lightly grease baking pans.

Cream butter and sugar for 3-5 minutes (paddle mixer reccomended). Add eggs, beating each well. Add vegetable oil and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients. With mixer on low, gradually add a little milk and a little dry mix until fully mixed and smooth.

Using an icecream scoop, place batter of baking sheet 2" apart and bake for 12 minutes. Transfer to cooling racks and wait until completely cooled to add filling.


For Filling-

Ingredients:
1.5 c. butter
1.5 c. vegetable oil (or shortening)
9 c. powdered sugar
4 c. marshmallow cream
4 tbs. milk
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb hard peppermint candies

Directions:
Combine and beat first 7 ingredients until fluffy.

Crush unwrapped peppermint candies in a plastic bag with a hammer or meat tenderizer. Sift peppermint candy dust into filling and place large pieces aside for garnish.

Assembly:

Smooth Filling between two cookies and roll in peppermint pieces for garnish.

Enjoy!!!!!!

2010 Christmas Fair...

A couple weeks ago, we had a great evening checking out the annual Douglas County Christmas Fair and spending some time with the "original" Kirkendalls' (Allan and Sheryl) in their WineStem and Alpaca Gifts booth.

They do a great job of displaying their goods! Winestems make such a fun gift and they sold a TON at this year's Christmas fair.

Of course, Dinger is an advertising machine!

I gave these Slate Appetizer Boards to a few people this Christmas. Sheryl had used hers at Thanksgiving and it was such a cute way to label different cheese, sauces, or toppings. Oh and check out the wine barrel votive holders!!! They made them and sold them for $20 whereas places like Napa Style and Frontgate are selling them for over $50 a piece!!!

Every Good and Perfect Gift...

"For I Know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11


"I Have found the one whom my soul loves" ~Song of Solomon 3:4

Today, as I was packing away our bookshelves, I noticed that we have A LOT of christian books on dating, courtship, and protecting your heart as a single. I found it so sweet that Geoff had, almost equally, as many books on these subjects as I did. God was truly and soveriegnly molding our hearts for each other through different books like these...the cool thing is we were reading them thousands of miles apart and at very different life stages (like he was 23 and I was 17 :), but all the same we were being prepared for that beautiful day when we first met.

I am so grateful for a husband who pursues Christ in all areas of his life, and I'm thankful that God made him such a perfect match for me.

Thank you Lord for being such an incredible author of our loves lives!

"Every Good and Perfect gift comes from the Lord, the father of heavenly lights, who doesn not change like shifting shadows" ~James 1:17

Tis' the Season...

Geoff and I set aside this last Sunday for one thing: a full date day of Christmas Spirit...and we loved every minute of it :) After church, we pulled out our decorations and prepped the house to be overtaken with all things Christmas

My grandma Shirley made it her personal mission over the last few months to make sure that these newlyweds had all the decor needed to make our first holiday season as Mr. and Mrs., a very joyful, festive, and cozy one. Let me be the first to say, She TOTALLY out-did herself! So grateful for her sweet, generous heart and impeccable eye for cute home decor. We went from one (maybe two) random ornaments, to this....................

With all these ornaments and decorations...We needed our tree! The tree farm we found was absolutely adorable; complete with a christmas decor shop, a wreath designing barn, and hot chocolate, cookies, wagon rides out to the trees, and plenty of photo opts.....but in true S&G fashion-we showed up five minutes before closing, after dark, and with no camera battery...its how we roll, but my phone sufficed for at least one picture.

Little entryway table...Geoff loves anything that counts down the days til Christmas (He is such a little boy at heart! :) so her LOVED this cute little sign complete with mini chalk and a mini eraser.

JOY TO THE WORLD...who better to spread Christmas cheer than cute little snowman?

Alas, our first Kirkendall family Christmas tree...and how cute are those little elves!?!?

As I put the final touches on the tree, the cats snuggled in to their new favorite spot in the house...

Geoff made us a delicious treat of hot chocolate and Kahlua (my fav!)....

And we concluded our night in the perfect Holiday way....by watching Elf of course!!!!!