Merry christmas eve my darlings!! Hard to believe it's here. As usual it came much too quickly but we had a blast getting here and now that we're here, on christmas eve, we're determined to have all the fun possible!

The moment I was feeling better last week I dove right into cookie baking. It's something that's been "my thing" since I was in middle school. Every single christmas I bake oodles of cookies that I eat and then share with my family and friends. Sometimes it's exhausting, sometimes it means frosting cookies late into the night, like last night (though accompanied by Home Alone it's actually quite fun!) and sometimes it seems like I'll never be finished and all that cookie dough in the freezer keeps replenishing itself. But when it's all said and done and I see my loved ones enjoying them and I have a few dozen boxed up to give away I know that it was all worth it. 

This time of course, was extra special because I got to share this tradition our sweet baby girl. I sat her right next to me as I measured and mixed and she helped me as best as she could (she loved putting the eggs in the bowl and then back in the crate, it totally melted my mama's heart). 

We made cookies and gingerbread and even a buche de noel! I already can't wait for next year!

Wishing all of you a wonderful christmas eve!!

xo

coat - j.crew, glasses - karen walker, shirt - madewell, jeans - ag, shoes - shoemint

I bet you guys are up to your ears with baking, wrapping and watching all the Christmas movies. I still need to watch Love Actually and papa bear and I have a tradition of watching A Muppet's Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve when the house is quiet and every last present has been wrapped, every card addressed and mailed out and the cookies have been baked and are waiting to be eaten. 

I have a few last things I need to finish today. Namely I have four batches of cookie dough in the freezer needing to be baked since I was just a bit too tired to do it all last night. There's also the buche de noel that I'm hoping to make and a trip to the Russia store for christmas eve dinner essentials like caviar and pickled cabbage. Oh and we need to give our UPS guy his gift, poor kid had to resort to calling our house and having us come down the mountain to pick up our packages because our road was totally impassable last week. He's such a nice guy. 

Speaking of nice that's kind of my favorite thing about the holidays, you know, the way we all try to do a little more, be a bit kinder. But ironically it's also a crazy time - the malls are packed, there's never anywhere to park, traffic is a nightmare and people are generally edgy. So I never take for granted any little kindness that I come across. For example, we ran into Barnes & Noble this past weekend and oh my goodness that place was like being inside a sardine tin - can. not. move. The lines naturally snaked all the way back to the store and everyone was grumpy because they sold out of the christmas gift cards. When it was finally our turn we got the sweetest lady who went through the process with a smile and at one point stopped, rested her elbows on the counter, laid her face in her hands and said "my god your daughter has the prettiest eyes, I just want to stare at them for a minute." She did some baby talk with Birdie and made us swell with pride, big smiles appearing on our faces. Then we wished her a merry christmas and left and she moved on to the next harried customer. I was just so touched that amidst what was probably a very busy and stressful day for her she was sweet, always had a smile and took her time. God bless her!

...

It's hard to believe that I actually wore something other than my dr. marten's but the proof is in the photos above! That is my version of dressing up! It was nice since I pretty much live in pajamas or sweatpants. I ended up ditching the coat by the afternoon though as I was sweating. Yes, sweating just a few days before christmas! This east coast weather, it never fails to do a number on you. Oh yeah, I also needed sunglasses. Crazy!

I apologize for taking up your time today so hurry back and finish those cookies and errands!!

It's only two more sleeps till christmas!

Signing off on this last friday before christmas with a divine cookie recipe for y'all! Make it this weekend - you won't regret it!

48 candy cane kisses

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1/4 c unsalted butter

4 c flour*

1/2 c Dutch processed cocoa powder

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

4 large eggs

2 c sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

powdered sugar for rolling

Unwrap the candy cane kisses, put them in a bowl, and stick them in the freezer. In a small saucepan, heat the unsweetened chocolate and butter until just melted. Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick, about three minutes. Add vanilla, melted chocolate and flour mixture, beating until just combined. Remove dough and cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least two hours.

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and fill a small bowl with about a cup of powdered sugar. Roll dough into 1 1/2" balls, then roll balls in powdered sugar. Place cookie dough balls on a cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. Remove cookies from the oven and immediately place a candy cane kiss from the freezer in the center of each cookie. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet before removing and then place in refrigerator to allow the chocolate kisses to re-harden (be careful when moving them as the kisses can turn into a puddle if shaken too much, learned the hard way).

hat - eddie bauer, sweatshirt - modcloth, jeans - target, shoes - dr. martens

Sooooo it's 60 degrees today... Not that I mind, at all. I was perfectly warm in nothing but a sweatshirt and a warm hat and the roads are finally melting meaning getting up and down our mountain no longer feels like roller coaster ride (very scary, not fun at all). So yay! I think tomorrow is supposed to be even warmer!! 

Not sure that this outfit qualifies as "fashion" but hey I never professed to be an expert on the subject. This is just me wearing what is comfortable and gets me out the door the fastest. And yes, I'm wearing my dr. martens again because they are the most practical shoes when climbing the icy steps of our deck. So there you have it! A cabin dwelling mama's outfit of the day!