Holidaze. . .

I started out really good this year with buying for Christmas. I had my tree up before Thanksgiving and actually had some gifts wrapped and under the tree. Wow!! I have never done that before. I love Christmas so I keep getting started with gifts and decorations earlier and earlier each year. It drives Mark crazy! The kids are all excited they have seen Santa and given him their grand list of wants. I started some baking yesterday. I love to bake at Christmas, now baking, is different from cooking. Baking means sweets. I try to bake and give things to my neighbors at the Holidays. I bake an assortment of goodies from cookies to bars and cakes and Jack makes fudge. He does a really good job too. Me, I don't do fudge. I have tried a few new recipes recently to try to change up what I give. I don't want people to get bored with my goodies.

My sister used to make the best butter cookies. She made them a lot when she was in college. They were the best! So I have been searching for the recipe. I had one written down and I thought it was hers but this one was terrible. It ran all over the place. So I began my quest for the perfect butter cookie recipe. I searched the net and called a few people ect. . . I think I may have found the one. I am going to try it tomorrow. I will let you know how it goes. I did make a really easy Pampered Chef Holiday recipe. It is a Toffee Praline bar. I think I will do it again, it was so easy and good. The kids liked it.

I guess I will start full throttle tomorrow with my baking. I am going to of course make the Hello Dollies and Pecan Sandies my Mom always makes. They are a favorite, and it just is not Christmas without them.