Monday, December 20, 2010

Be Jolly By Golly!


Christmas is almost here and Jen at unedited, along with her friend Melissa, has organized a little blog party.  So sit back and relax as I share my decorations, favorite Christmas snack, and drink.

Enjoy!

My Christmas tree in all its lighted and decorated glory: 


No, it's not real.  :(  But it is beautiful!

A little Christmas tree tidbit for you--It's always been a tradition of mine to hang up the same ornament first every year.  It's a little baby Jesus I made when I was three that's simply a walnut shell (for the manger), an orange bead (for his head), and a patch of red cloth (for his blanket).  

The Christmas stockings:


The snowman is mine, the santa is my husband's, the little itty snowman to the right is my eldest son's, and the blue stocking belongs to my youngest.  Little known fact: we NEVER fill them.  I just think they're pretty to hang up.

The Nativity:


This is always the second thing to go up (yes, I'm a tad obsessive compulsive) and my children insist it's their toy.

So there's my house!  I hope you enjoyed the little tour.  Stay for a drink and a snack.  I'm sure you'll love them!

Favorite snack for your pleasure: 


Ginger Cream Cookies.  Yummmm...

Recipe:

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Cream the shortening, sugar, egg, molasses and water. Mix in the flour, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
  3. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for about 8 minutes.


Favorite drink:



Pumpkin Spice Latte

Actually, with this recipe, you can make it any flavor you like.  I usually start making this around halloween and right up until Christmas.  It is yummy!

Recipe:
(makes 1 serving)

1 cup of milk
A splash of vanilla
Sugar to taste
Sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

Combine all ingredients in small sauce pan.  Heat to simmer while whisking.  Once heated through, add with a bit of already prepared coffee.  

Want a mint latte??  Replace the vanilla with mint extract and leave out the pumpkin pie spice.  You can make any flavor you want!  Enjoy!

And thanks so much for stopping by.  Don't forget to check out the other jolly blogs today!

63 comments:

  1. Oh my... those cookies sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!

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  2. WOW....those cookies and Latte look amazing! I love how your tree is in the center of the room. Ours isn't real either, but after a near-disasterous incident several years ago we've been artificial ever since.

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! :)

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  3. Yummy on the recipes. :D

    Have a great Christmas, Emily!

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  4. Mmm... cookies look delish! And I love pumpkin spice lattes too.

    I saw you're a NaNo winner--me too! Congrats! ANd good luck on your querying stage. :)

    Happy holidays!

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  5. are the lights on your christmas tree really hearts, or was that just the way the picture took?
    cute decs! yumilicious food!

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  6. Such a pretty tree! And those cookies.... yummy! I want one. :)

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  7. love the tree and the comfy armchair behind it for Santa Clause to rest his tired feet :)

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  8. oh! I love your nativity scene! And those ginger cream cookies!!! mmmm... And a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice? That's all it takes??? Thanks for the tip~

    Merry Christmas! :o)

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  9. Your tree looks like it is covered in coloured heart-shaped lights - amazingly appropriate for Christmas. The Latte looks lovely too. :)

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  10. I love your nativity scene! And your Jesus ornament sounds precious. :) Merry Christmas!

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  11. Pumpkin spice latte is one of my favorites too and the cookies look SO good.

    The decorations are beautiful and thanks for sharing the story of your "first" ornament.

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  12. Happy Christmas to you and your family!

    Your tree is stunning; I love the different colour lights. I've never tried Pumpkin spiced latte but I will be now.

    Be Jolly By Golly

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  13. Awww I love the Christmas feel with your tree. Those ginger cookies and pumpkin latte look delicious - totally going to attempt to make them. Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas! :D

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  14. Thanks for the recipe, Emily. Those cookies look wonderful! Have a happy holiday season.

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  15. I am so making both of your recipes this week. Yum.

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  16. Emily - those recipe look perfect! Bet you wouldn't recognize them if I made them.

    Be Jolly!

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  17. Ha, you never use your stockings. Well, they ARE beautiful. Lovely tree! And I've definitely copied the recipe for the cookies. I'm making a document and sticking all the blogfest recipes in there today. Your baby Jesus in a walnut shell sounds so cute! Merry Christmas!

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  18. Lovely decorations!! Those cookies DO sounds soo nommy!

    Merry Christmas Emily!

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  19. Beautiful decorations, and I have to make these cookies.

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  20. Wow, those cookies sound amazing and they look it too! I love your house, the decorations are gorgeous! The tree is magical!

    Thank you for sharing and participating in the blogfest!

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  21. Mmm, delicious! I also have two ornaments I hang on the tree first: a zebra painting her stripes red for Christmas, and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Those are two of my childhood favorite ornaments and always go on the tree first!

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  22. Looking forward to sampling those wonderful biscuits. Decorations are lovely. Love the snowman.

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  23. Your Christmas tree is beautiful! Love the recipes.

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  24. Those cookies look delicious! Merry Christmas!

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  25. THOSE COOKIES LOOK AMAZING. I am getting SO hungry reading through this blogfest. And I love love love your little baby Jesus ornament. What a sweet tradition!

    Cheers dear,

    ~ Bess

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  26. Emily - Those cookies sound divine!!! Thanks for the recipe. =D

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  27. Love the stocking holders and those cookies look amazing!!!

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  28. The lights on your tree are so pretty!

    Merry Christmas!

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  29. Your tree is so pretty!

    Merry Christmas!

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  30. Your house looks very festive!
    Merry Christmas, Emily!

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  31. Aww, I love the tradition of the first ornament on the tree! Way to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in your heart! And those ginger cream cookies... Mmmmm!

    Merry Christmas!

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  32. I've got to try the pumpkin spice latte. It sounds yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  33. Love the nativity... beautiful decorations

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  34. Those cookies look SO yummy! I love that you have the tradition to hang the baby Jesus on the tree first. I hope you have a Merry Christmas!

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  35. I enjoyed the cookies and the tree-themed pumpkin spiced latte! YUMMY!

    I love your tradition of always putting up the same ornament first. I always have to put up the ornament that I got for my first christmas. It doesn't feel like christmas otherwise!

    Thank you so much for participating in our blog fest!

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  36. The cookies look great so does the latte and your decorations are beautiful.
    beth-project52.blogspot.com

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  37. oooohhh....I have to try that cookie recipe! And the latte!

    RIGHT NOW!! *runs off*

    *turns to shout over shoulder:* MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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  38. Oh I love your tradition of hanging Little Jesus that you made when you were three! So sweet! I have a habit of hanging mine in order too. Your ginger cookies sound great, I may have to try them out! Have a wonderful Christmas! ;)

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  39. Oh my goodness, those cookies and latte look amazing! Must try them right now. And your tree is gorgeous! Love that you put the Jesus ornament on first every year :)

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  40. No matter that the tree isn't real. It's still lovely!

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  41. Mmm... latte sounds good right now!
    Merry Christmas!

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  42. I love your tree...and the pumpik spice latte sounds interesting.

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  43. Stopping by for the blogfest...

    Love your tree! It looks great! And the stocking holders are darling! Too cute.

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  44. That's so great that you have a Christmas keepsake from when you were 3! It definitely deserves to be put on first. Lovely tree and the cookies look great! Happy Holidays to you ~ :)

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  45. That Latte looks excellent right about now :). Your decorations are adorable. Happy Holidays.
    ~Kelley

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  46. Your home looks so warm and cozy. I would just love to grab one of those cookies and have a sip of that gorgeous pumpkin latte.

    Merry Christmas!

    Michael

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  47. I love trees with colored lights- so beautiful! Hope you have an awesome Christmas!

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  48. Drooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!!!! :) Merry Christmas!

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  49. I love your stocking hangers! Every year I try to fill ours and they end up falling off the mantel because the hooks can't hold them, so I stopped trying.

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  50. Love your stockings! And I'm definitely going to make those cookies! :)

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  51. Awww...I think it's sweet that you hang your special, handmade (by you at 3) walnut manger ornament first every year. :)

    The latte sounds deeelish. Mmmm.

    I hope you have a very Merry Christmas...and a spectacular 2011!
    Love,
    Lola

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  52. Wait! What? I am 100% positive I was following you, Emily. Like for quite a while now. But it just said I wasn't. Curiouser and curiouser. *sigh* Anyway, I am (again) now.
    Blogger is messing with my head lately.

    Okay, bye, again. :) *waves*

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  53. The cookies look yummy (and so does the latte.)

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  54. Those cookies and that latte look really yummy. I have to invest in some pumpkin pie spice.

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  55. Lovely Blogfesting Entry! Cookies sound yummy! I may have to try them if I have time to bake this week... And the latte also sounds good (that is if I were a coffee drinker, lol) Merry christmas!

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  56. Oooooh, those Ginger Cream Cookies look super yummy! I'm going to try making them this week. I love that you hang up the same ornament first every year. That's a really cool tradition. Have a Merry Christmas!

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  57. I love that you have an OCD method to your Christmas decorating! ;o) I wish I could do that. Aside from putting up the tree first, it's a decoration free for all at my house.

    How come there aren't stockings hanging up for the kids?

    Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

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  58. Pretty decorations and yummy looking recipes!

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  59. The room your tree is in looks very cozy! Those cookies look delish- have a wonderful Christmas!

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Yay! Comments! Oh, how I do love them! :D