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Friday, October 26, 2012

The Mudhouse

During our trip to Springfield, we found the cutest little coffee shop, Mudhouse.  And, we love good coffeehouses and awesome Mochas.  It's located in the heart of historic downtown Springfield.  They roast their own beans in another building downtown.  It was a nice, relaxing stop to begin our hectic day of visiting with the girls and traveling.  You'll have to excuse my not-so-awesome camera phone pics!

 







 
 

Fall Cookies

One of my favorite holiday traditions is making Christmas, cut out sugar cookies.  Well, occasionally I get to craving them early and, thus, Fall cut out cookies!  When I was a little girl, my mom would help us make these cookies every year...no fail!  After my girl's were born, I started the same tradition.  Here's Ari at 2 helping to cut them out.  She's now 21!  
 
It's going to be a little different this year making them without at least one of the girls here to help. 

There is something about these cookies, everybody loves them.  I guess it's the perfect combination of tart, crunchy cookie and crispy frosting that makes us all crave for more.  I don't believe in "secret family recipes."  If it's that good, it should be shared!

 

Holiday Sugar Cookies

 
4 cups self rising flour
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs ( 1 seperated )
1 tsp. clear vanilla
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
 
Cream butter and sugar until light.  Add 1 whole egg and beat well.  Add egg yolk of second and beat.  Beat in vanilla and lemon juice.  Add flour little at a time.  May not take all the flour, make like pie crust.  Lightly flour table.  Divide into 4 parts.  Chill probably overnight.  Let dough become room temp. before rolling.  Roll with rolling pin on floured counter to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.  Cut with metal or plastic cookie cutters. 
Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees on greased cookie sheet or non-stick cookie sheet.
 

Frosting for Sugar Cookies

 
1 egg white
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. clear vanilla
Dash of salt
 
In electric mixer bowl, add all ingredients and whip until fluffy and frosting peaks.  If too thin add more powdered sugar.  Spread on with small knife.  Immediately sprinkle with favorite sugar and candy toppings as frosting will quickly set and harden.  May add food coloring to frosting.  Covers at least 3 dozen cookies. 
I always make a double batch of frosting.  I roll my cookies pretty thin getting about 7 dozen cookies out of one batch of dough. 

 
 

 Now this is the fun part!
    
 
...and this is when you get to be creative!
 



 
 
 
 
 


Thursday, October 25, 2012

Funtiques!

I found the cutest little vintage/antique shop called Funtiques in Springfield.  Wish I could have picked it up and relocated it to St. Louis!  Haha!  They had lots of fun stuff to browse through.  Many of the nostalgic items took me back to my childhood.  I definitely look forward to a visit back next time I'm in town.

 






 

The City of Springfield, Missouri

A few weeks ago, we were in Springfield for Ari's birthday and parent's weekend at Missouri State.  John and I had some time to kill while waiting for the kids, so we wandered the streets of downtown Springfield.  I was surprised at how much I loved this little town.  It has lots of fun places to eat and shop.  Care has been taken in refurbishing some of the old historic buildings.  So, here's a little photo tour of what we discovered.

 


 
 
 

 

 

 





 
 
 

Friday, October 19, 2012

The Leaf

While in Zion National Park, John and I hiked what's called The Narrows, which is a story I'll tell later.  I just haven't had a chance to start working on all the beautiful photos we got while there.  Anyways, John went on ahead of me when we hit a deep section of the river.  He came back with a
 
yellow fall leaf that he'd found up stream that had found it's way down into the canyon. 
 
 
I took this picture of it because we'd been joking about the fact that there wasn't much fall color and I was disappointed we wouldn't get a lot of beautiful fall photos.  He placed it in the water and we watched it swirl away, continued on our trek back down river.  Sometime later, I'm trudging through knee-high water and just happened to look down.  And would you believe that little leaf had found it's way back to us...it was the exact one!  I commented we were meant to keep it, picked it up and took it with us.  I know there is something to learn in this... I keep looking at this leaf now placed in a picture frame hanging in our house. 
Life will send us down many different paths, sometimes we will question
our existence,
our purpose,
even our God. 
We will get snagged on branches, bumped into boulders, and buried under rapids.  But in the end we will find our way back to the One who set us on this course to begin with.  That is my hope and prayer for all those I love who have lost their way.
 
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
4 Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:3-5 NIV
 

Thursday, October 18, 2012

We're Settled In!


I think we got this house set up in record time.  We had one week to unpack before heading off to Utah.  We got back Saturday and I've spent most of this week finishing up and cleaning.  It was the weirdest feeling coming back from vacation to a house you'd only lived in a week.  But, it's growing on me now that I've got most of the decorating done.  I've got a beautiful wooded fall view out back.

 
 
 
 


 

 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 

The Gift

  Delivered this week, a gift I never expected arrived in the mail.  This story begins, it seems a lifetime ago, when I worked at Owens Comm...