Best Sugar Cookie Recipe

If you aren't making your cookies from scratch, you are missing out.  This is an easy recipe and does not require refrigeration as many sugar cookie recipes do.  I think that's what deters a lot of people from making sugar cookies from scratch.  My mom got this recipe many years ago from a good friend, and we've been using it ever since (30 yrs or so). 
You will need:
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder. 
Mix shortening and sugar until creamy.  Then mix in each additional ingredient.  A stand mixer makes this part much easier if you have one.  Don't overmix or you'll end up with tough dough.  In a separate bowl mix together approximately 1 cup of flour and 1/2 cup of sugar.  This is to keep the dough from sticking when you roll it out.  Roll it out to approximately 1/4 inch thickness and cut.  Bake at 375 for about 7 minutes.  If you like your cookies soft, then take them out before the edges turn brown.  Decorate with icing or sugar.  The ones pictured were decorated by my daughter with royal icing and lots of colored sugar.  Enjoy!

Favorite Christmas Decoration

It's quite late for a Christmas related post, but I do still have a handful of Christmas decorations lingering around my house that haven't been put away yet. Some are still out due to my laziness, but a couple are just enjoyable and I like to leave them out a bit longer. These guys are some of my favorites. Plus, they are not overtly Christmas themed, but winter themed. I got them about 6 or 7 years ago just after discovering the Marshall Field's online store. Shortly thereafter, the store was bought out and I didn't get to do any more shopping through them. They are etched glass with metal hats and sit atop a tealight holder. This started as a set of 3, but sadly last yearI managed to break one when I was packing them up. I haven't looked for a similar set yet, but it would be nice to replace the broken one. Perhaps you know where I should look for a replacement?

Yes To

One of my favorite paraben free and cruelty free brands is Yes To.  While I haven't tried too many of their products yet, I absolutely love the Volumizing Shampoo.  It smells great and leaves my hair feeling so clean and soft.  Since I can no longer find it in stores I recently placed my first online order at the Yes To online store.  Along with the Volumizing Shampoo, I also ordered the Acne Regimen Bundle to try on my breakout prone skin. 
Upon completion of my order, I was given this link to pass along to friends that gives you a 35% discount.  If you haven't tried these products before, or if you need to stock up, now is your chance.  Enjoy!

Amazon Prime

Recently my free trial of Amazon Prime ran out and I am planning to pay for a subscription.  Not only is it very nice to have free shipping with no minimum purchase, but they continue to add other perks to this membership.  The first perk added was free video on demand.  It sounds nice, but the selection is fairly limited at this point.  The most recent added perk is free Kindle book borrowing.  I'm not sure how large the selection of titles included in this feature are, but it is just another way Amazon is keeping things interesting in the world of retail these days.

All Saints' Day/Dia de los Muertos

Until recently I had not given much thought to these 2 holidays other than the day my church observes All Saints' Day and pays homage to all the loved ones the church and its members have lost during the last year.  I thought Dia de los Muertos seemed morbid and odd.  The more I have thought about it recently, I think it is a wonderful idea to give special observance to people you have known who have passed away.  I am fortunate to have not lost anyone especially close to me in a terribly untimely manner.  Take some time today to say a prayer of thanks for those you have known who are no longer with us on earth, but are in a glorious place with God.

For the Ladies

For quite some time I've wanted to share this with all of the women I know, but haven't had the nerve to bring it up in everyday conversation.  "So, do you know about menstrual cups?"  I just haven't been able to ask that in conversations with friends or family members.  So, here it is, and if you are not a woman, I hope you stopped reading after the second sentence.
Last year sometime I read about these somewhere and spent several months thinking about and researching these before making a purchase.  And I am so glad I made the switch from disposable feminine hygiene products to a reusable one.  Not only is it more economical, but more user friendly in my opinion.  If you want to hear from other women, just go here.  I ended up purchasing a Moon Cup.

If you have any questions about which one would be best for you, visit the Glad Rags website for tons of helpful information.

Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is just about having fun (or at least it should be), and, for me, putting out some quirky decorations.  This year I added a spooky wreath to my front door.  I found an inexpensive wreath made out of pumpkin garland and added black lights, green glitter skulls, and purple spiders. 
I also made some plush bats and officially opened my Etsy store.  There's not much there at the moment, but my next project is to start sewing more plush creatures to list on Etsy.