Christmas

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The Christmas season has finally begun! This is my favorite time of the whole entire year. I love the music, the decorations, the joy, and...ALL OF IT! My family has so many fun activities planned and I cannot wait to get out of school for two weeks! haha! It's time to pull out those old christmas movies and start makin' some fudge:)

What's your favorite girls scout cookie?

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I always thought I was a Thin Mint kind of girl until I was introduced to the ever-famous coconuty-caramel Samoa. It blew my mind!

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Why wait until March to get your Girl Scout Cookie fix? I think the homemade ones look more decadent anyway. Here is the recipe:

Homemade Samoa Cookies

Makes 50-60 cookies

Preparation: Heat oven to 350 Degrees. Line bake sheet with parchment.

• 1 lb sweetened coconut, toasted
• ½ cup of confectioner sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups of flour
• 1 11oz. bag of Kraft Caramels
• Chocolate Pouring Sauce

Instructions:

1. Place coconut on bakesheet and bake at 350 degrees until golden brown, about 10-minutes. Make sure to stir the coconut half way through.
2. Place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Add flour and beat until combined. Place dough in refrigerator and chill for 20 minutes.
3. Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out the dough to an 1/8 of an inch in thickness. Using a two inch round cookie cutter stamp out cookies and for the center use the wider end of a piping tip if you don’t have a small enough cookie cutter. Place stamped out cookies on parchment lined bakesheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
4. Place caramel squares in a medium size sauce pan over medium heat to melt. Once the caramel bits are completely melted reserve ½ a cup of mixture in a shallow bowl; set aside. Add the toasted coconut to the remaining caramel mixture. Fill a shallow pan with hot water and place saucepan filled with the finished caramel coconut in it to keep the mixture at spreading consistency. Reheat mixture as needed to maintain spread consistency during assembly.

Assembly

1. Dip tops of cookies into the reserved caramel bowl. This will help the sticky caramel coconut mixture to quickly adhere to the cookie. Place cookie on a flat surface and using an icing spatula or butter knife spread caramel coconut mixture on to the cookie. If necessary, use a spoon to guide the caramel coconut spread off the icing spatula and on to the cookies. Let cookies rest for 30 minutes before dipping the bottoms in chocolate and drizzling the striping on top.

I think it would be just as good to only make the yummy coconut topping, put it on store bought shortbread cookies, and drizzle melted chocolate chips on top. That's probably what I'll end up doing when I make these! Enjoy!!! :)

thinking...

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I think that sometimes we forget to be human. We forget to be joyful, to learn, explore, or create. Maybe it's because we're afraid that we don't deserve happiness or greatness. Maybe it's because we let little distractions get in the way. We forget to live in the moment because we are so focused on all of the work we have to do. Do you ever feel that way? Overwhelmed? It keeps us from seeing the sunshine in our lives, and more importantly, from bringing blessings into the lives of others. I don't think the wonderful God who created us wants us trudging throught his incredible life. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not just endured! Develop your talents. Work hard for something you want. Do a few little things today that will help you rise to your full potential. Keep on progressing. Above all, don't lose yourself in fear.

CLOTHES I LOVE :)

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I am IN LOVE with this Jacket. Its perfect. I need it asap. Does anybody know where i can find it??? :)

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I really truly love the colors and i LOVE the jacket and scarf. :)

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All I really like on this is the jacket :) Hmmm... I love clothes. I need to go shopping! Anybody up for it!?

Ok...obviously i'm a bit obsessed with clothes. Hahaha thats ok!

Happy Day

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A couple years ago when i was having a bad day my little sister, who was two at the time, would say... "it ok. have happy day."

I love this attitude through life. I think that if we could have this attitude for the rest of your life, there will never be a time where you don't feel happy. You can control how you feel. Choose to be happy. Smile more often, it'll draw people into you and you will have more friends. I guarantee it :)

Aren't smiles just fantastic? All smiles are unique and different. Thats what so great about them...they're personalized. Show off your smile, because thats what makes you..you! :)