Here is a fun “Getting to know you” Christmas questionnaire. My sister sent this to me so I thought I would share it with all of you. I am making a few ornaments that I will share with you tomorrow. They are easy and fun to make. Oh and this is for my friend Patti…. you will be happy to know it will be 80 degrees here in Frisco tomorrow! It was only 7 degrees at her place last night. Talk about put another log on the fire.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper… Terri and Ansley are not trustworthy for gift bags!
2. Real tree or artificial? We have an Artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? Every year is different. Ours is going up this weekend.
4. When do you take the tree down? If you look in the Winter Issue of Scrapbooking and Beyond you will discover that last year it was MARCH!
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but my Dad’s is my favorite.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? When I was around 4 or 5 I got a Baby Etchn Sketch Doll (the name is something like that) I loved that doll and wish I could find one.
7. Do you have a Nativity scene? No
8. Hardest person to buy for? My DAD! Sorry Dad but it is true.
9. Easiest person to buy for? Ansley
10. Worst Christmas Gift you ever received? Honestly, I have never received a gift I didn’t like.
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, I feel some things should be done the “old fashioned” way and mailing Christmas Cards is one of them.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It’s a Wonderful Life
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? December and yes I tell myself every year that I am not going to wait until December to start shopping and here I sit once again with not a gift purchased.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never
15. Favorite things to eat at Christmas? Mom’s Peanut Butter Fudge and my Chewy Chocolate Chip cookies and Pecan Sandies
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Every year has always been white but this year Ansley has talked me into C7 colored lights like they have on the trees in Hollister, one of her favorite stores.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Holy Night is my absolute favorite and it doesn’t matter who sings it.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Have traveled every year but I’m trying to talk my Mom and Dad into coming up here this year!
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Well of course I can.. you know my Dad is Santa don’t you?
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither, I have a really cool vintage glass topper that the girls cannot stand but I LOVE!
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? When the girls were little we opened one on Christmas eve and the rest Christmas morning, now we celebrate on Christmas Eve. I love the room dark with just the glow from our tree and a few years ago it actually snowed here on Christmas Eve. It was the most magical Christmas ever and one I will never forget.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Rude people just don’t get this at all. I understand we are all stressed but being rude certainly doesn’t make it any better.
23. What is the “silliest” family tradition you do, or miss doing? We don’t have one that is really silly but I do usually have one of the girls on some sort of crazy treasure hunt to find their gift. Not sure who my victim will be this year.
24. Ugliest Christmas Decoration ever invented? I think the long thinly cut silver tinsel that was supposed to drape down from the trees branches to look like icicles
25. Which looks best, theme trees or homey trees? I love both
26. Gingerbread or sugar cookies? Sugar Cookies to me, Gingerbread is for Houses
27. Do you like Fruitcake? NO

I made the girls Christmas cookies and will be making chocolate mint brownies today. I thought I would share a few photos of my finished cookies as well as the recipes. Hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season with friends and family. Merry Christmas!

Chewie Chocolate Christmas Cookies

1 pkg. devils food cake mix (18.25 oz.)

1 small pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. Crisco

2 large eggs

1 tbls water

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until smooth. Shape dough into 1 in. balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 min. Remove from oven.Cool 10 min. on cookie sheets. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

Pecan Sandies with a chocolate center

1 c. butter

4 tbls powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbls cold water

2 c flour

1 c finely chopped pecans

Brach’s Chocolate Stars

Red and Green Sugar

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and water. Stir in flour and then nuts. Form a ball with cookie mixture and place a chocolate star in the center, make sure the chocolate is completely wrapped with the cookie mixture. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 400 for 9 min. or until lightly browned, immediately roll in powdered sugar while cookies are still warm.

Red Devil Cookies with a Hershey Kiss on top

Red Devil Cake Mix

2 large eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 Bag of Hershey Kisses

Mix ingredients together in a large bowl, place a tbls sized amount of cookie mixture on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 min. Remove from oven and immediately place a hershey kiss in the center of each cookie. Place on cooling racks.

Peppermint Bark

2 regular sized bags of White Chocolate Morsels

24 candy canes (red and green striped)

parchment paper

Unwrap and crush candy canes. (Make sure to leave some larger pieces of candy canes to go on top) Melt two bags of white chocolate morsels in microwave for 3 min. Stir melted chocolate and poor half of the crushed candy canes into the melted chocolate and stir again. Poor mixture onto parchment paper, spread mixture to the thickness you prefer. I like mine thin. Once chocolate is smoothed out, poor remaining mixture on top and gently push in larger pieces of candy canes. Let cool until candy is hard. Cut or break into pieces and enjoy!

While I sit and wait to see if I made the 2007 Maya Road Design Team I will share with you Terri and Ansley’s favorite Holiday Cookie recipes as well as a wonderful French Toast recipe for Christmas morning.

Here goes….

Chocolate Chewies

1 pkg. devils food cake mix (18.25 oz.)

1 small pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 c. Crisco

2 large eggs

1 tbls water

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until smooth. Shape dough into 1 in. balls and roll in powdered sugar. Place 2 in. apart on lightly greased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 10 min. Remove from oven.Cool 10 min. on cookie sheets. Place on wire racks to cool completely.

Pecan Sandies

1 c. butter

4 tbls powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbls cold water

2 c flour

1 c finely chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and water. Stir in flower, then nuts, form small balls or fingers. Bake on ungreased boaking sheet at 200 for 20 min. or until lightly browned. roll in powdered sugar while still warm.

Company French Toast

1 stick of butter

1 c. brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

White bread

5 eggs

1 1/2 cups whole milk

Powdered Sugar

Melt one stick of butter in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle with a cup of brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Layer with bread slices 2 layers thick; beat 5 eggs well and add 1 1/2 cups of whole milk and beat again. Pour mixture over bread, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight. Bake covered the next morning at 350 degrees for 45 min. Let stand for at least 15 min. serve plain or sprinkle with powdered sugar.

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I love baking during the holidays and Terri and Ansley always look forward to me making their favorite cookies… Pecan Sandies and Chocolate Chewies. I also have a really easy cookie recipe using Cake Mix. I will have to share my recipes with you tomorrow. Anyway, the Recipe Box pictured above is so easy to create I thought you might like to have the supply list to create your own.

Supplies needed: a wooden box (found mine at Michael’s), sanding block (Michael’s), Glue, pattern paper (two different patterns), red paint, silver bookplate, brads (red), mini clip (white), ribbon (green and white), cardstock (red, green and white), quotes (I used Flair Designs Christmas Quotes), Fluid Chalk Ink (Chestnut Roan) by ClearSnap, Dymo label maker and some index cards. I recommend using spray adhesive to adhere Flair’s vellum quotes to the cardstock.