It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Is it too early for Christmas decorations? My answer has been yes for years, feeling that poor Thanksgiving gets the raw end of the stick in the shadow of Christmas anticipation.  In my childhood the tree and all decorations always waited until the day after Thanksgiving. My husband likes things a bit different, and he decided to start on the outdoor lights, which led to a candy cane pole, and then some candy canes to frame the house, and a 6 ft toy soldier (one of Micah's favorite Christmas gifts). 

Then believe it or not, it was actually myself that suggested we add the tree into the mix, and Micah had to get his usual Hallmark collection ornaments of a plane an motorcycle to adorn it. He is proudly up to 13 years on this collection.

So now we have tree, chimney with stockings, and full house of Christmas decorations. I even topped it off today with a 24 day advent calender! Oh what joy fills our house and hearts! The outer decor is just an manifestation of the inner joy this holiday offers!

Please forgive me sweet Thanksgiving for shadowing you in the least, I am deeply grateful for you.  It just so happened that Christmas has come early this year, and we are flowing with it. 

Oatmeal Scotchies

Oatmeal Scotchies

Ok, so the truth is I make, bake, and consume cookies year round, regardless of the season, but there is something wonderful about Christmas time upon us that delights my soul in the smell of cookies. With the inception of Connie's Cookies this year, the good old oatmeal scotchie almost seemed  forgotten until I was quickly reminded while staring at a bag of Butterscotch chips today at Super Target.  I just knew they had to come home with me. 

This baby combines the goodness of an oatmeal cookie, but cuts out the raisins which almost might be too healthy, and adds some butterscotch yumminess.  The recipe is quite traditional but I love to add my own little variations to make it feel like my own. The rice crispies and pudding are optional (but they sure are fun!)

 Another reason I can't wait to open a Connie's Cookie Paradise where you can individualize your own little dreams.  Here is how todays creation came together. 

Note: This is for high altitude (4500 ft), if at sea level decrease flour 1/4 cup, and increase baking powder 1/2 tsp.

Ingredients:

3 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

3 cups oats

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (opt)

1/8 tsp clove (opt)

1 tsp sea salt

Mix all dry ingredients above in a bowl, set aside.

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

1 small 4 oz. butterscotch pudding snack

2 eggs

1-2 tsp vanilla

Cream together butter, sugar, add oil. Add butterscotch pudding snack, 2 eggs, and vanilla, mix until well combined. Add dry ingredients. Mix slowly until just combined.

Mix-ins

1 cup rice crispies

1 - 1 1/2 cup butterscotch chips (to your liking)

Mix-in by hand. Refrigerate dough for 1-24 hours for best flavor.  Bake in preheated oven 350 degrees 8-12 minutes depending on size of cookie.

Enjoy!

Like home again...

My mission president's wife used to always say "Bloom where you are planted."  I have been fighting blooming in Bountiful, UT. Not sure why? Maybe I miss the experiences I had in New York, the people I met, the souls that taught me, the life I gained, the cozy little studio I made my own.  As cliche as it may sound, I could say "I found myself in NYC." Self realization dawned on me in greater magnitude than ever it had before.  I fell in love in New York, fell in love with life. 

One of my wise yoga teachers used to say "The only constant thing in life is change." So why do I fight this change so?  I don't see the whole picture, but I am doing my best "to bloom where I am planted", as sweet Sister Pullan suggested. So thanks to some improvements to my outer world, my inner world is feeling more like home...

Bye bye fluorescent bulbs, welcome hallogen! Amazing what a new light can do.

A little office to call my own,

oh sweet hooks, you give bag and jacket a home.

Big palm, and,

little palms, the air already feels better.

A painted hallway, so trips to the bathroom and bedroom are much more pleasing. And last but not least...

A little spot for yoga. I have some plans for this space also, but one thing at a time. 

Thanks to my sweet husband who braved the 4 hr Ikea trip, a 3 hour assembly jobs, and countless hours of hearing me complain. Oh how I love you.  But our efforts this weekend are pale in comparison to the months of effort my sweet husband put into remodeling the home 3 1/2 years ago when he purchased it. Little did he know he was creating a home, not just for himself, but he was creating a home for us. 

After all, life isn't really about the great big moments, rather it's about making a great big deal out of the small moments.

Indeed, it is starting to feel like home again... and what makes it feel that way more than all the home improvements combined...

My first gluten free cake...

Double Chocolate with Swiss Cream Meringue frosting!

A success with no collapsing in the center or uncooked areas, and I actually think it tasted good.
and if you are worried about the extra pounds, try my father in laws jiggle machine, it will melt right off!

Sunshine in my soul today

The only words I have to describe how I feel are not my own... they have been running through my mind all day long...

There is sunshine in my soul today, 

More glorious and bright 

Than glows in any earthly sky, 

For Jesus is my light.

Oh, there’s sunshine, blessed sunshine 

When the peaceful happy moments roll. 

When Jesus shows his smiling face, 

There is sunshine in the soul.

Wednesday began with an amazing yoga class at the Bountiful Davis Arts Center! The first one, and there was 10 of us! Loved it! It was wonderful to see so many beautiful faces I haven't seen and some trying yoga for the first time. We let today be an offering to something other than ourselves. My offering is to my creator, the source of all the abundance I experience daily.

It got even better when I taught at Welcome Home, an assisted living center. Their are amazingly sweet little ladies that come each week to experience Yoga.  I greet them individually, we have a 30 minute class, and I leave by saying goodbye to each individually.  What stood out to me today was my sweet Bessie, as I asked her how she felt after our practice before leaving, she told me as she often does "Oh, well I try my best, but I am just not sure if I am doing it right." I replied, "but Bessie, YOU DID IT." And then it came, that soft gentle tug on my heart that invited me to ask Bessie, "Bessie, did you enjoy your experience?" As the tear rolled down my face, Bessie's discouragement turned to a warm glow, hope filled her eyes, and she replied with a warm smile, "YES".  The question of "Did you enjoy your experience?" pierced my soul in a way it never had before as it came out of my own mouth.  I recognized in that moment I was being taught from on high.  I visualized myself beyond the mortal frame before my creator, and he wasn't there saying, "Connie why did you do this or why did you do that, sheesh, what were you thinking?" He wasn't judging all the little details of my life, my mistakes, or overanalyzing every decision. Rather he reacted the way I felt with Bessie today, he simply was so pleased that 'I did it'! And the question again resounded through my entire being "Did you enjoy your experience?" I don't know for certain if this is a question we may be asked someday, but I feel the need to have an answer for that particular question at the end of my journey on earth. For the first time, I didn't just 'know', but I felt the gift of 'joy' in our lives. I have always known the small decisions aren't everything, but I, like all of us, get caught in the small details of daily living. When I step outside of that thinking and give my mind and heart space, it is filled with the all consuming love and truth of a heavenly being. The Creator that seeks for my very existence to be full of joy. There indeed IS sunshine in my soul today.