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Crumbling the Silence {with Cookies}

We’re having a grand ol’ time here in the McMilli-vanilli home. 

I have no idea where that came from.  You’ll have to pardon me, I’m heavily sleep deprived {sick kids, design deadlines, cookies to decorate, you know…the usual} and mildly medicated {it’s that time…and my uterus hates me}.  And apparently my TMI filter is broken.

{sigh}

I wanted to take a quick break from my, well…break…to pop in and share these frosted babies with you! 

Aren’t they darling?

Christmas cookies 2011 (1 of 1)

I’ve never been much of a cookie girl {I just go straight for the chocolate}, and didn’t think I liked sugar cookies at all, really.  As it turns out…I was simply over-baking them and just hadn’t discovered the best-darn-sugar-cookie-recipe-ever yet! 

Might as well get my fat pants back out.

Because, holy mother of pearl, they’re good!

I found the recipe here, at the fabulous {read: incredibly helpful & inspirational) blog of Sweet Sugarbelle {I mean, seriously…just look at these cookies!}. 

This sugar cookie recipe is quick, it’s easy, it doesn’t need to be chilled before it’s rolled…and it’s just so stinkin’ tasty! 

I may or may not have eaten a hefty portion of it before they were rolled.  Don’t judge.

This creative cookie queen also has some great tips for making the process even easier {just beneath the recipe on her site}.

This sweet adventure of mine began a few days ago when I stumbled upon an image of intricately decorated cookies {on Glorious Treats}…and was wildly inspired.  I promptly decided I wanted to be a cookie decorator when I grow up.  If and when that happens.

I rounded up my Christmas money (my hubby’s grandparents gifted early…yippeee!) and, armed with a 40% off coupon, headed to Hobby Lobby for some meringue powder.

What on earth is meringue powder?  Great question.  I haven’t a clue.  But it’s marvelous stuff!

I’ve never made royal icing before, and had only ever heard of this magical powder…so didn’t realize what a treat I was in for.  It totally changes the cookie piping experience.

Do I sound like a cookie freak of nature?  Don’t answer that.

I have never enjoyed decorating cookies as much as I did last night.  I’m hooked.  And slightly scared.  I really haven’t missed my muffin-top all that much.

Here’s the great royal icing recipe I used.  But be warned…creating little, edible works of art might be as addictive for you as I fear it will be for me.

We could help each other.  Create a ‘cookie addicts support group’?

Repeat after me…I will not sample another cookie, I will not sample another cookie…

Christmas cookies 2011 (2 of 1)

On the home front, Bug and Bean are as wild and crazy, and delicious and fabulous as ever.

I am so enjoying this much needed down time with my lovely ones, and will resurface after the chaos magic of the holidays dissipates slightly. 

Christmas kids

Have a lovely one, friends!

Related posts:

  1. Pumpkin No-Bake Cookies
  2. Paisley & Sugar
  3. The Naughty Cookies {viewer discretion advised}
  4. A Sweeter Deal: No Bake Cookies {Take 1}
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Cute Stuff, Family, Food, Home, Photography

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Simply Bloom exists to empower women to embrace their stories, live out their passion with purpose, and leave a legacy of love.
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Hello there! I'm Joy. Speaker, designer, author & coach, and creator of the #weROARproject. Welcome to Simply Bloom Co., where passion & purpose collide.

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Permission Granted. In case you needed someone t Permission Granted. 

In case you needed someone to tell you: yes, you should absolutely make the impromptu stop at the roadside farm stand and buy the $5 bouquet of flowers.

No, you do not need a reason.

No, you do not need to be buying them for someone else (although that is a perfectly lovely thing to do, too).

Buy them for yourself.
Put them in your kitchen.
Smile every time you walk past them. 🌸

And support your local flower growers and farm stands while you’re at it.

That is all.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled scrolling.
If you are an Eight, my prayer is that you would n If you are an Eight, my prayer is that you would
never lose your fierce love for justice, your courage,
or your willingness to protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

Those are holy gifts.

But may you also discover the freedom of being protected yourself.
May you find people with whom you no longer need armor. And may you know, deep in your bones, that the God who fights for you is inviting you to rest...
not because you're weak, but because you were never meant to carry every battle alone.
The year we moved into this house, a peach tree sp The year we moved into this house, a peach tree spoiled us thoroughly. It produced more peaches than we knew what to do with—cobbler, galette, crumble, smoothies, fruit leathers, and basket loads given away.

Our expectations for peach season were high.

Turns out, that tree was throwing itself a retirement party.
It died the following year.

We’ve since planted two more. The one that has always been unproductive surprised us this summer with these gorgeous, generous peaches. The healthy, established tree that usually produces? One. Single. Peach.

Fruit-bearing is an interesting thing.
Unpredictable. Relatively unmanageable.
Sometimes delicious and sometimes disappointing.

And maybe that’s why I love the reminder it offers:
performance isn’t always a good indicator
of what’s happening beneath the surface.

Take heart, dear one.

Some seasons, you’ll crush the to-do list,
accomplish the goals and have plenty to show for yourself.

Other seasons, you’ll simply keep showing up.
Quietly. Consistently. Faithfully.

And that is enough, too. 🌱
What if your greatest strength was never meant to What if your greatest strength
was never meant to become a hiding place?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we're continuing in our Summer Enneagram Series by exploring the Type Eight: The Challenger.

Many Eights learned early that strength was safer than vulnerability.
But what if healing isn't about becoming less strong?

What if it's about discovering that courage
and tenderness were never meant to compete?

God isn't asking you to lay down your strength.
He's inviting you to lay down the armor you no longer need.

🎧 Episode 036 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.
If you identify with the Enneagram 7, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 7, my prayer
for you is that you would never lose your capacity
for wonder, laughter, creativity, and hope.

Those are sacred gifts.

But may you also discover the freedom of staying present
when life feels heavy. May you trust that joy does not disappear
when sorrow arrives. May you find that God is not only present
in the moments of celebration, but also in the quiet,
painful places you once tried to avoid.

The One who created your joy can also hold your grief.

You are loved.
What if the thing you've been running from is actu What if the thing you've been running from
is actually the doorway to healing?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, as we continue in our Summer Enneagram series, we’re exploring Type 7: The Enthusiast - their gift of joy, the longing for freedom, and the ways we sometimes run from pain because it feels too heavy to carry.

Sevens remind us that hope matters.
That beauty still exists.
That tomorrow can hold something good.

But joy was never meant to require us to avoid sorrow.
The invitation isn't to become less joyful.
It's to discover a joy deep enough to hold the whole story.

🎧 Episode 035 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

#OhGoodGriefPodcast #SimplyBloomCo
If you identify with the Enneagram 6, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 6, my prayer for you
is that you would discover the freedom of loosening
your grip on certainty and opening your hands to trust.

May you never lose your ability to notice, prepare,
protect, and care deeply. Those are beautiful gifts.
But may fear no longer be the voice that leads you.

May you discover that courage has never meant the absence
of fear, it has meant knowing Who is with you in the middle of it.

The God who holds tomorrow is already present today.
What if the voice you've trusted most...has been f What if the voice you've trusted most...has been fear?

This week on Oh, Good Grief, we're exploring the Enneagram 6: The Loyalist, their gift of preparation, the weight of uncertainty, and the journey from fear to trust.

Sixes are often the ones who ask the important "what if" questions,
notice the details, protect what matters, and stay when things get hard.

But sometimes the same voice that helps us prepare can keep us trapped.

Fear is a wonderful informant.
It makes a terrible leader.

The invitation isn't to become fearless.
It's to discover the One who walks with us through every unknown.

🎧 Episode 034 is available wherever you listen to podcasts.

#SimplyBloomCo #OhGoodGriefPodcast
If you identify with the Enneagram 5, my prayer fo If you identify with the Enneagram 5, my prayer for you
is that you would discover the freedom of stepping out
from behind the walls you've built for protection.

May you never lose your curiosity,
your wisdom, or your love of learning.

May you discover that your needs do not
make you a burden, and your presence 
s more valuable than your productivity.

May you trust that God is not asking you to have
all the answers before He invites you closer.
The One who created your mind also created
your heart—and He delights in all of you.

You are loved.
Follow @SimplyBloomJoy

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