brown paper packages.

brown paper packages.

I'm still not sure about "These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things" being a Christmas song.  However, I am very sure that I love brown paper packages tied up with strings, er...ribbons. :)  Yesterday, I made THESE homemade samoas for a potluck dinner with friends.
(FYI: Delicious, but A LOT of work.)

Now, what to do with the extras?
With some encouragement from friends who assured me that this gesture was, in fact, awesome and not creepy, I decided to package several of them for each of our neighbors in nothing else but brown paper bags and ribbons.

And I left them on each neighbors' doorstep.
They looked pretty adorable propped on each door. 
 I hope the neighbors (and MAILMAN) enjoy a homemade Girl Scout cookie. 

Happy Christmas, mailman!

And in case you weren't convinced that I truly love brown paper packages, here's a look at some of our gifts this year. Love, love.

Happy Almost Christmas! 

little red hen.

little red hen.

I got it. And I did it.

Friends, I would like to announce the shiny, long awaited arrival of my brand new, sparkling white Kitchen Aid Mixer.  

(Insert photo of me hugging the mixer when it was still in the box. This really happened.  Pathetic, I know.) 

And I made bread with this magical mixer. 

History: As a little girl, I spent countless hours, days and weeks on my grandparents farm.  My Meme (my grandma), my sister and I spent our days riding horses, arranging wildflowers, picking berries, sewing aprons and....baking.  We baked our lil' hearts out with Meme's white Kitchen Aid Mixer. And ever since I can remember, I've wanted a white Kitchen Aid Mixer just like Meme's.  And I wanted to make bread...


just like Meme. 

Well, I did it. I fired up the mixer and went to town on a relatively easy bread recipe. And although I have a tendency to overdo it with most things in life, I chose a simple recipe.  That was my first victory. 

And as I waited for the bread to bake, I felt as if I had accomplished a small rite of passage. I was giddy all night about my bread and I could not wait to try it.  But I was oh so nervous for the taste. Would it turn out?  Would it even come close to Meme's?  Honestly, people, I was a Nervous Nelly.

And this is where the Little Red Hen comes in.  I work all night and Joe reaps the benefit of my....wait for it, wait for it....

delicious, aromatic, beautiful, homemade bread.

 

And I served it warm with butter and cinnamon sugar.

Just like Meme. 

But I guess I don't mind sharing delicious bread with my husband after all. :)