National Cookie Day

I usually don't need an excuse to bake cookies, but when I found out that today is National Cookie Day, I just knew I should bake up a batch of homemade Snickerdoodles.

Snickerdoodles are a big favorite around our home. As much as I love homemade chocolate chip cookies, there are times when nothing satisfies like one of these homemade Snickerdoodles.

I have had the recipe for these cookies for quite some time, not even really sure where I first found it. But there are some important things I do each time I make these cookies. 

Unsalted butter is a must, as well as Pampered Chef's Cinnamon Plus seasoning. The Cinnamon Plus seasoning is what I use in place of regular cinnamon. The additional spices in this seasoning mix make a big difference in the way the cookies taste.

One last important step, which I do with most cookies that I bake, is to underbake them just a bit. Once I pull the pan from the oven, I let these cookies set on the cookie pan for a few minutes before removing them to cool. 

These cookies end up being lightly crisp on the outside and a bit chewy in the middle. Oh yum!

What cookie recipe is your favorite?

Give Babies a Strong Start on #GivingTuesday

After the rush of sales and deals over the past few days, each one of us has the opportunity to make a difference by giving a bit that will last a lifetime. And this year, for Giving Tuesday, Compassion is looking to do something absolutely amazing! 

Children born into poverty have no guarantees of making it to their first birthday. And In India, nearly 1 in 3 newborn deaths occur in India. To help give new moms and their newborn babies a fighting chance, Compassion has a big goal on this Giving Tuesday! The goal? Raise $25,000 to open a new Child Survival Program in Gujarat, India.

So what exactly is a Child Survival Program? Like the Child Development Program, the Child Survival Program (CSP) works through the local church with pregnant and new mothers to ensure they receive proper medical care, nutrition, training to care for their new babies, and sharing with them the hope of Jesus. This program is helping over 30,000 mothers and babies in over 700 centers. Babies are being born healthy because of this program, and over 4,000 mothers came to know Christ in the past year through the Child Survival Program!

So what do you say? Can you give $5, $10, $25, or more to help build this new center in Gujarat, India? Let's help give babies a strong start on this Giving Tuesday!

November Compassion Share & Tell

Last month, since I sent my Compassion kids handwritten notes and a few extras, I decided to do online letters for each of them this month. I had just been to Yosemite again, so I knew I wanted to share with them a photo from my most recent trip. Here is what I wrote to each of the kids:

I loved this fall template so much, that I used it for each of my kids this month since it went perfectly with the fall photo of the deer we saw in Yosemite.

Have you taken the time to write to your child lately? If you are still new to letter writing to your Compassion child, you can follow the tips I shared on the Compassion blog this month. 

Books + Photography = Instagram Fun

Last month, I decided to join in an Instagram photo challenge put on by Fat Mum Slim. For October, the prompts were each letter of the alphabet, one letter per day. Rather than just randomly try to find something each day that began with that letter to photograph, I decided to do a book theme. Some letters were very easy to find books for, others, well...I am sure you can imagine how interesting it would be to find book titles that begin with Q or X. And because this was a photography challenge, I wanted to take photos of books we have in our home, some of them in very creative ways.

So what were some of my favorites?

Books starting with the letter 'C' formed into a letter 'C'.

'Emma' should be enjoyed with a cup of tea...any Jane Austen book for that matter...

'Harold and the Purple Crayon', just love his imagination!

Just Me books by Mercer Mayer, we have just a few of these...

Math plus chocolate, yes!

Nancy Drew...yes, I read quite a few of these as a young girl.

And my favorite...

Yosemite, of course!!

Do you have an Instagram account? I would love for you to join in the fun! You can follow my account here.

What book titles would you choose for your favorite letter of the alphabet?

Ideas for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

When my kids were little, I learned about Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes and I loved how this was a tangible way for my kids to help share with other children at Christmas time. These shoeboxes not only end up being a small gift for a child at Christmas, it is a way to share the gospel with these children, so they may learn that Jesus loves them.

The Samaritan's Purse website has some great tips on suggested items to pack in a shoebox. I want to share with you what we included in our boxes this year.

For the little girl's box we included:

• toothbrush and toothpaste
• wash cloths and soap
• bangle bracelets and plastic cups I found on clearance after Easter
• rubber bands
• hard candy
• crayons
• Play-doh
• little doll
• Bible theme game tablet
• memo pads

For the boy box, we included a lot of the same items, but we made sure to include:

• hot wheels
• bouncy balls
• pencils

Samaritan's Purse makes it easy to follow your box by allowing you to pay for the shipping for the box online. Once you pay your shipping online, you are prompted to print out your labels for your box. Just attach these labels and you will be notified by e-mail to let you know what country your box or boxes are heading to.

Collection of Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes occur every November. Through the year, you and your family can be collecting items to put in your shoeboxes and praying for the children who will eventually receive your gift for Christmas.