Simple Girl

This was the one cookie that my teenage daughter wanted to make this year and I thought they were adorable.  Mini Chocolate Reindeer Cookies!  Due to the way life has been going this year, we took advantage of every available shortcut. Did you know you can get chocolate cookie dough in sheets?  Cookie dough in sheets is one of my great friends in life.  Rolled out cookies at our house ranks right up there with homemade pie crust. It's best left to others. These turn out exactly like you cut them. No excess puffing or spreading! I always keep candy google eyes in my pantry. You never know when they will come in handy! Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!

Just a few more days until Christmas and I'm doing my last minute menu planning. I always like to include an appetizer/snack that includes fruits or veggies because A) It's one way to get my kids to eat their fruits and veggies and B) It's one way to get me to eat my fruits and veggies in a sometimes produce-barren time of year!  This dip comes together in a snap and tastes great with both apples and gingersnaps!  (And, for my SIL, Fritos! :-) Merry Christmas! xo Rachel Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip by Rachel @ Simple Girl 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature (full fat -  light comes out too runny) 3/4 cup pumpkin pie filling (not plain pumpkin!) 1 cup powdered sugar 8-ounce container of Cool Whip (can be light) Beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add powdered sugar.  Beat until lumps are removed.  Add pie filling.  Beat until combined.  Fold in Cool Whip until combined.  Chill unt...

While we are in the midst of the advent season, I just want to encourage you to light a candle.  When the days go by so quickly that you can't even grasp them in your hands, candles cause us to pause. When our to-do lists seem unmanageably long, candles give us a moment to reflect. Advent candles have long been a tradition in the Christian church. They help us tell the story of the Birth of Christ. As Christmas draws near, the increasing candle light reminds us of the star that shown over Bethlehem. Our anticipation swells with each additional candle lit. While typically placed in a round wreath, I like to change our candles a little every year to keep them relevant with our lives. This year I took apple red pillar candles and put them in vases from the dollar store.  I wrapped them with green raffia and clipped some chalkboard tags (from Target's dollar section) on each.  I labeled four of them for each of the four Sundays in advent and marked the middle ...

Winter arrived with a vengeance.  One day I was happily raking leaves, enjoying the simple pleasures of autumn and the next day I woke up to this:   An icy, freezing, slippery blizzard. I was not prepared. I need new tires. I need a new car. My mums are buried under a fluffy white blanket. My pumpkins are frozen to the steps. I drove the kids to school watching cars slip through intersections. A long commute becomes longer. Amazon Prime becomes my friend. This is the post I started exactly one month ago today. Winter came and it stayed. Eventually I was able to scrape the pumpkins off of the sidewalk and shimmy my pots inside long enough for them to thaw.  We got the Christmas tree up and, while I haven't started the Christmas cards yet, preparations are underway. Even during the Christmas season, I still love the warmth of pumpkin spice.  This easy recipe for Pumpkin Spice Pancakes is perfect for every day or for a crowd. While I would never use pump...

Hahaha!  I am so putting these in my kids lunch boxes tomorrow! Plastic Vampire Teeth stuck in the center of a bagel, topped with candy eyes. There is so much to love about being a mom! :-) HAPPY HALLOWEEN! xo Rachel Source:  Family Fun Magazine

There are two things I love about fall.  The beautiful, radiant leaves.  And Football.  That's right. I said it.  The "F" word. It might be a surprise to some of you.  For those of you who did not know me BP (Before Perry), I will tell you that I grew up in a household void of all things football.  My dad never watched a football game on TV. We never set out a tail-gate spread before attending a college match-up. And Super Bowl Sunday meant one thing.  Shopping. (The malls are way less crowded!) The very first Thanksgiving that said Husband ever spent with my family, my mom went all out.  She had her finest linens and china on the table, multiple side dishes in the oven and a plated first course salad.  Perry leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Where's the football game?" I had no idea what he was talking about.  This was in stark contrast to HIS family's Thanksgiving where the turkey dinner was meticulously scheduled around h...

The new neighbors just moved in. As I learned in my time spent in The South, the best way to meet new neighbors is to bring them food.  Food gives you a reason to drop by unannounced.  Food prevents that awkward moment of silence when the new neighbors are not sure whether or not to invite you in. I mean, you can't blame them. They don't know you and haven't had time to assess if you hold the potential to be their new best friend or if you will become to them the mysterious Boo Radley from To Kill a Mockingbird, dominating their imagination of the unknown.   These Oreo Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars were the brainchild of my oldest daughter, Anna.  She made them for the new neighbors as a gesture of friendship and a reason to find out if they have any kids her age. Here's a pictures those beauties. A double stuffed Oreo encased in chocolate chip cookie dough. Have you ever seen anything so divine? On Friday the girls brought them ove...