Desperately Seeking Gina

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Things I Heart Thursday

Crisp, clear nights and the moon rising over the lake {even when I’m just getting home just an hour before it gets dark}

Reds and oranges along the lake glowing in the setting sun.

Thoughtful friends at work and early-early Christmas gifts.  Have I mentioned that I have only 1 potholder to my name?  Seriously.  With all the baking I do and the fact that my office sits right smack in the middle of a Homegoods store {the pot holder aisle is right outside my door, in fact} it’s ridiculous that I have only one potholder.  Anyway…this thoughtful co-worker thought of me when she saw this.  It was even wrapped and ribboned.  So fun.
Also…just received The Container Store stocking stuffer catalog in the mail yesterday and as luck would have it, today we have to drive to Little Rock for some errands right by one of my most fave places in Arkansas {not that the Container Store is exclusive to Ark…but I’ve never lived near one before} I’ll also be stopping by Williams Sonoma and Michaels.  I heart trips to the city.
What do you heart today?

Pecan Pie Cookies

To certain male members of this household November means only one thing:  Pecan Pie.  And, while I have had marginal luck with Pecan Pie a couple of times these last few years, it is the crust that is still daunting for me.  So, I compensate for lack of pie by scouring the internet for other acceptable pecan pie-ish sweets to win the heart of my love time and time again.  I’ve added these little morsels to my arsenal of tasty treats.

Pecan Pie Cookies
recipe from Land O Lakes

For the dough:

1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
For the filling:
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine flour and baking powder in a small bowl.  Set aside.  Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla.  Add flour mixture until combined.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 15 minutes.
Make filling.  Combine pecans and brown sugar.  Stir in heavy cream.  Add vanilla.
When dough is thoroughly chilled, roll dough into 1 1/4 -inch balls and place at least 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Make an indent with your thumb in center of each cookie.  Fill with approximately 1 tsp of pecan pie filling.  Too much filling will cause the cookies to overflow!  
Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden.  Cool on cookie sheet 1 minute and then remove to a cooling rack.
Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies that will last approximately 3.2 minutes {must stop for a gulp of milk}.

A Birthday Letter for Mom

I’ve been trying to write this all day and the words are failing me.  Today is my Mom’s birthday and although she thinks that I am the smartest, most talented, most creative daughter, the truth is, I am nothing next to her.  Her love, generosity, consideration, and devotion are so overwhelmingly greater than anything that I could ever hope to be.

She has taken care of me…continues to take care of me after all these years.  She is Mom. She is a friend.
So, Mom…thank you for loving me unconditionally.  Thank you for nourishing me physically and mentally.  Thanks for encouragement and support.  
I only hope that I can grow to be more like you.  

Today

Today, I am grateful for little love notes left in places for me to find:  in the pockets of my purse, in my top dresser drawer, on the mirror in the bathroom on cold, too-early-to-be-awake mornings.

Today, I am grateful to have a love in my life.

Today, I am loved.

Today, I love.

Tiny Prints, Huge-Gigantic Style

Now that Halloween is past us I’m so excited to start thinking about the upcoming holiday season.  Thanksgiving this year looks promising.  Thom and I have been invited to his sister’s house for dinner and I’m looking forward to loading up on carbs and pumpkin pie!
What I’m most excited about is this year’s holiday card!  We don’t have our picture taken together often so I’m looking forward to spending a day together trying to capture a fun image that conveys our love and playful relationship.  I’ll be using Tiny Prints this year for printing.  I’ve read wonderful reviews of their products and the selection of Christmas Cards includes fun, bright styles that are trendy and stylish.

Trying to narrow down our favorites is going to be tough.  There are over 400 cards to choose from!  Here are some of my faves {so far}

How adorable are these circle cards?  They come with double faced satin ribbons to tie to each card. Adorbs!
#1  #2  #3  #4

I love the fun, bright colors.

#5  #6

CHEVRON!!  Do you love it as much as I do?
#7
This year I’ll be looking for some fun extras to really make our holiday card stand out.  Tiny Prints also offers coordinating holiday address labels, gift tags, and thank you cards.

With so many fun, trendy styles to choose from, there’s definitely something for everyone.  Check them out! And, don’t forget to send me your Tiny Prints holiday card.
disclosure:  I will receive compensation of 50 free holiday cards from Tiny Prints for this post.  All opinions are my own.  This will be my first time using Tiny Prints and I will follow up with a post about quality, timeliness, and overall satisfaction with my free selection.  Are you a blogger?  Would you like to earn 50 free cards for yourself?  Email me for details!