simply living: Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!
All of our presents are wrapped and the goodies are baked. It's finally time to stop rushing around, it's time to celebrate Christmas..... and oh am I ready! I completed my shopping with the help of Ella Claire on Wednesday and I wrapped, baked and cleaned with the help of Ella Claire yesterday. Literally, we did everything together. Let me show you my little helper in action....

I spent most of the day with her attached to my leg. :) I can't complain though, because I love that she needs me and wants me. I want her and need her too. :)

A few weeks ago, I saw something on one of my all time favorite blogs, that I just had to try. Since Jeremy and I have lived in this house, I have always baked for our neighbors at Christmas. It's usually decorated sugar cookies. But, this year after seeing this post by Darby, I knew I wanted to do the same thing for my neighbors and try my hand at homemade cocoa and homemade marshmallows. How FUN is that?!?! I was a little nervous though. I get nervous baking or cooking for others anyway, but I was nervous it wouldn't taste as cute as it looks or somehow I would mess it up since it was my first time making it. I always like to try something first before I make it for someone else ya know? Y'all! I am so glad I decided to try it. It was pretty easy to make (the cocoa was easy peasy) and so tasty! You can get the recipe for the hot cocoa here and the marshmallows here.

And here are our jars of cocoa and bags of marshmallows, ready to be given away!

Then later on I made some sandies to take to my parents house tonight, per my moms request. I thought about doubling the recipe, because they are one of my favorite cookies too, but after I sifted 2 cups of flour with my old timey sifter, I was glad I didn't. My arms couldn't take any more! Jeremy usually is my designated sifter :) but he was sound asleep with visions of sugar-plums dancing in his head.

We finished all of our wrapping and here is a final picture of our tree. She is looking a little droopy I know, we forgot to water her and I'm afraid once we realized it, it was too late!

Before I go, I wanted to show you my nativity scene that I forgot to take a picture of the other day. I just love it so much and like I said, will be adding to it over the years. I love how Mary and Joseph both just look in awe. I can't even imagine how they must have felt on that day!