What to do on a cold winter day :)

Although days when the weather reaches below 50 degrees is rare in Houston (and some might not even consider that cold!), yesterday was one of those days where the weather just makes you want to curl up on a comfy chair and read or drink a delicious cup of hot chocolate. I've lived in Texas my whole life so I really appreciate the warm temperature and sunny days. Even a slightly cold day can discourage me from wanting to step foot outside! On the other hand, the activities at home range from boring to more boring. That's why I did something yesterday I rarely every do- bake. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE eating yummy food, but the thought of slaving over something for hours only to devour it in a few hours dosen't really appeal to me. I normally would much rather just buy something at the store or... eat something made my sister or roommate (yes, I'm a little ashamed of that!). But since there was literally nothing to do yesterday and I had to keep my six year old sister entertained I decided to bake a new dessert- cookie pizza! I've shared the receipe with you below. Enjoy!

PS- I still had my hot chocolate, of course!

Love, Kathleen


Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tps vanilla extract
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
1 egg
1/2 cup butter, softened

Begin!
Mix butter, peanut butter, sugars, vanilla, egg, and flour in large bowl.
Spread and flatten dough on greased pizza pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
Sprinkle marshmallows and chocolate chips.
Bake 5-6 minutes longer or until lightly brown.
The best part- time to eat!

The Meaning of Christmas

The Meaning of Christmas

Every year around Christmas time there is always so much emphasis placed on the materialistic things in life. The multitude of shoppers overflowing the malls, the Christmas wish lists placed as statuses on Facebook, and kids begging their parents for the latest Apple products have become such a common theme throughout the years. Last week I found myself trying to use the persuasion skills I learned from my Theories of Persuasions class to get my parents to agree to buy me a new laptop. Then, realizing that it was becoming hopeless, I changed my material want to a Coach bag from the Poppy collection I had had my eye on for WEEKS. After failing at persuading my parents to buy either (I’m really not sure how I passed my Persuasions class), it hit me that Christmas time has evolved into a time of fulfilling our deepest material wishes when it should be a time of celebrating life. With so much material goods and temptations around us it has become hard to focus on the more important aspects of life- family, friends, happiness, love. These are aspects we usually take for granted, but could be taken away from us at any second. This Christmas I want to encourage everyone to take a look at their lives and see how much physical items they already have. Instead of adding to a personal inventory, try spending more time with those around you and appreciating what you have been blessed with. I plan on celebrating my best friend’s 21^st birthday at a nice restaurant, going to Christmas service at church, and making gingerbread houses with my youngest sister J For those of us that simply love to shop, instead of buying more and more stuff for ourselves or family/ friends (because let’s be honest, this stuff is just going into storage or being regifted) look into nonprofit organizations such as Toys for Tots and donate items that will make someone in need smile. Let’s bring back a more meaningful Christmas!

Love,

Kathleen