Author: Allie Zottola

Fourth Annual Christmas Cookie Baking Day

What started as a new tradition for my mom and I in 2015 has now become such a special holiday event for our family!

The past three years, my mom and I have baked cookies together to give to our neighbors for Christmas. This year, my daughter (<–it still feels so weird/amazing saying that!) and sister joined in on the fun!

Sisters with baby daughterMother and daughters

My sister, Sadie, and I slept over my parents’ house on Friday night last week and spent Saturday baking, laughing, snuggling Sadie, and listening to Christmas music. Oh, and thinking about how next year, Hannah’s son or daughter can join in on the fun!

Here’s what we baked this year:
-Gingersnaps
-Cornflake Wreaths
-Pretzel Hugs
-Sugar Cookies
-Chocolate Crinkles
-Cranberry Bars
-Peanut Butter Blossoms
-Jam Thumbprints
-Turtle Thumbprints

Cornflake wreathsChristmas snowflake and peppermint sugar cookies decorated

While us girls were baking, Jimmy and Hannah’s husband, Josh, went hunting. It was Jimmy’s first time hunting and said he loved it! He saw a doe and already can’t wait to hunt with Josh again soon.

Aunt Hannah and Grandma Lisa took great care of Sadie. It was really nice to have extra hands to help out with my little chicka. Sadie thoroughly enjoyed all the attention and snuggles.

Baby on girls lapChristmas cookie baking

We stopped baking mid-day to run out and grab a few cookie tins (and coffee!) and got right back to work, rolling dough, decorating, and baking until dinnertime.

The boys showed up with pizza and we all enjoyed our evening together, packaged up our creations, and headed home all sorts of tired and happy from such a fun day.

The treats that were the biggest hits this year (we haaaad to test everything, you know 😉 ) were the pretzel hugs, cornflake wreaths, and gingersnaps!

Christmas cookies in a tin

After church on Sunday, Jimmy, Sadie, and I bundled up and gave the cookie tins to our neighbors. It was so fun bringing Sadie with us this year and our neighbors enjoyed seeing her in her Sunday best!

I just love this tradition. From spending the day baking with family, to giving to our neighbors, it’s a special day I really look forward to each holiday season.

I even filmed a video (not quite a vlog, it just has music and no talking for once, lol) of the day to remember it and I’ve already re-watched it a few times to relive the day again.

And for old times sake, here’s links to the past few years of Christmas cookie baking:
Cookie Day 2015
Cookie Day 2016
Cookie Day 2017

What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?

The Best Things I Bought on Amazon in 2018

Is anyone else addicted to Amazon Prime? The free two day shipping gets me every time!

I thought it would be fun to look through my Amazon orders for 2018 and share the best items I bought. Embarrassingly, I purchased (and enjoyed!) enough stuff that I’m organizing it all into categories 🙂

For The Home

Best Amazon products for the home

Magnetic Key Rack –> It’s a set of magnets that attach to the place where a screw goes in a light switch plate. It’s super convenient because we always turn out our lights and grab our keys from the rack before we leave the house!

Outlet Shelf –> This little shelf replaces an outlet plate and holds up to ten pounds! We use it to hold our Echo Dot so it’s not taking up space on the side table in our living room.

High Arc Pull Out Faucet –> I love the look of our new black faucet (it comes in three other finishes, too) and it has worked well since we installed it in June.

Automatic Milk Frother –> This might be my favorite purchase of 2018, LOL. This milk frother is just amazing! I use it multiple times a day and it’s easy to clean.

Mop and Broom Holder –> This is mounted inside our closet and holds all of our brooms, vacuum attachments, and mop. It saves a lot of space, which is key for us!

Detail Brush –> Someday I’ll stop talking about how much I love this little tool, but today is not that day. I have one in our bathroom and one in the kitchen and use them to get in the hard-to-reach places in the sinks, toilet, and shower.

3-Piece Oversized Bedspread –> I bought this king-sized comforter for our master bedroom overhaul and we still love it! It was less than $50 and it’s machine washable. Win-win!

Food and Drink

Best food and drinks to order on Amazon

Jay Robb Grass-Fed Whey Protein Powder –> Gestational diabetes had this carb-loving gal looking for extra sources of protein that were safe during pregnancy. My search led me to this protein powder. I liked the chocolate and strawberry flavors the best.

Hydro Flask Water Bottle –> It seems as though my quest for the perfect water bottle may have come to an end! I’ve been using this for a few weeks and have no complaints.

Torani Syrup –> Great in iced coffee! I bought the vanilla and caramel flavors over the summer.

Peanut Butter & Co. Top Sellers Variety Pack –> Oh how I love peanut butter! Jimmy got the white chocolate flavored jar and I hoarded the rest for myself 🙂

Pink Stork Morning Sickness Tea –> This was a first trimester staple for me! It helped with my queasiness and had a great peachy flavor.

Baby

Best baby products on Amazon

Babyganics Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer –> I really like the mandarin scent and the fact that it doesn’t feel sticky or weird on my hands after I use it, if that makes sense. We keep a bottle right next to Sadie’s changing table and use it constantly.

Mama Bear Diapers –> We tried out the Mama Bear diapers when Sadie fit the newborn size and thought they were great! The price was also great, lol. I’ll probably order another pack soon to see how we like them in size 1.

Medela Quick-Clean Micro Steam Bags –> These quick-clean steam bags come in handy any time I have to pump because they sanitize pump parts in the microwave in three minutes. So convenient!

SwaddleMe Pod –> This little pod makes swaddling so easy! Jimmy and I love how Sadie looks like a little burrito all bundled up before bed.

Burt’s Bees Burp Cloths –> These are soft, thick, and absorbent. Those qualities check all my boxes for a good burp cloth, plus they come in adorable patterns.

Do you shop on Amazon? What’s the best item you purchased in 2018?