Tuesday Spotlight: Almond & Milk

Today, our spotlight shines upon Almond & Milk. This week is the last week USPS can guarantee shipping before Christmas. Now is a wonderful time to purchase an affordable gift and have it in time for the big day. Our Almond & Milk is one of our most popular scents. It's a beautifully scented soap created with bitter almond oil, coconut, olive, and castor oils. We begin with our fresh raw goat's milk and blend it with skin-nourishing oils to create our soap and moisturizer.

This year, give gifts with purpose made by small businesses with care and integrity. If you order before the 15th, USPS can have it to you before the holiday. We work diligently to fulfill all orders on the same day. As I packed orders yesterday, I thought to myself I would be tickled to receive a package from us. Each order is packed with care, has a bit of whimsy, and always includes at least one free bar of soap. We also include a handwritten note and our goat sticker of the month. This month, the goat of the month is my sweet girl, Red. I know not everyone enjoys shopping online, but I feel like we go the extra mile to create a fun, happy experience.

This week, exclusively on the website, you can save $4 on bars and jars of our Almond & Milk. Order sooner rather than later to avoid the last-minute rush. Stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands on this sunny December Tuesday.

Holiday Activities and Unexpected Gifts

Welcome to yet another Monday, dear reader. There are two weeks until Christmas. This weekend was filled with holiday activities. On Friday night, I had dinner with two of my favorite friends. We dined at my new favorite local restaurant, Pan Asia, on Philadelphia Street, Indiana, PA. I love their steamed dumplings, sushi, and street noodles. Jess and Jenna make every outing fun and an adventure. After dinner, we walked to a new bookstore on a cute little side street off Philly, The Paper Garden. This adorable little shop sells new and new quality used books, house plants, tea, and everything related to reading. The historical building where the shop is located is worth a peek. We had a lovely evening supporting local businesses and enjoying a girl's night out.

While I was enjoying an evening out with my friends, The Bean and The Bibbed Wonder carried on their holiday tradition of choosing the Christmas tree and then going out to dinner. When The Bean was tiny, they began this holiday tradition of shopping for a Christmas tree without me because I'm "too picky." I'm perfectly fine not having a say in choosing a Christmas tree. I'm good as long as it is a Frasier Fir and ten feet tall. My two favorite goons do this together, and I love it. When The Bean was little, they had to eat at McDonald's. Nuggies and fries were The Bean's favorite meal. Now that she is older, she has a more sophisticated palate and will enjoy spaghetti and meatballs from our favorite family-owned restaurant, Luigi's, in Clymer, PA. I made it home before they did. They came down the sidewalk laughing, giggling, and cracking jokes. I love their relationship.

Saturday morning was another rough one with the animals. Two of Eric's beloved sows were scheduled to go to market. We had a difficult time getting them to load onto the trailer. Ultimately, we were only able to get one loaded on our own. We had to call in backup for the second. It is never an easy day when we have to send anyone to market. My bib overall-wearing animal lover spent Saturday in a bit of a mood over the situation. As a farmer, he understands that sometimes there are no other options. However, it never makes the choice any easier. To make matters worse, one of my hens was obviously very ill. Rather than allow her to suffer, she had to be put down. Once again, our lifestyle choice clarifies that farming is not for the weak. It was a rough day and a bit of an emotional roller coaster.

The Bean and I went for retail therapy once all was taken care of in the barnyard. We visited all the little shops and boutiques on Philadelphia Street. We spent several hours uptown, shopping the adorable privately owned small businesses. We enjoyed coffee at our favorite quaint coffee shop, Café Amadeus. We devoured chocolate croissants from Four and Twenty Bakery. I created a beautiful paper snowflake at 7th Street Marketry and crossed off most of our Christmas list from gifts at the new Ace Hardware. We also purchased a few Christmas gifts for ourselves at Lucy Rae's and Meraki. Of course, no trip uptown would be complete without a trip to The Book Nook and The Paper Garden. We had a lovely day together, and I enjoyed the uninterrupted time with my daughter.

The best part of the weekend was yet to come. I got the best gift ever when I found out a very dear person I had spent months writing to weekly and praying for daily was able to close a challenging chapter of their life and come home for the holidays. This person made my year by making it a point to come and visit me after being home less than twenty-four hours. Knowing that I made a difficult situation a little bit better and offered some comfort to someone struggling makes my heart happy. I am grateful, relieved, and thankful that my prayers were answered. This person is safe in the arms of those who love him and can now move forward.

Saturday night, I got to revisit my past. My friend was home from Florida, and I spent a few hours with her, catching up, laughing, and reminiscing. We were joined by another former classmate who impressed me with his kindness, openness, and welcoming attitude. He made my bib overall-wearing buddy feel welcome. Eric has a bit of hearing loss from running equipment without ear protection all these years. He told me my friend had the perfect tone of voice because Eric could hear him easily, even with all the background noise. He also informed me I sound like the teacher from Charlie Brown in a crowded, loud situation. Sigh. 

To conclude our weekend of holiday activities, I briefly visited with my favorite aunt and uncle. We then had dinner with The GB (GramBarb). To end the evening, we decorated the Christmas tree, and I had to micromanage the circus monkeys I reside with. By that time, most of my holiday spirit had been exhausted. I called it an evening after the first tote of ornaments was hung. We will finish the decorating after school today. I could stop the construction, but The Bean insists we put out the Christmas village because it is fun. I question my child's idea of fun at this point.

Today, we will spend the day packing orders, shipping orders, and trying to have everything ready before Cynthia, our mail person, comes to pick up the orders. The Bibbed Wonder is convinced today will be the day he gets to make Cindy cry. Sigh. It's good he has goals, but making Cindy cry will never happen. He will probably be flipped off and told nobody likes him. This is my favorite Cynthia reaction. However, I allow my bib overall-wearing buddy to dream and encourage him to believe that one day, he will push our friend Cindy to her limits. There is never a dull moment around this crazy farm.

On this seasonally cold December day, stay safe, be smart, remember to make good memories, bask in the greatness of the Almighty, celebrate small victories, enjoy the people you care about, know that prayers are answered, and keep washing those hands.

Foodie Friday: Peanut Butter Blossoms ( The Bibbed Wonder's Favorite Christmas Cookie)

Happy Foodie Friday, dear reader. We are into the second week of December, and the holidays are fast approaching. Each holiday season, we gather with GramBarb, The Bean, Myself, and whoever wants to join us to make holiday cookies. For the month of December, I thought I would share our favorite holiday cookie recipes. This week, I will share The Bibbed Wonder’s favorite Christmas cookie, the Peanut Butter Blossom.

The Bibbed Wonder loves cookies. Cookies are his chosen dessert, and he has a themed favorite. He loves the combination of chocolate and peanut butter. For his birthday, he requested No-Bake cookies. Traditionally, we make him a batch of his favorite Peanut Butter Blossoms each holiday season. Of course, with The Bibbed Wonder, there is a humorous, albeit exasperating, story to go along with said cookies.

GramBarb made a batch of Peanut Butter Blossoms when The Bibbed Wonder was younger. Eric found out his siblings were coming in for Christmas. Rather than hide away a container of cookies, ask GramBarb to save him some cookies, or, I don’t know, maybe share the cookies with his siblings he only sees a few times a year? He took the freshly baked Peanut Butter Blossoms with their cute little chocolate kisses and proceeded to stick the tip of each chocolate kiss up his nose. Yes, dear reader, you read that correctly. He shoved cookies up his nose to prevent anyone from eating his favorite cookie. Of course, GramBarb was furious and exasperated. However, my little bib overall-wearing buddy had no remorse. He was quite proud of himself and remains so to this day over his “creativity” to protect his favorite treat from his siblings.

After reading this story, one probably thinks that The Bibbed Wonder was a child when he shoved said cookies up his nostril. No, dear reader, he was in college. The first time I heard this story, I was grossed out and asked him why in the world he would shove cookies up his nose and then eat them. His response was, “What? Everybody eats their boogers at least once to see what they taste like…” He then gave me an exasperated look, like he couldn’t believe I could not figure out why he did such a thing. When I roll my eyes and say in an exasperated voice, “This is how I truly live,” I am only half joking. Sometimes, I cock my head off to the side, wrinkle my nose, look off to the upper right, and say, “I’m not sure how we are still married?” It really is a puzzle. All I can say is it’s a good thing I have a sense of humor and the patience of a saint. Okay, not even I can buy into that after I type it…sigh. As exasperating as he is, I love him.

Anyhow, my funny little husband really, really likes Peanut Butter Blossoms. So, without further ado, my favorite recipe for my husband’s favorite cookie.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Ingredients:

Yield: 5 dozen cookies

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

4 ounces (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

½ cup smooth peanut butter (or other creamy nut butter)

½ cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

½ cup light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract ( I like to use vanilla from Sweet Home Vanilla)

Nonstick spray or vegetable oil for cookie sheet (optional)

5 dozen (one 11-ounce package) Hershey’s Kisses, foil removed.

Directions:

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter, peanut butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and light brown sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla; beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture, mixing thoroughly. If the dough is very soft, refrigerate for about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray, oil, or line a cookie sheet with a nonstick liner and set aside. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. (For a precise number of cookies, divide the dough into 5 pieces and shape each piece into 12 balls.)

Roll cookies in sugar and place 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake until very light brown and puffed 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the sheet from the oven and lightly press a candy kiss into the center of each cookie, allowing it to crack slightly. Return to oven until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool completely, and store in an airtight container.

On this unseasonably warm December day, stay safe, be smart, don’t put cookies up your nose, share after all, it tis the season, and of course, keep washing your hands…especially if you’ve stuck anything up your nose. Oh, and FYI, don’t eat Peanut Butter Blossom cookies from the Smays. I seriously have no control over my bib overall wearing Grinch, and I can’t guarantee cookies have not been placed in unsavory places…I’m just saying.