Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies [YUM!]

This is our second Christmas together and well, last year's was our worst Christmas ever. So this year, we have decided to try to make it a happy time again and start new traditions together as a family. We got our first Christmas tree together [Malachite was clearly very amused by the tree - see below].    We have also baked cookies (an old tradition that had been lost). We have traveled too. Our best vacation ever so far was last month during Thanksgiving week and to say it was PERFECT is a complete understatement.  

  Anyway, I really like storing good recipes on here so here it is - the recipe I used for this year's amazing peanut butter blossom cookies.  

 

48 Hershey's Kisses 1/2 cup shotening 3/4 cup Creamy Peanut Butter 1/3 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup light brown sugar 1 egg 2 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt additional granulated sugar Directions: 1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Remove wrappers from chocolates (do this first because the cookies bake relatively quick and the chocolates need to be placed on them as soon as they are out of the oven) 3. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. 4. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar & beat until fluffy. 5. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract and beat well. 6. Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt and gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 7. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar and lace on ungreased cookie sheet. 8. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown. 9. Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate into the center of each cookie (cookie will crack around edges). 10. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack and cool completely.    I have altered this recipe in the past and used Trader Joe's Cookie Butter instead of peanut butter and they came out delicious!!   [recipe from hersheyskisses.com]

Wrtier's Block

Lately I have been contemplating about this blog and the direction I would like to take this in. I started this a long, long time ago with the intention of blogging solely about DIYs and crafting and it was all super amazing. I remember numerous blog hops and blog awards and super sweet and thoughtful comments from so many in the blogging world. 
But soon enough, it all came to an end. I started blogging about way more personal things and shared so much more about my life on here and slowly, but surely, I started losing readers. I get it. My readers were here to share in my crafting adventures but I was saddened nonetheless, as I had really thought some of those readers could be transformed into actual  friends. It wouldn't be the first time I met someone online (especially through blogging) so you could definitely say that I was a bit disheartened by it all. 
Eventually.... I just lost my passion to write... and my desire to share. 
And here I am. With writer's block. And absolutely NO IDEA what I will be doing with this AT ALL.

365 days.

365 days have come and gone and the feeling hasn't gotten any easier. I really truly thought I would "do" better. I thought I would think of him and feel sadness but also be able to smile at the memory I have of holding him in my arms.

Unfortunately, as the 7th of December approached, I felt despair instead and felt as though life had just pressed the rewind button. I suddenly felt transported back to that black hole I found myself in one year ago. 365 days ago. Man, that's a lot of damn days. And to end up here again?

I know it's normal and to be expected, yes. I just wish it were a tiny bit easier as I can't imagine feeling like this every December 7th for the rest of my life. I want to someday, maybe, be able to celebrate instead of continuing to mourn our sweet, sweet boy.