baking and thinking

Good Saturday morning. I woke up today with an urge to bake and share. I have a fun new apron (a birthday present from a dear friend) and my family can never get enough pumpkin treats. There is something so happy about a kitchen filled with good smells and christmas music.  Yes, I know it's not December yet, but I don't care.  The Frank Sinatra Holiday channel from Sirius is delivering all my favorites, and we are relishing temperatures in the seventies that make it finally feel like fall.  Sadie will be the recipient of some of the cookies baking in my oven.  It's attempt number two since the last ones I sent got lost in the mail:(
      As the Christmas season approaches, I'm filled with a desire to simplify and focus on what matters most.  Too often lately, I've been cluttering my brain and my life with things that aren't really important in the eternal scheme of things. I love the incredible simplicity and humility of the Christmas story and the circumstances of Christ's birth.  When I asked Sadie what she might like for Christmas this year, her answerer was, "Mom, I really don't need anything".  I never served a full time mission for our church, but sometimes I wish I would have had that opportunity.  Sadie has become so selfless, and her example makes me want to be better, more like our Savior.
      So today, after these cookies have cooled, the kids and I will deliver them to friends and family and hope that maybe we can make someone else's day a little brighter, a little better. I believe in my heart, that that feeling is better than even a thousand "likes" on instagram or facebook and will have a far more reaching effect for good.

Wishing you a beautiful, happy Saturday.