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The NovelFriends are four writers who met through Wisconsin Romance Writers and initially became bonded by our love of books. That connection has expanded, grown, and deepened into true friendship over the years. We look forward to sharing our experiences with you, so follow the blog and join in the fun - we're always happy to have more NovelFriends!

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Cookie Bake 2012! ~ Stacey

Each year I get together with my two lovely sisters from the Green Bay area, my two wonderful cousins from the Milwaukee area, and we spend the weekend baking all kinds of cookies. Sugar cookies, peanut butter balls, chocolate dipped pretzels, Rolo cookies, chocolate Jimmy Sticks, frosted butter cookies, peppermint bark, chocolate dipped peanut butter and Ritz cracker cookies, and mint chocolate cookies that are better than the Girl Scout Thin Mints.

Here are a couple before and after pictures:

Before the 'sugar' storm...

After the confectioner's dust has settled...

The annual Doughmen...

...become Snowmen

The penguin has a candy cane for you!

Our creative decorating minds at work about 1:30am...

and finally, the cookies my kids wait for each year!

We finished our clean-up this year at about 2:45am. A LONG day, but so worth it, the least of which is the cookies, with the best part being the time spent with my family. We joke, we pick on each other, we seriously show the love. *grin*

This year the buzz words were 'gorgeous' and 'stinking', and many times we combined the two for the lovely descriptive phrase, "Stinkin' gorgeous!" I, for one, was very happy that everyone seemed to have forgotten (or maybe just forgiven?) that two years ago I fed my left-over cookies to the horses. I caught a lot of sh!t for that last year because apparently everyone else ate ALL theirs.

I wouldn't trade these weekends for anything and look forward to many more in the years to come.

Do you have any holiday traditions to share with us NovelFriends?

Wishing you all a very
Merry Christmas!

Stacey Joy Netzel



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11 comments:

  1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 8:52 AM

    I forgot to add that this year my genius cousin Dawn brought tweezers--which made the detail work so much easier! :)

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  2. mommustwriteDecember 18, 2012 at 8:59 AM

    Stacey, I am so jealous! Those cookies look and sound amazing and it sounds like such a fun time! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'm hoping to make at least 1 batch of cookies before Christmas this year. I actually have a tree up now, so there's a chance. Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!!

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    1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 5:37 PM

      I saw a picture of your tree on FB--love it! You're so creative with your trees, I look forward to seeing what you do each year.

      Merry Christmas to you, Lenny and the boys!

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  3. Tamara WardDecember 18, 2012 at 10:39 AM

    Wow! These look so yummy and delicious and colorful! Thanks for the holiday cheer.

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    1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 5:38 PM

      You're welcome, Tamara! They are as good as they look. :)

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  4. Rhonda HopkinsDecember 18, 2012 at 2:24 PM

    Wow! Great looking cookies. I can almost smell them. I hope I don't gain weight just lookin' at 'em. ;-) Sounds like you guys have a great time doing this. This year you can send your left overs to me. If I'm gonna gain weight, I might as well get to taste them! LOL

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    1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 5:41 PM

      I'm learning, Rhonda...this year my dad and mom will get a tin to take home so we don't have any leftovers. :) Plus, with Christmas Eve dinner at my house, there'll be that many more people to eat them. Your hips are safe from my cookies. :)

      We do have a great time. Thanks for coming by!

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  5. SandyDecember 18, 2012 at 4:01 PM

    Those cookies look delicious, and you had so much fun making them. There's the key to good cookies. Smile!

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    1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 5:42 PM

      So true, Sandy, the love makes them that much better. :) Hugs to you this Christmas!

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  6. AnonymousDecember 18, 2012 at 5:56 PM

    My favorites from your great photos are the doughmen that become snowmen, the one-legged gingerbread man, and the penguin. :-)

    I used to do a day of baking many years ago and loved doing it. My friend and I were young mothers and we started early and baked until the kids went to bed. Great times and memories especially since now she's dead and I think of her every time I do some Christmas baking.

    Casey Clifford

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    1. Stacey Joy NetzelDecember 18, 2012 at 9:13 PM

      Casey, great to see you here! I'm so sorry you can no longer bake with your friend, but I'm glad you have happy memories to remember her by.

      I love the Snowmen, too, but my other favorite is the sad Snowman who was peed on. LOL My sister Becky's creation.

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