Be My Bridesmaid Cookies

The daughter of my husband's superintendant recently got engaged! She called me asking for a little help in creating a fun way to ask her friends to also be her bridesmaids. So after collecting a few ideas from her, we ended up with these darling cookies.

She added them inside a box full of goodies for her girls. I loved making these cookies and am very happy with how well they turned out! 

Congratulations, Cassidy! 

Happy Wedding Planning!!

Baseball Galore

A dear friend of mine, and fellow coach's wife had a birthday today. So of course I had to celebrate by making her some sugar cookies!

With opening day upon us (despite this crazy icy Oklahoma weather), I decided that baseball cookies would be a perfect fit. Not only would it be a birthday love gift, but also a fun way to kick off the 2014 Baseball season. 

Stacy has been a blessing to me ever since Lee and I found out we were moving to our beloved town. Her joy is contagious and her smile is never ceasing. 

Happy Birthday, Stacy!! 

Hope you hit it out of the park this year! 

My first batch of cookies completely on my own. Phew!

Girly Birthday Cookies

Over the last several months, I have been in charge of the Athletic Department's hospitality room at every home basketball game. I have had so much fun cooking and decorating for our coaching staff, administration and school board members. Although a little overwhelming at times, it is a nice change up from the football field.

This past weekend was the District Tournament for Basketball and I recruited my mother to come help me cook. She graciously agreed and when she showed up at my house, she had birthday cookies in tow! Woo!!

My husband was gone at a football coaches clinic all weekend so friday night was a girls night at our house. Mom, a dear friend and fellow coach's wife, Jade, and myself had dinner out and then came back for some birthday cookie decorating. They weren't perfect as the icing was a little persnickety due to the humidity {or rather lack of} in my house. Baking is more of an art rather than a science... and now next time I know to factor in the humidity into my icing recipe.

Here is a look at the cookies I decorated...

Love Jade's Blue dress!

I loved our girls night and look forward to many more!

Medical Cookies

I just have to share these ADORABLE cookies my mom made for my brother who is in medical school for Valentines Day. I love how she combined his medical background with hearts for a little love gift sent straight to his condo.

We are definitely blessed kiddos to have such a sweet and thoughtful momma!

The RN in her came out on these heartbeat cookies. =) 

My favorite!

Valentines Cookies

As you all well know, my mother is the queen of cookies! But not just any kind of cookies, she likes to make what my husband calls "fancy cookies" that taste just as good as they look!

Soon, she will be starting her own cookie blog(Sweet Southern Sprinkles), but until then I'm excited to let you all see a little glimpse into her cookie world.

These are pictures of cookies that she and I decorated yesterday to send out with my dad and husband to work... if only I realized my husband's offices were closed today-- looks like it will be a late valentines gift for our sweet admin office!

Hope you all have a blessed and loving Valentines Day!!

Catching Up

As you all well know, I have been terrible at blogging the last few months. Where has the time gone?! Thankfully for the snow days, I am able to grab a few free moments…

We won our first round in the playoffs against Claremore Sequoyah and headed off to Checotah to play for the Bi-District Championship.

The Checotah game is by far the COLDEST game I have EVER sat through. The temperatures were in the teens and that did not account for the wind chill. The game was postponed from Friday night to Saturday night due to winter weather. I had layers upon layers upon layers and still shivered the whole game.

It was a INTENSE game, yet our Golden Demons pulled out a 34-28 win and became the 2013 Bi-District Champions!

Time for the Quarterfinals (and Thanksgiving)! Because our team practiced through break, we were not able to go home for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, my family brought Thanksgiving to us! Football and a feast all in one. 

We all knew this game was going to be tough, but our boys gave it all they had. We lost in the Quarterfinals to the soon to be State Champions, Kingfisher.

We ended our football season this year at 10-3. We were Bi-District Champions and State Quarterfinalists! This season was definitely one to remember. The team chemistry was unbelievable. They were much more than a football team, they were/are family.

For more pictures of the Beggs Golden Demon Football team, click here. 

Christmas at the Blank's

Christmas came and with it our traditional Christmas cookies. My mother is a spectacular cookie maker & decorator. Every Christmas we decorate cookies to send out to family and friends… and this year was no exception.

We rang in the New Year by putting the finishing touches on Colonel's Horse Stall. The barn isn't quite finished yet, but we skipped ahead and finished Colonel's stall so he could get out of this crazy winter weather.

 And I must say, he is one happy horse! Especially on snow days like this…

NYE Cookies Mom & I made

2014 has been a whirlwind around our house so far. With college recruiting at its peek, my husband has been here, there and everywhere. It's exciting to see the plans the Lord has for these young people start to unfold. 

As I sat folding socks on the couch and my husband with his laptop at hand writing a football article, I started reflecting on just how far the Lord has taken us over the past year. It was last year around this time that life was the most stressful it has ever been. The Lord allowed challenges and hardships to come into our life, causing us to cling ever so tightly to Him. He showed us that our purpose in life should always outshadow our goals. Goals can and will change, but purpose always remains. It's so easy to get wrapped up in the here and now that you quickly forget the big picture. 

Although I do not miss the circumstances the Lord allowed in our paths for a short while, I am so very grateful for them. For without trials, faith would never be strengthened. It is in the hard times that the Lords face shines ever so brightly. 

I am incredibly grateful on a daily basis for what the Lord has done for us. It's easy to run to the Throne in hard times, but I pray He continually reminds me that it's on the mountaintop that strength is renewed.

As we turn the page on 2013, I will always remember this year as one that was Divinely directed. So here's to 2014, let His name be lifted through our purpose as we strive to accomplish the goals He has placed before us!