Sassy Priscilla

When Life Hands You Snow, Make a Snowman

Aidan forced me out into the cold Friday.  He even cajoled Betsy into coming out. I know I should be used to the weather in Wisconsin but I am kind of sick of it given the 30+ inches in December.

I don't know if you can see it, but our snowman is throwing snowballs. He has a pile next to him and some in his hands!  Aidan and I had a lot of fun making the snowman using his snowman kit from Aunt Gayle.  We used his new snowball and snow block makers, too. 

Take a look at last year's snowman. I have to say that the kit was more fun. We had a real shortage of decorations last year and made some type of snow monkey.

I'm starting to feel like a kid again. We went sledding a few weeks ago, too.

See our new door in the background? We have a new storm door and painted the front door a lovely purple.  We also have a new light above it. You can see the old door and accessories behind Aidan here.

Slowly but surely our exterior is getting a makeover. Last year we got new windows.  We removed some ugly hedges and the dreaded red rock from around the house.  I planted tons of bulbs that I can't wait to see.  Lots done. Lots more to do.

Set the Scene

Isn't this picture just lovely? Jeff took it yesterday.  Wisconsin has received over 30" of snow this month! 

Jeff did not use my new camera. I have yet to use it as I'm reading all about it first. I tend to be that way--I should just dig in and get started!

Holiday Inn: Opens tonight. Don't ask why. Just go and God bless America!

My favorite Christmas movie to watch is Holiday Inn
starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. It isn't particularly Christmas-y though it is themed around holidays. It is funny as heck and has great music (White Christmas; Easter Parade; Happy Holidays; Be Careful, It's my Heart; and the same big band song throughout for different numbers).

It is a predecessor of the lame movie White Christmas. Fred Astaire dances while lighting firecrackers. The lead men fall in and out of love very easy. There is a pretty politically incorrect number about Abe Lincoln and there is inappropriate comic relief with Mamie and her kids.

A great synopsis of it is here but I recommend you just rent it or watch it when it is on TV. It doesn't get played as often as the aforementioned lame movie (though I should admit that Missy and I sing "Sisters" quite often).

Here she comes, Miss Hit and Run...

Wait - I should mention that I also adore It's a Wonderful Life and most other Frank Capra movies. Have you seen the SNL lost ending of It's a Wonderful Life? Phil Hartman as Uncle Billy just cracks me up. Well what are we waiting for? Let's go get him!

Merry Christmas.

Cleaning House

Here's Mucha loving Aidan. This was taken a few weeks ago before we decorated the tree.  Mucha adores Aidan and has since we got him almost a year ago. He sleeps with him, follows him around the house, and gets totally loved hard.  As in, I can't believe the cat loves the kid because Aidan is rough with him. It is strange because Aidan is so gentle with Toulouse.

Here it is, 1:30 AM again. What am I doing up?  I'm trying to get life together and answer a bunch of e-mails. I have an insatiable urge to straighten up my life right now. Perhaps it is the close of the year.

I did something stupid today. I canceled my annual exam with my OB/Gyn. I didn't want to be weighed. I didn't want to talk baby stuff. I didn't want to talk blood clot stuff (long story but this doctor feels a bit responsible for me getting the blood clots).  Now I can't get in again for 4 months. But that gives me 4 months to get a grip on my weight and these other issues that nag at me.

So I took the day and cleaned Jeff's and my bedroom/office/craft storage/business storage/shipping center room.  It is not a big room but it is only a 2 bedroom house and we have to make do.  I feel better about it but now I feel anxious about the sewing I need to get done.

I really need to get my life in order. I've been trying to lose weight at the worst time of the year. I've pretty much kept my promise of not baking but it hurts a little bit. I love to bake and Christmas stuff is especially fun. However, I eat what I bake. I have no control it seems.

Let's see, I need to end this with a happy thought. I have a little boy who sincerely believes in the magic of Christmas and is excited silly over it this year.  We are having fun with it. I bought him so many presents that I have to hold some back until Easter (if I can wait that long) and have sold some off to aunts and uncles. I guess I still get excited about the magic of Christmas, too!

Caribbean Map Drawstring Bag

Yesterday was sweet Joey's 13th birthday. Long ago, I purchased the Dangerous Book for Boys, the world's coolest boy book. 

To go along with his present, I thought I'd get him a handkerchief and a Swiss Army Knife (um, chocolate as he already has the real thing being a Boy Scout) as part of the list of things boys must always have. I meant to also get a needle and thread but forgot.

When browsing the
handkerchiefs, I came across this Caribbean map one. I bought two and quickly made a drawstring bag to wrap his gift in. I really liked how it turned out! Along with the mapkerchiefs, I used twill tape to tie it.

I'm going to mention Sewing with Nancy (again) as my favorite drawstring bag pattern is from a book of hers. So easy and neat. I'll do a tutorial of that again some day, too.  I used that tutorial for the awesome bags I made for Aidan's birthday.  Oops, clicked on that link and saw something I started and never finished (again).

Custom Dog Leash, er Puppy Leash

I gave this gift early. Couldn't wait! It was one of the most useful presents I have made (though I really try to only make useful stuff with a few exceptions).

I got this pattern from Anna Maria Horner. I used Amy Butler fabric - I hope that isn't a bad thing to do to Anna Maria, it was the longest cut of fabric I had on hand.

It was very easy. The most difficult thing was going to 3 different hardware stores to find the clip.  The second most difficult thing was sewing on the binding. I always have trouble with that.

I used 7/8" canvas strapping. I made the binding strips 1" instead of 7/8" as the pattern suggests. Next time, I'd go even a little bigger on the strips. I'll also buy colored strapping.

The intended recipient in the blurry picture is my parent's puppy, Scarlett. She is as cute and sweet as can be.

Jersey Scarves

I don't know why I can't take clear pictures anymore! Sorry these are fuzzy.

Anyway, I made these scarves using striped jersey fabric. I embellished with flannel and fleece snowflakes. Can you tell they are snowflakes? My close-up shots were too fuzzy to publish here.

I was inspired by scarves found on Etsy. I can't find them anymore or I would like to link to them - they were so cute. The seller had made little houses and gnome-y kind of stuff. She really did an awesome job.

I bought two yards of the jersey and cut them the length of the fabric so the scarves are two yards long (or whatever they shrunk up to after pre-washing). I cut to double the width I wanted (I'd say these are 7-8" so I doubled and added a little room for seam allowance).

I made a snowflake template and sewed it on and embellished with lines for the flake part. You can't tell here but I used two colors on the lines of the flakes.

I folded in half length-wise and stitched along the edge. I left the bottom undone so it could roll-up on its own.

A change I would make - I would have the folded edge be the back of the scarf. 

Two questions I have :

1. If I wash these, what will become of the felt snowflakes? The jersey and fleece are pre-washed. 
2. Who will wear these? I would wear one but I don't know if anyone in my family will like them!

Chenille Christmas Scarf

I made this chenille scarf for a Christmas gift. Have you ever made your own Chenille? It is pretty fun. I learned about it on a Sewing with Nancy TV segment. More information here.

If I get a chance to take pictures during the process, I will definitely show a little tutorial.

You use 1 1/4 yards homespun type of fabric. This is a woven fabric that has the fabric pattern on both sides. You can do it with other fabrics and the effect can be neat but definitely not as nice. Do not use flannel - you would think it would be softer but it isn't at all.

You will also need something to cut the fabric with - I highly recommend the Olfa Chenille Cutter. I think they also used electric scissors on the show.

It is complicated to explain but the gist of it is that you will be sewing on the bias. You fold your fabric in a manner so you can cut on the bias and make 6" layers. You will need 5 layers - this you can get out of the fabric.  The middle layer is left longer with two outer layers on both sides.

You will then sew even channels along the fabric (see the ridges in the scarf?) When complete, you will cut the outer two layers of fabric on each side.  Wash and dry and poof! A nice, soft, fuzzy scarf.

Sorry these instructions aren't explicit.

I really like the Sewing with Nancy show. I learned a lot from the shows when I first started sewing a couple years ago. She and her guests usually make ugly stuff but her techniques and knowledge are first class. Plus they feature Creative Kindness segments which show crafters using their skills to help those in need. You can tell that Nancy is a nice, gentle person with a good heart. Plus, she is a kick-ass business woman from my neck of the woods.

Confession

My cousin and wife had a healthy baby boy. He was a whopper, too, at 9.1 lbs. I have a small confession to make. I am feeling a little sad about it because I am envious. I think we may not have another one. Is it wrong to feel bad at someone else's happiness? I'm not unhappy here and I'm definitely happy for them. However, the subject of babies is just a sore spot for me still.

Hey - I hope to respond to e-mails and comments tomorrow. My inbox is flooded with a gazillion offers for last minute shopping. Yikes!

Aidan had his nursery school Christmas program two nights ago. It was so darling! The kids were just sweet and the parents were funny! So many flashbulbs and videotaping galore. Wish I had captured that on film! I was trying hard to get a good picture of Aidan who didn't sing at all but sure smiled at his daddy videotaping.

Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Heather, Auntie Susannah, Uncle Dan, Miss Shannon, and Miss Betsy came. Thanks so much everyone!

We brought presents to Aidan's classmates for his last class before the break. That is what is pictured above. In each package is a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer Lip Balm and some stickers! The gold packages are for the teachers.

Yesterday my nephew Joey turned 13. A teenager!! So hard to believe. We had a nice family get-together last night.  Monday was another nephew's birthday who turned 12. Next Monday is my niece's birthday. She will be 10. Whew!

I've been frantically trying to finish handmade gifts. I'm so behind this year for no good reason. More on those gifts later!

Martha Stewart Perhaps Doesn't Care About Flammable Handwarmers

Update to the Martha Stewart Hand Warmer Saga:

I sent an e-mail last Friday to Martha Stewart staff.

Me: Well, this is more than disappointing for a pattern published by MSLO.  Perhaps you could ask Martha?

Thanks!

Someone at MSLO:

I guess they are waiting for Martha to respond since it has been a few business days now.  Hey people at MSLO. Google this: martha stewart hand warmer

Well, no big deal, right? I'm out about $40 something dollars for the cashmere and pie weights. I'm working on projects with the cashmere. The pie weights aren't too useful to me. I can use some but not all. $40 is not a small amount for our family. And I've heard from others that I'm not the only one! Plus, the number one hit to my blog for the past few weeks has been a search for Martha Stewart hand warmers.

What irks me is the fact that I'm kind of a Martha Stewart junkie. I tape her shows and watch them all. I've been a magazine subscriber since 1999 and have subscribed to all her publications except some Body one. I have tons of books and products and have tried many of her crafts and recipes. I've stuck with her through prison, bad interviewing skills on the Martha show, my disappointing Martha show experience, a crummy puppet kit from Martha Stewart Crafts (come to think of it, customer service didn't care about that problem either), a really bad pecan pie recipe, and the fall of Martha Stewart Kids. Heck, I've even given Blueprint a second chance. I don't know how to gauge the reaction from her staffer. I feel like asking her if she wants some antibacterial soap to go with her hand washing.  I wasn't looking to sue, just a solution.

OK, thanks for letting me vent.  I promise to not mention it again unless I have news from them on the subject. At this point, I'm chalking it up as a loss and will focus on the gingerbread men that Aidan and I are making with the cashmere.

Where is Daniel Craig's Apron?

So one of the top searches for my blog from the UK is Daniel+Craig+Apron. I understand why my blog is a hit with my sassy pictures of Daniel Craig and my tutorial for my brother's apron. However, I don't get the search.

Is Apron a slang term for some body part? Has somebody actually created a Bond apron? If so, please pass along the link!  Will one of you crazy Daniel Craig UK fans explain the search to me?

On a related note, my brother-in-law had the nerve to ask me, "Who the hell is Daniel Craig?"  Chalk up another family member who doesn't read my blog.

And the Winner is...

Hey - It has only been 5 weeks since I offered the free book contest for the Prairie Girl's Guide to Life.  This is how I roll sometimes and I'm so sorry. I have such great intentions and wanted to make presents for everyone that entered and then time kept slipping away...

I'd like everyone that entered to email me your address (I'm talking Ren, Diane, June, and Nadine) so I can send them a little something that may or may not be handmade. Just e-mail at sarah @ sassypriscilla.com (please remove the spaces) or just respond on this entry and I will email you back to get your address.

Stacy, you are the big winner. Aidan picked the name so you can thank or blame him. In case you don't know Stacy, she has a blog called Stacy Sews. She is an accomplished seamstress whose energy rivals June in how much she can accomplish in a single day. She makes beautiful pears and had her pattern published in Sew News and has also designed a fabulous Wonder Woman apron. She just moved into her new home, has a cute daughter named Taylor, and is expecting a baby boy.

I hope you and Taylor enjoy the book!

The Quiet, Snowy Day

We had a bit of snow today. Jeff thinks about 7 inches. Most schools were closed as there was an expected ice storm that didn't pan out. Aidan and I stayed in, all cozy.  He is a little sick with a cold and so disappointed to not go outside. I felt bad about that until he zonked out, which he never does.

We have dozens of robins hanging around.  Little robins, fly south!

Today was pretty uneventful. It was a quiet, snowy day. I couldn't believe how big the snowflakes were.  I watched Polar Express with Aidan and cleaned the kitchen. I made cowgirl cookies to cheer him up. I wrote a poem. I called Betsy several times. She is home as the school she teaches at was closed due to the bad weather. I watched a little Martha Stewart on TV and felt bad all over again about those darn hand warmers and the weird emails from her staff.

Did I mention my dad is out of the hospital? He is doing well.

Wee Wonderfuls Santa Gnome

I made Mr. Gnome from the Wee Wonderfuls pattern. Aidan saw me looking at a picture of the project online one day and yelled "Santa!"  Of course, I immediately bought the pattern and picked out Santa colors. I think it is adorable.

I had some problems and one of the worst kind with me trimming a little fabric and cutting a hole in Santa's beard! I hate to say it but I fixed it with a zigzag stitch... I knew if I had to start over it wouldn't get completed. It is fairly obvious where the fix is if you've made the pattern.

I mostly used fleece as wool felt is hard to find (and pricey) and that might have contributed to problems I had. I also wish I had time to practice a new technique rather than jumping in.  Hilary made it very easy to understand, I don't think I'm as experienced of a sewer as I would like to be.

I had difficulty sewing 1/8" seam because my needle doesn't move to that small of a seam and I couldn't see where I was stitching. Finally, something happened with my tension when I was sewing the front and back together (bird's nest). It took forever to undo!

That being said, I know Aidan will love him and will overlook any flaws made out of love.

More pictures here and below.

www.flickr.com

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Miffed at Martha Stewart's Hand Warmers or Should I Say Hazardous Warmers?

Update in red.

As you know, there was a Martha Stewart hand warmer fiasco this past week in the Sassy household.

I sent an e-mail to Martha Stewart and to their credit, received a quick reply.

Me: I bought pie weights and cashmere to make Hand Warmers as found in your  Holiday issue last year (and on your website until recently). I made a test warmer and microwaved them per the instructions - the first time was great! The second time - not so great. The cashmere started burning.

Is there a way to avoid this? I've invested a bit of money into this project. Thank you.

Someone at MSLO: Thank you for writing to Martha Stewart Living.

Make sure the cashmere doesn't have a synthetic blend (ie stretch, polyester, rayon).

New e-mail from Me: Thank you for your reply! The cashmere does not have synthetic fibers - any other suggestions?

Someone from MSLO: You might want to try a lower heat setting or shorter amount of time.

Another e-mail from Me: OK. I will look into experimenting. I am giving them as gifts so I'm worried about different microwaves, different heats. I also thought about making sure my thread is 100% cotton.  Would adding water in a bowl in the microwave be a bad idea?

P.S. Why was this project removed from the Martha Stewart website?

Someone from MSLO: Its something you would have to test.

Me (not in an e-mail back): Gee, thanks. NOT.  Grrr. I didn't want to write back being irritated.  And why was this project removed from the website? I'm pretty sure it was even on a segment on the new craft show (I'll have to check my tapes).  So, I'm off to waste some cashmere and test using it with water in the microwave as I certainly can't give gifts to people that say - "Test in your microwave - if it catches fire, let me know."

I wrote them again explaining that I tried to follow their directions as written and that there were no warnings and I was disappointed in their response as I was asking their help for a pattern that they created--not one that I came up with on my own.   It was a 5 paragrapher, too long to update here.  Their concise response:

We apologize for being unable to direct you further.

Leslie Harpold : Missed

Update in red.

I feel a bit silly writing about this as I did not know this woman and I had not even heard of her until shortly before her death when I read about her wonderful Advent Calendars on notmartha.

Anyway, I was thinking about Leslie Harpold's calendar yesterday and wondering if perhaps her website was still up with previous year calendars on it. It isn't. I realized quickly that I was looking for her on the one-year anniversary of her unexpected death at the young age of 40. Her advent calendar in 2006 was stuck on December 7.

I recall last year reading so many online tributes to her and how she sounded like such a fascinating person. My favorite story goes as such:

I met Leslie Harpold six years ago when a large cardboard box showed up unexpectedly at my door. Inside was a large 32 gallon stainless steel trash can that I'd added to my Amazon wish list a few weeks before on a whim.

The gift note inside said (... and I'm paraphrasing) "I wanted to meet the sort of freak who'd put a 32 gallon stainless steel trash can on his wish list. —- Leslie Harpold"

It may seem and feel silly writing a brief entry about someone I never got to know but I found the tributes to her to be so interesting that I know a lot of people are thinking about her this weekend.

I found a great article from The Morning News written by Leslie about how to write a proper thank you note. What a great refresher. It is humorous, succinct, and spot on.

Martha Stewart Flammable Hand Warmers for Gifts: It's a Bad Thing

I wish I had a link for this pattern to share with you but it has been removed from the Martha Stewart website. In last year's Martha Stewart Christmas Holiday issue and I believe on one of the recent Martha Stewart Craft segments, there was a pattern for making nifty hand warmers using pie weights.

Basically, you take two 3x5" cashmere squares, sew around and leave an opening to add 1/2 cup ceramic pie weights.  Blanket stitch around.  Don't try this at home: Put in microwave for 5 minutes, no less, no longer.

I made a test one and couldn't fit the entire 1/2 cup of pie weights in it.  It also caught on fire.  Well, more of a smolder but it busted the seam and the fire hot pie weights fell out.

I tried to be smart, outside of buying a 3 jars of pie weights. I only bought a small amount of cashmere.  I made a test warmer last night and microwaved it. It was perfect - it was warm for about 20 minutes. So I bought a bunch more cashmere last night!  Today, I put it in the microwave again and after about 4 minutes, a foul odor emerged.  The fabric had burned.

So, unless I find a microwave work-around, I'm out a bit of dough for gifts I was making this holiday season.  Interestingly, in the last week or so, this pattern was removed from the Martha Stewart website. I put a message on the Martha Stewart craft board but haven't received a response. I also wrote Martha Stewart in the Ask Martha link.

Does anyone else have suggestions? It seems like putting a cup of water in the microwave might help but damp hand warmers don't sound so cozy. And if you are on my gift list, please ignore this post and remember that I will try to not give you a dangerous present.

Picture is from the defunct Hand Warmer pattern on the Martha Stewart website. No link available.

Clip This - Altered Art Clipboard

A while back, Junie Moon showed off a clipboard that she purchased on Etsy by Jane's Apron. Low on cash to buy one of those great clipboards, I decided to make one myself that I could use to record my sewing projects.

I'm not too experienced with paper art, except for origami. Decoupage is pretty new to me, too.  But this was fun, pretty easy and it turned out well enough to satisfy me! I think the whole thing cost less than $10 to make.

First of all, if I had it to do over again, I would have bought better clipboards. I bought mine from Office Depot. They were cheap enough but they had the store logo on the metal clip. I covered that using a magnet but it isn't perfect.

Also, I might have painted the clipboard as Jane's Apron did instead of using the paper - this might have eliminated the problem of the paper being too short and me not thinking to match the stripes at the top.

Supplies used:
Clipboard
Scrapbooking paper
Color copies of a vintage pattern
Ribbon
Adhesive backed magnet
Modge Podge - Glossy
Decorative scissors (I have ones that make the edges look ripped)
Scrap of ribbon

Process:
This is so easy, I didn't even bother to take pictures of the process.

I used my computer and printer to create the printed text.  The paper I used was a little more fibrous and stiffer than normal printer paper.  I picked out a vintage pattern and color copied it. I cut out the pattern with straight scissors and used the ripped scissors to cut out the text.

I outlines the clipboard onto the scrapbooking paper. I glued it on using the modge podge. I laid out my design on top before gluing and then glued it on.  When dry, I gave another coat of the modge podge over the top.

As the paper wasn't large enough to cover the board, I cut out smaller pieces at the top and used a coordinating satin ribbon in between them so the difference between the pattern wasn't too much.

I used an adhesive backed thin magnet (the kind used for business cards) and cut it to size to cover the logo on the clip. I put a piece of scrapbooking paper on it and trimmed them together so they fit.

Add your own pad of paper and cover your lovely design.

Dang - why do I dread snow?

I guess it is coming again. You can't really tell that it is snowing in this picture unless you click it to enlarge it. It is supposed to be a doozy. My dad is still in the hospital and I'm afraid my mom might be stuck their tonight, too.  I suggested she pack a bag but I think she forgot.

Those are my hydrangeas in the back (remember the spider making a home there)? These are the same hydrangeas that my neighbor Marilyn huffily told me to cut down. I didn't last year and they came back. I like the winter interest. 

Marilyn's bossy that way.  She is also kind enough to give us Packer tickets and also give us their Christmas tree as she broke her wrist and didn't want to fuss with trimming it. She and her brother Millard are good neighbors and I don't mind the bossiness as it gives us something to laugh about.  Plus, I learn stuff from them.  They thought of us for the tree as we helped them rake their leaves one day.

We have great neighbors. On the other side of us is Betsy. Not only is she a great neighbor but she has turned out to be the most wonderful friend. She has Bill and Joan on the other side of her.  Bill rakes leaves of Betsy's that blow into his yard back into her yard. When he rakes leaves to the road he puts them in front of her house. The other day I saw him cleaning his broom in her yard. Weird. But he is nice and friendly. Mike across the street from us will do anything for anyone.  He is a nice, no-nonsense handy guy and he is a great neighborhood watchdog.

I don't know what kind of neighbor we are. I hope we are nice and helpful. That is what we strive to be. We are probably known as the neighbors with the ugly yard.

Speaking of the yard. I'm not nuts about the neighbor's railroad ties. What can I do to cover them? I don't know what to do with my backyard as there is some crazy ground cover all over the back, too, that bugged me all summer. Maybe I should start listening to Marilyn. Their yard is pristine.

Those are my Amazing Grace wind chimes up front. Oops. Jeff is supposed to take those down since I can't reach and we broke my step stool. We didn't really break it directly. We left it out in the rain several times.  Pristine isn't in our nature.

No Knead Bread Winter 2007

You know winter's here when Megan's blogging about No Knead Bread. Sounds like Cook's Illustrated fooled around with it and found that adding beer and vinegar improved its flavor. I kind of like its flavor as is but am curious.  See my experiences with No Knead Bread here.

I'm also curious about making two smaller loaves out of the big loaf as I have a new Le Creuset casserole that I got off Craig's List for a steal from a guy closing his cooking store.  Could I divide it right before baking and then immediately bake a second loaf (after the first is finished)?

Cowgirl Cookies

Did I mention that those cookies were good?  I adapted the recipe slightly so it wasn't too unmanageable and fooled around with the salt and cinnamon.  There are no nuts (hence cowgirl cookies...).  Go ahead and add 1 1/3 cups chopped pecans if you like your cookies with a little hair on their chest.  Small chocolate chips would work well but I couldn't find any not made by Nestle. I don't like their chocolate (OK - almost any non-waxy chocolate will do for me in a pinch).  I'll snag a picture this afternoon. I've added a picture of Aidan's afternoon snack. Mine was a tiny bag of almonds. :-(

Miss Sassy's Cowgirl Cookies (a sassy version of sassy Mrs. Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies)

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/3 cups sweetened flake coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in bowl.

In 8-quart bowl, beat butter on medium speed till smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in sugars and continue beating to combine, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each.

Beat in vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.

For each cookie, use a medium ice cream scoop to drop approximately 1/4 cup of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet, spacing 3 inches apart. Bake 17 to 20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove to rack to cool.

Makes 2 dozen large cookies.

Woe is Me

Picture courtesy of Photo Booth. I don't always look that weird but I am that pale.

I'm sick. Worse yet is my dad is still in the hospital.  Aidan has a class at the zoo today to see the reindeer and it is like 20 degrees out.  I wish I could bail but he is excited about it.

I gave up my baking ban to make Cowboy Cookies using a recipe I adapted from Laura Bush. They were pretty good but not as good as the coffee shop down the corner.  I was too lazy to take pictures.

I'm off to see how dad is doing and then take a hot shower to perk up. Hot tea would be great, too.

I used to like snow before we bought a house...

This picture is from January but it could have been from today. This is Mt. Mary College, a few blocks from our home and where Jeff teaches part-time.  We are getting a snow and then ice storm.

The worst part of the storm is that my dad is in the hospital today and my mom wants me to stay home rather than come visit.

I do like snow but today it feels gloomy, which corresponds with my mood.  The good news is we bought a snowblower just in time.