cookies have a delayed reaction

I'm getting closer to cracking the cookie code. Maybe fresh baked cookies give you momentary pause, allowing you to rethink your problems and then they trick you. By seemingly disapearing with the last bite your left to wonder "was that really all?" "Well, that didn't help at all." When really your mind is now distracted by the fact that the magic cookie didn't work therefor freeing up subconcious brainpower to work out your problems without your interference.
It's true, it happened to me.
I am walking proof of the power of fresh baked cookies.

In retrospect, it's really quite simple.
99% of all of my problems can be solved by simply changing my attitude.

So what if the dogs are hell bent on escaping the yard every single day now. Just think of how happy they are to see me when I get home and can let them back into the yard and think about how fast and free they run when tearing down the road away from the house. I wish I could run like that.

Who cares if I don't have 15 gifts for everyone. A sincere "I love you" or "you are special to me" will do just fine.

Pish Posh, so I don't have hardly any of my hard earned money left to show for all the craft fairs I worked and custom pendants I made. I paid all the bills and still managed to get myself new art supplies and a couple of treats (new boots, new clothes).

It's really no big deal if the last 6 pendants I've made, have had to be redone twice if not thrice. (ok, this one does suck. But I have a new theory about this and now I have the time to test it).

Really, the only thing that matters today is that I am wearing my new cute skirt from pacha play, I have all day to work on Christmas doings, and it looks like it is going to snow.

When life gets overwhelming and you feel a little claustrophobic, just remember to breathe.

xo

there are some days that even a fresh baked cookie cannot fix

unfortunately.
I didn't think this was true. But I tested my theory last night and even though the delicious almond sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar gave me momentary pause from my problem it did not solve it in any way. I'd like to make a magic cookie. One that has all the answers, then I'd give the recipe to everybody.

I've always wanted to start a bakery for this very reason. If you could improve someone's day or hour or moment by simply feeding them something you baked, that would be complete and utter satisfaction.

Christmas has always been a funny time for me. I love it, I love the season, I love the warmth, I love the snow, I love the tacky decorations, I love the feeling in the air, I love giving people gifts, I love all of these things to pieces...in the beginning.

And then we get to the home stretch and a wave of stress comes over me. Mostly because I haven't finished making someone's gift. It all comes back down to the stupid gifts. Admitedly, I have been exceptionally busy this season with my business but tell it to the trees. No one cares. Everybody is busy. The problem is this: I'd love to say whooey let's forget presents this year. But I like to give the people I know and love something special.

ugh.

In the beginning I have all of these wonderful grandiose dreams of what I'll make for people and by the end I'm cutting corners and rethinking my plans so that I can have it all done by the magic date.
I need a new plan.
I don't want Christmas to be all about the gifts for our new baby and maybe if I start a tradition of one handmade gift for all, or one handmade card, or nothing at all but a good potluck meal. Then maybe s/he will never have to feel this way.

We all own too many things already.
Couldn't we be just as happy with a fresh batch of cookies?
I could.

xo

good morning belly

Some days I wake up and I feel like my tummy has doubled in size overnight! It's funny because I get so used to looking at it (my belly) that I can't tell anymore if it is getting any bigger or not. My appetite is rather large, so all that food must be going somewhere!

I met my lovely Grandma for lunch on Monday and she took one look at me (sitting down) and said "You're not getting any bigger!" I said, "yes I am, you just can't tell right now. I gained a whole pound last month" Then she looked at me very seriously and said, "You're not trying to not gain weight, are you?" Obviously this woman doesn't see me eat... I've always eaten everything in sight. My Grandpa used to say I must have a hollow leg because he couldn't figure out where I put it all! Well now imagine me (already a big eater) eating for two. I can almost eat as much as my big hockey player husband!

Anyway on to other topics. I think I wore out my printer. I've been printing onto card stock a lot lately and I think I broke the paper feed because now it only takes in select sheets of regular paper when it feels like it. Ugh. So I have to go get a new printer today. I also poured the resin for all of my silhouettes last night and something happened. Maybe they got cold. But half of them are no good, filled with little bubbles. The EXTREMELY icky part about this is I had used my last rings for each othese different styles and now I have to try to peel the resin back out to start all over. I might also mention that I am now out of resin. Then on top of all of this I still have more jewelry and journals I need to make for this saturday~ as well as invent a contraption that can hang a larg map behind my booth... and tomorrow is shot because I am going to Denver for a spur of the moment sale...

The ONLY good part about all of this is that if I leave the house I get to go to Cafe Ardour and get a house chai and a bagel and whatever else goodies they have today.
Last weekend it was Mexican Chocolate Pound Cake. mmmmm... It was so good, chocolate with cinnamon and chile.

Oh! speaking of yummy things. The dogs (my lovely. FOUR. big. dogs.) Really like Ginger Sparkle Cookies too. I left them in the house while I went to get Nepalese take-out (more about this in a sec) last night and they ate the whole plate of them! And the bread... and the butter... and whatever else was on the counter that I can't remember...
So I guess it is time to make more cookies. Sure. I'll just whip those out real quick, like when I'm sleeping!

Last thought. As I said, last night I went out and got take-out from Mt Everest Cafe. It. Was. So. Good. I walked in and the very friendly sherpa took my order. He asked if I would like to sit down while I wait and have a cup of hot chai. I told him I would love to, but I needed to run next door really quick. I went and bought a couple movies at blockbuster. I came back, grabbed the paper and sat down. He brought me a delicious cup of hot chai and I did the crossword puzzle while I waited. It was lovely and the food is delicious and the portions are large.
I walked back out to my car, which I had parked inbetween the restaurant and blockbuster, in front of The Battery Store (let me mention my car was the only one in whole strip of available parking spots and the store was closed by the time I finished my errands) Anywho, the lovely battery store employee had left me a little love note on my windsheild.
It read:

This parking spot is for The Battery Store customers only.

No Restaurant Parking!!! (and as if this wasn't enough he was kind enough to reiterate)

NO RESTAURANT PARKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(underline, underline, underline)

I kid you not, there were a plethora of exclamation points. The possibiltities started to swarm through my head...

"Dear sir, thank you for your extensive use of exclamation points, I wasn't sure I understood what you were saying until you repeated it the second time..."

or maybe

"Wow! that's a lot of exclamation points, maybe someone with so much free time should MAKE A SIGN that says Battery Parking Only!"

I decided to leave him with this.

"I'm sorry!!!!! Maybe you should put up a sign. xo"

I hope he got to work today and it made him smile, even if just for a split second.

"Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind."
-Henry James

xo

ginger sparkle cookies, you're my new best friend

There is a coffee shop here in my town called Cafe Ardour. They have the most delicious home brewed chai tea and last time I was there I bought their last ginger sparkle cookie. These cookies are delicious! They bake all of their goodies and when you order a bagel with cream cheese it comes perfectly toasted with butter and cream cheese.
I can't justify driving there every morning so I bought my own chai tea, and this morning I tried my hand at my own ginger sparkle cookies. Neither are the same, but a close substitute until I drive back into town.



This recipe makes a ton of cookies, so unless you want to share with the whole neighborhood (hey, why not?) you should 1/2 it.

Ginger Sparkle Cookies
1 1/2 C Butter
2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C Molasses
1 t Vanilla

4 1/2 C Flour
4 t Baking soda
2 t Baking powder
1 t salt
2 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ginger

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a hand mixer - add other wet ingredients and mix.
2. Add dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. The dough should be easy to handle and not sticky - add flour if necessary. The dough should not be dry.
3. Shape dough into one inch balls and roll in sugar.
4. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes - Cool and enjoy!

xo

Handmade = Made With Love

Good Evening All!
I hope this first weekend of december has treated you all well. I don't know what my deal is lately, but I am so excited for Christmas this year. Not for the gifts or even all of the candy (ok maybe I'm a little excited about the candy) but just the season makes me happy this year. We got our tree yesterday and I finished decorating it today. I think, quite possibly, it is the cutest tree I have ever seen. Those of you who know me, know that I have a penchant for 'charlie brown' trees, and this one does not disappoint!



I'm also really excited to try and make this a handmade holiday. I'd love to be able to make everyone their gifts or at least buy them from local craft fairs or Etsy.com for that matter. Speaking of craft fairs, here's a rundown of the shows I will be at. Come see me if you're in town!

Friday December 7th and 8th
Fine & Funky Holiday Craft Fair
Inside the Opera Galleria in downtown Fort Collins

Saturday December 15th
Freeze! Fashion Denver's Holiday Market
Located at the Hot House on Larimer in Denver

Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd
The Bellvue Store, right around the corner in Beautiful Bellvue

Back to my point.
I watched the Grinch the other day and I really love that movie. I'll leave you with this:

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?" "It came with out ribbons! It came without tags!" "It came without packages, boxes or bags!" And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store." "Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!"

xo