Cookies

Here's all the baking I did!  I made allot of cookies and gave out 12 goody bags as gifts this year.  Then I saved out some to keep and took the rest to my sister's where I spent a couple nights; Christmas Eve thru Sunday morning the 26th.  I also made a batch of Rice Krispie treats but didn't get a picture.

We might get some frost tonight and since my plants are all out on the driveway and not close to the house, the more fragile ones may not make it but when I got home tonight, I wrapped my Plumeria (Hawaiian) plant in bubble wrap hoping it won't suffer too much.

I didn't get the tutorial finished like I hoped I would.  Seems I have some super woman complex and think I can do more than I can!!  We were busy at the shop right up to the last days before Christmas with gift-wrapping and shipping.  I did get the pics done so I may get around to posting it this weekend.  Better late than never.  I'm taking the 3 day weekend and it'll be nice to have time to crochet and relax.

We had rain again yesterday and it seems it's always a bit slower at the shop when it rains so we decided to put away all the holiday decor and inventory.  This is the earliest we've ever done that.  Feels great having it done.  When I stopped by the grocery store this morning before work, there wasn't a single holiday item to be seen anywhere!  But guess what I saw?  VALENTINE CANDY. 

Spritz butter cookies using a press

Bar cookies, sorta tasted like choc chip cookies.  Guess who took a bite?

Two kinds of fudge and candied pecans up on the left

Peppermint meltaway cookies

Swedish cardamom spice refrigerator cookies

Swedish Glogg a concentrated spice drink to mix with juice or spirits

Wrapped up ready to give to my UPS, Fedex, and DHL drivers

Thanks for stopping by...I'll write again soon...

Lights

Howdy! 
Hope your festivities are under way and you've been able to get all the gifts that you had planned on getting for those you love.  I've been trying to take some pictures of the busy corner near where I live that has a lighted holiday display.  We don't seem to get to stop at the light and be first in line where we would have a clear view of it so I keep taking pics as we pass by and even though you can't make out what is actually there the pics are kinda interesting to look at, IMHO!! 

There's only one tree, it's fake and really big!

I like this last one.  The lights look kinda like seagulls. 

I'm taking a break from my marathon baking right now.  I'm making cookies and some candy to give out to friends and customers and some to take to the family on Christmas day.  As I was sliding cookies off the sheet to cool, I was thinkin' of my blogging friends and then of all the women and men, too who are probably busily making treats for others just like I'm doing and that's cool!  Then I thought of blogging and so here I am.

It's been raining steadily since yesterday, late morning and that is ALLOT of rain for us.  It's a tropical storm so it's not very cold just allot of wet.  There is always a possibility of flooding when we get so much rain all at once so hopefully everyone will be ok.  It's nice to be sheltered and indoors baking...comfy and cozy. 

I haven't finished my other crochet projects but I've been having fun making snowflakes and creating different patterns as I go along.  Blocking them has made a big difference in how they look.  I got some spray starch and they look so much better.  I want to make a bunting of snowflakes so I just keep making them.  Wonderful mindless activity for sure!!!!

Hope you're cozy and warm and doing whatcha like best.  Hugs to you, Annie

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm hoping you have a special holiday and you get to enjoy being with family and friends or whatever is it you want to do and there is no STRESS!  I'll be in Rancho Cucamonga at my bro's and be with whatever family shows up.  My contribution this year is: making my candied yams with walnuts that the family requests every year, regular whole berry cranberry sauce and using a recipe for pecan bars from Pammy Sue's blog instead of pecan pie.

Yes, my shop is open today and I might close a bit early since I don't have any food for sale, hee-hee.  Then it's back to work on Friday to be a retail ANGEL and then I'm going to get out all the holiday decorations and inventory for sale.  I picked up a couple of holiday deco's from Target last night that I'll show you soon.

These are all pictures from our day trip to Carlsbad Flower Fields last Mother's Day.

My sis' kids and me

             HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!

So it's not 10-10-10

Hey, I really wanted to post on Oct. 10, 2010 just because 10-10-10 is cool.  Being home, I just didn't get to it.  Anyway, here are some pix of the past few days and what I've been up to. 

On 10-9-10 a lovestruck person writes...

I was outside and noticed in the perfect, no clouds blue sky, someone had something to say.

I heart KRI.  That was it.  Must've gotten windy up there.  Was it Kris, Kristin, Kristine or Kristina, what?  I will never know.  But one thing is for sure.  Somebody wuv's somebody and their name starts with kri. 

The new (cheap) curtain rod came apart when I pulled the curtain open and it scared me.  Nuthin' a little scotch tape won't fix!

I had a coupon and made this for no other reason than I was in the mood for chocolate.  The icing is melted 1/2 cup choc chips, 2 tbs butter and a tad of water.  Yum, super moist with a glass of ice cold milk.  I like bundt cakes, they get done without having dry edges.

I had 2 large pots like this full of Iris and Narcissus.  Time to separate and give 'em new soil.  They've called these pots home for about 9 years.  Kinda big job.  But I sat on the ground, like a kid not caring about dirty clothes, legs or feet and went to town, dumped 'em out and pulled 'em apart. 

Now, I have to plant 'em.  Didn't get to that this wknd.  It's too early for Narcissus but that's what happens when you live where it's warm, they come up early in time for Christmas some years.

This is my current project, Lion Brand Half Moon Shawl.  I'm further now as I made time to work on it this wknd.  I like it so far.  The yarn being bumpy, gets thick and thin in places so I compensated by using a single crochet instead a double c. stitch when the yarn got thick. 

We still have some flowers justa bloomin' away.

Have a lovely week!
oxox

I Love Heart Berries

The friendly neighborhood Fruit Man came by the shop today and wondered if I needed any strawberries.  Amazing how he remembers that I'll buy those from him in June and to have him come today when I was thinking about getting some tomorrow!  Psychic or a good salesperson?? 

Anyway, I have been deciding since I don't fit in many of my summer pants that I need to cut down on calories or exercise more.  I've never had to really count calories or do major dieting but as the years go by I keep gaining a little here and there.  Usually what I would do is if a fav pair of pants got a bit snug we'll I'd just cut out some carbs and that seemed to work until now.  Soooo, I decide to do a little counting and pay more attention to the amount I'm eating and not eating late, like past 7:30ish.  Then what did I come home from the store with last Sat?  Whipping cream instead of half in half for my coffee...darn the carton sure looks the same.  Just what I needed.  I was already considering using milk instead sooo... I decided to get some berries and make a shortcake this Sunday to use the whipcream up and share the LOVE and the FAT with hubby and son. 

So that's what I'll be doing along with more gardening.  Which reminds me I need to go and get some topsoil because I'm getting close to finishing up the new garden.  So off to OSH I'm going now.  I just love that they have the drive-thru and they put the heavy stuff in your car for you.  Happy weekend to you!

Dutch Apple Pies

Hi there,
A few weeks ago I had an extra day off so I decided to use the apples that I had purchased back in the fall (before they spoiled) to finally make some pies.  It was a cold rainy day, perfect for having the oven on.  My view out the kitchen window:

I found I had enough to do three, 9" pies so I got to work...


Ready get set go:

My trusty mixer that has an attachment that I'm gonna use to slice the apples.  For one pie I would slice it by hand but for 3 it was worth it. 

 

I covered all the apples in this new wrap that is made with vegetable oils.  I really like it.  Now the apples won't get all brown.

 

Look at all that waste.  Wish I had some composting earthworms but I have to wait until we move!  They would love eating this and then making rich soil for my plants.  

I'm cheating and using pre-made shells.  Most of the time I make my own.  I got these to make Thanksgiving pies but I didn't need them for that this year.

The crumb topping for the pies.

 

Ooops!, I forgot to put the sugar in the crumb topping for the first one, darn.  So I spread it on top and it never melted.  I carefully removed some of the sugar after it baked and it still was yummy.

This is what it was supposed to look like!

Well, we had three so I gave one to my (computer guru friend) Danny.  I always love to give him home made goodies and he loves to get them. 

Isn't sharing fun?