Sunshine, Shade, Sprinklers, and Some Stitchin'

This fall weather has been so perfect, I find myself loving every minute. It's energizing! Yesterday, after church, I told Dan it was way too beautiful to spend any time indoors, so we took some chairs out under the cherry trees and spent a leisurely hour reading and visiting. Here's where we were:


It was shady and perfect. Then Dan kept noticing dead limbs in the trees so he got his little pruning saw and went to work. I attacked some nearby weeds, and before we knew it we were hard at work and enjoying every minute. That is until the sprinkler system started up! I happened to be standing right over one sprinkler head and I wish someone had a video of me when it went off!! Needless to say, we were done for the day. :-)

Our poor garden. We had such a wet early summer, and Dan was so busy, we didn't get it planted until July. Yup, July. It's looking really good right now, and we're hoping this perfect weather lasts another couple weeks so we can harvest green beans and squash. Here's a picture of the beans. If you look closely, you'll see a sweet little bean waiting to be picked.


I mentioned in a previous post that I've been working on some samples for the shop. Every fall Bernina's OESD design company puts out some special CD's which are free with a qualifying purchase. They have traditionally been free-standing lace ornaments and this year's first one is no exception. I stitched out three of the designs and they are quite lovely. I also stitched a design (non lace) from the second CD onto a tea towel I made into an apron. Here's a view:


The snowflake is 3-D and here's a closeup of it:


I'm looking forward to making some more. Oh, and I made a new litle fall topper for the coffee table using Sandy Gervais' Gobble Gobble turnovers. I've become a real fan of simple little toppers for a splash of seasonal color.


Have I mentioned lately how much I love my 830 and my Handi-Quilter? I do!

Just Poppin' In

It's a dark and almost dreary day here at the resort. Dan is off working and I've been puttering away here and there. I'm working on some things in my sewing room for the shop and in a little bit I'll start a soup in my pressure cooker (thanks for helping inspire me to get it, CJ). Fifteen bean soup with elk German sausage, thank you for asking. :-)

Meanwhile, here's a picture of our front porch sporting some of it's fall finery. Later, closer to October, we'll add a bale of hay and a scarecrow. And some Indian corn.

Some of our houses haven't had a front porch. I love having one again!

Hope you're all having a great day. I'm off to the kitchen now.

My Life as a Cookie Baker

Yes, it's true. My alter ego is Cookie Baker and has been for quite some time. When I was growing up, my mom was a great cook, but she wasn't a baker. If she made a dessert, it was usually something "gooey" like Dump Cake, or Strawberry Angel Delight, or Cherry Cha Cha. All, I readily admit, loved and eaten by me. Right down to the last lick.

But I had this dream of a house, a kitchen, and a cookie jar that was always full. I think I was about eighteen and working when I first started my cookie-making ways. My first cookbook was one entitled Desserts by The Garden Club, published in 1967. (I am amused right now because I pulled it off the shelf to be certain of the title, and when I opened it for further information, the committee members names are listed. They are all Mrs. (insert man's first and last name). No Chris Miller, no Susan Smith, just Mrs. Somebody. I had completely forgotten about those days when married women had no name of their own.)

Forgive me. I digress. Anyway, the only section of that entire cookbook that I've used is the cookie section, and I still use it. I baked cookies and took them to work. I even used them to send to a former co-worker and began a long distance romance that lasted two years. Cookies. Powerful potions!

A few years later, I met my Sweetie and confess to using my cookie baking skills to help reel him in. Turns out, his mom never made cookies (she made pies), and he dreamed of a home with a full cookie jar. Talk about made for each other!!

Our first house was a tiny 8' x 35' trailer equipped with a small gas stove and oven. I swear that the best cookies I ever made were in that gas oven. I think it had just the perfect temperature and humidity for them. We sold that trailer in 1973 and thus began my quest to recapture those perfectly baked cookies. I tinkered with recipes, added and subtracted ingredients, and still never quite got to those perfect cookies of the gas oven. My cookies were good, but I knew the difference.

Several years ago I was eating a cookie made for me by one of my student's mother. It was perfect!! The next time I saw the mom, I grilled her for her secret. Gas oven? No. Where did the recipe come from? Back of the bag. I tried it. Didn't work. Back to the mom. More questioning resulted in the secret: real butter. So back to my recipes. I began using half margarine and half real butter. Voila!!! My cookies were back!

And Kathy, to answer your question as to why I use margarine, butter, and shortening in the previous cookies recipe? Laziness. The original recipe called for 2/3 cup shortening, 2/3 cup margarine. I hated having to cut two cubes of margarine into 1/3 cup chunks to get the 2/3, and the same with the butter. So, 1/2 cup butter (one cube), and 1/2 cup margarine (one cube) and 1/3 cup shortening was the easiest way. Still added up to 4/3 cup of um, fat. :-)

I wish I had kept a total of the cookies I've made over the years, but I'm certain I could fill this whole house with them were they all to be gathered into one space and time. I have a glass canister I purchased for fifteen cents from a neighbor twenty some years ago and it's a rare day that there are no cookies in it.

Oh, and my daughter used to raise a little money for herself in high school by selling the cookies I'd put in her lunch. She knew there were more at home.

Those Cookies...

Kathy and Hallie both remarked on the cookies several posts back so I'm sharing the recipe. Daughter Ann shared it with me--it was one of Eric's grandmother's recipes and it's definitely a keeper.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix thoroughly:

• 2/3 cup margarine
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Sift and stir in:

• 3 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Stir in:

• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup peanut butter chips

Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies using the medium Pampered Chef cookie scoop.

Note: I make a change in the shortening: I use 1/2 cup real butter, 1/2 cup margarine, and 1/3 cup shortening. I usually freeze most of the cookies and put some out each day, but nevertheless, they stay "soft" (as opposed to crisp) even if left in the cookie jar for several days.

As to the cookie scoop, for years I poo-pooed the idea of using one. Finally Ann convinced me it was the way to go and I bought one. Oh my! If you don't own one, GO GET ONE! They are so worth it. She also sold me on the large one for muffins and it too is more than worth it. Some of the best money I've ever spent. And now my commercial ends. :-)

Enjoy the cookies!

Weather Update: It's Fall!

For the last few years, it seems that fall has arrived before the end of August. This year is no exception. The high today? Sixty-two degrees. It's cold in the morning and last night was a very good snuggle-under-the-covers night. I love it! Fall is my favorite time of the year. The cool weather, the colors, soup and muffin dinners, steaming cups of tea, the approaching holidays--what's not to love?

Last Friday was a busy day as we packed up grandson Ryan and drove to Spokane to meet Matt and Amy at the airport and have a bite to eat with them before they all headed back to Colorado. Ann, Cameron and Keaton drove up, too, so they could see Matt who had flown directly into Seattle for the cruise. Ann had saved my birthday present because, it turned out, it was from both her and Matt. So there in the parking lot near the airport I opened my gifts. A pilgrim set designed by Jim Shore, whose work I love.

This beautiful pilgrim lady is from Ann:


And this one is from Matt:


Actually, I think the name of the set is something like "Bounty of Harvest", and so I have set them out on the dining room table to celebrate the arrival of fall. I love how they look and more than that, I love those two wonderful blessings who gave them to me!


Welcome, fall!

Time Moves On...

Wow, almost two weeks since I've posted. I taught an embroidery camp at the quilt shop the weekend of the 13th and 14th and had embroidery club the 19th. Bruder Bear, Karen, and JR arrived on the 20th to move JR into his apartment for his sophomore year of college, and Will and Briana had a local wedding reception on the 21st. Grandson Ryan arrived the 18th and has been bouncing around between aunts and uncles and grandparents while Matt and Amy are on an Alaskan cruise to celebrate their 15th anniversary. Did I say time moves one?!? Does it ever!

Ryan is currently with us and just took off with Dan for an afternoon of target shooting with the .22's. He was excited. He was also happy to have a baggie of my "super yummy cookies"(his words).

Here's the guys:


And here's the cookies:

Must be time for one with a cup of tea. :-)

A Birthday and a Baby Orca

While we were on vacation last week, I had a birthday. Dan had been so busy before we left, and was so relaxed now that we were on vacation, he completely forgot. Ann got up and when she found me in the living room, wished me a happy birthday. Dan got a shocked look on his face and confessed his forgetfulness. I didn't care. Actually, birthdays are no big deal to either of us anymore. We don't really have need of anything, and parties have never been our thing, so . . . When I got my 830 in April, I laughingly told Dan to consider it my present for Mother's Day, birthday, anniversary, etc. Everything except Christmas. I have to have presents at Christmas!! Ann told me my present from them was back home as she didn't want to haul it all the way over and then back again, so we just continued to enjoy our vacation.

The day we left, we got in the ferry line very early, remembering our five-hour wait on the trip over. On Orcas, there are a few little tourist shops near the dock so we investigated several of them. Later, Ann and I waited at a nearby picnic table and while Eric and the boys continued to shop and Dan explored the "countryside". In a little while the boys came back and Keaton handed me a bag and said, "Happy birthday," as Cameron chimed in. I opened the bag to find a little stuffed baby orca! They told me they wanted to buy it for me so I'd remember our trip. And then they hugged me. Don't you know this Grammy's eyes got a little misty!



Her name is Olga, after the little village by our farmhouse.