Order, Order!!

When we bought this house I was thrilled to have a pantry in the kitchen. And, joy upon joy, there was another right below it in the laundry room!! It took me a while to fill up the kitchen one, so the one in the laundry room became a catch-all for assorted this and that. A few years ago, I attempted to sort it out and make better use of it. Oh. My. I ended up calling Ann and she volunteered to come help. Together we sorted and tossed and there were even empty shelves when we were done.

Fast-forward a few years until today.


See any empty space? Me neither. And you should know that the shelves continue behind the wall on either side of the doors. So, the time had come to do something. There had been too many trips to Costco and indiscriminate stashing. I wasn't even sure what was in there! After lunch I screwed up my courage and began. I'm not done, but I have conquered fhe dreaded start and I now have all the food sorted and arranged.


There are still piles all over the laundry room and out in the hall. Stuff to be tossed or given away, Christmas wrap, etc., that really needs a new home. (I might have mentioned to Dan that I need some new shelves built...) I'm probably done for today, but tomorrow I'll be already started and hopefully energized to finish.

Monday, Monday...

Another week gone. It was a lovely, rather quiet one, and I'm grateful for the down time. Dan was gone most of last week on a forestry tour north of here, so I enjoyed puttering around the house and in my sewing room. I'm still working on the Little Dresses for Africa project and just completed my twelfth dress. Our total over at church is well over one hundred now. Some sweet little girls are going to be very happy in a little while.

Remember the fall table topper of my last post? I made a pillow to match! Those turnover packs have tons of triangles in them!! And a small confession: I finally purchased the Bernina ruffler. The generic one I bought years ago (and finally used last Christmas!) just didn't do it. The difference is rather like comparing one of those little can openers that come in C-rations to my wonderful pampered chef one. No comparison!! Here's the pillow:


The ruffle is perfect. I'm in love with a new toy.

Dan got home Friday night, spent Saturday helping at the Boy Scout Camp north of here, and Cameron and Keaton came to spend Saturday night with us while Eric took Ann on a date. We had a great time with the boys. They got out Dan's Lionel train set and added some "new" pieces now that they're older. Dan got that train for Christmas when he was eight, and it's been through him, his much younger brother, our son Matt, and now our grandsons. Close to sixty years old and still running!

Ann had her ultra sound last Wednesday and we're getting a new little boy! We love our little men!! We are looking forward to meeting this one about January 19th. Time to start stitching blue. :-)

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!