Summer Days

It is definitely summer! It's supposed to be in the 90's this weekend.....cool off with a cookie margarita (includes a "salted" rim - it's really large sugar!), or playing with a beach ball in the pool. Easy to kick off the flip flops to stroll the beach barefoot!

Cowboy Up, Ya'll!

We had a food day at work today for a cube mate's birthday. Word has it he used to line dance, so I thought I'd make some cowboy cookies. Turns out, he doesn't eat sweets. (How does his body still function? This is a mystery to me!) But everyone else seemed to like them and a few new people saw them and were excited, so that's good!

Recent and Near-Future Cookies

This is a cookie blog, right? In the beginning, I swore I'd just write about cookies and not anything too personal. If you're a reader that just looks at the pictures, that's OK! As usual, I'm blogging a bit to catch up and will post the pictures later on today:

Recently, I've done more 50's for a birthday, Cubs cookies, some playing cards for a bridge gathering - the A, 2, 3 in all suites, some 1st birthday cookies, baby shower cookies and arm cast cookies (today). Coming up I have some girlie stuff (shoes and purses), some yet to be decided, and graduation cookies for December. : )

Some of my favorite comments relative to my cookies:

One lady who had tasted my cookies at a friend's house was going to miss the other bridge club outing where that hostess was also serving my cookies. She made the hostess promise to freeze one for her.

I made St. Louis Cardinal baseballs for Father's Day for my boyfriend's dad. His mom, a die hard Cub fan, said she had to eat one because she just couldn't wait a couple days until hers were delivered (summery cookies).

My boyfriend has lodged an official complaint that he doesn't get to eat enough cookies in comparison to the large amounts leaving our kitchen.

My mom (the one who made the comment "Who would make a yellow star?") is wowed by them and tells me I'm talented. I'm 34, and this might be the highest praise I've ever received from her. :)

There are the compliments, of course. "These are the best sugar cookies I've ever had." "This is too cute to eat." "Are you planning to open a real bakery?" "When are you quitting your day job?"
The biggest one is you all passing my name to people you know - THANK YOU! That is the best compliment ever.

Reality Check

While going on vacation was a very needed break from recent pressures and got my mind back on track to tackle new things upon our return, some things are just unexpected and make us give thanks for what we have in our life.

My nephew was in a car accident involving the vehicle rolling over and him being thrown out the back window. It is a miracle that only his wrist was broken (shattered, to be realistic) and not that it should be downplayed, but he was so lucky that was his only major injury. After 2 surgeries, his docs say he is on the mend and should be just fine!

I am taking him cast cookies today (sugar makes you heal faster, you know - at least that's what my family thinks. My sister is making peanut clusters and my mom is making this awesome lemon dessert (I don't even like lemon!) See, this sweet-tooth thing runs in the family! My boyfriend's dad keeps asking if I'm selling enough cookies yet to quit my day job. Not exactly, but we are shopping around for a gas convection oven to help speed things along. I digress.

If you are not a pet lover, cats in particular, you can skip the following, as you won't understand. I've had 2 cats the majority of my grown-up life, and got them when they were kittens. Roz who would turn 11 later this year, and Tipsy, just a year younger. They have lived with me in all my apartments, went to grad school with me in California and back again to Illinois. Kept me from giving up after my car accident. Brought more joy and unconditional love to my life than I've ever known. I got a cat because I thought they were independent. Roz was more like a dog from the get go; waiting on me to get home from work, sitting on my lap every chance he got. I got Tipsy to keep him company. Didn't work; he was a mama's cat and there was no going back! Tipsy prefers to be queen of the bed or any sunny spot in the house. Roz has been fighting a thyroid disorder and heart murmer for some time and not responding well to medication. When we came back from vacation, we spent a few days together before he had a seizure and we had to take him in to be put down late one night. I miss him terribly. Tipsy, oddly enough, is coming out of her shell and being more sociable. Maybe Roz just always stole the limelight. I'm glad I have a chance to show Tipsy how much she means to me, and always has, and I'm hoping she didn't ever feel like she was excluded.

I'm baaaaccckkkkkkkkkkk................

We had a great vacation. My advice is to spend no more than 2 days on Washington Island. Relaxation is great in small amounts! The stars are awesome, and the water the clearest I've ever seen (but I'm not a world traveler.) Back on the mainland we had so much fun - shopping and going to a fish boil (see flames below), a haunted trolley tour, an ostrich farm, mini golfing, biking in a state park, buying everything cherry (wine, salsa, BBQ sauce, chocolate covered dried cherries................), walking along the marinas and checking out the names of boats, checking out lighthouses (we went to 2 of the 10 in Door County - see one below). We had breakfast at Al Johnson's, where they have goats on their grass roof - see below! We went to an awesome antique store/architectural warehouse - I could live in their back room full of old metal fences, stained glass windows, old tile, reclaimed mantelpieces...........beautiful! I also found, of course, cookie cutters!













When we returned home, my boyfriend's mom gave me a set of cutters that had been his grandma's; some of which were the same as I bought on vacation. So now I have inspiration from several grandmas! I'm honored!

I've ordered some new cutters as well inspired by the trip - lighthouses, dolphin, seagull, seahorse, anchor, starfish, shell, angel fish, bee, beehive............ I'm baking them today and should have pics later this week.

And more 4th of July cookies...

Happy Feet.............for the 4th

I made three dozen cookies for a friend, all flip flops, and no two pairs were alike!

Happy Birthday, America!

Just wanted to let you know my end of June/beginning of July baking schedule:

June 27-29 (funeral out of town - no baking)

June 30 - July 1- Baking like a Fiend!

July 2 - July 11 (vacation - no baking)

My oven is filling fast with orders for the 4th of July, so please place any orders by June 25 for pickup prior to me hittin' the road for Door County, Wisconsin!

Slacker

I know, I've been a slacker. Over a month with no posts and no pictures. Did I give up baking? No. Didn't have any orders? Not the case. Enjoying summer - bingo! In the spirit of summer, I have beach balls, bikinis, swim trunks, palm trees and of course, the flip flops pictured in my profile! I could also do sandollars, some shells, an umbrella and many adult beverages. The sun, various flowers, and an ice cream cone. Etc. I'm telling you; I have lots of cookie cutters!

Around our house we've been landscaping; looking but not looking for a house; friends getting married, family members passing on; and planning our vacation (July 3/4-12ish). Work has been crazy. We've had some crazy lights out experiences, which makes cookie baking difficult in the dark. : )

Within the last week I've done the following cookies (and you won't see most of them because my camera batteries died!)

Baseballs with the St. Louis Cardinal "STL" on them. Sometimes one must compromise morals to please other people's sweet tooth; and it was Father's Day, after all! GO CUBS!
Tools (hammers and saws)
Green Bay Packer helmets
Footballs
Playing cards
Cars
Sunflowers
Daisies
Ladybugs
Butterflies
Anniversary Hearts
Moving Vans

I promise to try to post more often. Take care!

Various cookies

Blast from the Past...................

These were popular when I was little, and now "they're bbbbbbaaaaaaaaaaaaaccck"!

My first attempts looked like aliens, but I think these are OK.

Chick Week

No, not like chick week as in chick flicks like "Thelma and Louise." Chicks that hatch! The little fuzzy kind (mine will be more sparkly than fuzzy)! See the picture that was in my profile? I'll have them all over my kitchen this weekend and next week! A local preschool is hatching some and one of the mom's has ordered some for that class. AND, I'm doing 90 cookies for a local grade school's entire third grade class who are also hatching chicks! Chick Fever!

Other random cookies ordered for May (and for next month already...........)

• Mother's Day flowers, and phrases of love spelled out with alphabet cookie cutters (Next Sunday the 11th!)


• Volleyballs


• Care Bears


• Birthday cupcakes with candle (cookies, of course)


• Card suites for bridge club - heart, club, diamond, spade


• Transportation cookies (milk and mail trucks, race cars and VW bugs)


• Graduation caps and diplomas


• Baseballs, Basketballs and a school name spelled out for a graduation party


• Wedding dress and tux cookies


• Vintage 50's cookies for a June wedding

*********Not too soon to place your order for Father's Day cookies - June 15. Weber grills, ties, motorcycles, cars, trucks, tools - I have these cookie cutters and more!***************

Thanks for checking in!

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A huge thank you to those of you who have passed my name or this site along to your friends and family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

(Cookies say "Merci, Arigato, Grazie, Danke, Thank You and Gracias".)

Graduation and Mother's Day orders are starting to roll in.............................and a possible wedding!

I am very lucky to work with and be friends with (and be related to) so many wonderful people who are excited about what I'm doing to the point that some would like me to stay home and do nothing else. Very tempting but not very practical at this point. (Take a deep breath - I'm not leaving my job).

Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Suprise 50th Celebration

Ideas

It's been a couple weeks since I posted. I have more pics to post, but some are for a suprise tomorrow so I can't blow it. I promise to post some later in the week. In the meantime, I've been thinking............

Ideas, ideas, ideas. I want to do so many things with the cookies. It is hard to concentrate at work as I think up possibilities...................

• Large decorated cookies - 7 or 8 inches
• Pan sized cookies - like sheet cookies or giant round decorated cookies
• Cookie kabobs - 2 or 3 mini cookies on a stick
• Cookie on a stick
• Provide plain/naked cookies for other people to decorate with their families
• Learn how to decorate parties
• Cookie of the month club - a dozen cookies all the same shape for each month in a corresponding season or holiday shape
• 12 Days of Christmas cookies. 12 shapes. 1st day of Xmas you'd get one cookie. The second day you'd get 2 cookies, etc.
• Possibly flavored sugar cookies – cinnamon/nutmeg; citrus; mint; gingerbread flavoring; maple; eggnog?
• Come-make-your-own dough/cookies (like Dish, but for baking)
• Recipe swaps
• Sell my "seconds" as samples. My boyfriend gets very mad when I throw them away....slightly mishapen ones or ones where the frosting got smooshed............ although there are less of these nowadays.

Too little time. Sooooo many possibilities!

Weekend baking marathon

Sorry for the underlining - the blog is doing it by itself.

I decided I'd better sit down and make some cookies to take pictures of for my website that has nothing on it. I've been taking pictures as I've completed orders (sometimes having to pull the cookies out of the boxes - no one said I'm always organized!).

So I have St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring, a variety of flowers, some sports stuff, birthday items and girly stuff - like purses and shoes.

This week I had orders for birthday items (cupcake with candle, party hat and balloons) and some diplomas:

Aren't they cute? I admit, I'm a little biased...........

I baked over a hundred cookies Saturday and decorated about half on Sunday. Wedding stuff, baby stuff, patriotic/election/4th of July, school stuff, graduation.........a small selection is shown, but remember, there are still naked cookies in my kitchen! I'll probably try to start posting to the website this weekend. Which will save me from trying to describe them....

If you live around here, you know that this was our first gorgeous weekend of 2008. Gorgeous, kick off your shoes and socks, sittin on the porch sunny weather - mid 60's and no windchill. : )

I had to keep telling myself, there will be others...................keep baking!