Cookie Day

Every year the women at my church bake thousands of cookies for our annual fund raiser, a Cookie Walk.  The cookies have to be at church by 4:00pm tomorrow, so today was my day to bake. 

I started in on the first batch and didn’t make it very far.  Recently I threw out my very old hand mixer that had a frayed (and dangerous) cord.  I bought a bargain hand mixer (don’t remember where) and when I started mixing today I was upset to find that the hand mixer was defective.  Although there were 10 speeds on the dial, it only worked at full speed.  My batter was flying all over the kitchen!!!!

Since I have always wanted a Kitchen Aid or maybe a Bosch, I went to the computer to see where I might find them – today – at a bargain price.  Kitchen Aid was totally out of my budget range, but the BHG was also well built like a Kitchen Aid and more reasonably priced.  So I went to the nearest store and purchased my very first stand mixer.

Oh my, what a world of difference.  I have no idea where I will store this huge and very heavy piece of equipment, but it is here to stay.  I love it. 

I made five batches of cookies, two of which are pictured here.

Although I was tempted many, many times, I only tasted one small cookie.  It was good.  Very good.  I had to put plastic wrap on the trays right away so that I would not be tempted again.  I usually eat the broken cookies, but wouldn’t you know it, not one cookie broke today. 

Everything went so well that I just might make a few more batches tomorrow morning.  After all, I need to get my money’s worth out of the new mixer!

Bonnie

Downtown Chicago

Today I took the train to downtown Chicago.  I live in the northwest suburbs, just a few blocks from the train station.  The friends I was meeting got on the train two stops before mine and fortunately I found them without any difficulty.  We gabbed all the way to the city, grabbed two cabs, and headed for Harry Caray’s restaurant on West Kinzie Street. 

We were treated like royalty with excellent service and complimentary desserts.  Everyone enjoyed their food.  I had a turkey burger with brie and cranberry sauce, AND sweet potato fries.  The burger was delicious and the sweet potato fries were the best I have ever had.  Oh my.

When we got back to the railroad station, we had plenty of time to do some shopping and our noses took us right to the Garrett popcorn store.  Garrett popcorn is extremely popular in Chicago.  Why?  Because they make everything fresh each day and have great recipes for cheese and caramel corn.  Of course I bought some.

Since I was still full from lunch I decided to forgo making dinner and instead I had a bowl of Garrett cheese/caramel combination popcorn, while I put a small jigsaw puzzle together.

Among my long list of favorite things to do is eating popcorn and putting jigsaw puzzles together.

After walking to and from the station (in the cold rain), gabbing and laughing with my friends, eating heartily, and concentrating on a puzzle, I’m pleasantly tired and grateful for a lovely day.

Bonnie

Christmas Cactus 2011

The Christmas Cactus that I purchased last year is starting to bloom.

This makes me very happy – a blooming flower inside my house in the month of December!!!!

Bonnie

Christmas Scarf

The scarf that I was knitting was taking much too long, and I was getting bored with the slow knitting process.  On top of that, I really didn’t like how it was coming out.

It was too skinny and too tight.  I wanted more of an explosion of Christmas colors.  So I tore it all out and started over again, except that I decided to crochet it with a nice loose and easy pattern.

It was quick to make and I finished it all in one day.  I’m very happy with the result.  It will dress up my old faux-suede green jacket and give me something festive to wear in the next few weeks. 

Bonnie

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Finished the backing for my Christmas Tumbler quilt…

using up old fabrics that I have no idea how they got in my stash

and then got the binding all made.

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Speaking of binding, I finished up the binding on a charity quilt.  It was a big quilt and will hopefully give warmth and comfort to someone.

For another charity project, ConKerr Cancer, I made this bright pillow case using some old Mary Engelbreit fabric.

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Every year I see this (tacky?) red, white and green Christmas yarn and every year I stick my nose up in the air and don’t buy it.  I’m much too sophisticated to add such cheap yarn to my stash, I think.  Well, this year I decided I was old enough to be tacky if I want and so I purchased a skein.  It has made me happy and I’m loving knitting it into a simple scarf.  It has a sparkly silver strand running through the yarn that shines and winks at me as I knit. 

I hope you had a fun Sunday afternoon like I did, and that you find some sparkle and winks in your life too.

Bonnie

(P.S. – please visit my niece’s blog to see her wonderful counted cross-stitch stockings.)

Sewing Friday

First I dumped my Christmas fabric scraps onto the table….

Then I cut them into 9-1/2 inch squares – 80 in all….

Sewed them into columns……

and then began the process of sewing the columns together.

I should finish up this process tomorrow and have a backing for my Christmas Tumbler quilt.

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Also spent some time today working on my binding project.

Today I was grateful for leftover turkey dinner, lots of sewing time, and some favorite old movies on TV.

Bonnie

Pretty Stuff

Yesterday the flowers from church were sent home with me.

The beautiful fall colors could inspire a quilt.

Look at this rose.

And these oranges are so luscious.

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Today I worked on my Christmas Tumbler quilt and got the two borders finished.

Unfortunately the camera gives the forest green tumblers a grayish tinge.  In real life, the green of the tumblers actually matches the green in the border quite nicely.

Sure wish the pictures were better, but I am very happy with the quilt and pleased with the borders.  I’ll get it quilted some time this coming summer and then have a nice new quilt for next Christmas.

Bonnie