C is for Cookie...

So one of my many interests, because heaven forbid I stick to one and passionately master it....

Cookies!!!   Well baking in general, but I always end up experimenting with cookies...

My Mum passed down a recipe for shortbread to me quite a long time ago....spent my teens looking up the recipe card and following it to the letter - now I know the basic recipe by heart and am doing a lot of modifications and additions to it to see what happens...
I have tried sugar substitutions - success....
I have tried flavours - some better than others - candy cane was a good one; cocoa, not so much, a little ambiguous about chocolate chip, but my kids seemed to like it....

I am about to spread my wings and try a couple of recipes for a friend of mine to see if I can make a little mini-business out of it!!  It's something I like to do, so why not, right?

So, on the roster are some shortbread cookies integrating Bailey's (nectar of the gods - tied with coffee, of course), and I'm going to see what I can do with lace cookies....
I think I would buy my cookies; we'll see if others feel the same way...

Here are some of the creations that me (and my partner in crime, Rif) made this year for Christmas:

Lime Basil Cookies - Better Homes and Gardens

Raspberry Diamonds - Better Homes and Gardens

Chai Tea Shortbread - www.bakingdom.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are not enough hours in a day

I seriously need to start picking the brains of the people in my lives who have it all together; are organized; everything is where they need it; there is no clutter; no mess; chores are up to date....
Some days I feel like the only one.....As soon as I get the laundry up to muster; I notice the living room is a tip - If I can maintain the main floor in regards to clutter and cleanliness, the upstairs goes to pot.

Somewhere in all of the chaos in which I live, I would like to figure out how to do the following:

- read a novel for more than 2 pages at a time
- be able to work out at a reasonable hour
- cook fresh, homecooked meals almost every day (I average, I think, about 4 days per week)
- pursue my interests
- be able to watch a tv show (that isn't on Disney or Treehouse)

The above will be accomplished if I learn to manage my time - attack chores before it becomes a necessity - being able to locate needed paperwork almost instantly - get to sleep at a reasonable hour so I am not exhausted the next day....

If you are reading this and you fit the description at the top of this entry - please let me know how you do the magic that you do...
I am currently writing this blog instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour....I need help!!!

xo

Star Wars is not for chicks....

Like hell it isn't!!

I still to this day find it interesting that there are so many women out there who do not like Star Wars, simply because they have never seen the movies!!

I was saddened this past August, when my daughter received this kick ass Death Star constellation ceiling projector as a gift for her birthday.  She blew it off in front of her friends, saying that it wasn't interesting, and gravitated to her 'girly' gifts.
After the party, with her cousins and one friend with her, I questioned her.  I also questioned the others, asking if they would like my daughter any less if they new she loved Star Wars.  It was a resounding 'no' to that question.  So where did she get this?
My guess is, because she has a memory like a computer, that it is a latent remembery from Senior Kindergarten.  She proudly wore her Star Wars; A New Hope t-shirt to school, only to be destroyed by some boy who informed her that Star Wars is only for boys.....

Anyhoo.....

Here is why Star Wars rocks, in my opinion....

Darth Vader is the BiGgEsT badass.
The sage teachings of Yoda can be carried into real life.  And he, not Vader, IS the BIGGEST badass.
Obi-Wan can control minds in such a subtle, tongue-in-cheek way.
The Jedi are not to be trifled with.  However, they encapsulate the kind of stillness and perspective even Deepak Chopra would be envious of (take that, Oprah!!  you missed your opportunity to interview Qui-Gon!).
Han Solo was a hottie, back in the day....and a jerk...and a smartass...and he owned his own transportation.....all the things girls love, heehee.
Princess Leia could kick the ass of any guy out there - and look sexy doing it (admittedly, maybe the hair was a bad choice, but it is firmly afixed in most guys' fantasies, lol).
Chewbacca....you just have to love him....no really, you have to....or he may hurt you...
C-3P0; agreed, a whiny bitch, but not without his charm.  The poor droid was a glorified butler/gopher in a tin can for god's sake...I'd be whiny, too.
R2-D2 is the cutest little droid...and I'm not just saying that - the writers did an amazing job in the movies by giving a character that can neither speak, nor convey facial expressions, a lovely personality with a myriad of body language expressions.
The soundtrack.  John Williams is a modern orchestral genius composer, who can convey the emotion of each varied scene.  Incidentally, he is also the composer for Jaws (a chick-flick fave), Close Encounters, Superman, Indiana Jones, E.T., The Witches of Eastwick, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Adventures of Tintin, to name but 'a few.'
The Ewoks were cute - come on...I bet most of these girly girls at least contemplated getting a little soft toy Ewok to add to their 'stuffies' (as my daughter calls them) collection.
The settings...who wouldn't want to experience a planet with 3 suns?


OK...I'm trying to make this appealing to girls without geeking out....maybe I am a geek...maybe I am a guy... 
But I love the original trilogy....I'm still trying my best to warm up to Episodes 1,2,3... (burn in hell, Jar Jar!!)

I would/will proudly wear my Star Wars t-shirt, though I have yet to find one I like in any stores I have access to....my students already think it's awesome when I show up in my Batman or WonderWoman t-shirts....but that's another entry...

And I will now leave you with a few memorable quotes:

'Do or do not, there is no try.' ~ Yoda
'Let the Wookiee win.' ~ C-3P0
'These are not the droids you're looking for.' ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi
'Don't underestimate the Force.' ~ Darth Vader
'Stay on target.' ~ Gold Five
'Size matters not' ~ Yoda
'I am your father.' ~ Darth Vader

 

                                                             photo:  dan-dare.org

Happy Frickin' New Year!!

Well, here it is....
I have been rolling around the idea that I wanted to blog again - tried it out briefly with a friend a while back, but it was an inconsistent effort....
So - fresh start...
Problem #1...what to blog about?
Usually, it's something that is of a theme...do I focus on my art?  Art in general?  Photography?  (which is art, really), baking?  cooking?  my job?  my life?  my kids?  travel?     

Arrrrgggghhhhh!!!!

So, as everything with me and about me, it's going to be an eclectic fair...I may not be consistent, and I certainly may not be that interesting, but what the heck...


So to begin - New Year's...I have decided, yet again, to NOT have resolutions - they are created to be broken...yes, there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of things I could list (rather quickly, sadly) that need to be changed or worked on in my crazy little life, but...well...I don't want to fail...I would rather focus on a lifestyle overhaul and let everything else fall into place. 

So maybe it is one, ONE resolution....I want to be better - be who I think I CAN be...all the mini goals that will get me there 'could' be resolutions, but I prefer to not call them that - resolutions are temporary...usually fast goals that fail. 
Am I negative?  Sometimes, but hey, love me or leave me, right?

I have already begun on this journey....back in the fall (suck on that, New Years!!)...I decided to set my bar a little (read a lot) higher...and, low and behold, I was able to succeed in that one instance; I intend to ride out that success as a reminder that it can be done!

Happy New Year to all - Health, Happiness, Family, Fun, Fun, Fun!!   And love - always have love in your heart - for others, but most of all, for yourself...a lesson I am finally starting to learn...

xo