Tuesdays With Tag - Cookies!...

Brynwood Needleworks - Awfully Comfortable

Hi, Everybody!

Today I'm comin' to you from a much most comfortable place. I'm up on the bed!! It's a very cushy place, and I think I'll just stay here while we chat this week.

Now, Saturday was another matter. If dogs aren't on the furniture, and there's somethin' goin' on in the kitchen, that's where you're gonna find us. Mom was makin' cookies, so you'd better believe I was gonna be under foot.

Brynwood Needleworks - Bear Paw Cookie Fails

So, it was real interestin' to me when Mom started mumblin' to herself. Then, she called Dad in and said, "This isn't workin'." I got curious. What wasn't workin'? It smelled perfectly delicious to me, even down there on the floor (me, not the cookies).

Seems Mom was gonna try out a new recipe for this year's Christmas Cookie Exchange, and it wasn't meetin' her exactin' standards. Hrrumph! What was her problem?

She said I should share the recipe with you, so if you click HERE you can read the recipe and see what she was tryin' to make. I guess last year she made those fun polar bear cookies, so this year she wanted to say she only found its tracks. Funny, right?

Well, she said the first two trays of the cookies in the recipe were flat, and didn't look at all like the cookies in the pictures. So, she decided to make cutout cookies instead, and put the paw print on those. But when she tasted the dark chocolate on top of the cutout cookies, she said they weren't sweet enough. By now I'm shakin' my head, and Dad knew his best bet was to stay out of the kitchen.

Brynwood Needleworks - Christmas Cookie Win!

In the blink of an eye, Mom changed direction and said, "I'm goin' back to what I know always works." Just like that, she was makin' Christmas tree and star cutout cookies. She told Dad she was even usin' his mom's cookie cutter to make the trees.

By 10:30 Saturday night, all the cookies were made and frosted, and Mom was one happy person. I might have even licked a spoon when she was done!

You know the sayin', right? Happy Mom. Happy Dad. Happy Dogs. (Oh. You haven't heard that one? Well, you have now!) Mom said that this week, she's also gonna make cookies just for Boo and me! We can hardly wait.

Next week is Christmas Week! You'd better believe I'll be back to see you again, and to show you how we've decorated the house. I've even got a few ideas of my own. heehee
 

 I'll see you again in seven. 'til then...

"Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open".

 

 

It Was A Funday Sunday...

Brynwood Needleworks - Almost Family-Friends

I drove off mid-Sunday morning to attend an annual Christmas gathering with dear old friends. This is our annual photo together before I had to leave to get to my niece's Holiday Cookie Exchange.

It's always so much fun to get together, catch up, and make new memories. Dear Linda (my hand on her shoulder) and I have been friends for over forty years. I first met her when I applied to work at a business where she was the manager. We quickly became fast friends, and remain so to this day. She and Handsome share the same birthdate, too!

Over the years, I've also come to love and admire Linda's children, her grandchildren, and now I'm meeting the next generation. Pictured with Linda and me in this image are her daughter, Marie and her granddaughter, Adrienne. I stood up in Marie's wedding, and was there when Adrienne was married, too.

These are good people, and I'm blessed to know them. I'm already looking forward to the next time I can see them, as this visit was much too short.

Brynwood Needleworks - Cookie Exchange Participants

I left Portage, Wisconsin where my friends live, and drove north to Neenah, Wisconsin for the Cookie Exchange my niece, Stephanie hosts. In this picture, Stephanie is in the middle row on the left side. I'm next to her. Her brother's fiance' (my dear nephew, Dan) is on my other side, and her sister is next to her. My great nephew's girlfriend is in green, holding my great great niece, Elizabeth.

We shared snacks, played games, and exchanged cookies. Prizes were awarded, and fun was had by all. 

Brynwood Needleworks - My Cookie Contribution

 

I hadn't planned to make cutout cookies again this year, but the new recipe I tried was an epic fail. I'm not even going to show you what they looked like. Suffice it to say, they were tasty and ugly. Not at all something I would take with me to a party.

As we all gathered and shared our cookie contributions, it seems I wasn't the only one who improvised. In the end, the (most generous) ladies said that my cutouts are always the best, so I guess I'll plan to just stick with what I know from now on.

 

Brynwood Needleworks - My Cookie Booty

 

At the end of the evening, the exchanging commenced, and I came home with quite the selection. These ladies (and Stephi's husband, Jeremiah - a culinary school grad who made the beautiful cherry thumbprint cookies in the top right corner) are some talented bakers. These should carry us through the holidays quite well.

Plans are to get the tree up today and do a little inside holiday decorating today. Tag will be back tomorrow. Who knows what he's got planned for you. I'm sure it will be good. Silly boy.

 

Corgi On Tote Set Finished...

Brynwood Needleworks - Custom "Corgi On" Set

 

I finished my last custom order, for this season, late yesterday. This tote is my own design, and the wallet is my Bryn style. It's already packaged, and will go out with today's post.

Today, I'm baking cookies for the Cookie Exchange at my niece's tomorrow. (I know. Nothing like last minute.) I'm going to keep it simple this year. I'll show you photos of the cookies on Monday. 

Next week is time to make Grammie's Jammies. I bought beautiful organic cotton flannel from my favorite online source for this year's sets. I think they'll be warm and lovely for our grandkids.

Off to make cookies. I need six dozen for the exchange. No time to waste. I can get started and have my morning coffee. Have a great day!

My Girls Are Busy...

Brynwood Needleworks - Doxie Bella Tote

 

I would have completed this bag today, but I'm waiting to hear back from my client about a fabric preference for the back of her tote. She purchased one of my Bryn Clutch Wallets featuring the dachshund, and decided she wanted a tote to match. I've got two doxies featured on the front, and will finish this up as soon as I hear from her.

 

I'm also working on a Corgi tote and wallet set, and that will be my last commission for pre-Christmas. I'm running the machine embroideries on Destiny, while Jane does all the sewing. We're three busy bees.

 

 

Our new range arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and I'm just itching to get back in the kitchen, too! I'll be baking bread, and six dozen cookies for this year's Cookie Exchange that my niece hosts every year. This year, it's on Sunday, along with another open house about two hours away. I'll be on the road to make both events!

 

All this to say, I'm going to keep my eyes on my goals for this week. I have lots to do, and it all has deadlines. Photos to follow... 

 

Celebrating...

Brynwood Cutout Cookies

I'm celebrating today. I finished the six dozen cookies Saturday to take to the party, and still had two dozen left for home. I fooled around with the icing for our cookies, and actually liked how they turned out! No pressure, just playing.

Brynwood Cutout Cookies - Final Version

 

These were my final party cookies. Royal icing takes practice, which I definitely haven't done, so they ended up cute, but not perfect, by any means. I'm happy with how they turned out, but if I do cutouts again, I'm going with the traditional frosting, and just make them yummy. Too much pressure if I use the royal icing.

 

The party was great fun. Games, about a dozen guests who brought their cute and delicious cookies, and well worth the drive home in a snowstorm. I'm so glad I went. Time with sisters (pictures on one of my sister's camera, waiting to be downloaded), nieces and their friends. Another cookie exchange under my belt.

 

Today is my BIRTHDAY!!! Handsome and I are going to celebrate together. We have a little trip planned, and will have lunch overlooking Lake Michigan. I'm looking forward to spending a relaxing day with him. 

 

The Beatles "When I'm 64" is running through my head. How the heck did that happen so fast? I sure don't feel more than about 50. Well, maybe a little more than 50. lol I'm going to close now. I've got some partying to do!

There Be Bears!...

Farmhouse Cutout Cookies

 

I finished my commissions in the morning yesterday, and then headed down to the kitchen. I had cookies to bake yesterday so I could decorate them today. I used the same recipe I used last year, as they were a big hit. I shared the recipe in my blog HERE last year. I decided on polar bears this year.

 

Six Of Eight And A Half Dozen

 

I made four batches of the dough, and ended up with eight and a half dozen cookies. Six for the cookie exchange, and two and a half for us to enjoy at home.

 

I posted about making the cookies on my Facebook page, and one of my friends said she thought I was amazing. I wrote back and told her that I'm only "partially amazing". When I finished cleaning up after making all those cookies, I took an hour-long nap before dinner. lol (Nothing like keeping it real for you, right?) 

I'm well-rested now, and ready to decorate these bears! I'm going to use royal icing again, and we'll see how ambitious I am with the decorations. I know that however they get iced, they'll be tasty. It really is a never-fail recipe. The party's tomorrow, so I'd better get cracking so they set up properly before I have to box them up again. 

I'll share pictures of the completed cookies (and the appetizer I'm taking with me), on Monday. I'll share that recipe then, too. 

 

Happy December!

I'm In The Studio...

Cork and Fabric

 

Yesterday was spent measuring (twice), cutting (once) and embroidering, as I prepared to make custom Bryn wallets for a client (along with a few for my shop). I'm also making another special bag (as a gift for one of my sisters), that I'll eventually have in the shop. It's my tester before I go into production.

So, I'm going to keep this short and sweet. I need to finish these today. Cookies are waiting to be made (6 dozen!) for my niece's cookie exchange on Sunday, and I want to leave myself plenty of time for whatever I finally decide to make. 

It's cold outside, so it's perfect weather to get busy in the studio. I'll be back tomorrow with photos of my finished projects.

A Beautiful Day...

Hickory Hill Farm Photograph and Andy and Shelly's Honey

My Birthday weekend this year was "much most excellent". 

It began with Shelly and Andy coming down on Saturday to help me to me move Aluminati off the hill so I could get it ready for transport. They also brought Birthday gifts for me - this beautiful framed picture of our farm (before the large barn was damaged and removed) and two bottles of honey from their hives. It's liquid gold to me!

I invited family to the farmhouse on Saturday evening for a delayed Thanksgiving dinner just so we could share the leftovers! It was a relaxed evening and we all had a nice time.

I got outdoors to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather yesterday morning by decorating the house and yard for the holidays. It will be festive when Handsome arrives for Christmas week. I hung lights from the eaves on the farmhouse, and have a small lighted display on the yard. I still have to hang lights on the barn and on the fence row. I'll do that this week. After they're all up, I'll try to get photos of the yard.

Handsome called in the morning to wish me Happy Birthday and talk about all the things we cover in our husband/wife long-distance calls. I'm so proud of everything he's doing while in Florida, and am so happy he's doing what he loves so much. My day begins when I hear from him.

Sis (Mom Grace's elder daughter, Deb) brought lunch out to the farm around 11:30 am, and we spent the afternoon visiting. She gave me the most wonderful gift of her time. Tag always loves seeing her, and he'll tell you about that tomorrow.

While she was visiting, my granddaughters called to wish their grandma Happy Birthday. It was so sweet to hear their voices. I'll see them this evening when I travel to their town to attend Granddaughter #1's school Christmas concert.

Guests At The Cookie Exchange Party

Sunday evening, I attended the cookie exchange party hosted by my niece. We snacked, my niece had a Birthday cake (and everyone sang to me!), we played a few trivia games and then voted on the cookie challenge.

Cookie Contest Entries

These were samples of all the cookies everyone brought. My niece called out the numbers, and the person who made the cookie explained what it was, how it was made and the ingredients. They all sounded fabulous, and we each got to take a half dozen of each cookie variety home.

Afterward, we were asked to vote on the cookie that best represented the holiday spirit. (In case anyone there reads this, I'm not going to tell you which cookie I picked, but it wasn't my own.) The winner was given a bottle of Christmas wine. (I can't wait to taste it! I think they voted for me because it was my Birthday.)

All these ladies are talented bakers, and there were some unique entries. Number 9, to the left of my dove cookie, was meant to look like a small cup of hot cocoa. It was a delicious cookie dough, filled with chocolate ganache, and topped with tiny marshmallows and sea salt. The "mug's" handle was a curved piece of pretzel. This is one of those cookies that you bite into, slowly close your eyes and make yummy noises! It's that good!

There were drop cookies, pressed cookies, chocolate-covered cookies and spritz cookies. What they have in common is that they're all delicious!

Add caption

 

Before we all parted company, my sisters and I stopped to take a group photograph of the three of us. We were  collective poster kids for the Christmas holiday. My sister, Jan was wearing a holiday sweater. I was wearing leggings (yes, I'm 63, and I'll wear 'em if I want to!) with corgis wearing Christmas stocking caps and riding sleds. My sister, Diana was dressed to look like Elf. She even wore elf-like shoes with jingle bells that tinkled every time she took a step. We couldn't help but giggle every time she moved about the house! She won the award for the Most Festive Attire (and believe me, she deserved it!).

My day ended as it began, with a telephone conversation with my husband and a cup of tea. I couldn't have asked for a better celebration of the beginning of my next year, except to have had Handsome physically here with me. Thanks to my local family and friends for helping me celebrate. Not only was it a beautiful day...it was a beautiful weekend. I continue to count my blessings.

 

Like A White Wing Dove...

Dove-Shaped Cutout Cookies

Just Kinda Almost like a white wing dove. 

My six dozen cookies are done for the Sunday Cookie Exchange! I haven't made a cutout cookie since I was a little kid, so I'm thinking I was pretty bold to assume I could just channel Sweet Ambs without any practice.

Truthfully? I'm exhausted by my first effort. The cookies are really tasty. I used this recipe from In Katrina's Kitchen blog, and love everything about it. I let them sit over night before decorating them.

Dove-shaped Cookies With Eyes

 

I've been watching video tutorials for quite a long time, so I had just enough knowledge to be dangerous. It took me about four hours to decorate six dozen cookies. They're not gorgeous, but they're kind of pretty and the do taste good thanks to the recipe I linked for you.

I had completed icing the first two dozen cookies, and then I sprinkled sparkling sugar on the still-wet icing. I set those aside and started icing the next dozen. When the icing on the first cookies was hard set, I added eyes...and immediately regretted it. I just didn't like them. The last four dozen cookies didn't get eyes.

Party - and my Birthday - is tomorrow. I'll get pictures of everyone's cookies to share, too. I can feel the added pounds already. sigh

Happy Weekend, Friends.

Cookie Cutters, Old and New...

Vintage Cookie Cutters

I'm going to a Cookie Exchange my niece is hosting next weekend.

I need to make six dozen cookies, and apparently they choose best tasting and I'm not sure what else. Knowing my personality, I guess you already know that I won't just make a simple drop cookie for this party.

I pulled out my tin of vintage cookie cutters, and a box filled with newer ones. The tin of vintage cookie cutters belonged to my mother-in-law, Evelyn. There were trees, santas, stars, hearts, and even a set of card suits to make cookies for bridge night!

New vs. Old

Then, I opened up my storage box for all the various newer cutters I've purchased over the years, including a corgi cookie cutter from Tasha Tudor's online store! I couldn't help but notice how cookie sizes have changed over the years. It surely demonstrates how McDonalds isn't the only place you can find something "super sized"! 

The pink-edged, heart shaped cutter is a newer one, and the two hearts on the right were Evelyn's. The new one is about three times the size of the old ones! Kind of explains how clothing sizes have upsized, too!

 

Supersized Cookies

 

These cookies would be as large as my hand! While that's nice. I'm surely not going to make six dozen in this size! (I'm not making the hearts either.) I'll show you what I chose after I make and decorate them.

  Today is our elder son and daughter-in-law's 24th wedding anniversary!  I'll see them later today. There's dinner and a concert in my immediate future. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! May you celebrate many more together.

Christmas Cookie Recipe...

BONUS POST TODAY:
Debbi at Etsy Cottage Style blog is hosting a Christmas Cookie Exchange and I decided to join in the fun. Once you've got my recipe, head on over to her blog and click on the links for more Christmas goodness.

In years past, I've gathered with my three sisters, their daughters, my BFF Lee and my daughters-in-law to have massive cookie-making extravaganzas. Cookies were then shared among all the participants. A few years ago, my sister, Lyn and I baked for days while she was visiting here in Florida. Holiday boxes were shipped to parts far and near to share our creations. It's always much more fun sharing the baking, rather than taking on this holiday task alone.

Here's one of our family favorites:

Jello Cookies

Cream together:

• 1 cup butter
• 3 oz. package gelatin (any flavor you like)
• 1/2 cup sugar

Add:

• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract

Add:

• 2 3/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. milk

Drop on cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls and flatten Bake at 375º - 10 minutes or until just golden. They should be soft when you eat them. They're slightly tangy and sweet!