Faithful Friends Who Are Dear to Us… Dog Treats

We were looking through the dog food aisle for some special treats to put in our dogs' stocking and to give to my sister in-laws' dogs, who always join our Christmas celebration. That's when my daughter said "Why don't we just make them some treats?"

Why didn't I think of that? We're a DIY family after all!

So… that's what we did yesterday. Baked and packaged cookies to share with all our canine companions. I have to say… making dog cookies was almost more fun than making people cookies!

Here's the recipe I used:

2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
1/2 c. unbleached flour
1 tsp. salt
2 T. oil
1/4 c. molasses
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk

Mix all ingredients. Roll out on floured surface, to 1/2" thickness. Cut with desired cookie cutter. Bake on cookie sheets at 350º for 30 minutes, until lightly toasted.

We decorated these with a little white chocolate.

How to Decorate Christmas Cookies

Photos not adjusted, text not proofread, layout a little wonky…

But it's done!

I've been meaning to post a "How to decorate cookies" tutorial forever and here it is finally, imperfect though it may be. So let me know if it doesn't make any sense. I'm happy to answer questions if I can!

Download the PDF here!

Last weekend my best friend (who lives 2 1/2 hours away) came for my birthday. We went to our favorite junk shop and bought tons of vintage Christmas decor.

This weekend my cousin (who lives all the way in Spain!) came over for a lesson on how to decorate cookies. Here's the angels she decorated. With a little practice I think she'll be a great cookie decorator!

Next weekend is the first of 3 family Christmas gatherings for us.

Christmas parties, programs & shopping fill the time in between.

So… like everyone else I know… I barely have time to think. But it's a very happy state of stress. I really love the flurry of activity this time of year and I feel very lucky to get to spend some time with family and friends.

So… in case I don't have time to write again before Christmas…

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS!

It's Beginning to Look Alot LIke Christmas!

• Cookies Baked √

• House Decorated √

• Presents bought (almost done!)

Before this weekend I was feeling pretty stressed about getting everything done. Since I work full time most of my holiday preparations have to be done on weekends and this weekend was the last free weekend I had to get the bulk of my shopping, decorating and baking done. Actually… my mom came and helped with the cookie decorating last weekend so that was taken care of. (Thanks Mom!) But I still had lots of things to do. Thankfully… after a nice Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I was able to finish my decorating and get most of my gifts bought. PHEW! Feels good to start the work week with some big things checked off the old "to-do" list.

AND…

I GOT A NEW KITCHENAID MIXER!!!!! Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas to me! My 18 year old Oster mixer was falling apart. I literally had to hold it together to use it. So… I braved the early morning Black Friday crowds and got myself a new Kitchenaid! Totally worth getting up at 3:00 am!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and that your Holiday preparations are coming along!

Happy "Cyber Monday"!

Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

Download the Holiday Baking Planner

Handmade'ns is over. Thank goodness! Now I can focus on baking and blogging and start getting ready for Christmas.

Getting everything done for Christmas requires extreme organizational skills and that's not something I come by naturally. For me… organization takes a huge effort and I don't like it. But… if I can make something pretty to keep track of everything… it helps a little. So I designed these pages to go in a 3-ring binder. You can use them too if you want, just download the PDFs here.

Making lists of everything I need to bake for helps me figure out what kind of supplies I need to order too. Look at all these fun things I found in my favorite shops. Makes me so anxious to get started!

Next weekend… the baking begins! Time to blast the cheesy Christmas Carols, put on comfy slippers, pull out the rolling pin and cookie cutters and let the flour fly!

Blue Sugar and Deer Toppers from Layer Cake Shop, Mushroom Picks & Red Spotty Baking Cases from Bake it Pretty, Pink and Gold Cupcake Liners from A Cupcakery, Metallic Gold Edible Glitter from Sugarcraft


Urban Floral Brushes by Rawox, Dyspepsia from Larabie Fonts, League Gothic from the Leauge of Moveable Type

A dimension of Imagination…

You're traveling through another dimension – a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.

I've been off in another dimension lately. A dimension of paper clay and paint. A dimension of wool roving and felt. A dimension of fabric and thread. I've crossed over into… the Crafty Zone. Every November I take part in a craft boutique with some friends. So… October is always devoted to crafting. I make little doodads with paper clay and a few needle felted critters.

I've let a lot of things slip while I've been busy with my crafting. I forgot to tell you that I had the honor of writing a guest post for Connie at The Constant Baker. Connie is a pastry chef in San Jose. Her blog is full of great ideas and information. It was very flattering to be asked to contribute to it!

I'll be spending my Halloween helping to "Save the World". The "World" is an old theater in our town that was built in 1927. The World Theatre Foundation is trying to raise money to restore the theater and turn it into a non-profit movie house run by volunteers. They're having "Candlelight Ghost Tours" for Halloween. The speech team is helping with the event and since I'm a speech mom… I guess I'll be helping too. I think it'll be pretty fun!

Happy Halloween!