Blue Flowers

I have backyard neighbors for the first real time in my life. And by backyard "neighbors" I mean backyard "roomates." We both have split-level houses with small backyards. Our main floor windows look into their windows. We can see into each other's backyards when we come out of our own houses. I'm not really sure what the best course of action is. I've come up with two options.

I could go over and introduce myself and become super good friends with them and get invited to all of their children's dance recitals and birthday parties and summer time barbecues with watermelon and probably a slip-n-slide and eventually put a gate between our yards so our children can enjoy a mutual friendship built on joy and popsicles. I'm worried that my level of productivity will go down though if I have to talk to them every time I go into my backyard. I've thought about having to sneak around from the front yard if I really need to get something done in a crunch. And also about how awkward it would be when they hear me telling my children to "Stop breathing all over everything" (because they like to get really, really close to cookies when they look at them) or when I come out in the morning with crazy hair wearing that awful shirt that was never intended for viewing by another living creature and I look out the window and they are standing on their deck just staring...


I could ignore them. We could stay strangers. I could avoid going outside while they are out there for at least 4 months. I mean, you can't just start talking to someone after that long. I could doom myself to a life of purchasing new balls and frisbees every time they go over the fence just because I live under the assumption that it might be possible that my neighbors will hate me.

I've kind of just been waiting to decide where to go with this one. Until 3 days ago. Their daughter was jumping on the trampoline singing made up words, and my daughter was dancing in the window.... in her underwear. They were pretty much friends in an instant. So we took them some cookies and got all chatty and learned each other's names and stuff. And I'm super glad I did because they actually don't hate me. Which was nice to know the next day when I was outside and heard my oldest child yell, "Mom!! My sister is naked!!" and looked up and saw that first -- he was right and second -- my neighbors were laughing.

I guess there is a third option after all. I could plant a wall of bamboo between our houses and pretend to be amazed that it got so tall.

 

PS -- In case you are wondering, I used a 4 leaf clover cutter to make these cookies. I just pinched off the stem part before baking.

PPS -- I don't think these are real flowers. (I mean, obviously they aren't. They are cookies. I just don't think there is a real flower on the planet that they resemble.)  I made them for my son's teacher. Her favorite color is blue and I could not force myself to make another 6 or 5 petaled flower cookie this spring.

Designer Cookies -- Kate Spade and Tori Burch

I know you guys probably think that I'm done talking about Korea and my move to America. But you would be wrong. It's been much harder for me to let go than I thought it would be. Sometimes I get a physical pain somewhere in my pain feeling center just thinking about those deep green rice paddies that I won't be walking through this summer while my children run ahead trying to scare sleepy herons out of their hiding places. And then comes the inevitable listening to Enya and feeling bad about everything in my life that I miss and wallowing in all sorts of regret and then kind of hoping it will rain so that my mood will be justified. And really, the only way to bring myself out of it is to go buy pretty striped kitchen twine and then visit the All-You-Can-Eat Mexican Buffet down the street. I mean, I could probably also just do something productive or exercise instead, but let's not get all judgey, okay? The point is... you've got at least 3 more Korea related posts to suffer through. Let's get started with #1.

When I moved to the US from Korea, I brought 3 decorating bags, and my box of tips. And nothing else except clothes and diapers and things that my kids really, truly, actually needed on a daily basis. I didn't bring a single cookie cutter or a rolling pin or food coloring. I lived without them for over two months. And I was sad. Not sad enough for the Mexican Buffet, but sad enough for ice cream.

And then my super sweet Aunt let me borrow all 43 of her cutters. So I made these cookies, and these cookies and then I made these super fun Kate Spade and Tori Burch cookies and totally wished that my own cutters would magically sprout a Kopykake Projector on their journey to America.

And then I got all of my cookie cutters back. And I was overwhelmed so I didn't make any cookies for two weeks. The end.

Free Copper Cutter --UPDATED ---WINNER

The winner is--

 #27 -- Walaika Haskins who said --

 

THANK YOU to everyone who entered. You completely de-stressed my day!! 

*******GIVEAWAY CLOSED*******

My house is stressing me out. I just don't know where to put everything and how to make it all fit and look organized and still be able to remember where everything is. And the truth of the matter is that I would rather play outside IN AMERICA than stay inside and do work type things. 

So...basically, what I am saying is that I just want to give away another copper cutter from Coppergifts.com instead of being actually productive.

To enter to win -- leave me a comment. Tell me your best organization tip. Or your favorite thing to do outside in your country. Or what cutter you would choose if you won. Just... no mean comments, okay? They stress me out too.

Leave your comment by midnight tonight (Thursday, May 9th) and I'll pick a random comment and send you a message tomorrow morning.

*******GIVEAWAY CLOSED*******

Think Outside the Cutter Round Up and WINNER

I'm guessing that after all this time...someone probably wants to know who actually won the free cutter from CopperGifts. I'll tell you. But first you have to take another look at some of my favorite entries from the Think Outside The Cutter Challenge.

I can honestly say, nothing like this would have ever occurred to me. And this cutter is absolutely PERFECT for this design!! I can't believe how many little details Tami (from Tami Rena's Cookies) was able to fit onto that tiny little house!

You guys. Seriously... this happened. Take away the diamond rings and everything goes right down the... umm, well, the plumbing piece in the lavatory that you use to ... umm... gosh! These cookies by One Baked Broad are super creative, aren't they??!!

I love this cookie by Gwen's Kitchen Creations. It's so simple and clean and absolutely fills the space of the cutter perfectly! I want a re-do of my mad science cookies just to use this design!

What you may not have noticed right away is that both of the fish in the bowl are ALSO diamond ring shaped... in miniature!! I love the amazing paint job by The Cookie Architect on that tiny fish bowl gravel and also the fun wave at the top. Just WHAT are these fish doing in there?!

Do you want to know why I love this cookie from Biscoitinhos so much? Because it makes me desperately want to make a cookie with that incredible texture on the fuse! SO well done!

 

I fell for these little guys from Signature Sweets in an instant. They are ADORABLE! I love their beady little eyes and multi-colored tentacles. (Although, to be completely honest, I'm not super in love with the word "tentacle." It kind of weirds me out because they only belong on scary things that might eat me. And I don't really want to be eaten.)

I love this design from Melissa Joy at Fanciful Cookies and More. It has just the right amount of detail without getting too complicated. And all the little baskets are different colors. And the circles are nearly as perfect as you can get. I just want it to be late summer and night time and the fair to be in full swing.

And a little shout out to my young challenge entrants...these fun designs were created by the children belonging to Denna of Denna's Ideas. Click HERE to see a full description and HERE to see Denna's own parrot design.

And that brings us to our WINNER of the challenge...

Are you ready?

What about now? Now are you ready?

Do you hate me?

(I would.)

The winner, chosen by random.org is #36 --

How fortuitous. The winning cookie design is actually... a winning cookie design!! Congratulations Enticing Icing by Leia!! Go pick out your favorite copper cutter from CopperGifts.com and check your email for my message! 

Check out May's Challenge -- Wet-On-Wet HERE.

See the rest of April's Think Outside the Cutter Challenge HERE.