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What I've Learned About Cookies

Well, since I showed you what I look like pregnant and then posted those cookies a few days ago, we're basically best friends forever now, right? I mean, I can totally stay in my pajamas when you come over at 2 in the afternoon. And we can eat ice cream together for no reason at all. And I can tell you my secrets and you won't hate me or save it up inside until some day when I bug you and then you go and tell everyone, including my mom and that kid I had a crush on in 9th grade. You wouldn't do that to me now, would you? Because for the record, I don't think that kid cares anymore. Seriously, though there is something I have been trying to decide if I should tell you for kind of a while now. In an effort to "keep it real" (because that is something COOL people do and I desperately want to feel cool one last time before my kids get old enough to tell me that I'm really, really not.) I've decided to tell you. You may know that I started this blog i

A Cookie Story

These cookies are the product of a story that I'm sure all of us know all too well. Glorious, wonderful, exciting and perfect cookie idea. It's basically brilliant and beautiful mixed together. You can't sleep because these cookies have to be made. You make the cookie dough with those little flutters of excitement in your stomach. (Well its that or you're hungry. So you eat some cookie dough just to be sure.) You roll out the cookie dough. Its so tempting to rush through cutting, but you take your time because these cookies have to be perfect. You mix up the icing. You eat some ice cream. (Because again, you have to make sure you keep up your strength.) Then you start decorating the cookies. And slowly, slowly, you start to realize that something is a little wrong. And then a little more wrong. And then a lot wrong. And the cookies look NOTHING like that sparkly dancing vision in your head. And then you don't even want to finish the last of them because you hate t

Pumpkins in Costumes

Okay, so Halloween is in just a couple of days. (Which means if you want to buy candy corn before it is gone again for 11 1/2 months -- you need to go NOW.) I have two children and still have exactly two costumes to make. I would feel all bad inside at this considering I make all sorts of decorated cookies on a daily basis and still haven't managed to set aside an hour or two to make costumes for my own children whom I love more than sugar and chocolate and the internet. But the truth is...in the last 12 days alone, my son has FINALLY, ULTIMATELY, this-is-the-last-time-I'm-changing-my-mind-I-swear decided on being a bat, a rocket, a monkey, and a car. So, really, I'm doing him a favor by waiting. The way I see it, if I can just hold out until Friday, he will probably still want the costume I make him. Probably. My cookies on the other hand just love their costumes. They told me. They said that these are the best costumes they've ever, ever had. And they love me forev

More Leaves...this time with dots

When I was a little girl (way back before I was even in my twenties,) I really wanted cool roller skates. Okay, let's just get this out there right at the beginning -- roller blades hadn't been invented yet. Go ahead and let that sink in, all you people that are much younger than me. Anyway, there was this girl I knew that had purple and pink and silver sparkly roller skates. They were the kind that fit your feet. You take your shoes off, and put those skates on and lace them up so perfectly and they molded to your foot and ankle so that you could be the best little roller skater girl in the entire world. EVEN THE LACES WERE SPARKLY. I wanted them. I practically needed them. My parents instead got me some weirdy metal skates that you strap to the bottom of your shoes. And they adjust to all sorts of sizes with a wing-nut that doesn't always stay tight. (Much like the skates my son now owns....ahhh, the irony. Except his are totally cool.) As it turns out...they worked EX

Pumpkins on Leaves

I'm going to give you some advice today. Free of charge. First, let me say that it has nothing to do with cookies or Halloween or anything at all that you probably care about. And second -- don't be offended. This is for my own good. And it comes with lots of love and candy. (Except not the candy part.) Okay, so, sometimes a female person gets pregnant and she grows another living person inside her own body . Its not exactly the same thing as going to the spa for 9 months. And, I don't know about anyone else, but as of yet, I have not figured out how to do this without getting...well...much bigger in the midsection. Here comes your advice though... Do NOT say to a pregnant woman ANY of the following things -- "My goodness, that baby must be ready to come out any day now, huh?"   People started saying this to me around 28 weeks. Which, for the record is a solid 3 MONTHS before this baby was due. It doesn't make me feel good about myself. And it should be ev

Little Leaf Faces

The last few days have been kind of rough around here. There has been way too much "scary" and "creepy" and "pumpkins eating other pumpkins." I'm afraid to go to bed at night because I will dream about being chased by pumpkins that want to eat me. And my legs never work. ( WHY can I never run in my dreams?!) And then I stay awake all night doing internet research on "what to do when pumpkins attack." I've taken to eating inordinate amounts of ice cream right before bed, hoping desperately to fall into a sugar coma and not awaken until morning. Something had to change. After I saw Meaghan's cookies at The Decorated Cookie , I knew these had to be made. I had no choice. I was running out of ice cream. Plus, how cute are these little guys? They are totally friends. Friends that don't eat each other. Ever. Not even for pretend. And this little guy? Definitely my favorite. He's so cute. And happy. And kind of crooked in a way

Giveaway Extravaganza Winners!!!

I can't tell you how hard it has been for me to wait this long to find out who wins the GIVEAWAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!! Okay, maybe I can. It's been REAL hard. Not like running 100 miles hard, but maybe at least running 11 miles hard. Especially because I can't wait to find out if there is going to be a Facebook Showdown! So...let's get on with it, shall we? Winner #1 --  who said -- I would like box #3! is Keri from Sweet Dreams ! Congratulations winner #1! Winner #2 who said -- I'd like to win box #2 please. That's my favorite #. I'd love to win the apron or the cookbook, but my husband would be much happier with the matchbox car (he's a nerd & collects toys) is Heidi Tilton (Heidi Campbell)! Congratulations winner #2! Winner #3 who said-- so can I say that it doesn't matter which box I want to win since I don't know what's in them?? ;) If I have to absolutely pick one then I'll go with #2. Thank you for be

Scarier Jack-O-Lantern Cookies

Just LOOK at this. THIS is what I get for trying to compromise a little. I go COMPLETELY out of my comfort box and try to make something just a BIT more on the SLIGHTLY scarier side of Halloween...and I end up with my sweet little boy LIKING THEM. And asking me to make more. I hope all of you are happy. Because I am fully prepared to blame everyone except me on this one. In case you are wondering, this is his very favorite cookie of all. He laughed and laughed when he saw it. He said it was the funniest cookie he'd ever seen. He said it was funny because the pumpkin was eating another pumpkin. He thought THAT was funny. Next thing you know, he's going to start saying "insects" instead of "buggies" and riding motorcycles and growing a mustache and telling me that my jokes aren't funny and eating frozen meals instead of peanut butter and jam sandwiches and it's all because I made jack-o-lantern cookies for Halloween. Clearly, I am going to need m

How to Make Optical Illusion Jack-O-Lantern Decorated Cookies

These cookies are the most perfect last minute Halloween cookies ever. Seriously, I think they are going to be in Wikipedia some day under " most perfect last minute Halloween cookies ever. " Probably, you should give it a couple of days and then you  can look it up yourself. You won't have to take my word for it anymore. Okay, sure, the cats are slightly quicker, but I like these better. (Just promise me you won't tell the cats. It's not like we are really getting along that well right now anyway, and I certainly don't need one more reason for them to hate me.) The key is to start with a black cookie dough. I used my chocolate cookie recipe and added a little bit of black food coloring right before adding the flour. Roll out your cookie dough and cut out some pumpkins. Then use the same pumpkin cutter to add the curvy pumpkin lines to the cookie before baking it. (This is a HUGE reason why I love my chocolate cookie recipe.You can add details like thi