Sunflower Cookie Wedges

I've kind of made these cookies one other time. I used sugar cookie dough instead of the recipe below. I realized, though, that this is a better recipe to use because it doesn't rise so it will cook all the way through. This is almost like the dough used in the Strawberry Lily cookies.

Sunflower Cookie Wedges

1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 egg white, beaten
2 tablespoons yellow colored sugar
1/3 cup white frosting
2 tablespoons miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shelled sunflower seeds

Line large cookie sheet with foil. In large bowl, combine powered sugar, sugar, margarine and egg; beat until light and fluffy. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup; level off. All flour; mix well. If necessary, cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate 1 hour for easier handling.

Heat oven to 325°. On floured surface, roll half of dough to 9-inch circle; place in center of foil-lined cookie sheet. Roll remaining half of dough to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut 18 hearts from dough. Brush beaten egg white around edge of dough circle in 1/2-inch band. Arrange hearts, slightly overlapping with points out, over egg white around outer edge of circle to resemble flower petals. Brush hears with egg white; sprinkle with yellow sugar.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Cool completely. Remove foil from cookie. Place on covered board or large serving tray. Spread frosting in center of cookie; sprinkle with chocolate chips and sunflower seeds. To serve, cut into wedges.

As you can tell from the picture, I didn't use frosting, chocolate chips or sunflower seeds because I didn't have any on hand. Also, I don't have a pan large enough to fit the one big cookie, so it will make about 8 small sunflower cookies. I think that they are pretty and they make me happy!

St. Patrick's Day Pillow

Here is the St. Patrick's Day themed pillow that I made for sewing group. I am going to demonstrate how to paper piece. Since the clovers are small I figured it would be an easy project to start. My favorite part of the project was the batik clover fabric I found.

Drama

Drama - any situation or series of events having vivid, emotional, conflicting, or striking interest or results.

Who creates the drama in your life? You? Or do you feel like it is someone else that creates it for you?

I recently watched a movie that basically stated that girls create drama in their own life to make it seam more exciting. So, here I am evaluating myself and what kind of drama I create. I like to think that I've got a pretty boring life and try to keep things simple. However, that's not always true. I think I look for excuses to drag me into interesting situations.

I volunteered to host/teach for the next sewing group, which is tomorrow night. I've had an idea for weeks but left it till yesterday to buy fabric, and then tonight I spent all evening sewing the pillow. Then I decided that we will need clover shaped sugar cookies (I'll have to think about posting this recipe) to match the St. Patrick's day pillow (picture of pillow will be posted tomorrow). I'll be finishing the cookies tomorrow, while preparing a demonstration of how to make the pillow. Then I had some visitors stop by this evening in the middle of my project. So, of course, I've created myself a little situation that is worrying me that I won't finish in time. Oh, I also have to clean my place because I don't want people to see my messiness. So now that I am thinking about this little episode of drama in my life I see that it was caused by my procrastination.

I think that I can blame most of the drama I create on procrastination. All the other drama I experience is created by other people! LOL!!! :D

"Just one psychological drama after another" Erasure

The Worth of Lyme

“…The rooms were shut up, the lodgers almost all gone, scarcely any family but of the residents left; and, as there is nothing to admire in the buildings themselves, the remarkable situation of the town, the principal street almost hurrying into the water, the walk to the Cobb, skirting round the pleasant little bay, which, in the season, is animated with bathing machines and company; the Cobb itself, its old wonders and new improvements, with the very beautiful line of cliffs stretching out of the east of the town, are what stranger's eye will seek; and a very strange stranger it must be, who does not see charms in the immediate environs of Lyme, to make him wish to know it better. The scenes in its neighborhood, Charmouth, with its high grounds and extensive sweeps of country, and still more, its sweet, retired bay, backed by dark cliffs, where fragments of low rock among the sands, make it the happiest spot for watching the flow of the tide, for sitting in unwearied contemplation; the woody varieties of the cheerful village of Up Lyme; and, above, Pinny, with its green chasms between romantic rocks, where the scattered forest trees and orchards of luxuriant growth, declare that many a generation must have passed away since the first partial falling of the cliff prepared the ground for such a state, where a scene so wonderful and so lovely is exhibited, as many more than equal any of the resembling scenes of the far-famed Isle of Wight; these places must be visited, and visited again, to make the worth of Lyme understood.” Persuasion, Jane Austen


I love Jane Austen’s description of Lyme and the surrounding area. Next time I go to England I will have to visit Lyme. The party that has traveled to Lyme has gone in November—out of season. I think traveling out of season it the best time. I enjoy places that are less crowded because I don’t feel rushed or distracted from what there is to see and feel.

“…these places must be visited, and visited again,…” a good book is well worth reading again, just like visiting a place that draws you to its beauty. You can get more out of it every time you read/see it.

De-Clutter Project (Part II)

I really need to do another de-clutter project with my stuff. This time it will entail purging my belongings of useless and unused items. This weekend I'm planning on painting Ariana's room. From there I'll begin getting rid of stuff and organizing what I keep. Okay, now that I've written it down I'll be motivated to get it done.

Hugs-N-Kisses

Here's my first completed project from sewing group.

B&B Apple Berry Cake

I love making this cake because it always looks so pretty (and yes, it is very tasty). Here are my only complaints on this recipe, it takes a while to prepare and I always lose the recipe. I had to go through my old Lewis Laughter's to find the recipe. Then I had to call Mom to clarify a few things. So, I usually spend an hour preparing (looking for recipe included). Anyhow, here it is:

B&B Apple Berry Cake

Dry Ingredients:
3 c flour
2 c sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs baking powder

Wet Ingredients:
1 c Canola oil
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla

4 Granny Smith apples, sliced very thing
1/2 c fresh blueberries

sugar and cinnamon, to taste

After separately mixing the dry and wet ingredients, combine them until smooth and no more. Put half of the cake dough in a tube pan (buttered and floured). Put half of the sliced apples and half of the blueberries on top. sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon to taste. Add rest of dough and then layer with the apples and blueberries. Sprinkle more sugar and cinnamon. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. Check with bamboo stick for raw spots. Cook longer if needed. Cool ten minutes and unmold. Serve warm with whipped cream.

Okay, here are the variations to this recipe. I usually don't care to use so much oil in a recipe so you can use the squeezable Parkay, or melt one stick butter and add 1/2 cup of the Canola oil. I like to have a buttery taste in my cake. Also, 4 medium Granny Smith apples leaves me with about 2 apples left over. It depends on how thin you slice your apples on how much you have left over. Check the cake with a bamboo stick to make sure it is cooked all the way. I always have to leave it in for another 10 minutes.