I tried to put the lens in the
places I saw my grandson
put his head, to give us
a child's view of a
Christmas tree.

Christmas tree photos.

Here's the snowflake-bedecked bedroom door.

Well I made the cookies using the recipe from the December 10th post.

Instead of individual cookies, I spread the dough in a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides) with 6 pulverized candy canes in the batter, and candy cane flavor Hershey Kisses dotting the top of each cookie bar. The dough raised up around the kisses, sinking them in a little bit. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
The folks went mad for them... snitching them from the bowl before hubby could get them arranged on the platters. The peppermint scent was very strong and you could smell them as soon as they entered the room.
I had been afraid that 6 candy canes wasn't enough, but we tasted the edges without the Kisses, and the peppermint flavor came through beautifully.

I love paper snowflakes.
Been hanging them on the doors. This is the library door. Everything is knob high or higher, because of the grandson.

The cards this year all look alike on the outside.
I scanned some fabric and printed it on colored card stock. The insides are all different, however, courtesy of my grandson.

I made these for the first time Christmas 2 years ago. People still ask about them, so I'll be making them again this year.
I got the original recipe from Stephanie over on mrssurvival.
Cherry Chocolate Cookies

1 chocolate cake mix,

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

handful of shredded coconut and cherry chips

Combine into stiff batter , drop by rounded spoonfuls, bake at 375 , for about 10 minutes.
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I used a cup of maraschino cherries, chopped, instead of the chips and coconut. It was a nice texture dough, very glossy; we made 48 balls - or would have if folks hadn't kept stealing the dough as they went by! They smell divine!
The tops crinkled, with a slight pinkish tinge from the cherries. Needed to sit for a few seconds on the cookie sheet before trying to remove them.
They are yummy; rather like brownies. I think they would be good as bar cookies. The texture was like a bar cookie, not like a cake.

Oops, I should have posted these before the God's Eyes.

Continuing my adaptation from jeancats' design (see Nov.18th).
-
Seems strange to show the original - because how on Earth did I go from a little round ornament with a band, to the newest ones which are supposed to be 'God's Eyes?!
LOL
Looked at one after another you can see the progression, but it's so funny if you just look at the first and last.

I've started the Christmas cards; but my problem is, some of the people I send them to read my blog now!
How do I post them here, without that person seeing theirs ahead of time?
-
I could maybe mail them, wait a few days, and then post...
If I don't say which card went to whom, that might work.
-
edit:
I found some fabric I must use!
Scanned it in, and printed it onto card-stock.
Going in a different direction with the cards, now.

Striped teardrop ornaments.
Made on the large square board.

Bead trees.
Made Six at a time on the large circle board.

Ornaments after ironing.

Not even a mouse...
Perler bead mice, gingerbread house and a replica of a German ornament we had when I was a child.

Starting Christmas tree ornaments.
Here are three bead ones before ironing; inspired by jeancats on flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeancats/sets/72157624041042781/

I made these for the apartment house last month. Soft, sweet and nicely spiced.
They must have liked them as much as we do, because the next day they were requested for December.
Soft Molasses Cookies - Makes over 2 dozen cookies.
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 +1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 Tablespoon baking soda
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
-
Sift together dry ingredients, set aside.
Cream butter and sugars.
Blend in egg and molasses.
Slowly add dry ingredients, mixing well.
Shape dough in balls, roll in sugar and flatten on un-greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

When cool, put in plastic bag to equalize moisture.

Good right out of the oven, but better after mellowing. They stay soft for at least a week; can't tell you any longer they are all gone.

A rainbow of Korean doll bookmarks.
Cut from the sides of movie-size Mike&Ike boxes. You can get 2 from each side, or 4 from each box,
Colored with permanent markers.

I came across a picture of the ornaments I made for a Christmas Exchange in 2007, and realized I had never posted them.
-
I went out in the yard and pulled Morning Glory vines, removed the leaves, formed the wreaths, and set them to dry in the sun on the henhouse roof.

The figures are apples from our tree made into sauce, then mixed half and half with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves. I put 2 Tablespoons of white glue in there too. Mixed the dough, let it set for a while and cut out with mini cookie cutters. Let dry for a few days.

Brought in the dry wreaths, wrapped them with satin and/or glittery ribbon. When the figures were dry, accented them with satin and/or glittery fabric paint. Let everything dry, and try to match the centers with a nice wreath. Tie them together.

That's about it.

We didn't make many decorations for Halloween, but I did make this foil helmet with ray deflectors for one of the costumes.

Making the first cookies together with my grandson.
They're his idea of pumpkins.

The owls from this year
and last,
on the wall.
The four owls from this year
were fused into a diagonal.

Front window day and night.
There will be more work on it, but it gives the neighborhood some Halloween cheer.

Getting out the lights
and making sure
they work.

Tommy is most
happy about it all.

• An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favourite chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs.
• -
• He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed.
• -
• Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.
• -
• With laboured breath, he leaned against the door-frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven: there, spread out upon newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favourite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
• -
• Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table, landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched lips parted; the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth; seemingly bringing him back to life. The aged and withered hand, shakingly made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
• -
• "Stay out of those," she said, "they're for the funeral."

The second set of new owls.

I found a cross-stitch pattern as inspiration, but changed it so much one could never tell which one it was!

A chill is beginning to creep into the air early in the morning...

Fall must be coming.

Showing some of the circus designs hanging on the wall.

The giraffe. Or perhaps it's a llama?
Made in two parts
and modified from the camel design.

Circus camel, made on the large
square pegboard.
Design from the Perler website.

The high-wire act.
Made on the large square pegboard.

The circus knife-throwing act.
Made on the large circle, and
large heart boards.

A circus clown face, he looks a bit skull-like doesn't he?
Made on the large round board.

The circus tent.
Made on the large heart pegboard.

The circus sign letters.
I don't like the single lines of beads, so I added a second for strength - more cheerful and 'circus-like', too!

The second of
the circus designs.
A clown made on the
large heart peg board.

Happy September!
In the spirit of the season change, I've started crafting again.
Behold the beginning of the Perler bead circus -

Paper bouquets

Paper bouquets, folded in eighths. Large-headed straight pins and rubber earring backs form the stem.

Good morning!
The emptying of the storage unit and the sorting of all the boxes is done.
It's rather chilly this morning, so I'm baking a Blueberry Peach Crisp for brunch. I left out the nuts as Tommy hasn't had them yet, and couldn't find the sesame seeds.
I used this recipe from Cooks.com .
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1637,150181-234207,00.html

BLUEBERRY PEACH CRISP Printed from COOKS.COM

---

□ 1 1/2 pkg. frozen blueberries
□ 1 c. oats
□ 1/2 c. what germ
□ 1/2 c. brown sugar or honey
□ 1/4 c. nuts
□ 1 pkg. frozen peaches
□ 1/2 c. flour
□ 1/2 c. butter, softened
□ 2 tsp. cinnamon
□ 2 tbsp. sesame seeds

Butter a 9 x 13 inch pan, cover with blueberries and peaches. Combine remaining ingredients, sprinkle over fruit. Pat down. Bake at 350 degrees 20 to 25 minutes or until brown, and peaches are soft.

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I wonder if I shall ever get back to crafts?
I'm being very crafty fitting all the books and things into their places, but that doesn't seem quite the same.

And just because of a few curious kittens... ME!
(If your computer burns up, or the monitor cracks - don't say I didn't WARN you!)

Just a couple of pictures to show him off.

My first time doing a wet-on-wet icing.
Next time I won't add more liquid to the recipe.

Toba Garrett’s Glace’ Icing

• 1 lb. confectioners’ sugar
  
  • 3/8 cup milk
  3/8 cup light corn syrup
  flavoring as desired

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and milk first. Add corn syrup just until combined.
1. Divide to flavor and add color.

Inside-out Chewy Peanut Butter 'Cup' Bars -
Yield: 70 cookies ; 350 degrees F 20 minutes
1 18.25 ounce Pillsbury Moist Supreme Golden Butter Cake Mix
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/3 - 1/2 cup Hershey Syrup
1 egg
-
Dark chocolate candy wafers
-
11 x 15 inch jelly roll pan, sprayed lightly with Pam
-
Mix together cake mix, peanut butter, syrup and egg to make a very thick dough. Adjust syrup amount if needed.
Pat in sprayed pan. Dot with upside-down chocolate candy wafers (one per piece) in a 7 x 10 grid pattern.
Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Let cool in pan before cutting between the chocolate dots.
-
Tastes like an inside-out peanut butter cup, with a brownie texture.
Here's the link to the original recipe before I changed it.
http://www.pillsburybaking.com/Recipes/Details.aspx?recipeID=3284