8.29.2008

I won't burn these cooKies!

Here's a yummy cookie recipe for you. I went to a shower a month ago and the hostess served delicious sugar cookies. I've been craving them ever since, but who has time to make sugar cookies when there's so much to do outside? So, one morning, when two cubes of butter were sitting on the counter waiting to be used, I dug through my cookie file to find a recipe I'd printed from a friend over a year ago. Anything from Lisa Ellis is going to be really good. (I mean, she's a sister of Marilyn Watts, another supreme cook - remember her lemonade recipe.) So here's the easy near-sugar cookie recipe that you can make in, I'm not kidding, 30 minutes. The almond flavoring is 'the frosting on the cake!



{ Mouthwatering Almond Cookies }
From Lisa Ellis – original recipe from Julia Allen Lyman

Combine in a bowl:
2 cups butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. almond extract
Beat on medium speed for 1 - 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low.

Add other ingredients:
4 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix on low for 1 - 2 minutes until well blended. Dough should be soft but handle-able. Roll dough into 2-inch balls and place 2 " apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten the balls to 1/4 inch thickness with the bottom of a buttered glass, dipped in sugar. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 - 9 minutes until lightly browned. Do not overbake. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to cooling racks. Cool completely before glazing – glaze recipe follows.

OR, if you're in a bit of a hurry, used store-bought frosting. I use Betty Crocker Whipped Vanilla Icing, and it tastes just fine!

The final touch is to place 3 sliced or slivered almonds in center in a flower shape.

{ Glaze Frosting }
Stir together with a wire whip:
1 1/2 cups powder sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
4 - 5 tsp. water
Frost each cookie with glaze and decorate with almonds. "Set" glaze before serving or storing.

8.25.2008

~ happy birthday dear Suzie ~



Happy Birthday to my sweet daughter Suzanne - a bit belated - but she got her packages and cards on time (whew) so it's all good. Suzie is an amazing young woman and very special to me and her dad. We want to tell her we love her and wish her all the best!
Suzie and hubby Winston - a couple weeks ago in Yellowstone.


Love, love this photo. It just makes me smile!
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8.22.2008

* fLower goaL accompLished *

My flowers have flourished! In early June I went to a home show where I saw flower pots that just caught my breath. The flowers were every color of peach, salmon, apricot, light pink and white. So my goal was to duplicate the look for my front porch. They look beautiful - though a bit bedraggled as the hot days of August have taken their toll. Enjoy!

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8.21.2008

I'll go blond as I get older

Sorry the photo just won't come up!

Check out Debbie's class:

I've always declared that rather than go
gray, I'll dye my hair lighter and lighter
as I get older. Well, now I know how
I'll look when I'm 80. Great hair...especially
love the little pink bows.

This is for the Big Picture Scrapbooking
"Big Wigs" promotion.

We did it - a very successful promotion and
lots of fun too. Met over 1000 scrappers online!



8.20.2008

from the Adornit Digital website

AdornIt

Above is the project I made for the Big Picture
Scrapbooking FREE Summer Promotion. Hopefully
lots of people will meet us (my boss Georgana and me)
this week during the "Big Wig Bash" and then sign up
for the Christmas class we are teaching online. It's
all virtual - downloads, message boards, emails. Go
to BigPictureScrapbooking.com to look or join in.


8.19.2008

happy (and sad) occasion

The Sew & Sews
{photos and words taken from Nancy Mahler's blog}
Good friends - I’ve been in a 'sewing' club for over 20 years. We really did sew at first - cross stitch, hardanger, applique, plus some tole-painting and basket-making. We have had babies (now grandbabies) together, raised teenagers together, ups & downs together, some have moved away - but are still remembered. Now our monthly get-togethers have more variety, like book reviews, quilting, and cooking classes. No matter what, we have always have a good time together. Thank you to Nancy - superb photographer - for these photos of yesterday's good-bye tea party for our dear friend (and my sil) Lesa Stevenson as she leaves for a three-year adventure with my brother Gary and their son Kyle in Tokyo. Lesa is front and center.
Welcome to Marty Cannon’s home… Marty is the most amazing host.
Mary Savage - also my sil
&
Norma Olsen - my Cut the Crazy partner!






Lovely food, made by Marty, Marilyn, Michelle, Debbie and Lisa.

Mary, Marty, Michelle, Ken Cannon, Rexanne
Norma, Kristin, Debbie - and we SO missed those who couldn't make it.


8.17.2008

this photo makes me laugh

I'm still planning to post a few more Yellowstone photos...but it's late and going through 100 photos is overwhelming right now. Here is a photo that just made me laugh out loud. Scott and I had a nice dinner in Teton Village at the Mangy Moose. To look at the photo you'd think we hardly made it out of the place. Did we drink that much water and strawberry lemonade??? All I can say is Scott loves the free refills.
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8.12.2008

IsLaNd paRk with the whole fAmiLy

I had to do one last post of Island Park - acutally I probably won't be able to resist posting the photos of our day in Yellowstone, so maybe this isn't the last post! The Grewe's (Pitt's parents) were gracious to invite us to stay in their cabin on Henry's Lake. We had a fun three days with perfect weather and wonderful little grandchildren (and big children).
This was the most delightful scene one morning. Brookelyn had chosen a set of 'young artist' colored pencils and sketch pad as her souvenir from West Yellowstone. She asked Grandpa Scott to help her sketch a picture, so they made a date for the next morning. They got all set up and Scott taught her to how to plan her sketch. She is an artist too and she loved sketching with Grandpa.
Here is Brookie's picture. Notice the pride and delight on her cute, mosquito-bitten face.
This is the scene they sketched. Scott's picture turned out nice to, by the way lol.
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8.08.2008

come to a CROP - really, try it!



This is my good friend (and good boss) Georgana Hall. She's president of Adornit - Carolee's Creations. We've been excitedly cooking up some fun as we get to participate in the BIG, FREE summer promotion on the BIGGEST online scrapbook instruction company BIG PICTURE SCRAPBOOKING. We're thrilled to be part of this summer promotion and, later, their fall class line-up. Believe me, this is BIG.

From Georgana's Blog:

save the date...
I am so excited because in a few weeks BPS and Key Lime Crops are teaming up for a huge scrapbook crop. You can click here to learn more information and sign up. It's all free and BPS teachers will all be sharing virtual make-n-takes. And guess who else is going to be participating as a BPS teacher? Debbie, our editor! She and I are also team teaching a class this fall. Hurry on over and sign up!

Scrapbooking Crop...
It's official and you are all invited to a crop at the Adornit Warehouse. We're going to gather with local scrappers in celebration of the summer's-end Big Picture Scrapbooking Virtual Crop. Join us all day on August 23rd in Hyde Park. For those of you who don't live close you can still make the virtual crop - visit here for more information.

**Please do not forget to RSVP for our local event, because there really is limited seating. My email is georganahall@yahoo.com

8.03.2008

hiKing around Jenny Lake

Jenny Lake Boat Dock - where we started today's hike. We rode a ferry-type boat across the lake then hiked to Hidden Waterfall and Inspiration Point. It was late in the day - too late to take the boat back. No big deal, we said, we'll just hike back. The walk was LONG...I thought it'd never end. But the beauty of the scenery, the wildflowers along the path, and the smell of pine trees made every step worth it.
The reason we went to Jackson Hole was for Scott to take an oil painting workshop. His first. He did great in his class - he really liked his instructor Bjorn. They painted one or two pictures every day so he got lots of practice and help. I loved having time to write, shop, read my back issues of Oprah, and even do a little work. We are working on an exciting project at Adornit, so I didn't mind spending time on my laptop. As soon as Scott was finished with his class we headed out to see the sights. Here we are high above Jenny Lake. Scott is sketching the Tetons, and I'm writing in my notebook-journal. I know my hair looks ridiculous...I think it was windy earlier.
Scott always has to climb to the highest point - wherever we are. This is a photo of him on the highest rock along the trail to Inspiration Point. His next goal is to climb "The Grand," the highest mountain in the Tetons. I won't be surprised when he does it.
The Teton mountains are incredibly beautiful. You never get tired of looking at them or taking pictures. I could have stayed there the whole summer.
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8.01.2008

charmed in Jackson HoLe

One thing that has surprised me on this trip is how charming everything is. This photo was taken at Jenny Lake Lodge. There are big pots of flowers on the porch and wild flowers growing around the parking lots and cabins. Delightful!
Yesterday I mentioned that because of my mom, I love the sight of sprinklers. Well, because of my dad, I love the sight of cattle in a field. And when I saw this view, I thought of Evan. He has tried to teach me about different types of cows and how to identify them - like herefords or heifers or whatever, but I never get it. And don't even get me started on cows vs bulls etc etc. So, now look at the photo. This field had more cattle that I've ever seen in one place. What you see doesn't do the scene justice. And when Scott got out of the car to take the picture, they all turned their cute white faces and looked at him.
These are big, huge piles of hay. We have named them hay cabins in hay villages. I want to know how the farmer moves them and uses them - they are truly as big as small cabins. Used to be, you'd see fields with bales of hay, then big round rolls of hay became the style, and now hay cabins. I need to find a farmer to ask about them. Be sure to notice the silhouette of the Tetons in the background. Incredible. Scott wants to climb them - and he probably will.
Scott always has his sketch book handy. It's full of wonderful pencil sketches from places we've been. We took a hike around Jenny Lake and he couldn't resist this scene. In this photo he's just getting started and is setting up what he's going to draw. Did I say that he's really good at drawing. And he loves it. He even had a family from New Jersey stop and watch him draw. He said he heard some voices and looked around and there were four people sitting on one of those rocks behind him just quietly watching.