no bites.

Grey clouds equals grey moods.

Time for another cookie pic, no? I do share my photos of my cookies on Facebook, but I thought it would be nice to get on a "broader" platform by sharing them on a blog. These pictures were taken quite a while ago, and again, it had only been maybe my second or third try making and decorating these cookies. Although I find the task of mixing and chilling and rolling and cutting kind of a pain, the results are usually rewarding that I don't mind the work in hindsight. The FLOWER cookies I made was the second try -- I wanted to start a cookie cutter "collection", and thought a flower would be nice. I'm making the same cookies for a friend of mine whose daughter is getting married in June. They'll be a combination of white, violet and ivory.


The consistency of the icing turned out okay, but if you can tell, I squished some of the still-wet cookies. Oops.

The ICE CREAM CONE cookies are my favourite so far - I made them as a "have a great summer" treat for the Kindergarten students I worked with earlier that year. I always get excited about cookies that I thought weren't going to turn out turn out better than I thought. I packed them in clear cellophane bags with a ribbon and note tag.



As I'm blogging, it's windy, (looks cold), rainy and wet. :( Enjoy the pics, would love any comments/suggestions!

An Oil Change and Tim McGraw

Afternoon, everyone! First day of Spring Break felt somewhat spring-y. A little windy, but nice. Kris and I, along with my good friend Kim are planning a day trip down to Fargo, ND for tomorrow. My "MAINT REQ'D" light in my '02 Honda CRV has been lit for a little over 2 weeks now (oops), so we went for an oil change at the Super Lube. Normally, my dad would do this for me but we thought it would be cheaper --- umm, nope! $98.00!! Oh well. Better to be safe, than sorry I suppose.

Kim has been working at a boutique in the Exchange District for quite some time now, and on occasion when there are low budget films being shot in the area, she may run into some "celebrities" once in a while...but HOLY MOLY! Today was a little different -- this man walks in the store (which I frequenly visit and worked at once upon a time) dressed in a grey t-shirt tucked into his jeans with UGG boots (I know, what?!) and a lady on her iPhone follows behind tapping away. I know I must have been staring because in my head I'm saying, "this guy looks like Tim McGraw". We asked if he needed help, and he said, "naw, just lookin'". And not a minute passes by and he walks out of the store. I whispered to Kim, "That guy looked like Tim McGraw!" and she just went about her way...kind of ignoring me. I didn't think much of it afterwards...I get a phone call an hour later from Kim saying that Mr. Tim McGraw just dropped a couple thousand dollars in another boutique (which is also owned by the guy who owns the store Kim works at)! I KNEW IT!!!! I should have asked for his autograph. Stupid stupid me. Although, I have to say if I didn't know who Tim McGraw was, I probably wouldn'tve recoginized him anyways. His hair was kind of flat (like in the Blind Side -- which BTW, we were JUST watching last night!!!), and come on, UGG BOOTS?! I am not ashamed to say that I own a pair and wear them as often as I can, but I would have never guessed that someone like Tim McGraw would own/wear a pair himself. Hmmph. I was quite dissapointed with myself for not saying something to him. Oh well. The moment has passed. I hope he enjoys his purchases!!!

cookie monster

Part of the reason why I wanted to start a blog is not only to share my random thoughts and ideas, but to share my "accidental love" for baking. I think I've always loved baking - my mom and I did it all the time when I was little. And no question, I definitely have a sweet tooth but the way it came as I guess what can be considered a hobby now started as a work project. I am a Speech Language Assistant and work in schools, primarily Kindergarten to grade 5. I was asked to participate in a phonological awarness program for the kindergartens to learn their word families (-at, -en, -ig, etc.). As part of their reward, there is a small "celebration" to recognize the kindies' progress...this is where the cookies come in. For "Jen the Hen", I volunteered to make sugar cookies in the shape of hens for the class as their treat. Problem was, I had no cookie cutters, and no recipe for that matter. I borrowed a cookie cutter from my colleague and yeah, yeah, I could have searched for a sugar cookie recipe on the internet, but a parent at one of my schools had this great recipe she uses for her cookies so I asked her - little did I know, it was a Betty Crocker recipe and it's always a success when she made it so I thought I'd give it a try...and YES! it worked! Along with the Royal Icing recipe -- OH GAWD was it ever difficult the first time! Consistency consistency consistency is what I learned later on! I think it's safe to say, that my favourite kind of cookie to make and decorate is a sugar cookie, and it's really the only kind I make and is requested of. I've since found a "better" recipe that holds it's shape for cutting and decorating purposes...but that's for another time. And so my quest for awesome cookies began...and I've never looked back.

Jen the Hen (and chicks) - My first attempt at baking and decorating sugar cookies!

first.

Wow! My first (and probably ONLY) blog! I'm still trying to work out the kinks - it's been a really long time since I've had to figure stuff like this out. The reason for this blog, you ask? I'm a Speech Language assistant in Winnipeg, Manitoba and spring break has officially begun. I need something to do! So, no real logical reason at all. Hopefully I will get some pictures and things to look at soon! Thanks for stopping by!