Looking forward

Today is Boxing Day in Canada and also the day of my last post for the year 2011. This year, I won't bemoan the speed at which the year passed by (because I think I'd already done it enough during the year, and in most of my emails to friends).

Instead, I'll leap right to the part where I publicly humiliate myself again by telling you what I intend to accomplish for 2012.

I'd already mentioned one of my plans on my other blog (which is not as scary as Coraline's Other Mother) - to take the entries in the book "The Skeptic's Dictionary" and write a speculative-fiction (the genre formerly known as science fiction in my world) short story inspired by each entry.

Another plan I have for the year is to do a bird drawing each day. A colleague of hubby's gave our boys an old page-a-day calendar a couple of years ago thinking that the boys would like to check out those birds. We have about 6 bird identification guides (and many more encyclopedic bird books that weigh enough to kill small animals) that Son1 studies religiously, so the loose pages of an old calendar doesn't do much for him. Therefore, I'm going to use those pages to sketch a bird a day from, like artists go to the Louvre to copy the works of old masters to hone their own skills by. The art in this calendar is by David Sibley, and he's considered a master in the bird art world. I'm really bad about knowing what to draw and being inspired enough to do it, so this should work out well for me...provided I actually keep up with it.

As for knitting, sewing and crocheting, I'll go easier on myself this year: if I finish 4 projects total, depending on the size of the project, I'll call it a good year.

Hubby has grand plans for 2012 too, not the least of which is eating Vegemite every single day. It's good to dream big.

How about you? Any major goal(s) you want to accomplish for the next year?

Have a safe and fun New Year's...and see you on the flip side!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Looking back

At the beginning of the year, which feels like yesterday but is actually about 352 days ago, I had publicly declared that I'd complete 6 sewing projects and 6 knitting projects this year. Was I too ambitious? I may never know because true to form, I stopped keeping track half way through the year and don't remember what I completed. Why is it that I can never keep good records? For some reason, people think I'm organized. I don't know why because I certainly never try to give that impression of me.

Of the things I do remember, here's a run-down of the sewing projects. I started off with the fleece jacket with the Darth Vader pattern fabric. Turns out it's a tad too small for either of my boys and they've not worn it even once. So, I'll be giving that away. I sewed 2 gift bags for my sister to use with her soaps, started sewing a laundry bag that I never finished, and hemmed several pairs of pants for hubby and my FIL.

For knitting, I made a pair of socks for me, a pair of baby socks for hubby's cousin's baby, am almost finished with another pair of socks for me, and am almost done with the third panel of a rug that I'm knitting with yarn I won from Robin's Rurification blog. Here are 2 of the panels, done (each panel measures about 1' x 3.5').

So, not exactly 12 projects total completed for the year (unless I completed other things that I can't remember...which is very possible), and I know I could do better, but why beat myself up for not doing it all?

Besides, what's more important is that I baked a lot too. Lots of loaves of bread

and cookies and kuchens

 and stollen

and more!

Also important was that I home-schooled the rugrats. Here is Son2 in his science group (I've blurred the faces of the other people in the photo for privacy reasons). I'm very grateful to my friend THS (to the left) who lead this co-op. I merely had to clean up our house before and after. :)

The chemistry lab I have to run by myself (materials courtesy of Meg who kept everything so well organized!). Son2 is doing it with Son1 so I won't have to repeat it again in a couple of years. I already have to redo the biology and physics labs with Son2 when the time comes. Sooo looking forward to that. ;P

In between the above listed things, I did some writing too, mostly thanks to the whip-cracking efforts of my critique group gang leader, Russell James (who has a terrific novel out that you can win on Goodreads.com).

Did you have resolutions this year? Did you keep up with them?

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Virtual Cookie Swap

My Kids Eat Squid is doing a Virtual Cookie Swap this year for the holidays, and I've been invited to the party! I'm so excited...what shall I wear? Judging from my recipe, I guess I'll be wearing butter. And I'll probably be wearing it - right around my waist - until I start working out daily.

I got this recipe probably close to 30 years ago from a friend of my sister's. I only make it once a year because it is the epitome of decadence (by which I mean "fat").  Here's the recipe, with a few more notes underneath:

Whipped Shortbread

2 C unsalted butter, softened
1 C icing sugar
3 C all-purpose flour

1) Beat butter until creamy
2) Blend in icing sugar
3) Add flour and beat for 10 minutes
4) Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet
5) Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes
6) Cool cookies on rack

Makes about 72 cookies

Beating the batter for 10 minutes is only necessary for an old clunker like the Sunbeam mixer with the dual metal beaters. In a work-horse like the KitchenAid mixer, 5 minutes of beating is more than enough.

Be sure you remove the cookies from the baking sheet and onto the a cooling rack within 5 minutes of taking them out of the oven. Once the cookies cool completely on the sheet itself, you won't be able to remove them without breaking them.

(cookies, pre-baking)
Use a thin spatula to remove the cookies from the baking sheet. These cookies are ultra delicate (wouldn't you be if you were 30% air and 70% butter?). Even after they've hardened a bit after cooling off completely, you'll still need to handle them with care.

Crumbly goodness!

Here are the other folks doing the Virtual Cookie Swap - go visit them!

Blog: My Kids Eat Squid

Cookie: Nutella

Blog: GarlicGirl

Cookie: Peanuty Peanut Butter Cookies

  

Blog: Laura's Delicious Food

Cookie: Raspberry thumbprint cookies

Blog: Boston Food Swap

Cookie: Old-fashioned molasses cookies

Blog: Frugal Kiwi

Cookie: Chocolate Marshmallow Raspberry Cookie Delight 

Blog: MarthaandMe 

Cookie: TBD

What about you? What's your favorite holiday or general cookie to bake or to eat? Hope you find a fun new recipe at this swap to try!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

And the award goes to....

Since the Academy won't let us say "And the winner is..." anymore.  Oh, but this isn't the Oscars.

Sooo, today's The Day. I was supposed to spend the morning baking cookies, but instead worked on how to do the drawing for The Clean Giveaway.

I counted up all the entries: one for a comment, one for following Carrie on Twitter, one for Liking the Under The Willow Facebook page, one for each re-tweet of the giveaway. So here they are, the entries (and yes, I did get some butter on the paper...oops) - Jaime, Stace, Janet G, Michelle, Kathy x 6, Squid (for My Kids Eat Squid) x 3, KP x 4:

All cut up and ready to go in the bag:

Son2 helping me pull out a name:

And the winner is.....

Stace!! (I know you're all in awe of my fabulous iPhone photography.)

Since I know how to get a hold of Stace - I am a regular stalker of her blog - I'll go notify her now. It'll make her day; my presence has that effect on people. Hah.

Thank you to everyone who entered and played along, particularly Kathy who helped re-tweet this several times to her many followers. I urge you all to go try Carrie's products even if you didn't win!

And for those of you who are looking for a seriously hefty giveaway, check out:
http://www.theculinarylife.com/2011/win-a-le-creuset-deep-covered-saute-pan/

Have a great week!

BREAKING NEWS this just in: Stace has generously donated her prize to Kathy in the spirit of the season and because she was seriously impressed by the number of entries Kathy had. Thank you, Stace!!!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams