Designer Cookies

In December I went to a cookie decorating demonstration at Puddn'head Books. As you might guess, the author was on a tour promoting her new cookie decorating book. It was fun to watch her make such fabulously decorated cookies, but as I looked at all the supplies she had I had a flash back to my scrap-booking days. Having attended several scrap-booking parties, I came home with all kinds of tools, papers, stamps - you name it. I did make some really great scrapbooks with the materials, but when I discovered shutterfly.com and realized I could have beautiful photo books in a fraction of the time and expense, I put my scrap-booking items away in a drawer. Somehow I could see cookie decorating going the same route.

But one idea did intrigue me. She took a sugar cookie that she had pre-frosted with royal icing and stamped it using a rubber stamp. You purchase a non-inked stamp pad and ink it up with gel icing. Then you dip in your stamp and you have a cute design on the cookie. You can then proceed to add decorations to the cookie if you want. For example, she had a little ice skater stamp and she just added a colored ball to the stocking cap and put a simple border around the perimeter of the cookie. Anyway, it got me thinking about how fun it would be to make cookies like that for SWT Design. So I sent off their logo to a rubber stamp making company, and I got it last month. I also picked up a non-inked stamp pad.

Today I decided to give this a whirl. At this point I am not concerned about the taste of the cookie or the look of the royal icing on the top of the cookie. I am more worried about how the logo is going to turn out because it has a lot of detail on it. So I just used a boxed cookie mix for my first go at this, and I prepared a small amount of royal icing. The icing was really no problem to make, surprisingly. It is recommended that you outline the cookie with a line of thicker royal icing to prevent the thinner version from running off the side of the cookie. But as I said, I am not concerned about that just yet. So my cookies are baked and I have put on the royal icing. The icing should ideally sit overnight to enable it to get hard. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how the stamping goes.

Another Death in the Family

Last Saturday my mother-in-law's sister died up in Minnesota. This was her last living sibling, and I can't begin to imagine how it would feel to be the only person left in your family. The private family wake was on Friday and the public wake and funeral were on Saturday. Jim was asked to be a pallbearer, and he was honored to take part. I did not travel with him for two reasons. First, the lady who stays with our dog has broken her foot and can't take care of any pets right now, and second we are traveling up to Iowa next weekend for my in-law's 60th wedding anniversary. I just couldn't see making two trips in a row, especially since I had to go to Cincinnati recently for my uncle's funeral.

This trip was a brutal one. Thursday he drove to Iowa, then Friday they drove to Minnesota, Saturday back to Iowa and today back to St. Louis. We did that same trip a couple summers ago for a family reunion and it was not pretty. I feel somewhat guilty that I didn't make the trip, but my body thanks me.

So that is two deaths quite close together. They say death comes in threes. Hopefully that does not end up to be the case.

Taking My Boobs Out to be Pressed

Today was that time of year again - time for the annual mammogram. For the past 10 years or so I have gone to Missouri Baptist for my fun and excitement. At that time I had found a lump in one of my breasts, and my friend's husband is a radiologist there. Fortunately it ended up that I just had cysts, but I feel better knowing that two radiologists read every single film there. (Guess it is probably not even called film anymore since the screening goes directly to a computer.) They used to give every woman a rose on her way out the door, and then it became a carnation. Today I got nothing. I guess the budget cut the flowers. Har, har.

My appointment was for 9:40 but I arrived at 9:20 since I never can be sure what the traffic will be doing. I had barely sat down from updating my paperwork when they called me to the back to change into a pink gown. After I changed clothes I was just tweeting that I was at Mo Bap for a mammogram and "I'm too sexy for my shirt..." and they called my name again. The boob bashing was done in record time, and I was back at my car by 9:43. Unbelievable!