Sunday Happy

Ok so it’s been a couple weeks and WHOA has it been a couple weeks. There was Thanksgiving, which was chill. We had the littles over, made snowflakes, and did a dinner. The mr got a rotisserie chicken, I made bread and potatoes, and the boys wrote dirty works with fridge magnets all night. Duh.

After that it has just been a blur. Markets started up and I am basically either living in my studio or the commuity studio loading and unloading kilns (I am in charge of the whole community studio firing schedule right now which is basically me saying over and over “Yeah dude I get it, it is close to christmas and you want your piece fired but you need to get off my balls!” ) or I am at a market. I and freaking tired as all hell and it is kinda crazy town in my head right now. Two more weeks of this and then I am going to crash. Until then…

Even though I am all out we did go chop our tree down last week. We hiked into the forest with a saw and came out a good time later with the cutest, tall but skinny and slightly bare on the back, tree. It is perfectly imperfect and fits perfectly in the living room. I didn’t even have to move a single piece of furniture!!! And now the lights are on the tree and the lights are up on the house ( I think I threw those up on thanksgiving?), the Christmas music has commenced, and I am drinking all the holiday peppermint tea I can. Living it up!

So yeah, basically that is it. Well that and all the birthdays. Shannon, Erin, Justin. Then So beans last night (the big 10!) and next is the mr’s. This one is a big one too, 40, and not going to lie, I am sick of hearing about it. HA! But that is not for a few more days so until then I will just be hiding away in the basement covered in clay like a little troll.

December is wild right?

A few links.

-End of year NPR Book list. This is the only end of year list I like.

-This a a pretty wild green house. I’m into it. A Kinetic Glass Greenhouse Blossoms into a Massive Open-Air Terrarium

-When should you put up Christmas lights? A new survey illuminates an evergreen debate. I say whenever the heck you want. In this house it s the week after Thanksgiving but I also have lights around the windows in the kitchen all year long because really, they are just nice to use as lighting.

-But do we want the kids to eat them? This Designer Created Kid-Safe, Edible Crayons Out of Vegetables

-Big windows ans a shit ton of boo. I am here for this A Frame Cabin.

And some pictures of the past couple weeks.

Sunday Happy

Happy New Year! How’s it going so far? Ours has already been a shit show so expectations for the next 364 more days are low at the moment but if they are low then all the highs will be good right?

The past week was and we did it. Usually the week between the holidays is a little more slow and gentle but this year it didn’t offer as much reprieve from the chaos of life as usual. Day after Christmas we went to Megans and hung out with Anthony cause it was his birthday (Happy Birthday Anthony!) while still trying to figure out what the hell happened on Christmas. HA! Then once the offices we back open we had a day of aggravating phone calls with doctors and insurance people and I probably don’t need to tell you that it was the most frustrating day of calls ever. Another day was spent at the doctors where we were told the exact same thing that the doctors at the ER told us, but the mr got a new cast and they scheduled his surgery so not completely pointless?. (The mr is losing his shit with the cast and fun with that has just barely begun!) By mid week we were burnt out so we have been going out everyday looking for woods close by to walk in and be less. Then the end of the week came and we hung with Judah on his birthday (Happy Birthday Judah!) The mr spent 2 days making a one handed pop up card for him and then took him, the girl, and his friend to the movies while Coco and I walked around the neighborhood looking for discarded curb Christmas trees. Then they came home, Judah got a bearded dragon, Barb twisted up Coco’s slinky, and everyone ate cake.

New Years Eve was whatever. A holiday that sounds fun but when it comes down to it, I am not one to spend a late night doing anything. The mr and I went for a little hike and basically laid low. I did a little new year window washing, read some, started to clean my studio, and then was in bed by 730.

Woke up to this new year with a note on the mr’s truck. Someone smashed into it while we were sleeping. At least they left a note! But what was really fucked up was the phone call from the police asking to be let into one our apartments (the loft) because they needed to retrieve one of the bullets that was shot off and hit the house that morning. That was at 6am. So the mr ran on over and dealt with that. And then had to fix a leaky faucet with one hand.

Smashed cars, gun shots, and leaks… Happy New Year indeed.

Back to Sunday. Not much planned other then spending a few hours at the studio, glazing some mugs, but mostly doing a couple hours of cleaning. After that I am coming home to finish cleaning my studio, do the laundry, make some soup. Hopefully I will have some time to sit around on my butt and read. I got a stack off books calling my name and I really need to get out of my head.

Internet from the week.

-What’s the most eco-friendly way to dispose of your Christmas tree? We usually just chop it up and compost it. There is a goat farm down the road that takes them and I think I might do that this year.

-How to Delete Your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. I am sure there are a lot of people that are thinking about this. Or if not thinking about it, should be.

-Misery loves company and that is the truth. The Cost of Engaging With the Miserable

-Take These 7 Fire Tower Hikes In Vermont For The Most Rewarding Views. We have been to half of these (I have climbed them, the mr refuses) Always amazing views.

-Remembering the smart, sharp, naughty Betty White. This lady, what a freaking badass. And to go out, at 99, on New Years eve no less. Thats the way to do it.

-I didn't know this was. thing, did you? Inside the Starbucks Collectors Cup Market, Where a Single Tumbler Can Sell for Nearly $2K

-Three ways to be more rational this year. But do I need to be more rational?

-I would most certainly live in this tree house.

-Trend Alert: Hand-Painted Details All Over. I am into this. Way cheaper then wall paper and easier to get on and off.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Well friends we are on the home stretch of what is left of 2021. Another year gone (which happens every year) and I am not feeling much of anything about it at the moment. It was a year and that is pretty much it.

The past week, well it was hectic like I knew it would be but it was good. There was snow and that right there made me pretty happy. The mr and I were able to go to the woods for a nice snowy day hike and take in the goodness of all that I love. Then there was a lot of running around and last minutes this and that. There was grocery shopping at multiply stores for Christmas food which was just ridiculous. I had to finish up a few gifts things and did some last minute mug sales. I did some baking, waited in a long ass line in the freezing cold to get a couple Covid tests so we could be safe for Christmas, and had the littles over for snow globe making, cookie baking and paper candy cane crafting. The result of that was amazing but also now there is glitter EVERYWHERE! So yeah, you know, it was just all the normal days before Christmas stuff.

Then Christmas came. I woke up, went for an icy run, fell on my ass, and come home to prepare all the food and house for the mass of family that were to descend. All was going well, all the food cut up and set out. I was finishing up frosting Camerons birthday cake (Happy Birthday CAM!) when I heard a crash. The mr, at the top of the stairs, had dropped a jar and it tumbled down and shattered. everywhere. After the initial reaction of oh shit, then came the blood. Short story short, the mr cut his hand. Bad. And then everyone showed up. Luckily Shannon took a look and wrapped it up while Meg helped clean the glass. After the assessment of needing stitches, we feed the family, did quick gift exchange thing, did cake and then I shooed everyone out and we headed up the hospital. There we were sent to a room, the mr got his gash looked at and we then found out he sliced one of his tendons. And now he needs surgery for that. 5 and a half hours later, we were let go with, his gash stitched and up plus a cast up his arm, a stack of finance papers. a prescription, and a nice 1/4 inch thick coating of ice on the car. That was the topper there. We were both exhausted and hungry and I must of spent 10 minutes chipping ice of the windshield. Then the 5 minute drive to the hospital turned into a 20 minute drive home. The roads were shit be we got home, I shoved something into my mouth (not sure what) cleaned a few of the dishes from the day, and basically assed out. Merry Christmas. HA!

Today. I am tired but there is stuff to be done. I am going to spent the first half of the day cleaning the food and glitter the is imbedded into the cracks of the floor, wash everything that was touches by hospital air, and make sure there is no glass hiding anywhere. After that s trip to the pharmacy and then we are going to go see Anthony cause it is his birthday today. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANT!) As for the mr. He has to take it easy, not fuck around with his hand, and try not to go to crazy. It is just going to be an interesting next couple months with the mr having surgery and not being able to use his hand. (Bonus, it is his left hand. He is a lefty…) So yeah. Just hope good things for him and also wish me luck. The mr without the use if his hand is not a happy mr. It’s gonna get rough. But hey, could have been worse. We are good! 😬😁

Not internet links from the week because I wasn’t much on the internet.

Pictures from the week

peppermint candy cane sugar cookies

When is the last time you have eaten a candy cane? I feel like I never see people actually eating them, that they use them more as decorations on the tree. And as I say that I realize I am thinking of adults. I never see adults eating candy canes. The littles, well they have stripped my tree bare of the candy many of times. They will, and enjoy eating anything and everything that contains sugar. Especially if you can suck it into a sharp object and I guess that probably makes candy canes are the perfect candy. Ha!

Anyway I forgot to buy candy canes this year and I was planning on adding one to each of my Christmas cards (cause I am an adult!). Sure I could and can still go to the store and get them but I decided cookies are better so I just made candy cane cookies instead band which I think are way better.

These cookies are essentially just sugar cookies with peppermint extract, dyed a little, and twisted into canes. They are fun to make, smell really good, and eaten by littles and adults alike. I would know. Out of 24 candy cane cookies I had made to give out with my cards, I think I ended up with a handful left. The littles came over and ate them all. And the mr too. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

Now to the candy cane cookies!

The stuff. Sugar, plant butter, oil, peppermint and vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, salt, a flax egg, and some red food coloring.

Make cookie dough. Creamy together the sugar, butter, oil, and extracts until light and fluffy. Then add I the lax egg and mix until combined. The dry then goes into bowl and gets mixed with a spoon until it is just easier to use your hands and knead the mixture until a dough forms. Once a dough, let it sit for a few minutes.

After resting, take dough and on a lightly floured surface, cut in half. Take half and set aside and the other knead red dye into it. How red you make it is up to you.

Now take a chunk or red and white and roll each piece out into 1/2 inch thick ropes that are the same length. Place ropes next to each other and kind of squish them together.

Cut a section of the rope (about 4-5 inches long) and then twist the dough until it resembles the twist of a candy cane. Then shape it into a cane.

Also, if you doughs start o get a little misxd up, well that is quite all right. They will still look like candy canes and people will still eat them.

Place canes onto a baking sheet and pop into a hot oven.

Out of the oven, smelling all like a candy cane cookie should.

Move them to a wire rack to cool and if you just so happen to have a handful of white chocolate chips on hand that you want to melt down and drizzle on top, well then you should do that too.

Make some cookies!

-C

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peppermint candy cane sugar cookies

makes about 2 dozen

• 2 cups all purpose flour

• 3/4 cups white graduated sugar

• 1/2 cup (one stick) vegan butter

• 2 tablespoon neutral oil

• 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seed plus 4 tablespoons plant milk or water)

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

• red food coloring

• 1/4 cup white chocolate chips (and teaspoon coconut oil optional)

In a large bowl mix together the sugar, butter, oil, vanilla, and peppermint oil until light and fluffy. Add in flax eg and mix until combined then add in the flour, baking powder ask salt ans mix with wooden spoon until it is easier to just knead it together with you hands until a firm dough forms. Let dough rest for 5-10 minutes

Preheat oven 350

Take dough and divide in half. One half dye red, as red as you like, and leave the other half white. Now take a chunk of each color and roll into a rope about 1/2 inch thick and the same length. Place the ropes next to each other and kind of squish together to form one rope then gently start to twist the dough until it resembles a candy can twist. Cut a section any length you want ( I recommend about 4-5 inches) and place on a baking sheet, curling the top to look like a candy cane. Once you have assembled a baking sheets worth, place in oven and bake for 122-13 minutes or until the cookies are barely golden brown on bottom.

Once baked remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. If you want, melt white choclate and coconut oil in microwave for 20-30 seconds or until almost melted. Stir together until completely melted and drizzle onto cookies.

Now eat some cookies. Or give them to you people. Or some of both.

Cookies are best for about a week at room temperature in airtight container.

Weekend Baking

What do you usually do the week before New Years? It’s a strange feeling week for sure, with the highs of the holidays over, feeling all the feelings, looking forward while also looking back. Hopefully though, you are getting some time to take some time and do you. And what better way to spend some time then in the kitchen!

Think about it, you can throw on your new footed pjs (I don’t have footed pj’s but I would wear them if I didi!), turn on some tunes, and dance around while making cookies. Or maybe you fancy up your hair, get dressed all nice, throw on an apron, and bake up some scones? (Again, I don’t fancy anything up, but you do you) Do whatever the heck you want. We have had a year and this weekend, just do what makes you happy. Just don’t get hair in the food!

Here’s a handful of some of the favorites from the site. Make it nice!

-A cake for breakfast is always gonna win. Cranberry Coffee Cake

-Apple Spice Donuts are baked so no crazy fryer needed!

-Pomegranate Orange Poppyseed Muffins Make them little and snack on them throughout the day!

-Sones are a favorite around here. These are prefect for the holiday season. Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Gingerbread Scones

- Heart Shaped Soft Pretzels Or any shaped pretzels. Fun to make.

-The citrus is in full swing and it is good. Clementine Cake

-Cinnamon Star Bread Another favorite and is so so pretty!

-Bread. Never can go wrong with bread. Cinnamon Cardamom Swirl- Orange And Sweet Potato Bread

-Crushed Oreo Peanut Butter Cookies And these cookies are one of the most popular recipes from the blog. Cookie cookies. You people know what you like.

Have a great, happy, restful, and safe holiday!

-C