I'll Be Home For Christmas

But only in my dreams...

Okay, so no time for an involved, thought provoking post (because you all know I love to make you think hard) because I am completely swamped with cookies....like these.

I had both the pleasure and the honor of designing these cookies sets for my dear, sweet friend and neighbor.  I heart her.  I heart her house.  She is a masterful home decorator and I plan on photographing it before the holidays are over.  It should be featured in a Southern Living Magazine.

Sweet Neighbor had asked me to make 2 platters featuring the homes of her long time and much loved friends.  She was thrilled with how they turned out and placed them carefully on Santa's sleigh.

This is Home Girl and I'm completely addicted to sugar artistry.

Silence and Remembrance

Mutti's Almond Spritz Cookies

My paternal grandmother, whom I called "Mutti" (which is German for mother), was a huge influence in my love for baking.  She was this adorable, little, sprite of a lady who would tell you that she loved you over and over and if you got out of line, she'd whack you with her wooden spoon.

She always made Spritz Cookies for many holidays with her Mirro Cookie Press Gun and I spent years wanting to graduate from sprinkles to operating the gun.  I had watched her so many times, I knew exactly how long to press, what temperature the dough needed to be at, and what the finished product needed to look and taste like.  I had grown into a connoisseur and I know that she was thrilled to be able to pass along not only the knowledge of baking sweet, delicate German treats, but the passion...the love.

My beloved Mutti died from cancer in the late 1980's, but her legacy has lived on through me and that of my children.  Several times a year, I take out my own (vintage) Mirro Cookie Gun, which I procured on Ebay and I make these special treats.

The exact recipe that Mutti used is under great debate because I remember her keeping a copy on an index card that was tapped to the inside of her glass cabinet...I thought it was the Mirro Cookie Press Almond recipe, but I also remember her using a tube of Almond paste, too....which the Mirro recipe does not call for, so I was perplexed....

until I ran into this recipe and tried it out...then the angels in heaven sang because I was instantly taken back to the days of my small childhood, barely able to see past the counter tops, but I definitely knew what my favorite cookies tasted like.

I hope you can try it out for yourself...they do require some patience, but they are more than worth it.

WHITE HOUSE SPRITZ COOKIES 

1 can (8 ounces) almond paste 
1/4 cup egg whites, unbeaten 
6 tablespoons sugar 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened) 
1/4 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon Almond Flavoring 
1 3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour 

1. Break up almond paste with fingers in large bowl (just break up the almond paste. Broken fingers hurt.) Add half egg whites (Do half egg whites come from half eggs? Never mind.) Beat with electric mixer at low speed until mixture is smooth. 

2. Beat in sugar and butter until light and fluffy. (No, this does NOT mean you beat sugar and butter till you burst into song.) Add remaining egg whites, salt and Almond flavoring and mix well. Stir in flour, 1/3 at a time, blending well.  Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  

3. Fit a pastry bag with a star tip, fill pastry bag with dough. (Really this works just fine in a cookie press.) Press dough out on lightly greased cookie sheets; top each with red or green cherry half or sprinkles.  Sometimes, I will drizzle these cookies with melted chocolate and then more sprinkles. (One can never have enough tiaras or sprinkles in life.)  

4. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes or until set and edges begin to turn golden. (In my oven 7-8 minutes is fine.) Remove to wire rack. Cool completely.  Store in air tight containers.  They freeze beautifully!  

This is Home Girl and I bid you wonderful baking this holiday season.

Side Note:  If you want to enjoy these cookies at optimum historical appreciation, make a Coca-Cola on ice in a glass.  They pair so well.

Such Sadness and Grief

I am completely heart broken over the Sandy Hook Elementary Shootings that took place in Newtown, Connecticut yesterday.  There are no words to express the devastation this young man caused in the lives of innocent people.

I'm asking the same question so many others are asking...why?

How did this come to be?  What can we do as a nation, a world, to insure the safety of our children and their parents, their educators??

There are no easy or simple answers, but the time is now that we need active dialogue to search for a solution.

I feel so grateful that all my babies were able to call their mother and tell me how much they loved me last night.  I said a few more "I Love You" back to them than we normally exchange, but it was warranted...it was needed.  Even though they are all grown and understand that this place can be a cruel world to live in, they needed that extra little mommy snuggle to reassure them.

I am very thankful I could have those conversations with them.

This morning, as the world wakes up, there are many loved ones of the victims that do not have that luxury....and that hurts my heart.

I am the parent of a child with a severe personality disorder.  He has struggled for most of his life and is currently incarcerated due to his inability to manage his behavior in the outside world.

I feel a certain sense of peace when I know he's locked behind bars.  As a mother, this is an awful thing to admit, but for the safety of the community, myself, and my loved ones...it is certainly necessary.

I'm not ashamed to admit this about him.  I think more parents/caregivers need to come out of complacency and have conversations with law enforcement, with social workers, with medical personnel about family members that have the capacity to harm society.

Obviously, the thought that "we'll just manage this on our own"....will not work.  If you know of someone who has documented mental health issues, then community members need to be aware so that these individuals can be watched and monitored.

Invasion of privacy?  I don't believe so.  Do we not monitor sex offenders and put convicted felons on supervised probation and parole??

I honestly believe it's time that our world begins to "watch" children and adults that meet criteria for sociopathic, anti-societal, and aggressive disordered diagnoses.

If the parents had sought help earlier or had alerted the community that there were markers to the potential behavior of this young man and had the parents taken the appropriate steps to secure their personal weapons, we might not be dealing with acts of violence by such highly disturbed young men.

If we can open our eyes to the problems of this world, then we can see with greater clarity.

I love my son....I hurt for the struggles that he deals with, but I will not sit here blindly and ignore the potential danger that is there for his surroundings, the community.  I will be a pro-active voice for the conversations that we, as a human race, need to have concerning the emotionally disabled.

Take a second to read this article, A Guide to Mass Shootings in America written by Mother Jones  With a heavy heart, I looked at the map and read each one.

Had these parents been a voice for their children, had they forced their communities to monitor and intercede on the behave of their mentally ill child/adult child, we might possibly have saved the lives of so many innocent victims of senseless violence.

I'm not trying to spark debate...there are no right and wrong answers, but just this one mother's viewpoint.  I will always have the need to protect one of my children, but I have a deeper sense of protecting my community out of love FOR my child...not in spite of it.

This is Home Girl and I just needed to keep it real.  My heartfelt prayers go out to all those affected by these tragic events.

I've Been Gone Way Too Long, I Know...

Go ahead, let me have it.  I have been a bad blogger.  I feel an overwhelming sense of guilt about it.

Lots has changed since we last talked.

Marshmallow Fondant My Little Pony Toppers

I got a kick ass job as the Head Decorator and Creative Director at an upscale cupcake bakery and cafe in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

I have been there for a few months now and I love it.

Olde Towne Farmers Markets Each Saturday

I still live in my magical Olde Towne.  I just have a heck of a commute.  I don't mind it though.  I enjoy it actually.

Fresh Lemon Blueberry Scone 

Life is good.  I love Fall in Virginia.  I welcome it because after the hot as crap Summer we had, I am ready for some none sweltering temperatures.

I don't do Summer and being hot.  I detest humidity.

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

I hope to get back into the habit of writing more. I need it in my life and I disregarded the mental release it gives me to just sit down at the keyboard and tap away.

I have missed being here.

This is Home Girl and I'm still kicking it hard.

This and That Thursday

Why is it that this is the only day, that I really enjoy writing on?  Is it because I can be random and write run on sentences and not let grammar matter?  Is it because I can dump all the crap that is stuck in my head without fear of digression?

There's a little secret that I have to share.

I have been cheating on Blogger with another platform.  Yes, it's true.

I am not ready to share where because it's kinda nice to have a place all to myself where I can be alone, but it is the coolest of cool platforms, if that gives you any hint.

It's like Pinterest and Blogger, all rolled into one place....and I like it.  All the cool kids are there.

I got these absolutely amazing shoes yesterday.  These are the Nike Shox Turbo+ 12 running shoes and I completely adore them.  I have always been a bobo sneaker type person.  It goes back to my obsession with Keds Tennis Shoes from the early 80's.  I use to think that running shoes were just for runners.  I never thought that a shoe like this could actually make me want to move more, but it's true.

I love them.

Hydrangea's are blooming all over Olde Towne.

It makes me smile.

They are my favorite of floral blooms in the floral bloom sphere.

I once got yelled at for taking a stem last year.  This lady saw me do it, and she was like..."OMG!  She just picked one of Faye's Hydrangea flowers!!!"  "We need to tell on her."

I gave her one of my "WTF? Really?" looks and left.  (There is totally a WTF? Really? Look...you know you know it, too.)

It was ONE bloom and I needed it for design purposes.

Some people just kill me.  It wasn't like I uprooted the whole bush or anything...

I could have totally done that too...but, I didn't.

I went out with one of my favorite Stick Girls last week and we dined outside at Doumar's Drive In in Norfolk, Virginia.

It's a pretty historic eating establishment.

Guy at there.

I always get a Carolina Pulled Pork Barbecue, with slaw and hot sauce (I put that shit on everything) on a steamed bun.

There is always a large Lime-Aide and crisp french fries to round out the experience.

Some days, I get to end it like this....

This is a Hot Fudge Cake Sundae.  It's buttery vanilla sponge cake, covered in a mound of rich, thick hot fudge sauce, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and COVERED in whip cream and a cherry on top.

There really isn't any other way to eat a Sundae, except drenched in whip cream.

Cool Whip is not whipped cream.  (I just thought I'd clarify that.)

~
This is Home Girl and I feel better about my affair now that the truth is out.  Tumblr is the shit.  Sorry, Blogger.

Also, I am glad I have the running shoes help to combat my food choices.

This and That Thursday

These are the things that I am pondering today.  Some of them I think about at a deeper level than others.

Porch Sittin' in Park Place

1.  Passive Aggressive behavior and those that do not have enough balls to say exactly what they mean.  I am for the most part, a literalist.  I work in concrete terms.  Don't worry I can't handle what you have to say.  I can.  I understand the English language at a very high level.

2.  My horoscope for the day is:  Names have power.  There's something you've been experiencing as a vague cloud of emotion.  If you can put a name on your feelings, you can release them and transform your energy.

3.  Passive Aggressive Ass Wipe....how's that for a name?  There, I released the emotion and feel so much better about it.

4.  I am making a Boob Cake and Boobie Cookies for a client.  It will say, "29 is the Tits".  I love it when my clients let me help them share their sense of humor.  This is a clear example of someone who does not suffer from passive aggressiveness.  Say what you mean.

5.  I am completely addicted to Karmin right now.  She is so awesome.



6.  I am also a HUGE fan of Jenna Marbles.  She is a Vlogger and puts out the best videos once a week about different topics that affect us all.  She also does not suffer from being Passive Aggressive.  She really tells it like it is.

I believe that every girl needs to watch this video.  Real talk (with a few bad words) on how women end up so screwed in the head.  It's Disney's fault.



In fact, you should watch all her videos and then you might understand me a little bit more.  Jenna and I could be the same person.  I completely get her.

7.  I am not a huge fan of Mother's Day.  I don't really know if that concept will change for me this year.  I am sure it will later on in life, but who guarantees that we will have more to celebrate?  I certainly don't.

8.  Chicken, Rice, and Country Gravy is the shit.  It can cheer me up out of the worst mood ever.

9.  My $1 Flippies (Flip Flops) have outlasted the one's that cost $27.  What's up with that??

10.  I am secretly addicted to playing Slingo on that social network site otherwise known as Face Crack.  Today, I won 2 extra balls.  It was my life force telling me something.

This is Home Girl and I am a straight shooter with a very good aim.

Good Mood Weekends

I had a great weekend and just like everyone else, I have come to appreciate them when they appear.  I like life more when everyone's in a good mood and getting along.  The star's aligned and the heaven's smiled.

Butter Pecan Double Layer with Pecan Brittle Cream Cheese Buttercream

It just makes things more pleasant, the sun shines a little brighter, the river breeze is a little cooler, and the floral scent of the blooming gardens more vibrant.

I have been ending my weekends by watching, Finding Your Roots on PBS.  I am obsessed with that show.  I know a fair amount about both sides of my family, but I don't have the in depth notes and certifications that other members of my family possess.  That's something I have come to be okay with because I have story memories that I have locked away in my mind.  Countless hours of listening to the remarkable stories about my great grands and their grands at my grandparents telling is forever in my soul and unless I write them here, they will mostly die with me.  I don't think my siblings listened as intently or spent as much one on one time as I did with both sets of my grands.  I soaked in all the stories.  I prompted them as I remember and I relished in it.

I was joking for the past week about my excitement that Martha Stewart would be featured on this week's episode of Finding Your Roots.  I just swore that somehow we had to be related.

We were not, sad to say.  I am in no way related to Genghis Khan and she is, believe it or not.

The one parallel that I did notice is that we come from a line of hard working, creative, resourceful, women who aspired to make the world a happier place through our creations.  We were both raised by gardeners, seamstresses, cooks, bakers, basket weavers, master craftsmen, and intellectuals.

Mulberries Almost Ready!!

I think my princess complex is a little stronger than Martha's, but she definitely has the Northern fortitude on lock.  I just love Martha...and Pioneer Woman.  She can be in our club, too.

I felt a kindred spirit for a moment, but no....there was no family relation.

I'm okay with that though.  I am proud of my heritage and what it has given me.  I like who I am.

Country Style Memphis Ribs n'  Talledega 

I may write about the family characters I know of so that my children will have the legacy that I hold dear to my heart.

Everyone wants to know where they came from...what makes them who they are.  That was something no one could ever take away from me.

Nope, not ever.

This is Home Girl and I am a Daughter of the American Revolution.

What Gives You The Right?

I happened to be on the MWoP site today checking in on the blogging world's version of Britney Spear's, circa 2008, otherwise known as Mckmama.

I wrote a stellar post about her that is locked on my former blog (because some people suck) and was trying to be really nice and share some of the warning signs I see in her train wreck and potentially criminal life.  I called a spade, a spade while not casting judgement, but merely offering the same advice I often wished someone had been able to afford me at my time in need, but unfortunately all my friends at the time were social climbing, Real Housewives of Virginia Beach who wouldn't have had a clue.  (Wouldn't that be a show)

Oh man, I completely digressed.  I really hate it when that happens.

So, yeah.  Mckmess and Mckmama Without Pity.  MWoP is basically a site run by these incredibly intelligent ladies and men who should be running the government, as far as I am concerned.  Let's talk about completely thorough.  They are the best of blood hounds and I can see why they feel as angered at her antics, as they do.  Hell, I am even shocked at what she's pulled off in the past and still to this day.  I feel sorry for that sap of a husband who either fully knew what was going on, or is completely the sweetest lug who really wasn't watchful and she bullshitted the crap out of him....but I doubt that.

My point is, and I am obviously having a hard time explaining this, that I believe that there may be a basis for websites set to question bad blogging.

I believe that when you become a Mega Blogger and the content of the blog is making considerable money and is supported by paid advertisement then the owner of the blog has a responsibility to their readers to allow scrutiny.

I'm not talking about the stalking kind of scrutiny...like following someone around.  That's a little creepy.  I am just supporting MWoP's position in examining the financial activities of this woman.

They have rules of engagement.

I found about two other bloggers going at it today on MWoP and of course, I had to go figure out what everyone was talking about because since they took All My Children off the air, I have been in desperate need of some drama.   You know the kind....the ones you can turn off or look away from.

I have a very low percentage of personal drama because I will not allow it.

Man.....there I go again.  Damn you digression.

So, apparently there is this Dooce, she was recently on Good Morning America or something,  I  don't know because I have never, ever read her....not once.  I read her today and although stunningly designed...I read the first post and it came across as whiny.  I hate whiny bitches.  So, I am assuming she is a pretty big deal or something in the under 30 set??

Anyway...I read about this GOMI chick.  Get Off My Internets.  I check her out and read some brilliant writing, but written with a Viper Tongue.

Bitch can bite....she's even down right mean.

Sort of like Mean Girl's Mean.

Why?  I mean really.  Who the F cares about what Dooce does or not??  Who is she?  OOOoooooo....not.  In reality, GOMI...sweetheart, your driving up Dooce's readership by having this war.  If you hate her that much, why even bother?

Find some real dirt that she can't hire an attorney for and then we'll talk.

Unless, it's Dooce that is writing GOMI....or maybe it's the husband.

Ya'll just need to grow the F up and get over yourselves.  It's a blog.  It's a perception of what you want others to see your life as.  A blog is word smithed existence.  And you're fighting over it?  Really?

Next.

This is Home Girl and I think you should just blog for the love of the art....for free...just because it's the right thing to do.  I write advertisement free.  I'm not a girl that can be bought.

Yes, Quidditch Is A Real Sport!

You read that correctly...I said Quidditch, as in Harry Potter, Hogwarts, and Broomsticks.  Quidditch is a fictional sport created by J.K. Rowling as the "sport de rigueur" of The Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  I know you have heard about it, but did you know that more than 200 colleges and universities in the United States host club level teams?  I wasn't really aware of this fact either, so don't feel bad.



The above video is a really good crash course into the mayhem and excitement of a real game.  It is hilarious.  It showcases what the role of the "snitch" is and how everyone is out to get that snitch!

I do happen to know a player on the Virginia Commonwealth University Quidditch team, The Wizengamots.  In the Harry Potter Series, The Wizengamot serves as the wizard high court of law and let me tell you, these young people really serve up some notice.

The Wizengamot of VCU has a big game tomorrow against The University of Virginia and I wanted to do something really cool for my favorite player and his teammates, so I made special Quidditch cookies for them.

I hope they are as thrilled about eating them as I was in making them!!

I just love how the golden snitches turned out!

Thank you again to The Bearfoot Baker for hosting another Cookie Linky Party!  I love seeing what everyone else is up to!  Go on over there and see for yourself!

This is Home Girl and the only time I cheer against The University of Virginia, created by my historical crush, Thomas Jefferson...is anytime they play Virginia Commonwealth University!! Go Rams!  (I'm postive TJ would forgive me.)

A Few Of My Favorite Things

Almond Cupcakes with American Buttercream

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

                                          Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens

Brown paper packages tied up with strings

These are a few of my favorite things

Pretty Spring Blossoms

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Pinkalicious Party Cookies for Stella

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

Home-Made Chicken Wings with "Tooter" Sauce

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

~

This is Home Girl and now I feel so much better....rainy days and Mondays and all.  

Garden Party Love

I made these cookies for a special party that culminated the Olde Towne Garden and Homes Tour that took place today in Portsmouth, Virginia.  I was really thrilled with them and the recipient said they were a big hit at the party she attended.

I don't intend on ever being a cookie blog, but it seems as if I am posting a lot of cookie pictures lately.  I apologize.

There's a great excuse though...it's because I am always working on them!

I use the photos to study my technique and see ways that I can improve.  Tonight, as I was looking at some of my facecrack photos, I realized how much I have grown since I got "the cookie bug" and it amazes me.

I have probably made more than 1,000 cookies since Christmas.  No lie.  That's a heck of a lot of butter.

I use a cookie recipe that I researched and became comfortable with.  I adore it because it's stable and tastes wonderful.  No...I am not giving it out.  Do your own research.

I also work in glaze icing.  I am not a fan of Royal, but sometimes I will make a 50/50 mix of glaze and Royal for detail.  The cookies here are all glaze.

I prefer the taste of glaze over Royal.  It's just a personal preference.  I have a discriminating palate.

I keep my icing pretty loose on the consistency scale, working at about a 5-7 second spread.

Thank you so much if you popped over from The Barefoot Baker's Link Party...I really appreciate everything you cookie girls have taught me through the Internet.  I seriously do.  I owe it all to you for taking my natural ability in icing and giving it a voice.

You are a bunch of wonderfully creative souls who constantly inspire me and make me stretch as a sugar artist.  For that, I am very grateful.

I am just jelly tonight because some of you are in Louisville, KY at Spring Fling.

Serious...Jelly.

This is Home Girl...and yeah, I am pretty obsessed with cookies!

Wordless Wednesday

One Of My Most Favorite Places on This Earth

This is Home Girl and this is me being Wordless. Much better mood, but still Wordless.

I Just Don't Get It Sometimes...

I am really struggling today.  It doesn't have anything to do with me (or maybe it does), but I just don't get most people...most of the time.

I don't have a perfect life, very far from it....I have my own trials and tribulations on a daily basis.  I have reasons to be extremely bitter, but I choose not to go that route.  Living in negativity does nothing for me, my life, or the lives of those I am in contact with on a daily basis.  Negative thoughts are rooted in hatred and I would dislike it very much if hate was ever rooted in my heart.

Hate makes me so sad and it confuses me that it doesn't make other people feel the same way.

Why?  What is mankind's obsession with it?  Does it make you feel better about yourself?  It doesn't for me.

Cookies I made for a Kindergarten Easter Party

I don't know...maybe I am just weird?  This might be a concept that I will never understand.  Maybe that's the way my higher power wants to keep my heart...free from letting the negativity and the mean spirited behavior of others from entering my capacity.  I am not claiming to be perfect, though.  There have been times in my life when I have been less than virtuous, but I do not harbor in it.  I seek a better path.  I praise everyday with goodness and light.

The Party Table All Set Up

I know I see the same example in my photography.  I like to take happy, uplifting shots...I show life as I want to see it, but I know it's not all sparkles and buttercream icing.  Things are not always as they seem in photos.  A photo is a view on the world.  I just happen to focus on things that make me happy...things that make me smile...things I want to remember.

You Are Never To Old to Get an Easter Basket

Maybe, I am the lucky one? I just don't know.  I wish people would just let their hearts learn how to accept life for what it is...to reach out and share an uplifting word with someone that may need it.  To honestly be there for others and help them to focus on goodness and learning to live their own lives...not worrying about what others are or are not doing.

I Love Easter Decorations almost as much as Christmas!  

I guess what it boils down to is...when I am wondering about the motives of others or why some people want to be a part of my life and then not fully accept me for who I am, that is when I need to respectfully pull back and protect my heart from being confused and hurt.  Silence is Golden and I refuse to hold my breath waiting for something that may never be.  Maybe it's just too far damaged for there to ever be true resolution...and I need to be okay with that.

Edwards Ham from Virginia Traditions, Ham Salad Sandwiches

Ham Salad in the Spring makes me happy.  I made an outdoor lunch yesterday before I agreed to start my Paleo eating regimen for the Spring and Summer.  If you have never had Ham Salad before then you must try this recipe...I mean home-made Ham Salad...not the mutilated, pre-packaged stuff you can find in the deli section of your grocery market.  That is NOT Ham Salad.

Virginia Ham Salad~~

2 cups, chopped Country Ham
1/4 cup chopped onion...I used both green onion and Sweet Vidalia Onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

Salad Sauce:

1 cup mayo...in the South, we prefer Dukes or Hellmann's.
1/4 milk
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed garlic
2 shakes Frank's Hot Sauce...I put that shit on everything, Your Majesty.

Add all the sauce ingredients into a jar and shake...reserving extra sauce in the fridge for up to one week.

Add enough Salad Sauce to the ham mixture to make wet.  Stir well and then make your sandwiches or just eat it out of a bowl, which is what I usually do because it's that good....and it makes me happy.

This is Home Girl and I will not be holding my breath anymore.  I can only focus on me.  I will not be convicted to live in other people's agendas.  I work really well with honesty when tempered with love.  Don't hate.  The only person you should have expectations of is yourself.

This and That Thursday~Back At The Old Crib

My knee isn't working today...it didn't work yesterday either and I am not thrilled about that.  I will not blame it on the recent Pole Fitness - Chair Dancing - Booty Clap Class that I got to take last weekend...although I am almost positive there might be a correlation.

(I refuse to also admit that my 48 year old butt had no business attempting to pole dance...nope, complete refusal.)

I hate to be in pain.  I have a rather intense case of ADHD and immobilization is not in my vocabulary.

I have things to do, deadlines to meet, and putting weight on my knee is required.

The Fam is planning a Day Trip to Williamsburg for Easter Lunch and if you know me, then you know how much I love to visit The Burg any time of the year.  Lunch at the King's Arm Tavern and then a shopping trip to the new Williamsburg Pottery are on tap and I refuse to miss it.

Is it too early for a walker??  Or a Hov-a-round?

I wish we could drive golf carts through Olde Towne....

Sexy Cookies 

I love making hand designed cookies more than anything on this Earth.  I turn on some great music and really get into it.  I have a lot of cookies to make in the next three days.  I have a Kindergarten Easter Party, an Art Show, and family cookies to work on.

It would be so much more enjoyable if my knee was not screaming at me.

I also have some more of these bad boys to make.  Hot Cross Buns are such a fun Spring tradition...I used Pdub's recipe, which is closely similar to her Cinnamon Bun recipe...which I absolutely adore.  You know how when you try out a recipe and the instructions are clear cut and you have a lot of experience and things just go wrong and you can't figure out why...and then you think that maybe the ingredient amounts must be off because the person posting the recipe is a complete B and wants you to fail, so they wrote the wrong amounts....Yes, Pdub doesn't do that.  Neither do I...just so ya know.

What in the hell would someone have to gain by posting a recipe knowing the amounts of the listed ingredients is wrong??

Some people just kill me.

Seriously.

I have to get back to cookies now...these bunnies and carrots are calling my name.  Are they not the cutest??

I do hope you enjoy your Spring weekend.  I plan on pushing through the pain and enjoying mine, no matter what.

This is Home Girl and I might need a new knee soon.

Does This Thing Still Work??

So, I tried out having my blog on another host site.  It was okay...not really any different then here.  I liked some things about Wordpress, as opposed to the Blogger format and there were some things that I really missed about Blogger...like complete ownership.  I did not own the domain and there ended being issues with the person that did have control.

No one owns me.  Ever.

So, I am playing around with the decision to come back here.

I am just so unsure right now.  I am not completely convinced that I even want to keep on blogging at this point.

I am really busy with life and I get caught up in it and then I don't get to post as much as I feel I should...then it makes me mad and I end up not posting at all...

that makes me frustrated because I then think about all the wonderful people I have in my life that I have met through blogging and how much I have learned from them.

I also think about starting a completely new blog where no one knows me because at the Word Press home it had been compromised by knowing that former family members were reading it like a crack addict....and that bothered me.

I don't feel that anyone has the right to be an active reader of my blog if they are connected to me biologically, but not a part of my personal life.  It's kinda creepy if you ask me....and it seriously weirds me out.  If you are seriously THAT interested in me or my life, then take the time to get to know me....not hide behind your veil of secrecy and pretend that you know ANYTHING about me.

Trust and believe I keep certain people at arm's length for a reason.  I am happy with the people in my daily life and there are no plans on ever changing that premise.

I know I am not really writing with a clear cut point or objective....I just really wanted to see if this blog would even accept any more posts before I decide to go through all the trouble of starting a new one.

This is Home Girl...and I might just move back to my old house.