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Archive for the ‘cookies’ Category

Heartfelt Thanks | Pecan Sandies

I can’t honestly say I’ve given much thought to making New Year’s resolutions this year. New Year’s Day came and went so fast it was nearly a blur.  In fact, I find most days are a blur around here. We are in a  baby time warp of sorts. It’s hard to tell the difference between day and night. It’s hard to remember to eat, to write, or even bathe. It’s quite an adjustment, but it’s also absolutely wonderful. I wouldn’t change a thing.

However, if I were to really get on board with the whole New Year’s thing, I might resolve to be better at keeping in touch with dear friends. It’s true I make this same resolution nearly every year, but this year it’s more important than ever. Or, I suppose, this year with the birth of dear Maeve, I realize I have wonderful people all around me. I’d like to keep it that way too. Friends like all of you are pretty darn fantastic.

So, to begin the year in this positive manner, let me first express my deepest heartfelt thanks. Your kind words, calls, emails, texts, gifts of food and fun, were greatly appreciated by our fledgling family. In…

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Norwegian Christmas Butter Squares | Eleventh Hour of Pregnancy

It is fair to say Christmas is right around the corner. In fact, it’s this week. It’s hard to believe it.  And, truth be told, I haven’t thought a whole lot about it apart from my internal debate about whether to add a third stocking to the mantel. The optimistic side of me wants to do this, but my overwhelmingly practical side urges me to wait. Babies tend to come on their own time. At least, this is the daily sentiment echoed by all the sane people around me.

We are staying in Seattle this year, of course. It’s hard to plan a holiday with our out-of-state families when a Christmas baby is on the menu. I’m certainly not sad about it. We’ve traveled a lot this year and this buckling down time is pure bliss. I think I really tapped into my nesting instinct at about week 38 and now it’s now kicked into full gear for both of us. We putter about the house. K builds things. I do little chores and even managed to finish my first baby quilt.

Today is my due date, however, and I admit I am finding it a bit difficult to take my eye…

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Homemade Chocolate Truffles | Edible Gifts for the Holidays

I hate cigarette smoke. I really do. Every now and then, however, I catch the faintest whiff of the stuff and it sends me into sort of a romantic tailspin. This scent, possibly stale or even weeks old, has the power to send me reeling back in time to old boyfriends, my months of study abroad in France, and my father dressed in his stately, plaid, button-down shirts (in the days before he developed emphysema).

Scent is a powerful thing. It’s truly remarkable and probably the one sense, apart from taste, without which my passion for life would really suffer.

I do not classify cigarette smoke as a good scent necessarily. If I did, I am certain my inbox would overflow with email messages to the contrary.  In general, I believe there are two basic categories of good scents. There are the scents that are objectively amazing like freshly cut grass and sun-drenched tomato vines.  And, on the other hand, there are those scents that have special meaning to you whether or not the majority of the population would agree.  Stale cigarette smoke is a good example.  Or, perhaps you love the smell of expired sunscreen because it reminds you of summer?…

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Homemade Gingerbread | Baby Bump Peek

Baby showers are strange and wonderful parties.  There is, to be certain, lots to celebrate, but it felt a bit strange that my little bun sat snugly in my belly all Sunday afternoon as we prematurely celebrated her homecoming.

I am quite certain she enjoyed it, however. The food and treats were spectacular. Our friends and loved ones were adoring and brilliant. There was lots of love in the air and the new babies present were full of vim and vigor– little windows into our sunny future.

While I was told to sit back and relax on the day of the shower, that was just a ridiculous request. And, besides, I like to bake and cook. It relaxes me and I firmly believe my little one reaps the benefits of a relaxed mother who regularly bathes in the glorious aromas of an active kitchen.  Speaking of which, I decided the smell of homemade gingerbread baking in the oven comes darn close to the heavenly scent of a freshly baked loaf of bread.  My house smelled reminiscent of holidays and childhood. Gingery. Earthy and Sweet. It was beyond lovely.

And, while I’ve previously baked gingerbread, I will admit to past failures. Sometimes, the…

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