Good morning last Saturday in January. Nice to see you.
I spotted these cookies over here and they have been calling my name ever since. Again, in an attempt to satisfy all cookie lovers in my family, I doubled the recipe and divided it in half. Half the dough got regular semi-sweet chips and a roll in raw sugar. The other half got mint chocolate chips and a roll in confectioners sugar. I feel like I say this a lot, however, these were AMAZING! And the dough? Well, let me just say that this dough is some of the best dough I have ever tasted. Which is huge because if given the choice I always choose vanilla over chocolate. The melted butter, along with the other ingredients, results in warm, melt in your mouth, absolutely can't stop eating, cookie dough.
I pulled out the sewing machine on Thursday and it felt really great. My sister asked if I would make her bible study girls tissue cozies. (Thanks, Julie! :) ) I make a small change to the tutorial...I like to overlap the top piece.... so I cut two 6x4 pieces and two 6x4 1/2 pieces. I sort of drug my heals at this request but after I got started, loved it. It was the perfect little project to bring back my sewing mojo. Although, I will not let myself sew another thing until I finish this sweater.

Dear Self,
It is no secret that you love to knit sweaters. In fact, it is your most favorite thing to knit. You love to knit a front, a back, and two sleeves, sew the sweater together and wear the sweater. However, in the future, I would like for you to pay special attention to the FINISHING section of your pattern before starting a project. You like patterns that give a few directions, like: block, sew seams, weave in ends. You actually don't mind if it says to sew on a few buttons. So, please pay close attention to the "size" of the FINISHING directions. If the directions to FINISHING take up an entire page (almost) then chances are you will probably loose some sort of steam and it will seem like a "chore" to finish that project. Even if you remember trying on the sweater and LOVING it and spending the next few weeks thinking of nothing but that sweater. And even if the yarn you are using is some of the most delicious yarn you have used.

I don't have one of those fancy ball winders. I love them, but have always thought, hey, my mom has wound countless balls of yarn for years, why can't I? So, I wind. And multi-tasking becomes a little more creative. I answer the phone. I cook dinner. I write e-mails. I bake cookies. I wear my yarn as a necklace and throw my ball into my pocket. Sometimes I walk around like this for hours. It works.
And speaking of cookies. I saw Rosemary made these, and Melana made these, and then I had to make these. I doubled the recipe, and then divided the dough into fours. One plain, one with raisins and walnuts, one with raisins, and one with chocolate chips. A cookie that fits all tastes in my family.
My favorite? (ABSOLUTE new favorite, as in can't WAIT to have for breakfast favorite?) Hands down, raisins and walnuts.

I'm sure you have been talking about it. And I am sure, like me, looking at those faces makes you feel helpless. I am also sure you have heard of Craft Hope for Haiti, but just in case you haven't, take a look here. 100% of the proceeds from the shop go to Doctors without Borders. I donated that pair of toast mitts. They may not show up in the shop for a while as the list of donations is quite large. How awesome is that!

A great friend of mine e-mailed me a recipe for persimmon cookies. The next thing I knew I was on a hunt for persimmons. To tell you the truth, I had no idea what a persimmon even looked like. Honestly.
The recipe calls for a cup of persimmon pulp. Three persimmons ($1.50 each!) yielded a little less than a cup. It took them about a week to ripen, although I did read that if you want them to ripen quickly you can pop them into the freezer for about 24 hours.
Persimmon Cookies:

Do you know what I dislike more than getting gum stuck in hair?
Getting silly putty stuck in my knitting.

January 11th already? That is really crazy. I'm not exactly sure what I have been doing (knitting, yes) with my time, but I am thinking the school delays and cancellations haven't let me find my "new year" rhythm.
We have been waking up to winter wonderland a lot around here. It's been really beautiful. The snow clothes have been put on and taken off so many times I can't believe they aren't worn out.
And their new thorpes have been well loved for the last week. The yarn was great to work with. No complaints about them being itchy like the last ones I made. If you haven't made a thorpe yet, you really should. Easy, fun and cute to boot. I did have to re-teach myself the half double crochet stitch using this helpful video.

Here's to 2010. Here's to... projects to knit::dreams to dream::friends to meet::waters to swim::recipes to try::cookies to bake::quilts to make::projects to knit::trails to hike::lessons to learn::hugs to give::books to read::moments to capture::projects to sew::sunsets to see::kisses to give::wine to try::bread to bake::tears to cry::picnics to take::music to hear::hugs to get::laughs to hear::projects to knit::thoughts to think::coffee to drink::sunrises to see::movies to watch::times to treasure::beaches to walk::kisses to get::bikes to ride::friends to see::projects to knit::photos to take::people to meet::things to learn::memories to make::places to visit::letters to write::food to eat::life to live.