Family Cookie Recipe

I thought I'd share with you my family's favorite cookie recipe. This was my great-grandmother Eleanor's recipe for sugar cookies. They've since come to be called "Nonie Cookies" since she was "Grandma Nonie." It is a classic cookie recipe, enjoyed all year long. I like them a little thick, while my Mom likes them thin and crispy. See what you think. Sorry I don't have a picture of these yet. I promised I'd wait for my daughter to make these!


NONIE COOKIES

Mix together 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar and a dash of freshly ground nutmeg. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup shortening, 1 egg, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Mix well.

Roll half the dough on a floured cloth or board. Sprinkle with sugar and roll it in gently. Cut with your favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 350° until lightly brown. Roll and cut remaining dough. You can use colored sugars if desired.

Oooh Angora!!

Angora is one of my Favorite Fibers! So luxuriously soft and cruelty-free, what could be better? Snow White Headband/Ear Warmers/Neck Cowl now available in my Etsy shop!

Do the Peppermint Twist

I made this pillow a few years ago and it never sold at local shows. I want to make another one now that I'm a little better at what I do. I'll be able to change colors and not have the colors show through. I'll also try to design it so that I can remove the cover to wash it. It was pretty for a first try design and it's now adorning my futon : )

I made the news!!

Oh my goodness! I just found my interview with Fran Henry from the "Cleveland Plain Dealer" on Cleveland.com's website. It's going to be in the Style issue of tomorrow's newspaper! She interviewed me, along with three other Cleveland-area Etsy artists for a fabulous article on Etsy.
Here's the link to the Etsy article. And here's my interview. I'm so thrilled. It couldn't come at a better time with my husband's accident and his job on-the-line. Congrats to HiAnnie, stonz, and Monaco too!

Baking Day

I decided to bake bread today. Since I don't have a car and I have all the ingredients for a pasta dinner....except for some crispy bread.

I found a wonderful-sounding recipe in "The Italian Country Table" for a Sage and Mushroom Focaccia. The sage is still bountiful in my garden, but the dough takes a day or two to rise. I may start that for tomorrow, we'll see.

Today I found this Simple Crusty Bread recipe that was published in "The New York Times." I'll have to rescue my baking stone from the gas grill. We had a wind storm after hurricane Ike that cause a power-outage just when I was about to bake off a bunch of pizzas for guests. My husband did a wonderful job of rescuing the situation and helped me bake them in the gas grill. They were delicious, but the baking stone is a bit charred.

I also came upon this recipe for Pane Rustica (Italian Peasant Bread) which is a modified version of the recipe above. It looks easy and delicious.

In any event, I'll try the crusty bread and see how it goes. After that, I'll be finishing up some scarves, hats and fingerless gloves keeping busy busy busy!

Fun with Felting

As if I don't have enough to keep me busy this time of year, I decided to gather some supplies and try my hand at felting. So many people have asked why I don't spin my own yarn. I'm sure it is fun, but I wouldn't have time to knit and crochet the designs that I love to make. So, for me to buy carded wool and roving, was a bit shocking. There it was all gathered together and me without a clue as to what exactly to do. I've read several blogs and watched a few videos on feltmaking, specifically on how to make a scarf.
Tip #1 don't try it outside on a breezy day. I started laying out my fibers on the batting and the wind blew them all over the place. So, I went to the basement. This is a messy wet project and it didn't matter if I got the basement wet.
Tip #2 use a sturdy work surface. I used a fold-up craft table and it was rocking all over the place!
It ended up being a little too thick and wide for a scarf, but a wonderful fabric nonetheless. The picture doesn't pick up the gold sparkle throughout. I am thinking that, with a sturdy lining and shoulder strap, it could be made into a fabulous bag.
Tip #3 keep trying. It was fun and I'll definitely try again. I also have a silk scarf that I want to try felting the fibers onto. I want to dye it first. I also have some yarn to dye...but I've never dyed before. Yet another thing to try.
So, that's what I've been working on, along with more shrugs, sweaters, hats, and fingerless gloves for upcoming shows. Busy time of year!

Take a Little Time to Unwind

Today is a much-needed rest day for me. I frantically tagged and tallied all my items to set up at the Tour of Homes Christmas Walk. I still have a few works-in-progress that I didn't complete on time, but since it's a 2 1/2 week show, I can take them in later on this weekend. Today...I get to do whatever I want!
I think I'll bake some cookies. I created a fabulous cookie treasury on Etsy the other day. It's about to expire, but here are a few of my favorite treats. These rub-ons from Yaelfran are so cool. I will be adorning my coffee mug with some of these soon I hope.

There are lots of sweet treats available on Etsy. Check out the selection by cakeboxcookies. You can't rush fall with these beauties!

As for me, I think I'll make some soft pumpkin cookies. Pleasing my picky son with anything besides chocolate chip has always been a challenge. He loves pumpkin pie and I'm sure he'll eat pumpkin cookies, as long as there's no nuts in them.

Get in the holiday baking spirit by checking out 12 Days of Christmas Cookies at Nestle's VeryBestBaking.com. Sign up now to receive Food Network's 12 Days of Cookies Newsletter at FoodNetwork.com. Happy baking!

Button, Button, Who's Got the Button?

I do...that's who!
Any chance I get to pick up a cool button, I grab it. I made lots of button scarves last year and intend on making lots more. Some buttons will wait until the perfectly matching yarn or fabric appears. It's great having a wide selection of big buttons to choose from.
Here are two new scarflettes that I'll be adding to my Etsy shop. The blue/green yarn is called Lagoon. It reminds me of the Loch Ness monster, so I added a picot edge and a celtic-style carved bone button. For the soft, creamy homespun, I added these faux bois toggle buttons.

I also finished this wrap over the weekend. It is knit from handspun merino wool in a wonderfully soft Terra Cotta. The buttons are 3" in diameter, handcarved from Argentina. I knew I had to create something special to use those spectacular buttons!
Be on the lookout for more button designs in the LazyTcrochet Boutique!

Spooky

I'm not much of a story-teller, with words anyway. I do love taking pictures and often-times people might wonder "why is she taking a picture of that?" Here's why. If I hadn't grabbed my camera and went out in my pj's on this cold, dark morning, I wouldn't have captured this spooky sky.This one is from last year. The kids were outside playing with the camera. They caught this picture of their breath on a cold night.

For a fun time, visit the M&M's Dark Chocolate website to play "50 Dark Movies, Hidden in a Painting." My kids cheat every year, but it is fun! Google the answers if you want to cheat too.

Front page Exposure!

Etsy -- Your place to buy and sell all things handmade_1223822139085, originally uploaded by storybeader.

Thanks so much to storybeader for sending me this screen shot of the front page! I am so grateful that my Mobius Wrap sold today. It is amazing also that I came home to 10 convos and over 40 new people that have favorited my shop! Thanks to sarawearsskirts for choosing my item for the team article in The Storque. That is the list that made the front page today.
Hooray for good vibes, great friends, and a great place to do business!

Autumn Leaf Festival

We went to Homecoming at Clarion University of Pennsylvania's Autumn Leaf Festival. My college roommate now lives in Clarion with her family and we got to tour her beautiful house! She runs an antique shop with her Mom and Dad. It is located in a renovated fraternity house, so at homecoming it gets lots of visitors commenting how beautiful the house is now. Here's a picture of Jennifer and me in front of the Fulmer House. (That's me in the shades.)

The parade is one of the largest I've ever been to. The floats are sometimes quite extravagant. Here are a few favorites...

And Franco Harris was on an Obama float! The crowd was cheering the former Steeler. I heard that Lynn Swann (another former Steeler) was on a McPalin float, but I must have missed it.

We took the kids on a quick tour of campus and the book store. Some gyros, cheesecake on a stick, and typical fair food topped off the day.

Cheesecake Recipe

I blogged this back in the Spring since I always make cheesecake for Easter. This recipe has been in our family for many years and I'm the lucky one that gets to bake it each year. It's a little time-consuming, but worth every bite!

Have all ingredients at room temperature, especially the cream cheese.

For the crust, mix together 1 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 oz. butter, 3 tablespoons sugar. Spread into a spring-form pan and press lightly, pressing some of the crust mix up the sides a 1/2 inch or so.

Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large mixing bowl, mix together 16 oz. cream cheese, 16 oz. ricotta cheese, and 1 1/2 cups sugar. Mix well, making sure there aren't lumps of cream cheese. Add 4 eggs, 1/4 cup cornstarch, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 pint sour cream. Mix well and pour into prepared pan.

The directions say to bake 1 hour, but that is never long enough. My guess is that this is a recipe for a double batch and that you could make half of this recipe and bake it for an hour. I always bake mine longer, until it is done or at least almost set in the middle. There are different techniques to cheesecake if you want to read up on them. Some say to turn off the oven and let it cool completely in the oven. I bake mine until it's done and take it out to cool. It's no big deal to me whether or not it cracks...and it usually does. If you want it pretty, read up about it on Martha Stewart or on Food Network perhaps, or just spread berries or whipped cream all over the top. It tastes just the same.

I haven't tried this one, but if you're in the mood for a Pumpkin Cheesecake, this one has a gingersnap crust and sounds delicious.... Marbled Pumpkin Cheesecake. And, while you're there, pick up a copy of my favorite Pumpkin Roll recipe from Libby's (a Thanksgiving staple at our house). Enjoy!

Recovering

I haven't been able to come up with anything to blog about lately. It's been pretty crazy here at home. My husband finally had surgery to repair the damage from his accident (long story here). They put a titanium mesh shelf in to replace the orbital plate (what holds up the eye) and they also rebuilt his septum and have his sinuses packed. It was a very long day at UH Cleveland on Monday. Even though all I did was drive and wait, it really wiped me out. He is resting as comfortably as he can and will have to keep his bandages on until next week.

So, I've been trying to take it easy. I don't deal with stress very well. I either end up over-doing it and hurting my back with chores, or wiped out with a total lack of energy or creativity. These past few weeks have been a mixture of both I'd say.

I am trying to finish a sweater in time for Saturday's Fall Fashion Showcase on Etsy. Everyone has been bad-mouthing the showcases in the forums, but I like to schedule one once in awhile to showcase something new and exciting. Now I just have to finish it in time!

My garage sale stuff is pretty much organized. As soon as I can price everything, I'll open the doors and, hopefully sit around and crochet for a few days straight. You can look forward to some new recipes in the near future. Comfort food sounds in order.

Glow In The Dark Yarn

When my kids were little I crocheted slippers and used glow-in-the-dark fabric paint dots on the bottom to make them non-skid, or less slippery. It was fun, but at the time I was thinking how cool it would be to have glow-in-the-dark yarn.

Bernat has introduced Glow In The Dark yarns! What a fun embellishment yarn that will be. Of course I instantly think Halloween and spooky crafts. Think of all the other ideas for kids safety - backpacks, hats, mittens, bicycle gear, etc. I may have to make my husband a glow hat for commuting.

With the light pastel colors available from Bernat, handmade glow worm-type dolls will be all the rage!

Bernat's Glow In The Dark yarn is now available at some Michael's, Pat Catan's, or Hobby Lobby Stores. Here's a link to find some in your area... Find Glow In The Dark Yarn.

Pictures from the fair

Time for the County Fair

It's time, once again, for the Great Geauga County Fair! Yes, it's called the "Great Geauga County Fair" and it's held every year on Labor Day weekend. Now in it's 186th year, it is Ohio's "Oldest Continuous County Fair" as well as one of the oldest existing agricultural fairs in the nation.
It is huge and will be a lot of walking around. In fact, another of their slogans is "You can't see it all in one day!" Well, we always try. There will be great food, greasy fair food, candy apples, corn dogs, and more food! One time we were there at the right time to see the Dock Dog Jumping Contest. That was so fun to see all the dogs jumping off the dock into the lake.
I'm not sure what we'll see this year. There's something different each day. I always stop by the "Domestic Arts" barn and eye-up the knit and crocheted entries. One of these days I would like to enter. I'll have to try to get an application next year.
There's something fun for everyone at the Great Geauga County Fair!
Maybe I should have entered the Apple Pie contest? Maybe next year!

Apple Pie and Woolly Bears

It's not quite Fall yet, but there's definitely a chill in the air these days!

I made an apple pie. The crust isn't perfect this time, but it doesn't have to be!
Did your grandma make pinwheels too? You take the little bit of left-over crust and roll it out. Spread it with butter and sprinkle with lots of cinnamon sugar. Bake them in a hot oven until they're done. Not too sweet, but a nice little treat. My husband thought the pie was a yummy surprise. The kids even ate a piece!

I saw a fuzzy woolly bear caterpillar yesterday and it reminded me of some brown furry yarn that I had. I made a long scarf with it last year, but had just enough left over to make this fun button scarf. Stay tuned for more signs of Fall!

Traditions

I have been taking the kids picture on the first day of school ever since Walker started preschool. I am waiting to get a scanner so that I can organize them all, including the pre-digital ones.

One of these kids is so excited! Can you tell which one was literally jumping for joy as the bus pulled up? Well, yes Coco was pretty excited too until she realized that we weren't going for a run.
I bought a couple dozen ears of sweet corn and am going to freeze ears since the kids love having corn-on-the-cob in the winter. LOL It doesn't always taste the best. If it's really good corn, I may get more and either can or freeze some off the cob.
I also have a bag of apples that I picked up from my Mom and Dad's yard. They make great pie, applesauce and apple butter. Maybe I'll bake a surprise pie for tonight.
Busy days! Have a good one!

Time's A-Wastin'

Summer is on the downhill slope now. There's a chill in the mornings and it's starting to get darker earlier. School will be starting in 10 days or so and it's soccer season for the local soccer club.
Sorting through the leftovers from last school year, my son found all his old papers and notebooks and decided to have a "Ceremonial Burning of the Notebooks." Out with the old and in with the new. He's not looking forward to going back to school. My daughter, on the other hand, has her outfit already picked out and is super-excited.
As for me, I'm looking forward to having my quiet time again. Ever since the kids were little, I've loved having them home with me. I suppose it was a separation issue at first, but, since 9/11, I've just been much more at-ease knowing they're safe at home. It will be nice to have my time alone again so that I can get caught up on some things. I've been putting off scrubbing the carpeting. I need to finish painting the kitchen cabinet doors, and gather more stuff for a huge garage sale.
All that aside, my true love of design and fiber arts has me dreaming of Fall Fashions and jotting down notes as to what I can make with my yarn stash. I'm hoping to get started on some jackets and sweater coats and stock up on scarves, hats, and mittens.
But first...that boy needs a haircut!!

Mobius Huh??

I've been making twisted wraps for awhile now. Once discovering the secret to the continuous twist, I've just made them up as I go, choosing colors and changing the width and edgings. It's a fun accessory because it can be worn so many different ways. Wear a narrow strip as a scarf, wider as a hooded scarf, or even wider to keep your shoulders warm.

Although I've used the term "mobius" for the twisted wraps, I only just looked up the true definition this morning. I think the answer lies with PhysLink.com's Ask the Experts. "What is the Mobius Strip? ...a Mobius strip only has one side and one edge. It was named after Ferdinand Mobius.

Ants would be able to walk on the Mobius strip on a single surface indefinitely since there is no edge in the direction of their movement"

Click on the picture for a link to purchase a poster!

If you'd like to make your own Mobius wrap, I found a pretty pattern for a Starry Night Shrug from Lincraft. Click on the "printable pattern" for a pdf file and a really cute picture!

Market Goodies

market goodies, originally uploaded by lazytcrochet.

I had a great day at the Market. I sold the new sweater bag that I made, plus a few more. Here are some Dahlias, some delicious bread, and some basil that I bought. I also bought peaches and peppers....yum!

Vintage

As much as I appreciate looking at all the vintage items on Etsy, so far, I haven't listed anything vintage. There are many vintage styles that I find inspiration from, like coats and hats. And there are some vintage finds that are so cute and remind me of my childhood. I don't know much about vintage or antiques. I'm just not the type that has a house full of things and I don't flock to sales to rummage through and find that mint condition whatchamacallit. I did stumble upon this Christmas apron and was fascinated by the design and the colors that were used. I don't know much about vintage kitchen linens - or more specifically whether it's linen or cotton. It looks like a very sturdy kitchen towel material. Plus, it has jingle bells on the ties! I love it.

Faux Fur

I was watching "The Thin Man" again the other day and they showed a brief, but beautiful photo-biography of Myrna Loy, the "Queen of Hollywood." I scoured the net looking for a particular picture that they showed, but couldn't find it. The one I saw was of her wearing a coat with a huge fur collar - one that goes down the front of the coat as well. It was big and fluffy and obviously real fur of some sort.



I came across a few examples, though none of these are exactly what I had in mind. I have some loopy Italian mohair yarn in dark rust that I've had set-aside, waiting for inspiration. Well, I think I've found it. I'm picturing a coat with a big furry collar. I'm not sure yet if it should be detachable, or worked directly onto the sweater. I like the short coat with big buttons too.

I love finding inspiration from movies and vintage fashions. While there are many gorgeous movie stars, there are a few that I find fascinating. Katherine and Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, and Greta Garbo - to name a few. Perhaps I was born in the wrong era? I think I'll work on some hats while I'm at it. And I'd love to hear who or what inspires you!

My First Shadow Shot Sunday

Visit Hey Harriet's Blog for the origins of Shadow Shot Sunday.

All's well that ends well.

If you recall from a previous post (Recycling with Mom), my Mom asked me to bake a cake for their anniversary party. Well, not just any cake. She wanted to recreate their wedding cake. I told her I could do the baking and have everything ready, as long as she would do the decorating. She's much better at it than I am!

I used the basic white cake recipe from Wilton's website. I have never baked six layers at one time before, but it worked perfectly. I was able to chill them and trim the tops level. I had a nice crumb coat of butter cream on the three tiers and had them all packed up and ready to travel.
Then my dog got sick. We were supposed to leave that night to help set up for the party. Coco ended up having surgery, but was able to travel the next morning. Thank goodness the vet was able to help her so quickly!

We assembled the cake before the party. I wasn't thrilled with the way the butter cream set up. It was perfect the day before, but after chilling and warming up to spreading consistency, it sort of separated. Mom insisted it was perfect and added the finishing touches. She made roses ahead of time and we topped it off with the cake top from their wedding.
It was a wonderful party. Guests arrived from all over the U.S., Canada, and Finland!



Mom and Dad dancing.


Family photo - Dad, Mom, Chris, Me, and Maggie

All's well that ends well.....and I'm so glad that my running buddy is recuperating! My favorite trail just wouldn't be the same without her.