Make Something & Pass It On

Random acts of kindness have turned into little gifts for you. A great opportunity to get some MoXie swag and pay it forward. I would especially like the opportunity to create for people I've never met (but I'll make stuff for the people I love too!!)

The first five (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Whatcha get is whatcha get.

2. What I create will be just for you, with love.

3. It'll be done this year (2009).

4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. Or it may be monstrous and annoying. Heck, I might bake something for you and mail it to you. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!

5. I reserve the right to do something strange.

6. In return, all you need to do is post this text on your blog and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to blog.

7. Send your mailing address - after I contact you.

IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if I do not see you post your own blog to pay this forward.

OUR WEEK

This week has not been the most productive, but I've been nursing a sick child and trying to find some order in the chaos around here.
We depart for DC early Sunday morning and, while I am excited and anxious for my dad to get here, I am dealing with an unexpected sadness that seeing Washington, DC again will not be in my foreseeable future. But again, that is for another post.

So here's our week - in picspam.


Liz wrote this for me. In case you can't read it, it says "LOVE", but I think she did a perfect job.

When my kids are sick, I usually have a very difficult time getting them to eat anything, so I usually accomidate whatever hunger whims they seem to have. Liz had her heart set on a peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich, so that is what I made her. She said it was delicious and gobbled it right up. I think it would excellent to toast it in the sandwich maker. Might have to try that sometime.


Iggy (top) and Thessie (bottom) thought it was playtime when I was changing the linens on the bunkbeds. So of course I had scratch their bellies. Iggy, being the baby, was trying to laydown for a catnap, but I snapped this pic of him sneaking a peek at me. Thessie, on the other hand, was going to stop at nothing to get the camera strap.
Today was the series finale of Battlestar Galactica. I am going to miss it terribly, but not nearly as much as my BFF. In honor of her birthday and a truly spectacular TV show, I created the BSG Survial Kit, complete with cookies, hot cocoa and tissues. Wanna make some of the delish cookies for yourself??
Click here for the recipe.

As our final hurrah before shipping off to the north, we went to the Wetland Preserve at the Discovery Center. There we witnessed a snake in the water stalking his prey (very very far away from us), geese and ducks and a few turtles. It was absolutely beautiful, but I could have done without the stench of the algae. Hopefully the tadpoles will eat the bulk of it in the coming month.

Thanks for checking out our week.

PECAN ALMOND CHOCO CHIP COOKIES

I baked these delicious cookies for my friends birthday. They are super yummy and chewy.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 c ups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground sea salt
1 1/2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup almond slivers

DIRECTIONS
Let butter soften. With mixer, blend butter and sugar until just smooth (don't over blend). Add egg and vanilla and mix until liquid is incorporated. Add 1 cup flour, baking soda and ground sea salt and mix until flour is blended. Add remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and mix. *Make sure there are no lumps of white flour, but do not over mix the dough. Add chocolate chips and nuts and mix with a spoon.

[Okay, this is a good place to grab a spoonful of dough and give it a taste. You know you've been dying to since you set the butter out to soften. But I suppose I should also add that eating raw eggs carries a risk of salmonella poisoning, but I think I speak for most of us when I say that is a risk we are willing to take.]

The cookies will be more uniform and chewy if you chill the dough before baking. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap firmly against the dough (this will keep it from drying out in the fridge). But since I know you don't want to wait the 30 minutes for the dough to chill in the fridge, you can stick it in the freezer for about 15 - 20 minutes.

While your waiting, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using a cookie scoop*, layout 12 level blobs on the cookie sheet, spread out evenly. Slighly flatten each lump (we're not trying to make pancakes here, just a little press to flatten the rounded center.) Bake for 9 minutes or until edges are slightly golden and centers are no longer shiny. Remove from the oven and leave on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Lift each cookie to a cooling rack and cool completely. (Well, except for that one that your eating right now. Be careful, the chocolate is still hot.)

Store in an airtight container for ultimate chewyness.

* If you don't own a cooke scoop, you really should get one. They are fabulous. But since I still want you to have cookies... Hand roll dough balls, slightly smaller than a golf ball and lay out on the baking sheet. Press balls until the rounded domes are flat (they should still be think lumps.)

Yield will vary depending on your scoop. I usually get 2 dozen 2 1/2 " cookies.

ENJOY!!

WEEKEND SPECIAL

.·:*¨¨*:·.B U Y TWO (2) G E T ONE (1) F R E E COASTER SALE!.·:*¨¨*:·.

Buy any three coaster sets from my shop and get the lowest priced set FREE!
Includes both recycled sets and vinyl stars!!

Click here for the details.

Star sets are available in silver, black, red, blue and purple. If you would like to order multiples of a color (ie 3 sets of purple stars) please send me a convo.

Thanks & Happy Shopping.