Countdown to Christmas

Well, I don't know if I was inspired today, or if I had a moment of insanity... but I've decided to do a digital scrapbooking "Advent Blog." So every day until Christmas I'll be posting one small part of a kit to download. Wish me luck!

Check it out here starting Dec 01.

New Digital Stuff

Check out my designer blog for some new stuff. Here's a page I made.

I think it takes less time to make the digital products than it does to get everything uploaded to the store properly, blog about it, and make some stuff with it! It's so much fun though!

Around the House

I spent the whole day today in my pjs, cleaning and working around the house. It was fabulous! My craft room is really coming along. I'm going to have to be careful to not make it TOO nice because I might want to spend ALL my time there! It's just so nice and cozy. Every room has it's own heating control so I can turn on the heat in the morning and after a little while it's warm and toasty and I can spend hours in there!

The music/entertainment room made big progress today too from Rob's efforts. He has his rocking chair in there, so he is also in danger of getting lost in his room. At least these two rooms are on the same floor, so we're sort of in proximity of each other! I put together four of the little shelves on the right, in 10 minutes each! We're working hard to get this room finished before my dad comes to visit.

And here's a few things I haven't blogged about, but are fun {for me}.

We had to get a new fridge. Actually... did I blog about that already? What drama! This is the one we finally ended up with. It's taller than the door! I can barely reach the top shelf. The kitchen island is from Ikea and it makes a huge difference in the kitchen. I still have a few things I can't fit, but it's getting there. The new dryer came at the same time as the fridge. I LOVE having the laundry in the bathroom! I actually don't mind doing it now!

And the grill. It's my first gas grill ever. It was really hard to make the transition, but I have to admit, it is great! I love how fast I can grill now and that I don't have to clean out the ash every time. I don't feel like I have to grill enough for the whole week now.

After cleaning and organizing my craft room I wanted to make something quick and fun, so I made these.

My plan is to sell them really inexpensively at the craft store. The idea is to use them like you would a gift bag, for small gifts. I'm stuck on calling them "gift cans" but there's got to be something better. "Gift Tins?" Suggestions welcome!

Banana Cookies

I was in a baking mood this week and found a recipe for banana drop cookies. They sounded interesting so I decided to give it a whirl. Oh man. So I took them to work and everyone kind of curled their lip and said "banana cookies?" I don't have any photos to show you because everyone ate them! Lizy asked me to post the recipe, so here it is:

From Better Homes and Gardens {New} Cookbook from 1981!

Banana Drop Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Grease a cookie sheet. (I used parchment paper instead.) Stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves. In a mixer bowl beat 1/2 cup butter or margarine for 30 seconds. Add 1 cup granulated sugar and beat till fluffy. Add 2 eggs and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; beat well. Add dry ingredients and 1 cup mashed banana (2 medium) alternately to beaten mixture, beating after each addition. Stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Drop from a teaspoon 2 inches apart onto a well greased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately; cool on a wire rack. Frost cooled cookies with Banana Butter Frosting. Makes 60. (I don't think we got 60 out of it, but I probably made them too big.)

Banana Butter Frosting
Blend together 2 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/4 cup mashed banana (1 small), 2 tablespoons softened butter, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. If necessary, add additional powdered sugar to make of spreading consistency.

I know you're probably thinking, uh, that sounds wierd. Let me tell you, that frosting... I wanted to just eat it with a spoon out of the bowl. The cookies taste a lot like banana nut bread. The frosting is what makes them special. So give it a try and let me know what you think. You won't hurt my feelings if you don't like them because it's not my recipe! Haha!

Art and Espresso

This is where I'll be through Saturday. If you're in Stuttgart (sorry family...) stop by and see the wonderful art and crafts for sale. Remember to "support living artists; the dead ones don't need it!" (I just love that quote!)