The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie

I hate baking. I have for a long time. However, I enjoy eating baked goods and not paying store prices. So, I bake.

My Chocolate Chip Cookies never come out great. They are edible and yummy, but not perfect. They are either too crunchy or out right hard.

That is until The Girls Guide to Guns and Butter, a friend, and pinterest saved my cookies.

The Girls Guide to Guns and Butter told me to not pack my brown sugar. I gave it a try and the cookies were better, but something more needed to be done. I knew, from a friend, that crisco makes the best shaped cookies, but not everyone likes the taste. Then while strolling through pinterest I found this: The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie.

I used the recipe on the back of the chocolate chip package but, I didn't pack the brown sugar and I used 1/2 cup Crisco and 1/2 cup butter, then baked them to perfection!

Of course, the best way to make cookies is with help.

For lumpy cookie spoon on to the cookie sheet.

 

For perfectly round cookies roll into a ball.

How about you? Do you have any cookie tricks?

Yarn Along: Startitus Thwarted

One look at my projects on Rav and you can see that I had a bit of startitus over the last few days. I have a bunch of beautiful yarn calling my name and I've been itching to use it, but on what? I've been searching the last week for what to knit next. I took a look in my Year of Projects page to remind myself of my goals and so the three projects I "started" on Rav are all reflections of that list. Did I start them? No. What I really want to knit with is the bright Knit Picks yarn (from the turtles and the mittens) but I have no idea how much I have left. If only I had a scale that measured a small enough weight ...

I digress, this is supposed to be a Yarn Along post, so what have I actually started? Because even though I say I started the projects on Rav, I haven't, only in my mind. What I have actually knitted on is the second sock of a pair of green ones from Christmas for the hubs and Stompers Easter Vest.

I know I sing praises of my husband quite often here, but I really do have the best man on the planet. I sent him to my LYS with a list and some money. The list: Berroco Vintage Worsted in light grey, light blue, or light green, check the dye lots, and ask her to cake the yarn. A few minutes after I sent him out the door I received a call: "Honey, they don't have the right color. I-um---here, talk to the lady." The phone was shuffled and I hear, "Hello Delia, it's Sherri, this is what we have..." She and I sorted out a few details and he came home after work with the right yarn, caked, and ready to go. How I love him. 

I've only cast on the swatch to the vest but I am excited to get started. This pattern has been in my queue for a year or more. I may go blind reading the chart, but I'm afraid to make it much bigger and risk legibility. 

I have been reading. I have been studying the aforementioned pattern and reading several fiction books. I am mostly through with #6 of A Series of Unfortunate Events and just started #10 of The Rangers Apprentice. My music teacher had a saying, "If you are going to mess up, do it in the beginning of your recital, but always end on the right notes. That's all the audience will remember." Well, this last book, I'm not impressed. I will solider on, because I have faith in the author. And after all I almost didn't read it because I didn't like the rhythm of the first one.

Joining Ginny and the gang of readers and knitters! 

Go ahead and leave a link to your own Yarn Along in the comments!

Project Report

I finished my cowl. I wish that I had cast on the full 180 stitches so that it would be a little bit longer. All I need to do now is block it so its a bit longer. I showed Jason how I can wrap it around my neck twice to make a face mask and he said he'd like something for over his face like that too. I may bring out his scarf and see if I can link the two ends together to make it into a cowl. He tells me that he likes wearing his scarf when he hunts, but the ends bother him. If it doesn't work I have a feeling he'll be asking for his own cowl for hunting .. maybe something in hunter orange? 

I didn't finish Stomper socks in time for Valentines, I finished them a few days later. He watched me finish the toe and as soon as it was finished I asked him if he wanted to try it on. I set him on a stool next to me and put the sock on him. Then he waited patiently while I wove in the ends of the second sock so he could put that one on too! 

I have a quick little pattern for the sock I will put soon for those that are interested. It's a heel less sock, so if you are afraid of heels, it would be a great starter sock. It hasn't been tested, so the sizing might be a little off, but for a boot sock that should be too big of a problem.

I am not making a couple of sheep for Easter. I finished the bodies over the past few weeks, they are tedious. I don't like my yarn choice, and I can't imagine I'll like it any more once I start the legs. The cable is really interesting and I'm glad that I tried this pattern if only to learn a new cable pattern. I will be tossing out what I've made, but that just frees up the needles and hands for more projects!

I cast on the second sock for the hubby. I haven't told him yet that I'm working on it. I hope to surprise him, sometime before winter ends (and since we are getting 7-14inches of snow tomorrow looks like I'll have a little time).

I would like to be knitting Stompers Easter Vest, but I haven't made it to the yarn store. With any luck I can go later this week, Easter will be here before I know it and I really want it to be done!

I bought the pattern for the hoods for my Mom and Little Sister. Have you seen moebius knitting? I watched this video and it blew my mind away. I just sat there staring at the computer totally bemused. I am so excited to start the hoods.

Thank you to everyone for your wonderful comments to my last post. I look forward to reading the comments of each update. I am lucky girl to marry the man that I did, who understands a knitters heart for yarn and goodies. The pattern for the hat is Starcrossed Slouchy Beret as goodpurlgonebad guessed I appologize for not mentioning it in my post.

Finishing

It's not a remodel. The remodel started about four years ago give or take. The fridge, stove, dishwasher, sink, and cupboards were moved and an island was added. A large french door was put in and windows were removed or replaced. The island received a tiled counter top but the rest has had left over pieces from other projects on it for years. Cabinets were stained, wainscoting was put up, and the whole room got a new coat of paint. New lighting was added above the island, new wiring, and an above the stove microwave installed. Piece by piece Dad Berg has been putting it together. 

He has been hit with finishitus. He put drawers in the canned food cabinet the other day, leveled the cabinets, put up backer board, and this week-end he and Mom will lay tile down. 

It has been a long journey, but the end is in sight!

Chocolate and Cherry Cake

My soon to be sister-in-law had a birthday recently and Little Sister was commissioned to make the cake. She has made a lot of cakes. Some have not looked so pretty. There was one cake that had to have a spatula shoved under one side to keep it from falling apart and just this November the one she made for me looked a little oozy. This time she got smart, she used dowels to keep it together. It is the best looking cake she has ever made (and it tasted great too).

How She Made It:

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 batch of your favorite chocolate frosting
1 can of cherry pie filling
2 dowels
1 Pampered Chef Food Chopper
Maraschino Cherries

Make cake and frosting according to instructions  Cut 2 dowels to fit inside cake (to help hold it together). Take half of the pie filling and chop fine with food chopper. Set remaining cherry filling to one side.

Frost top of bottom layer spread chopped up cherries on top. Frost bottom of top layer and place on top of cherries. Shove dowels down through both layers to keep it from sliding off. Frost the cake. Spread remaining cherry filling on top. Edge with Maraschino Cherries, keep in place with dollops of frosting.

Ducks

I haven't mentioned the ducks in quite some time. 

We still have them, though their numbers have been reduced drastically from this summer. This summer we had eleven, but we reduced our flock to two.

Recently they started laying. The egg in the nest is the teaching egg, it's a marble egg Jason picked up somewhere to show the girls where we'd like them to lay. It worked with the chickens, with any luck it will work for these two!

Yes she is a little yellow. No she is not supposed to be. Unfortunately our kiddy pool bit the dust or is burried in snow, I can't remember which, and the girls are unable to take a bath at the moment. Not to worry, spring is around the corner and they will be a pretty white again!

Rusty the Snow Magnet

He does have a barn.

A nice one with a roof even.

Sure it's not heated, but he'd at least be out of the snow.

Like most kids though, he enjoys being outside.

Even if it means getting a little snow on his head.

This is What Love Looks Like

One evening Papa was sharpening some kitchen knives that had gotten drastically and shamefully dull. 

Stomper wanted to help.

Papa shook his head, "You aren't big enough yet."

Mama had an idea, "Go get your knife, it's in with your food, in your kitchen."

"Yea!" Stomper ran off into his room and came back with the wooden knife he got from Grandma and Grandfather. 

Papa set his work down and took Stomper into his lap.

"This is how we sharpen your knife. Someday, " Papa told Stomper, "I will give you a knife of your own and show you how to sharpen it. For now we will practice."

~~~~

I feel so special to be loved by a man that not only loves me deeply, but loves our son just as fiercely.

Happy Valentines Day Honey

Week-ending

Just the two of us escaped to the base of Sugarloaf for

Knitting

Talking

Eating

Snuggling

Reading

Relaxing

Laughing

and

Togethering

No Distractions

No Duties

No To Do Lists

No Diapers

No Chores

No Working

Year of Projects: Encouraged

I looked over my pinterest board: Photo Finish 2013 and felt an immense sense of accomplishment. I think keeping a log of what I've knit will keep my motivated to keep moving forward.

I finished a hat for myself a couple of weeks ago and I've been wearing it all the time. It is warm and roomy enough for my hair when I have it up in a sloppy bun or ponytail.

I am working on a pair of socks for Stomper that I optimistically will finish him for Valentines Day. They are going to be huge on purpose. They are intended to wear as an extra layer in his boots and will fit him until he is four (I hope).

The kitty is in the time-out chair while I consider what to do. I am confident that I don't have enough yarn to make it the size I want to. Perhaps I will pick it up soon at a smaller scale.

I cast on for a project for myself, the second this year! My husband bought everything on my wish list at knitpicks and on it was one skein of Chroma. I have fretted since Christmas what to knit. I finally settled on Mira's Cowl and I cast on this Wednesday.

Valentines Count Down: Days 1-6

Mimi made Stomper a Valentines count down. I think she found all the ideas on pinterest. ..what did we ever do before pinterest?

Every day he opens a new small gift.

Day One: You are a Kool Kid. 

He opened three Kool-aid pouches and a juice box holder.

Day Two: We are nuts about you

He opened a small package of cashews

Day Three: You light up our life

He opened a small flashlight 

Day Four: We are lucky to have you as a Grandson

He opened a single serving bowl of Lucky Charms 

Day Five: You are a little nutty

He opened a peanutbutter cookies

Day Six: We are glad you Became part of our family

He opened a bee shaped plate, "poon", and "cork"