Random views from a weekend...

Ohhhh, look! The creative fairy dropped by this weekend...the place is a wreck, I've got lots of snowmen waiting for faces, and moons waiting for stars...penguins and kittens...and and all kinds of wondrous holiday things were accomplished...

Some updating with different ribbon for some ornaments for Etsy...
The polyfill needs picked up, and the fabric put away...for now though, The Little One has drifted off to sleep beside me, and, just like when she was a baby, I recall how...on those rare occassions when she slept as a baby... I would watch her sleep and think how utterly beautiful she was. And now, I am enchanted all over again...nothing has changed, other than how much more I love her than I did even then. There is nothing so precious as a baby, even when she is almost 18. I'm going to enjoy the magic for just a few minutes...

It's Friday...and time for an Artsy Blogger round up...

My group of blogging and crafting friends have been busy again, and they've shared some of the great ideas they've had or found online...I'm sharing them with you! The links are below, and on the side bar as well so they are easy to find later when this post has moved on down the line...

Enjoy!

Arts & Crafts Examiner
Designer Minoo Hersini shares her unique fall centerpieces, perfect for your Thanksgiving entertaining.

Gadabout Media DIY
Do you have a pair of blue jeans with a hole? Don't throw them out - it's easy to repair them!

Creative Dreamer
I'm sharing a post from August when I was experimenting with creating hand made books. I wanted to see if I could create a round one, and these are the result.

Hankering for yarn
This week, Noreen has made a video tutorial about how to work with the charming little vintage looms, 'The Magic Looms', that mysteriously always have a photo of a crocheted Granny square on the box. This is odd, because the looms couldn't possibly do that, but they DO create delightful squares. What were the manufacturers thinking? Ah well, the magic lives on.....

Mixed Media Artist
Cyndi has finished a second Garden Quilt and is offering her tutorial!

The Artful Crafter
Say �Happy Anniversary� to Totally-Creative and win a free 1-year subscription!

OMGosh.....a surprise for me!!!

OK, this has been one of those weeks. Nothing has gone terribly wrong, but nothing has gone terribly right either. You know the kind...just enough to push the boundaries of frustration.


Something is wrong with my car. I'm sure that is going to be fun to deal with. I've been trying to create a year end report at work (keep in mind the year officially ended in June), only to be thwarted at EVERY point (heaven help you if you suggest change...does anyone else ever get tired of hearing "But we've always done it that way"???????)...and something is wrong with my computer there, which doesn't make it any easier.

I am so not fond of these shorter days either. While those glorious sunrises like the photo up there are spectacular...It's not even 6pm and it's dark already. I neeeeed the light! I swear all this dark (and frustration) seems to sap the creativity. So, all in all, I've been in...not a grumpy mood, but not the usual "Mary-Sunshine" mood either. Picture Oscar the Grouch...without the trash can around my hips.

So, all the way home I am thinking about all this minutiae and, through the frustration, reminding myself that it is all a part of life...this is how we lean, it's how we find our grace. All the while, the little voice inside my head is going "pfffftttttttt...I'm sick of this crap, I want something to go easy for a change..." I grab the mail and drive on into the garage (old house, the garage is detached). As I walk to the back door, I see that the heavens have left me a beautiful gift. On my step is a perfect, beautiful, yellow leaf. Just sitting there, waiting for me to appreciate. There are no yellow maples anywhere on my street that I can see, so I'm pretty sure it is a gift from the heavens. And, it gets better....

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about being thankful. One very sweet reader, Magpie Sue, commented on the card that I used as the artwork on it. I tracked her down through her blog (really, I am not a stalker), dropped her an email asking if she'd share her address with me so I could send her the card. She was gracious enough to do just that, and I mailed the card off to her. I had even made a mental note to myself earlier today to check to see if she had received it. Well, sitting right there, between the bills and the grocery fliers, was a manila envelop. It was from her. With a sweet note in it...and this little birdie in it. Isn't it great?!?! It is definitely great. I'm so excited!! It's going to hang on my Christmas tree this year, and then, I am going to keep it where I can see it all the time.

What a sweet thing for you to do Sue! It's so much fun for me to leave surprises for unsuspecting strangers, but it isn't too often that I am on the receiving end. I certainly hope that the ones who find my Little Art projects feel about them as I do about this.


Thank you!

Ahhh...pumpkin...sweet pumpkin...

Who can resist a whoopie pie? (I giggle every time I say...or type...that...my mind is just that perverse.) I think they are fabulous. Who wouldn't love two yummy cakes sandwiched together with a sweet filling?

I'm not so much a fan of the chocolate ones as I am of those flavors that are not the "norm". When I am baking whoopie pies (giggles), it doesn't really matter what flavor of cake I am using, I rarely use the traditional marshmallow creme filling, I prefer the real red velvet cake frosting. And, for everyone that is not from around these parts...the traditional frosting is NOT cream cheese...but we'll discuss that more in a moment.

Now, let me say up front, I love made from scratch cakes. But, for all of you traditional-by-the-book-never-make-a-whoopie-pie-from-anything-but-scratch-types (and I know you are out there), this method is not for you. I've taken a couple of short cuts with the cakes that save me time, and I really think make a better textured cake. I also almost feel like I should insert an "eat at your own risk" warning here. These are yummy...that means they are full of fat and sugar and have tons and tons o'calories. That being said...venture forth at your own risk...and do not curse my name for the yumminess you cannot stop eating...

The traditional southern frosting for a red velvet cake (as I was taught to make it by my great-grandmother) begins with making a paste, much like you would if you were making a pate choux, with no butter melted into the paste. It is then allowed to cool completely. I cannot stress how important that is, you can trust me I am trying to lead you away from failure on this one with my own past learning experiences. Once cold, enormous amounts of fat and sugar are whipped into it until a fluffy and irresistible frosting/filling is created. (Remember, I am NOT to blame when you cannot stop eating this, you were warned...) Into a small sauce pan dump about half a cup of all purpose flour and stir in just enough milk to make a very thick paste. Mix this until it is smooth...if you leave lumps, you'll have an icky lumpy filling later, and none of us want that. Once you have a thick, lump free paste made, stir in enough milk to end up with about a cup of milk in the mix. Notice in this recipe, or any recipe I give, you will see the term "about" an awful lot. I was taught to bake by women who never measured anything...so it's not my fault. Just wait until we get into smidgens, pinches, tads and bits...in future recipes.

Once you get your lump free milk and flour mixture made, put it on a medium heat and stir, stir, stir. This stuff will scorch, and when the mixture begins to thicken, it will happen very quickly. First you will see what looks like a little curdling..the next thing you know, the entire pot is one big thick lump..."seized up" as my Nona termed it.






When it begins to thicken and there is little of the "wet" left in the pan take it off of the heat and really beat/whisk it well, you really want to be sure that there are NO lumps in it at this stage remember, we want fluffy, not lumpy.



While it is a steaming, hot, smooth mass of paste, put it in a bowl, and cover it with plastic wrap. Put the wrap completely on the mixture, not on the top of the bowl, we are trying to prevent a "skin" from forming on it (that would lead to lumps later, and we've gone over that already). Stick it in the fridge and don't think about it again until the cakes are finished and you're standing there, after the cakes are baked, wondering, "what the heck did I do with that filling?" We want it to be a completely cold, congealed mass of stuff before we go on with the next steps. And, while you are in the fridge, grab a stick of butter and sit it on the counter, you'll need it later...something to do with the fat and sugar being whipped into it.

The cakes are simple. One cake mix, I always use Duncan Hines, follow the directions on the back of the box using ONLY 3/4 cup of water. You get a dough that is thick enough to hold a shape when scooped onto the pan for baking, but soft enough to make a yummy cake. For pumpkin cakes, I use a spice cake mix, decrease the oil to about 2 tablespoons since the pumpkin will add moisture, and add one 15 ounce can of pumpkin.And, since I like all those warm spices, I add about another teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to the mix. Beat it all with your mixer until it is wonderful and smooth.

I'm makin' mini whoopie pies, so I use a cookie scoop for the batter. Use a consistent measure with whatever you use to drop the batter, you need evenly formed cakes since they are going to be sandwiched to make a cookie. Grease your cookie sheet, and drop them about an inch or two apart. I've never found a whole lot of spreading with these, just a nice even, almost muffin top effect. Bake them at 350 degrees for about five minutes (if you make bigger cookies, add more time). They should be firm and spring back when lightly touched on the tops.

Once the cookies are baked, allow them to cool completely while we get back to finishing the filling. The base should be completely cold now having been in your fridge..this part of making the filling is not for the faint of heart or the impatient..this is going to take a bit of whipping as the filling is made fluffy. Stand mixers are wonderful for this, if you don't have one, hand mixers work just fine, you just may get bored while you whip.

You will need that stick of butter that you set out earlier, and about half a cup of shortening. The shortening is important in this, don't leave it out and try with only butter, for some reason you'll end up with a runny mess. Beat the paste with the room temp butter and half a cup of shortening. Beat this until it is very, very, very well incorporated. The base will be smooth, and a pretty pale ivory color. Once the fats are in there, you slowly stream in granulated sugar. Don't add confectioners (powdered), or, again you will get the runny mess...I really do speak from experience there. I usually put in between 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups total. This really is to taste, make it as sweet as you prefer. At this point, you have to whip and whip and whip. The sugar will dissolve and you will find that you have a fluffy filling. It is totally dangerous because it is so light and fluffy you will never believe how much fat and sugar you have added...again, I am absolved or responsibilities for those calories, that warning was given waaayy back there at the beginning.

I use a very generous spoonful, ok, overly generous spoonful, of the filling to sandwich two of the cookies together. The pumpkin makes these cookies very moist, so I layer them with waxed paper between. Store loosely covered, and enjoy every bite, they are a wonderful, messy, yummy treat!

Random views from a weekend...

It's the middle of November here...and the day has been so gorgeous I had all of the windows open...











It's so pretty I gave the dog a bath...












And thoroughly enjoyed the BLUE sky...









And the Christmas cactus...the one that bloomed for Halloween...











Life is good in my little town...