Book Club 2023

 

 

When I moved to Park Ridge in 2018, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that there was a book club in our community.  The Uptown Girls Book Club has brought me new friends, interesting book titles and lively discussions every month.  It has become a tradition that I create cookies related to my book choices when it is my turn to host.

For my January book club meeting, I selected a book because I loved the story. . .or was it because of all the options for cookie designs?  I imagined creating pretty pink roses, blue puzzle pieces and so many more.  However, a broken wrist prohibited me from baking.

Although, we have a large membership in our club and I didn't need to host another meeting for at least 18 months, I decided to partner with a friend and host the Christmas party this year.  We chose a snowflake theme and I boxed cookies for party favors with a simple bow and a tag that said:

Books are like snowflakes, no two are the same.

Christmas is Here

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year, and after social distancing in 2020, our extended family was looking forward to our celebration. Since some of the "kids" in the family now live out of state, the crowd was not expected to be as large as usual.  However, due to the Omicron variant of the Corona virus, by Christmas day the crowd had dwindled from 27 to 6!

Matt and I were grateful to be able to attend and the food was packed and delivered to other family members.  I guess "meals on wheels" was a step in the right direction from last year and we are grateful that the vaccine has kept symptoms mild for those who were afflicted with the virus.  Hopefully, next year we can return to a full family gathering.

Cookie designs this year,  included:

Plain  .  .  .

Fancy .  .  .

Traditional  .  .  .

One cutter, four looks. . . 

a new Santa .  .  .

and angels in remembrance of family members, Kathy and Diana,  who left us this year.

         Merry Christmas one and all.

Lasting Memories

Our Christmas celebration is a large, informal, multi-generation celebration.  Since this year will be the first Christmas without my Mom and Dad (beloved Grandma and Papa O), I knew that I wanted to honor their memory.  As a result the cookie platter this year will be a departure from the traditional Christmas designs.

For the past five years, star cookies have become a significant part of my cookie world as I have shared simple cookies with this message for people who have lost a loved one:

Perhaps they are not stars in the sky

but rather openings in the heavens

where loved ones look down

to let us know they are happy.

I knew that I wanted to include stars in my cookie designs and that thought eventually evolved into a winter scene to reflect the many fun times that our extended family has shared in the north woods. 

 -our childhood family vacations were spent in the north woods of Wisconsin

-our parents chose to retire in the north woods

-my sister, Rita, and her husband built a home right next to Mom and Dad

and earlier this year,

-my sister, Carol, and her husband purchased Mom and Dad's home

Stars to represent the colorful sunsets .  .  .

Simple circles to represent the frozen lake that is perfect for snowmobiling.  .  .

Birch trees with Dad's beloved birds.  .  .

Pretty pine trees. . .

Bill's Tree Farm.  .  .

                                      
Rita and Bill's house.  .  .

The cottage that my nephew, Kevin, is renovating.  .  .

Mom and Dad's home, Never Would, because Mom always said she "never would" live there full time.  Now Carol and Marty's home, "Never Would 2."

It looks like family members will be making memories in the north woods for many 
more years.  .  .

 . . .and Mom and Dad would be very happy.

Forever in our hearts and in the stars.

Family Christmas Collection, 2012

The gifts are wrapped, cards are sent, baking is finished, groceries are purchased, my Mother and Father arrive from out of town today, Christmas is finally here.  Christmas Eve at our house is low key.  I will prepare food for Christmas dinner, attend mass and have dinner out with my husband, Mom and Dad.

Christmas Day is quite the opposite.  We will have 30 guests ranging in age from 85 to 2.  Oh what fun it is. . .

The cookies are ready.  I had big plans this year including 3d cookies and some new and unusual designs, but I ran out of time.  The family is happy with whatever I do so I stuck to some tried and true designs with just a few new ideas.

 I added a few new Snowmen to the family favorite.

 Every year the family collection includes Santa and reindeer in unusual shapes.  This year I decided to add Mrs. Santa because we all know the Mrs. Santas in every family deserve far more credit at this time of year.  Her lips look like perhaps she received Botox as a gift, you go girl!

 My traditional way of decorating snowflakes are the ones in the upper left and lower right corners, but I tried some new designs this year that were inspired by Good Housekeeping magazine.

 Traditional designs and lots of minis.

In light of recent events, I'm sure most of us are finding it easy to count our blessing this year.  For me it is extremely easy.   At this time last year:

•  My great-niece Kaley (17) was unable to talk and every muscle and bone ached.  Doctors were baffled.  Finally, she was diagnosed with Lyme's disease and today she is healthy and looking forward to graduation from high school.
• Kaley's sister, Kendall (15), was diagnosed with a tumor on her pituitary gland.  Today she is healthy.
• Kaley and Kendall's first cousin, Logan (15), was diagnosed with Hodkins Lymphoma.  After 6 months of chemo, he has had two PET scans that show no signs of cancer.

Prayers of thanks for good health, a loving family and a circle of wonderful, caring friends. . .


A few of the Great nieces and nephews posed for a photo before eating their cookies.

Merry Christmas to all!

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

I am a traditionalist when it comes to the holidays.  In my ideal world, all pumpkins, turkeys and scarecrows would disappear before I saw a Christmas tree or snowman.  However, I am trying to adjust to this era of Black Friday shopping, Thanksgiving and Christmas blending and the reality that by the time we celebrate the "twelfth day of Christmas", Valentines will be everywhere.  Cards are written, many gifts are wrapped, and I will decorate the house this week.  I've got the Christmas music playing as I begin to bake the  holiday cookies.

A friend asked for some snowmen and snowflakes attached to an enveloped of instant hot cocoa.  I added some curly ribbon and a little jingle bell to the package.

Although I usually decorate cookies with a smooth surface, I am trying to add some dimension as I did in the mini snowmen.  Alas, I continue to be plagued by the dreaded craters in my frosting.  In this case, they were easily hidden with some sanding sugar that actually enhanced their appearance.  Too bad, this little trick will not work every time the nasty craters appear in my designs.