Celebrating with Friends from Rwanda

Nothing can be better than to experience a country with the people who live there.  I had the good fortune to have local residents generously share their homes and escort me throughout their beautiful country.  Now I have the opportunity to welcome them to Chicago and celebrate the 4th of July with them.    

 Animal cookies for the incredible wildlife I experienced on my journey. . .

. . .and a patriotic collection to celebrate the 250th birthday of our nation. 

 

 

Book Club Cookies

How the world has changed due to the pandemic since I last hosted a Book Club meeting.  We are a large group, so indoor meetings have not been possible and dinner parties are no longer part of the fun, but at least it's warm enough to move away from Zoom to resume outdoor gatherings.

My book selection was, The Girls of Atomic City, by Denise Kiernan so I thought a treat bag of patriotic cookies would be appropriate for a "grab and go" treat.

A White Christmas Doesn't Have to Mean Snow

Sand and Surf or Ice and Snow .  .  . 

Which White Christmas do you prefer?

In 2012, beach cookies became a trend.  All shapes and sizes, they were everywhere, but I think I originated the "Merry Beachmas" design.  It is my favorite cookie, the most popular entry on my blog, and the inspiration for the cookies that I will share at our family gathering this year.

For the family members who prefer snow, I made traditional winter designs.

Finally, a tribute to our loved ones who are forever in our hearts and in the stars . . .

For a Special Friend

Today is Kathy's birthday, however, it is another milestone birthday that I will celebrate without a loved one.  2015 has been filled with illness, injury and loss. . . and in my cookie world that means I turn to stars.  Simple stars, combined with the following verse,  help me to find a bit of comfort:

Perhaps they are not
stars in the sky
but rather openings
where our loved ones
shine down 

to let us know
they are happy.
                                 -an Eskimo proverb

Kathy LOVED my cookies.  She asked me to make them for her daughter's wedding shower, her son's 30th birthday, gifts for friends .  .  . but sometimes I liked to surprise her with cookies "just because" it was fun to celebrate our friendship.

I made Halloween cookies for her when she introduced me to the online game, Words with Friends .  .  .

 

.  .  .  and this collection was for her birthday when we decided to conquer our fears and sign up for a swim class for adults.  It is still one of my favorite collections.

Kathy's children recently invited a few of Kathy's close friends to a dinner to celebrate her life, so once again I bagged and tagged star cookies in her honor.  Hopefully, this special tribute provided a bit of comfort to her loved ones.

Happy Birthday to my dear friend, 

you will always be in my heart and in the stars. 

Celebrating a Life Well Lived

Dad would have been 88 today, but we had to say good-bye to him a few weeks ago.   I was lucky to have this gentle, caring, hard working man as my Dad.  His was a life well-lived.

From pro baseball to family man . . .  smiling at his surprise 80th birthday party . . .  wearing his Cub hat in the hospital . . .  Dad was surrounded by children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends until the very end.

Since Mom has vision loss, Dad always wore a Cub hat with a white front, so she could see him when they were out shopping.

Over the past several years, star cookies have become a special bond between my "Sugar Sister," Donna, and me.  This time I was on the receiving end of the stars, with a special Cub hat included in the collection.

Diane,
Both of us would like to go back to baby shower onesies

 and cute little animal cookies. 

 Instead, we are gazing at stars . . .

Perhaps they are not stars in the sky,
but rather openings where our loved ones
shine down to let us know they are happy.

May you find peace as you look upward,
 knowing that your father is waiting at the gate wearing his white Cubs hat, 
so all of you can find him!
My prayers embrace you and all your family.
--Donna

 

Thanks, Dad, for teaching me the meaning of unconditional love.

You will always be in my heart, and in the stars shining down on me.

Back To School Minis

Back to school minis for the children in the family.  I used plastic containers for mailing and glass for the ones that could be hand delivered.  Thanks to The Decorated Cookie, for the printable tags.

Have a Great School Year!

Kyle, Meg and Maddie sent this photo via FB when their cookies arrived in the mail. 

Sometimes Simple Says It Best

Donna, my friend and former co-worker, started decorating sugar cookies in 2009 and became my first "cookie friend."  She staged great photos of her cookies and introduced me to the networking of cookie decorators via FLICKR and Facebook. Recently, Donna has been on a sabbatical from the cookie world.  She is enjoying golf more and time in the kitchen less.  I suspect as the weather grows colder she will return to baking for her family and friends, but until then I'm sending some cookies to my "cookie friend." 

During the last year simple star cookies took on a special meaning for us, but sometimes simple says it best.  So, simple but SPECIAL stars and hearts for a very special friend.


http://mycookiefriend.blogspot.com/2012/09/special-stars-for-special-friend.html

http://carrollscookies.blogspot.com/2012/12/star-light-star-bright.html

Special Stars for a Special Friend

Cookies for a very special friend with a card. . . "Perhaps they are not really stars in the sky . . . Perhaps they're openings in the heavens where our loved ones shine down to let us know they are happy."  I wish I could be there with her right now to give her love and support in person.  However,  since distance makes it difficult, I'm depending on phone, email and the US mail to deliver some cookies baked with love!