Cookie Forest Birthday Cake

I had a little trouble with the shape of my daughter's cake this year (read, I had to cut off the, um, crispy outer layer...). I was going to make a version of the Betty Crocker "Let's Party" Cake and the cupcakes turned out perfect. So, instead of a tower, I lined the cupcakes around the perimeter of the cake and added a tree cookie forest for height. Looks like I planned it this way, I think! The perfect December birthday cake!

Caps to Cap-Haitien

Finished and mailed today (thankfully, the deadline wasn't too strict).

Mama To Mama

The Caps to Cap-Haitien Project: A partnership with Konbit Sante

Thanksgiving Menu

We get to have two Thanksgivings this year - one that we are hosting at our home on Thanksgiving for our Chicago relatives and one on Saturday at my sister's home for the Wisconsin relatives. The gathering at our house will be rather small - 6 adults and 4 children. Of that group, only 6 eat meat (my children and I are vegetarians). I do, however, prepare turkey on Thanksgiving for omnivorous loved ones. This year I'm preparing a bone-in turkey breast, rather than a whole bird. Our Chicago relatives often travel here by train and don't like to take leftovers. There is only so much leftover turkey meat my husband can eat on his own, so this year I decided to cook what they'll actually eat! The family prefers a more traditional feast, so here's our menu:

Appetizers:
Relish tray with olives and pickles
Carrots and dip
Snack mix

Main Dish:
Roasted Turkey Breast
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Gravy
Biscuits
Savory Vegetable Stuffing
Baked Sweet Potatoes
Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries, Almonds and Goat Cheese

Dessert:
Best Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Cream Pie

Some of these recipes will be new to me, some are old standbys. I like Thanksgiving dinner to be uncomplicated and fun with food everyone will like. I usually make the pies 2 nights ahead of time and the cranberry sauce one night before. Also, the night before I scrub the vegetables that need it and chop onions, mushrooms and carrots. This year's salad is very simple - virtually no prep except for mixing the dressing and that can only be done at the last minute. I like to do a salad rather than a hot vegetable to cut down on the oven jostling that occurs just before mealtime - one last thing to heat!

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish or menu?

Works in Progress - Charity

Right now most of my crafting revolves around some charity projects I have going. Above is a scarf I'm knitting for the Special Olympics. The principal at my daughter's school wants to donate a bunch from the school, so I thought I'd knit one (or two, if I'm lucky!).

Also working on cutting fleece for blankets for Project Linus. This is a Girl Scout project. Myself and one of the other leaders are cutting the fleece and the girls will do the tying.

Finally, I hope, hope, hope to be able to complete a few hats for the Mama To Mama Caps to Cap Haitien Project. I haven't started this yet, but will be looking for some colorful shirts from the thrift shop tomorrow. By all accounts, the hats sew up fast so I look forward to contributing a few (though there's not much time left...!)

Pajama Pants for the Girl Scouts

This has been occupying too much of my time lately. My troop (of 4 girls!) are working on their Sew Simple badge and will be making Fast & Easy pajama pants. First, I needed to whip up a pair for my daughter just to make sure it really is fast and easy. Well, it probably would be fast and easy if you sewed the four simple pieces together the right way. But, if you sew them together upside down and then rip out the wrong seams, it's not so fast anymore. And, it doesn't feel so easy. And you decide that you need to stay up all night until you get it right. Only you're so tired and bleary-eyed that putting together Fast and Easy pajama pants seems like some sort of ancient brain teaser that only graduates of MIT could figure out. And then, you just get it and sew them together and wonder what your problem was. Oh, well, lesson learned. Now I know to pay extra attention when the girls are sewing their pieces together!