Three Simple Pleasures: Cookie Cutters, Frosted Sugar Cookies, Joy's Cookies

1. I started reminiscing tonight when I got out my cookie cutters. I have been collecting cookie cutters for over twenty-five years and each of them remind me of times I used them and people who gifted me with many in the collection. Some are traditional metal cutters, some copper which reminds me of my Mom and her copper collection, and others are newer, plastic ones. When I was young and collected Troll dolls I received a Troll cookie cutter once as a gift. It was the first in the collection.   I am thinking it must be at my mom's house still. I better check on that when I return home early next week!

2. These cutters work well when I make frosted sugar cookies. For many years I have worked to perfect a cookie and frosting recipe for Frosted Sugar Cookies. It is now a tradition that I gift co-workers and friends with the cookies each year. I really love baking, frosting, and decorating them. I have some ready to share with co-workers tomorrow.

3. I made another batch of Joy's Cookies tonight for a meeting tomorrow. On my last day at school while our students are having an activity morning our National Board group is spending the morning with our mentor from Gonzaga in my classroom continuing to move forward toward the completion of our portfolios. Who can have a meeting the day before winter break without goodies?  SueDean is bringing a hot cider drink, I have pumpkin muffins and Joy's cookies, and others are contributing also. I think it will be excellent brain food as we work through the morning and will also ease us all into winter break nicely!

Three Simple Pleasures: Holly, Careful Drivers, The Lightbulb Coming On

1.I am happy I grow holly. Usually I almost forget about it because it gets covered with snow. This year I was able to catch some images of the festive plant before the snow began to fall.

2.I travel up and down Lake Roosevelt every day and the road can be a challenge to drive. Sometimes it is icy, sometimes slushy, or  not plowed after a new snow. Most of the drivers I encounter are seasoned winter drivers that are careful and safe. If you want to drive slow they don't tailgate you or try to pass you, blinding you with a pile of snow. Tonight about five deer ambled across the icy road in front of a truck a few cars ahead of me. One very young deer was sliding all the way. Everyone was going a reasonable speed and could slow down and not have injured animals or fender benders in the process. What a blessing.

3. I love it when you can almost literally see the lightbulb coming on above a student's head when they figure something out. AR was thinking aloud today ( in a whisper voice) during his test on "A Christmas Carol." All of a sudden he discovered the symbolism of the Ghost of Christmas Future.

Three Simple Pleasures: Snow Falling in Evening, Snow Dogs, Science with Young Learners

1. This evening the snow really began to fall after I returned home safely from school. The view from the front door illuminated by the porch light was beautiful.

2. Our dogs love the snow. They run out and roll in the snow, cover themselves with snowflakes, then want back in to lay in front of the fire to warm up again. They are funny critters!

3. Today I spent an hour helping the first grade teacher do a science lesson. I often forget how young students learn simple scientific concepts. Today with bags of solid objects first graders explored properties and learned about objects that are flexible, rigid, transparent, and opaque. They were very excited learners! Next they move on to liquids!

Three Simple Pleasures: It's Looking Like Christmas, the Sounds of the Season, the Talents of JEJ

1. I always try to take the time to sit and appreciate the Christmas decor in my house. Many decorations remind me of special memories and special people.

2. I really love Christmas music. It is really hard for me to pick songs and CDs that are my favorites. Today I loved listening to " Charlie Brown's Christmas" while doing baking. I also really like the Carpenters " Christmas Portrait." It is playing now.

3. I found these Christmas cards that you can place your own photos in an insert on the front. I found some of my favorite nature shots and had them printed. The trick was getting them inside the cards. JEJ patiently sat this afternoon and figured them out for me.

For Tracy: William and Kit Waiting to be Filmed

My friend Tracy got our two cats Kit and William to do amazing things when she followed them around with the camera when she was here to visit. I think they want her to come back and were practicing with the following sequence. They were both in the garden room and Kit was hiding from William! First, as you can see above, Kit was resting under the Christmas tree.

 William joined us, looking for a sign of Kit around the chair.

Kit was hiding between the chairs, ready to tease William.

William couldn't quite figure out where Kit was.

Kit was playing a hide and seek game then.

Finally William wised up, but lost interest because he thought it was feeding time. Also, he wanted to save his best shots for when Tracy returns.

Three Simple Pleasures: Classroom Video, Popcorn Bars, Background Noise and a Keeper from the Recipe Box

1. Part of the requirement for earning my National Board Certification is to have two videotapes of my teaching  submitted in my portfolio. Thursday my friend SueDean did an excellent job taping a whole group discussion on The Outsiders with my eighth grade students. The students responded well in the discussion and no big catastrophes happened.

2. Last Sunday Rella brought Popcorn Bars to church for coffee hour. Everyone went nuts over them. I was so pleased when she sent out the recipe this week. It is actually Popcorn Cake that I guess has been around for a long time, but she made them into bars.  With the combination I used today they look very yummy and were the easiest thing to make. See recipe below.

3. It was a busy day as I did holiday baking, but it was made more enjoyable with nonstop Christmas music most of the day on the television, then having the Zags basketball game come on at the end of my baking day. They won also!

Popcorn Bars

Make 4 quarts of popcorn. I made two bags of microwave popcorn.

Heat until melted. Cool 1 minute.
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb. bag of marshmallows

Combine the popcorn and the melted marshmallow mixture.
Add two cups trail mix. ( I sent JEJ to the store and he brought back a great trail mix of almonds, dried fruit, chocolate stars. and other nuts)
You can add what you want. I had a small amount of dried cherries and threw them in. I put peanuts on the top.

Mix all together and press into greased 9x13 pan. Let stand one hour and remove carefully. This can also be pressed into a bundt or angel food cake pan.  Enjoy!