Cookies in the Spirit of a Busy Advent Season

The only Chistmas Cookies I found time to bake were from a mix, and no shame here--they were quite good. Here's the recipe:

1 box Duncan Hines Red Velvet cake mix
6 T butter
1 c powdered sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 lg eggs
1 tsp lemon zest (this could be omitted)
Note: These cookies could use 1/2 c of sugar.

Oven 375 degrees. Melt butter, set aside. Whisk together powdered sugar and cornstarch in separate bowl.

Mix cake mix, cooled butter, eggs, (and lemon zest if you will) by hand. Dough is stiff. At this point I refrigerated the dough.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and roll liberally in powdered sugar. Place on ungreased baking sheets 2 inches apart and bake for 9-11 minutes.

Store cookies in layers with waxed paper in between, and a breadcrust to keep them moist.

SUMMER'S LAST BREATH

It will be 90 degrees again or I'll eat my laptop. And then it will snow here...but until then I'm remembering a shot I made with my phone when I was rushing off to an open house. Of all the summer pictures, this one says it all.

How I Spent My Summer...

Everything's Better With Cheese

Spicy Garden Burger

It was a busy summer with no time to "put up" any of the garden's bounty, excepting a few peaches. While reflecting on this and grilling burgers, I spied a potted  jalapeno plant that my daughter Vanessa grew. Idea: slice a few peppers, press into the meat, and grill. Presto!

(Tip: be sure to slice thinly and press deeply.)

Maximum Joy for a Minimum Investment




Big Max is currently 40 inches in circumference
 

Around these parts I like to use something called the "Work to Fun" ratio as a yardstick for spending our family's precious free time. Let me give a random example.

A man buys a boat for several thousand dollars, and then spends several hundred more for insurance and licensing. The boat needs some work before it can be "enjoyed," and it is located four hours away. The man's wife (who uses a bathroom that hasn't been remodeled since 1938) works on weekends selling real estate and cannot get away often. She has begun receiving bills for the boat's storage, however.
 
The maiden voyage of this craft on a 108 degree day resulted in a lost ski tube, whining offspring, and a van which ran out of gas on the launch ramp. The Work on a scale of 1-10 was a 10, and the resultant Fun was a 2. You do the math: 10/2=5. Anytime that ratio exceeds 1, it's not worth it for me. For the sake of balance, the man claims he did all the work and that the ratio is a subjective measure. Point taken.

Back to Big Max. After throwing several seeds in a raised bed during June, there is now a pumpkin the size of a VW in my yard. Note the weeds--I've been busy. This is Missouri, and the drought continues. We can only wonder how big Max would be if it had rained! Big Max Pumpkins have a Work to Fun ratio of just 10% and are highly recommended.

Improve Your Perspective: Stand Back

 

There it is, my almost-dream house on a hill, four years into the five year plan that will never meet schedule. Right now the three season porch is in a state between dismantling and rebuilding. The bathroom I use every morning hasn't changed since 1938. One person, my husband, is the sole architect and renovator for all improvements. Since he is the proprietor of a wood flooring company, you can imagine how much time is left for leisurely refurbishments.

I used to keep the "before" photographs running as a slide show on my PC, the daily reminder of how far we've come. In a whole house rehab, most of your money is spent in the kitchen. Thank heaven that's (for the most part) finished. There are four bathrooms, not counting a crude toilet area in the basement originally used by the help. I'm thinking about $4-5,000 each for materials plus lots of inconvenience and bad words uttered rounding out the process.

As a real estate licensee, I view  a lot of properties and have the chance to see beautiful renovation work in many great St. Louis neighborhoods. Sometimes the budget gets hit with necessary expenditures that aren't exactly House Beautiful features. Fixing the roof before it leaks. The unglamourous and expensive driveway replacement...when you want a pool, and an outdoor kitchen, and a carriage house. (Note use of the conjunction 'and,' instead of 'or.')

One reminder that provides perspective for me is a photograph of my cousin Angie Byler, RN with husband Mark Byler, MD and their son Luke. The three have spent several years in Zimbabwe doing medical missionary work. Patients with TB, malaria, and AIDS are brought by donkey or wheelbarrow to Sanyati Baptist Hospital where blackouts and supply shortages are routine. When I begin to obsess over cabinet knob finishes or the color of tulips, I look at the picture and remember that I am not the one facing real dilemmas in this world.

Someday this house will be a showplace, but not tomorrow and not next year.  Perspective adjustments have become necessary due to my occasionally painful sense of realism. I can handle the truth, even the black and white bathroom. Just stand back and keep it in perspective.