Thankful Thursday

Over at Simplicity in the Suburbs, my friend Samara has suggested a blog post of 5 things I'm thankful for right now this week and publish a list here on this personal blog. Well, here goes: 1. I am truly thankful for my job at the library. We've just wrapped up our 6 week storytime session and I have been delighted to make many new little two year old friends! (And their parents/care-givers.) I always say I have the "best seat in the house" as I sit on my chair and read stories, show flannelboard pieces while telling a story, sing songs and dance weekly with a crowd who knows how to spin, clap, bounce and tap like no other. 2. I am thankful for hope and anticipation. We're all watching with wonder how A's belly is expanding with an active inhabitant! I love her already. 3. I am thankful for electronic devices that let me keep in touch near and far with the people I love. This week I have "connected" with ones in NYC, Maine, Texas, Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, and Illinois. 4. I am thankful for our new possibilities of excitement and adventure as part-time city dwellers. Can I mention here that being a "neighbor" of my sister after all these years of living at least an hour away from each other is a lovely side benefit? 5. I am thankful for the season of autumn. Not only do we get an eyefull of colors, but we get a daily surprise of weather temperatures, treats of apple pie and cider, pumpkins inside and outside of the house, and the ability to burn candles earlier in the evening for that magical glow of coziness. The list could go on and on. So many reasons and blessings I could just about bust open at times. And, psssst - pass it on!

Two Requested Fika Recipes

Cut-out cookies and Chocolate Balls really flew off the platters at our recent Halloween Fika. Hence the recipes are making a requested appearance here on this blog. Both recipes are certainly appropriate for serving at NON Halloween gatherings as well!

CUT-OUT COOKIES (From the Naperville Covenant Church little cookies and bars cookbook recipe by Gail B.)

2 sticks soft butter

2 1/2 c. flour

1 c. confectioners sugar

1 T. milk

1 t. vanilla

Directions: Cream butter. Add flour and sugar alternately. Add milk. Add vanilla. Mix well.

Roll out dough in batches about the size of your fist clenched. Use cookie cutters to make shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet and bake 9 - 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Decorate with your choice of frosting. This is a no-fail recipe with ingredients you most likely have on hand already. Yum! Anne requests these every year!!

CHOCOLATE BALLS (Translated by Anne from a Swedish cookbook! IKEA has good measuring cups for the metric system)

100 gr. butter (room temperature)

150 ml granulated sugar

1 msk (or 1 T.) vanilla sugar (conf. sugar is a decent substitute)

3 msk (or 3 T.) cocoa powder

500 ml oats

2-3 msk (2-3 T. water)

DIRECTIONS: Combine first the butter and sugar. Add all the other ingredients. Form into balls. Coat with topping of (pick one) pearl sugar (shown in the picture above), flaked coconut

or granulated sugar. Refrigerate - no baking.

As you'll probably notice, there's a whole lot of butter in these recipes. Like Julia Child said,

"There's nothing like butter!" Of course, moderation is always the way to go....right?

A Peek-a of Our Halloween Fika

What, you might ask, is a Fika? (pronunciation: fee-kah) It's simply a time to get together to share coffee and a snack - usually a sweet one - in the tradition of the Swedish who know how to take a break!

When Halloween fell on a Saturday this year, we decided to go all out and host a fika in our city nest. The guest list included our kids, of course, and those we've been wanting to come over for visit...those who've recently graduated from NPU especially. Costumes were optional, but a bin of vintage thrift store clothing was provided to "inspire" a festive fashion...in fact the outfits Wes and I wore were from thrift stores, too. (Thanks to Earleen for the dress and Barb J. for the accessories!)

Take a look at some of the fashionistas/ fashionistos:

Our Lovebirds arrived in Western Wear.

Check out Rod Blagojevich on the left!

And here's the WHO YOU GONNA CALL? guy.

Check out the "Jersey Boys." (Get it? Jerseys.)

Costumes. Cider. Coffee. Cookies. Muffins. Chocolate. Candy. Two games. Lotsa laughs.

H A P P Y H A L O W E E N !

The Other Annual Must-Do Walk

Earlier this fall we did our (partial) walk around the lake Up North. We also have started a local walk in the fall: the walk around the paths at Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve. Luckily, the weather dried up a bit this weekend, so we could make our trek - only one spot was flooded and impassable. (This is the place where I found that very very odd leaf last fall, Pam S. and you tried to identify it and we came up with it being a mutant!)

The peacefulness of this place is much needed these days as we scurry here and there. Please consider taking a fall walk wherever you live and making it an annual tradition, too. And, now for the walk with no further narration...

"Baby Jack" (Copycat Challenge #1)

Like Julie (the Julie in the book and movie Julie & Julia), I am blogging my way through a book as mentioned in an earlier post. The book: Blanket Statement - one thrifted wool blanket repurposed into 40+ projects by Vicki Haninger.

Project #1 on pages 26 and 27 is complete! My blanket is green, and baby pumpkins are green, so I decided to make a little toothy baby Jack-o-Lantern. This little pumpkin, however, has a little secret...he's got a little pocket for slipping a baby tooth into for the Tooth Fairy to "collect."

Two quarters are placed inside the tooth - remember when Tooth Fairies left those? Probably a one dollar bill could be folded to fit in there. Or whatever the going rate for baby teeth is these days.

I used the pattern for the 4 inch pumpkin. The wool felt pieces are appliqued with a blanket stitch. The leaf is also made from felt and lightly stuffed with fiberfill. The pumpkin tendrils are made from jute that was coated with Tacky Glue and wound around a knitting needle to set.

Now, if only I knew someone who had a loose tooth or two...

Prom Season

We have once again had a lovely time at what some call The Swedish Prom. (In other words, the annual Swedish Covenant Hospital Benefit Dinner.) This year we were again the guests of Diann and Larry at the gala held at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago.

How I love seeing women in their dress attire - be it pantsuits with sparkling jackets or skimpy "little black dresses" and men in their tuxedo suits.

I love the floral arrangements on the tables.

I love the printed keepsake menus on vellum paper and finding out that the soup served will be Sweet Potato and Red Pepper Soup.

I love seeing a former favorite news broadcaster as Master of Ceremonies (Bill Kurtis).

And I love, love, love the desserts.

But what I love most about this prom night is spending time with family and friends AND DANCING!!!!

We're certainly no Dancing With the Stars stars, but we certainly know how to have fun! Thanks, D and L for another wonderful evening together!

The (Kind-of) Copycat Challenge

Be a Blogger :: check!

• Read a Book about an Area of Interest:: check!
• Find Inspiration and Do Something about It:: check!

Seeing the movie Julie & Julia twice recently inspired me to find a little challenge of my own. Yes, I want to be a bit of a copycat and experiment and blog about the results within a fixed time limit. Just like Julie.

It would be highly unlikely that I would find a cookbook and create all the recipes as I am not a "foodie" or even wish to become one. So what to do? The solution nearly fell right into my lap. As I sat at my computer, Amazon "suggested" I buy a certain book based upon some of my past purchases. It had all the elements going for it - "repurposing," sewing, creating little treasures that a certain little dear one might like (eventually), and using what I have on hand and have been saving for special projects.

The Author: Vicki Haniger

The Book: Blanket Statement

The premise is that one woolen blanket can be used to create 40 - count 'em - forty projects ranging from baby slippers to pincushions, Christmas ornaments and the cutest little stuffed elephant ever complete with a party outfit and crown!

And I already have the woolen blanket on hand and ready to go! It is rescued from the packing blanket pile and is a lovely shade of soft green.

Here are just a few of the projects...I can't wait to get going on this challenge and post my results here under the title of Copycat Challenge! There will certainly be tweaking on my part to make these forty projects have a stamp of individuality. And like Julie, I want to have these 40 creations done within one year's time. Ready, set....sew!