"I'm crafty in the sense that I'm duplicitous and evil" JW

Blue mama knows me well and knew I would be thrilled with this Joss Whedon (buffy creator and much more)interview on Crochet me
I lalalalalaove him and I had heard tell of him dropping pearls of wisdom about the age old rivalry between crocheters and knitters.. but this article was more thrilling than I can even say.
Here are some of my favorite quotes.

"It's an age-old war. Like the werewolves and the vampires. I think Underworld was actually originally about crocheters and knitters but they thought it would be too controversial so they changed it to vampires and werewolves."

"And it fills me with tiny knitted joy."

"Obviously decoupaging is too racy for Fox. So, I mean, they couldn't allow that".

"You have to remember that if the thing isn't slightly out of control, it ain't art. Or [muffled] craft."

"It's when the thing starts talking back to you. When you come up with something that is a little bit more than just a good reproduction of what was in the book, and somehow reflects you in a way that you didn't understand yourself: that's art."

"These crafts, they represent pockets of interaction that an underclass has always used to gather and to strengthen each other"

Thanks to Kim Werker for getting this interview it was fantabulous!!

happy birthday from me: new shirt and arm warmers

~"I am the happiest girl in the whole USA"~move over Donna Fargo, because I am going to Jason Boland and the Stragglers on Saturday night. My gal in Houston loves me so much that she is taking me !!!That along with my wondrous family and friends definitely makes me one of the happiest gals in Texas (that is bigger than the USA anyway isn't it?) It will be my first visit to Gruene Hall and I made myself a new shirt to wear with my new boots and wranglers. I made it a cap sleeve ~then I made some red sweater knit arm warmers(my first non recycled leg wear pair) to wear with. Maybe I will have better pictures later. I think I love them all! I received this super fabulous cow~gal necklace,just in time for the big nite out, from my sweet Fraulein, BlueMama .


lalalalalalove it!!!Thanks again cowboy lady

Another good reason I love country music

~About once a month(girls you know the week) I turn my lil' ipod to Alan and play"drive" as loud as Daddy's Chrysler speakers will let me. I sing it loud and I cry; lord I really cry.
I know it is cheeserific, but hey It is true.



~Today I turned on Alan, after leaving Burger's 2 year check up, where the doctor I know and trust said 'yes your 2 year old really does need a root canal (or 4)' And I turned on the tears just a little harder cause, It is just not fair . I miss that man so much. I want to call him and be reassured that everything will work out fine, and told what a good mama I really am. (right after he scolds me for nursing a near grown boy going on 2 years) . I am really pissed cause I never got to say goodbye properly(if there is such a thing) and my daddy never got to be Burger's living Pawpaw. Jack never got to meet lil' Jack

~I loved that old ornery bastard, and it hurts like hell that he is gone.
And every month Alan lets me remember through some words that sound alot like something my daddy would have said about his daddy and felt about me. Thanks Mr. Alan Jackson and thank the Lord for Country Music.

A Chocolate Christmas cookie substitute, black bean truffles

I know it sounds crazy but we need a substitute for chocolate around here.
I saw this super cool looking book ,
The toddler cafe while window shopping at one of our favorite 'round the corner toy haunts.
Well I came home and could not stop thinking about this sweet black bean treat,Toddler Truffles she called them. she said they were like Chinese red bean paste(I love anything with sweet red bean paste filling)
So I started trying to find them online and turns out she has a Blog by the same name
The toddler Cafe....duh of course she has a blog. It is a beauty of a blog but I found the recipe on another blog(gourmet mom on the go) where I lifted these photos of the truffles
These look like a fun summer treat but in the book she had a photo of the little truffles dusted with powder sugar That to me seemed like a perfect Christmas cookie for my little non-chocolate eatin' burger. Here is the recipe from The toddler cafe ...hopefully there will be photos of my
success to follow.

Toddler Truffles from The Toddler Cafe
Makes about 24 balls

Ingredients:

One 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 stick (2 ounces) butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 c. cocoa powder
Pinch of kosher salt
2 eggs
sprinkles or powdered sugar, for dusting
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Spray or butter an 8 by 8-inch pan; set aside.
In a large, deep bowl, combine the beans, sugars, nuts, butter, baking powder, and salt. Using a stick blender or food processor, start to work the ingredients around. When they are fully blended, add the eggs and blend to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until firm and the edges get slightly crisp. Cool and cut into small cubes or take a spoonful and roll into small balls in your palms. Dust with powdered sugar or sprinkles.
Store covered, up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Variations:
• Substitute white beans, pintos, or adzuki beans. They can be found in the ethnic aisle of your store. The texture and color may change, but the idea stays the same—a cake made of beans!
• Add a tablespoon of orange zest, try different kinds of chopped nuts, or add dried currants after blending for a chunkier texture.
* I just realized they do have a little cocoa... I might just skip this

Birthday boots and wranglers

Happy early birthday to me! what great way to start a birthday week(or spend date night) new boots and wranglers (these ain't your mamas wranglers).

Holly~Daze

Our thanksgiving was probably similar to most folks; yummy food and family fun....I am thankful for my wonderful family (and Cinda's pies)


~our Cousin was teethin' on a leg bone... My mother in law did all of the cooking except I supplied the green bean casserole (your very standard recipe) And a macaroni and cheese casserole(for burger"noonles"). She is very humble but she is really a master in the kitchen;(her pies are amazing)
and quite the craft artist as well which you may spot in beautiful table setting.
We all had a nice visit and burger was really lovin' his time with his Donda bunny.
He also had a good time with his Tia and cousin(aren't they just sugery sweet)
We went home with a ton of leftovers and I think burger and I were asleep but 7:30

(then Friday morning we had pumpkin pie for breakfast, with whipped cream of course)
Hope all yall's was as tasty!

My daddy's favorite christmas cookie

I have been making these cookies for at least four years straight as my regular "gift" cookie and I ain't got no complaints yet! The men love them..they actually start asking about them around this time of year.
They are also a great cookie to send in the mail because they will stay yummy well over a week and a half( I have never had a batch last longer then that). My daddy just loved them!
I make my batter ahead of time and store the whole bowl in the freezer then bake them off s I need. I think they bake off better even right out of the freezer(just thawed enough to scoop out the dough. I use heaping tablespoon for each cookie and cook them on the light side for a chewier cookie but with all the coconut in them they really are chewy even if you burn them(which I have done) A few times this summer omitted the chocolate chips and nuts and I added raisins. Burger loved them(he doesn't really dig chocolate). So this year I will do at least a third with raisins I thought of adding some peanut butter to part of the batch as well I have not made mine yet ...probably another week or two then I will start. My mom sent me a bunch of good looking cookie recipes so I will share some of those as well. Happy cookie making!


Cowboy cookies

This makes 3 dozen large or 6 dozen small

3 c flour
*1tsp baking powder
*1 tsp baking soda
*1tsp cinnamon
*1tsp salt
*1 1/2 c room temp butter
*2c +1tbsp sugar
*2c light brown sugar packed
*3 eggs
*1 tsp vanilla
*2 1/4 c semisweet choc chips
*3 c old-fashioned oats
*2 c sweetened flake coconut
*2 c pecans chopped
Preheat oven 350
~Mix flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, salt
~Beat butter on medium till smooth and creamy (about 1 min)
~Gradually add sugar. Add eggs one at a time beat after each then add vanilla
~Stir the flour mixture into butter, just combined. Add chips, oats, coconut and nuts

On ungreased cookie sheets
For really big cookies use 1/4 c of dough
3 in apart cook for 20-30 min
Until edges are lightly browned; turn sheets halfway through.
For a smaller cookie (I prefer maybe a little smaller even) 2 tbsp dough bake 15-18 minutes