Those Witchy Shoes! Halloween cookies...Take Two!

As I go through this 'bloggy makeover', obsessing, agonizing, torturing myself, 

thoughtfully choosing color schemes and fonts, 

I'm procrastinating by also re-editing photos and doing a little much needed site maintenance.  

Ahem.

And....quite a few of these posts were written 

before I was on facebook and still only had three readers.  So I'll be reposting here and there with bigger, hopefully better, pictures (without those dreaded black corners!).  

Don't fret...there are TONS of new Halloween cookies on their way.  

Just know, when you see one of these, there is some blog design decision I just can't make and this seemed more productive then banging my head on the wall.

Enjoy.

Halloween Shoes!

I never quite understood why witches wear all black.

I mean, I get the whole 'menacing, scary old witch, swooping down on a broomstick with a high-pitched cackle' thing.  Clearly, while doing that particular job, the plain, black outfit is appropriate.

But, c'mon.  

If you were the type of person (would a witch be a person?) that could brew potions, had magic mirrors and turn princes into frogs....don't you think you'd show a little imagination in your fashion choices?

So after I thought about that for a bit....

What if you were a teenage witch!

...and you conjured up some fabulous new shoes!!!!!

And you couldn't wait to go to school and show your friends!

But then......

That girl....the one that likes the same boy you like....

conjured up shoes just like yours!!!!

*GASP*

And she got to school first!  

She was showing off her shoes before you could even get to the door!!!!!

So, you pull out your wand and aim it at her!

(now she's scared, you'll show her)

Oh no!  Someone heard you....here they come!

It's your teacher!!!!

Uh-oh, she's mad!

She's running!

Whew!  You put away your wand just in time.  She'll never know what happened...

Besides, purple roses are way cooler than orange...

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Pumpkin or Chocolate?

So which one are you?  Pumpkin pie lover or chocolate?  

My mom loves pumpkin pie any time of the year.  I've heard reports that cousin Craig just may get a little  grumpy if he doesn't end Thanksgiving with a slice of pie and a little cool whip on top (or was that a bowl of cool whip and a little pie on top....hmmmm).

I'll always take chocolate cream pie.  Really though, I'm happier if it has a graham cracker crust.  Not a big pie crust fan.

My husband, on the other hand, doesn't like either.  Know why?  Not enough crust.  Not even close!

For Joe, a proper pie needs: 

   1. A bottom crust  AND a top crust.

   2.  Some sort of fruit filling that looks a whole lot like apples....

   3.  It must be warm.

   4.  There absolutely must be, no doubt about it, don't even think of handing him the plate if there

        isn't, vanilla ice cream on top.

   5.  No whip cream.

He's not a picky eater....he just knows what he likes.

In other words, these cookies are not for him....

Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Cream Pie Cookies!!!

I'm certainly not the first to make these.  Ali Bee's Bake Shop did the first ones I saw a year or so ago.

Hers are ah-mazing, and I've wanted to try them ever since.

I wanted to do something a little different, a little unique, and since they still need to look like pies.....there's not too much wiggle room.

So I tried to think back to the last time I made a pie....

....that didn't help....

then I remembered my grandmother doing this when she'd make lemon meringue pie for my mom.

Did your grandmother do this?  The 'crimp the edges with a fork' thing on the edges?

No?  Oh.

Well, I'm pretty sure mine did.

This was before Martha came around and let us know we were supposed to be braiding and stamping and carving the edges into who-knows-what.

That's what her pies looked like!

So....which would you pick?

Pumpkin?

Or Chocolate Cream?

 Or some of each?

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Turkey Time!!!

Time for thanksgiving cookies!

These gave me a bit of a headache, because really, when I think of a turkey, I think of dinner.

Pepperidge farm stuffing, some mashed potatoes, LOTS of gravy...

I don't think 'cookie'.....no, I don't....not so much.

So...I had never made a turkey cookie.  Never.  Hadn't even thought about it.

(of course, I did have a turkey cookie cutter, just hadn't used it.)

So here they are.....I'd like to introduce you to...

Tom

and....Tina?....Trish?....Tori?

is there a name for a girl turkey?

Tom and Teresa were made for each other....they decided to run away together!

(How scandalous!)

Teresa's Daddy heard about the plan and put a stop to it!!!

He brought his brothers, Todd and Ted.

So there you go....

Turkey cookies and some bad humor....

...at least I didn't use any fowl language.....

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Thanksgiving!

Halloween has come and gone.  The spiders and witches have gone back into hiding.

I must say, its nice not to see zombies hanging out in the neighborhood anymore.
Don't really want to think about where they went.....hm.

Next up....Thanksgiving cookies!

Acorns!!!

Lots of pretty leaves!

 We don't really get much of the 'leaves changing color' thing here in 

Southern California.  

So we'll just have to pretend.

Thanksgiving treats....all ready to go!!!

I just have one more picture to share.

Its not of cookies.

This is very self-indulgent of me, I know.

But it's just so darn stinkin' cute I can't help myself....

You didn't know I had a baby dragon did you?

I'm just full of surprises....

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

Thank you notes!

Raise your hand if you know what a Friday Folder is?

One, two, fifteen....that's what I thought.   

For those of you who haven't had the particular pleasure, let me explain.

On Friday afternoons, when kids come home from school, their backpacks contain a huge manila envelope which they need to deliver to their parents.  Parents need to look through the stack, sign the folder as proof that we have discussed the contents with our students, and return it to the backpack before monday morning.

Opening this is folder is like....well, its kind of like.....Harry Potter's Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

You never really know WHAT you're going to get.

Usually, there is a notice or two from the PTA about fundraising.  Lots of flyers for after school programs, reminders about using crosswalks.  I love finding the Scholastic Book order forms, they're my favorite.  

Most of the papers are corrected tests, homework and classwork.  This is when you learn that although your child can spell 'superfluous' perfectly on a spelling test, they can't correctly spell the words 'what, which, when, where or who' to save their lives.

So this morning when I got up the nerve to open it up along with my sunday newspaper ads....

I found a little surprise....

Thank you notes!!!

After making a few hundred cookies for halloween, none of which my munchkins were allowed to eat, I figured the least I could do was bring some cookies to class.  So last week on monday, Jack and I waited at Ethan's classroom door for the bell to ring with big baskets of spiderweb cookies for the kiddos.  (yes, I love this part of being a 'cookie lady')

Then....they all wrote Thank You Notes!!!!!

Look how cute they are!!!

and I read every single one (more than once).

 Would you like to see a few?

I thought so!!!

This one is from Hanna...

I love all her careful sketch lines.

I can definitely see piping bags in her future.

This is one is from my son's friend Max....

"The cookie made my tummy feel good."

That just might be the best compliment I've ever had!!!

Thanks Max!

Here's another favorite....

Love the colors!

"They tasted like heaven!!!"

Thanks Mason!

Look at what Miss Cathy did....

She dotted her exclamation point with a pumpkin!

Love is in the details....

As much as I hate to play favorites.....

this one is from John.

John is another good friend of my son's, 

we've watched him grow up on the baseball field for years.

He just might have the greatest little boy smile you've ever seen.

However, this is why we love him....

....John knows how to get more cookies.

Smart kid.

So thank you Mrs. Potter and her 5th grade class...John, Hanna, Brandon, Beau, Eve, Isaac, Kajal, Tristan, Shandon, Chase, Kayla, Bronson, Cathy, Matthew, Laura, Zoe, Jacob, Chloe, Mason, Katie, Jacob J., Shereen, Alyssa, Ethan, Sabrina, Max, Jordan, Kendyl, Victoria, Bryan and Amber.

I really appreciate the time you took to write and decorate all these notes!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

The Great Pumpkin!

I have this little fantasy family dream in my head....

All four of us are sitting on the couch, with mugs of hot cocoa and bowls of popcorn.  We're snuggled together under blankets in our pajamas...little teddy bears are tucked in too...and we're watching the holiday t.v. specials from when Joe and I were kids!!!

I've tried them all.  Frosty, Peter Cottontail, Rudolph...you name it.

Nope.  The short people don't like them.

Nothing blows up, no myths are busted, all of a sudden a character shows up that is terrifying and there are tears.

Let's not talk about when Frosty melts....Jack will never forgive me for that.

I had just about reconciled the idea that I would forever watch these shows alone...me and an 'extra-special' mug of cocoa...

Until last Halloween.

Our fabulous friends had a Halloween party and started a new holiday tradition...

They invite everybody to come over after dinner, just when its truly dark, and we watch

'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!' 

OUTSIDE!!!!

IN THE BACKYARD!!!!

WITH COCOA AND POPCORN!!!!

Picture this....beach chairs for the grown-ups and bigger kids.  Little kids sprawled out on big blankets on the lawn, little best friend heads together sharing pillows.  Hands wrapped around steaming cups of cocoa (some with a little Bailey's and schnapps), kettle corn popping on the BBQ, and every now then, a little princess or super hero popping up for another treat.  The movie plays on an enormous screen, like their own little drive-in.

Its absolutely magical.

...and the movie is just like I remember...

Linus is still waiting in the pumpkin patch....

Charlie Brown is still in the downy-dumps, can't quite get anything right...

Pigpen still can't stay clean....

...and EVERYTHING is still better with friends.

Thanks Mark, Stefanie and Gavin!!!

Can't wait 'til next year!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B and the boys.

Gone Batty....

So...its still not Halloween yet.
That means, we're still covered in black and orange icing here at our house.

...in fact, we've gone a little BATTY!

(could you just pretend you hear 'Haunted Mansion' 

noises while you look at these...thanks)

One night, a few months ago, we had a bat hang out on our window screen for an hour or so.

I realize this has nothing to do with cookies.

But it was a very cool moment for my 11 year old.

It's not often you see a bat up close....upside down....at eye-level.

They're furrier than I would have thought.

However, they are 100% as creepy as I expected.

Way worse than spiders.

Seriously.

 I like the sugar cookie version better.

I made sure they didn't have any teeth.

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B

The FOUR Mummies

Once upon a time, there were 4 mummies...

The first mummy was cheerful because he came through a very important birthday unscathed.

His wife didn't write about him on her blog (even though she loves him very much and this was extremely hard to do), he didn't have to eat cake or open presents.

It was probably one of his best birthdays ever.

The second mummy was cheerful because he got to go to the super cool car show with the other cheerful mummy and look at guy stuff like engines and wheels....and bring home RC cars...

He also has a really great new 5th grade teacher who gives a normal amount of homework.

This means the mummy has a social life again and no longer hates school!

Whew....

....and then there was the third mummy.

The third mummy was mad as heck because he had his tonsils and adenoids ripped out of his head.

This mummy decided life was miserable, and refused to eat or drink anything...

except diet coke.

No ice cream.

No popsicles.

Just diet coke.

He's really mad at his mom for letting this happen.

His eyes are crossed because 5 year old mummies get a little loopy when they have

 to take vicodin 4 times a day.

There should be a fourth mummy.

She's not here.

She might be hiding in the closet with the remainder of the vicodin 

until the whole thing blows over....

(someone let me know when its safe to come out...)

Thanks for stopping by,

Lizy B