Bag 'em and Tag 'em: Bake Sale Do's

Off duty from teaching for the summer, I'm able to do a bit more baking in support of our Family Readiness Group and our deployed soldiers!

Round One:  muffins!  Blueberry Banana Cream Cheese and Banana Cream Cheese Pecan (with a caramel sprinkle topping)





Round Two: cookies!  Oatmeal Raisin Spice and Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Pecan Candy Bar

Bake sales are great fund raisers, and it's easy to make nummy items even more attractive to potential buyers.  Obviously it's important to handle all of the ingredients, baking tools and final tasty tidbits with care by washing those hands, cleaning surfaces, and following baking directions.  It's also important to bag and tag the treats to be sold: bags keep germs, bugs and other gross stuff off of the food and informational tags make it possible for buyers to avoid possible allergic reactions:

My extra ribbon scraps are put to good use tying each bag and make the cookies and muffins even more appealing to the eye... I guess I'm just not a fan of twist ties!

*****

I used clear cello bags (found in most grocery stores, WalMart, or craft and hobby stores), ribbon, and white address label stickers (2/3 inch by 1 and 3/4 inches; Avery template 5195).

Not in the Forecast

...but welcome just the same! Rain- that wonderful stuff that helps the grass and flowers grow- is appreciated here this weekend. Not for the foliage though- for the DIRT. Steady rain keeps the sand, grit, and dust out of our eyes when the wind picks up, and friends, the wind blows hard enough here to make the desert dirt an incredibly painful exfoliant!









This weather makes for a great BAKING day!

Cookies and pecan nummies for friends and neighbors:







...with some quick crochet while each batch bakes in the oven:



The squares will be for a new afghan, while the scarf was made with left over baby yarn...I was trying out a new design, one that leaves an opening in the scarf to pull the tail through after you've wrapped it around your neck a few times...I like the design. I don't like the scarf in this baby yarn. Winter time will probably see me making more with some softer, prettier yarn.



Cookies are done! Now to make oatmeal raisin!

The Mom Thing

I've been doing "the mom thing" today. All day.

I'm going on a trip on Friday- a*four day* trip- back to Oz to see friends, their new babies, and do some treasure hunting. Yes, only four days. Get there on Friday afternoon, and leave around Monday, lunchtime. But to visit Oz, I am leaving my dear husband, my thirteen year old daughter, my toddler son, and my cat here in the Bordertown. For four days. Without moi. So the "mom thing" that I've been doing has included:

~anticipating any and all grocery needs/emergencies/cravings

~ shopping for said groceries

~making sure the laundry is done

~making sure Daughter puts all of her school and social activities on the calendar

~making sure Daddy knows to *check the calendar* in case he has to pick her up from school (and he WILL have to)

~ watering the plants

~ and any other housecleaning-type-jobs that I just won't feel good about leaving undone before leaving.

So when do I pack? When do I figure out what toiletries to take, clothes, shoes, etc? Eh, the night before. Packing doesn't stress me out- I've told friends I'm not a "panic packer." If I forget something, I know how to stop at a store to correct the situation. No, what to wear, what to bring, how much room I'll have to bring stuff home...these things don't bother me.

Imagining the state of disarray the house will be in upon my return...THAT bothers me. While secretly grateful that my husband will have a smidgen of a taste of what I've done for years while he's been TDY or deployed, I still know Daughter will end up taking up the slack. A lot of it. The toddler has entered a Destructo-Mode recently, requiring much more hands-on time, and exponentially more clean-up time, and the cat has begun to feel more comfortable expressing her displeasure with the boy whenever he chases her under the beds or couches. I fear the phone calls I'm going to receive. I've had nightmares for the last two nights in a row. I know, I'm over-reacting, but hey, it's "the mom thing."

More "mom thing" related documentation:

Daughter's Valentine Treat Bags are almost done (just need cookies and the pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies added, then bows tied on), as are her cards:



Cookies? What cookies? Oh yeah, I need to make cookies! Red and pink sugar was added later:



While cleaning out the fridge, I found a lone pie dough roll...oh darn, I guess that means I'll just *have* to make date and marmalade pastries:



For a pick-me-up, I enjoyed a snack, er, "taste test" of the cookies:



...and then right as I was wandering back toward Worrysville, darling husband appeared with these:





Okay, so maybe I shouldn't worry about him, the kids, and the cat...

Maybe.

Saturday's Experiment

We're keeping our fingers crossed that the candy heart/rolo/pretzel combo works out as well as the pecan/rolo/pretzel nummies always do...because we ran out of pecans!



They are *cute* though...

To-Do List

Here's today's to-do list (with thanks to Dianne J. Hook, artist of Baxter Bear for Carson-Dellosa Publishing):


Daughter needs cake for a junior high cake walk- she's taking cupcakes, turkey cupcakes, which explains the candy-corn-after-Halloween on the list...



Anyone who knows me *knows* I'm a cookie person, so I didn't have to add chocolate chips to the grocery list since I already have them, but here is the latest chocolate chip cookie recipe I'm eager to try, from Smitten Kitchen! Go, go, go to her site. Look, look, look at those cookies! Now wipe the drool off of your keyboard, check your pantry, and let's start baking! (Isn't her food photography GREAT?)

The toddler's daily afternoon nap gives me the opportunity to 1) quickly clean house, 2) answer email, 3) finish those other "domestic goddess" duties and 4) meander through new blogs I've found. Cookies will be a nice treat as I read through Indigo Blue's archive, especially her "Wellness Wednesday" entries, and find some Christmas photocard inspiration at Wendy's Way before I write the first draft of our family's holiday letter, an annual addition to our Christmas card mailing.

New to the joys of the BBC (thanks dear toddler for your interest in Postman Pat), but an old fan of Dr. Who, Torchwood has become one of my newest fave shows to record on the dvr. Imagine my surprise when I found THIS "Torchwood" instead of this one!


Just means more reading instead of watching, which isn't a terrible thing.

Tomorrow's to-do list can wait until...tomorrow.