Thanks Gifting for Gregg's Birthday

My sweet husband's birthday is October 30.  Rather than be sad and just sit at home, I decided to use the day to thank those who were kind to him in his last days.  Using Sweet Sugarbelle's pretty Autumn color palette (http://www.sweetsugarbelle.com/blog/2012/10/pretty-autumn-color-palette/), I created a  Fall collection of leaves, pumpkins and acorns.  What better way to say "thanks" than to use Thanksgiving colors? 

The elongated pumpkin with a curly stem (tucked into the very top row) is a new cutter from our son's family.  I believe Kendra picked it out especially in remembrance of her Grandpa's garden and the magnificent pumpkins he grew.

Since the cookies are for the nurses at the hospital where my husband spent eight days, I added scrubs to the collection.  The same cookies will be going to Hospice for responding to his needs so quickly and supporting me in those final hours.  The wonderful team of nurses in both locations could do very little medically, but they treated Gregg with compassion, eased his pain, and even made him smile.  For that, I will be forever grateful.

I wish Gregg were here to blow out his candles and hear the little ones sing. Instead, this year we look to the stars and reminisce about his birthdays past. 

In the end, it is not the number of years in your life, but the life in your years that matters.
Happy Birthday, Big Guy . . .  Love and Miss You.

Off to a Baby Shower

These little elephants are ready to make an appearance at a baby shower.  Can you guess the sex of the baby?  Ok, even if you didn't read the "It's a girl" cookie!

Gathering Grandpa's Pumpkins



Yes, this is a blog about cookies, but those of us who craft these sweet creations know it is really not that elementary.  It is more about the people behind the cookies.  The key ingredients are love, support, friendship, and memories rather than sugar and flour. We create them to welcome babies, celebrate birthdays, honor accomplishments, and sometimes . . . to ease pain or sadness.   I've been out of the kitchen for a few months following the loss of my husband to cancer.  I just couldn't make cookies until now.

Gregg had a huge garden and loved to drive the grandchildren out there with his lawn tractor and trailer.  Kendra, Kylie, Jack and Ben would fight for a position on Grandpa's lap or snuggle together in the trailer.  The grandkids didn't eat the tomatoes or onions but were so proud when they appeared on the dinner table.

Gregg also planted pumpkins each June and watched them grow in anticipation of Columbus Day weekend when our son and daughter would bring their families out to the lake to harvest the pumpkins.  The little ones would select the pumpkin they wanted for themselves and which ones they thought their parents should have.  It was surprising that no one argued or fought over pumpkins.  Once one was claimed, they would simply search for another.  We loaded them into the trailer, hauled them to the house, and made a big production of washing and lining them up.  It was our favorite Kodak moment, capturing beautiful fall colors and the joyous interaction between cousins in cherished photos. 

At the end of this special weekend, each family would drive away with their four pumpkins. . . tall, chubby, squatty, and monstrous.  Later in October, we would get pictures of everyone carving them at home and the final jack-o-lanterns staged on front porches.

Unfortunately, this is our last Fall Harvest of Grandpa's treasures.  He left us 14 huge pumpkins and 9 buckets of the funkiest gourds, but we had to collect them without Grandpa.

Here is what the girls did with their pumpkins this year.  Anna always tries to match the costumes that the girls will be wearing.  Quite creative, wouldn't you agree?  It's Belle and a butterfly fairy.





Kendra and Kylie helped decorate a few of the pumpkin cookies earlier in the month.



Aren't they the cutest assistants?



Little Kylie refers to me as "Cookie Grandma."  How could I not return to the kitchen and live up to my name?  I decided to make pumpkin cookies for the Women's Club bake sale to honor our fall family tradition of Gathering Grandpa's Pumpkins.  I kept it simple.  My only requirement was that they had to have happy faces . . . to remind me of all the blessings I gathered with Gregg.

Peace, Joy, Cookies . . . and Memories of Gregg

One Sweet Gesture





A sweet gift from my very special Cookie Friend
www.facebook.com/mycookiefriend
mycookiefriend.blogspot.com

Let me begin by saying these are NOT my cookies.  Well, they ARE my cookies, but I did not MAKE them.  They were a surprise gift from Diane, My Cookie Friend, and they arrived at a perfect time.

My husband has been cancer-free for twelve years.  He has faced a plethora of medical conditions and aftereffects of chemo and radiation.  He has also watched both our son and daughter marry wonderful individuals, buy their first homes, build admirable careers as coaches and teachers, and begin families of their own.  He held those babies and watched them grow to become the entertaining and exhausting toddlers they are today.

Gregg's greatest joy is being Grandpa to Kendra, Kylie, Jack and Ben.

Three weeks ago a mass was found on his CT.  Three weeks ago our world turned upside down.  His cancer has returned, meaner than ever before.

Cookies cannot cure cancer, but that package from Diane reminded me why we make cookies.  Those cute little shapes, the cheerful colors, the soft bite into the cookie, and the dissolving of icing let me escape from life-changing challenges and remember the peace and joy which has blessed our lives.

The greatest gift, Diane, is your friendship. Thank you for the beautiful cookies.  They touched my heart beyond words.

Peace, Joy, Cookies.

Spread the love. 

Spiderman and Super Powers

Meet Jack. 

He's 3 and off to preschool next month. 

Jack recently demonstrated amazing super powers that left his mom and dad cheering (and breathing a sigh of relief).  In one giant leap, he tossed diapers and his pacifier.  He also started telling us he wants to be Spiderman for Halloween.

So, how do you celebrate losing the paci and the Pampers?  You make Spiderman cookies.

I've read several blogs about making Royal Icing transfers and know that My Cookie Friend has had great success with them.  This seemed like the perfect chance to give them a try.  I drew a template of Spiderman's eyes, ensuring that they would fit on his oval face. 

Meet Spiderman.

Well, actually, meet Spiderman's face.  Somehow, giving up the paci and learning to use the potty seemed to merit so much more.

Alas, meet Spiderman, his whole body, complete with a spider emblazed on his chest.  While we are celebrating, let's toss in some boots and a web cookie.

. . . and there you have it.

. . . a super plate of cookies for a boy with super powers.

"I Love You" Yummy Leftovers

Usually leftovers will not entice the family to come running to the kitchen table, but I think I might get exactly that response when the granddaughters come to visit.

I had plenty of Royal Icing left from the last batch of cookies.  Rather than toss it or mix it all together to make black, I decided to create some simple girlie cookies.

What girl doesn't like nail polish or lipstick?  Toss in a few flowers and then a cookie that means so much to me. 

It is sign language for "I love you."  Whenever we say goodbye, my last sight is two little girls waving their hand with fingers carefully in position.

So, Kendra and Kylie, this is my special cookie for my special girls.  

"I love you" back at ya!

Ava's ONE-ce Upon a Time



A sweet cookie collection for Ava's First Birthday!



As you can see, little Ava is celebrating her first birthday.  What is sweeter than a one-year-old but a one-year-old with cookies?

Her mom requested a variety of cookies to be packaged up as favors. She specifically asked for a "one" design, but my one cutter is small and really not very impressive. We decided to go an alternate route . . . party hats decorated with a one.

Every princess needs a tiara.  Since this is Ava's celebration, the crowns are decorated with her name (I just love short names).

Ava's party balloons include daisies, so a few of those were tossed into the mix. 

Sweet birthday wishes to Ava!