Subliminally Sublime Snickerdoodles

I think everyone has their thing.  That one item that is frequently associated with them.  It could be a meal, a dessert, a craft, it's not that this thing is their identity, or by any means all that they are, but there are associations being made.  It seems sacrilegious for me to make my friend's Thin Mint Truffles because that's what she bakes, what she brings to parties, but I have the recipe and think of her when I make them.  I see a particular book or author and am immediately reminded of the people who introduced them into my life.  Movies and TV shows are the same way, constant reminders of the people who care about them.  Those are their things.  What might my thing be?  I'm not going to pretend to think so highly of myself to be able to answer that question and honestly I think the answer would vary dramatically.  What I can say with certainty is that I've never met someone who hasn't said good things about my snickerdoodles.  These are my go to cookies for taking places, the one recipe of mine my Mom has asked me for.  You know you've done something well when your Mom is asking for recipes!  Oh and true story I have even mailed some to a friend in Paris!  (And I have it on good authority that they arrived...late, but still soft and tasty!)

A Candle's Transformation

You know those things you have sitting around the house because some day, one day, you are positive you will find a use for them?  Maybe it's pipe cleaners, maybe it's popsicle sticks, or velcro, or fabric, or bags, or maybe, just maybe even candle jars.

I have a penchant for candles.  I'm one of those people who doesn't see anything wrong in lighting five or ten differently scented candles in one room.  I've always loved the candles that come in jars mostly because I've been repeatedly known to light a candle, leave a room, and come back to find it had melted all over my table or cd's.  I probably shouldn't be allowed within 5 feet of a candle.  In recent years though as I've gotten more responsible around fire (or as I think I've become more responsible) I've been veering away from candles in jars simply because then you're left with this icky, black, soot-stained jar and it's one of those items I feel like I should be able to find a use for.  Currently this was their use:

You Turn Me On...To Crafting?

Let's face it.  I'm a sucker for a good mix CD.  There's a thrill in personally selecting songs I think a friend or loved one might enjoy, pieces that remind me of them, determining the precise order the tracks should be in, which song will hook the listener from the beginning, what mood do I want to convey and how do I order things to get that across.  I cherish mix CD's from friends and family, listening to each one carefully knowing that there was some aspect of the song that reminds them of me or they think I'd enjoy.  More often then not I can't remember the artist of the song I'm listening to but with almost 100% accuracy I can tell you who gave it to me, when, what I then named that album in iTunes, and what picture I chose of the two of us to represent the album art.  Music is something I associate with people, places, and times in my life.

Om Nom Nom, Gingerbread!

Well hello!  I hope that all of you had fantastic holidays and are slowly starting to get back into the swing of everyday life.  It's been nice here with the craziness that is the holiday season over and no plans to go anywhere or do anything major in the next couple of months.  For the first time since The Husband and I moved it feels like we can breathe and figure out what life looks like for us here.

Before we completely move on to expecting snow, praying desperately for summer to arrive, or whatever it is people look forward to after the holidays I wanted to look back on one of my favorite aspects of the holidays this year.  Gingerbread Houses!!!