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Losing

Down 9.2 pounds in two weeks!

That’s pretty good, considering I made Valentine cookies–ate quite a few–

AND won a chocolate cake from Magleby’s!! THAT was a bit rough to resist, but it had more points than I get in a whole day! No thanks.

Luckily, I have a son who is ready, willing and able to make those temptations disappear! Haha.
Seriously though guys, I’m having a lot of fun with this Weight Watchers stuff. It’s huge to me that I can choose whatever food I want and just count the points. I’ve eaten out several times –Kneaders, Arby’s, Pizza Hut–and still lost big.

Oh, and frozen fruit is my new best friend.

I can totally do this.

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The Queen’s Berry Tarts

This Valentine’s Day I was positively determined to have the best Grammy treats in the history of Grammy treats–for when the kids came with their Valentines.

I have no idea if I pulled it off–but for me, it was pretty close.

I made a lovely little butter cookie dough and at the last minute, I added the remaining bits of the freeze-dried strawberries (mostly pink dust) from the can in the cupboard.

That’s what all the red flecks are that you see in the dough.

In the summertime, I saw this sweet little cookie cutter stamp from William Sonoma.

For some reason, it just melted my heart and I couldn’t resist.

The press was so much fun to use and sooo easy.

Anyway, I think they are simply adorable…don’t you?

As I was painting little jelly hearts in the center of each one the nursery rhyme about the Knave stealing the Queen’s tarts kept going through my head.

His cookies look a lot like mine–only way bigger.

Mine are the perfect size–and worth stealing all the same.


The Queen's Berry Tarts
 
Print
 
Ingredients
  • 2 cups butter, softened
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsps baking powder
  • decorating sugar or jam
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar.
  2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
  3. Combine flour and baking powder.
  4. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.
  5. Shape with cookie cutter or press.
  6. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
  7. Decorate with sugar if desired.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
  9. If you used a cookie with a jam well in the center--carefully spoon in a small amount of jam in and let the cookies cool completely.

 

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To Begin

I have to lose 25 more pounds–says my new doctor–before we can do my knee surgery. Now, as you may know, I’m not a huge fan of taking the total medical approach over a much more natural one. But I haven’t been able to work in the yard of my new house, since I moved in–and I can’t have that. I realized that I’ll do whatever I need to do to be mobile again.

SO, I officially started Weight Watchers over the weekend–and get this–it’s actually fun! I didn’t expect that, at all

Anyone want to do it with me? Fruits, vegetables, eggs, chicken, beans and fish are ZERO points. That means that you don’t even need to count them!! Yeah, I’m having a blast.

And down 4 pounds from last week.

Check out Weight Watchers

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At Last, Winter

With all the crazy polar freezing and arctic blasts that are going on across the country this week–it seems odd that I would be rejoicing in the small but lovely smattering of snow that we got here in our neck of the woods.

I seriously can’t help myself.

We are a four season kinda place and we’re very proud of our snow…

if we can get it to fall, that is.

I check the weather every night before bedtime and then again in the morning–you know–in case something has changed while I wasn’t looking, all in the hopes that there will be just a single snowflake on the radar.

Yeah, it’s that big of a deal to me.

This year, even after praying our guts out–

we still had no snow for Christmas.

It was criminal weather behavior and someone should go to jail.

Somehow, we survived that trial and finally–at long last, we had a full day and night of snow. Enough to actually stick this time.

If this keeps up, I might be persuaded to drop the charges against the weather man.

But we’ll see.

 

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Pokemon Crochet

I’ve posted about my cute little crocheted Pokemon–but I thought it would be a good idea to get them all together in one place.

Snorlax was the very first Pokemon that I ever crocheted. I wasn’t really good at it to begin with but Miss Chompy didn’t care. She loved him anyway. 

Then along came Diglett for Mr. Beckham. He went through a few revisions before we were satisfied.

Lily wanted anything that looked like a cat so she chose Skitty. 

Vaporeon was next, for a friend. It felt really funny mailing this on away–almost like it was a favorite pet or something. But fear not, she has a happy home now. 

This guy, we’re calling “Night Moon” is a unique take on the Pokemon Umbreon. The little girl asked for some specific changes in color and she wanted a white mane too. Poof! As you wish.

Magoo asked for a classic standard–good, old Pikachu. Took three days to get his eyes right. Sheesh. 

And lastly—so far–we have Squirtle! I have a feeling that I’ll be making a few more of this one as he seems to be everyone’s favorite.

Most of these little critters were made last year from patterns I got from Googling the characters. Of course, I have to make my own changes to most of them so that they look as much like the real Pokemon as possible.

What should I make next?