More goodies!

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This is the other Party Hat from my swap. I received it today from Rayna in New Zealand. Look at all the goodies she sent with it--a beautiful handmade card, a nice pocket notebook with a lizard on the cover (the lizard appears to be made from a slice of abalone or some such material.) She also sent three pieces of metallic braid, very glitzy; and a little tiny teddy bear, only 2" tall, fully articulated. The hat has braid and "jewels" on a beautiful brocade gold-on-black fabric. Thanks, Rayna!

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I felt like making some cookies today. I so seldom bake that my flour said "best used by 01/06." OF COURSE I tossed it, as well as the shortening which had gone rancid. A quick check of other ingredients (all recent, thank goodness!) and a quick trip to the store for fresh shortening and flour, and I rolled up my sleeves and got busy.

What really got me started was finding my mother's recipe for Snickerdoodles. My mother, my sister Meg and I made these often when I was young. They always bring back good memories!
The big difference is that we had to mix the ingredients by hand, so they took a long time to make. I now use my food processor. I've tried my Kitchenaid mixer, but overmixing makes them a little tough.

Bake along with me!

SNICKERDOODLES

1 cup shortening
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
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1/2 tsp salt
2-3/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsps cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
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2 T sugar
2 tsps cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cream together the first four ingredients in the food processor (note: this shows a double batch!)
Sift together the dry ingredients, and add to the food processor in small increments. Mix until the dough is consistent throughout.

I had to refrigerate the dough often because it was 90 degrees today with 84% humidity. I'm not kidding!


Roll into balls the size of large walnuts--about 1-1/4" in diameter.


Mix the 2 Tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together, roll the dough balls in the mixture.


Place the balls on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Leave plenty of space between the balls for the dough to spread.
(Anyone know how to get that gunk off the cookie sheets? That's why I use parchment paper now!)


Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes per batch until lightly brown, like these. Keep your eye on them in the oven! Makes about 3 dozen cookies. These flatten out as they cool. They make great ice cream sandwiches!

I put most of these in the freezer, otherwise they would be gone in a flash. I intend to make more cookies in the next few days--we'll see if I actually do it.

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I have a Red Hat luncheon tomorrow, then my DH and I are going to plant a jacaranda tree in the front yard. Our Arizona Ash died last year, and we have cut most of it down. We still have a Loblolly pine that drops loads of pine cones every year. We need all the shade we can get here in south Texas.

My DH and DS are going to my MIL's house after the tree planting to set up her Lifeline necklace. She isn't thrilled about wearing it, and I'm still not convinced she will; but at least we are doing what we can to make sure she is safe. I have the feeling she will take it off in a few days and lay it on her chairside table in the living room (where she spends most of her day) and then fall in the bathroom or bedroom. I hope I'm wrong.

DH has a buyer lined up for her car--he is getting his financing lined up and should have it ready on Thursday. It will be a relief to get the car out of here. We've had several calls on it, and a couple of other serious lookers. I think it will be gone by the weekend. Yay!

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Goodies!

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Today I received my Party Hat from Wanda S. for the Fiber Art Traders swap. She included lots of goodies, too! Multicolored fibers, a bag of spangles and sequins, another bag of beads, a lovely piece of fabric, two pieces of glittery green cording, six beaded beads, and a small pair of scissors--all wrapped in the lime green tissue. Then the hat was wrapped in the gorgeous pink iridescent plastic! The hat is decorated with feathers and a pom-pom, with ties of the same green cording. I tried to get Copper to model the hat, but nothing doing. Thanks, Wanda for being so generous! I love the hat, too!

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Today I bought groceries for my MIL and sat and talked with her for a few minutes. She was unable to remember her grandson's name. She seems to get more feeble every time I see her. She still is unhappy that she is not driving anymore, but she admits that she'd rather not do any shopping for herself. I don't mind doing her shopping for her, but she gets impatient if she has to wait a day or two.

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Button Fairies

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I made two of these button fairies, one for my DDIL and one for myself. The three below are for a swap for one of my Yahoo groups. They were easy to make, and I'm really pleased with the way they turned out.

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I finally got tired of dealing with long hair and just got it cut short. It takes me five minutes to wash it instead of 20, and it sure makes it easier to comb out, too. I tried to take a picture, but I couldn't get one to come out. I'll try to get my DS to take one soon.

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Gifts and swaps

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DH in his "Heroes of '76" uniform

My DH is a member of a group called "Heroes of '76" that conduct patriotic ceremonies in colonial regalia. Today he attended a function, and I took the opportunity to take a photo for posterity. I think he looks quite snazzy!

I made these pendants for a swap. The rectangles are made with chipboard and paper towels (really!) that are painted, stamped, embossed, and inked. I added the bead tassels and hung them from ball chain. The one on the far right shows what the backs look like. These were fun to do, although labor intensive. I was stepping out of my comfort zone for these.



This hibiscus was my Mother's Day gift from DH. The photos are very deceiving--the flower is actually a deep neon-bright red-orange, but my camera just can't seem to capture that color! I tried shot after shot, but this is the best it would do, and it is nowhere near the yellow-orange that shows here.

My DS #2 and DDIL gave me a gift card to JoAnn which I can always use. DS #1 called me and we talked for a few minutes. I had a really good Mother's Day!

My sister called last night, and we talked for over an hour. I always enjoy talking to one of my four sisters or two brothers. I live far from any of them, and sometimes go for a few years between visits with them. This sister sent me a lovely Mother's Day card with a photo of our Mother that she had digitized for her embroidery machine. She made one for all of us. I was really touched when I saw it and will treasure it. We all adored our Mother, and my sister was so thoughtful to do this for us all. Thanks, sis!

Tomorrow I will try my hand at making some button fairies for another swap. I'll let you know how they turn out!

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Happy Mother's Day!

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Look at the lovely fruit bouquet my DS and DDIL sent me for Mother's Day! It's huge! and just full of gorgeous fruit. This will be enjoyed over the next few days, for sure!

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Some cards I received this week:

"Fan" by Barb E.

"P is for Puzzle" by Kim B.

"Beautiful Browns" by Barb E.

"Beautiful Browns" by Leah M.

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The "elderly relative" we have been taking care of is my MIL. She has always been a very smart, sweet lady, very independent and opinionated. She is still independent and opinionated, but the smart and sweet have slipped drastically with her diagnosis of Alzheimer's. Today we took her to the family doctor for her thyroid test and asked him to inform her of her diagnosis. He neatly side-stepped the issue, and the one time he mentioned the "A" word she told him that she had been told that she didn't have Alzheimers. That was the end of that.

She has lost even more weight, and now weighs only 100 pounds. She assures the doctor that she is eating a balanced diet (instant oatmeal and chocolate malts, with an occasional chicken strip or order of fries.) And yes, she still takes her medicine, except for her vitamins, which she choked on twice so she stopped taking them. We bought her a month's supply of liquid dietary supplement--we hope that stops the weight loss and replaces the missing vitamins. We also bought her some simple microwaveable meals. We will see if she can manage to use them.

She threw a real fit when it came to trying to explain to her that she needs more supervision. She accused us repeatedly of trying to have her "committed to an institution." She kept saying she wishes she had died years ago so she wouldn't be causing us so many problems. She refuses to leave her home, or to have anyone else stay with her. She just wants to be left alone. The doctor told her that that could not be an option anymore. So he finally talked her into wearing a panic button. She kept saying she would tell us when she needed one, but we pointed out that when she realized that she needed one it would be too late. So she agreed that she could "go that far."

We are currently checking on her every day, changing her Exelon patch and making sure she is okay. She doesn't like it, but she allows it.

This doctor's visit was very hard for me. I find myself stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place. She is not my mother, so my husband is the one making all the decisions. But she blames me for them anyway. I would give anything to have the opportunity to take care of my own mother, who passed away many years ago. Taking care of her would have been so easy. But as much as I would like to take care of my MIL in the same fashion, that is not an option. Their personalities were poles apart. Where my mother would have been quiescent, MIL is argumentative. Things have to be done her way, and if she doesn't get her way she attacks us verbally, accusing us of wanting her dead, of wanting her money, of stealing, lying, cheating.

Part of the problem is that I feel deep empathy for her--I would be fighting for my independence too, were I in her place. As a retired nurse, I have seen too many elderly patients who have no one who cares, no one to check on them, no one to hug them. I know how important it is for her to be supervised as she sinks deeper into dementia; but when do you cross that line? I asked her that question, there in front of the doctor. "At what point would you say it would be time for us to step in?" At first she avoided the question with the same irrelevant sentences--I still keep my house clean, I still take care of myself, etc. But when I insisted she answer the question, she finally decided that if she could not take care of her pets, or could not fix her own food, or started falling, then it might be time to step in. What she doesn't realize is how close she is to that point. And when that time comes, the criteria will undoubtedly have changed.

On the plus side, a couple of days ago she asked DH to sell her car, that she was afraid of driving anymore and wanted the car gone. She told him to take care of all the details, but she knew who she wanted to sell it to. Our long-time auto mechanic was to get first chance at it. A 99 Toyota Avalon with only 27,000 miles on it! I think he will jump at the chance. We were going to address the issue of her driving today, but she actually beat us to it!

All I can say is this: if your mother is alive, give her a big hug, or at least a call, on Mother's Day. If she is gone, give yourself a hug, and have a good cry about your loss. I know I will.

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Behind again

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Copper loves to play with his toys. This is how the living room floor looks most of the time. He knows how to play ball by himself and keeps himself entertained. He is the sweetest dog, always wanting to kiss everyone. We are so lucky to have found him.

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I got my Plus Size Inchies swaps today. These are the Four Elements--Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water. They look much better in person--they aren't easy to photograph! These are by Barb E.:


These are from Suzanne A. (who sent two extras!)


These are from Debra N.


These are by Linda W. The one that is really light is the Wind design--it is really multi-colored pastel fabric with a fluffy cloud shape on it! I took dozens of photos, and none would show any better than this one.


Debra also sent this really cool piece of fabric:


This postcard is for the "Fans" swap from Maureen E. in England:


And three "Beautiful Browns" postcards:

from Sharon Z. in Canada

by Chris R. in England

by Kate N. in England

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I have been having an allergic rhinitis attack that has really sapped my energy the past few days. I want to get into some art techniques over the next weekend. I have been going through my past issues of Cloth Paper Scissors and marking things I want to try. I've also gotten some past issues of Somerset Studio which are always inspiring to look through. I want to start by making sample backgrounds with different materials which can later be used in small art projects and swaps.

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Our elderly relative has to be checked on everyday now. Medicinal patches have to be changed daily, and we make sure there is fresh food to eat. We have not brought up the subject of placement yet, that will be coming within the next few weeks. Any small break in routine causes tears and confusion. A broken toilet is a major catastrophe. So sad.

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DH really loves his job playing with plants. He's bringing home all kinds of things to grow in the yard, and gets more online from friends he's developed all over the world. He has signed us up as members of the local Botanical Gardens, and has plants here even their experts have never heard of! He plans to take the Master Gardener course this fall.

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