Daisy Cookies

I went to the bakery again yesterday and I posted a picture of the cookies I bought. I can't seem to resist these cookies. I don't know if it's the taste, the appearance or what. I have even tried my hand at decorating cookies and that came out ok, but not great, and the last batch of cookies I made I underbaked, so they tasted doughy and were not good at all. They were kind of pretty, though, and I had a great time cutting them out and decorating them. I just have to get the baking time down next time.


I've been knitting a vest pattern that I got from Patternworks. The pattern seems really easy so far. Just stockinette stitch mostly. I'm working on the back right now and it's really easy. Just 4 rows of garter stitch and then you start the stockinette stitch until it's as long as the pattern says or as long as you want it.

While making that, I took a short detour and made some House Helper cloths using this pattern. I forgot to make a picture of the dishcloths that I made, but I will take one this weekend and post it.

Valentine's Day

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day on Saturday. Eddie gave me a beautiful necklace and earring set with a Valentine card that moved me to tears, and one of our friends gave me a bud vase with 4 roses. It's so pretty.


I also made some Valentine cookies and decorated them. That was fun, but the cookies didn't taste very good. I think I underbaked them. Oh well, I still had fun and at least they were pretty, even if they didn't taste all that great.


The other thing I've been working on was inspired by a wonderful new blog that I've recently discovered. It's Warm Pie, Happy Home. If you get a chance, hop on over there and read some of her posts and look at all of her wonderful pictures. I love her farmhouse style, so I decided to make a plaque to hang in my kitchen that sort of is my version of a good old fashion, country kitchen.

Pussy Willow

I have become enamored of the Pussy Willow plant. I have heard of it before, but in all my 55 years I don't remember ever seeing it before this morning. This morning one of my coworkers brought in a bunch of branches of it that she had pruned from her plant. I immediately fell in love with it. It's just so pretty and exotic looking and I love the little furry buds. They are just Heaven to touch. What a stress reliever. It's almost as good as petting my cat, Heckle.

I have put several branches in a vase with some silk roses that I have in my office as well as a couple of smaller branches that I can touch when I feel stressed. I'm also taking several branches home to put into a dried flower arrangement that I have. In my kitchen I have the ceramic bottom of my grandmother's old butter churn that I put some Eucalyptus in. I want to add some of the Pussy Willow branches to it. I'm also going to try to root several branches. I did some research this morning on the Internet and I understand that you can either put them in water or moist soil. I think it's better to put them in soil, that way I can keep them inside until spring and them plant them outside.

Pussy Willow
(Yin liu, Salix sp.)
Since the Chinese like numerous blossoms on a branch, the many buds of the willow
make it a favorite flower for Chinese New Year. The fluffy white blossoms of the
pussy willow resemble silk, and they soon give forth young shoots the color of green jade. Chinese enjoy such signs of growth, which represent the coming of prosperity.