Day 50 of 365

We've got to break this sugar addiction we have going on in this house, so today (I think, I plan, I hope) will be my last baking project for a while.

Usually  when I make sugar cookies they go to someone else. My family gets the rejects, but I've never made a batch just for us. So when my husband came home and saw yesterday's Peeps cookies, his first question was, "Who are the cookies for?" and was quite surprised when I said they were for us. We, of course, devoured them for dessert.

Which leads us to today. I went to the trouble on Monday of going to WinCo and bagging my own groceries to get ingredients from the bulk aisle for the White Chocolate and Peach Oatmeal Cookies. Which then, because of the absence of dried peaches, became the White Chocolate and Apricot Oatmeal Cookies. But as I looked at the ingredient list closer in this month's Food Network Magazine, I had to/wanted to make some adjustments.

So today to celebrate (or mourn) my last baking project for a while(?) I'm posting the recipe along with my picture. I use my KitchenAid mixer for all my mixing, but if you don't have one, just use a large bowl to mix the ingredients. (But the mixer sure is handy!) I'm not a recipe writer, so I hope the directions are clear. If not, let me know and I can clarify.

Debz Apricot and White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 large egg
3/4 c flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c oats
3/4 c dried apricots, chopped
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
3/4 c white chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350. In mixer, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Scrape bowl. Add the flour, baking soda, and oatmeal and mix until combined. Add apricots, walnuts, and white chocolate chips and mix until blended. Roll mixture into balls (my recipe made 20) and put on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Press the dough a bit with the palm of your hand to make round cookies. Bake 15 minutes or so. Let cool and enjoy!

And a physical therapy/exercise update: 4 for 4.

Day 49 of 365

When I was growing up, Easter was more about the Easter basket for me than anything else. We didn't go to church and I don't remember if we had Easter dinner with the family or not. But the Easter basket? I remember that.

It was a large pink plastic basket with a white handle. Full of Easter grass and candy. Jelly beans, a chocolate bunny, marshmallow eggs, and the best candy ever made - pink and yellow marshmallow Peeps.

I know some people hate Peeps. And I understand that. I feel that way about those disgusting, nasty, paste-tasting orange marshmallow Circus Peanuts. I know some people love them, but I can't even look at a bag of those without wanting to gag.

But I love my Peeps. Except now I buy them for myself, and they are usually eaten before I pull in the driveway. And it's only the yellow bunnies that I buy. It seems the pink ones and the yellow chicks don't quite taste the same. There are also many other different colors out and I've tried a few, but they're still not as good as yellow bunnies. I've tried the Halloween ghosts and pumpkins. No thank you. I've tried the chocolate covered ones. Not again.

So I anxiously look towards Easter so I can get me some Peeps. Yellow bunny Peeps. But this year, I didn't buy any Peeps. I don't know why. And I missed them. A lot.

Which led me to make some sugar cookies. Some Peeps sugar cookies. They're not made from Peeps, but they sure look like them. And they taste almost as good.

A physical therapy/exercise update: worked on the shoulder again today. I've done 3 days out of 3 so far this week. Yay!

Day 48 of 365

I did it again. Worked out, that is. I didn't do too much shoulder work (didn't want to do two days in a row), so I did the exercise bike instead since my new knee has been getting a bit stiff lately. I'll get back to full-blown shoulder work tomorrow. (I hope.)

I made some sugar cookies again today. I'll decorate them tonight or tomorrow, so that might wind up being tomorrow's picture for the day. I haven't finished them, but I'm sure they're going to be cute! (I hope.)

I was also itching to get outside and do some garden work since we finally have a sunny day. It was in the 20s here last night so it's having a hard time warming up much. Doesn't look like it's going to get out of the 40s. And the joints don't work as well when it's cold. Maybe it'll warm up more before the day is over so I can at least do something out there. (I hope.)

I did do a walkabout around the yard to see how things are doing. I finally have arugula coming up - and that was planted way back on Day 30. I also have one cucumber coming up, but those planting boxes aren't really working out too well. They're getting watered, but these cool nights and cool days haven't helped the sprouting process. The strawberries we planted on Day 16 are up and have several leaves. I have tulips blooming (even those that were covered in snow on Day 5). Our trees are beginning to turn green, and our tree out front is starting to have pink blooms.

Although I am a little jealous of the beautiful pink blossoms on our neighbor's tree.

Day 47 of 365

Well, I did it. I did my physical therapy exercises today. Just a short session, but I did them nonetheless.

I almost talked myself out of it. I went grocery shopping this morning and it wore me out. I like shopping during a weekday when the stores aren't as crowded, but the trade off is that I have to go by myself then. And for me driving 20 miles, then shopping and bending to get things off shelves and putting them in the cart, then on the belt at the register, then in the car, driving 20 miles back, then up the stairs into my house, then unpacking and bending and lifting again - it just does me in. Mostly my back. That's why I usually do small grocery shopping (just a few bags) each week. But this week we were out of some things, plus I have plans for some new recipes this week and needed specific items.

Like dried peaches. My husband got a subscription to Food Network Magazine for Christmas, and as he was perusing this month's issue he came across a recipe for White Chocolate and Peach Oatmeal Cookies. (He likes cooking, but if there ever is a recipe that he likes that involving baking, he turns it over to me.)

I got up early to go to town to WinCo. I typically never shop there since it's always so very busy and you have to bag your own groceries (and you can imagine what that would be like for me). I figured if I was going to get dried peaches that would be the most likely place to have them since they have a huge bulk foods department. Rows and rows of bulk foods. About anything you'd ever want. From flour to chocolate covered gummi bears to dried pineapple and mangoes. I found white chocolate chips for the recipe, but do you think they had dried peaches anywhere on row three? Nope.

All the bottom barrels (two rows deep of bottom barrels) and no dried peaches. And no dried peaches in the regular baking section. So now I have a bag of dried apricots instead. More than I need for the newly named White Chocolate and Apricot Oatmeal Cookies.

Day 46 of 365

I think I should start calling my sewing room a quilt studio.

I have been hammering out these quilt tops like crazy. I used some of the fabric I received in the mail yesterday and now have three more finished. My plan is to do two more, then start assembling the batting and backing and start the actual quilting. That will give me eight kids' quilts to send off. Whew!

Eight quilts within a month is a bit excessive, I suppose. But when I decide to start something, I can get a bit obsessive about finishing it. Although, that quilt in the frame that I fought with on Day 38 is still sitting in the frame, untouched. I imagine it needs my attention, but I've been so overly focused on these children's quilts that I haven't come up for air. And I've been slacking on something else, too.

Last month when I went back to my shoulder surgeon, he had given me until the end of April to put both arms behind my back or I'd have to go back and be treated for frozen shoulder. Which could mean more surgeries. Well, it's almost the end of April and I still can't get both arms behind my back. But part of it is my fault. I've been slacking on my physical therapy. Really slacking.

I was given exercises to do at home several times a week, but I haven't been making it a priority. You'd think the threat of more surgeries would get me in gear, but after a year and a half of going to physical therapy non stop for my back, my knee, and my shoulders, I guess I just got tired of doing it. And I guess I got lazy.

It's not like I don't have the time. I don't have a job and don't have kids at home. I've just been spending my time doing things that don't tax my body. Things like sewing and sometimes baking. (And writing my blog, of course.) Part of the issue is that always-always-always before physical therapy I had to take pain medication. That's not happening now. I'm totally and completely free of pain medication. Even those days I struggle the most I am refusing to take those meds, and I'm not about to start again now. So I know doing the physical therapy I need will hurt. And like I've written before, I've become more of a pain-avoider than a pleasure seeker these days.

But I need to get myself in gear, and now. I have to commit to therapy sessions (it's more of a cram session now) to avoid the frozen shoulder syndrome. Besides, I can't wait to be able to finally, on my own without assistance, affix a certain undergarment that requires a lady to have her hands behind her back.

Guess these quilt tops won't get as much attention as I had planned. Or at least they might move down on my priority list.

Day 45 of 365

I was the recipient of a Pay It Forward today.

I've been working on the Quilting for Kids organization's kits they sent me a while back. I had ordered three kits (and those tops are now finished) but they ask that you also make some additional quilts with your own stash. And they especially need boys quilts. Well, my fabric stash isn't all that abundant in kid-type fabrics (especially for boys) so I've been struggling with whether to buy more, or get creative with what I have, or ??

But the other day I was on the quilting website I go to daily and saw that a coordinator for Project Linus (another kids blanket donation group) in New Hampshire was giving away freebies for people who do volunteer blanket projects. I had entered to get the freebies, but did not win. However, she decided to go ahead and provide some freebies to several others anyway. Including me. I had kind of forgotten about it until I received a package of fabrics in the mail today. Actually, a box stuffed full.

Several fabrics. Yards of fabrics. Of boy-themed fabrics, too. A generous gift from someone I don't know. Put to use in quilts for kids I don't know.

Gotta get cranking on those quilt tops now!

Day 44 of 365

It's true, things do have to get worse before they get better. Yesterday was bad, today was a bit better. Not lots better, but a bit.

I took my arthritis shot last night and got worse for a while. Every time I do the shot, I get sick to my stomach and dizzy and just feel allover icky and have to go to bed early. So I had that going for me last night. I was asleep by 8:30, but probably should have been asleep by 8. (I had to watch the new episode of The Office first. Will Farrell wasn't nearly as funny as I thought he would be.) And this morning I woke up a little after 8:30. So I definitely got myself some sleep.

But I did notice something about my hands. Usually when my arthritis is about to get even worse, I notice it in my hands first. I can't tie my shoes, I can't grasp a spoon, and I can't open the orange juice container. But at lunch time today, I opened a new jar of peanut butter. And later in the afternoon, I opened a bottle of water. And without much trouble at all. It may not seem like a lot, but it's big for me. While I'm not feeling super duper, for me to be able to grasp something - and open it - is a huge milestone. Maybe these shots are working? (Oops, maybe I shouldn't say it. Don't want to jinx myself - again.)

But it gave me some hope. Hope that I can move forward and get some things done today.

I had some things listed on etsy.com to sell, but decided to pull them off. Maybe I'll relist later, but who am I kidding? I put them on as I was starting this blog as a way to try and make some extra money. Well, nothing sold (they were just pincushions and fabric memory games), and I don't want the hassle of checking every day to see if they sold. It's not like ebay where your item lists for 5 days or whatever. On etsy it was 3 or 4 months. I'd rather spend my time on other things, not checking again and again to see that no one wants my stuff.

I did finish up some of the kids quilts. I hadn't taken pictures of the newest two, so I went ahead and snapped a pic. I keep a quilting binder of all my projects, so I'll print a copy to put in there. I haven't updated that binder in a while so I'll have to put that on my to do list for another day. Especially since I have several non-quilting projects I can add to it. Maybe the quilting binder will become a sewing binder?

I especially like the pink pinwheel one on the right.

And remember, today's also the drawing day for the Dick and Jane magnets from Day 41. I'll randomly choose the winner (did you know there is a website that generates random numbers?) and post it at 5 pm Mountain time this evening. If you entered, check back right here to see if you're the winner. You'll only have until Sunday at noon to claim your prize.

And the winner is... Lisa from Sherwood, Oregon who said:
I love the magnets, especially the ones with the words. I currently only have 3 magnets on my frig..so I'm in need of more! :)

Congrats, Lisa! Please contact me at debzdays@yahoo.com before noon on Sunday to claim your prize!  Prize claimed.