Thaaaaanks

I had a rough week. Sales dried up, I received an angry letter from a customer, and I was pretty discouraged.

Then, the happy messages came rolling in. Can I tell you how much I love all the people who support me?? That includes you, blog readers. Your little comments, compliments and encouraging notes really keep me going when it is suddenly my fault that a customer's dog chewed up her bracelet.

Oh, and today rocked. Five sales? Great way to start my weekend.

Thank you everyone!!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Pumpkin Cookie Goodness with Caramel Frosting

Sorry for my lack of blogging. I've been eating cookies, literally non-stop, and I haven't found the strength within me to pry my sticky fingers away from their delicious goodness and type a few words.

Wildflour Bakery's Famous Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups shortening
2 cups white sugar
1 29-ounce can pureed pumpkin
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon (or more to taste)

Caramel Frosting:
12 tablespoons ( 3/4 cup) butter
1 cup milk
2 cups brown sugar
6 cups powdered sugar (or more if needed)
1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions
To make cookies, cream shortening and sugar; don't whip. Mix in pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to pumpkin mixture. Scoop on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-16 minutes.

To make frosting: Combine butter, milk and brown sugar in a large saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Take off heat, let cool. Be sure not to add the powdered sugar until mixture is really cool. When cool, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Add more powdered sugar if too thin. Frost cookies and serve. Makes 42 medium-size cookies.

(Obviously not my picture. Who had time to take pictures? THERE WERE COOKIES TO EAT!)

That's right, 42 medium cookies. I made these on Monday. It is now Thursday. Only two of us live in this tiny apartment, and the cookies are long gone. 


Sometimes I can't tell if I've hit a new low or become my own hero.

We need help...

The husband is applying to business school. He needs to record a 2 minute video essay as part of the application. By November 4th.

We don't have any video equipment. At all.

Help? Ideas? Leads? We will pay to rent it for a few hours...

Giveaway...

My lovely friend Nikki is doing a giveaway on her fabulous blog, "Have Joy."

The California Caramel Company is giving the winner of this give away their Deluxe Apple Gift Box. Mmmm, mmmm.... Caramel apples are one of my favorite fall treats! This beautiful gift comes in an adorable box with two (yummy yummy) gourmet dipped apples, complete with free local or nationwide delivery! 

If I don't win will someone please buy these for me? I've decided I can't live without them...

Something to be grateful for..

I just got off the phone with my parents, who I talked to for about an hour. They live in Texas with my youngest brother.

Worst hour of my life. So. Depressing.

About three weeks ago they all got the swine flu. Then, they all got sinus infections from the swine flu. Now, they all have the regular flu on top of this infection.

Seriously? Seriously.

My brother's ENTIRE CLASS was out with the swine flu. Apparently swine flu is the new Snow Day.

Feel better people! Don't call me again until you are heavily medicated!!

(JK. Love ya!)

Be careful what you wish for..

Today Mark is flying to Austin to interview/scope out Acton University. He’s going to be gone for three days, so I have been doing my best to give him a hard time about leaving his poor wifey at home again.  As I was helping him pack this morning he mentioned under his breath that he bought me a ticket too, kind of just looked at me until I heard what he said, and then flashed me that huge smile I love. I’m in Austin baby!

…But not without some setbacks. There is no direct flight from Sacramento to Austin, so we had to connect in Denver. We only had a 30 minute layover, so we decided to carry on our luggage. (Isn’t that fun? Who doesn’t love baring their soul and opening their suitcase at security and living out of 3oz containers for a week?)

We had huge delays on our flight out of Sacramento – like a whole hour. I sat by a girl about my age who was obviously enjoying a much more less-maintenance lifestyle than I was: unwashed hair, covered in a poncho with about two inches of her unshaven legs exposed between her wool gauchos and hiking boots. Interesting.

Mark’s interview is first thing in the morning, so we basically HAD to make our connection in Denver. We just had to! Southwest is usually great about holding flights for you, but I seriously doubted they would for over 30 minutes. I was a wreck the whole flight – kept checking my watch, checking my boarding pass, praying to God, Allah, Buddah (I like to get the whole gang involved for serious occasions - like the time I thought I might be pregnant. Yikes.) that somehow the other flight would be delayed and we would make it to Austin.

We landed in Denver at 8:20, desperately hoping we made our 8:00 connection. Our flight to Austin was delayed a whole hour – our plane was coming in from St. Louis and was an hour late. Yes! By this time I was more excited about having time to pee in a normal size restroom than I was actually getting to Austin. We wearily boarded our flight, and overheard someone candidly asking the flight attendant why the flight was late: “Did you run into a snowstorm in St. Louis?”

“No,” she answered. “We had a two-year-old turn blue and stop breathing. We had to turn the plane around.”

I can’t stop thinking about it. This wasn't what I wanted! Not my fault. Not my fault. Not my fault. Doesn’t really help that the flight attendant didn’t know the boy’s condition. “We landed and they just took him away,” she shrugged, as she then demonstrated how to put that yellow oxygen contraption on your face.  Not my fault.

Seriously, so blessed!

I found this blog today and it is hilaaaaarious.

Everything I hate about Utah and (can I say this?) Relief Society all rolled up into one delicious blog.

Check it out: http://seriouslysoblessed.blogspot.com/