Life

Just before Christmas, a few of my friends and I get together for a cookie exchange and happy hour. We may not always be the best about getting together the rest of the year, but we always do Christmas cookies.

I went through a few cookies before I landed on peanut butter kiss cookies as “my” cookie. I make them exactly once a year, but I’ve been doing it for so long now that I have the technique down. It still takes a while to roll them all and top them with kisses, but the results are worth it.

I usually augment with a second kind of cookie or candy. In the past I’ve made peppermint bark and Christmas crack (aka saltine toffee), and other, lesser stuff that I can’t remember. :)

This year I decided on millionaire’s shortbread, which I’d never made before. …

Kiss Cookie SeasonRead More »

My husband bought me the Women of NASA Lego set as a “just because” present because he found it in stock and thought I would love it. And he was right! It’s like he knows me. :)

Look at it! Isn’t it adorable? You can click the picture to see the larger version, or there are a bunch more pictures on Lego’s site. The space shuttle even has removable rocket boosters. ?

I can’t wait to put it together—it will make a fabulous addition to my desk. Of course, that means I have to clean my desk, but that needed to happen anyway.

The set is a little hard to find right now, but it would be the perfect holiday gift for the people on your list who love Legos, NASA, science, and smart women.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here in the US and Happy Thursday to everyone else! I hope you all get to spend some quality time with friends and family today, laughing and talking and eating too much.

My husband and I are headed to a friend’s house for a late lunch. I’ve made two pecan pies which win nothing in the looks department, but usually end up delicious. ::fingers crossed:: I don’t know why a pretty pie crust eludes me every year, but Martha Stewart I am not.

I have so many things to be thankful for this year: friends, family, happy memories, good health. On the professional side, I sold my first book and started my journey to becoming a published author. And I’m thankful for all of you, who come to read the words I’m shouting into the great internet void. :)

Now it’s time for me to sneak in a quick run, so when I eat that second (or third…) piece of pie, I don’t feel quite so bad. Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent two days out in the sun this weekend, watching the Formula 1 practice on Saturday and the race on Sunday. Because we had general admission tickets, we had to get there early on both days to get a good view. It made for long days, but we had fun.

When Sunday’s race was over, they let fans out onto part of the track. You can walk through the main straight and get a look at the fancy main grandstand seats (complete with shade!) and the pit area. My husband and I stopped for a photo at the start/finish line. He looks great, as usual. I, however, have made a mental note to my future self: remove backpack belt before photos. :)

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F1 WeekendRead More »