Aha! The secret ingredient is. . .

. . . Cream of Tartar!!!

I've spent years trying out different chocolate chip cookie recipes hoping to find the one that gives me a cookie that is crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Today I think I finally found the recipe that gives me exactly that! I found it at All Recipes.com, Best Chocolate Chip Cookies. I also learned that adding 1/2 teaspoon of Cream of Tartar gives the cookies a cracked look - not a cakey look.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, cream of tartar, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

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Old and New

I finished it! The baptism gown that I made to recreate the one I wore when I was baptized. My mom held on to it and gave it to me when we baptized our first daughter but somehow I lost it. I'm still so sad about that! It was in great condition and was so pretty. Thankfully, a family friend had my original gown recreated for her son and so I was able to use hers as a guide. (Below is a picture of the original gown. The one I made is above.)


I'm happy with the result and will feel even happier when we use it to baptize our new baby. I bought pretty organza fabric and lace and made a muslin of the bodice before I actually cut into the organza. (My friends' gown is pictured below on the left, my muslin sample on the right.)

I was so afraid to get started because I was nervous about ruining the expensive organza. Everything went pretty smoothly and I'm not going to nitpick at the mistakes! The final result makes me smile.

I did run into one problem, though. The sewing machine! My son was curious about my newer sewing machine and jammed the bobbin case into it's holder. The case didn't break but fell apart and I couldn't figure out how to put it back together. I ended up using my old Singer to make the new gown and think it was meant to be sewn on the Singer! It was so helpful to have a skinny presser foot and the simplicity of the machine made sewing easy.


A lot of love went into making this baptism gown and I hope it becomes an heirloom piece for our family that can be used when our grandchildren are baptized.

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Day 2 - Kids Clothes Week

On day 2 of the Kids Clothes Week challenge I worked on making a sample (muslin) of a baptismal gown. A sample of one similar to the one I wore when I was baptized as a baby - my two younger brothers also wore it. My mom saved my gown and gave it to me when I became a mom. It was used when we baptized each of our three girls. Unfortunately, somehow I lost the gown by the time we had baby number four. I don't know how or where it was lost but I just couldn't find it. Fortunately, a family friend had my gown recreated for her son's baptism before I lost mine. We borrowed hers to baptize our fourth baby but I decided it was important to me to have our own now that we have another baby. So, for baby number 5 I am making one that I hope my children will use when they baptize their own children. I'm so glad to have our friend's gown to use as a model for the gown I worked on today. (BTW, my babies do have names but using numbers seems easier to explain this all.)

I made a sample gown because I want to make sure I can make it right and also because the organza fabric I bought for it was expensive. I made the sample bodice with sleeves and am pleased with the result (see photo above). I didn't attach the skirt because that part is easy and I don't think I need to practice making a gathered skirt. I was worried about the sleeves because I wasn't sure how to make them wide but I was able to figure it out by using the sleeves pattern from a shirt I made for JP. The size was just right and I just added length. I'll adjust it as necessary tomorrow when Baby is awake and I can try it on him. (For future reference, here is a site with lots of amazing information on how to sew sleeves!)


For a moment tonight, I didn't think I would be able to continue the Kids Week Clothing challenge because I had an unfortunate situation with my sewing machine. JP, who is 3 and extremely curious, was playing with my "new" sewing machine without permission! He jammed the bobbin case back into the machine and when I pulled it out it broke! Well, it actually just fell apart but that means broke to me. I found out the price of a new one is $75!!! I'm hoping it can be fixed for a much better price. Either way, I am so glad that my "old" machine works fine. In fact, I think it will make sewing the baptismal gown even easier.

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Day 1 - Kids Clothes Week

Day 1 of this challenge was a success for me. I set out to make the ever-popular Twirly Skirt and actually finished it! The challenge is to spend one hour every day this week sewing clothes for your kids. The skirt took me more than one hour to make but I was able to sew throughout the day to complete it. Thankfully it worked out for me because the kids were cooperative - JP napped, Baby played and the girls even got a chance to sew!

The fabric is Hunky Dory by Chez Moi for Moda. It is a directional print with the design going along the long grainline so I had to think hard about where to cut the front and back panels. After cutting the first piece, though, I learned that my daughter preferred a longer skirt. I re-stitched the first piece I had cut for the front panel and then covered up the seam with ribbon. Glad I had matching ribbon!

I didn't add a contrasting hem to the skirt but instead chose to use my serger and "roll" the hem. It's a quick way to finish a hem and this will allow me to play with the length of the skirt.

So glad to have one completed piece! On Day 2 I will not sew an everyday piece of clothes but instead something for our new baby that will hopefully become an heirloom piece!

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My Beautiful Flower

When a flower fades how do you remember it? Was it bright and beautiful? Was its fragrance so strong that if you close your eyes you can smell it all over again? Did it move so gracefully in the wind? Did it bloom in a special way? There are many ways to remember the natural beauty of a flower but we probably don't spend much time doing so. Now, how do you remember a loved one who has passed? Well, there are also many ways to remember their natural beauty, but the memories we have of them are much stronger, last much longer and become a part of our daily lives.

Today I'm remembering my very own sweet flower, Viviana. Viviana was our first child and was as lovely as the most beautiful flower you can imagine. She had a bright smile, a gentle touch, and a sweet disposition. Her eyes glistened with peace and her heart radiated pure love. She was unique and special.

My sweet Viviana, you faded much too soon. I miss you and love you so much! Thank you for changing my life and leading me to trust in God's LOVE!

V.I.M.

12/22/98 - 05/05/05

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