A Few Plans for 2012

Well, happy (late) new year! I'm sorry to say that I've not worked on anything that I can really post, but never fear! I'm sure most of us have gotten a "whole lot of nothing" done this week. ;) I CAN tell you, however, that I did get a Pinterest account, and am already getting excited for Valentine's Day! I'm not exactly sure why, but for some reason, Valentine's Day has always given me this perfect vision of sitting warm on the couch, next to your honey, sipping hot cocoa and watching snow drift fluffily from the sky. That isn't to say that I've ever experienced this picturesque situation, and there's no way it's happening this year where  I'm located, unless Love has a surprise trip planned to someplace--dare I say it?--EXOTICALLY snowy. ;)

All this aside, one good thing about living somewhere warm is that I can already start working on my garden--I have already noticed buds on my lime tree--its first buds ever, I should add--and with that, have already battled ants and aphids. ;) What I did was combine veggie oil and dish soap in a spray bottle, and copiously spritzed the little monsters on a cloudy day. (If you do this when sun is directly on the plant, it will scorch the little guy.) I then sprinkled enough cinnamon powder around the base of the tree to make it look as though it's surrounded by reddish-colored dirt. The cinnamon keeps the ants from getting close enough to the tree to climb up, and since ants farm aphids, it seemed to be the best course of action. I did this right after Christmas, and as of two days ago, the tree seems to be doing much better. Of course I'll keep checking it; the last thing I need is for something to have survived and started making babies on my tree.

Just as a side note, of course I've also started planning the rest of my garden, because right now, the entire thing looks mostly like a waste land, save for the aforementioned lime tree and a brand new patio. I'm already growing peppers and exotic vine fruit from seed, and have ordered plenty more seeds of different varieties. I'm hoping to get the yard looking decent enough to hold a Cinco de Mayo party this year, which means that Love and I have a little bit of work ahead of us! Wouldn't it be perfect to hold our first ever Cinco de Mayo party in a garden with it's first crop of limes just beginning? :)

For now, however, here are two photos of my lime tree's buds! I hope they actually last and produce something that at least looks like lime babies this year.

I have other things planned for 2012 as well, obviously, but for now, these are first and most important on the list. What do YOU have planned so far for 2012?

Happy 2012!

Sorry I haven't been around the past few days. I'll be back and posting *real* blogs after the new year... unless I get REALLY bored tomorrow. Have a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration, everyone, and stay safe! See you in 2012!

PS:

 

(No, I didn't draw this... just saw it online. ;) ) 

The Perfect BAKED Recipe for Non-Edible Gingerbread Ornaments

So, since I've fairly successfully cleaned the house today, as I promised Love, and still find myself with some extra time (even though I SHOULD be sorting beads from one of my more temporary Christmas projects, which has, at last, come to an end), I thought I'd let you in on how to make my version of gingerbread Christmas tree ornaments. :) In fact, it's such an exciting prospect that my tree is literally sparkling with anticipation. (Not really. Actually, it's just plugged into a wall, but one can dream.)

Anyway, as aforementioned, I looked all over for a "just-right" recipe for "cinnamon Christmas ornaments," but ended up putting one together myself, based off of others I'd found. Now, I want you to know that this IS safe, even though I myself wasn't so sure about it at first, and if you are worried about fumes from the glue lingering inside your oven, by all means, leave the oven's fan on for a while after you're done making these, and leave plenty of room for the kitchen to air out.

The fun thing about these is that they don't have to be just for Christmas--can you imagine these (without the extra spices alongside the cinnamon, of course) cut into hearts and decorated in red for Valentine's Day? I sure can... and if I hadn't reached my patience-for-cinnamon ornament-making quota already (they're easy; I'm just impatient), I'd definitely be considering making more for THAT holiday!

In any case, whatever you decide to make these for, and whichever cutters you decide to use, have a wonderful time, and here's the recipe:

NON-EDIBLE "GINGERBREAD" ORNAMENTS

1 cup white school glue
1 cup PLAIN, unsweetened applesauce
2 cups powdered cinnamon
2 tbsp. powdered ginger
1 tsp. powdered clove
1 tsp. powdered nutmeg

Combine the above, adding more cinnamon powder if you want the mixture to be "doughier," and adding more applesauce if you think it's too dry. The consistency is, for the most part, adjustable to what you'd like to work with, since they will dry completely in the end, if they're of any consistency which can be cut with cookie cutters. Remember to work quickly with this, and save any unused portions for later by wrapping them airtightly (is that a word? My spell check doesn't think so) in plastic wrap.

To roll these for cutting and not ruin your rolling pin, sandwich the dough in between two large pieces of waxed or parchment paper. Roll the dough flat with the rolling pin on top of this paper-dough-paper sandwich. This way, the glue won't get stuck to the rolling pin, not to mention saving clean-up time!

Use whichever cutters you'd like to shape the cookies, and transfer them onto a parchment-covered baking sheet. Don't forget to poke holes in the top of each ornament so you can hang them later!

When you are ready to bake, put them in the oven for anywhere from a half an hour to two hours at 93 C or 200 F. Obviously, you will need to keep an eye on these until you know how long to leave your particular mixture and thickness of "cookie" in your particular oven. Since you can't poke a hole in them to see when they're done, and this is more of a dehydration process than a baking process anyway, the best way to tell is to feel it with your finger--but quickly, so you don't burn yourself! If it feels done, but still a tiny bit moist or bouncy, that means that they're done. Take them out of the oven and allow them to cool. Then flip them over and let them sit for about 24 hours. After that, you can decorate them however you like, and hang them anywhere for a wonderful fragrance.

Check out two of mine (the star and the moose) on my Black Forest-themed tree! I used traditionally-shaped cookie cutters, as well as a woodland creature cookie cutter set that I got from Ikea. See? The options are endless!

 
 I hope you enjoy, and what about you? Have you ever made these before, or just wanted to? What shapes will YOU cut out next?