Deidre Mapstone's Blog, page 4
February 9, 2015
In Love With Love
I love Valentine's Day.Yep, I do.Despite the commercialism.Against the haters.I'm in love with love.
I've loved the color red since I could remember. Growing up a redhead, I was always told I shouldn't wear red. I liked red. I settled for pink. I think by middle school 80% of my wardrobe was pink. The rest of it was green, as that's what looked good with red hair.To this day, I love the combination of pink and green. Coincidence?
Last year I wrote about some of my memories about Valentine's Day, and why I love it. This year I continue to be excited about sharing the day with my family.I like to think of Valentine's Day as a day to spend with those you love. You don't have to spend it with only one other, in a most romantic fashion, with flowers, candy and jewels. (Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't say no to any of it.)Think of it as a time to be with anyone you love, even your favorite pet.Even yourself.The commercialism of this holiday has gone so overboard, every "single lady" out there hates on it. They feel sorry for themselves if they aren't receiving a bouquet of roses and a proposal in a glass of champagne.Forget that!Dump it!Let it go!Stick it to "the man"! Enjoy where you are, and who you are.
A couple years ago I designed shirts for my little ones. I was so excited to come up with the designs and see them come to life on the shirts! I got to make each one custom to them, and for less than $10 a piece.Of course, I wrapped them over heart shaped boxes of chocolates too. I'm a sucker for the sweet thangs.They loved them! They even wore them proudly the next day to school.The real pleasure of the day was seeing their faces opening their gifts. Enjoying the love and happiness that came from something simple but meaningful.The hub and I exchange gifts too. We try to keep it simple as well. There haven't been jewels for years. Flowers aren't my thing. Let's see, I believe the year before last was a pink PS3 controller.
The year before that was a bottle of marshmallow vodka. Mmm...that was yummy. I give him chocolate that usually sits around until the kids ask if they can have it.This year I am keeping it simple again, with...well, I can't tell you, it would spoil the surprise. You can bet there will be something sweet with it though.
So this year, find your love. Whatever, wherever, whoever that might be.XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
February 2, 2015
Personal Week: Snowy Memories
Watching the kids get older by the second, I am almost constantly reminded of phases of my own childhood. We seem to have a child in every stage of older childhood right now, and it is marvelous. I watch their interactions and can be taken back to sibling play, quarrel, and competition instantly.It's such magic to be part of it, then to watch it again.
I grew up in the city, near the airport. Our neighborhood was a good, old fashioned place, with lots of streets full of wonderful houses, and kids galore. We were a diverse bunch, I can even remember fights breaking out in the street, but for the most part, I remember the fun times. The innocent times.I walked two blocks to school through 4th grade. I wore a uniform, as it was a Catholic school. I had to wear a skirt to school the whole school year. Our babysitter was our neighbor.This time of year, I am reminded of how red my legs got walking just those two blocks. (I didn't like to put on pants under my skirt, or snow pants. Too much effort.) I remember knowing lots of the neighbors who lived in the houses I passed.I remember feeling safe in the world.I remember street lights made of white stone, or concrete. How they were my curfew, which changed as the seasons changed.I remember having friends who lived all over the place. Across the street, down the street, around the corner, or a few streets over. It was all good. Bikes were our transport, and everything was accessible.I remember snowball fights which would put girls against boys and it seemed every kid in the neighborhood joined in. I remember a friend's house, which was dark brown, covered in white polka dots of snow. How I thought it was hilarious and beautiful at the same time.Who remembers skeetching? I had to google that to make sure it was a real word, and it's in the urban dictionary. You can look it up if you want to know what it is. It was popular in our "hood". I remember it well, but I would never allow my kids to even try it.I remember piling in the station wagon to go sledding. (Yeah, the station wagon!) Crowding as many people as you can into one car, because that's all there was. I remember steam coming off our snow clothes when we got back in the car, as we thawed ourselves by the heater vents.Now, we live in the country, and are lucky to have a hill right outside the house. I can watch the kids sled from our living room and dining room windows. Reliving my own sledding youth. It's awesome.So many memories, these are only a few. It's what came to my mind on this, a blistery cold snow day.
I grew up in the city, near the airport. Our neighborhood was a good, old fashioned place, with lots of streets full of wonderful houses, and kids galore. We were a diverse bunch, I can even remember fights breaking out in the street, but for the most part, I remember the fun times. The innocent times.I walked two blocks to school through 4th grade. I wore a uniform, as it was a Catholic school. I had to wear a skirt to school the whole school year. Our babysitter was our neighbor.This time of year, I am reminded of how red my legs got walking just those two blocks. (I didn't like to put on pants under my skirt, or snow pants. Too much effort.) I remember knowing lots of the neighbors who lived in the houses I passed.I remember feeling safe in the world.I remember street lights made of white stone, or concrete. How they were my curfew, which changed as the seasons changed.I remember having friends who lived all over the place. Across the street, down the street, around the corner, or a few streets over. It was all good. Bikes were our transport, and everything was accessible.I remember snowball fights which would put girls against boys and it seemed every kid in the neighborhood joined in. I remember a friend's house, which was dark brown, covered in white polka dots of snow. How I thought it was hilarious and beautiful at the same time.Who remembers skeetching? I had to google that to make sure it was a real word, and it's in the urban dictionary. You can look it up if you want to know what it is. It was popular in our "hood". I remember it well, but I would never allow my kids to even try it.I remember piling in the station wagon to go sledding. (Yeah, the station wagon!) Crowding as many people as you can into one car, because that's all there was. I remember steam coming off our snow clothes when we got back in the car, as we thawed ourselves by the heater vents.Now, we live in the country, and are lucky to have a hill right outside the house. I can watch the kids sled from our living room and dining room windows. Reliving my own sledding youth. It's awesome.So many memories, these are only a few. It's what came to my mind on this, a blistery cold snow day.
January 15, 2015
The December 2014 Cookie Breakdown
After enjoying the holidays off social media as much as possible, I wanted to catch up on the cookies. Many of you who follow me on Facebook saw the many pictures of the delicious cookies I make with my cousin, Debbie. Every December we get together one to two days a week until Christmas time and bake our heads off!
So, without further ado, here are all the stats, which Debbie likes to keep track of, so thanks, cuz.
Let's start with how much time we put into this. It takes some effort, after all. We spent 6 days together, plus time ourselves, ranging from 2 1/2 to 7 hours each day, for a total of over 36 hours of baking.Get ready, that's going to be a lot of cookies.
We start our bake off with sturdy cookies that we know freeze well. Having done this for over five years now, we've got our schedule pretty well figured out. So, first batches:
Molasses6 batches made 23 1/2 dozen.
Good ole' Chocolate Chip4 batches made 21 dozen.
The most amazing Snickerdoodles you could ever want.
4 batches made 22 dozen.
One of everyone's favorite, Chocolate Crinkles.
5 batches made 22 1/2 dozen.
Next, we get into the peanut butter category. We make two different kinds, using peanut butter cookie dough.
I don't think any holiday cookie collection would be complete without the Peanut Butter Kiss.
5 1/2 batches made 22 dozen.
(These I had to make again on my own, as my family ate the first batch before I could get them all into the freezer!)
Then we take cute little balls of dough, put them into mini cupcake papers, and bake them. When they come out, we add the mini peanut butter cups, and they are amazing!Peanut Butter Cup Cups5 1/2 batches made 18 dozen.
We also dabble in candies. We keep it easy, because we find we're more bakers than candy makers. But there are some out there that we've discovered that we love.
Peanut Clusters
4 batches made 18 dozen.
Meringue Snow Peaks
4 batches made 39 dozen little kiss bites!
Peppermint Patties
4 batches made 30 1/2 dozen.
Of course, another traditional delight are the 7 Layer Bars.
2 batches made 17 dozen.
We cut them small, for a pop-in-your-mouth treat.
Another one of our personal favorites is the Cherry Tassie. We use bourbon soaked cherries (Debbie soaks them about a week ahead of time, so they are nice and saturated.) popped inside a ball of almond dough that is like a cloud of heaven.
Cherry Tassies
3 batches made 20 dozen.
A new one we added this year, the Thumbprint Cookie. We rolled them in chopped walnuts, and filled them with my cousin's homemade blackberry and another homemade grape jellies. So amazing!
Walnut Thumbprints
3 batches made 9 dozen.These were so good, I think we'll probably be making 4 batches next year.
The classic Almond Snowball
5 batches made 15 dozen.
Orange-Cranberry Macaroons
3 batches made 8 dozen.
Debbie discovered this recipe. After a few personal tweaks of our own, they are a favorite of anyone who tries them.
Raspberry/Ginger Pinwheels
3 batches made 10 dozen.
Another classic, is of course, the Christmas Cutout.
2 batches made 10 dozen.
Last, but certainly not least, are these incredible chocolate balls of magic. Another discovery by Debbie, she insisted on making them last year, and boy, was I delighted!
She certainly is a great discoverer of recipes!
Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Balls
4 batches made 14 dozen.
If you were keeping track, congratulations! For the rest of us, that's 17 different recipes, for a grand total of 319 1/2 dozen cookies!
The most common question we get asked every year, after, "Can I have some?" is "What do you do with all those cookies?"
Well, since there are two of us baking, we split them down the middle to then do as we like with them! Which is mostly giving away for family and friends, teachers and others in our lives who do for us year round. Of course, we save some to celebrate the holidays with our own families too. Usually, by the time the New Year rings in, they are gone!
So, my friends, here's to some wonderful baking in 2015!
So, without further ado, here are all the stats, which Debbie likes to keep track of, so thanks, cuz.
Let's start with how much time we put into this. It takes some effort, after all. We spent 6 days together, plus time ourselves, ranging from 2 1/2 to 7 hours each day, for a total of over 36 hours of baking.Get ready, that's going to be a lot of cookies.
We start our bake off with sturdy cookies that we know freeze well. Having done this for over five years now, we've got our schedule pretty well figured out. So, first batches:
Molasses6 batches made 23 1/2 dozen.
Good ole' Chocolate Chip4 batches made 21 dozen.
The most amazing Snickerdoodles you could ever want.
4 batches made 22 dozen.
One of everyone's favorite, Chocolate Crinkles.
5 batches made 22 1/2 dozen.
Next, we get into the peanut butter category. We make two different kinds, using peanut butter cookie dough.
I don't think any holiday cookie collection would be complete without the Peanut Butter Kiss.
5 1/2 batches made 22 dozen.
(These I had to make again on my own, as my family ate the first batch before I could get them all into the freezer!)
Then we take cute little balls of dough, put them into mini cupcake papers, and bake them. When they come out, we add the mini peanut butter cups, and they are amazing!Peanut Butter Cup Cups5 1/2 batches made 18 dozen.
We also dabble in candies. We keep it easy, because we find we're more bakers than candy makers. But there are some out there that we've discovered that we love.
Peanut Clusters
4 batches made 18 dozen.
Meringue Snow Peaks
4 batches made 39 dozen little kiss bites!
Peppermint Patties
4 batches made 30 1/2 dozen.
Of course, another traditional delight are the 7 Layer Bars.
2 batches made 17 dozen.
We cut them small, for a pop-in-your-mouth treat.
Another one of our personal favorites is the Cherry Tassie. We use bourbon soaked cherries (Debbie soaks them about a week ahead of time, so they are nice and saturated.) popped inside a ball of almond dough that is like a cloud of heaven.
Cherry Tassies
3 batches made 20 dozen.
A new one we added this year, the Thumbprint Cookie. We rolled them in chopped walnuts, and filled them with my cousin's homemade blackberry and another homemade grape jellies. So amazing!
Walnut Thumbprints
3 batches made 9 dozen.These were so good, I think we'll probably be making 4 batches next year.
The classic Almond Snowball
5 batches made 15 dozen.
Orange-Cranberry Macaroons
3 batches made 8 dozen.
Debbie discovered this recipe. After a few personal tweaks of our own, they are a favorite of anyone who tries them.
Raspberry/Ginger Pinwheels
3 batches made 10 dozen.
Another classic, is of course, the Christmas Cutout.
2 batches made 10 dozen.
Last, but certainly not least, are these incredible chocolate balls of magic. Another discovery by Debbie, she insisted on making them last year, and boy, was I delighted!
She certainly is a great discoverer of recipes!
Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Balls
4 batches made 14 dozen.
If you were keeping track, congratulations! For the rest of us, that's 17 different recipes, for a grand total of 319 1/2 dozen cookies!
The most common question we get asked every year, after, "Can I have some?" is "What do you do with all those cookies?"
Well, since there are two of us baking, we split them down the middle to then do as we like with them! Which is mostly giving away for family and friends, teachers and others in our lives who do for us year round. Of course, we save some to celebrate the holidays with our own families too. Usually, by the time the New Year rings in, they are gone!
So, my friends, here's to some wonderful baking in 2015!
December 8, 2014
Death: It Happens
I think about death. A lot.I haven't always been that way.As a child I would think about it when we talked about Jesus, in school or home. When you are about 6 or 7 and learn that there was a person who sacrificed himself for you, even though they didn't know you or even about your existence, it makes you think about it.But when you're 6 or 7, death to you is a concept, a notion, an idea. It's something that only happens to very, very old people, or very special people for some strange reason. It is distant. It does not have to do with me. Not now.I used to hold my breath to see what it would be like to be "dead". What does it feel like to stop living? What did Jesus feel like? (Yeah, I was a bit devoted in my Catholic upbringing.)The thoughts were fleeting, as only they can be at that age. It was a mere curiosity and then it was gone.Years go by.Teens feel invincible. They go off and do crazy things because they feel death can't happen to them.This is a stereotype. It wasn't me.I purposely avoided things to avoid death. I didn't smoke, or try drugs of any kind. I was the goodie-goodie kid. As I got older, I never let anyone drink and drive me anywhere. I was the designated driver. I knew death could happen to anyone, but it was unlikely that it would happen to me. Not now.When I was 27 one of my best friends in the whole world died. Suddenly and without warning, his heart failed and he was gone. His sister was the one who called to tell us. To this day I don't know how she did it. To this day I feel his absence. Death can now happen at any time, to anyone of us. Hopefully not now.My thirties brought on a new level of death thoughts. My husband and I now had three children and they were still very young. My family often talked to me about my weight and how it wasn't healthy. My husband mentioned that he wanted me around for a long time, so he wanted me to be healthy. Health versus death. Something new that entered my brain. With every year that passed, death was creeping closer. It is, after all, inevitable. It is going to happen some day.The panicked thoughts would creep into my mind, ready to paralyze me. Then I thought of something. My children are small. They need me. I need to be here for them. I will be here for them. I am not going to die in my 30's. Not yet. It is too important for me to be here. Raising my children is my purpose here.Paralyzing death went quietly to a place far back in the recesses of my mind. To haunt me another time.I can't pinpoint the exact day or moment, but some time around 39 or 40 the death thoughts visited again. This time with a new sense of purpose. With a whole new sense of fear to share with me.It's not that something dramatic happened to me. It wasn't one thing that sent death spiraling through my head. It was simply life happening. Life happens so consistently, it's sometimes hard to keep up.Life goes on and people pass on. People who have lived good, long lives. They made it to a nice old age and died of natural causes. They've left us to move up the ladder of life.Now, in my 40's, I have moved up a good few rungs of that ladder. I see others around me move up as well. Some are very close to the top. Death is welcoming them in like a long, lost friend.Death visits my thoughts now like an annoying creature. He's noisy and loud and colorful. Too much so for my comfort. he comes into my head and stays for too long. He likes to make my heart pound, palms sweat and thoughts race. It's like he's mocking me by enhancing the things he will one day take away. I feel the life in me more clearly in those moments. I feel how I don't know what I will do without them. I panic. He stays and parties for a while, thinking it's all fun and games.I've learned to push him away. I've learned to distract myself to quiet him. Not now.I welcome distractions like I never have before. I like keeping my head busy, louder than death partying in the not-so-back of my mind.Why does he paralyze me so? Does he do that to everyone?Not now, please. Shhh.I know it has to happen. I just hope that it is easier than it seems. The piece of wisdom I will take with me this decade is from my father; we are always afraid of the unknown. He is right. I am always afraid of what I don't know. Yet that hasn't stopped me from doing things I don't know.Death will be one of those things. I will rise up to shake hands with him one day. Even though afraid of what I don't know, I will be confident that I will follow the millions of others who have done it and I will make it through.Just not now, thanks.
November 3, 2014
Guilty Pleasures
Everyone has them, right?Those things we do that give us pleasure, but we don't want anyone to know.We keep it a secret.We keep it close to the chest.Because we enjoy it, but it's so bad.It's so bad, it's good.
So, I'm going to break the silence on some of mine.Because, why not?It's fun to share a secret, sometimes.Here we go.
Sugar. I've spoken of it before, but it really is a pleasure of mine. It's becoming a social outcast, but I don't care. I am trying to cut it back in my days, but every time I eat it, I enjoy it just the same.Gaming. Yup, I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm a gamer. I love playing first person shooters, and have met people online through gaming. It's fun, addicting, adrenaline-pumping, and I could do it all day.Sleeping. I love my sleep. I am glad to lie down in my bed at night, and drift off to who knows where. I hate getting up most every morning. I wish I could stay in bed and just lounge and rest, until I feel like getting up.Jewelry. Or, as I called them in my childhood, "Jewleries." I love jewelry. I mean, I really do. I look at certain pieces and just covet the B-jesus out of them. It's one thing that if I had endless sums of money, I would have a ton of jewels.Fur. O M G , did she just say fur? Yes. Yes, I did. My grandmother had fur coats when I was a child. I always thought they were the most marvelous things I'd ever touched. I have one of them hanging in my closet today. It still smells of my grandmother, which I love. I don't know if I ever dare wear it in public, as it's so politically incorrect, but I don't care. I love it.Cheesy movies. I love movies, tv, entertainment. Sometimes I get a big kick out of films others consider not-so-hot. But I don't care. Some of them are; Legally Blonde, Mean Girls, The Twilight Saga, Flash Gordon, any 80's movie, among others.Being alone. Being a stay at home mom, I got used to be surrounded by noise and children most of each day. Then my children grew, and they started school, and with each one, it got a bit quieter. Now, with all of them there 5 days a week, and the hub at work, I am alone. At first I thought I'd lose my mind. What do I do now? How am I going to fill the hours and hours without interruption? It took a few years to figure it out, but I keep busy with homemaking, and writing a story. Oh yeah, me, a writer. Who knew? I've learned to enjoy my time alone, no matter where or when it happens. It makes the time with people more enjoyable.Well, there it is. 7 of my guilty pleasures. I have others, but why share everything all at once? It's more fun to spread out the fun, no?
Share one or two of your guilty pleasures with me, won't you?
