High Seas Adventure, Baby Shower, 5 Years Cancer Free

A variety of cookies this week........

My kids look forward to vacation bible school every summer.  So do I.  It's fun, lots of activities to keep them occupied, breaks the monotony of the summer boredom that has set in at this time, and most importantly, it has a way of teaching them, on their level, about God's word.  My oldest was excited because he got to be one of the staff helpers this summer.  I volunteer to help out as well, and the organizers so graciously place me in the arts and crafts department!  I wonder why??  That's right up my alley, and I totally LOVE it!! 
Anyway, this year's theme was High Seas Expedition.  The decor, lessons, and crafts were all related to ships, the sea, and adventure at sea.  Of course, I volunteer to make cookies for the culmination on Friday.  We usually have about  30-40 kids.  This year, our numbers grew, a lot!  I think the total I made was 101 cookies.  Doesn't sound too bad, unless unforeseen THINGS prevent you from staying on schedule and you end up decorating 101 cookies in one afternoon/evening (Thursday - when they're needed on FRIDAY), and then have to bag each one early the next morning because your schedule is off and they need time to dry!  Thank goodness for fans and heat lamps for speeding up drying time.

Regardless, the kids loved them, and I did have fun making them even though it was a rush job.

 Also due for Friday, was an order for baby shower cookies.  The gender of the baby is not known, so the theme was  gender neutral baby blocks/animals.  This is my interpretation of the shower invitation.

I decided to spell out the family name of the baby with the blocks:  Baby LEFORT.  I think it came out kind of cute.

One of my son's classmates celebrated his birthday Saturday.  Not only was he celebrating turning the age of 12, but he was also celebrating  reaching the milestone of being cancer free for 5 years!   Nick was diagnosed with a tumor on his kidney at the age of 7.  He courageously went through surgery to remove that kidney and the chemotherapy that followed.  He was going to second grade at the time.  Even though he had to go through all of this, he still managed to keep up with his school work and successfully complete second grade.  He is an inspiration to all who know him, and is such a sweet, loveable child.  I made this bouquet for him.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICK!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON 5 YEARS OF BEING CANCER FREE!!

May God bless you with many, many more years of freedom from that dang disease!

My Etsy Store is Now Open!!

Rollin' in Dough is expanding!!  I've just opened up an online store at Etsy.  You can find the link, and items that I have listed, on the sidebar.  Come in for a visit.  Thanks for looking!  And, feel free to spread the word! 

"Hogs", Dogs, and Girly Girl Cookies

Have you ever wondered why Harley-Davidson motorcycles are referred to as "Hogs"?
A little research revealed:

Beginning in 1920 a team of farm boys down South that would become known as the "hog boys" consistently won races. The group had a hog, or pig as their mascot. Following a win, they would put the pig (a real one) on the back of their Harley and take a victory lap. In 1983, an organization was formed, taking advantage of the long-standing nickname by turning "hog" into the acronym H.O.G., for Harley Owners Group. Many Harley-Davidson enthusiasts capitalize the word to make "Hog" and consider this term the sole property of H-D.
Harley-Davidson attempted to trademark "hog," but in 1999 ultimately lost the case, with the appellate panel ruling that "hog" had become a generic term for large motorcycles, and is therefore unprotectable as a trademark.

On August 15, 2006, Harley Davidson Inc. had its NYSE ticker symbol changed from HDI to HOG.

Interesting?!  Anyway, I was asked to make a Harley themed birthday bouquet and this is what I came up with:

Here's a closeup.

I was also asked, by a dear friend, to make a birthday bouquet for her sister's birthday.  Her sister is a dog lover, and has quite the "collection" of dogs.  This was my attempt to create the following breeds in cookie form: Boxer, Pit Bull, Chihuahua, and Shih Tzu.

Closeups

                                                    

The Boxer

The Shih Tzu

Difficult name to pronounce!  Looked up the phonetic pronunciation of this little guy and found out it is pronounced "sheet-sue" or "she-zoo".  I've heard it pronounced "sh_t-zoo"!! I don't think that pronunciation is phonetically correct!!  

The Chihuahua

This one came out looking a little sad, and a little drunk!

All of them together in the bouquet.

I also made a few "girly girl" cookies for my good friend's 2 daughters.

Thanks, Karen.