Bowling, Birthdays, 4-H, Fraternus

I've been busily making cookies as of late, and hadn't realized that it's been since
August since I last posted anything. Sorry, to my followers! 
Some of what I've done are repeats of previous posts.  So instead of posting something you've already seen, I'll just post those cookies that are new to my blog.

So here's new stuff since the last post:

Cookies with a girly theme for Cassie's birthday.

A birthday bouquet for my daughter's best friend, Carly.  Carly likes playing soccer and swims on a local team during the summer.  I did the little figures with edible markers on top of basecoat of white icing.

A birthday platter for Emily, with a theme of pink and black zebra print.  I got inspiration for these from an icredibly talented and  sweet cookie decorator friend from Texas....SweetSugarBelle.  Check out her totally awesome creations.  She is as prolific a cookie decorator as you will ever find.  There is no end to her creativity and she makes tray after tray of incredible cookies every week.  And she's a one woman show!! 

http://sweetsugarbelle.blogspot.com/

My neighbor's daughter was in a run-off for president of her school 4-H club.  She asked me to help her write a speech to convince her fellow members to elect her as president.  Having made several cookies for her before, she also asked me to make some small clovers to give to the  voters on election day.  I decided to print the 4-H logo onto edible image sheets, and make the cookies that way.  They were a hit!  One kid asked her for a dozen more!  Nothing like buying a vote by way of the stomach.  And they worked!!  She was elected president.  My son was also selected as 4-H president at his school.  No campaign/election process there, so no cookies were needed. He was appointed by an officer selection committee after writing a couple of paragraphs as to why he should be chosen.  He originally applied for the position of club reporter, but was appointed head of the whole thing!!  I was very proud of his accomplishment!  Congratulations Damian and Cassie!!  Two 4-H presidents in the same neighborhood!!  Here are the cookies that "sweetened" the vote in Cassie's favor.

I was on a roll with the edible image thing and used it for a repeat performance when asked to prepare a little sweet something for my son's challenge ceremony reception for Fraternus.  If you've never heard of Fraternus, you're not alone.  There are only 5 chapters of Fraternus in the whole country, and our chapter here in Louisiana, is in it's infancy.  What is Fraternus:

FRATERNUS mentors boys into virtuous Catholic men. Weekly meetings, outdoor excursions, discipleship groups and summer camp are designed to engage the masculine heart and build virtue.

Pretty simple mission statement, but so profound a challenge in a world in which we live today.

It's pretty incredible to have one of these chapters in our small community here in SE LA.  My son is totally enjoying it and looks forward to frat night every Sunday evening.  Check out their site for more info:   

http://www.fraternus.net/index.php

These are the cookies I made for the reception.

These were a request for a college student who is on the bowling team at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, IA.  These were pretty fun to make.  I especially like the way the marbling technique came out on the bowling balls.



Saints Cookies

At long last, the latest edition of New Orleans Saints cookies has arrived!!! This is my version for the upcoming football season.  I was inspired to make the LA shaped cookie with "Believe Dat" by a sticker I saw while Googling one day after the Superbowl win.  Saved it, and thought I might use it one day...... that day has arrived. 

It pays tribute to the long suffering fans of the "Who Dat Nation" who have endured untold misery for far too long.  It took one special coach, who learned very quickly the incredible bond between his team and the city of New Orleans and the surrounding gulf coast area, to bring in one special quarterback, who, like the city of New Orleans and the gulf coast region, had to find untold strength from deep within, to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, to comeback from despair, destruction, and defeat, who together, understood the magnitude of the task the two of them had before them.  It didn't take long for Sean Peyton and Drew Brees to realize that they were not here for the sole purpose of resurrecting a woeful excuse of an NFL franchise.  No, they realized early on that they were being called to rebuild more than just a football team. The coach, his quarterback, and the whole New Orleans Saints team and organization, took the city, the region, its fans, and everyone affected by Hurricane Katrina upon their shoulders, and carried them along as they all rebuilt, together, to come back stronger, more determined, and more confident in their ability to overcome adversity. 

This year's edition of Saints cookies is dedicated to the Who Dat Nation, who've had to endure for sooooo long a miserable football team, and a crippling blow from a storm named Katrina.  It finally happened .... SUPERBOWL CHAMPIONS!!!!
To those who said it would never happen.....BELIEVE DAT!!!!!!!!

Beach Themed Wedding Sampler

I was contacted by a future bride through my Etsy store and asked to design some wedding cookies for her beach themed wedding.  These are sample designs based on her wedding colors and theme.

Pink Zebra Print Floral Bouquet

This bouquet was a request for a "get well soon" for  a young cheerleader recovering from a shoulder injury.

It got a big "COOOOOL" from my 10 year old daughter.  I guess that age is

into the animal print thing.

Night Out Against Crime

In celebration of National Night Out Against Crime, I made 2 trays of cookies for our local community's annual celebration.

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.

Madison Turns "10"

My second child, and only daughter, Madison, just made 10.  In designing her birthday cookies, I wanted to represent those things that are very special to her.  She has a heart a mile wide when it comes to her love of  all things of the animal world.  She is always the one wanting to pick up strays, feed the homeless kitties and doggies, and willing to do whatever it is that God's little creatures may need.  I'm convinced that she is an offshoot of St. Francis of Assisi, and her mission in life is to take over where he left off!  Although we are the proud owners of 16 chickens, 10 cats, 5 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, 2 Nigerian dwarf goats, 1 dog, 1 fish, and 1 duck who thinks she is another chicken, I limited the "animal" portion of her cookie platter to cats and dogs.

Madison, being the middle child between two brothers, is far from the "dainty" "girly-girl" type.  She is more the "rough and tumble" "bull in a China shop" sort of child.  She has endless energy and is very high-spirited.  Soccer is her favorite sport.  It fits her personality and energy level quite well and she excells on the soccer field.  At the age of 9, she played on her brother's team of 11 and 12 year olds and never missed a beat!  She wasn't the least bit intimidated by boys two and three times her size!  That's where the soccer cookie fits in.  I designed this cookie from one that I saw somewhere on the net.  I wish I could remember where, so that I could give deserving credit!

Of course, I had to add some birthday themed cookies to the mix.

And flowers were added to round out the whole collection.

These are pictures of the whole collection.

Happy "10th" Birthday, Madison!!

Cookies

That Most Famous Mouse

These were for Kyle's First Birthday!  I must admit that when I got this order I was a bit excited for two reasons.  First, it's always special when you're asked

to play a small part of such a big celebration as a baby turning 1.  What can be more special than a "First Birthday"?  Second, this was my first chance to make that "Famous Mouse"!  They were sooo much fun to make!  The big Mickey was made from a cookie cutter that I picked up on vacation last summer at Downtown Disney.  I knew I'd use it someday.  The smaller ears were two cutters that I made using one of those "Make Your Own Cookie Cutter" kits.  I have to say that I was really quite simple to do, and I was pleasantly surprised at the results and how well the cutters worked.  It sure beat having to cut all those ears by hand!  I found a Walt Disney font online and thought that would add a finishing touch to the whole platter. 

Happy First Birthday, Kyle!!!  Hope your big day is very special!  Thanks for letting me play a small part in your special celebration.