I'm Sticking to my Knitting...

I have a great friend who invited me to a "Cookie Party" over the weekend. She's temporarily living in California and I haven't seen her in months and months so I accepted. I honestly didn't think I was going to make cookies, you understand, just to visit and catch up. I thought it was a Stop-In-Anytime-While-I'm-Baking-Cookies-Open-House kind of party.

I should have had a clue when she called the night before to say that they were getting an "early start" around 9 am and what time would I be coming?

I had my Annual CQ Ornament Exchange Extravaganza so I told her I would not be able to come until the afternoon. I promised to bring sugar cookie decorating supplies and I didn't give it another thought...


When I arrived at 2:30 pm, the five women present were in full production. They were making 20 different kinds of cookies that day and they had already completed 11! I began to worry -- they were smiling and laughing but, my friends, they were working! I mean, flour-covered, moving fast, and busy, busy...Two ovens going, six trays of cookies at a time -- I started to sweat.

I poured a glass of wine and quietly sidled over to my friend and asked...


"And, why did you invite me?"

I mean, let's be honest, cooking stresses me out! Not to mention, I set houses on fire when I cook...

She said, "What do you mean? I love you! We're having the time of our lives -- this is so much fun!"

I started to hyperventilate, gulped some wine and sat down to work. At first I made little crescent moon shapes for almond crescents but one of the ladies came by to cut off my bottoms so they would sit flatly in the pan -- evidently I had lumpy bottoms.

The next thing I tried was rolling out the gingerbread dough (I thought I could be successful here since I make them at my own house.) There was a mergers/acquisitions lawyer whose passion is cooking "helping" me on this one.

Evidently, I used flour to roll out the dough and the directions said use powdered sugar. Also, I wasn't supposed to "overwork" it (I guess I was rolling too hard?)...I was fired after my first batch in the oven when I got distracted talking and laughing...Ms. Acquisitions Chef goes to check on my cookies -- "How long have these been in here?" "Um, I don't know. A few minutes." "Well, what time did you put them in?" "I don't know -- I was just going to watch them..." "Oh...(awk silence) -- well, ok then, next time its for 8-10 minutes" -- After that, I didn't make one move without running it by MAC (short for the Mergers/Acquisitions Chef) and we ended up enjoying each other a lot. I just hitched my future success on her coattails and rode that way to the finish line!

OK, not really, it was really because I found something where I could be successful...

You see, I was really good at unwrapping all of the Hershey's kisses for the Peanut Kisses cookies.


When it was all said and done -- these five women had baked ALL of their cookies, cleanup up and boxed up all of their cookies... and I was exhausted. And, I couldn't believe it...they kept talking about how much fun they had....

I left at 7:30 pm after only five hours compared to their ten! I just wanted to go home and go to bed.

On the flip side, I think I served as comic relief for the day... I mean, I did laugh at myself a lot...and we consumed more wine because I was there. Not sure if they were drinking with me or because of me...


Before I left, they tried to give me an "equal share" of cookies for the day. Mon Dieu! I could not accept...I mean, I was a mistake...I had clearly been invited to the wrong kind of party...

But imagine if we had done dying this way? And I had walked away with piles of fabric or thread? Oh Betty! Still my beating heart!!

If they do decide to invite me back next year, I just want to be on the Decorating Team in the Beautification Department...


I told them that... Try outs are in January.

Or, maybe, I'll be promoted from Head Kisses Unwrapper to

Chief Wine Steward and Cookie Pan Washer!

Two titles instead of one! That's better, I'm thinking...