Kiki's graduation

My sweet baby Katelyn graduated from kindergarten on thursday!

Black and White Cookies

I just LOVE black and white cookies. I found this great recipe and thought I would share it with you!!

yield: Makes about 8 cookies

active time: 25 min

total time: 45 min

These dramatic cakelike cookies are a New York City favorite — and we think they deserve a wider audience.

Ingredients

For cookies

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg

For icings

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 to 2 tablespoons water
• 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

Preparation

Make cookies:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Stir together buttermilk and vanilla in a cup.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, then add egg, beating until combined well. Mix in flour mixture and buttermilk mixture alternately in batches at low speed (scraping down side of bowl occasionally), beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Spoon 1/4 cups of batter about 2 inches apart onto a buttered large baking sheet. Bake in middle of oven until tops are puffed and pale golden, and cookies spring back when touched, 15 to 17 minutes. Transfer with a metal spatula to a rack and chill (to cool quickly), about 5 minutes.

Make icings while cookies chill:
Stir together confectioners sugar, corn syrup, lemon juice, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon water in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer half of icing to another bowl and stir in cocoa, adding more water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, to thin to same consistency as white icing.

Ice cookies:
Turn cookies flat sides up, then spread white icing over half of each and chocolate over other half.

Cuff Bracelets

Last night I was cleaning my sewing room and found a bunch of supplies I had purchased at one time but forgot about (shocking!)

One of those things were metal cuff bracelets. So, I decided to stop organizing and make bracelets instead. (ADD is a wonderful thing! ha ha)

I had an old pair of jeans lying around that I cut apart to make these little denim sleeves to feed the metal cuffs into. For one of the bracelets I used demin on one side and chocolate suede on the other side. Then I started digging through my supplies looking for stuff to decorate these bracelets with. I added a fabric flower I made a while ago to one of the bracelets and I strung some buttons and washers to hemp cord for the other bracelet and waa laa!!

I should probably get back to organizing the sewing room now! ha ha