	Highland Dove Homeschool

Hobbies

I like to...

	bake
	crochet
	read
	I'm learning to knit
	throw kid parties
	drink coffee and chat - but I don't have any links for that.

Baking & Jenn

What I did that I'm most proud of was to make my own cookbook. I used all the best recipes I'd assembled from my family, Dave's family, friends, etc. Then I put them into the computer, formatted the pages, and printed them out. I took them to a copy place down the street and they copied and bound the 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 book in plastic spiral binding for about $2.50 per book including copies (I think I had 25 made up). My friends loved them and although it was time consuming, it cost so little. I added a favorite quote for each recipe and gave credit of where I got each recipe from. I only included recipes I had personally made and included a sentence of anecdotal interest with each recipe. My friends call me 8 years later to comment on a recipe they've just tried from the book, or ask a question. It was a HUGE hit for cheap Christmas gifts.

This is one of my best recipes :

“C” is for cookie, and cookie is for me.
~ Cookie Monster

Cut-Out Cookies 1 hour prep
20 minutes @ 350

Jenn’s Mom

1 C	Butter, softened	2 1/2 - 3 C	Flour
1/2 C	Sugar	2 t	Baking Powder
2 t	Vanilla	1/8 t	Salt
1	Egg

Cream together butter & sugar. Add vanilla & egg, mix well. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients. Combine, mixing thoroughly. Flour a 2x2 area and roll dough with rolling pin to 1/8 inch thickness. Press shapes and transfer to greased & floured cookie sheet. Add scrap dough back into main dough, kneed until mixed in. Cook about 20 minutes at 350. Watch closely. Cookies are done when edges start to turn golden.

I prefer a baking stone to cook these on. Toward the end, the batter may be dry, don't cook as long or as detailed of cookies.

Never, my heart, is there enough of living.

-Leonie Adams

Cut-Out Cookie Icing

Jenn’s Mom

1 T	Butter, melted	1 C plus	Powdered Sugar
1/4 C	Milk		Food Coloring
2 drops	Vanilla

Cook over medium heat, adding tiny amounts of milk last and stirring constantly. Only add enough milk to attain spreading consistency. ~This recipe is an approximation and depends on the moisture in the air, in the sugar, the heat used, etc. It is really easy to put too much liquid in this, so be very careful.

During use, icing will harden, add small amounts of milk to regain spreading consistency.

Life is a verb, not a noun.

-Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Crochet & Jenn

My dad's mom taught me to crochet when I was 12. I played with it on and off through my teen years (where I was ridiculed mercilessly for bringing crochet to a card party...I liked my friends, I didn't like cards.) I love making baby blankets for gifts. It takes about 4 skeins, so it's a $10 gift that they love. My favorite pattern is http://danettesangels.tripod.com/pattern_tiny_hearts.html I make it in white for baptisms. I make it in reverse (with the double crochet open pattern spaces outlining the solid hearts pattern) for summer/spring babies. I've also made it using a cross pattern for boys' baptism.

About every other spring, I make my girls a new Easter shawl in case our Indiana spring is still chilly.

Reading & Jenn

I love to read Catholic stuff. One of my best friends who was a professed agnostic gave me Pope John Paul's Crossing the Threshhold of Hope. PHEW. That was a tough read - but worth the effort. She always got me the most precious, religious gifts all through our friendship. It was her way of knowing who I really was and respecting it. It made me feel so loved. Hi, Mel!

About 2 years ago, I liked Matthew Kelley. Last year I read a lot of Scott Hahn. This year I'm enjoying Peter Kreeft. All along, my favorite author of articles is Mark Shea. He's a hoot. I also really like C.S. Lewis: his stuff is easy enough to read, but I have to ponder so much - it's pretty deep for a party girl like me ... but I like it - I'm just really s-l-o-w.

Knitting & Jenn

I just started this in autumn of 2006. Well....I taught myself to knit from a book, the American way about 11 years ago. I completed one project, but it was soooooooooo much work (a crochet baby blanket takes me about 10 hours of work - the knitted rug of the same size took me around 60!) I knew it'd take me a while to learn and all, but it just wasn't fast like crochet. Then I saw a post about a site that taught German or Continental Knitting. It's supposed to go faster and it seems more like crochet. It doesn't involve all that throwing the yarn over stuff.

This site is FANTASTIC! It has free videos to teach you how to learn to knit both the American & Continental way.

This site has conversions from Knit to Crochet & back again.

Parties & Jenn

My favorite places for party ideas are http://www.party411.com I've never bought the stuff they have on sale, but I've gotten LOTS of ideas from their message board.

More themes - http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/KidsBirthdayParties.htm

Cake ideas - http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/cake-picture.html

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/special/specialfeature/cakefinder-birthday