A lot going on this week… including my update pattern. I think it’s very ironic that right after my blogging class concludes that I have increased motivation to write everyday.
Class at the University is wrapping up (I only have one, awful, long paper left to write), and then it will be S-U-M-M-E-R. Not the real season, but the ridiculous, long four months of what should be planting season in our previously agriculture-based society, and like every year for the last six or so years, I am in a quandary of what my plans will be. I have a general outline (working, reading, cooking, and blogging, of course), but there’s an anticipation for something wonderful, something exciting to happen, and I don’t know what that something is!
Obviously, one of my goals for the summer is to be coherent. =P
My usual state, which doesn't require verbal articulation, unless... something's on fire.
Anyway, this Wednesday, I practiced the favorite art of procrastination by baking; my un-studying was made better by the fact that a). it was done with friends and b). we brought joy (and cookies!) to other people. I have a very self-focused philosophy of living to enjoy myself, and most other people’s happiness is of negligible import, but I do find it self-affirming to occasionally spread good cheer. Happy people munching on my baking is like getting hugged, except I don’t even have to touch a person (long story short… I had a traumatizing experience with superglue as a teenager, and now have extreme aversions to physical contact).
My Bible study group got together at the apartment of our Fearless Leader (aka Rosalie), and we spent three hours baking cookies to pass out to hungry, harried students studying in the libraries on campus. It was part outreach in that there were Bible verses printed out and wrapped with each cookie, but it was, for me, mostly another way to avoid studying and fun to do a random act of kindness.
The boys, left to right, Josh, Nathan, and Sassypants (Andy), at work.
All the eggs and butter we used... mmmm butter.
Benefit of unorthodoxly using one's hands to make cookie dough: eating the residue.
Fearless Leader/Rosalie taking over. That's Nathan in the back, still eating cookie dough.
The chocolate chip cookie dough Nathan was eating.
Sassypants Andy trying to mix the oatmeal raisin cookie dough with a spoon. When that failed...
...he decided to emulate Nathan's hands-on method (not... really sorry for the pun. =P). Josh is in the middle, and Jodi and Iris are working on sugar cookies to the right.
I was assigned white chocolate macadamia cookies. They're my mother's favorite!
Bert, the oven mitten monster that took over Josh's arm.
The overflowing box and basket of wrapped cookies. We made a lot of students happy. =3
And… finally… the last part of this post. The Life of the Humble Sugar Cookie:
Iris creaming the butter and sugar together for the sugar cookie.
Rolled out and dusted with sugar before baking...
...and here they are, out of the oven.
There were good ones. They got wrapped up and paired with a Biblical message; don't really agree with Matthew here... but who reads inserts when there's a cookie right there? Besides with fortune cookies. =P
The many rejects. :D
