Karen’s Opinion

This week’s theme at Heads or Tails is “chain.” Make any kind of post using any form of the word “Chain”

Early memories of Christmas decorations remind me of the times I spent making chains out of red and green construction paper. In elementary school we would make long chains so our teacher could use them to decorate our classroom. There is even a wikiHow article about How to Make a Christmas Chain!

I still play with items of color, as you can see over at Winding Threads. I need ideas on what to make from my purchase.

My husband’s favorite cookie is the infamous Snickerdoodle. How did it get that crazy name?

Wikipedia
The Joy of Cooking claims that snickerdoodles are probably German in origin, and that the name is a corruption of the German word for “snail dumpling” (Schneckennudeln, or cinnamon-dusted sweet rolls).[citation needed] Similarly, one author states that “the word `snicker’ may have come from a Dutch word `snekrad,’ or the German word `Schnecke,` both describing a snail-like shape.”[1] However, another author believes the name came from a New England tradition of fanciful, whimsical cookie names,[2] and yet another cites a series of tall tales around a hero named Snickerdoodle from the early 1900s

Snickerdoodle Cooke Recipe
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in the egg and vanilla until well blended. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, and stir in remaining flour. This is when I wish I had a Kitchenaid or Sunbeam mixer!

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. Combine the 4 tablespoons sugar and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls and roll in cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

Place balls of dough 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until edges are beautifully golden. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Eat and enjoy!

I am so IN THE MOOD to get together with other quilters and see what they have been doing these past few months. Our quilt guild takes a break during November, December and January so I have not seen my quilting buddies. We meet tonight! I am taking a few things that I have made for show and tell.

I made this table topper for the end table in my office.

I made this table cloth for the oak table in our lodge room.

I’ll let you know what the other ladies have made. See ya!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter Communication. All opinions are 100% mine.

When I looked outside today, I saw two of the biggest blackbirds I think I have ever seen. I don’t know what they were up to but they looked ominous. What is it about blackbirds that makes one wary? Is it all the movies depicting them as creatures of evil? I think it is time to do some research.

I have been reluctant to do much searching these days because I am using a different computer. With my slow connection it takes forever to get from page to page. I wish Charter Internet service was available in my area. I have read on many blogs how satisfied bloggers are with their ability to zip around from site to site because they use Charter. Charter offers excellent service at incredible prices.

Charter is always offering exciting online deals and a chance to win cool prizes. Last year they offered a fantastic sweepstakes whereby you could win gift cards from major retailers in electronics, clothing, home, accessories, and restaurants. I can guarantee that I would become a fan of Charter on Facebook so I would know of all their fantastic offerings the minute they began. If you aren’t addicted to Facebook like me, you can get your updates by checking Charter’s Daily Deal Web Site. You are so lucky if you are in an area where Charter is available as your cable, Internet and phone service provider. They have given away a new 2010 Chevy Camaro 2SS! Wowzers!

This is just one example of their fantastic giveaways that make Charter the exciting provider to be with.

What are you waiting for? Get with Charter.

I have been doing some research for this post. I thought I would review the movie hubby and I watched last weekend, All About Steve, but have changed my mind. It was not the best movie and I don’t feel like making this a downer of a post so instead of reviewing the “okay” movie I thought it would be fun to list a bit of Sandra Bullock trivia.

Fist off, Sandra Bullock has a sister. Gesine Bullock -Prodo is the younger sister of Sandra Bullock, whose nose she accidentally broke when they were kids. She sells Macaroon cookies from her own store located on Elm Street in Montpelier, Vermont. The cookies are made from the original French recipe that calls for no coconut. She attended University of Virginia and Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. She is a lawyer and was involved with Fortis Films, the production company owned by Sandra Bullock. She quit the business to pursue her cookie business.

Gesine’s husband is Raymond G. Prado. He is a storyboard artist and has been involved in many productions. He was the storyboard artist for Practical Magic, one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies. A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment. A storyboard artist is also known as an illustrator or visualizer. They are mostly freelance artists, typically hired by art directors and film directors. Deadlines are always tight, and overnight working is very common. In film, a storyboard artist is hired at the beginning of a project. When a storyboard artist is hired by a motion picture company, the artist must break down the scenes of the script into shots which can be filmed. This is done under the supervision of the film’s director in order to insure the director’s vision from the start of the project. Therefore, it can be helpful for the storyboard artist to know the mechanics of filmmaking when assisting the director. As the production proceeds, the storyboards are presented to the cinematographer who is then responsible for bringing that vision to the screen. Film production companies may also hire a storyboard artist to create polished presentation-style storyboards (which might also include sound) which can be used by an executive producer to raise the money to create the film.

Sandra Bullock’s mother, was German opera singer and voice teacher. She taught voice at Mary Washington College in in Fredericksburg, VA for many years. She was born February 12, 1942 and died of cancer in 2000. Sandra lived in Nuremberg until age twelve, where she sang in the opera’s children’s choir at the Staatstheater Nürnberg. She frequently traveled with her mother on her opera tours, and lived in Germany and other parts of Europe for much of her childhood. She is fluent in German. Bullock studied ballet and vocal arts as a child, taking small parts in her mother’s opera productions.

Sandra’s father was John W. Bullock, a voice coach and executive from Alabama. Bullock’s maternal grandfather was a rocket scientist from Nuremberg, Germany.

Bullock married motorcycle builder and Monster Garage host Jesse James on July 16, 2005. They met when Bullock arranged for her ten-year-old godson to meet James as a Christmas present.

Sandra donated $1 million to relief efforts in Haiti following the Haiti devastating earthquake earlier this month.

And there you have it. A bit of Sandra Bullock Trivia for your day. Oh yeah, my favorite movie of hers is Practical Magic with The Blind Side coming in a close second most favorite.