Lumps of Clay » Best Ever

Stinkin’ Good Pumpkin Cookies

Randa — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 20:28:12 +0000

I have a new favorite cookie recipe. Normally, I am a chunky double chocolate chip cookie kind of girl, but this recipe I tried out Sunday is easily the best cookie recipe ever. It’s the perfect light and fluffy, cakey cookie with a yummy caramel icing. I found it on allrecipes.com:

INGREDIENTS
2 cups shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 cups canned pumpkin (I used pumpkin pie filling, and I think that made them even better because of all the spices in it)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons milk
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup packed brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
1. Cream shortening, white sugar and pumpkin. Add eggs and mix well. Sift together the baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt and flour. Add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2. Drop from spoon to cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. To Make Frosting: Cook butter, milk, and brown sugar until dissolved. Cool and add confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. Spread over warm cookies.

Best recipe for vinegar window cleaner

Randa — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:11:42 +0000

Since Mom has been retired, she’s been doing some deep cleaning in the house including taking the ceiling fan blades down in the kitchen and rediscovering their true color under the grease that inevitably accumulates, and of course the yucky job of cleaning windows. She asked for a recipe for window cleaner using vinegar, and we found a great one:

2 cups water

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap

Sure is cheaper than Windex and works better too.

The best blocks ever – Magna Tiles

Randa — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 15:17:53 +0000

I’m not sure where I first read about Magna Tiles building toys, but after reading rave reviews about them several places I decided to check them out. Everyone who reviewed them said that they were super entertaining for all ages of kids. Toddlers loved them as well as older kids. Then I saw the price… $45 for a 32 piece set. It seemed a little high to me. Then I thought about how some of the toddler toys Jack has received have been close to $30, I thought maybe a toy that he would enjoy for years to come might be worth it. So, I bought them, and they are great! Jack calls them “maggets” – the pieces have magnets all around the edges and they’re nice and strong so they hold together easily. He really enjoys them and I like playing with them too!

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Best book light ever

Randa — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 16:38:30 +0000

I often stay up reading at night, so I asked for a book light for Christmas. Mark got me the Booklight Lightwedge, which is a really well designed little gadget. Instead of clipping a light onto your book and it shining down on the pages, it is actually sort of a “sheet” of hard plastic that lights up the whole page you’re reading. It also doubles as a book mark. It runs about $35, which is more than the average $20 or so I’ve seen for other lights, but it is well worth the extra $15.

Best Handbell Choir Name Ever

Randa — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 12:49:52 +0000

As many of you know, I direct the handbell choir at Reynoldsburg Baptist Church. We’re having difficulty finding people to replace several that we’ve lost over the last several months. Maybe we would have an easier time if we had an awesome name like the Ring of Fire Handbell Choir? Wonder if they do an arrangement of the Johnny Cash song of the same name? Hmmm… Ring of Fire on handbells… that would make a good prelude on Sunday morning, especially if there was going to be a good “hell fire and brimstone” sermon.

Best Blog Name Ever

Randa — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 15:10:06 +0000

The Velveteen Rabbi

“When can I run and play with the real rabbis?”