One day last week I went back to work after a quick lunch and my computer had decided to do a long detailed update and I was locked out. Soooooo. What is a girl to do, standing there amongst all the rubber stamp supplies?
OH. She could most certainly dig out the most recent gifting of unused supplies (papers, stamps, extras) from a friend and see what card jumped out of the mix.
It was coffee. Coffee jumped out. This fun coffee cup rubber stamp set was just the thing. Add some fun papers, a bit of this and that, and 14 time for coffee with friends cards are now drying on my desk.
Not that they were all finished that first day. It took a few more chunks of time, but once the mess is out on the table and the idea has a plan, rubber stamped cards are just a few short work sessions away. I worked on them a little bit both days of the weekend, finally finishing them up in time to make dinner on Sunday.
How about you? What do you do when the computer locks you out or you have a few free hours? Any favorite hobbies? We could get coffee!
My weekend was not spent doing what I wanted (and had planned to do for oh so many hours). Winter Storm Cora derailed (de-planed?) my travel plans and flights to attend a wonderful weekend of friends, missions, connecting, sharing, and encouraging. Many of us were turned back and unable to attend.
But on the bright side, I flew to San Francisco for breakfast at the airport. Continued on to Denver for a late lunch/early dinner, and then (after flight cancellations), made it home the same day! Just a leisurely tour of three airports and planes. If you add in Pasco, WA, and look at a map, you will see I made a pretty neat triangle of adventure with my airplane rides. The picture above shows the Golden Gate Bridge as we flew over San Francisco heading to the airport.
Come Saturday, when I was home missing the comradery, I decided I needed to do something fun and change my attitude. What better way for me to cheer up than making brightly colored birthday cards? Several bonuses here: I used up washi tape, created with some brightly colored cardstock that for some reason I have a hard time using, discovered that embossing anything was off the table (the 20+ years-old embossing pads were toast), and came up with a dozen new birthday cards!
One dozen rubber stamped cards is a great way to kick off a year in which I hope to create many more cards to add to my stash.
What about you? When have your plans been changed by circumstances beyond your control? What did you do to change your attitude?
Welcome to 2025! Over the years, I’ve changed the name of this type of post. Sunday Moments and Sunday Joy are just a few of the titles I’ve used. This feels like a good year to focus on Sunday Peace.
Whether rain, snow, ice, or sun, be brave and stand strong like this little pansy in one of my uncovered plant pots. Peace to you.
Thank You in advance for the many blessings You bestow and will shower down upon me and my family this year. Bring each blessing to mind so I can notice and give thanks.
Help me, Lord, to
move more
think more
laugh more
learn more
care more
dream more
create more
write more
thank more
reach out more
encourage more
forgive more
LOVE more.
Let this be a year when WE grow closer as I lean into You.
I love that so many people were interested in my pumpkin pucks and the resulting pumpkin scones. I’ve had questions about both, so here are my directions to preserve your own pumpkin pucks and bake up these dreamy pumpkin scones.
PUMPKIN PUCKS
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Ingredients: sugar pie pumpkin, olive oil
Wash your pumpkin. Cut it in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy bits, and cover both inside and outside with olive oil. Place the halves face down on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Use a fork to poke holes all over the two halves. Bake until all areas are tender. My first batch I didn’t quite cook the pumpkin long enough, and some areas were a little hard. This will usually take at least an hour, depending on the size of your pumpkin. Check after an hour and keep going until a fork easily pierces all areas.
Cool. Scoop the pumpkin flesh out and a fill 1/2 cup plastic measuring cup with pumpkin. Slam (to release the pumpkin) the pumpkin on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. This will form the “puck” shape. Continue with all the cooked pumpkin. If there is any remaining, divide the rest between all the pucks. Freeze until solid. Place the pucks in freezer bags. Store in the freezer until needed. They unthaw pretty quickly, but if you want to use 1/2 cup of pumpkin, pull it out the day before and let it thaw in the fridge. Ta-dah!
PUMPKIN SCONES
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (we love whole wheat)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1 heaping tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1/3 cup buttermilk (I never have this on hand, so I add about 1 T. vinegar to the milk and let it curdle)
1/2 cup pumpkin (1 PUMPKIN PUCK, thawed)
1 tsp. vanilla
Mix together flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Use a pastry knife to cut the butter in until it is well crumbled.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, milk, and vanilla. Add to the dry mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together.
Lightly flour a surface and put the dough on it. Gently knead the dough a few times and pat it into a circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Use a knife to cut the dough in half, then in quarters, and then in eighths (final scone count is 8). Place untouching on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Bake about 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to a cooling rack to cool.
PUMPKIN SPICE GLAZE
Ingredients: powdered sugar, pumpkin spice, water
(I apologize in advance. I do not measure this, but rather go by “it’s done when it will pour over my scones.”)
Place about 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a bowl. Add about 1 tsp. pumpkin spice. Add water by 1 tsp. at a time, using a whisk to mix the glaze. Stop adding water when the glaze stirs easily but is not runny. (I know!! I did apologize in advance!) If you get too much water, add small amounts of powdered sugar to get the consistency you want.
Drizzle the glaze over the scones while they are still on the cooling rack. This is messy since the glaze drips off the bottom, but you can place the cooling rack back on the cookie sheet so it drips onto the cookie sheet instead of your surface.
Love, Laughter, and Life 