Remember this? I bought this one years ago at an estate sale.

It's the same kind my Mother used and I've never considered buying one of the new automatic ones.

This is the family favorite - #21 in all it's shiny glory. As a kid I was fascinated with this disc. It was like a treasured coin. I can still hear my Mother saying "don't play with that, we don't want to lose it" and "make sure you've got the number pointing up". We always made Spritz trees sprinkled with green sugar from the old 1953 Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.

When I was home last week I grabbed a couple of extra recipes, two cookie sheets, the nut chopper and some cookie tins. Figured everything else would be here. Ha, no mixer, no sifter, no baker's racks and only my new Breast Cancer edition of the cookbook. The recipe was in there so I mixed up a batch realizing toward the end that something was different about this recipe. I recognized the same ingredients but the dough didn't feel right.

I loaded the canister with dough and was ready to go. The minute I turned the handle on the press I knew what was wrong. Too much flour!

They didn't look too bad going in the oven so I was encouraged. After all, these are one that everyone likes and eats like popcorn so I set the timer for 8 minutes and closed the door.

I found an old wood dish drying rack in the cupboards and adapted it to use as a cooling rack. I think tomorrow I will trudge my way through the 14" of snow on the ground to get my own cooling racks and sifter from the cottage.

When the timer went off I had tree cookies alright, toasted tree cookies! I think the oven temperature is off by 25 degrees or more so the next sheet went in at 350 degrees for only 6 minutes.

These look much better and I divided the 'toastiest' between everyone. I'm also filling a tin for my nephews, Ben and Alan. I had promised Alan I'd bake the 'Green Trees" for him so that makes five tins if I keep some for myself.
I managed to mix up a batch of Chocolate Snowballs tonight. Sifted the flour and cocoa through a colander which was a real chore. I'm kicking the cookie monster out of the house in the morning before I go crazy.

I finished this Midget Block a while back and thought it turned out really cute. I'm working on another appliqué one right now. This week's block is the sweet appliqué tulips that many of you requested the pattern for. I came across it over the weekend while sorting patterns. It's now officially part of the set so I won't have to worry about losing it again.

I'm working 9 hour days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully I can squeeze in a couple more batches of cookies, a special surprise and get them in the mail by Wednesday.

Here's something you can take to the bank - I will be home in Grand Rapids the first week of December 2008 to attend the cookie walk and start baking for my men in the comfort of my own kitchen!