These were the first two I did in October. After trying nibs and ink on the gold envelopes, I gave up. The style was fun to do - but the ink wasn't black enough. I did some touch up - but that was tedious - and I used the idea off Janet's envelope - reminding us that *mediocre is just fine* - that's not the exact quote - but you get my drift.
Of course, I broke my most emphatic rule - and did the lettering without having stamps in mind. At least the stamps are good. I give those doo-dads on Irene's a D. Janet's doo-dads get a C+ because I resisted the temptation to borrow the crescent moon off the stamp. That would have been a disaster. Stick with dots. Dots are our friends and they never let us down.
The train of thought went from October is hard > to being happy it's November > to lamenting the excess of the holidays > to enjoying the simple pleasures of the holidays (mail and cookies) which reminded me that I am so happy to have discovered an easier way to make Spritz cookies. They were a favorite cookie that we only made once a year. Then I gave up the cookie press and regretted that I did not have it. Then a friend of mine said that she still had hers. I was excited to borrow it - and then hers fell apart after she had made her dough. So she just made little lumps and smashed them with a fork.
I decided to try rolling the dough into a log and making them slice-and-bake - and voila - that works. It's a very easy dough and I enjoy making them more often. I only eat one a day. Most people scoff at being able to eat just one and insist that they could not do that. I read something about how willpower is a scam. If you want to cultivate willpower, it can't be done.
Here's the theory. The part of your brain that makes good choices shuts down when you are stressed. When you are stressed, if you have ever had a cookie and then felt better, you imprinted that scenario on your brain and it will forever use cookies as a solution for stress.
How do you undo the imprinting? When you want the cookie, you have to stop and enlist your curiosity. You have to ask *Why do I want a cookie?* and after you are honest about wanting a cookie because the squirrels have destroyed all your hard work in the yard - you no longer want the cookie because if you eat the cookie, the squirrels win.
Note to Janet: if you are collecting any quotes to add to that list - I think If you eat the cookie the squirrels win should be on the list.
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