Yuletide Youtube

Yuletide Youtube:

Pic of the Day:


Recipe of the day.

Nothing says Holiday like Wilton Vanilla Sugar cookies with buttercream icing. Break out the old cookie cutters!

1 cup Butter; room temperature
1 cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Egg
3 cups Flour
2 teaspoon Baking Powder

Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixer bowl, cream butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in vanilla and egg. Sift flour and baking soda together. Add to creamed mixture, one cup at a time, mixing after each addition. Dough will be very stiff. DO NOT CHILL DOUGH!

Divide dough in half. On floured surface, roll dough about to 1/8 thick. Dip cutters in flour before each use. Bake cookies on ungreased cookie sheet on top rack of oven for 6-7 minutes, or until lightly browned.
Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Wilton Buttercream

½ cup solid vegetable shortening
½ cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approx. 1 lb.)
2 tablespoons milk

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep icing covered with a damp cloth until ready to use. For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

YIELD: 3 cups

Today's Free Book:
Croc and the Fox. It's a het furry romance
http://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-crocandthefox-906632-140.html

From my February release

Dylan woke to the insistent buzz of his alarm clock, his whole head feeling like it wanted to explode. He smacked the clock to turn it off, rolled out of bed and staggered to the shower. The Grant Starr concert had left him totally wrecked. Lots of ambient pot-smoke and someone had passed him a popper. He considered calling out from work this morning.

He sniffed, wondering why the smell of frying eggs wasn't sending him to the bathroom to heave. Then he remembered, Aaron was gone. Nobody was cooking breakfast, laughing at his hang-over. Aaron had stormed out the afternoon before, leaving him on his own for the concert.

( Read more... )

My tweets

• Sun, 22:42: Oli wants to make out with her gf at Chik-Fil-A. I'm raising a 12 year old anarchist. #GoOli
• Mon, 08:12: Yuletide Youtube… http://t.co/eSvzOnUi
• Mon, 09:14: From my February release… http://t.co/MvgFo1yS
• Mon, 09:17: A taste of my February Release: Dylan woke to the insistent buzz of his alarm clock, his whole head feeling like... http://t.co/G55yKvjj
• Mon, 11:21: 1491 words added to Barbarossa. Readthrough completed.

Shameless trolling for votes!

I just found out I'm up for an award from the Paranormal Romance Guild. You have to join the site (it's free) to vote. Power in the Blood is up in the horror category. I could use some votes if you have a minute. (I'm running 21-35. and 211 voters are skipping the category.)

http://www.paranormalromanceguild.com/

Having it both ways

One of the perpetual calls I'm seeing is that teachers should now be trained and armed in the classroom.

This is coming from the same people that last month were calling teachers lazy, socialist, secularist union thugs.

And now they think arming these "union thugs" is a SWELL idea. But of course, not improving the working conditions or pay, and of course continuing to vilify this (mostly female) profession as anti-God, anti-Christian and anti-family. (despite sitting next to the same teachers at church.) I expect they'll require teachers to pay for their own training and weaponry as well, because gods know we can't make them provide their own coal to heat the classroom!

Yep. Trying to have it both ways. Or they think the rest of us are just dumb. Or they are so caught up in their "More guns means fewer shootings" illogic that they don't see the contradiction in arming the "socialist" "anti-God" "union thugs" they claim to hate.

Yes, let's DO.

Quick alert

If you plan on ordering anything from my Etsy shop and want it by Christmas, the order must be in before 4 PM Central Time tomorrow.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/valarltd

Four Days Away!

Yule is coming.
As I do every year, I am giving away free ebooks.

So, prepare now.
Go to http://www.brooksandsparrow.com
Pick out one book you would like to have.
Zombiality, Dragons Composed and Dreams of Steam 1&2 are NOT eligible

On Friday, I will put up a post with screened comments.
Leave your e-mail and title in the screened comments.
I will email you a book.

State of the Sooky

Today's total:2120 on bounty hunters

Editing: finished readthrough, added 1500 words to Barbarossa

Reading: King Solomon's Mines

Workout: none

Flying: none

Crafting: finished2 color hooded scarf

Media: none.

Business: none

Job Hunt: none

Other: transferred 401 K to IRA at Wells Fargo. Made dinner. Took Cat to Dr for meds. Posted a lot