Baltimore Oriole's Super Fan Cookies

 

We are HUGE baseball fans

here at The Cookie Puzzle.

 

We are HUGE

Kansas City Royal's Fans.

 

So when I was contacted by Julia,

asking for cookies for her

boyfriend's 25th Birthday,

I was really excited.

 

BUT...

 

She wanted

Baltimore Oriole's Cookies!

 

 

Ruh Roh!

 

Ok....I am a professional.

 

I can do this.

 

BUT

 

I had to hide in my cookie room

after my son and husband went to bed,

so they would not see me make

Oriole's Cookies.

 

 

I have to say, that even though these were

not Royal's cookies, they were fun to do.

 

And I enjoyed every minute of decorating them.

 

 

When it came time to package them up,

 

my husband caught me!

 

And guess what?

He liked them too!

 

Woot Woot!

 

 

I was happy to hear from Julia that the cookies

 arrived safely and on time!

 

 

And more importantly,

 

Mike loved them!

 

 

 

 

 

Until next time...

 

 

Hugs,

 



 

 

 



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Graduation Season

Graduation season is here,

and I was given the opportunity to make

several sets of cookies.

 

They are nothing really original,

so no "WOW, look at those cookies" cookies

here..but I wanted share anyway.

 

The first set I made, well actually, I made

six sets of these, they went in

Welcome/Thank You baskets

in the hotel rooms of out of town guests.

 

The Graduate, graduated for the

School of Journalism

at the University of Missouri, Columbia,

which is my stomping ground.

 

 

The second set I had the pleasure of making,

were for the daughter of dear friends of our.

 

Brandi graduated from High School.

 

Class of 2013!  Woot Woot!

 

 

The third and final set of cookies I made,

were for my beautiful niece, Robyn.

 

She graduated with her

Masters Degree in Animal Science.

 

I am so proud of her, she is following her passion

and that is always a good thing.

 

Of course I had to make her cookies, and

include a few cows, cows are her "thing", while I

don't understand it, that is just fine with me,

she does!

 

 

 

Congratulations Graduates.

 

Job Well Done!

 

Until next time..

 

 

Hugs

 

 

 

 

 

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Important Questions I Mustache

Hi Cookie Lovers!

 

 

Today, I want to talk about

 

current popular trend.

 

You know, the stuff that is all over all

 

the magazines, pinterest, trendy blogs.

 

OK, I am not the coolest person in the world,

and I would never pretend to be, but some of this stuff,

I just DON"T get.

 

Today let's talk about some of them, shall we?

 

 

The idea of this post came from a simple cookie request.

 

Baby Shower cookies.

 

Blue

 

with

 

Mustaches on them.

 

So that is what I made.

 

 

But these cookies got me to thinking.

 

Who decides WHAT is hot right now?

 

Is there a super secret "hot trends" club that meets?

 

Do they sit around and think of some super stupid "trend" then

Pin the heck out of it so that we all think it is MUST HAVE?

 

 

Let me share some of my

 

"I don't get it" Trends that puzzle me lately.

 

High Heel Shoes?

 

Really?

 

I just don't get it.

 

Comfortable?

 

NO?

 

Good for your back, hips and feet?

 

NO?

 

Oh..and let's talk about two of the most

annoying things about high heels, shall we?

 

 

 

1. People who wear them, that don't know how to

walk in them.

 

2. The loud, super annoying sound they make

when people "walk" in them.

 

Ok, I get it, you want to be all cool and hip, fine, got it,

but how about walking around your house a few week,and

get the hang of it before going in public?  Because, honestly, when you are

in the mall, and in front of me, and walking REALLY slow, and REALLY loud, I

don't think, "Oh, look at those cute shoes, I should ask where she got them."

NO

 

What I am thinking of is two things

 

First is "MOOOO" because you are moving like a cow, sorry, I don't mean to be

rude, hence I THINK it not say it out loud, but really, you are walking

like a cow and you sound like a cow too.

 

The second thing I think is

"Get out of my way!"

 

 

 

Because my time is valuable, I have things to do, and I have to

do them quickly, so when I am out shopping, I wear

sensible shoes, like athletic shoes, or soft soled cowboy boots.

 

They are flat, and quiet, so I can move quickly about my

business, and not annoy people.

 

See..WIN ...WIN!

 

Don't get all "hatey" on me now. No nasty emails please.

 

 A women who walks gracefully and smoothly and quietly in high heels is a

wonderful, beautiful thing. So pretty.

 

But a women who does not know how to walk in them

GETS ON MY NERVES!

 

 

While we are talking about shoes, let me tell you something

else that annoys me.

 

HARD SOLED SHOES!

 

Really, are the NEEDED?

 

They make really nice shoes, that have some, quiet soles.

Why is it needed to have a sole that is hard, making it loud.

 

I don't like to hear people walking, it annoys me.

 

And in case you are wondering, I am 40, not a 70 year old

grumpy old man.

 

 

Ok...moving on.

 

What else puzzles me?

 

 

 

SKINNY JEANS!

 

What the HELL?

 

Really, do you know anyone that looks cute in them?

 

Ok, well, maybe a few do, but honestly, we can be real hear, do they

really need to make skinny jeans bigger then a size 4?

 

Have you see the people in America?

 

Study show that this county is getting bigger and bigger,

and the super secret trend club, decides that skinny jeans

are HOT.

 

Um NO!

 

And if skinny jeans are not bad enough, they decided

to make them in colors!

 

Because nothing screams

 

LOOK AT ME

 

I AM TRENDY

 

like a 40 something mom at a soccer game

in neon green skinny jeans.

(and high heels)

 

 

Really , Super Secret Trend Club,

give me a break

 

Can you please decide that boot cut Levi jeans are cute?

 

I would be so grateful, thankyouverymuch.

 

Ok...what else?

ICED COFFEE!

What?

 

It is coffee...it is supposed to be HOT!

Really, I am sure it was "invented" by some

super cool coffee shop, who made too much

coffee for the morning rush, and did not want to

toss good coffee out, so they tossed some

chocolate syrup in in, drizzled it with caramel, and whipped cream

and sold it to the yuppies who came in at lunch

"Look, we have a new product"

Whatev, it is cold leftover coffee!

YUCK!

Oh...I could go on and on

but I am sure you are bored.

So, how about we talk about what started this all off.

Mustaches!

Really?

Mustaches are hot?

Um, WHY?

Is it because nothing says

"I love you"

like a mustache?

Is it because nothing screams

"Welcome Baby", like

a mustache?

Ok..I love me a mustache, really I do.

 

My husbad of 18 years, rocks a goatee, love it!

Sam Elliot!

HOT!

A Mustache party.

It puzzles me.

But, the customer is always right, so when I get a request

for blue onesies with black mustaches on them, I make them!

 

 

 

 

 Until next time...

 

 

Hugs

 



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Lots and Lots of Autism Cookies

April has come and gone...

 

and I am a little sad to see it go.

 

During April....

 

I made LOTS AND LOTS

 

of Autism Cookies.

 

I know you might be a little

sick of seeing

Autism Posts

and

Autism Cookies.

 

But guess what?

 

MY BLOG....MY RULES!

 

So...here are some pictures of

some of the cookies I did last month.

 

 

 

25 dozen of these little beauties.

 

 

6 of these fun boxes to Autism events around the country.

 

 

 

8 Dozen of these huge Puzzle Ribbon Cookies!



 

36 dozen of these fun mini puzzle cookies to an

event on Long Island!



 

 

6 dozen of these large puzzle cookies to

a bake sale for Cookies for iPads.

 

How amazing are these cutters?

 

They are a Plastics in Print creation.

 

Patrick has been working with me for months,

to get me the PERFECT puzzle cutter.

 

Now...to the normal, non puzzle obsessed person, this

might seem like a simple task, but to me,

well, let's just say, I am

VERY PICKY!

 

I needed a cutter that looked good, like a

"typical puzzle piece"

 

BUT

 

I needed it functional too.

 

I make a TON of puzzle cookies,

and I needed this cutter to work,

and work well, and give me the

ability to make cut out these cookies

QUICKLY, I don't have time to struggle

with little "tabs" on the side, so

 

Patrick made me

3 different cutter, before we got it right.

 

Patrick is AMAZING!

 

He made me a large 3.5 inch one

and a smaller 2.5 inch one

and a mini is in the works now.

 

So..

 

Thank you Patrick!

 

You made me a very happy

puzzle cookie obsessed baker!

 



 

And finally, just this Saturday,

I mailed off an order of

4 dozen mini puzzle piece cookies to

North Dakota.

 

 

There you go,

my life last month in

Cookies!

 

I am so sad to see it go,

it was a lot of work,

but so much fun.

 

I pray I will get the chance to make

more puzzle piece cookies soon,

because they make me so happy!

 

Until next time

 

Hugs,

 

 

 

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Blogging for Autism Awareness Wrap-up

So....here we are then end of 

And I am so sad to see it go.

This month flew by for me.

I hope you all enjoyed reading each post

as much as I did.

In case you missed any of them,

here they are for your reading pleasure.

 1. Blogging for Autism Awareness by The Cookie Puzzle

2. Puzzle Hearts by The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle

3. Autism Awareness Cookies by Tami Rena's Cookies

4.Color Spectrum Cookies by Edible Canvas Creation

5. Making Puzzle Imprints on Cookies by Ellie's Bites

6. Autism Awareness Cake by Simply Sweets by Honeybee

7. Cookies for iPads

8. Awesome Autism Awareness Ninjas by Sugar and Stitches

9. Finding the Missing Puzzle Pieces Through Soap by Bubbles Bath Boutique

10. The Face of Autism by The Wacky Cookie Company

11. Puzzle Hearts by Lizy B

12. Puzzle Cake by Twins Plus One Goodies

13. Autastic Cookies by Not Your Everyday Cookie

14. Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Cookies by Sarah's Sweet Shoppe

15.  An Important Piece of the Puzzle by Arty McGoo

16. Cookies for Jack by Grammie's Cookies N' Goodies

17. One and Only, Special Cookie by Love at First Bite

18. Autism Awareness Embroidery by I Play with Sticks and String

19. I am MORE then Autism by The Baked Equation

20. Autism Awareness Airplane Sky Banners by Semi Sweet

21. Autism Cake Pops by Serendipitous Sweets

22. Autism Awareness Cookies by Cookie Crazie

23. Suprise Cupcake by Not Your Momma's Cookies

24. Chalk Board Cookies by Sweet Hope Cookies

 

25. Once Upon a Time There was a Tangram by Laura's Cookies

26. Welcome to Holland Cookies by Jill FCS

27. Autism Awareness Cookies by Cristin's Cookies

28. A Square Peg in a Round Hole by In the Heart of Happy

29. Cue Card Cookies by Suzi Social Worker
30. Blogging for Autism Wrap-Up

 

I have to say...that I have learned a lot this month.

I have learned that there are GOOD PEOPLE in the World.

I have learned that having guest posters on your blog is a 

LOT of WORK.

(Honestly, I thought this would be easy, even though several friends

warned me that it would be a lot of work.  Melissa, Stephanie and Tami,

YOU WERE RIGHT, I bow to your wisdom)

I have learned that I can get a post and pictures
 on my blog, no matter how it
comes to me, Google Docs, Microsoft Work,
 Microsoft Word, TypePad, email, HTML code,
I have it down pat now..so
if you ever want to guest post,
please contact me, I got this now. And I can do this at 8 pm
or 1:30 am..no problem

 

I have learned that with great work, comes great reward.

I have learned to put aside MY feelings, for the Greater Good.

I have learned that the world beats to it's own drum,

and I have no rhythm.

I have learned that while I know a lot about handling MY Autistic Child,

in the grand picture.that is all I know, how to handle MY child.

I have learned that dedicating an entire month of my life

  to bringing Autism Awareness, is not enough.

Autism is 365 day a year job, and while I don't want to turn this 

blog into a Autism Awareness blog, I think a little Autism Awareness

will be popping up from time to time.

I have learned that "Girls are Weird" or so my son told me, as night after night

he found me at my computer, in tears, over yet ANOTHER touching

Autism Awareness Post.

I have learned to Say NO to cookie requests for this month, even to 

loyal customers, the only cookies I did this month were Autism Cookies and 

10 dozen cookies for my Collin's Prom (which he did not even go to, but he

helped decorate, for 10 hours, in a a loud crowded gym, so I 

will count that as a victory).

I have learned that even after making more puzzle cookie then I could 

count this month, the sight of a puzzle cookie still makes me smile.

To all the guest blogger,

THANK YOU!

You are the ones that made this a
Huge Success!

Thank you for taking the time out of your
busy schedules to help me.

Thank you for the amazing projects you did.

Thank you for the time you took to research your posts.

Thank you for sharing heartfelt stories.

Thank you for supporting my dream of
having a post a day about Autism Awareness.

Thank you for caring.

Thank you for helping spread the word.

THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the readers of these blog posts.

I have gotten great feedback, kind and supportive comments,
touching emails, and have made many new friends.

Thank you for taking the time each day, to read these posts.

Thank you for sharing these posts with friends and family.

THANK YOU!

I leave you with one of the many
Autism Awareness Cookies I made this month,
but will be back later this week,
with a post about all the cookies I did this month.

Until next time,

 

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Cue Card Cookies by Suzy Social Worker

Hi!! I am Marci from Suzy Social Worker by day Betty Crocker by Night. I am so flattered and honored to have been asked to participate in The Cookie Puzzle’s Autism Awareness Month. I have read through some amazing posts. Some have even made me cry. I have known about Autism for a while, but from a different point of view. I am a social worker and formally was a therapist. I may not be able to quote statistics to you about Autism, but I can tell you that I have learned a lot just by being a part of these families lives for a short period of time.

 

I remember when I worked with my very first client- a young boy- with Autism. He had an Autism spectrum disorder called Asperger’s. He was not what I had expected. I was a young clinician- just starting my career in mental health as a community based therapist. I wish I could claim that I had a tremendous impact on this young man, but I cannot. I do know that I learned a great deal from him and continued to learn a great deal from other clients with Autism throughout the years. Some of the most challenging experiences I had as a therapist were with children with Autism, but they were also some of the most rewarding experiences ever. I continued to work in the mental health arena for over a decade. In that time, I learned a great deal about Autism. I also learned that I really don’t know that much at all about Autism. Every child is different, every family is different and as a therapist I always had to think creatively.


I remember with one family I worked with- I always say family because even though the child was my client- I truly worked with the whole family. I worked with Mom to come up with a behavior plan and also worked on flashcards to use with the client. I thought that I was being so creative and original. Little did I know that flashcards and “cue” cards can be an important component of Autism therapy. Since working with that family, I have learned much more about the treatment approaches. I am not a trained therapist in any behavioral approach for Autism. I worked with some clients throughout the years who have had Autism spectrum disorders. I am not an expert in Autism or the treatment of Autism. I have just been fortunate enough to experience how special they truly are in my behavioral health work.

I really tried to think creatively about doing an Autism Awareness Post. I had thought about doing a cookie puzzle piece cookie, but decided that I would be a rebel and do something different. So, instead I made cookie flashcards. Flashcards can be a component of therapy or treatment with a child with Autism, but I have learned that flashcards or “cue” cards can be an amazing tool with any kid. Cue cards can be incorporated into a chore chart. Cue cards can be placed on the mirror to remind a kid of the morning bathroom routine and cue cards can be used as visual reminder for many daily tasks and learning.

Here are a few cue cards I made.

 

Although, I no longer work in behavioral health I will never forget my memories from my clients and therapy. I know more about dinosaurs from one young boy I worked with than I ever thought that I would know. I also can say I held a hissing cockroach in my hand- just for one second- and a tarantula. That young boy loved insects and bugs and could recite amazing facts about them. And kudos to his Mom for allowing him to have a “pet” cockroach and tarantula.

Since I made cookie Cue cards I also made a few more cookies. They are simple- but sometimes simple is ok. I chose just a few key words to place on cookies that can impact a child or family’s experience with Autism. We can all help out in one of these areas. We may love a child with Autism. We may work on research for Autism. We may advocate for Autism. We may work on technology that impacts Autism. We may support a family with Autism. We may do therapy with a client with Autism. We can all do something.

Thanks again Kim for allowing me to participate in such an amazing project.
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A Square Peg in a Round Hole by In the Heart of Happy

Hi, you can usually find me over at In the Heart of Happy and She Bakes but today, I am playing at The Cookie Puzzle

 

As you may know, April is Autism Awareness Month and I am both thrilled and honored to be writing this guest post for The Cookie Puzzle as she promotes knowledge of what Autism is and is not.

Autism touches my life in a special way and I thought long and hard about how I wanted to interpret the theme in cookies and in what I wanted to say about it.

By now, you have heard about what defines Autism and Autistic Spectrum Disorders. You have been presented with statistics and some wonderful personal stories of people that deal with life that is way more colorful than most.

I like a lot of color in my world.

I am the mother of a child that was diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder at the age of 4. Her official diagnosis was PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder - Not Otherwise Specified) and it came after many, many testing sessions with a multi-faceted team of pediatric medical specialists at our local Children's Hospital.

According to the Wikipedia description of PDD-NOS which (I am assuming that you will take the time to read this article) states that this particular population shows some characteristics of Autism, but not all and often milder.

It was an interesting journey to take with this amazing child, but it was also so difficult. I mean, I was a first time mother that had to circumnavigate the maze that is the pediatric community. Holla' if you feel me....

I can honestly say though...I never thought of that diagnosis as an impairment. Here was this incredibly intelligent, gorgeous child who was deeply immersed in her surroundings and had a difficult time communicating. She attended a special language immersion program at the hospital three days a week. She had an IEP even before she was in Kindergarten. By the time she was in first grade, she was the only child in our school system to have both a Special Education designation AND be qualified for the gifted program.

She modeled after excellence and life was so much better for her...because of early intervention, she was thriving and growing.

 

There are still communicative difficulties that she deals with to this day, but she's gonna be fine. As a family, we chose to not limit her by ever considering her to be disabled. She was always treated as if she was perfectly normal because in our eyes, she is.

I have also come to realize that she comes from a long, distinguished line of women who can be diagnosed with the same disorder....

Myself included.

Her Grandmother, definitely.

And most likely my Grandmother, her Great Grandmother.

I took the test of AQ (Autism Quotient) and I scored well within the range of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

When I was growing up, there was only a problem if it was severe as far as pediatricians were concerned.

 

A Square Peg trying to fit into a Circle.

I will bet you know several people that could fit the same description as a "Square Peg". You couldn't put your finger on it, but they were always a little different...

Yep, that's her...that's me...and that's definitely my mother. (I do love you, Mom)

 

 

So, let's say YEAH for those that don't fit in, the paradoxes, the brilliant minds... the ones that are a little different than all the rest. Admit it, we make life more interesting and create really awesome stuff.

This is Home Girl and I'm not a cookie blog....I swear.

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