Cookie Boy

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I know, from the reaction to the pictures of Hank that I posted yesterday on Twitter, that many of you are as concerned about him as I am.  I don’t want to get into the details, but you’re all right.  There is a problem with Hank – namely that he is indeed 11 years old, and appears to be as tall as me and growing up quickly.  I have attempted to explain to him that his is the youngest child in the family, and that it would be best for all concerned if he would remain emotionally and physically stunted for many years to come, but he appears helpless in the grasp of growing. I took several steps yesterday to retain his loyalty in the face of impending teenagerness.  First, I bought him french fries, and onion rings, and an adult sized burger, even though I knew there was no way he could eat it.  (He didn’t.)

Then we went shopping for a present for his mum for Christmas, which is something we’ve done for years.  While out, I purchased an olive grabber, and a bag of tiny, tiny little oranges.

These were immediately combined in the hoped for manner, and in public, a process which I not only condoned, but encouraged. 

I believe that these things together got me enough buy-in, and Hank enthusiastically spent the rest of the day making cookies.  This year he was old enough to work the cookie press – a machine that thrills all kids perpetually.

(I was shocked last night to discover that not everyone knows what a cookie press is. I have this one, but there are lots of them. It’s like a caulking gun that makes cookies. They’re so interesting that you can keep a teenager in the house for up to 45 minutes at a time if you have one.)

Hank elaborately decorated all the gingerbread, and started to learn how to bake.  (New skills – leveling off a cup of flour with a knife, knowing the vital difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon, and scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl.)

It was a great day, made even greater by knowing that any minute now, there are going to be a thousand things Hank would rather do than spend a day with Auntie Stephie. For now though,

He’s still my cookie boy.

Gifts for Knitters, Day 17

All right my non-knitterly friends, I’m having company tonight so we’re going to rip through these two days.  It’s all perfectly simple anyway.  You know what you’re knitter likes?  (Pro tip: We’ve been over this.)  YARN.   You know what they would like a lot?  If yarn that they didn’t pay for came to the house at regular intervals thoughout the year.  Although this is going to sound strange to you, there are clubs that knitters can join that will mail them yarn throughout the year. There are a lot of them – and don’t look at the screen like that. In a world where you can get an Olive Oil of the Month Club,  Bonsai of the Month Club, Beef Jerky of the Month Club or a Necktie of the Month club, you really though that there wouldn’t be yarn? C’mon.    Here’s a couple I found for you.  Look through them and see what your knitter might like.

Rockin’ Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber arts, looks to be a fun one this upcoming year. One skein of yarn comes with two patterns, one for socks, one for an accessory.
Sweet Georgia has several clubs, and her stuff is lovely, and Canadian, if that’s on your list.
Cookie A’s got one (that one comes with sock patterns, yarn and cookie recipes)
Anne Hanson has two (The Bare Naked one looks cool) and I like the look of the Tanis Year in colour (another Canadian company.) Twisted has a shawlette club – I could go on and on, and I bet that the knitters in the comments would be thrilled to list some of their favourites.  Check there for more ideas.

Gifts for Knitters, Day 18.

You know your knitter really well, so you’ll know if this is right for him or her, but can I suggest a manicure?  A gift certificate for a manicure or paraffin wax treatment, hand massage… or some other total pampering thing for your knitters hands.  Our hands are very hardworking this time of year – and they’re the most valuable tool we have.  It would be nice to give them a treat. 
If that doesn’t sound like your knitter, how about some lovely cream/lotion for their hands?  My current favourites are Lo-lo To-Go from Bar Maids and the Everything balm from Goodies Unlimited (actually, anything from Goodies Unlimited.)  Good hunting. 

116 thoughts on “Cookie Boy”

  1. While I don’t have a cookie press, I at least know what one is. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m more of a cutter kind of guy.

  2. I am one of those lucky people with a December birthday. Mine was yesterday and my husband did a great job giving me knitting gifts. I got a large yarn wallet and the magnet strips from Madbird (thanks for that hint), 3 books on knitting lace, and $200.00 in gift cards from Webs! I have also downloaded the iPad apps. Thanks so much for the ideas this month.

  6. I hope for your sake that he always wants to hang out with his Aunt Stephie. What a wonderful tradition!

  8. I love that you are Auntie Stephie – how many other people call you Stephie? Not many, I bet.
    the littles in my family call me Aunt Barbie – I hated being called Barbie as a child and no one else calls me Barbie – it’s always Barbara – but for some reason it’s ok coming from them.

  9. Oh my, what a handsome devil your nephew is! And yes, cookie presses, frosting, and colored sugars are a a fantastic way to keep kids engaged for at least 45 minutes. Of course, when said children are 2 and 4 the clean up time often equals or exceeds the making time…sigh. One of my favorite yarn clubs is the Stash Menagerie offered by Three Irish Girls. I don’t knit a lot of socks and this club is a nice way to get pretty yarn that can be used for other things. (She does have a sock yarn club too, for those of you interested.)

  11. I have a two year old who loves to “bake” with me. It means there’s hope for when he’s a teenager. Another recommendation for yarn of the month stuff: Three Irish Girls. They have several to choose from and their stuff is amazing.

  12. My husband bought me one of the Lorna’s Laces Solemate/Soak Heel footcream & yarn kits. He doesn’t know he bought me this, but I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when he finds out that he bought me something I really, really wanted this year. 🙂

  14. P.S. Keep the TwitPics coming. They kept me going through my own cookie baking experience with my children yesterday. 🙂 Especially popular was the Flashdance Moose one!

  15. Sweet, sweet pix of Hank – it’s been fun to watch him grow up on your blog, with you encouraging him to love the world, not to grow up too fast. Thinking of cookie cutters yesterday, I thought it might be funny if he decided he wanted to make exactly one of absolutely every design. Which were his favorites? Which did you choose?

  16. The “knit me” sheep – did you decorate that, or did Hank?
    Like Garret above, I prefer to wield a cutter rather than a press. Maybe that’s because rolling, cutting, and frosting the cookies was my plum assignment since I was five, while grownups handled the mixer, oven, and dishwasher.

  17. So stoked that you mentioned my favorite club, Twisted’s Shawlette club, from my favorite yarn shop, Twisted in Portland, OR!
    What are the little green or red jelly things that are on your cookie press cookies? I enjoy helping my mother-in-law make cookies every Christmas, even though being gluten free I don’t get to enjoy eating them. Merry Christmas!

  19. Hank is as precious as ever. I so look forward to these occasional glimpses of him. Thanks for the smiles! 🙂

  21. I still say he looks like he’s about to join Duran Duran. But mostly I’m laughing my head off because I still believe that he is 4. I’m a YA librarian, and he is the same age as some of the kids I work with, which is hilarious for some reason. Ah well, a kid that will work the cookie press, and hopefully remembers the time he broke your ball winder, can’t be that bad a kid.

  22. Oh, Lord. I remember “The Speed of Four”! When did this happen? So tall! So mature! So… when on earth did this happen???

  23. I saw the photos on Twitter, I was horrified how much he’d grown up in the last year until I looked at my Hank-aged son. Yes, time passes. We did the cookie press earlier in the year, he’s graduated now to Victoria sponge cake. I still get to do the washing up though.

  24. From the Oddsville Dept…..
    DH’s 24-year-old brilliant but weird techie grandson made his usual Christmas gingerbread men last week, and posted a photo on FB. Each ginger man is missing an arm, and there’s red frosting smeared all over the stump of the shoulder. Said he was weird……:-)

  25. The “knit me” sheep cookie is killing me right now. I have to check the cupboards because I need to make some of those and quick!
    (I grew up with a cookie press but, being of German extraction, it was called the “spritz-cookie maker” — not the technical term.)

  26. To go along with the manicure or hand cream idea, a pedicure or foot cream would make a nice gift for sock knitters.

  28. So glad you found someone to bake cookies with!! This year I got a brand new press and made 12 dozen (!) candy canes using the star disk — I assisted my mom in baking for her cookie exchange party. It’s really festive if you let the kids add food coloring to the dough before pressing. Green for trees, half red dough, half white dough for candy canes, etc. But I love the plain ones, too — yours are exceptionally beautiful.
    Thanks again for all the fab tips. I’ve been drooling for days.

  29. Oh, how I want a cookie press! My mom had one, but in the Great Purge after my dad died, she ended up getting rid of a lot of things that we kids would have liked to have had, if we’d known she was getting rid of them. I suppose I could buy one — but using a vintage one that’s been in the family to go with all my other vintage kitchen tools still in use would have been cooler.

  30. Ya know, I’ve noticed that the older your kids get, the more they really enjoy the childish things they do with you and you alone. My bet is that Hank won’t bake cookies with anyone else but Auntie Stephie for many years to come. (Lord help his mother if SHE asks him to bake cookies with her – cause that just ain’t gonna happen!)

  33. I’m not sure why I never put two and two together and realized that your nephew is the same age as my oldest son. My son, also, has gotten stern instructions on not growing so fast, but he is not listening either!
    Those cookies look great. Our solstice cookies will probably be baked today 🙂
    I am so envious of yarn of the month club members. However, my knitting speed is just super slow and I’d end up drowning in yarn (is this really a bad thing now that I think about it…)!

  34. Oooohhhhhh!!!! A moose with legwarmers!!! My favorite! 🙂 Great job on all the cookies, Cookie Boy. Perhaps he’ll be like my eldest who would still spend a day baking and decorating cookies with his mum, except for distance. He’s past his thirties, shall we say. 🙂

  35. I’ve got an 11-year-old boy in my house, too. Nothing like ’em on this earth.
    They do grow, don’t they?

  36. I always look forward to your post about your annual shopping day with Hank! I wasn’t looking forward to baking this year, but your post (and your tweets) have changed my attitude. I can’t wait to break out the cookie press!

  39. I picked up some of the Lo-Lo bars at the Sow’s Ear in Verona WI for knitters and non-knitters (and got one for myself!). Love them!

  40. Lovely Christmas Pics – thanks for sharing. We don’t do the cookie thing, here its mince pies for the group bake. The grandchildren are arriving this afternoon and baking day is almost upon us – can’t wait!

  41. wow, you level off your flour? I’m impressed (and also maybe thinking this is why your cookies look like cookies and mine look like delicious puddles)
    My friend Katie did the Victorian Writers Club at Wool Girl this year and LOVED it – so check what she’s got going for 2012!

  42. Your cookies are so beautiful, I never get mine that perfect looking, but they still taste good and my grandchildren always say “Grandma you make the best cookies”. Who can resist that?!

  43. Oh, I am so afraid our recently turned 11 year old granddaughter will be approaching my height (5’0″) when we see her this Christmas. Poor Steph. Poor Me. Kids grow, as we know. But don’t they make cool cookies?

  46. My brother-in-law in his 40’s did not know the difference between a teaspoon and a tablespoon. He made his first loaf of bread in a breadmaker with three tablespoons of salt, not three teaspoons. Needless to say, it was inedible… Good that Hank is learning early.

  48. I’d be so lost without my cookie gun! Talk about
    vintage” – it’s actually one I “liberated” from my Mom’s kitchen when they downsized, and she got it in 1951 – it’s solid metal, no plastic anywhere, and I’ve had to tell my girls several times that they will have to fight over it when I die because they sure aren’t getting it away from me before then!

  50. Hah! What a nice post, and what great looking cookies! He’ll have these memories forever and won’t forget them, even when he gets older.

  51. My mother, always a tough one to buy a gift for, had a cookie press, but one November she told us she really wanted an ELECTRIC cookie press. Aha, we thought–the perfect Christmas present. Then she went out and bought herself one. Aaargh!

  54. Holiday Yarns has great clubs! Lace clubs, sock clubs, and one sock yarn club that keeps happening (3 mos at a time) with a *brilliant* 8 year old doing the dying. Yes 8 years old, and amazing. Her “flowers” knit up into socks that everyone thinks looks like a Monet painting. The “ocean” colorway looks just like a coral reef. Brilliant child. It’s been great watching her work as she grows! http://www.holidayyarns.com/norasclub.htm

  55. did that gingerbread sheep cookie actually say “knit me”? HAHAHAHAHA!! that is my fave xmas cookie ever!!!

  56. Hank is an expert at decorating those gingerbread cookies! Have you thought of hiring him out for yarn?

  58. Hey, he’s good—really good. Those cookie decorations are amazing. What fun you had!

  61. Kids never forget this stuff, especially things that are a tradition, not just a one-off. Should you fail to remind him in the coming years, that Cookie Day is approaching, he will probably start dropping hints and end by reminding YOU.
    I am also inspired to find and use the cookie-press that has languished on my kitchen shelf for years because I bought it at a yard sale and then thought that perhaps it might be too complicated for my refrigerator-roll-cookie mentality. However, having branched out into sugar cookie cutouts some years ago, and into gingerbread cutouts last year with some degree of success, perhaps this is the year to be brave and try cookie-press cookies.
    Moose with leg-warmers – Lordy, gotta LOVE that!

  62. Oh my, how that little Cherub has turned into a handsome young fellow! (How long have I been reading this blog, anyway???) Yes, the teen years are just a heartbeat away.
    Wonder if I could shove cookie dough into the caulking gun. . .

  63. Hank….definately adorable!! Cookies….look toooo yummy!! Helpful hints for Christmas gifts….soooo appreciated!!! Thanks Stephanie & MERRY, MERRY Christmas to you & yours!!! Janie(:

  64. great biccies, great decoration, and man, Hank’s mum (or somebody) must have dropped him in the River Charm when a babby – he’s oozing the stuff. Like other commenters I still have him in my mind as about 4, maybe 7 at the most. Still, I remember the Space shuttle’s first launch, and could swear it was 5 years ago… and the way my now 27 year old sister (who now earns a living as a cellist)looked at me at 3 hours old. Minds are funny things…

  66. I love the “knit me” cookie, and Hank is so cute! I am also envious of your cookie press. I got my best friend one as a wedding shower gift this summer, but I’ve never had one of my own!
    I’m dropping hints to all my friends and relations that they should come and read your blog so as to know what to get me for Christmas (and my birthday, and next Christmas, and so on….) I’m loving the gift ideas!

  67. I had my Granddaughter here today to help Memaw bake cookies. She lasted about 2 hours and then told me “Take off my apron Memaw, I need to rest, I know you can handle it from now” She is 4. ++sigh++

  68. I have my Rockin Socks Club membership ready to go on Jan, 4th, My loving husband gave it to me for my Birthday (13th dec) 🙂 Can’t wait! Lovin the cookies Steph!!

  69. Hank!! He’s still stinkin’ cute, though.
    Don’t tell him I said that – he’s probably more interested in looking badass, but between you & me? Not there yet.
    Cute as a BUG.

  70. I know this is more relevant to an earlier post, but I didn’t quite get to it in a timely way and thought more people would see it here. Though I have not tried the GoodReader app because it costs $4.99 I have used neu.Annotate PDF which is free. You can still export your pdf library, circle things, highlight things, leave yourself notes, and create a line that slides up and down the chart. I hadn’t thought of using it for patterns before reading your ipad post though, thank you!

  73. I am with Cinnamon at 1:15–great yarn clubs here. http://www.threeirishgirls.com/home.php?cat=3
    We make spritz, too. I add food coloring to get red, green, and yellow ones, with all sorts of sprinkles. Labor of love, as they tend to be 2 bite cookies! But hugely popular, and very buttery. Mmmmm I think I need a sheep cookie cutter, however…

  74. My 11 year old would rather play video games with his friends than make cookies… however, my 15 year old needed a treat for his party in French class today… and he wanted to make truffles! He did, too. I advised and tested 🙂
    This year I’m making most of the cookies by myself, with my youngest granddaughter supervising (she’s not a year old yet… too young to help). That’s ok, have a holiday music channel on Pandora and I can be as dorky as I like because there’s no one here to say “MOM!”

  75. In search of the perfect cookie press, I now have a collection: electric, knob-turner, trigger-shooter, push-lever, etc. The most perfect one yet? One just like my mom’s, an aluminum knob turner I got from a friend. Given that the cookies always taste the same no matter what press I use, my DH tolerates the room they take up in the cellar. And my mom calls it a spritz cookie press.

  76. I have the same problem (stubborn insistence on growing) with my six year old. I thought about rigging some kind of contraption with a large heavy brick, a small board, a pillow underneath, and some string, but I couldn’t get her to agree to wear it. Ah, well, she’ll always be my baby.

  77. Being a knitter on a very tight budget and covetous of many yarny-related of-the-month clubs, but unwilling to blow my yearly yarn budget in one fall swoop, I have created my own monthly clubs. Assuming there are gift-givers also on budgets, might I suggest creating your own monthly club. This is quite a lot of effort on the part of the gift-giver, but if they have a knitter who is worth it, then Bob’s your uncle. Knit Picks has a vast selection of highly affordable sock yarns and downloadable patterns, which would make an excellent DIY of-the-month club.

  78. Christmas cookies in my family means Rosettes, Krumkake, and Pizelles. But you’ve got me thinking about bringing down the cookie cutters and frosting. The Moose with legwarmers and the “Knit Me” sheep are truly adorable

  79. Teens can be awesome – as you know – and the age doesn’t have to be feared. My handsome 16 year-old grandson showed up on Saturday wanting to ‘help out’ somebody and spread Christmas cheer. Two loaves of bread were fresh out of the oven so he took them to two elderly men who are suffering losses. Ended up staying an hour visiting with one 80 year-old new widower. We got a phone call the next day to say what a great grandson we have – but we know that!

  82. ThreeIrishGirls also has some great clubs. And if you’re thinking of being real fancy, Sharon can actually invent a color for you. You can send her a picture, tell her a story, or even list your knitters fav colors and she’ll create something new and perfect just for you. I’ve gotten a lovely Shamrock green and purple Nicole colorway.
    Her ship times take awhile since she does every order from scratch since you can choose was type of yarn to dye (don’t worry, she can help with that too) but a gift certificate or a club membership will always bring great knitterly pleasure.

  83. My boys’ idea of decorating cookies was to grab one, smear frosting on it, and eat it. What a great tradition, and cool cookies!

  84. I made cookie press cookies yesterday as well! They’re a tradition passed down from my grandmother we dye the dough green to make christmas trees with little multicolored sprinkles. I have a Miro press that was my grandmother’s from the 1950’s. It has a twist crank to extrude, it’s quite a skill! :)So glad to see someone else who knows what these cookies are!!

  85. Oh, no–Goodies Unlimited is closed until the first of the year. I just tried to check it out. Bummer. 🙁
    Seriously, Hank is getting much too old. Tell him I think the new ‘do makes him look much more mature. (I have this theory that when kids feel you think they’re “so mature” they feel comfortable to act immature around you. I kind of love it.)

  86. What happened to the baby fascinated by the ballwinder???? I’m going to go make out my will now. Eesh

  88. My Dad always made press cookies for Christmas. He would work all weekend on them, filling many coffee cans. His press had a “crank” on the top and copper in color. It has to be atleast 50 years old. When Dad needed help, my Husband would step in. This is our second Christmas without Dad. Sure do miss him. Thanks for the memories.

  89. I guess I need to add something to my extremely short (as in non-existant) Christmas list. A cookie press. Never seen one before and I am sure it would get a lot of use in this house.

  90. Hank at 10 or 11, doesn’t matter. He is still adorable, and I look forward to this post each year. I want cookies!

  91. My mother used to threaten my sons with putting bricks on their heads so they wouldn’t grow so fast.
    Hank is a very handsome young man! That reminds me, I promised I would make gingerbread cookies this year, and my boys (men actually, the youngest is 24) asked for my mom’s special sugar cookies. Knitting first, cookies later. Off to work!

  92. OMG! Love the Lo Lo. Place I get them doesn’t have them all. I’m afraid I’m missing some seriously delicious scents. (Some are so wonderful, you do think they are edible.)
    It’s looking like Christmas in your kitchen.

  94. My 11-year-old is now 5’7.5″ (that’s feet and inches, not meters). My 14-year-old is 6 foot. I’m not short, by female standards, but I’m the short one in my house — and they love to point it out!

  96. …not to mention cookie presses make great deviled eggs or are great for just about anything that needs the goo to come out. Love the moose!

  99. The Knit Me mouse was great, but I truly loved the moose wearing leg warmers…in pink!
    It’s enough to make me want to bake gingerbread (though it may interfere with a few presents being finished). Maybe gingerbread for New Years.

  100. When a nephew and niece each reached that age, I made them write and sign a note that they would still talk to their Favorite Aunt Mary when they were teenagers. They thought it was silly at the time. Had to pull out the notes once for each child at some point in the teenage years. The niece, 19 now, just posted on FB that she had forgotten how fun playing boardgames was. There is hope for life on the other side!
    Also, remind them that if they grow tall enough to see the top of the refrigerator they have to clean it. Maybe the threat of additional cleaning chores will get them to stop growing.

  101. I’m sorry…I’m totally weirded out that Hank is so big. He’s completely handsome and all that but really – who gave him permission to do that??

  102. I know how you feel. My 13 year old nephew is still a very sweet and good kid, but the teen years have begun. He no longer runs up to me and hugs me when I see him. However, he still likes going for coffee and reading together at the local Starbucks. Fortunately he has a 10 year old brother that still hugs me tight within seconds of coming into my presence.Their 3 year old sister is also in the hugging stages so I have a few years of unconditional hugs coming my way.

  104. haha! Awesome! I had no idea what the cookie press was for when my mom dug it out of the garage and asked if I wanted it. Mine has an icing attachment that I was HIGHLY impressed by. So much easier than a piping bag!
    Now I can’t wait to try it to make cookies. 😉

  105. omg, Hank’s 11? But he was four not that long ago!
    And cookie presses? I guess we make biscuits here, but I’ve never heard of a biscuit press either. I think I need one once I’m in Seattle….

  106. Dang! What a small world. Cookie boy is having his fries with Heinz ketchup which started out down the road an hour in Pittsburgh. My family won’t eat any other kind. I’ve tried!
    My cookie press is so old it groans when you turn the top.

  107. Cookie boy has great hair. It is just like mine except I haven’t bleached mine (though maybe I should see if I want to go back to red… I’m enjoying my natural color more than I thought I would).

  108. I love Cantrix’s sock yarn club. Her website is cantrix.etsy.com. Every month the members fill out a short survey (which changes depending on the month) and then she custom dyes the yarn to match what the club member’s want. It’s also one of those where the colorways are exclusive to the club, so you feel extra special!

  109. I second indigodragonfly’s Smart Ass Knitters World Domination Club, it’s the one I stay in when I can’t afford any. Also the Unique Sheep’s Sip-n-Stitch club, with yummy yarn and your choice of coffees or teas.

  110. A cookie press! I have one that was my grandma’s that has a hand crank instead of a trigger. I haven’t used it in years, but maybe it’s time to bust it out again.

  111. Holy cow! When did Hank grow up?? I swear that the last picture you posted, he was still a little boy! He’s a handsome little devil, isn’t he? And I love the cookies. Very cute!

  112. Oh my goodness. One moment he’s a cute small boy who loves pink dragon mittens: the next, he’s a Billy Idol-alike with a glint in his eye. 🙂 Lovely that your Cookie Boy still loves making cookies with his aunt – long may it remain so!

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