Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies

Lemon Lavender Shortbread Cookies are like washing your mouth out with soap, but in a good way!

I like to eat these when I finish up  a day of construction!  

You can read about that HERE!

Mix the ingredients:

1 cup butter

3/4 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups flour

Stop here for traditional shortbread,

  or you can add the next for lemon lavender.

*1 TBSP lemon extract

*2 TBSP dried lavender seeds

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream butter and icing sugar.  Add the rest of the dry ingredients about 1/2 cup at a time while beating with your mixer.  It will become a dried bunch of fine crumbs.  With your hands, mix the dough into a firm ball.  

I like to split my dough  into two balls and make half  Traditional Shortbread, and the rest  Lemon Lavender.

  Roll your traditional into a log and store in the refrigerator in waxed paper.

  With the leftover dough, pour in your lemon extract and lavender.  Get in there and mix with your hands.  Roll into a log and place in wax paper and refrigerate for about an hour.

  Take out dough and slice into 1/4 inch slices and bake at 325 for about 12 minutes.

I sprinkle orange sugar onto one batch before baking

and cinnamon sugar on the next!  I usually put a maraschino cherry on each cookie but I was out :(

Wash away your day with a cup of mint tea and a cleansing cookie!

Cheers!

Dormers Part Twelve

Drywall is well on its way   

I swear it's like someone turned a light

 on and left it on in this room

This photo was taken at the end of the day   The sun had headed west and it was getting dark, although  you  would look out the window and call me a liar!!

 Am I right? 

  That's how darned bright it is!

Things to do....add insulation, wiring and drywall to the old exterior wall.  

  We will be using styrofoam to button her up.   She will love it!    So will we.

   Cheers!

Dormers....Part Eleven

Part eleven you gasp????

 It was a long journey to get here, as you can tell from the 10 posts prior to this one.  

 If you want to follow our journey, check out  part one HERE! 

Now for part eleven!

Because of this,

we needed to insulate.   

Yes, that is our driveway in the midst of a blizzard.

 Hopefully the snow melts from the sun's heat instead of the house's heat!

That's me!  Very chilly up here!  We had to wear our heavier coats and gloves!

And our heavy duty dust masks.   Look at me, all safety award like.  

Guess where my safety glasses were?  But this time I went and got them and actually wore them....I swear!   Only one black eye needed,  like here, to learn my lesson.  

Our first glimpse into the dormer.   I had already insulated dormer # 1.    I knew some of  this would have to be taken out for construction and wiring but I wasn't sure which project was next on our list!  We still have a master bathroom to reno!

The dormers won!  The next project in our 109 year old money pit!

A telepost was used to hold up the ceiling while we installed a beam to support the rafters.  The floor joists go one direction and the rafters the other  so we were able to use one telepost. (Just in case you were wondering)

All wired up!

Almost buttoned up for the winter!

Click here to see part 12.....the saga continues!

Cheers

A Barn Board K

Living on an old homestead has it's rewards.  I can usually walk outside and find craft items from the previous tenants. 

 Today I found a barn!!!!

 and this is what I did with it. 

But first I must tell you where I got my inspiration.  I was cruising Pinterest and found this amazing blog whose letter of the day was W

You can see her fantastic W

 at Thistlewood Farms.  

But what would I do with a W?

I could change my name to Willy Wonka.
 I do love me some chocolate!

 Or I could just make a K.

I started my project by gluing and using my brad nailer, to fasten old barn boards onto a 1/4 inch piece of hardboard.  I probably should have used plywood but I didn't have any 1/4 or 1/2 inch.

Clamps and 2x6s held the boards in place until the glue dried.

I quickly sanded it down to make it sliver free and also to erase my attempt at a freehand K.

Made a proper template for the letter K.  

Special tools were used to create the letter K.  

A template  was created using duct tape and paper....very scientific!

Cut the boards with a jigsaw.

I recycled a few pieces of fence board for  K's border.   I ripped it into 2" strips.

Now for the tedious outline.

I used my mitre saw for all the angled cuts to frame the letter.

Second last piece.  

Oops!  That's not pretty.  I removed the molding and straightened out the barn-board for a better fit.

All done....well almost

I decided to paint the recycled fence board as the pieces were different colors due to having a previous lives as shelves and other projects.
 DON'T WORRY........no painters tape was harmed in this step.
I guess I should have spent a bit of time masking so I could have harmed some :( 

Look at K.  She's such a poser!

This kind of makes me miss summer now.  

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