yum yum

Happy Leap Day everyone!
I know Valentine's Day is two weeks past and most of us have moved on the thinking of Spring and Easter. I know, I know, I have too. But, this recipe is so delicious and worth sharing. The original recipe is from the Jan./Feb. issue of Cottage Living and you can click here to see the original recipe.
But, me being me, I switched it up a little bit because of the ingredients list and because I do not have a food processor (it's on my list of "things to get") So, without further ado,
Chocolate-Dipped Hazelnut Shortbread Hearts renamed:

~Pecan Shortbread Hearts with Chocolate glaze~

1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. all-purpose flour
1/4 C. corn starch
1/4 t. kosher salt
8 T. butter, softened
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
10 oz. Ghirardelli dark chocolate

1. Chop pecans with knife or chopper (mine came from The Pampered Chef and does an amazing job) until nuts are finely ground. Put nuts, softened butter, vanilla, and egg yolk in bowl of mixer and beat until combined and dough starts to form and leave sides of bowl. Scrape sides of bowl occasionally. (Dough will be slightly crumbly but will come together fully when kneaded.)

2. Remove dough from mixer and knead lightly 2 or 3 times. Flatten into disc, wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Remove from refrigerator 10 minutes prior to rolling.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut heart shapes with a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter, and place on a baking stone (also Pampered Chef) or parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Gather and reroll dough scraps, and cut again.

4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or just until edges turn light golden brown. Remove from oven, transfer cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely.

5. Melt chocolate in microwave, stirring chocolate every 10-30 seconds. Cool slightly. Using an offset spatula, "frost" top of cookies with melted chocolate and place back on wire rack to solidify.
Store in a single layer in an air tight container for up to 5 days. (Trust me, they will not last near that long.) Makes around 2 1/2 dozen.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. Spend some time with your family and dear ones. Get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. Make some delicious cookies. Watch a good movie.

I will be taking a short blogging break next week. But, I will be back next Thursday and eager to hear all about your week. I hope to get lots done while I'm gone and maybe have a shop update. Maybe. No promises. :)

Did you know?

My darling friend Chelle has tagged me to share 7 random
not-so-common-knowledge fascinating tidbits about myself.
After much thinking, I've had a hard time coming up with
anything interesting, but I'll try.

One - I've had the same e-mail address since I was 15 years old.
I still can't come up with anything better.

Two - I was sewing quite well by the time I was 12 so for Christmas I made my two best friends skirts for their Christmas gifts. It only took me a day to get both done.

Three - Mike, Olivia, and I all have the same last two initials and Olivia and I have the same middle name, Day.

Four - My name, Fairlight, comes from the book Christy by Catherine Marshall.
Christy is a young school teacher in the Appalachian mountains of TN. She meets and befriends a mountain woman named Fairlight. As the story develops they become close friends. My mom was intrigued by the character and the name and decided to name her first daughter, Fairlight. Funny thing is, my mom's name is Kristi.

Five - I've lived in 4 states (Kansas, West Texas, North Carolina, East Texas, and South Carolina) and 10 houses in my life...so far.

Six - Between the ages of 8 and 14 I raised my own chickens and sold the eggs to family, friends, music teachers, a dairy farmer, and an organic co-op.

Seven - I only have two pictures of myself without either of my kids in them and they are both on CD and I don't have time to look for them.
<-- This one is from last January, downtown Charleston.









Shesh, that was hard. Took me two hours!
Ok, Shanna and Sarah, consider yourselves tagged!

Good morning Monday

I can't believe my last post was Tuesday.
I don't have a lack of things to say
(I never seem to have that problem)
rather an overabundance of things to say
and just not near enough hours in the day.
What a crazy busy week just pasted
and another one just getting started.
But I hope to do better this week.
Because I want to share a recipe,
do an all-Sadie~Rose post,
share some pictures,
a couple of links,
and just generally say "hello."
~
But, we are all doing good.
Nice weekend.
Saturday morning spent at the park,
Saturday afternoon spent in our backyard
Watched "Becoming Jane" in the evening
(so sad. I cried, but James McAvoy is delish)
Went to church and had Child dedication
(more about that later)
then to Babies R Us to get a "big girl" booster seat
for Miss Olivia who had finally decided it was time.
And then a trip to Costco
with lots of walking around and taste testing
Lunch at home and some hummus making.
(I adore Mike and his hummus. I could live on just it.)
"Holiday Inn" in the evening
curled up in bed together
with the baby sleeping
so peacefully beside us.
Heaven.
~
Life goes on,
sheets in the wash,
dishes in the drainer,
bills in the mailbox,
stacks of things to be taken care of.
How about a cup of tea?

crafty goodness

I haven't been too busy sewing lately,
but a few quick to finish projects have been seen
coming out of the sewing room.
Here are a couple of pictures.

butterfly shirts for Abbie of the princess party

My friend, Rachael, had her baby two weeks ago
and they had a surprise boy!
Justin Ellis (Ellis)
I whipped these boyish burp-cloths up for her (and him)
while her requested coconut cream pie was cooling. :)

I really enjoy making these quick appliqué embellished projects.
Hopefully some more will be coming soon!
Maybe even something for my own girls for a change. :)

tag...

...I'm it! Shanna has tagged me with a something or other so here are my answers. I don't happen to think I'm very interesting, but that just goes to show what I know. :)

Two Names You Go By: Fairlight and sweetheart

Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now: jeans and a sweater

Two things you want (or have) in a relationship: honesty and understanding

Two of Your Favorite Things to do: be with my family and being creative

Two things you did last night: cooked dinner and went to the chiropractor

Two people you Last Talked To: Mom and Mike

Two Things You're doing tomorrow: sewing and Cleansing Stream Bible study

Two Longest Car Rides: Gosh, so many. In case you don't know, Mike's family lives in Ok and we make that 22 hr. trip at least once a year. All the trips back and forth between TX and NC while I was a teen (16 hrs.) or my 6 week car trip from TX to NC to and through Canada with a dear friend and her parents when I was 15.

Two Favorite Drinks: water and most kinds of herbal tea

Two Things About Me you may not have known: I got married when I was 17. I'm originally from a small spot in the road in rural KS.

Two jobs I have had in my life: babysitter and office manager

Two Movies I would watch over and over: Pride and Prejudice, White Christmas

Two of my favorite foods: coconut cream pie and chocolate cake

Two places I'd rather be right now: there's no place like home! But Europe or the Pacific Northwest would be nice to visit.