Alvarezmom, that is SO funny!

Yea, men and dogs, nothing gets them moving faster than food!! I wonder if they would move as fast if it was a fire...makes you wonder!

Of course, if we're talking chocolate here, I will eat it off the floor (say if a candy bar falls down, I'm all over that 5 second rule because, hey, let's be honest, you see a candy bar fall on the floor, it's not like you'll leave it there for more than 3 seconds at the most! Plus I saw the Mythbusters show on that very thing about the food on the floor/5 second rule. I figure I'd be building up my immunity if chocolate fell on the floor!)

melvin I saw that episode too!!!! Totally agree when it comes to chocolate!

Tell me, it'd have to be pretty bad for me NOT to eat chocolate! And frankly, it's not falling out of my greedy little hand anyway, so it's a non-issue.

Mmmm, craving chocolate. Wish I had some Rainettes. I'd maim for some Rainettes! (the box says they have antioxidants in them, makes it healthy!!)

Okay you know I'm glad this came up -- a couple weeks ago I get a call from a local bank, they want cookies with their logo on it. I research, come up with $4.00 per cookie (the average going rate being $6.00 per cookie), and she chokes and never calls back. Okay, so I'm competitive but what is it about these people -- especially the corporate accounts??? ?

lmao!!!!! Whenver i break my diet DH yells at me, and i say but it has antioxidents, so that is good for me!

I'll have to start using the same reasoning!

I dont know what it is about corporate accounts.....I had a lady to that to me about 50 decorated cupcakes with fondant flowers. I quoted her $1.25 ea. I thought that was pretty fare and cheap...Oh no she came back with I'll just go to HEB or WalMArt and pick some they make.

I say it was their loss. I know that I am cheaper the my competititon, granted not by much cuz I know that isn't fair to them, but hey if they want something for under $4 then say no logo!!!!

GeminiRJ...please reconsider selling your cookies...and if you do, charging A MINIMUM of $8.00! They are SO cute! I have been keeping up with your work for a while (you're on my buddy list!)

I can definitely understand your hesitance about thinking that people may not pay, but you never know until you get out there and market. You have something unique, that I know I've never seen before, so understand that you already have your market sold up! In addition, you can still get extra income from your kit sales...which I have to put on my wishlist.

Think about it...you can put your cookies in nice favor boxes with the front window, so you can see inside the box. As a matter of fact, check out www.brpboxshop.com...I think they have the perfect box that I just described. Go for it!!!

OMG, your cookies are amazing!!! yes do sell them for $5.00 or more!!!
I love making decorated cookies and, I know...they are a LOT of work!! I've never sold or attempted to sell mine, I always give them away but now I have customers that want to buy some.

BTW, I have a SIL that became a widow last year (my brother past away) and she is exactly like your MIL!!...the woman is helpless!! she can't even dial a phone #, pay her bills, manage her $$, etc....my brother did it all for her and now she's lost and expect her kids to take care of her. I did tried to do my duty as a good SIL and sat with her to teach her how to balance her checkbook, pay her bills, etc but guess what? she didn't want to learn! she wants me to do it for her...always! So yeah, sadly but we all try to avoid her now including her own kids..
I became a single mom 15 yrs ago and when you're rising 3 kids on your own on a tight budget pretty quick you learn to became your own mechanic, your own plumber, gardener etc I even remodeled my own bathroom ...ahhhh, it's awesome to be independent

Ohhhhh, where to begin with my MIL Well I'm lucky because my MIL knows EVERYTHING! When I started dating my DH she was PISSED because I had 2 kids. I didn't blame her because she was looking out for her son...so I thought. She was really mad because I didn't come from a well established family. Which is funny because the only reason she has money is because she married someone with it. We got married one day by ourselves and boy let me tell you she was less than thrilled! I went to visit him in Florida when he was on deployment and she offered to buy my ticket and get a hotel room for us. Little did I know she decided to come along and we all had to share a hotel room I hadn't seen my husband in 5 months and we were REALLY excited to see each other(if you know what I mean) and she was right there in the middle of everything(not literally)! Sad to say (well sort of) my DH and MIL got in a HUGE fight 3 years ago and do not speak anymore. I'm torn because it is his mom, but the things she said to him were UNBELIEVABLE. I could go on for days with stories about her..............................

Back to the subject, your cookies are AWESOME

nickshalfpint, you have my sympathies! While my MIL is extremely annoying most of the time, at heart she's a good person. It doesn't sound like the sam can be said for yours!

And anyone can make the 3D cookies. I started making them with only about 6 months of cookie decorating under my belt, so I think they are pretty straight forward.

GeminiRJ,

I hope I won't make you mad, but you simply don't get it about your MIL the same way she doesn't get it about your cookies. (They are awesome.) I'm a widow of over 6 years who just got remarried in August. The best advice you got on the list was to get your MIL involved with a grief support group. You sound to me like a very caring but frustrated DIL. It's NOT the place of your husband to take over for his dad. The second year of being a widow is a lot harder for a lot of people than the first year, but that doesn't mean you should give up your husband.

Any nudging you give her to do for herself is likely to be dismissed by her as "you just don't understand". A good support group would give her a shoulder to lean on & encouragement to do these things herself. It is easier for another widow to point out the need to adjust than family members & have it listened to. She would meet other widows that had had everything done for them, but now mow their own yard, etc.

If you don't know of a local support group, I'd like to recommend http://www.widownet.org. It has articles, links & forums for widows & widowers. It has sections for those that have recently lost their spouse & those that lost their spouse over a year ago. Gently guide or push her towards a support group. If she says you don't understand, agree with her & point out that's WHY you want her to have people to talk to that do understand. It's not always mean to use someone's words against them. <G>

Good luck. I'll be rooting for you MIL wise & cookie-wise.

My MIL is a twit. Not about cookies and whatnot but just in general.

GeminiRJ-Do you have a tutorial for your cookies? I read through and saw you don't have a website have you thought about putting together a blog? Your cookies are AWESOME. ANd deserve way more than $5.00 per cookie!

I have several blogs over on www.blogspot.com You might check the site out.
It is set up easy enough for an old lady to figure out how to do.
(Me, not you)

Older people and pricing are just humorous anyway! My MIL, who I love and adore, was telling us that the two of them went out for dinner and for the two of them, it cost (gulp!) FIFTEEN DOLLARS!! She was absolutely shocked! We were trying so hard not to laugh because it's not uncommon for our tips to be bigger than that!

But it's not just because she's older. How many of us have sisters, friends and co-workers who are our age and think the same thing ....."those would be about a buck and a half, right?"

I am constantly amused by the folks who have no idea what things cost but set a budget out of thin air, like the cake for 100 and "they just decided" that it would cost $25.

That would be like me planning to buy a new Cadillac and "just deciding" that my budget is $12,000...... then having the nerve to be shocked at what they really cost, when the salesman laughs me out of the showroom.

I have a survey question on my website on "how did you decide what your wedding budget would be?" It's running half and half between "We researched to find out what things cost" and "We just winged it".

See, I knew you came across as very caring. It's no wonder you're so frustrated.

Do you have any relatives that are widowed that could gently point out she's driving people away? A minister if you or she attend church? You would be better off if such suggestions came from someone other than you or your husband (I'm suspicious you have already figured that out.)

Of course, another approach might be to introduce her to single, charming gentlemen who might enjoy catering to a lady. <G> I hope you find a solution, because she is depriving herself of the company of what is obviously a loving family.

Good luck!

I wish I knew how to make everything right again. Maybe one day she'll move beyond the anger and bitterness of losing her husband, but I'm not optimistic. I'm trying to be more patient, and to keep myself from saying critical things about her to my DH. It's really all I can do. The rest is going to be up to her.

I am LOLing at some people's comments. At least we know we're not alone!

I try to avoid sharing ANYTHING about my personal interests with my MIL, because she (like everyone else's) knows everything about everything.... ever.  And whatever you think, you're stupid (mostly because she doesn't know anything and that fact that other people do makes her so insecure). 

So, I made some sugar cookies with simple royal icing designs for a Relay for Life bake sale. My husband thought they were AWESOME. He happened to be on the phone with his mother who said "How can a cookie be awesome? Its a cookie, give me a break." and then he sends her pictures.   I haven't heard her response, but I was so irritated with him for sharing that with her.

I made some shortbread cookies dipped in caramel, pecans and chocolate for Xmas one year, and she refused to eat them because they were "weird".  We ran into her coworker who told my husband that he found a good woman, because BOY! She can bake!  At least she took them to work and didn't throw them out.

She doesn't even try to be interested in the things I like, she just tells me everything that isn't completely bland, tasteless, run-of-the-mill and boring is "weird". She's just about the last person I would ever ask for input or advice from. 

OTOH, if she likes it, you know you've got a problem. :-)

AHahaha! No kidding!

I love my MIL and get along great with her, it is my FIL's new wife that kills me. Her son got married two weeks ago, and I did the grooms cake for the rehearsal luncheon for her, and did the wedding cake for the MOB. The grooms cake was a 9" chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries on top and she asked 3 times about delivery! I told her each time that I couldn't do it, and it would be $40 if I could, but I only charged her $80 for the cake.

Finally 2 days before she needs it, she asks what time I will be delivering it. Grrrr.... I told her,"Karen, I already told you 3 times that there is no way I can deliver it, I don't know why you think I should gather my 4 kids into the car and drive 20 miles to deliver a cake when you can drive over here and get it yourself much easier. You will already be out of the house, and I already have too much to do this week!" She says, "oh, you didn't tell me!" I ignored it, but I wanted to say,"scroll up, stupid!" Because it was all on Facebook messages and it was plain as day I told her I would not bring it.

ABTW, she was posting on her Facebook that her son and future DIL marriage won't be valid in the eyes of The Lord because they aren't getting married in a church. Even though a priest married them. She made her DIL cry, and MOB was furious. She is always saying something like that at every family gathering. I can't stand the witch.

My MIL used to run a hair salon and she was very friendly with all of her clients. I am looking to spread the word about my baking so I asked if I could drop off a new treat each week for her to give to her clients if they would like to try one. She didn't understand what I was asking but instead offered to let me bake organic/vegan cookies to possibly sell in a vending machine she was contemplating buying at some point in the unclear future. I wanted to ask if she had ever eaten my stuff? I am not conscious of the fat content I put in my food and whether or not it's vegan (I do try to make healthy choices when buying ingredients but I would never be able to exclude eggs, butter or milk). She basically wanted me to bake oatmeal cookies.... I asked her what kind of vending machine it was that she would be able to fit a whole cake inside. 

Just FYI you could easily charge $5 for those cookies. They sell just flat cookies at Central Market for $5.00 I was going to buy one just to taste compare but didn't because of price. That is only because I don't like sugar cookies. However if the chocolate chip cookie at Chick-fil-a was $5.00 I'd still buy it!