Happy New Year!

So, we're off to a new start. What will this year bring?

I've decided to join a few friends (and thousands of other people I don't know) in doing Project 365, (<<-- flickr group link) which is basically a "photo a day" project. (Another site to check out: Project 365: How to take a photo a day and see your life in whole new way)

I'm not going to follow any particular theme, other than to try to capture a special moment or something that depicts what that day was all about. Some people do a self-portrait every day. Ahem. No. That will not be me.

I am hoping to become much more familiar with my camera (about time, since I've had it 2 years, and have mostly used the "auto" mode. What a waste of features!) and learn to take better photos. Hopefully when the year is over I can look back and see that this has turned out to be true! Join in, won't you?

Here is 1/365. Our weather has gone from mid 20s for about a month to several days of mid 40s into the low 50s. The snow has melted, and we've had several days of rain. Nature has washed away the old year and freshened things up for 2011. Now, a nice layer of pristine snow would be nice. I'm not a fan of the gray/brown bleakness of winter when there is no snow to make things pretty.

Happy, healthy, wonderful new year to all of you!

Where DOES the time go?

Just popping in with a little note to wish everyone a happy holiday season. Things are in full swing around here, throwing in Kim's birthday today for good measure. McKenna should be so much fun this year when she gets to open her presents (and probably play with the paper and boxes more than the toys themselves, as all kids tend to do) We are SO looking forward to seeing Christmas through the eyes of a toddler once again.

Here's our little McKenna the Red-Nosed Reindeer, getting ready for the festivities.

Holiday reading material:

Sweet girl dressed in her Christmas finery:

To all of you who stop by to check in on my corner of the world, I wish you a safe, joyous, wonderful Christmas. May the new year find you healthy and happy and bring you pleasant surprises.

On Christmas morning, pretend YOU are the toddler and see the day through new eyes.

HO HO HO!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

Hi everyone! I've got my accessories picked out, now I just need a cute outfit. Anyway, I wanted to stop by and wish everyone a safe and fun-filled holiday weekend!

It's been a while....

I fell off the face of the blog-world (as I've been known to do numerous times before) This time I basically was removed from life as I normally live it by a horrible case of sciatica that left me unable to walk or stand, and sometimes even sit, for the better part of 5 weeks. I spent so many hours laying on (only) my right side that I thought I might develop bedsores. Ugh. Finally after stronger and stronger painkillers, muscle relaxers, and starting physical therapy, I am finally on the mend and can see that there is hope I may one day be healed!

Luckily the 3 sessions of PT last week started me along my way enough that I was able to enjoy the weekend of Easter festivities. McKenna was making her spring debut after a winter of isolation, and the family was so happy to see her and be able to interact with her after all these months. We wondered if she would be overwhelmed by so many people after having such a quiet first 8 months of her life, but she took it all in and entertained everyone with her cuteness.

Saturday we spent with Mike's family, and then had brunch with my family on Sunday morning. Here are a few photos from the weekend. I whipped up the ducky in about a day, and McKenna liked chewing on it.

My big girl with her little girl

Me and my little hunny bunny

McKenna and her new ducky

McKenna trying on Auntie Kait's Ugg boots.

Maybe next year she can borrow them :-)

McKenna and her Uncle Jake

4 Generations:

Great Grandma, McKenna, Mommy and Grandma

Aunt Kaitlyn and McKenna

We're not sure, but these might just be

the longest eyelashes in North America!

OMG!

The Easter Bunny brought me PEACHES?!?!?

My FAVORITE!

OMG!

Dodecahedron---I just call it Pointy Ball!

What's this? Another blog post so soon? Another FO so soon? In the midst of the holiday chaos?

I finished up McKenna's ball last night. Knitting the last point after stuffing it was pretty tedious, but I'm happy with the results. I put a cat toy (bell in a cage) in the middle of the stuffing for a little jingly fun. I hope McKenna enjoys her dodecahedron for years to come.

click for pattern

Oh heck, let's just add one more photo here. I made this Pretty Thing cowl for my good friend Tamara. I used alpaca, (because Tam loves her some alpaca) but it kind of hid the stitch pattern. Next time I make a Pretty Thing (and I will do this project again) I will use a less fuzzy yarn. It's a pretty thing indeed!

Pattern available on Ravelry

Knitting has resumed....

My cut has healed, but I still have swelling, pain and numbness in my finger. I decided I couldn't wait any longer to knit McKenna's pumpkin hat, so it was knit yesterday with my finger up in the air. My tension was definitely all over the place. Oh well, it still turned out to be a cute hat for an adorable little girl. Hopefully my finger is back in working order before too much longer.

Happy New Year!

The holidays left very little time, energy, or desire to blog. But here I finally am!

Christmas was wonderful. We had Christmas Eve here at our house, with Kim and Drew, my parents, and my brother Andy and his family. Mike made homemade kielbasa, and golabki (pronounced gawumpki....which is Polish stuffed cabbage). We also put a ham in the oven, and had some yummy side dishes. SIL Karen brought an awesome salad that I will definitely make again. It was unique and wonderful!  Here is the link: Spinach Salad.  She used fresh bean sprouts instead of canned (a very wise choice in my opinion!) and added Toastettes croutons as well. Yum.

Kim and Drew spent the night as they always do, and we all woke up in the same house to share the festivities on Christmas Morning. Lots of great gifts were passed around and then opened and enjoyed.  We had a rather lazy day, just the way we like it. 

New Year's Eve plans were changed at the last minute. The party we were to go to was cancelled so we ended up picking up some take-out and staying home. No problem. Another quiet, lazy day. Same with New Year's Day. More time for vegging.

This morning I awoke to a strange sound coming from downstairs. Even as I came down, I couldn't figure out what I was hearing. Turns out Mike had started stripping the wallpaper and had the steamer going to get the paper and glue off once the top layer of paper came off.

We have been talking about redoing the kitchen for many months now, and if you don't take that first step, it will never happen.

We've had the same theme in the kitchen since we gutted and remodeled the kitchen not too long after moving in over 15 years ago! It's hunter green checkerboard, and apples. I loved it at the time we did it. I've had a LOT of matching accessories added to the room over the years, but after a while you just get to the point where it starts to drive you crazy. Apples, apples, EVERYWHERE!

When I got my Fiesta dishes, I started thinking more seriously about changing things up. So now it looks like we have made the decision to do it. I can't wait. The few walls that we've gotten the wallpaper off today already look better (though we will have lots of repair work to do before we can actually put some fresh paint up). And unfortunately, it's not just 4 walls of one room that need to be done. The apple/checkerboard theme goes towards the back entrance area, and also down the hallway to the stairs. I think it's actually on 15 surfaces. A big job, for sure. But it will be worth it in the end. I am SO ready for this!

My plan is to paint all the walls one color of Fiesta (pretty sure I've decided on turquoise) and then the window and door moldings will be a combination of the other Fiesta colors that I have in my dishes. It's going to be quirky and whimsical, and I'm going to love it! I plan on using Porcelaine 150 paints (mixing to make Fiesta-like colors when they are not available) and painting all of the 40+ ceramic cabinet and drawer knobs I have now. I have looked and looked and have not found anything I like to replace them without spending about $500. I have used the paint before and it is very durable after being baked in a regular oven...no kiln needed! 

I have no idea how long this project is going to take, but I'm glad it's finally underway and I really am looking forward to my fresh, new kitchen! Long overdue. 

 The big issue we have to decide on is whether to tear up the ceramic tile countertop and backsplash now, or have that be a separate project later on. The tile is almond, with an almond/green checkerboard backsplash. It REALLY needs to go (I'm thinking about a soapstone or concrete countertop). Now, or later, that is the question.......

Off to put the last of the Christmas decor away. Hopefully weeks won't go by again before I blog the next time, huh?

(Holy cow, I just went back and looked at the post when I got my Fiesta dishes and started talking about taking down the wallpaper and painting the kitchen. That was over EIGHT MONTHS AGO! It took us a while to get to this point, huh? Sheesh!)

Busy Busy BUSY!

Holy cow, December is just flying by!

I think everyone is scrambling to get ready for Christmas this year. With Thanksgiving being late this year, December was right around the corner, and now it's half over already. Sheesh!

No knitting pictures to show, no knitting content to report. I'm too busy doing other things. Decorating, getting packages ready for the mail, baking, etc.

I've taken some time out to have some fun along the way though!

Kim and I had a little 2-day mother/daughter outing 2 weekends ago. We went shopping in Frankenmuth all day on Sunday (and a little more Monday morning) and then headed over to Birch Run outlet mall to shop the rest of the day. We had a fun time, and it was nice to get a little more shopping done while spending time with Kim. Included in the fun was a HUGE chicken dinner at Zehnder's in Frankenmuth. Zehnder's is an institution, THE place to eat when in Frankenmuth, but we had never been there before. Our waitress was a real sweetie and we really enjoyed her after a long day of hitting the sidewalks. The other place you MUST go to is Bronner's.  A true Christmas wonderland! We spent over an hour there Sunday night but they closed down the store when we had only seen about 3/4 of the store, and so we had to go back in the morning to actually make our selections and purchases. 

Here are Kim and I outside the Frankenmuth Woolen Mill store. Kim froze her butt on the metal sheep toy. It was about 15 degrees that day. 

This past Saturday was Mike's company Christmas party. They provided everyone a room (or a taxi ride home instead) at the hotel complex where the party was held. It was nice to be able to enjoy the evening and then just go upstairs and sleep it off.  A good time was had by all (That tends to happen when the alcohol is flowing freely!)

It's crunch time now, so I must fire up my KitchenAid mixer and get back to work!

We're having Christmas eve here with my mom and dad, Kim and Drew, and my brother's family. My brother loves cheesecake, so the past several years his gift has been a couple different flavors of cheesecakes. After baking, I freeze them, then cut each one into 4 pieces, wrap in foil and pop them back in the freezer. That way he can just pull out 1/4 of a cheesecake now and then and have a little treat. So I have 2 cheesecakes to make for him, and one for us to have Christmas eve. I also want to get some cookies made. I will try out something I bought myself at the outlet mall, which my friend Tam told me about. There was a 3-6 week wait to get one online so I was happy to find it in the store. 

It's the New Metro beater blade for my mixer. It's got silicone edges that scrape the sides for you and it even gets down to the very bottom of the bowl where sometimes things don't quite get mixed in. 

Ok, time to get into the kitchen and get crackin'!  

(I just heard on the radio we are going to get some snow this evening. Yay! Yesterday morning it was pouring rain, and I really am not happy when it pours in December, washes away the snow and makes everything muddy brown again. It was 50+ degrees when Mike left for work yesterday morning, but down into the low 20s by afternoon. Brrr......)

Thankful

I am thankful for so many things this year, and counting my blessings on all of my fingers and toes.

Our family is blessed with health, employment, (two biggies in my book) many friends, and a wonderful family to gather with and share a feast. We will count these blessings and many more, and pray for those less fortunate. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Happy Halloween!

My little leprechaun and the Zombie Prom Queen 2008 as they went off to school this morning....

Life is good

It's 12 minutes past midnight....12 minutes past the 29th anniversary of our wedding. Amazing. So many memories....

Mike and I went out to dinner (Jake came with us because Kaitlyn was at work) and then the 3 of us stopped for ice cream before visiting Mike's brother who is recovering from heart surgery. He's doing very well, thank the heavens above. 

The holiday weekend was so much fun. We gathered with family where we almost always do on the 3 holidays that mark the beginning, middle and end of summer.... on the shore of Lake Huron in Michigan's "thumb". The weather was perfect (save for the first night that was 45 degrees.... Hello? Isn't this JULY?) There was no rain, there were hardly any clouds, the wind was calm (a rarity, believe me) and the temperature couldn't have been more divine. 

Mike was able to enjoy a 3 day weekend (many weekends lately have been non-existent as he has been working every Saturday and a lot of Sundays too). It must've felt so wonderful for him to finally get a chance to relax and enjoy some down time. It sure felt good for me, knowing he could sleep in and just enjoy the days spent with family, having fun . Eat, Drink and Be Merry. There was a lot of that going around, that's for sure.

My SIL turned 50 on Saturday, so the festivities of the weekend were not just for the holiday, but for her birthday too. Her "real" party is on the 19th, but the preview was a lot of fun as well.

Of course today I spent a good amount of time catching up on things around here. MUCH laundry, cleaning out the camper, vacuuming the pool (which somehow became disgusting in our absence) etc. 

I just finished reading Belong To Me, by Marisa de los Santos. I am sad that I am done reading it. After reading Love Walked In by her, and now this one, I am longing for more by this incredibly talented author. I don't have another book to start, so I guess a trip to the library is in order for tomorrow. I have to remind Jake to read more. He's not reading as much this summer as in summers past. I think some reading time together in the new hammock tomorrow sounds good. As long as it's not too unbearably hot out there. Well, we could always cool off in the pool. 

Knitting content: Princess Lace Wrap is off the needles. Photos to follow, after it has been blocked. Back to the sweater I need to finish by October/Rhinebeck!

Time to catch up a bit

A few weeks ago, my daughter Kim invited some of her friends, aunts and coworkers, and I invited a few friends, to share in an evening of meal prep at Dinner Kitchen. None of us had done this before though many of us had wanted to try it. We selected the meals we wanted to make ahead of time, so that when we got there, our ingredients were prepped and waiting for us to assemble the dishes. Some ingredients were premeasured, and others we had the choice of how much or little to add of something (mostly spices and herbs, but a few other things too) depending on our own tastes and those of our family.

Here are some pictures from that night. I accidentally left my camera at home, so called my friend Tamara to bring hers. These are all shots she took while we were there. I haven't gotten the pix that Kim took yet, so I don't have one of Tamara in this bunch. Drat!

Easter was a lot of fun. We celebrated with Mike's side of the family on Saturday. The kids had a blast. We also celebrated our nephew Alexander's 5th birthday that day too. On Easter Sunday my brother and his family came over for dinner, and some Wii competition. Mike made a prime rib in the roaster that was TO DIE FOR! YUMMY! Andy and Karen brought a ham that was also very juicy and tasty. We had roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, homemade bread, mashed potatoes, fresh pineapple and canteloupe, etc. etc. I made Cream Puff Cake for dessert and that was a huge hit. I don't know how anyone had room for it after that huge dinner! It sure was delish.

On Tuesday Kaitlyn left for Florida with a friend and her family. She is having a great time. Today they are going parasailing. Sounds like a blast!

Since Kaitlyn got to do this, I figured it was only fair that Jake got some fun too, so we got a room at Sterling Inn for a few days. There is a waterpark at this hotel, and he was excited to get to do this. My nephew came and swam with Jake one of the days for a few hours. It was great to see the big grins on their faces every time I looked at them. Personally, I was happy to get home to my own bed and routine. I was thinking I would get a lot of knitting done while there, but that didn't happen. I did finally finish the book I was reading that was 2 weeks overdue at the library. Now to pay the fines. OOPS! (REALLY good book, BTW. Incredible true story)

I did manange to knit a few rows on my socks. I'm hoping to finish them this weekend and get on to a new pair. I've chosen the yarn (a beautiful mix of spring colors, hand-dyed by my friend Lynn. If you haven't checked out her site, go do so! She's got beautiful yarns for sale, as well as nice pattern designs! Sometimes she has polymer clay buttons for sale. Lynn and her husband are also talented musicians. You might want to pick up a CD or 2 while you're there!
Now that I know what yarn I'll use for my next socks, I just need to pick out a pattern that will compliment the yarn.



Today is the baby shower that I knit the green cardi, hat, booties and socks for. I also knit the burp cloth from the Mason Dixon book, in a blue/yellow/white cotton I found for the UM family this baby is being born into (GO BLUE). I can't wait to have pix of the bebe in the items I knit, though it will be a while. They will fit in the fall (I HOPE).



I also found out today that another nephew and his wife are expecting their second child. YAY! More baby knitting in my future!

Holiday Knitting Pix and misc.

I'm finally getting around to posting pix of my holiday knitting and misc. I forgot to get a picture of Kim's Peekaboo Mittens, but here is everything else...

Socks for Mike. Double strand of Araucania Ranco...nice and thick, to keep his feet toasty warm when he goes ice fishing. (But with the whacky weather we've had recently, that might not happen for a long time, if at all this season! 65 in January? Weird...)



Here's Karen wearing her Fidget, and "Fidget Mitts" that I designed. I did the Fidget using Tahki Bunny Print. I had 2 balls in my stash, and used a little more than 1 for the Fidget, and decided that some fingerless gloves with a cuff using the same pattern and yarn would be pretty cool. I used gray Lamb's Pride for the main part of the gloves, and loved how they turned out.



Kim's Peekaboo Mittens were made from the same gray Lamb's Pride. I was supposed to knit Kaitlyn a pair of mittens too, but those didn't get done.

While Diane was here, we had quite a bit of fun. We spent a couple hours at Threadbear in Lansing after I picked her up from the airport the Saturday before Christmas. Mike had gifted us with a mini retreat, telling us to stay overnight in Lansing and have some "sister time". What a nice gesture that was! I didn't get any yarn at Threadbear, but I did get this lovely glass shawl pin, made by Moving Mud. Diane got one too, though hers is a little bigger.



After hanging out with Rob and Matt at Threadbear, we made a quick trip to Little Red Schoolhouse, where I got a few sheep themed items, then we had dinner at Los Tres Amigos in the same area. We spent the night at the Best Western down the road. It had a lodge theme, and we sat for a while in the log furniture in front of the fireplace in the lobby, knitting and chatting. Unfortunately I had no batteries in my camera at that point, cuz that would have made a nice photo to add right here!

We thought about using the hot tub and pool, but there were quite a few loud unruly children families there because it was winter break. We hid out in our room, chatting, reading, relaxing. In the morning we had breakfast at the hotel, packed up, went to Target and Macy's and then back to Threadbear for another quick visit. Diane wanted to show off the shawl she is knitting with the Targhee that I spun for her.

OMG THE SUN IS SHINING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MANY DAYS OF GLOOM!

Sorry for the interruption but that was worth taking note of!

Anyway, the shawl is beautiful, and I was happy to see how nice my handspun looked and felt knit up. Of course, dolt that I am, I didn't get a picture of that either, cuz it would have been nice to add right here! (I really must start using my camera more!!!!)

After leaving Threadbear Sunday morning, we went to Andy and Karen's house to wait for Mom and Dad to arrive for the surprise. That really was fun.

On Wednesday, we tried to shop at 4 different yarn shops, but only one was open, being the day after Christmas and all. I have been wanting to get to Artisan Knitworks ever since it opened, and was happy that it finally happened when I was with Diane and Mom. Diane and I got the last 2 hanks of really great sock yarn from Autumn House Farm in PA. It is the Specs sock yarn, which is hand-dyed merino (sooooo soft) and has flecks of other colors spun in (and hanging out) I'm not sure how long the specs will hang onto the yarn when the socks are worn and washed, but it's fun knitting with them. Here are my socks in progress:



This photo shows the little specks better than the ribbing side:



So the rest of the week Diane and I spent knitting and just hanging out, which we get so little time to do. She and mom both loved the Fidget when they saw the one I did for Karen. Diane went shopping in my stash and found some Araucania Nature Wool Chunky and knit one up. Mom knit one too.

Anyway, before I knew it, it was time for Diane to go back home. I am so sad that we can't spend more time together like that. But I really appreciate the fact that she was here for Christmas. It was very special.

Speaking of special, I was definitely spoiled this year in the gift department. Here are my knitting/spinning related gifts.

12 oz. of gorgeous merino top from my friend Jane.



Jane always spoils me with fibery goodness. She also sent these two hanks of sock yarn. Aren't they purdy?



Mike got me this "Happy Pastime" Hummel. I have several knitting Hummels now, added to the collection of Hummels that Mike started buying me when we were first married.



And I had this Snowbabies "Hooked on Knitting" figurine on my wish list, and Mike came through with it for me. I also bought this for Diane as one of her gifts this year. It's so cute!



Mom and Dad gave me a Knitpicks gift certificate which I have already put to use and am waiting for my order.

Kim gave me the Debbie Bliss Teddy Bear book, and Kaitlyn gave me the Knitted Icons book (which is a real hoot!)I got Complete Feltmaking too. I love adding to my knitting library!

I also got several cute knitting-themed ornaments (including a few I bought for myself on ebay before the holidays)

And the icing on the cake....I got a Woolee Winder with not one, not two, but THREE bobbins, for my Joy wheel. I've tried it, and found there is a bit of a learning curve trying to get the tension just right, but once I get it, I'm going to really love it!

I am definitely going to do more spinning in 2008.

Happy New Year

The end of 2007 has been quite wonderful. I wanted so badly to write about my excitment before Christmas, knowing my sister Diane would be coming to spend the holiday with us, and that our parents didn't know about the surprise! But knowing Mom reads my blog, I had to keep things in check until the big reveal. We had such a wonderful time while she was here, and I miss her so much already!

Tonight we will have the last Christmas celebration (with hubby's side of the family) coupled with the New Year's Eve festivities. Mike's brother is up from FL for a week, so it will be nice to see him again.

We are having a Italian-themed dinner tonight...Stuffed Shells, Chicken Parmesan, Lasagna, Garlic Bread, etc. Lots of other appetizers, food, snacks and desserts will be loading the tables. There will be about 50 of us there, so it will be a great time as always.

We're expecting some snow this evening and overnight, so it's a good thing we've already planned on spending the night at BIL/SIL's house. Everyone will gather again in the morning for brunch and stick around to watch football and play poker, as has become tradition over the years.

I want to wish everyone a safe and joyous end to 2007, and here's to a wonderful, prosperous, healthy, fiber-filled new year!

(photos of holiday knitting will be posted very soon, now that all have been received...and photos of the knitting/spinning goodies I got for Christmas....there were LOTS and it was FUN!)

Oh the excitement is in the air!

Yesterday Kim turned 25 (HOW did THAT happen?) and tonight we celebrated her birthday. She chose Ruby Tuesday as the place to go for dinner. I haven't been there in about 15 years. I just got the soup and salad bar, but I was stuffed when I was done. That was THE BEST salad I've had in a very long time, maybe EVER. I love salad. Love love love it. I just hate making it! I wish I could have someone prepare me a salad just like that every single day of my life. That would be so awesome!

Afterwards we came back here for cake and ice cream (which I did not eat, I was too full of salad!) and presents. Then Kim, Jake and I played a game of Phase 10 dice while Drew fell asleep on the couch, and Mike was not long behind him. Kaitlyn went out with friends tonight.

I can feel the buzz building....Christmas is just around the corner, and I am getting excited. I can't wait to see how the kids enjoy their day. I think it's going to be a great Christmas.

The past few months have been much more comfortable and secure, with Mike's new job. I am so thankful for that feeling of peace, instead of the dread in the pit of my stomach.

I got a lot done today, and just have a few more things to take care of before the "big day". I will be so glad when Christmas is here, and we are enjoying the fun of the day. Then I can look back and say it was all worth it. But at this point, I am just plain exhausted. Which is why I'm heading to bed right now.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...............

ps...Christmas knitting is pretty much finished. In order to not make myself crazy with stress, I told Kaitlyn that her mittens would be late. Hopefully I will get them done before school starts again on Jan. 3. If not, shortly thereafter. I hope everyone loves their handknits that did get done!

Lots of knitting, no pix

Cuz, you know, it's Christmas time!

I've gotten a few things done (YAY!) One pair of mittens is yet to be knit (or designed) and hopefully will get started in the next few days. Silly me, added a Fidget to my list. That knit up fast though...one evening and it was done. I used some Tahki Bunny Print that was in my stash. It took a little more than one ball, and I'm thinking some wrist warmers done in the same stitch pattern/yarn for the cuffs and then some gray Lamb's Pride (ribbed) for the rest would be REALLY cute, so I'm working on designing those too. I have no idea who's going to get them, or why I thought it was a good idea to just add them to my knitting list. I still have so much to do and Christmas is HOW MANY days away? 12? TWELVE? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

The tree is up, the wreathes and candles are in all the windows. The garland is hung on the porch railings. That's where the decorating has stopped. I don't know how much more will happen at this point.

The shopping is going OK. I have to focus on getting the out of town gifts in the mail VERY SOON. This is always a problem for me, the eternal procrastinator.

Knitting continues. Christmas cards? Well, I have them....whether or not I (or someone) gets around to actually addressing and signing them I have no idea. Baking? I got as far as stocking up on eggs and butter and sugar and flour, but no baking has happened...yet. Will it? Who knows.

I'm trying really hard to convince myself that what gets done, gets done. What doesn't...well, it'll probably only be missed by me. I stress out so much some years, and don't enjoy the process much. Then when Christmas comes and goes, it is such a let down. "All that work and it's over already?" So I'm trying to tell myself not to "work" so hard to make things happen, and to let go of the things that don't get done.

Mike is working a lot more hours at his new job, and is usually worn out when he gets home. So the shopping is falling on my shoulders, as will most of everything else. He did help with the tree on Sunday and did put the garland and wreathes up by himself. So that was a big help. I need him to get some more boxes off the shelves in the garage so I can do at least a little bit more decorating around the house.

Off to knit some more.....

Finished this today

My SIL asked me to make a felted bag to give to her grand-daughter (my great-niece) for Christmas. This is Amanda's Squatty Sidekick pattern. I used Ella Rae Classic yarn. It took less than one skein to make this really cute little bag. It knit up really fast and I love the shape of it. I just need to find the perfect button for it.

Holiday knitting continues. Socks. Mittens. More mittens. A couple hats. Who knows what else I can fit in. I hope my knitter's elbow doesn't flare up!

Easy-Peasy Crowd Pleaser

I made these snowflakes today to take to a function at Jake's school. The moms all went totally nuts over them. I have to admit I walked past the cookie table several times to listen to their comments before I finally confessed to making them and told them how. (They really DO taste like Girl Scout "Thin Mint" cookies!)

Easy!

1 box Snowflake shaped Ritz Crackers
1 bag white chocolate Wilton Candy melts (14 oz or so)
Wilton peppermint oil to taste
Wilton edible glitter

Melt chocolate according to pkg. directions. Add peppermint oil to taste.
A little goes a long way!
Pour some into a small squatty container so that
the crackers can be dipped at least halfway.
Let drip a little and scrape back of coated cracker on the edge of the container.
Carefully place on waxed paper.
Do about 10 and then sprinkle with edible glitter.
If you sprinkle the glitter on while the chocolate is still really warm,
it will basically soak in. So let them cool a bit.
You want the glitter to stay on top so it's pretty!

Refill small container as needed, reheating chocolate if necessary.
1 bag of Candy Melts should do a whole box of crackers.

Let harden and arrange on holiday tray.

Stand back and collect the accolades!

Sending you....

WNIC, I boycott you!

It's wrong. It's plain, downright WRONG!

I was sitting at the corner with Jake this morning waiting for the bus. He decided to flip channels on the radio and what did we hear? CHRISTMAS MUSIC!

Excuse me...WNIC...it is ONE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN. It is WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING... I realize that Target probably has Easter decorations in the aisles right now (pretty soon the seasons are going to lap themselves and we'll be back on track) BUT IT'S NOT TIME FOR CHRISTMAS MUSIC YET!

I yelled NO! And pushed another button on the radio. Jake thought it was funny and kept turning on "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (NO it's NOT!...the leaves are just falling...after all, it's FALL!!) So I kept turning it off and saying "NO! It's not time for this!"

Why do we have to push it? Remember the days when the Christmas decorations didn't show up in the stores until the day after Thanksgiving? These days the school supplies are barely out of the stores and the Christmas trees go up. Please...time goes by fast enough without hurrying it along like this.

I love Christmas as much as the next person, don't get me wrong. I'm the first one up on Christmas morning, long before the kids...I turn on the tree lights, put on some Christmas music (yes, THIS is an appropriate time to listen to it) and wait for the fun to begin.

But 2 whole months of Christmas music? I'd be gagging on it by the time the first flakes fly. It's just not right...

So WNIC....HO-HO-HOLD OFF! (and just so you know, I won't be listening to your station until December!)

Now, back to our regularly scheduled AUTUMN activities.....

(....like holiday knitting....maybe I'm so upset by this because I am woefully behind in this department????)