Sunday, December 24, 2006

Merry Christmas Eve

I love Christmas . . . not just love, I mean L-O-V-E. I love the sights, the sounds, the smells. Most of all I love watching the excitment build in my 5 year old daughter. Right now, she's quite literally bouncing OFF the walls! She's totally stoked about Christmas.

It's been a crafty Christmas around here. We've stamped and painted tiles for Christmas coasters and trivets. We've made gifts for friends - hot spiced tea mix, spiced pecans, and simmering potpourri. Here are a few of my favorite recipes from the season.

Hot Spiced Tea Mix
1 (18 oz) jar Tang Instant Breakfast Drink mix
2 (3 oz) packages lemonade mix
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
3/4 cup instant tea
2 1/2 cups sugar, optional (I omit the sugar because the Tang and lemonade both have sugar)
Mix all together and store in an airtight container. Measure 2 tbsp mix into mug and add hot water.

Spiced Pecans
2 cups pecan halves
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted
2 tsp salt
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Stir together all ingredients; spread into a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring mixture once. Store in an airtight container.

Christmas Simmering Scent
3 4" cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
1/2 lemon
1/2 orange
1 quart water
Combine all ingredients in a tea kettle, sauce pan or slow cooker. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer. Check water level often and add more when necessary. Can be stored in the refridgerator and reused.

I hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas!

Friday, September 15, 2006

Finished!

I finished the Ripple Scarf and it's very pretty - not as soft as I'd hoped, but pretty none the less. I still can't decide if I want to keep it or give it away . . . decisions, decisions. I'll post a pic as soon as I figure out exactly HOW to do that. And all this time I thougt I was pretty computer savvy.

It's been a crazy week at my house. First, I didn't get hired for a job I just "knew" I was going to get. I found out through a "Dear Jennifer" letter that I got after what could quite possibly be one of the most crappy days of work at my current job ever. And it was raining. At least I have a current job - lots of folks don't.

Anyhoo, I'm still working on the Tempting Sweater from Knitty.com. My girlfriends bought the yarn for me for my birthday in February. They recently joked that for my next birthday they were going to pay someone to finish it for me! HA! I'm also working on the Chevron Sweater from Lionbrand.com. Very pretty; not yet sure if it's my "style" but I'm going to make it anyway. If I decide not to keep it . . . someone's getting a nice sweater for Christmas!

I'm feeling the need for a Chick-fil-A Ice Dream ...... Thatcher - OUT!

Monday, September 04, 2006

Let's See How This Works


OK. If everyone else can have a blog, why not me? I have things to say. . . except for now. Pretty much nothing comes to mind. I did, however, just finish another baby project. It's a hodded one-button jacket from BH&G Hip Knits. It's knit on fat #11's with Lion Brand Boucle' - it works up pretty quickly - provided you actually WORK on it. Oh well, the baby was just born on August 23rd and considering that it's still 90 degrees in "Hot 'lanta" I guess it'll be a while before he wears it. :)

I'm currently working on the Ripple Scarf from Oat Couture. I'm doing it in SWTC's Karaoke in Wild Cherry. I'm liking it a lot. Now I have to decide if I'm going to keep it or "gift" it to someone. Since the yarn is $9.25 per skien, I've got to really KNOW that whoever it's gifted to will love it and WEAR it.

As for my next project(s ) - I'm thinking that I really like this sweater. However, I still need to finish my Neck Down Cardigan from LAST summer and I still have to sew up the Ballerina Neck Sweater (BH&G Hot Knits) from LAST spring (that would be 2005 for those of you who are counting. I still want to learn how to knit socks - I'm still a little scary with DPNs so if you have any suggestions . . . . I'm open.

As for "daily life" at our house, my kindergartener has her first homework assignment due tomorrow. She has to write 4 words that start with the letter "P" and draw corresponding pictures. How does one teach a 4 year old how to draw "purl?" *LOL*