greetingarts

after-Christmas sale on cranberries?

If any of the grocery stores have them on sale, I'm there.  People, you must try this recipe.  I mean, it can hardly even be called a recipe, it's so simple.  Water, sugar, cranberries and a stove.  They turned out so well, are so festive, and took a minimal amount of effort. 

Even my husband, who really doesn't get all fired up about anything that isn't red meat or seafood related, could probably have devoured at least half a bowl of these little gems on his own.  And quite possibly did.

I've got one more bag of cranberries in the fridge, and I'm totally making more of these for New Year's Eve.  Won't you join me?  I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed.

is it too late?

My Christmas cards are getting sent out today.  Oops.  I'm well aware that most people won't receive them until after the holiday, but oh well.  At least they'll know I was thinking of them and had good intentions, right?  Maybe I should have made them less Christmas-y and more Happy New Year-ish, hmm?

I had a lot of help with my homemade cards this year.  The girls and I sat at the dining room table and assembly-lined them all.  They aren't fancy, and far from the best cards I've ever made, but we all had such a nice time, and the girls really felt proud to have made such a contribution.  Sticking, gluing, stacking.  So these are special to me.

Merry Christmas, everyone.  Happy Solstice, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays.  Hope your days are full of warm moments and joyful memories.

tagged for a chance to brag

Jen tagged me with a relatively easy tag, so I thought I'd better play along before it gets away from me.  Here are the guidelines:

1. Open the fourth picture folder on your computer.

2. Open the fourth picture and post it on your blog.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag four people to do the same.

So, in October, I thought I'd spare you from my proud mommy moment and not brag about my first grader who was chosen to be Student of the Month.  But now I'm going to go ahead and do it anyway.

After the ceremony in front of the school, Rebecca went into the assembly room with the other Students of the Month, and filled out a little sheet about her interests and favorite subjects, which was posted on the bulletin board with her photo.  She had donuts and juice and got to choose a book and pencil to keep along with her award certificate. It was a great day, I was so proud of her and excited that she earned that special recognition.

Okay, now on to the "you're it!" part...  How about Regina, Amy, my sister, and Liz?  Oh, and if you ignore this and decide not to play along, I won't be offended in the least.  Seriously.

fancy nancy notebooks

Cindy asked me to test a pattern for her recently, and it didn't take very much time at all to sew.  Took me far, far longer to locate my skein of skinny elastic (which is optional, by the way) than it took to cut out the fabric and stitch up the whole thing. 

A fabric notepad cover with pocket.  It fits a top-bound, spiral notepad, or she has included cutting dimensions for a regular top-bound notepad, too.  It can be totally reversible, or if you want to save on fabric, it doesn't have to be.  Perfect for holiday gifts.  And I think the download is quite inexpensive, at just under $2.  Of course, I'm not getting anything to mention this, I just feel that Cindy has given us so many amazing ideas and fantastic tutorials (who hasn't seen her brilliant crayon roll, hmmm?!) for free, it's nice to have a chance to support someone who is so generous.  And speaking of generous, the beautiful fabrics I used were a gift from Kathy, and are part of Amy Butler's Midwest Modern line. 

I think it's only fitting that I offer this notepad cover (just the cover, not the pad) as my December Box Tops giveaway.  So if you have any Box Tops or Campbell's Labels to send to me this month, please email me (there's a link at the top of my left sidebar) for my address, and if I get them before January, you'll earn one chance for every Box Top or Campbell's point.  Most importantly, you'll be helping my daughter's school.

Now I need to make another one for a birthday party we're going to this Sunday.  I think a 9 year old girl would just love one of these, don't you?

23 pairs

Not all made by me, of course.  Thanks to many of the ladies in my knitting guild who contributed to make this package so full. 

Most are knitted, some have no thumbs, one pair is crocheted, and a few were purchased.  But all have been sent to Lynne and Pastor Angel, with love.  She tells me it's 20 degrees in Buffalo.  I'm sorry, but I totally can *not* relate.

for those hard-to-shop-for cats

I test knitted the Cat Hoodie for Kristin a few months ago, and it was a fun thing to make.

Notice, however, that my lovely version is not being modeled by my cat, who - I swear - raised her eyebrows at me when presented with the finished garment.  Oh, well.  I can't really say I blame her.  It's supposed to be 81 degrees on Thursday.

misfit toys

I've been knitting mittens for charity, making gifts for friends and relatives and working the fundraiser at Rebecca's school.  Doing a lot of things for others, and getting a little short on patience with my own kids.   Isn't that shameful?  So, I'm trying to be more conscious of that, and yesterday I made sure to attend to some crucial matters.

Disaster.  This little fairy is only about 2 inches high, and I'm actually really attached to her myself, maybe even more than Rebecca is.  Sparkly, tiny, all pink with arms and legs that move.  She's the kind of thing I treasured as a kid.  And it's a ring, too.  But then Jessie got hold of her, and somehow the head snapped off.  It sat in a little box for months, next to Rebecca's bed.  I accidentally knocked the box off the side table a few evenings ago, and this fell out, head rolling to my feet.  Gave me quite a startle, that's for sure!

But last night, just a dot of Krazy Glue and fifteen seconds later, she's all better.  We won't be letting anyone play with her for a while, but at least the fairy is whole again.  And Rebecca isn't heartbroken anymore, and harbors no more ill will towards Jessie.  Well, not about this anyway.

 

Then Jessie picked up this little fella from the toy box a few days ago and practically threw him at me.
"Don't like him.  He's yucky."
"Why, honey?  I think he's kinda cute."
"No.  He's a boy.  Don't like him."
"Well, how do you know that?"
"He doesn't have pretty eyes."

So, with the help of an Ultra Fine Point Sharpie, my most favorite writing implement, the he doggie became a she doggie, and now is playing with the other toys again, no longer shunned.

I feel just like an elf in Santa's toy workshop.

wrap a leaf around your neck

It's crunch time now, right?  All us knitters, quilters, people who sew, crafters in general are all getting a bit crazy, trying to make gifts and finish everything up in a timely manner.  Or is it just me? 

Anyway, I recently tested a pattern for a friend, and now it's available for purchase.  I think it would make a great gift, as it only takes an evening to knit up, less than one skein of practically any yummy yarn (though this one made from 50% wool and 50% milk sounds just too intriguing not to try - and can make two scarflettes!), but looks very special and unique.  I knitted this one with #5 needles and Schachenmayr Nomotta Habanera, a 70% wool, 30% cotton yarn.

It's a fun, fast knit, and the only mildly tricky part is a provisional cast on.  If you've never heard of this before, there are tons of tutorials for it on the net, and it was a skill I was glad I learned.  I gave this one to my mom, but I'll be making a few more for those extra gifts you always need on hand.  I can see one in green, or burnt orange, autumn red or gold.  Now, off to try to see how much more I can accomplish in one day before my eyelids start drooping...