Saturday Night Fever

I'm sorry I am such a bad visitor lately but there's been some issues going on in the background and now we're supposed to get freezing rain so I needed to ensure I'm prepared with firewood, kindling, batteries etc.  Plus, I have really been on a roll with cleaning and clearing so I don't want to stop that!
 I had to move my plants to the front room as it is getting too cold on the porch.

 I found an inexpensive little trick to keep my cords and garland from gettting tangled and to make them easier to put away.  I had some really long twist ties (if you don't have long ones you can link them together to get the length you want) and after wrapping them I twist tied them. 

 They all stacked up nicely to put in the plastic bins I have for the Christmas"stuff".

 I had a lovely surprise that came in the mail today too.  My daughter sent me a package for my birthday.  Look at what I recieved......

VOILA!   Aren't they pretty?  Can you tell my daughter is an art teacher?  She's all about the color!
They were so pretty but that didn't stop me....they are sugar cookies with an almond flavor and a bit of frosting on top.  What a treat!

but wait...that's not all.............

These Buddy products are:
NO preservatives
NO genetic modification
NO artificial flavoring
NO corn syrup
NO hydrogenated fat
Very good for children and everyone.  My daughter and I both love lemon bars and these  are delicious!  Each one is individually wrapped too so great for popping into a lunch bag.
And then there was this......a cute little ornament made out of a salt shaker.........it has a tiny bottle brush tree, a little silver ornament and a snowflake in it, and snow! LOL!

The Clean Mama routine is working great........

My bathrooms are sparkling and I worked on the family room today in order to take down the indoor Christmas decor and also clean and get ready for a "freezing rain" (ice storm possibly) event starting late tonight or early tomorrow. Got kindling in.........

and put out some red.....

and a Valentine wreath.....early but it is the next holiday.

 Supper was English muffin with tuna fish salad and a slice of American cheese melted on top and some Annie's macaroni and cheese.  It was a very satisfying day but I am not done by any means! LOL! 
Tonight Is PBS with Father Brown and Murder in Paradise (?).....I love Father Brown mysteries.Only 2 more Jesus book marks to go and I'm done with them.  I love Jesus but I am getting tired of crocheting the bookmarks.
Happy Trails!

New Fangled Cookie Recipe

I'm a little late with the New Year's decor but I couldn't resist it when I saw it. These are cookies I made using what I had on hand.  They're Chocolate Heath Bar Pecan Bombs.  This is the dough and I used one of those cookie scoops which are like the old fashioned ice cream scoops except smaller.

  They mix up so easy and fast and no buttering your cookie sheet either.  This is when they are ready to go in the oven.

 This is what they look like when they come out.....YUM!!!

 I am a crisp cookie person but these are not really crispy but I still like them.  I baked them 11 minutes and they were doughy so then I went 15 and that seemed to work as they were not doughy but not burnt either.  You might want to watch and test yourself as my oven is old and I think one side cooks more than the other....crazy but I manage alright.  I really like them so I thought I would share the recipe with you.  Just what I like in the evening with a hot cup of tea before bed.

Chocolate Heath Bar Pecan Bombs
============================
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups flour
2/3 cup sweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup or more of health bar pieces (that's all I had of the Nestle ones you buy in the package but if I had more I'd add 1 whole cup)
1 cup chopped pecans

Sift together cocoa powder (I used Ghiradelli which is sweetened so if you only have unsweetened just increase the brown and white sugar like 2/3 cup brown and 1/2 cup white .), flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter, brown and white sugars and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in the heath bits and pecans.  Drop by well-rounded teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake until centers are set.  Mine took 15 minutes.  Cool for 2 minutes then remove to wire rack and cool completely.  Store in airtight container.

Happy Trails (of cookie crumbs)! :)

Crazy Soap Opera Day...........

 

I am pretending today is Tuesday and I am posting for the group Love Your Library hosted by Snapdragon Crafts  I hope it's not too late but yesterday was crazy here.
This is the book I am using for my first pattern which is a WIP from way before Christmas that got put away in July when my daughter came and hadn't surfaced again until today.  

Some of you will remember it and I can hear you saying now..."You mean you never finished it?"   That's right folks. But this is going to be the year of "finishes"!  They may not be in order but they will get finished.
 All the parts are done except for the pompoms and then I need to sew it together and do the embroidery.  This week all I managed to do was find the book and the project and it's parts.  I still need to find the rest of the yarn and needles.  So, hopefully you'll all see some progress on this by next week!

As for my following Clean Mama   that went pretty good considering I had some other stuff that came up unexpectedly yesterday but I still managed to do laundry, empty all the garbages and get it out to the curb, clean counters (not all) and make some cookies which I invented using what I had on hand.  I'll share the recipe tomorrow.
 Today I'm making some bread for my neighbor as a very late birthday present, cleaning the shower in my bathroom (cat litter box resides there with a heavy duty cover over the drain) shook some rugs and will vacuum and hopefully wash bathroom floor and washing the "dog linens" (beds) but I am already starting to get tired....yep, at 3:00 p.m. my biorythmic clock takes a huge dive until about 5:00 or 6:00 p.m when I manage to perk back up a bit.  I don't nap but I may go sit a spell and crochet those bookmarks....almost done!
I hope you're off to a great 2015 and if not, don't worry.....there's always tomorrow....God willing.
Happy Trails!

A fresh and hopefully clean start..........

I was looking back on my 2014 blog posts and there were many things that I posted about and then promptly forgot about.  So, I am revisiting and hoping to follow through this time.  One of the first items I posted about was cleaning and de-cluttering which I did do some but didn't continue to follow though to the end.  This past weekend I read and picked up some really good tips.  One tip became glaringly evident to me.  Clutter and even too many decorative items make your cleaning routine take that much longer!  Well, that explains it!  So this will be the year of the "clean and lean" homestead!
I made a lot of excuses like too big of a house, 2 housefuls of stuff, not being able to get rid of stuff, illness, tired....enough!  The woman that wrote these articles has 4 bathrooms! So no more excuses....I'm off and running  now!
The plan/tips/methods I'm following is from www.cleanmama.net   This woman is a miracle worker and gets right to the heart of the matter.  No fluff just practical, sane advice.  She has all kinds of free printables , recipes for natural cleaning supplies, menus, specific organizing and cleaning processes and an Etsy shop for more downloadable checklists and aides.  She's even written several books.  The above is just a small example of her free printable checklists.  Her graphics and designs for her work sheets are a delight to use....form and function! :)
Her basic Daily Tasks are 1) check floors, 2) wipe counters, 3) take care of clutter  and 4) laundry.  She feels if you keep up with these 4 things it will free you to do the other tasks that are involved with maintaining a home.  Her Weekly Tasks are 1) bathrooms, 2) dust house 3) vacuum floors 4) wash floors, 5) catch-all and 6) sheets/towels.
I have my own routine and some of those will remain the same but I am utilizing her specific methods for certain areas that I've had problems with.  She also has a FAQ section which I haven't looked at yet and and a way to contact her if you have questions.
Today I cleaned 1 of my 2 bathrooms, visited the neighbor and took her her Christmas gift, changed my sheets, did laundry and took down all the Christmas decorations and lights outside.  I didn't get it all done but I am not allowing a lot on my bathroom counter now which will make it much easier and quicker to clean next time.
 There is also a De-Clutter Challenge that she and several other gals have going which you can see here
with another free printable list. I know many of you are probably excellent housekeepers but I,  for one, can never seem to get it all done.  I know I don't have the energy I used to have but I am not using any excuses!  Wish me luck! :)
If you're more like me I hope this helps you in some way.  I've looked at lots of house cleaning and organizing websites and to me this gal has everything well in hand!
 Happy Trails and Happy Housekeeping!

 

YOP Week #27

This is quite a red letter day....more so than the 1st of January.  We are halfway through the YOP year or for some it's the first week! Also, Downton Abbey's new season starts tonight and I turned 66 today.....unless you want to be specific as I was born about 10:15 at night.  No matter.....it's a BIG day! LOL!
I am still "plodding along" with the Jesus bookmarks but working on #9 of 10 or 13 maybe.  I was thinking of my neighbor, one for my daughter and myself but we'll see.  I wish I had something else to show you but this is what I've been working on and only in the evening.

 

I wanted to join the Downton Abbey MKAL but with yarn and pattern it was $57.00 and you don't even know what you'll end up with?  I like a good mystery but not a $57.00 dollar one! LOL!  

But I did join this.......I found it through our very own Gracie is not My Name and her Saturday post. The link to sign up is here

The object is to utilize the books and patterns you already have....sort of like printed stash, lol!

Since I am knee deep in toy making I thought I would pick this for my first book......

I'm already making a couple things out of it but they are not finished.  Now that the Christmas "making" is done I will move on with the other holidays and birthdays and maybe some socks for me?  Please?

Mainly this half of the YOP year will be spent using what I have, finishing all sorts of WIPs and organizing my projects and supplies. Below is what it looks like now...........old, mostly "free" bags I've gotten from all over (except for the crocheted one) and I have no idea what's in any of them so I have to "root" through them each to find what I'm looking for.  And yes that is my Pilates machine which should be used in a whole different way! 

 

So the first step is to create "tags for bags" so I could just check the tag and not have to "root" through it.........I thought these might do the trick......

or these were pretty....  

or maybe these where the shape could denote what was inside?

Anyway that is only a temporary fix until I get gorgeous bags sewn for all my projects.......like this one from Norththreads ( I could not find the link, sorry but these are all on my Pinterest board under graphics and sewing and there are lots more there too)

or this which Joanne over at Rose Dahlia whipped up to put her new sock project in?

Too cute!  I think I would actually get more projects done if they were stored in these darling bags....I mean who wouldn't want to reach for them?   You should really stop over at Joanne's as she has her "finishes" from 2014 and oh my word what that gal accomplishes is amazing!!!!  She is very talented and does just about everything...a super woman for sure!

So, as much as I am going to be focusing on WIP's I will also be sewing up some tempting bags to house them in and also hopefully sell some.  I hope that helps me with more finishes in the end and not just more WIPs! LOL!  We shall see!

Happy Trails!

Laundry detergent making day............

I make this all the time but I haven't posted about it since 2009!  I thought I would do a retro post from days gone by but updated, lol!
These are the supplies needed...........

 1.  First I slice up the soap with a knife..........

2.  I place the slices in my blender.........

3.  I put it in a Lock n' Lock container (water tight and spill proof)..........

4.  Then I add 2 cups of Washing Soda, 2 cups of Borax and 1 cup of Baking Soda.

5.  I also add 8-10 drops of natural oil; this one is lemon grass (sorry for the blurry picture)......

6.  I put the lid on and shake it like crazy! LOL!
  I use 1/4 cup in each load.

7.  I also use hydrogen peroxide as my bleach (my version of oxi-clean and so much cheaper) and white vinegar as my softner.

8.  I use some old plastic containers, labeled, to hold my supplies and I always have a back up supply of each one so I never run out. 

9.  When I need to fill the container with the "back-up" then I put it on my white board list on my frig.  I got the little magnetic whiteboard at the dollar store.  Since some of my supplies are only available at the store 20 minutes from here I am pretty good about never running out with my "backup" system of necessary supplies.

I hope this is of use to some of you.  If you want to save money this saves LOTS.  Now, I must admit, I do not get filthy dirty (except during gardening season) and I started using the hydrogen peroxide when I noticed my clothes getting a little  "dingy" but it took care of it.  I started making this 6 years ago and I haven't looked back!
Happy Trails!

Happy New Year 2015!

Here's my annual New Year's gift to you so we all get off on the right foot!  Have a great 2015!

The most common (Federal) holidays of the United States (USA) in 2015 are listed below.

Date		Holiday
January 1	Thursday	New Year's Day 2015
January 19	Monday	Martin Luther King Day 2015
January 24	Saturday	Belly Laugh Day 2015
February 2	Monday	Groundhog Day 2015
February 12	Thursday	Lincoln's Birthday 2015
February 14	Saturday	Valentine's Day 2015
February 16	Monday	Presidents Day and Washington's Birthday 2015
February 17	Tuesday	Mardi Gras Carnival (New Orleans) 2015
March 8	Sunday	Daylight Saving (Start) 2015
March 17	Tuesday	St. Patrick's Day 2015
April 1	Wednesday	April Fool's Day 2015
April 3	Friday	Good Friday 2015
April 5	Sunday	Easter 2015
April 6	Monday	Easter Monday 2015
April 22	Wednesday	Earth Day 2015
May 5	Tuesday	Cinco de Mayo 2015
May 10	Sunday	Mother's Day 2015
May 16	Saturday	Armed Forces Day 2015
May 24	Sunday	Pentecost 2015
May 25	Monday	Memorial Day 2015
May 25	Monday	Pentecost Monday 2015
June 14	Sunday	Flag Day 2015
June 21	Sunday	Father's Day 2015
July 4	Saturday	Independence Day 2015
July 26	Sunday	Parents' Day 2015
September 7	Monday	Labor Day 2015
September 11	Friday	Patriot Day or September 11th 2015
September 13	Sunday	Grandparents' Day 2015
September 16	Wednesday	Stepfamily Day 2015
September 17	Thursday	Citizenship Day 2015
September 25	Friday	Native American Day 2015
October 12	Monday	Columbus Day 2015
October 16	Friday	Boss's Day 2015
October 17	Saturday	Sweetest Day 2015
October 31	Saturday	Halloween 2015
November 1	Sunday	Daylight Saving (End) 2015
November 11	Wednesday	Veterans' Day 2015
November 26	Thursday	Thanksgiving 2015
November 27	Friday	Black Friday 2015
November 30	Monday	Cyber Monday 2015
December 7	Monday	Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 2015
December 25	Friday	Christmas Day 2015
December 31	Thursday	New Year's Eve 2015

2014 Holidays

2016 Holidays

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday's Thrifty Tidbits............

THRIFTY - Careful management especially of money 
TIDBIT - A choice morsel

Tidbit #1
I don't know if you're like me but come the New Year (and the 4th is my birthday too) I start refreshing my thinking and my objectives for the next year.  This website hopefully will help me you get off on the right foot........Becoming Minimalist
The title says it all and if you tend toward being a pack rat saver then this is the blog for me you!  Good information, good attitude and finally one written by a guy who's "married with children" lest you think he's a bachelor which many times emulates a minimalist lifestyle.  Here's an Excerpt.....
 
" Welcome to Becoming Minimalist. If you are new, welcome! We are honored to have hundreds of thousands of regular readers, and brand new readers every day. If that’s you, welcome. I’d love to make your experience here as comfortable as possible.
Most importantly, Becoming Minimalist is designed to inspire others to pursue their greatest passions by owning fewer possessions."
 

 Tidbit #2
Awhile back, I was browsing Lucy's blog over at Attic 24.  Now, if you're familiar with Lucy, you will know she is all about crochet and color but this time she veered off course and went into beading!  She calls them Hama beads and after seeing it I remembered my children did this in school many moons ago.  Here's Lucy's version of Hama Beading.  At first I wasn't excited but after scrolling down and seeing what she made from them I found myself "googling" the darn things and found a grand selection of supplies on Amazon.  There are Pinterest boards about them too.  Look at this holiday pattern.....a far cry from the little hearts my children brought home to me.
 
 and look at these cute little ear rings...........
 
   I didn't order any and went about my day but when I was at Wal-Mart a few days later I ran across these......

I had to pick them up and satisfy my curiosity.  Unfortunately, in order to follow some cross stitch patterns like Cath Kidson ones that I have, I would need a bigger bead board to work on but I will see what I can come up with.  At least they would make cute coasters, I think.  Lucy seems to really enjoy making them.  I'll give it a whirl so "stay tuned for further developments".

Tidbit #3
Rag edged placemats....who knew?  I remember when they came out with the quilts that were "ragged" on the edges but it still looked like a lot of work...all that snipping but placemats?  Now we're talking! Us knitters and crocheters  have to give it a break once in awhile and Susan B. Anderson's  blog did just that!
 
 These are so cute....and to hear her tell it she used another placemat she had as a template, didn't measure anything and just quilted freehand.....how simple is that and they turned out so cute she was using them for Christmas and giving them as gifts and each one is unique with a different pattern on the other side so no "matchy-matchy".  Now that's what I call stress-free Christmas creating/gifting!


Visit Susan's post about it here and there are even special scissors you can purchase at Amazon (she has a link in her post) that are specially made for the "snipping" and make it easier on your hands.

 
 What a great way to use up bit and pieces of fabric and create something so practical at the same time.  And now with the Christmas fabric going on sale you could even start making for next year right this very minute! LOL!  Okay, now what should I do...bead or minimalize or sew?  Hmmm.....not sure but other than the little bead kit which was about $10.00; I have everything I need to work on some fun things over "my Christmas vacation". 
What plans do you have for the New Year?  HappyTrails!

YOP Week #26

I don't have much to show but here goes.  Actually, I'm trying to get back to my personal projects after doing months of gift making and now my tools and patterns are scattered to the wind.  Next week I will hopefully have reorganized things and gathered "my flock".
I finally got the hat done for my SIL....13th try was my lucky number and it just so happens it's his.
(Pardon my exuberance but I just found a fun, new to me, free photo editor called Ribbet supposedly just like the old Picnik which is no more.)
He loved the hat but it is too small which I was afraid of so I will get head circumference and make him another one (really????).  This one fits my daughter so when it's all said and done they'll have matching hats.  I hope there's no "second hat syndrome".

After the hat I decided to take a break plus I had cleaning and Christmas to do.
But I did a couple little things....like some hexies or rather pentagons in this one........
These are great for mindless t.v. watching and addictive too!  I'm going to make a bunch just to put in a bowl for decoration.

But one is going to go into a vintage jello mold like it was meant to.........this pattern is for sale (including the pentagon papers for making them) over at Pam Buda's Heartspun Quilts
She has lots of other interesting things there too.  Check her out.  No yarn though that I remember.  I'm a little "yarned out" at the moment.

I have started back working on the crocheted "Jesus" bookmarks for my daughter's Bible study group.  I have 5 of the 10-12 done so far and I'm getting pretty good with that tiny hook.  At first it was like pulling hen's teeth.

Last night I finally got around to making some Christmas cookies.....and eating some too!

 That's all for this week....hopefully by next week I'll have a few more projects...at least something different than my same old projects every week.  I also need to update my original project list and Ravelry list so I know where I stand.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate and here's wishing everyone a safe and Happy New Year!  Happy Trails!

Best slow cooker vegetarian chili EVAH!!!!

 Yes folks, I kid you not, this chili is THE BEST and easy and slow cooker and gets better each day!
I actually got it from Kristina over at Pioneer Woman at Heart 
Her family raved about it so I thought I would give it a try and they were right on!  The recipe is actually from Real Simple magazine
Their picture is prettier.
I was playing around with a new photo editor called Ribbet which is supposed to be just like the old Picnik photo editor.  I did not touch up the "fog" pictures other than to put a watermark on them.  This was what I woke up to this morning......so cozy.  It's the closest to snow we're going to get! LOL!  I have no idea what made the trees sparkle as there was rain but no light to speak of but there they are..... it was just as if someone had strung little white lights on them.

 I've made some sugar cookie dough so I'm off to finally make some Christmas cookies.  Remember, Christmas is a season, not just one day so this is par for the course for me.  In fact, I do try to live Christmas every day in my heart just not my pocket book! LOL!

I hope you are all recovering nicely and not regretting your Christmas spending.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the gifts I sent and that is such a great feeling. 
Happy Trails!