happy hookiness

ahhhhhh.. the joys of holiday. the children are happy and busy with their new goodies, and I scored on some yarn at michael's!! (i am really liking their loops & threads acrylic yarn...and it was only $1.50/ball the other day)

so I have been working on restocking jenster76. i've been making a pile of slipper socks..they are just waiting for me to tuck and weave all the loose ends...

i've also had the opportunity to just work on some of the items i've had queued up on ravelry..

like the cuppy
the incredibly easy and adorable granny star
and my little rudy the rectangle
now I tried this number....but boy howdy...it sure was difficult to join..mine turned out lumpy bumpy mashed potatoes....but the colors sure are pretty...
and this little cutiebug for a box of fun stuff I am gathering for a friend...
I also wanted to show you my bear. I've made about three or four of him this month...
Now this is one of my favorite items I made this month....simple little baby booties...added a polymer clay button (which I made) and personalized for 2009 first Christmas. I made my neice one in sparkly red...

And just in December, I made at least 50 prs of slippers. It has been a beautiful year. My deepest desire is that you find what inspires you...what you have passion for, and live it, breathe it, do it...in 2010.

Cheers!

Buenos Dias

Just another Monday around here...lots of screaming and crying by the babes...pbs kids, refilling sippies and another round of potty training is commencing as well with Mister3 yr old. He is very frustrating. Has peed his undies 3 times already and not in the potty at all. Thanks Daddy for telling him no diapers anymore last night before bed. Wish you would have said that at the start of your vacation instead of right when you went to work. fun times for the toddlerwhisperer. :(

Best Ever Christmas Sugar Cookies

Baking with toddlers...ahhh the joy. Well, I actually had the help of my sister in law and the babes were asleep. The icing was a different story, I had some "help" decorating.

I've had this angel cookie cutter since I was a child. Boy these cookies sure do taste like Christmas to me. Stay tuned and I will give the recipe to you.
My wounded warriors...someone will love you, I promise.
Recipe from my mom's Better Home and Garden cookbook c.1973ish..

Christmas sugar cookies

1 1/4 c. soft butter

2c. sugar

2 eggs

5 c. flour (again I use self rising so no measuring baking powder and salt)

1tsp nutmeg

1/2 c. milk

*Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until fluffy

*Stir dry ingredients and add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. If dough is sticky add more flour to handle..

*roll 1/4 inch thick on a well-floured (I use powdered sugar instead) surface and cut.

place in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes...(watch them so they don't get too brown on the bottom)

enjoy!

Pecan Snowball Sandies

These are currently filling my house with a delicious, buttery, Christmassy scent...
And here is the recipe pulled from my mom's 1973ish Better Homes and Garden Cookbook

Sandies

1c butter softened

1/3 c granulated sugar

2t water

2t vanilla

2c flour (I use self rising)

1c chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar

add water and vanilla

blend in flour and nuts

chill four hours (sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't no biggie)

Shape into walnut sized balls

bake on an UNgreased cookie sheet at 325 degrees F for about 20 minutes

cool slightly; roll in powdered sugar...

makes approximately 3 doz..

Enjoy

Five- It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas..

Just isn't Christmas without the luminarias tour.Of course..
ahhhhhh yeah. I will post my favorite Christmas cookie recipe later.
mmmmmmm
Love the story of the nativity. Every Christmas Eve, my family would gather around the fireplace, and my dad would read us the story out of Luke. The reason we celebrate this festive Holiday.
What images evoke Christmas for you?

Christmas Fun

I meant to do this on the earlier post, but I guess it is deserving of it's own post. (Play along too if you want!)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? since we've had kids, we do it the weekend of Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? New Years
5. Do you like egg nog? Only Organic Valley brand. Have you seen how much corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup is in regular egg nog??
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I loved a lot of my gifts received as a child. My grandma really got me into reading and would buy various books for me for Christmas, I loved my strawberry shortcake sleeping bag, and of course it was really exciting when my parents bought my brother and I a Nintendo gaming system. When I was a senior is high school, my parents bought me a camcorder...that was a lot of fun!
7. Hardest person to buy for? My father in law. :)
8. Easiest person to buy for? My kids...wish I could buy them everything I see! :)
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes, it is so stinkin' cute. I got one year as a gift from a student.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? snail mail for sure!!
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Hmm...I used to return a lot of clothes my mom bought me growing up...they weren't bad, just, well, let's just say we have really different taste! :)
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? All time fave: "It's a wonderful life"
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I tried to be better this year and shopped all year long.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yup...did it all the time when I was a teacher...you should have seen some of the gifts I received that I would never use...oh wait, maybe you have. ;)
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? mmmmmmm all the different Christmas cookies...
16. Color of Lights on the tree? We have a prelit tree with all white...although I like the multi colored ones too
17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night...but I really like so many of them...there are a few I can't stand (so this is Christmas, Last Christmas I gave you my heart..)
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home Sweet Home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? I think so
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? We do a star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Both...we do Christmas Eve with Hubby's fam and Christmas day with our family, and my parents
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The lines at the post office.
23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? I love the personalized ornaments we have.
24. Favorite for Christmas Dinner? We like a nice beef roast with the fixings. I really like menudo on Christmas Eve, or Green Chile stew...and tamales as well!!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? To see the "wonder" in my babe's eyes when they find that Santa has come for a visit!

Wowzas!!!

So I went from 96 sales to 142 sales in a matter of about a week...and let's face it, I'm not a machine. I was drowning in a sea of slippers...but it was oh so fabulous!! I am so excited about the fact that at least fifty people across the country (and one in Australia and one in Canada) will be wearing my slippers this winter. I plan on opening my shop back up New Year's Day with some great deals and new color combos! :)

I took my last three packages to the Post office. Okay, well, not absolute last, I have one more order for a blanket that I am completing and I want to ship a couple items to my wonderful friend in CO. It felt wonderful to hand over the big envelopes stuffed with slippers and call it done!!

My poor house has been completely neglected for the last couple weeks, and I am about to get down to business on that!!

Tomorrow is my eldest monkey's third birthday. Wowzas. I honestly cannot believe it has already been three years since he made us a family.

I will see you lovelies tomorrow for another addition of Five.

Five-Favorite Christmas Songs

I didn't have my camera this week...and fried my modem...great. So this will be short and sweet.

Pretty Traditional..

5. White Christmas

4. Silent Night

3. Winter Wonderland

2. Hark the Harold Angels Sing

1. O Holy Night. (My all time favorite favorite Christmas Song)

What are yours? (Thanks Vero for participating in the last 5 for Friday!)

Five...Christmas movies I love

All time number one fave: (funny how I hated when my dad would have us sit down to watch this as a kid!)

Pretty much tied for first, but I will put it as number 2: (We listened to this soundtrack for months when I was preggo with my December baby and after he was born...the soundtrack always calmed him down.)
Favorite version of this film:
So funny. "It's Santa!!! I KNOOOWWW HIM!!!!!!!" :
Love the cartoon version.

As I was looking for images to post here, I found my list growing, but I really did limit it to the five I truly love and watch over and over again at Christmas time...Tell me your faves!!! I get lots of readers but no responders...come pull up a chair let's talk!! :)

I know it's a week late, but have you seen my turkey??

We made these together...okay so I mostly made them and they stuck the feathers on...Little lady's is on the left and man cub's is on the right. (daddy helped him) We had them stuck on their bedroom doors to celebrate. :)

Fun With Cat Litter.

Did I say fun? What I meant to say was, "The worst thing that could happen with cat litter."

Seriously, I think the kids were silent for like 5 minutes. I heard them in the guest bathroom...(we never use that room except to brush their teeth...it's referred to as the kitty's room) and I said, get out of kitty's room. Little lady said, "NO." So I hurried into the doorway of the bathroom (which is usually spotless) to find this...

And slowly I looked with horror over the edge of the tub to find this....

I was no longer the "toddler whisperer " on Monday. I was the Toddler Screamer until you need a throat lozenge. Thank goodness it was hubby's last day of vacation, he grabbed the chilluns and plopped them into the clean bathtub while I spent at least thirty to forty five minutes cleaning their lovely mess.

Ya know what they told daddy about their "no no?" They said, "It was like the playground..." poor kids have been cooped up way too long. Somedays I really hate the cold.

Kids= 1

Toddlerwhisperer= 0

In the middle of

friggin nowhere. okay, maybe cotton country? There are fields and fields of the ripe white fluffy stuff all around us..

and here we are.

right now..trying to wait until the kids are nice and sleepy to turn the lights out and go nigh nigh in our rented bed..

We're visiting my grandparents in a little town in TX.

and there are more crunchy leaves to play in
some goats to torture...aahaa...they were so afraid of us.
and farm stuffs to push around.

and look at...boy does my boy love wheels...he loved this wagon. and its wheels.

And I had fun with the women folk. There were four generations of us "crowin'" at the same time...it was pretty neat.

Five- Road Worthy Snacks

Well, we're packing up the kids and heading out on the open roads bright and early tomorrow...okay well technically not bright because we are leaving before the sun wakes up. However, I wanted to list some of our favorite road snacks. These are by no means all of them...and I already realize that I have left out some...but here are five that are usually our traveling companions as we drive off on our adventures.

1. These are what the hubby likes to travel with...me not so much.

2. Now these are one of my favorite driving snacks.
3. I had to list these...When I was a kid, we used to travel around 4 1/2 hrs to my grandparent's house. My parents would always buy us a candy for the road and I would always pick the giant sweet tarts...Now when I was little, they weren't chewy...They were literally giant chalk like discs that would take us forever to eat, and would give us major blisters on our tongues!
4. We recently discovered that popcorn is an AMAZING road trip snack. Traveling with two little monkeys can get a little rough, nothing says silence like a big ol' bag of PC.
5. I actually don't like snackin' and driving as much as I did when I was a youngster ;) however, trail mix sounds mighty good this time around. I think I shall pick up some raw nutty goodness before we depart.
Happy Friday my lovelies!! See you soon!!

Piled up

We seriously just had a blast outside playing in the leaves. I am actually still sweating from raking and re-raking our tiny patch of lawn for the kids to play in. I've been really working on keeping the teacher in me at bay, so she wanted to say, "Okay, jump in the leaves once, then start putting them in the trash can." HOoooooowwwwwweeeeeverr...I kept saying to myself over and over, "C'mon now, the point of this was play...so let's play." I could not find little man's rake as many places as I looked, I am wondering if it was stolen. He used one of our big rakes, however, and pushed rocks and leaves all over the grass...again, an exercise at silencing the teacher in me.

We played for probably 30-45 minutes out there.right after lunch.and now it's naptime.nice.

Five-things that keep you busy/eat your time

It is sad to me to think that somedays I am so busy...I forget to just get down and dirty and have fun with my babes. I have been trying to be more fun and play with them more...with fingerpaints and playdoh...digging in the sand and collecting leaves.

Here are some of the things that keep me busy...and I just need to be more aware of it.

1. Crocheting. I love it. It's a challenge, it's relaxing, it's fun, it makes a little bit of extra $$ for us. But it takes my time away...like crazy.

2. Cleaning the house. I wish I had a routine or a "recipe" if you will for how to do this in an efficient...non dreadful way. But I hate it...and I think it hates me too...because I am constantly vacuuming, washing and cleaning, sweeping and mopping...and sometimes it doesn't even look like I have lifted a finger.

3. Going to the post office. I sure do wish the lines weren't so long...and that I owned a scale. So I could get the postman to just come pick up my packages. but i don't.

4. Laundry. Seriously? Like I just finish a massive undertaking of cleaning 4 human beings laundry...and I already have a mountain of dirty clothes...snickering in the corner.

5. Technical junk/tv. I think we need a hiatus from techy stuff. We are almost always online or watching tv to relax. That needs to change. It shouldn't be on my list..but it is.

Do you have a list of things that eat your time?? Are there changes you have made in your life to be less busy? Do you have any helpful housekeeping hints?? I'm all ears.

I'm a Baker

I love to bake cakes, cookies, pies, cobblers, you name it, I've probably over the course of my life baked it.

So how come nobody told me about this?? Kirkland Signature Ground Saigon Cinnamon. I just picked up my first container of it today at costco...for $2.99. It's huge. It's Amazing. I'm hooked.

With the winter baking season fast approaching, I found I would be remiss for not mentioning it to anyone else who hasn't tried it yet. Sweet. Spicy. Strong. I cannot wait to make biscochitos with it this year!!

Five- Things that make you smile

Sorry I didn't get my FIVES done on Friday, but my hubby had a little health scare and we were at the hospital. My blog was the last thing on my mind!!

Today, though, I think about all the things that I have to be thankful for and here are some things that make me smile.

1. My daughter. She is one of the funniest little people I know. Yesterday we were driving somewhere in the car, and she was making a sleeping sound...like snore...shooooooooo...snore.. shooooooo. And her brother said, "No sissy, not that noise." But she kept doing it. Totally straight faced, looking him right in the eyes....and even more exaggerated. "snore...ssssssssshhhhhhhooooooo." I said, "Sissy, you are so funny." and started laughing...she kept up her sleeping sound...staring right at her brother and cracked the tiniest smile on the corners of her mouth.

2. My son. He is so smart and has just the best personality. When the fire rescue men and EMTs came to our house on Friday night, instead of being afraid, he says, "Hi Guys!!" We went to a restaurant yesterday and there was a little baby in a high chair at the table next to us. He says to the baby as we are leaving, "Hi baby. Smile big." (The baby smiles) " Then he says are you having fun?" I just love his sweet little personality.

3. My hubby. He really is such a sweet man and so supportive. There was never any question about me becoming a stay at home mom. He never complains if he comes home to a crazy house...and me sitting next to a pile of yarn. :) He's my best friend and so funny, smart and loving. He is such a good Daddy and knows exactly what to say to the kids when I am frustrated or at a loss. This little episode we had on Friday really made me think about how fragile life is and how every moment we have together is precious.

4. Finding a new pattern that works up really well. I love when I really want to find a pattern for something...like booties, slippers, a bag...and I find one that looks really cool...and I try it...and it works out so nicely for me. I have so many times found a pattern that I wanted to make and it sooooo doesn't work out for me. Hate that. So when it works, it is a very happy moment for me.

5. Hearing happy news. It really makes me so happy when I hear from a friend who has been lonely for such a long time who finally met their best friend and are getting married. Or a friend who says they are only having one babe...and they find out they are preggo with number 2...or somebody who is really hurting for money gets a wonderful promotion. Gosh I love happy news!!

What about you? What makes you smile?

Five-times you have been scared out of your mind...

No particular order here...

1. When I was little I could have sworn Spider man was looking inside my window as a little girl. I promise...It sounds hilarious now, but I was frozen with fear and couldn't even scream for my mom or dad to come help me.

2. When my husband and I were on a walk before we had married, we walked through a neighborhood with a lot of dogs...and big properties (like small farms). This pit bull came running around the house of one particular property...my heart sank when I noticed the gate was open...he came right to the gate, began snarling, then circling us. I looked all over the ground for a stick or a rock...there was none. I noticed tears were streaming down my face...and I didn't even know I was crying. I kept screaming at him to "GO HOME" and felt his nose on my leg...his hair was bristled...his owners...WERE WATCHING what we were going to do TO their dog!! G called 911 and very soon an off duty officer and his family pulled up and yelled at the owners to get their dog. Boy were my knees weak after that experience. I don't even remember how we walked home after that!! Needless to say, we always bring a walking stick with us out on walks now.

3. On our honeymoon, we drove several hours from our city to Las Vegas. We had to drive through Hoover dam. At night. At first, we were all touristy...taking pictures...parking...the whole shebang. In just a few minutes the darkest, heaviest, creepiest feeling just settled on us...We seriously scrambled to our truck and couldn't drive through fast enough. It even felt like the walls were closing in on us. creepy.

4. Driving home from college with one of my dearest friends and our friend from Bermuda, Nikki. We begged my dear friend (the one with the car) to leave late one afternoon...I think she had wanted to stay one more day...Well, it was pretty easy going...and my friend was getting tired so Nikki volunteered driving...No more that an hour after she started to drive it started sprinkling, then raining, then pretty much it was a torrential downpour. Nikki was a trooper and was doing so well. until the snow. Yup. It began to snow like crazy and the more we drove the thicker and stickier it became until Nikki began to pass a humongous semi-truck and turned into the left lane right onto a thick layer of black ice. Nikki was already scared because she was from BERMUDA for crying outloud and had NEVER driven on snow. It was seriously like a horror movie....all three of us were screaming..and praying. Needless to say we made it..but they closed the highway just a little down the road and we had to stay the night in a hotel before finishing the hour and a half drive home.

5. Anticipating my second c-section. The first one happened so fast, I didn't have time to think about it. #2, however...well I had time to think about the whole process. I think my heart was in my throat the entire drive to the hospital.

Well...that's my five. What scares you??? Any creepy stories to post?

You know what makes me happy??

Just the teensiest bit of organization in my life...With a one year old and a two year old running around like crazy monkeys...I'd have to say my crocheting helps keep me sane!!

Meet Nettie the Notebook...

She holds every one of the patterns I have torn out from magazines, printed out and loved...or printed out and wish to try...I love my notebook.
Haven't tried the afghan yet. But I love the whole seventies vibe I get from it!!

And this sucker is full!! I was just reorganizing it today and putting some new patterns in...that's 50 plastic page savers...I need more.

I highly recommend a notebook to any pattern or even recipe follower...and no..mine really doesn't have a name.

A fun giveaway

My friend Steff has just opened her etsy store in the last couple of months...She's new so give her some love (hearts) http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5884924 and she's got a great giveaway too...check out her fb page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Indianapolis-IN/Designs-by-Steffanie/162429169706?ref=nf

Five Faves- Handmade Items You Own and Love

I would so love it if you would participate with me on these Friday "Five Faves" posts. I admit, I am copying this from a blogger who is copying this from one of her friends...but she doesn't know it yet. LOL.

Handmade is so wonderful. I love making things for people and hearing about how they love it, I love buying handmade...in fact, my new tradition (starting last Christmas) was to buy as many of my gifts for family on etsy...or handmade.

So I've been making a wonderful pattern from Mamachee on etsy and thinking about what handmade items I love in my life.

Here is a sampling of FIVE handmade items I own and love.

This is just a fraction of the handmade blankies for either of my babes...(mommy and daddy have some too) My son LOOOOVVVVVEEESSS his blankets, and will tell me...pretty much on a daily basis that he does. Thanks to the effort and time from Grandma and others that created these handmade goodies of daily use.

Next item up is this wonderful wooden toy box that my dad made little man for his second birthday. My mom was telling me just yesterday that she and my dad were so worried that it was too big...um. nope. Hopefully little sister gets one for her second birthday too. *wink wink*

Next is kind of two fold...Since my ladybug has TONS of hair...and has since birth, she has accumulated more than the average amount of clippies one little girl should have. I was running out of room...and didn't want to spend too much money on a clippie holder, so I made one myself. I just bought a ladybug plaque for like a dollar at Michaels, some wide polka dotted ribbon and used a narrower green ribbon I already had and glued them all together to make this holder. Matches her room to a tee and keeps all her handmade clippies safe and sound. Some of my favorite clippie makers are fellow March Mommies I met on my birthboard. Steff, Angelhairclippies, and Kenzie's Klippies and of course I had to try my hand at making some too...just not my favorite thing to do. I would much rather pay someone else to make them!! :)This ring is one of my favorite etsy buys... Not being the tatooing type (not yet at least) I wanted something to commemorate my "motherhood" if you will...so I searched high and low for a mother's ring that I liked. So many are soooo gaudy. Have you ever done a search for one?? Well I came across the Sweet Familia Ring in Farafield's shop on etsy. I loved how simple and just plain cool it was to me. So one little glass bead represents my babe's March birth and one represents my other babe's December birth. I love it.

Lastly are my newest crochet project. I mentioned I was working on a new pattern...and it is for slippers. Gosh I love these slippers!!! They fit so nice and keep my toesies so toasty!!! I am working on them now for my etsy shop. LOVE them.

So there you have it...My five handmade items for today...Like I said, I would love to know your five faves for today too!! Post yours on your blog and link to me or just write them into the comments!