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