Merry Christmas..

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !

Random...

Quotation:

May today there be peace within.
May you trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith in yourself and others..
May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content with yourself just the way you are..
Let this knowledge settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us..

Misc....

I had been forever trying to attract these little house wrens into my yard when they finally decided to take up residence last spring. I can see they are getting their little bird house ready for the extreme cold weather.... there is yarn sticking out all the little cracks.To funny=)


I found this garden decoration idea in a magazine a couple of years ago and just love it. Looks cuter with a light dusting of snow, but Mother Nature is being cantankerous.

Christmas Cross Stitch Stockings

Snowman

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM A SNOWMAN...

*It's ok if you are a little bottom heavy.
* Hold your ground, even when the heat is on.
* Wearing white is always appropriate.
* Winter is the best of the four seasons.
*It takes a few extra rolls to make a good midsection.
* There's nothing better than a foul weather friend.
* The key to life is to be a jolly, happy soul.
* It's not the size of the carrot, but the placement that counts.
* We're all made up of mostly water.
* You know you've made it when they write a song about you.
* Accesorize! Accesorize! Accesorize!
* Avoid yellow snow.
* Don't get too much sun.
* Don't put some one else's corncob pipe in your mouth
-you never know where its been.
* It's embarrassing when you can't look down and see your feet.
* It's fun to hang out in your own front yard.
* Always put your best foot forward.
* There's no stopping you once you're on a roll.


(by portal cards)

Knitting Christmas Party

Finished Christmas Candies 2009

Christmas Candies 2009

1.Rolo Pretzel Turtles

2. Red velvet truffles/ cake balls

3. Oreo balls

These are pictures of the ingredience that go into the red velvet truffles and oreo balls. They are in the fridge now and will be ready to be covered in white chocolate tomorrow. Ive heard they are very addictive... cant wait to try them out at my Christmas parties.

Recipes:

Rolo Pretzel Turtles-

http://www.grouprecipes.com/30883/rolo-turtles.html

Red Velvet Cake Balls/truffles-

http://www.bakerella.com/red-velvet-cake-balls/

Oreo balls -
http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/30/Oreo_Balls46681.shtml


They seemed to be a hit, almost all gone. The Oreo balls/truffles were the favorite=)

One person rolled the balls, the second (me) did the choc. coating and the third did the sprinkles.

Saved a ton of time !

First Snow of 2009...

It's starting out light, but we are expecting winter storms in the next couple of days. Brrr...

Finished Knit Cowl

Finally finished! My daughter graciously modeled this for me to post.... finished it Wednesday & have already started another for a Christmas present. They go pretty quick so should be no problem to get it finished on time . This one is a little stretchy due to the type of yarns I chose.. but regular yarns will have a more fitted look.

Poinsettia Walk

Luthy Botanical Gardens ... arent these gorgeous?

The last picture is actually Mom's crabapple tree after an ice storm last winter. I love this picture!

November Owl ATC

This owls face was made with a printed ribbon, cut out to look like owl eyes and beak. Since my group has made one for each month to swap, you have to try your best to be creative and make some thing new. It has been a challenge! There's only one more to go for the month of December. I have my idea picked out , but have to do some tweeking to size it for the atc card.

I have received some wonderful and creative cards and will be picturing some of them with the finished set for this year.

Cowl / WIP

This WIP is going very fast! Ive only knitted on it for a couple hours so far and am already about half way done. I chose Bernat alpaca natural blends in a burgundy and added a splash of color with Aster magic . So, Im knitting with two strands. This pattern is by Lion Brand Yarns. I really liked that it can be worn around your neck or cover your ears.

The pattern is available here:
http://lionbrand.com/patterns/kjif-hood.html?noImages=&r=1

Rated Easy ( good beginner project)

Christmas Paper Bag Book

Paper bag books are one of my favorite things to make. It has pull out pages, little tags and fun surprizes hidden through out the book. I added traditions, fun Christmas memories,and recipes you remember enjoying as a kid. There's plenty of room to add your favorite photos. This one was made as a gift, so I did everything but add the photos. This type of book allows you to add as many pages as you want so its totally flexable for the design you might have in mind.

Mini Halloween Scrapbook

This scrapbook was so much fun! I started with my kids first Halloween and added a picture for every year till the book was filled. I didnt take a picture of each page--just a few to give you the idea. I threw in a picture of me back in the day.. the kids like to laugh at that and a recipe for Dalton's favorite pumkin seeds. This is so much fun to share and look back on each Halloween and see how they have grown from year to year. Great table top item --for good conversation.

Bacci Pizza

We actually got to have pizza at this quaint little pizza place today. It was great! The pizza slices were huge and the atmosphere was wonderful! We had driven past it a few times before and of coarse it was closed due to the late hour. It was a fun place for friends and good conversation. Thanks Mom and Kelsey for hanging out today.

Senior Pictures 2009

Photography by: Meredith Rineburg

http://www.photographm.com

Holiday Stitching

Just ordered these fabulous cross stitch patterns for holiday stitching. Im planning on working on them for the November and December stitch-a-longs on facebook. When it starts getting cold out and we are breaking out the hot teas, its time to start stitching again. I usually work on a few projects at a time(2-3). One I can carry along with me, and others just to switch to, to keep it interesting. I love to cozy down on those cold winter days, and light the fire place and enjoy some ME time. It doesnt happen often , but when it does its awesome.
My neighbor also stitches so its fun when we can get together and spend the evening stitching.
Nice to share a craft with some one you know. Keeps the creativity flowing. She also enjoys hot teas and good company so it works out great(ha ha). Knitting and crocheting are also on our to do lists for this winter, so Im looking forward to all the crafty stuff in store for this year.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN...

I found these patterns at Everything Cross Stitch ....love this online store!
http://www.everythingcrossstitch.com/

Autum Dragon Cross Stitch

My son loves dragons...even though I dont collect them I like them too and am always looking for cool designs. Love the colors and seasonal feel of it.


These cross stitch designs can be found at Salt & Pepper ( a stitching site).
http://www.salt-and-pepper.com/store5/agora.cgi?cart_id=9412437.17989&next=10&user3=Dragon