When it snows...Why not sew?

Made a little apron on Sunday while it wintered outside...although I am not complaining because I think if we have to endure the winter cold we might as well have some snow.

I am pretty proud of my creation...I used a pattern, but had no instructions...so it is a complete wing job. Didn't turn out too bad...

Merry Christmas Carolyn, it is for you!! It will be arriving in the mail before Christmas...well if I get it to the PO tomorrow...otherwise it will be after. If you know me at all you will put your money on AFTER...:)

Holy Crap! Kermie's gone environmental!

Check out these other fun reuseable bags that Lottie found! Thanks Lottie! (www.delight.com)

Frosty the Snowman, The Ceramic Tree, and the Tree Topper

My holiday spirit is kicking in a little early this year. I went on a mini shopping spree on Saturday and found the CUTEST snowman cookie jar. I turned it into my Christmas centerpiece for my dining room table. Check it out!




I also went to the Holiday Craft Bazaar at Little Flower (with Shannon, Cooper, and Lydia) and found the cutest little ceramic light up Christmas tree...




Oh and I almost forgot...My Ladies Night creation!


For all of you who skipped ladies night you really missed out! Never fear there is one on the 16th!! Maybe I will see you there this time!

What goes with what?

What goes with what...When it comes to wine and food I really couldn't tell ya, but I can tell you that this is GREAT stuffing and it will go good with turkey. Try it out for Thanksgiving this year. When I made it for practice I cut it in half...and it was still PLENTY!

We went to a wine pairing class at Maldaner's last month and this was on the menu. The class was called "What goes with what" and we were supposed to learn how to pair wines with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I really didn't learn much, but it was a good time and we had some good food...especially this stuffing. I think I had 3 helpings!

Recipe:

Sausage-Sage Stuffing (Woody Mosgers)

4 loaves sliced white bread (1 lb ea)
2 lbs each of butcher shop bacon and sausage
2 lrg onions
1 head of celery
1 lb sliced mushrooms
1/2 c unsalted butter
3.5-4 c chicken or turkey stock
1/4 c rubbed sage (in the spice isle)
2 1/2 Tbs poultry seasoning
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt

1. Tear bread in chunks and let stand at room temp overnight uncovered. Bake cubes on cookie sheets in 400 degree oven for 15-20 mins.

2. Dice bacon and break up sausage. In large heavy bottom pan cook over medium heat until thoroughly browned (35-40 min). Drain fats after meats begin to cook. Add onions and celery into meats as they begin to brown. Allow them to cook down (10 mins) and then add mushrooms. Saute for another 10 mins. When fully cooked drain off all fats and transfer to lrg bowl. Do not wash pot.

3. De-glase with 1 c broth, heat to simmer, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Mix with cooked meats and veggies, cool slightly.

4. Add meat mixture and seasonings to the bread. Gradually add remaining broth to mixture until desired consistency is reached. The stuffing should not be crumbly and the stock should be evenly absorbed by the bread.

5. If not stuffing turkey, bake stuffing in a buttered oven-proof casserole at 375 for 30 mins. Stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and stored overnight in refrigerator (tightly covered).

ENJOY!

Happy Halloweeny

This has been edited for the SITS Halloween Parade. Leave me some comment love!:)



Halloween 2007-The Mummy and The Pumkin




The scary mummy and the precious pumpkin. I thought the mummy would be an easy costume to make...I was wrong, but I think it turned out OK.






Halloween 2006-The Skeleton & The Frankenpug

I think this is my most creative costume to date. I cut the bones out of foam board and glued them to a black sweatsuit and slippers. I also painted them with glow in the dark paint so he could serve as his own glow stick while trick-or-treating...lol.



And here is my little Frankenpug...awww:)



Halloween 2005- The Chicky and The Rock







I think this is all I have...the rest of my halloween photos were taken before I discovered technology so they are all in my "photo box" which hides somewhere in my storage room in the basement...lol. If I run across anymore I will add them on.

Just how lucky is a buckeye?

Here's the deal...Scatterbrained Heather forgot to lock her car on Saturday night so when she got up Sunday morning her purse and school bag had been stolen.

Caught up? OK, so I made a police report and was informed that it was probably kids (big shocker) and that my personal belongings were probably at the bottom of one of our "beautiful" neighborhood ponds. Gee, that was comforting...Anyway I spent all Monday and Tuesday getting new debit cards, credit cards, checking accounts, and a driver's license. My beloved IPOD was also in the bag...

On Tuesday night Officer Chatham came by to inform me that my belongings had been recovered. Apparently they had been ditched in someone's backyard that lives on Nevermind. Ironic a little? No cash in the purse so the thieves were probably thinking "nevermind"...lol. Everything was in the purse and school bag...even the IPOD.

Where I was going with all of that...I went buckeye hunting at the YMCA downtown a week ago and collected a few...Could that be the source of my good luck???...hmmm, it's a mystery.

Not mysterious...never forget to lock your car. Wouldn't have needed my lucky buckeyes had I remembered to do that.

Hey Ladies...Get FUNKY!

Hey girls!! Ladies Night is fast approaching...this Friday (11/2) at 6pm at the Painter's Paradise in Chatham. Don't forget your beverage! Let's get drunk and paint!

Checks=Money

The poll has closed and the winner is...#1. Thanks for voting!

HELP ME! I am turning into a HIPPIE!

Hello, hello! I am blowing the dust off of the old blog! It has been well over 30 days since my last post...so is anyone even checking it anymore??

Anyway, I found myself on the internet today looking for reusable shopping bags when it occurred me that this is only the latest item in my recent "eco-friendly" shopping sprees. Not too many days ago I was online building my next vehicle...a hybrid. Not only that, I recycle at times, and try to purchase new items recylced from old ones...The biggest one...are you ready for this?...I don't buy bottled water anymore (at least for at home). All because Cameron Diaz said that it takes blah, blah, blah amounts of energy to recycle them. Apparently recycling is also bad for the earth?? (Anyone else confused?) I guess that is what I get for watching the Live Earth Concert on BRAVO. Next thing you know I will be unshowered, unshaven, and smelling of patchouli...I shudder to think!

Seriously though, check out these cool "green" bags and tell me you don't want some! Now you don't have to find somewhere to stuff all of those plastic sacks...You want a set, don't you?

Here's the link...http://www.green-kits.com/clgrba.html

Aunt Sharon's Special Sauce

So, did you plant tomatoes in your garden this year? If so, I am sure you have plenty that you have no idea what to do with...as do I. Let me recommend this delicious recipe given to me by Andy's Aunt Sharon. It yields about 7 qt jars. Yes, you can it, but don't be afraid! Canning is easy, just a little time consuming.

Prepare jars and lids by washing and placing in a boiling water bath.


SAUCE

14 c. skinless tomatoes
4 c. diced onions
2 1/2 c. diced green pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tb salt
2tb sugar
1/4 c. white vinegar (at least 5% acidity)
1 tb pepper
1 tb cavinder (greek seasoning-find it at the grocery store)

Boil 15 mins. After 10 mins remove 1 c. of tomato liquid and mix with 2 tb of cornstarch. pour back in to pot and boild 5 mins more. Ladel into hot jars leaving 1/2in headspace. Wipe rims and place lids and bands on jars. Process in boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 12-24 hours to allow seal to form. Jars are sealed properly if lids have a concave appearance and do not give up and down when pressure is applied. Store in a cool dry place.

Now you will have fresh homemade sauce all winter long!

Get creative by adding in fresh herbs from your garden as well!

Shop and crop...Did I mention SHOP?

Ok, in my quest to be the ultimate grandma (at age 2_), I have a new one to cross of my list. I went srapbooking at Srapbook Your Story on Sunday and it was TONS of fun. Not only did I enjoy the actual scrapbooking part of it all I especially enjoyed the fact that I was kidless for 4 whole hours (and I wasn't at work)! It was great...a little overwhelming, but great! I decided I was going to scrap our Disney vaca with Mar & Papa as an xmas gift for them.

Ok, when I say overwhelming I am NOT exaggerating! This place is stocked with everything scrapbook you can possibly imagine! I sat there in awe for a long time before I actually got started. But once the ball started rolling time flew! I was there for about 3 hours and I got 1, count them 1, page done. So I think it is going to be a long process. Good thing I started in September!

Check out the fruits of my "productive" trip...the cool album above and my one whole page below. If anyone wants to tag along I promise the experience will not disappoint!

Second verse same as the first

I have completed my second sewing project...and yes it is ANOTHER dress for Ms Lydia. The lady at JoAnn Fabrics didn't lie...sewing IS like riding a bike. While it is another dress, I must say that my sewing technique is greatly improved from my first attempt. There are some little mistakes that I can see when I get up close, but for the most part I was actually able to sew a straigt seam this time. GO ME! The neck fits her kind of funny, but I blame the pattern...it is always someone else's fault:) Check it out Lydia is practicing her runway face.

Isn't it fun!?! Another plus, she likes it too!

I'm a little teapot!

Let's see what has been going on...

Well I am done with Friday, Saturday, & Sunday of my teapot towel collection (I added some little orange pumps to Saturday). I totally disagree with the whole days of the week on dish towels so I was basically just doing them for practice while waiting for my transfers to arrive in the mail. I just don't think I can commit myself to changing my dish towel daily.I am about ready to start on an apron for Andy's mom and I plan on embroidering a little chi chi on the pocket. I ordered the cutest little chi chi iron on transfers from Sublime Stitching (thank you Shannon for sharing that awesome website with me!)

The blog has left the building!

I am moving my blog! No more VOX!! So that means you no longer have to sign in to an account to see my blog. Just bookmark this page and check it every once in a while...you never know I might have actually posted something!