Entry #something......maybe 18?: don't let us get bored, it's not good.

Ok, so, for the update on what I was working on Thanksgiving day. 

It's the same thing in the blog teaser pic that I posted on my Facebook page a few days ago.

First, let me say that when mom and I are bored this is what we do.

We get out our computers, pintrest, the sewing machine, 

the iron board, and today the popsicle sticks also.

Now, mom is still working on the post for this one so 

this is the only hint you get.

Mom's work station.....

My work station soon moved to the floor where I had more room.

Now to begin the fun process of assembling a popsicle snowflake

Almost done!!

Yay, now you leave it sit while you eat dinner with the family.

I know you are all yelling wanting to know if we still have the stray.....

We do.

And he's demanding food. 

And attention.

But mainly food. And wanting inside.

Yay! It's dry! 

And since it's windy you grab some bricks then start spray paining your snowflake white.

This will take several coats since the wood soaks it up, and it's windy outside. 

Then we sprayed it with a glitter hair spray and hung it up.

And now to work on a couple more to hang up with it in the dining room. 

Have a good weekend everyone! 

I'm off to a baby shower for my best friend. Twin Girls!!!!! 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! From our family to yours! :D 

I know this is a little late in the day but I (Kate) took the pictures then had to work the sales at Wally World

Soooooo.........I know you are all wondering what our menu was:

 First on the menu was Green beans, with bacon and onions. 

Just like Grandma used to make.
And don't forget the Mashed potatoes in the background.
Our family (minus mom) LOVES mashed potatoes,
 soooo....this is the only picture of them I got.

Then my awesome mama made three pies. 

count them, three. love it!

The top one was a chocolate custard with meringue.

the middle was Cherry

and the bottom one was pumpkin. 

I know you can't really tell but this is the ham. no turkey.

and the yummy rolls. 

mamas traditional Sweet Potato casserole. 

This never lasts long. 

And when I fix my lunch for work tomorrow this will most likely be gone. 

Deviled eggs. Mom boiled and peeled them but I did the rest. 

The deviled eggs are my speciality .

Cranberry relish, this will for sure be left.

 I think mom and I are the only ones who like it. 

During the cooking I decided I wanted Wassle. 

yummy, didn't last long enough to get a good picture. 

I also got to see parts of the Macy's parade.

 and worked on a project that I will reveal in my next post. 

Hope you all had a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving day. 

And please don't forget what this day really means. 

Entry #16 - Frosted Chewies

I set out to make a snack last night before we went to church.  Plan A was to make a snack mix I saw on Pinterest that included making a caramel sauce, pouring it over a pan of Chex and nuts, mixing it in and baking for an hour.  I didn't have an hour.

Plan B was to make fudge.  I didn't like the recipe on the back of the marshmallow creme, so I got out my recipe book and looked up a tried-and-true recipe.  Then decided I didn't have time for that, either.

Side note:  a few years ago I typed out my favorite recipes, along with many of Mom's traditional recipes and many more recipes that I thought looked promising. I categorized them, printed them and put them in 3-ring binder.  This year I had to get a bigger 3-ring binder because I keep stuffing it full of recipes I've tried or want to try. 

Plan C (I have a whole alphabet, people) was another recipe from the "Holidays" tab in my recipe book.  It is called "Frosted Chewies" and Mom made them every Christmas after my cousin brought them to Mom's house to share. They are super simple to make and delightfully yummy. I would have never came up with this combination of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch.



Frosted Chewies
6 cups Special K’s
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup light corn syrup

--Put corn syrup and sugar in pan. Bring to slow boil; take off of heat and add peanut butter & Special K’s. Stir well. Put in well-greased 13 x 9” pan.

Frosting:
1 ½ pkgs (6 oz each) butterscotch morsels (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 ½ pkgs (6 oz each) semi-sweet chocolate morsels (about 1 1/2 cups)

--Put in double boiler and melt together. Keep stirring. Put on top of the chewies. Let cool. Serve. (about 3 dozen in one pan)

So I grabbed the Special K's that I'd bought at the Amish salvage store a few weeks ago with this recipe in mind (who cares if the package is dented?) and measured them.  A former co-worker told me she made this recipe with Cheerios and called them "Oh Henry Bars".  (Leah, this also the recipe Karen makes with corn flakes and brings to the Boy Scout functions--sometimes plain, sometimes with a drizzle of melted chocolate chips.) So you don't HAVE to have Special K's...but I'm a sentimentalist, so I do.  :-)

 

I also got the peanut butter measured and the pan ready.

 Then I stirred the sugar and corn syrup together on the stove top. The recipe calls for a "slow boil".  I'm assuming that means stop before it comes to a "rolling boil".

Get bored and write out your Thanksgiving menu.

It doesn't take long for the syrup to come to a boil.  Take it off the stove, stir in the peanut butter and cereal until incorporated...

...pour it into the prepared dish and press flat.  I grabbed a sheet of waxed paper to press it. Be careful because it is very hot.

Mix the chips, nuke them for a bit, stir, repeat.

Smear the melted chips over top the cereal mixture and leave it to cool.  Lick the spoon while you wait. Then leave for church and wonder if you have chocolate on your face the entire ride there.

Once cool, cut a small piece, take a bite and say, "Mmmm".

Later today I will surprise a little girl with a sewing project I've been working on. I hinted about it on my last post. Afterwards I will share it with you.

Later, tater!

Entry # something - Headlines

Breaking News:

Woman forgets to feed family twice within a week.

Stay tuned for details.

Entry #14 - The valance is finished!

This afternoon seemed like the perfect time to tackle the valance. 
After many finger pricks with the pins (One was bad enough to require a neon orange band-aid. I'm pretty clumsy.), I'm pleased with the end results.

I gathered all my supplies: 2 different materials, scissors, sewing machine, pins, and the papers that I'd been using to figure up sizes, dimensions, measurements...etc.

The paper pattern was 12" long, so I figured I needed 15" of the outer material, which would fold over the lining material at the top to make the rod pocket.

The lining material had a pattern to it that allowed me to follow one of the lines making the process go quicker.  Perfect.

I only needed 13 inches of it since the outer fabric was going to enclose it with the top and bottom seams.
I had a plan, people!
I had no idea how it would work in the end, but I had a plan nonetheless.

I had to constantly pin the lining material because it kept wanting to curl.

That was the first wrinkle in the plan.  But it was nothing that wasn't fixable.

Once everything was pinned (right sides together) I marked my pattern with disappearing ink...

...then I sewed right on that line...

...trimmed it near the stitching, turned it right-side-out and...

ironed.  

 Actually, I ironed a lot today.  After every step I ironed again.

I pressed it so that a little bit of the outer material was folded towards the back (so the lining wouldn't show after it was hung up) and then top-stitched it to keep it in place.

Then I sewed the side seams.  {insert fascinating picture here}

I folded the top seam down, then turned it down enough to hold the curtain rod. And ironed.

Then sewed.

 And hung up.  

The color is off in this photo. The curtain and the valance compliment each other.

Use your imagination, people! It's pretty!

And it covers the exposed curtain rod beautifully; which was the whole purpose of this project.

And now the other window in the room needs a matching valance.

{sigh}

Maybe I'll wait a few days to give my fingers time to heal.

Entry #13 - Cookie recipe review - Best Ever Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

'Tis the season to be baking. Falalalala lalalala.

I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago solely because of the name:

Best Ever Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

- 1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups quick oats
- 2 cups chocolate chips (optional)
Ok, put away your mixers because these taste best if you just hand mix them. Over mixing them is a tragedy!

1.       Mix butter and sugars together

2.      Add in eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt and cinnamon

3.      Stir in flour

4.      Stir in oats

5.      Stir in chips

That's it! Cook at 375 degrees for 8-10 mins. Makes about 3 dozen.

I'm not sure where online it was found.  Possibly from here:

http://www.ziplist.com/recipes/1232857-Best_Ever_Oatmeal_Chocolate_Chip_Cookies

But most likely it came from Pintrest.

The only change I made was to use half shortening and half butter.

 I used a cookie scoop to dollop the dough onto waxed paper-lined cookie sheets, then I put the un-baked dough in the freezer.  Once frozen, I packaged it into freezer bags, labled them with the contents and baking instructions and safely tucked them away for later. 

Today was later.

I took out a dozen dough balls and gently slammed them onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.  Okay, maybe slammed is too strong a word. ;-)

While everyone ate supper, I put the tray of frozen cookie dough in the already-warm oven and baked them according to the instructions.  By the time everyone is finished eating, they had been taken out of the oven and were cooled.

You can see that they didn't spread during baking.  I wonder if that is because I used shortening instead of half of the butter.

So...my review:  These are a good cookie; but I'm not convinced I like cinnamon with my chocolate.  Don't get me wrong. I love cinnamon. Cinnamon is good for digestion. I just can't wrap my head around the combination. 

Next time I will either leave out the chocolate chips or the cinnamon. I might try substituting peanut butter for some of the butter.

Entry #12 - "Distracted" is my middle name

Yes, it did snow overnight. 

Maybe 2 inches?  I'm not going out to measure.

 The stray cat is not amused and wants inside. Now.

 And no curtains were sown today. At least: not yet.  I got distracted by this piggy material I found in my stash of scraps.  It's leftover from making a dress for my little girl. That was about 10 years ago.

 So I marked it and sewed it.

 And cut it out.

 It's a pig!

 

 Did you notice the button hole?

 It's a piggy bank!

I think I'll toss it in the washer and dryer so it will fray around the edges.

Like this one.

(In yesterday's post you saw this pink material photobombing one of the pics.)

And this one is made of felt.  Clean lines and more traditional.

The little piggy trio.

Now what was I supposed to be doing?