Wishing For Pine Needles

{this moment}

{this moment}

Joining Soulemama today in.....

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Yarn Along ~ January 11

Another week joining Ginny at Small Things...and a fairly productive week at that!  (Love it when that happens!)

Lena's sweater is done! I just need to sew up the sleeve seams and add the buttons, so I'll show you the finished project soon. 

I started the girls' hats.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love big needles and chunky yarn?

I ended up switching patterns at the last minute, mainly because I saw this one in a library book and was enticed by the title...

It didn't exactly take me a half-hour (longer!), but it has gone amazingly quick.  I have another one to do after this and I won't mind a bit!  The pattern in from a book that is perfect for my two big girls who are way beyond baby knits, but far from adult sizing. 

I have gotten into the Anne Frank book, and it is very interesting indeed.  The first part gives much background to Anne's mother and grandmothers, as well as a little about her father.  And while the details from these women can sometimes seem mundane, I appreciate knowing them because it is always so much easier to understand a person when you have a glimpse into where they came from.  I'll keep you posted as I get a little further into it.

Happy knitting and reading!

The Easiest Table Runner Ever: A How-To

Tablecloths.  Hmmm.  I've never been quite sure how I feel about them.  On one hand, finding a beautiful,vintagey floral one while thrifting is just the best!  I can always picture it on our patio table blowing gently in a summer breeze with a big bouquet of hydrangeas right smack dab in the middle.  Pretty dreamy, huh?

But on the other hand, I love the look of a wood table and how easily they wipe down after a meal.  And sometimes, honestly, I see a tablecloth as nothing but a big, giant article that will be added to my laundry pile.  After each meal.  No thank you! 

All of this being said, over the Christmas holiday I discovered how much I enjoyed our holiday table runner.  It created a perfect mid-table space for the napkins, salt and pepper, trivets, and dishes.  It added a warmth to the meal as most linens do.  And because it sits in the middle of the table and not directly under our plates, we managed to keep it mostly clean and therefore out of my laundry!

Soon after the Christmas decor was boxed up, I realized how I missed that table runner.  So right then and there, I decided to make a new one.  I raided my fabric stash and found a piece leftover from a botched attempt at a baby sling.  It fit nicely and who doesn't want llamas in the center of their table?

Table Runner How-To:

1.  Choose a piece of cotton fabric that fits nicely in the center of your table. Cut it to any size - just how you like it best.  The heavier the cotton, the straighter and flatter it will lay.  Make it fun - it's so easy you can make one for every day of the week!

2.  Press the fabric and then press under 1/2 inch to the wrong side of fabric.  Once fabric is pressed under 1/2 inch all the way around, turn and press under another 1/2 inch around. 

3.  Stitch 1/8 inch from the edge all the way around and you're done.  Wasn't that wonderfully easy?

Now arrange your new runner on your table for some added loveliness!

Linking up with Crunchy Catholic Momma on Thursday, January 12th for her stash bash!

For the Love of a Ham Bone: Split Pea Soup

Linking up with The Willing Cook on January 25, 2012...come and visit!

My very favorite leftover from Christmas is without a doubt the delicious delicacy otherwise known as the ham bone.  Each year without fail, my mom bags it up for me and asks, "You need this for your split pea soup, don't you?"

Yes mom, I sure do!

There are quite simply few things in life better than the January batch of split pea and ham soup.  Now if only I had more ham bones lying around!

Split Pea and Ham Soup

2 1/4 (1 lb.) cups dried split peas
2 quarts cold water
1 1/2 pounds ham bone
2 onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pinch dried marjoram
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 potatos, diced

In a large stock pot, cover peas with 2 quarts cold water.  (I don't soak my peas first!)  Add ham bone, onion, salt, pepper and marjoram. Cover, bring to boil and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove bone; cut off meat, dice and return meat to soup. Add celery, carrots and potatoes. Cook slowly, uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

(adapted from allrecipes.com)

 

 

{this moment}

{this moment}

Joining Soulemama today in.....

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. ~Amanda Soule

Our Christmas in Pictures

One beautiful little thing about this blogging gig is that it makes an instant family scrapbook.

So without further ado....our 2011 Christmas memories!

 

Phew!

Yarn Along ~ January 4

After a short break, I'm linking up with Ginny again today.

Why the break, you ask?  Well, because I quite possibly might be the world's slowest knitter.  I continue to be amazed each week at the loveliness you all crank out.  (Really, is there some magic knitting dust that you're not telling me about?!)

I am quite happy to announce, however, that Lena's sweater is ever so close to being done!  Just about an inch more of garter stitch along the bottom, and then finishing the little sleeves.  I did find woodland animal buttons on Etsy - thanks for all of your recommendations!

(Pardon the strange aerial view....not sure what I was thinking.)

Next, I am moving onto some quick and easy hats for my big girls.  I found yarn to match their coats at Michael's...going with some less expensive yarn for these so I won't cry as hard when if they loose them.  I'm hoping to get them done sometime before Spring!

I picked up this book at the library just yesterday.  It will be the first book I read since Lena's birth, and it seems like it may be a bit on the heavy side.  But I couldn't resist.  I've been fascinated by Anne Frank since Jr. High. I read her diary twice. I visited the famous house in Amsterdam.  (All you history junkies out there understand, right?!)

Happy knitting and reading to you!

Mason Jar Snow Globes.... a How-To

Every year I vow to start our Christmas gift-making in midsummer when the days are long and open.  And every year I fail to do so, this one being no exception.  But, even in the midst of the hustle and bustle of December we managed to come up with a few handmades for some special folks.  Without these little gifts from the heart, Christmas would hardly be the same!

This year we tried mason jar snow globes that I saw on Pinterest.  They turned out just as darling as I had hoped and were super easy to make.....even three-year-old Hans joined in the fun!

A How-To For You

Supplies needed: mason jars (we used 8 oz. jelly jars), plastic animal and trees (we found them at Michael's in a tube), glycerin, fake snow, glitter, water, waterproof glue (we used E-6000 and it worked great!)

Step 1:  Glue the animal and tree to the lid of the mason jar and let dry OVERNIGHT!

Step 2:  Put a couple pinches of fake snow and glitter into the jar.   You can put in as much as desired, but we found that too much snow makes the finished globe look a bit cloudy.

Step 3:  Fill jar with water, about 3/4 of the way full.

Step 4:  Squirt in a couple squirts of glycerin.  We didn't measure, but my guess is that we used about 1 TBSP per jar.  Maybe a touch more.  The glycerin helps the snow and glitter spread out nicely when the snow globe is shaken.

Step 5:  Top off the jar with water, and then put on the lid which should have your glued-down figures.  Turn and adjust the lid until you get the best view of the animals through the jar.

Step 6:  Put some glue on inside of the screw cap and screw tightly onto the mason jar.

You're all done!  Turn over and shake up your newly created winter wonderland!

A New Year

For me, the new year came during some knitting and baby snuggling.  Hmmm.....all good signs for a peaceful 2012.

Wishing you and yours the most wonderful of New Years!