Why I Must Resolve This Year...

I love all of my neighbors, I really do. But man - why did they want to give me 10 extra pounds for Christmas? Tis the season for too many treats, I guess (but... if you read my post below, you'll see I gave them sweets, too).


This was the worst thing of all, though. My sis got a Corn Dog fryer and of course we had to try it out.



Unfortunately, it didn't stop at corn dogs and chicken nuggets. We moved on to anything that was on the counter... chocolate covered cherries, nuts, ice cream. It was pretty much a 10,000 calorie experiment.



The worst part of it all was the Twinkies. Yes... we fried Twinkies. Do you want to know what was even worse than that? They were DELICIOUS! Normally, I don't really like them, but dipping them in some sweet batter and frying them up turns them into a completely different treat. After the initial bite, I vowed that I could never eat such a thing again. (It really is worth trying - it tastes like a doughnut)

So, I am back to crafting. I haven't done much this week except finish knitting some scarves, but as soon as I am done working today, I am back to the cutting table to get some project started for the January Jamboree (another Craftster.org swap).

I hope you all have a happy New Year celebration. We're laying low this year. I'm sure we'll let Cohen stay up a little late, then Mike and I will play Settlers of Catan and Yahtzee until midnight. Then, in my old agedness, I'll go to bed promptly at 12:01. What are you guys all doing?

A Belated Christmas

I've been meaning to wish you all a Merry Christmas, but I just ran out of time. Oh well. I sure am having a good time reading all about the joyous times you had over the past week and hearing about how the celebrations are continuing. This year I am eager for life to get back to normal, although, I will miss my beloved decorations and the time spent with family.

We had a great celebration and Cohen can't wait for Christmas again. He LOVED Santa Claus (Uncle Paul) at Great-Grandma's party and is wondering if he'll be there again next time we go over. Ha! Silly boy. Watching him open his gifts was great and really brought back the magic of Christmas. Of course, he was excited most about his trains. I mean, look at this smile!

He loved everything he got and showed a lot of emotion with each gift opening. He was bummed when everything was opened and wondered if I could wrap more presents. The picture below is just a proud moment of Mommyness - he is signing Train as he is screaming for joy.


I hope you all had a great holiday and have a wonderful new year!

C is for Cookie

And that really is good enough for me... or so I initially think. Then I start second guessing myself and want to do more. MORE! MORE!

I had 20 neighbor gifts to make and deliver no later than Sunday. I decided I would make some of Genell's notorious Sweet Pepper Dip and hand it out to all of them. As I went shopping and started adding up the expense, I decided maybe I needed to just stick with the cookies. NOTE: All of my great neighbors are worth EVERY penny of what a jar of Sweet Pepper Dip costs, but I had a budget this year.

I did make a few jars of the dip, but most of the neighbors got some sweet cookies. In fact, I made six dozen, all while trying to get Cohen ready for church. I've had nothing but compliments, so I guess they were a hit. Thank you, Betty Crocker!

Let it Snow(man)

These are the custest of the snowman gourds. The rest turned out kind of lame. They look like clowns mostly. Oh well... It was a good experiment and continues to prove the fact that I really can't paint.

9 More Days

I've never been more eager to give a Christmas gift to anyone than I am this year. Cohen is getting a train track. We've purchased a little wooden train set at IKEA. We bought two trains and one expansion track set so our entire kitchen floor will become a train yard until we figure out where to permantly set it up. Grandma is buying him an electric car track that we'll have to figure out where to put, also.



In the meantime, the boy has turned everything into a road that he can find. His bedspread (a quilt with blocks between strait lines) has become a series of roads. He's lined up all of the books on the book shelf and wound them around the house. My legs and arms have also been launch ramps. The window seals, picture frames... I think you have the idea. He drives his little matchbox cars and trains on EVERYTHING.



Yesterday, I was trying to get our Christmas cards and neighbors gifts ready, he just kept bring me marbles to form into a road. We had a great idea. We turned the entire living room into "tape town" complete with block buildings and trees. He was in heaven for hours, which ment so was I. The kid is smart and has a great imagination.

Mike was a saint and played with him so I could get all of my little things done all afternoon. Let's just say, Tape Town is staying up while I cram all of my last minute Christmas crafts into one week. YIKES!

Cold Body Warm Belly

I have been crafting lately. I really have. I've just been so busy in the evenings that I never see the light of day except out of my office window. So, I have no pictures. Last night Cohen and I had a great cup of marshmallows... Would you like some hot chocolate with that? Now he thinks it is all he needs. He woke me up this morning about 6:00 am with his sweet little voice whispering in my face..."Hot choco-lot" over and over. I think he is learning the lesson from me reading "The Little Engine that Could" to him every night before bed.

I have mostly been knitting and painting my gourds. I am just about done with one of the wrist warmers I am making for Babs, aka TeamWang from Mwah Creations. This project has been a bit of a challenge because I've never knit in the round before. But, it is working. Kim informed me that I am knitting backwards... Of course I am. I can't ever get it completely right. But they look cute, and I might need to make some for myself. Babs made me some felt germs that are sooooo much cuter in real life. They are for my younger sis, Lyndsey, because she looks under a microscope all day and is OBSESSED with microbiology.



Aren't they great? She made a great felt pouch and some cherry earrings, too. I love all of my great Crafty friends.

I am forcing myself to shampoo the living room carpet before I do anything. I am going to a great little boutique this afternoon, but... I. Must. Get. The. Carpet. Clean. FIRST!

Sew Trendy

See... I'm not crazy! I'm trendy. Which is worse? Regardless, I enjoyed this article and I think you will, too.

It's All About ME!!

Well, the boutique is over. It was bittersweet. While I was so glad that I was done for the season, I was not glad that I was done forever. It is such a great atmosphere. I will be sendingChristy (the organizer) a thanks note because she has put a lot of work into it... AND... this last weekend she did it all with strep throat, too. I did well. I sold most of my table and was able to make a pretty hefty deposit in my account. But that isn't what it is all about. I was able to hang out with Melanie and Hillary. I love those sisters. They make the most wonderful stuff and they are just soCOOOL. Melanie and I did a little swappy swapping and I got one of her beautiful crochet hats. I've worn the one I swapped with her 2 years ago almost to death. ;-) They also make the most amazing scented lotions. I love Hydrogen the best. I wish I could smear it all over this post you could smell how wonderful it truly is.

I also got some great throw pillows that were made of the same upholstery fabric that my grandma's old velvety flower gold couch that now sits in my mom's living room. Whew... hello run-on! I hope these ladies continue to boutique together. I do love them all. They are such wonderful, talented women and they all make such amazing stuff.

I started painting my gourds last night. Mike is, of course, helping me because he is the "more art, less craft" half of our marriage. He is adding the real style to all of them. We didn't get very far on them.

After a quick trip to the yarnstore and a less quick trip around the valley with Kim looking for the correct size needles, I started a neck warmer for another friend for Christmas. I HAVE to finish some arm warmers for a swap. I've already received from my partner and I have not even finished one of the warmers. I've had issues because it is my first time knitting in the round. I'm learning and Kim is a very good helper.

Oh, I love crafting what I want to! It is such a welcome change to the mass production mode I've been in getting ready for boutiques. Our next project is making big picture frames out of Mike's parents old fence. YEAH! The wood is just sitting there waiting for me and it is aged to perfection. That will be this weekend's project.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I'll get them up. Our high speed Internet connection moved, and we're back to dial-up. All I want for Christmas is high speed Internet. :)