Thanksgiving Pics

The kids had a great time. We went to my parents' house, then my in-laws'. Sorry to the Schanzmeyers that we couldn't make it on Sunday. Perhaps next year Saturday will work for everybody.

Enjoy!

Stuff I've Been Doing

I had a mad, mad hankering for chocolate cake last night, so I made this one. I used this recipe, halving it as I usually do, and used one 9" round cake pan. Then I simply cut it in half and sandwiched peanut butter frosting in the middle. I didn't use a recipe for the frosting, rather dumped in around 1 c of powdered sugar, a heaping quarter cup of Crisco, and probably half a cup or more of pb, and mixed the heck out of it until it was nice and smooth. I was out of vanilla, so that was left out of the cake and the frosting--or filling, as it was--hence the peanut butter. (I made whoopie pies w/o vanilla once, and you've just got to make up for it somehow, imo.) 24 hours later, the filling has set up to what I'd compare to the middle of a Reese's PB cup, and it is YUMMY! And nearly gone. I have a pretty glass cake stand, so it's been staring at me all day. It's lucky it lived thru breakfast.


Also, I finished a sweet little project that I began on the trip up to Iowa City for Gus' postponed surgery, inspired by a photo in Mary Janes' Farm Magazine. It's a pink and green needle book, and I must say, how pretty! I'm happy with how it turned out. Needle books and other small projects have become a preoccupation of late, so I'm not keeping it. (I have enough already!) I'm planning to put it in my Etsy shop. It's small and made of synthetic felt, so it'll be very reasonable. So... go buy it! lol


I came home with 4 of the 6 Desktop Vacation baskets I took to the Mops Shop last weekend. I'm sad to say there wasn't a great turnout, which makes the fact that I sold 2 pretty surprising to me. I plan to post the remaining 4 to my Etsy shop tonight.



The main project I have in the hopper at the moment is a couple of sheep costumes for a friend's boys for the kids' church play. It's basically a replication of Martha Stewart's little sheep costumes. They're turning out really well. Almost done. I'll show you those later.

Sneak Peak

Saturday is the Mops Shop craft and Christmas show, and I'm ALMOST done with my main offering. I have put together a Desktop Vacation gift basket. Or, rather, I've made everything to go in them. I still need a couple of baskets, and I'll be all set! Contents are one cup cozy with mug, one coaster, one tea bag wallet, and one hot pack (with rice). Packed up in a little basket, I think they're darling!

Can You Tell We've Been Baking?

My baking, which is usually just on yonder side of "Over the Top", took a backseat to the flu this past week. But today, between Nick and me, the kitchen was fairly busy. And what a lovely outcome: this stack of goodies.

Nick made chewy peanut butter brownies, and I made whoopie pies (officially my favorite cookie!) and BREAD! And for the first time that I can recall, it's SUPER SUPER GOOD!! I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to share the recipe (I tweaked this one) or put it in my secret collection of recipes that I will release only moments before my final breath. (My pasta sauce recipe is in there.) MAN, it is GOOD! Even Nick thinks so, and he's die-hard store-bought white bread. He said it passed the peanut butter and jelly test. I'm not sure a homemade bread--at least, never a wheat one--has ever done that. I'm impressed. And all still dairy free!

My parents-in-law were here this weekend, and we had a nice visit. Which was a nice respite from the work I've been doing, and will continue to hit hard all week, for the upcoming MOPS craft show this weekend, to be held at the Burnside Christian Church in Burnside, IL. If you're local, definitely check it out. I understand there will be treats. I think I'll be providing some, actually. Hmm, maybe some... whoopie pies?? We'll have to see. :) Anyway, coming soon: pics of some of the things I've been making for the show. Whatever doesn't sell is going in my Etsy shop when I get back. Stay tuned!

Rhyl's Purple Flower Dress

I should mention that I got this idea from Make It and Love It. She did a much better job, but this is a flu project. That is to say, we all have the flu right now, and I thought that minimal effort on my part could give maximum enjoyment to my ailing toddler. I was only a little right.

I haven't decided whether or not I'm done with this. I'm considering filling in around the big flowers with lots of small ones, and putting a ring of small ones around the waist.

The top is an old shirt that was too short for her. (Large, lovely stains are hiding under the flowers on the front!) The skirt is a yard of material that I got from the Salvation Army. I think it was a dollar, and I used about half. You could use any material that you have on hand--old clothes, sheets, pillowcases, etc.

Gus' Hanging Organizer

This is a great beginner's project, and as cheap as raiding your receiving blanket/sheet stash. I had some old receiving blankets that were given to me, as a set, when Rhyl was a baby. They're circus themed, primary colors, so sorta unisex (as was the point). I love them. Turns out, they perfectly match up with the hand-me-down crib layette that my sister Rachael gave me. I've really only been using the big big big receiving blankets with Gus, so these were going unused anyway. And who doesn't need convenience, attractive storage space??

So here we are, three receiving blankets, a dowel rod, a couple of nails and thumbtacks later. I strung red buttons on the nail (up top) to disguise them a little. On the other organizers I've made (and on my shower curtain, come to think of it), I sew fabric loops onto the top and loop them over nails. You can also put them on doors that way, with over-the-door hooks. This time, I knew right where it was going and I had a dowel rod handy. Total Cost: three receiving blankets and about 45 minutes, start-to-finish.