winter time

i don't know about you, but its cold here. really cold. we all have a cozy spot for bunkering down in this weather and our cat has found his!

clean cleaning

i have been enjoying learning how to make homemade cleaners. i had some extra time yesterday, so i got some stuff together and made soft scrub and bathroom cleaner with simple things i mostly had at home. sure i knew white vinegar was good for washing windows, and baking soda was good for scouring, but i've learned a a few new things in the book make your place affordable, sustainable nesting skills. its got recipes for most anything you find yourself wondering, how could i make that myself and with far less chemicals

a homemade christmas

this lovely coffee cozy was a gift from my sister. and a vintage cake book! she knows me so well!
i also had the knitting bug. i made her a cowl. so simple, the pattern is found in last minute knitted gifts

meet the newest addition to our family! Chips, is a christmas present from my sister to jason. we've been putting off getting a pet, because we are still renting, but when she showed me this face, i knew it was time to give jason a cat. he's quite a fine kitty. he was, however, an outdoor cat for the first 3 months of his life, so we are trying to get him adapted to being an indoor cat.
christmas was spent with my family. we had christmas brunch, presents, games, cookies, fudge, and more food! i'm still enjoying all the leftovers!
i am excited to dive into the books my parents gave me. i've been in a reading mood lately. i've been enjoying this season. busy many moments, but there are many quiet ones as well.

last minute details

busy here working on the last minute projects for the gifts of loved ones. had a chance the other morning to dabble in chocolate with my mom. we dipped so many goodies.
knitting, wrapping, and enjoying homemade eggnog with jason... all on my to do list this evening.
merry making

snowy little holiday

this past weekend was spent up north with my husbands parents. celebrating christmas a little early with them. it was lovely, other than the both of us still recovering from some stomach bug that crept its way into our home and plagued us both. i think we are still not up to par, many days later. we did see a sprinkling of snow up there, but for once it was farther down south, closer to where we live, that saw all the snowy goodness.

some highlights from this weekend were:

• homemade gifts
• time for knitting and finishing projects
• looking out the big picture window and seeing the splendor around me
• exploring the outdoors with my camera
• scavenging for bitty pine cones
• sipping hot chocolate and eating homemade bread
• making more christmas cookies, and enjoying a few too
• sleeping in on a weekend
• eating moose jerky (made fresh in the back yard)

these are a few cookies i got to bake with my mom before i turned violently sick. spritz cookies,
its tradition!

christmas stills

just a few images from the little corners of my home. i myself am not feeling so still. my hands are quite busy lately, getting ready for the upcoming holiday.

( currently enjoying this)

labor of love

this is a cake... a dairy free cake, but still just a cake. a cake i unfortunately had to make three times to get that one up there. december 9 has been declared cake disaster day in my book. not only did i have my own little cake disaster at home, but at the bakery i work for, there was an accident with the delivery truck that was holding 9 precious sheet cakes. yes my friends, we had to wheel back 9 sheet cakes like a patients on a gurney and painstakingly redo them all. december 9 is not a good day.

this is what you do with 2 crumbled up cakes. trifle anyone... pudding, chocolate cake and whip cream. not the most elegant dessert, but a great save of cake.

thrifty monday

i stopped by my favorite local thrift store yesterday. i was looking for inspiration for christmas presents... i found a few treasure for myself, i'm afraid. this cute little christmas set with napkins, place mats and coasters. i've already re purposed the coasters into a garland for my bedroom door!

and this beauty is part of my birthday gift. i found this hutch and thought it would go perfectly with our table! i was right. and the best part was it was on sale for next to nothing!

a flurry of activity

on saturday we had our first snow of the year! it started when i was at work, which is fun because we have these huge picture windows to take in the view! it continued for most of the evening. so lovely!
jason got up early on sunday morning to surprise me with breakfast and the sunday paper! what a dear. he made crepes. one of my favorites.


the rest of sunday was spent celebrating my parents 60th birthday with a party at my place. my sister angie and i were running around like chickens with our heads cut off in preparation... it was all worth it. our parents had a wonderful time with their friends and family. a memorable day.

...and done!

the cold weather rolled in today. glad to have my hat finished!

project updates

a hat i've been working on this past weekend. pattern found from the purl bee! i'm almost done and super excited to try it on for size. its the first hat i've knit for myself...well not counting a failed attempt, when i first started knitting. not that i couldn't knit a hat, just that it didn't fit me very well.
another goal of my was to learn how to crochet granny squares. so with much patience on my mother-in-laws part, i successfully have two granny square completed, and a much better understanding of crocheting! thanks leni!
and if you can even remember the start of these socks. here they are all finished! lovely and comfortable.
we unpacked our christmas decorations yesterday! and making its debut is this year is this christmasy apron i acquired last year, much after the season had passed. so with delight, i unpacked it and wore it most of the afternoon! happy decorating, cookie baking, and all the wonderful scents and sights of the season to come!