Is there anything new under the sun? No. Good. Now that that has been settled, I'll just carry on as per usual. As you have figured out by now, everything here is a big old backstitch and I have some topics to bring to some sort of conclusion.

First up—vanilla sugar. The two cups of sugar and a vanilla bean (plus one extra) have been hanging around since November 14. I tried it yesterday for the first time and again in my morning coffee, which is now parked to my right. I just sipped my coffee once more to be sure of what I'm about to tell you. It's true. My taste buds are so undiscerning that I can't tell the difference. That's right. Weeks of sugar hanging around with a couple of vanilla beans all for naught. So there you have it.

Next up—snow. We have some. It arrived overnight so we missed the gentle falling. We did not miss the rumble of the snowplow at five this morning.

Third—Santa Hat Snack Mix. I'm conflicted on this one. It's kind of cute now that I am a few days from having made it. Though it just doesn't have the punch (this has proven to be a horrible pun...forgive me) of a regular snack mix. It's much too sweet for me. I did learn that I love those caramel Bugles they are made from.

 Dipped Bugles which began to look like noses to me. (See reference to pun above. Groooooaaannnn...)
This was the best part...broken noses Bugles that couldn't possibly be made into anything.
In the end, the entire process looked like a battlefield to me. So this is what I really think: this was not an easy project and the result is not so satisfactory that I ever want to try it again. The grands were completely and totally unimpressed.

Speaking of unimpressed grands. That's the fourth thing—Jake and the backed afghan.

Remember when my little grandson Jake called the new blue and white afghan I made for the back of the Volkswagen* a "fake blanket"? (* A euphemism for my disgustingly huge living room set.)

Well that has weighed heavy on my mind. Let us not discuss how small a mind must be to have such things weigh on it. Anyway, when Jake's mama was here last she mentioned something that she had seen on Pinterest...an afghan that had been backed. Ohhhh...and let us not discuss how small a mind must be to react instantly to any mention of Pinterest.

Yes, the mere mention set the gears in motion and soon I was planning to take Joann's up on its fine offer of 50% off cotton fleece.

Yesterday, found me upstairs working feverishly to back that little lap afghan. We'll let the photos tell the story. My mords are getting wixed up.




I still have most of my hair so it worked pretty well. Once I had the two pieces rolled up together, I could baste and then go to the machine and do a zig zag stitch. This method would work well for lap quilts or a baby's quilt. I don't know that it would work so well for a bed-size quilt or afghan.



As you can see above, the decorating is still in need of help. I'll be switching what I stuck in the mittens to greenery very soon and tweaking. Just because it's not looking so great here doesn't mean that it's not looking great elsewhere, though...

I was visiting At Home on the Bay where I fell in love with the simple charm of Christmas in the Kitchen. Enjoy!  Page removed.

That's right. I have four things to share today. I feel as if it's Show and Tell on a Monday Morning in the little brick schoolhouse down the way. I live a stone's throw from my first schoolhouse. Someday, I must post about that school.

Last night I finished up the afghan I was working on for the back of the sofa. It's just a giant granny square. One could use any granny square pattern that appeals; mine is very basic. That sofa was starting to look like a black hole... Now John tells me that we may not be ready for Christmas, but we'll surely be ready for Hanukkah.

Besides, it rather matches the morning sky. My wooden salad bowl on the right there works beautifully for containing whatever ball of yarn I'm working with allowing the ball to slip around a bit without rolling away so that the yarn comes along easily.


This is my sister's table runner. It was mailed late last week before Sandy blew in. Sis doesn't have it yet nor does she have any mail at all as mail deliveries have been suspended for now.


Have been making my own vanilla for about five years now. Vanilla beans are outrageously expensive when purchased in the grocery store. You can see that the bottle I'm working with there only had two pieces of bean and so is very anemic. It should contain one bean for every ⅓ cup of vodka. Recently, when visiting Brenda, she said that vanilla beans could be purchased inexpensively at Amazon. My eyes lit up. Now I'm in the vanilla making business again.


Here are my trick or treating grands. They made a cute zebra and a cute lion, though I had no idea of the significance. Apparently, they are Alex and Marty or Marty and Alex from the Madagascar movie. Here's one Nonni who must brush up on current childhood culture.

Are you up on current culture?

January has brought me to this or as John says, "You're worried about what's going on in my head?" ☺



It's true. I am now knitting *crocheting nests. K.n.i.t.t.i.n.g. *Crocheting nests for crying out loud! It all began when I was practicing Deb's directions last night at A Blade of Grass. She said something fascinating about using two strands of yarn so, having lots of little leftover balls of yarn, I practiced and instead of a purse, came up with a nest. She'll be worried about me Deb will.

*Apparently, I don't know what I'm doing.

Keeping my nest company is my sweet little barn painting from Nita Leger Casey. 






And all these pictures are reminders to those who are in a panic about the loss of Picnik. (No, I have never met an alliteration I did not love.) I can't say enough kind things about Photoscape. Do your own Googling and download the program when you're certain you have the right site. It's free. If you don't already have it, you'll love it.

Hope January is treating you well...

This is going to be an all-over-the-place post. My brain is firing on all two cylinders. = )

I have discussed this before, though I'm hoping that it was so long ago that you've forgotten. Years ago now, I took an aptitude test designed for college students. I was an instructor at the time and since I wanted my students to take the test, I took it just for fun. I was quite shocked when the results came back:  I like to think! That's basically it. They suggested that I would like to belong to a "think tank." < insert chuckles >

So that's probably why I adored *Jill's post yesterday.* You will enjoy reading it; you will love watching the video she shared. The video is 15 minutes long and it will be the most fun and the most fascinating 15 minutes you've spent this week. I promise! Besides, you need some new interesting conversation to share with your friends and family. This is going to provide it. Yes, I promise! All that and it will give you a new appreciation for these:


Well, not exactly those, but close! If you regret it, please let me know. If you love it, please let Jill know. She features some amazing things on her blog!


Now go visit Jill!

A happy day to you...

Thank you so much for all of your suggestions. I am going to take you up on a few, but will wait to tell you all about it until the cable guys have arrived and the deed is done. By Friday, it should all be accomplished.

Hump jumper: Ever heard of it? Me neither until my daughter, a brand new sewer, suggested that I could use one. She's right! I want *this* very much. My daughter described finding a sweet little old lady in her 50s on You Tube who taught her all about it. See who she thinks is "a little old lady." Now I find this video fascinating. My favorite info about the hump jumper starts at 3:46.

Edited to Add: April 2, 2012
The gal, Sandy is her name, who invented the hump-jumper recently left a comment for me and I wanted to link to her site where she shares her unique and wonderful sewing notions inventions: The Sewing Notions that Solve Such Frustrating Problems. I do not actually own a "hump-jumper." I have a "jean-a-majig." Two different tools that do the same thing. 

Onward...


Here's that finished purse of many colors. I'm actually using it and I can show you why...


That's my former purse behind...large and heavy and it's literally giving me a pain in the neck. The confetti job there is much smaller and lighter. Though I did not use *this pattern,* it is the one that got me started on crocheting a purse of my own.  Believe me, if I had the talent to figure out that pattern, it's done in UK terms, I would have it instead.

And a fantastic leap to last night's supper just because I want to show the picture, which makes me hungry for some reason.


If you've never tried *Pioneer Woman's Pot Roast recipe,* may I suggest that you do and soon?! Why do I do this to myself? Her photos are incredible!

Should I get my way around here today, I'll be off to see War Horse. Have you seen it? Speaking of which, what was the last movie you went to see? We went to see The King's Speech way last January. (I am not counting Winnie the Pooh of last summer. Ha!)

There! We've certainly jumped a lot of humps today. A great Wednesday to you!

Oh how I love Blogdom. I mention soft molasses cookies and so many go into action. Would you believe that the recipe I remember was found and emailed to me yesterday by a blogging buddy on the West Coast who found it in her mother's cookbook from the East Coast? Yes! I'll get back to you on that come Monday. So I'm back in the molasses cookie baking business this morning and oh the aroma. Wish that I could share!

Another made up as I went along project. I'm not sure that I like the look of those gathered bits there, though it does allow for the roominess needed at the bottom of any purse of mine. My hands are very tired from all the crocheting so I must move on to something new for a while. When next you see this, it should be lined, have a flap, and some handles. August perhaps?

See those lights on the fence this morning? I thought it a fun idea to have them on through the winter during bad weather — a bit of cheer for us and passersby. I've changed my mind.


Seems that the light bill is higher by a lot than ever before in Haven history. And for this we rewired the house? We're not sure, but we can't help but wonder about that smart meter that we're all being required to switch over to. Yes, this is the bill after the smart meter installation. I think it's a smart meter for the power company myself. Anyway, the lights outside went off this morning and will remain off until July.



In the meantime, I am gathering my stash for the Challenge at Quill Cottage. I told you all the 19th when, in fact, it will be the 30th. See sidebar for details.

Have a lot of muffins to bake? Want to save time? Featured on Tip Nut, I ask you, is *THIS* not brilliant?! Brilliant I tell you.

(John and I finally enjoyed our meatloaf, baked potatoes, and spinach with apple cider vinegar. Yummy. My new oven is already dirty. Sigh. I've decided not to bake anymore.)


Last night I crocheted some *ric rac*...so much fun. I'm pretty sure I could make enough to stretch around the house, but what exactly does one do with ric rac? Today I hope to be busy crocheting a handbag and enjoying the snowstorm. I'm blaming it all on Tip Nut.

What're you busy doing?

Slow start this morning because I stayed up reading until I fell asleep in my book. I read the first 250 pages or so in snatches over the past two weeks and nearly that much more in just one afternoon and evening. I so prefer to sit down and read a book straight through from cover to cover. I understand that it is a luxury that few of us can afford; however, I highly recommend it. Yes, I am going to discuss the book briefly here, but I do need to finish the final chapter and the Epilogue first.

Let's chat about tea, specifically the rooibos tea that Gwen gifted me with just before Christmas. John remembered that he had two tea balls in his desk at the Ponderosa so I was able to brew my cup today. Two words: smooth and delicious. I'm not sure if it's the tea or the flavor of the tea—Red Caramel Night.


I followed directions to the letter. Did you know that your tea is only as good as the water you use? So says the package. Knowing that my tap water has chlorine, I switched out to some bottled water, which I happen to know is delicious.

*This* is where I found the mug cozy directions. I used them some of the time and the rest of the time, I made up my own pattern. I have made three for three special gals. I'm just testing this one out to see if it works. Seems to!

Sell back my copy for a mere $5.44? They're nuts. I was quite surprised to find this offer at Amazon this morning. Is there a shortage of Mennonite Girls Can Cook cookbooks? Perhaps Lovella, Judy or Ellen could answer that one!

Bless you, bless you, bless you to those who rose to the challenge of answering yesterday's question. Your varied responses prove that there is more than one way to do a thing. Lovella answered in the simplest of ways and I'm sharing her response up front:

The new private blog which is unseen at all is easy peasy. In your edit profile ..simply unclick the blog you do not want to be visible on your profile. I am not sure if that is what you mean but from what I can tell you want it completely invisible. . .for only family to read. You would give them permissions in the permission slot.