Morning walk

 Took a morning walk and took a few pictures.  We've had frosty mornings and mild days here this past week.  So far a wonderful winter.  Not much snow, or cold.  I'm rather liking it.  Love that the heating bills are low. 

 

What we see out our kitchen window.  The dark clouds in the far background look like mountains! A couple of the cows are pictured.  The others must be off to the side.  Our youngest calf has been feeling frisky and getting out - exploring - daily.  Then when we go out, she runs back to the pen!  The little stinker!

This is snow and ice frozen in place having started to slide off one of the barn roofs. The corrigated ripples of the steel roof makes quite the pattern!

The frosty tree against such a blue sky is beautiful!  The snow and ice crystals just sparkled - too bad pictures don't show that.

Too soon warmer weather will come and we won't have any more frosty mornings! 

Here's Jessica's t-shirt quilt I started at Christmas time.   Just finished sewing on the outside border, and it's now ready to take to the quilter to get finished.  It will have red polka dot backing and binding.  Will show you the completed project when it's done.  Also have still been busy crocheting.  That's almost every evening when I sit down.  Have to keep busy doing something!

Have a great weekend!

Check list~

 Another project done and marked off my list!  Made Amanda some curtains for her bedroom and a bigger curtain out of a single sheet, and trimmed with the extra material from the curtains made for the windows.  They will look cute.  The material she bought was really nice to work with.  I'd given her coupons for Mill End Textiles (one of my favorite stores), and it was for 60% off.  So she really got a good deal.  She was so excited.

 Here are 4 panels for 2 windows.  All ironed and ready to go.

I took the sheet and used the top of the sheet for the header of the curtain, sewing a 2 inch wide piece of material on top, and the rod will go through that.  Then I had to cut off some material from the bottom of the sheet, and hemmed it up; then sewed the bigger 11inch  piece of material even with the bottom.  It's funny how the sheet itself wasn't squared up!  Fixed that, and then left 5 inches between the bottom trim and added the last 5 inch material piece.  The dark brown and white material really goes nice with the tan or ecru sheet.  

Some pictures from Jessica with Renee and her tutu's!!!!!

Now to get busy with the next thing on my list.  I have 6 hats to crochet for an order, two crocheted scarves to do and then need  to sew some infinity scarves.  Think I also need to get a another purple tutu done.  

Here's Renee late in the day when she got her tutu's in the mail.  Nothing like jumping on the trampoline wearing a tutu!!!   She then mowed the yard with her toy lawn mower in her pink tutu, and later fell asleep on the floor in her green tutu!!!!   So fun for little ones.

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Here she is dancing with one of her daddy's cousins this past weekend.  It was their New Year celebration!

I was there a couple of years ago, and the food was out of this world - so good.  Great to be part of another culture.  Sandra and Ho put on a great feed.

Now off to the next project - more later.  Have a great week everyone.

Meet my new model!

Odda wearing Renee's tutu!!!!

The last couple of days, I've been busy making Renee some tutu's!  Once I started I couldn't stop, and I'm now sending 4 of them to her.   They all have rhinestones on them and a couple also have ribbons tied on too.  She can have all her little friends wearing them and dancing like little fairies!  Also made some cute barrets and fluffy hair bands to wear with.  Of course Odda wasn't so sure she wanted to wear one, but she doesn't like to be hollered at, so she finally layed down and was perfect! 
There is a pink one, purple, green and this blue one!  Now to pack them and get them in the mail.  I'm sure they'll get a little wrinkled, but will shake out just fine!  Renee had so much fun dancing in her princess dresses, that I'm sure she'll like these!
Now to get back to finishing Jessica's Tshirt quilt.  Also I'm sewing some scarves.  My next project to show pictures - another day.  Just have to keep busy doing something.  The most negative part of that keeping busy, is that my kitchen stays a mess.  Have to use the kitchen table to cut.  Steve does rather well at eating around my cutting board, the mess on the table and the ironing board when that's also up! 
Have a great evening everyone.

SNOW ANGELS!

Snow Angel made by Jessica

Renee making  her snow angel

She did it!  It is next to Mommy's angel!

As kids when we got our first snow, that was the first thing we did, was make snow angels!

So much fun.  It is hard to realize that many of my blogging friends that don't live in snow climate have never been able to make a snow angel.   

It gets to be a learned art to be able to get up to a standing position after you've made your wings and legs or skirt of the angel without ruining the look.  We got pretty good at it, and then would finish by making a foot mark and a head and halo. (which we didn't do here).

Some day if you're in snow country, you've got to try this.

Today we had 53 degrees here - so back to brown grass again.  Only a few small snow piles!  Can you believe this winter!!!!!!!!!    Sure is helping us out with heat bills ~ but I hope we do get some good permanent winter snow cover.  We need it.

Talked to Leah, and she and Amanda got sick and Jessica called yesterday, and she was sick.  So we sure had / have the bug!  I'm feeling better, but coughing and sinuses have plugged me up and my ear!

I've been looking at Pinterest and pinning a little.  Have you?  Just something else to keep up with, right?  Rather interesting looking at all the things people are doing, and giving me ideas of things I want to do.

Going to get a cup of Chai Tea and sit in the living room - relax a little.  Have a great evening.

My Friend!

My friend that I can't seem to live without this winter is sitting on the stove waiting for me!

Isn't he cute?  He stays all summer long hiding in the cupboard, but spends all winter on my stove top.

This year I found a Chai Tea Mix recipe that is delicious and have been making it ~ drinking a lot of it ~ and sharing with friends.

Chai Tea Mix

1 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1 cup French vanilla flavored powdered non-dairy creamer  (I used sugar free)

2 1/2 cups white sugar (I used Splenda)

1 1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea (I used unsweetened decaf)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground cardamom (I use just a small pinch, or this can be left out)

In a large bowl, combine milk powder, non-dairy creamer, vanilla flavored creamer, sugar and instant tea.  Stir in ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

In a blender or food processor, blend 1 cup at a time (I did more) until the mixture is the consistency of fine powder. Keep in sealable jar/container. 

To serve, stir 2 heaping Tablespoons Chai tea mixture into a mug of hot water.  Use a little more if your mug is large.

 I use substitute sugar, most of the time.  On a diet and you can't tell the difference in taste.  

Try it, I think you'll like it.  You can't really taste tea - it's more like a latte.

Let me know what you think. 

Have a great evening.

 

    

Favorite Holiday Pictures

I'm still here!  Have several blogs started, and as I was partially done, had to leave them.  So they're out there in "Edit" land waiting to be finished, and now will probably be deleted, as I'm going to show you some of my favorite pictures and leave it at that.  I just got to really look at all the 652 pictures I took, and can pick out a few!

"A Spotty Christmas Photo"

Renee with Jack and Spotty (Steph's Rat Terriers)

We took Jessica and Renee back to the airport Monday, and after getting home about 2 pm, I slept for 16 hours!  I wasn't feeling good, got the cold and ear ache back, and really needed some sleep!  Felt pretty good today, but still not back to normal.  Miss having the kids here, and now it is so quiet!  But I feel so blessed to have had everyone home this Christmas.  I'm sure there will be the day when we all can't get together.  We know with work schedules, that next Christmas will be a challange, and we may be celebrating our Christmas on the New Years weekend.  But that will be okey too.  Now with the two older grandkids out in the working world and their partners, we have more families to work around too.

Showing us some of her dance moves!

Renee passed out all the gifts, and then decided to wear some of them.

I made all the big girls scarves.  They were so nice and soft!

Leah got "Princess" sunglasses to wear when she's driving her

Mustang convertable next summer!  (we're now looking for

a pair of glasses like that for little Renee.  She wanted them

pretty bad!)

Jessica and Renee riding "Jack" later on Christmas day~

NO SNOW yet!

Our little princess got 3 princess outfits, and did she ever

love them.  Wore them over everything, every day since Christmas

I had to sew them several times before she left.  That

gift was sure a hit!  She loved to twirl and dance!

Dancing girl!

After Christmas Jess and I worked on a Tshirt quilt for her out of a few of

her Volleyball and Basketball teams that she's coached at Catholic

High.  Of course winning shirts from their state win last year.

I'm not done yet. So will show completed pictures later.  It was

great having help with the ironing on of the interfacing and then I cut out the

12.5 inch squares.  I have all the rows sewed together with black and

white polka dot strips, and now ready to sew the rows together.

Making a snow angel

Eating snow!!!   Heehee!  What kid doesn't like snow!

Renee and Amanda ~ Big hugs! or as they say "Tight-tight"

Throwing snowball at Mommy!

Working on old wooden puzzles that our girls had as kids.

Hope this isn't too many to post.  Will pick out some more for another time.  A new year started and I didn't make any resolutions.  Probably should have, but didn't want to break them!  Hope you all had a great Christmas too, and let's hope our New Year will be a great year. 

A busy Wednesday!

A great end of year give away at  Melissa's  Creating From the Heart blog.  Check it out.  I would love to win, as part of the giveaway is a great gift card for Michael's.  Who doesn't like to shop at Michaels and get all you need for the next craft you're going to work on!

The giveaway is Jan 1st!  So be sure to visit her blog!

A little warmer here today in northern Minnesota!  We need snow badly to cover our cold cold ground! 
I'd sure like a white Christmas again this year.  Our Louisiana kids will be home for Christmas, and daughter and hubby and dogs from southern Minnesota will be here too.  With Leah and her family and their kids home, we'll have great fun.  I'm now feeling better (but still can't hear out of my right ear!).  Hope no one else gets sick for the holidays.  Little Renee is just getting over a bug too.  She threw up last night, so Jess stayed home today with her.  Our neighbors have been sick too, and I visited with Connie tonight on the phone.  They've had a lot going on too.  So we got caught up on each others doings, and hope we're all on the mend and stay well the rest of winter.

I'm not ready with my gifts yet either.  Still sewing some and have more to do.  I've been making Chai Tea Mix for gifts.  Love that mix, it is so good.    Kind of expensive to make, but once you have the supplies, it is fun to make.  Leah and I have our last craft show on Saturday.  Then maybe I can get our tree up and get the house ready for company and Christmas!

Hope you're all well ~ take care, Jo