Monday

Been Having Fun...



Dave got me some circle knitting looms for Christmas and I have been having a blast with them.  I don’t “knit”; you know the old fashion way with knitting needles.  A few weeks before Christmas I saw a cute news special with a teenager who had been “knitting” hats for soldiers, she made the comment that she did not “knit” but with these looms she said if she could do it anyone could.  So I requested some. 
My new knitting looms
 
Used two different yarns for this one
Here are some of the fun things I have made with them and it's so easy, just wrap and loop.


An experiment that turned out ok


My new neck scarf
I need to get a book or watch a video to give me more ideas.  I'm having fun with this plus it keeps my hands busy doing something instead of feeding my face.
Happy trails...

Sunday

Did Santa Come To Your House? He did at ours…


It’s always fun to watch a two year old discover their first real Christmas.  Noah’s eyes were huge when he discovered his motorcycle (a tricycle) and his Captain America costume and a Hawkeye bow and arrow set from Santa. That boy is so into the Avengers that he can imitate every character.  Of course it helps if your daddy is a Marvel geek.

We had a wonderful Christmas, other that a rotten cold that beset me and turned into a sinus infection with bronchitis. I ended up going to the Urgent Care facility, got some antibiotics and decongestants plus a Netti-pot to help get me well. As for the rest of the family on Christmas day, Dave, J and Christie got Marauders Map coffee mugs (Harry Potter) Heather got a Kitchen Aid 6 qt. mixer. Dave and I got a Kindle Fire tablet with a $25.00 Kindle Gift Card from Amazon.com.  The boys made the biggest haul which is how it should be. 

Later in the day we packed all up and went out to J’s parent’s house and had a wonderful dinner of turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, vegetable medley casserole, gravy, home baked rolls with butter and a wide array of wonderful deserts.  Irene’s Italian Wedding Cake was scrumptious. 

J’s parents got Noah a truck that you move with foot power.  It has a working horn and a gas tank that opens.  He had a lot of fun with it.  It snowed in East Texas late in the day and the kids had a blast playing in it.  First time the kids can remember it snowing on Christmas day. What a treat for them.   

Christmas was wonderful, relaxed and not hurried which is how it should be, a time to spend with your family and loved ones.

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your family.

Happy trails…
Still can't up-load any phots...maybe one day?

 

The Week Before Christmas...


We left for Texas on the Wednesday before Christmas to take care of the baby as his mom and dad flew to Arizona to shoot a wedding.  Baby Andrew has bronchitis and so we did breathing treatments 5-6 times a day for three days.  Got to give lots of love kisses while holding that precious bundle and was great.  I had forgotten what mommy duty felt like and how dirty your shirts get. Thank goodness Auntie Christie and PomPom Dave were there to help as well, with all the feedings, diaper changes, bath time and baby rocking.

The kids got home Saturday evening and were dead tired, fighting stuffed up ears and sore throats due to weather changes. We decided to go to The Butcher Shop for dinner so no one would have to cook.  This is a restaurant, meat market and bakery all in one.  They have a fixings’ bar that has everything that you would want on your burger and our favorite…brown gravy for the French fries.  

Sunday big brother Noah came home from staying with Grandma Renee and Auntie Shara for three days. He got to ride on the tractor with Uncle Robert and play with his new remote-controlled truck.  What a hoot to watch.  The atmosphere of the house has changed from quite with a baby and three adults to five adults, a baby and a very rambunctious 2 ½ year old constantly on the go and 4 dogs.

Sunday evening I started to get a scratchy throat on one side, hard to swallow and impossible to sleep.  Ugh! I hate getting sick as I have managed to avoid it for 5 years. 

As Christmas drew closer, I made 6 small containers of home play dough and put them into individual containers that fit into one large container.  It was a lot of fun and I know Noah will enjoy it and it’s so much cheaper than the commercial play dough.  Here's the recipe I used.

Traditional Play Dough

* 1 cup flour
* 1 cup warm water
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon oil
* 1/4 cup salt
* food coloring
Mix all ingredients, adding food coloring last.
Cook over medium heat until smooth. Continue cooking after the mixture thickens, and continue to cook until the dough comes together in the pan to form a ball. Remove from pan and knead until blended smooth (I did this on wax paper so it would be easy to handle). Place in plastic bag or airtight container when completely cool.
Store in a cool place and avoid allowing condensation to form in the storage container.

Christie and I went out to picked up some more last minute gifts as shopping is never done.

Happy trails…
 
BTW I hate the new format of Blogger.  At the moment I am unable to upload any photos.  Its like the link is not working. Anyone else having problems?