Long time no blog...again! And a rant about idiocy...

Hello to all from the wintry tundra of the mountains I call home!  Happy Valentine's Day, too!

Violets, the official flowers of February

It has been a while since I have bothered to even think about this poor, neglected blog of mine, but upon doing some research online for a homemade version of Purex Crystals, I decided to take inspiration from Jen at  http://www.peopleiwanttopunchinthethroat.com/.  I love her rants and she makes me laugh and I do believe we both feel better for it.  And it so much cheaper than therapy!
fair warning, though, for those of you who go to her site, she does use some naughty language.  You cannot say I did not warn you!  I love her site even more because of it!  Raw honesty is so refreshing!

Anyway, it appears that every single person in the blogoshpere who has made their own "fabric softener crystals" cannot read the back of a Purex Crystals bottle!  The ingredients say:  Sugar, bentonite clay, fragrance and colorant.  Sounds pretty simple, right?  Then why are all of these fabulous bloggers using SALT and EPSOM SALTS to make this stuff!!  My next project will be to replicate this glorius concoction and then post the results for all to see.  If I fail, oh, well, but if I am triumphant the world will know and I will post the recipe!  It is simply figuring out ingredient ratios.
So, with that off my chest, I can now go conquer the world and enjoy this oh-so-sweet holiday! 

May all who have found love have it grow deeper,
and those who have not, may they find it and have it flourish!

Magical Bean Pot

If any of you are familiar with Celebrating Home products, you probably know about their "Bean Pot", pictured below, that you can cook just about anything in.  It is stoneware and can go in the freezer, fridge, microwave or oven and is dishwasher safe.  Yes, I realize this sounds like an ad, but it really is an amazing addition to any kitchen because it makes cooking so much easier.  I am going to use mine to make a "Chocolate Lava Dump Cake" to go with Christmas dinner.  It is called a "Dump Cake" because you dump the ingredients into the pot, mix it and bake it.  So easy!  I am including the recipe below.

Chocolate Lava Dump Cake

You will need:

1 box chocolate cake mix

ingredients listed on cake mix box

1 can chocolate frosting
Powdered Sugar (optional)

Bean Pot

Place all cake mix and ingredients in Bean Pot and whisk, stir until blende.  Drop 5-6 heaping tablespoons of frosting on top.  Place lid on pot ( if your microwave is small, flip the lip upside down).  Cook on high for 8 minutes or until knife comes out clean.  If additional cooking time is needed, do it in 1 minute intervals.  Let set for 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.  CAUTION!  It will be very hot!!  Serve alone or with ice cream.  Enjoy!

Look out spirits, here we come!

Gomez got me an EMF detector for Christmas, so now we can really go do some investigations!  We hope to be able to join a local group to cut our teeth and learn a few more things.  I will keep you posted! (No pun intended!)

Christmas is already here!

Merry Christmas!  I hope everyone is with family and friends and feeling loved, warm and contented.  Being in Arizona with my family we are definitely warm...62 degrees on Christmas Eve!  Seeing all the family at my brother's house last night was so much fun, with everyone eating until they were about to burst and teasing and poking fun at one another.  There was not a dull moment! 

Gomez, the pack 'o pups and I wish you all a very merry, blessed Christmas and hope that the love and spirit of Christ carry you through the new year with health, wealth and happiness!  (And, yes, our tree is black!) 

New Knitting Project

Fall is here and with it the desire to be cozy and nothing is cozier than knitting and having your project warm your hands and lap as you work.  My friend from the fiber arts group I belong to, Babs, taught me how to do this amazing double-sided knit stitch that allows you to basically knit two pieces of fabric together at the same time.  The result is an ultra-warm garment with a "pocket" to trap air that warms up when worn providing insulation.  (Babs, I try to keep my blog anonymous, so that is why you are referred to my your favorite nickname. ;-))  I am currently making my inaugural project with this method for my mother's boyfriend and I have to say I want to keep it for myself!

Not too bad for my first try! I will try to post the how-to later.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question.

After trying to get used to this whole blogging thing, I am wondering if it is really worth it.  I mean the time and energy it takes, even every so often seems quite wasted if no one reads or looks at it, right?  Isn't the whole point of blogging for people to read it?  Since I am not interested in making an income or advertising my little place here I will just suffice it to be my online outlet to get things out of my head and in writing.  If people happen to read it, so be it.  If not, oh well.  At least I have a creative outlet for my mind.  If you like my blog, let me know.  If not, let me know how I can improve it.  I am only a novice after all.  Thank you to my sister-in-law, K, for helping me set it up and get started.  You are amazing and I do not know how you do all that you do.  I love you more than you know.   Ciao for now!  I WILL be back!

Ahhhhutumn...

Autumn.  My favorite time of year, heralded by a crispness in the air, cooler temperatures, changing leaves, candy corn and, of course, the anticipation of Halloween, or as my Auntie Karen says, my"high holy days".  There really is no other time of year that makes me feel the way I do at this very moment, almost giddy with child-like excitement and wonder.  The place where I grew up was, in alot of ways, like the town of "Perfect" in the Walgreens ads that were out  a couple of years ago.  Fall meant thinking of and making the perfect costume and going to the annual Halloween carnival to play games, participate in the cake-walk and enter the costume contest.  My dear, late brother used to design and make me the best costumes!  They were so good, in fact, that I won "Best Costume" for my class every year but one!  Trick-or-treating was safe and always with good friends in the the little village that was near our school.  Sadly, the village no longer exists, but the memories will always remain.  I can still feel the brezze on my skin and see the leaves dancing as we went form house to house. Oh, how I miss those days!  To have them again would be great, but now as an adult I have found ways to instill that spirit into the season by decorating the house and having a big bash for all of our friends.  This year may be just a small gathering with our intimate friends and children, with all the goodies and trimmings I can manage, but Halloween will be celebrated in some way.  Off I go to enjoy the scents and sights that are already here and, maybe even break out the decorations!

I think it is the dogs' favorite time of year, too!

 

Gomez always goes for a traditional Jack-o-lantern and I try to be a bit different.