A LATE Posting!

Well, I had a whole posting ready last night, I worked on it for about an hour, and I was uploading the last pictures, and during that part.....my internet went down, completely down for hours -- all night and all today, actually! :-P  They said the whole network in my area went down, that almost never happens!  So it just got back up a few minutes ago, and I come here to see that my whole post is GONE.....I am not sure how that could happen, because blogger saves my posts while I'm typing them, so it should be in my drafts.....but, it's NOT!!  I guess losing the connection during my photo upload messed something up...?  *Sigh!*  So here I go again!  It will be a little different, since I have more to add today, but I'll try to remember to get everything I wanted to post yesterday on here.... :-/

Yesterday, I did some tweaking of my gingerbread ornaments....I basically like everything! LOL  So what do I pick??? :-D
Here they are just plain.....

Here are the three different finishes.....

....that's plain white glitter on the left, real silver glass glitter in the middle, and mica flakes on the right!
The light isn't really capturing how they look very well....but can you see why I love them all? :-D
Look at the sparkly silver glitter, it's really SO nice.....

Today I spent more time looking at them and thinking of what to do to make them perfect, and I think I got it right! :-D   VOILA......

I used only the white frosty glitter on these, and I think that's what looks the best!  I LOVE the silver glitter, but I don't want to use that on these -- I think the white glitter is thin enough to let some of the cookie background show through, and I love how they look with the puffy paint outlines!  So I am going to work on the rest of the shapes this way, and now I have some good ideas about making a "fake" gingerbread house!! :-D  I am thinking of using the one's with the thread hangers for the ornament swap, I am not sure if they are good enough yet, but I'm running out of time!

For the gingerbread men, yesterday I coated them with urethane to preserve them.....

They are still wet and shiny here, and they smell terrible!  So I got a little worried that I was ruining the smell, and decided to sprinkle them with cinnamon and cloves while they were wet....that made them a little rougher looking, and I started worrying that I was overdoing it (again!), so I decided to just wait until they were dry, and see what needed to be done then! Haha!!
It was a good idea.....

Once they were dry, the roughness didn't look bad or very noticeable, and the spices smelled good, so I was happy to leave them the way they were!  Here they are all piled on my kitchen chest, and around them are the things I'm thinking of hanging on a garland with them.....hmmm, there's bay leaves, and whole nutmeg, dried pear slices and cinnamon sticks....I'm not sure if I will use those, though - I might just string the little men in a line by themselves....hmmm!!  Decisions, decisions!!  They look so cool in a pile like that though, don't they? :-D

I highly recommend making these, if you've ever thought about it before (....Marlene...?? ;-D).....REALLY, it was easy and quick, and the results are great, and fun to work with!
Here is a close-up of the stocking shape, it looks even prettier in real life.....

Here is one of the gingerbread men that I tried glitter on....

NOOOT the look I am going for! LOL  I'll tweak him a little more and hang him on the Christmas tree!! :-D

Something else I did yesterday was to string up the last little pile of beans from my garden!  That was fun, but I'm not sure what they are supposed to look like.....

They are mostly still green, but there are a few that are shriveling up....is that what's supposed to happen?? LOL  I guess we'll see!  I love having dried things hanging all over the kitchen, though - it looks so homey! (to me, anyway) :-)

And now it's time for THE BEST thing about this post....a new food dish!!  I will warn you, this is for onion lovers (or at least "likers", like ME!), because it's called Cheesy Onion Casserole, and it is YUMMY!
Here is the link to the recipe....
 http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheesy-Onion-Casserole-Best-Thanksgiving-Side-Dis/?ALLSTEPS
The directions are a little overlapping, so read it through before you start!  And here's how I made it --

I started by slicing 4 yellow onions (medium size), and putting it in my skillet with 3 tablespoons of butter (it's under there somewhere! :-D  Those need to be sauteed over medium-high until they are soft and pretty clear.
In the meantime, I got the sauce ready.....

I can of Cream of Chicken (or Mushroom) soup, 1/3 cup of milk, and I used 1 tablespoon of Worchestershire sauce (the recipe says 1 teaspoon of soy sauce).....that gets stirred around over medium heat until it's all smooth and mixed up.
When the onions are ready, I put them into my oiled/sprayed baking dish.....

I made a little more than the original recipe, so I used a 9x13 dish, not the 2quart dish in the recipe.  I also sprinkled garlic powder over these (everything tastes better with garlic!).
Then, I sprinkled most of a 6oz. bag of shredded swiss cheese over it....

And then pour the soup mix over this and stir it lightly so the soup mix sinks into it.....

Then the recipe says to use French bread, but I just used a loaf of bread I bought that is so special....

Look at that!!! :-D  It's whole wheat and rolled in seeds!  I got this for $1 at the store because the date was about to be too old -- what luck!!  I'd actually like to make bread like this sometime! (a post for another time....)
Anyway, I sliced this bread and placed the pieces on top of the onions....

Then I popped it into a 350 degree oven, and baked it for 15 minutes.
When the time was up, like the recipe said, I pushed the crispy bread slices into the soupy mix (they didn't get covered, by the way, just deeper into the soup), and sprinkled it with the rest of the 6oz. bag of swiss cheese.  I had to add some shredded monterey jack cheese, too, because the recipe says 8oz. of swiss, so I didn't have enough.
That went back into the oven for 15 more minutes, and when it was done, voila.....

It was YUMMY!! :-D  That picture is after the first scoop was taken out....it didn't last long after this!
Like I said, if you like onions, you will LOVE this! :-D

I am SO happy to have the internet back!  I don't spend alot of time online, but I DO like to use it when I want to!  On the up side, I did some fun things today because the internet was down -- like take out my wool fabric and think about making a penny rug (none of the things on my list, of course! :-P LOL).....that's a really fun idea to me!  I really want to have some handwork to do right now -- that's my thing I do when it gets cooler out and throughout the winter (before gardening begins again in late February), and I'm not feeling inspired to start any crocheting projects yet!  So a penny rug would be perfect!  And I just realized today that I have quite a few nice pieces of wool felt and fabric....maybe I can come up with something to do with it....??? ^-^

NOW The Weather Is Cooling Off!!!

Well, yesterday was about 82 degrees, but today struggled to get to 60 degrees!  IT'S WONDERFUL!!! :-D  Tomorrow, I will get the window candles out -- it will be so cozy!!

Today I made something brand new -- Sweet Potato Pork Stew....except I used butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes!  It was pretty easy, and delicious - everyone loved it!......

It only had a few ingredients -- pork loin cut up, tossed with dijon mustard, molasses and flour - chicken broth, onions and garlic, butternut squash cut into cubes, and parsley!  Perfect for a cool fall day!!
Of course, I had to make my favorite Cheddar biscuits to go with it.....

I snapped this picture before they ate them all! LOL  SO delicious!!

I remembered to buy the puffy paint, too, and I got white and glitter gold -- I tried the gold on one bell cookie, I'm not sure what I think.....

Any thoughts....?  Hmmm, I like it, but does it look cookie-ish?  I'm not sure.....next I need to try the white!

So, it's Sunday night again, the beginning of another week.....I guess I should make a list, right? :-D
Let's see, what will I do this week....

1. make pear bread
2. make caramel pear jam
3. VACUUM (this one's important!)
4. bake an apple danish (a first time for me)
5. finish the little wood house (!!!)
6. finish the mustard cabinet (!!!)

That's a good start! :-D

And before I go to bed, I wanted to give you an update about the mini-puppy -- I guess we will probably be keeping her, I did try some more ads on Craigslist last week, and got a few emails, but NO ONE responded back when I emailed them....why even contact me in the first place then??? :-P  It's very annoying!  But I suppose it's for the best, because I only would want her to go to people who are really committed owners, and those people obviously weren't!  Plus, she's very used to us and being here, and being with our dogs and everything....could I really take her away from us?  She's very quiet and sweet -- she has a little wild streak, but she's a puppy, so that's healthy.  I'm sure she will be calm and laid back when she outgrows that!
I've decided to name her Minnie, because I'm always referring to her as "the mini-puppy", so it's an easy stretch!! :-D  She sleeps ALL night long, right on the couch.....

Such a darling little girl, isn't she??? ^-^

HAPPY DAY!!!! or....My Cabinet Is Done!!! :-D

**********This post was meant for yesterday (Friday), but I guess I clicked "save" instead of  "publish"....! :-P  So here it is, but keep in mind that it's Friday to me here!!  I'm SUCH an airhead sometimes!!**********


Oh, I LOVE it!!! :-D

This is when it was outside, so I could do the last sanding/staining touch-ups!
Here it is in my kitchen....

Let's see how it compares to the original I was designing it from....

It's CLOSE....mine is a little taller and narrower because I have an extra shelf in there....I think I can be happy with it....!!! :-D  LOL
Here are the little damaged wood parts that I made sure Brian saved for using (I'm crazy, I know!).....

This is an awesome worm-hole, or something -- I had to have this right on top, so it could be seen!

Here are two knots -- VERY special!! :-D

Look at this broken piece!  Every old cabinet has a broken-off bottom edge!!!  Perfect!!
Don't you love that stain color, too?  I sure do, and it's so easy and cheap - just my favorite sample, Sweet Molasses, plus water!  Then one coat of urethane (to bring out the color) and that's it!

I LOVE IT!!!  I really am very happy with it, and that's a great feeling!!  (I'm sure we can all remember how many posts I've written about not being happy with one of my projects.... :-P)
Now I just wish it was sitting on a new ceramic tile floor.....!!!  :-D  ONE thing at a time, Lisa!! Hahaha!

And now let me show you my birthday cake.....

Sweet coconutty yumminess!!! :-D  Let me tell you what it is....a plain white cake from a box mix, and 7-minute frosting with a bag of coconut stirred into it -- it was a huge hit here! :-D  If you've never made 7-minute frosting, it's very easy except for the mixing on medium high speed for 7 minutes.... LOL
You mix 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with 1/8 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar, add 1/3 cup of water and 3 egg whites, and mix mix mix!  After the mixing is done, stir in 1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and the coconut.....VOILA!!  Oh, I forgot the part where you have to mix everything for the 7 minutes in a double boiler, with the boiling water NOT touching the mixing bowl -- that's kind of an important part, I guess....OOPS!  My daughter helped me with it, so it wasn't too hard - we took turns! :-)

So I'm having alot of fun things happen this weekend!  The next very happy thing is that tonight is only Friday night, I still have two more days with Brian home!!  I love the extra day off! :-D
I forgot to get puffy paint when we were out today, so I must remember it tomorrow when we run to the store -- I need it for my cookie ornaments!  I saw a picture of someone else's cookie ornaments on Pinterest, and they put glitter on them.....

Those look like mica flakes, don't they?  I have those, and I might try this on a few of my ornaments, too!

I hope everyone else is having a great weekend like I am!!! ^-^

Today Was My BIRTHDAY!!!! :-D

I LOVE my birthday!! :-D  We didn't do anything major, but I still always feel so happy on my birthday! LOL 
Today I turned 43!  I really love the wisdom that comes with being older -- I feel so much less frantic than I did when I was younger, I also have a better understanding of things from this middle-age perspective, and I am much more positive and happy than I was in my 20s.....it's GREAT!! :-D

And another stroke of birthday luck -- Brian had the day off today!  Yipee!!  He wasn't needed for the inventory that they've been doing at his work.....it was totally random, and it happened on MY special day!  That made it even better.....we got to go to Lowe's and get the wood for my cabinet, he cut it for me, and I sanded and stained it!  My cabinet will be done tomorrow -- that's THE BEST present, right!?

Tomorrow, I'm going to make myself a special cake!  I know that sounds a little strange, but hear me out -- I'm the only one who can make a good cake!!  And I actually enjoy baking!  We DID go out to eat today at my favorite Mexican restaurant - YUM YUM!! - and it was so fun -- I love when someone else cooks me food! Hahaha!!  And it will be great for me to show the cake on here, it's a white cake with coconut frosting, and SOOOOO good.....you will all thank me for showing it to you!!! :-D

So I had a wonderful birthday day!  I am so grateful for my happy life and my little home in the woods, and this beautiful Autumn weather, and coconut frosted cakes!! ^-^

Mine Don't Look Like That......

Ok, well, I made the cookies, but mine didn't turn out quite the same as her picture.....

 I mean, they aren't finished yet, I know....the color will probably even out if I put a sealer on them, and I did rinse them off after they were completely cooled, and they look better wet....so we'll see!  They were VERY easy, so I can make another batch if I want to try again.  I told my daughter that it might be fun to make a gingerbread house with this dough, then we could paint it and decorate it and KEEP it!! :-D  So we might do that too!

Here's how it all went ---
Yesterday, I mixed up the dough.....

The recipe calls for shortening, but I NEVER use shortening so I don't have any!  I used the same amount of vegetable oil, and it worked out fine! :-D  So I stirred up the oil, molasses and sugar -- it was hard for me to use real food, when I knew we weren't going to eat it!  It felt like I was wasting it all!! LOL

After that, I mixed up the flour and baking soda, and the spices - cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg.....

It smells so good!!! :-D
Mix it into the molasses/sugar mix -- it's really dry and sticky.....

It needs the water now!....

Now it's just sticky! :-D
I popped it into the fridge to sit overnight!

Today, Emily wanted to help me with the cookies (yay!)....I have lots of cutters, in a huge paper mache container (which I really should paint and stencil, right!?), so I picked the ones I wanted to use this time.....

We rolled out the dough....it was really sticky, so we spread out flour and cinnamon.....

......and cut out the shapes!

I poked holes in them, and used peppercorns for the eyes and buttons of the "people" -- I just happened to have whole peppercorns around! LOL  I didn't think much of the flour that covered them, because she didn't mention that in her instructions (but she said to USE flour) so I thought it would get absorbed during baking (like other cookies I've made).....WRONG!

This is AFTER baking....NOT the look I wanted!  Also, note how much they puffed up -- before baking, when we were rolling them out, I was worried that we had made them too thin, so I made sure to keep the dough at 1/4 inch thick.  I am glad that our first batch was more like 1/8 inch, because I want to hang those and the others were TOO thick for a garland - look at that!  The holes that I had made in them before baking also closed up a little during baking, so I went back over them with a toothpick....I had to be careful, because these came out pretty hard right away, so they were easy to crack!  Note to self: use a straw next time!! :-D

As for the flour, I tried wiping it off with a wet sponge but it didn't really work.  So, I ran them under the water quickly (after they had completely cooled)!  THAT worked.....

....but it made them a little soft again, so I put them all back in a low oven (275) for about 10 minutes.  Then I left them to cool and now dry for the whole night.  It was really fun!!  I love them! :-D  I keep checking them and picking them up -- I love that they are basically permanent!  I'm going to leave the people plain, but I want to paint the other shapes we made, maybe with a t-shirt paint, the kind that stays puffed up - that will look like icing! :-D  We were also talking about how much fun it would be to make a gingerbread house this way, too....that would be an exciting project, right?!!  What a great decoration that would be!

SO, anyway, here is step one with these "cookies".....I'm going to buy the paint tomorrow! :-D
I also created some other ornaments, from my box, but I don't know if they are "homespun" enough.....

Aren't they pretty?  The beaded ones I made last year, and just left them in the box!  But the star-shaped ornaments are so easy, and I hung a small glass ball from the tops - I love the silver and pink!!

I have a few more ideas, so I'll see what I come up with!  Check back tomorrow night!! ^-^

Thoughts Of CHRISTMAS!!!

A few weeks ago, I decided to join my first-EVER blog swap over at Bumble Bee Lane (Hi Amy!!!)....it's called a Homespun Ornament Swap!  FUN, right???  Yup, but also SCARY....I don't know if I can make any ornaments that anyone wants...!  I have a few ideas, but I'm still nervous! LOL
So, today I went into my Christmas closet (yes, I have a whole closet full of my Christmas stuff!! Haha!), and I pulled out a small box of my Works In Progress (WIPs)......

This is a fun little box right here!! :-D  I have glitter glue, glass beads, ornament kits, ribbon, chenille stems, little ornaments....great stuff!  I do have half-finished ornaments (of course) and several ideas for ornaments -- maybe I can come up with something that's good enough to give away....?!

Getting into my Christmas closet kind of got me excited about Christmas!! :-D  I started looking on Pinterest, and I found some great ideas and inspiration on there......

I want to make ALL of those!!!!  I have my old pair of ice skates, I used them when I was a teenager and up in Massachusetts -- there's NO need for them down here! :-D  Nothing ever freezes enough to be safe to stand on!  So I could hang them on my door, after distressing them....I LOVE the candy canes wrapped in fabric, too -- I have that fabric!! :-D

I also found a fun new cabinet to build sometime.....

I LOVE THIS!!  It would be perfect here, and I know just how to make it!  
Don't tell my husband, though.....he thinks we are building the last cabinet I want for a long time....hee hee hee!!! :-D

And HERE is something I found that I'm going to make tomorrow......

I found the recipe posted here....
http://rockriverstitches.blogspot.com/2009/11/ornamental-gingerbread-cookies.html

Don't they look perfect??  They are not edible, they are for decoration only, and I've always wanted some....I'll take pictures of making the dough tomorrow.  They have to chill overnight, so I will cut and bake them on Wednesday!!  FUN FUN!!! :-D

So that's about all I did today -- OH, I did take the mini-puppy outside several times, to go to the bathroom and just to run....she's got ALOT of energy, even my poor Puppy gets tired of being nipped and jumped on!  The other two dogs stay faaaar away from her!! LOL
I still have cooking to do (from my list last night), so we'll have to see how that goes tomorrow....I might just work on my Swap ornaments! ^-^