Happy Birthday Kim!

Kimberly Ann was born on January 27, 1961.

A happy baby.

1963

1965

Kim was the typical oldest child...obedient, reliable, responsible, high achiever, and bossy!! :-)

First Grade

          

Kim with her new guitar - Christmas 1974

1975 - Doing knee bends with Wendy.  Dig the groovy sleeping bag.  Is Kim wearing an Elton John T-shirt?

Sewing (1976)

1976 - Lookin' good in gaucho pants and boots!  (I think this was one of Kim's hand-made outfits.)

Could this possibly be the first photo of Kim knitting (1979)?!!!

Daddy's girl - 18th birthday

Carmel High School Class of 1979

A new mom in March 1994

HAPPY 49th BIRTHDAY, KIM!!

"Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." - Mark Twain

"The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune." - English Proverb

"The secret to staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." - Lucille Ball

 

And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

 

Love, Bonnie Jo

Sock #4

Dear Mom,

Love,

Kim

Inside out Thin Mints

Dear Mom,
As part of our weekly routine, the Young Lady and I bake cookies on Sunday evenings while the boys are off playing hockey. The goal is to bake enough cookies to supply lunch boxes for the week. Any extras are bonus to be eaten through the week, and ususally do not make it past Wednesday. We are not too exotic with our recipes and have some favorites, but occasionally we try out new recipes.
This past Sunday, we tried what was a fairly easy recipe that we tried making easier so we wouldn't end up with chocolate up to our knuckles. We had a few "what if we tried this" and "oh! I know what we can do" moments and ended up with a really good, simple, no bake cookie.

We are calling them Inside Out Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies.

Here is what we did.


Dump one 12oz bag of Nestle's MILK Chocolate Chips (not semi-sweet) into a gallon-size zip lock bag. Add 2 or 3 drops of Peppermint extract. Seal the bag, squeezing out as much of the air as you can. Microwave the bag in 15 second increments, squeezing the contents after each round, until the chocolate is melted. This won't take long and you don't want to do the melting so fast that you end up melting the bag, because that would be a huge mess.
While the chocolate is melting, line the counter top with a generous piece of wax paper. Place a couple of sleeves of Ritz crackers in a single layer on the wax paper. Set aside the remaining 2 sleeves, but have them handy.
Once the chocolate is all melted, work the chocolate into one of the bottom corners of the bag and then cut a very tiny bit of this corner off, turning it into a kind of pastry bag. Squirt a blop of chocolate onto the center of each cracker and if you have a helper, have them follow behind you and place a second cracker on top of the warm chocolate. You will want to work fast enough to get all the chocolate out of the bag while it is still melty. If you are working alone, you can go back and add the top layer of crackers after you have used up all the chocolate. If the chocolate cools too fast on the crackers before you can add the second layer, stick them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften the chocolate and you are good to go.
Let the chocolate cool off and TADA! Inside Out Thin Mints.

This recipe is NOT intended to replace the real deal. When a Girl Scout comes to your door, on what is certainly going to be the coldest day of the winter, buy a box. It should be a law. I still bear the emotional scars of trying to sell cookies after Sheryl Place's mom got her out of school early so she could canvas the entire neighborhood before we even got off the bus. I don't care how many boxes I've already purchased. If a Girl Scout comes to my door, I always buy one more box.

Love,
Kim

A year later and still learning

Dear Mom,
You might think that after this blogging thing has been going on for about a year, (I think tomorrow it the blog's birthday, but I am not going to stop posting to go check. Let's just roll with it.)  that I would be better at taking blog worthy photos when I am presented with them. After all, my camera goes with me just about everywhere. Except today. My Hero has my camera. He gets to view the real live Stanley Cup in person and this apparently is photo worthy. But what can I say. I take pictures of yarn. Regularly. So today, when I leave the house, it will feel like I forgot my phone or something. And that is a whole 'nother subject because it wasn't all that long ago that our phones were literally tethered to the walls of our houses, so leaving with out one shouldn't be cause for panic. I digress.
On Saturday, you and I had a wonderful day together, a delicious lunch and some fun antiquing. Did I take a photo of the charming restaurant? No. Or the big pot of tea I drank? No. The big pot of tea YOU drank? No. The lovely group of tea party ladies? No. That group was having F.U.N. We learned they are a group of 20+ women who meet once a month at different places for tea. They quickly let us know that they "Are NOT Red Hats!(which was pretty obvious due to the absence of red hats) Too many rules. Too fussy."  They only have 2 rules: Do not talk about work, and I can't remember what the other one was.
So, in all that fun and activity, what picture do I have to show for it?
This one. Taken in the antique shop.

A picture of the lunch box I carried around during most of our time there. This is a duplicate of my grade school lunch box. As you know, I almost bought this one. It brought back happy memories and clued me in to the possible root of why the combination of red and yellow makes me happy. Reason won out and I returned the lunch box to its proper booth. For now anyway. I could always go back.

Another feast for the eyes did occur very briefly yesterday. It had been so long (a month? longer?) since I've seen this that I stopped the car and took a picture.

See that? It is a tiny patch of actual BLUE SKY. We even got a peak of sunshine for about 3 minutes yesterday afternoon. Then it got dark and poured down more rain for the rest of the day.

And this was finished yesterday. My Colts football nervous energy knitting project::

A hot water bottle cozy. I will be making more of these, as soon as I find the hot water bottles. I may have to search every Walgreens and CVS in the township. I have looked 3 places and only scored 1 hot water bottle. I am on a mission. The Young Lady took it to bed with her last night, got warm and then stuck it in my bed for me. It was still warm this morning. I am in love. Everyone should have one of these.
I used this pattern and one skein of Lamb's Pride yarn. Isn't it cute?

Love,
Kim

Drama in the Coop!

Dear Mom,
Gloria has gone broody.  She sat on the golf balls...all night.  This morning, she was fiercely protecting her nest. 

Golda and Marge looked on as Gloria screeched at me and puffed out her feathers.  And if "looks could kill", then I might be dead. 

Since there is nothing for Gloria to "hatch", I will have to work with her to keep her off the nest.  We have some warmer days ahead, and I think a couple of field trips out in the back yard will do her some good!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Not So Great

Dear Mom (and Kim),
The weather must be getting to the cookies, too.  My Martha's Oatmeal Raisin Cookies were . . . not so great.  When I think of oatmeal raisin cookies, I think of chewy on the inside, crispy edges, sugary, moist with raisins.  Martha's recipe calls for Wheat Germ.  . . . . . ick.  It was a long day and we are also getting freezing rain.  I wanted warm-fuzzy oatmeal raisin cookies.  These oatmeal raisin cookies were more "for your own good" cookies.

On a happy note, though:  in the midst of our financial aftershock--after the initial financial earthquake a year ago, this has been a week of much kindness from friends.  I have been struggling recently---really needing to find kindness, care and compassion again.  Kindness did come small, sweet as well as large and very unexpected.  I shared a warm muffin and a made-for-me espresso with a friend.  I had a friend bring some warm loaves of bread; another friend gave boxes of Pop-Tarts to the kids!!  Yet another friend shared columbine seeds for planting and still another friend GAVE me her refurbished Kitchen-Aid mixer!!!  To encourage me with my cookie of the week!!
I also have the best sisters that anyone could ask for.  Kim and Bonnie Jo are different from one another and yet they both encouraged me (the baby!) so that my heart grew three sizes this day!!  Thank you, Kim, for ordering pillowcases!  And thank you, Bonnie Jo, for ordering my photo notecards!!  Kisses and hugs to both of you!
Love,
Wendy

Freezing rain

Dear Mom,
This day has been cold and icy and relentlessly damp enough that I found myself looking on the internet to see if they still make these:

They do.
I decided I would like buy lots of them and knit hot water bottle cosies and put one in every bed and give one to everyone I know.  It is too cold and rainy to go out looking to see if the local CVS has any in stock.
I think the weather might be getting to me.
Love,
Kim
P.S. A Batch of homemade cookies from Wendy's kitchen would warm me up, too!

Sock #3

Dear Mom,
At this point I am wondering if the true challenge is not in getting the socks done, but in taking an interesting variety of pictures of them.
Sock #3 is Koigu yarn. The yarn label is lost and I can't tell anyone what the color is. I did a mock cable to spice up the boring bit of k2p2 ribbing, It was still boring. Seems I don't like ribbing much, no matter what I do to try to make it exciting. The leg of this sock is only as long as I could stand to keep at it, and only long enough not to be an anklet. This one may end up with a fraternal twin (same yarn, different pattern), I don't know if I have it in me to do another ribbing marathon.

Love,
Kim

Frozen Jeans and a Sweater Shaver

Dear Mom,
Today I learned how to remove a whole pack of gum that was stuck inside the pocket of a pair of jeans after going through a wash cycle.
Love, Bonnie Jo

more pretty stuff

Dear Mom,
I lost track of most of an evening spinning about half of the roving that Dianne sent to me.
This may be the prettiest stuff yet.

I draped it on the back of a dining room chair and spent some time admiring it yesterday while I knitted on a sweater. I am collecting pretty scarf and shawl patterns now- small projects and simple patterns that will show off the yarn.
Thanks to some Pacers basketball tickets and the Colts game over the weekend, I am ahead of the sock schedule. With the damp, grey weather, I just wish I could stay ahead of the mud.
Love,
Kim

Why I went back to bed this morning....

Dear Mom,
I am not going to blame the premiere of Project Runway on the few hours of sleep I got. I will admit that I got to bed later because of it, but it was the Loud Snoring that awakened me at 3:30 and kept me up. This time it was so loud that I stumbled down the hall to the guest room to try to get a little sleep before the alarm went off. For a moment there, I thought that the dog was going to follow me.
The rough night convinced me to go back to bed after the bus took my kids away. Not much convincing is needed to get me to do that, but this time I didn't feel so guilty about it.
Especially since it became clear to me, after yesterday, that I need my beauty sleep. Lots of it.
You see, I did a bit of running around after school, picking the Young Man up from an after school meeting, and then taking the Young Lady to and from Art Class. It must have been quota day for the local police, because twice The Young Lady and I saw drivers pulled over, getting tickets. The Young Lady didn't comment on the first driver. He must have looked like someone you would expect to see pulled over. The second driver was different.
"That was a Grandma!", the Young Lady announced. (Clearly Grandmas do not speed.)
"It was? Oh dear."
"Yeah, she was a little older than you, in her 50's."
...!!!.....
"I AM ALMOST 50! I AM NOT A GRANDMA! Do I look like a Grandma?"
"NO, Mom, I said she was older than you. In her 50'ssss. Plus she had on big sunglasses."

Yep. Lots of beauty sleep.

Love,
Kim

Just Four Ingredients!

Dear Mom,
This was a recipe I got from a friend that I met when the Teenager was in preschool!!  We make it A LOT in our house because it is stupid-easy.  Just 4 ingredients.  I'm not a chemist so I can't really explain just how these four ingredients can come together to make the most fabulous peanut butter cookies.  But these are the best. The Best! peanut butter cookies!  Ever!  And every time I pull out my recipe card, I laugh because written on the card are literally 4 ingredients.  And nothing else!
But enough already!

And here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 cup chunky peanut butter

1 egg

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together.  Drop by rounded teaspoonful on a cookie sheet.  Press down with a fork to make the fun cross-marks on the top of the cookie!  Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.

Enjoy!

Seriously?!?!  About 2 minutes to mix everything together.

Go ahead!  Impress your family!  Your neighbors!  Your friends!  And then go make some more!

Love,

Wendy

Sock #2

Dear Mom,

Love,

Kim

Roving Report

Dear Mom,

On Saturday, I took CarolWhoseHouseGotStruckbyLightening up to Tabby Tree Weaver. She wanted to investigate the weaving and I wanted to look at more roving. We spent a couple of hours soaking in the fibery goodness and before we left, CarolWHGSbL signed up to take a weaving class.
I brought with me some roving that I found on sale from Yarnhollow and I wanted to check out the menu at Tabby Tree to see what I might ply it with. Thanks to the enablers   experts there, I found some mohair which I will combine with my bag o' wool, and then spin and ply it with the hand-dyed roving from Yarnhollow.

The rusty orange and turquoise are the mohair roving I purchased on Saturday. The bright multi-colored roving is the stuff I got from Yarnhollow and that spool has a little bit of the wool I spun from the bag o'wool.

Alice, who taught my spinning class, offered me the use of her drum carder. I am now on a mission to get all my wool washed and ready for the carder when I pick it up at the next Open Spin, in February. The drum carder will speed up the process of getting the wool ready to spin, and hopefully the roving I produce with the drum carder will be more consistent than what I am making with my hand carders.

It wasn't all spinning all weekend around here, though. In addition to working on sock #2, I started a sweater.

 

This will be for me. Another version of my Merry Poppins cardigan. I am test knitting my own instructions and tweaking the neckline a bit. I have the wool for a coordinating skirt. And the idea of a classic cabled cardigan in Navy is dancing around in my head. I'd better get knitting.

Love,

Kim

Good things

Dear Mom,
It is easy to lose track of the Good out there. Especially on bleak winter days, or every time you turn on the television. It is easy to feel alone, an alien on your own planet. That might be a clue to why I read my favorite blogs. They give me little peeks into the lives of other people who like and value the same sorts of things I do.
When we started this blog I didn't really think about the people peeking in here, to see what we do. I am surprised to find that I have made a couple of blog friends. Modern day pen pals.
One of these blog friends sent me a generous gift of roving from sheep on her farm.
Dianne has been very encouraging of my spinning. "I'd like to send you a fiber sample", she wrote.

This is a box with 8 oz of natural color roving for me to play with! I can't tell you how magical this box is to me. A kind and generous gift, from someone I never met, in a world that, if you pay attention to the news, is harsh and nearly hopeless. This box of soft wool is proof that it is not. That there are good people out there, doing quiet, caring things that might not seem much on the surface, but they are Little Things That Matter, things that warm the hearts of others.

And more proof that I am reeaaallllllyyyy liking spinning...... I did not knit ONE STITCH yesterday. I spent HOURS with my spinning wheel. And I am liking the yarn I spun so much that I can't decide what to do with it. I want whatever it is going to be to be Perfect.

Love,

Kim

Snow Days and Warm Cookies

Dear Mom,
We are getting beautiful snow and it was a snow day for the kids.  So.  The girls baked.  Hmmmm our favorite cookies.  We did just enjoy these over Christmas break; Santa gets treated to these on Christmas Eve (or, in our house, Christmas morning since no one can go to sleep before 2:00 a.m. because of all of the excitement-even with threats and warnings that Santa doesn't come when children are wide awake!)  Anyhooo----Chocolate Crinkles!

Chocolate Crinkles

3/4 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

6 oz. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

In a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, cocoa powder and sugar.  Whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.  In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture.  Stir in the chocolate chips.  Refrigerate the dough for approx. 2 hours (or--do what we did today--mix the dough, stick in the fridge; put all of your snowpants and coats and hats and gloves and scarves on; pull out the sleds.  Sled and play outside.  Come back in, take everything off. Drink hot chocolate and THEN the dough will be chilled!!)  Heat the oven to 350.  Form the dough into 1" balls and roll them in the confectioners' sugar.  Bake the cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.  Try not to eat them all while they are still warm!!!

Enjoy your snow day, too!!!

Love,

Wendy

Sock #1

Dear Mom,

So far so good.

Love,

Kim

Sunday's spinning

Dear Mom,
Here we have Elle modeling the results of Sunday afternoon's Open Spin at Tabby Tree Weaver.

This is about 130 yards of hand painted Merino from Yarnhollow, plied with a charcoal Merino wool from Hello Yarn. I still have more of each roving to spin and ply, so I may actually end up with enough yardage to make more than a hat- possibly a cowl and some fingerless mitts. Like this and these.

I haven't choked my vacuum cleaner yet, but I have emptied the canister a few times in my quest to get Back to Normal now that the kids are back in school. I didn't even mind the 6 o'clock alarm. And while I did not flit through the house singing to woodland animals and harmonizing with a blue bird perched on my shoulder, I sure felt like I could, such was the feeling of having the house to myself. Even if it is spent cleaning.

Love,

Kim

The last and the first

Dear Mom,

This is the last project started and finished in 2009, another baby gift.

Girls Cotton Bamboo Dress and North Porch Hat, Jr

And this is the first knitting project, started and completed in 2010.

North Porch Hat

It is also my first knitting project using my own handspun yarn. It also demonstrates my lack of handspinning consistency, but I will defend some of those "inconsistencies" by stating that the entire project (except for the direct sheep care and shearing parts) was done by my hands. I washed and hand-carded the fleece and spun enough to knit the hat.

I don't generally make New Year's resolutions, but this year I am using the the New Year as an opportunity to get a grip on the yarn I have stashed away. Specifically, my sock yarn. It is just too easy to buy sock yarn. So, with that effort in mind, and after talking it over with GinaWhoCanParallelPark, I will state here, for the public record, that I will ( maybe, I hope) make One Sock per Week this year. Read that again. That is NOT one PAIR of socks. That says ONE SOCK. By year's end I should have 26 pairs of socks. I haven't taken sock yarn inventory, but I am pretty sure I have the stash to support my goal. Since I started a sock on New Year's Eve, I will make Wednesday my weekly sock deadline.



Love,
Kim

New Year's Resolutions

Dear Mom,
Happy New Year!  January 1 is always a time for reflection, rest, resolutions.
I'm not resolving to lose weight; I eat healthy and exercise daily.  I'm not resolving to save more money; we are extremely frugal (read:  cheap); I'm also not resolving to find the love of my life this year; I already have one of those, thank you very much.
My resolutions are more of the reflection-type.  I would like to actually knit with the yarn I have in my home already.  Oh the sweaters, socks and mittens that are just waiting to be made!  I would like to actually sew with the fabric I already have!  Oh the Amy Butler skirts, blouses and purses that are just waiting to be sewn!  I would like to actually paint the dining room with the paint I bought in August when I foolishly thought that since swim team was over, I'd have time to paint!  Same with the bedroom.  I would like to actually read those books that are waiting by my bedside.  I would like to be a bit more organized and try to control the clutter (read:  junk!) that comes into the house.
I have also decided to make a special cookie every week.  I love to bake.  I bake daily.  I bake with the kids and I bake for therapy.  I usually share my baked goodies with friends and neighbors.  I am going to share with you a different cookie that we have baked each week.  Starting today, on the day of all things new, this week's cookie is a white chocolate chip craisin cookie.  Serve them on your favorite polish pottery plate and eat them warm.  They go especially well with Monopoly.

White Chocolate Chip Craisin Cookies

3 c flour

1 tsp soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 c unsalted butter

1 c brown sugar

3/4 c sugar

2 eggs          

1 Tbls vanilla

1c crasins

1 1/2 c white chocolate chips

1 c chopped nuts (I use whatever kind of nut we have in the pantry!)

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cream butter and sugars until fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Slowly add the flour mixtures to the cream mixture. Stir until almost incorporated. Add the crasins, white chocolate, and nuts. Mix until everything is just together.

I rolled into heaping spoonfuls and bake at 350F for 11 minutes.

May your new year be filled with much happiness, love, laughter and cookies!

Love,

Wendy

Preemptive Strike

Dear Mom,

In an effort to thwart the grey gloomy winter feeling that I feel encroaching upon me, I spent a meager $1.49 on a pure pick-me-up, guaranteed to beat the winter blahs.

A Delft Blue Hyacinth bulb. Pre-chilled and ready to go. Plopped into a bulb vase with water to entice its roots to grow and then set upon the kitchen windowsill.

For 25 cents each, I bought 2 more bulbs that were not pre-chilled. They are now taking a 6 week nap in a brown paper sack in the back of the fridge. My plan is that they will be ready to wake up about the time this bulb has worn itself out. The colors of the 25 cent bulbs are a mystery- definitely hyacinths, but separated and rearranged when an unsupervised child played with the hyacinth bulbs at the garden shop last fall.

With all the grey days our winters usually bring, I will have a hopeful little reminder of Spring to pull me through.

Love,
Kim

Proof that you are never too old to get a doll for Christmas

Dear Mom,
I bet you thought you were done giving me dolls for Christmas. This one doesn't have a head. Or arms. Or legs. She doesn't talk or eat or wet. But I can dress her up and that is exactly why I asked for her. She is my resident fashion model, and she will make it easier for me to photograph my knitting designs.
Because she is my exclusive model, I have named her Elle. Much to the dismay of the rest of my family, who needed tv's or batteries to play with their gifts, I was able to play with my new toy right away! I took a few photos of her modeling the knitted skirt and scarf I gave to you. It was a complete shift in reality- the Mom playing while the rest of the family waited, but I wanted to take a good photo of the gift I gave to you.

This is the Simple Yet Effective Shawl and the skirt is my design, and I am still trying to think of a name for it. Any ideas?

Today Elle had her first official photo shoot, with wardrobe changes. She was most cooperative.
Here are some of the pictures....

"Merry Poppins"

Lace Duster

With my Christmas knitting, baking, wrapping and cleaning behind me, I was able to finish my sister-in-law's socks,

Generic sock pattern, Claudia's Handpainted Yarn "Teal Party"

and start and finish a baby gift.

This is Elizabeth Zimmermann's February Baby Sweater from her book Knitter's Almanac, and my North Porch Hat, Jr. pattern. The yarn for both is Knitterly Things Vesper Sock yarn. The sweater uses her semi-solid "Magenta" and the hat used leftover "In The Wildwood" from another project. The photo makes the stripes look more red, but they are magenta like the sweater. I covered the buttons with the same shade of green, using gingham fabric to coordinate the set.

I have one more baby gift to complete and then I hope to cast on something for me..... although the Young Lady has been raiding my supply of hand knit socks and I should probably knit a few pairs of socks to keep us both warm.
And with snow on the ground and BRRRRR it is cold outside, we need all the warm we can get our toes into.
Love,
Kim

Santa's Little Helper

Dear Mom,
Benny holds down the wrapping paper for me while I cut...

and he guards the packages to be sure there is no peeking before Christmas morning!

Love, Bonnie Jo

Cranberry Cordial

Dear Mom,
The cranberry cordial takes about 6 weeks to work its magic...but it is well worth the wait, don't you think?! I have been savoring it drizzled over a scoop of vanilla ice cream with a spoonful of those special cranberries and some mini chocolate chips sprinkled on top.  Mmmmmmmm......

Cranberry Cordial

2 lbs (8 cups) fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped

6 cups sugar

1 liter light rum

In a gallon jar, combine cranberries, sugar and rum.  Close tightly and shake gently to blend.  Store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks, shaking the jar gently every day.  Strain to remove the berries.  Strain the cordial several times through cheesecloth to remove the seeds.  Pour into decorative bottles and seal with corks. 

I would suggest using a food processor to chop the cranberries, and be sure to use a jar with a wide mouth.  The "bottling" process can be quite messy, so be sure to munch on the cranberries while straining the seeds, as it seems to make the experience a whole lot more fun!!  The cranberries keep well in the refrigerator. 

While the cranberry cordial is good over ice cream, I still prefer it as it is intended...

Cheers!!

Merry Christmas!

Love, Bonnie Jo

How things are.

Dear Mom,

Love,
Kim

Baking is now checked off the list.

Dear Mom,
During yesterday's baking frenzy, in which I tried a few new recipes, and after talking with you, have come to the conclusion  that: ThereIsNothingLikeAGoodOldFashionedSugarCookie and WhyDoWeKeepTrying?, Bonnie delivered her Cranberry Cordial. OR, as I will be calling it, Mommy's Little Christmas Helper.
Bonnie also kindly shared a jar of the intoxicated cranberries that have been steeping in alcohol for months until the cranberry cordial was Just Right.
Remember that scene in Mary Poppins when she gives the kids the spoonful of medicine and each spoonful is a different color and flavor, and then when Mary takes hers she just glows and says, "RUM PUNCH"? Well that is how Bonnie Jo's Cranberry Cordial makes you feel. Like you should trill your R's and say "CRRRRRANBERRRRRRY CORRRRRRDIAL" just because it is that good.
Having been raised Not to be Wasteful and having been told by a reliable source (Bonnie Jo), these cranberry bits will be excellent on vanilla ice cream with a few chocolate chips and a bit of the cordial, I'll be making a trip to the grocery store for some ice cream later today. I will say that the cranberries are good all by themselves, but have nothing on the actual cranberry cordial, which I will NOT be sharing.

I'll leave it to Bonnie Jo to share the recipe. I understand that the process of chopping a billion cranberries was....colorful. But I've also heard Bonnie Jo talking about how to improve the process, which makes me think that she will make some more next year. hint hint


So yesterday, I tried a recipe for Sweet Spiced Almonds, which are pretty good, and a fudge that is rich but broke into eleventy-two pieces when I tried cutting it into squares. Is there a secret to cutting fudge and keeping it intact? I managed to get enough good squares to make a decent gift, but there are alot of fudge shards in a plastic container in my kitchen now.
I also made Laura's Eggnog Pound Cake, which is easy, delicious and I will be making again. In fact, I am adding it to my very limited Holiday Baking Recipe Arsenal. Laura tells me she got the recipe from a Southern Living magazine, but I don't know which one.
Here is the recipe:

Eggnog Pound Cake

1 (16 oz) package pound cake mix ( you just gotta love a recipe that starts with a mix)

1 1/4 cups eggnog

2 large eggs

1/2 t. grated nutmeg

1/2 t. vanilla extract

 Beat all ingredients with an electric mixer at low speed until blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into a lightly greased 9X5 loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 5 minutes, or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow loaf to cool completely.

This does taste better when completely cooled. I made mine in mini loaf pans for the neighbors and they cooked about 40 minutes, but you will want to start checking them at 30 minutes if  you do it this way. I over-filled my pans and the cake mix glopped over the pans onto the bottom of the oven during baking time.Next time I will use 4 mini pans instead of 3. Less dough in the pan should equal less cooking time, so that is why you should start checking at 30 minutes. Or just make it easy on yourself and make a big loaf and follow the recipe. This tastes so good you will want the big loaf anyway!

Love,

Kim

Checking things off my list (even the ones that were never on the list)

Dear Mom,

DebbieWhoLivesinaPrettyFarmhouse gave me some roving she had stashed to spin. Here is some evidence that my spinning skills, while still not nearly perfect, are improving. Doesn't hurt that the roving itself was beautiful! The hand dyed roving came from Inish Knits. The results remind me of Peppermint Ice Cream.

In a flurry of activity yesterday , I was able to finish the wrapping and hiding and clean up after myself. I know I inherited my love of vacuuming from you, and yesterday was a stellar one for the vacuum cleaner.

"Simple yet effective shawl"

HoneySpun Yarn from Inish Knits

I finished a knitting project and was able to return to the socks I started for my Soul-Sister-in-law back in October. I was beginning to feel guilty about how long it is taking me to finish and send them to her.

Next on the list- Baking. I have several new recipes to try out, including a recipe for Eggnog Pound Cake which I begged from one of my long time, dearest friends after receiving the baked goods she sent this past week. The cookies, candies and pound cake disappeared within 24 hours of their arrival. Laura is a good cook. If I had known ahead of time how good that pound cake was I would have hidden it from the rest of my family.

I'll share the recipes and my successes here next time.

Love,

Kim

This is not on the list

Dear Mom,

Do you ever find yourself doing the last thing that you should be doing? Especially when the "To Do" list is reaaaaaallllllllyyyyy loooooooooooong?

I do.

Love,

Kim

It's Beginning to Look alot Like Christmas

Dear Mom,

I found the bagels in the veggie crisper this morning.

And believe me when I tell you that while I was searching for them, I wondered how and when the Young Man ate half a bag of bagels without my noticing.

I don't want to tell you how long I spent looking for them. Or how many other weird places I searched. I only found them after I gave up.

I know that I did it, because no one else in this house opens the veggie drawer in the fridge.

Which now that I say that, I am thinking that might just be the perfect hiding place..... along with the dirty clothes hamper. No one looks there either.

On a more positive note, a knitting project came off the needles last night. Looks like you will be getting something more than a promissory note for Christmas after all!!

Love,
Kim