Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin December 24th 2009

Luke 2:1-14

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

The Longest Night 2009

This picture is from The Middlebury Chapel, Longest Night Service December 21.

You've gotta love the bright and sunny face of a summer flower.

Morning Flight

In the soft light of morning a flight of Canada Geese lift off.

Here's George Jetson

I bought this on ebay this weekend! The Jeston's, how cool is that? I can think of a bunch of ways to use this. It's going to be a challenge to decide. There is 8 squares of each fabric.

Reuse and Recycle

Finally found some time to "drive" the sewing machine. I bought the fabric at St. Vinney's for $1 and the web belt cost around $3. Not bad for a sturdy grocery tote. I made the web handles really long, so I can carry the bag on the shoulder. Leaving both hands free. I stopped at Costco on my way home from work. Totes don't work well at Costco. The person at the door needs to see everything as you leave. Even though I could have fit most of my purchases into the tote, I still wound up with a cardboard box. Oh well, it should work for everywhere else.

Speaking of Cobwebs

It has become my newest quest to try to get a good pic of spider webs. I accidentally took a pic that contained a web. And the detail of the web caught my eye more than the boat that I was really taking a picture of. It is not an easy thing to capture, the camera keeps trying to "help" me focus better, usually on objects that are not the webs! I did not mention to my hubby that spider webs were what I was looking for when I invited him to go hiking at 5:30 in the morning! He is really a good sport about my camera obsession, but that might have been a bit much.

Can You Feel The Cool Morning Air

I still can't believe my husband turned down the opportunity to go hiking with me this morning at 5:30. Look what he missed! I suppose sleeping in on your day off can be considered a good thing too. But I sure do like that early morning hike with the camera to blow the cobwebs off my brain. Kind of gets you primed for the upcoming week.

Watching The Watchers

This pic is from the pig show this weekend. Watching the watchers is just as interesting as watching the pigs. You can see my handsome nephews mom watching the show. I don't know who the gentleman standing next to her is, but I'll bet he has a loved one in the ring too!

Fun At The Fair

This weekend was the county fair that my nephews participate. The handsome young man on the right is showing his pig "Wide Load". I've never been to a pig show prior. What a hoot! The gate opens and 8 or nine pigs enter at a trot with their young owners trailing. Pigs and kids everywhere. I was impressed how the judge sorted the animals and placed them. Listening to his reasons for placements was a real learning experience. If you're at the fair and a pig show is going on, go ahead and watch a while. It's really fun.

A Closer Look!

Nestled among the greens in the pond is a lily in bloom. Lost among the beauty of the reflection of the building, but when you look thru the camera you can focus on lots of smaller details.

Reflections At The Zoo

This building at the Henry Vilas Zoo provides the shelter for a restored carousal . This is the place to be on a Sunday in Madison, Wisconsin. But then everyday is a good day to visit the zoo!

Ohhhh! Ahhh!

My first attempt at long exposure/fireworks type pics.

Siberian Tiger

Grrr!

A Horse Of Course

No horses at my house! But this beauty was grazing along a trail I was hiking.

You have to love the colors that summer presents. This is a pic from a hike in a local park. It's hard to believe, but this meadow had been burned this spring by the park service.

On My Way To Work

This view is from a detour on my way to work. There was an accident on the route I normaly take, so I took a side street. And this view caught my eye. You can see the capital across the way.

Ahh...spring

Everybody needs a little water after hiking thru the woods!

Easter Morning 2009

Today is wonderful, you can just feel everything coming to life. The warmish day with lots of sunshine brings out all kinds of animals. Including me! I've been doing a lot of hiking in a county park not far from our house. This little beauty was out checking out the day too!

Out of the Fog...

Here is a look at the geese stopping off for a rest on their journey north.

Why I Was Late For Work Friday

I was a little late for work Friday. Now that is something that is really unusual, I am somewhat obsessed with being on time. But I had a really good reason. There was an amazing sunrise over a pond that I drive by everyday. Rising from the water was fog, and swimming amongst the fog were migrating geese. I always have my camera in my bag. This scene just screamed stop, take my picture!

This picture is really a way to tell you what I am doing with the new fabric in our stash. I am working on a camera bag that I can slip into my work bag. But I can grab it when needed, and find it has all the basics for the unexpected. (Stuff like extra batteries and digital cards)

New Fabrics!

Check out the new fabrics that have come into our stash! Hmmmm...thinking of many projects that they could become.

Another 5 Minutes...2

This is a reminder pic from last Sunday. If you recall I was lamenting about the weather. The day started with rain then came the freezing rain followed by snow with a bitter cold chaser. Note the thick layer of ice on the birch tree in the foreground. The next post shows you today!

Another 5 Minutes...

This pic is from today, it's bright sunny with temps near 55 degrees. We are able to get out and rake the lawn. Get rid of all the winter debris that has found its way into the yard. You can see a group of kids in the park across the road playing basketball. Just about as perfect as you can get!

People Viewing Window

It was really nice of the folks at the zoo to build a viewing window for the tiger to watch people!

Henry Vilas Zoo, Madison Wisconsin

Visit The Zoo

Sometimes you need to get out and enjoy the sunny winter days. This picture is from the Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, Henry Vilas Zoo. This nice kitty is a recent addition to the zoo family. I was amazed at how large this guy is. And he seemed to enjoy watching the guests as much as they did watching him. If you are in the area make time to visit the zoo. It is open year round and free!

My new projects!

I (Jamie) acquired a couple yards of the below fabric...Can you tell what's on it?! Scottie dogs! Apparently, fabric with Cocker Spaniel's (we have a Cocker) on it is hard to come by. And I'm even trying a new pattern....We have a couple of different patterns for aprons but I've only tried the "basic" pattern. There will definitely be pictures! Sorry about the weird angle on the picture of the fabric....Blogger did something funky with my picture.

More Cute Froggies

This is my (Jamie's) completed froggy apron...Totally an experiment that I will be using around our house....It's literally held together with about 4 different colors of thread.

How cute are those froggies?! Not much of a pink kinda girl but I really like this print and love how the apron turned out...4 different colors of thread and all!

Wait 5 Minutes...

Every one's favorite saying around here is, "If you don't like the weather, wait 5 minutes, see it you like that ." Today is a "wait 5 minute day". This morning it was a pleasant high 30's with a light rain, now it is 31 degrees with freezing rain. The trees are making that crackle sound that causes you wonder about the lights staying on! The weather man says snow for later this afternoon. The calendar says spring arrives March 21st. Seems as if we are gonna do winter for a while longer.

Real post from the National Weather Service for today: By
Sunday afternoon, all of that precipitation is expected to become snow, and lots
of it. Snowfall on Sunday afternoon is expected to be heavy at times, due to the
possibility of thundersnow — the wintertime equivalent of a
thunderstorm. Expect rapid accumulations, with 4 to 8 inches of wet, heavy
snow on the ground by late Sunday. The storm is expected to make travel
difficult.

4 to 8 inches of snow can make travel difficult? Who would've thought! Thanks for that update.

Here's another Apron complete with Oven Mitt

The apron is an Large adult size. The tie's are made out of the same mushroom material as the oven mitt.

How cute are those little Mushrooms?!

An Award!

Thanks Shortmama! There is a set of rules to go with this award but I'm not always good with rules. Tomorrow we will have our next creations posted, so be sure to drop by and check them out.

Butterflies!

These patterns will eventually be cut out and turned into butterflies (there is one for dragonflies too that we still need to get copied) that will be added to some of our projects. I can hardly wait to see what they look like when they are finished! :)

Microwave Cashew Brittle

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 cup cashews
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

In 1 1/2 qt. casserole, stir together sugar and syrup. Microwave on HIGH for 4 minutes. Stir in cashews. Microwave on high 3-5 minutes only until light brown. Add butter and vanilla, blending well. Microwave on high 1-2 minutes more. Nuts will be lightly browned and syrup VERY HOT! Add baking soda ans stir gently until light and foamy. Pour onto lightly greased cookie sheet. Cool 30-60 minutes. Break into small pieces and store in airtight container.

NOTE: You can sub 1 cup salted peanuts, or 1 cup pecan halves, or 1 cup dry roasted almonds.

Secret Kiss Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
sifted powdered sugar
1 pkg. Hershey Kisses, foil removed

Directions:

Cream butter, sugar and vanilla with 1 Tbsp. water. Stir in flour and nuts; mix well. Shape dough around Hershey Kisses forming a ball. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on rack; roll in powdered sugar. Makes about 60 cookies.

Fabulous 4-Bean Hot Dish

Ingredients:

8 oz. bacon, cut up
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 - 16 oz. can pork and beans
1 - 16 oz. can green beans, drained
1 - 15 1/2 oz. can butter beans, drained
1 - 15 1/2 oz. can kidney beans
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

Brown bacon and onion together; add to crock-pot. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

A Baby Blankie!

These days, baby stuff isn't cheap. Here we have a baby blanket that was created for one of my mom's co-worker's who is having a baby in the near future....Let's just hope it's not a boy! But then again you do see a lot of men running around wearing pink polo's though.

Plaids and Upside down Frogs

This is my (Jamie) first attempt at sewing since the 8th grade...For the record I just turned 25 last Saturday, so it's been awhile since I've sat down at the sewing machine.

Here are my frogs all cut out and ready to be sewn...Did not notice that my frogs were upside down.
These are my frogs all sewn up....I realized about 1/2 way through the sewing that the frogs were upside down. Who needs right side up frogs anyway?!

Bread Machine - Cinnabons

Ingredients:

4 T. melted butter
4 T. water
1/3 cup instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 T. sugar
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp. yeast

Directions:

Place ingredients into bread machine in order listed. Set for dough cycle. After cycle is complete, roll into 17 X 10 inch rectangle. Butter the dough rectangle. Sprinkle the dough with a mixture of 1 cup brown sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Roll tightly, pinch edges closed and slice into 1/2 inch slices. Place into greased 13X9″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. While still warm spread with frosting.

Frosting Ingredients:
4 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp milk

Black and Brown and Green oh my!

These photo's are of the colors that will be available through Little Norway....We've decided on Black, Brown and possibly a Sagey Green color. The photo's themselves are of our kid sized apron's after they've been cut out and haven't really had anything else done to them yet. Keep checking back to see what becomes of these "diamonds in the rough."

The Apron Prototype

This is our adult size apron proto-type. The color is black and there is a strip of pink/black plaid across the top of the apron. The apron itself is not finished yet, it still needs to have the ties added to it but it's almost ready.

Heavy Duty Tote Bag

This is one of our original projects. This is a heavy duty Tote Bag that I've used personally several times. I love this bag because it has not only storage space on the inside but it also has an additonal pocket on the outside for a little extra storage.