Finally some proof that I have been busy with knitting projects!


This hat is for Katie...which Sophia so graciously volunteered to model! I may have to make one for her now since she really seems to like it.


A collection of the knits I have been putting off and starting periodically since December. I am down to just one sock, and one hat left to finish. My goal is to get these all done by Feb. and sent out. However my tendency to start new projects before my old ones are finished makes some projects go slower than planned!

Pumpkin Soup and the Great Pantry Purge of 2009!

What's cheap, delicious, and clears out my pantry? Pumpkin Soup!

We have been eating very frugally the last few months and that means a lot of soups! There isn't a lot in the way of fresh produce available this time of year so canned goods get used quite a bit. In this case I used one of the many cans of pumpkin I had picked up for Thanksgiving and never turned to pie.


To be honest I like the soup better anyways!
No recipe, just winging it with what I had on hand, but I have a list of ingredients...

1/2 an onion
garlic
2 grated carrots
dried thyme
large can on pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
4 cups of chicken stock (made from chicken base, as I have no room to store the real thing)
1 cup of light cream
pepper
salt
dash of cayenne

Sure was a nice break from tuna melts!

Update, plans and aspirations

It's been awhile since I have posted. I want to say that I have accomplished a lot in my absence from blogging but alas...it's not the case. We are just now peaking out from the chaos/clutter of Christmas and things are slowly getting back to business as usual.

I have a million plans for the new year. One of which is to try out my sewing machine that I got for Christmas! I managed to get it out of the box finally and have discovered that we need a transformer to run it. Since we are getting closer to getting a house on base (with dual voltage) I think it may stay in it's case until we get moved. However there are a lot of sewing related things to do besides sewing, like cutting squares for a blanket for the boy. I promise updates!



Still knitting as usual. I am almost done with my late Christmas presents for the ladies in my family. Two pairs of socks finished, two more pairs are halfway done, and one hat is nearing completion. Just waiting on some yarn for another hat and inspiration for 2 more hats. Just hope they get them all before Spring!

I am also writing a book. It's quite possible that no one will read it or that I won't get enough written or written well enough. However I have wanted to write a book for awhile...though the subject matter has always varied. The subject for this book involves things that may life is affected by daily. Raising a daughter who is on the Autistic Spectrum, living in harmony with nature, and obtaining true happiness. A lot for one book but I hope it will come together as I envision it. Mostly I just want to see if I can do it, there is no point in someday "hoping" to write a book someday, I just need to do it and see what happens.

We are going to be busy this month I predict, Sophia will be going to school the end of Jan., we will be preparing to move in the near future, and I have a million and one projects planned for myself. Also LOST is coming to television this month in the UK!! It will be a busy month.

I hope to post more often, God knows I try, I just don't know what will happen. So many possibilities and no guarantees!

Holiday Cookies!

A frenzy of Holiday baking! I love to bake for Christmas. I plan on making a coffee cake for tomorrow morning and some yummy eggnog!

These little gems are delicious! I wish I could take credit for it but the recipe is here. It is worth it to check it out, they are my new favorite!

I think I have used up most of my almond bark. I have been dipping whatever I can get my hands on! The kids especially like the graham crackers...they are really good at helping me decorate them as well!

Dreaming of a White Christmas (and almond bark)

I received a TON of almond bark this year from dear relatives...the Brits have no idea what it is and don't carry it at Tesco. I think however my family would like to stock the entire island with almond bark, since they sent me 12 pounds collectively!

I'm not complaining though since I love the stuff. Sure it tastes a million times better to have real chocolate but I don't care. By the time you get chocolate melted and tempered who has the energy to create anymore. It's different doing chocolate work at home, at least in my experience, and I have never had the kitchen space to do it properly...especially now!

So since its the holidays Sophia and I made snow men! Since there is no snow on the ground this will be a yummy substitute. Though the cookies may disappear as quickly as the real thing does!






On a side note I am starting to bake my own bread. Not fancy bread or anything difficult...but plain ol' white bread (though I am considering a wheat bread.) I am mostly doing this for my husband benefit, since he is the one who has to pick up sliced bread after working 12 hours. We will still be purchasing and eating sliced bread but hopefully this will help prevent daily grocery store trips!

We will see.....

Merry Christmas to me?

I have a pretty good idea what I got for Christmas and it's not boots. (It's even better I can't wait!) However I still want boots. The website is down at the moment so I have no choice but to ponder the decision for a few hours. I need to decide whether I have been good enough this year for these amazing, rugged, ass-kickin' boots.

What's funny is I think I like them mostly because I'm homesick. These are the kind of boots I would have cringed at as a teenager. We always got good quality, warm, sturdy boots as kids, and I never appreciated it until now. Man what I wouldn't give to be able to go shopping at the feed store!

Christmas is coming...

Our house is slowly getting into Christmas. We may not get all the way into Christmas as far as decorating is concerned, since there is no room in our tiny living space. We are hoping to get a small tree just for traditions sake but we will see.

Our stocking's are hung however...accented by our small Christmas card collection. I'm sure many people don't know where we live anymore. I can't even keep track these days!
The majority of our loot has arrived however. As you can see it has taken over my dining table since there is nowhere else for it to go. Also we are quite spoiled!

I made some of my famous fudge tonight...it's super easy and all kinds of delicious! I tweek it every year to make it different. One year I even tried to add marshmallows...which didn't work out since they were too soft to keep the fudge stable...but I like to experiment.

The recipe is pretty mistake proof...just don't over heat it!

1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 9 oz bag of peanut butter chips
1 14oz can of sweet condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Grease a 8 inch cake pan. (I use glass) Melt chips and milk on low heat until melted. Add vanilla and remove from heat. Stir in nuts and cranberries. Pour into pan. Cover and chill.

You can add ANYTHING to this recipe....be creative!