Happy Halloween

For the first time in my 14 years as a mum, I feel as if I am on top of this Halloween thing.   The littlest is dressed as the ghostly spirit of a young girl tragically run over by a train just like Jumbo the elephant, and candy is ready by the door.  And we still have half an hour before the neighbourhood gang is gathering.

Huzzah!
N

Spooky ghost cookies

These ghost cookies may not be all that spooky but they sure tasted good.  These are just plain sugar cookies with a vanilla frosting and mini chocolate chip eyes and mouth.  This was a little project that I prepared tonight for the kids that I volunteer with on a monthly basis.  They had a fun time decorating the sugar cookies and most of them got eaten even before the cookies were finished being decorated.  Thank goodness I brought plenty of extra cookies so that each kid could take one home.  Bring on the Halloween sugar high!

What's in Your Fridge?

During the week, I am the last person home each day, and for the most part, dinner is usually being put on the table as I walk in the door.  This is an absolute blessing.  For the most part.  Mr. J is very skilled in cooking tuna noodle casseroles (after many years of mishaps), warming up frozen dinners, and slow-cooking roasts in the crock pot.  He is a lover of rice and convenience.  And he is the king of the barbeque.  The girls are more than pleased with what he has to offer.   But every now and then, I will rush home a bit early before he wakes up, and I will start dinner from scratch.  I'll root through the fridge and dig up all the vegetables and place them on the counter.  I'll pull out a grapefruit-sized lump of bread dough and throw it on the stone to rise.  I'll heat up the oven, and chop veggies to my heart's content.  Sometimes, I'll end up with a salad.  Other times, an omelette.  More often than not, a soup.  Today it was cheese omelettes for three of us, noodles for the littlest, a romaine salad with all the goodies above, and a potato leek soup for tomorrow's dinner.  I find so much satisfaction from these impromptu cooking extravaganzas.  I also appreciate that my little family doesn't rely on them happening consistently. :)   'Cause sometimes I come home pooped!   Now if only getting homework completed was just as easy . . .

N

NOTE: Those wack-a-doodle carrots were yanked out of my friend's garden on the weekend, and they are perhaps the sweetest carrots I've ever had the pleasure of tasting.  I ate half that bowl raw.  I wonder if she needs me to visit this weekend coming up.  Hmm . . .

Boo

That kid found the Halloween box that I unsuccessfully hid last year.  Dang.

N

The nook

Things have been pretty quiet around here on the crafting front.  I've been putting off seaming up the hood on a pink Tomten for the youngest niece and there's a cowl neck sweater that's waiting patiently to be picked up again.  I've been playing around on the sewing machine though, figuring out how to mitre corners for more napkins and trying to master using a rolled hem foot.  My sewing nook is tucked away in one of the eaves in our attic bedroom.  My husband teases me that this is the one place in the house where I can go to get away from him because he can't fit under the sloped ceiling.  He's a good foot and three inches taller than me.  It's kind of a Rocky and Bullwinkle arrangement that we have and we even live in Minnesota (Rocky and Bullwinkle lived in fictional Frostbite Falls, MN). 

Some Fun on a Monday

Yesterday we had some 'work' to do.  While the eldest volunteered at a craft station, the littlest and I took pictures.   Well, I snapped away while she played.  I admit I did some colouring too.  We had a lot of fun despite the Bee having a crick in her neck.  When we got home, I heated up one of the ol' rice socks, and she wore it around her neck to bed.  I felt so badly for her, but she didn't once complain.   And that outfit?   Oh boy, does she ever get lots of remarks, but she's got a 14-year old sister!  We've been noticing a trend around here of some slight copying with a little 8-year old jazz sprinkled throughout.   And we are big advocates of allowing our children to choose their own clothes except when they're 14 dressed like they're 18.  Besides, I'm nowhere near her at school, so it's not bothering me if she wears short over leggings with several different stripes. :)   And she loves scarves - this one in particular is made more special because it is El's scarf that was kindly lent to her for just the evening.   The Bee also does her own hair.  I love that she packs her fashion design book in her school knapsack because she's always thinking up new styles, and you never know when inspiration will strike.  Y'all best keep your eye out for this one!  I'm seeing snowflake tank tops and skirts made of streamers in the near future.

N

Loose Ends

These socks have been sitting in my knitting pile for a while now.  In fact I've probably only had to knit the toe on the second sock for two weeks.  Wednesday night while at Ignite London, I finished the toe, but I set aside the grafting until I was safely at home.  Well I got home, and they were set aside again until Saturday morning.  They fit the oldest perfectly.  Those are size 9 feet, my friends!   I shall not feel too guilty when I send her off at an ungodly hour each morning to the bus stop.  Her feet will be toasty.   Of course she can not wear this pair every day, so I will have to get moving on another pair.  If she's especially nice, I will lend her my size 8 socks in between. :)

The pattern is Wildflower by Fawn Pea, and they were very simple and mindless.  Really.  That one stitch is just purling 3 stitches together, leaving them on the left hand needle, bringing the yarn over, and purling the same 3 stitches together again.  Oh Nelly, it was easy.  I used up some unnaturally green Knit Picks Palette fingering-weight wool.  The wool was super cheap, but it is not superwash nor does it have a wee bit o' nylon.  Ack, it's what we get for $3 (I only used a ball and a half).   Oh but they will be warm, and that's all that matters at this point.  I really don't mind handwashing socks.  Really.

Happy Sunday.

N