Pot of my Dreams....

I have been wanting a a big old enamelled cast iron pot for ages. And just a bit ago, i saw an add for a big sale at JC Penneys in their kitchen department. And with the add came a substantial coupon, so off i went! I bought myself this lovely red 7 quart pot made by Cook's kitchen.

Look at all that shiny red goodness! It took me a few weeks to even want to get it dirty! But this morning i pulled it out if the cupboard and made a big old batch of chili.

It's a messy job, but well worth it! It's bubbling away while i type this...There's enough chili in here to feed us twice over and some left over to treat my Parents too! It's funny but since i started cooking in this lovely pot, i've had a silly smile on my face! What kind of simple things make you happy?....

Candle Power

During the big ice storm we had the other night, we lost our electrical power. So, instead of my kitchen table being piled high with ongoing projects, it looked like this. It was kind of nice to run on candle power (just for one night) I realized how our bodies get tricked into thinking it is still too early to go to bed, no matter how late it is with all those lights and the television on. So i lit some candles in every room and we went to bed nice and early that night

Here's our little stove blasting away, and to the right of it you can just barely see a dog bed with Stella and Little Honey all curled up in it.

And my altar looked so pretty and peaceful in the candle light.
When we woke up the next morning, the power had returned.
(and unfortunately, so did staying up too late at night...)

Sweet Penelope

This little sweetie is Penelope Bear, and she just moved in to my Etsy shop!
She is hand knit with Love out of a super soft pale pink alpaca blend yarn, which makes her soft as a cloud to hug.

Here is a close up of her face. She has plastic safety eyes and an embroidered nose and mouth.

Her fuzzy red stole and her cute little dress and matching flower are crocheted out of easy care acrylic yarn, and are removable. Penelope stands about 14 inches tall from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.

Here is a closer look at her dress....She is all dressed up to go with a new friend no matter where they are headed!

But underneath it all, is a sweet cuddly soft teddy bear for you or your little one to love. Penelope is now ready to go to her new forever home and is waiting for you in my Etsy shop! Make sure you stop by and say HI!

Siblings-or should we call this post Double Trouble?

More pictures of Chilly-dogs!

RubieDubie and his sister Little Honey

Baking for the Barkers

I have been making my own dog food for quite some time now. I got tired of worrying about all the dog food "recalls" i was hearing about and decided to take control of their diet. So, every few days i make my own concoction i call "Dog Stew" and it is their main meal twice a day. I throw together a mix of whole wheat pasta, brown rice, sometimes oatmeal instead of one or the other, 2-3 pounds of ground meat(turkey, beef, pork, chicken) some frozen veggies, sometimes a little peanut butter, or some fish...depends on what i have available in the freezer or pantry. I cover this with water and/or broth, and simmer until the rice is done. To this cooked stew i sometimes add raw meat, fish, leftovers, or just feed it as is. I also give all the dogs a liver flavored multi vitamin tablet that they eat like a treat. I decided tho, that i wanted to mix it up a little and found this wonderful cookbook at Amazon.com. I am still buying commercial dog biscuits and thought i would like to try my hand at making my own. So this morning i whipped up a batch of biscuits called "Peanut Terrifics"

They are super easy to make, using only a few ingredients that you probably always have in your pantry, and my dogs LOVED them! I thought i would share the recipe...
"Peanut Terrifics"
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons peanut butter (i used chunky)
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Mix all ingredients thoroughly
Roll dough out rather thinly and cut shapes using cookie cutters,
OR spread out on a baking sheet and cut it into shapes free style
Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
Note: the cookies will keep for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container (but i guarantee you, they won't last that long! ;) Enjoy all my little furry friends out there!

A handful of light

This is my new rosary i just entered in my Etsy shop. It has been a while since i have made any new rosaries and this one just seemed to flow out on it's own...

It is made of fine quality cut glass beads that reflect the light like a prism

and the Our Father beads are natural tumbled fluorite in soft shades of light green, blue, violet and purple.

It's a full sized light weight traditional rosary

and it's sitting in my sunny window, absorbing all this nice (rare) sunlight. It feels good to be making rosaries again....

Bathtub soup

Another sleep over (and a new haircut) While in the bathtub, Lola was making soup for me to eat. My favorite kind?

Soap and Elephant soup of course!

It was delicious!

A New Etsy Treasury!

My new Rainbow Baby Blanket was included in a new Etsy treasury called
Rainbows Everyday curated by Inspiring Interludes
Thank you Donna, for including me in such a beautiful treasury! Check out
Inspiring Interludes Etsy shop. Her cards and photography are lovely...

Blankets and Bears

I just finished the trim on this very colorful one of a kind "Rainbow" baby blanket, and it's already in my Etsy shop!

It is crocheted in easy care acrylic yarn, and has a pretty little picot edging all around

No matter what color the nursery is, this blanket has it covered!it is super soft and super sweet and can be gently machine washed and dried.

It measures 33" X 25", and is perfect for the crib, cradle, playpen or bed.

AND here is my newest teddy bear, Benny.

He is made the exact same way as my little 8 inch bears, but MUCH bigger, at 14 inches from head to toe. He comes with a crocheted vest and a scarf to keep him warm.

He is knitted in a wool/mohair blend yarn, and the mohair makes him look and feel soft and fuzzy (you can see his fuzziness in this photo!) He is stuffed with polyfil

Benny is a sweet little bear cub who would make a wonderful best friend for your little one. He has plastic safety eyes anchored into his head, but i would say to be safe he is perfect for children 3 years of age and up.

He and his little wardrobe have just popped into the Etsy shop! Please stop by for a visit. He will enjoy your company!

Doggie snuggles

Just part of the pack...Little Stella, tucked in next to Pollyanna
and Rubie

New Goodies in the Etsy Shop!

It's been a while since i had the chance to add anything new to my little Etsy shop! Christmas orders kept me busy, but now that things have slowed down a bit, it's time to get to work on some things i've been wanting to make...Lola has been playing with her dollies more lately and asked me to make her a blanket for them. I really enjoyed making her blanket and thought, why not make a few for other little girls and their dollies??? This little granny square blanket is just the perfect size (15" X 15") for the little cradle that my girls played with when they were little. Now it is Lola's doll cradle.

I've also fallen in love with the Waldorf style dolls. These little knitted gnomes are super cute and super fun to make. I love their little pot bellies...There's nothing like a gnome to bring you Luck!

This one has a heart button around his neck in hopes that somebody will take him home as a gift for their sweetheart...

And here is another granny square dolly blanket for a bigger doll (18" X 18")

There are also a few "Twinkle Stars" that i have added to the shop. These are not toys, but made for decorative purposes.

They look sweet hanging in a window or on a wall, or hung over a baby's crib.

and they sparkle with glitter too!

And last but certainly not least is Rosie. She is not new to the shop, but she has changed her attire and put on her favorite warm scarf, because it is pretty darn cold out there! She is also carrying a crocheted heart Valentine in hopes that someone will fall in love and take her home... There are more goodies to come! Stop by for a visit!

The Sleepover (minus the sleep)

MUCH later, a good night sleep was had by all....

Winter

Rather than put up more pictures of snow and ice, how about a lovely song? Enjoy!

An Etsy Treasury all about Spring!

My little "Snowdrops" painting was featured in a beautiful Etsy treasury called
"Waiting for Spring" by curator, SunnyHands! Thank you SunnyHands for including me in such a lovely treasury. It couldn't come at a better time as we are getting buried once again under a new thick blanket of snow. This too shall pass, right? Please stop and visit the treasury and also the sweet shop of SunnyHands...It's filled with beautiful handmade goodness to keep you warm all Winter long.