Oct3

Dressing the window

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I thought I’d have some fun this Halloween with my new window! My mom bought me the tree with the orange lights. I had the other things that I never really had a fun place to display them. Trying to find them was driving me ‘batty’. I need to condense my decorations! Anyway, that is Casper the Ghost holding the candles and a totem pole of pumpkins next to him. The lights are taped up, so I hope they hold. I like how my white curtains look orange from the glow of the lights. Thanks to Bri for taking this photo.

Oct2

So close

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Brian works in Quarryville, about 10 miles away from this morning’s tragedy. We live at the end of the pink line. Nickel Mines is near the Strasberg Railroad and an area of Lancaster we visit all the time. We are all sick about this. I can’t even imagine what those girls went through.

Oct2

Holiday Cooking Blogger style

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Recipe exchange hosted by Overwhelmed.
Take a gander!
Sean’s favorite:
SEVEN LAYER COOKIES

1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups graham crackers
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup butterscotch chips (can be omitted)

Melt butter in a cake pan. Sprinkle crumbs over butter and pour
Eagle brand condensed milk over the crumbs.
Top with remaining ingredients in the order given and press down firmly.
Bake 25 minutes or until lightly brown at 350 degrees.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Cookies*

BACARDI RUM CAKE

1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
1 (18 1/2 oz.) pkg. yellow cake mix
1 (3 3/4 oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. Wesson oil
1/2 c. Bacardi dark rum (80 proof)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 10 inch tube pan or 12 cup
Bundt cake pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
Mix all ingredients together and pour over nuts.
Bake 1 hour. Cool. Invert on serving plate.
Prick top. Drizzle smooth glaze evenly over top and sides.
Allow cake to absorb glaze. Repeat until all glaze is used.

GLAZE:

1/4 lb. butter
1/4 c. water
1 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. Bacardi dark rum

Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water and sugar.
Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and stir in rum.
Optional: Decorate with whole maraschino cherries and
border of sugar frosting or whipped cream. Serve with seedless grapes dusted with powdered sugar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Desserts*

My favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe
Crisco Butter Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookie
Preparation time: 30 to 35 minutes
Baking time: 8 to 13 minutes/baking sheet
About 3 dozen cookies

1-1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup Butter Flavor CRISCO all-vegetable shortening
or 3/4 Butter Flavor Crisco stick
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (6-ounce package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup pecan pieces (optional)*

Heat oven to 375ºF. Combine brown sugar, Butter Flavor
Crisco Shortening, milk and vanilla in large bowl.
Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.
Combine flour, salt and baking soda.
Mix into creamed mixture until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts, if used.
Drop rounded measuring tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet.
Bake one baking sheet at a time at 375ºF for
8 to 10 minutes for chewy cookies
(they will look light and moist), or 11 to 13 minutes for crisp cookies.
DO NOT OVERBAKE. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet on a cooling rack;
remove cookies to rack to cool completely.

* If nuts are omitted, add an additional 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Bar Cookies
Prepare dough according to directions in recipe.
Grease 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan with Butter Flavor Crisco. Spread dough evenly in pan.
Bake 19 to 21 minutes or until top is golden brown
and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean
and center feels slightly firm to the touch. Cool completely before cutting into bars.

Large Rounds
Prepare dough according to directions in recipe.
Grease small area in center of baking sheet.
Cover with 12 inch square of foil. Place one-fourth of the dough in the center of the foil.
Round into a small circle with spatula or rubber scraper.
Grease 12-inch square of waxed paper.
Place greased side down on top of dough.
Flatten with round cake pan or pie pan to form a 7-inch circle.
Remove wax paper. Bake at 375ºF for
9 to 10 minutes or until light golden color
overall with slightly darker edge.
remove to rack to cool completely
Repeat with remaining cookie dough or use to make standard size cookies.

CHOCOLATE DRIZZLE OR DIP – Melt 1 cup semi-sweet or
white chocolate pieces with 1 teaspoon Butter Flavor
Crisco Shortening on VERY LOW heat. Stir well.
If too thick to drizzle, add 1/8 to 1/2 teaspoon
more shortening to thin. Drizzle from end of spoon back and
forth over cookie. Sprinkle with nuts before chocolate hardens,
if desired. (To harden chocolate quickly, place in refrigerator for a few minutes)
or spoon melted chocolate into custard cup.
Dip one end of cooled cookie halfway up in chocolate.
Sprinkle with finely chopped nuts before chocolate
hardens, or drizzle with contrasting white or dark chocolate. Place on waxed paper.
*Cookies*

Oct2

Shares

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Close-ups of two of my many African Violets. My mom had purchased these a few years back at the Philadelphia Flower Show. The pink flower isn’t part of the plant, but the plant has pink in it’s leaves. The one above is called ‘Frozen in Time’ from The Violet Gallery. I love the lime green around the white flowers.

This is near my dining room window. I rearranged everything last week. The teak tea cart was a gift from my late cousin who owned Dane Decor. That’s the wicker chair I spray painted. I made the scarecrow back in 1993! My Uncle Don painted the blue bird painting above the shelf. The floral box under the cart contains cooking magazines! Isn’t it pretty?

Oct2

Flea market trip

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Sean wanted to take me to the flea market that was held in the parking lot of his college yesterday, so the two of us went. I wasn’t sure if I was up to it, I’ve had a few hairy days, but you know, the fresh air and sun did a body good! We got there a little late, around 2-ish, and I purchased a rickety little child’s wicker rocker, being held together by a thread, for $15. I plan just to use it for display purposes. The wicker is falling apart in many areas, and I may tie some pretty ribbons around the arms to prolong it’s already long life. The seat is a floral needlepoint with a black background- to me worth the $15 I spent. I cleaned it up a bit (yeck it was dirty) and I’ll photograph it tomorrow.
I bought a book on making Victorian items like a dollhouse, a needlebook doll and other lovelies. Then the Penn State alumni was getting rid of stuff for 25¢ each. I was tempted a bit, but more for my eBay sales. I collect mushrooms, so I found a red alabaster one. I need to find what I did with my mushroom collection! I use to have them all lined up on the three front windows before they became a bay window. Right now I want to get some Halloween things in the front window and I have to take out many of the glass items that are in there now. I need to do a little more outside decorating and clean up too. So much to do, so little time.
We stopped by to see my brother Ken and his family. My nephew Kenny has had a growth spurt and is about 5 feet tall now! He’s got gorgeous, thick alburn hair. His sister Tori’s hair is way down her back and ends in curls. I told her she could pass for Sean’s sister. She said, “I’d love to be his sister!” Of course Sean was grinning ear to ear. : )

Here’s my little child’s rocker

Sep30

Bug connection

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Yesterday, I happen to notice this interesting mud ‘adobe’ on the hinge part our glass door out front. I tapped on it and swore I saw spider legs! I came in and looked it up and it’s a wasp nest-an organpipe mud dauber to be exact. Why ‘she’ picked this location is interesting as we are in and out of this door several times a day. Brian knocked it off and we saw the larva like this shows. The female builds these long ‘pipe-like’ mud nests and finds and paralyzes a few spiders for food for her offspring. When the larvae comes out, they munch on the spiders! Interesting!
Then today I was picking some basil and this little monarch came crawling up through the basil. I think it just hatched as it wasn’t afraid of me and let me hold it several times. I was getting attached to it and worried for it’s well being as it’s a damp, chilly day. I think it liked the warmth of my hand. I put her on some zinnias in the side yard, hoping she would get a snack, but when I went back out, she was just sitting there. I brought her in the house to show Sean and she started to crawl up my arm. I stepped out on the front step and she started to really vibrate her wings like she was ‘warming up’ and she was! She took off soon after. I think she’s in the evergreen out front. Not sure, but I’m glad to have helped her. It’s rather late in the season for butterflies and I don’t want to think about how long this little one has. But if she hangs around here, she’ll have plenty of food for a while. : )

Some golden mums just starting to bloom

Sep29

Stitching blogger questions

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I haven’t been answering these every week as I didn’t have such good answers. Here are a few that I think I can handle. I sure hope Blogger isn’t acting all wacky like it did last night.


When you find yourself making a lot of mistakes in various stitching projects do you find it better to muddle your way through or do you take a brief break from stitching? If you do take a break, how long do you take? This question comes from Sharon.
This is when I would most definitely take a break from the project if it was for me. If it was for a RR or charity square, I’d muddle along, but maybe take a break from it with an easier project. I would probably take a break from it if it was my own for a little while to indefinitely. If it was for someone else, a few days to a week.

How many pieces have you stitched? Out of these, how many have been for you? How many have had specialty stitches or other techniques besides cross stitch?
I know for charity-at least 40+. All together-add another 40 or so. It may be more, it may be less. I don’t keep a record. One of my first pieces was finished in 1980. I will try any specialty stitch and am good at French knots and Algerian eye stitches.