DIY T-shirt Scarf

Do you have old t-shirts that are ruined or just don't like? Here is an idea.

Double wrap it into a fashionable scarf (as pictured) or wear it around your neck as a scarflace.
All you need is a t-shirt and scissors.

Lay a t-shirt flat and cut across from arm pit to arm pit. (use a t-shirt that does not have side seams).
You now have a t-shirt tube. Cut the hem off the bottom. Then cut in 1 inch strips. Don't worry about getting them straight, It will all come out at the end. You will have approximately 20 to 25 strands.
Pull each strip to stretch as far as it will go. combine them all together with a cut piece of  fabric from the discarded piece of shirt. Tie tight and cut.

My Daughter made one with a "Nike" t-shirt and used a cut with the logo on it to tie the strands together for a brand look.

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Christmas

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did. It was really busy both Christmas eve and Christmas day.
Following a wonderful Christmas eve church service we headed down to the country for some fun family time with my side of the family.

There were alot of sweet stuff which went well with the already excited, hyped up nephews. They were so wound up with excitement. They could hardly wait for Santa to come that night.

Christmas Day we woke up to lots of presents under the tree and the smell of fresh coffee and sausage balls. (you can find the recipe in my recipe tab)

After Church, we came back home to relax just a little before heading out for some family time with my husbands side of the family. There was so much delicous food, pretty decorations and more cute kids.

This was the first Christmas for my little niece.

Now its time to take all the decorations down and prepare my house and myself for a big New Years dinner that I do every year. I could leave all the Christmas things up but I like to bring the new year in with a different  look.

Gingerbread House and White Trash

With sugar dots and gums drops, my daughter built a gingerbread house! She really took her time and its not as easy as it looks. The icing like glue and gingerbread like brick, it would droop, slide and lean. But with patients and care, she finally got it together.

I think its the cutest thing and adds a special touch as a center piece for the table.

Meanwhile, I was busy making my "white trash" to hand out to friends and neighbors. My mother-in-law used to make it for the holidays. It was one of my favorites.

First you melt butter, chocolate and peanut butter together, vanilla, and a dash of salt

 then pour over Golden Gram cereal, nuts and raisins.

Then you put it in a trash bag after its completely cooled

and shake it up with a box of powdered sugar and....

wah lah! White Trash.

Packed and ready to hand out to my favorite neighbors!

Infinity Scarf

I have developed a liking with the "infinity" scarves this year and I have never even liked scarves. So, I crocheted me one the other night.

Photo via cell phone so color is off



A few weeks ago, I knitted one on a knitting loom. I had the wrong yarn and it was my first try at knitting so I'm not trusting the knitted scarf very much to hold up.

I like this one and plan to wear it soon. The temperature where I live will not seem to drop out of the 50's so I'm waiting on cooler weather to hit.

Despite a bad hair day, my daughter had fun modeling the scarf for me.





Rustic wrapping and clogs

I'm usually a sucker when it comes that time of year to buy wrapping paper from local school fundraisers. I love all the beautiful selections they have to offer and will take my time to pick the perfect paper to use. This year I thought I'd go a different direction. Yes, I can afford wrapping paper, but why? I decided to go rustic with some of my wrapping this year by using plain craft paper and old ribbon.

Not real sure if I like it better than Christmas wrap or not but it does kind of have a warm cozy look around the tree. Its just something different. You can add decorations to the ribbon or use stamps to print the paper. There is really a lot different ideas and special touches you can give these packages.
Just hoping they like whats inside.

I also put out my favorite little clogs I bought from a consignment shop a few years ago. I think the imperfections give them a special look. I often wonder if they were painted by a child.

Many believe that the Dutch introduced Christmas stockings to America. During the 16th Century children in Holland would leave their clogs by the hearth. They would fill them with straw for the reindeer or "donkey" as the reindeer were called.

Marshmallow Cheesy Melts

Have you ever craved something sweet and salty? Well, my favorite fix from when I was a little kid, is to put cheese and marshmallow on a Ritz cracker and toast it. I know, it sounds weird and yucky, but it is really good. You should try it sometime. I'm sure it will not be the last time you do.
Just take a Ritz cracker, a small slice of sharp cheese and 1/4 large marshmallow. stack it and toast it until the marshmallow is browned on the top.

This is a great snack for a sudden munchies urge. You have to eat them while they are warm. They are not that good once they get cold , so therefore, they do not make a good pickup at a party. Just make it your own personal snack and enjoy.

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Hand-made Booties

I have been feeling a little crafty the past couple months. It could be because the weather is getting cold, needing stress relief from the Christmas rush, or because I've been itching to do things since I gave up facebook. But anyhow, I got this crazy idea to crochet baby booties. Yes, baby booties. No idea why but just wanted to try it. I know two or three different crochet stitches that my mom taught me years ago and made a baby blanket once but that's as far Ive been with it. So, I found an old ball of yarn, a cozy chair and began to crochet again.

You see, on my shopping trip the other day, my friend bought her grand baby some of the cutest little booties and this inspired me to try and make a pair. After several you tube videos and web sites, I stumbled across

this cool blog and saw a video, learned a new stitch, and learned to read a crochet pattern.

Before I knew it, I was making a funny looking sock! By watching the video I would forget what row I was on and since i'm left handed I was going backwards, so I made a copy of the pattern and went by that.

and Bingo!...........

Baby booties were made!

I really surprised myself and it was quick and fun. After there photo shoot, I put them in a little box, dated them and put them away. Maybe one day I will have a grand baby myself to give these to. Not anytime soon though. Meanwhile, I'm thinking of making some more just for the fun of it.

Mistletoe Find

For the past two years, in my neighborhood, I have seen this mysterious green shrubbery living in a nearby tree. Mistletoe has been know to grow really high up in the trees, but not my finding. Some that I have found is within reach. Last year, we cut some down and divided among friends and family. The problem with cutting it to soon, it dried out within a week so I do not plan to cut any this year.

I had my husband take a couple pictures of the mistletoe for me while he was on his walking route.

Ever wonder why mistletoe is a Christmas tradition? I read on the internet that the French believe it was growing on the tree that Jesus was crucified on, therefore was cursed to be poison and denied a place to grow on earth to forever be a parasite. I still don't get where it falls into Christmas. Sounds to me like is should be more of an Easter tradition.

Here in the South, it is believed that a couple that kisses under the mistletoe will ensure themselves a long happy marriage, while an unmarried woman NOT kissed under the mistletoe will be single for another year.

As for the mistletoe itself, you are suppose to remove a berry every time it is kissed under and after all the berries are gone, there should be no more kissing underneath that plant.

Ok, so I may go get a tiny piece so I can kiss Santa underneath it.  [wink]

Shopping Trip

What girl can resist a chance to go shopping on an all day shopping spree with her best friend? Surely not me. So when I had the opportunity this past weekend, I took it. My friend Robin and I headed up to Gaffney South Carolina for some retail therapy .

The fun began when we were so excited about going together that she missed the exit to take us there and we ended up about 10 miles out of the way into Shelby.  We could have went another 74 miles and ended up in Asheville but we had no use for that destination. So we pulled over at a car lot along the way to find out where to get on the interstate. I mean, really, where do people get on the interstate in Shelby? A sales lady at the car lot asked us if we needed any help and her instructions were precise but meanwhile Robin used the navigation on her "smart phone" and she got us there.

We arrived at the Gaffney outlet Mall in no time. This was my first time here. It was huge! There were so many stores to shop in. It took us nearly all day to get through them all. We had more fun than just shopping. We could not resist the temptation of acting like kids.

 

I found my chance at modeling



And Robin found Snookie



 

It was a fun day. We didn't buy to much stuff . The winter clothes did not appeal to us because we are all about summer clothes and cant wait until spring. 

But spending some time with my friend, getting out of town, and belly laughs that would make a six pack was way worth the trip. 

Christmas Decorations

I put my Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. It used to be a tradition growing up that we would put the tree up on Thanksgiving night and then daddy would drive us down town to see the Christmas lights down main street. They would be stretched from one side of the road to the other and riding through them was like a Christmas Tunnel. My Husband still takes me for a ride downtown to see the Christmas decorations they have gleaming. I love it and it brings back a little bit of my childhood.

But have you ever wondered what the meaning is for all decorations at Christmas? Well, here is what I found to be a cute explanation behind some of them.

Red Symbolizes the blood of Jesus.

Green is the color of evergreens such as fir and holly. Pine trees, with there needles pointing up to heaven, representing everlasting life.
The Star represents the star followed by the 3 wise men.
Bells both call us to worship, and remind us of the Joyous angelic announcement of Christ's birth to the shepherds.
The Candy Cane represents the Shepherd's crook.
The peppermint flavor of most candy canes tastes like hyssop, a plant in the mint family. It was used in the Old Testament for purification and sacrifice.
Lit Candles remind us that Jesus is the light of the world.
The Wreath reminds us of the crown of thorns and never ending love of God.

Now here are a few of my favorite ornaments I put out. Me and my sister give each other an ornament every year and this means alot to me and then I usually will buy one that represents something from that year.