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.

The Mechanic's Mirror

Its no secret, my husband is a professional front end mechanic. His abilities go further than that though. I don't think there is anything he cannot do. If anything breaks or goes wrong, he can fix it. Needless for me to say, he is also a good cook and dishwasher! I learned today that he took a shot at being crafty. Its pretty funny, and hey if works, do it.

The other day something went wrong with my SUV. It was leaking antifreeze from underneath. He noticed it the moment I backed out of the driveway to go to work. He is very observant on this stuff (I think I could get a little ding on the oil pan and he would spot it immediately). So upon checking out the cause for the leak, he spotted a broken clamp around the hose. He fixed that, added more antifreeze and I was off to work again. Yesterday, he noticed the same leak! He checked it and came to the conclusion it needed a "coolant temperature sensor". He read about these things and how they work.

This funny looking little thing was not very easy to find and had to be ordered but he had it the next day and proceeded to repair my vehicle.

Here is where his crafty little idea comes in.

Somewhere, he has a nice telescopic extending mirror. He needs this so while he fixes the problem in the motor, he can also see up from underneath. After tearing the house apart looking for the mirror, he was unsuccessful in finding it and didn't want to have to go buy one at that moment.

He finds an old door mirror in the storage building (it was suppose to have been thrown away a long time ago) and broke it. He took a small piece of the mirror, a clothes hanger, and electrical tape and made his own little mirror.

Here is what an extending mirror suppose to look like (web photo)........

and here is one of a craftsman..........

I know what you must be thinking. "If you break a mirror, then you will have bad luck for seven years".

Well, this little jewel brought good luck. My SUV is up and running like a charm.

Is there such thing as Santa?

If your a parent, you will be faced with this innocent question sooner than you really want to. Once your child is in middle school, he or she probably does not believe in Santa but still hold on to the childlike hope.
If your child is asking this question, they probably already know the answer and just want to hear it from you.

Some parents will choose to never let there child believe in Santa from the day they are born. They consider it a "lie" and the christian thing to do is tell the truth from the beginning. My parents had me believing in Santa until I was about 12 years old. Once I knew the real truth, the thought never crossed my mind that they were telling me a lie or any less of a christian. It was more of a fun tradition to make believe a fat man with reindeer flew across the world delivering toys, However, we were always reminded of the birth of Jesus and this is why we celebrate.
 

 

The way I see it, is if a child cannot believe in something they cannot see, then this could bring doubt in believing in a God they cannot see. Don't get me wrong. I know God is not an imaginary character but looking from the eyes of a child, this could confuse them until they are old enough to understand.

 image I caught with my phone at a local restaurant just last week.

When your child seems to really have the whole Santa thing figured out, then this is a good time to go ahead and tell them the truth.

St. Nicholas was in fact, a real person from years ago. He was a very religious man and would deliver toys to poor children in his village Just like the wise men did when Christ was born. This legend grew into the story we share now. We should be sure to keep the belief that Santa exist in the hearts and souls of all kind and generous people. Once your child has this understanding, he or she may choose to believe in something even greater.

Is there such thing as flying reindeer? No 

ThanksGiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! If you are like me, then you are about to pop right now and the thing you are most thankful for at this moment is a recliner or elastic waistbands. Wow, I ate so much food! I'm definitely going to have to double up on my Zumba classes next week.

We started the day off making the turkey. We only did a breast this time. My husband (my personal chef) cooked it the traditional way....in the oven.

To prepare the turkey, he stuffs it with butter and wraps it in a buttered cheese cloth to hold in the juices. Works every time.

I made dressing for the first feast. Yes, first feast. We have to go to two places.

First we went to my brother-in-law's to eat and later went to my parents to eat. Both were great. Just being around the families are some of the best times. We really missed some of the other family members that were not there. They were enjoying Thanksgiving at the beach with more family.

Oh my goodness! look at this plate of food for round one.

"what diet?"

My daughter made two cranberry salads, one for each visit. Some people call it congealed salad. Cranberry is not a favorite of mine but this is delicious.

Here is the table at my parents house for round two. Everyone hangs out all day long. There are little ones running around and a lot of talking and cutting up. They also had a whole table of desserts too but I was just too full to get up and photograph it.
Now, where is my skinny drink?

My first knitting!

I'm one of those people that when something gets on my mind to do, whether it be cooking, cleaning, a craft, or even a vision of something to draw, I have to do right then. Kind of like this blog. I believe I actually started it between a TV show and commercial.

Well, I have always wanted to knit. I can crochet, but not knit. So the anticipation started building again during a conversation with my friend Crystal, who can knit the cutest hats. She was telling me how easy it was with a knitting loom. My mind was made up to try it. 

Meanwhile, looking at other blogs and websites, there it was! .........

A picture of the scarf that's been on my mind all along. So that night I had to go out and get me a ball of yarn and a knitting loom. After watching several you tube videos on how to use the crazy looking loom, I was actually doing it. I was on my way to making a scarf. A cowl neck scarf to be exact. Im not really sure why I even need a scarf like this for where I live. It really only gets cold in January and February and cold to me is below 40.  

My photos are different shades because one was taken with my cell phone and one with a camera. But the yarn was mainly brown with earthtone colors mixed in.



I spent a total of about 3 hours on it. A heavier yarn would have worked better. It was not as close knit and heavy as it needed to be. The local craft store didn't seem to have wooden buttons so I bought some wooden rounds and had my wonderful husband drill holes in them to make them "buttonish". Is that even a word? Well, It is now.



The finished project.

                                                                                                              

Next time, I'm gonna try using knitting needles and do it the old fashion way. I can hardly wait to try. I'm going to get my Moms knitting needles while I'm visiting her for Thanksgiving which will be another story!

A visit to the country

Saturday I attended a baby shower for my best friends first Grandchild. She is so excited because not only is it her first grand baby but its gonna be a little girl. My friend has two boys of her own and now she will have a little granddaughter to dress in pink lace, ruffles and bows. It was great and am glad she invited me.  

The baby shower was located out in the country in a cute little farm house. The home belonged to the great-grandmother-to-be. It reminded me so much of my own grandmothers house. It was small but yet always big enough to hold fifty guest if it had too. It was cozy and welcoming. As we were leaving, I could smell that aroma of Fall. Ok, normally I would be stubborn to take in the fall since I am more in love with the summer and have fall allergies, but I could not help but slip back into another memory. The memory of living at home where my Mom and Dad still reside. They live in the country too where you can smell the cool air, fireplaces and the leaves on the ground that stay unraked. Its also quiet and you can hear birds singing and children playing.

On the way home, Me and my daughter decided to stop in my old home town and grab a sandwich at Sammy's Pub. We both got the same burger but with different cheese. She requested American while I chose the blue cheese crumbles instead. It was delicious! Needless to say, afterwards, we visited another bakery that just so happend to be in walking distance.
Now back to the city, where the work week will come quick.

Give Thanks

This time of year its so easy to get caught in all the rush of getting the Halloween decorations down and getting the Christmas decorations up. Rarely do we think of Thanksgiving being more than just a day for a big dinner with family and friends, a day off from school and work, or the day before a big shopping spree.
Then, sadly there are those that make Thanksgiving the only day to give thanks.

Right now while the economy is slow and more people are out of work, more homeless on the street and more crimes being committed, we feel like we have nothing to be thankful for, especially those who are victims of these cases. But we have a lot of things to be thankful for. We just take alot for granted. I mean, just imagine not having a family, a car, a house or friends. You may hate your job but imagine loosing it tomorrow. You may not have any of those things right now but if your reading this then you have a computer or a fancy cell phone and be thankful you have eye sight and the ability to read.

So as we enter into this Thanksgiving holiday, remember the meaning of Thanksgiving and be grateful. Wake up everyday for now on thinking about what you have, not what you don't have and always give thanks to God. Waking up is the first blessing you get each day.

Trying new things

This weekend was about like any other weekend as I tried to find things to do and places to go. My daughter was home from college, so like always, we got to catch up on a lot of talk. I love the bond we have and can talk about anything just like best friends. After I got away from the office chair, we decided to go to the mall and look around for new things to wear, Christmas gift ideas and ......CUPCAKES!

Yes, there is a new cupcake place in the mall. I will be talking more about that little experience in one of my upcoming post. [spoiler] We are currently on a mission right now to find the best cupcake.

Sunday was quite nice too. After hearing a great sermon at church, me and my daughter went out to eat with my Mom and Dad at a local Chinese buffet. Those are always good on Sunday. I wish I had gotten a picture of my Dad as he tried his first bite of sushi. Needless to say he did not like it but it cured his curiosity about eating it. Its just one of those foods that if you don't like it, you wish you did.

Sadly we had to take my daughter back to school. This always saddens me. My husband will usually take me out afterwards and that usually cheers me up. This time before heading back to the house, we stopped at a Brixx Pizza. Its new in the area and we always like to try the new places at least once.

It was nice and clean inside.

It doesn't take much to entertain me so I thought it was pretty neat that beside our table was a wall made of chalk board and pieces of chalk on the ledge.

I was tempted the whole time, and yes, eventually I wrote my initials on it.

Then there's the pizza. The pizzas are all made with thin crust and are all one size (The size that was to much for one but not quite enough for two, but since we try to eat light, it was perfect for us). They had many different kinds of pizzas to choose from. After trying to decide on the one we wanted, we finally decided on the veggie pizza. We chose the wheat crust and It came with mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions, broccoli and cheese. I do not know what they were thinking, but broccoli does not belong on a pizza. But it was good! Next time I think Ill try the Margarita pizza.