I have been dabbling in crochet for over a year now.  My MIL gave me a bunch of yarn that she was given and I’m trying to find things to do with it.  I found out a friend of mine is going to be a grandma and I thought this was a perfect way to use up some of the baby yarn I was given.  I started out making a blanket and then realized I had enough to make the booties (my first attempt), the sweater and a hat to match.  I’m very pleased with the way these turned out!

I LOVE TO CROCHET!!!

Finished reading Jodi’s new book!  I like it better than House Rules, but again her ending was cut short and was a bit of a downer.  The book was packed with so much emotion and it’s the first book that “almost” made me cry a few times.  I did enjoy this book and the controversial topic of same sex marriage and IVF. 

I finally picked out a skin for my nook!  I LOVE IT!  Took me a while to find one that I liked, but I’m very happy with it!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to do crafts!  Kaylie came home the other day with her list of things she needed for her Valentine’s day party.  This year, they are having a contest for the best card box.  Kaylie was anxious to get started.  Instead of doing the usual “shoe box” type box…we decided to do something a little different.  We took a cereal box and cut off about 1/2 (box is 6 inches tall).  We then took scrapbook paper and mod podged both the inside and out.  We then went through my scrapbooking supplies to see what we could find to embellish it. 

In doing this project, I realized how much I missed having my craft room!  It was such a pain to dig things out of the closet to find what I was looking for.  Having things spread out about the house also makes for a frustrating task.  One day soon, I hope to have the space to take it over once and for all!  For right now….I’ll just have to make do!

I’m trying to capture memories I want to embrace.  While sitting here thinking of something I wanted to remember, I realized I hadn’t gotten a picture of Jon’s catfish.  This fish was brought home last summer when he was found in the bucket of minnows one day.  This is the 2nd one that has made it into our home.   Jon does a great job caring for it and when it gets bigger, he will release it back into a pond.  In the meantime, it’s fun to watch him grow.

Since getting my nook in November, I haven’t been doing much crocheting or anything craft-wise!!!  So this weekend I decided to pull out some yarn and get a jump start on some things I want to make for next Christmas.    I came across this pattern while searching on Ravelry and thought this was so cute.  It was the perfect weekend project.  I plan on making up a few to give as gifts next year and to hang a few around my house.

I’ve never found a stew recipe that I really liked.  I tried this one and it was pretty darn good!  I like nice and easy recipes with a few ingredients.  Will definitely make it again!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb venison, cut in 1 inch chunks
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut in 1 inch chunks
• 1 small onion, chopped in large pieces
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, whole
• 1 cup carrot, cut in lengths of about 2 inches
• 2 (10 ounce) cans beef broth
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon oregano
• salt and pepper

1. 1 In a medium frying pan, fry venison and onion, just enough to sear the outside of the meat.
2. 2 Put all ingredients, except the flour, salt and pepper in a slow cooker or crock pot.
3. 3 Allow to cook on high for about 5 hours.
4. 4 Add flour and salt and pepper to taste.
5. 5 Cook for another 5-7 hours on low.
6. 6 You can leave it on low for several hours over and above the cooking time, which will allow the stew to become thicker and the meat more tender to your personal liking

Mother Nature has sure been socking it too us lately.  Here’s some pictures from the day’s storm. 

Our birdhouses in the back yard.

A barn down the road…so beautiful!

Kaylie shoveling the steps.

Sadie loves the snow!

For my birthday in November, I got a “Nook” from B&N and since then I have rediscovered my love of reading. This is part of the reason why so many of my other hobbies have fallen by the wayside. Since getting my Nook I have read a number of great books and my list of books to be read (TBR) is growing and growing.

Here’s my “Nookie”.

And here’s the book I’m currently reading!

Click on book to find out more!

Description: FBI profiler Karen Vail is obsessed with bringing to justice the Dead Eyes Killer, who's gruesomely slain several women in Virginia. The action alternates between Karen's attempts to unravel the clues left behind at the crime scenes and glimpses of the Dead Eyes Killer himself as he stalks future victims. A messy divorce and custody battle threaten to distract Karen, as do her tentative relationship with a local detective and disturbing revelations about her family history.

This book was chosen by the Nookville Book Club, a facebook group I belong to. I was hesitant to join in, but I am so glad I did. This book is the first murder mystery I’ve read in a long time.  I look forward to reading more in this series!

It’s another new year and another year has gone by that I haven’t followed what I had set out to do. This blog has been severely neglected because I seem to have a problem with taking on more than I can handle. While I love all my hobbies…I just can’t seem to do them all at once.

My blog this year is going to be a little bit of everything. Sharing with you all the things I love, things I’ve discovered and things I have made. I’m not going to overwhelm myself with posting everyday…just consider it a place to document and share things…my little journal I guess you could say.

God Bless and Happy 2011!!!