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!!!