Saturday, December 21, 2013

Baking for the Holiday

It is snowing outside.  B made a large pot of chili.  The dogs are napping in the living room on the furniture.  The chickens are out, but under the roof in the screened area.  Since the meals have been taken care of, I am able to bake.  I made fudge earlier, there is a pear-cranberry sauce in the pot, and spritz cookies are just out of the oven.  The light is different outside when there is snow.  It gives off a light type of glow; beautiful!  We always made spritz cookies when I was growing up.  I thought they were better than the ordinary cookie since they had a design and didn't look like all of the other cookies.  With this batch I mixed in a green dye making the cookies marbled green and off-white.  I made trees with this marbled batter and sprinkled them with a light green sugar.  Some of the trees received a few colored beads.



How was your day?  I hope you had joyous times with friends and family.  Merry Christmas!

Cup Cozy & Butterscotch Pecan Fudge


Simple Butterscotch Pecan Fudge Recipe:
Combine in a microwave safe pan, one small can of sweetened, condensed milk, one package 11.5 or 12 ounces of white chocolate morsels and one package of 11.5 or 12 ounces of butterscotch morsels.  Cook in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir.  Repeat cooking for 30 seconds intervals until the morsels melt.  Remove the pan from the microwave and add 1 tablespoon of vanilla and 1/4 cup of chopped pecans and stir well.   You may want to reserve a few pecan pieces to sprinkle on the top of the fudge.  Pour the fudge into a greased 9 X 13 pan.  Cool in the refrigerator until the fudge sets up.  Cut, eat, and enjoy!
Do  you notice what is on my desk?  A crochet hook is next to my pens.  It is a necessary object to everyone's desk isn't it?




This week I was asked if I made cup or mug cozies.  I usually fill my coffee or tea cup half full and go back and forth for refills quite often.  I was told that cozies keep your mug warm for twice the time.  My mind immediately went to the tea cozies I make which keep your tea pots warm much longer.  The best insulating fibers for cozies are wool or cotton.  I viewed several cup/mug cozies on the Internet and found many varieties.  Many of the artisans used buttons for closure, some made cozies without any openings and other cozies were only connected at the top and bottom like the one I made.  I used hand-spun wool to make my cozy.  I am also attaching a photo of old cup cozies I purchased several years ago.  These are only large enough for juice cups.  They have a crocheted bottom.  I think they were made with the intended use as decoration and for keeping the sweat off of table tops when drinking iced drinks.  Do you use a cup/mug cozy?  What type of a cozy would you prefer?  Thank you for reading my blog.  I hope you have a great weekend!  Dawnie

Thursday, December 19, 2013

Antler Delima and Life

I made a hat this week and I tried to make antlers for it.  I tried several ways to make the antlers, but I am not satisfied with the results.  I crocheted small tubes with acrylic yarn.  In these tubes I placed a silicone tube with wire inside of it.  This wire tubing was designed to tie up plants in the garden, etc.  I found the hat works better when it is on backwards, but no one would know the difference, except for me.  Do you have any good ideas for making antlers?




For fun and your viewing pleasure, I am modeling my hat in this picture with Bruce.
This child mohair hat is a Christmas present.  Is sure is fuzzy!

What have you been doing for the holidays?   This evening we watched the movie The Holiday.  As I  watched this movie I longed to visit England, Ireland, and Scotland.  I want to view the cozy country cottages, watch sheep graze in the green pastures, explore fences made from stones, and sip tea from a china cup in front of a roaring fire in a fireplace.  The most amazing experience would be to see all of the different tea cozies used and made in this part of the world.  Here we rarely use them, but I still prefer a hot cup of tea and a tea cozy will allow a teapot to stay hot longer.  Taking tea is not a tradition in Kansas, but it should be.  If you are interested in tea cozies, view the cozies at my shop.  http://www.custercottage.com

Merry Christmas!  Dawnie


Saturday, December 14, 2013

The cutest model

A couple of months ago I posted this photo of a hat I made.  I added a little more to it before the cutie on the top photo received the hat.  He is sure a cute model!

Merry Christmas!  Dawnie

 

More Vintage Photos

I scanned more vintage family photos.  I enjoy revisiting the photos and the history behind them especially around the holidays.  I hope you enjoy them.  Nostalgic moments............

My grandmother Elizabeth Shull.

I was one year old in this picture.

My great-grandmother Sadora Davis-Easterly

All I know is this man is a neighbor.

My sister and I.  I am on the right and I was 3 years old.

Me at age 3 mo.

Thank you for viewing my nostalgic moments.  I hope you have a Merry Christmas!  Dawnie





Friday, December 13, 2013

Baby Gift and Chicken Pot Holder


A friend is due to have a baby in 2 weeks.  I am now ready, unless she has a boy.  LOL 






Another new chicken pot holder is available at my store.  http://www.custercottage.com




I hope you are doing well.  May God bless you and yours!  Dawnie

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Peewee Egg


This evening I gathered the one egg from the hen house.  It was very  small.  When I placed it on the scale, it didn't register.  The scale says it is peewee size.


I stamped the egg in this picture.  I purchased my egg stamps from:

Premier Sheep Supplies Ltd.
2031 300th St
Washington, IA  52353
Phone: 319-653-9624
http://www.premier1supplies.com/list.php?mode=list&species_id=ALL&criteria=egg+stamps&submit.x=12&submit.y=7

The peewee egg is so cute!     Tomorrow is hump day!
 Dawnie

                       

Sunday, December 8, 2013

New Chicken Pot Holders and the K-Mart Ad



 
My boyfriend and I were talking about the K-Mart ad. I think it is a little over the line as far as taste goes.  The men can dance around in boxers and that does not bother me.  It is the jingle balls part that bothers me.  If they continued to hold the bells and play them when they jingle their balls, it may not bother me as much.  I was telling B. that it would be like me dancing around in my bra shaking my boobs, it is a little rude.  I went on to say that I realize that K-Mart is trying to sell boxers.  You know the saying that sex sells everything?  If I shook my boobs, what would it say I would be selling?  His comment was sunglasses.................................
K-Mart Ad