to all my friends , new and old...

Happiest of Holidays.... may the memories made today and every day, last a lifetime.
Best wishes....
Steph

silence...

The wee miss has developed laryngitis, and per doctors orders, her Christmas holidays have begun early. Poor girl. Somehow, in her snowflake cutting euphoria, I don't think she minds. She has taken to adorning each flake with a single sequin in the center... very cute. I am thinking of helping her create a crafting blog of her own... she is crafty beyond belief for her 11 tender years. She knits! Not a lot...but she does... and she crafts with paper, and anything else she can get her hands on. Perhaps tomorrow morning we will start that. OK...after many tries at striking out that line..and ending up with everything after it struck out... no matter how many times I deleted the html from the end of the post..it kept showing up so.. my baby girl and i got her blog framework up, her first post will be written tomorrow, most likely during a paper snowflake break. Here it is. She has been decorating gingerbread houses ala
Jenny Harris ... so much fun. Okay... so I have been playing too -grins-
Dishcloths are beginning to make a small pile... Mum's request.... some bags from this tutorial are cut and ready to sew.... cloth napkins and placemats are next... not sure the wristlets are going to make it by Christmas... I finally figured out one spot I was making a mistake in.. to being bogged down with meds and not fathoming the next step well.
Some small wee felt dolls are progressing in their assembly as well. A set for the we miss... a set for an friends daughter... to be epiphany gifts... and then a third set fo an online friend whose daughter is having surgery in Feb and will be bedridden for 10 days... I am thinking to make some wee felt furniture for them too... or maybe a tiny fabric house... something she can play with in bed and not hurt herself on should she fall asleep with it all.
I will try to update this tomorrow with some pictures.. it is quite dark and not condusive to picture taking tonight at all.

I should be asleep...

The wee miss and I have been ill again...hooray for upper respiratory illness...not. I have slept away most of the last two days, and was feeling blog withdrawal so got up to do a bit of reading.

Feeling a bit ... screwed today. For lack of a better way to put it. Having someone around with an eating disorder that involved binging and purging, is a bit like having a crack addict around., Things go missing. Money goes missing. Things and money that are needed. Badly. -sighs- So I am now the proud owner of .17$ and trying to figure out how to fill holiday stockings for the little two..I have a few things tucked aside, thanks to my Mum, but ... the rest?
Add to that, my second oldest son, the one I am closest to of the boys, called me tonight to let me know that he was going to be meeting with a Marine recruiter. He is my biggest source of support here, the one I know I can count on. And... there is a good chance that fairly soon, he won't be here. I know he has to do what he has to do for his own future... but when his older brother went into the Marine's it was hard as hell on all of us, we are a close family, and having one of the kids 'gone' is... difficult all the way around. I will, of course, support his decision, either way.
Missing an old friend .
Realizing the end of a marriage that has been over for 5 years almost... but oddly this is our first holiday season on our own. Not a bad thing, just the realization of it.
A busy mind and heavy heart tonight.

the spoils...

of the wee misses 11th birthday cookie decorating party .... the plate the cookies are on? Is a turkey platter...to give a small reference for how many cookies we were left with, lol. And cupcakes, too. Snuck in the gingerbread house we decorated on her actual birthday, what a fun project that was. Next year (we are planning ahead!) we will do miniature gingerbread houses that I will assemble in advance and they will all decorate. She is saving all her birthday money for an American Girl doll. Pardon the pics...they are taken with webcam, but it was that or none, so I am going with being able to have pics... if I can figure out how to post them that is.
Started on some wristlets for the girls (bigger) for Christmas, in a chocolate brown and robins egg blue. -whispers- They are crocheted, not knit, because I can crochet WAY faster than I can knit... makes no sense, one hok instead of two needles being faster, but... I guess that is because I have been crocheting since I was 8 or so... and knitting since err.... recently. A year now? And that has been sporadic at best... hmm..... make that two years. Or so.
I bought the fusible interfacing for these. They will become teachers gifts, our driver's gifts, a wonderful lady named 'Ginny's" gift, and various other neighbors etc.
Another storm due in tonight.... ah winters in the northeast... such...bliss. -coughs- Ok... I am trying to like winter this year, or at least, not hate it. I am embracing mittens and hats and hot cocoa and all things cozy.

Message from the Universe

so perfect for today, as I look toward the new year and ...hope.
" You can "dance" with the illusions of time and space, Steph, choosing your "steps" based upon things and events as they now are, or you can dance with your dreams, choosing your "steps" based upon things and events as they will be.

And I bet you can guess which steps will perpetuate today's illusions, and which ones will change everything...

The Universe"

Owies

So, I finally found a pattern or two for the hood/scarf combo... to learn what I want is basically a wide scarf, folded in half... and sewn together for about 10 inches...to create the hoot part. So now my favorite yarn will become something warm to wear for winter walks. Yay! Then... I somehow got a very painful papercut on the end of my left thumb. Right where the yarn runs over it. Ouch. No more knitting today.
A bit late for this year (I am NOT a quick knitter...yet) but over on Soule Mama's blog she made a beautiful i-cord garland. I am so doing that for next year. I think this weekends craft project will be cinnamon applesauce ornaments for the tree. It is also time to whip up a batch...big batch... of one of our favorite hot cocoa's.

25.5 ounces nonfat dry milk powder
16 oz jar powdered non-dairy creamer
16 oz container presweetened cocoa powder (we used nestle quick)
13 oz jar instant malted milk powder
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
To use: combine equal parts mix and boiling water (we just use a few heaping spoonfuls per muc, to taste, and add a dash of milk or cream)
Combine all the ingredients in a large bow, . Package in canning jars, bags tucked into mugs, decorative jars, cannisters and what have you to give as gifts. Save some for home, this stuff is wonderful on chilly winter days.
Enjoy!

Alas, despite ALL my begging....

Mother Nature has turned a deaf ear and we have...snow. -insert long-drawn, overlay dramatic sigh here- Ok. I'll survive. It's just winter, right? Right.
Ugh.
I live in the northeast, have almost my entire 43 years.... and still not made peace with winter. It's the rest of the seasons that kep me here or I would high tail it for warmer climes. Ok... that and my offspring. They aren't all portable now.
So... I have some lovely yarn, bought from Elan two years ago. A few skeins got seperated from the rest in moving, so it won't be what I had originally planned, and now hope to make it into some kind of... hood like from a cozy cape, with a scarf attached. Now to find a pattern -grins- though I am rather tempted to just start knitting and see what happens. The little Princess and Golden Boy have taken up their needles again as well. I don't force craftiness on the kids, but rather leave the materials around for them, and always drop whatever I am doing if they wish a refresher.
Around here there are no longer any wonderful little cozy yarn or fabric shops outside the mainstream. The closest of the knit heavens is in Saratoga Springs, an hour away, and without a car, that doesn't happen often. But... I have found a pattern online that I have absolutely got to have. Sewing pattern that is... for this. I think I am officially in love with Amy Butler patterns. They may in fact be my new crafting crack.
Of to the counselor in a couple for CiCi. She has her good days and her not so good, Thankfully the bad are far and few between these days. I need to begin work on a 504 for a child with an eating disorder. Will google that a bit later. I know this blog is fairly unread right now, but... if anyone out there has thoughts on this, I would love to hear them.
Til later.