The Ocean Hued Throw is Finally Complete

I started this one while we were on vacation, many, many, many months ago.

The ocean hued yarn looks pretty happy in the Bahamas.

The throw started off as a little scarf, and I kept adding on more and more yarn.

The pattern is simple, 2dc, 1sc, and repeat over and over.

Hey, there is that other blanket that I still need to finish. The only downside to this little throw was that I didn’t purchase near enough yarn to finish it up, and then the store stopped carrying it all together. So I improvised.

I went through my yarn stash, and found pretty colors that complimented the ocean hues in the blanket. I decided to add two rows of dc of each color. The stripes looked great and added a finished look to the throw.

The finished throw is cozy and warm. Now to finish that other blanket for our bedroom.

November’s To Do List

It’s that time again, time to see what I need to get done this month. I didn’t meet all of my to-do goals in October, so a few of them are being carried over to November. This month seems to be going by in a hurry already.

  • Finish the Christmas afghan for my mother in law, and crochet six scarves for teacher gifts and family gifts too.
  • Work on the king-sized winter blanket. It has been over a year, and it still isn’t finished.
  • Start crocheting Christmas stars for Agnes’ preschool class gifts. I need 21 little gifts for Christmas, and I think little handmade ornaments will do the trick.
  • Clean out Thade’s closet, and donate unused items.
  • Deep clean the boys room, and organize bookshelves and toy bins before Thanksgiving break.
  • Finalize Thanksgiving day menus.
  • Clean out and reorganize the kitchen cabinets. I need to make some room in the pantry for Winter storage.
  • After Thanksgiving: decorate the house for Christmas. That means a trip to the scary closet, and scary garage for the decorations.
  • Clean out Agnes’ closet. She has grown again, and outgrown a lot of items. I’ll take the unused items to be be donated.
  • Thanksgiving week: will involve a lot of cooking, and prepping what I can ahead of the holiday. I’ll be baking pies and rolls just about every single day that week.
  • I’ll be trying my best to keep the dishes caught up, and the house tidied up and ready for guests.

What about you… What is on your To Do list for November?

 

October’s Favorite Photos

October was a busy month, but I didn’t get too many pictures of the kiddos… I think they are dodging me anytime they think I’m going to get a photo of them.

Thade’s Halloween parade was fun. He and his very best friend wore the same costume.

Dylan had a super fun time at hos school’s parade too.

Agnes was all smiles in October.

She also celebrated her fifth birthday!

The boys helped her open some gifts.

We had a great time on Halloween too.

I kept busy crocheting, and enjoying the chilly weather.

I finished an extra cozy blanket. I love it, it is toasty and so warm.

Miss Mia wanted to play fetch non-stop, she loves that soccer ball.

November has already been busy… I’ll have to get a few more photos this month.

October’s Tasty Treats

I think I spent the entire month in the kitchen. I forgot to get some pictures of the goodies though. I do have a few to share, and I’m out of flour again…

I’ve been testing out a few recipes for Thanksgiving pies. This is the filling for my Black & Blue Pie.

I’ve got the pie crust down. This Black & Blue pie was crazy delicious!

The color of the finished pie filling is lovely too. This pie was sweet, with just a little bite of tart. Thanks to my gardening buddy for surprising me with a big batch of  homegrown blackberries.

I’ve dubbed these the Breadstick Dinner Rolls. I use the same dough that I make into pizza rolls, and breadsticks, I just roll the dough into balls instead. These bake up beautifully, and they store well in the fridge too. The family liked them so much, that I have to make a double batch every time.

I found an Angel Food cake pan at my favorite antique shop. I made an Angel Food cake to celebrate. The kids didn’t care for it, but I loved it. Angel Food cake is sweet and delicious.

More Breadstick Dinner Roll dough ready to be rolled.

Lately I’ve been working on making as much as I can from scratch. I was making a big batch of Chili, so I sorted through light red kidney beans, and dark red beans. I soaked them, and then cooked them in the Crock Pot. They were delicious, and very cost effective too.

Of course a big pot of Chili calls for Homemade Cornbread. I made some muffins, since I was serving guests.

In October we celebrated Agnes’ and James’ birthdays. I made lots of homemade treats for Agnes’ birthday party. These were Vanilla Cupcakes complete with Homemade Vanilla Buttercream.

On every birthday Agnes makes her request for homemade Milk Chocolate Brownies. These are made from scratch, and they are rich. I also made a batch of Iced Cake Mix cookies too.

We made some pink and purple wedding mints too. I flavored these with Vanilla instead of mint. They taste just like yummy icing.

I had a bit of cake batter left over, so I baked a little round. I used a biscuit cutter to cut out five circles, and I made little mini layer cakes for Agnes’ birthday cake. She loved the little cake that was just for her.

All of the family was sticking around for dinner, so I made a big batch of Cakerdoodles for dessert.

A few days later it was time to celebrate James’ birthday. I made him a Chocolate Bundt Cake (from scratch), and I made a second one to take to my neighbor too. I forgot to take pictures, but the cakes were crazy tasty!

A little closer to Halloween, and I needed treats for both of the boy’s classrooms. Dylan’s party was first thing in the morning, and Thade’s was in the afternoon. Thade and I racked our brains on what was healthy to bring, but hungry 5th graders would eat too. He decided that Banana muffins would do the trick. I made a double batch from scratch, and not a single one of them came home. He said they were gone and everyone wanted more. I’ll have to quadruple the batch next time for the kiddos.

Dylan knew exactly what he wanted to bring, and the super sweet room mom approved.

 I whipped up a double batch of Cinnamon Rolls.

I iced them with homemade Vanilla Buttercream frosting. They were a big hit!

November is here, and I have already been busy in the kitchen. I’ve got the Thanksgiving menu and desserts planned, I can’t wait to celebrate and give thanks. Time to get back to it.

November’s Monthly Menu

I meant to have this up earlier, but November snuck up on me. I’m already looking forward to Thanksgiving, and lots of dessert making. The weather is chilly and cool, and perfect for Autumn dishes. I’m still taking a little help in the kitchen with a few take-out nights, and I’m also keeping the menu simple during Thanksgiving.

  • 11/1/2014: Salmon Bites, Salad, and Dinner Rolls
  • 11/2/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Butter Rolls
  • 11/3/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/4/2014: Chicken Chow Mien, Rice, and Chow Mien Noodles
  • 11/5/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/6/2014: Panko Chicken Sandwiches, and Fries
  • 11/7/2014: Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/8/2014: Take-out!
  • 11/9/2014: Chicken Noodles, Mashed Potatoes, and Butter Rolls
  • 11/10/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/11/2014: Grilled Chicken, Salad, and Dinner Rolls
  • 11/12/2014: Beef Soft Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/13/2014: Panko Popcorn Chicken and Fries
  • 11/14/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/15/2014: Take-out!
  • 11/16/2014: Panko Chicken Tenders, Spaghetti, Hominy, and Dinner Rolls
  • 11/17/2014: Quesadillas, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/18/2014: Chili, Saltines, and Cornbread
  • 11/19/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/20/2014: Salmon Cakes, Rice, and Corn
  • 11/21/2014: Chicken Burritos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/22/2014: Take-out!
  • 11/23/2014: Homemade Pizzas: Pepperoni, Cheese, Pepperoni with Jalapeno, and Veggie
  • 11/24/2014: Tacos, Tortilla Chips, Homemade Salsa, and Cheese Dip
  • 11/25/2014: Grilled Chicken, Salad, and Butter Rolls
  • 11/26/2014: Chili, Saltines, and Cornbread
  • 11/27/2014: Happy Thanksgiving! Snack Buffet for the evening meal, as the Thanksgiving meal will be for lunch. (we have a lot of shoppers in the family)
  • 11/28/2014: Panko Popcorn Chicken, and Fries
  • 11/29/2014: Take-out!
  • 11/30/2014: Pot Roast with Potatoes, and Dinner Rolls

Time to make some shopping lists, and get to it.