Friday, January 31, 2014

Gathering in January

 I was so glad when Cheryl decided to host this Gathering of Moments because I was looking for a way to use pictures from my 2014 calendar for my blog.  I've also been in a writing slump lately and this is the perfect way for me to keep me connected until this... season... is over. 

I could have chosen a theme of "cold" or "snow" for this month because the weather has been, well, cold and snowy.  But, for me, this month has been all about food.

On January 2nd my husband and I started a food plan called Whole30 and I have had to learn a whole new way of cooking.  I've really enjoyed it but boy, oh boy, did I spend a lot of time in the kitchen at first.  I was creating recipes left and right!  And I learned to make my own mayonnaise, too!    Here are just a few pictures from this month's menu...  rutabaga fries with (homemade!) mayonnaise, zusketti (spiralized zucchini) with meatballs, and a hearty breakfast of eggs, (homemade!) sausage patties, roasted sweet potatoes, and sweet cherries.  Yum!
 
 

Thinking About Home
 
Due to several peoples' interest in the spiral zucchini, I've decided to post a link to the one that I purchased.  It isn't an endorsement for the brand since I've not compared it with other brands, just simply "this is the one I have."  http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391200314&sr=8-1&keywords=spiralizer

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Make It New Monday project and link-up 1/6/14

Sweater to Hat and Fingerless Gloves (a birthday gift for Amelia)
I'm not going to write a step-by-step tutorial for this project because the pictures are fairly self-explanatory.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comment section.  It was all hand sewn.  The fabric yo-yos were made from scraps left from a costume that I made for my daughter for a school play.  Total cost... $1.00 for the thrift store sweater. 
I planned to post a different project but the pictures didn't turn out.  Bummer.  Maybe next month.








 
GRAB MY BUTTON, PLEASE...
My Not-So-Empty Nest

Friday, January 3, 2014

A Sensible Winter Scene

Every morning I look across my back yard, the neighbor's back yard, and a small field into this break in the tree line that encloses a larger field.   This picture was taken at about 6am on the morning of our first measurable snowfall of the season. 
 
The haunting beauty begged me to come a-wandering by evoking thoughts of a Jane Austen romance.  Only I already have my Colonel Brandon...