This Moment...

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 
Inspired by Soulemama 

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Handmade Holidays

OK, this is the last one, I promise. But here are the rest of the handmade gifts I managed to make for this Christmas (but couldn't share until now b/c I didn't want to ruin the surprise!).

A couple months back, I found this huge back of yarn at SCRAP, our local art supply re-use store for $4! What a steal!!

I turned it into a hat and mittens for Finn, and I still have A LOT of yarn left!

I also made Finn a few pairs of pants (the robot fabric is flannel and really snuggly)

I also made my first pair of arm warmers. These ones were for my sister-in-law who lives in NYC, and I saw a pattern for arm warmers that laced up the side...I figured they would fit into big city fashion. The pattern is from Alterknits.

Lastly, a lot of the ladies in my life got bath salts. I made these for the first time and they are super easy. Fill a pint size mason jar with epsom salts (available at a drug store) and add about 20 drops of essential oils in any combination that suits your fancy. Mix well, wrap up and give!

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Holidays.....

I have been on a brief hiatus from my blog, as I took a trip to the Oregon coast with Todd's family over the Christmas holiday. We rented a house that was supposed to have wireless internet access, but when we got there we realized that wasn't the case. So, even though I had planned to blog over the Christmas holiday, I wasn't able to.
We did have a nice trip to the coast although the rain didn't stop for even one minute (seriously) and Finn ended up coming down with the flu. I hope you all had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas, and I plan to be back to my blog in full force (whatever that is) tomorrow!
p.s.- the photo is NOT of my house, but a house on Peacock Lane (the infamous street of Christmas lights) in Portland. Pin It Now!

Th Elf on the Shelf... a New Holiday Tradition

Have you ever heard of the game "Elf on the Shelf"? I hadn't, until Finn received it as an early Christmas present this year from his grandma. Here's the scoop: You get a cute little elf (and a book to go with it). You name your elf (Finn named ours Muga). Then you stick him on a shelf somewhere. Each night, the elf flies to the North Pole to report to Santa, give naught/nice reports, Christmas wish lists, etc. and when he comes back, he sits in a different spot (this means you have to move the elf each night moms and dads!). When your kiddos wake up in the morning, they have to try and find the elf's new spot.
This game has been a total hoot for Finn, and his morning search for Muga is the first thing he does right out of bed. I have also found (in a few of my moments of weakness) that a threat that Muga will make bad reports to Santa can actually make a child start behaving better. I hate to use the holiday that way, as it takes away some of its beauty, but let's be realistic.... we all deserve a little bit of a break every now and then, right? Or at least an end to your child's tantrums when you have been up late making his Christmas gifts??
Anyways, this game would make a wonderful gift for any family with young children and I think this will be a lovely tradition in our home in the years to come!

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Cookies Galore!

Since we are staying close to home for Christmas this year, I have been busy baking cookies to share with family and friends... and if I might be honest, I have eaten a few too many myself!

Sugar cookies (my grandmother's recipe):

Fudge:

Peppermint Bark.... it was my first time making this (per my husband's request) and it came out OK... I couldn't find peppermint extract, and so used mint extract, and it has a hint of spearmint, which doesn't really seem right for these treats. Also, white baking chocolate is not cheap, so I now see why this stuff is so expensive at the store! It's not cheap to make yourself either...

And the infamous saltine toffee:

I think since it is the holiday season, I will be generous and share the recipe here! Be forewarned, these are addictive!

Saltine Toffee:

What You Need:

• Foil
• 2 sticks butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 sleeve saltine crackers

What You Do:

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• Line cookie sheet with foil. Now, this cookie sheet has to be able to fit into your freezer, so at my house, I can't use a regular cookie sheet but have to use 2 small toaster oven trays instead. Figure out what works for you before you start baking!
• Cover cookie sheet with a layer of saltine crackers. If they don't fit perfectly, just break some apart and do the best you can.
• Melt the 2 sticks of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add brown sugar, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
• Pour butter-sugar mixture evenly over saltine crackers and bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from oven, pour chocolate chips over the gooey mess and let it sit for a minute or two so they start to melt. Then spread the chocolate over the crackers, trying to get it as even as possible.
• Then freeze until hard and break into pieces to eat or give away! I like to store mine in the freezer as at room temperature it gets pretty gooey and stuck in your teeth.

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Happy Solstice!

 

Here's to longer days and more light! Happy Solstice!

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Felted Christmas Stocking

OK, so I know I have been posting a lot about crafts lately, but I feel like that is all I have been doing! Here is a picture of a felted sticking that I made for Finn. The pattern is from Alterknits Felt, and even though it seemed to take forever to knit, I think it came out pretty well. However, I think I will start baby #2's stocking next summer!
These pictures are before and after felting. It didn't shrink up as much as I had expected, so there may be a lot of oranges in there on xmas morning!

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