Enough of this Cold!

We've had a cold Christmas this past week! Yesterday it was -3 degrees in the morning! But it's beautiful and it's been great exercise doing all of the snow shoveling. The chickens HATE the snow and have been hiding out in the coop. If they do come out, they stand on one foot at a time! Mattie loves the snow, because she is a Tibetian Terrier and is bred for the cold.

The Dulaan Project Crochet with a heart

The Dulaan Project

Farewell to the Center!

This is the last farewell from the Senior Center. After 10 1/2 years of teaching (not 8!!) it was a bittersweet one. I will surely miss all my students, but because they have become my buddies, I know I will see them again when I go down to the center. Thanks for the kind words from my boss Larry and for all of the good memories.

The Hay Barn

Well, as I write this, our new hay barn is almost finished. We have been needing a place for all of the heavy equipment and also, to store the hay we grow. The high desert sun is really hard on everything, and this will be good protection from it and the weather. Also a great place for the grandkids to jump on the bales. It's really cold right now, but clear and windy. Good chile and cornbread weather! I've been writing Christmas cards and mailing presents, and still crocheting quite a bit. We had our girl's night out last night at Kim's house and decided that at our next monthly meeting we would all wear our PJ's. Might as well be comfy while we are crafting! I will take pictures next time, so you can see our cheery little group!

Can't stop crocheting....

Here is Zoey, learning to chain and single crochet. Pretty good for only 6! Also, Amber with her birthday shrug and Molly with her new hat and scarf.

Crochet frenzy!

Here are some of the latest projects that have been keeping me busy. Hats for Molly and Livia and scarves for everyone including Amber. I've been having so much fun. Let me tell you the fingers have been flying! We have started a craft group and all of us are crocheting at the moment. Rachel has really caught the bug and I'm so proud that she remembers the lessons I gave her years ago. I'm expecting great things from her!

More Photos From Pennsylvania

Pierre S. du Pont (1870-1954) created Longwood Gardens after purchasing land in 1906 to save an arboretm of historic trees. He went on to build the magnificent gardens, Conservatory and fountains that we saw and loved. We were there during the fall mum showing! The lily pads that are at the top can get as big as 8' across, and they looked like giant baking pans to me!

Molly by Golly!

Here is Molly wearing her newest cap. Let's see if she will keep it on long enough for the picture. Easy crochet pattern...made it up in about an hour. I still need to put a crocheted rose on the side, but I don't know if she will give it back!

The Happiness Project

I recently found this site, and it is fascinating! Many articles and quotes that are so inspiring. I thought of my daughters, both young mothers, who are so tired from sleepless nights and busy days. The author, Gretchen Rubin, addressed these years , by saying:

"The days are long, but the years are short".

Check out all of the good stuff on this site.....

Amish Breakfast

Baked Oatmeal

2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten

Mix the above ingredients together well then add:

4 cups oatmeal
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2 apples peeled and chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
chopped walnuts

Pour into a greased 8" cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces and serve with milk.

I had this for breakfast in an Amish restaurant in Intercourse, PA. It was delicious and a great way to start the day.

Eight Days in Pennsylvania

I finally got my wish to see the Amish country, and just got back from a wonderful trip with friends. Heaven has got to look like Pennsylvania, at least in my book. Here are some of the many photos I took!

Amber's Birthday present

I finished Amber's shrug last night and I really like the way it turned out. I'm getting some crochet books in the mail that will have lots of these types of shrugs. I'm really excited to try some for little girls too. They make up really fast (now that I know what I'm doing!), and are sure fun to make. I love you amber and miss you so much!

Simply the Best!

These muffins rock!!!! I know I'm 55 and am not supposed to talk like my kids, but they honestly do! I've never tasted any better. They are really good when they are warm out of the oven and gooey with the drizzle:

White Chocolate Macadamia Muffins

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup white chips
3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Glaze:

1/2 cup white chips
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

In a bowl, conbine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the chips and nuts.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack.

For glaze, in a small microwave safe bowl, melt chips with cream. stir until smooth. Drizzle over warm muffins.

To die for!!!!!! Let me know what you think!

First Snow!!!

After the clouds lifted a bit this morning, we saw our beautiful La Plata mountains capped with snow. FIrst snow of the season. Glad we had good luck and saw the leaves last Friday. I'm sure they are going fast now.

A Fall Treat

I made this today and it was great!

Goodbye Old Friend

Well, we had to say goodbye to an old friend yesterday. Molly was 14 years old and it was time to say good bye. She had been sick, so we took her in to the vet to be put to sleep. Very sad, but she had a wonderful life here on the ranch. Many happy memories. You were a good dog and you will be missed!

The perfect date........

How often do you get to have the perfect date REAllY? If you're like us, maybe once every three months. Well, this was the perfect date, good enough to qualify for about five years. Today Steve took me up to Telluride to see the leaves. Now in most years past, (like almost every year past) we either hit it too early and see green aspen, or too late and see bare trees. I don't know why we have such luck, but in general we do. Not today. Today we had a magical time from the moment we left the house. Steve has been up to Teluride a lot, what with manager retreats and such. He stays at his boss's condo. So he knows the ropes. We had an amazing ride up,even tho it was kinda stormy. From Dolores on it was gorgeous, and Telluride was just amazing. I kept looking for a sign that said "This way to Oprah's mansion". Steve knew all the in's and out's of the place. the free gondola rides from Mountain Village over to Telluride, even where to park! I was so impressed! We had a great lunch and then I found some pretty aspen leaf earrings to commemorate the day. I also got some good shots of Wilson Peak, a fourteener that Steve and his Brother Phil climbed back in the early 90's. My gosh, I'm glad I didn't know they were on something so steep. Yikes! Anyway, this was a great day and I got to rub elbows with the rich and famous as well as the maintenance folks. I did find that every local there owns a dog. Dogs were every where. Lucky dogs.

Fun at the movies

Yesterday my friend Kathy and I went to see Ghost Town. It was really good and I recommend it! How nice to get out and surrender to another realm for a while. I learned that I'm a grabber when it comes to surprise parts of the movie. Kathy, I hope your poor arm is okay today! Anyway, get out and see a movie. Give yourself a treat. And do it with a friend, which is even more fun!

My ladies club............

Do you long to be appreciated, loved and yes, even worshiped? Do you expect something in return for your time and devotion? No, I'm not talking about raising children. My answer...get some chickens! If you give them lots of attention and holding while they are chicks, you can expect a fan club that will never let you down. And the rewards? Clucks, coos, love pecks and EGGS!!!! I have wanted to raise chickens since I was 16. Don't ask me why, but they just fascinate me. For very little effort, I get fresh eggs each morning, more than enough to share. At the moment I have 3 old biddies, still laying and nine young hens which are just starting to lay. Their eggs are still small, but it won't be long before they will be big, fine eggs. I raise Bard Rock hens. They lay brown eggs that are very strong. I have raised other breeds, but the eggs are puny and break easily. I will be sharing lots of chicken stories in the weeks to come. Mostly about my overcoming the sight of chicken feet, to the point where I can actually pick them up. Even the dead ones! How I have blossomed into a poultry primadonna! Anyway, you are all invited to come see the girls, anytime you want.

A new beginning.......again

Starting a new chapter in my book of life. I told my drawing class that I was "retiring" from teaching as of Jan. 2009. Pretty scary, but it's the right time. Interesting how I'm up to 13 students and I'm ready to move on. But it feels right, and it's definitely a right brain feeling. If it were a left brain feeling I would be feeling things like guilt and remorse! It's been 10 years and I'm ready to see what else is out there. How amazing it is to have so many new friends and pals because of this experience. It was so good to soak up their experiences and wisdom for all of these years. I feel like I'm one step ahead of my peers in the ageing department. How exciting to jump into the unknown and see what happens!

Amber's pumpkins

While Amberr was here for her surprise visit, she showed Rachel and I how to make these cute pumpkins. I want to make some other fall colors to go with them. They were super easy to make. She made them while I made peach cobbler and we both finished at the same time. Thanks Amber, for your visit and for your inspiration!

Molly's First Birthday

Here's our little Molly, ready for her cake. Happy Birthday little one, and many more

crocheted jewelry

These little bracelets are quick and fun. They are my excuse to become a bead hoarder and spend all my free pennies on beads. My first ones took hours to make, but now I can whip them out in no time. Like what you see? Let me make one or several for you!

Scarves Galore!

I am in a crochet frenzy! I can't quit making these wonderful Queen Anne's lace scarves. I think I'm up to 17 now. I have used expensive Noro yarn from Japan and cheap-o yarn from the craft store. And all of the extremes in between. Needless to say, everyone is getting scarves for Christmas. Let me know if you see something you like and I will make it up for you. I think these little scarves would look great with a jean jacket. Just a little splash of color.

A new beginning!

I'm really excited to be sharing my crafts and family with everyone! I hope this will keep you up to date with what's happening in my life and the lives of my family.