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  This is how the Beatle Bug lays on Fireman daily.   He is the most relaxed cat we have ever known....I just love him so. Using up the stash at 2012 year's end: for these fingerless gloves for Al.  The thumb business I thought was an error actually worked out fine.  This gives me hope that I can make real gloves with fingers.  In the past the finger join messed with my knit head.  I think I finally get it without a pattern telling me how to do it....This is nothing short of a Christmas miracle... I won't recap all my knits this year.....but I have knit many things and better yet, given many away.   I stash busted big time.  Thanks for riding along with me this YEAR!!!  Those who leave me comments make my every day.  Those who lurk, keep on coming back.   IT is the workend.  I have big news about that coming up and a contest to celebrate.   I do make resolutions so they will be in my next post.  There seems to be a Bowl game for everything from Orange

  We have been blessed with a gorgeous little snow.  Winter wonderland oh yeah!  Gone are the dreary dark days. Our festivities were so joyful.  I am in a very good tired place.  I'm always late to the party but just in case you missed these products too, I have some great news. I absolutely love the fake candles.  Santa brought me this one pictured above.  I don't have to write notes to myself about how many are lit.  I don't have to worry about the house burning down from a candle!  Genious I say, these are genious. Did you know, dear knit pals, that Carmex makes a hand lotion. Oh yes they do and it is wonderful.   It is soothing and healing to my dry winter nurse skin.  Bring on the silky yarn...!! And finally, perhaps best of all: Santa brought me Cuddl Duds.  Oh my gosh. Do you own this fantastic long underwear?  WE'll call it that, but it is so much more beautiful than your run of the mill long underwear.    I think I am going

  The Leftover Hats were a hit.  Only one hat didn't fit.  Tonight's a new party, We'll eat good and hearty, and regift the hat to a kid.     Beatles went out in the snow His paws were cold under tow So he took me right back to the door Being outside he wanted no more, He stayed in while the cold Winds did blow. Santa was good to this girl He brought some new yarn I can twirl How did he know I would certainly show the stuff I would soon give a whirl.. \\ Okay those limericks didn't come easy this morning... We are having 20 something for pizza tonight to celebrate that Al and Zach are home.... I better get a move on.   The house looks like a clutter with wonderful new gifts.... how does your house look about now?

We had a little Christmas Snow.....it was picture perfect. I sent Zach's girlfriend in Mexico the above picture.  A few things struck me the past 2 days:  *There is nothing like Christmas Carols sung in church. *The gift exchange we do at work, really makes it easier to go in on the Holiday.  Call me material.....it is true for me.   *Ina Garten's Rosemary Chipotle nuts are amazing.  Someone gifted them at work and oh my oh my oh my. *I have not knitted a stitch in 4 days...that is almost unheard of here....oh but I will catch up! *I like to keep the Christmas music going for a bit yet... and finally THIS  is what it  is all about here today. Al and Zach are home.  Well, AL's due in the door any moment with her Nathan.   Santa came to us just last night.    Let the Fun begin.  

Merry Merry Merry blog friends.  As promised, the Eggnog Bread recipe is below for you.  It is TASTE OF HOME's recipe.  I leave out the red and greed candied cherries and the raisins....But that's just me.   2 eggs 3/4 cup  Imperial Sugar® / Dixie Crystals® Granulated Sugar 1/4 cup  butter, melted 2-1/4 cups  all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons  baking powder 1 teaspoon  salt 1 cup  eggnog 1/2 cup  chopped pecans 1/2 cup  raisins 1/2 cup  chopped red and green candied cherries Directions In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and butter until well blended. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt; add to egg mixture alternately with eggnog, beating just until blended. Fold in the pecans, raisins and cherries. Transfer to a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool.  Yield:  1 loaf (16 slices).

QUEENAVANNA@wordpress.com posted this on PINTEREST. Fill balloons with colored water and freeze them.  Then take the balloon off the frozen colored globe.... instant beauty......  We used a bulb syringe to get some colored water into the already mostly filled balloons.  Then we tied them.  The ones I set outside to freeze, took longer than the ones I put in my freezer to freeze.  I am going to line my walk with them...........I think they are adorable.   I'm here to tell you it works.  I am going to decorate with ice globes next week when we have a party for AL and Zach's Homecomings.  The little cousins will love this.  I love this..... I have some work to do to line my whole path...but it is easy.   Like them????  

  But first, a little Holiday..... Beatles came right back in from the screened porch this morning after begging to go out.  We only got a dusting of snow but I think it is very festive.   My holiday Santa Salt Shaker...just because and it wouldn't be Christmas without the holiday Soap.  My mom always bought cute holiday soap for the guest bathroom. I love to continue that tradition.  Often these are hard to find.  Yesterday, between coughing and sneezing, I found some at a Department store.   Now for the knitting.  Karen, my knit teacher and pal, mentioned the other day that Free Lance knitting is never a good idea. So what did I do last night?  Free lance thumb gusset on the fingerless I'm knitting.  Guess what?  Karen's right.  It's all coming undone today.   The good news is these are not a Christmas gift, so no pressure added.   The workend is approaching and I am glad most of the Holiday prep is done here.  I saved some baking for when

 MY CRAZY KNIT PALS KISSED UNDER THE POMPOM MISTLETOE YESTERDAY. KATHY C GAVE ME A GOOD LESSON IN HOW TO MAKE A GREAT FLUFFY POMPOM. SHE HAS IT DOWN TO A SCIENCE.   MINE ALWAYS LOOKA BIT UNDERNOURISHED....  SANTA LOOKS A LITTLE WORRIED ABOUT ALL THE SNOW AND WIND HEADED THIS WAY.   I BET WE WILL ALL HAVE BEAUTIFUL BLOG IMAGES OF SNOW TOMORROW TO SHOW ONE ANOTHER.  THE PEACE OF SNOW IS MIGHTY. THERE WILL BE A WARM FIRE TO SIT BY LATER HERE AT IRISHEYES.  I LOVE TO THROW THE CRYSTALS ON THE FIRE AND HAVE IT TURN COLORS... THANKS FOR ALL THE CONFESSIONS YESTERDAY......I FELT DOWNRIGHT ENTITLED TO THOSE COOKIES AFTER ALL YOUR COMMENTS.   CARRY ON, KNIT PALS, CARRY ON

  Very teeny tiny presents scattered on my table... But that's not the confession: this is......I've managed to eat all the Holiday Christmas cookies  I made a month ago.  One before bed every night, okay maybe two, and one for Fireman.  That's 2 to 3 cookies per day times 30 days.... equals....the end of the cookies.... What to do? I'm making quick breads for dessert instead.  There will be  Almond Poundcake Bread Cranberry Bread and new this year: EggNog Bread.   Cookies are my downfall, my treat, my tiny joy~!    and finally some knitting Simple TOAST handwarmers in fingerless style.  They will be midllength.    Confessions anyone else???

  This Reindeer does not look overly worried about his big night next week.  We have snow predicted for Thursday and I am hopeful for a White Christmas.  I love a White Christmas.   The UPS trucks are dashing through the streets these days.  I saw two of them nearly collide yesterday.   This tree is outside a favorite local store.  It was getting dark at 4:15 pm yesterday.  Zach, home from the same time zone but different axis, cannot get used to the darkness.  He says it stays light until 7 in Mexico.   He also says the Make Snow in a park in Leon.  People line up to throw snowballs, and they have to wear helmets.... I'm knitting a pair of TOAST fingerless out of some sock yarn in my stash.   It is mindless easy knitting; I'm still fighting this cold so it is the perfect project.   Do you have snow?  Real or otherwise?

I do realize these pocket slippers look like a Bra lined up next to one another.  I just wanted to show that I've finished the pair.  They stretch and they feel great.  All of you who told me to weave in ends on the diagonal are, well You are Genius.   I never knew..... and it worked.   I knit up this man's hat in a few hours on Saturday.  We've a bit of a bug going around the house.   Fireman says there is a bug going around the Firehouses.... the good news is we all ought to be well in a week, for Christmas.  So I have been laying low and resting up.  I have finished 3 hats that the Men in our house can choose from next week.   I'm late the party with this artist....I like this girl's voice.  She has some cute non-traditional songs in this collection.  I prefer the traditional songs this time of year.  I am new to Pandora.   I love Pandora!  How does it know what I'm going to like????    One more new thing on my learning horizon: 

  Clever is what I call this Candy Cane host.  He was a gift many years ago from a college friend.  I've never seen anything like him.  Have you?   Intricate is what I call this ornament from the Hotel in Yosemite.   It is a lovely replica of the Hotel and it is new to our tree this year.    Pension worthy is what I call these Fireman.   Sweet, is what I call this Flashback Friday Photo of Al and Zach from way back.... Does anyone have a great way to weave in ends? Mine are always destined to pop out! In a word: Aggrivating!  :) 

  OH the places you'll go with some leftover yarns... Lots of you have knitted the Pocketbook Slippers but I just  started.   I think, no I know, I'm in love.  S0.....First Pair's for ME!  I knit ONE of the pair yesterday and it was a super quick easy pattern.  *I'm not about last minute gift knitting,  * I will not start last minute gift knitting * I don't believe in stress knitting *I won't start now but I will be casting on more of these babies!  (Now if only I had Red and Green worsted weight in my leftover stash.... ahem...I think I have red....) Have you been finding time to knit?  I have to knit or I go coo coo!

  These darling babies greet visitors to our Infant Special Care Unit.       Another stash buster hat.  This time for a baby.   I'm really motivated to use up my stash.  Next up: Slippers in some deep purple KnitPicks.      This wreath is in the pizza parlor in town.  I love its glizt and glow.  One of our traditions is pizza by the tree.  Al loves Barnaby's pizza and Zach loves all Chicago Pizza.   Fireman and I had a busy day of shopping yesterday so we picked up a pizza for our dinner.    I have a happy Returns Holiday story for you.  Seems the pie bird for my neighbor had broken.   I brought it back to Williams Sonoma and without even showing a receipt, the clerk apologized and switched it for a good one.  No wait, no return slip to fill out, no proof of purchase....just good old fashioned customer service.  We were in and out in a flash.   I found my knitted headband gift from Karen yesterday.  It is a perfect fit.   Have you found your hand knitted hats

  I finished a cowl for Fireman.  He is not a hat guy.  He suffers each winter when his teeth ache after being out in the cold.  I knitted up this 4by1 ribbed cowl for him out of leftovers. It ought to do nicely under his snowjacket when he is shoveling one of these days.  Still no snow here.  I'd love some In the 'what are you reading' Category: This amazing book was given me last night by my dear friend Abby who celebrates Chanukah.  Santa brought her a pie bird and some pickled watermelon rind and dropped it off at my house early.  Abby loves pickled rind.  I have never even heard of it, but Santa found some made by the Amish in Pennsylvania.   Catholic, Amish, Jewish......we are all one world eh? 

at the Firehouse Christmas Party Yesterday (photo thanks to Fireman) 

In Case you need some storage ideas, you can go to Hooked-on-Needles site.  I love this basket idea.    Here is her little snowman coffee mug cover.  A-dorable! I am so sorry to laugh at someone's misfortune, but Martha Stewart getting food poisoning is making me snicker this morning.  When someone markets themselves on Perfection, and health, the great equalizer rears its powerful head, I have to laugh.  It is the workend.  There is big news on that front, that I'll share soon.  There will be a big giveaway too.  

  This is the second leftovers hat.  Finished.  I'm casting on with more leftover yarn this afternoon.  I love using it all up.  Because...then I get to justify more yarn.    Every year I save the Holiday Cards.  The next year I cut them into  tags and make a punch hole in the corner for a ribbon. Here at our cozy home we are trying for a  New Year's Card this year.  Al will be here for a bit, and Zach is coming home from Mexico in 8 days!  Or 8 crazy nights if you want to look at it that Way!! I'll hope to get a picture of them outside in the snow  together..... Beatles is used to going out with his harness on, so he may  get in on it too.  Are you sending cards?  I dont think they are a must each year for us, but this year I'd like to make it a photocard year.   How about YOU???

Just a run of the mill, nice and warm hat knitted in leftover yarn.  It is in the washer now.  I have a bad habit of not labeling leftover yarn so I have to check to see if it felts.... The Tree is up.  Here are the causalities from Last year.  We were kind of Grinchy when the lights didn't go on.  It is a pre-lit tree after all.  I guess 3 years of shoving it back in the box, as I do, when I put the tree away not so carefully when the fun is over, will ruin a few strands... On our way to buy new lights, we stopped at our village recycle bin that is just for the Holiday light dead, and it was nearly full.  Ahhh misery does love company.  We felt so much better.  How about you? Any lights hit the dust this year?  Any simple hats being knitted around your Holiday home? Gotta go, the young cats are fighting under the tree.....

Candy Candy Canes Candy Corn and Syrup Elf is such a darling sweet holiday movie. If you've never seen it, you are in for a treat.   It was on TV last night.  So speaking of Elf's four food groups,  when we were downtown we went into a CRUMBS cupcake shop.  We did not taste or buy any cupcakes,  as we were on our way to a big lunch, but every single person that walked in to the shop gave their cupcake high praise for moistness and taste.     This gorgeous woodwork was being sold at the market.  I loved this one so very much.   Today: finish my latest hat.  Knit: with a few friends Put up the TREE! with Fireman.   and for dinner:  spaghetti with syrup.......