Sunday, December 23, 2012

Christmas blessings ...

Our little family had the annual get-together at son Jeff's apartment and it was a great day.  Six adults and one special grandchild were there.  Everyone arrived safely, a wonderful lunch was served and savored, presents were distributed and opened with all of the appropriate oh's and ah's, and family news was exchanged.  Veronica was the center of our world; children are what Christmas is all about, don't you think?  It was the most fun watching her open her presents and line them all up; she is a great little organizer.  I enjoyed checking out what she got myself.  With so many things to choose from when purchasing for a child, it is easy to please them, I think.  She is counting the days until Christmas and told us all just how many "to go".  I passed along several of my hooked rugs to my family.  Ah, that felt good!

My life has not been going as smoothly as I would like recently (health problems) but I am counting my blessings that even so I am who I am, where I am, and what I am.  For instance, even though Wendell and I were not feeling well this a.m. and worried that we might give our colds away at church, we went anyway and did our part.  We tried not to shake too many hands, hug too many special people, or talk right into any one's face!  LOL!  It was our honor to light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath, the first time since we started going to Freedom Church that we have been asked to do so.  I think we would have had to be VERY ill to miss that!  What a privilege to tell the story of Mary and her special day.  Then we had a lessons-and-carols sort of Christmas program and I read scripture for that, also.  The best part each year is the children's bell choir; they love to play the bells and it is really just a lot of disjointed ringing from some of the youngest ones but watching the looks on their faces is pure entertainment.  We topped off the morning by distributing the 2013 Church Directory which I created on my trusty little computer.

This afternoon we're just doing a lot of nothing.  It will be a busy week.  For you too, right?  My wish for you is the best possible Christmas this year.  Keep positive and continue to do good works.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The price of homemade noodles?






Well, here's how I get myself in trouble ... yesterday I made a cake for Wendell to take to lodge that night.  Since it was a white cake, I had three egg yolks left over.  Wouldn't you agree that an egg yolk is a terrible thing to waste?  I think so!  So I got this crazy idea that I could try to make noodles with those yolks (pictured above drying on my washer/dryer). Yes; I did that.  Did you know that you have to knead the noodle dough for 10 MINUTES?  Yikes!  I should have stopped right then, when I read those directions.  And add to that the rolling out of the four equal balls of dough when you got to the actual noodle-making process!  And did you know that noodle dough is actually not made with flour and eggs like you think but with ELASTIC?!  It stretches right back, over and over and over, rolling and rolling and ....  Well, you get the idea.  ANYWAY, I came away from that experience with an extremely sore shoulder.  And it was already sore to begin with.  (Rita -- my NP -- would kill me.)  So I had to just show off those noodles since they have cost me so dearly.  No, I don't know how they taste; they're in the frig in a bag (and a pitifully small bag it is, I might add).  So, as to the title of this essay: the price of homemade noodles is a sore shoulder for this aging cook.  Never again; never never never!  Noodles are so cheap at the Freedom Country Store ...

Tuesday night was hooking at the Worthington Library.  There was one newbie.  Here is what some of the others brought for show and tell, or was working on:

Becky's brought this little cat mat, which she recently completed.
Becky must have been working on finishing UFO's before Christmas; here is another cat in a Margo White designed rug  she just completed.  I love the flowers in the border.  Great job, Becky!
Marilyn was working on this penny rug.  It's a Christmas gift.  (Wish I were on her list.)
Teresa was hooking on this large floral rug.  Everyone loved the colors she's selected; Teresa says she wants to use up some of her stash for this rug.
Teresa also brought some of these lovely fingerless mitten/head band sets.  She is selling the sets for $39 and taking custom orders.  Or she'll sell individually.  I have a pair of the mittens and I LOVE them!  These would make wonderful Christmas gifts.  Teresa always does a good job, whatever art/craft medium she is working in.  And as you can see, she is an excellent knitter.