what's for dinner?

here's our turkey getting it's brining bath- told mr. k it was at home "butt side up",

started the day with brunch at our house- healthy spinach/turkey sausage/egg white breakfast casserole for the health conscious, and a not so healthy one for those who aren't, fruit salad, carrot cake and lemon poppy seed muffins- yum
dinner at the mollers:
sage and orange butter turkey, honey baked ham, savory bread pudding stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, brussels sprouts with prosciutto, glazed carrots, rolls, chocolate cream pie, pumpkin pie, and apple crisp. since i got a late start on the caramel pecan cakes, those will be on the table on saturday, right now the turkey is in the oven and i'm doing some knitting, i did have to stop to make the caramel for the above mentioned recipe.
before and after-cool huh

a week or so ago i . . .

~~spent a productive day cutting the next quilt at quilt club
~~helped andrew make banana bread and indian food from this cookbook, onion fritters and chicken korma, along with nan bread and a spread we got from harry's
~~kathy helped make bread for sunday brunch and stayed to enjoy our ethnic cuisine
~~had a lovely brunch at mary's
~~took the boys to buy new shoes- BO get one 1/2 off plus $25 coupon- yea bargain
~~bought stocking stuffers for boy stockings we adopted through our food pantry
~~shopped at harry's with kathy, and then a bit of clothes shopping (more bargains, always good :-))
~~ traditional mexican dinner out, same crew- different location
~~continue to knit on my secret sister scarf- 45 rows of pattern and 6 of top edging-looking forward to working on something else during THE game.
~~continue to add to my list of "things to do"

Enjoy the photos-and there are more on my photostream, and let the holiday's begin

tag team partner

have to confess that there was a time when i was a wresting fan-i know- ewwww, but there is something to having a tag-team partner- someone in your corner to help you out when you need it. kathy's my official tag-team partner in the sport of life. i clocked about 5 hours at her house on sunday, reflecting back i can't believe how much activity was going on -me making 4 trips back and forth between her house and church~~andrew taking over the kitchen to make a snack or two! an easy dinner of sandwiches, plenty of coffee~~getting help with a quilting project, while she typed up her weekly newsletter to preschool parents- me helping her with ideas of what to use to show the kids how to paint the native american way with berries and other bits found in nature- both of us discussing the right words to describe learning outcomes-attributes and characteristics of corn! and how to explain to the parents to NOT sent their little princesses to school all decked-out~~~finalizing thanksgiving dinner plans- we're going to their house again- turkey, ham, gravy, the usual trimmings and desserts, both of us cooking to make it all come together, and planning plenty of "hanging out" time for us to do quilting/knitting hopefully both- the only downside was that i didnt' think to capture the day in a photograph, so it was a productive and social day all in one-what a great way to spend a sunday afternoon. i'm very lucky to have her in my corner.

photo found on this website: http://www.davemillicanbelts.com/Large7/RoadWarriors.jpg

another special day

happy birthday mary-a special day for a very special person~~~celebrate it to the fullest.

photo is from this website.

http://www.hickerphoto.com/data/media/186/flower-bouquet_12117.jpg

law of averages.

i don't think the law of averages apply in this case, but i could be wrong. this was my veteran's day project. i decided to rate my project outcome.

out of a possible 100 points i give myself~~
100 pts for satisfaction of a project goal completed
80 pts for desired outcome-
finished project is not exactly what i wanted, between mary and ali, i think they do a much better job with albums
100 pts for being glad that i'm finished with the adhering and making the mini book covers
100 pts for knowing i won't be doing a project of this scale for a very very long time
100 pts for knowing i used a bunch of materials that have been languishing in my paper stash
75 pts for the paper choices i had to work with

so by doing the math we get 92.5 not bad, i guess

these are the completed books, there's a bunch, need to journal, and figure out how in the world i'm going to punch holes into several layers of paper and chip board.

oh yea, i thanked several of the veterans i worked with--figured they deserved it, and they were surprised that they were being thanked- kinda sad-

welcome fall and other stuff

halloween jack o'lanterns-never too old!

containers by the door finished, had to consider how much sunlight this area would get before buying the plants, added more pansies to the patio area- early morning was not a good time to try to take a photo of the front porch to show everything, but it's ready for fall-salad anyone?.
the sundial is installed! and it really works- the long shadow is on 8:00 which is about when the photo was taken-my first garden ornament- ♥!
mystery sock- 1 finished, and the mate under construction, the grey sock is the retro rib from this book- now my favorite book- this was also the project i took to the homecoming game

s'mores quilt for mom- she's going to sew on the buttons which will complete the "quilting look", i learned from this project, that i need a specific pattern to work from, i'm too much of a novice to figure it out as i go-

christmas themed quilt-will finish the quilting part at quilt club this weekend. love the colors and the nostalgic look of the fabric-have added more bits for my quilt stash- kathy and i have been scouring ebay for deals-once we see in the store the fabric, we hunt for the bargains. we both have a fondness for everything moda puts out-


things here are plugging along- looking forward to the holidays, making plans and lists!



TTFN

cuteness

the caramel apple cupcake and the box it came in- the epitome of cuteness from chocolate pink- well worth the walk up the street. happy saturday.

Happy Birthday Sara

wishing you all the best on your birthday. i have enjoyed watching you grow- from the rosy cheeked toddler, uttering "lillia need help?"- your way of trying to understand why i needed help after my car accident- to singing loud and proud to the spice girls, and now your curiosity with all things culinary. you've been such a good sport about the knitting obsession that permeates around you. your hard work, diligence, and your kind heart will take you far. i look forward to watching your future unfold as you continue on your journey...

much love to you on this special day
aunt lydia