Feature Friday!

So I'm thinking that every Friday I will feature a new pattern here on the blog. It will most likely be a pattern that is tried and true by me (or maybe not. Who knows what the future holds), but it will definitely be something that I think it awesome!

And the first Feature Friday pattern is....drumroll, please...

 Moogly's All Grown Up Armwarmers

These are just a couple of the armwarmers I have made over the last couple of months. The pattern is so easy to follow and quick to work up that they are my go to pattern for a present. Not to mention that I have yet to meet anyone that couldn't wear at least one of the two sizes available in the pattern. 

The picture tutorials are very helpful, especially when some people (me) are unfamiliar with some of the stitches, like the back post double crochets. All in all, I have to say that this is definitely a great pattern, even for beginners, and they are crazy popular this time of year.

Etsy Shop!

Do you love to crochet but don't have the time for a project? Do you want something personal and tailored specifically to you? Or do you REALLY just want a cute owl hat that you see everyone wearing?

Well, fear not! For the past couple of hours I have dove into the world of Etsy to set up a shop. I'll be blogging my adventures here, but if you want a piece of the adventure, hop on over to the shop to see what I have in stock today.

I also take custom orders, so feel free to ask!

Etsy Shop

Doctor Who Hat!

With the arrival of Christmas came the Doctor Who Christmas Special on BBC. I've been wracking my brain trying to figure out what I was going to make for my Dad this Christmas, and I stumbled upon this amazing pattern by Acquanetta Ferguson, which you can find here. I scoured the stores to find the best blue, but I think everyone had the same idea as me, and I ended up getting a darker one than I wanted. Since I'm in a time crunch, I was really at the mercy of the stores at this point. (Slow at finishing projects, me? Pshaw!) 

I was actually really terrified to try this hat because I have never done tapestry crocheting before. It looks scary, but it wasn't that bad once you get used to it. I found a tutorial here by Moogly that is fantastic at explaining things, although I had trouble with it being double crochet instead of single. My stitches are pretty loose (cause my Dad has a big head. Iloveyoudaddon'treadthis!) so that was probably my issue.

Don't mind the giant hat on the little toddler. She insisted on being my model.

So here it is in all of it's awesome glory. It took me less than a day to finish once I got the hang of the stitching, and it is such a comfortable hat when worked up. There's even an option for earflaps and a pompom if you want to add it to yours. 

As for the letter stitching, with the help from my awesome mother-in-law, I managed to get the letters on pretty straight. They were a pain, but the end result is worth it.

Handmade Holiday Giveaway!

Because I'm extremely new to the social network scene as far as my advertising goes, I'm holding a brib--I mean, a giveaway to help spread some holiday cheer.

And what are the prizes, you ask? There are three possible prizes to choose from: a chunky cowl, a hat/scarf set, and an amigurumi animal of your choice. How it works is the first place winner will choose what they want, then the second place will choose from what is left, and third place gets the final item. Pretty simple I think.

Now, while it is incredibly close to Christmas, I cannot guarantee that you will get your prizes before Christmas, but I am sure they will be finished by the end of the year. It's something to look forward to! At any rate, check it out! Spread the handmade holiday joy, and you may just get some extra presents this year.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway Coming Soon!

Since it is Christmas time, I feel like starting a giveaway! Keep your eyes peeled for something pretty special coming your way soon.

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Brown Sugar and Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies

These are my new go-to recipe if I have to bring food for any kind of event. I have made these delicious beauties a total of three times already in the last couple of weeks, and they never last more than 5-10 minutes. They are so quick and easy to make, and they are mommy AND wallet friendly. 

The original recipe comes from Tasty Kitchen, and it was shared on Facebook (which is where I find most of my recipes these days), so without further adieu....

Bacon-Wrapped and Brown Sugar Smothered Little Smokies

• 1 pound Bacon, Cut Into Thirds
• 1 pound Smokies
• 1 stick Butter
• 2 cups Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 375F. Cut the bacon into thirds and wrap each smokie. Place all the wrapped smokies in a single layer in a baking dish. 

Then melt the stick of butter and then 1 cup of brown sugar and stir until mixed well. Pour the butter and brown sugar mixture on the smokies and bacon. Then take the other cup of brown sugar and sprinkle evenly over the smokies. Bake them for about 15-20 minutes and then turn the heat up to 400F for about 5 minutes or longer until the bacon becomes crispy.

I'm actually going to share with you my secret with this recipe. The original says to bake for about 5-10 minutes at 400 degrees to make the bacon crispy. It actually doesn't work so well, at least for me. I like my bacon really crispy, so I might just be picky.

What I do is I make it up exactly like the recipe calls for the night before. Once they are done, I cover them in foil and put them in the fridge until I need them the next day. I then put them back into the oven at 400 for about 15 minutes, and it makes the picture you see above. The brown sugar caramelizes much better over the bacon, and it crisps up nicely after the second baking.

Enjoy!

What's in a Day?

Observation of the Day

This afternoon, on a whim, we took the kids to the local McDonalds to play in the playplace there. With temperatures in the 90s and 100% humidity, taking the babies to a normal park was out of the question. So, to McDonalds we went.

Ciara was there for 10 minutes, and a gaggle (which I use for anything more than 5) of girls between the ages of 4 and 7 surrounded her and began helping her up the stairs to use the slide. Remembering other trips to various playground areas, it occurred to us that everywhere Ciara goes, she winds up with a flock of “mother hens” devoting their time to making sure she is entertained. How is that for charisma, and as a statement of non-discrimination in our early years? Especially since the children were various ages and from various ethnic backgrounds, and it just didn’t matter. They all wanted to make sure the two-year-old was having a great time.

That is the kind of treatment of other human beings that we need to nurture.

Funny of the Day

Miranda, standing in her playpen watching us do on our schoolwork tonight. I had just given her Tylenol for teething, and she is banging her mouth into the side of the playpen, making kissing noises.

Me “Do you think that maybe your mouth may hurt less if you weren’t slamming it against the side of your playpen?”

Miranda just looked up at me and blew me kisses.