Pretty Place Settings

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving and I hope all the American readers did too! It is so fun for me to prepare this meal every year. My parents come in from TN and we just eat and laugh and spend great time together. I usually try to decorate the table differently every year. We always use china and I have 2 sets that were given to me. This year we used the white Mikasa with silver trim. I had a piece of sunflower fabric gifted to me recently and really didn't know what I would use it for-VOILA! The fresh flowers were given to my daughter for her 13th birthday and they really made a beautifully simple center piece. I do plan to post my sweet potato casserole and baked macaroni and cheese recipes this week. They are good all year long!! Putting the zip in my simplicity pattern today. Hope to have it completed this week. I did no sewing over the holiday-just spent a glorious 4 days with my family and friends!

Thanksgiving Menu:

turkey

spiral sliced glazed ham

baked macaroni and cheese

hash brown casserole

mashed potatoes

sweet potato casserole

dressing

cranberry relish with pineapple and walnuts

strawberry pretzel salad-YUM!

green beans

brussel sprouts

gravy

yeast rolls

southern living cheesecake

carrot cake

Fondue For the Family

I had a reader ask about the "fondue" referenced in my checkerboard headband post. We Americans tend to race through meals, clean up and move on to the next task at hand. We think of meal times as necessary sustanance instead of relational opportunities. Fondue does not allow for the "quickie" meal. You must cut up meats into bite size pieces prior to the meal. You can also do veggies if you like them fried. My fondue pot has a moving base that holds 6 individual cups of food. You poke your skewer into the meat and then place in the boiling oil to cook. You then have to wait on your food. I usually bake sweet potatoes and serve salad so that people have ready food in front of them while they are waiting on each delectable piece of meat/shrimp to cook. I love sitting at the table for atleast an hour with family and friends, laughing and talking about life while we eat tasty little morsels. You don't typically leave the table with a belly ache because you eat slowly. We actually realize we are full. You can do cheese fondue with veggies and breads, chocolate fondue with pound cake and fruits. It is all good. I think my family needs to have a fondue night every month! Most fondue oil recipes call for peanut or grapeseed oil. You can visit GoFondue on the web for many recipes.

Pre-Turkey Day sewing

I had to take my oldest to college classes this morning and then go finish grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. I ran in Hancock to get a zipper and thread for this teal/turquoise polyester material I am using for the Simplicity dress pattern. Came home and put everything away and decided to try to get the main parts of the dress put together. I figured it would be better hanging on my dress form rather than in a stack on my table. So after a couple of hours of sewing I am in pretty good shape. The dress is of course inside out, but I wanted to try it on to see about the fit. Next up will be the zip. These side inset pieces were a little weird. I don't think I did them quite right. The instructions said to slash the solid lines-which I didn't do because I didn't know what they were talking about*. They become darts, so now I understand why you needed to slash them. You get odd bulk from the first seam if you don't cut the material. They look ok, but I may have to fix them. Polyester seems to be a dream to work with. No wonder everything was made out of it in the 60's and 70's. I am using a size 16 ballpoint needle and polyester thread. Several of the dart seams are done with the stretch stitch. Lots of new things for me, but I like learning new techniques and stitches. Not sure if I want to leave this sleeveless so I can wear a tissue weight long sleeve under it. Maybe the sleeves would look best. I will get my mom's opinion while she is here. My parents get here tomorrow and I can't wait to see them! Will be posting some of my tried and true Thanksgiving recipes soon.

Checkerboard headband and retro dress progress

My family went to a lovely wedding this past weekend in Tennessee. The bride and groom are such a sweet couple. I am taking the week off for school so that I can ready my house for Thanksgiving, but also because we need a school break. I was able to finish painting the shed today and pick up sticks and black walnuts from the yard as a result of the warm weather we are having. I also slipped in some knitting and sewing prep time as well. I found this cute, easy headband pattern online last night, so I decided to give it a try today. It is going pretty quickly. The pattern designer said she made hers 16 inches long. You just sew the ends together once it is long enough to fit your head. She made hers from worsted weight cotton, but I decided to use some acrylic to test the pattern first. I also cut out all my fabric for my 70's dress. Will maybe get some sewing in tomorrow. My youngest daughter turned 13 today and we are having fondue tonight. It makes for a fun meal and everybody just cooks and talks and eats. Great way to spend an evening if you haven't tried it.

Simplicity 9158

Well my sock is just a cuff and a flap. The videos don't give detailed instructions on how to turn the heel and I am not experienced enough to figure out how to proceed. I will start over on a new sock pattern, but for now I am working on the Christmas wreath paper punch and it is turning out great. I decided to cut the pattern pieces for this dress (view 1) out tonight. I was given a bunch of material from a really sweet man who lost his wife about a year ago. There is a turquoise polyester double knit in the bunch and I am going to use it. Probably won't get to far on this due to some weekend plans, but maybe Thanksgiving week. I am looking forward to a school break and some retro sewing.

Heel flaps and knitting spools

I finished the heel flap for my sock and will soon be watching the video that shows me how to turn the heel. I hope this all comes together. It would be very encouraging to have something that actually resembles a wearable sock in the end. I am starting to get the hang of knitting in the round.

On another note, I had breakfast and coffee at Panera with a lovely new friend this morning and we swapped knitting stories. I purchased a knitting spool on clearance at Hancock a week or so ago and gave it to her. She had a nice large wooden one that she bought at a craft fair and brought to church a while back. The one I bought was much smaller, so therefore it makes more narrow I-cords. These are pretty fascinating little tools. I brought hers home with me today and my youngest daughter loves them. You could use a single thin cord for a pendant necklace or braid three larger ones together for a cute scarf or belt. Ah the possibilities!

Puppy Chow for People?

This is such an odd name for a yummy little treat. It is really easy to make and store and most people love the chocolate/peanut butter combo. It looks pretty in tins as Christmas gifts for teachers, neighbors, etc.

Melt together in microwave or on stove top:

1 stick butter

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

10-12 ounces chocolate chips

(I do this in the microwave in a 5 qt plastic bowl)

Once it is melted, stir until combined and smooth.

Then stir in a 12 ounce box of rice or corn chex cereal. Make sure all the cereal gets coated. I then take a gallon size ziplock bag and pour powdered sugar in. Better to start with a 1/2 cup of sugar and then add more if needed. ( That way when you pour out the first batch you don't loose all the extra sugar.) Start scooping in the cereal mixture and then seal and shake. Check to see if all the cereal is coated. I do this in batches. It is easier to coat them when the bag is not entirely full. About halfway is best. You can store this in the fridge, but we just put it in a sealed storage container on the countertop. It goes fast, so it is a good thing the recipe makes a very large batch!