Happy New Year! Random Tidbits ~ Handiwork Updates

Happy New Year!  Did you stay up until midnight and watch the ball drop?  We did not, ha ha!  We were fast asleep watching "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."  We'll have to back up the next time we watch it, ha ha!  Hubby fell asleep way before me. 

The deconstruction process of the Christmas decor has already started.  We'll have to bring in the totes and take them back out in one trip.  It's cold.  I do not make "resolutions" for the new year, I simply keep on, keeping on (but better).


I made my first cup of hot basil tea.  Not "Holy Basil" but regular, good ol' herb garden basil.  I keep a fresh pot growing indoors during winter.  I ran out of dandelion root, then ran out of dandelion teabags, so I made basil tea for a "detox" tea.  

It is said to help fight off illnesses and infections, clean the kidneys, builds the blood (purifying it), and kills bacteria. It's also said to be a circulatory stimulant.  My brain could use a boost of oxygen, so I made the tea.  It was pleasantly delicious.  I could also simply eat the basil in a meal too.  It's good for preventing tension headaches, as it strengthens the nervous system as well.

Finished!

One more double wrap infinity scarf with a matching slouchy hat.  The slouchy hats are selling quickly, so I hope January goes slow.  Really slow.  I need to restock items.

....this will become another scarf soon.
   

Here was my dilemma.  The one on the left was the yarn color I could not locate.  I was one granny square from re-creating a scarf I made back in 2010.  I made one for a daughter and it came up missing.  I even have a matching hat before I realized I needed more yarn.  Hence why I bought yarn keys.

The colors are so nice together, so I have kept the two granny squares in case I do find it.  It's like a cranberry color, but with orange in it.  I can't remember if it's Red Heart or Bernat.  I want to say Red Heart. So, hence the burgundy squares for the scarf this time.  It's not even close to the color.  I found one similar (Lion Brand), but the skein was small, and the price was twice what the other brands are.

I also crocheted myself a "messy bun" hat using the free pattern on Ravelry, but skipped rows 9-11.  It's still not as tight as I'd like, so I'm making it again with a smaller hook to try and get a better fit.  That's the problem with free patterns.  I get better luck using patterns from books. 

I got a few more heart keychains crocheted.

I'm back to finishing this baby blanket now too.

It's a whopping 3°F here this morning, and Hubby said, "it's actually warm in here today."  Ha ha!  It's dipping back down again before it warms up.  The sun is shining, so that is good.

Welcome Back! Grab a cup of Java!

We got through the holidays, birthday, and anniversary craziness.  We had a few hiccups, but managed to get through it all.  It has really slowed down, despite not yet the New Year, so I am at the computer this morning.

It's been bone-chilling weather here.  One night down to as low as -5°F.  So far, we are keeping warm.  Hubby and I fired up the wood splitter.  It coughed and sputtered, but eventually started, and together we cut wood Christmas day for several hours.  We cut up a few more barn beams (had to shovel them out, ha ha!)

The holiday leftovers were a blessing too.  At Christmas Eve dinner, ha ha, we never even cut into one pie.  Seriously, we were so stuffed, those two pies lasted for days here.  

(our sweet potatoes continue to supply us)

I had a bit if a hiccup making my sweet potato pie too.  Did anyone notice on my recipe post I left out the temperature to bake it?  Ha!  I had to figure that out considering I didn't follow one specific recipe.  Anyway, in the process of being rushed I added 2 lbs. of sweet potatoes vs. 1 lb.  In the end, it still tasted good.

Christmas day all three of my older kids showed up, including my son.  My step-daughter didn't show up, but otherwise, we had a nice visit enjoying leftovers (the kids stuffed themselves so full, they too did not want pie).  I offered take-home leftovers, including cookies and pie, and after saying no, the next day I got messages they wished they had (ha ha!). 

It was the first Christmas to "fully" enjoy my own family (husband and kids) by ourselves, without expectations of being elsewhere.

Hot cranberry punch was made, which my oldest daughter loves.  We all like it, but it's a family tradition, and a favorite.  Luckily, I had stashed organic cranberries in the freezer.

At Christmas I discovered our oldest two daughters have the same likes.  As one saw the other get a Harry Potter scarf, the other sat wide-eyed and dismayed she didn't get one.  She'll get it on her birthday come February.  While the kids visited, I crocheted grand-pup Mia her doggie scarf - sporting Honolulu Pink, just like Zuri's.

As for our anniversary, we had a few hiccups in just getting out to dinner.  Our "Grad" daughter gifted us a gift card to eat at a steak house that we really like.  First up, from early morning to 1pm, we lost out due to one cat needing to visit the vet (Jasper - had a bladder infection).  I piddled around and picked through yarn stash while waiting.

Next, as Hubby pulled in the driveway from the vet, a friend of the family pulled in.  He came in had coffee, cookies, wanted barn wood (really? when it's -1°out?), and wanted our snowmobile (that has sat un-used for years).  

You can imagine my frustration as I was dressed up and ready to go out.  Hubby and both wanted to eat early and get home early, considering the frijid temperatures. 

Long story short, our guest finally leaves, we head to the steak house but find out it's not open for another hour.  We decided to use my birthday gift card and eat at another restaurant.  It was the worst, awful, terrible food you could eat.  We'll never go back.  We only went due to the gift card. We came home and hunkered down to movies, more Christmas cookies and eventually more leftovers (including pie).


What's on the hook(s)?

I received one order for a slouchy hat, so that's what is on my hook currently.  

On a smaller crochet hook - handmade cute-ness.  I did not have one specific pattern.  I used yarn stash of a crochet thread I have.  I am very impressed with the way they turned out too.  I wanted to have something "heart" at the upcoming craft show (if they still hold the show). I'll be picking through more yarn stash and making a few more in different colors.

I have another double wrap scarf in the making too (light blue and soft white), and I hope to make a matching slouchy hat (to sell).  I had a quick chat with Hubby on opening an Etsy store, and we'll probably talk again. It will cost me to list items ($.20/each item for 3 months, plus a 3.5% transaction fee from the price the item sells at.  And if they don't sell at all in the time period offered, I lose money.  So...most likely another talk.  Quite possibly a trial period.  

I need to research the tax laws as well. I have located the "vendor's license" application ($25.00).  So, the numbers to open an Etsy are increasing already.  I'd have to sell some high priced items to make it work.  There are no consignment stores in the area anymore.  All closed.

Normalcy has returned here at the homestead.  It's back to the organizing, purging and making necessities from scratch. I'm glad our anniversary trip was canceled for a later day.  I don't think we'd be enjoying ourselves in these temperatures.