After Parade Hot Chocolate and Cookie Buffet!

     In my little hometown, where we just moved back to this past August, they hold an annual Christmas parade on the 1st Saturday of December. There are craft fairs, and carolers, and often raffles. It is a fun day, so I wanted to share it with family and friends! I spent most of last week baking and decorating, all the while watching the 6 month old Nugget! I was tired by the end of the week, but everything was ready!

    I rearranged our sitting room to accommodate as many people as possible! I decorated our artificial tree, as it was a little too early to get a real one, then set up the hot chocolate buffet!

     I made hot chocolate from scratch using chocolate chips, cream, milk and sweetened condensed milk. (sooooooooo indulgent!) I set out little dishes with cocoa powder, crushed candy cane and cinnamon. There were also marshmallows that I'd dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with candy cane, mini marshmallows, chocolate chops, candy canes and whipped cream!

    
     The cookie table was groaning under all the goodies! I made gingerbread men and sugar cookies, our guests contributed red velvet white chocolate cookies, chocolate chip cookies, butterscotch gingerbread, double butter cookies and Oreo truffles!

Then we all donned our most festive gear and walked down to see the parade. (our apartment is right on main street!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

     It was a lovely parade, and it was snowing! You can't get better than that for the start of the holiday season! I met a few family members at the parade and invited them up to join us, everyone needed to warm up, it was VERY cold out!

We compared ugly Christmas sweaters!

 

 

The Nug got to try his first candy cane! I think he liked it,,,, hehehe!   

It was a fun day, and I hope to do it again next year! Have your Christmas festivities started up yet? I hope you are enjoying the start of the season too!

Granny Squares

     Hello! I hope you are enjoying your Saturday! It is sunny and mild here in Maine today, and Mr Evans and I are enjoying a day of relaxation. I am working on piecing the afghan squares that I have been making all year. I am hoping to give the blanket as a gift this Christmas.

     I have been bundling the squares together in groups of 20 as I have made them, aiming at getting 20 bundles, I have 13 so far, but decided to start putting them together, to see how big it is so far.

 
     I started by sewing each bundle of squares into a strip,

     Then I sew the strips together. It is looking nice and colorful so far. It's my first traditional granny square blanket, I am copying the one that my husbands great grandmother made, as seen here,

     I quite like this project, it has been a stash buster, using up all sorts of odds and ends yarn. Even the colors I do not really like are going to add to the bright and cheerful blanket. This is another project that is extra thrifty, as I am using a lot of yarn that was given to me, and end pieces from other projects, making it virtually free!
     Also, in other news, Mr Evans started his new job this week! WOOOHOOO! We are quite happy with it, as it comes with a raise, something we haven't had in years. Don't get me wrong, we have been VERY grateful that he has had a job through this awful recession, we are just happy to have been blessed with a new job that will make it less of a struggle to buy the necessities. He will be working at a small company that makes dough for pizzas, partly as a dough maker and partly as a delivery man. Coming home after his first day he brought in no less than a dozen dough balls of assorted flavors! I see a lot of pizza in our future! Oh gosh, this is going to murder my diet! But hey, we are still in a position where free food is good food, so I have been using up some of the dough in creative ways. Today, its a batch of cinnamon buns, YUM!

    
     Well, better head into the kitchen to make a pot of tea to have with the buns, I hope you enjoy your weekend! God Bless!

Well, its a new week

     Back to the plain old ordinary world here in the Evans castle. We had a Wonderful weekend, relaxing in a huge jacuzzi tub, swimming in the pool, eating out at new and Amazing restaurants, and then sleeping in a lush bed with regal bedding! Ohhhhh, to be spoiled like a king and queen was such a treat! And the breakfast,,,,, oh my,,,,,, the bacon couldn't have been tastier if it had been dipped in chocolate!
      Now its back to life as usual. I cleaned everything before we left, but for some reason it all needs to be done again today,,,,,, housework, its just one of those things! So I'm stripping sheets and vacuuming up the fuzzy carpets (pretty sure the kitties threw a party while we were gone) and cleaning the powder room. Dinner tonight will be something with broccoli, as there is some in the fridge that needs using up. One thing I am looking forward to is getting back to work on my afghan this evening, I have missed my yarn!

Yay for Irish crochet!

  
     I have been working all day (in between loads of laundry) to learn how to make Irish roses. I have found several versions, with how-too videos on YouTube. I am super excited though because this version I am holding I actually made by reading the pattern!!! No, you really have no idea if you don't crochet or knit, but that first time you are able to read AND understand AND do what a pattern says, its an extremely thrilling feeling!
     So tomorrow, I am going to work on making an Irish rose granny square, that I can then duplicate and proceed too make a big afghan for my rose themed bedroom, YAY! You really just don't know, I have been wanting to learn to make these for ages and have just had no one to teach me,,,, thank you Interwebs for the creation of YouTube!!!!

Catching up on the housework ~OR~ Going to War with Chaos!

     I have a confession,,,,
     I have let things go,,,
     And now they are LONG gone, well past neat and tidy and on the express to utter Mess-Topia!

     I can make the excuses that I have come up with for the past few days, I was watching the baby, and its SOOO hard to clean AND stop a child from finding a millions ways of hurting herself at the same time! Or,,,, I am running low on iron, and just the act of getting out of bed is exhausting enough to want to tumble mussy haired and rumpled self right back into it. OR,,,, how bout, I can't vacuum, my schizophrenic and extremely bi-polar cat doesn't like it, and when she doesn't like something, she tends to take it out on my much smaller, weaker and STUPID(er) cat, causing the kitty version of the battle of the bulge under my bed!
     But I won't bother you with these symptoms of procrastinitus,,,, its catching you know, and I wouldn't want you to bring it home to your tidy and well kept homes and have it wreak the havoc it has wrought on my once domestic paradise. No, I could not be the one responsible for that,,,
       Instead I am going to tie on my apron, put on my pink rubber gloves, and grab my mess by its dirty cheeks and slap it silly! Mess! Are you listening?!?! You have met your match! And just so you know, I have a black belt in scrubbing and I KNOW HOW TO USE IT!

     Watch me now, my feather duster and mop swing through the air and chase the Mess, with its arms over its head and a whimper for its mummy, from my home! Chuck Norris himself can't do as much damage to dust and fluffy cat hair "dust kittens" that I can! Chuck Norris is a cleaning WIMP compared to me!
    

 

Cozy Bedroom

     My quilt is done! I made up the pillow shams too.

I love the way it came out. There are quite a few mistakes in it, but I'm not fussy. This is only my second full sized quilt. I am very happy I finally got to make something for ME (well, for US) in MY favorite colors:)

     The whole set cost under $20. (the price of the fuzzy blanket I bought as a backing) All of the material I used for the quilt top was from my stash, most was given to me by people who knew I liked to sew.

     Some of the material came from old clothes and sheets that I "recycled". Quite a lot of it is vintage sack cloth  that I was given from my Dad. I LOVE the way it has turned out, and It goes with our new curtains (only $10 a window) very well! My Valentine Rose themed bedroom in coming together quite well, and I am pleased. My hubby said he loves it too. I am very happy he doesnt mind in the least if we have a mostly pink bed:)

Finished!

     I finished putting the binding on the quilt last night. I did the last bit of late night sewing with some Dr Who season 2 while it was raining outside. It was quite cozy:) Today I want to start, and hopefully finish a couple of pillow shams to match. Then I can finally have the joy of making up the bed! It won't be finished yet though,,, oh no! I want to collect some hand embroidered white pillow cases, or embroider some myself. I am also going to look for some crocheted lace trimmed pillowcases at thrift shops and antique stores this summer. I am even going to keep an eye out for some hand embroidered hankies to make into throw pillows. Oh, and also some crocheted doilies too, I have a lovely pattern for beautiful lacy throw pillows using doilies:) I am SO excited! Do you ever get a "vision" of the way you want things to be, and then get a thrill of joy as they start coming together just right? I do so LOVE this! Keeping house, and decorating, and making a cozy nest, that brings so much joy into my life!
     I hope you have something that brings this much happiness to you. I hope, you, like me, get satisfaction from simple things, and working with your hands, and creating loveliness. So often in this world people just go out and buy things, and there is no time or care taken in anything anymore. I think that kind of life leaves so much behind. Our grand and great grandmothers knew the joy and pride in workmanship and artistry that we can only dream of for the most part today. I cannot create some of the things that they used to, though I can do my best to learn as much as I can without a teacher. What I can do though is look for and preserve some little "treasures" of thier work. I might not know the lady who made the item, but I know the feeling that drove her to devote hours into creating something beautiful, and that makes us sisters:)
       So create away, in what ever pallet works best for you. Be it baking, or sewing, or gardening, take comfort that every time you do something the "hard" way the people that came before us are smiling down, knowing that the skills they had are not being lost to "convienence" but remembered with love:)

The Sun Is Out!

     Isn't it amazing how how much more cheerful one feels when the sun is shining?  It has been quite gloomy for day, and when I woke up to sunshine I instantly felt more ambitious! I am going to get the chores done and then maybe work on my quilt. I think I am going to just use the nice new fuzzy blanket as a backing, and forgo adding a third layer of cotton sheet. The fuzzy felt will be very cuddly against the skin when next winter rolls around.
     Spring is still flirting with winter here, but today it is quite nice out. I'd love to go for a walk, I just wish we lived on a less busy road. The speed that people drive on this road makes me nervous, I lost two cousins by them getting hit by cars, so I have a little bit of a complex when it comes to walking near moving vehicles!
     Tonight, as a treat, I am going to be making bangers and mas. While visiting Freeports wonderful brittish imports shop I found that they had a fully stocked freezer of brittish goods. I can't wait! Last night I made some cookie bars by using a chocolate chip cookie recipe and substituting the regular dark chocolate bits with some white chocolate, toffee, and chopped walnuts. They are DEVINE! I wish I could have you all over for a cup of tea and a cookie.:)
       Have a wonderful afternoon, and may God bless you and your housholds with sunshine and peace!

Clean coat closet, CHECK!

Before,



After!

     It only took about 20 minuets. I took everything out, vacuumed the floor, and emptied the crate and boxes. Then I threw out old and never used shoes from the shoe box, and put all hats, mittens, and purses in the crate. I folded the table linen (I keep these in here in a covered box) and threw away a few discolored place mats. I hung all my scarves on one hook, and put back the jackets and boxes. Its not any roomier (it is a tiny cupboard after all:) but it does look neater, and it is more organized. Its almost time to put the winter boots back in the shoebox, and now there is room!

Decorating my Home

     I have always had a love of "feathering" my nest. I like pretty things, and old things, and quality things. I don't care for the modern bare essentials style of decorating. I think its cold and impersonal, it would be like living in a Dr's office, not a warm and friendly atmosphere, at least to me. If I had to describe my style when it comes to home decorating I think I would have to say its "fairytale cottage". I love the way rooms look in vintage children's stories, not immature, but very, very cozy,,,,,, thats what I am aiming for! An old fashioned "Grandmothers Cottage" style, with big comfy chairs, warm handmade blankets, lace curtains, framed paintings of the sea and beautifully dressed people. That's what I am aiming for!
     As a child I often wished I could clime through the "window" on the page of the book I was reading and visit the homes and people within. I wondered how great it would be, to have shuttered window and white geese in the picket fence surrounded rose garden! To live in the little wood carved house of the seven dwarfs, or the cozy red walled cottage of Mr Tumnus the faun. I know it probably sounds childish, and I don't care a fig. I am, and always have been, about living in a "cozy" place. Home should be a haven, a shelter, refuge, and a sanctuary. In this world, where bad things are happening at a heart stopping place, we all need a place to retreat to, our own little islands in the storm. This is what I am trying to make for myself and my husband.
     Since we rent, there is nothing I can do about the monotonous white of the walls, someday I will be able to paint and paper the walls of our own home, but for now I make do with these. I am very thankful to have them, no matter the color, for there are many, MANY people right now who have nowhere to go. Always be thankful for what you have!
      OK, so onto the goodies! I find a great deal of things in thrift stores, flea markets, and antique shops.A lot of the things I have, have been given to me by people who know what I like. Cheep is good, but FREE is always best!

This is my newest find (from Goodwill for $1.99) on the back its printed that she is called "Pinky"

She now lives in my bedroom, over a table that holds my jewelry box (from a lawn sale) that displays my small collection of pretty pins

These are also in our bedroom, hung over the desk. We call the one on the right (from Goodwill, $2.99)"Little Boy Blue" and the one on the left in called "Asleep" (given to me by my father) by Harrison Fisher, which is signed by the artist.



This display is currently in our bedroom, over our (free) dresser, though someday it will be in the nursery. It's a Florence Kroger print (given by my sister), I love the sweet face of this kitten:)



 This is the bedroom mantle, the frames are $tree, the rose print is a gift from a cousin, the wooden roses I have been collecting, were $.99 ea, and the curio cabinet was a Christmas gift from my sister. I am trying to get a theme going in the bedroom of "roses and lace" with a color scheme of red, pink, and white. Its not done yet, so there will be another post to come!

These pretty ladies hang in the hall and were found at an antique store for around $5 ea

This trio of porcelain plaques are from the $tree and are printed with beautifly dressed people, they hang in the bathroom.

The living room mantle, the wall picture was a gift from my father, along with the candle holder. The flowers and vase are from the $tree, the depression glass goblet was $.50 at a flea market, and the frames on the mantle are $tree as well. (The little one is Poot as a child and the other is his great grandfather as a baby on his great,great grand parents lap) The antique books are from lawn sales and thrift stores, I am always on the lookout for these.

These are new treasures, we got them last week at an antique store on the way to my moms. They were $10 ea (which is more than we usually spend, but we both LOVED them, and this store, the prices were higher than any other we have yet been to, so these were moderately priced for them.)

This is a new acquisition too. We needed a new bookshelf, and found this at Target, we got $20 off, as they had mislabeled the price! The pictures are from the $tree, and all have scripture about home, love, and friends. Silk flowers were $tree and vase was given by my father. The lamp war a $5 find at the Christmas Tree Shop (I love that store!)

     So there is some of my "treasures'. I am always on the look out, though I am trying to get more discerning now. I want to find things that "fit" with the theme of my home. I still need to find window treatments for the bedroom, I am thinking red drapes with lace shears underneath, as I really want to splash some color around! The quilt I am working on for the bed is made with (free) red, pink and white fabrics. I am thinking "valentines" theme, because who doesnt need more romance in their marriage??  :)
     So I will leave it at that for the moment, and hope you have enjoyed this little tour through my home. Have a blessed day, and let me know how you feather your nest's!
                     
                                                                ~Mrs Evans~

Hearts for Home - 22nd March ♥

I join Gea @ her blog,


In today’s busy and aggressive society mothers at home are not given much encouragement to be committed to their role in being home.




In my weekly 'Hearts for Home' post I am encouraging myself and others to commit to thinking about what 4-6 things we can do each week to bring our thoughts, prayers and actions to keeping our 'Hearts for Home'.



I am praying that a spirit of gentleness, generosity in thoughts and time along with loveliness and grace would lead us to be all that God wants us to be.



I pray also that each person involved in 'Hearts for Home' would also pray for any others involved as well.



May you be blessed by this initiative. I pray it brings you and your family many blessings.



So each week list 4-6 things you will commit to that will keep your "Hearts for Home'.

Please leave a you name and a link to your blog (if you don't have one just leave your list in the comment box) and perhaps a comment so we can all see and encourage each other.



If you would like, add the 'Hearts for Home' logo to your side bar as a reminder of your goals.

God Bless you this week.

    1. This week, I will be working on re-organizing the spare room, I want to keep up the enthusiasm about adoption. I found a delightful nursery wall hanging at a Goodwill store while on vacation, as well as two utterly charming knit dollies, I hope to one day have a daughter to give those too. We really want to provide mostly homemade and handmade gifts to our child/children, and raise them the old fashioned way!
    2. I have been doing a good job thinning out unnecessary and unloved "stuff" from our home, and working hard to decorate it in my own unique way. I hope to put up a post this week to show some of the things I have collected over the years, to make our house a home. I want to continue working on this, and love the way things are looking and feeling around here so far:)
    3. I want to work on the quilt I started last year. I have made some mistakes on it, so that means I am going to have to undo the hand quilting I have already done "ugh!" and fix it. It will be worth it though, to have the centerpiece of our bedroom made with my own hands:)
    4. My wonderful Poot bought me something I have been ogling for simple AGES this past weekend, a Williams and Sonoma mini Tea Cakes pan! I want to bake up a trial batch and see how they come out, I can't wait to throw a tea party this spring!
    5. We have been having some allergy issues this winter, mine have been the worst, and I think it has to do with the fact that this apartment is mostly carpeted. Moving is out of the question, as THIS is the year we really want to start the process of adoption, so we are going to have to come up with other solutions. I think a higher quality vacuum cleaner is in order, and a thorough shampooing of the bedrooms and living room as well. I hope that will do the trick, as the almost daily sinus headaches are very annoying!
    6. I think my "big" cleaning project of the week will be organizing and thinning out the coat closet. It is a tiny space and it is VERY full at the moment, so it need some attention!

A pretty productive day, if I do say so myself!

     I had a pretty productive day today, which makes me happy. I feel like I have not been "creating" enough lately. I am in a valley, crafting wise, where I am not in the mood to sew, or knit, or stitch, or crochet,,,, sigh,,, nope, none of it. When I get like that, I end up boring myself to tears, at least until my next "inspiration" or ambition comes along. If I am honest, I really should be working on finishing up a half a dozen or so projects I have in limbo at the moment. Uggg, I think I may have to force myself, then, once I get going on it again I will have the desire to see it complete. Do any of you crafting ladies ever have that problem? I hope not!
     Anyway, I had to make some bread today, as we are out. (ahem, and have been for a week or two, I'm SO bad!) I decided to try something new,,,, or old in fact. My mothers recipe. She made it all the time when  my two sisters and I were growing up. In fact, we ate a lot more of it that store bought bread. We were kinda spoiled that way I guess, I have never been fond of store bread, so that must be why! Its Oatmeal Molasses bread, and my my my, I forgot how yummy it was! Its rich, and chewy, while not being dense. It has all the wonderful tummy soothing benefits of oatmeal, and a light sweetness from the molasses. I think we have a new favorite in our house!
     So, lets get baking!
Apron?

CHECK!
Moms recipe, in her own hand writing?

CHECK!
OK, lets begin!

    Mom's Oatmeal Molasses Bread

2c boiling water, poured over 1c uncooked oats (I used quick, but rolled would be YUMMY!)
               stir, and let set 2 min, then add,
2T fat (the recipe calls for shortening, but I used oil, and it came out fab, so use what you got:)
1/3c molasses ( it called for 1/2 cup, but I thought that would be too sweet, my bread was just right)
1t salt
               stir all this well, then, when warm, but not HOT, add
1c flour
1 pkg yeast (or 2 heaping teaspoons)
               stir, then add more flour a cup at a time, when a dough form in the bowl, plunk it our onto a floured surface and knead about 10 min, working in up to 5c more of flour. I found I needed around 5 cups in all, not 6, but humidity can be a factor.
     Roll dough in a oiled bowl, to grease the top, then cover with clean tea towel and let rest for 1-2 hours, until doubled.
     Punch down, cut in half, and shape into loaves. Place in greased loaf plans and let rise about an hour, until doubled. (I lightly basted the tops of my loaves with oil and sprinkled them with oatmeal, for a decorative touch:)
  Place in cold oven, turn heat to 450' and bake 10 min, then turn heat to 350' and bake another 25-35 min, until golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom of loaf is thumped. Cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

   And tonight, I made one of Poots favorite dinners, Spaghetti Pie. It is pretty much poor mans lasagna! (Not to mention LAZY wives lasagna, it SO easy, and virtually fool proof, unlike lasagna, which I just can't seem to get right!) We had some salad to go with it, gotta have those veggies! We will have having the rest of the pie for dinner tomorrow night, probably with some green beans.

      So, we are now both full, Poots watching the Celtics, and I am pretty much done this blog, so it must be time to be getting ready for bed! I hope you have a blessed evening, Take care!
                                                                        ~Shannon

Hearts for Home- Ist March

   I am joining in with Gae at Cherished hearts at Home in her weekly Hearts for Home challenge. It is open for any to join, just link back to her page:)
   The idea is to list 5 or 6 things to make your home a Home! Things that will improve life at home for your loved ones, and yourself of course:)

     1. I am going to be paying LOTS of attention to food this week. I'm trying to up my Poots intake of fruits and veggies, as he needs more fiber in his diet. Well, to tell you the truth, we ALL do! Last night I served three veggies with dinner, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. YUM! We do a lot of frozen foods and root veggies in the winter, as fresh produce is a bit dear at this time of year.
     2. Make up a batch of bread, preferable with some whole grains, to make Poot some sandwiches to take to work for lunches. I think I will be making up my mom's oatmeal molasses bread:)
     3. Get up every morning, and prepare some oatmeal and juice for Poot before he heads to work. THIS is gonna be a toughie, as I am not an early riser, and I will have to be getting up at 5am! So far, for the last two mornings, I have been successful. so wish me luck, and pray I can keep at it:)
     4. I want us to start eating the majority of our dinners at the table. Right now we only eat their once in a while, and I would really like to change that. When at the table, we say a prayer, and talk, and enjoy good food and good friends together, and I want that to be an everyday thing:) Plus, Poot likes it, and HE IS the head of our house, so I should be trying to please him:)
     5. I really should clean out and organize out coat closet this week, its a bit of a mess, and that bugs me! I'll do before and after pictures, maybe the "before" pics will be enough to shame me into keeping it neat in the future!

Well, I got some things finished anyway!

     This week I signed on to do 5 or 6 things too keep the spirit of homemaking in my heart (thanks to Hearts For Home) I got the Hubby's laundry all done for the week, though unfortunately I didn't get to washing too much else. And instead of working on my To-Finish knitting basket, I stated a new project. YES, I know! Haha, but I got a request,,, and how can I say no when someone REQUESTS something made by me:) One of our close friends, and fellow sister in Christ at our church has requested a warm pair of mittens to wear when she goes hiking. Her circulation is not so good, and gloves just don't do the trick. Here in Maine it has been barely in the teens (F) recently, BRRRR. So, I am knitting her up a pair of double strand mittens in two shades of green, her favorite color. I LOVE to give things I have made. I just love taking practically nothing, and making it into a THING, like string into mittens, and flour into cookies. That is truly one of the greatest joys in my life, giving of myself:)
      Another thing I have worked on (and FINALLY finished!) this week is the table with a shelf under it that has its home in my kitchen. We bought it at a junk shop. It was buried under trunks of old moth eaten linen and dust, we offered $10 and it was ours. It was beat up, and stained in a very dark color, with two unfinished panel's on top. I am assuming it once had glass panels, but they have long since been lost.  I had my Hubby spray paint it in a bright blue,

     I then found a coordinating fabric, it is a burlap type cloth with pretty tea roses and tiny blue flowers in the same shade as the paint, though I don't think you can see that in the pictures.

     I finished sewing the curtain for it this afternoon, and am VERY pleased with the results! I was aiming for French Country Cottage/ Shabby chic. I think it fits! You can see in the background the shelves where I keep my cookbooks and tea things. I figured while I the Hubs spray painting anyway, I might as well have him do that shelf for me, to match:) We also ended up doing the table legs in the same shade of blue, and the  the mismatched dining chairs in different shades of pastel. I don't have a picture of them right now, but someday I'll show you.
     So, the curtain makes my kitchen tidier, and I am feeling really good for doing so much with my hands this week! I can't wait till next week, I wonder what else I will get accomplished:)

Hearts for Home 1/25/11

     I have decided to join in the weekly "Hearts for Home" posting with the lovely ladies who read Cherished Hearts at Home. Here is the link. Its a delightful blog that I read for inspiration in my day to day housekeeping. Its nice to find ladies who share my passion for being a housewife! So here is my list of 5 or 6 things I would like to do this week, to help me keep focused on making a nice home.
   
     1. I would like to make sure I keep on top of washing my Hubby's warm clothes. It has been so cold out, and I want to make sure he has plenty of clean warm clothes to work in. I know laundry is an everyday chore, but I do try to do HIS clothes first, that way I know they are done and ready.
    
     2, I'm going to make a batch of cookies for tonight's Ladies Sewing Circle that I go to every Tuesday. I get together with some of the nice ladies from church and we all work together to make quilts for children with cancer. I have been wanting a way to get together with other women and share my love of crafting, so this group is such a blessing.
    
     3. I need to make a curtain for the long table/shelf I have in my kitchen. We got this table used and fixed it up by spray painting and decoupage. I wanted it it for extra storage, as our apartments kitchen has very little in the way of counters and cupboards. It looks very cute so far, but i don't like that the shelf underneath that holds my food processor and blender and cake pans is visible. Soooo, I'll make a curtain, pics will be coming soon:)
  
     4. I have a half knitted cushion cover that I should probably finish. I am so bad, always starting projects and seeming to finish only about half of them. So I guess that leads to,,,,
    
     5. Finish up the odds and ends of knitting and sewing projects that are lingering around the place. Oh Boy,,, this may take more than a week,,,