Finished Projects

Today was a successful day for knitting.  I finished two projects.  The first was easy.  That was this hat which is a pattern called "Regular Guy Beanie".  It was a free pattern that I found on Ravelry.

Then, I spent the afternoon hanging out at Knitting Next Door where I learned how to do the Kitchener Stitch to finish this little sweater.  The pattern is called the Wallaby.  I have been working on it since August when I took a class.  It is the first sweater that I ever knitted.  It's a little small for me, however.

Tea and Knitting

After a wonderful trip to Minneapolis, it is nice to have some time to relax back at home.  I am sipping my new tea, Roasted Chestnut, which I got at the Tea Source, out of my new mug, which I bought when we went to Dunn Brothers Coffee on Thanksgiving Day.  I won't be drinking coffee out of it, but I like to collect mugs to drink my tea out of.  We always like to spend time at coffee and tea shops.  I think this is an especially good cup to have, because Colin's last name is Dunn.  I have been spending the morning knitting, journaling, and sipping this delicious tea.

Black Tea Friday

The day after Thanksgiving is known as a great shopping day.  We started out the day by going out to breakfast to the Birchwood Cafe, buying studded tires for Lisa and Colin's bikes, and Going to the TeaSource for Black Tea Friday.

Just Hanging Out at Lisa and Colin's House

Winnie went with me to Minneapolis.  She loved the extra attention from Lisa.  In fact she insisted upon
it.

Happy Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving morning we all went walking along Summit Drive along the Mississippi River.  It was mid fifties in the morning and the scenery was beautiful.  By evening the temperature had dropped thirty degrees and it began snowing. 

The Night Before Thanksgiving

We did things a little differently this Thanksgiving.  The day before Thanksgiving, Mom and Jacci headed for Arizona.  So instead of our usual Thanksgiving Day meal, we had our Thanksgiving dinner together  on the Saturday before.  For Thanksgiving Day I drove to Minneapolis to spend the time with Lisa and Colin and to meet Colin's Mom and her partner, Nancy.

The temperature on Wednesday was an incredible 58 degrees.  Winnie and I even stopped at a rest area and had a little picnic along the way.  That night we all went down to the Stone Arch Bridge to walk.  The weather was beautiful and so were the lights of downtown Minneapolis.

Homemade Applesauce

When I visited my friend Nancy a week ago, she told me how to make homemade applesauce in my crockpot. As soon as I got back, I gave it a try.  It was so delicious, that yesterday I made another even bigger batch.  The applesauce you buy at the grocery store cannot hold a candle to homemade, and it's so easy to do.  Nancy makes hers without any sweetener or spices, but I am a big cinnamon lover.  I found this recipe in Make It Fast, Cook It Slow, by Stephanie O'Dea.  I modified it to suit my taste. Here is my recipe.

Applesauce in the Crockpot

Peel, core and slice apples.  I filled my crockpot to the top.  For every 4 apples add:

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon brown sugar (I used 1/2 T brown sugar, 1/2 T Splenda)

Combine in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 4 - 6 hours.  When the apples are soft, use a potato masher or fork to mash them.  Voila!  Applesauce!

It is delicious warm or cold. I placed mine in individual containers and froze about half of them. What a treat!

Election Day

Today was Election Day at Phillips.  This was made possible by two of our teachers who set up this amazing day.  They thought of every detail.  All of our kids registered to vote a few weeks ago.  The polling place was set up with everything from voting booths to a table to check in and pick up your ballot.  The fifth graders were our poll workers.  Students even received an "I Voted!" sticker after casting their ballots.  It was amazing.

The results were compiled on a chart.  We even had an Electoral College.  By the way, Obama won!

Before voting, my kids watched this fun video which explains the whole election process.