Braided Crocheted Scarf

When I was nine years old, one of my grandmothers taught me how to crochet. This was back in the day when everyone’s grandmother knew how to crochet or quilt or knit and definitely sew. Did you have a grandmother like that? Both of mine were creative in their own ways.

I did not learn many types of stitches. In fact the majority of what I crocheted were doubled potholders. In fourth grade I would crochet single chain bracelets and sold them for 25 cents. If you wanted a two colored bracelet, it was 50 cents. I made quite a few bucks in my little fourth grade class until everyone (the girls at least) bought one.

Last December we bought our dog, Jax. Remember my cute Australian cattle dog from my dog treat posts?

Here's a link to this post if you are interested!

Well, when Christmas came I had not bought him a gift. Not that he understood, of course, and not that my husband would have understood after we had paid the money for him plus all the other stuff that comes with getting a dog. So I decided on Christmas morning when I was getting to relax after gift opening to crochet him a dog toy.

This how it turned out. I obviously used some cheapy (and ugly) yarn but very appropriate for a dog toy, I thought. lol

This was Jax back in January when he was playing with it.

Look at that cutie patootie!

I’ll admit. I was quite proud of this little creation. I had NEVER followed a pattern and it had been yeeeeeeears since I had crocheted. Yes, that many “e’s” to show how long it had been. It turned out how it was supposed to and only took a couple of hours. (Here’s the free pattern I used if you want it for your pooch.)

Well, I got the crochet bug again late this summer while on vacation. I was determined to try making some boot cuffs and maybe a scarf. I made both but like how the scarf turned out better. I ended up doing a loose braided scarf. I wish I had braided it a bit tighter.

It only took a few hours and it pretty easy for novice crocheters like moi.

You just crochet three long pieces, braid them, and stitch them together.

Here’s what I did:

Chain desired length. I single chained 100 stitches.

Chain 3 more then start DC on 4^th stitch.

Work down chain and around then flip and begin DC to complete 5 rows (not counting chain).

At the end of each row, chain 3 then begin DC on 2^nd stitch.
Repeat two more times to make three crocheted strands.

Clip off any loose ends.

Braid the three strands and pin to hold together while you stitch them together.

I used worsted weight size 4 medium yarn and hook size J.

You can probably find better instructions. This is what I wrote down as I was making it. If you are better than me then you probably can just read my instructions and go with it.

This Christmas I took some yarn and a needle along as we visited Wade’s family and I crocheted a simple headband. It took all of an hour, if that!

I wanted to share the scarf because it is quick and easy and I know many of you are having some time from your normally hectic schedules with Christmas and New Years. You may want to do this tonight if you are staying up to welcome in the new year.

Have a Happy New Year!

2015 Detox

Now that we have Thanksgiving and Christmas behind us, many of us are starting to think about the new year. We all say we are going to get organized, eat right, start exercising, lose weight, or improve our finances, go back to school, or get a better job. If you do a quick search of most popular New Year's Resolutions you will see these same themes come up over and over... and OVER! I know I've made some of them every year for the last twenty years. This year I am inviting YOU to join me as we conquer several of these resolutions together. I have a group on Facebook that is doing a Thirty Day Detox together. 

There are several facets of the detox. The primary focus is on eating clean. We are going to move towards eating more REAL food and less FAKE food. By real food we will be eating fruits and vegetables and drinking water. Our goal is to eliminate or DRASTICALLY reduce highly processed foods and beverages. You will be encouraged to do at least fifteen minutes of moderate exercise each day. Some in the group are going to be using some nutritional supplements including vitamins and some products specifically designed for a detox, but that is not required. You can still participate in the detox. Just be willing to drink a lot of water, get more active, and modify your diet. I am going to be issuing daily and weekly challenges that will earn you points to win prizes throughout the thirty days. I wouldn't consider it a contest, but just some friendly competition and encouragement to keep us on track. I can't promise it will be fun, but I do think it is important to take care of our bodies and doing it together will give us some accountability and encourage us to stick with it when it might be tough. 

As I type this, I am trying to ignore the empty bowl of ice-cream I just ate. Ice cream before bed will NOT be on the menu in January! I just felt I needed to be clear on this point. There will be NO ice cream before bed! Actually, I think we should limit dairy as much as possible during the detox as it is one of the more difficult food groups to digest. 

If you are interested in joining me in this, send me a Facebook friend request HERE and message me that you are interested in doing the detox. I will add you to the private group and if you decide not to participate you can easily remove yourself from it. 

I feel excited about doing this. As a Wellness Advocate I am in a position where I am regularly asked by people about various health issues and feel that it is important for me to practice what I preach. I don't want to be a hypocrite and tell people they need to limit their sugar intake when I am hiding chocolate all around my house so I can sneak it throughout the day. 

I heard an Andy Stanley message several months ago in which he stated "In order to be an effective disciple of Christ we cannot be mastered by anything." I may not agree with everything he teaches, but that point has stuck with me. It is one of the reasons I felt compelled to do the forty day fast. I knew that I was mastered by something. I had absolutely no will power to resist those cravings for sweets and I have several friends (you know you you are) who have confided they are in the same boat. 

I really want to encourage you to start 2015 on the right track. Let's take this time to making ourselves healthier which will, I believe, make us happier and allow us more opportunities to be used by God. When we feel bad physically and are always sick and tired because of the poor choices we make on a daily basis, He is limited in how He can use us. Our motivation has to be more than "I want to wear a smaller jean size" or "look good in a bathing suit". Those things are shallow and aren't enough to really motivate us. However, if I can really understand that I will be a better, happier mother and wife and servant of Christ when I stop putting toxic things in my body, THAT makes it worth the effort involved. 

Its like I tell my son. His job right now as a student is to learn as much as possible so that as he matures he will be prepared for whatever path God has planned for him. If he makes the most of this time he will be a very useful tool, but if he wastes this time and fails to take advantage of the educational opportunities available to him, there will be fewer ways He can use us. I believe that advice applies to all of us. If we do our part to keep our bodies strong and healthy He CAN and WILL use us to bring glory to Himself. Of course, there are other factors as well, and our hearts have to be in the right with Him. There are also other circumstances beyond our control such as injuries or disabilities, but for the most part, many of our health 'issues' are of our own doing and can be reversed. 

I hope you will prayerfully consider joining this group as we begin to take back lost ground and start feeding our bodies the nutrients they need. Just friend me on Facebook and tell me that you want to know more about the cleanse. We will start January 1. 

Kristy 

Holiday Recap

Hello friends. It has been a while since I've posted, and a lot has happened. I had a milestone birthday. I turned forty a couple weeks ago. I completed a forty day fast the day before my birthday. I felt lead to do it for both spiritual and physical reasons. I plan to talk more about my experience in a future post. I’m still processing the whole thing.

Then there was Christmas and Leslie and I decided to take a week off to spend with our families. I’m so glad we did. I hope you got to enjoy some quality time with yours as well. This has been a week of games for us. We got the game Ticket to Ride as a family gift. It is a board game where you compete to complete a path across the United States with train pieces. It is especially great for our family because it can have up to five players. It has very little reading, which is great for my youngest, but involves a lot of strategy to make it interesting and fun for ALL ages. (Click on pictures for affiliate links)

We also got the game 10 Days in the USA which was actually a gift to the youngest. We are studying the United States this year in history and geography so I thought it would reinforce some of what we are learning. The funny thing is that this game is really designed for younger people, but in some ways is harder that Ticket to Ride. Ten minutes into the first game AJ said “I can’t wait to sell this game in a yard sale!” He has such a funny sense of humor. We played again tonight and he won, so he is warming up to the game a little.

The last game we’ve been playing is Bananagrams. I’ve seen this game around for years, but we have never played it. Tim’s daughter bought it for him for Christmas and we stayed up late one night playing it after the younger kids were in bed. It is a version of Scrabble where you divide the tiles and race to make your own scrabble board. The winner is the one who can use all of his or her tiles up first.

I know you’re not here for a play by play of what games we got for Christmas, but they are all great games and I would recommend each of them. 

We try to stay away from electronics as gifts, but that seems to be what our kids ask for most often, especially the boys. My husband and I went out shopping the night before Christmas Eve to see what we could find. We stopped at a local toy store and found The Swurfer. It is a wooden swing that you ride surf-board style. It was a REALLY big hit with my daughter. She’s probably spent ten hours on it over the three days that we’ve had it. The weather here was really pretty on Christmas day and the following days. If you are looking for a way to get your kids OUTside, this is another toy I would highly recommend. It is also great ab workout! 

Check out a video HERE to see it in action.

One last thing before I go. I know y’all know Leslie and I like Amazon a lot and make a lot of purchases through it. What you might NOT know is that Amazon has a groovy feature called “Wish List.” As you browse Amazon you can add items to your wish list. I started doing that a few months back just to remind myself of things I was interested in purchasing. My list consisted mostly of books that I want to read. Even though I might not get them from Amazon, I still put them on my wish list. Then, when I am ready to buy, I can search for the best price, but it helps me to remember what I am looking for. I also had several kitchen items and some other miscellaneous things. This year, when my husband asked me what I wanted for my birthday I actually knew of some things I wanted. Usually I have a hard time thinking of things. He even shared the list with a couple people who were looking to buy me a birthday or Christmas gift, and this year I got a lot of things on my wish list.

I'm posting two back-to back posts because I have a challenge for you tomorrow, but wanted to share these fun gifts our family received this year.

Kristy 

Flourless Chocolate Torte

Have any of our readers ever eaten at a Burton’s Grill? If you have one nearby or have the chance to visit one then do yourself a favor. Order dessert and pick the flourless chocolate torte. I had it for the first time on a girls’ weekend last year and proceeded to have it at least one other time that weekend. The same thing happened this summer when we were on vacation. My whole family thought it was divine.

It’s one of those desserts that you bite into and say, “Mmmm, this is SO GOOD.” Then swallow and take another bite and can’t help it when you keep saying, “Mmmm!” with each bite.

No worries if you do not have a Burton’s Grill nearby because I am sharing a recipe for a flourless chocolate torte that is has the same effect on you and your family or friends or whomever eats it.

Today we are not counting calories. It is the Christmas season which means we do not count calories. Okay? Right? You may have seen a phrase floating around on Facebook and the internet that says, “We should stop counting calories and start counting chemicals.”

Anything that starts out with these ingredients has to be good. Am I right?

You can use baking chocolate but I keep Ghirardelli chocolate chips (semi-sweet and/or bittersweet) in my pantry.

I love my pretty farm fresh egg shells. J

All that butter and chocolate are melting together. You’ll want to lick the bowl when you’re done.

Ready to go in the oven.

So it does not look exactly “pretty” when it comes out. That’s okay. You can stop here and just hope no one wants to eat any and you have lots of leftovers.

Or you could dust it with unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar. And if you cut a stencil, then you can make it look pretty after all.

I used my Silhouette Cameo die cutter to cut my snowflake stencil.

See how dense it is?

We like to heat it (a WARM slice is key!) then top it with a dollop of whipped cream. 

Sometimes we like a blanket of whipped cream....... ;)

That warm slice of chocolate is like heaven in your mouth. The "Mmmmm"s will commence immediately.

Flourless Chocolate Torte
printable recipe here

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter or margarine, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate (2 cups)
6 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Pinch of kosher salt
Unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and side of a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the chocolate and 1 1/2 sticks butter in a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) and stir until melted and combined. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and let cool slightly.

While the chocolate cools, combine the eggs, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thick, 5 to 8 minutes.

Gently fold half of the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture to temper the egg until just combined, then gently fold in the rest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is no longer shiny and barely jiggles and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan. Remove the springform ring and transfer to a platter; dust with cocoa powder or powdered sugar, if desired.

I made this dessert at our neighborhood Christmas party. They all loved it! One neighbor asked what made it a torte. I had wondered the same thing and told her I wondered if it was because of their denseness and use of eggs. For my blog readers, I looked it up to educate us all. ;)

A torte uses little to no flour and mainly consists of sugar, eggs, butter, and flavorings.

I also read that tortes are dense because of the lack of flour. All tortes are cake but not all cakes are torte. Got it?

When I answered my neighbor, I actually guessed right. She also wanted the recipe. Now you all have it and can share with the world!

Besides tasting delicious, the other good thing about this recipe is you may already have all the ingredients you need in your pantry and fridge. Go check and get to baking!

Neighbor Gift Idea: M&M Poem

We hosted a “neighborhood” Christmas party this year. I put neighborhood in quotes because several of my friends know we live out in the country. We used to live in a neighborhood of about 75 houses and we did not know as many of our neighbors then as we do now. We have about ten families from our road that get together a few times a year to socialize. This is all thanks to one of our neighbors who as they tell it have always got the neighbors together wherever they have lived (which is like 21 different homes because he was in the military).

So this year for our Christmas party I wanted to give the neighbors a little something as a gift. With all the gifting we are doing I knew it needed to be low cost. I also knew I wanted it to have something about the meaning of Christmas on it.

I have pinned a couple different versions of the M&M Christmas poem and thought that might be nice. I ended up changing just a few words in the original that floats around the internet but added my own ending to express our main purpose for the gift.

To download a PDF of files to print for yourself, click here.
As seen here, they have no name so you can sign your name.

I had planned on using some jars to put them in but the jars I liked were about $6 a piece. When I realized they hold 32 ounces and knew a 42 oz back of M&Ms cost almost $10, it was getting a bit more than I wanted to spend. So I picked these up.

What to do: It’s simple, I know. I printed out the poem on card stock and cut them out. I punched two holes in the top. Then I filled the bags with M&Ms. Tying ribbon on the top, I used red and gold for the peanut M&Ms and green and silver for the plain M&Ms. I looped a ribbon through the hole in the poem and tied it on. Using scissors, I curled the ribbon.

These little baggies by Wilton (above) took about 1 1/2 cups of peanut M&Ms and would take more of the plain M&Ms but I did not put in as many. I was able to about 9 bags filled with two 42 oz bags of the peanut M&Ms.

A basket with the treats was out at the party for them to take as they left. It was a simple gift, but I wanted to let them know we appreciate their friendship and more importantly, that they knew the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no sacrificial lamb for our sins.

Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no savior who defeated death.

Without the birth of Jesus, there would be no free gift of salvation….just for the accepting.

Let’s celebrate the joyous message of Christmas within our hearts and with our family, friends, and neighbors!

Christmas Ornaments Tutorial

Today I am back with a crafty tutorial to show you how you can make some unique Christmas tree ornaments. As usual, they are CHEAP, FAST, and EASY! The only catch is that you need one unique piece of equipment that can be purchased for ten dollars on Amazon. Some of you already have it. It is a woodburner.

If you are doing this activity with children, you DO have to monitor them closely, but I did it last year with my five and eleven years old kids with no incidents. Just be careful.

You can buy various kinds of unfinished wood pieces at Michael's and Hobby Lobby, but I asked my uncle to slice these from a dried tree limb that was about three inches in diameter. The only other thing I had to do was drill a small hole in the top to hang it. Also, they make adorable gift tags. Put a cute image on the front, and write to/from on the back. Then the recipient has an ornament to keep as a reminder of your gift.

Once you have your woodburner and something to burn, all you need to do is decide on a design. Snowflakes and trees are easy for beginners. There are a couple of ways to get started. If  you have rubber stamps, you could stamp an image onto your disc and simply trace it with the woodburner. You can lightly draw your design in pencil and trace that, OR, if you are feeling froggy, you can go freestyle on it!

The first one is a snowman. I hope that is obvious. I had the best results with the finest point tip. Put your tip in first, THEN plug in your woodburner and wait about five minutes for it to heat up. Some models allow you to adjust the temperature. I found that the hotter it was, the better. Make sure you have something to set it on, like a wooden cutting board so you don't accidentally burn your counter tops if they are laminate.

I did the same thing with this little cup of coffee which was a stamp. I used a light colored ink and just traced over the lines. This is a great way to get started for beginners. Don't worry if its not perfect, that is part of the charm. 

A quick search on Amazon found THESE wooden discs. 

I also found the tree slices on Etsy HERE.

I found THIS great idea as I was looking for some more examples to show you. At the end of the season, when you are discarding your (once) live tree, slice a piece from the trunk and make an ornament from it, like this one. 

To see other examples for inspiration, you can click HERE to see some that others have made. 

I have two more ornaments I want to show you next week. For one of them you might want to start looking for your button stash! 

Kristy

Three FREE Christmas Printables

I almost did not post anything for today. It was one of those weeks AND weekends plus I pulled a muscle in my upper back and neck area where I cannot function at my normal pace (full speed ahead).

However, I had a couple of hours at home yesterday between church services and everything else so I thought I could design a quick Christmas printable to share. Sitting at the computer clicking away doesn't require active movement so I could manage. ;) I ended up designing THREE! I hope you like them!

Click on the images below to open in a window then right click and select "save image as" to download and print as an 8x10 image.

Are you wanting a white Christmas? :) My daughter loved this one and has it hanging on her door.

One of my favorite Christmas songs......

Have you received the King?

Almost all of my favorite Christmas songs together as a subway printable. Enjoy!

Cut on the inside of the thin black border for a true 8x10 print.

I love being able to print little things like this out for the different seasons and holidays. This would even make a nice Christmas gift (and inexpensive) in a pretty frame.