14 November 2012

Challenge Accepted: Pinterest Recipes

I was reading one of my favorite Blogs yesterday, Quilting in my Pyjamas (if you haven't read it you should, she's hilarious!). She posted about her addiction to Pinterest and how many recipes she's pinned without having actually made any of them. Afraid that her board would be a graveyard of things not cooked, she and her friend decided to combat their addictions by cooking one recipe a week from their pinterest boards.
My mom, Nana B, and I have decided it's a great idea, and to accept this challenge! And of course, we had to jump in straight away. We decided to start with Baked Mozzarella sticks. Sticks of string cheese wrapped in egg roll wrappers and baked!
This recipe is absolutely perfect for No Spend November because Mozzarella sticks are one of my favorite foods ever, and I can't justify spending $8.00 for six sticks. After all, they're not a necessity! But, spring roll wrappers and string cheese are groceries we buy every week, so they're justified.
I would tweak this recipe a bit. They were good, and will take getting used to as the sticks we normally eat are deep fried and breaded. But these were good, and if I could get the idea of what mozzarella sticks are 'supposed to be' out of my head, then they would be great.
I think I would try them with less baking time. Ten minutes, turn them after five. And regular blocks of cheese, versus string cheese. Like I said, they were good. But not ooey gooey.
Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars. We would make them again. They're healthier, good and easy. And it's something the four year old can help with!

Note: This post was written was written as much by Nana B as it was by myself!

Thirty Days of Thanks - 11, 12, 13 & 14

Holy cow have I fallen behind! Unfortunately, Blogging every day just got to be too much. It go to the point where life took over, and something had to give for a few days, and it was the Blog.

Day 11:
Thankful that Magdalena slept past sunrise that morning! It started out much better than the past few! And she's been sleeping past sunrise since. *knocking on wood now*.

Day 12: How very nice the day was! Such a gift! I mean, the day was a perfect summer's day...in November! And we made the best of it by having two play-dates.

Day 13: Magdalena's teachers! They're amazing! She is in a preschool two days a week and it is so cool! Makes me wish I was four. They spend all the time they can exploring outside and the environment, and learning how to have fun with it and treat it with respect. Another two days a week she's in a free program which addresses some minimal learning delays she has. And I mean minimal, which would not have been the case if not for this program and others like it.

Day 14: I am grateful for all the new friends I have made in the past couple of years through Magdalena. The past few days have been jammed pack full of play-dates, pot-lucks, parties, and fundraisers.
I learned about a new holiday, Diwali, which began yesterday and runs through the next few days. Diwali is a Hindu festival of lights, held in the period October to November. A year ago I had no idea what Diwali was, and this year I found myself celebrating it! (Word for the wise: If you've never tried homemade Naan, it's a must! As soon as my friend posts her recipe, I am linking it! YUM.)

Magdalena rolling out naan!
I was planning on having pictures of Magdalena with her teachers and her classrooms for this post, but, the best laid plans, right?
That's what I've been thankful for the past couple of days. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

12 November 2012

The Happy Accident Toddler and Adult Hat Pattern

Introducing..The Happy Accident Toddler and Adult Hat!
I saw a toddler hat on the cover of a catalog the other day, and I fell in love with it. It was an ear flap hat, and the ribbing and main body of the hat were contrasting colors and textures. And I thought, "I can design one better than that!"
And low-and-behold, halfway through knitting my prototype, I realized...it's reversible! Ummm...love.
This hat fits n average size adult and a three and four year old toddler.
Check it out in my Ravelry store: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/happy-accident-adult--toddler-hat

10 November 2012

Thirty Days of Thanks - Days Nine & Ten

Yesterday, I woke up with a bit of a cold. And it make me thankful for the fact that I am rarely sick, and when I am it goes away fairly quickly. Knock wood.
Today, I am thankful for how awesome my little community is. I mentioned the other day that my mom and I were artisans at an event called Ladies' Night, which helped support battered woman and families. Over 400 women went, and they each paid $5.00 at the door. Plus raffles, what the artisans paid for the tables, and food and drink, it raised, I am sure, a lot of money.
And a local business did this all for free, because they're good people.
Last night, Magdalena and I went to a free pizza pajama party, put on by the Community Network for Children, at the Atheneum. I can't tell you how much I appreciate these free events, especially since I've been doing No Spend November.
We listened to stories, sang songs, and, of course, ate pizza!
And Magdalena was reunited with her long lost friend, Noah!
No Spend November has been going pretty well. I have had a couple of instances where I wanted to get things so badly. The hardest one was when I was ordering yarn for a special order, and my fingers were just itching to add a few more skeins to the cart. But I didn't! If I can surpass that, then I can do anything!
Another roadblock happened the other day. My friend held a trunk show, in which she was selling handmade paper beads. Ugandan women make them, and then a program sells them. You can get sets of them to sell at parties and send the money back to the company. It provides a means of support for these women.
Now, I couldn't go, so my problem was solved before it began. But it got me thinking - what if I had been able to go? Jewelry is certainly not a necessity, but it was for a good cause and the beads are beautiful. The more I think about it, the more I realize I would probably have purchased a cheap pair of earrings just to buy something, and that's it. I just don't do jewelry so much. But that would've gone against this experiment...Who knows?

That's what I've been thankful for the past couple of days. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."

09 November 2012

Major Christmas and Winter Giveaway

This giveaway is now closed! Please check back soon to see if you're the winner!

In honor of the holiday season, I am having a giveaway, a big one! I love giveaways, what about you all? Now, I know it seems early (like super early!) for Christmas giveaways, but I want the winner to get their goodies with plenty of time to knit away before Christmas morning.
Last giveaway, I gave mini skeins as the prize. It was so successful, I am doing it again! Included in the prizes are five assorted mini skeins.
And this time, how about some BonBons from Lion Brand yarns?
Not just any BonBons, though, but sparkly ones! You get two packs, in the colorways Celebrate and Party - perfect for the holiday season! That's a total of 21 mini skeins!
I am also giving away a paper copy of my Soap Caddies / Holder pattern. And the yarn to make them! Included is one skein Dishie yarn, in the colorway Nettle:
Now, I can't forget about any youngsters in your life. And since knitting is an addiction I want to get kids started on early, there's a Knitting Suzie included in the prizes as well! Remember them?
Also included is a mini stocking knit from the pattern by the wonderful Little Cotton Rabbits, and in the stocking you get a couple of mini winter theme scented soaps! (Peppermint and mistletoe!)
And you get a skein of Reverie yarn, which is a glorious blend of Alpaca and Acrylic, you'll never believe how soft it is.

All the prizes included are:
- Two packs of BonBon yarns, for a total of 16 mini skeins
- Five assorted mini skeins
- One skein of Dishie yarn
- One skein of Reverie yarn, in white
- One Knitting Suzie
- One mini stocking
- Two mini winter theme scented soaps
- One paper copy of my soap holders pattern

As always, lots of ways to enter:
- Just leave a comment.
- Share this post then leave a comment saying you've done so.
- Follow this blog then leave a comment saying you've done so, or if you're already a follower just leave a comment saying you are!
- Like me on Facebook, then leave a comment saying you've done so. Link to Facebook: facebook.com/nantucketknit.
That's four chances!
I will leave this contest open for a while, 'til December first.
If you're leaving a comment as anonymous or are a no-reply blogger, leave some way of contacting you in the comments, such as your email or Ravelry name!

**If I do not hear from the winner within 72 hours, then an alternate winner will be chosen.**


OK shameless plug:
I know this post is going to get a lot of views, so I am using it to spread the word about the Linky Party I am trying to start up!


Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea. Click the Friday Finishes Button above to check it out and enter!


Friday Finishes

Hi everyone! Welcome to my Friday Finishes Linky Party number two! Crossing my fringers to get a few entries this week! Link up on Fridays with any finish you wish to share: craft, homework, dinner, baking, getting the cranky child to bed - well you get the idea.
This week was one of those where I got a lot of things almost finished. I made a hat for Magdalena but haven't added the pompom; I also made her some mittens, but need to make the thumb of the second one; and I made a hair snood for my friend's Christmas present, but haven't woven in the ends.
Here's some not so great pictures of the one thing I fully finished:
My mom and I participated in an event called Ladies Night, which raises money for a local nonprofit. Lots of artisans were there, and I sold all of my elephant hats, which was a hige surprise to me! And got in a huge special order! Gotta get those needles clicking!

Ok, on an off-topic note:

I keep seeing an ad for this yarn when I'm on Ravelry, and it's really distracting me. Like, it's making No Spend November super hard, because I so do not need that beautiful scrumptious drool-worthy squishy looking goodness, I just want that Christmassy stuff so badly it hurts!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/113262065/hand-dyed-yarn-superwash-merino-classic < - check it out, but I warn you, it's hard to resist.

So those are the few things I finished this week. What did you finish this week?

Please link back from your post with a text link or copy and paste the code below!

Friday Finishes - Join in the fun.





08 November 2012

30 Days of Thanks - Day Eight

Cozy warm socks on a stormy windy day!

That's what I'm thankful for today. What about you?
Check out 30 Days of Thanks on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/300340263404435/

From the 30 Days of Thanks Facebook page:
"Thankfulness should extend beyond Thanksgiving. Even on our hardest days and in our worst moments, there is always something for which to be thankful. Practice daily gratitude during the month of November and share your thankfulness with others around the world.
"Please join this event and invite your friends to also participate in 30 Days of Thanks. Join and find something to be thankful for each day, whether you come back here each day and tell us all what you're thankful for (which would be fantastic!) or whether you acknowledge your gratitude in private."
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...