My Favorite Snowy Day Movies

Today was a gloriously lazy day.  As the snow fell  outside, I sat in my chair by the window and knit.  Glad that I was cozy inside.  I never got out of my pjs ALL DAY and sat wrapped in a blanket a dear friend knit for me.

Besides being entertained by the beautiful snowfall as I sat in my chair knitting, I thought today would be a perfect day to re-watch some of my favorite movies.  My favorites may seem silly to some and irrelevant to others but these are the ones I return to time and time again when I want to feel the warmth of the sun, revisit my high school days ( I may have a selective memory on this one), travel to the top of the Empire State Building for the one I love, write something magical, dance like no one is watching........

Here are my favorites in no particular order:

Under the Tuscan Sun
Music & Lyrics
Sleepless in Seattle
The Breakfast Club
Dirty Dancing

I'm looking forward to my next snow day so I can watch these all over again.  Well.......maybe I won't wait that long.

"The audience likes their emotions to be touched.  They want to laugh and cry and feel good."  -Magic Johnson

Knitted Birthday Cowl

One of my very best friends has a birthday coming soon.  She and I stopped giving each other gifts a while ago and just exchange cards or special notes.  This year though, I wanted to give her something because she has done so much for me.  She is always willing to pick up or drop off my daughter; she has playdates with her daughter and my daughter when she knows my schedule would have my daughter home alone; she gives advice on raising a teenager only when asked; she has me over for a glass of wine just to "catch up".  Life is good with her in it.

So......I stopped at All About Yarn (Coon Rapids, MN) and asked the owner and my friend Roxanne, what she had in the store that I could knit quickly but that would also be unique and a bit luxurious.  She pointed me to the Malabrigo thick/thin yarn.

Roxanne also had a pattern that was perfect for this beautiful yarn.  It was a free pattern and is so simple but creates a very unique looking cowl that showcases the colors in this yarn.  The pattern is as follows:

Cast on 60 stitches on a size 15 20" needle.  Cast on loosely!
Row 1:  Knit
Row 2:  Purl
Row 3:  Knit
Row 4:  Purl
Row 5:  Knit 1, YO twice - repeat to the end of the round
Row 6:  Purl 1, drop yarn overs
Cast off when it is the width that you want.  Cast off loosely!

I'm soaking it right now so I can block it in the morning.  (It took me about 3 hours to finish it.)  I can't wait to give it to her!  Tomorrow we are expecting lots of snow so I have "my chair", set up ready to go with my knitting.  I plan on sitting in this chair and watching the snow fall ALL DAY tomorrow!

"Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn't hurt the untroubled spirit either."  -Elizabeth Zimmerman

Laptop Sticker

My oldest son surprised me this morning with an addition to my new laptop.

He's a sophomore in high school and graphics wizard.  A couple of years ago, he bought himself a vinyl cutter.

With a few rolls of vinyl in a variety of colors.........

he has created stickers for snowboards, cars, trailers, clipboards, helmets - anything with a smooth surface.  I love my new sticker!

"Think left and think right and think low and think high.  Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try."  -Dr. Seuss

Unique Gift/Garden Shop

This is one of my most favorite home and garden shops - Twiggs Home & Garden.  Here is the link to their website  www.shoptwiggs.com.  At this time of the year, I start to go a little crazy with the lack of sunlight.  For a "pick me up", I visit the Twiggs website and dream of sun filled spring days! 

Twiggs Home & Garden has garden trinkets, home decor conversation pieces, beautiful jewelry that no one else has, wonderful soaps and lotions and a lot of other unusual and unique items.  This is the best place to find gifts for the person who is hard to buy for or one who has everything.  You are sure to find something special. 

You can shop from the website or visit their store at 4301 Upton Avenue South in Minneapolis, MN.  It's in a great location.  There is a yarn shop across the street and the Wild Rumpus Bookstore is nearby.  The last time I was there, my daughter and a friend of mine made a day of it and ventured into many shops in this cute neighborhood.  We may have to plan another outing there again soon!

"It is the artist's business to create sunshine when the sun fails."  -Romain Rolland

Easy Tile Coasters

I love coasters and have them all over my house.  Most are homemade and the ones I use and like the most are the homemade ones made out of tiles you can buy at any hardware store.  I also have a homemade one that was meant to be a coaster that I put on a little easel and it has become a little piece of art.  One of my son's made it quite a few years ago for a Mother's Day gift.  He used acrylic paint and then applied a thin coat of sealer.

These are also homemade.  The tiles were purchased a Home Depot.  The first step was making sure they were clean and dust free.  The design, both words and trees, are stamped on using permanent stamp ink.  A thin coat of sealer was applied over the stamp when the ink was dry.

Add little felt pads on the backside and you have some great coasters to keep or share!  (These would make fabulous Valentine's gifts!)

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together."  -Vincent Van Gogh

Teenager Quote

This should tell you how my evening is going: 

"Raising teenagers is like nailing Jell-O to a tree."  -Unknown

I find joy in the fact that he's a straight A student, is kind to others (he helped the neighbor shovel his driveway yesterday) and is an all around great kid.  It's just when he goes on and on about wanting to buy a car or a motorcycle that pushes my buttons and can't understand that we can't just "take out a loan" or that 16 year old boys safely drive motorcycles!

3 Ingredient Appetizer

We had a very successful Super Bowl Party last night but we didn't come any where near eating all of the food I had prepared.  Tonight was a night of leftovers but I didn't get any complaints.  One of the favorites the first and second time around were my Jalapeno, Pepper Jack Cheese and Smoky Bacon Appetizers.  Here's the recipe that only requires three ingredients:

How many jalapenos you'll need depends on how many appetizers you need.  I used 12 large jalapenos and cut them into fourths.  This made more than enough for 7 adults, 2 teenage boys and one 10 year old little girl. 

Cut the jalapenos in half or in thirds or in fourths.  Be sure to wear kitchen safe gloves to keep the juices from burning your hands. 

Place the cut jalapenos center side down on a cookie sheet and broil until the skin starts to bubble and becomes roasted.

Cut slices of pepper jack cheese the width and the length of the jalapeno pieces.

Place a slice of cheese in each jalapeno piece.

Cut the smoked bacon pieces in half.

Wrap the bacon around the jalapeno and cheese.

Place the bacon wrapped jalapenos on a cookie sheet and broil until the bacon becomes crisp and the cheese starts to melt.

Remove from the oven and serve!

"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  -Fran Lebowitz