HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010

It is bitterly cold in Missouri. Windchill tonight 25 degrees below. So everyone is staying inside to keep warm. Had a wonderful New Years Day. Relaxing and rewarding. A new year with new goals. Happy New Years to everyone.

thankful thanksgiving

In honor of Thanksgiving I made both of my sisters Thanksgiving aprons. I followed generally the idea from Posie Gets Cozy blog.

finally he graduated

my son scott graduated from USC last weekend. What a fantastic day.

What a Movie

This weekend we say two awesome movies.



Frost/Nixon: a fabulous move. great acting and great cinematography



and then Today



The Reader



for anyone who saw it, no explanation. a fabulous movie with with fabulous acting

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

November 26, 2008

For Thanksgiving, I made both of my sister's aprons from this pattern. The apron takes about four hours to make from start to finish, very easy but of course I am not the best seamstress in the world.

Josi's is the lemon pattern and I made Sabrina the same apron but with a watermelon theme.

Added to the apron, I sent a knitted dishrag.


Very easy to make: I use size 8 needles with one ball of cotton yarn.
Cast on three stitches. The the following pattern: knit one, add one,
knit one to the end - until you have 44 stitches, then decrease as follows:
knit one, decrease one, knit to the end until three stitches left and bind off

I love the add of purple color for the pocket.


Finally, I made the most delicious Cranberry Bread from this site: http://shutterbean.com

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Leslie

AMY BUTLER APRON

November 5, 2008

My neice Leticia is getting ready for a long trip to Australia and New Zealand.

She wanted a project to do to keep herself busy on the airplane trip so I

mentioned that she should do an embroidery project.

So I made her this Amy Butler apron from this book

And then suggested that she chose an embroidery pattern from this book

It is going to be too cute.

STRAWBERRY CAKE

I have been searching for weeks for a good strawberry cake recipe but the overwhelming majority called for cake mixes. Finally, found a recipe which I adapted and modified into a pretty winning recipe.

For the Cake:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

1 cup sugar

1 pkg. strawberry gelatin

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen strawberries, thawed

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour, put down parchment paper onto greased bottom and then grease the top of the parchment paper into two 8 inch round cake pans.

Whisk together flour, salt, and soda. Set aside.

Beat eggs in large mixing bowl.

Add oil, sugar, gelatin, and buttermilk - stir vigorously until well-blended.
Add flour mixture and blend well.

Process strawberries in food processor. Reserve 1/4 cup for the frosting.

Fold remaining berries into batter well.

Pour batter into prepared pans and bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from oven. Turn out of pans onto rack and cool completely

Frost with strawberry and cream cheese icing

ICING:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup pureed strawberries

1 box powdered sugar (1 lb.)

Combine all ingredients. Beat until creamy.

Recently, we went to San Diego to visit our children. Here is my son and I at the Light House at Cabrillo National Park I would highly recommend anyone visiting San Diego to visit this National Monument. It is lovely.