CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE KICKOFF

Good morning my little bloggies! How are you doing this Tuesday morning? I'm good really... had some good experiences with my freecycling yesterday and I got some cleaning and sewing done too! Got a couple of new things to share with you... cats, crafts, etc...



(I snapped this picture of Miracle last night while he slept... isn't that too cute!?) First off I am proud to announce that the baby cats Miracle and Gizmo that have been exclusively in the bedroom are now free to roam the whole house.. and Rebel and Princess are totally ok with it! YAY! In fact Rebel is playing with them! No more hissing and fighting DOUBLE YAY! LOL...



We call Miracle Rebel's "mini me" cause he looks JUST like him... so its Dr. Evil and his Mini Me (for those of you who have seen Austin Powers LOL! DON'T MIND THE MESS IN THE BACK... I had a wild hair to pull everything out of the closet so that's what you see lol! The only one who has a bit of a problem with the babies is Pitts, but he'll get over it. Rebel actually stood up to Pitts like he was "defending" the babies yesterday when Pitts started hissing. It was pretty wild. Rebel wanted to start coming in the bedroom about a week ago (I think he just got tired of not being able to be with Mama... I mean he is my baby LOL), so I let him in under special watchful eye! He hissed a little bit a few times and was "redirected"... just like a kid. So the door gate was removed during the day only. At night he had to go. But a couple of nights ago I decided to leave the gate open and see how the night went. All was well so the gate is gone and the babies are beginning to venture into the rest of the house. But they are still coming back to the bedroom and sleeping on the bed with me at night LOL. Yes my cats are very spoiled! The itty bitty baby, Mittens, is doing well too. Her wounds have healed, I weaned her from the kitten milk and even from the wet food, and she is on dry food and water. She is completely box trained and she is relocated... to DD's room. There was a bit of an issue with Miracle and Mittens, so my DD asked if Mittens could live with her in her room. After an hour of discussing how important her care was and what all to do, we "baby proofed" her room and away she went. They are having fun being roomies LOL! So all is well in the land of the cats!

One of the freecycle "trades" I had was to pick up 2 mystery boxes. I kinda like mystery boxes because you are always surprised. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometimes you don't. Well in these boxes were some great items I will be able to use! I got a baby wipes warmer, baby monitor set, and some baby bottles! All these items will come in very handy when I start watching my little visitor on a regular basis! YAY! I also received some jeans in good condition, 3 very nice watches, some new packs of paper, and a few other things I think I can utilize. Once I took what I could use, I freecycled the rest. I also had another pickup of around 3-4 weeks worth of coupons from a lady right down the road. Freecycle is a great thing and I encourage you ALL to join your local groups! Visit Freecycle and find the group closest to you. Just be a courteous freecycler and people will be more willing to trade with you and recommend you to others. If you say you will pick up, then follow through promptly. Reputation means alot there.



Then I got to thinking that since I needed a sturdy diaper bag for when I take my little compadre out with me somewhere, why not just make one. (Sorry for the bad picture... taken with my bad phone LOL). I took a pair of old dark blue jeans I don't fit and made a booty bag and adorned it with "It's A Boy" ribbon! I have pockets on the outside for holding juice bottles, etc. and planty of room in my "big butt jeans" for diapers, wipes, food, toys, etc. I also made a couple of burp rags I normally make and sell as well. I think its cute and I filled it last night with all kinds of goodies! We are ready to hit the road jack! Sturdy denim and poly-webbing straps... oh yea, won't have any problems with this bag LOL! I plugged in the baby monitor I got on freecycle and it works great! I also sterilized the wipe warmer and the bottles (did not come with nipples though). I washed the bottles with soap and water and then sterilized them in a big soup pot of boiling water. (Remind me to get nipples and a bottle brush LOL) Wow has it been a long time since I had to do all that! But it's like riding a bike I suppose... You really never forget how. Its kind of exciting really... LOL.



Ok well it's that time. Its the first day of the Christmas Challenge YAY! I hope this is going to be so fun that I will want to keep going for the next year LMAO! Kidding! Ok, so I have decided that today I am going to do gift #1 which is a kitchen set. (I can't tell you WHO it's for, because most of my family members pop in and read from time to time. LMAO) I have a beautiful floral material that I will be using to make all the kitchen essentials of pot holders, oven mitts, etc. I am gonna pair that with a book made from all my recipes for soups... a custom cook book if you will. The cover will be printed on custom paper to match the fabric. Finally when I am done with all the sewing, I will go and purchase one or 2 larger cooking utensils... a ladle and maybe a wooden spoon... and tie that to the package with a color coordinated bow. Isn't that a neat gift? I know I would love to get something like that! (Oh shoot, I just realized that once you see the material, my family at least, will know who its for LOL! Man I didn't think about all of that LMAO! Will have to ask who all reads my blog... hmmm... I know mom and Dad do at the very least!) I'm rather excited!

Now aside from the gifts I am giving, I got baby on the brain, as you can probably tell... and I'm trying to prep to have a baby in the house again after over a decade! I was thinking about when my kids were babies and how my mother used to LOVE putting DD in those little Bonnets! OMG we couldn't go anywhere without her trying to put one on DD's head LMAO! Well I found on my thrifty fun site, an easy way to make some rather unique bonnets using bandanas! I started laughing uncontrollably and immediately thinking of my mother! Now you may want to make these as a gift, and that would be cool too... Make sure to visit the site page for great step-by-step photos too! So here it is, the



Craft Idea of the Day: Bandana Bonnets

Materials:

Bandana
thread
ribbon 59"
elastic 3" 1/4-1/2 wide
fuseable web
iron
sewing machine

Instructions:

Step 1: Iron Bandana to get out all store wrinkles. (You can also wash and dry to get out all the starchy stiffness if you desire)

Step 2: Open Bandana up wrong side facing up. Fold one edge toward the middle 6inches. Bring other edge to meet it. Iron in new creases.

Step 3: Apply fuseable web to the back of your ribbon

Step 4: Center Ribbon over seam where the two edges meet. Iron ribbon into place over the seam. Be sure to follow factory directions for your fuseable web. The smaller of the two sides is the front of the bonnet and the larger is the back of the bonnet.

Step 5. You are now going to make the casing for the elastic at the back. You will sew a straight line from one edge to the other about 1/2 and inch from the fold. At this time you can also use the machine to add a decorative stitch to your ribbon or you can hand embroider over the ribbon to make it more secure.

Step 6: And here is where it gets a bit tricky. Thread your 3 inches of ribbon into the casing. Gathering as evenly as you can. Secure your elastic together by sewing over the two ends a few times. Release the elastic and with needle and thread close the gap that remains over the elastic.

Finished!

By Hanane from Garland, TX

Alright, for today's FANTASTIC EDIBLE FLOWER I want to discuss the rose... my personal favorite flower! The rose is a beautiful focal piece that is also pleasing to the palate. Now I am sure many of us have heard of "FLAN", a very popular dessert of hispanic origins. Well, this recipe makes a fabulous flan, giving you the scent of roses with every bite.



Rose: Rosa rugosa or R. gallica officinalis

Tastes like: sweet, aromatic flavor, stronger fragrance produces a stronger flavor. Be sure to remove the bitter white portion of the petals. Rose hips are also edible.

Interesting Facts about Roses

The rose is the favorite flower of 85% of Americans.

In 1986, then President Ronald Reagan signed legislation making the rose the official National Flower of the United States.

George Washington bred roses at his home.

A fossilized rose, which was 35 million years old, was found in Florissant, Colorado.

Over 900 acres of greenhouse roses are harvested in the United States every year. 60% of these are grown in California.

Florists sell millions of roses each year in the United States. The two biggest days for sales are Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day. Christmas is the third highest day for rose sales.

Columbus’ crew picked a rose branch out of the ocean on October 11, 1492. This signaled the presence of land. The very next day, Columbus discovered America.

Rose hips contain more Vitamin C than any other fruit or vegetable.

Ancient Romans believed that white roses grew where the tears of Venus fell when she was mourning Adonis.

Shakespeare referred to roses over fifty times in his works.

Mythology says that roses grew thorns when Cupid accidentally shot an arrow into a rose garden.

The oldest rose in the world has flourished for over 1,000 years on the wall of Hildeshiem Cathedral in Germany.



Rose Petal Flan

Ingredients

Topping

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp water
Custard
2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon rose water*

Special items needed

4 6-ounce ramekins

*Rose water can be found in Mediterranean markets and also Whole Foods in the baking department. According to the Doña Tomàs book you can also make your own by boiling a cup of rose petals (fresh from a garden, not store-bought, no pesticides, no fungicides) in a cup of water with a tablespoon of honey, for 10 minutes. Let steep overnight and then strain. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Method

1 Have your ramekins ready, near the stove. When you pour out the caramelized sugar you will want to work fast. Place the sugar and water in a small, thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat. As the sugar beings to melt, gently stir with a wooden spoon to break up unmelted lumps. Once the sugar has melted it will begin to turn golden and then darker brown. As soon as it turns a strong shade of reddish brown, remove the pan from the heat, working quickly, evenly divide the sugar between the ramekins, coating the bottom of each ramekin. Place the ramekins in a 2-inch deep baking dish.

2 Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small saucepan, on medium high heat, mix sugar and milk until the milk is warm to the touch and the sugar has completely dissolved (about 120°F). Do not let the milk boil. Remove from heat. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and rose water. Temper the egg mixture with a little (about 1/4 cup) of the warm milk mixture, whisking as you add the milk. Add the egg mixture back into the pan of milk. Lower the heat to low and whisk the egg mixture in for a minute until the egg mixture is fully incorporated.

3 Pour custard mixture into the ramekins, up to about 1/4-inch from the top edge of the ramekins. Pour enough hot water into baking pan to come halfway up sides of ramekins.

4 Bake on the middle rack until centers of flans are gently set, about 45 minutes. Transfer flans to rack and cool. Chill until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead.)

5 To serve, run small sharp knife around flan to loosen. Turn over onto plate. Shake gently to release flan. Carefully lift off ramekin allowing caramel syrup to run over flan. Repeat with remaining flans and serve. If you have refrigerated the flan over night and the flan won't easily release, you can heat it in the microwave for a few seconds (10-15) to loosen it.

Serves 4.

As an added bonus, I am bringing you ANOTHER recipe that is very popular to use roses with!

FLOWER JELLY

2 1/2 cups apple juice OR white wine

1 cup fresh rose petals or scented geranium flowers and leaves

4 cups sugar

1/4 lemon juice

1 - 2 drops food coloring (optional)

3 ounces of liquid pectin

fresh flower petals (optional)

Bring juice or wine to a boil and pour over petals. Cover and steep until liquid has cooled, then strain out flowers leaving only liquid. Combine 2 cups of this flower infusion with sugar, lemon juice and food coloring. Bring to a boil over high heat and as soon as the sugar has dissolved, stir in the pectin. Return to a rolling boil, stirring, and boiling for exactly 1 minute. Remove the jelly from the heat and skim off any foam. Let jelly cool slightly and add more flower petals (if desired), then pour into sterilized jars. If petals do not stay suspended, stir jelly as it cools until petals stay in place. Process in hot water bath or seal with paraffin. Yields: 4 - 5 half pints

Alright folks, I am gonna leave you for today. I want to hear how many of you are starting your Christmas Challenge today and what you are doing... let's have some fun with this! I am gonna go start sewing my little hands off, so you take care, be safe, and SMILE! See you tomorrow... HUGS!