Valentines Crafts

Here are a couple of Valentine

craft ideas that I got off

Pinterest and made my own

modifications to.

They are for sale at Rusty G.

Sweet and Salty Fritos Snack Mix

This recipe is gluten free

and was a big hit with everyone who 

tried it, especially my little niece 

who enjoyed the peanut M&Ms 

with out the rest:)

2 c.Corn Chex

10.5 oz bag Fritos

2 c. GF Pretzels

1 1/2 c. Peanuts

Mix in large bowl

1 c. Brown sugar

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. corn syrup

Melt over medium heat. let mixture come to a boil

and then boil for 4 minutes without stirring.

Pour over Frito mixture, stir to coat evenly.

Transfer mix to a large roasting pan

and bake at 350* for 8 minutes.

Remove from oven, stir and bake for 

8 minutes more.

Transfer mixture to a wax paper lined

counter and let cool completely.

When cooled sprinkle with 

1-2 c. Peanut M&Ms.

Store in airtight container.

Modified from recipe

at

Recipe Girl

A Literary Walk part 4

At this point in my walk I am heading

into the Sussex area of England.

A Walk with A.A. Milne

                                                     The walk here is in Ashdown Forest 
                                                                           in which

a bear of very little brain lived

along with the real Christopher Robin

 15.2 miles

A.A. Milne took the every day life of 

his son Christopher and his stuffed

animals and turned them into the 

best loved stories about Pooh Bear.

"Pooh's House"

My favorite character is Eeyore,

 the very gloomy donkey, 

who is so extreme in his gloominess

that you just have to laugh.

Favorite quote

"Sometimes (Eeyore) thought sadly to himself,

"Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?"

and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?"--

and sometimes he didn't know quite what he was thinking about.

So when Winnie-the-Pooh came stumping along,

Eeyore was very glad to stop thinking for a little,

in order to say, "How do you do?" in a very gloomy

manner to him.

"And how are you?" said Winnie-the-Pooh.

Eeyore shook his head from side to side.

"Not very how," he said " I don't seem to have felt at all

how for a very long time."

From Winnie-the-Pooh

Living It Up

 

A look at my Living Room

 Coffee Bar & junk tray

both upcycles from garage sales

 My favorite things to collect,

cameras, fans and typewriters

My ladder throw holder
and a mix of interesting things in a vintage
soda box.

A Literary Walk Part 3

 Ending my walk with Jane Austen in

Chawton and

Chawton woods

7.5 miles

These woods were where Jane and her dear 

sister Cassandra spent many hours 

walking and talking.

 The house below is where Jane lived in Chawton

as an adult until her final illness caused her 

to be moved to Winchester where she died.

It is now the Jane Austen museum.

My 3rd favorite is Sense and Sensibility

My favorite character from this book

is Colonel Brandon.

He loves Marianne from the very start but

she is not interested in an "old man"

and makes fun of him with the infamous

Willoughby. His loyalty and gentle

care after her heart is broken by said Willoughby
 finally wins her over

and he can be happy at last.

Favorite quote:

"I do not attempt to deny," said she, "that I think very 

highly of him--that I greatly esteem, that I like him."

Marianne here burst forth with indignation:

"Esteem him! Like him! Cold-hearted Elinor.

Oh! worse than cold-hearted! Ashamed of being

otherwise. Use those words again, and I will leave the 

room this moment."

Boy Clothes

I enjoyed coming up with some

ideas for clothes for my grand son.

I had gone into Baby Gap

and was not very impressed with what

they had for boys of 18/24 month.

So I made my own!

The gray pants have a red zipper trim

and print cuff,

the jeans have "raggedy" patches

and zipper trim down the side.

I made long sleeve T-shirts with fun

graphics but forgot to take photos:)

I did a very soft twill tape in the waistband 

of both as chubby bellies need to be comfy!

What's For Dinner?

It's all Gluten Free these days as my son 

is eating that way too now...makes it a lot

more simple for me!

A Literary Walk Part 2

The next part of my walk continued

on with Jane Austen

 Steventon

to

Chawton

15.5 miles

 The vicarage in which Jane was born in

Steventon no longer exists,
but the field above is where it was located.
Jane's father was the rector in Steventon
until he retired so Jane spent 25 years of her life
in this area.

My 2nd favorite of Austen's books is
Pride and Prejudice

I admire the character of
Elizabeth Bennet for her strength of
mind and ability to be unswayed by
society's norms that would cause her
to marry for any other
reason than for love.


Favorite quote:
"An unhappy alternative is before you, Elizabeth.
From this day you must be a stranger
 to one of your parents.-
Your mother will never see you again if
you do not marry Mr. Collins,
and I will never see you again if you do."

A Little Laundry

Since I moved into a smaller home

I have realized that things can

be kept up much easier and still

be decorated in fun ways.

My laundry...

The ironing board cover is a plain muslin one

from Wmart but I added the french

words for ironing board

to give it an interesting touch. 

The black baskets I found at a sale

and painted, the box for medicines  

is painted w/ chalkboard paint so it can be changed

at any time to say something else.

Upcycled Velour

I had a plain black velour track suit

that needed something added...

This is how it ended up 

With the pants it is for sale at Rusty Glamour

A Literary Walk Through England

To motivate myself to walk in this next year

I am using an idea I saw (somewhere:)

where you keep track of your miles by 

"walking" from town to town on a map.

In other words I am not going to England

Unfortunately!!

I will just be walking around here with my goals

to be areas of England in which some of my all

time favorite authors lived and wrote.

I will be adding in some pics of places on my route

and quotes from my favorite books etc.

I began in Jane Austen Country,

Oxfordshire.

Basingstoke-Oakley Hall

to Steventon

7 miles

Oakley Hall is where Janes' friends, the Bramstons lived

and it is said she used it as a setting for Mansfield Park

and Lady Bramston as a model for Lady Bertram 

from the same book.

My favorite book of Jane's is

Persuasion

I love the heroine Anne Elliot

for the contrast she gives

 to the other women in the book.

 Anne quietly waits in the shadows

thinking the great love of her life will never come again.

Parted by family, war and money

her wait is rewarded finally when 

Captain Wentworth sees her for the true

steadfast person she has been

through it all.

Favorite quote

"All the privilege I claim for my own sex

(it is not an enviable one, you need not covet it) 

is that of loving longest, when existence 

or when hope is gone"

My Lovelies

My children

My grandchildren

My sons-in-law

My daughter-in-law

My heart

Christmas Eve 2012

'Night My Daddy

Dad

Born September 22, 1920

Passed on to Glory January 2, 2013

When I was small 

you gladly carried me,

until you saw that I was

able to walk alone.

When you were old

I gladly helped you walk,

for I saw it was too hard 

for you to walk alone.

When He saw best

Jesus carried you home

beyond my sight to Heaven,

where you will not walk alone.

'Night my daddy,

my heart carries you close

until I can walk with you

again on streets of gold.

Karen