Beautiful frost patterns on the car this morning

Yesterday we had rain and then the temperature dropped and everything was coated in ice. The roads, driveways, and steps were ice coated which made everything slick and dangerous.

This morning the sun was shining and the temperature outside was warm and when I went out to feed the stray outdoor kitties, I noticed that my cars hood and roof were beautifully coated with frosted, icy swirls. The photos don't show how beautiful the frost swirls were.
 



Elaine

Survived the Christmas Holiday

Christmas Day was a lovely, but long and hectic. I got to my parents at 7:30 in the morning to relieve my mother's caregiver and stayed until 8 p.m. when the night caregiver came.

I cooked dinner at my parents for Tom and I, my son Tommy, Katie and Lily, my son, Steven, Robin, Bella and Sammi (but Sammi just enjoyed her bottle), my aunt, Gert and Robin's mom, Addie and Mom and Dad. There was so much to eat.

I got my baking done..cookies, mince pie, cranberry cardomen cake,

3 apple braids ( 1 apple braid I gave as a gift),

 2 chocolate rolls,

chocolate fudge, penuche fudge, and peanut brittle, snow pudding and sauce, strawberry dessert and cranberry whip.
I also made 3 batches of stuffed quahogs for appetizers.

For dinner..Steven cooked a turkey. I baked a ham, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, peas, carrot/turnip mash, butternut squash, corn, rolls, pickles, olives, homemade cranberry sauce, celery stuffed with cream cheese, and dates stuffed with cream cheese. My niece had given my dad a pecan pie, and Tommy brought a Fruits of the Forest fruit pie. 

Robin and Bella

Robin, Bella, Sammi

Bella liked Sammi's new toy

Dad

Dad opening the HurryCane that I got for him

Dad, Katie, Lily

Dad, Tommy, Katie, Lily, Mom 

Tommy, Lily opening her new rainboots

Last of my gifts opened by Lily.  faking Lily out..Fleece bottoms hid a most wanted gift in the bottom of the box under the tissue

finding the instant Fugi Camera

Thrilled to get the camera

another hit..Rainboom loom and how to book, and lots of elastics

Katie opening her stocking

my Dad always manages to shut his eyes when I take a photo

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Day. 

Elaine

Fudge and Peanut Brittle for the Holidays

I always make toffee candy for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but have never tried making peanut brittle before. The past several days I've thought about making a batch as I love the stuff. I bought a big bag of raw peanuts at the grocery store and spent yesterday afternoon shelling the nuts as I watched a movie.
I searched the internet for a recipe and my goodness; there are so many and all different.  I watched a few video's on you tube, picked a recipe and decided today I would make a batch. 
My peanut brittle came out great.

So yummy. I must admit I was a little over zealous whacking a big, metal spoon to crack the brittle into pieces.

I ended up with lots of small pieces. My diet went out the window this afternoon as I snacked on the little brittle bits off and on since my candy was cooled.
little bits of brittle that I've been snacking on.
I have a batch of chocolate fudge made. I want to make a batch of toffee and a batch of penuche fudge which is my favorite.  Every recipe I look at is different. So, now to decide which recipe to try.
I still need to do my baking. I've finish my Christmas shopping, worked out a menu for Christmas dinner that I will cook at my parents for our family. With my mom's Alzheimer's advancing it is easier to have the holiday meals at their house than for my mom to go out. 
Gotta run, it's back to wrapping presents. I love Christmas shopping but dislike the wrapping especially when the cats try to help.
Elaine

p.s..12/17/2013...figures, today at Walmart I found in the baking aisle a bag of shelled raw peanuts.

Elf Yourself website..too funny

Just surfing the internet this afternoon I came across the Office Max Elf Yourself site. So, of course I had to try it. I used photos from my computer of myself and granddaughters..Katie, Lily, Bella and baby Sammi. After I finished selecting photos and saw the video, I cracked up laughing. My oldest granddaughter Katie and I seemed to have the starring rolls in that video. I also made a Elf video using my cats faces and another one of my son Steven, Robin, Bella and baby Sammi. Also one of my niece. So silly, but funny.  Below are the links to the video's.

Me and my granddaughters

my niece Kelly loves dancing to the song Cotton Eyed Joe

my granddaughters, son and daughter in law

my cats getting into the Christmas Elf spirit

Here is the website to make an Elf Yourself video of your own. Elf Yourself site

Have fun. :-)

Elaine

Wonderful Surprise arrived in my mailbox a Singer Puzzle box

Yesterday was a wet, snowy day, but I had to leave the house early. I was gone most of the day and when I got home in late afternoon and checked the mail box I found a package with my name on it with a return address with no name from Boynton Beach, Florida. I couldn't imagine who was sending me something.
As soon as I got my coat off and fed the cats I opened the package. My mouth dropped open. I was stunned with what I found inside. My rubber stamping friend, Maryann Palestine wrote a note that they had sold their house in New Bedford and inside a drawer of an old treadle sewing machine table that she had she found some items that she thought I might like. I don't just like, I LOVE what she sent to me. What a wonderful treasure to receive.
Maryann had the cabinet of an old Singer treadle that didn't have the machine that she used as a small decorative table. Maryann had never checked the drawers. Since they were moving the Singer treadle cabinet was sold, but before it went, Maryann looked in the drawers and found the documents and puzzle box from the original sewing machine owner in New Bedford who hadn't lived far from Maryann and Sam's house. The original owner a Mrs. John J. Cunningham leased the Singer until it was paid for. The rent/lease was signed on March 30, 1893. The coupon payments of $3.00 were due on the 30th of each month. The value of the machine at the time of the lease was $60.00. If the machine was paid off in 6 months there was a coupon for a $3.00 rebate. What awesome documents to find when the machine head was no longer in the sewing cabinet.
front of open rent/lease agreement
   front of trifold lease agreement
   monthly coupon payments
front of oak puzzle box of attachments
top of vintage Singer wooden Oak puzzle box filled with attachments for a 1893 Vibrating Shuttle sewing machine. The wooden box is in mint condition and has almost all of the attachments. Top of lid has stamped into the wood Patented 1889. Every machine was sold with one of these boxes filled with attachments.
open box with velvet lining
side of the puzzle box

diagram in manual with attachments
booklet

   
manual for the VS No.2 Coffin top Singer Sewing Machine
what the machine looked like with Egyptian decals.
treadle belt sold for $1.oo whenever this was last bought and a little booklet that had nothing to do with sewing but was also found in the sewing machine drawers
  I don't know what machine this belong to because they are newer but were also included in the package because they had been in one of the cabinet drawers along with everything else.
Now, I'd love to find this model Singer treadle in a cabinet. I can't thank Maryann enough for thinking of me. I still can't believe what a great mail day I had.
Elaine

Earrings for presents

Decided to make some earrings to give as Christmas gifts.  

   

Elaine

Singer sewing machine model 328

Yesterday I delivered this Singer 328 sewing machine in this cabinet that I got for free in November when I bought the Singer 301 for $30 from a Craigslist ad to my daughter in law. At that time I was also given a cast iron Singer treadle base.
 
I had the machine serviced in Raynham, MA . I gave the cabinet a thorough cleaning and waxing with Howards Restore and Feed. I copied a manual from the internet, bought a set a cams and another foot to use when sewing decorative stitches as this machine didn't come with any attachments.

Photo below..Before... it needed a good cleaning and servicing, and the cabinet had water marks which came off using the Howards and then polishing with Howards Beeswax.

  Before
 

After

Before

 

After

After

  

My daughter in law was excited to receive this machine.
I also had the Singer 301 serviced, I now just have to use the Howards products on the cabinet to make it look like new again.

I changed my header photo..this is my Mom's white Christmas cactus in full bloom.

I took this photo of my brothers cranberry bog after the harvest when the vines have gone dormant..the vines so pretty.

Elaine