Nice Thanksgiving in Good Company

We got back yesterday from spending a couple days at my sister's house or rather trailer since they are full time RV folks. Another sister came with her husband and fur babies. I think this was the first time we were together for Thanksgiving in more that 30 years. We were all busy raising families and living far apart. For each of us if we went to see family at all it meant going to Mom's house and not to see each other. We are all 3, us girls, living in Arizona now so we are much closer than we have been in a very long time. It feels good to have extended family close. 

Kristi, hosting us, created a wonderful meal. She had also invited a couple that lives in the park that they do so we had 8 around an outdoor table. We had turkey and ham. For sides there were mashed and sweet potatoes, dressing, asparagus, creamed spinach, rolls, gravy and homemade cranberry sauce. It was a lot of food even for 8 people and she will be busy planning uses for the leftovers now that we have all gone home.

My small addition, besides helping with cooking, was to make the bread you see here and make a cranberry salad that Jim loves. I saved this bread recipe a long time ago and this week seemed to be the perfect time to make it. You can find the recipe at Simply So Good No Knead Pumpkin Harvest Bread.

This bread has canned pumpkin, not pie filling, in it. You also put in sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and dried fruit. The recipe recommends the Golden Berry Blend from Trader Joe's. This is not a light fluffy bread, but it is so good. We set out a bread tray at dinner with this bread and the more traditional dinner rolls surrounding it. If you do not have a Trader Joe's near you this fruit blend of golden raisins, cherries, cranberries and blueberries can be found on Amazon.

In other random news about me, I made it to the 2nd skein in my knitting. That happened last night when we were watching the first Christmas movies after dinner. That accomplishment felt so good. There really is hope that I can get this done and blocked in time to travel with it.

Hope all of you readers in the US had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

Great TV Knitting

This project is working out to be great for TV knitting. I can follow along with a movie or football game and not mess it up. I do think that this is going to be one of those projects that seem to last forever with no apparent progress being made on any given day. According to the pattern this will end up about 26 inches wide and 80 inches long so you understand why that would be so. It will take 3 skeins to make this, and I am still knitting from the first one. I am going to persevere on this because I can imagine snuggling under it to nap on the plane ride from San Francisco to Tokyo.

This is a lot of plain stockinette with a couple features designed to keep it from rolling. At each of the ends is a few rows of 2x2 ribbing. On both edges is a 5 stitch wide pattern with slipped stitches. This wrap will still need to be blocked to make it pretty even with those features but that is okay. The fabric created with the Cascade Heritage yarn feels nice to the touch and the needle size it perfect for having a nice drape. Now if I could just get past the first skein and into the second so I can feel a sense of accomplishment!

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

 

The Great British Baking Show

The current season of The Great British Baking Show available on Netflix started with these contestants. I know it probably takes a lot of editing to get the vibe that the producers want but what I can get over is how they do such a great job of getting what seems to be genuinely nice personalities on the show. They cheer and support each other, and I have high hopes for all of them. Can't they all be winners? LOL.

Waiting for the new episode each week is hard but honestly I think I enjoy the show more than if it was all released at once and I binge watched it. We are down to 4 contestants now and the end is very close. Of those left they are all my favorites.

Have you been watching? Want to predict the winner in a comment? I am thinking Josh but of course editing the show could make me think that and it could all change.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy! 

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New Amsterdam on Netflix

I started watching New Amsterdam with my sister when we were in California together clearing out Mom's house. After busy days we would watch a couple episodes after dinner before going to bed to be ready to start all over again. We got through the first 3 seasons. I have been watching it occasionally since I came home and am now into the 5th and final season. I have really enjoyed this show and would recommend it to anyone who likes hospital shows with doctors and nurses who have real lives and flaws.

Next up on my list of things to Netflix and chill with is the final season of The Crown. What have you been watching lately? Any recommendations for me?

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

On This Day, Mickey and Minnie

On this day, November 18th, in 1928 Micky and Minnie Mouse made their debut in the cartoon Steamboat Willlie. From that small start in a New York theater, we end up with all that Disney is today with theme parks, movies, streaming services, and merchandise. If you love Disney I am going to share a couple finds you might like, one from eBay and one from Amazon. Even though you can find Disney on Etsy, if it is labeled handmade it is a trademark violation. I don't know many who list vintage Disney there because you can run into too many problems so let's just stick with the safer sites as sources, okay?

Starting with eBay...

Photo is affiliate linked

This porcelain item from the 1980s can be found in the eBay shop SweetMagnolias. With over 1500 reviews this seller is rated at 100% and personally if I was a collector, I would buy from a seller like that with confidence. The condition and photography quality tell me this is a seller that cares. Click on the picture to check it out.

From Amazon...

photo affiliate linked

On Amazon I found this Lego Duplo birthday set for toddlers. It definitely looks like something my children would have enjoyed during those early years. As of this writing it is 20% off and is rated 4.9 with over 2000 reviews. Again, you can click on the picture to check it out.

So, are you and your family Disney fans? I am not really but I am related to some who are in one of the parks yearly. My own link to Disney is tenuous. My husband's grandfather worked, and I am not sure in what kind of job, on building the original Disney theme park in Anaheim California.

Take care and stay cozy! 

 Back with more again soon. 

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National Homemade Bread Day

What a wonderful day! It, my friends, is National Homemade Bread Day! I love to make bread. These days I do a lot of artisan no knead breads. In fact, I will be going downstairs soon to shape, let rise and then bake a bread with all the flavors of fall. I will probably show that one off tomorrow.

For today I am showing of some of my past bakes, artisan no knead, sweet cinnamon rolls, a whole wheat traditional loaf bread. Will you be baking bread today or for the upcoming holidays?

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy!

Two New Projects

Well, the socks are on hold for a bit. I will get back to them sometime. The 2 new projects have a bit of urgency to them. I am using the same pattern for both, and it is a rectangular stole. One will be beige and the other grey. I am starting with the grey first. These will be my spare time fidget projects through the holidays. The yarn is Cascade Yarns Heritage fingering weight in merino and nylon. These two wraps are for me and have a purpose already planned so they need to get done.

After the first of the year, we have a big trip planned. It will involve a very long plane ride over the Pacific all the way to Vietnam. I am making these to be plane ride blankets because I want to try and get some sleep on the way over. No matter the temperature I always rest best with something over me and I am thinking a wider rectangle wrap will be perfect for this purpose. I will put more news about all this later. 

In the meantime, I have a lot of stitches to do but the pattern is simple and easy knitting. The needle size is large for fingering weight compared to when making socks, size 7. Progress pictures coming soon.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!