Thanksgiving recap

Thanksgiving week is over, and now it's on to Christmas. My youngest, James, had the entire week off last week due to parent/teacher conferences. My high schoolers still had school on Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesday, I got a call that my mom's oven stopped working, so I was hosting Thanksgiving dinner instead. I had just finished making some desserts, and now needed to clean and make the turkey, etc. One of my favorite desserts was the chocolate truffle ~ yum! Super simple to make:

1 package brownie mix, prepared as directed
3 boxes instant chocolate mousse (in jello/pudding section) prepare as directed
12 oz Cool Whip
2 packages Heath Bits

Break brownies into small pieces. Layer half the brownies, half the mousse, half the Heath Bits, half of the Cool Whip. Repeat. Chill. Can make ahead, but keep ingredients separate. For best results, make the same day as serving.

I split the recipe in half, as it makes a lot. You can adjust the amount of any ingredient. I like less Cool Whip, but lots of mousse!




I also made some apple pie for all my pie lovers.


My bil, sister, niece and dad. (sorry, no photos of my mom or my family!) My youngest niece couldn't come, as she's in college in England. For them, it was just a normal day.

The day after Thanksgiving, I didn't do ANY shopping. (I have to confess, I haven't started Christmas shopping.) Instead, we went to the lighting of the local park with some friends and then for pizza. The park was SO crowded ~ and cold. Behind Andrew and James is a ship created from lights. With displays like this, no wonder it's always crowded!

I'm making another punch needle project, but this time in more muted tones. I'm hoping to get it done in the next couple days. Too many other things to do, like grocery shop, shop for band concert pants and shirt for my son, etc. Speaking of which, I need to run to pick him up now....

~*~ Laura ~*~

There's a giveaway on "The Shabby Chic Cottage" blog. Bella Michele jewelry is giving a gift certificate. Go check it out and enter! Michele is my cousin, and has been stamping jewelry for a home business.
http://theshabbychiccottage.net/

~*~ Laura ~*~

~*~ SNoW ANGeL ~*~

Yet another new piece! I was up early to get the kids off the school. Yep, there was still classes for the high schoolers today. The elementary district was off for parent teacher conferences. So, once the older kids were off to school, I was able to lightly go over the hornbook with some ultra fine steel wool. It looks so old and primitive with the crackles, worn paint, and stain. I glued the punch snow angel to it, tied the hang tag, and added a string of vintage buttons. It's something VERY different for the winter. It will on Ebay tonight.

I have one teen home sick with a stomach bug. I'm hoping no one else catches it for Thanksgiving. I have to make a list of groceries to get so that I can make some dessert to bring for Thanksgiving dinner. I know the stores will be packed tomorrow, so maybe I'll head there tonight. Maybe. We're down to one vehicle today. Our old van is being repaired to keep it going for another few years. It has 146K miles (or is it more?) and still going. I'm hoping it will be the Energizer bunny and keep going, and going, and going. It might be getting rusty, but with 3 teens that will be learning how to drive next year, I don't want anything expensive. I don't know if it will be done today or tomorrow, so we have to share the other van.

I drew up another design for a snowman punch project. I"ll have to edit and and start working on that today.

~*~ Laura ~*~

Work in Progress

I managed to finish the snow angel after running out of floss. I went to Joanns this weekend, and they were out of DMC 3371. So, today I went to Hobby Lobby and they were also out of it. I can understand maybe a cranberry color this time of year, but dark brown? I managed to locate just enough to finish, and am now waiting for the stain to dry on the hornbook.


This one I painted with a base coat of black. Added some crackle medium to see what that does. Topped it with a coat of antique yellow. Sanded it, and then some brown stain. Can't wait to see what it looks like together! I might have to lightly sand a bit of the stain off, just to get it even. But I think the yellow will really set off the angel wings and make the piece "pop". I'm hoping it will be done and listed on Ebay tomorrow. :-)

~*~ Laura ~*~

Vintage Grater ornie

I liked that vintage mini grater so much, that I just had to finish something to go on it. I wanted a few of the grater holes to show, so I measured what I wanted the punch needle piece to be. It's 1" x 3", which isn't very big for a punched piece. I drew up a snowman with a star, and this is what he looks like. The snowman is 2 different shades: white and an oatmeal color. The background is also 2 different colors: black and a very dark grey/tan. I punched it using 3 strands instead of 6, since the piece was so small. I haven't punched using 3 in so long, it took a while to get adjusted. I added a small cording to the edge, and adhered it to the grater. I'm not sure if I'll list it on Ebay tonight, or wait until tomorrow evening. The ending of the auction (if I listed it tonight) would fall on a holiday weekend. I'm not sure if that's a good or not. But, he will be up for auction sometime this week! :-)

~*~ Laura ~*~

A Couple New Finds

Yesterday I went in search of a few buttons for the snow angel punch needle. The dress needs just a little something to add some interest. I checked Joann for buttons, but nothing seems small and quite right. So, the next stop was my local thrift/antique store. I found a large mason jar filled with buttons. I found 2 small buttons for the punch project, and used the rest to fill the bottom of my wood bowl on the dining room table. It will make it very easy to search for buttons when I need them! Plus, it makes an interesting/vintage filler.


While I was in the store, this mini grater grabbed my eye. I've never seen a mini version of one. It was more expensive than the standard size, but it's SO unique. I could instantly see a mini punch needle project attached to it. It's the perfect size to hang on a peg rack, or use as an ornament ~ no hanger is needed, just use the handle.

Today I went to a craft fair, but didn't buy anything. I wasn't in search of anything in particular, and mainly went to browse and to get ideas. I didn't see anything that jumped out at me, so I left empty handed.

Tonight I'm going to work more the snow angel in hopes of finishing it by tomorrow. I just hope I don't run out of the background floss! I bought the last 2 skeins of those colors at Joann, and Hobby Lobby is closed on Sunday. We'll see how close I come!

~*~ Laura ~*~

Jobs??

I've been punching this week. The first project is an order for a fall black cat and pumpkin bowl fillers. The other is this snow angel that I'm still working on. I did this pattern last year, but with a light blue background. In an attempt to be daring and try something different, I changed the background to a mixture of dark floss. I think it makes the snow angel stand out. I'll see how I like it once it's all finished. I do like some of the color combinations to achieve an overdyed appearance. I mix 2 different colors of DMC and punch them at the same time. Some are just a very stuble shading, but it really brings some interest to the piece.


In between crafting and my school lunch mom job, I've been searching for a new place of employment. Ideally, it would be 15 hrs a week and close by. So, when I found and ad for a part time office assistant, I excitedly sent off my resume. I received a call for an interview, so I went.

I arrived a little before my scheduled appointment and entered the front door. The person sitting at the front desk had about as much enthusiasm as a rock ~ literally. No smile. No "hello". (gee, do you think she likes her job in a small office?) This was my first sign that it was going to be an "interesting" interview. I was let in the door, and told "follow me" to a conference room looking like it came from the 1970's.

The person who interviewed me was not from this country. That's not an issue, unless you don't understand our language/lingo. I was asked about my math/accounting background. I mentioned that I have a BA, which included an accounting class, plus many business classes. Plus years of experience in various admin jobs. (I thought this was all positive) I was then asked if I count on my fingers or use a calculator. (um, where is this leading? Does it really matter?) I answered that I use a calculator. I was then asked, not only once, but TWICE, if I count on my fingers AND if i counted on one hand or two hands. The person even held up his hands to show me. (at this point I was waiting for Candid Camera to jump on out. Who asks this type of question? My son said I should have said I count on my toes! ). I was then asked why I would want to leave my current job. I mentioned the environment (schools closing, possibility of another one closing, layoffs, etc). The language barrier (he didn't get the lingo) then was VERY apparent, and he thought I said environment. Like in environmental allergies. Do I stop and correct him? I couldn't even ask a question, as he kept talking. (yep, I just wanted to get out of there ~ and quickly!). At the end, I finally was able to ask a question. I asked when they were looking to hire someone; December or possibly January? I'm thinking with Thanksgiving and Christmas, they might be searching ahead of time. Nope. Monday. As in 6 days. Well, that eliminates me (thankfully), as they wouldn't want to wait for at least a 2 week notice at my current job. They haven't called me back. I'm SO disappointed ~ NOT! :-)

I'm not sure which direction to take for jobs. Do I start some type of online business? If so, what? How do I go about getting wholesale products without having to buy/store lots of stuff? Lots of questions. But for now, I'll just keep punching and keep my eyes open for other possibilities. Who knows, maybe I was on candid camera and just didn't' know it!

~*~ Laura ~*~