Christmas Stitching

This is one of my favorite cross-stitch pieces. Too bad I can't leave him out all year. I did this years ago. The pattern is called "Christmas Patches" from Leisure Arts. Currently I'm stitching a few ornaments. Cross stitching is the perfect thing to do in the evenings while watching all of those holiday movies. This pattern is called "Candy Cane Wishes."  You can order this pattern from Colonial Crafts.

Boxed in with Christmas

Yep, that's all my Christmas decorations piled in the entryway. I'm still a little slow going up and down stairs since my knee surgery, my hubby agreed to bring all the holdiday decorations down from the attic. (What a sweetie! If he was doing the decorating we'd probably only have a small ceramic tree.) He's at work today, so my task is to get the house decorated. Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Here's a recipe just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of the traditional pumpkin pie, why don't you try a pumpkin cake. My family really likes this.

1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
FROSTING:
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
5 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk
Chopped nuts
In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1 -in. baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool. For frosting, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with nuts. Yield: 20-24 servings.

It's Sinful

Here's a dessert that's sinful, but oh so yummy. I don't remember who gave me this recipe, but I've had it for years.  It was just named Sin.  I'm assuming that's because of the calories. Hope you enjoy being a little sinful.  Maybe we will be forgiven if we walk a few extra laps.

1 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick softened margarine
2 cups cool whip
1 cup powdered sugar
1 large or 2 (3oz.) Instant Butter Pecan Pudding .
3 cups milk 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
First mix flour, nuts, and margarine. Pat into 9 X 13 pan. Bake 15 minutes and cool. 
Whip cream cheese and sugar together. Stir in 1 cup cool whip and spread over first layer.
Then beat pudding and milk together until it thickens. Spread on the second layer. Top with one cup cool whip and sprinkle with nuts and refrigerate. 


I've also made this recipe with butterscotch pudding.

Playing With Photos

I’ve done traditional cut and paste scrapbooking for about 8 years. Last year I took a 3 day introductory workshop on Photoshop Elements 6.  I was hooked with all the things you can do to transform individual photos and create scrapbook pages.  Since that workshop I’ve found a wonderful site, JessicaSprague.com. Jessica is a contributing editor to the Creating Keepsakes magazine. She has some great classes available.  I’ve taken three of her classes now. Here are two examples of pages that I have created:

A great place to have scrapbook pages printed is Scrapbook Pictures. You can upload the pages you have created with Photoshop and have them printed in various sizes.  I created my pages in a 12 X 12 layout, but had them printed in an 8 X 8 layout.  They turned out fantastic.  This is definitely a company I’ll use again.

Just Take My Heart

Mystery lovers will enjoy reading Mary Higgins Clark's lastest book, Just Take My Heart. This book opens with the death of Natalie Raines, a famous Broadway star. She is killed when she discovers who killed her former roommate, Jamie Evans. Gregg Aldrich, Natalie's husband is the prime suspect. Emily Wallace is the assistant prosecutor who is handling the case. She is spending hours away from home preparing for the trial. She gives her house keys to a neighbor that offers to take care of her dog. What she doesn't realize is this neighbor has a violent past. Could she have placed herself in danger? Read Just Take My Heart to find out.

Spring Fruit Salad

This is a quick refreshing salad that can be added to any meal.
1 can – (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
In a small serving bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before serving sprinkle with brown sugar and walnuts.
Hope you enjoy!

The Hunger Games

As a school librarian, it’s impossible to keep up with all the great books that are being published.  I try to read as many as I can, so that I always have a fresh list of titles I can suggest to the students I work with. I just finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  I’ll have to admit when I first read the annotations on this book, I figured I wouldn’t like this book.  Boy was I wrong.  This a futuristic book in which the United States as we know it no longer exists.  Instead the country is made up of the capitol and 12 districts. Each year two representatives from each district are selected to participate in the Hunger Games. This is not just a test of brains and brawn, it’s a test to see who is the last to survive. Everything is not completely resolved at the end of the book. The next book in this series is Catching Fire.   I think both middle school and high school teens are going to like this book.  I think this might just be the book to hook some of those reluctant readers.

Crispy Chicken

One of the things I will be adding to this blog are recipes, especially if they are quick and easy.  By the time I get home from work, I’m ready to sit down, so quick and easy always works for me.  This recipe is especially good for those times when you have forgotten to take out some meat to thaw.  My mother in-law is the one who gave me this recipe.  My husband loves it!
2 cups diced, cooked chicken (I use canned chicken which makes this even easier.)
1 cup finely diced celery
2 Tablespoons minced onion
3 boiled eggs, sliced and diced
1 can cream of chicken soup
¾ cup Hellmans Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Pepper to taste
2 cups crumbled potato chips over the top
Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Home is Where the Heart Is

My husband and I are both homebodies.  I enjoy decorating my home.  We like a relaxed atmosphere, so there are no formal rooms in our home.  I tend to decorate on the country/colonial side.  I also like primitives.  I get a lot of inspiration from magazines and other home decor blogs.  One of my favorite blogs to visit is Behind my Red Door. Linda’s home looks so comfy and peaceful.  She has lots of great decorating tips.  Her home was recently featured in the the March ‘09 issue of Country Sampler. I also like visiting another website callled A Primitive Place. Again there are some great pictures of  homes whose owners like to decorate like I do. I will include some pictures of my home in future blog posts.

Welcome World

Welcome to Slow Lane Ramblings! I've enjoyed reading other people's blogs for quite a while now and have decided to venture into the land of blogging myself. Sometimes the daily obligations of life tend to get us bogged down. Each of us need to find creative ways to enjoy life and all it has to offer.  I’ve set this blog up so I can share my thoughts about the things I find meaningful and enjoy.