Knitting and Chocolate Dipping....

I enjoy both...knitting and chocolate dipping!! And today has already had a little of both!!! We started with big marshmallows to make snowmen on a stick. (We dipped the two bottom layers and put a plain marshmallow on top for the head...)







Still working on the best ways to decorate the little guys. I think a red licorice scarf would be cute and maybe some pretzel arms. We have also tried dipping the head marshmallow in white chocolate which also works well.







And, of course, one needs to dip mini-marshmallows to create snowman poop. These are very dangerous to have laying around however. They are so yummy!!!!!















If you haven't tried this chocolate yet for dipping, I HIGHLY recommend it!! It is THE BEST dipping chocolate ever. It is a available now for a limited time at Sam's Club. Definitely worth stocking up on! (I bought 85 pounds worth if that gives you any idea how much we like it!!)






I won't tell you how much of the snowman poop I have already consumed today. It's just not something I want to confess to!
















In knitting news, I am still working on the fingerless mitts. I finished the yummy blue ones and I LOVE how they turned out. And although these will soon be on their way to China, I have enough to make myself a matching pair!!! (Steve just wanted reassurance that I won't need a new coat to go with them..... hmmmm, do you suppose I have a bit of a coat issue???) Some of asked what yarn this is, it is Fiesta Boomerang.





As it turns out, my friends daughter in China has two teammates that she is there with, so I am knitting fast and furious to get 3 pair ready to send by this Thursday. Here is the first mitt of the 3rd pair. (I am half way done with the second mitt as well, so I should be able to have them ready!!) I am totally addicted to this pattern. Totally. (This is also Fiesta Boomerang)










I felt bad about the condition of Sophie's toys after my last post, so I broke down and bought her a couple of new ones. I don't know why. This one already has rips in it and stuffing is laying all over the house. Not sure I will ever learn.


Oh, and the fresh breath rinse and mints are doing NOTHING for Sumo's bad breath. Sigh. It was worth a shot.








Until Next Time....

Four Things....

that make me laugh, when they should probably make me cry....

1. Our current Loopy Ewe water bottle situation. These are by far my favorite water bottles and I used them all the time. My sweet husband, however, was too efficient in doing the dishes the other day and put the two blue ones in the dishwasher. NOT a good idea. I probably should throw them away (and I will be ordering more when they are back in stock) but it makes me laugh to look at them. Not sure why......



2. The concrete evidence of mice in the house. Yes, these dissected cupcakes clearly indicate the presence of mice. Mice in the form of humans who decide it's ok to eat just the part of an existing cupcake that sounds good at the moment...... So sad. (Note: the piece of chocolate and remaining buttercream disappeared shortly after this photo was taken. I don't think the fact that I am the only one home necessarily implies that I am guilty.....)




3. The items that I had to purchase yesterday for Sumo. Yes you see correctly. Doggy breath mints and mouth wash to add to his water. The reality is Sumo's breath smells like dead fish. No kidding!!! And when he starts to pant, it about knocks you out. It's suppose to take a few days for these items to take effect. I will keep you posted!!! In the meantime, I am just thankful that Sumo has never been one to lick!!











4. The state of Sophie's toys. Yes, these are her toys. At one time they were new and cute and many of them had squeakers that actually worked!! Now it is just a collection of strings; monkey limbs; duck heads etc... She still seems to like them, so I guess that is all that matters.






In knitting news, I finished K's mitts and am very happy how they turned out. They are 100% cotton and not quite as soft as some of the others I have made, but they will be kinder to her skin. I have to say that I am in love with this pattern!! (Link takes you to Ravelry, where the pattern is)






In fact, I have already started another pair!! This one is for a friend's daughter who is currently living in China. I'm loving the feel and color of this yarn and am glad there is enough to make at least 2 pair, as I have a feeling I will want some for myself!!!







Oh, and Sophie wants to show you her 1 toy that still looks pretty much like it did when we gave it to her. A raggedy rope that she loves to play tug-of-war and keep-away with. It definitely has signs of 'Sophie-wear', but it is hanging in there!!!












Until Next Time....

So Long October....

Wow! Last day of October. I can't say that I am sorry to see it leave. It was a cold, rainy month. I am hoping that November is going to be nicer!!! It did make for a few nice days to curl up and do a little knitting, however. I got these mitts done and I LOVE them!!






I decided that a scarf would go well with the, so decided to finally tackle the Irish Hiking Scarf which I have wanted to do since I started knitting. It's hard to see the cables in the yarn, but there are three of them across the scarf. I thought it would match the above mitts nicely. Hopefully I will get it done in a few weeks.





I also have swapped a knitting project with K. I am very excited. I purchased this yummy Baby Twist Alpaca from The Loopy Ewe and K is going to knit me one of those tubular scarfs that transition from one color to the other. I think it is my favorite scarf of all time. I thought the light purple/charcoal gray would be a beautiful combination!












In exchange, I am knitting her a pair of fingerless mitts like the ones I just finished out of 100% cotton. (Wool is not kind to her sensitive skin!!) I have had to restart these a couple of times, but I think I finally got it right. It will be a good project to work on during the Vikings - Packers game tomorrow!!! (GO VIKINGS!!!)





I have been doing some large group cooking these past few weeks. We host a Marriage Course at our church and we provide a candlelit meal for the couples before the session. Tonight was Week 4 of 7. Penne was the main dish. I tried something new and cooked it (4 batches) totally in my roaster. It worked great!!!! I love my roaster.





I had some fun shopping on Etsy a few weeks ago. I found someone who did custom aprons and hats. I couldn't resist and ordered K some aprons and a hat for her business. She was thrilled. Now I want a hat for myself!!!!














I will leave you with this picture of her chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookie. (Just to be kind of mean!!) They are very very yummy. If you are in the neighborhood stop on by and we'll give you a sample!!







Here's to a sunny, warm November!!! We can only hope!

Until Next Time...

Knitting again.....

It's true. I actually have been doing some knitting. I won't say that my knitting mojo is back, exactly... but I have been doing a little each day and am enjoying seeing some progress...even if they are little things!!!! The one I am most excited about is this fingerless glove that Sheri mentioned on her blog. It was exactly what I was looking for. I still have to finish the thumb (oh, and the second glove), but I will be starting that today. The yarn is some I got at The Fold. There is enough to do several pairs and a scarf and maybe a fun hat....


I also cast on a felted bowl out of some wool I had in my stash. I am hoping to get several of these knit up for an upcoming event at my neighbors house... we will see. My mind is thinking of all the fun fingerless gloves I want to make for Christmas gifts...






And I have some felted coasters on the needles and a lot of additional colors I want to make up into coasters for a fun set. Like I said, nothing to amazing, but all fun.








Sophie continues to grow and keep us laughing with her quirky ways. Definitely the weirdest lab I have ever known.. but in a good way. She INSISTS on her morning and evening field walks, which are a good thing. I think the best thing they do is keep Sumo moving.....






Sumo is moving slow, but he is moving! He does at least one lap around the field both morning and night and even makes attempts at running. Thanks for hanging in there, old man!








I'm pretty sure that Sophie would be lost without him!!! She is very protective of him on the one hand, but can bowl him over with her enthusiasm on the other.








Cakes, cupcakes, cake balls and cookies are still being produced by the dozens in our kitchen. Makes for a yummy smelling house! Here are a couple of cakes that K took to a tailgating party last weekend. As a Hawkeye fan, it kind of killed her to make these, but you do what you have to do!!!!





She also made some fun cake balls that surrounded the football cake. I think it was enjoyed by all. I'm pretty sure the next ones she makes will be black and gold though!








It's another cloudy day. We have had lots of those lately!!! Sunshine seems to be in short supply. At least it's warm out. And hey, there are cupcakes on the counter... how bad can life be?


Until Next Time....

Monday...

Well, it is Monday again and I am looking back and realizing that much has happened since my last post.

First, however, I must put a plug out there for my football team, the Minnesota Vikings!!! Tonight is a BIG GAME - going against the Packers with Brett Favre facing the green and yellow in purple. I know his return to football is controversial, but the guy just loves to play, so I say let him play!! And if he's wearing purple, then I will be cheering for him! And as Sophie demonstrates, we will be cheering against the Packers. Sorry Packer fans!



Sumo really won't be doing much cheering at all. This is pretty much the position he will be in. In fact, he is often in this position if you stop by. He may get up to greet you, but more than likely not. That's ok. Sophie greets enough for the two of them!






The last few weeks have been very busy for K with the article about her 'As You Wish' Bakery business coming out in the paper. If you haven't visited her website, you should!! Just click here. Steve and K have been working hard getting it set up. The incredible pictures are possible because of the incredible light box our friend Paul made for K. Sorry we haven't figured out how to make the cupcakes come out of your computer screen!
(Visit her blog here).





Steve celebrated a birthday last week. I surprised him with a little utility trailer that he has wanted. He really liked it. I'm glad. Tools, trailers and trucks. They're guy things, I guess...








We headed to Des Moines to see WICKED to celebrate his birthday. Unfortunately at the last moment he got called to an emergency and wasn't able to go. Very disappointing!! We still had a good time, and I promised him we'd head to Chicago sometime and see it again.








To celebrate we had dinner at a local Irish pub where R & M's friend is the chef. It was very yummy!!! We will definitely be going back!











This past weekend, Steve and I made the 7 hour drive to see my folks in Western Minnesota. Had a great visit, but forgot to get my camera out often enough! We did take a few pictures when we went out to my brothers place. The first was of these beautiful horses that belong to my cousin.








Steve took the liberty of sitting in my brothers Smart car. These things are so cute. Both he and his girlfriend have one.











And I got to meet their sweet little poodle puppy, Millie. What a doll! They are planning on breeding Golden Doodles in the near future. I wonder if Sophie will want a play mate by then? They may be too cute to resist!!!!!




Back home now and ready for another week.


Until Next Time....

14 days......

Yes, I think that it is official... this has been the longest stretch that I have gone without posting. It's not that things haven't been happening... it is just that too much has been happening and I have had to put some things (including blogging) on the back burner. So, I will attempt to give a brief summary of the past few weeks - not necessarily in chronological order......

First off, let me reassure you that life has still been filled with cupcakes!! And lots of them. Here are some of the mini-cupcakes that K made for a women's retreat that we cooked for this past weekend. They were a big hit!! There was even rumored to be contests happening as to who could eat the most mini's before noon. I participated and was in the running for first place!!!





It was a pleasure and a joy to spend a whole weekend with some wonderful women at a neat retreat center tucked away on 100 acres of rolling hills and pasture in the center of Iowa. It was especially fun for me as K, M and CB were all able to come and spend the weekend.








I think the hit of all of our cooking, however, were the mini-cupcakes; cake balls and warm homemade cookies that K provided. She was quite busy in the days before the retreat getting them all made. And it looks like she is going to stay quite busy! Yesterday her 'As You Wish' Bakery was featured in our local paper!!!! Check it out here. The orders started coming in pretty quickly. We are busy getting a website; brochure and price list ready... hopefully in the next day or two. Feel free to reach into your computer screen and help yourself to one of these Decadent Chocolate Chip mini cupcakes!!!!


But we haven't just been baking! We are in the process of doing some redecorating! The first room to get a facelift was the upstairs bathroom. Here is the before....















And the after:


We still have some finishing touches to put on it, but it is on it's way to being complete!














Also in the past 14 days, was a quick trip to Chicago to be with our friends Paul and Sheri. Sheri and I's destination was Stitches Midwest, which was full of fibery fun as well as running into several women from my knitting circle of friends!!! Steve and Paul headed downtown and enjoyed the beautiful parks; fountains etc... I do think that Chicago is one of my favorite cities. I love that it is only 4.5 hours away... an easy weekend destination!!

Since the camera was with Steve, I didn't get any pictures at Stitches, but we have lots of the guys downtown. About half of his pictures seem to be pictures of themselves taking pictures of themselves in this Cloud Gate structure. Must be fun photographically!!!






Well, I know several of you are wondering if there will EVER be knitting content on my blog again.. after all, it is titled 'Willow Way Knitting'.. and I ask you not to give up!!! Life is starting to settle into a routine and I think I will be getting my pointy sticks out again soon.... so stay tuned!


Until Next Time....

Morning Meet and Greet....

Morning comes early here at our house. I'm a morning person, so that suits me fine!! I am usually up before the sun spending some nice quiet time reading and journaling and starting in on the first pot of coffee for the day. I LOVE my mornings!!! I don't know about you, but I have a favorite mug for my morning java. This is it. I love the polka dots and it holds just the right amount.











Mugs are actually something that I LOVE to collect. I especially like the Starbuck City and Country mugs. I collect them whenever we travel, and it is the perfect souvenir. And it is fun when the kids bring me them home from their travels as well. These are two I got this summer. The Wales one from R and M and the Jordan one from K.




Sophie humors me in the morning and stays contently in her area until I am ready for the next part of the morning..... our walk in the back field!! We have done this morning and evening for over a year and Sophie still gets as excited as if it were her first time!! I adore her enthusiasm for life!!!

She runs to greet the sun...



She cautiously greets the cows that live in the field to the West of us.... Heaven forbid they are still laying down happily chewing their cud! Sophie will bark until she gets them up on their feet. It's time to start the day, after all!!!







Then it's over to the East pasture fence where the llamas greet her cautiously. There will come a day when she will get spit on. It hasn't happened yet, but I think the writing is on the wall.... When it does happen it will entail a bath, that is for sure!







Sumo tags along most mornings, but sticks to the paths and leaves the meeting and greeting to his younger counterpart. These cooler mornings are heavenly to him, and sometimes he even breaks into his version of a run. Through it all, I do believe he is smiling!













Sophie does pause now and then just long enough to plan out her next mad dash.










When the walk is over, we saunter back to the house and I pour another cup of coffee and look to see if there are any of K's cupcakes needing 'sampling'. Here is her new creation from yesterday - Chocolate Peanut butter cupcake with chocolate buttercream frosting and a mini reeses peanut butter cup. Yeah... they are as yummy as they look!! Come on over! I am happy to share both coffee and cupcake. You can even join us on a field walk if you'd like!!!







Until Next Time...