Mundle Bread what's that?

I had to make some cookies for a cookie swap I'm participating it tomorrow, soooo I made some mundle bread. 
What's mundle bread? you ask. It looks like biscotti but the recipe is a bit simpler and the dough is wetter and easier to shape!  

I added/changed a few things. I found that you can pour the batter into two thin cookie loaves. Depending on how you cut the loaves you can get anywhere from 30-40 cookies.  The first batch I added some cranberries and then dunked them in melted white chocolate.  The second batch I added chocolate chips. The Third batch chocolate chips and chopped pecans. The fourth batch I added 1/4 c of cocoa powder to the dry ingredients and white chocolate chips. The fifth batch I switched out the vanilla for anise and then dipped those in chocolate. YUM!  (I should start a bakery!)
Here's the base recipe, courtesy of my sister... 

Mundle Bread

mix together till whipped

4 eggs 

1c sugar

add in

1/2c veg oil

1t vanilla

mix together in separate bowl, then add to egg/oil mix

3c flour

2t baking powder

1/2t salt

Spoon onto baking sheet in a long, skinny loaf. Bake at 350 for 25-30 min. Take out and cut, flip them onto sides and put back in for 15 min 

So enjoy and LMK if you make them!

Highs and Lows

I saw this on my friend Rachel's blog and followed the link to  Life Crafts & Whatever I figured I should try a go at this! (not that I think anyone is still reading this blog though)

Ok so we'll start with the Lows of the past week... 

1.  I wasn't able to finish the sweater I was knitting  in the month of November so I didn't get full points for it. (in case you didn't know I play a knitting game on ravelry that's Harry Potter related and totally awesome) I did get about 33% though. 

2. I'm currently working out to get into shape, but this last week I've been really tired and not doing my best. 

3. I thought I could take it easy knit and crochet wise this month.
Not so! My list is growing and growing! 

4. This is starting the hardest month to lose weight.  

So now on to the Highs!
1. A group of gals and I started a study together on Sunday nights while our kids are at AWANAs. We're reading through and discussing Made To Crave.  
We met together about it on Sun and it was great! 

2. I love Christmas music! We set up our tree and have a few presents wrapped under the tree. We'll be adding more as they come in!


3. I did finish a ton of projects in November. Here's a photo that I made it names what class I turned them in for. 
What they all are: (with rav links)
Dyeing, spinning, a WIP bag,
a shawl, mini socks, a baby sweater, fingerless mitts and carding and spinning some fiber.

4. I found the coolest boxes for my cookies for the swap I'm participating in! 

Treasuries

I made a few treasuries for the Etsymom Black Friday Sale. I forgot to tell you that the Etsymom Team is offering a free printable gift list with purchase. It will be emailed to you. 
The first treasury I have for you is all shades of Brown. 

 The next one is just one that were fun and things I liked.

Remember my shop is running a 15% off sale.  From 11/24/11 to 11/28/11 anything you order from my shop will be 15% off. Enter the coupon code EM15OFF when you check out. If you're searching for other sales type EMBFCS in the search and you'll find all kinds of Etsymom Team sales. Enjoy!

Hey Twilight Fans!!!

I just wanted to remind you my friendly visitors that there is still a few days left in to get your name in for one of the 66 prizes for the Breaking Dawn Giveaway. My shop has entered a prize for this giveaway- #6 to be exact. But there are some awesome things in this giveaway. Go check it out! You only have until the 26th!

Black Friday Sale!

As you know I have a shop on etsy. You may not know that I'm a member of a team. My team is Etsymom, and We're having a Black Friday Sale. 
My shop will be having a 15 % off your order! From 11/24/11 to 11/28/11 anything you order from my shop will be 15% off when you enter the coupon code EM15OFF when you check out.

Want to check out the the other Etsymom Team member's shops? Why not head on over to Etsy and search 'EMBFCS'  and check out what's on sale! I'll be doing a treasury or two later on this week,  for you to look at.

It's time to gear up!

That's right I'm a Twilight fan! With the newest movie coming out it's time to get ready to go see the show. I've been pondering re-reading the books. But I know I'll get all offended when things are left out so instead I'm going to talk about a free giveaway that's coming up. I donated one of the prizes for this give away.  Over on Bacon Time there will be a Twilight party soon! You'll be able to enter to win fabulous Twilight themed prizes. Bookmark and follow her blog to find out more.

T-shirt Surgery Allena's Way.

So I've been meaning to post this small tute for a while now. But life being the way it is.... well I'm posting it now!
So I'm a t-shirt and jeans type of girl. But being a plus sized gal, most regular t-shirts don't look good on me.  So this summer I decided to research some t-shirt surgery. There are many great sites with tutes. But being a basic gal I decided to do it my way..
I was inspired by this video tute from Craftzine.  
So I took a regular t-shirt, a pair of scissors and my sewing machine. I don't have a serger though so I couldn't follow that craft video exactly. 

First you need to cut off the collar. I cut the collar right under the seam at the back and then a little lower in the front. maybe about 1/4th and inch (at the most). Then you fold it over twice and press in place. Pin in place and sew. This is what it should look like. 

Then you need to cut the sleeves. I followed the craft tute (linked above) in cutting them and then re-fitting them on to the arm holes.  

This is where my method is a little different. I sew around the arm hole with a regular straight stitch. then I go around again using my zig zag stitch. This helps stabilize the seam.

By now you should have a scoop neck t-shirt. Very simple and I think it makes the t-shirt look much better and doesn't choke me in the collar. I actually sewed quite a few of my T-shirts. Here's a final photo for you one of my TeeFury shirts.

Though I'm not sure if anyone reads this blog anymore since I haven't had any comments for a while. I'm not too proud to beg, if you're reading leave me a comment.

You Know You Wanna!

Hey all this is the last chance to get in to the contest for this yarn. It's 538 yard (2ply) and handspun by NaturallyKnitty herself. My sister and I will be taping the next podcast this coming week and the contest will close when we do that. All the details about the contest can be found here. 
You can also find out on the podcast my sister and I do. We'd love it if you enter and listen to our podcast!

Featured!

Last month I took part in a craft expo and I entered these stitch markers. I think the jury is still out on who wins the $50 gift card but I was pleased to see that they featured my stitch markers on the blog. It's so exciting!
Go check it out!

Want to Win some handspun?

Hey all, there's a chance to win some handspun. This handspun? My sister spun it up and we're offering it up as a prize. The details are on our newest episode of our podcast. 
Check it out here.
I hope you like it. We really enjoy making the podcast and we're trying to do it every other week so it's more consistent than once a month.

Win some Fiber!

WOW 2 posts in 2 days... there must be something in the air!


I just thought I'd come over here and share this great giveaway. It's a random giveaway of 2 oz of hand combed cormo. That fiber is SOFT and pretty! 
So go check out the blog. enter to win!
(I've now subscribed to it in my reader)

Win a Bag!

There's a contest going on. You can win this upcycled box bag, made by me! Check out the details here.
My sister and I started a podcast for our HPKCHC group on ravelry, and to get more people interacting with our podcast we're having a contest. So go check out the podcast and the contest!

What's up?

So i've been kinda out of sorts with my knitting. I'm not sure what is going one whether it's the heat or what. I have been reading a lot so that could be it. My daughter picked up Midnight for Charlie Bone from the library and I wanted to read the book before she got to it.  It was very interesting and an enjoyable read. She's now on the 2nd of the series and I'm on the 3rd. 
I've also been listening my way through the LOTR series. Starting with the hobbit. I picked up the unabridged book from amazon a few weeks ago and wanted to "read" all the way through the series. Sooooo good! I'm on the Return of the King right now. While I've been listening I've been sewing. I tried my hand at some box bags and I think I've finally got it!  I also got the hang of some triangle bags. I first started making one or two for a swap. I participated in a swap a couple of months ago and also signed up to be an angel should someone need it. Well there was need. Since this swap was a Weasley Swap we could only spend about $10 total and had to use some things we found in our house. well I've got 2 totes and 1 dresser full of fabric so I thought this bag would fit the bill. I also added some wonderful other little things for her. I can't wait till she gets it. I'm always nervous about swaps.  
I made another bag for the swap I'm participating in now too. But I'm not going to show a photo of it  in case my partner checks out this blog.
I also added some to my etsy shop. I have a few more in the works as well. I ran out of interfacing so I had to run and get some today. So I'll be updating my shop in the next few days with even more triangle bags. I think i'm totally obsessed with them now.  The quilting of them like the one above takes forever though so I thought i'd try some with just interfacing and I think I like those ones just as much! 
Other things going on... lets see.. Oh my sister and I started a podcast for fellow HPKCHCers and all. Here's our show and the notes. Please give it a listen but be kind b/c it's our first go. 

Iced Coffee Allena's way...

Rarely do you see me with out the wondrous brew we call coffee! and in the summer it's iced for me. I've had a few people ask me how I make my iced coffee. I thought I would give you a photo tute to copy if you wish.
 This summer I bought a few of these Cup / Tumbler with Straw  (I love how the straw has a little stopper at the bottom) Actually I bought one and had to go back and get a 2nd b/c I found I was using it like every day. I may have to get 1 more... why not have all the colors there are?
Anyways on with the tute!

Firstly Gather your Supplies:

 

I use espresso b/c when you're making iced coffee you want the strong stuff. So I use my Mr. Coffee Espresso/Cappuccino Maker of course mine is an older version. I also have Milk, flavored creamer, espresso ground, my cup and if you don't do the creamer you can have flavored syrup. I use simple syrup for extra sweetness. 

Ok.. so I put the grounds in the filter and add the water and while it brews I get my cup ready. 

Filled with ice, then I pour a bit of simple syrup over the ice. like 1tsp-1tbls it's up to you and your taste buds, but remember you'll be adding a flavored creamer so don't go overboard. 

The espresso is brewing I love how it foams. To get the perfect cup it should foam like that! You can tell if it comes out like honey if it's going to be good or not. 

When it's done brewing you pour it over the ice. Don't stir yet! add your creamer and enjoy how it swirls down through the coffee and ice making pretty patterns in your cup. I use only about 2 Tlbs at the most of the creamer, remember we used simple syrup (or flavored syrup)

After that top it off with your milk. Now you can stir and enjoy! 

How I made my simple syrup:

I took 1 cup of water and 2 cups of sugar and on the stove boiled it until the sugar was dissolved then I poured it into an empty syrup bottle capped and it's ready to use for coffee or tea.

I love ModPodge!

We found this on YouTube and the girls are so excited about it. we're going to have to make a trip to Michaels to find some wooden disks and blocks to make the checkers and puzzle!

Special Summer Classes

This summer, I won't be having the Wednesday night classes but I will have 3 special classes on Saturdays throughout  the summer. The classes will be repeated in June, July and August. So hopefully one of the days will suit your schedule. Monday classes will still continue as normal. You can sign up for a class by calling Forget Me Not or stopping by the store.

For these special classes I'm asking that you please sign up and pay 2 weeks before. There will be a  3 person minimum for class.

1: Dye your own yarn 10AM-1PM $40 – bring pen and paper for notes.  Other materials included  in class price. We will be learning how to dye our own sock yarn using koolaid. We will also talk about other types of dyes and methods of dying. June 11th, July 16th, Aug 6th

2: Broomstick Lace 10AM-12PM $20- Materials Needed: Basic knowledge of crochet.US size 19  (15mm)Knitting Needle, Size E (3.5mm) crochet Hook. 100 grams of Sock Yarn. (hand dyed works wonderfully with this pattern) We will be  making a skinny scarf and learning how to do the stitch.  June 18th , July 23rd, Aug 13th

3: Beginning Spinning 10AM-1PM $50-Bring pen and paper for notes. Other materials included in class price. Learn how to use a drop spindle and how to make your own yarn. June 25th,  July 30th, Aug 20th

I hope to see you all there!

Spring is coming!

I'm not going to continue to apologize for my lack of posting anymore. I'm just going to post.

Just recently my friend Rachel turned me on to Paperbackswap.com and I'm LOVING it. Basically you take all your books that you have lying around and type in your ISBN numbers and then you trade books through the mail it's  totally awesome! I've gotten rid of quite a few books that I'm not going to be reading anymore and I've got some really great ones. like the 2nd in the coffeehouse seriesThrough the Grinder (Coffeehouse Mysteries, No. 2) I'm also collecting the Sookie Stackhouse series.There's a few others I found and read and then re-traded likeKnit One, Kill Two it was really good. So go check out paperbackswap if you like reading (I should be getting paid for this!) Be sure to mention me if you do sign up b/c I will get a credit for referring you.

So around here it's been getting warmish. The other day I went outside with the bead to snap some photos and search for spring.(we did this as part of school) We found a few pretty flowers blooming. there are some tulips coming up but they haven't opened up yet. I'll be checking back later this week to see if they have bloomed. 


I have been knitting like crazy and I should be getting back to it. I have deadlines to meet. so with that I'll go but I will be back.

It's Feb already!?!

Wow it's February already and true to form I'm coming on here to post. It seems like I can only make it 1 time a month these days. So i'm going to try and distract you with photos.... (i hope it works)

my latest  is a nice worsted weight 6 ply. I really love how it turned out. 
I think it will stripe nicely when I knit with it. 
I also finished a green 3 ply that's a fingering weight. I'm not sure what I'll knit with it yet but I really love how it turned out. Here's a close up of it.  

I've also been knitting. Mainly I've been working on the stockings I was commissioned to make. I'm down to the last two. I'm so close to finishing them it's not even funny. I just hope the lady who ordered them isn't annoyed it's taking so long. 

I've also been sewing. I made some more WIP bags for my store. I loved the one cherry bag so much I kept it for myself. I already transferred my socks and clipped it to my purse for travels. This weekend is the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet show and I'm so excited to be going. It's going to be a ton of fun. 
Well I should go... until next month (or sooner)

Snow!

There's been quite a bit of snow around here lately. Last week we took a day off from school and went out sledding. We had so much fun. I snapped a few photos and we really enjoyed ourselves. We're supposed to be getting more snow tonight so I see more sledding in our future. I see knitting in my future. (But I would see that regardless!) 

Speaking of Knitting,  I've been knitting stockings to match a set for someone. They're going well. I feel bad though, that I haven't finished all of them yet. They are pretty big though so it's a lot of knitting. I'm working on the 4th one right now. I'm also working on spinning some yarn and a few other small things for myself. 
I'm getting excited for the Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Show in Feb. I sent our registration and we already have a confirmation for the hotel. Soooo exciting!
Other news my computer got a makeover and I've been having to put all my music back into Itunes the past couple of days. It's rather annoying. But I'll get over it.
Well anyways that's about it, I'll try to think of more interesting things to update you with in the future.  Time to make dinner.

New Year!

It's a new year and I have a new goal. To update this blog more often. to start off, i thought i'd share a slideshow of last year in photos.