And what makes this auntie squeal with delight this Christmas Eve?

Seeing Baby V bedecked in the knit cardi I made her before she was born!

The smile means she loves it!

…and that is the best Christmas present this year!

~~ Merry Christmas dear friends ~~

Luckily, I have some delightful new vegan cookbooks to try out, including the oh-so-great Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar. (Seriously ya’ll.  This book rocks my socks.  I daresay, more than its predecessor, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.)  It’s got it all – 100 recipes for cookies, brownies, bars (including breakfast bars) and everything else that makes you smile and comes in sweet bite-sized pieces.  Lots of photos and a huge variety of flavors too.  I have made 4 recipes from it already and want to make them all!

Care for an amazing minty + chocolate brownie?

It’s fudgy and delicious and you would never know it was vegan (of course, I *like* to know that it is vegan!) but you could sneak it in as a slightly healthier surprise on your holiday table or at that office party potluck…

It’s adapted from the Espresso Fudge Brownies (pg. 130):

• 3 oz semisweet baking chocolate, chopped
• 5 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (I used Earth Balance sticks)

• 2/3 cup sugar (I used natural cane sugar)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk (I used almond milk)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1.5 teaspoons peppermint extract
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 tablespoons Dutch cocoa powder
• pinch of salt

Line an 8×8″ square metal pan with aluminum foil (enough to turn over the side lips of the pan) Apply a non stick spray or grease with shortening. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chocolate and margarine in a large glass mixing bowl. Microwave at 50% for 2 minutes until chocolate is soft enough to melt in with the margarine when stirred. Stir until smooth and add sugar and combine.

In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk together the nondairy milk, cornstarch and vanilla and peppermint extracts until foamy. Stir this into chocolate mixture, using a spatula, until combined. Sift in flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt until moistened. A few lumps are okay, so do not overmix. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, getting as much as possible and smooth out evenly to the edges of the pan.  (I added some vegan chocolate chips to the top of mine, they melted into the batter but kept their shape.  Just an added touch for a chocolate-lover like myself!)

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes or until a toothpick is inserted into the center and comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs (no gooey batter!). Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 12 brownies.

Do you have a holiday baking ritual? I always enjoyed baking and decorating sugar cookies with the little green and red sprinkles and the silver balls, as well as the yummy fancy cookies like “buckeyes” and chocolate covered pretzels and nuts.

I’d love to hear what you have planned for your holiday sweets

Thursday: Setting Up / Decorating

Entitled: My sisters are tulles

Hanging Wreaths :: Aisle Decorations

Friday: Bachelorette Brunch / Decorating Hall / Rehearsal at Church

All of the ladies met up and went to brunch at a local diner (hey, it was Sarah’s choice!) Afterward, we headed to the reception hall in order to set up the tables and chairs and number the tables. We went back to my parents’ house to prepare for the rehearsal at the church and the dinner following. We ran through the ceremony twice at the church and had a lot of fun doing it Andrew’s family hosted the rehearsal dinner at a lovely restaurant in nearby Annapolis. (It was so great that I didn’t take a single photo…)

Saturday: Wedding Day!

I snagged Andrew for a few seconds to get a photo with my new brother! I have to say, they have been together for so long (six years) that the wedding just made it official. He was already a part of the family After the lovely ceremony, we did some photographs, and then headed to the reception hall. It was a perfect crisp fall day; complete with a light breeze and falling leaves. Couldn’t have hoped for anything better!  We got inside and had a lovely meal waiting for us, some fun music, and a perfectly delectable cake to photograph.  Mimi and I had a lot of fun putting together a list of the “Top Ten Things that Andrew Needs to Know About Living With Sarah” to share at the reception (a little sister roast) and it was so funny – we got the intended reaction out of Sarah! 

 Everything turned out so well!  They are so happy together!  When they return from their honeymoon, they will be heading to their new apartment in Virginia. 

[The whole wedding photo set is here!]

Congratulations Sarah and Andrew!!

1/2  Noro Silk Garden socks  – 1/2 of Laila’s Socks

The lovely Noro Silk Garden sock yarn was purchased before the yarn was even on the market – I lucked out at an NYC yarn shop.  The sock is a 4 x 1  ribbed pattern because I wanted something simple.  I started the Laila’s sock back in April, and just now finished sock one.  Of course, now that it is done, I am completely loving and admiring it, but I have zero desire to cast on for sock two anytime soon.  *sigh*

I am hoping that the sock love will roll back around in time for Socktoberfest… but the thought even crossed my mind that Socktoberfest may have reached expiration. With the amazing amount of KALs and Ravelry, it doesn’t seem like there is room for this sort of thing anymore. And that is okay with me.  I would even venture to say that that takes some of the pressure off… but it also means that these socks may not get mates until the year 2012.  I am not making any final decision here… just throwing it out there.  So, if you strongly object, let me know.  If you agree, let me know too.

~

My sister’s wedding is about 11 weeks away, set for October 18th. (Remember their engagement story?) Quantifying it this way makes me realize that I had better hurry up and get my bridesmaid dress… but it also means that my parents’ home is becoming wedding central.  When I went over last weekend, mom and I worked on ribbons for the wedding favors, and she showed me the lovely wreaths that she finished to decorate the church windows.  Sarah’s colors are autumnal, reflecting the season, and mom’s wreaths turned out so beautiful.  She made a total of six using a twig base and synthetic leaves, fruits, and berries.  I brought over some herbs from my garden to add to the wreaths.

Addressing and mailing invitations… planning center pieces for the reception… oh yeah, and I still need to get my dress and Kris needs to get fitted for his tuxedo.

I can’t believe how fast this year has flown by…

]]> http://lollygirl.com/blog/2008/08/07/half-and-half/feed 55 http://lollygirl.com/blog/2007/12/26/family-holiday http://lollygirl.com/blog/2007/12/26/family-holiday#comments Wed, 26 Dec 2007 16:17:55 +0000 lolly http://lollygirl.com/blog/2007/12/26/family-holiday The Calorimetries for my nieces were a last minute addition to the Christmas gift pool. Perhaps it was a quickie stashbusting solution or perhaps it was Auntie Lolly’s subversive way of countering all of the rampant consumerism and making a simple hand knit piece… or a little of both. Either way, the little headbands were a success!

M and K’s Calorimetry Headbands

Pattern: Calorimetry, Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: K’s is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky (ivory) held together with a leftover Opal self-striping sock yarn scrap /M’s is Dale of Norway Free Style (eggplant) held together with a mohair glitter novelty thread leftover
Needles: Size US 6 needles

I modified the headbands to fit their smaller heads by following the notes from NuttyIrishmanKnits. I cast on only 80 stitches instead of the 120 called for, and only completed half of the short row repeats – I think I only did 7. I sewed small mother-of-pearl buttons on the back, and they fit both girls very comfortably. M even wore hers all day! (K is sometimes a little too rambunctious… can you tell by that silly smile?) K’s front tooth was barely hanging on… we thought we may be able to get her to sing “All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth”, but it held on throughout the day.

It was a wonderful holiday with both of our families ~ with my family, it was the first time for all of us to celebrate together in many years – with the addition of my brother-in-law who is recently back from his year-long military deployment. It was the first Christmas to spend with him, and it was so special because of it.

~I do hope that your holiday was meaningful as well~

PS – Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband/life partner/best friend/photographer/”sounding board”, Kristopher~

Despite these things, we had an absolutely wonderful Christmas.  Kris and I spent Christmas Eve with my family:  we prepared a wonderful feast, attended a service where my sisters sang beautifully, and came home to desserts, presents, and some yummy wine.  We laughed and shared gifts into the late hours of the night.  On Christmas morning, we awoke and headed to my brother-in-law's house for another wonderful brunch feast and opening gifts with all of Kris's family.  Things were relaxed this year, and it felt so nice to be "in the moment".  A wonderful two-day celebration with our loving families.

Wanna see the handknits?  Well, you may be surprised… 

This is the happiest picture of my mom EVER, so I had to share She is a cutie! You see, I was making another gift – still a secret – and I quickly realized that there was no way to finish it in time for gift-giving. So, the trusty Fetching mitt pattern worked in a flash! I used Knit Picks Andean Silk and lengthened the wrist.  This pattern is so cute and quick.  I think she likes them

She didn't seem to mind that the mitts were only a hold over until the real project is complete. Now, I need to motivate myself to actually work on that!

… and these are gifts you may remember!  I made the mittens for Mimi all along, but played them off as my own on the blog.  She loved them!  and Sarah was thrilled with her braided Rapunzel scarf.  In fact, the day before, she had just asked me if I could make one for her!  

~We had a wonderful time with both families~

Daddy and the stockings, Mimi and her little Oscar cat

Kris, Lolly, and the nieces, and the new gumball machine

In between it all, I managed to turn the heel on Kris's Plain Winter Sock.  The yarn, and the fun heel construction are definitely keeping my interest on this sock.  That and warming my husband's feet  

This heel construction was really fun and I am hoping it will wear well.  It is outlined for this pattern "Plain Winter Socks" in Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks book.

Today is Kris's birthday too!  Unfortunately, no handknits were finished for the birthday, but I hope he likes the gifts I did get him…

…and speaking of handknit holidays…

Don't forget about the Bejeweled Knitalong!  You can join us in knitting up Shobhana's beautiful and simple lace scarf – you can buy the pattern on her site - and for SIX MORE DAYS only, the proceeds of the sale will go to F.I.R.E., the organization behind the Dulaan Project, that provides clothing and warmth for the children of Mongolia.  Pick up the pattern, choose a yarn, and join us for the knitalong – it starts on New Year's Day!

Here's a view of me (and my Strawberry Swirl socks) relaxing and knitting on mom and dad's sofa. They decorated for Christmas after the holiday, and my socks seemed to fit in well with the Christmas theme! Maybe they could be Candy Cane socks for December

Mom and I were both stitching away after the Thanksgiving meal. Mom, who learned to knit last Thanksgiving, is now jumping into the wild world of cables, and she is off to a great start.

Stay tuned for knitting progress!

Thank you for your birthday wishes in my email inbox, and in the comments on the previous post. Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.

Another beautiful sunny day ahead!

Happy birthday to me! (and to Jolene and Karen too!)

Me, Dad, Sarah, and Mimi

My aunt and uncle arrived Friday afternoon, and gave my dad the biggest surprise of all.  Sarah and her best friend from college, Jami, came up on Friday night before the party, and Mimi and her husband Daniel arrived early Saturday morning.  The party itself was the last of the surprises… we got a big cake, invited many friends, and had a great time. 

While the surprise birthday party went off spectacularly, we could not ignore that my dear sweet grandmother, Eileen, was declining rapidly in her nursing home just down the road.  My sisters and I visited our Nana before and after the party, and it became evident that her time on this earth is coming to a quick close.  She continued her decline today, and we just hope and pray that her remaining time is peaceful and pain-free.  She is just a month shy of 90 years old, and although she is much smaller and more frail, she is so beautiful inside and out.  Her mind left us years ago, unfortunately, but her sweet spirit remains, and she always greeted with a smile and perhaps a glint of recognition in her eye.

My beautiful Nana Eileen, seen here on Thanksgiving day 2004. She has that special smile and spark in her eye! She is a wonderful grandmother, and a kind and generous lady. I love you so much Nana, and I thank you for for everything that you have given to me.  I wish you peace.  xoxo

Knowing that my Nana's time is near, I am reminded of the importance of sharing your love and feelings with those around you… we just can't do it enough. 

Update 9.12.06: Nana passed away this morning just before 8am.  She is finally at peace.

Addie’s Socks
Yarn: Cascade Fixation SprayDyed #9862
Pattern: Fiber Trends’ Hellen’s Favorite Socks (modified)
Needles: Inox Pony Pearls, size 2 DPNs

So, this is the secret knit – but not such a big surprise, right? Lolly knitting socks? egads! Well, this was my first pair of socks knit for someone else’s feet, so that is kind of a surprise… I had to perfect the technique on my own feet first. And why not make the first “not-for-me” pair for mom? she will love me even if the socks don’t fit right!

This was my second pair of Cascade Fixation socks. The first pair were knit on size 3 DPNs, and while they came out okay, I wanted a tighter fabric for these. Going down a needle size to size 2s really helped. The socks are thick, but the yarn content is a cotton / elastic blend, and is very breathable. I hope you like them, mom!

She seemed to like them when she opened them at her birthday dinner!

Also hooked her up with a little Mason-Dixon action, autographed copy of course! (My mom is from Tennessee, just like Ann; so she signed the book “Go Vols! To a fellow Tennessean“)

Happy Birthday, Mom!!
(Yesterday was also the birthday of two other special ladies: My dear friend Jenna Pink Monkey and SlippedStitch Alice!)

However, with these lovely knits on the needles, I got the idea in my head that it would be a good idea to start another one… so I gathered my supplies. This project is all about stashbusting.

Gold Cotton Classic and vintage buttons, courtesy of sweet Anjo, and my grandmother’s old button tin.

More details on this project, as well as Project Spectrum Postcard Swap information in the next post. Have a Good Friday!

PS- Many thanks for your kind words on my last post! It was great to meet Ann and Kay, and some of you also noticed… I have lost 27 lbs