Quilted Christmas Stockings

I have finished the stockings for David and Little Man. I think they turned out pretty good. I did not manage to finish my own stocking by Christmas, but now I have an entire year to get that done!

I used the Thimble Blossom Merry pattern, with a few alternations to make it go together easier, and hopefully hold up better. For example, I used interfacing in the stocking cuff to give it a thicker feel more similar to the rest of the stocking. Otherwise, it just seemed too flimsy to me.

I was also really excited to use my machine's bar tack stitch for the hook loops. That's one I don't get to use very often!

The BEST Caramels Ever…No, Really. EVER.

I know, it's a bold statement. But really, truly, these are the best. In our family, we pretty much consider Fran's Salted Caramels to be the best out there. They are made here in Seattle and when we took my mother-in-law into their shop by Pike Place she thought we were in a jewelry store.  They are wonderful.

However, my husband is now of the opinion that these are the best caramels he has every had. I have to say, I'm pretty in love with them, too.

It started with a recipe in the Our Best Bites - Mormon Moms in the Kitchen Cookbook. I took their recipe and instead of using 2 cups of light corn syrup I used 1 1/2 cups of light corn syrup and 1/2 cup dark corn syrup. The addition of the dark corn syrup results in a richer flavor.  Add to that some rich bourbon vanilla from Trader Joe's and some lovely pink sea salt and voila!

I dipped half of the caramels in dark chocolate, which I prefer. I think my husband likes the plain caramels better.

I use this large mixing bowl for everything!! Here it is sitting in a pan of water melting chocolate.  Please excuse my messy stove!

Beauty!

Little Man's First Trip to the Tree Farm

We took Little Man to the Tree Farm Thanksgiving Weekend. He absolutely loved it. I had no idea he would be so into it.  He kept trying to wander off into the trees on his own.  As a kid, we always cut down our own tree. This was the first time my husband has ever done something like this and I think that he loved the experience, as well. It was quality family time. Definitely a new tradition for our little family.

The hunt is on.

So happy!

We found it! Unfortunately, I was so excited I didn't take this from another angle, so we have this giant house in the background.  

You'll notice I brought some ground protection along for the husband. He was impressed. It's not my first rodeo.

Mission Accomplished. 

Hexies Are Coming Along

I have my pieces put together. It was a lot of hand sewing, but very enjoyable. It has been a while since I had a sewing project where I could sit on the couch and watch TV with my husband while working.

Back of the basted hexes.

Paper Removed. Now to do some cutting.

Get Your Hexie On

Halloween is officially over and I'm ready for Christmas! Here is a little preview of my first hexie project. Stay tuned to see what I'm making.

Baby Burp Cloths

Since I'm finally over my morning sickness and subsequent pneumonia, I've really been wanting to start a sewing project for the baby.  I came up with this burp cloth pattern when my sister was pregnant with my nephew. The pattern is fun and simple.

The finished product came out fantastic. I love that these clothes are so big, they cover a lot of area.
(Post originally created in May, but being pregnant kind of put my mind on other things).

Homemade Soft Pretzels

I had a craving for some Auntie Anne's pretzels, but really didn't want to leave the house. I found this recipe from CDKitchen online and it turned out really well.

A few things I changed in this recipe based on the suggestions in the comments were to double the brown sugar and add 3 tablespoons of melted butter to the wet ingredients when making the dough.  I have to say that these were the best homemade soft pretzels I've ever had.

I made half cinnamon and sugar and half with rock salt.

 Ready to bake

 Fresh out of the oven.

Salted pretzels. So pretty and so tasty!