Archive for » May, 2008 «

Dark Chocolate ice cream

29
May 2008
By Charlotte

Smooth, dark and super-rich but very easy to make. You’ll probably need to hop on your elliptical to work off all those calories!

1 6 oz package of semisweet chocolate bits
1 7 1/2 oz jar marshmallow cream
1 13 oz can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream

Melt chocolate bits in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add the marshmallow cream and heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Pour in the milk, a little at a time, mixing well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla. Remove from heat and set aside. Whip the cream until soft peaks form and fold into the chocolate mixture. Pour into a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan and freeze until mushy. Remove from the pan and beat until fluffy. (NOTE: If you use a hand mixer you can do this right in the pan) Return to pan and freeze until firm. When serving, make the portions small.

About 700 calories per serving.

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That time of year

28
May 2008
By Charlotte

It’s that time of year when a lot of weddings traditionally take place. I was married in June, my sister-in-law was married in June and I know a lot of others who married in June. Planning a wedding takes a lot of thought and time and to make it a little easier here is a list I found for bridesmaid gifts

Accessories for the wedding
A classic bridesmaid gift is something she can wear on the wedding day, but still use later on.

* A necklace, perhaps with a center stone that matches the dress.
* Beautiful earrings, perhaps personalizing each set to the style of the woman who receives them.
* If it’s going to be a chilly day, a warm wrap or shawl. (Wedding pictures where the women of the bridal party are all wrapped in matching shawls are so befitting of a winter wedding and picturesque. I especially like it when the bride’s shawl matches the bridesmaids’ dresses and the bridesmaid shawls match the bride’s dress.)
* Long white gloves
* In some cultures, it is customary for the bride to give the wedding day attire as a bridesmaid gift.

If you’re having a destination wedding

* A beach towel and a great beach bag
* A gift certificate to enjoy a fun activity during their stay
* A beautiful coffee table book about the destination
* A gift bag full of goodies to help them enjoy and remember their trip. E.g. a New York destination bride might give a guidebook to the city, an “I love New York” t-shirt, a taxi cab ornament, a disposable camera, and some New York food treats.

Memories are made of this

* Personalized Photo albums
* A poem in her honor, tucked inside a keepsake box
* A traditional bridal shower activity is a charm cake, wherein guests pull ribbons attached to charms stuck in the cake before it is frosted. Which charm they receive tells them whether they are going to be the next to marry (a ring charm), have a baby (baby charm), come into unexpected fortune (dollar sign charm), or other prediction. If you chose high quality charms, a wonderful bridesmaid gift is a charm bracelet, given at the same bridal shower.
* a personalized CD of tunes that you both love

Do-it-yourself Bridesmaid Gifts

* a handmade scarf
* candles
* soap with a rosebud embedded
* bracelets
* bath salts
* a scrapbook of your friendship together

Pamper them silly

* Gift baskets full of lotions, soaps and other pampering items
* A manicure set
* nice pajamas or robes
* a spa gift certificate
* a makeup kit
* a beauty/makeup application lesson

All that Wedding Planning Makes People Hungry!

* A box of chocolates
* A great bottle of wine
* A French press coffee maker and some fancy or unusual coffee
* A gift certificate to a great local restaurant
* Gift certificate to cooking classes
* Some beautiful wine glasses

List borrowed from: About.com

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I want to BBQ

18
May 2008
By Charlotte

Summer is coming and that’s the best time to BBQ. Why heat up the kitchen by cooking when you can start up the old grill and slap a few steaks, burgers, dogs, chicken, etc and cook them in the great outdoors? You can even do it at night by the soft glow of your outdoor lighting.

Invite some friends over and make a party out of it. What’s better than after a long, hot, humid summer day than to sit on your deck in your favorite lawn chair and feel the cooling of the evening air?

I need to get a house again. I miss BBQing and having friends over to enjoy it with.

Category: miscellaneous  4 Comments  Tags: , , , , , ,

Candles

12
May 2008
By Charlotte

Did you know that candles have been around for more than 5,000 years? I didn’t know that until I came across an article at candles.org. The article gives you a history of candles.

I love candles and I have quite a few. My favorite scent is French Vanilla. I have a 2 wick one in a jar but I have less than an inch left in it and I need to get another one. I started with my candle “fetish” when we used to lose our electric quite often (that doesn’t happen all that much anymore) and I would buy candles “just in case”. I hate sitting around in the dark. I used to get candles from one company at candle parties but I don’t know anyone who does those parties anymore. I loved those candles. They would burn all the way down and the wax residue was easy to remove.

Hopefully our electric will stay on tonight and I won’t have to use my candles.

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Vertical blinds

06
May 2008
By Charlotte

I have vertical blinds on my sliding door to my balcony off the living room and I hate, hate, hate them! I was searching on the web and came across a forum that said you can remove the vertical slats and use the tabs that hold them in place to hold drapes. I’m seriously considering this except for a small problem. Drapes come in 84 inch lengths and the vertical slats are 80 inches in length. I could hem the drapes but I do not have a sewing machine, but I could use the fusible tape to hem them. That’s an idea! I do have an iron and ironing board. I just solved my problem while posting!

Now I just have to find some nice drapes that aren’t too sheer yet not too heavy and are reasonably priced.

Another thing my living room doesn’t have is a ceiling light and I’d love to have a ceiling fan in this place. I have to use a table fan when it’s not hot enough to put the air on but having the windows open doesn’t move enough air. They used to sell ceiling fans that you plugged into the wall. I haven’t’ seen them in years though.

Category: miscellaneous  2 Comments  Tags: , , ,

Baskets

06
May 2008
By Charlotte

I love baskets, those wicker ones, because you can use them for so many things. Put one in your bathroom with guest towels rolled up, some guest soaps, shampoo, conditioner, and wash clothes for when you have guests. You can use them in cubbys to put books, papers, toys, craft items and just about anything you want to keep out of sight. They’re great in the laundry room too to hide your detergents and fabric softeners too. They also are great for making your own gift baskets for new moms, holidays and anything thing else you can think of.

Baskets are not only useful but they’re pretty to look at too. I watch HGTV a lot and I get a lot of ideas from watching those shows. They’re always using baskets for storage.

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Finished

03
May 2008
By Charlotte

top(click for bigger) I finished up my tissue box picnic basket last night. I told you I would! I think it turned out pretty darn good. I didn’t feel like making the cherry because I would have to sew it on and I have no thread to do that with. I have to learn to loosen up a little when I crochet. I tend to make the stitches too tight so I had to add an extra row or two for the bottom of the picnic basket.

side (click for bigger) this is a side view so you can see the pattern of the basket. I used black yarn but the light from my lamp makes it look brown. That pattern is done by alternating 2 front post double crochet with 2 back post double crochet. A single double crochet stitch is done at 3 of the corners. The 4th corner is done by joining the row to the top of the chain 3 beginning stitch of each row.

No I didn’t get the pattern from A New Earth, Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose.. I got the pattern from Annie’s Attic. I joined the club and get a bunch of patterns each month for roughly $6.00 a month. It’s a pretty good deal. I got 8 patterns in my 1st shipment this month.

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New Project

02
May 2008
By Charlotte

I started a new crochet project last night. It’s a picnic basket cover-up for a tissue box. Isn’t it cute?

I didn’t have enough beige/tan yarn to make the basket part so I’m using black for that. I’m about halfway finished and it will probably be done tonight. I think it’s cute. I know cover-ups aren’t for everyone and they usually aren’t for me, but I saw this pattern and thought it was adorable.

Crocheting keeps my hands busy at night while I’m watching TV. It’s better than sitting around doing market research or smoking!

picnic basket

basket

Category: crafts  2 Comments  Tags: , , , ,