Finally Finished

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it has taken me 2 1/2 years to finish this tiny, little quilt hanging. I bought it the summer that we moved to Louisville at my local quilt shops Christmas in July sale. I started it right away in hopes of having it done by Christmas. When that didn't happen, I packed it away. I took it out the next summer thinking that surely I could get it finished for Christmas number 2 in our Kentucky home. Obviously that didn't happen either. This year I was determined to get it done, and low and behold here it is. Cute as can be and FINISHED! I can't believe we will be celebrating our third Christmas in Louisville this year.
 Time flies.

On to my next unfinished project. The race is on to see how many I can finish before the end of the year.
Sally

I Told You There Would Be More Hiking

Just when I thought that hiking season was over, Mother Nature decided to bless us with the most beautiful November weather this weekend. Saturday it was sunny and 70 degrees. Perfect hiking weather! We headed back over the river and through the woods to Clifty Falls State Park. Most of the leaves have turned crunchy and brown and fallen from the trees. Brown pretty much describes the scenery. We hiked the Trail 7 loop and saw two amazing deer. Apparently it's mating season... We also hiked "part" of Trail 8. Maybe next spring we will hike all 9 miles of it... We ate our picnic lunch in the tiny town of Madison, sitting on a bench and watching the Ohio river flow by. It really was a beautiful day. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. The falls are very small this time of year, so you have to look closely to see the water dripping off the rocks.

There you have it. I'm going out on a limb and saying that that was our last hike of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around a the corner. We have things to do. I'm just saying. Who knows, next weekend I just might be showing you more hiking pictures....

Hope you had a beautiful weekend too.

Sally

Honey Butter Love

My card club (making not playing) meets tonight. We are having breakfast for dinner and I was asked to make my "special" Honey Butter. I know I've shared this recipe with you before, but I know some of you probably haven't made it yet, so here it is again...
1 cup honey
1 cup sugar
Cook in a sauce pan on the stove. Boil for 1 minute and pour over 3 sticks of butter in your blender. Blend on high until smooth. That's it. Extremely difficult as you can see. You do have to be careful not to burn yourself on the hot honey sugar mixture. You should also be careful not to burn your tongue when you sneak a taste....
I've always had a thing for red and white bakers twine, but lately I've been seeing it used to decorate just about everything. I decided to make each of my club members their own little honey jar to take home.  I love the wee tiny Ball jars. I think they hold about 1/2 a cup, 4 oz there about. Just enough!
Hope you have great plans for the weekend. It is going to be lovely here, so you can imagine that more hiking is probably on the agenda... I think we will also try to get in a little more grilling and maybe one last dinner on the deck before we have to store the outdoor furniture for the winter. Hope it's going to be warm where you are too.
Sally

I Just Finished Reading a "Real" Book

A few weeks ago I was on my way to get my hair done. For whatever reason this is a process that can take up to 3 hours. I'm not kidding. I totally get the royal treatment, but have you seen how short my hair is? I could probably do it myself in under an hour if I had any skills in that department at all. Since I don't and I like the stylist I just keep going back. I went to grab my Kindle so that I would have something to occupy my time with for 3 hours when I discovered that the battery was dead. I might have said an ugly word or two but since I was running out of time I just grabbed my purse and stopped the car at a book store on the way. I literally ran in and picked up the first book that caught my eye. From the first chapter, I guess you would say I was "hooked". It was kind of a disturbing story, but one that I knew I'd finish. I haven't read an actual book since a got my Kindle a couple of years ago. It was a bit nostalgic for me. I enjoyed turning the pages and knowing which page I was on. I mentioned this feeling of nostalgia to Alan, and he said "just like taking a horse and buggy ride". What is that supposed to mean? I'm not giving up my new found technology, but I might be taking another trip to the book store. Plus, they sell coffee there.
Sally

First Fire

Boy did it get chilly here. One day it's 75 degrees and the next 48. That's 48 for a high. A bit of a drastic change in my opinion. Alan is a firm believer in keeping the thermostat set on 68. That may sound reasonable to some of you, but we live in a drafty two story house with tons of windows. Sunday night we had our first fire in the fireplace. Can you just feel the warmth by looking at the picture? OK, so it wasn't a huge fire and it didn't really put out all that much heat, but it was sure pretty to look at.
Sally

A Confusing Season

We have now entered into that time of year that really confuses me and sometimes ruffles a few feathers, at least in this house. Grace came home last weekend and informed me that Gingerbread Lattes are now available at Starbucks. She has recently started working at her local Target in Lexington and is getting to hear holiday music while she sells Christmas decorations and gifts. She loves it!  November is such a tricky month. I'm still enjoying my Pumpkin Spice Lattes but the Gingerbread ones are my absolute favorite. I can't find a radio station in this city that is playing holiday music yet (in Iowa City they started the day after Halloween) so, I've been listening to some of my favorite CD's in the car. Our house is still decked out in "Fall" but I'm making Christmas lists and gathering gifts and thinking about cards. Seriously, who waits until after Thanksgiving to start getting organized for Christmas? If you are one of "those" people I really admire you. I think I could be a "Christmas all year round" kind of person. I love everything single thing about this time of year except for the crowds at the mall and all of the crazy traffic. If I can't find a parking spot I do get a little nuts. Just ask my kids. But other than that from now through December things just can't get any better.

Sally

Indian Corn

From this

To this

And finally this!

 My Age of Brass and Steam Shawl is finished. I can't tell you how fun this was to make. From start to finish this fiber was a delight. It was a Blueface Swirl from Gale's Art called Indian Corn. Perfect. After I spun it, I two plyed it for barber poling. You never know how your homespun is going to knit up, but I really like the stripes that I got with this pattern. I wish I had enough yarn left to make some fingerless mitts, but that just gives me a reason to order some more.

Hope you had a great fall weekend. Did you remember to set your clocks back last night? I sure enjoyed that extra hour of sleep, and waking up to sunlight makes me especially happy.
Sally