Mersydotes

Mmmmm... so many blog-worthy things going on here (especially in preparation for Christmas!), but I've just got a little moment before bed to say good night. And sweet dreams with little crocheted heart confetti and the sweet smell of pepermint!

I've always felt a bit bad for the sweet potato, which is, in my opinion, a much maligned tuber.  Why should it always be relegated to too much sugar or too much grease?  Why not appreciate it for what it is?! A mild, nutty, sweet, compact meal that is sooo  warming and fulfilling.   Recently, we've been trying to appreciate sweet potatoes and all that they offer.  This was inspired by a magazine article about healthy, but easy dinners, and here's our personal (as always, gluten-free) interpretation:   We wash and pierce one sweet potato per person:    Wrap them up snugly in foil: And then bake them at 350 until you can easily poke a knife all the way through. Then, we split them down the middle, lightly mash the insides, and sprinkle on some goat cheese and a few walnuts.  Tah-dah!   Hope you give it a try- it's truly scrumptious!

(A guest post by Penny) This evening, Mama and Papa tried out Instagram, and they decided to take some practice pictures of the cutest thing in the room- me!  I had just eaten my dinner (kibbly bits, of course!), so I was a little sleepy and was resting on the couch.  Would you like to see how artsy my puppy nap looks when photographed with Instagram?

Recently, my aunt sent out a picture of the favors she's been making for Thanksgiving- adorable! I liked the idea so much, I decided to try my hand at it and make a flock of candy turkeys to take out to the hubby's family. First, I made some turkey heads and added some little googly eyes. The turkeys needed legs too, so I twisted together three short lengths of pipe cleaners and bent the ends to make toes. We decided to use Reese's Pieces (they're glee), and placed a quarter cup into little squares of orange tulle.  Then it all gets tied up to make the tail, and the head and legs get poked through the holes in the tool.  Would you like to see the whole flock?  Here they are: Gobble, Gobble!!

We are just about to head out on our Thanksgiving visit to family, and I've been trying to prepare some treats to take along.  When I was growing up, my grandma showed me how to make these bite-sized treats, and we called them "moose prints".  You need Rolos and pretzels (we use gluten-free ones) and pecan halves.  When I went to buy the Rolos at the grocery store to make these, I saw that they had this recipe on the back, and I was shocked!  The Rolo people didn't invent this recipe- my grandma and the ladies from her church did!  So this is the original recipe, from my grandma!  (It might be identical to the one on the back of the package, but I guarantee it tastes better!) First, cover your pan in parchment paper and lay out the pretzels that you will use.  Then, put one Rolo on top of each pretzel.  Pop the tray into an oven at 350 for 2-3 minutes, until the chocolate is just melty.    Next, press one pecan half into ...

There are some new flowers around here.  One of them is this beautiful orchid that we are caring for while our neighbors are on vacation.  It is so delicate and bright- and each week, it gets watered with three ice cubes.  Easy!  I need to try to take some more pictures when the light is better so you can see the true colors of the petals. There's also a big, new, fabulous, bright, cheery crochet flower!   I made if from Lucy's great tutorial found here .  I think it will be a great way to cheer up my winter jacket! I used 100% cotton yarn (my favorite!) because it's nice and sturdy, and always looks  really fresh and clean.  I was inspired by little Acorn and Butternut Mouse that I made a while back, and I've decided to give amigurumi a try.  It's fun!  I'll post some of the preliminary results of experiment amigurumi soon! ~Bye!

My goodness!  It's been almost a week since I last posted- so sorry to have popped out for so long!  There are many a good crochety thing in the making at the moment, so I thought that even though I need a bit more time to tie up loose ends (haha!  quite literally in this case!), I would go a head and post a few little pictures to show what's going on around these parts. A wee bit of sparkly goodness: Some colorful new cotton (destined for cuteness): And a whole bunch of sparkly snowflakes nearly ready for the arrival of winter:   I promise that I'll be back soon to show you how everything turns out!

Aren't these amazing?!  They were just a buck, and they really brightened up our nest!    

Fall is slowly slipping away, and as much as I regret seeing it go, I do appreciate how alive the seasonal changes make me feel.  I really feel like a critter at these times of the year, when the natural world, and the light and the temperature do their ebb and flow.  Would you like to see some of the signs of late-fall/early winter in our neck of the woods? Penny can now enjoy the slanty, low morning sun on her favorite spot of the couch: The morning grass is covered in gray frost that melts, little by little, as the sun makes its way across the lawn: With the slanty morning winter light, the chandelier crystals that we hang on the sliding glass door cast their rainbows all around the living room.  In the summer, the sun is too high for that, so it's a little treat reserved for the winter months.  A bit of color in an otherwise monochromatic season!

About a month ago, when the evenings were beginning to cool down and the leaves were starting to turn colors, my husband said to me, "I think it might be time for my scarf."  All summer we had talked about the epic-ly awesome winter scarf that I would crochet him to keep him toasty warm throughout the season.  We had it all planned out- it would be a wool blend so it would be warm but not scratchy; it would be a deep chocolaty brown to match his eyes (that was my idea); it would have a matching hat that would be snug over his ears.  It would be perfect! The scarf and hat have been done for a couple of weeks, now, but I've had a hard time finding a moment to photograph them.  Mostly because he's been wearing them every day!  Yippee! Here they are: The pattern for the scarf is a cobblestone stitch pattern made by alternating between crocheting around the back and front posts of the previous row.  It came from the  Chicks With Sticks Guide ...

I woke this morning to riotous sounds of singing and dancing coming from the living room.  Bleary eyed, I stumbed out of bed, and what should I find on the coffee table, but... ...the little korknisse I crocheted yesterday dancing joyfully around the pumpkins!!!!   These little guys are a hoot!  They love to sing and dance.  Would you like to hear their song?  They've worked up a jazzy arangement with some awesome solos: We are the tiny cork gnomes- la la la laaaaa. We dance in the mornings and sing all through the day- la la. Our pointy hats, our warm little sweaters, make us ready for the gloomy fall weather... La la laaa, la la la la laaaa! (P.S. fabulous pattern found here )

Why, is that a little mouse peeking out from the books?!    A tiny little mousy nose poking in between the books?! Oh!  It's the little mouse family that lives in our bookshelf!  Would you like to meet them? I'd like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Acorn and Butternut Mouse! This is Mr. Acorn Mouse.  He likes to read spy novels and adventure stories in English and Thai. This is Mrs. Butternut Mouse.  She reads in French and prefers gentle memoirs of days past. Aren't they a sweet couple? Time to say bye-bye! (P.S. If you would like to make some mice for your own bookshelf, take a look at the lovely pattern offered for free here .  Many thanks to all those creative souls who think of such adorable patterns and let the rest of us enjoy them so much!)