City of Glass #3

City of Glass

To save her mother's life, Clary must travel to the City of Glass, the ancestral home of the Shadowhunters — never mind that entering the city without permission is against the Law, and breaking the Law could mean death. To make things worse, she learns that Jace does not want her there, and her best friend, Simon, has been thrown in prison by the Shadowhunters, who are deeply suspicious of a vampire who can withstand sunlight.

As Clary uncovers more about her family's past, she finds an ally in mysterious Shadowhunter Sebastian. With Valentine mustering the full force of his power to destroy all Shadowhunters forever, their only chance to defeat him is to fight alongside their eternal enemies. But can Downworlders and Shadowhunters put aside their hatred to work together? While Jace realizes exactly how much he's willing to risk for Clary, can she harness her newfound powers to help save the Glass City — whatever the cost?

Love is a mortal sin and the secrets of the past prove deadly as Clary and Jace face down Valentine in the final installment of the New York Times bestselling The Mortal Instruments.
(this was on http://www.mortalinstruments.com/book-glass.php ) go check it out or buy their books worth a read for sure)

I found this book the best so far. I was so excited to read it and just couldn't get through it fast enough.

Dinner for Schmucks

      Last night Rick and I watch Dinner for Schmucks.. To be honest I thought this movie was going to be terrible and we would shut it off after 30 min. I was pleasantly surprised when I found it was an ok movie that made me laugh. I found it a stupid funny. It was like ohh my word and you would laugh out loud.
     The movie premise is about a guy in a corporate job and is looking for a promotion. He is trying to impress his boss when his boss invites him to a dinner for schmucks. The higher up people in the company invite "Special" people with "talents" to come to dinner. They then see who is the biggest loser. Find out how the lead guy finds how to stand up for himself, do what is right, and make an odd friend.
    I wouldn't buy the movie but it was a good once over. It did have one part that there was a couple of girls that had painted clothing on them and a guy in a loin cloth which wasn't needed .

The Switch

Rick and I watched "The Switch" this week. I found it very funny and most of the time tactfully done. Jennifer Anisten plays a lady who decides to have a baby on her own. She can't find the right man for her so She finds a donor to start a family on her own. Then her best friends makes the switch with his sperm. Well, she has no idea he had done it. The movie goes on how they both find out what happened and how to deal with it.
I would give it a 4 out of 5. It is an adult movie and I wouldn't recommend a young teenager to watch.
Worth a ones over for sure.
Enjoy movie night!

Grape Jelly from bottled Juice

Grape jelly using Grape Juice

5 cups Juice

5 cups sugar

2 Packages of pectin

In large pot add Juice and Sugar

Cook over High heat for 5 min

Take off heat stir in 2 packages of Pectin

Skim if needed (I didn't need to)

Pour into Hot Jars, put lids on seal and cover with a towel. Let set.

**Tip: If your jam is to runny open jars pour into pot and boil for 15min then put them back in hot jars.**

Chili

Chili
1 Tbs Oil
2-3 pounds of ground beef, chicken, or pork
2 Onions chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 large can of tomatoes (which ever kind you have on hand. I use diced usually)
6 cloves of garlic
1-2 Jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped finely
2 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbs paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbs steak seasoning
1 Tbs sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 cans of kidney beans
Tomato sauce use 1/2 can or a full can depending on how wet you want it.
**optional add ins mushrooms, celery, carrots, any veggies you need to use up in your fridge.**

Cook up all veggies until tender.
Put in slow cooker
Cook up meat until done.
Put in slow cooker
Add all the spices.
Mix well.
Cook on high for 4 hours or medium for 6 hours.
Serve
change it up top with sour cream (shown in picture) or with grated cheese.
Have some cornbread with it and it is a great meal. (recipe for cornbread is posted on my site)

Pepper Jelly

Pepper Jelly
3/4 cup green pepper (about a half of a pepper)
1/4 cup Jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 cup apple cider viniger
6 cups sugar
1 pkg of pectin
green or red food coloring optional

Put peppers, vinegar in a blender and mix well
Put sugar in a large pot and add the vinegar mixture.
Cook till a boil over high heat.
Lower heat to medium and cook until it is clear on your spoon.
Add Pectin
Boil 1 min
Add food coloring and add to jars
I put red in the jars I didn't strain the peppers and green for the ones I strained the peppers out before adding to the jars.
Enjoy.

Corn Bread

Corn Bread
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil

Bake 400 for 15-20 min.
Place all Ingredients in a bowl mix with a whisk. Place in a greased 8x8 pan or oven safe skillet.(seen above)

Strawberry Jam

Strawberry Jam
3 3/4 cups of crushed berries
1/2 cup of lemon juice
7 cups of sugar
1 pouch of pectin

Have a Large pot, stir sugar, berries, & lemon juice together.
Cook over high heat.
Boil for 1 min
Take off heat
Add Pectin
Skim top of it the pinkish white scum that comes to the top.
Poor in Hot jars, Put lids on and make sure they are on tight. Cover with towel and let sit till cooled.
Enjoy

Best Chocolate Cookies

Cookie Recipe
2/3 cup Shortening
2/3 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Cream shortening, butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla
Add rest of ingredients and cream well
Add Chocolate Chips
Bake 375 for 8-10 min
Bake until light brown. (the darker they are the harder they will be when cool. So go on the lighter side)
Makes about 7 dozen

Back to school

    Ricky is back to school. We shall see what I can get done today. House work is on the agenda. Spending time with Zack and excited to have a quiet day just the two of us.
    Planning a sledding party so have to make up invitations for that. Should be fun the kids are excited about it.
   Taking down the rest of the Christmas decorations I have around the house. Just spending a quiet moment resting and drinking a nice cup of coffee.Time to wake up.
I am working on a couple of projects right now. A pink hat and a new slipper pattern. Will post later in the week how it looks and pattern.

Eat, Pray, Love

OK So I am watching Eat, Pray, Love the movie with Julia Roberts in it I am not to sure about this movie. It is much slower then I thought it would be. It has parts of it that you can't understand a word they are saying so that is a bit annoying. The Fact that there is allot of slow plot line, allot of meditation, but the fact she is on a journey of life and took it. Wanted to find who she really is, I find that many of us as we get older just don't know what they want in life. The changes we go in life change who we are and after many years we look back and see that we are not the same people we were. Are we happy are we excited about our life? No matter what part of life we are in we must enjoy our life. Be content, seek happiness, take time to find out what you enjoy.. Enjoy the little to biggest things that come our way
LOVE, EAT, and PRAY.
I will most likely just watch this once. A once over is just what this movies is.
Julia Roberts is so cute and I really enjoy her movies but this one didn't do it for me. The Movie doesn't make me want to go out and read the book. But I did hear from some of my friends that the books is way better then the movie.
So I give this a ** stars out of *****

Home we go!

We are headed home today. I have to pack all the bags, change all the sheets, and pack the car. Head to church then meeting my husband part way and then home we go. So excited to see him, sleep in my bed, and just relax a few days. This cold is sucking my energy right out.
I will miss my family and the boys say they are going to miss Nanna and Boomp also. It is hard not living near them and only coming once a month or a bit more now that it is school time. My son Ricky has informed me that he is going to do some dog racing this year with his Boomp. They have been working on his sled and he is getting ready. The only thing is that he hasn't Ridden on one yet Oh well just stand on it and hang on tight. lol.

Ricky and his Kid sized sled. He is so excited to try it out.

Puff hat

Roll it up or picture below keep it down.

Needles size 10, dpn and Circular
1 chunkey burley spun yarn MC
1 accent color CC

Hat:
With dpn and MC, Cast on 12
Divide on 3 needles. Join make sure it isn't twisted
Rnd 1 and all odd rdns KNIT
Rnd 2 *K1 inc in next st: rep * around 18st
Rnd 4 *K2 inc in next st: repeat from * around 24st
Rnd 6 *K3 inc in next st: rep from * around 30 st
Rnd 8 *K4- Inc in next st Rep from * around 36 st (if using circular change to them now)
Rnd 10 * K5 in in next st: rep from * around 42 st
Rnd 12 *K6 inc in next st: rep * around 48 st
Knit next round
Brim:
Turn crown WS (purl side showing) out
Change to CC color
Rnd 1-2 Knit
Rnd 3-4 Purl
Repeat 2 more times.
Knit next rnd
Bind off loosely (make sure it is very loose so it isn't tight on your head)
Weave in ends.

Ski Cap

I made this hat for my husband. He liked my knitted hats that I made my children and wanted me to make one for him. So here it is.

Size 7 needle 4dpn, or circular needles (when using circular change to dpn when needed)
Cast On sm-60, med-70, Large-80
Brim- Knit 2, Purl 2 around.
Do this until it reaches 1 inch.
Change to Knit around each row

Knit with one color for 3/4 of an inch
Start stripe.
Color 2- Knit 2 rows
Color 1- Knit 2 rows
color 2- Knit 2 rows
color 1- knit 2 rows
color 2- knit 2 rows
Knit main color until hat measures 6 inches from brim
Start decreasing
row 1- Knit 8, K2tog repeat across
row 2- Knit across
Row 3-Knit 6, K2tog repeat across
Row 4-Knit across
Row 5-Knit 6 K2tog repeat across
Row 6- Knit across
Row 7-Knit 5 K2tog repeat across
Row 8- Knit across
Row 9- Knit 4 K2tog repeat across
Row 10- Knit across
Row 11- Knit 3 K2tog repeat across
Row 12- Knit across
Row 13- Knit 2 K2tog repeat across
Row 14- Knit across
Row 15- Knit 1, k2tog
Row 16- Knit across
Row 17- K2tog across
bind off.
sew in ends.

Ladies Retreat

My Mom & I at the retreat..

We had the ladies retreat today at my Mom's church. It went well and there was an ok turn out considering it snowed all day. We had about 40 people come which I would say is good for a snowy day.
I spoke on Friendship, there was games, music, and the theme was Friendship quilts. We had all the homeade quilts that ladies had made all around the church. It was so pretty and to see the different ones. Some old some new it is very inspireing to go out and make one for bedroom. I am thinking that is what I would like to do for next year for my bed and make pillows curtains to all go with the room. I need to make it a haven for me and clean neat room. It will be my project that I would like to do.
Not sure what pattern I would like to do but am leaning toward bear paw (brown, blues, white) or apple one (yellow, red blue, or green) Have to look up some quilts and see what I like.. Will keep you all posted.

cinnamon apple ornaments

Here is something to try to keep in your dresser or on a tree to smell so nice.
Here is the recepie.
1 1/2 cups cinnamon
1 cup of apple sauce
1/3 cup of Elmer's glue
mix all ingredients together until dough forms
keep kneading till for a few minutes
Roll out till 1/8th to 1/4th inch thick (if sticky put cinnamon on your hands/rolling pin.Work on wax paper
Use cookie cutters
to cut out the shapes you desire.
Cut out a hole at the top of each with a drinking straw so you'll be able to thread a ribbon or string (for hanging) when dry.
It takes 4 or 5 days for the ornaments to air dry. You should turn them over frequently so they will dry evenly and won't curl

*** if you want to use them to eat or to be safe around children just omit the glue and add enough of the cinnamon and applesauce to make a bread dough like consistency.  Then you can use in your cooking when needed just crumble and your ready to cook with it.
This is the recipe I got from my mother.

Snow Days

This is the first time the boys have been on snowshoes. They are doing so well and enjoying their time with there Nanna and Grampie.

My boys

Ricky is Robin and Zackery is Batman. My 2 little super heros.. They are so cute.

Maine

We are in Maine and spending a time with my parents. We have been down for 5 days. We haven't been down for a few months and the boys and I are enjoying our time together. Well, all good but the fact the week of Christmas we had the flu and now my parents have it. Ricky is getting over the cold he had and passed it on to Zack and I. We are all stuffy and coughing.. OH what fun it is to have colds. Rick my husband is now sick also has Pneumonia. Cold medications and Sleep is what is going on today. Hoping it will go away soon. 3weeks of sickness is long enough.
We will be having a ladies retreat tomorrow. I have to speack at it and with my voice going we shall see how that goes. It should be so much fun though it is all about quilting and friendship. We have it all decorated and now just excited about it tomorrow.
It is snowing now.. Storm or no storm is the question. The weathermen don't know anything. They think we will have some snow but alot or a little they are unsure. I am enjoying seeing some very Large snowflakes come down though. It is my favorite time of winter to see it. I just wish the roads all stayed clear all year =). Have a great day all.. Wishing you warm wishes.