Aspen Trees

I just love Aspen Trees.  This little grove caught my eye, and my imagination.  Can you see anything in the bark patterns?

This reminds me of Bev Doolittle.  Her art is amazing.  One of her pieces is of a man on a horse in an aspen grove.  In the aspen grove are hidden images.   It is entitled Sacred Ground.  How many things do you see?

I hope you all had a magical Christmas.  

Peace,
Kay

Hot Chocolate - sometimes referred to as Mexican Hot Chocolate

O.k., so I'm no pro.  But I think I clearly got the message across!

If you haven't added cinnamon to your hot chocolate give it a try.  You'll love it!

You will Need:
Hot chocolate mix
Ground cinnamon
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Whipped Cream (optional but oh so yummy)
Chocolate shavings (optional but oh so yummy)

As per the directions on the hot chocolate mix, prepare a cup (or however much you want to make) of hot chocolate.    Once the hot chocolate is made, remove from heat and add the cinnamon, vanilla and almond extract.  

For every cup of hot chocolate, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla.  If you want a nutty flavor add just a drop or two of almond extract.  Start with this amount and play around with how much you add -- you'll find the perfect amount for your taste buds.

Serve in mugs. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.  

Peace,

Kay

WOYWW 185

Hello Wednesday.  The  best day to visit  blogs and check out the creative spaces of some of the most brilliant crafters around (the world).  It all starts at Stamping Ground, thanks to Julia, our hostess.  Join in the fun. 

The realtor came over last Friday and took photos of my place.  If you want to see what my little condo looks like go HERE.  Wish me luck.  Unfortunately, keeping it tidy means that papercrafting and mixed media canvases have taken a back seat (for now).

Here's my workdesk this week.

Yep, I made some Peppermint Bark.  It's super simple and makes the perfect gift for friends that have a sweet tooth, co-workers, neighbors (and my postman is getting some too).  

Here's what I did.

Microwave 1 cup of milk chocolate chips.  Start with one minute, stir, and continue in 20 second increments until the chocolate is nice and creamy.  Spread on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.  Stick in the refrigerator.

Get some peppermint candy canes, put them in a baggie, and hammer them to pieces.  This works quite well in helping de-stress from a day at work.

Using a double broiler, melt one cup of white chocolate chips, stirring as needed.  I tried doing the white chips in the microwave and they didn't melt -- very strange.  Take the cookie sheet out of the refrigerator and spread the white chocolate on top.  Sprinkle the peppermint pieces onto the white chocolate and pat down gently.  Stick the cookie sheet back in the refrigerator.

The next day I used a metal spatula to break up the bark.  It's not supposed to be nice squares so don't fret.

I was able to fill three of these little Martha Stewart boxes and have just a tad bit left over.  I stuck the boxes in the refrigerator until I'm ready to give.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas!

As always, I will try my best to visit those that end in the same number as me and also those that visit me (please leave your number).  

Peace,
Kay

Wreaths Across America

On December 15, volunteers—with the help of Wreaths Across America — lay wreaths to honor our nations Veterans.  Thousands of wreaths were placed on national cemeteries throughout the country.  

This is at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It's amazing to see.  This was taken on Sunday by a friend of mine.  The new snow adds just the right touch.

 My friend laying a wreath on her father's grave.

We all need to take the time to thank our service members and their families.  Their dedication to home and country is amazing.  

Peace,
Kay 

First Snowfall

Yesterday was a beautiful day.  We finally had a good snowfall on Friday.  It's long overdue and everyone has been waiting for the white stuff to hit the ground.

The realtor came over on Friday and took photos of the condo.  The flyer is made and today I'm putting them out.  Wish me luck!  It's been a challenge to "hide" all my crafting supplies.  Paper crafting has taken a back seat as that's something that usually ends up in a huge mess.

Saturday I started the day off with pancakes.  Usually I have my favorite, huevos rancheros, but for some reason I wanted something sweet.

I had planned on driving around town and taking photos of the beautiful snow.  Once I did that I decided to drive up to the Valle Caldera.  You can read about it's history HERE.  It's absolutely beautiful.  The enormity of the Valle is amazing.

You can tell that it was a little overcast, with the sun peaking out every now and again.

The Valle Caldera is about a 20 minute drive from Los Alamos.  

The trees look like they are dusted with powdered sugar -- just beautiful!

The road was snowpacked in places.  My trusty Honda CRV was a trooper!

Someone wasn't so lucky.  They probably went off the road Friday night before the snow plows and sand trucks had made it out.

Overlooking the valley.  If it were a clear night you could see the lights of Los Alamos and Santa Fe.  Turn your head further to the right and maybe Albuquerque (over 100 miles away).

Unfortunately I didn't see any wildlife.

Peace,
Kay

Light Stringing and Ryan

It's that time of year.  Everyone is rushing about, going in I don't know how many different directions.   I've been trying to get my little place ready to put on the market.  That's been my main goal for months.  The primary thing was cutting back on the clutter.  Now, when you do crafts, you KNOW how impossible that is.  I have (had) yarn in almost every room of the house.  Not to mention all my stamping supplies, my mixed media stuff, etc.  Holy moly.  Between that and books I have boxes!

Finally, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.  My realtor is coming over tomorrow to take photos of my place.  I can't wait to have the flyers and get the show on the road.

In the meantime, I thought we all needed some Christmas inspiration.

If you follow me on pinterest you may have noticed that I have a "Hey Girl" board.  Honestly, when I first started pinning these I didn't know who the guy is - just that he's cute and the sayings are great.  This, ladies, is Ryan Gosling.  Now isn't he a doll!!  If you are interested in following me just click on the Pinterest button on the right.  Be warned, it's addicting!!!

Peace,
Kay

WOYWW 183

Happy Wednesday!  It's the day magic happens thanks to our hostess Julia, at Stamping Ground.  If you arrived here from her blog, welcome.  If not, go to her blog and you can hop around as many as 100 desks from all over the world - take a peek into how others create and what they've been working on.

My workdesk has been my comfy chair.  I started knitting a baby blanket.  I absolutely love the colors of this yarn!  Not very baby but it matches the colors of the nursery (jungle theme) and also the mother will be able to use it as a lap quilt when baby gets big.

Although I don't like using acrylic yarn, it is wash and dryable so it's very baby friendly.  I think it will just get softer with every wash.  I just started it and hopefully will have it finished before baby arrives.

How about you?  What have you been up to?  Dare to show your desks?  

I will visit those that end the same number as me and also those that leave a comment (please leave your number).

Peace,

Kay

A Donna Thing Blog Candy Win!

This post is very long overdue.  A while back I won some blog candy from Donna Louise Rodgers.  Visit her blog HERE.  She sent me a lovely package that included the Great Britian lunch bag that many of you commented on my last WOYWW post.

Look at all the goodness!

Notice the lovely stamp on the left - from one of Donna's designs!  How lucky can a girl get.  There were also lots of all things Great Britian, including some cupcake flags!  Some very cool old photos, tags, ribbon.... the list goes on.  The little lunch bag was full of fun!

Sorry the photo is so blurry.

Thank you Donna, for the lovely candy.  I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to write a post about it!

Peace,
Kay