Author: Clare at CatsEatDogs

December 2012 photo a day

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Every day I take a photo using the prompts from Fat Mum Slim‘s creative brain.  I am looking forward to having a whole year of them in 2013.  I started doing it late this year, but it is a great daily creative challenge. Day 1. 8 o clock. Opening the advent calendar. Day 2. Peace Day 3. Something you held. Found these gorgeous antique postcards at the weekend. I love to look through them, they are all Italian, British and other European sights. Mainly cathedrals. Day 4. Black and white Day 5. Looking up Day 6. From where you live. I walk through these woods nearly every day from where I live. Day 7. Stars. Trader Joes cookies! Day 8. Someone you love. My boys in a plane, at the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum at Creve Coeur Airport, St Louis. Day 9. Out and about. I spotted this rain drenched thistle on the way home from the dreaded Walmart! Day 10. Under.  I walked under this decorated but bare tree. Day 11. Sweet. Candy cane …

HNY!

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H.N.Y…… Ha, who do I think I am? A teenager?! What I mean is Happy new year and let’s make it a good one! The last one was a good one and I want another, no, I want one better. Resolutions?  Made any?  Do you keep them, or do you make them with a flourish, write them down and then ignore them until next year when you dig them out or turn back to the beginning of the diary (yes, this is me) and make various noises of recognition, surprise and snorts of derision at all of your first day of a new year wishes desires and motivations? Exercise, that will be on my list I am sure. Do more, different, more regularly, more weight loss specific. Of course another staple – loose some weight, muffin top, spare tire whichever inanimate object you no longer require around your mid section – be gone. Eat healthily. Come on, that’s on your list for sure. Are you a cut out all sugar, fat, flour, chocolate, coffee, booze, …

December A-Z

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I did my first ‘a month of’ creative prompts supplied by Justb Australia this month. A letter a day, gives us the last week to figure out our own ideas!  Here are mine. Advent calendar/ Birdcage/ Christmas card/ Doll head/ Eccles cakes/ Flying / Gift/ Hat/ Indian food Jewelry/Kisses/L/Making pom poms/Nest/Outdoors/Power ball/Quality Street/Rosemary syrup Sewing a Stocking/Two bears/Underneath the ice/Vintage mystery (still don’t know what this is…)/White bear/ Xciting parcel/Yellow book cover postcards/Zommmmbie!

Merry Merry Merry!

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Merry Christmas! We are having a lovely Christmas day and so far over the festive week, we have enjoyed peppermint creams, mince pies, Monkey Bread, trifle, cheese and crackers, Lego building, a whole collection of postcards, festive coffees, gingerbread houses made from Graham crackers and actual gingerbread, peppermint candy canes, jigsaw puzzles, gifts bought in September and completely forgotten about, secret santas and lots of bad Christmas TV. Looking ahead today, we will be walking the dog in freezing temps, roasting a chicken, drizzling lots of gravy, eating fruitcake (maybe with a slice of cheese!), playing some new games, reading some new books, watching some new DVDs, staying in new pajamas and still building new Lego models, all while anticipating some snow tonight.

R is for Rosemary Syrup

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I love this rosemary syrup in my coffee with a spot of frothed up milk. I am sadly missing my Bodum milk frother as I broke the glass part last week. Yes I know, I am a clumsy klutz, but washing up liquid makes stuff slippy and easily dropped…. On a brighter note, here is the Rosemary syrup recipe to share. I have Kaldi’s to thank for the idea! Their rosemary and brown sugar latte is divine! Rosemary Syrup In a pan, add 1 cup water, 1 cup brown sugar, a dash of vanilla extract and about 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary. Simmer to dissolve the sugar and heat gently for about 10 minutes. Leave in the pan for about 15 minutes once the heat is off. Store in a jar you have emptied of jam or something else which leaves a pretty jar to refill. No point in buying jars when we can recycle a few. Hopefully my rosemary plants will soldier through the winter inside, looking out the back window into the garden. …

Pom poms into foxy tails

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Pom poms, I made them endlessly at my Grandma’s house. Whenever we visited, I would be digging around in her knitting box to see what wool she had.  I liked the remnants of part used balls of wool, some was the crinkly wool which comes from pulled down woollies. Another job I loved to help her with, I would wind the the wool around my hands off the woolly item, then Grandma would wind it from me into a nest ball of wool.  Then I would make pom pom after pom pom!  Now I have made a few pom poms, I want to pay the Upcycle Exchange a visit to explore the fabulous yarn range within! So, when I found an article in the new Mollie Makes by Hannah Golding with instructions on making a fox tail, or any fluffy animal tail, from pom poms, I was in. First I had to find an old cardboard box, a cereal box is about right.  Draw two circles with holes at the centre and cut them out. …

Brain melt and ten on the 10th. December 2012

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What a strange day today has been. Too grey to tell what time it is, felt like 4pm all day. Cold to the bone cold, cold legs through jeans, make your eyes run and cheeks freeze cold. A lots to do and nothing done day, my list remains complete with no crossings out. I have done lots I needed to but also not done lots I wanted to. I found a present bought about September, for Christmas. A bargain of bargains. And forgotten. I nearly bought another one!  Maybe being organised for Christmas early is not such a good idea for me!                                                                                                                         I did manage to take ten photos on the 10th though! YMCA for …

Writing with Es!

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E is for Eccles cakes, made with frozen puff pastry, I mean who makes puff pastry? Not me. I did make the mincemeat which I used to fill the Eccles cakes instead of the usual raisins. My only complaint is that I didn’t make them big enough! I am pleased I made mincemeat, followed a Delia Smith recipe and ta da, easy peasy squeeze a lemon. Two massive jars of mincemeat good stuff all ready for mince pies and I have a recipe for mincemeat cookies courtesy of Mr Jamie Oliver! It is going to be a sweet fruity fiesta!! E is also for eggs in a nest pendant I am currently making whilst trying not to poke out my eyes with the pingy wire which springs about as I make the nest! I think this is one of my favourites, the mother of pearl beads almost glow, lovely. E is for exhausted dog. Pablo the French bulldog of the house took a walk with me to make a jewelry delivery this morning and he …

B is for…blog, birdcage, boutique, Bloody Mary

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As part of #amonthof, here is B. I have only started the a month of creative challenge in December and we are following the alphabet day by day, so on Dec 2nd, we are at B. B is for birdcage, a vintage model I use for display. Today I have hooked it up with earrings for a holiday shopping Boutique I am selling at. A lovely luncheon shopping event at a local school. It has been a joy to work this one. B is also for Bloody Mary.  Of course $2.00 Bloody Mary’s help! I have only had one, slowly working my way down it. I have to admit that I can never work out if I even like Bloody Mary’s. I love the idea…sometimes I think I should stick to pancakes for brunch!

November 2012 Photo A Day

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Day 1. Something beginning with C. Chrysanthemums in yellow. iPhone 4, Camera +. Day 2. Colour. Fire Hydrant on the way home from Target. Day 3. Breakfast. Loaf of bread, destined to be toast with Marmite. Day 4. TV. I did my first trail run this morning. Took this at the top of Castlewood State Park’s three hundred wooden steps. Day 5. 5 o clock Day 6. A favourite thing Day 7. Reflection Day 8. Something you do everyday Day 9. Small Day 10 Can’t (won’t live without) Day 11 Night Day 12 Drink Day 13 Where you slept Day 14 Man made Day 15 In Your Bag Day 16 The view from your window Day 17 Last thing you bought Day 18 Happened this weekend Day 19 Something awesome Day 20 Work/play Day 21 What you wore Day 22 Grateful Day 23 Black Day 24 A sound you heard Day 25 Sky Day 26 In the Cupboard Day 27 Tree Day 28 Vehicle Day 29 Big Day 30 On the wall