Goals, Personal

Goals for 2013

Karen @ Crafty Commons

Goals for 2013

Oh my gosh! Where did 2012 go! I swear it was just Jan. 1, 2012 a little while ago. Time just seems to fly and I don’t seem to get anything done. So since we are here with a new year, I went back and looked at the goals I wrote for 2012. I hate to say it but I didn’t compete all of them. Actually I forgot I wrote them down at all so I suppose I didn’t do too bad.! Below are the goals and how well (or not so well) I did: Continue reading “Goals for 2013” →

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Christmas, Cooking

Weight Watchers Fruit Cake

Karen @ Crafty Commons

My dad loves fruit cake and is a Weight Watchers lifetime member. I found this recipe on the WW site and thought I’d make it for him! I linked the page on WW. There are a couple of other recipes on the page that would be good.

Fruit Cake

Makes 16 servings

PointsPlus™ value 4 | per serving

What did the fruit cake ever do to deserve such ridicule? Here’s a version we’ve never seen anyone turn down—moist, light, full of dried fruit, perfect for breakfast or with a cup of coffee mid-afternoon.

Ingredients

  • 1 serving nonstick cooking spray
  • 3 Tbsp walnut oil
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg white
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apple
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1/2 cup chopped dried pitted dates
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup cake flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 275°F. Spray a nonstick 1-quart loaf pan with nonstick spray and set it aside.
  2. Whisk the walnut oil, melted butter, molasses, vanilla, and egg white in a medium bowl; set aside.
  3. Mix the cranberries, raisins, apple, orange peel, dates, and 2 Tbsp flour in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk the remaining 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cake flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, allspice, and salt. Stir into the dried fruit mixture. Then stir in the walnut oil mixture until a loose batter forms. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading it to the sides.
  4. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on the rack. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap to store at room temperature.
Crafts, Knitting

Floralee

Karen @ Crafty Commons

I’m starting a KAL in August and am ready! It’s Floralee and is by Sharon of She Knits. The link to the KAL is: http://www.ravelry.com/discuss/she-knits-pattern-chat/2198112/1-25. I’ve completed a couple of her KALs and love her patterns. It uses 420 yds. of fingering weight yarn. I have chosen and received my yarn! It’s Madeline Tosh LIght in Briar which is a purple tonal yarn. Isn’t it gorgeous!?!

The pattern is a shawl/scarf. I’m really looking forward to finding out what it looks like.  Now I just have to wait until August 1st to get the first clue! 😦

Goals, Personal

Welcome 2012

Karen @ Crafty Commons

2012 is here! When I was a kid I never even imagined what it would be like to live in the 21st century. It seemed like such a long time into the future. However, I did think that we would be living on the moon and robots would be doing all the work and cars would be able to fly. We’re not quite there yet are we? Of course, I’m sitting here listening to a music channel on my HDTV with my laptop, my smartphone beside me, and my iPad on the counter – things that did not exist when I was a kid.

I don’t make resolutions because I never keep them but I do make goals for myself. I don’t always reach those goals either because I never tell anyone what they are and have no accountability for them. So this year I am publishing them and will write about my progress throughout the year.

  1. Read the bible. I have The Daily Bible and have started reading but never finish get to the New Testament.   I’ve read most of the books in the Bible and studied many of them but I’ve never read it cover to cover and want to do that.
  2. Read two books a month. That doesn’t sound like much to me. I love to read and can read at least two books a week during the summer. Unfortunately I don’t read as much during the school year, when I’m working. For January, I plan to read Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst. I’ve signed up for the book study on Melissa Taylor’s blog. I’m also going to finish A Simple Amish Christmas by Vannetta Chapman. I started it last week and am on chapter five so I think I can count that as a January book.
  3. Prepare at least three meals a week. I am so tired when I get home from work that I usually just wind up making a sandwich, I love peanut butter and honey, making popcorn, or eating junk food. I collect cookbooks and recipes and really want to use some of them.
  4. Make at least one craft a month. I love to make all sorts of things from scrapbooking to knitting to sewing. Again I’m so tired during the school year that I don’t do anything. I want to be productive and crafty.
  5. My last goal is to get organized. I tend to save everything and never have a place for it. You can tell which are my areas of the house and which are my husband’s. His area is neat and tidy and mine is messy and cluttered. I plan to work on one room a month. I’d like to start with my bedroom and closet but will probably start with the office. My husband would appreciate that more. The office has also gotten out of hand. I feel tensed and stressed every time I walk in there. I have stuff all over my desk, in the bookcase, on the floor and stuffed into the closet. Most of it I want to keep but need to have a place for it.

So those are my goals. In order to complete them, I’m going to have to get out of my chair and off the computer. I’m hoping that by meeting these goals, I’ll also feel better. I have Fibromyalgia and I know just sitting here is not doing anything to make it better. I’ve enjoyed the Christmas break because I have been cooking, reading, and crafting. I’ve also been exhausted most of the time and been in so much pain on some days that I didn’t want to move but by doing something, it has been a good break. I’d like to continue that throughout the year.

Cooking

Maple Rounds

Karen @ Crafty Commons

I came up with a new recipe. At least as far as I know it’s a new recipe. I called it Maple Rounds – rounds because I cut them in round shapes, you can do whatever you want. Everyone who tried them, loved them. My sister did tell me that it might be a little too “mapley”. Next time I make them, I might reduce the maple a tad. The recipe is adapted from the Rolled Sugar Cookie recipe in the 1981 ed. of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book. I love this cookbook! I have newer versions of the BHG cookbook but this is my favorite. I know because the pages are stained, torn, and well-loved. It’s a 3-ringed binder and many of the pages are just lying in the book, the holes long torn.

Maple Rounds

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 6 Tbsp butter – you could use margarine but I think butter is best
  • 1/3 cup shortening
  • 3/4 sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp milk
  • 1 tsp maple flavoring

Stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat butter and shortening for about 30 seconds, then add sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add the egg, milk and maple flavoring. Beat well. Add the flour mixture until well combined. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours. I usually chill overnight. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough to about 1/8th of an inch. With a glass or cookie cutter, cut and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and cool completely.  Makes about 3 dozen.

Glaze

Stir together 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 1/2 tsp. maple flavoring and 1-2 Tbsp. milk. May use more milk depending on desired consistency. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Let me know what you think if you try them!

Crafts, Family, sewing

Rudolph!

Karen @ Crafty Commons

I made my graddaughter a shirt from a tutorial over at Noodles and Milk. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I purchased the felt ribbon at Hobby Lobby and  the shirt at the Dollar Store. I didn’t sew the bow on because I wasn’t sure how it would wash, even though I purchased it in the fabric department. I pinned it with a safety-pin so hopefully me granddaughter won’t have any problems with it. I think it is cute.

Christmas, Crafts

Book Page Ornaments

Karen @ Crafty Commons

I’ve become somewhat obsessed with making crafts from books. I have some books I don’t want anymore and I don’t want to throw them away, so I’ve been on a hunt. I bought a book The Repurposed Library and have marked what I want to make ( I love the book bursts). Then I found a bog with glass ornaments decoupaged with old book pages,  and create my own version. I purchased some plastic ornaments and glitter  from Hobby Lobby, tore strips of paper from the pages of an old book and decoupaged the papers on with Modge Podge. I then sprinkled glitter over the ornament. I found that it worked better to let the ornament dry, then spread  a thin layer of Modge Podge and sprinkle with glitter. The glitter I used was a fine ground glass. It was clear and gives a beautiful sparkle. Below are the results. I definitely need to work on taking good photos!

Autumn, Cooking

Cran-Apple Pie

Karen @ Crafty Commons

I made this Cranberry Apple pie for my church’s bazaar. It will be served as a dessert with the lunch at the bazaar. It looks and smells soooo good! Unfortunately I will be out of town for a conference and won’t be able to try it. 😦  I have got to make another one so I can have some.

I used Taste of Home’s Cran-Apple Pie recipe. Doesn’t it look yummy!