Triumphal Tuesday

So, remember the tree? How it was kicking my decorating butt? Well, I have triumphed! I beat that crazy tree into submission yesterday, and here it is!

and the crowd goes wild!

...in her imagination anyway...

So, here is the tree. 3 of the 4 strands of lights behaved long enough to find their places amongst the branches of my skinny, pencil tree...and now I have 48 - 2.5watt, clear replacement bulbs to take care of any burnout issues.

Wait, weren't the burnouts those kids smoking behind the school that the band geeks avoided? Oh, right...that's a story for another day...back to Christmas...

So, to reward myself for a job well done on the tree, I decided to start the holiday food parade, and I made some homemade caramel... What I really wish is that you could smell this stuff as it heats to it's 230-240 degrees F...it's butter (NOT margarine or any other substitute), half-and-half, whipping cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla............jusht a thec...

Ok, had to go wipe off the drool...even the memory of the smell just makes my mouth water...mmmmmmmm! Next stop for this stuff is TURTLES!

The other thing that got me happy on Tuesday was that I received an item from a fellow Etsian, 5elementknitr...a Stitch Saver! It's really pretty cool...a crochet hook, clipped off just past the plate with the size stamp, and then drilled through for a jump ring. In this case, the whole she-bank is then put on a keyring, so you can always have your hook handy in case you drop a stitch on the go! Way cool - glad you thought of it, 5elementknitr, and super glad I found you!

Well, that's all for now. As per the previous December conversation, there has been knitting, but it is not to be mentioned before the 25th! There may be one item to blog on Saturday...will let you know! I will continue to knit (and cook, and bake, and make candy) like a mad woman until then!

Knit in Christmas Cheer, people!