The baby is sleeping....

First things first...our little Mr. is doing much better. What we thought were stones in his bladder ended up being an enlarged prostate and crystals in the urine. The crystals will be taken care of with a new diet but the prostate, well.... Our little Mr. lost his manhood a few days ago but is doing much, much better now...enough said.
He will be living on pain medicines for a few more days, but all in all, he is doing much better.

Looking forward to a fun week end with the twins and their 21st Birthday along with Valentines day.

Pulled this old tea pot out of the pantry and added these tulips to it that I picked up at the market this morning. The husband asked me if I ever use things for what they are meant to be used for?...sometimes I do...sometimes I don't.

Flowers always seem to refresh just about every thing from and old tea pot to a little candle holder...I can not wait until Spring time is here!

Here are two of the blankets I started a few weeks ago. This cream blanket is the Basket Weave pattern I posted here on a resent blog from Youtube not to long ago. Was a fun blanket to crochet but boy oh boy is it ever a yarn hog!

I am really loving the textures of these blankets.

Not real sure what the stitch on the the darker blanket is called...I call it the Waffle pattern since it looks like a waffle to me.

I am going to make a few more blankets so that I can give the kids each their own. The husband has already claimed the Waffle Blanket and has it wrapped all around him while watching TV at nights. The Dog was fighting me for the Basket Weave blanket but sadly... he lost..he will need to be happy with the left overs.

Had to make a little nest on the floor for him. He is not allowed to jump onto or off of the furniture for at least a week. Not an easy task when you have a spoiled dog who is use to being up on all the furniture...deep sigh.

Wouldn't one of these taste good on a chilly evening......

Pumpkin Latte

--2 cups milk (I used 1%)
--2 T canned pumpkin
--2 T white sugar
--2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
--1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
--1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

--garnish with whipped cream (optional)

This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crockpot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.
Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.
Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. I added a cinnamon stick to be fancy

Gingerbread Latte
--4 cups milk (2% or lower is best to not worry about curdling)
--1/2 cup white sugar (I like Baker's sugar because it dissolves nicely)
--2 tsp ground ginger
--2 tsp vanilla extract
--1 tsp ground cinnamon
--1/4 tsp cloves
--1/4 tsp nutmeg
--cinnamon stick, whipped cream for garnish (optional)

--1/2 cup strong black coffee, or a freshly-brewed shot of espresso

The Directions.
This could serve 4, especially if you are adding the milk on top of coffee. Otherwise it serves 2 with a bit of milk left for kid cups.
I used a 4 quart crockpot, you could get away with going as small as a 1.5 to 2 quart.
Put the milk into your crockpot, and whisk in the dried spices. Don't add the coffee.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, or high for 1-2. The milk should be quite hot, but if your crockpot tends to get hot enough to boil, keep an eye on it. Don't let the milk boil.
Pour over hot coffee or espresso.
Garnish with whipped cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a cinnamon stick.

Chai Latte
--4 cups milk
--4 black tea bags
--1/4 tsp ground cloves
--1/2 tsp ginger
--4 sticks cinnamon (or 2 tsp ground)
--4 cardamom pods
--1 tsp vanilla extract
--1 T sugar (I like the Baker's because it dissolves nicely)

The Directions.
This will serve 2-4 adults, dependent on how much they like tea.
Put everything into your crockpot. I used a 4 quart. Anything over a 2 quart will work just fine. Float the cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, and tea bags on top.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, or until heated through. I cooked ours on low for 2 hours and another hour on high.


Love is not selfish

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.

Romans 12:10

~enjoy