Preoccupied with…

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Kissing this baby…

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Missing these little dudes…(they’re home with coughs)

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…putting labels on the storage boxes…

…and making cheese toast…yum! Hey this would be a great snack for Super Bowl–if you’re into such a thing.

So, I’m just tooo busy to blog. Ha!

Announcing…

The Gracious Giveaway this week is a

“greenWinkle BagBag!”

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You know…a handbag crafted from recycled or repurposed grocery bags.

A BagBag

This BagBag will be chosen from my very own Etsy shop,  just in time for Valentine’s Day. These bags are not only beautiful, but surprisingly sturdy, and machine wash AND dryable–plus they’re as green as it gets.

Now I haven’t decided exactly which BagBag to give away yet. There are nine different styles right now valued anywhere from  $48 to $98. So here’s what we’re going to do…

To earn 1 entry, simply click HERE to check out the different styles. Come back and tell me the name of the greenWinkle BagBag you like the best in the comment section. That’s it. 1 easy entry.

To earn 2 entries, all you have to do is announce this giveaway on your own blog or website. Post a link to your site in the comment section so I can cheer my head off. It’s a cinch–2 more entries.

To earn 3 entries, just send me a bag of Cheetoes, proving that I can, indeed, be bought. Heh, heh, heh…

I’d love to tell you that the previous statement was a joke, but the truth is–  it’s my contest and I’ll be bribed if I want to, bribed if I want to, bribed if I want to…

Oh, alright, alright…I’m just…kidding.

sheesh…

The winner will be announced Friday February 13, at 10am.

So….Enter-Enter-Enter-Enter-Enter!

This could be your lucky day!!

 

 

purses-0152The greenWinkle Coconut Shell Tag

**~*~*~**

Sausage Cheese Balls

My daughter Lyndi found this recipe in a magazine ad for Jimmy Dean Sausage. It was so quick and easy. You can make them ahead and refrigerate or freeze them. We enjoyed them plain–but I bet they’d be fabulous with marinara or alfredo sauce.

Sausage Cheese Balls

Ingredients:

2 pkgs. (16 oz. each) Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage

1-1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix

16 oz. (4 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup finely chopped celery

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well. Form into 1” balls. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks.

 

Sausage Cheese Balls
 
Ingredients
  • 2 pkgs. (16 oz. each) Regular Flavor Jimmy Dean Pork Sausage
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose baking mix
  • 16 oz. (4 cups) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
  • ½ cup finely chopped onion
  • ½ cup finely chopped celery
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir well.
  3. Form into 1” balls.
  4. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Remove from oven; cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.
  6. Serve with cocktail forks or toothpicks.

Easy Cheesy Toast

I first saw this in Taste of Home magazine. It’s wonderful. However, I only had grated Parmesan and it’s much better and prettier with the shredded kind, because it gets all melty. Mine was still really tasty, but check out the real picture–you’ll see what I mean.

Shredded is better.

Easy Cheesy Toast

Ingredients

2 Tbsp mayonaise

2 tsp. mustard

6-8 slices bread, crusts removed

1/3 grated Parmesan Cheese

Combine mayonnaise and mustard. Spread on one side of each slice of bread. Cut each slice into four triangles; place with plain side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with cheese. Broil 4 inches from the heat of 1-2 minutes or until lightly browned.

Crocheted Snowflake Hotpad

Last year, I started a project of making a potholder each month for my daughters. Perhaps potholders aren’t all fashionable and stylish, but since you need to have them, I tried to use patterns that were at least pretty. This is the one for January called Winter Snowflakes. It went together very quickly and was essentially two big “granny squares” sewed together. I did line the inside with several thicknesses of cotton terry cloth for insulation purposes, just to be safe.

Snowflake Hotpad

Materials:
G Hook
Color A – White
Color B – Fiesta Navy

Instructions:

With color A, ch 6; join to form a ring.

Rnd 1(right side): Ch 3 (counts as a dc on this and following rnds), 15 dc in ring; join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3 – 16 dc.

Rnd 2: Ch 5 (counts as a dc and a ch-2 sp), dc in same ch; sk next dc; *in next dc work (dc, ch 2, dc); sk next dc; rep from * 6 times more; join in 3rd ch of beg ch-5 – 8 ch- sps.

Rnd 3: Sl st in next ch-2 sp, ch 3, in same sp work (dc, ch 3, 2 dc); in rem ch-2 sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc); join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3 – 8 ch-3 sps.

Rnd 4: Sl st in next dc and in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, in same sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc); in each rem ch-3 sp work (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc); join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3.

Rnd 5: Sl st in next 2 dc and in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, in same sp work(3 dc, ch 2, 4 dc); in each rem ch-3 sp work (4 dc, ch 2, 4 dc); join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3 – 8 ch-2 sps. Finish off Color A.

Rnd 6: Join Color B in any ch-2 sp; ch 3, in same sp, work (dc, ch 3, 2 dc) – beginning corner made; working in sps between dc, dc in next 5 sps, hdc in next sp, sc in next sp, sl st in next ch-2 sp; sc in next sp, hdc in next sp, dc in next 5 sps; * in next ch-2 sp work (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) – 2nd corner made; dc in next 5 sps, hdc in next sp, sc in next sp, sl st in next ch-2 sp; sc in next sp, hdc in next sp, dc in next 5 sps; repeat from * twice more for 3rd and 4th corners; join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3.

Rnd 7: Ch 3, dc in next dc, in next corner ch-3 sp work corner; * dc in next 6 dc, sc in next 7 sts, dc in next 6 dc, in next corner ch-3 sp work corner; rep from * twice more; dc in next 6 dc, sc in next 7 sts, dc in next 4 dc; join in 3rd ch of beg ch-3. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Now make a second one.

Outside border: I then placed them, wrong sides together, and single crocheted through both thicknesses with blue, sc along edge and doing 3 sc in each corner and adding a ch 10 loop in one corner in between the 2nd and 3rd sc of that corner.