the Sunday Special - Cranberry Sauce

I hope everyone had a warm, cozy Thanksgiving weekend filled with lots of yummy food. We were invited to our friends' house for Thanksgiving and oooh was the food scrumptious! So beats last year's gas station food. You know how when you are growing up and there are always the traditional items on the menu for the Thanksgiving meal? Well, cranberry sauce was never on it at our house. I had the idea that it was gross ... and from a can. Well, it's likely that the canned stuff is gross, but I had homemade cranberry sauce for the first time and it was delicious!



I'll add the recipe my friend used as soon as she sends it to me.

Cranberry Sauce

12 oz of fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Wash the cranberries. In a saucepan, disolve the sugar into the water. Then just before it boils, add the cranberries. Their skins will split and cook for 10 minutes or so (she cooked it bit longer though). The longer it cooks the saucier it gets and the more the berries broke down. Then stick it in the fridge to cool.

31 before 32

Last January, I posted 30 before 31...although my birthday is in September. I did however review that list in September in case you missed it. I have carried over most of the 'in progress' and 'nope. didn't do it" goals to this new list. here we go.

31 goals before I turn 32.

1. build spunkidoodle.com
2. redesign my blog
3. start selling on etsy.com <---- Yes! http://www.etsy.com/shop/spunkidoodle
4. sell a painting to a stranger
5. write and illustrate a children's book
6. be in a craft/handmade (ie Renegade Handmade)/art show
7. sew a dress via a pattern
8. grandma's cookbook/recipe cards
9. weekly dread love

10. visit 3 new places/states <---- this is a yearly goal. I recently visited UT for the first time during the road trip back to Tahoe.
11. get a stamp in my passport/visit Niecey

12. make new friends and local connections
13. make an ear or neck warmer <---- Yes. I have made 5 so far.

in the shop

14. fill all the frames and canvases that left Asheville with me
15. reach day 30 of snowboarding <---- I have 2 days down so far this season
16. a snowboarding video, once I get better
17. learn to sew a button hole
18. eat something new
19. find & try new healthy recipes...e.i. vegeburgers
20. keep up with what my business/life models are doing/accomplishing
21. create something in flash
22. alter clothing
23. try some new dread do's
24. a fun photoshoot <---- yes. they were product photoshoots, but there are some fun photos of me too.
25. make a bag
26. make a plushy
27. make some spunki aprons <---- in progress
28. checkout some local bands
29. get involved in the local art scene
30. do something scary
31. create a schedule. tweek it as i go, but use it none-the-less

1st day of Snowboarding

Last night we got a good dump of snow and today the ski resort opened, so we geared up and hit the slope. Seriously, there was only 1 slope open, but we had a good time. I didn't do too bad. Not good :) either but I did better than I thought I would.

Tuesday Travels - back to Tahoe

Last week, my friends finally had their beautiful baby boy! I was sticking around Wichita until I got to hold him and kiss his soft cheeks. It was so totally worth it.

baby and mama

daddy, baby, and mama

big sis already in love

On Wednesday, we left Wichita and headed to Syracuse, Kansas for a short visit with my mom.

I stopped by my house to say goodbye and see if the leaves had changed yet. The Maples were just beautiful and I felt proud.



By Thursday night, we were already heading down the road again on America's Loneliest Highway. We had a relaxed trip taking our time stopping in Gunnison, CO...

I was thinking of my nephews as I watched this train
weave through the mountains beside the river.

Snow in Colorado

Gunnison shops

This little children's art station was inside an art gallery in Gunnison.

and then stopped in Moab, Utah to visit Arches National Park.

Arches National Park

I finally got to see where Wiley Coyote lives.

Once in Nevada, we stopped in Ely at the Historic Hotel Nevada and Gambling Hall where we stayed in a Dukes of Hazard themed room.


Back on Hwy 50, we stopped to take a self-guided walking tour at the Hickison Petroglyph Recreation Area. We wondered off a little to see some earthquake faults. And then back on the hwy where we saw this incredible shoe tree.




We made it to Tahoe Sunday night and stayed with friends for a couple days before finding our own little place.

**warning! Lots of details about our new place follows.** It has no stairs, just park at the door. For those who've never been around this or a similar area, no stairs is uncommon. It has a huge mud room (which probably sold us right there) for our bikes, boards, boots and more. The layout is great. The kitchen is updated and open to the living room. It's furnished with comfy beds, other nice furniture, even a flat screen tv (for movies of course). There are 2 bedrooms and each bedroom has an extra nook for an office space. There is a gas fireplace and an old wood burning stove. It has a sliding glass door (basically a picture window) leading out to a nice deck with a beautiful view of the valley. We just happened to be there at sunset and wow, it was a good one.
I was a little surprised that Nick asked for an application since it is quite a ways from the ski lift, but I am happy he did. It was the first place we both were excited about. We looked at each other and could see the excitement in each others face and just knew "this is it".

pictures of the new place coming soon...just need to settle in first :)

My Shop is OPEN!!!

So many positive things happening right now. I have a Tuesday Travels post started, but I just have to put it off til tomorrow because I'm just bursting at the seems with more exciting news!

I started listing items in my shop today. It felt awesome to finally see my creations popping up on my page. We got called away to take care of some other business. Before I even had a chance to finish posting all of my items, I SOLD MY FIRST ITEM!!!! I can hardly contain myself.

Short and sweet. Here's my very own shop on etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/spunkidoodle

And this was my very first sale. (update: omg omg! They actually bought 2 things. I am such a happy girl today.)

Upcycled Plum, Wine and Pumpkin Sweater HEADBAND/DREADWRAP/
EAR WARMER/NECK WARMER with plum edging

Upcycled Plum, Wine and Pumpkin Sweater LEG WARMERS with red wine edging

More exciting news to come. :) jessie b

Room Makeover

While I was looking for new renters, I stayed at my house and kept myself busy with projects. One of the more fun projects was making over one of my rooms. To me, it was my "playroom" which I used for crafts. This room was a baby's room before I bought it 6+ years ago and they had bug decals on the walls. I thought it was fitting for my playroom so I kept them up. My last renters used it for their little girls room and wanted me to keep the bugs up so I did. Well, this room was the only room I hadn't touched with a paint brush and I was itching to put a little me in it. So down came the bugs.

Before pics

Process

bug removal

pickin' colors

painting the brass light fixture

ug! Somebody painted over a wallpaper border. I tried to remove it, but it was a disaster because they put it directly on the sheet rock. good grief.

After Pics

Yay, pretty! It was hard to capture just how light and airy this room is now. I absolutely love it! I admit, I day dream about this being my own space again, but for now.......... I'm off to Tahoe again. We are currently on the road just leaving Canon City.

Wish us luck in finding an awesome place with my very own fun creative work space.