Zero to twenty-four

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

What a weekend!

Mr. Aitch and I survived the visit from Jonas. (In case you weren’t aware, the Weather Channel in the US decided to name the winter storms so we could remember them like we do hurricanes. This one was Jonas. Whatever.) Fortunately, we didn’t lose power or our Wi-Fi – two of life’s necessities as far as we’re concerned. And one can’t really stock up on those services like one can with wine, cheese, crackers, bread, and milk.

We went from zero to 24 inches of snow in as many hours.

Our snow blower wasn’t working (which I didn’t know) so Mr. Aitch and I tried to shovel out the driveway during the storm. That activity ended within a half hour. No point shoveling while it’s still snowing. Plus the ambulance wouldn’t be able to get to our house if we needed it. And we didn’t need it.

We got three more inches of snow after this was taken.

We stayed warm and cozy with homemade vegetable beef soup and fresh made rolls on Friday once Jonas made his appearance. Yesterday we had pork tenderloin (BOGO free) with mashed potatoes and green beans. Got to try to keep the house warm!

I was getting antsy and my hands wanted something to do so I looked through Knitted Gifts and found this pair of mitts I fell in love with when I first bought this book. I cast on with some Knit Picks Stroll fingering weight in Duchess Heather (deep, rich purple). The accent color is Green Tea Heather.

Most church services were cancelled on Sunday so we went outside in the sunshine and started on the driveway again. Let me tell you, 24 inches of snow is heavy! We were about a fourth of the way finished when our neighbor came to our rescue with his snow blower. He made quick work of getting rid of all that snow for us. Thank you Steve!

The sun really helped clear off the remaining snow.

What did you do over the weekend? Anything fun?

Peppermint Pig

Posted on January 19, 2016 by Patti_is_knittinginflashes

Christmas 2014 and 2015 were great opportunities to find a new and fun tradition for friends and family. Enter the Peppermint Pig™.

The tradition of the Peppermint Pig™ started ages ago in the 1880’s with candy makers in Saratoga Springs, New York. Victorians thought that the pig represented good health, happiness and prosperity. Candy makers of the time fashioned the pigs out of hard peppermint candy each year during the holiday season and appropriately colored them a very festive pink!

When families gathered together at Christmas for the holiday meal, the tradition was to break the Peppermint Pig™ after dinner (inside a small cloth pouch) using a miniature hammer. All family members would then share in eating the sweet candy pieces, hoping for good fortune in the coming year.

As far as I know these pigs are only made in Saratoga Springs, NY and only available during the Christmas season. The Peppermint Pig™ may also be purchased through other retailers.

These delicious pigs are about 4-5 inches long and come with a tiny hammer and a red “velvet” pouch.

Place plastic covered pig inside the “velvet” pouch and give it a healthy whack! We like to place a hot-pad under it to protect the table from errant hits.

Pass the hammer and pig to the next person to take a whack at it and continue around the table until the pig is in small enough pieces for you and yours to enjoy.

As we take a piece of the now shattered pig, we share something we are thankful or grateful for and something we hope for or wish to achieve in the coming year.