tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20403200369939138782009-12-20T10:00:00.298-08:00One girl's journey to becoming an expert crafty person.*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-52662318277583671942009-12-20T10:00:00.000-08:002009-12-20T10:00:00.461-08:00

Why is it that Santa's are lame? Why do they do it if they're not going to put their hearts into it? I think the real Santa should do a better job screening his helpers.Rosemary has actually visited Santa twice this year and, well, this is the best picture we got. Fortunately, she doesn't think either of the Santa's were as lame as her mom did. She has also not (yet) questioned how many times

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-21010961090753881192009-12-18T13:38:00.000-08:002009-12-18T13:38:00.456-08:00

My friend Sally has been telling me about this place in Baxter called Among the Pines. The person who owns it basically gives free knitting lessons to anyone who comes in. Sally arranged it so we could both go in a little early last Friday, and let's just say I am nearly done with my second scarf. I think after Christmas I will have to move on to something more complicated.A couple years ago my

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-22384690435881644892009-12-17T15:59:00.000-08:002009-12-17T18:38:28.955-08:00

Well, true to my form, I have fallen behind on my advent calendar posting. So far behind, in fact, that I don't think I could possibly recap every day. However, we have definitely been keeping up with it and we've been having a lot of fun with it.A favorite advent calendar find was the little baby snowman in these nesting dolls. I have been looking far and wide for some inexpensive nesting dolls

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-20956035172015749582009-12-09T11:35:00.000-08:002009-12-09T12:08:57.172-08:00

Somehow in the last post I lost track of the days. And since my math skills are sorely lacking, I'm not even going to bother with fixing it. So, yesterday was the 8th day of our advent calendar and Rosemary awoke in the morning to find a Tinkerbell ornament in her calendar.She ran right over to hang it up on the tree and couldn't wait to hang the rest of the ornaments up. Fortunately, she did a

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-77367130705946872882009-12-07T18:19:00.000-08:002009-12-07T19:15:30.354-08:00

The last few days have been insanely busy, which is precisely why I've been happy to have this advent calendar. I haven't had the time to blog, in fact, we haven't had time to do much of anything. We've done a lot of running back and forth between the cities and our homes, I took an unexpected (but welcome) freelance job over the week/weekend, attended a wedding, etc. Yet, in the middle of all of

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-4366804576550899132009-12-02T20:13:00.000-08:002009-12-02T20:25:46.521-08:00

Today's Advent surprise was a little less exciting, but just as happily received. A bag of M&Ms. And, in the interest of being economical, the M&Ms came from Halloween candy that has been long forgotten. Neither Rosemary or I have much of a sweet tooth, so we live in a house where candy can be long forgotten.Anyway, there's not much purpose or reason to a bag of M&Ms, but I don't believe it all

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-11098105594713933992009-12-01T19:31:00.001-08:002009-12-01T19:43:39.816-08:00

I have been wanting to get Rosemary a toy nativity scene since the day she was born. I wanted an heirloom-type wooden one, but they are all so dang expensive.This year I decided a playmobil nativity set would do the trick. It's plastic and all, but really those playmobil toys are pretty heirloom quality, if you ask me.So. Rosemary was up, out of bed, and into that Advent calendar before I could

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-60883430985571333312009-12-01T07:30:00.000-08:002009-12-01T07:30:00.501-08:00

Joel and I have determined to make the season of Advent something a little slower and more thoughtful. The last couple of years we have lit Advent candles and read an Advent devotional, which has been good and meaningful, but easy to forget and overlook.This year I determined to make an Advent calender. Just a little something fun and extra to help us slow down and think about the true meaning

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-60512581205397417742009-11-30T19:30:00.000-08:002009-11-30T19:55:58.080-08:00

I truly can't believe tonight is the last night of November. I know it's cliche (if I wasn't typing on a stupid PC, I'd know how to put an accent over that e), but where does the time go? Where. does. it. go?We had a lovely thanksgiving, did you? Rosemary and I spent a week in "the cities" (that's what you call St. Paul/Minneapolis once you don't live there anymore), and Joel came down on the day

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-91604797279494586322009-11-15T16:00:00.000-08:002009-11-15T16:00:00.337-08:00

Take a look at this cutie of a doll, little Ava. I've got a few threaded basil dolls and I love them all. Rosemary likes to kiss them before she goes to bed. I probably like little Ava especially because I know a red-headed little Ava. Perfect.

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-89046253236824591042009-11-14T18:38:00.000-08:002009-11-14T18:40:15.277-08:00

I love it so much, it's actually making my head spin.

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-32260498738247835492009-10-31T09:04:00.000-07:002009-10-31T09:05:25.307-07:00

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-74472878394024966502009-10-28T20:04:00.000-07:002009-10-28T20:09:19.757-07:00

We are very busy moving to our new home and making a Halloween costume. We are also sadly lacking a computer and/or Internet service. Posting will be light while we get everything in order.xoxo

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-10390892636143445082009-10-17T08:24:00.000-07:002009-10-17T08:24:00.294-07:00

My creative little Rosemary was looking at picture of Halloween costumes on the internet with me and decided that she wanted to be a grocery bag. I am sure if I had given her the option of being a princess, she would have held on to that and not turned back. However, she is a princess almost every waking moment of every single day, so I was wanting to encourage her in a different direction. I

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-84523721918804793532009-10-15T08:14:00.000-07:002009-10-15T18:49:52.946-07:00

Years and years and years ago, my older brother brought a Pannekoeken recipe home from his 8th grade home economics class. Ever since, this recipe has been a staple in our home. I actually prefer the recipe plain, without any fruit. But every once in awhile ... when I'm feeling really adventurous, I'll add diced apples to the mix.Over the years, Joel has tried to improve the recipe by adding

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-68136506032752881772009-10-13T19:43:00.000-07:002009-10-13T20:08:57.812-07:00

Apples, apples, apples. Boy, do we have apples. Frozen apples, whole apples, sliced apples, apples still on the tree. Apples.The lovely Sarah gave me a recipe for apple scones and I gave it a try. I was a bit nervous because I had never made scones and I know scones are either one of two things: good or not good.These were good. I would venture to say they were perfect. Here is the recipe:Apple

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-44689644353024943832009-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:002009-10-09T08:00:03.010-07:00

Our Minnesota vegetable garden is coming to its end. I am still processing it, but we have actually had our first frost...s. That's my dramatic way of making the word "frost" plural.We had a lot of good crops, though sadly, the squash was not among them. While wee planted 3 different varieties, only the spaghetti squash grew. Two of them were harvested and we had the first one for dinner on

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-41569319701475304722009-10-07T09:23:00.000-07:002009-10-07T09:23:00.263-07:00

In college I worked at one of the best coffee houses I've been in to date. It was actually a bit of a downfall because they made a lot of really fattening food ... and I ate a lot of it. Fortunately it was the kind of town where I didn't need to use my car, and I walked and rode my bike as much as possible. I actually never once purchased a parking permit for the school parking lot; even in the

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-8121503105416712192009-10-05T09:00:00.000-07:002009-10-05T09:00:04.485-07:00

A little while ago I wrote a post about The Longing and what I can, can't, should, or shouldn't try to control. And while that post can and did relate to so many things in my life, it was our present location in a rambler in the woods that brought it all on.I knew that moving from our East St. Paul bungalow to (1) a 'modern home' (2) a rental (3) in the country (4) far away from conveniences I

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-45243343168126842342009-10-04T20:16:00.000-07:002009-10-04T20:17:57.310-07:00

Thanks, Mollie!

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-27503409836051988132009-10-03T16:56:00.001-07:002009-10-03T17:08:00.131-07:00

It seemed slow-roasting almost all of our tomatoes was not such a good idea. I had dreams of winter stews and chili.The recipe said to put it in the oven at 250; I put it in the oven at 200 since our oven runs warm. It then said to roast for 9 hours. I checked it after 4 hours, then took Rosemary off to her swim lesson.When we returned (a total of 7 hours for the tomatoes), this is what we found.

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-53161513099390918502009-09-15T11:03:00.000-07:002009-09-15T11:55:19.197-07:00

We are drowning in garden tomatoes here in the north woods. Drowning.Cooking/meal preparing expert that I am, I wasn't sure what you do with tomatoes other than:a) Put them on your grilled cheese sandwiches. Or:b) Ummmm, well that's pretty much it.Sorry facebook friends, but when I asked what to do with all my tomatoes, you left me sorely lacking. So I turned to Google and found Kalyn's Kitchen,

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-21068711873241093892009-09-06T16:25:00.000-07:002009-09-12T05:12:08.923-07:00

Rosemary and I were enjoying a simple picnic in the park and I let my mind wander to The Longing. The Longing has been a part of me for as long as I can remember. Always wanting something else, something different. And up here in the middle of nowhere, The Longing grows.Can't stop the wrecking ball from coming through our home.My cell phone rang, and for some reason I answered it. Who it was

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-56261343084567687442009-08-24T08:09:00.001-07:002009-08-24T08:33:43.264-07:00

We've been making a lot of bread at Coming Up Rosemary. After my first successful loaf, I made the lofty goal of seeing how long I could go without buying any bread. So far, so good.My friend Melissa gave me a fantastic recipe, which you can find at allrecipes.com (look up 'Fabulous Homemade Bread'). I recommend looking it up because there are a lot of helpful tips in the comments section. But,

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2040320036993913878.post-16547576135437947562009-08-07T13:14:00.000-07:002009-08-07T13:22:55.007-07:00

Joel has some really nice dress shirts that are ruined due to staining in the color and the sleeves. He bought some Gold Bond Ultimate Protection SPF 15 skin therapy lotion and hooo boy: it died everything he wore orange. It even stained our sheets. I can't find a customer service phone number we can call about it, just an address in Tennessee. I may just write. Well over $100 worth of clothing/

*katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05048220147119465113noreply@blogger.com1