Halloween Reading

If you like scary books, you might like to read one of the books I wrote, available now as e-books on both Amazon and Barnes and Noble for the Kindle and Nook. There is a special deal on Amazon for just a few weeks (I think until the first week of November) where the books are only 99 cents! That means you can get 3 books for the regular price of one, but for a very limited time!

Here's the link to  "Cries of the Children":

http://www.amazon.com/Cries-of-the-Children-ebook/dp/B009W1Y8OW/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1351108938&sr=1-4&keywords=clare+mcnally

Yummy easy casserole

I'm not sure if this is the official "Tater Tot" casserole, but it was so easy to make I thought I'd finally get around to posting here. (I'm not very encouraged to post as I get so few responses. Special 'his' to "Crownring" and Maryann.)

Anyway, here it is:

About a pound and a half of browned ground beef. I already had this ready to go in the freezer.

A can of golden mushroom soup

About a cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Tater Tots

Set oven on 350

Mix the beef with the soup. Put it in a greased (Pam'd) casserole. I used one that is about 8 x 10, but you could spread it thinner.

Put cheese on top.

Put Tater Tots over the top.

Cook 45 minutes with a cover, then take off cover and cook 15 more minutes. I like my casseroles to hit at least 140 degrees before I take them out.

My husband had two helpings! Me...only 1 since I'm trying to keep from gaining back the weight I lost. But I did steal an extra Tot...

Halloween in the works

Here are some crafts  I'm working on. The pumpkin on the striped thing will be a tassle. The other guys will have bodies, eventually.
Pumpkin for tassle is made from Paperclay. So are the goofy-looking black cat's ears. This stuff is so much fun!

Someone Else's Creativity

You know those cute hearts you learned how to weave for Valentine's Day from colored paper? This site goes waaaaay beyond that. Holy Cow! Check it out:

http://papermatrix.wordpress.com/

Not sure I'd have the patience!

Red Baby Hat

This is a knitted red hat that could fit a baby or a toddler. The 'brim' is a basket weave and the crown is a simple garter stitch. I might crochet a snowflake for the side, like one of those flowers you see on cloches.

Rag Rug

First, I just noticed I have 23 followers. Awesome! Hi, Everybody!

Okay, here's an ongoing project. I work on it as I get the 'yarn'--that is, as I get t-shirts to cut up. Once it's big enough, I'll probably use it on my office floor.

It is made with a "Q" hook. I'm having a lot of fun with it!

No Hassle Tassle

This is made from a cleaned-out K-cup. It was very easy to do, but if a kid wanted to do it I would definitely have an adult punch the hole through the top. The plastic is hard.

It's hard to see, but I painted the cup and added some glitter

Basically, all you do is gather up a bunch of colors of yarns, ribbons or strings and cut them double the length you'd like. These yarns are about 16 inches long.
Double them up and tie them in the middle with some wire. Poke both ends of the wire up through the hole. Then poke the wire through a bead then a button. Twist it up at the top.
I would add some little beads along the wire to hide the wires, but as anyone who follows this blog knows (all 3 of you), I work with what I have on hand!

Couldn't you just see some jingle bells added to this for a cute musical toy (for a kid who doesn't put things in his mouth, that is!)?

PS--I took this shot with a freebie app on my phone called "Retro Camera." Look it up...it's a blast!