Newsletter #23

A Crochet pattern A Week Newsletter 23

A Crochet Pattern A Week Newsletter

Number 23© September 2010 all rights reserved Published by A Crochet Pattern A Week Newsletter.A big welcome to the "newbies" ! Thank you for joining "A Crochet pattern A Week!" I hope you enjoy the patterns and maybe learn something new.....from something old.For those of you who just found my blog, and are not members of "A Crochet Pattern of the week," and would like to join a great group of women and men come check us out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acrochetpatternaweekplace/


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Table of Contents:

Yarn pattern

Thread pattern

Knit

Happenings at A Crochet Pattern A Week Place

Trivia

Motivational thoughts

A Short Funny

Kids Corner

Members Recipe

Cooking tip

Gift Idea

Link of the month

Freebie

Hints & tips

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yarn






~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



Cotton

I will be putting a WW cotton pattern this month, instead of a #10 thread because I thought this wreath would fit in the scheme of things.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Knit




Batty dishcloth

materials:
Sugar 'n Cream, Grape
size 6 straight needles

directions:
CO 40 stitches (I use the long-tail cast on)
Knit 4 rows
1 - K3, P34, K3
2 - K all
Repeat rows 1 & 2 five more times (rows 3 through12)
13 - K3, P17, K1, P16, K3
14 - K19, P1, K20
15 - K3, P16, K2, P16, K3
16 - K18, P3, K19
17 - K3, P15, K4, P15, K3
18 - K18, P4, K18
19 - K3, P14, K6, P14, K3
20 - K12, P1, K4, P7, K3, P1, K12
21 - K3, P9, K2, P1, K9, P3, K1, P9, K3
22 - K12, P2, K2, P13, K6, P1, K4
23 - K3, P1, K2, P5, K18, P6, K1, P1, K3
24 - K4, P2, K5, P19, K3, P2, K5
25 - K3, P2, K25, P3, K3, P1, K3
26 - K5, P3, K2, P24, K6
27 - K3, P3, K28, P3, K3
28 - K6, P27, K7
29 - K3, P4, K26, P4, K3
30 - K7, P16, K1, P8, K8
31 - K3, P5, K7, P2, K4, P1, K10, P5, K3
32 - K8, P9, K2, P5, K2, P5, K9
33 - K3, P6, K4, P3, K6, P2, K7, P6, K3
34 - K9, P6, K3, P6, K4, P2, K10
35 - K3, P7, K1, P5, K6, P4, K4, P7, K3
36 - K10, P3, K5, P6, K16
37 - K3, P14, K1, P2, K1, P7, K1, P8, K3
38 - K19, P1, K2, P1, K17
39 - K3, P34, K3
40 - K all
Repeat rows 39 & 40 five more times (rows 41 through 50)
Knit 4 rows
Bind off

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trivia

Halloween Holiday Trivia
Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.

Jack o’ Lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.

Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!

Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.

Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.

The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.

Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.

Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.

Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.

Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.

Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motivational thoughts:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Short Funny





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kids Corner:

Kids Craft:





This cute little spider candy holder hangs on a doorknob just waiting to give you treats. You can also fill it with other items such as pencils, erasers, temporary tattoos, and fun plastic spider rings.

Be sure to visit all of our other ghostly crafts, our fabulous costume ideas and these spook-tackular Halloween recipes!


What you'll need:
9" paper plate
4 black chenille stems
Three 36"-long pieces of green yarn
Black, white and light green acrylic paint
3" x 5" piece of orange construction paper
Black marker
White craft glue
Scissors
How to make it:
Fold paper plate in half and make a crease.
Cut paper plate in half using crease as a guide.
Turn paper plate pieces upside down (rounded side up). Paint both halves of plate with black paint and let dry .
When dry, glue along the rounded edges of the two pieces of plate and stick the plates together, unpainted sides should be facing each other. Do not glue the cut sides; this is the opening of your plate pocket.
Cut chenille stems in half.
Set aside two of the chenille stems. Bend the ends of the remaining chenille stems, about 1" at each end. Bend one to the left and the other to the right.
For the remaining two chenille stems, bend one end about 1" and the other end about 2".
Place plate pocket in front of you, with the open end at the top. Glue three chenille legs on the left (glue to the under side) and the other three on the right.
Take the remaining two stems and glue the 2" bend under the plate about 1/3 of the way down from the left, and 1/3 of the way down on the right. Allow to dry.
Make eyes from white construction paper, or paint a section of any color construction paper with white paint. When dry, cut out two circles, about 1.5" in diameter. Use the handle end of a paint brush to add the black pupils. When black is dry, use a toothpick or small paint brush handle to dot a small bit of white onto the black pupil. When eyes are completely dry, glue them to the front of the plate.
Paint a wiggly smile on the front of the plate using green paint.
Write "Happy Halloween!" on the orange construction paper with black marker. Glue the paper underneath the spider’s "hands" so that it appears that it is holding the sign.
To make the handle, line all three pieces of yarn up together and tie one end in a knot. Braid the strands together and knot at the other end.
Open the pocket and pipe some glue into the creases then press the ends of the yarn handle inside and let dry.
Fill with candy or other treats and hang.

Tips:
Instead of making the eyes you can use large wiggle eyes.
If you prefer to skip braiding the yarn, you can cut a handle from craft foam.
Chenille stems are available at your local discount department store or craft store. Watch for sales following each holiday as you can pick up theme colors on clearance (green and red – Christmas, etc).

Kids link


Halloween Links

Enjoy these Halloween links for kids! You will find Halloween coloring pages, Halloween crafts, Halloween printables and much more!


http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/halloween%20links.htm

Kids Freebie

Free Halloween Jack O'Lantern Pumpkin Pattern Stencils for Kids

Discover your inner pumpkin with free Jack O'Lantern carving stencil designs.
Paper Pumpkins for children is a very large stencil and color book site containing nearly 600 coloring book images with matching pumpkin carving stencil templates from which to choose. These stencils have been divided into categories for easier navigation.

Select a carving template thumbnail image to view the collection for that specific category. For example: Happy Faces category will bring up a page listing all templates with happy face themes. Sad Faces category will reveal all stencils with a sad face theme, etc...

Print your carving template design choices on thin to regular weight paper. The thinner the paper, the easier to trace the design through the paper into the flesh of your pumpkin (or watermelon).

Cultural theme stencils are adapted from existing, historical images of North American indiginous native totem pole figures, Japanese Kabuki theater masks, New Zealand Maori painted faces and tattoos and more.

http://www.paperpumpkins.com/patterns.htm

Kids short story:


The Old Witch
by The Brothers Grimm

There was once a little girl who was very willful and who never obeyed when her elders spoke to her - so how could she be happy?

One day she said to her parents, "I have heard so much of the old witch that I will go and see her. People say she is a wonderful old woman, and has many marvelous things in her house, and I am very curious to see them."'

But her parents forbade her going, saying, "The witch is a wicked old woman, who performs many godless deeds - and if you go near her, you are no longer a child of ours."

The girl, however, would not turn back at her parents' command, but went to the witch's house. When she arrived there the old woman asked her:

"Why are you so pale?"

"Ah," she replied, trembling all over, "I have frightened myself so with what I have just seen."

"And what did you see?" inquired the old witch.

"I saw a black man on your steps."

"That was a collier," replied she.

"Then I saw a gray man."

"That was a sportsman," said the old woman.

"After him I saw a blood-red man."

"That was a butcher," replied the old woman.

"But, oh, I was most terrified," continued the girl, "when I peeped through your window, and saw not you, but a creature with a fiery head."

"Then you have seen the witch in her proper dress," said the old woman. "For you I have long waited, and now you shall give me light."

So saying the witch changed the little girl into a block of wood, and then threw it on the fire. When it was fully alight, she sat down on the hearth and warmed herself, saying:

"How good I feel! The fire has not burned like this for a long time!"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Members Recipe

This recipe come to us from Valery/Group mommy 2. Thanks so much Valery for sharing such a yummy sounding recipe.

Caramel Apple Cake

1 box French Vanilla Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 stick butter
8 oz. sour cream
1/2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups chopped granny smith apples

Blend well with spoon. Pour into glass cake pan and cook 325 for 1 hour.

Topping:

1 bag caramels
1 stick butter
2 cups chopped pecans

Place caramels and butter in microwave to melt for 2 minutes - sitr - place in microwave 2 more minutes - stir until blended. If to thick you can add a small amount of milk to thin. add chopped pecans and pour over warm cake.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cooking tip:

Oven To Crockpot Conversions

For most crockpots, the low setting is about 200º and the high setting is about 300º

One hour on high is equal to 2 to 2 1/2 hours on low.

Here is the conversion for regular ovens to crockpots
15 to 30 minutes oven = 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours on high in crockpot or 4-6 hours on low.
35 to 45 minutes oven = 3 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.
60 minutes to 3 hours oven = 4-5 hours on high or 8-18 hours on low.

Most uncooked meat and vegetable combinations require at least 8 hours on low.

Here are some more tips:

Beef cuts will be better cooked on low for 8-10 hours, while chicken can be cooked on high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Reduce the amount of liquid used in oven recipes (unless rice or pasta is used) when using the low setting-the crockpot retains moisture while it would evaporate in a regular oven.

Spices may need to be reduced or increased. Whole herbs and spices increase their flavoring in a crockpot, while ground spices and herbs may lose some flavor. Add ground spices during the last hour of cooking. Whole herbs and spices will probably need to be reduced by half.

Rice, noodles, macaroni, seafood, Chinese vegetables and milk do not hold up well when cooked 8-10 hours. Add these to sauce of liquid about 2 hours before serving when using low, or 1 hour on high.

If you want to use milk in an 8-10 hour recipe, use evaporated milk

Browning meats is a personal choice. It's not necessary, but may reduce the fat content if browned.

Sautéing vegetables isn't necessary except for eggplant which should be parboiled or sautéed due to it's strong flavor. You may want to decrease the amount of strong tasting vegetables since they will permeate the other foods in the crock pot with their full flavor.

Dry beans can be cooked overnight on low as an alternative to soaking. Cover with water and add 1 tsp of baking soda. Drain and combine with other ingredients. Be sure beans are softened before adding to any sugar or tomato mixture.

Use long grain parboiled/converted raw rice in recipes and use standard liquid amounts instead of reducing the liquid. For mixed recipes requiring pasta, it's best to cook the pasta separately to al dente and add just before serving.

For soups, add water only to cover ingredients. If thinner soup is wanted, add more liquid at the end of the cooking time.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gift Idea

Chocolate-Covered Bugs

Yield: 12 servings

1 x Red-licorice whips
24 ea Soft caramel candies
6 oz Chocolate chips
1 x Colored sprinkles
1 x Red hots
1 x Sliced almonds
1 x Assorted decors and dragees

Line a baking sheet with waxed paper.

Cut licorice into small pieces.

Use your hands to flatten each caramel into a small oval.

Press bits of licorice onto 12 of the flattened caramels to make
legs. Top each with a second caramel and press edges to seal.

Put on prepared baking sheet.

Put chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High about
1 minute. Stir and then microwave on High 1 minute longer.

Remove from oven and stir until melted.

Spoon melted chocolate over each candy. Decorate with nuts and candy.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link of the month


Fun Halloween Decorating Ideas

TRICK OR TREAT? Only good Halloween treats are waiting for you here. You'll find lots of great ways to decorate your home and get ready for Halloween with these articles and resources from About.

http://interiordec.about.com/od/hallowee1/a/hol_fallhallown.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freebie

Make Your Own Halloween Costumes

Costumes are a big part of most people's Halloween celebrations and Halloween will be here before you know it. Do you have any idea of what your Halloween costume will be?

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/halloweentheme/a/091399.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hints and tips

For health-conscious parents, Halloween can be tricky. Do you set limits? Do you let kids decide how much to eat? There isn't just one right answer. Instead, use your best judgment given what you know about your child's personality and eating habits.

Before kids go trick-or-treating, try to serve a healthy meal so they're not hungry when the candy starts coming in.

Kids who generally eat just a couple of pieces and save the rest might be trusted to decide how much to eat. But if your child tends to overdo it, consider setting limits.

Here are some more tips for handling the Halloween treats:

•Know how much candy your child has collected and store it somewhere other than the child's room. Having it so handy can be an irresistible temptation for many kids.
•Consider being somewhat lenient about candy eating on Halloween, within reason, and talk about how the rest of the candy will be handled. Candy and snacks shouldn't get in the way of kids eating healthy meals.
•If a child is overweight — or you'd just like to reduce the Halloween stash — consider buying back some or all of the remaining Halloween candy. This acknowledges the candy belongs to the child and provides a treat in the form of a little spending money.
•Be a role model by eating Halloween candy in moderation yourself. To help avoid temptation, buy your candy at the last minute and get rid of any leftovers.
•Encourage your child to be mindful of the amount of candy and snacks eaten — and to stop before feeling full or sick.
You also can offer some alternatives to candy to the trick-or-treaters who come to your door. Here are some treats to think about giving out:


•Non-food treats, like stickers, toys, temporary tattoos, false teeth, little bottles of bubbles and small games, like tiny decks of cards (party-supply stores can be great sources for these)
•Snacks such as small bags of pretzels, sugar-free gum, trail mix, small boxes of raisins, and popcorn
•Sugar-free candy
•Small boxes of cereal
Steer clear of any snacks or toys — like small plastic objects — that could pose choking hazards to very young children.


And remember that Halloween, like other holidays, is a single day on the calendar. If your family eats sensibly during the rest of the year, it will have a more lasting impact than a few days of overindulgence.

Staytunned for more newsletters to come.
Yawl come back ya hear.

A Crochet pattern A Week Newsletter 20

A Crochet Pattern A Week Newsletter

Number 20© March 2010 all rights reserved Published by A Crochet Pattern A Week Newsletter.A big welcome to the "newbies" ! Thank you for joining "A Crochet pattern A Week!" I hope you enjoy the patterns and maybe learn something new.....from something old.For those of you who just found my blog, and are not members of "A Crochet Pattern of the week," and would like to join a great group of women and men come check us out at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/acrochetpatternaweekplace/ekplace/ekplace/ups.yahoo.com/group/acrochetpatternaweekplace/ekplace/ekplace/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Table of Contents:

Yarn pattern

Thread pattern

Happenings at A Crochet Pattern A Week Place

Trivia

Motivational thoughts

A Short Funny

Kids Corner

Recipe

Gift Idea

Link of the month

Freebie

Hints & tips

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yarn


OK Valerie here is the pattern I have been keeping you thinking about...




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thread




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happenings at A Crochet Patten A Week Place.


We have so much fun all ready started, and so much more to come.This is a list of our ongoing and up coming events.


1. A.R.K.,ARandomAct of Kindness Our A.R.K. is a fun way for us to let your fellow members know that you are thinking of them. There is no deadline for the sign up. Go to the Database on the group and enter in your name, address, and some favorites like: color/colors, collections and so on. (putting your name on here does not commit you to anything). Take a look at the other members who put their information on the A.R.K. You can pick out one or more members to send an A.R.K. to. Then send them a little something. It can be something you made (does not have to be crocheted) or something store bought. We want to keep the postage down. So please do not send anything big. We send things like pocket calendars, fridgies, and so on. If you have any questions please don’t be afraid to ask.


2. Question of the week. Valerie (Group mommy #2) posts a new question each week. They are fun ones like “What would you do if you had to give up some of your yarn?” "If you were stranded on an island what one hook and yarn would you want to bring?”, and many other fun ones like these. All you do is have fun answering them as well as reading the other members replays. This is an ongoing event as well.


3. ON the even months (February, April, June, August, October, We are taking December off) we have a CAL (crochet a long). During that month Linda (one of our group step mommy) picks out a pattern that would work up fast, most of the time with in two to four weeks. Then during that month she posts part of the pattern once a day or once a week depending on the size of the pattern. Then we have fun making what she has picked out for us. Linda has talked about making our next CAL a mystery, but this is not defiant; either way they are always fun. Then when you are done you post a photo of what you made in the photo section.


4. On the odd months (January, March, May, July, September, November) we have our Newsletter. IN there you find lots of fun stuff to keep you busy. Things like a yarn and cotton crochet pattern, a craft, a gift idea and so much more. This is an ongoing event as well.

5. Scavenger hunt/this one is not a exchange, but a scavenger hunt. Once a month I would pick a list of things and then post them to the group, and then you all will have to look around the net for things on on the list for that month (they can not all be on one page each one has to be found on different pages), and then you E-mail me off the group their links, and the first one to get everything on the list to me wins, and I will send them out a little of something in the snail mail.

6. We have allot of exchange planed for you all this year. Here is the list of the winners from the poll.
1: Secret sister exchange 10 (March) (March 1 – April 20Th) ...This exchange runs from March 1 – April 20Th.
2:Pattern Exchange/ in this exchange we will exchange patterns, but they can not be free patterns from the net, or those free patterns from stores 5 (May)
3: Surprise Gift exchange/for those of you who was not around for the surprise gift exchange this one was fun, you know who your partner is, but you will not know what she is sending you tell you get your package. They will pick out things to make you by a questionnaire you will fill out at the start of the event. 7 (June) (June 1 – July 20Th)
4: potholder & hot pad exchange 6 (August)
5: Scarf exchange 7 (Sept)
6: surprise Christmas gift exchange/this one is like the surprise gift exchange, but it will be at
7: Christmas time 10 (Oct) (Oct 1 – Dec 20Th)
8: Christmas Ornament exchange 5 (Nov)
9: Christmas card Exchange:: On this one Valerie and I will take sign ups, but instead of being given one partner, you will be given 2 partners to send a Christmas card. 12 ( Dec)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Trivia

The dot over the lowercase 'i' and "j" is called a tittle.A tittle is a small distinguishing mark, such as a diacritic or the dot over an i. It first appeared in Latin manuscripts in the 11Th century, to distinguish the letter i from strokes of nearby letters. Although originally a larger mark, it was reduced to a dot when Roman-style typefaces were introduced.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Motivational thoughts:

The Don't Quit presentation is based on a famous poem which was written many years ago. The author of this poem is unknown. Sadly, in recent years a number of people have claimed ownership of the poem and some have even claimed to have written it themselves!
Here is the original poem in it's entirety:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, When the road you're trudging seems all uphill, When the funds are low and the debts are high, And you want to smile, but you have to sigh, When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns, As every one of us sometimes learns, And many a failure turns about, When he might have won had he stuck it out; Don't give up though the pace seems slow-- You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than, It seems to a faint and faltering man, Often the struggler has given up, When he might have captured the victor's cup, And he learned too late when the night slipped down, How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-- The silver tint of the clouds of doubt, And you never can tell how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far, So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-- It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Short Funny

Funny Text message

20% of the population is now drinking coffee, 60% is having sex, 19% is watching television and one yokel is now holding his mobile in his hand

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kids Corner:

Craft:
Easter craft




Bring out a young crafter's creativity with these Easter egg heads. Kids think the wiggle eyes are especially funny.


What you'll need:
Boiled or homemade chocolate Easter eggs (see the gift idea blow kids corner for the homemade chocolate Easter eggs)
3-D paint or glitter glue, in a variety of colors (we used Tulip brand paint)
White craft glue
Wiggle eyes, in any size
Cooling rack or film canister lids
Marker
Mini bowl (optional)
Tweezers (optional)
Ice pick (if using chocolate Easter eggs)
Empty egg cartons (if using chocolate Easter eggs)
Shoestring liquorice, small mints and sucking candies, etc. for face (if using chocolate Easter eggs)
How to make it:
If using homemade chocolate Easter eggs:
Click here for directions on how to make chocolate Easter eggs.
You will need the eggs to dry after you decorate them. In order to allow for the chocolate eggs to dry with the lollipop sticks, use the ice pick to poke a hole in the parts of the egg carton that stick up (the sections in the middle that partition off the egg cups). You can then place the stick through this hole to allow your decorative egg to dry.
After chocolate eggs are dried and de-shelled, melt a small amount of chocolate wafers and use the chocolate as the "glue" to add on the candy pieces to construct the face. Use shoestring liquorice for hair and a smile.
If using boiled eggs:
You will need to decorate only one side of the egg at a time. Let the eggs dry either on egg cartons turned upside down, on a cooling rack or film canister lid. Decorate other side when first side is dry.
Place egg into an empty egg carton for stability.
Use glitter glue or 3-D paint to "draw" on hair. (See photo.) This will need to dry for several hours.
If you wish to add a bow, place a small construction paper or ribbon bow into the 3-D paint or glitter glue hair before it dries all the way. (See photo.)
Decide where you want to place the wiggle eyes and glue them in place. (See photo.)
Add a nose by gluing on a miniature pom pom. (See photo.)
Draw on a mouth with a marker.
Place on a decorative plate, an Easter basket, or make an arrangement for your table. (See photo.)
Tips:
Glitter glue can drip if you use too much. Keep an eye on it as it dries in case you need to push it up a little with your finger.
Another alternative for the hair would be to glue a little Easter grass to the tops of the eggs. This is a bit more difficult and is better suited for older children.
For a cute holder, when finished with the empty egg carton, cut out an egg cup and paint it whatever color you wish to hold your egg head.

How to boil an egg

Once you learn how to boil an egg perfectly, you can make everything from deviled eggs to perfectly-cooked hard-boiled eggs whenever you want.
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: 15 minutes
Here's How:
Bring the eggs to room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for five minutes.
Drain the eggs and transfer to a saucepan. Pour enough cold tap water over the eggs, so that the water covers the eggs by an inch to an inch-and-a-half.
Partially cover the eggs with a lid.
Bring to a full, rolling boil over medium-high heat. Allow the eggs to boil for exactly 30 seconds (time it).
Immediately remove the pan from the stove and cover completely with a lid. Let eggs stand, covered, for 15 minutes.
Remove cover, place a few ice cubes in the pan with the eggs, and run cold water over eggs.
Tap each egg gently against the pan to crack. Peel hard-boiled eggs under cold, running water.
Tips:
Start with eggs that are about a week old. Older eggs seem to crack less and peel more easily than fresher eggs.
Use a timer to boil eggs for exactly 30 seconds and let stand covered for exactly 15 minutes. This is one recipe where timing must be exact.

Passover craft





According to Hebrew faith, the night before Passover families are obligated to search their homes for chametz. Chametz, meaning leaven or yeast, or food mixed with leaven, are prohibited during the Passover. In order to search for the chametz you will need a candle to see where light won’t reach, a feather for sweeping crumbs, a paper bag for gathering the chametz, and lastly a wooden spoon for Kabalistic reasons. Make this cute craft to display your knowledge of your faith.

What you'll need:
8 ½” x 11” piece of cardboard
1 sheet felt in a light and matching dark color (lt. green and dk. green, lt. blue and dk. blue, etc)
Felt: goldenrod, orange, cream, tan and off white
Feather
Scissors
White craft glue

How to make it:
Glue light colored sheet of felt to cardboard, trim if needed.
Cut a candle from the off-white felt.
Cut a flame shape for the candle from the orange felt, and cut a smaller flame shape from the goldenrod felt.
Cut a rectangle from the tan felt for the paper bag. Cut a jagged edge at one end of the rectangle for the opening of the bag. Cut another piece, same width as the bag, about 1/3 the height, this is the folded pleat at the bottom of the bag.
Cut a wooden spoon from the cream colored felt.
Glue all pieces onto the light colored felt. Start with the candle and flame (goldenrod goes on top of the orange), then glue the feather on next. The paper bag is glued on next and lastly, the wooden spoon is put into place.
Cut a border from the dark colored felt and glue around the edges as a frame.


Tips:
Add a hanger by taping a piece of yarn to the back of your creation.
Use this fun project as a teaching aid for temple.
Have children use the finished craft project to tell their story of how to search for the chametz.

Kids link pick

There are three colors of Easter eggs hidden in the pasture scene below. Two are blue, two are red, and then there is the GOLDEN egg. Can you find all of them? +Just click your mouse pointer on the picture at the place where you think an egg is hidden. If you are right, the Easter Bunny will appear to tell you so! Click on flowers, the around the trees, and other places to find the eggs. The GOLDEN EGG is hardest to find, Good luck!


http://wilstar.com/holidays/egghunt.htm


Freebie

FREE MAGIC TRICK!!!

Simply fill out this form and your FREE MAGIC TRICK will appear in your mail box, in 7 to 10 business days (school days). One entry per person while supplies last.

http://onefreetrick.com/free_magic_trick_2.htm

Kids short funny

Why did the Easter egg hide?
He was a little chicken!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recipe

Easter Recipe

Double-Apricot Glazed Ham

If you're looking for a centerpiece to serve a hungry crowd, this tasty baked ham should do the trick. Both the apricot glaze and the apricot sauce are easy to make, and add great flavor to the ham.

1 cup dried apricots
1 cup Swanson® Chicken Stock
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 fully-cooked whole boneless ham * (6- to 8-pounds)
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cups finely chopped shallots
2 jars (12 ounces each) apricot preserves
1/4 cup Dijon-style mustard
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

* Place the apricots and stock into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave on HIGH for 2 minutes. Let the mixture cool. Remove the apricots and cut into strips. Reserve the stock. Stir the apricots, sugar and 1/4 cup reserved stock in a small bowl.

* Place the ham into a roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees F for 2 hours or until the ham is heated through. Brush with the apricot mixture during the last 30 minutes of baking and baste frequently with the pan drippings.

* Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they're tender. Stir in the preserves, mustard, orange zest and remaining reserved stock and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Cook and stir for 10 minutes or until the stock mixture is slightly thickened.
* Slice the ham and serve with the apricot sauce.

* *You can use a 3-pound fully-cooked half boneless ham for 16 servings. Prepare as directed above, but reduce the remaining ingredients in half and the cooking time to 1 hour or until the ham is heated through.

Makes 32 servings

Passover Recipe

“Forgotten” Macaroons


Prep Time: 14 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Yield: 2 dozen

2 egg whites
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups shredded coconut

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray 2 cookie sheets with non-stick baking spray.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they stand in stiff peaks, then continue to beat as you add the sugar gradually. Don’t worry if the sugar doesn’t dissolve completely.
3. Beat in salt and vanilla. Stir in the coconut. Drop mixture by mounds from a teaspoon onto prepared cookie sheets. Place in the oven and turn it off. Leave the macaroons overnight.
4. In the morning, remove from cookie sheets.

Tip:
You can dip them in high-quality melted dark chocolate if you like.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gift Idea

Easter Gift

Easter PotPourri
4 Lemons
4 Oranges
1/2 cup Whole cloves
1/2 cup Whole allspice
10 Cinnamon Sticks
10 Bay leaves Decorative jars with lids


This free Easter craft project shows you how to make Easter Potpourri.

Using a vegetable peeler, peel the fruit carefully. Remove only the peel, try not to remove any of the white pith.

Next chop into or tear into one inch pieces.

Spread the peel on paper towel and place it on a metal pan.
Stick it in preheated oven to 175 deg F'.

Dry in the oven for 1 1/2 hours and turning it over in stages. The peel should be slightly crunchy or hard.

Spread the peels on dry paper towels and let air dry for a day.

Mix with remaining ingredients and fill jars with the mixture.

Pour into open Easter baskets when ready to use.

Passover Gift



Matzoh Pin
Susan of Suffolk Association for Jewish Educational Services came up with this really fun Passover craft.
You need:

Matzoh
Decoupage Solution
Foam Brush
Wax Paper
Red Paint and Brush
Wiggle Eyes -- 10mm
Tacky Glue
Jewelry Craft Pins
Low Temp Glue Gun
Instructions:

Break matzoh into 2" pieces. Lay on wax paper. Use a foam brush to apply decoupage solution to the surface. Let dry. Turn over and repeat for back. Glue on wiggle eyes. Paint on a mouth. Glue on jewelry craft pin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Link of the month

Welcome to Chained Links!

Chained Links is an archive of free, on-line crochet patterns, sorted by category. Over 2000 patterns have been cataloged so far!

http://www.chainedlinks.com/


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Freebie

Feeling under the gun about getting your spring cleaning done? Then let Eversaver's step-by-step guide make your house sparkel.
Get a free spring cleaning guide E-book now online.

http://www.eversave.com/Eversave_SpringCleaningEbook-MiniFlow3211.jsp?cid=907&sourceid=46996&siteid=192622

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hints and tips

6 Free Spring Cleaning Checklists (Printable)
Spring has sprung and it's time once again for the annual spring cleaning rituals to begin. Here are 6 free printable spring cleaning checklists you can download and print: http://www.tiphero.com/tips_2405_6-free-spring-cleaning-checklists-printable.html


1. Here's a cute little checklist put together by Casa Sugar (as seen above): Link

2. Martha Stewart has put together a helpful download which includes spring cleaning tips: link

3.Make your own spring cleaning check list. You can click items to remove them or add new items: link

4. The Nest has a fun little checklist that turns spring cleaning into a game: link

5. The Simple Mom blog has a nice one pager spring cleaning checklist: link

6. Here’s another spring cleaning checklist from Clean and Shiny: link

Staytunned for more newsletters to come.
Ya'll come back ya hear.