Work; Creative, Fulfilling and Updating

Obviously if my New Year's Resolution was to be a more consistent blogger I'm not getting off to a good start! Lots of fun goings on with limited time to sit and stitch, but I enjoyed creating this heart pinkeep for the January Simply Primitives update.

Maggie Bononomi Design

Also working on a whimsical Kitty Cupid design from Bird in the Hand's new Valentine Doodle book...

 

Work involved preparations for this weekend's MLK events. I played a very small role but it was very fulfilling! The church sponsors several educational and service events for Martin Luther King weekend. On Saturday we hosted a catered soul food luncheon attended by 250 people which included fried chicken, smothered pork chops, black eyed peas, yams, collard greens, sweet potato muffins, corn bread and pecan pie or peach cobbler for dessert. Not a dieter's friend but yum!

While the luncheon was a chance to enjoy traditional African-American food we also learned about some of the issues faced by those who live in the inner city and what one city has done to address some of these things. Tomorrow staff and members will have the opportunity to serve at several inner city ministries.

 

While work was filled with preparations for this important weekend, home time was spent on the much more frivolous issues of selecting plumbing fixtures and cabinets for the bathroom remodel.

Shamrock Cabinets, Raytown, MO

Too Many Choices!

The thought of having guys constantly working in the house for the next six or seven weeks and the associated noise and dust is scary, but I'm also worried about the restricted access to my little studio.

My studio is located over the garage and the only access happens to be through the bathroom through the little door on the other side of the bathroom...eeek!

Word for 2012?

Here's my final finish for 2011! I spent my time off completing this Buttermilk Basin design that I started at the Primitives of the Midwest workshop in June. That's the last of my Christmas crafting even though the decorations are still up here!

Have you made New Year's resolutions or do you have a "word of the year"? I've thought about this a lot this week and the word I landed on for me for 2012 is "margin", as in managing my time to cut down on the busyness and leave time to pursue the things that are meaningful and rejuvenating. I have a natural tendency to busyness. I can easily fill my days with tasks and leave little room for down time to dream or pursue other interests. The things that fill my days might be good things or even very good things, but my goal is to reach a balance between the pull of work and things that refuel my tank and give me energy.

Last year we spent time in Amish country in Indiana. I admire many things about the Amish but the thing that really impressed me was that they may embrace modern technology, but they do it in a way that fits with their culture and values. Did you know that some Amish use cell phones? Some of the men own cell phones for business purposes, but they only turn them on in the morning and evening to get their messages and return calls; the rest of the day the phones are off. This allows them to focus on their work or whoever they're with instead of dealing with the usual interruptions that come with cell phone ownership. So they have the convenience of technology on their own terms--it doesn't control them.

Sometimes my life is so full of obligations that I'm controlled by my to-do list. You've heard the old saying "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"? Too much focus on being productive probably makes me boring and crabby!  So my goal for 2012 is to really look at how I spend my time and avoid the tendency to over schedule and give myself permission to relax. Thanks for bearing with me on this looong post. I'd love to hear what word you'd choose for yourself for 2012.

New Year, New Look, New Ventures

I hope you had a wonderful New Year's Eve. We had friends over and spent a very enjoyable evening playing games, including our new favorite, Apples to Apples, and snacking on a variety of hearty appetizers. I usually make the standard Chex Mix and Lil Smokies and this year added Buffalo Chicken Dip, courtesy of Purple Chocolat Home. It was a hit at our house!

With the new year I'm introducing a new look to my blog. I will continue to focus on the same topics as in the past but wanted to simplify the look and feel of my blog.

Design by Maggie Bononomi

I'm also very honored and thrilled to have joined the talented group of artisans on Early Work Mercantile. I will be offering new items on the first of every month here. If you haven't visited Early Work Mercantile before, you are in for a treat! Please check it out and see what everyone is offering this month.

All Designs by Maggie Bononomi

Thank you for dropping by and I hope the New Year is full of hope, anticipation and peace. I have enjoyed getting to know some of you over the past year and your thoughtful comments make my day!

Winding Vine Giveaway

I was the extremely lucky winner of a recent giveaway by Patti, the gifted proprietress of Winding Vine. If you aren't already familiar with Patti's work a quick look at her blog will convince you that she is an amazingly talented artist. 

I knew what wonderful things were tucked inside and they truly felt like they were all chosen with me in mind. It almost felt like they should be tucked among the other presents under the tree, but who could wait knowing what treasures awaited?

The little pouch is beautifully knitted and felted and finished with a very sweet button. It's the perfect size to hold business cards or a gift card for a lucky person--lucky for me it came with a gift certificate to Winding Vine! And this adorable peat pot contains a little battery operated votive--how cute and warm it looks tucked among Christmas greenery! Blessings--yep, that pretty much sums it all up.

Also included was this sweet spotted deer. He looks perfect with my chalkware! Thanks for this giveaway, Patti, I love it all!

Christmas Always Comes

I never did get around to putting a bow on top of the tree, but somehow in the big scheme of things that didn't really matter. Wishing all my dear blogging friends the wonderful blessings of the holiday.

"...and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge.  May that be truly said of us, and all of us!" Charles Dickens
May you keep a little Christmas in your heart throughout the coming year!

Last Minute Gift from the Kitchen

I like to  give my co-workers something homemade for Christmas. This year I came across this festive recipe in a Midwest Living magazine.

It was easy and quick. No cooking other than melting the white chocolate!

Snowflake Mix

3 cups rice Chex

3 cups corn Chex

1 cup small pretzel twists or sticks

1 cup honey-roasted peanuts

2-12 oz. packages white baking pieces

1-12 oz package M & M's, chocolate or mint flavored

In a very large bowl (I used my Dutch oven), combine cereals, pretzels and peanuts. Melt baking pieces according to package directions. Pour melted baking pieces over cereal mixture; stir gently to coat. Spread on waxed paper. Sprinkle with chocolate. 

Cool on hour; break into pieces. Store in airtight container up to 1 week or in freezer for one month.

Containers from Old Time Pottery

I made two batches of this; one with a store brand of baking chips and one with Baker's white chocolate bars. The Baker's bar melted better, but I thought the batch with the Best Choice baking chips tasted better!

My Mom's Old Pie Ties--A Special Treasure!

Santa supervised from his perch on top of the fridge under my funky tree from Homesteaders on the Prairie.

Tis the Season to Entertain

This is such a busy season filled with all the special things we do to prepare for Christmas. We are part of a couple's Bible study group and I wanted to make this week's get-together extra special in keeping with the season.

I was excited for the opportunity to use my Susan Winget dessert plates that I purchased in the Amana Colonies in Iowa last year. 

Then I just pulled out some of my greenery, white ironstone and chalkware pieces and tucked in little votive holders and mini mercury glass ornaments from Crate and Barrel.

I found the big pine cones at the grocery store, of all places! They fit well with the theme and added interesting texture. I love cheesecake and decided to try out a recipe for Vanilla Speckled Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache from Mixing Bowl.Com on the group.

Photo from MixingBowl.Com

Crust:
2 cups     Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 T    Orange Zest
½ cup     Unsalted Butter, melted
    Non-stick Cooking Spray
Filling:
2     (8oz.) Packages Cream Cheese, softened
3     Eggs
1 cup     Sugar
2 cups    Sour Cream
1     Vanilla Bean, split and flesh removed
Topping:
1 cup     Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
½ cup     Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 pt     Fresh Raspberries, gently cleaned and pat dry

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. For the crust combine chocolate graham crumbs, orange zest and melted butter in a medium mixing bowl and stir until mixture is moist. Pour into a greased 8 inch spring form pan and using the bottom of a measuring cup press crust evenly up around the edges as well as flat on the bottom. Place in refrigerator for 5 minutes to set.

In the meantime using an electric mixer beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, smooth and lump free. Add eggs one at a time and beat until thoroughly combined. Slowly begin adding sugar while beating until creamy, about 2 minutes. Finally add sour cream and vanilla bean and continue to beat until evenly distributed but do not over beat. Be sure to scrape edges of bowl throughout mixing to prevent any lumps.

In a large pot boil water needed for baking bath. Pour batter into chilled chocolate crust and using a spatula smooth the top. Wrap a large piece of aluminum foil up around the pan and place into a large roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into roasting dish ¼ of the way up the sides of the spring form pan.

Bake for 45 minutes and then turn off the oven and let cake sit for 1 hour in the oven. The cake should jiggle slightly when removed from oven. At that point remove from roasting dish and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Chill cheesecake in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, loosely covered.

For the topping combine chocolate chips and condensed milk in a small sauce pan and heat over low. Stir constantly until melted and smooth. Evenly slather ganache across cheesecake and gently top with raspberries. Chill until ready to serve.

Here's the changes I made. I increased the crust ingredients to 3 cups graham crackers and 3/4 cup melted butter and used a 9" springform pan. I don't know that the filling would have fit in my 8" pan without spilling over. Also, I didn't have chocolate graham crackers so I used regular Honey Grahams and added about 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar. I used only one pint of raspberries and made a little pile of them on the top in the middle and sprinkled some orange zest on top. It looked pretty festive! Happy baking!