I posted some of these pictures on Instagram when I finished it, so if you follow me there you've probably already seen them.

This was such a fun project, and definitely the most challenging knitting I've taken on so far. It was a free pattern from Home D-zine that I modified a little bit, and while it took a year all together, I would only work on it for a couple weeks before leaving it untouched for a several months. If I had really buckled down I could have completed it a lot sooner, but I was a bit busy with a remodel and all.

I have to say that the hardest part (besides getting the repetition down) was learning to decode parts of the pattern. I haven't really tried to follow very many patterns to be honest, and there were some abbreviations for things that I had no clue how to do!

It took quite a bit of sleuthing to find out, but once I got that done it wasn't too bad. I noticed now though, the pattern explains a little better how to do the things I was confused about. Either it's been updated since I started this project, or I was blind as a bat!

I would recommend anyone try this, because once you get the basics down it's all about repeating pattern. If you can do basic knitting, I think you could knit this blanket. And it will really make you think about all of those cheap knitted throws you can buy in stores. It cost me around $80 in yarn (I think?) and that doesn't even include my time. Don't try this if you're trying to make a cheap diy, yarn is expensive! (Also, this blanket is huge, much bigger than a throw. It covers our bed, which is a queen.)


If you do decide to try it, I should mention that I changed one thing from the pattern. It has you knitting the blanket into three panels and then using yarn to sew them together. I didn't trust myself to knit them all so evenly that they would line up perfectly, so I knitted them all across at the same time. I just bought an extra long set of round needles and it all fit.

I'm so happy that I tried this, and that I was able to complete it! It feels nice to make something this big, and hopefully it will last me the rest of my life. Now I just need to figure out what my next major knitting project will be.

Maybe a beanie, because I haven't made one of those yet, and you can never have too many beanies ;)

Have you ever tried knitting? Do you think you would ever try something as ambitious as cabled blanket? Let me know!

Thanks for stopping by :)

P.S.- If any of you are feeling brave and want to take this on, feel free to ask me any questions that I didn't address here. Hopefully I can be of some help!

Hello! I can't believe it's already almost half way through January, but I'm finally back. I hope you all had a happy Christmas, and that your new year is off to a bang!

I wanted to share a bit of a cheat from my 26 before 26 list today. I say a bit of a cheat, because I wanted to make some almond roca candy at Christmas but I was too busy. It has always been one of my favorites, and my mom makes it every year!

Dane however, has always asked me to make soda cracker candy, which is very similar, and as I found out this year, SO much easier!


Since I was short on time, I opted to make soda cracker candy instead, and maybe next Christmas I will do the almond roca. I'm counting it on my list though, since I've never made either of them before. And it's my list, I can do what I want I guess ;)

So today I thought I'd share how easy this soda cracker candy is! Like stupid easy. And quick! Once you find out how simple it is, you won't be able to NOT make it. Plus it's that salty/sweet combo that is so addicting, so if you like those kinds of things, you will love this stuff!

For this recipe you'll need:

• A cookie sheet
• Foil
• A spatula
• Baking spray or oil
• Approx. 1 tube of saltines
• 1 cup (2 cubes) of butter
• 1 cup +2 Tbsp of brown sugar
• 1 bag (2 cups) of chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup of sliced or slivered almonds

First, preheat your oven to 350 F.

Next, you'll start by laying foil over your cookie sheet, and greasing it, either with spray or a little bit of oil on a paper towel. Then lay out all of your crackers in one layer to fill the sheet. You can break some in half if you need to, to fill all the space.


Next, melt your butter, add your brown sugar, and bring to a boil on the stove, stirring with your spatula the whole time. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes (I did about 2 1/2) still stirring, and then pour over your crackers on the sheet. Spread to distribute evenly, and don't worry if some gets underneath the crackers. Just try to keep them as flat as possible.


Put your cookie sheet in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the top looks all bubbly. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle your chocolate chips on top. Cover with foil and let sit for 3 minutes. Then, remove the foil and use a clean spatula to spread the melted chocolate around evenly.




Next, sprinkle on your nuts, and then re-cover with foil. Put in your freezer for 20-30 minutes until the chocolate is hardened.


Pull it out and break into pieces and serve them up!

It goes so fast, and half of the time it takes to make is just freezer time! This makes a great dessert if you're having friends over, or you could take it as a hostess gift if you're the guest.

Now that I know how simple it is, I'll probably make it regularly, and maybe more often than just Christmas.

Do you ever make candy around the holidays? Or any other time of the year? Let me know! I'd love to know what your favorites are (and if there's anything else I should try!).

Thanks for stopping by!

As part of my 26 before 26 list, I wanted to try a new recipe every month for the next year!

I have so many recipes pinned on my Pinterest boards, and yet I still end up making the same things over and over again. Being in a food rut is such a hard thing to get out of, so I'm hoping that I will find some new favorites to add to my repertoire!

I tend to cook with chicken a lot, so I decided to make this first month a little easier by picking a chicken dish. This one is anything but typical though, and it was so full of flavor!

It's called chicken with honey-beer sauce, and what really drew me in (besides the beer...and the shallots) was the fact that the sauce also includes mustard!


I am a huge, HUGE mustard fan! So any recipe that incorporates that is a winner in my book.

Dane and I both really enjoyed this dish, and I think it has made it onto the roster!

So if you're looking for a way to jazz up your chicken, I recommend trying out this recipe. Check it out over at So How's It Taste? and give it a whirl :)


Thanks for stopping by!

Here's the first completed item off of my twenty-six before twenty-six list! Copper mugs, check! I've been wanting more copper things in my kitchen, and these mugs have been on my mind for a while now. Then my friend found some on clearance and I just had to go for it! They are so cute, and super fun to drink out of. I just want to drink everything out of them from now on!


Copper mugs: Walmart, similar.

Thanks for stopping by!

I decided to go ahead and come up with a twenty-six before twenty-six list this year! I've never done one before, but it seemed like the blogger-y thing to do ;)

I have several things that have been on my to-do list for a long time (finish my furniture projects and my camper), and a few things that I came up with just for this list because they sounded like fun! (Like trying a dragon fruit and knitting a blanket)

I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself, but I'm excited to see how many of these I can knock of the list before my birthday next summer! And of course I will share them with you as I go along!

TWENTY-SIX BEFORE TWENTY-SIX

1. Try a dragon fruit. They just look so cool!
2. Perform at an open mic night with Dane!
3. Finish my camper.
4. Go camping in finished camper!
5. Organize my house Marie Kondo style. Specifically my paper situation.
6. Come up with (and stick to!) a house cleaning schedule.
7. Work on my photography skills.
8. Get a puppy! -Done!
9. Knit a blanket. I think I'm finally ready! -Done! Better late than never...
10. Try one new recipe every month.
11. Learn to play the ukulele/mandolin. We already have a mandolin, but ukuleles are so cool!
12. Plant a vegetable garden.
13. Pickle some asparagus. Yum!
14. Make my intsagram account better fit my brand.
15. Paint all of my furniture projects. Finally.
16. Go to the beach. -Done.
17. Make almond roca. I kind of cheated, oops!
18. Perfect my cupcake frosting skills.
19. Visit Colorado/another state I haven't been to.
20. Weave a wall hanging. They are so neat!
21. Throw a mini food party. Because, mini food!
22. Go skiing for the first time.
23. Start doing yoga again and learn a hand stand!
24. Have a fall themed brunch.
25. Buy some copper mugs. Put some ginger beer into said mugs ;) - Done!
26. Finish my stationary line!