Carrotcake Pancakes and a Gnome Home

I decided to treat the kids to a fun brunch on Sunday after church. These carrotcake pancakes were a hit. The kids insist that I make these for Daddy the morning after he comes home.

If you want to join in the deliciousness, here are my simple (lazy) directions: To your favorite pancake batter (you know I used a mix), add 1 cup finely grated carrots, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

I used this recipe for the icing, but I left out the margarine. I substituted 1/4 cup of grade B maple syrup for 1/2 cup of the sugar. Very pancakalicious.

I crocheted the Gnome Home for Isabel, but I didn't have anything to live in it yet. Then I got a wonderful surprise in the mail from CJ. She sent us one of her cute little rabbits. Isabel immediately claimed it, so Mr. Bunny will live in the Gnome Home. Thank you, CJ!

I used tapestry wool I found at a thrift store held triple stranded for the house and Mode Dea Dream for the grass. The roof is a bulky hand dye I had leftover. The flower is sock yarn remnants.

The mushrooms felted perfectly. I was sure the stems would turn pink. I saw a dye catching cloth at the commissary and decided to give it a try. It worked so well that I've decided I'm going to use one every time I felt something in the washer.

Isabel will probably never be as excited about handmade gifts as she is right now. I am determined to make her everything I can before she starts requesting brand name items for Christmas.

I am actually looking forward to Christmas now. We bake Jesus a birthday cake every year as our special family tradition. Yup, I'm a Jesus Freak. My kids see church service as one of the most fun and important parts of the holiday. We go to a pretty liberal and fun church, though.

I hope you have a great holiday no matter what you celebrate or how you celebrate. Even if this time of year is usually agony for you, I hope you find a bit of joy somewhere.