I'd like you to meet Charlotte

I worked on this sweet little girl for many nights leading up to Solstice! She was made using the Wee Wonderful pattern available here. I had never made a doll before and she was not difficult, but it did take longer than I had expected.


Zara was absolutely thrilled to see her on Solstice morning. She immediately named her Charlotte (that was the name of Laura's doll in Little House on the Prairie!). Since that morning, the two girls have been inseperable. I laughed out loud the first time I saw Z go flying by, holding Charlotte by one arm saying "Wait up Charlotte....you're going too fast!" They have so much fun together!

One night last week, I was tucking Z in to bed and I asked if Charlotte was okay in there with her, or if it would be better if she slept on the edge. Z answered, "She keeps my heart warm at night". My heart was certainly warmed that night!

I had pictured Z treating her fairly gently as she's a handmade doll, but I don't know what I was thinking! I may need to sneak some extra stitches around her arms and legs at some point. Ahhh, she's well loved and that's what I'd hoped for.

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year!

Lentil Quinoa Soup

Yummy!  I found this slow cooker recipe last night in the January 2009 Alive Magazine and happily had all the ingredients to make it.

I made it first thing in the morning, so the delicious smell wafted through the house all day (very welcome after shoveling more snow!)  It's filled with lentils, quinoa and tomatoes from the garden (that I crushed in the fall and froze).  So good!

I checked on the Alive website and they don't have it listed in their recipe section yet, so I thought I would post a copy for anyone who wants to make it but doesn't have access to the free magazine.  Unfortunately, blogger decided that it should be posted on it's side...
I highly recommend this recipe (if you click on it to make it big, it should be easy to read.  The flash didn't really cover anything important up)  I have a fairly big slow cooker, so next time I would add more broth and quinoa, and more tomatoes too (I don't think I used as much as they suggested).  I omitted the carrots in my version and added a bit of Braggs (a tamari/soy sauce) to it as well.  It's definitely a great starting point and a delicious way to warm up after a day in the snow!