wedding fun for my SIL

So I offered to make a doily covered ring bearer's pillow and a garter for my SIL's upcoming wedding.  I still have to put the pillow together, but I've finished 2 garters for her (one to throw, one to keep).
"Something Blue" is a knitted lace garter (pattern here)

Next I wanted to crochet a lacy garter, but couldn't find a free pattern that I liked, so I made up my own!
Springtime Lace Garter is a quick and simple crochet project.  (pattern here)

As soon as I get busy and finish up the ring bearer's pillow I will post those pictures as well!

Chocolate Harvest Bread recipe

It's that time of year again!!  :)  I've pulled 4 zukes off of just one of my plants in the last couple of days and that got me remembering this yummy recipe I found in Sesame Street Parents magazine in the summer of  2000 (so you know it's good, I've had it a while!)

Yield: 16 muffins, 1 large loaf or 2-3 small loaves
1 med. Zucchini, washed and stems trimmed
2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup milk
½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted
2 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1 cup walnut pieces (optional)
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously grease and flour the loaf pans or line the muffin pans with cupcake liners.  Peel and grate zucchini until you have about 1 cup.  Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda.  Using a fork, toss the ingredients until they are well blended.  In a separate, smaller mixing bowl, combine the milk, butter, eggs and almond extract.  Add them to the dry ingredients and stir until blended.  Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

so, where were we?

Some of you may not know that I have PMDD (basically, severe PMS) which shows up in depression, irrational anger, and craziness like that.  I take meds for it which kind of helps, but then, I still have a few days each month where I'm in "the pit of despair" and everywhere I look, life looks gray and hopeless.  Being a Christian, I KNOW it's not hopeless, and I know that this feeling will pass, but at the same time, it is SO overwhelming that it becomes my "reality" for a time.  Couple that with my quirky personality (seriously, I have tried to be serious, and it just isn't me), and we can have some interesting conversations....that is when I'm not hiding from the world.  But this last time around, when I was sitting at the bottom of that deep dark well, all by myself, and not wanting anyone to find me there, God reached His hand down into that slimey, stinky hole and just held me.  I was SO "unholdable" (is that a word?  well it is now!)  You know when a little kid doesn't want to be held, they're all squirmy and at the same time trying to pretend that you're not there and that they don't care....yeah, that kind of unholdable.  And you know you are truly loved when you get held anyway, even with all the squirming and stoicism.  And He sent friends to encourage me in the climb out of that pit, to let me know that they did notice I was MIA, and that I do make a difference, and life isn't always that gray cloud.  Whew!  Seriously, I cannot imagine living without knowing that GOD IS FOR ME!!  SO WHO CAN STAND AGAINST ME? (not even myself can be against me!)