Chocolate Custardy Goodness

After posting about my toll house pie in my facebook status today, I received a couple of requests for the recipe. This pie is rich, gooey, and chocolaty. It has the perfect combination of sweet, rich custard, complimented by the slightly salty flavor of the crust and the bittersweetness of the chocolate chips. You can make your own pie crust, or you can do what I do and used a pillsbury crust. I like making my own, but with all of the sewing and knitting I have to do, who has time?

Toll House Pie a la Kristin

3 eggs

3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp dark karo syrup

1 stick melted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of semisweet chips

1/2- 1 cup chopped nuts if desired

1 unbaked pie crust

Beat eggs until bubbly and foamy. Mix in flour, sugar, butter, karo syrup, and butter until smooth. Stir in vanilla. Fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Poke holes in pie crust with a fork. Fill pie crust with filling. Bake in 325 degree oven (for glass pie plate; 350 for metal) for 1 hour. Cool completely and top with whipped topping. 

Note: If you do not have Karo syrup, you can do 3/4 cup white sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar instead.

Big white shirt, Little white dress

Yesterday, I was looking around on Ruffles and Stuff and I found a tutorial for the cutest Daddy shirt to little girl dress conversion. I love the shirring and the ties on the shoulders. Perfect whimsical touches to give a plain shirt a feminine touch. So today, during nap time, I decided to give it a try myself. Not quite sure if I am done with it. Thinking about adding a sash and/or a flower. Also, my shirring was not exactly perfect. However, I don't think it's that noticeable. Hopefully, I will get my pictures of my Monkey socks posted soon. My camera seems to eat batteries, and is in need of a good meal after my trip out of town this past weekend.

Monkeys are complete

They're done! And, they are so cute! My Monkey Socks are done and on the blockers right now- just in time for the Memphis Area Knitting Guild meeting tomorrow night. Pics soon to come.
In other crafting news, well, not much sewing going on here still. I am still having some difficulty finding the time and energy to do it. However, I did set little miss down with some pretty paper and glitter glue today and let her go at it while little mister was napping. Maybe that will be the key to getting back to my sewing. In the mean time, enjoy these lovely pics from etsy.

Wool and Mohair blend sock yarn in Western Bluff from Yarn or a Tale

Superwash Merino in Funhouse from Tristabelle

Below is Superwash Merino sock yarn in Kermit's Revenge from Wild Fire Dreams. I'm loving all of the bright greens this spring!

Where's Kristin?

Here I am! I have been so busy lately with Mr. Caleb, who is rolling all over the living room and attempting to get into everything, and little Miss Cupcake Katie, who is just as feisty now that we are in the throws of the terrible twos. Sewing has kind of been put on the back burner in favor of knitting. It's not for lack of cut out projects (I currently have 4 little dresses ready to go), it's due to the need for stress relief and a kind of retreat. By the time nap time rolls around or I put the kids to bed for the night, I am anxious for some relaxation, so knitting has really been my creative outlet lately. I have heard that the first 6 weeks after giving birth is all about survival, but I believe that with the second baby, especially if they are as close as mine, it is more like the first 6 months or so. We are just now into a regular routine and enjoying the benefits of a full nights sleep and two children who sleep until 7 am. It took Caleb a lot longer than Katie, but I think he finally has the hang of it.
Here are some pics of my latest projects and of the kids:

Cookie A's Monkey sock pattern free from Knitty.com knitted in Variegated Vintage from Yarntini

Lou's diamond socks in Elann's Sock It to me 4 ply. Pattern from Wendy Johnson's book "Socks From the Toe Up."

Baby socks for my friend Jenny's baby girl, Sydney, who was born last week. Pattern is Better Than Booties baby socks in Knit Picks Imagination sock yarn

Burp cloth and applique bib I did for Jenny and baby Sydney

I finished my heart socks from the last post. Yay!

He loves the remote, even now. What a little man!

Typical day at the Geater house - very beautiful!

Katie "helping" Caleb play. Sunglasses are always a must. Thank goodness Target has them in the 1.00 section!

I heart Socks

The socks I'm working on from the book Knitting Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson are almost 1/2 way done! I was a little bit skeptical about toe-ups, just because I have never successfully completed a pair. However, this book is amazing for walking you through the process.  I am calling them my Elizabeth Bennet socks because they remind me of her for some reason. Plus, she is my favourite Jane Austen heroin.  I'm planning a manly version from another pattern from this book to make the complimentary Mr. Darcy socks for my husband. I borrowed the book from my sweet friend, Christy, but I am planning on purchasing my own copy as soon as I can get a few $$ together. Wendy's blog Wendy Knits is packed full of technical info, free patterns, and funny little tidbits about her daily life. She is the guru of the toe-up socks!

MIA

Been MIA lately. Mostly due to a computer virus, which required the total wiping of my entire hard-drive to get rid of and a couple of cold viruses, which required lots of Mommy TLC to get rid of. Here are a few pics of what I have been doing. Mostly socks socks and more socks.

Modeling the Valentine Jumper at her birthday party

More of the jumper

Home-made baby food. Squash is a huge hit!

As well as avocado

Sock yarn stash. Mom calls it the yarn tower

Socks for me

I am just loving these colors!

Lace socks for the Sock Down knit along on Ravelry

Baby socks. I have 2 showers in the next 3 weeks. These are using the Better Than Booties baby socks pattern from Interweave Knits.

Whirlpool Beret from Knit Picks. 

It's all about the legs

I love little chubby baby legs! Who doesn't? My lovely friend, Kendall, is crazy about these things called Baby Legs aka baby leg warmers. She uses them for her baby girl, Olive, and when I was pregnant with Caleb she told me about them. Luckily, I received some at my baby shower from my other lovely friend, Jana. I was hooked from first use! So, I went online and found that they are 10.00 a pair on sale, which for me is crazy! I don't even spend 10.00 for my own socks. Not even 5.00 a pair. I got to looking at them and I just knew I could make them and that there had to be a tutorial for them somewhere out there in the blogosphere. Sure enough, I found a tute here at Everything Your Mama Made using knee socks. I drove to my favorite store, Target, and picked up six pairs of knee socks for about 14.00. That's a little over 2.00 and something per pair. I was thrilled!

 

Here are the finished ones:

I just love the diamond ones. They are my fave!

Here is my little chunky monkey wearing them:

They make diaper changing a lot easier! 

As you have seen in some of my previous posts, I have started sock knitting again. I am building my stash of sock yarn back up, and I've also been thinking of ways to use up some that I have been staring at for quite a while. I was reading on Knitting Like Crazy's blog about doing a different pair of socks every month. What a great idea! I am currently working on a pair of men's socks from Knitting Vintage Socks for my dad. They were suppose to be for his birthday, but I am way behind on them. Having two little babies and a lot of projects going leaves not a lot of time for knitting. I have made these my February socks, and some knitting during nap time and after they go to bed should have me finishing them before the end of this month. Here is the WIP so far:

Here is a pic of Katie's Valentines jumper. It's reversible. She wore this side to Mothers Day out on Friday:

As you can see, she was so happy to model for me.