Tuesday Random 5!

1.  I am making English Toffee Cheesecake for my work's Christmas party tomorrow.  I just realized when I looked in the refrigerator that I was one block of cream cheese short for the NY cheesecake recipe I was going to use.  So I Googled 'cheesecake with 24 oz. cream cheese' and pulled up that recipe, for which I have all the ingredients.  Yes!

2.  I haven't been drinking much pop lately.  (I live in Kansas, it's pop.)  However, when we went to the store the other day, my husband was looking for some Squirt.  It's one of those citrus-y types of pop, but WAY better than Mountain Dew.  (That stuff is nasty!)  He made me want some, too.  I hadn't had it in quite a while.  It's still delicious.  I like all the 'Midwest' sort of brands.  Dr. Pepper, Squirt, and R.C. Cola, which I very much prefer over Coke & Pepsi.  Pepsi is just gross, but Coke is okay, and I'll order it if I go somewhere they serve Mr. Pibb.  No, it is NOT the same as Dr. Pepper!

3.  I have gotten into the habit of buying big bouquets from the grocery store every couple weeks.  The previous owner of our home left a huge vase on top of the refrigerator.  Until recently, it was being used to store wine bottle corks to use for an art project.  However, for my birthday, my hubby bought me a gorgeous bouquet, didn't know where I kept my lead crystal vase, and pulled this one down to use it.  It is currently holding a luscious mix of magenta alstroemeria, red roses, trachelium, white spider mums (I think) and white pine needles.  It makes me happy to see fresh flowers in a beautiful vase.

4.  I just taught myself to crochet (again) over the weekend.  I had the book for a long time, but finally decided to pick up the hook again and start.  However, I'm confused by a notation in the book for directions in making a blanket.  It says to decrease as before, 4 times.  Does that mean I decrease into the next 8 stitches, since a decrease usually uses 2 for a double crochet decrease?  Or does it mean something else?  I'm a little confused.  To be honest, it's all still confusing, except for the actual crochet stitches.

5.  I got to volunteer with Harvesters today through my work.  We helped sort boxes, pack apples, and tie produce bags.  It doesn't sound like much, but I'm sure the prep work we did today will help things run smoother.  If you haven't heard of them, I recommend visiting them here.  They are an organization based out of Kansas City and they do a LOT of good.  Did you know they provide backpacks full of food for children to bring home on the weekend?  The kids are identified by school personnel as at-risk students who may or may not have food available to them at home, due to all kinds of reasons, but mainly because their parents are incapable of providing for them.  Very, very worthy of donated time and money.

Have a blessed week everyone and let's hope those Christmas cards write, stamp, and mail themselves sometime between now and Saturday!  Blerg.