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The Most Fun We Had at the Picnic in 2013
The year can’t end without taking a look at all the fun we had in 2013.
Wow! I can’t believe that our smiles didn’t explode!
You challenged me to make a lot of interesting things in 2013. Two of my favorites were the Batman mask for Justin and the Bowser Sweater for Myrtle. The Bowser Sweater even went viral in June, landing Myrtle his very own Cheezburger meme. I also had the honor of bringing Rainbow Donkey (from Bill Brown’s Evil Squirrel’s Nest) into the 3-dimensional world. The Make It! Challenge series will continue in 2014… and it will be fantastic.
We added two new characters to the Squirrel Picnic cast: Eric, the diabolical scientist who’s seeking to bioengineer the largest acorn on the planet and his cute and cuddly robot sidekick MEAP… who would much rather be at the picnic than in the lab.
And I’ll never forget putting croshades on all the statues on Pearl Street in Boulder. What fun!
I can’t wait to tell you about the crochet wildness I’m already dreaming up for the new year, but we’ve still got a few days left in 2013, so let’s send it out with a bang first. Will you be showing off your crocheted M. and Mme. Champagne tomorrow night? I’ll be taking mine with me and taking lots of pictures too. Don’t forget to share your photos on our Facebook page or on Twitter @SquirrelPicnic.
All my best to you!
Jennifer
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Announcing the Winner of the Great Cookie Giveaway
Podge: Could ya gimme a drum roll please, Hodge?
Hodge lifts his tiny little paws and thumps on the table as fast as he can.
Podge: And the winner of the one and only Squirrel Picnic Great Cookie Countdown to Christmas Giveaway of a half-dozen crochet cookies and a half-dozen yummy in the tummy one-of-a-kind cookies with—
Hodge: On with it already!
Podge: Oh, all right. The winner is…
Congratulations, Nicky (of niiz designs). Please send your mailing address to squirrelpicnic(at)gmail(dot)com to claim your prize. If the prize isn’t claimed by Monday at 9:00 a.m. MST, Hodge and Podge and I will have to go through this whole bit again lest the cookies spoil or Hodge eats them all himself.
Thanks to everyone who participated. I wish I could give you all cookies!
P.S. To choose a winner, I numbered each comment 1 through 17, then let the magic elves at random.org choose the winner. Nicky was #4.
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A Christmas Story Leg Lamp Crochet Pattern
When I was deciding on which Christmas cookies to crochet for this series, I googled “popular American Christmas cookies,” and believe it or not, the Christmas Story Leg Lamp cookie came up. How awesome is it that they now sell cookie cutters in the shape of the iconic leg lamp from the famous movie?
I just had to crochet this, and now you can too! Displayed on a plate or hanging on your tree, these cookies are sure to catch the attention of everyone in the room. It’s a major award!
A Christmas Story Leg Lamp Cookie Crochet Pattern… Continue reading
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Squirrel Week 2013 in Review
If you’ve noticed an uptick in the amount of squirrel chatter across the web this week, you can thank journalist John Kelly and the good folks at the Washington Post for devoting an entire week to the humble and fun-loving squirrel. This week, I’ve seen some of the cutest, most intelligent, determined, and acrobatic squirrels in the world. It was hard to choose just five, but here they are: my top five stories to come out of Squirrel Week 2013.
Cute Overload put together a photographic collection of some serious squirrel cuteness.
Photo: cuteoverload.com
4. Nancy Rose’s Squirrelography
Photographer Nancy Rose sets up miniature scenes in her backyard and photographs wild squirrels interacting with them. What a hoot!
Photo: Nancy Rose
3. Supermodel Sugar Bush Squirrel
Supermodel Sugar Bush Squirrel has modeled current events as the anchor for SNN (The Squirrel News Network) in over 5,000 photos. She’s posed as Yassar Arafat, Fidel Castro, Albert Einstein, and Michael Jackson to name a few.
Photo: Ms. Kelly Foxton
http://www.sugarbushsquirrel.com
2. Finally a Movie a Squirrel Can Relate To
On Thursday, it was announced that a squirrel movie is in the works! The Nut Job, to be released January 2014, is the first animated film to come from Open Road Films. Based on director and co-writer Peter Lepeniotis’ 2005 short “Surly Squirrel,” the story is true to squirrel nature: forced out of the park and into the city with the threat of winter upon him, a mischievous squirrel named Surly plans a nut-store heist of outrageous proportions. An impressive cast has signed on too: Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Brendan Fraser, and Will Arnett.
After all the squirreliness I witnessed this week, it was really hard to pick a number one. So I’ll just leave you with the one thing that made me laugh the hardest. Leave it to the Japanese to think of creating a game show called Squirrel Fishing. Don’t worry, no hooks were used… just nuts as bait of course. Enjoy!
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Seven Quart Crock-Pot Green Chile
Imagine coming home after a long day of work, perhaps even commuting through the snow, to the aroma of green chile simmering in your Crock-Pot. Just one bowl is enough to warm you up and put a smile on your face. I originally created this recipe for my husband when we were first married—it’s one of his favorite meals. Since then it has won first place at a chile cook-off and been my favorite meal to make for family. It’s perfect for so many occasions, from a weeknight dinner to a potluck. I know your family will enjoy it as much as mine has.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and pepper
5 lbs. pork shoulder, trimmed from the bone and cut into hand-size pieces
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 lb. tomatillos, husked and diced
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 lbs. Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced
4-6 jalapenos, roasted, peeled, and diced
3 tbsp. cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan over low heat, shaking the pan frequently, until aromatic
2 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. Mexican oregano
1 tbsp. red chili powder
¼ tsp. cayenne
¼ c. flour
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat.
- Season pork with salt and pepper and brown in skillet.
- To the Crock-Pot, add garlic, onions, tomatillos, tomatoes, and peppers. Stir in spices.
- Remove pork from skillet and arrange in Crock-Pot.
- Sprinkle flour into pan and stir to create a roux. Tuck spoonfuls of roux in amongst the pork.
- Cook on high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 to 7 hours.
- Shred pork with a fork and let simmer for 30 minutes more.
Squirrel Picnic 
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