ZickZack Scarf KAL

It's almost here! 2015! What have I been doing to get ready? Cleaning and sorting. I'm not sure why this time of year seems like the perfect time to do this. Maybe, because the New year seems like a fresh start?

2014 Knitting Review

A few days before Christmas, I started this top-down Cables and Ribs beanie. I've been having some gauge issues with my knitting and I wasn't going to start a new knitting project until AFTER Christmas. That way I could concentrate on being able to fix the problem. Then I got to thinking that I only seem to have gauge issues with fingering weight yarn (not so much with worsted). So, I went ahead and cast-on this beanie.

Merry Christmas 2015

Merry Christmas everyone! This morning I am reflecting on the many gifts in my life by the light of our Christmas tree. There are many. The gifts of health, friends & family, employment, a comfortable home, beauty in nature, living in a country that allows freedom in worship, and of course, the greatest gift of all, The gift of Christ, our savior.

Crazy Simple Fudge

If you read this post where I rambled on about sweetened condensed milk (and the lack of it), then you will already know that this must be the fudge I was talking about making. I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It's ALMOST foolproof. I say ALMOST because I can mess up just about any recipe depending on any number of variables. BUT. It's so close to foolproof (and FAST) that I'm going to share it with you today.

Now It's Crunch Time

Yesterday was my day off. And. It was a flurry of activity around here. Last minute sewing and baking. Enough to finish off the three potted trees (seen above and mentioned in this post and this post) and three plates of holiday goodies to go with. Oh yeah, and deliver.

Kandy Kane Kahlua

Recently I saw this post for making Candy Cane Vodka. M-m-m-m-m-m-m. It sounded so good. I've also been wanting to make some Kahlua for some gifts. I got to thinking.....wouldn't adding candy canes to the Kahlua be good? So. That's just what I did!

Super Quick Stocking Ornament

I've been working away on lots of little ornaments to decorate small (1 gallon) live potted trees as gifts for some friends and neighbors. I've already completed (and given away) one tree and I have to tell you, I was pretty happy with it (and it was really well received by the recipient, too).

Calico and Felt Ornaments

 

I've been working on some quick little ornaments that I thought I should share with you. In case you need a fun quick ornament for your tree or gifting.

I Just Don't Have "THYME" for This!

Remember this post? Where I enlightened you about the doily beanie project I was obsessed with. The project where I was congratulating myself about how it was turning out just as I envisioned despite the Christmas knitting time quickly vanishing before my very eyes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving. A day of reflection of our blessings. A day of fellowship with family and friends. A day where the whole house is filled with the incredible smells of the meal cooking. A day of football, parades, turkey, stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie.

Dress Up Some Spirits

Thanksgiving is almost here. THEN. Right behind it.....Christmas! If you're like me, you know you're going to need some hostess/host gifts. Just a little something for the person who's hosting Thanksgiving or one of the many Christmas get-togethers.

It's Working!

36 days until Christmas and what am I working on? A beanie! But. Not a beanie I could whip up in a few days and say Boom! another gift down! No. Of course not. I'm adventuring into the realm of the unknown.

I'm Ba-a-a-a-a-a-ck!

I thought I'd share my latest WIP. Fingerless mitts, using this basic mitt pattern. I just have the thumbs left to knit (and weave in ends and block, of course). I'm thinking these and a matching hat will make a nice Christmas gift for someone I know (not saying who, because, well, it's a secret!).

Pink Squares for Breast Cancer

It's October. Which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Over at JCCF (Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund), we've been busy knitting and crocheting pink afghan squares to make up blankets to be auctioned off (at rodeos during their tough enough to wear pink auctions) to raise funds for Breast Cancer.

Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

 

We got pumpkins in at my work Friday. SO, I thought, I should make up some pumpkin puree to freeze. I could have canned it, but, it has to be pressure canned and I really didn't have the "thyme" to do that this weekend. I haven't made pumpkin puree in awhile, but I LOVE pumpkin recipes (well, except pumpkin pie, for some reason, can't stand pumpkin pie) and wanted to have some on hand for fall recipes.

It's Cold and Flu Season.....

Ask me how I know this. That's right. I've been struck by some kind of head cold (or allergies?). Being that this is fresh on my mind I thought I would share a little cold/flu tip with you.

Dividing Iris

It's the last day of summer and one of the things on my to do list today was to divide my irises. I decided that might need to become a blog post because I constantly talk to customers (I work in the garden center of our local hardware store) about why their irises aren't blooming. They always confirm the irises get at least 6-8 hours of sunlight. Sometimes it's a matter of not getting enough fertilizer (or not the right type). Most times though, when I ask when the last time they divided their irises and I get a blank stare that says "What's she talking about?" it's time for iris education.

The BEST Way I Know to Freeze Sweet Corn!

 

 

If you LOVE corn smothered in butter......you're going to LOVE this method for freezing sweet corn! When I first heard of this method (because it's not really a "recipe"), my husband and I would get together with one of our neighbors and some mutual friends for a "corn freezing party". We would set up a "corn assembly line". The guys would husk the corn. Us gals would do the prep work. Then everyone would pitch in and do the packaging and clean-up. At some point during the day, there was always potluck food involved. It made for a fun, productive day!

 

Added Incentive

In case you've missed it.....we at Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund Project (JCCF) are in the midst of a new member drive. The above photo is the prize package one lucky new member could win (see this post for details). It's a very good prize package.

Canning Tomatoes

I've spent the last couple of days canning tomatoes. I so enjoy the whole process of taking fresh picked tomatoes and turning them into canned goods that we will enjoy all winter long. There's just something very satisfying about this.

Dishcloth Distraction

I did not do one single, solitary stitch on the wedding afghan in August. This would have shot the whole block goal apart if it weren't for the fact that in July, I sort of overcompensated block-wise (and apparently that never made a blog post, who knew). I'm down to  just 4 12-inch blocks and 7 (or was that 8?) 6-inch blocks.

How to Freeze Zucchini

It's that time of year.....zucchini season! I have found a lot zucchini recipes that I want to try. It's getting close to fall (and our first frost). Fall and winter are my favorite time to cook and bake. Not to say I don't cook and bake during summer, but I hate to heat the house up and do my baking in the bbq.

A Contest (and Prize Package) for Knitters aqnd Crocheters

Some of the gals over at Justin Cowboy Crisis Fund Project (JCCF) and I decided we should run a little contest to increase our members in this fun little group. We knit and crochet 12-inch blocks that we send to Wendy. She take the blocks and turns them into (fabulous) blankets that are donated to injured rodeo cowboys and cowgirls to give them some comfort during their healing process.

Very Berry Vinegar (and vinagrette, too)

In case you're not a food label reader, you may not realize that a lot of processed foods have added sugar. When I started the no flour no sugar diet, I had read that there were LOTS of products that have added sugar.

To Make Dieting a Little Easier.....

In case you don't follow The Prairie Homestead (and really, if you don't, you should), you might have missed her post on Homemade Stevia Extract. My immediate response was "AWESOME"!  Even though I hadn't grown stevia this year, (and  think I will in the future) we had a few plants left in the nursery that I bought up to try this out.

Short Row Practice

Lately, I've been reading about knitters who are intimidated by short rows. Well, if you happen to be one of those knitters, I've found the pattern for you. Let me introduce The Almost Lost Washcloth by Julie Tarsha (LOVE her patterns!). It's the perfect way to practice short rows. I mean, who doesn't need a few more washcloths?

A Healthier Chocolate Chip Cookie

It's my Birthday AND National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day! To celebrate, I thought I'd bake up a few chocolate chip cookies. I've been sticking to my no flour no sugar diet really well. Okay, unless you count my birthday dinners out with friends. I did eat salads, but I sort of fell down on the wine and dessert portions of the meal. But, otherwise, I've been sticking to the diet pretty good.

How to Make Oat "Flour"

While processed flours aren't allowed on the No Flour No Sugar Diet (that includes rice, potato and corn flours), whole grains are. Brown rice, barley and oats can be eaten on this diet. Some of the No flour no sugar recipes that I want to try, use oats as a filler.

When You Need a Chocolate Fix

Even though the No flour no sugar diet is going well, every once in a while, you just NEED something chocolatey! I had found some interesting no flour no sugar recipes on Pinterest (how did we survive without Pinterest?). This Frozen chocolate yogurt recipe looked easy (and yummy).

The Lesser of Two Evils....

The No Flour No Sugar Diet is going really well. I've found some interesting recipes I want to try (and some I think I want to re-work). A lot of the recipes that are labeled "No flour no sugar" actually use some sort of sweetener. In fact, they use a sweetener that is on the banned list (honey, pure maple syrup, molasses).

Diet Update

It hasn't been quite a week since I started the No Flour No Sugar Diet and while I had kind of a rough start.....

• Day one - ate a donut that a co-worker offered me. About 3 hours after my "starting" the diet. Wow! What willpower I have!
• Day two - Went to a friend's Birthday party and consumed wine AND chocolate ice cream cake.

Test Fit

I just finished this knit top as a test fit for the pattern Simplicity 1716. There's a couple of things I don't like about it.....

1. It's too snug around the belly/hips.
2. The "flutter" sleeves are not flattering on this 50+ old woman.
3. The shirring around the waist is weird looking. Sort of like my sewing machine tension was off. More of a "puckering" effect than a "shirring".

No Flour No Sugar Diet

Clear back in December 2013, I babbled on about how I planned to eat less sugar/junk and eating more whole grains/fruits/veggies for 2014. When you read it, you can tell I wasn't really motivated to make any real changes in my diet.

Afghan Update

Well, there you have it. 2 strips of the afghan all sewn together. That would be 6 12-inch squares and 12 6-inch squares. Too bad I didn't have 3 strips. It would have covered more of my ugly deck......but I didn't have 3 strips finished and the deck was the flattest (large) surface I could find.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Can anyone else believe it's already July?!?!I thought I would share some photos of some of my favorite things growing in my gardens. The first is this Allium that I planted last fall.

Happy 4th of July!

These Allium seed pods (that I planted last fall) remind me of fireworks. Wouldn't you agree? I thought they would be perfect for a 4th of July post.

First Day of Summer

It's the first day of summer and I hope you're all enjoying the day in whatever way you like most.

Another Problem Block

Well.......Something went wrong here! This square is supposed to be Kaleidoscope Afghan Square. See, my camera didn't even know what to do with it. It turned it on it's side. Weird, huh?

3 Blocks for June

In case you missed it, this post is where I rambled on about the goals I would need to set to meet the deadline for the wedding afghan I'm making. Now that June is halfway over, I can report.....I made my goal for June!!!! One 12-inch block and two 6-inch blocks.

Pattern Pointers

In a DESPERATE need to make some summer tops (went to unpack my summer box, but it was nowhere to be found). I decided that this would be the perfect time to share some of my favorite sewing tips.

A New Tote Bag

I've been trying to concentrate on working on my three blocks for this month (see this post). 10 days into June and I'm "just about" to finish block #2. There have been a few problems. I'll tell you all about it when I finish the blocks and make that post.

Setting Goals

I only got one wedding afghan block done this month ( May is CRAZY busy at my work). It started out as Cathedral Converts, but when I realized I had used a too large hook (I used an I hook, the pattern called for a H hook, which for me, would have equated as an F hook) things sort of went awry. Therefore, I had to rip back to round 5, square off the block and continue to finish it at 12 inches.

Even More Off-White Blocks....

It's true. I did get distracted last month for a little while making up these bright colored Cotton African Flowers. It's Spring and I just REALLY needed some COLOR! I'm back on track with the off-white  wedding afghan now, though.

A Very Cute Bag

I've been needing to make a new tote bag. Mine is getting pretty ratty. The other day, while shopping, I ran across this pattern. It's Simplicity A2830. Two sizes of tote bags with pockets all around. Don't ask me why I thought I needed another bag pattern. I've got a few. This pattern seemed to be calling my name. So, it came home with me.

Seed Starting 101

Spring is officially here and I'm ready to plant something! Anything really. BUT. We're still having pretty cold nighttime temperatures. I could probably plant my cool weather veggie seeds right into the garden. They'll do better if I wait a few more weeks and let the soil warm up a bit more.

Spring Blooms

 

A few blooms have started showing up in my garden.

 

Daffodils....

 



Dutch Iris....

Grape Hyacinths.....

And one lonely crocus,,,,,,

Among MANY weeds!

Scrappy Hats

I recently mentioned this Scrappy Self- Striping Yarn  and now I'm going to show you what I knit from it.......

April Fools!

Here's what we woke up to this morning. What?!?!?! Snow?!?!?! That's right. Mother Nature has pulled an April Fool's joke on us. Basically, no snow all winter (because doesn't everyone want their snow in Spring?). It's okay though, we'll take anything we can get. Hopefully the mountains are getting PILES of the white stuff. That way there will be plenty of water for the farmers later this summer.

Scrappy Self-Striping Yarn

Over at the Simply Notable group, we recently had a "Ball of Wonder" swap. In recently, I mean January.....would that be considered recently? Above is the yarn I received (along with some other great goodies!) from Melanie. Isn't it pretty? The fun part of this swap is you make the ball of yarn from scraps of stash yarn!

More Off-White Blocks

I've been making a fair amount of progress on the wedding afghan. I've now completed 4 12" blocks and 7 6" blocks. So, now I just have 11 more 12" and 23 more 6" blocks to go.  Wow! When you put it that way, it feels like I haven't gotten much done!