Thursday, February 4, 2016

Old Habits Die Hard

Toward the end of last month I found myself being a real ol' Ms. Cranky Pants.  It took a while but it finally dawned on me that I had fallen right back into my old rut of working on all the "should do" tasks all day long and not taking any time for the relaxing, feel-good things I've said I was going to do in the months of January and February.

How easily we fall back into our old habits without even realizing we've done so.  This has shown me I need to reorganize my work day so I regularly (not just in the [slow - ha!] months of January and February) schedule in time to read, watch movies, quilt, knit and do some of the things I always say I don't have time to do, but actually do . . . if I make them a priority.  And, for heaven's sake, we all know that the To Do List will NEVER get done, no matter how many waking hours we spend working on it.

It's taken me a few days (gotta ease back into this) to get my thinking rearranged again, but I hope I'm back on the right track again now.


This is the last pair of socks I've finished.  Still not crazy about the way the design turned out, but they'll prove to be good, serviceable socks all the same.  (Geesh, just noticed the feet look enormous and the tops look skimpy, but it's just the angle of the photo.)


I've already started on another pair.  Anybody keeping track of how many pairs this will be that I've knitted?  (Me neither.  I'd have to go count.)


And the most recent crocheted rag rug I've made.  The next rug is going to be made with some jazzy, bright, spring-like colored fabrics someone gave me.  I can't think of anything else I'd use the material for so this rug can provide a chirky splash of color to use when spring starts to make an appearance.  (Which also means the rug will get smudged with muddy foot, or paw, prints in short order.)


It's been too long since I've had a good supply of burger buns on hand so I got busy this afternoon and made these.  Being a person who needs to see the fruits of her labor at the end of the day, baked goods fill the bill about as much as something knitted or crocheted or sewn.  Baking homemade bread of one sort or another is definitely one old habit I have no desire to break.

14 comments:

Laurie said...

Just when I thought you couldn't top your last accomplishment, whether stock piling wood, harvesting a massive garden or knitting socks, you go and blow my mind. Hamburger buns! I'm am truly amazed. I've just never known anyone to do that. :)

Sue said...

Aren't the homemade buns the best? Hubby loves them--calls them Poofy Buns-LOL! Where would we be without the freezer (x3!)
So glad you're SCHEDULING your "time-outs"--I'd hate to have to drive up there and make you. It could get ugly. Unless you feed me pie. I could never harm anyone holding pie........

:D

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

I almost made buns the other day for our sloppy joes. I was too far behind in my work to get them made. Maybe I need to re-organize too. The socks look great.

gld said...

I want to know how you get them such even nice size. Mine are either to large, too small or too tall.

I think the socks look wonderful. I doubt I could master that 4-needle thing!

Love the rag rugs. Always wanted to do those but...............you know how it is.

Mama Pea said...

Laurie - You're gonna give me a big head, girl! Burger buns are as easy to make as homemade bread, really. They're so handy to have. My husband would eat a burger in a bun any night of the week. Sloppy joes or sandwiches such as pulled pork or BBQ'd pork taste so much better in a bun. When we had the restaurant, I served a vegetarian sandwich in a bun that was a hit. And with a bunch of buns in the freezer, you don't have to run out to buy buns when you need some!

Mama Pea said...

Sue - Oh, I could get carried away with the absolute boon the home freezer is to the homemaker! I could not cook, eat, live (!) without it.

If I fall off the "time out for Mama Pea" bandwagon again, I may put in an emergency call for you to come straighten me out!!

Mama Pea said...

Kristina - Yep, squeezing just one more thing into the day's schedule is sometimes just plain impossible. Especially with all you do every day!

Mama Pea said...

gld - I finally realized I had to weigh each piece of dough I cut from the big lump of dough. A smidge over the 2 oz. mark works just right for the size I shoot for. When I put them on the cookie sheets, I flatten them down to probably 1/2" thick (with my palm) and then they poof up a bit during the last rising before baking. With my particular recipe I get exactly 20 buns.

It's funny, but I really don't like knitting with four needles at all. But if you want socks (without a seam -- yuck), you've gotta learn to use them.

I find cutting the strips of fabric for the rag rugs the tedious part of making the rugs. The actual crocheting goes pretty fast. But, of course, I do know what you mean about finding time to do EVERYTHING you want! :o]

beth s said...

What a great post about so many things we can MAKE at home!! Love your socks...one thing I will learn to knit SOMEDAY!

Sandy Livesay said...

Mama Pea,

I personally love all the socks you've made and displayed on your blog. I just wish I was as talented, and maybe soon I will teach myself how to knit. :P

There is no bread on the shelves of stores better than homemade bread or buns. Your buns look really good!!!!

Mama Pea said...

beth s - I know my view can be looked on as cockeyed by many people, but I truly believe we need to return to the basics of using our own skills (no matter how "professional" or "amateur" they may be deemed), to make our homes a secure, safe, comfortable haven for our families and friends in this crazy world of ours. There truly are so many things we can do and make ourselves that society says it's best to buy . . . whether it's food or clothing or utilitarian items for the home. We've lost so much knowledge of how to do for ourselves!

Be careful when you do decide to learn to knit, Beth . . . it's very addicting!!

Mama Pea said...

Thanks so much, Sandy. I was once visiting an 80-some year old lady and she was watching me knit. She sighed and said she was disappointed she had never learned how to knit. I told her it wasn't difficult and that if you could count you could learn to knit. She was silent for a beat and then said, "How high?" :o)

When we make bread or buns or biscuits at home, we can be sure they are nutritional and don't contain any ingredients that shouldn't be ingested into the human body!

Anonymous said...

Can you share your bun recipe? It is probably somewhere on your blog, but I don't have the energy to look. LOL Your socks are beautiful. I did try one time to knit, in honor of my friend Heather. She was always encouraging me to try new things. I finally broke down and admitted after a 3 hour class that it just wasn't something I "wanted" enough. Good for you for realizing that you had fallen back into old habits. Yay!

Mama Pea said...

Ruth Dixon - There's no shame in admitting you "don't like" a certain craft or hobby. Some people think knitting is terribly nerve-wracking, others say it's super-relaxing. We all have our own talents and preferences.

Ya know, I don't think I have ever shared the recipe for the buns. I'll do that in a post soon.