Is this a joke?
Nope. It's no yoke!
Monday, February 25, 2019
Saturday, February 23, 2019
Sharing the Recipe and Garlic Bed Discovery
For those of you who expressed an interest in the Cheesy Egg Wedges recipe about which I blogged in my last post, here it is.
The original recipe appeared in a book put out by Better Homes and Gardens and I made only a couple of small changes to it.
CHEESY EGG WEDGES
4 beaten eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups shredded smoked cheddar cheese
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese with chives
1 cup salsa
Combine the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and garlic powder. Beat with a rotary beater until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese and cottage cheese.
Pour into a greased 9" pie plate. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
To serve, cut into 6 wedges. Top with salsa, either warmed-up, or room temp, or cold.
As I said in my previous post(picture there), I make only half the recipe for the two of us and we eat half one morning and half the next. To reheat, I put the last half in a small covered skillet with a wee bit of water and it comes out as good in taste and texture as freshly baked. (That means we get two meals out of two eggs! Can't beat that.)
I don't know if they even sell cottage cheese with chives in it anymore, so I just add some of my snipped frozen chives. They're for color more than anything else.
I've always used smoked cheddar cheese because of the nice flavor it imparts, but regular cheddar would be fine.
The original recipe appeared in a book put out by Better Homes and Gardens and I made only a couple of small changes to it.
CHEESY EGG WEDGES
4 beaten eggs
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cups shredded smoked cheddar cheese
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese with chives
1 cup salsa
Combine the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and garlic powder. Beat with a rotary beater until combined. Stir in the shredded cheese and cottage cheese.
Pour into a greased 9" pie plate. Bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
To serve, cut into 6 wedges. Top with salsa, either warmed-up, or room temp, or cold.
As I said in my previous post(picture there), I make only half the recipe for the two of us and we eat half one morning and half the next. To reheat, I put the last half in a small covered skillet with a wee bit of water and it comes out as good in taste and texture as freshly baked. (That means we get two meals out of two eggs! Can't beat that.)
I don't know if they even sell cottage cheese with chives in it anymore, so I just add some of my snipped frozen chives. They're for color more than anything else.
I've always used smoked cheddar cheese because of the nice flavor it imparts, but regular cheddar would be fine.
* * * * * * * **
I now know which bed I planted the garlic in this past fall. (Whew!)
Yesterday afternoon Papa Pea suggested that he could put on snowshoes, take a shovel and go out to the row of raised beds I had figured the garlic had to be in. I was pretty sure I had narrowed it down to one of two beds next to each other. He could tell where the ends of the beds were by the hoop trellis we left on Bed #3. So with his shovel, he found the ends of the beds leading down to Bed #6 and #7. By pushing the shovel head down into the snow on top of each bed, he located the wire cattle panel protecting the garlic bed.
Ta-dah, the garlic is in Bed #7. Mystery solved. I bet I'll remember next fall to mark the garlic bed in my garden book in RED INK!
Here he is coming back from the expedition. He said he was glad he didn't sink down into the snow more as it was not easy going even on snowshoes. Good thing he's big and brave and could handle it!
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Good Day on the Home Front
For our first meal of the day today, I made Cheesy Egg Wedges which I haven't made for a while. Wonder why as they are so tasty. Well, I guess I do know why. Cottage cheese is an ingredient and we usually gobble up the cottage cheese I make with either chopped up raw veggies or cut up fruit. But I had just enough left today to use, so something made me remember this particular breakfast dish and I made it.
The original recipe serves six and is made in a 9" pie plate. I halved the recipe this morning, baked it in a funny little 7-1/2" pie plate I have, and we still have one-half left over for breakfast tomorrow morning. The eggs were served with a dollop of salsa on top, augmented by coleslaw made from some of our red cabbage and a sausage patty for each of us.
Fortified by that meal, we went out to clear the few inches of snow we got late yesterday. I shoveled and Papa Pea shoveled and plowed.
Back inside, I tackled the jumble of papers and graphs and designs I've had spread out on the kitchen table and kinda, sorta, almost, nearly finished my garden plans for this coming season.
All twenty-six 4' x 8' raised beds are figured out but for one small glitch. Some dummy forgot to make a notation of which bed she planted the garlic in last October. I even have a picture of it from a blog post I did then.
I've looked at this picture from all angles including upside down, but hard as I've tried, I can't tell exactly which bed it is. Even though the bed is heavily mulched and has a cattle panel lying on top of it, which kept the mulch from blowing off in our fall winds, it's now thoroughly buried under a good quantity of lovely, white snow as are all the rest of the beds. Bottom line, I may have to do a little quick juggling come spring when the garlic bed emerges from the snow. I've left myself a little wiggle room to do that.
Other than making sure I rotate the crops planted in the field garden (as I do in the raised beds) and two new areas we've been working up for the past couple of years, there aren't so many different varieties of vegetables to pencil in for those areas. It's mainly the veggies that need more room (potatoes, beans, pickling cukes, cabbage, shell peas, squashes) that are planted in the larger areas.
This year (silly me), I'm also planting a block of Painted Mountain Corn. It's the only corn variety I've ever grown successfully up here in Minnesota. Being totally frustrated by our corn being laid flat by our high winds the last couple of years I did plant it means this year we've got to figure out a way of surrounding and supporting the corn patch to prevent it from happening again this year. We've got a couple of ideas, and I would so love to get a good crop again.
When the ears are harvested at the right (early) time after development, they are actually good eating as "sweet" corn. The dried corn is wonderful ground as cornmeal and the beautiful ears make outstanding fall decorations.
This afternoon 'twas time to strain and stash away the beef bone broth I've had simmering during the day. Did that and made a big pot of cheddar-cauliflower soup for tonight.
The last couple of times I've made this, I've added cook wild rice, and we really like the added flavor and texture it gives to the soup.
More snow, possibly heavy, is predicted for this weekend. I guess we'd better keep our boots handy and shoveling muscles at the ready.
The original recipe serves six and is made in a 9" pie plate. I halved the recipe this morning, baked it in a funny little 7-1/2" pie plate I have, and we still have one-half left over for breakfast tomorrow morning. The eggs were served with a dollop of salsa on top, augmented by coleslaw made from some of our red cabbage and a sausage patty for each of us.
Fortified by that meal, we went out to clear the few inches of snow we got late yesterday. I shoveled and Papa Pea shoveled and plowed.
Back inside, I tackled the jumble of papers and graphs and designs I've had spread out on the kitchen table and kinda, sorta, almost, nearly finished my garden plans for this coming season.
All twenty-six 4' x 8' raised beds are figured out but for one small glitch. Some dummy forgot to make a notation of which bed she planted the garlic in last October. I even have a picture of it from a blog post I did then.
I've looked at this picture from all angles including upside down, but hard as I've tried, I can't tell exactly which bed it is. Even though the bed is heavily mulched and has a cattle panel lying on top of it, which kept the mulch from blowing off in our fall winds, it's now thoroughly buried under a good quantity of lovely, white snow as are all the rest of the beds. Bottom line, I may have to do a little quick juggling come spring when the garlic bed emerges from the snow. I've left myself a little wiggle room to do that.
Other than making sure I rotate the crops planted in the field garden (as I do in the raised beds) and two new areas we've been working up for the past couple of years, there aren't so many different varieties of vegetables to pencil in for those areas. It's mainly the veggies that need more room (potatoes, beans, pickling cukes, cabbage, shell peas, squashes) that are planted in the larger areas.
This year (silly me), I'm also planting a block of Painted Mountain Corn. It's the only corn variety I've ever grown successfully up here in Minnesota. Being totally frustrated by our corn being laid flat by our high winds the last couple of years I did plant it means this year we've got to figure out a way of surrounding and supporting the corn patch to prevent it from happening again this year. We've got a couple of ideas, and I would so love to get a good crop again.
Picture from the last time I grew it.
When the ears are harvested at the right (early) time after development, they are actually good eating as "sweet" corn. The dried corn is wonderful ground as cornmeal and the beautiful ears make outstanding fall decorations.
This afternoon 'twas time to strain and stash away the beef bone broth I've had simmering during the day. Did that and made a big pot of cheddar-cauliflower soup for tonight.
The last couple of times I've made this, I've added cook wild rice, and we really like the added flavor and texture it gives to the soup.
More snow, possibly heavy, is predicted for this weekend. I guess we'd better keep our boots handy and shoveling muscles at the ready.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Past Mid-Winter and All Is Well
Here we are fast approaching the last of February, a month that has given us many bright, beautiful, sunny days. Not warm yet, by any means, but that good ol' sunshine makes the still cold temperatures much more tolerable.
Even though true spring time may be firmly in sight for some of you, we've still got the heavy snows of March coming up in our area of northern Minnesota.
We actually get the majority of inches of our snowfall in the month of March. But it's a different kind of snow, one that falls and then melts to a certain degree with increasingly warmer temperatures. We still have to plow and shovel but often it can be done wearing a sweatshirt rather than four layers under a down work jacket.
I started to make some beef gravy to have on hand in the freezer a day or so ago only to discover I was plumb out of beef bone broth. So this morning I've got two of my medium-sized stock pots full of browned, organic, grass-fed beef soup bones. Sure does create a delightful aroma wafting through the house.
When the meat is tender, I'll cut it off the bones and wrap it in packages to have in the freezer for beef hash, soups and stews, etc. Then the bones go back into the pots with the water-turning-into-broth to simmer for the next couple of days. Recommended time for simmering is 10 to 12 hours, probably the longer the better.
The resulting broth is brown, flavorful and quite gelatinous, chock-full of nutrition and all kinds of good stuff. Lots of amino acids, plus it's said to protect joints and help fight osteoarthritis while reducing inflammation in the body. The broth heals the gut and helps to speed our body's healing process. It may even give us better skin, hair and nails while aiding in our much needed restorative sleep and could encourage weight loss. Who can't love all that?
This morning I also spent some quality time in the basement with our remaining onions and garlic. It's necessary to sort through them periodically and toss any that have soft spots . . . or worse.
We still have plenty of garlic. The bigger bulbs in the front are Siberian and the smaller ones in the back are Blanak. I planted this coming year's crop from the biggest of each variety last fall.
I'm hoping the onions will last at least until some scallions are ready in the garden this spring. We had two full milk crates of both the yellow (Stuttgarter Riesen) and the red (Red Comred). The remaining yellows fill about half of one crate and the reds fill about 3/4 of another.
Both the onions and garlic keep well for us in the dry basement at about 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next today is a haircut/beard trim for a shaggy Papa Pea and then I'll sit at the kitchen table and start planning where everything will be planted in this year's garden.
Yikes, it's 2 o'clock and I have no idea what to make for our second meal of the day at 4:30. Better decide that pronto!
Even though true spring time may be firmly in sight for some of you, we've still got the heavy snows of March coming up in our area of northern Minnesota.
We actually get the majority of inches of our snowfall in the month of March. But it's a different kind of snow, one that falls and then melts to a certain degree with increasingly warmer temperatures. We still have to plow and shovel but often it can be done wearing a sweatshirt rather than four layers under a down work jacket.
I started to make some beef gravy to have on hand in the freezer a day or so ago only to discover I was plumb out of beef bone broth. So this morning I've got two of my medium-sized stock pots full of browned, organic, grass-fed beef soup bones. Sure does create a delightful aroma wafting through the house.
When the meat is tender, I'll cut it off the bones and wrap it in packages to have in the freezer for beef hash, soups and stews, etc. Then the bones go back into the pots with the water-turning-into-broth to simmer for the next couple of days. Recommended time for simmering is 10 to 12 hours, probably the longer the better.
The resulting broth is brown, flavorful and quite gelatinous, chock-full of nutrition and all kinds of good stuff. Lots of amino acids, plus it's said to protect joints and help fight osteoarthritis while reducing inflammation in the body. The broth heals the gut and helps to speed our body's healing process. It may even give us better skin, hair and nails while aiding in our much needed restorative sleep and could encourage weight loss. Who can't love all that?
This morning I also spent some quality time in the basement with our remaining onions and garlic. It's necessary to sort through them periodically and toss any that have soft spots . . . or worse.
We still have plenty of garlic. The bigger bulbs in the front are Siberian and the smaller ones in the back are Blanak. I planted this coming year's crop from the biggest of each variety last fall.
I'm hoping the onions will last at least until some scallions are ready in the garden this spring. We had two full milk crates of both the yellow (Stuttgarter Riesen) and the red (Red Comred). The remaining yellows fill about half of one crate and the reds fill about 3/4 of another.
Both the onions and garlic keep well for us in the dry basement at about 52 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next today is a haircut/beard trim for a shaggy Papa Pea and then I'll sit at the kitchen table and start planning where everything will be planted in this year's garden.
Yikes, it's 2 o'clock and I have no idea what to make for our second meal of the day at 4:30. Better decide that pronto!
Sunday, February 17, 2019
To Tell the Truth
Here's a question for you to answer. Ready? Gonna tell the truth?
What's the one spot in your home that would embarrass you terribly if an acquaintance saw it?
I'll be the first to be brave and answer my own question.
Under the bathroom sink.
Okay, you wouldn't find any skeletons or shameful secret things there. Just the usual. You know, toilet bowl brush and cleaner, plunger, sponge for cleaning the sink, bottle of Windex, roll of paper towels, shower stall cleaner spray bottle, small bottle of Ivory liquid soap used for washing out my unmentionables in the sink, etc.
But how often do I pull everything out and clean the floor?
The answer is not nearly often enough. As I happened to (really) look under there this morning I thought, yep, that would be my most embarrassing spot.
But wait. Nope. Maybe there is somewhere else that is . . . dum-da-dum-dum . . . worse.
Ooooh, ya. Under. our. king-size. bed.
Oh, my.
What could be there that would be embarrassing, you ask?
Eight boxes of flooring that we purchased and planned on installing on the bedroom floor. Maybe six years ago? Okay, eight. Two big rolls of the foam underlayment for same floor installation.
A box of candles of all assorted shapes and sizes. A box of packages of assorted construction paper. A box of tissue paper. What? You don't store these things under your bed?
A box of my mother's cookbooks I brought home with me when we cleared out her apartment after her death. In 1997.
A scale. Which I have not stepped foot on for somewhere around ten years. Why? I'm petrified thinking of what I would be forced to face if I did.
Two storage tote boxes of my husband's shoes which will be in very good condition for the rest of his life. Because I think there are only two pairs that I've seen him pull out and wear on rare occasions since he retired eleven years ago.
But the really embarrassing thing that is under the bed is the herd of rapidly multiplying dust bunnies. I obviously clean under there less frequently than I do under the bathroom sink.
Now it's your turn. What is the spot in your home you would least want a (snoopy) guest to see? Tell the truth. I'll keep it as our little secret and won't share it with anyone else. (Hee-hee.)
What's the one spot in your home that would embarrass you terribly if an acquaintance saw it?
I'll be the first to be brave and answer my own question.
Under the bathroom sink.
Okay, you wouldn't find any skeletons or shameful secret things there. Just the usual. You know, toilet bowl brush and cleaner, plunger, sponge for cleaning the sink, bottle of Windex, roll of paper towels, shower stall cleaner spray bottle, small bottle of Ivory liquid soap used for washing out my unmentionables in the sink, etc.
But how often do I pull everything out and clean the floor?
The answer is not nearly often enough. As I happened to (really) look under there this morning I thought, yep, that would be my most embarrassing spot.
But wait. Nope. Maybe there is somewhere else that is . . . dum-da-dum-dum . . . worse.
Ooooh, ya. Under. our. king-size. bed.
Oh, my.
What could be there that would be embarrassing, you ask?
Eight boxes of flooring that we purchased and planned on installing on the bedroom floor. Maybe six years ago? Okay, eight. Two big rolls of the foam underlayment for same floor installation.
A box of candles of all assorted shapes and sizes. A box of packages of assorted construction paper. A box of tissue paper. What? You don't store these things under your bed?
A box of my mother's cookbooks I brought home with me when we cleared out her apartment after her death. In 1997.
A scale. Which I have not stepped foot on for somewhere around ten years. Why? I'm petrified thinking of what I would be forced to face if I did.
Two storage tote boxes of my husband's shoes which will be in very good condition for the rest of his life. Because I think there are only two pairs that I've seen him pull out and wear on rare occasions since he retired eleven years ago.
But the really embarrassing thing that is under the bed is the herd of rapidly multiplying dust bunnies. I obviously clean under there less frequently than I do under the bathroom sink.
Now it's your turn. What is the spot in your home you would least want a (snoopy) guest to see? Tell the truth. I'll keep it as our little secret and won't share it with anyone else. (Hee-hee.)
Thursday, February 14, 2019
Valentine Wishes, Sent And Received
I'm a bit late (although it still is Valentine's Day as I write) in sending all of you hearty (pun intended, and not a very good one) wishes on this the 14th day of February. Hope you all had a good day in whatever way you spent it.
Thank you for your Red Heart Day wishes sent here to Minnesota. Especially a very special one I received from Wisconsin.
Chicken Mama stopped by on her way home tonight and gave us this tin full of chocolate heart confections she made.
They're made with organic ingredients, chocolate that is so pricey I feel guilty eating it, and a luscious cream coconut filling that tastes like Mounds Bars used to taste (only better) when they were made with real ingredients. (Way back when.) This sweet treat is her dad's favorite and I will have to hide them somewhere and portion them out or he'll OD on them for sure.
(Susan, recognize the red and black cloth the tin is on?)
Thank you for your Red Heart Day wishes sent here to Minnesota. Especially a very special one I received from Wisconsin.
Chicken Mama stopped by on her way home tonight and gave us this tin full of chocolate heart confections she made.
They're made with organic ingredients, chocolate that is so pricey I feel guilty eating it, and a luscious cream coconut filling that tastes like Mounds Bars used to taste (only better) when they were made with real ingredients. (Way back when.) This sweet treat is her dad's favorite and I will have to hide them somewhere and portion them out or he'll OD on them for sure.
(Susan, recognize the red and black cloth the tin is on?)
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Simply Beautiful Handwork
A friend of mine "inherited" several pieces of old handwork and asked me if I would like to have this piece of cross-stitching.
I gladly accepted it and have it in my quilt room, but think I'd like to display it in our living room when I find just the right spot for it.
It's 16" wide and 10" deep and is meant to be placed hanging over a shelf. Possibly with a silver tea service on the shelf above or maybe some special porcelain figurines. In our house, it will most likely have books on the shelf above it.
It's done all in cross-stitch except for the edging around the two sides and bottom.
No doubt about it, whoever did this piece was an expert with needle and thread. But the remarkable part of it to me is the back side.
Those of you who have done this type of stitching will recognize the unbelievably well thought out execution of the stitches on the front so that the back looks as perfect as it does.
Wooo-eee. Something for which I could strive . . . but I know it's highly unlikely I'll ever achieve the talent of this unknown handwork artist.
I gladly accepted it and have it in my quilt room, but think I'd like to display it in our living room when I find just the right spot for it.
It's 16" wide and 10" deep and is meant to be placed hanging over a shelf. Possibly with a silver tea service on the shelf above or maybe some special porcelain figurines. In our house, it will most likely have books on the shelf above it.
It's done all in cross-stitch except for the edging around the two sides and bottom.
No doubt about it, whoever did this piece was an expert with needle and thread. But the remarkable part of it to me is the back side.
Those of you who have done this type of stitching will recognize the unbelievably well thought out execution of the stitches on the front so that the back looks as perfect as it does.
Wooo-eee. Something for which I could strive . . . but I know it's highly unlikely I'll ever achieve the talent of this unknown handwork artist.
Monday, February 11, 2019
Winner of Winter Potholders
What a lovely surprise to see so many of you interested in having a chance to receive the potholders I offered as a giveaway! I truly appreciate each and every one of you who entered your name for the drawing.
I do wish I could send a set to each of you, but good golly, I'd be at my sewing machine day and night busily turning them out until time for planting the garden. (Hmmm, doesn't sound like a bad job to me.)
Okay, trumpets please. The name drawn was:
I do wish I could send a set to each of you, but good golly, I'd be at my sewing machine day and night busily turning them out until time for planting the garden. (Hmmm, doesn't sound like a bad job to me.)
Okay, trumpets please. The name drawn was:
Leigh, of 5 Acres and a Dream homestead
The potholders will be wending their way southeastward as soon as I get them packaged and into the post office in town.
Once again, thank you all so much for your very kind words while expressing an interest in the giveaway. You encourage me to do this more often. Some of you know how much I enjoy inflicting my quilted potholders on most anyone interested so this will happen again.
Thursday, February 7, 2019
A Giveaway In Honor Of Our Winter Weather
I know several of you have already been talking about balmy temperatures, starting seeds soon for this season's garden and posting pictures of early spring flowers poking up.
Because of that I've hesitated offering these quilted winter-themed potholders here on the blog as a giveaway because the winter season seems to be all gone and over for some of you.
But, boy howdy, it's sure not the case here. Today we've gotten about 6" of new snow accompanied by lots of blowing snow and a temperature high of 8F above. It will be a long time before our winter's over.
So if anybody's interested, here is the set of potholders I'm giving one of you a chance to receive.
Shades of blue, from that of a winter-y blue sky to snowflakes to a deep, dark navy which is sometimes the color of our night if there's no moonlight for reflection on the snow.
I put the last of that pretty blue printed winter scene fabric on both backs. You might notice that the one on the left had to be pieced because I didn't have a second piece of the fabric big enough. (Darn, I'm sorry I didn't buy more of it.)
If you're in a part of the country that is already into early spring, you could stash these away until next winter.
Just let me know in the comments section if you're interested in having your name put in the hat (it may be one with ear flappers in honor of our cold weather). I'll draw a winner this coming Sunday night, the 10th, right after I shut off my computer at 9 p.m. Be sure to get your entry in before that cut-off time, and I'll post the winner Monday morning.
Good luck to all of you who might be interested in receiving a reminder of what your winter was . . . or still is!
P.S. I just took this picture of a corner of our living room windows. The bottom of the windows are about 5' off the ground outside.
No, the snow isn't that deep on the level, but there is presently a snow drift the wind has made all the way up on the window. (Yay, more time for hibernating!)
Because of that I've hesitated offering these quilted winter-themed potholders here on the blog as a giveaway because the winter season seems to be all gone and over for some of you.
But, boy howdy, it's sure not the case here. Today we've gotten about 6" of new snow accompanied by lots of blowing snow and a temperature high of 8F above. It will be a long time before our winter's over.
So if anybody's interested, here is the set of potholders I'm giving one of you a chance to receive.
Shades of blue, from that of a winter-y blue sky to snowflakes to a deep, dark navy which is sometimes the color of our night if there's no moonlight for reflection on the snow.
I put the last of that pretty blue printed winter scene fabric on both backs. You might notice that the one on the left had to be pieced because I didn't have a second piece of the fabric big enough. (Darn, I'm sorry I didn't buy more of it.)
If you're in a part of the country that is already into early spring, you could stash these away until next winter.
Just let me know in the comments section if you're interested in having your name put in the hat (it may be one with ear flappers in honor of our cold weather). I'll draw a winner this coming Sunday night, the 10th, right after I shut off my computer at 9 p.m. Be sure to get your entry in before that cut-off time, and I'll post the winner Monday morning.
Good luck to all of you who might be interested in receiving a reminder of what your winter was . . . or still is!
P.S. I just took this picture of a corner of our living room windows. The bottom of the windows are about 5' off the ground outside.
No, the snow isn't that deep on the level, but there is presently a snow drift the wind has made all the way up on the window. (Yay, more time for hibernating!)
Monday, February 4, 2019
Succumbed Again!
As a child I loved creating things with my hands. One year as a Christmas present, I asked for and received a "paint by number" kit (not sure how creative that could be labeled) and then spent about a week only looking at it as I didn't want to actually use the paints and canvas . . . because then too soon they would be used up and gone. (How's that for a warped sense of psyche?)
Aaanywho, my love of creating is still very strong and there are few kinds of handwork I don't have an urge to try.
You must understand that only a short time ago I had given myself a couple of lectures on how, perhaps/maybe/probably, I should limit myself to just one choice of handwork so I could actually get more completed and, therefore, feel a real sense of satisfaction. You know, instead of having several (way too many) projects going at once, but feeling as though I completed very few. I should, I reasoned, confine my endeavors to only knitting. Or quilting. Or cross-stitching. Or what about my rug making?
Then, dang and drat, that funny, whacky, lovable blogger Susan wrote a post convincing me it was alright to try new things (even though one might have six or seven "new" things currently underway) and it was alright to purchase new supplies for a new handicraft even though one might already have twenty years (or so) of yet-to-be-used supplies stuffed into every nook and cranny available within the confines of one's home. And out buildings. And rental units (Kidding.)
So what did I do? Of course, I ordered some supplies for wool applique. Which I've been keeping myself from trying for way too long. (Thanks, Susan. I'm holding you completely responsible for any direction in which this leads me.)
How do I like my new endeavor? Love it. But then I've always enjoyed embroidery. (Who else's husband had embroidery all over the collar, across the back yoke and down the front of his work shirts in the 1970s?) And embroidery does, indeed, come into play with wool applique.
Here's my first attempt. A bit of a learning curve to it all, but I'm willing to continue navigating it.
I took the basic idea from this design . . .
. . . in this book I ordered.
Lots of blanket stitching.
And French knots.
And a couple other stitches I need to brush up on.
I would rather have had a large piece of felted wool on which to mount my little leaf/heart/flower design thingie, but didn't.
Next stop, our local second-hand resale shop to look through their fabric bins. Wanna come along, Susan? No telling what goodies you might find!
Aaanywho, my love of creating is still very strong and there are few kinds of handwork I don't have an urge to try.
You must understand that only a short time ago I had given myself a couple of lectures on how, perhaps/maybe/probably, I should limit myself to just one choice of handwork so I could actually get more completed and, therefore, feel a real sense of satisfaction. You know, instead of having several (way too many) projects going at once, but feeling as though I completed very few. I should, I reasoned, confine my endeavors to only knitting. Or quilting. Or cross-stitching. Or what about my rug making?
Then, dang and drat, that funny, whacky, lovable blogger Susan wrote a post convincing me it was alright to try new things (even though one might have six or seven "new" things currently underway) and it was alright to purchase new supplies for a new handicraft even though one might already have twenty years (or so) of yet-to-be-used supplies stuffed into every nook and cranny available within the confines of one's home. And out buildings. And rental units (Kidding.)
So what did I do? Of course, I ordered some supplies for wool applique. Which I've been keeping myself from trying for way too long. (Thanks, Susan. I'm holding you completely responsible for any direction in which this leads me.)
How do I like my new endeavor? Love it. But then I've always enjoyed embroidery. (Who else's husband had embroidery all over the collar, across the back yoke and down the front of his work shirts in the 1970s?) And embroidery does, indeed, come into play with wool applique.
Here's my first attempt. A bit of a learning curve to it all, but I'm willing to continue navigating it.
I took the basic idea from this design . . .
. . . in this book I ordered.
Lots of blanket stitching.
And French knots.
And a couple other stitches I need to brush up on.
I would rather have had a large piece of felted wool on which to mount my little leaf/heart/flower design thingie, but didn't.
Next stop, our local second-hand resale shop to look through their fabric bins. Wanna come along, Susan? No telling what goodies you might find!
Friday, February 1, 2019
Is February Still A Winter Month For You?
It definitely is for most of us living in the upper part of our nation. And certainly much of Canada, too. We have plenty of winter weather left all the way through March and (yikes!) even some years well into April.
It's also the month with the holiday of Valentine's Day in it which, sorry to say, has become so overly commercialized. This year perhaps we should celebrate the day by telling the people in our lives whom we love that we do! Does anyone ever get tired of hearing those words spoken aloud?
For other friends and acquaintances, take the time to tell them how appreciated they are and how much you enjoy having them in your life.
Be brave and forget the syrupy cards and expensive bouquets of flowers. (Unless, of course, those two expressions of your sentiments will win you an untold number of points from your Valentine.)
Instead why not make a pan of fudge to share? I'll make my annual batch of pink frosted, heart-shaped sugar cookies. Or how about having friends over for an old-fashioned home cooked meal? Those of us still firmly entrenched in winter time desire food that will sustain us through a few more snowfalls and temperatures stuck near the bottom of the thermometer.
The meal can be as simple as a bowl of thick soup and fresh baked bread or rolls. (With a plate of that fudge for dessert.)
Speaking food, I've read in several places that cabbage is "the vegetable of the month." Knock on wood, ours are still holding their own in our root cellar. From cooked, buttered cabbage to flavorful coleslaw, we like it. Oh, if only I had gotten and saved my mom's recipe for Pigs in a Blanket. Gosh, those were always so good!
Another little tidbit I picked up when reading about the month of February, the first Friday of the month is . . . are you ready for this? National Bubble Gum Day. And the first Friday of the month happens to be today! Sadness and woe, here I sit without a single piece of bubble gum in the house.
I wonder how long it's actually been since I had any bubble gum? How 'bout you?
It's also the month with the holiday of Valentine's Day in it which, sorry to say, has become so overly commercialized. This year perhaps we should celebrate the day by telling the people in our lives whom we love that we do! Does anyone ever get tired of hearing those words spoken aloud?
For other friends and acquaintances, take the time to tell them how appreciated they are and how much you enjoy having them in your life.
Be brave and forget the syrupy cards and expensive bouquets of flowers. (Unless, of course, those two expressions of your sentiments will win you an untold number of points from your Valentine.)
Instead why not make a pan of fudge to share? I'll make my annual batch of pink frosted, heart-shaped sugar cookies. Or how about having friends over for an old-fashioned home cooked meal? Those of us still firmly entrenched in winter time desire food that will sustain us through a few more snowfalls and temperatures stuck near the bottom of the thermometer.
The meal can be as simple as a bowl of thick soup and fresh baked bread or rolls. (With a plate of that fudge for dessert.)
Speaking food, I've read in several places that cabbage is "the vegetable of the month." Knock on wood, ours are still holding their own in our root cellar. From cooked, buttered cabbage to flavorful coleslaw, we like it. Oh, if only I had gotten and saved my mom's recipe for Pigs in a Blanket. Gosh, those were always so good!
Another little tidbit I picked up when reading about the month of February, the first Friday of the month is . . . are you ready for this? National Bubble Gum Day. And the first Friday of the month happens to be today! Sadness and woe, here I sit without a single piece of bubble gum in the house.
I wonder how long it's actually been since I had any bubble gum? How 'bout you?
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