Still Up To My Old Tricks....

Forget about the last post...I'll be better tomorrow...always tomorrow.  (It worked for Scarlett O'Hara, right!?)  I'm sipping my coffee, presently and taking a break from the stitching.  I finished up the Ripple ala Attic24 and have done a Ruffled Pillow similar to hers...but saw I had lots of yarn left in a bag.  I'm determined (if nothing else) to DeStash the yarn and fabric this year.  So I've started a Hexi-ghan ala Attic24.  She is a lovely inspiration to me and so many others around the crochet world! =]

I'll get pics up here, soon.  I also am working on a couple of quilts for a couple of neices.  I have several more neices of varying ages, but these two get the first creations and all the mistakes! =]  I'm heading out with like-minded quilters later this week for stitching retreat.  I anticipate much will be accomplished, and perhaps A Lot of shopping and gabbing!  I am taking along a new project:  purchased at a garage sale last year...$5 purple batik dust ruffle!  It will become my first attempts at a Disappearing Nine-patch quilt for my friend Jules.  I will be happily cutting up fabrics for much of two days, I'm sure.  Sewing squares together and then cutting them apart again...don't ask me silly questions on how this all becomes a quilt again...More Sewing...Duh! 

I've gone and spent MrJ's hard earned money on an Amazon purchase....a PVC quilt frame for finishing all this activity.  I will be done w/quite a bit in March.  If I don't come back to post soon, one project or another has gotten the better of me!  Of course, I will be heading up to see my Sis and two neices(the ones mentioned before) and then to go see the Quilt Expo, too.  MrJ is working lots w/work and will need me to keep up w/laundry and cooking, too. 

Spring is right around the corner...even tho we saw snow overnight.  I see the tuplips are trying to bloom and robins have come back from their wise migration to warmer areas.  I can't wait to sit out on the back porch and tie/quilt a few sewn items.  I wish that I had regular crafting buddies on days like that...what a frolic.  I miss the good old days when every neighbor did similar activities and were there to help out w/Spring planting, quilting, canning, etc.  You can bet that's why I'll enjoy this weekend very much and enjoy the fun and inspiration of ladies like Lucy and my very good friend B...also from the UK.  They make me keep doing what I do...and Smiling Everyday!...Thanks Ladies!

cc

What didn't I get done today...

I had good intentions for the day.  Really, I did.  Let's just say that the ham dinner will wait.  What a Dear Hubby I have to eat quiche and garlic bread...=]  I did fix him a planned strawberries and shortcake.  It was ok, nothing really home prepared or fresh.  I'll have to do that one over again with fresh(not frozen) strawberries and a Bisquick shortcake that he likes. 

I didn't make pies, either...well, other than the quiche. 

Let me tell you what I did get finished and it will make me seem all the more lame.  I put the fringe on a scarf and trimmed it up.  I put it in it's own bag, taped it up and put it in a drawer.  I did do some other knitting and crochet on projects. 

Let me tell you, I'm giving up on coffee.  It's my second day.  Tea is all I'll allow for caffeine intake.  Well, chocolate, too.  Maybe the very rare Pepsi w/my Sis.  As well as giving up that addiction I've given up smoking.  I'm glad for it.  I feel so very much better after just a few days.  A sinus cold had me at my last straw.  Just feeling yucky in general was wearing me down.  I intend to be able to swim this summer and to take walks and maybe even get back into yoga.  I really am determined to clean out the toxins and eat and LIVE better! 

You won't find me giving up my knitting, crocheting, sewing, quilting, and gardening, tho!! 

And here are the promised pics:

One of two ripples I'm having fun crocheting.  I think the other one might be on hold as I'd like to find another color to add in before finishing it.

 Here is the scarf I finished up today...the fringe looks rather poorly done.  It's the one part of the scarf I don't care for. 

Slacker!!

So sorry to be MIA...for more than six months! Ya know how it is...one feels quite silly putting up all the thoughts whirling around in one's head...and then clams up for a bit.  =]  Really, though, I'm fine, made it through to the New Year  ( Happy 2012, btw!) and now I'm settling in for a few wintry months of stitching.  Our Dear Daughter is heading back states-side after a stint in the Middle to far East desert.  YaY!  Only a matter of months until she's out of the service and closer to home. 

Over the holidays, I was able to see our Dear Son and our would be Daughter-in-Law and of course, our Dear Grandbaby!!  Grandma was delighted to spoil her rotten.  I was a bit exhausted the day after they left for home, but it was great to have them visit.  I missed her right away and our dancing and singing time. 

The next weekend I went up to my Dear Sister's home for scrapbooking event.  Ok, so I have yet to really scrapbook while I'm there.  I had a good time sorting newly made digi-pics and putting my crafty pics into a new album...which Sis passed on to me from our Dear Mother.  Sis hadn't put it to good use, so it's mine, now.  Also, while up in the area I struck out to find a nearby (recomended) quilt store.  I remembered the town had an old fashioned Ben Franklin store.  Well, didn't find either one in the little burg outside the burbs.  So I Bing'd another one and went to Hampshire, IL.  Nice!   The quilt store is great and I've signed up to make a really cute quilt in February.  It co-incides w/DS's next scrapbooking date! I do intend to take up my Kitty Album for that occasion...thank you! =]

I've been busy knitting, mostly.  I did get a wild hair to pick up some crochet.  I have several afghans in the works, but they wouldn't do...one I've ordered some yarn for one of them.  The others will wait their turn (again) while I cleared out several skeins from the stash.  I had to work on Attic24's Ripple design.  Yes, I have two going, concurrently.  I do really like the pattern, easy to pick up and remember.  I was looking at Ms. Lucy's blog this evening and saw that she's also been working on a stunning new Ripple afghan.  So, I'll have to take a pic and add one in here very soon.  Not sure if anyone bothers to look here, but it will be nice to share anyways.

I hope to make some pies tomorrow and a nice ham dinner.  I like the holiday ham we had at the Dear In-Laws.  I like visiting with them when we can.  After eating our way through November and December, it's nice to fully enjoy the dinner again later.  The Mister will be working some overtime and I think he deserves a nice cooked dinner for his efforts, too.  Just getting into work these days is a chore.  Quite blustery and snowy outside...that's why I knit...right through to Spring. 

Hmmmm, where's my Dear Seed Catalog......=]

cc

The Perils of Returning Home...

Good Evening.  I'm worn out, again.  Since coming home I've been asleep promptly at 9:30.  I know it's not technically jet lag, but I think that it must be something like it.  ? Too much excitement?  I believe I'll call it all that.  It truly couldn't be all the housework I've been catching up on: kitty clean-up detail, refridgerator culling, garbage out, sorting mail/paper stacks, bed making, laundry, dishes, baking/cooking, and a wee bit of weeding.  The Mister did the berry picking and he mowed today.  He does a lot of the outdoor work.  I take him for granted quite a bit.  He has been scanning negatives from when our babies were really babies.  There are so many that take me right back to the day...=]

I seem to be slipping into some kind of funky mood...moving right along....

Due to a lack of right proper grilling items, we did not have a home-cooked meal last night.  We ordered a pizza from town. 
Due to my being a ninny-ditz and losing the printed pattern to the blueberry recipe that I wanted to use (and just a little stubborn about it all), finally located said pattern in the car w/coupon binder...*duh*
I made the pie in the evening, left it a wee bit too long, had to let it cool and the Mister and I didn't get pie until this evening.  It was still runny, just like the comments had stated.  Also good w/ice cream just as stated!
I did make beef/noodles for dinner tonight.  Nothing fancy.  I think the pie was the main course anyway after waiting for it for awhile.

Moving right along...
Last Saturday I left my Sister's home at 4am on my way to Minnesota.  Why so early?  I had planned on stopping for the KIP event just over the border into Minnesota...that would be Knit in Public day, folks!  I had a wonderful two hours stitching and chatting w/the fellow crafters on the streets and in the shop!
Here is the view from the little town of Winona:

One one side of town, a rocky crag that one could hike up to.  On the other:

And while visiting I did get a couple of skeins of yarn and a nice knitting book that has patterns to help me use up sock yarn-since I really tend to botch those every time!  What is the first pattern I'd do from the book, say/think you??  Guess...=] Yeah, a pair of socks!  Newborn-size baby socks.  Later on my trip, my Son would help me to find the DPNs(double-pointed needles) and sock yarn to use for the pattern.  I wrote those out, smiling, cause I was having to explain to my dear boy why I needed those to make socks.  I had a blast explaining straight needles, circular needles, and DPNs.  The ones I bought were 5" long...shorter than ususal, but perfect for making baby socks with.

I will leave it at that for now...T, minus 12 minutes and counting til I'm crashed for the night...hope everyone else is able to rest and enjoy tomorrow and the following weekend.  Truly the simple things are best!
CC

Back from the Twin Cities...

Long time no chat! Thanks for your patience as I've been away on a jolly holiday to see family!  I have so much to share from this trip that I will break it down over the next several days.  =]  To catch up on old news, though, here is the picture of our new toaster oven:

Ain't she a beaut!  The mister picked it out.  I've made toast in it once...not sure if he put it to use while I was away, but I suspect not as his favorite appliance is the microwave! =]

Also, the Mister is quite happy with harvesting his blueberry crop this week.  I took a pic before I left as they were just turning at that time.

Today I make a blueberry pie!  I "happened" to be watching Alex's Day Off on the Cooking Channel (I think), and saw the episode featuring the Blueberry Pie recipe that I'll be using.  Here is a link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/blueberry-pie-recipe/index.html
I've not tried it yet, read the reviews and will enjoy it I believe.  I've also used Alton Brown's recipe for blueberry pie with great success!  At any rate, I think the Mister deserves a homemade dinner tonight and pie for dessert after suffering my being gone for 4 days! =] A full report on dinner and dessert tomorrow-stay tuned!

Also, I just HaD to go and get a food scale last week...yeah, had the Mister scratching his head, too.  "Are you starting some kind of diet?" Heck, no...I need to weigh my yarn! He started laughing and thinking I had totally lost my mind.  So I found a great knitting pattern for using up all kinds of yarn. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/norwayneedles/2963651011
One has to easily divide a skein of yarn to know when to stop increasing and begin decreases to finish evenly.  The pattern suggests using a scale.  Sooo, I got one!  And her I am using it to weigh out 25 grams of yarn(midpoint of a 50g skein):

As you can see I was getting close. =]  I've since finished that scarf, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet.  I also weighed out some reclaimed yarn from a thrift sweater and have started that one.  I think the scale will be put to good use for all kinds of yarny crafts! Now who's laughing Mister!  *maniacal  laughter*

And as for the trip, I was able to spend the night at my sister's place, visit a new town (and yarn shop) in Minnesota, I was able to kiss, play, and snuggle with my grandbaby, hang out with my son, and also grandbaby's Mom...I think of her as a daughter-in-law...=]
I will be sharing photos and good times that I had over the next few days.  But for now this old girl is in recovery mode and ship-shaping the homestead.  It's a lot to recover from driving (and my son's driving me) around on 3, 4, and 5 lane highways in 'the Cities', as the locals say. Whew!  Quite a difference from here to there and back again, for this Country Crafter.

Computer's Not Playing Nice...

Ok, I DiD have another installment of Country Crafter's Crazyness all ready to publish...I'm not sure if this one will go any better.  *grrr*  I do not claim to be very good at all this 'puter stuff...so I'll have to try again next week.  My time is up for playing on here.  I'm heading up North to visit family and will be back sometime next week!  I'll try and repost pics and updates again!  So sorry to post and run...but I gotta say Ciao for now...on the road for this Country Crafter!!

Sneaking Greens on the Mister...

Or in other words...springing a new recipe for roasted chicken on him! I did that on Monday evening.  I like to collect recipe books, online recipes, and from other cooks everywhere.  I have plenty in my collection.  So Sunday, while planning shopping and cooking for the week, I grabbed The Quilter's Kitchen by Jennifer Chiaverini and scanned the book for something refreshing during our sweltering Spring Midwest weather.  Roast Chicken with Cilantro and Orange seemed perfect!  It was well received and here is the recipe:

1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped, stems discarded
3 garlic cloves
2 shallots, halved
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup olive oil
Two 3-pound chickens, necks and giblets removed
1 orange, quartered

Place the cilantro, garlic, shallots, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes, if using, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until everything is chopped. Add the orange zest and juice and pulse again.  While the processor is running, slowly add the olive oil.
Rinse the chickens in cold water until the water runs clear.  Place each chicken in a large resealable plastic bag and add half the maridnade.  Be sure the cilantro-orange mixture gets into all the cavities.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.  Turn the bag occasionally.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the chickens on a roasting pan and put 2 orange quarters in the cavity of each chicken.
Transfer to the oven and roast until the juices run clear, about 1 hour 15 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes and serve.

Ok, for the two of us I used only one chicken and two cloves of garlic and one shallot.  The mister liked the taste and while he didn't collard greens, he did have cilantro flavoring used in this way for the first time...other than salsa.  I have leftovers for chicken salad for lunch today that will be served over salad greens...YuM!! 
I don't know about anyone else, but my eating habits change with the weather.  I love fresh fruits and veggies, salads, cottage cheese-anything chilled and easily tossed together for the summer-time weather.  I also love to bake and eat heavier foods as well as roasts, stews and soups in the cold weather.  I hope to share all of my favorites here!  I have a hankering to make a blueberry pie very soon even though the blueberries won't be ripe for a little while.  I'll have to grab a couple of bags of frozen blueberries from the store(and some vanilla ice cream to top it with).  I do have rhubarb to use from the yarden presently.  That is a favorite for the Mister, I do not care for it.  I'll make that up this week and share a recipe from my Mother-in-law!

In crafting news, another row added to the granny project, another to add today.  I've completed two scarves for the mission.  Also cast-on for a Baktus 'scarf'. I will have pics of these new projects to share tomorrow!  For now, there is laundry and other chores to keep me busy until the Mister gets home from work and then we are off to town to get...tada!: a new toaster oven...=]  Big time fun...at least I think so cause this is one practical Country Crafter...