Two on Tuesday (17 July 2012)

1. Antidepressants-- Guess this is kind of weird, but antidepressants are a wonderful thing. I wish that so many people weren't against them. We have to go to a graveside service today for an elderly gentleman who committed suicide. Maybe if he would have had the right meds he'd still be with us.

2. Coupons--I had a coupon for any free Oscar Mayer product that I could use on any product up to $9. I bought the thick sliced bacon and we had some great BLTs last night.

What I've Been Up To...

The other day when I told you I was making and canning tomato sauce, it smelled so good, that I decided to use some of it that night and make spaghetti so my daily yield wasn't as much as originally expected--2 quarts and 2 half-pints.  Here's what I got.

When I date them, I only put the year, some people put the entire date but tomato sauce is one of the quickest items to get used up so I don't worry about it.

Spent some more time on the baby blanket/afghan. Here's the update:

I know, it's a bit on the colorful side.  :) Still don't know who this is going to. Anyway, this is it for now. Have a great week. Hugs...

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (16 July 2012)

Some of you may be old enough to remember hanging plants that were very popular back in the 70s. Here's a pattern to crochet your own plant hanger. This is a nice pattern not only to use in your house but it would be nice to hang plants outside too.

It's Time to Can Tomatoes

Today I have started canning tomatoes. I have a pot simmering on the stove and it smells wonderful!

My sauce is adapted from Presto's manual that comes with pressure canners. It is available online here. The difference between what I do and the manual calls for is that I do not peel the tomatoes.

TOMATO SAUCE

Wash tomatoes and cut off stems and bad spots. I leave the skin on and whirl in the food processor until liquid. Then strain with a fine mesh strainer to get all the seeds out.

Heat in large saucepan or pot until sauce reaches desired consistency—cooked about half way down. Just before your sauce is finished cooking, give your jars an inspection and then a good hot rinse—I use my dishwasher for this. This is also a good time to read the directions that come with your seals and get ready to use them.

For quarts--add 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. For pints-- add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice.

Pour hot sauce in clean, hot canning jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Adjust jar lids. Using a nonmetallic utensil, slowly mix the sauce and lemon juice in the jars trying to get all air bubbles out.

Pressure canning: Process at 10 pounds pressure, pints and quarts

15 minutes.

More Pressure Canners

WIP Wednesday (11 July 2012)

It's going to be a baby blanket when it's finished. I'm working on this in between other things. I finished a "surprise" last night but since it is a surprise for someone I can't show it to you just yet. Also finished an afghan except for weaving in the ends so when I get that done I'll show it to you. Anyway, here's the baby blankie--

The center squares are from this pattern. These squares are a pain in the patootie to make difficult because there are many, many ends to weave in. I'm also using a traditional granny square and a solid granny in this. No plans on who to give this to yet but I'll find someone.

I'm linking this up to the following sites. You can visit them and see some great things and link your project up to them too.

• Ambassador Crochet WIP Wednesday
• Tami's Amis WIP Wednesday
• Yarn Along
• Hooking on Hump Day
• What You Doing Wednesday

Have fun everyone and stay cool!

Crochet Patterns for Kindle

I Like These...

Last week when I went to the PX I picked up a copy of Crochet! magazine. There are 2 afghan patterns in there that I am heads over heels for. One is a single color afghan that is very plain but the edging/border is so pretty and it makes the afghan into something special.

From: Gormley, Ellen. "Serene Meadow." Crochet!, Summer 2012, 70-71, 94.

The next one may be at the top of my afghan making list (unless, par for course, I change my mind again). I have enough neutral browns, tans and tweeds in my stash to make this.

From: White, Shari. "Summertime Blues." Crochet!, Summer 2012, 68-69, 93-94.

Okay, that's all I wanted to share with you today. I actually put this together ahead of time so I had a post for today!

Two on Tuesday (10 July 2012)

Two more things I like--

1. The cooler temperatures of spring and fall
2. The good feeling when someone likes what I crochet for them

A Cautionary Tale

I received this in an email and thought it funny but at the same time a lesson to be heeded.

Old Butch

John was in the fertilized egg business.

He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,'

and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs.

He kept records, and any rooster not performing went into the

soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and

attached them to his roosters.

Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance,

which rooster was performing.

Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report

by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, old Butch, was a very fine specimen,

but this morning he noticed old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!

When he went to investigate, he saw the other roosters were

busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets, hearing

the roosters coming, would run for cover.

To John's amazement, old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it

couldn't ring.

He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the

Saint Lawrence County Fair and he became an overnight

sensation among the judges.

The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the

"No Bell Piece Prize," but they also awarded him the

"Pulletsurprise" as well.

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but

a politician could figure out how to win two of the most coveted

awards on our planet by being the best at sneaking up on the

unsuspecting populace and screwing them when they weren't

paying attention.

Vote carefully this fall, the bells are not always audible.

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (09 July 2012)

Before you know it, Christmas will be knocking on our doors. Today's link is for a cute pillow designed to look like a Christmas present. This is a nice size project to work on during these hot summer days. Here's the link and I hope you enjoy.

I Did Some Pot and Pan Rattling Yesterday

When I go in the kitchen to cook, dh says I "rattle the pots and pans." Yesterday, I wanted to figure out what do do with a package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 8 or 9). I pondered this for a bit and decided on a big chicken pot pie. So, not being a Julia Child clone, I hied myself to the store and bought 2 pie crusts.

Note:  I didn't use any "measurements" so I can only give you an idea of what I did.

I simmered the thighs in a bit of water (water to the top of chicken but not covering) to which I added a couple chicken bullion cubes. I turned the meat over a few times as it cooked. When the meat was cooked through, I cubed it and put it back in the water/bullion.

Then I mixed the following items in with the chicken

• handful of green beans from the garden
• handful of frozen peas
• a bit of frozen corn
• bits of green onion
• can of mushroom stems and pieces
• can of potatoes cubed

It didn't look right so I whipped up a batch of "convenience" country gravy (2 cups) and mixed it with everything else in the pan. I still needed to simmer the concoction down a bit because it was a little thin.

Because of the salt in the bullion cubes, onions and the seasoning in the gravy mix, I didn't add any additional seasonings.

After the filling was thickened up a bit, I poured it in a store-bought pie crust. Oops! I made too much filling so I filled the other pie crust. Now I needed tops to my pot pies so I made the homemade pie crust from my old Betty Crocket Cook Book. I put the tops on the pot pies and baked at 425 for about 30 minutes. My picky husband loved it and he's not much of a chicken-eater!

Lesson learned--it really isn't hard to make pie crust so no need to spend the extra to buy it.

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend and staying cool. 

Hugs...

Added: Hubby just asked if we could have the leftovers tonight for supper. That's okay with me!

Good Morning Everyone!

And there is yet ANOTHER giveaway. This time it is for a Knook. I've seen these kits and thought it  might be interesting to learn but haven't bought one yet because I still have to break out the butterfly looms I bought a few years ago when they were deeply discounted to around $1 each. I do want to give this a try though. Maybe we should have a try a new technique with yarn day here in blog world. Hmm, that's not a bad idea. Anyway, we're talking Knook and not butterfly looms so for your chance to win one, head on over to this page at AllFreeKnitting.

Good luck my friends and I hope one of you/us wins. Stay cool...

More Knook Stuff

Go here to win 2 hanks of reclaimed cotton yarn. Good luck to all my friends in blogger world. I hope one of you win!!!

I Am--

Wishing Everyone

A Safe and Happy 4th of July

WIP Wednesday (04 July 2012)

Getting there--

Go to this page and see some more WIP.

Heat Must Be Getting to Me

I follow a couple blogs and today 2 kind ladies posted refreshing sounding recipes for  warm weather lasagna and salad. Of course, both are made of ice cream so they might not be the most nutritious meal you can have but they do sound good in this heat wave we're having. Check out these recipes and the blogs they're on and find some great recipes and crochet work.

Stay cool....

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (02 July 2012)

Here is a cute pattern for a retro looking poodle. This is a small enough project to work on when summer's heat kicks in. I'm having to work on the afghan inside because it is just too darned hot to have it on my lap on the patio even with the ceiling fans on out there. This would be cute to give to someone into the 50s look. Have fun and a great week.

Things Are Heating Up!

Are any of you experiencing a heat wave like we are? Not only is it hot, but it's sticky too! Here's a look at the temperature at our house yesterday. Remember, this is on our shaded patio with the ceiling fans running there. Oh, it's supposed to get up to 105 today!

How do you beat the heat? I make sure there are lots of cool drinks such as caffeine free sodas, ice tea and water to keep us hydrated. We stay inside and avoid swimming during the "heat of the day." We do take a dip in the cool times of the day to avoid sunburn--don't forget sunscreen too.

Keep cool my friends and have a wonderful weekend!

More Inside-Outside Thermometers

You Have a Chance to Win "Unexpected Afghans" Book

The Crochet Dude is having a giveaway! Go to this page and enter for your chance to win Robyn Chacula's new book (digital copy) Unexpected Afghans. Good luck!

Recycled Silk Yarn Giveaway!

All Free Crochet Afghan Patterns is having a giveaway for Lux Adventure Collection Recycled Yarn. It is made of 100% mulberry silk from recycled silk saris. Go ahead and get your entry in quick. I hope that someone I know wins it! Good luck and let me know if you win.

Faux Tie Dye Using Permanent Markers

When Leslie spent a few days with us last week, I wanted to make something with her that she would enjoy and would use too. Unfortunately for me, she's not interested in learning to crochet.  I found many online postings about tie-dying with sharpie markers. So, off to the store we went for an assortment of sharpie markers and a plain-white, 100% cotton t-shirt. The plain, adult sized t-shirts were rather pricey at Michaels so we went to Burkes Outlet and found a very nice one (Cherokee brand) for $4.99. Here's a couple pictures showing the artist and her creation:

Leslie wasn't into making "symmetrical" designs but that's okay too.

Here she is modeling her new shirt:

Papaw saw us having fun doing this and he brought out an old t-shirt of his to have us make designs on:

A couple sites we looked at before making these were:

• http://blog.sharpie.com/2008/11/sharpie-to-tie-dye-for/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V640P6rm1I

You can get a nice set of sharpies here:

Any permanent marker would probably work if you don't want to use sharpies.

Twinkie Chan Is Having a Giveaway!

Twinkie Chan is having a giveaway on her blog. Three people will win an iphone 4 cover, a notebook and a 20% discount at her etsy shop. Go here to enter! You may remember that I made a pizza scarf from one of her patterns:

Good luck!

Kindle version of her book:

Print version of her book:

Afghans--1 Down and 1 to Go!

A dear friend commissioned me to make 2 afghans. She sent me the yarn (way too much yarn) and has already paid me by gifting me with  a new Kitchen-aid mixer. She is such a kind person and a friend since we were in  junior high  (aka middle school ) back in the late 1960s. We had an afghan planning meeting via land line and Internet and we decided to use the Hills and Plateaus Throw pattern from Red Heart. We did decide to make it a bit longer than the pattern called for so that there would be plenty of head-to-toe length to snuggle with on cold evenings. Here is the completed afghan and a closeup view of the pattern:

I think the black row gives a 3D look. This afghan is going to a 49ers fan.

Last night, I started the 2nd afghan. This one is for a Vikings fan. Not much done yet but you can see the bold colors.

We decided to make purple the main color and I think that was a good idea.

I need to make something special to gift this friend with. She only wears natural fibers so maybe a wool scarf might work. I think I may have enough blue yarn in my stash or maybe I'll splurge on some bamboo yarn. I do believe I have time to figure something out.

I'm still not caught up showing you what I want to show but that's okay because I have something to write about for another few days. :)

Y'all have a great week!

A Little Bit Different Sort of Crochet Project

I know I have been more or less absent from here lately and I'm sorry about that. I'm behind on the CAL to make my chi's hats, posting Monday pattern link and the photo a day for June. Life has just gotten in the way.

I'm frogging a blankie I made for Opi and Nellie Belle a few years ago out of magic ball (left over) yarn. The stitches were too big and their little paws got tangled up.  Out of the salvaged yarn, I am spool knitting a super-thick cord and crocheting it with an "S" hook into a round comfy  mat for them to have on the chilly floor. This is a project to work on when I'm out on the patio. I must say this is a very time consuming thing to make.

I have some more things to share with you but that's for another time. I'm still trying to catch up on my blog reading.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

Today this spool knitting book is free on Amazon. Be sure to check the price at checkout to ensure  that it is still free.

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Spool Knitting Goodies

A Chance to Win Bernat Mosaic Yarn

Bernat is sponsoring a giveaway of 3 skeins of Bernat Mosaic Yarn. Go to this All Free Crochet page to get your entries. Good luck!

You Can *Win* Some Great Stuff!

Over at Not Your Average Crochet you can enter the giveaway for 5 small skeins of yarn, 3 pretty hooks and some cute buttons. Go here and get your entry in.

Catching Up With Photo of the Day AGAIN!

What can I say, I'm a procrastinator and a forgetter. So here are the pictures for 2 days, 1 late and the other on time (believe it or not). Yesterday's topic was "Art." This piece of artwork was made by my baby boy who is now 32. I have carted this around from our military family days in Hawaii, to Oklahoma, to California, to Illinois and finally to hubby's retirement in Kentucky. I'm not the kind of mum who saves all her children's artwork just a few select pieces that really touch me in their childlike simplicity and in this case love.

Today's subject matter is "Time" and what says that more simply than a clock and this one gives you a little look at the weather too. Guess this picture is a bit boring but then I don't get out much because I'm a Hermit and yes, that capital H is on purpose. :-)

Hope Y'all are having a wonderful day. Hugs...

Sunshine Award!

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Homeschooljewelrymom of Stitches, Scraps and Sparkles in the Sun gave me this award. Here's the rules of the award:

Sunshine Award Rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you - done.
2. Answer the 10 questions on your favorite things.
3. Nominate ten blogs to receive the Sunshine Award and let them know they've been nominated.


Favorite animal: chihuahua
Favorite number: 57 because that's the year I was born
Favorite non alcoholic drink: coffee--straight up black and hot
Facebook or Twitter: both but only go to Facebook although I sometimes tweet things that I find intereesting
My passion: reading,crocheting and Internet
Getting or giving: Giving 
Favorite pattern: Slippers-- http://www.knitting-crochet.com/crochet/slisoc.html
Favorite day of the week: Tuesday because that's the day older son comes over to do laundry
Favorite flower: tie between roses and carnations
Favorite country: USA


Now for the hard part (and this is why I stopped accepting awards for a while) and that's picking 10 blogs to pass this award on to. I want to be fair but I read so many blogs that it is very difficult to pick only 10. I'm not going to duplicate awards to those who received one from the person who gave it to me because we want to share the wealth right? Believe me, I want to give this award to some of those bloggers. Anyway, here goes...

1. To Miss Leslie's Place this is to my great granddaughter of my heart because she's special. She hasn't posted lately so maybe this will get her back in the swing of things!
2. My Secret Crochet Blog
3. Posh Pooch
4. Crocheting and Life in General
5. Petunia Pill
6. Handmade at Home
7. Homestead Survival this blog is new to me but it is chock full of interesting things to make/do
8. Sunflowerz Crochet 
9. Sandy Sewz 
10. The Crochet Way good place to show off your creations

This took quite a while. I'll be sending out notices to winners a bit later today. 

Until later...

I'm Falling Behind on My Photo of the Day Challenge! Oh NO!

Catching-up time

June 10th--

"Best Bit of Your Weekend"  = Having the time to appreciate nature's beauty.

June 11th--

"Door" = New deadbolt on Sunday means a new paint job needed on Monday.

June 12--

"From a Low Angle" = Animal habitat in tree

I'm caught up for now and I hope to stay that way. I really need to force myself to get out of the house with my camera in hand and get some variety in my surroundings. I am realizing by taking these pictures how limited my exposure to new/different things is.

If you're interested in how this picture of the day thing works, go here.

This 'n That...

As you can see, I did a bit of remodeling here. I get bored pretty quick with the same look and then I remodel every now and then.

I'm still working on the afghan. it's between 2/3rds and 3/4ths done. I'll hold off on pictures for a while since I've shown status updates on it a few times already.

I'm doing the CAL for a dog hat. Actually I'm doing it twice so both Opi and Nellie Belle each get one--can't have one getting jealous so have to treat them the same. I was surprised that there is a 2" difference in their head circumferences. Opi was a little-bitty thing until he chunked out and his body is shorter (top to bottom and front to back) when you compare him to Nellie Belle.  Since this is a small item, today's status doesn't show much.

The variegated one is for Nellie Belle and the off-white is for Opi.

My dumb question for the day:  "Why when you buy things for outdoor use, does the manufacturer include parts such as screws, nuts and/or bolts, that are made of materials that will rust when exposed to the elements?" Example is this solar light cap on the porch. It's a bit hard to see in this picture but the screw that mounts it is all rusted and we just installed it this spring.

Monday's Link to Free Crochet Pattern (11 June 2012)

Do you ever have the urge to crochet a matching jacket for you and your furry pooch? Now you can. Today's link to a free pattern will show you how you and your pooch can wear matching, ripple crocheted sweaters. Go here and get hooking quick!

Have fun!