It's a Blizzard...

...a blizzard of knitting, I guess. Finished some things, and am thinking that I'm leaning toward "monogamy." Explanation below. First, Thanksgiving...

It was just the two of us for dinner. Hubby cooked a turkey breast; I did the potatoes and Brussels sprouts and he did the Apple Cranberry Chutney. 

It was nice; the potatoes and Brussels Sprouts we roasted in small cast iron pans. The chutney took about 40 minutes, but served warm, it was lovely. 

The Sprouts did get a "bit caramelized" - a tad more than I usually like them, but they were still pretty good. The potatoes were kind of cool: slice them thinly, fan them out and arrange them in a pan that's been brushed with olive oil. Season however you like, dot with butter and cover with foil. Bake at 350* till fork tender. Remove, sprinkle with Parm and stick 'em back in for 10-ish minutes. Imagine this picture only in a cast iron skillet. I used 4 potatoes, and we had leftovers to have with another meal. 

You can use however many potatoes you like. I seasoned with an Italian blend, salt & pepper. I should have used some more of our fresh Rosemary, but I used several stalks in the turkey breast, so I didn't want to overwhelm the taste buds with only one note of flavor. We used Yukon gold potatoes, and they cook up nice and tender. 

I've done that before, with a whole baking potato: cut it in slices, almost all the way through, drizzle with olive oil, put a couple of bay leaves in there, wrap it in foil and stick it on the grill. 

Christmas Baking has commenced...

I had an early dismissal on Wednesday (thanks, doc!) from work and got my list in order. On Friday I started baking. And baking. And baking. 

Here's the list. Here are the check-marks. That's what's done. The rest is Hubby's except I'll do the Honey Cookies. I may do Kolachky (sometimes spelled Kolache), if we think we need more. 

This year, I've done one batch of each; usually I double them, but Hubby and I talked and thought that perhaps singles would do. We shall see... 


We did the usual: Snow on the Mountain - Kid #2 is doing his version with a dash of chili powder and cinnamon + sugar to roll them in (also to let people know which are plain and which are a little on the spicy side! This mix killed a cookie scoop. Ended up molding them by hand, which is always fun. And I should have dredged them more in the powdered sugar. Either way, this is an outstanding fudgy cookie. Look for them as Mexican Crinkles or the like on Google. 

This was supposed to be Pear Bread. I had some pears that were "leaning toward death" and I thought I'd make a bread so that I could use it as a filler on cookie trays. Well. Pears crapped out. So, "plot twist!" -- we went to Apple Bread. Used 2 large Granny Smith apples, mace, and powdered ginger (spices from Penzey's - I don't get anything out of this endorsement, but they deserve the shout-out because they've got fantastic spices!). 

The apples were supposed to be peeled, but, lazy baker that I am living dangerously, I just diced them up pretty fine. The bread smelled fantastic, and I was able to get two loaves, nicely browned. They're in the new freezer. 

Yeah. Hubby says, "Maybe we need a freezer just for cookies, and we could unplug it after the season..." I said, "Have you been thinking about that a lot?" He claims not, but then again... 

So - this is now set in the basement, next to the ElliptiKILL. It's got a slight dent in the bottom left corner, but who cares? For under $200, I can deal with it. He was aiming at an upright, but we ended up with a chest. That's ok. I can reach the bottom without falling in (!) and chest freezers are more efficient, anyway. 

Next up, the mix that almost killed my Kitchen Aid. It was a double batch of the Vanishing Oatmeal Cookie recipe which is on the lid of the Quaker Oats tube/box, to which I added pecans, golden raisins, and dried blueberries. Oh, and about 1 1/2 c. of dried cherries. I kept it simple. It's a great basic recipe in itself. You can use it as a base for chocolate oatmeal, white chocolate + cranberry, or stick with dates + nuts. 

Usually, my oatmeal cookies are "garbage cookies" - remnants of dates, candied cherries, raisins, etc. This time, I narrowed it down to the 3 kinds of dried fruit I had on hand. 

The dough needed to be kneaded. That's a first for me! I didn't even bother to use one of the scoops that Hubby got to replace the dead one (which was one of my favorites, with a padded handle). I went straight to a spoon. 

I think I also added minced candied ginger to these. It's a trick I use to make the cookies a little chewy but with a tad bit of "heat" from the ginger. It's a "sparkly" heat, and I love to use it. I'll even put a piece of it in tea when I need a little digestive boost. 

Next up, Chocolate Shortbread. In this recipe, three ingredients: butter and powdered sugar, with cocoa. Here, we had a little miscommunication. Hubby had to run to the store for a few things, and I asked him to get me a small bottle of "Cinnamon Red Hots" -- only it came out like this:

Cinnamon
Red Hots

Well... I didn't explain, and to be honest, I rarely use them. He didn't quite know what "red hots" were, and bought me yet another bottle of cinnamon. He said, "Why do we need this much cinnamon?" which I thought was odd... Turns out that after all this time, I still need to translate for him! 

Last year, these were stars. This year, I went with bells. The recipe is really rather stiff, and so I tend to stick with shapes that are simple. I put small snowflake sprinkles on the clappers of the bells. These freeze well, but boy are they fragile! So they went on the top shelf of the new freezer. 

Lemon Cherry cookies are Hubby's absolute, every year, must-have favorites, and I admit they're pretty good. My guitar teacher also loves them. This time, we did it in 2 versions, because when I did the first ones and he tasted them, he asked, "could we make this more chewy with some cream cheese?" Sure, why not? 

The first pic is the original recipe. Except that I tweaked it. I used more lemon rind than they asked for, and I used 2 drops of Young Living Essential Oil Lemon Vitality(TM) which I added right into the mix to zip up the lemon flavor. The cherries are from Traverse Bay Farms - again, no silver crosses my palm for this recommendation; I'm just telling you, for your own use, that if you want really good stuff, this is what I use. 

Hubby uses cream cheese for his Soft & Chewy M & M Cookies (my sister's fave). So he figured, "why not?" and re-did the recipe (minus the essential oil), using the cream cheese. 


The result was soft and chewy, but "rough" as you can see. These were more of a soft dough, too, so I used a scoop and made them a drop cookie. 

I think he added more cherries - because I had to kind of finagle the dough to make sure there were enough cherries in each cookie. 

These are such a bright, fresh alternative to all the chocolate and other rich ingredients during Christmas. 

I like to spark it up because we do get a surfeit of sweets and while these do have sugar, the lemon and tart cherry seems to "cut through" the sometimes cloying sweetness of everything we have handed to us. 

Not that we have to actually CONSUME everything we're handed. But we do "eat with our eyes" and that does affect our system just as much as if we did eat the stuff. 

Sometimes, a nice, refreshing bite of something tart can also stave off any urges to consume vast amounts of chocolate, too. Nice thought, right? 

Last up in my Baking Bonanza are new cookies. I'm not sure I like them. Hubby is deciding. These are Brown Butter Salted Caramel cookies. Look them up under that name - I'm pretty sure they're called something else, but this is close. 

So. Kraft Caramels. Soft sugar cookie dough bolstered by browned butter, pinch a hunk, stuff a caramel in it, and top with another hunk of dough. No chilling of this buttery dough required, though you do have to "pad the bottom" so as to avoid caramel leakage. If I was going to really spiff this up, I'd use my friend Alice's caramels (who am I kidding? I save those for ME!) or another good, home-made caramel, maybe from Dan's Candies here in town. They've been in town forever, since I was a kid. They have new owners. The caramels are still ok. Thank God. I'd be very upset if the new owners screw up the caramels. My mom used to send them to me when I lived in VA. 

Anyhow, you sprinkle the tops of these with sea salt. I tried Grey Sea Salt, Pink Sea Salt, and Kosher Salt. I don't have the correct balance of salt + caramel. Gotta work on that. I mean, I'd make these again. 

And then, because I hadn't baked enough, we had the Church Greening today. So we were having a soup lunch and I was asked to bring cornbread. 

Not totally jazzed with this. I used Jiffy mix, which I rarely do. But I also added about 3 T. of chopped pimiento for color, a couple handfuls of a Mexican Cheese blend (Kraft, I think), and 1 1/2 c. of sweet corn. 

They weren't quite done in the time allotted, and when I checked, the middles were still uncooked. So - I had to nuke them for about a minute each. 

That messed with the texture, so I'm not pleased. But people ate it. 

Young Living Essential Oils...

Black Friday - that sale that lasted 2 days. And we have Cyber Monday yet. Yikes. Anyway, this was one gift that I'd gotten for Hubby. 

I'm learning to use the Vitality(TM) oils in various ways, and this had a cookbook, which has some really nice recipes in it. And the bowl was pretty cool - Hubby decreed, "This is great to raise bread!" And the silicone bottom? I love those mixing bowls because they stay put!

I'm being honest here - I'm trying to build a business, tied in with my yoga studio. I use these products, and I love them. And I suck at "selling." I can only tell you my opinion and give you the option to do your own research. 

If you're interested, and you want to sign on - here's a link you can use: https://tinyurl.com/yljustbreathe

This link will direct you to the enrollment page, and you can go from there. I'm available to help you - just comment here. Or find me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/yogapatperrier/

That's where you'll find inspiration, comments on living a well-rounded life, and events for the studio. Recipes, occasionally, too - on the healthier side! 

Anyway, that's my pitch. Come find me out there on social media. 

Knitting monogamy...

So here's what I meant by that. I've been in a dead heat to finish the Christmas knitting, and I think it's done. I've noticed a trend in myself. I tend to buckle down and finish "the thing" and lately, instead of starting something else new, I've been plucking something out of "the closet" and charging forth to finish THAT thing. 

It's like the Knitting Fairies have decreed that I waddle through some of the WIPs that have lingered almost into antiquity. 

So I think I actually showed you this hat... but here it is again. I'll spare you the other pics of it. And yeah, I need to get a larger "wig head" but I'm not sure that I want to...I've got this one. 

I turned into my office/dumping ground/one-of-these-days-a-yoga-room, and found again this lovely Precious Metals scarf. Precious Metals is the colorway of the yarn and the pattern is the Grapevine Scarf. 


Nope. Not cables, but boy do they look like it! 

Here's the front - and when you click on it, you can see the lovely pattern. I'm looking forward to blocking this and wearing it. 

The yarn is from Rembrandt Yarns, my friend Sandy. 

It's a great place to shop. Give it a look. 

Anyway, you can see the cable-like structure, but you can also see the "sausage tube" that's happening. 

I'm not sure about this...

See here? Will this block out, you think? It's superwash wool, which I believe I can steam-block. 

But it's been ages since I took an iron to my wool... I'm kind of scared. One part of me thinks, "It's a scarf. Deal with it."

Another part says, "Yeah, but it looks like CABLES and will be awesome!" 

Soooooooooo - I've got a bit left; probably a week's worth of dedicated knitting. And then I'll pin block it first. See how that works. 

But I'm betting that I'll be pulling out the iron and steam blocking it. 

Anyone have experience doing this? Help!!! 

Random Picture...

This is absolutely one of my favorite pictures of our River (RIP). She was such a dignified dog; very sure of her own beauty and a gentle personality. 


She would never do something as undignified as going belly-up... Till she did. I guess the Elkhounds taught her a few things about "sleeping in comfort." She did that several times in her later years, and it was always stinkin' adorable! 

She had such a beautiful coat, even after the diagnosis of Cushing's Disease. Her belly was so fluffy. She learned, after she retired from the show ring, about the Joys of the Belly Rub. 

She learned to love sardines, our "special treat" for their birthdays and "gotcha" days. 

She learned to poop in the street - and enjoyed the ability to poop whenever she wanted to. Small thing, maybe, but it took her a while to act like a "normal dog," and not a "show dog." Though she could put on the show when she wanted to, for sure. 

I still miss her. 

Feeling Disconcerted...

...and strangely detached. I got some very bad news this morning from our Vicar. A friend, the person who used to be our church musician, watched her husband die in front of her last night. 

Yeah. 

I'm still fiddling with that in my head, as we celebrate a day to be thankful and have ourselves surrounded by family, even the Crazy Uncles and the Crabby Aunts. 

He was 59. Diabetic. Took his insulin dose, and somehow, the part that boggles my mind: his sugar crashed. She tried to get sugar down him (she's apparently been down this road before), and it didn't work. He started speaking gibberish, keeled over and was dead on the floor. 

She's calm. Too calm; brain has blocked everything, I think. 

So I met him twice, maybe? They lived far out of town, and he wasn't a church-goer. We would tease him that, in our church, he could walk in and the roof wouldn't cave...

I'm sad and broken-hearted for her for many reasons. 

Today, in among your celebrations, look around the table, and even if in the moment, that relative is driving you nuts? Give thanks for them anyway. 

Wellness Wins...

F/k/a "Weight Watchers." I joined up again. I need to get myself under control; honestly, I tend to "emotionally eat," and I need to curb that. 

WW used to be Weight Watchers, but has recently changed their name & mission to "Wellness Wins" -- so as to not lose the very recognizable logo? Pardon me, my cynicism is showing. 

Anyway, I do eat clean for the most part, and they've changed so a lot of the fruits & veg are "zero points" which is good for me. But I'm kind of shocked at the points values for some stuff, like this Chocolate Protein Chia Pudding that I've recently become addicted to. It's almond milk, chia seeds, 1/4 scoop of  chocolate protein powder and nuts/berries. Shake it all up in a jar, let it set overnight (or in my case,  2 days?). And then you're good to go - add the berries (or fruit you like) and chopped almonds. Breakfast, and it DOES keep you full till lunch. I guess you could use a different flavor of protein powder if you want. But the chocolate does "scratch an itch" especially when you're trying to lose weight. 

But it's like 8 or 9 points. I get 23 for the day, which is fine - it's what I got over the last time I was in. But somehow, this seems to be a great amount for what it is. 

So for the first few weeks, I'm just tracking and "kind of" following the program. I've lost a bit already, just tracking and being more aware of what I'm eating. I'm also logging my exercise, just to get in the groove of doing that. I was on the ElliptiKILL this morning for almost 40 minutes. It's not that I don't like it. I do, seriously. Just don't have the time. 

I survived (mostly) the Thanksgiving meal; though I do love my brandied sweet potatoes, and my mom's stuffing. I didn't bring the stuffing home. I did bring the sweet potatoes home. There's not a lot of brandy in the "brandied" part. About 2 tablespoons or so, over 8 or 9 sweet potatoes. 

Thanksgiving Again...

Today is, of course, Thanksgiving. Apart from the news I gave you up at the top, today was going to be a day of knitting, starting the Christmas baking and doing a few things around the house. 

I'm doing all that, but with that "in a bubble" thing going on in my head. Hubby is doing a turkey breast tonight (leftovers in my family get distributed ASAP). He's working now on an Apple Cranberry Chutney. I'm doing skillet baked potatoes and I did start on the Christmas baking. I've got "Snow on the Mountain" and "Chocolate Shortbread" dough in the fridge; one batch each. I've already done Molasses Ginger Cookies. One batch. 


I'm thinking one batch of each thing I'm doing, except for the Pineapple Crescents and perhaps the Filled Cookies. 

All in all, I love being in my kitchen. It's my happy place, and I'm happiest looking at the"Baking Cupboard" - where all my supplies are. I love my well-stocked kitchen. 

It's where I go when I want to feel like I'm actually in control of something. 

Too often, we're in control of...nothing. 

Here, though? I know my equipment, I know my spices and other ingredients. I know my oven and stove. All my pots are hanging over my head; all my pans are tucked into the cabinets. The spoons, spatulas, whisks and knives are all in their appointed spots. 

Pretty much everything I'm involved in requires scheduling and planning. But in my kitchen, I can be a little bit of a free soul and cook or bake with imagination. 

Today, in my little "baking nook," I was kind of surprised to see that I'm down to one box of unsweetened chocolate. For me? That's actually quite unusual. Somehow, I've got a raft of the semi-sweet, and now I'm down to 1 square (4 oz) of the unsweetened. 

I've added it to the list. Had enough to make the Snow on the Mountain cookies, which required 3 squares. 

I may add to the Christmas Cookie list. Make some almond bread or pear bread. That gives me some alternative items for my cookie trays. I've got time to think about it. 

Tomorrow, more baking, hoping to whack out as much as I can over this long weekend. Hubby can do his during the day, because he's home more; but I need to get mine done while I have time at home. Last year, he did most of it, and while I loved that he did, I was irritated. Yes, irritated. Because I do enjoy it and it bothered me that this most elemental part of the holiday was out of my hands. 

This year, I want to take back a little. Maybe feel like I have something I can contribute. 

Knitting...

Trying to finish The Fourth Hat. I'm kinda over the whole pattern, but I'm plugging along, a few more rows from the decreases. Once I decrease, it'll go faster. I'm anxious to start something new -- or at least pick up something that I'd set aside for these hats. 

My list, in part, is like this:

1. February Lady Sweater
2. Green Sock
3. Petty Harbour Socks
4. Grapevine Wreath Scarf
5. Bigger on the Inside Sock
6. Sole to Sole Sock
7. Cookie A's Monkey Socks (just started...)
8. Kid #2 Afghan

This doesn't include the yarn that I have that needs to be knitted up. The beautiful caramel-color silk and a baby set that I'm planning to stash. Plus some TARDIS Blue Bah Ram Ewe laceweight - I'm still looking at patterns for that one. I have one skein so I need to make it a good one. 

I'll pull something out this weekend. Not sure which of these will be The One, but I've got to get something done that isn't a hat. 

Essential Oils...

Today, in the diffuser, I have Christmas Spirit. It's not "early" - I'll diffuse that a lot in the chilly weather. There's a great blend called "Thankful" (I mean you'd blend this yourself): Two drops EACH: Cypress, Sacred Sandalwood and Idaho Balsam Fir. That's for tomorrow. 

I bought the Llama as a Christmas ornament, but since he stands up on his own? He stands next to my Lantern diffuser. The sheep? Bought that at the Diocesan Convention. It's felted, and it's from L'Arche, Bethlehem. 

And I got something else at the convention: This bath gel. I normally stick to Young Living Essential Oils, but I couldn't resist this gel from Thistle Farms. Find the link here. So much of what they do resonates with me. They bring women out of prostitution, sex trafficking - dangerous situations. And they give them shelter and a job. 

This is a very nice geranium scent. It's worth looking at their site to see if you can help them. I'd rather be helping an organization that gives back. The holidays are coming, and you can do a lot of good with your consumer dollars, if you prefer to shop that way. 

Young Living has a foundation, and we give money to a number of different causes; and they also provide work locally at the farms that are owned by the company or in cooperation with the farmers in other countries. 

We shop for the holidays; may as well do some good on another level if we can, right?

Random Picture...

As I was pottering around the kitchen, trying to wrap my head around my friend's husband's death, I looked out the window. Our milkweed has popped. It's colder than heck outside, even with the sunshine, and there's a bit of a breeze blowing - kind of cuts right through you. I popped out and snapped this picture. 

Just now, I ran out to get some Rosemary off the bush. Using it in the turkey breast and the potatoes. 

Milkweed is blowing in the wind, which I'm sure won't please the neighbors, but we'll have a nice bit of a patch for next year. 

It's the time of year where we're cleaning up for "the last time" with the leaves, with the garden, and packing away anything that would have been outside - hummingbird feeders, yard ornaments such as the gazing balls and the hand tools I generally leave on the porch for ease of grabbing when I feel like fiddling in the garden. 

When the milkweed is done blowing, we'll take down the stakes for the winter. We'll figure out what we're doing for Christmas decorations over this weekend. We like to get them up now, while the weather is half-way decent. We're not the type to light them up early - like some in our neighborhood who put them up right after Halloween. And light them right after Halloween. No, thanks!

This holiday - the day to give thanks - thank you! Yes, YOU. Thank you for reading the stuff I send into "inter-space." I love to hear from you, so don't be shy about commenting! Thank Whoever you thank and give a thought to those who aren't able to be with loved ones this year. 

Random Stuff Today...

Aside from the idiot-in-chief claiming that "Democrats vote, go change their shirt, and vote again," as if Election Judges were blind as freakin' bats?? I mean, Jesus, Mary & Joseph. On a stick. 

Sorry, the continual barrage of stupid is getting more and more unbearable. 

Let's get to the good stuff. 

Early Thanksgiving...

As has been our custom, this year, Thanksgiving for our family is actually the Sunday before. This year, I'm feeling cheated. Thanksgiving is usually near Hubby's birthday, and this year, it feels extremely early. That's not fair. I need time to process the speed-of-light stuff going on in 2018 and an early Thanksgiving is just not right. 

On top of that, I'm a bit peeved... I'm working (as usual, it seems, and yes, I'm feeling a bit pressured...) and so Hubby will be doing the turkey this year. I'll be doing the sweet potatoes on Saturday night. Kid #2 will be at the house on Sunday to do the potatoes (the cheesy ones he does every year) while we're at church and then it's off to my mom's house. 

We're trimming the menu this year - or at least we're trying. Hubby found the largest turkey I've ever seen - a 28-lb. one. 

Yes, I'd rather have an organic one. Free range. But I'm outvoted every year and you know what? Some battles you just can't win. One year, I got a "heritage turkey" and someone didn't put out the whole bird - my family thought I'd gotten a little 12-pounder. That was the end of that. They want what they want. 

We're doing it a little differently this year, though. Roasting it with garlic, so that could be interesting. 

The Titanic...

So, today I had to drive Hubby's vehicle in to work. I call it "The Titanic" because it's a lot bigger than mine. Everyone says there's "not much difference" between an Edge and an Explorer, but thank you very much: there is! 

My truck needed a new hub bearing, and we also had to have a sensor replaced. They ordered the wrong sensor. 

It's back now, and I can drive my own cozy little truck to work. Good job that I got the thing fixed, but I had a bit of "sticker shock."

My sunroof "lid" (the part that matches the interior of the car that you close when you don't want sun pounding down onto you) managed to get loose while The Kid and I were in Colorado. Hubby tried to fix it, but it wasn't working and with the weather change, the fabric was getting loose again. 

I asked him to ask the dealer to estimate the repair. FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS. 

Are you kidding me? $500 for the parts (???) and $1,000 for the labor because you apparently have to take the entire thing apart to do this. 

Ummmmm. What the heck?? So we're going to talk to our "body guy" (my brother's best friend) and see if we can get something done a little cheaper. Hubby says, "That's why I always have mine open." But I don't like to drive with the sun on my head, thanks. And what's the point of having something that's able to be closed, except you can't close it? 

The Knitting...

Well, this is my time of year! I get to wear All The Knitted Things. I've been enjoying my socks (and boy, do I wish I could be knitting on the WIPs and the new ones I want to start!). And I'm able to wear my shawlettes. And I'm wearing my mitts. 

It's not quite scarf weather yet, but I've worn my pink march hat a couple of times already. 

This is the first time I've worn the "wingspan" shawlette that I made from the Sally Melville book, using the alpaca lace-weight, with size 7 needles. I would like to make this one again, with sock yarn, maybe. 

And at the lunch break, I was working on the last of the Christmas hats. I'm honestly tired of this pattern and I can't wait to finish this one off. 

Like I said, I just want to be knitting the other stuff. 

But it was rolling along today, as I pulled up a Sherlock Holmes video on my laptop. I normally don't bring my laptop to the job, but the other job has gotten busy, so I have to work through lunch, I guess. 

Maybe this is why I'm frustrated at not being able to cook Thanksgiving dinner - I'm pulled in a few too many directions right now. 

Anyway, the red stripe is the first one, and I'm very pleased at how it's going to look. I think this will be the "classiest" one of all of them. 

But I'll still be happy to knit something else. At this point? Almost anything else. Even baby stuff. 

Of course, the leftovers will be used for the prayer patches; I'm still churning those out. 

I may, though, make a "scrappy hat" using the blue or the gold for the base and doing just one more hat. Maybe. Someone can talk me out of it, please...

Speaking of which I do have some stash to do a baby layette. Just waiting. Got some interesting colors: burgundy and pumpkin. Before you poo-poo it, let me tell you that it looks really interesting. 

I like different colorways for baby stuff, unless Mommy wants the pastels. 

The Banner...

The banner is coming along. Sort of. I'm definitely a crafter, not a seamstress. 


I stitched up the base - the duck cloth. Hubby drew the tree. We had quite the discussion about how big the tree was supposed to be. There was no good answer. I was given the dimensions, and my hands are kind of tied. 

The tree is done; I had to cut out the adhesive stuff, and then iron it on to the brown fabric. 

Then I had to iron that onto the base. 


Hubby finished drawing the outline on the adhesive bonding product with a Sharpie marker. That actually marked up my ironing board pad. Irretrievably, I think. 

I'll wash it, but I'm pretty sure I have to buy a new one. 

I'm going to "cheat" a bit, because of time and my own sewing skills. I'm going to outline the tree on the base cloth with fabric paint - the stuff that's dimensional, and that we used to use to make the "painted sweatshirts" back a decade or so ago. I was pretty good with those - but it's been a while. Anyway, that should work, but my only concern will be the hand prints. 

Because of the constraints of the dimensions, it's going to be interesting to not have the "hand print leaves" look like a muddy mess! An adult hand print will be pretty large! Kids' prints will work better, honestly, but we don't have a lot of kids at the church. 

I'll do the painting Friday night or Saturday. It's got to be at the church on Sunday for the first batch of prints. Wish me luck! 

Random Picture...

Yes, it's blurry. It's not your eyes. This is from several years ago, when Tippi and I used to do therapy work outside the lunchroom at Lewis University. We used to go during the day, and we'd see so many students. 

She was younger then, too, and a ball of energy. This is her, getting the Zoomies when one of her favorite students came by. 

I used to use a 15-foot lead, which I don't do anymore. She tangles up too many students! 

Anyhow, we still go to Lewis, but we're in the evenings, in the Library. And Tippi's slowing down some. Her coat's not what it used to be; she's got some bald patches and she's a little less energetic. Actually, we'll be trimming her hours a bit in the next few weeks. 

She's 10 - going on 11 in January. When she's got to go potty, she's GOT to go. And the 2-hour visits are getting to be a tiny bit too long for her bladder. 

This makes me happy - this picture shows her true personality and her joy. But it also makes me sad, because she's an "elder dog" now. That black muzzle is grey now. The eyes are a tad dim. And she doesn't "zoomie" as much. 

They steal your heart. And break it. And I wouldn't have it any other way. 

Not Quite a Hat...

The good news is that I didn't finish a hat. 

You read that correctly. 

See, it's this way: I was an election judge and it was the mid-terms. Well; I've done this before and usually mid-terms are a fantastic place to sit there staring at each other and eat too many donuts get knitting done. 

Mid-terms 2018, though? A very different story. And I figured I'd also toss out a challenge; maybe it didn't affect me personally, but I'm hoping it spurred some folks off the couch. That being said, it was impressive to see the voters come out to vote on a rainy, freezing, crappy day. 

And we were busy. Didn't do much knitting at all, and that's ok with me. Because I also didn't eat all that many donuts either (three donut holes, if you please).    

We had over 55% turn-out statewide. We had, in our precinct, 430 people. Kept us busy, and we registered 5 new voters. 

My challenge, issued on Facebook, was this: "Don't let me finish this hat! Come out and vote, and prevent me from finishing the hat -- can you do that?"

Well, I don't know who took me up on it, because nobody I know as a FB friend showed up. But about 5 p.m., the hat got put away for good because we had 2 hours of solid people. 

By the way, in this blue colorway? A few things I don't necessarily like... The yarn has more of a "halo" than the red did. So stitch definition is a bit wonky. I'm wondering if it'll improve once I get past the ribbing. Speaking of ribbing: Ktbl is a royal pain in the caboose. I'm also doing one more row of ribbing because I had one extra stitch, and I k2tog and started the NEXT row as Row 1 of the ribbing. Nobody will ever know. You'll keep that under your hat, right? 

This is getting red stripes. It's so striking and picks up the little bits of red in the blue yarn. I'm hoping that the lack of halo on the red yarn won't be too much of a contrast with the blue. 

It was fantastic because we were so busy. Blue Wave notwithstanding, I was so happy with the turnout! 

And on top of this, I got squishy mail and I want to sit and pet it and squeeze it and call it George (10 points if you get the reference...). 

This is ONE HUNDRED PERCENT Mulberry Silk from Expression Fiber Arts. It was on special because it's not quite up to their standards; but I'm thinking it could be a really great yarn for the Chocolate Diamonds pattern. Go here for the link to the company and look through the gorgeous free patterns. 

I'm hoping that, with the 100% silk, it doesn't collapse on me, but I also might look for a shawl pattern as a back-up. This yarn just glows. Because it's silk, I don't think I'd do a sweater, even if I'd purchased enough. I think it would hang in a not-so-cool way. A shawl or capelet might work better; we'll see. The cowl will come in handy with just about everything I own, so maybe that'll just work out and I can finish it up. 

Notorious RBG...

Someone mail bubble wrap to Justice Ginsburg! She fell and broke 3 ribs; but she's already back at work. God love her. 

I wrote her a thank-you and get well card. 

Yeah, it's fan mail. I don't care. Yeah, I'm kind of gushing. I don't care. 

I want her to survive as long as she's able to do so. We need her because the court's already tilted too far to one side and growing up, I never thought they were "sides." They were the ultimate court, and they were beyond reproach. As we now know - that was blasted to smithereens with the Kavanaugh hearings and ultimate shoving down our throats confirmation, at which many of us are still gagging.

So I thought I'd write her a note. You never know. A hand-written note is a nice thing to do, and the support may just make her day. If she ever sees it. And who knows about that, too? Maybe she won't, and some staffer will look at it and send me a form letter. Or do nothing at all, and I'll never know. 

I don't care. It made me feel like I'm doing something positive for someone I admire. It's all about just doing something positive, especially when you're not feeling so positive about everything else going on. Send her some loves, folks!!

The Banner & The Bottle...

Two disparate things, but oh well... The banner is moving along; I've ironed it out and rolled both pieces up. This weekend, it's "tree time" because I have to get it to the church the week after. Luckily, no more elections... 

This is why you do a quick basted stitch up the side of cotton. The blasted thing raveled like crazy. The quilt fabric didn't ravel hardly at all, but it's kind of meant to not do that. Duck cloth, on the other hand? Pffffffffffffffthhhhhhhh. Right up the side. 

It took quite a bit of time to iron this out, and I doubled it only because I didn't have the room to iron it in one layer. My steam iron got a workout that it hasn't had in ages. 

I don't iron stuff. Who does, anymore? I mean, most of what I wear to work consists of yoga clothes, so when they're washed, I just dry 'em and hang them up. 

All of my "work" clothes are really, really casual. The couple of blouses I have are permanent-press, and I wear them over tank tops. Layers, kids. Layers. 

So this weekend: measure out the main part of the banner and stitch it up. Make a tree and at least pin it to the background. 

Should be easy. I've got time. 

The bottle - I got this at the rummage sale a few years ago, and thought I'd use it as a bud vase. But it never quite got there. Instead, I use it with the orchids. It's the perfect size for watering. 

Makes me feel so "Martha Stewart" to have this little bottle on my plant shelf. I think I paid a quarter for it. 

Speaking of the orchids, I lost the rootless one. It molded on the remaining base - I knew I should've kept a better eye on it, and I'm sort of sad. But I still have the keiki (the baby)...Hoping that it's going to be ok. 

It's a little more tricky to do these in glass vases, but I think overall they'll be healthier. I just have to get my rhythm as to watering and humidifying. 

Let it Snow...

The first snow of the season - the first significant snow of the season, I should say, happened today. Everyone was freaking out about it yesterday. 

Bulletin: We're in Illinois. It's November. Get over it. 

I'm leaving the pumpkin out for a bit longer; someone's eating it so I'll just let them have their food source. It's no skin off my nose; and it keeps whatever it is from digging up my garden. 

Enjoy, buddy!

The mums had a frosting on them, and the parsley is now toast... I think we got the last of it from a few weeks ago. 

We have a frozen flamingo! I'm leaving him out just for comic relief. Hubby just came in from the dogs' "Last Call" and he says it's "stinkin' cold" out there. The winds are nearly 20 miles per hour, and while we're done with snow for a while, it's still a bit nippy. 

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny, but no higher than the mid-20s. 

Again - it's November. Time for All the Wool Things and hot cocoa, and soups and stews. 

And snow.

Random Picture...

This is, of course, Quinn. It's her birthday. She's 9. 


I can't believe it. 

But when I see her in the hallway, and I'm not quite paying attention? I think it's Tippi. 

She's still a tail-wagging, wriggle-butt and loves her momma... 

This weekend sometime, she'll get her sardines and we'll celebrate her. 

She's my snuggle-bug and it makes me a little sad to see the grey round her muzzle. She can still, however, jump about 4 feet in the air.