Home again, home again...

Room 10 at Patchwork Inn

What's the nursery rhyme? 

To market, to market
To buy a fat hog.
Home again, home again
Jiggety jog. 

That's actually only one verse of it, but it's all I can remember. 

Anyway... This past weekend, when the bowels of Hades opened up and barfed upon us such heat as to curl the sidewalks and make even the birds decry the trees... We went up to Oregon, IL. We were mainly pleased, but also disappointed. The B & B, Patchwork Inn, was lovely. We'd stay there again. Mom was, at first, against a B & B, but I think I've converted her, at least in this format. Each of us had our own bathroom, which is a "must" for her. Me, too, if I'm honest. I digress; the hosts were wonderful and the breakfast was amazing. We only stayed for 1 breakfast, but after the "brunch cruise," I think I should've just taken them up on their breakfast because the cruise one was a definite "meh" with a side of, "jeeze, some of it's not even warm..."

Back yard of the Inn

The Blackhawk statue, whose proper name is "The Eternal Indian," was under repair and he looks to be in that condition for more years to come. Oh well. We saw it. We also went up to Castle Rock Overlook and seriously, you wouldn't think you were in Illinois: flat, boring Illinois didn't exist here. Hopefully, I'll have pictures, because for some reason, my camera/phone hasn't synced in a while. 

The Eternal (Covered) Indian

Mom found a '50s diner and her only complaint was, "Needs more neon!" Authentic burger, according to her, and the decor was really cool. Actually, on the drive up to the place, we stopped where Kid #2 lives and while he was out of the area, we were able to hit up a sandwich spot there for a bite before we got too late to have dinner. Her idea of dinner is 4:30. Mine is 6:30... 

My oils for the trip

And seriously. Saturday was hot. Hot to the point of the stable cancelling all activities and my phone practically melting with all of the "heat advisory" messages. In my hometown, they were saying it "feels like" 119 degrees. Yeah. Phoenix temps in the Midwest. It wasn't pretty. That was the day that mom decided that hiking was a good idea. Mind you, 'hiking' at this point was not about a 3-mile jaunt through the trails. It was more like, "Let's try this and see how it goes." And it went about a half-mile - which, for an 82-year-old in that heat? I'm thinking that was pretty spectacular. 

Castle Rock Overlook

The river cruise was nicer, since the temp dropped about 30 degrees; down to a bearable 75 degrees or so. I saw a couple of eagles! I don't have a super-long lens on my camera, nor does my phone take those kinds of pics. But I saw them; I'm happy with that. The drive home was a relief; not because we were sick of each other, but both of us wanted our own beds. Why do places have spectacular linens and mattresses, but pillows that are flatter than a pancake??

Slept like a log last night! 

The Knitting...

Well, the green project I showed you last time is finished. The Traveling Short Sock is FINISHED... I have a pair of socks!! 

As you can see, they're fraternal - done in Opal yarn, but I never really try to match them. Hubby asked me to move my feet so they matched - I really don't have oddly sized feet! 

I have a big whack of this yarn left, so it may be the base for some Crazy Socks. It would probably work well, since I tend toward socks in similar hues as these, though these do have far more white than I'm used to. 

I won't know what yarn is in the next phase of the Green Mystery Project till later today; so at this point, with (wait for it...) a FREE DAY... I picked up the Copland Shawl, and got moving on that. I'd forgotten (a) how pretty the yarn is and (b) how ABSOLUTELY BORING meditative it is to do about six bazillion miles of straight stockinette stitch. Seriously, the two KFBs on either end and that set of yarn-overs for the "spine" of the shawl aren't necessarily enough to break up the monotony. 

I should review my Gaitri Mantra while I'm knitting, just to keep my mind occupied.  

I did find kind of a unique shop in the Conover Piano Factory, which was overall a disappointing venture... It's a yarn shop of sorts, but it's to benefit a sheltered workshop, which is fine by me. They get end runs and discontinued colors to sell to people via donation and the money goes to the workshop. I bought some hand-dyed yarn (Wool-Ease) for a prayer shawl, and a batch of stuff I can't quite figure out. I'll post a picture next time; it's quite the amalgamation of fibers in one worsted-weight yarn. Pretty colors; likely destined for a shawl. 

The Politics...

OK, so let's chat about "go back where you came from." Let's talk about how ignorant that is on its face; how it's actually harassment and against the law; and how it's a major distraction by #DonTheCon to keep our attention off the Mueller testimony this week. Among other things, like the Epstein sewer. Let's also talk about the #manbaby whining about "presidential harassment" and how, in my opinion, one (a) can't claim that (see Obama for 8 years); and (b) should be presidential before complaining of presidential harassment... It's not a crime, dude. Get over your nasty self.

"Go back where you came from" is usually reserved for brown people, because bigots always assume that white folk are the only "legal" ones. While small, there's still a significant percentage of "white" illegal immigrants, to use the current un-PC designation, for purposes of our discussion. From Migration Policy Institute, between 2012-16, five percent (5%) of the immigrants who came here illegally were from Europe, Canada, or Oceania (the lands of the Pacific Ocean). That's a little over 570,000 - which is still a sizable chuck of humanity. 

But this administration* only wants to talk about the brown ones. This Shyster-in-Chief only wants to talk about the ones who don't look like his "base," though for the life of me, why anyone who's brown or black actually supports this guy is kinda beyond me. 

Ilhan Omar is a legal US Citizen.
AOC comes from The Bronx (that's in NY).
Ayanna Pressley was born in Chicago.
Rashida Tlaib was born in Detroit...

Soooooooooo - They're all as legal as I am. 

The phrase "Go back where you came from" is also discriminatory. Not because I'm a liberal snowflake. The EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - founded in 1965) says it is. Here's a nice discussion of that law. Also, from NPR, here's another enlightening piece you might want to look at. It's good to have the history of the phrase in the back of your brain. You're welcome for all the research... 

The upshot of all of this is that the Shyster-in-Chief has once again trampled a law to bits because it suited his purpose. And we're waiting, those of us with working brain cells, for the other shoe to drop. Mueller is testifying in Washington. Epstein's smoking, putrid cesspool actually has tapes that could cause problems in 2020 for a LOT of people, up to the royalty in England. 

Time will tell; and y'all kind of already know my own leanings. I don't want 4 more years of this. We have to get our country back on an even keel, now more than ever. 

The Food I Ate...

Breakfast protein

I've been really, really careful, and I've found something that's driving my stomach nuts. And it's upsetting me. Because I think it's gluten. I'm not diagnosed with celiac (I already had that tested). Back to our trip, I was very careful of what I ate, but at a few points, it was beyond my control, and the commonality behind all of them were wraps. I tried to avoid bread & pasta, and I succeeded for the main part, but on 3 occasions, I had regular wraps and yikes...my stomach was not happy. 

I've come to the conclusion that there's probably a gluten sensitivity there somewhere. Nuts. (Well, those I can eat...) I guess it is what it is. I could have worse problems. 

Right now, with Kid #2 baking bread like a man possessed, I can't quite come up with what those "worse" problems could be... although y'all know I'm just kidding. With the health issues in our family tree? So I don't eat bread...big deal. 

Though I did find a pizza I liked: Caulipower pizza - a cauliflower crust that actually tastes like something. I'll buy it again, but sparingly; it's definitely a "treat" thing. 

This weekend, I was ok in my food, except for that little encounter with a bag (large, sorry) of Kettle Chips "Uglies." Yeah, I know. I felt bad afterward, but I figure that (a) I haven't done anything like that in over a year; and (b) it's done, so don't beat yourself up over it. That won't change it, so just roll with it. 

Always another day to make better choices. Speaking of which, I have these two Young Living protein powders to add to my morning repertoire. I find that MIXING them -- yes, 1 scoop of the chocolate (yummy in itself) with one scoop of the vanilla spice is really a nice combo. That's mixed with half & half almond milk & coconut water. It works for me. 

Random Picture...

We walked, the day we got there, down to the Rock River. It was still blazing hot, but we figured we weren't in a hurry... This was a shot just on the opposite side of the dam there. 

I thought we'd have a breeze off the water. We did not. At least it didn't stink of fish! We sat under the picnic shelter and just kind of decompressed. It was nice to do that. 

The entire Oregon area is really pretty; doesn't look anything like what you might think "Illinois" looks like and I'm glad we went. 

Will we spend the weekend in the fall? Likely not. We can drive up there, do the horse thing, and then take a walk (because if she's on a horse and then I stick her in the car for a 2-hour drive back? I won't get her OUT of the car because her hips will lock up!), and maybe stop at "our favorite 50's diner" for lunch, and THEN go back home. 

It's a goal. 

Feeling the Wind in My Hair...

I have not forgotten you. I just haven't been able to put fingers to keys for a number of reasons. One of which was, I felt like I had nothing to say. 

I took a walk today. Nothing startling in that, except that we're in that bipolar time of year when we're not really sure what season we're in. And if we hang around for an afternoon, that'll change. And then change back. And then change again...you get the picture. 

Anyway. 

As I was walking, in my sparkly red Dansko clogs (totally unsuited to walk in the neighborhood, but cool for work), I noticed the breeze blowing through my hair. I haven't really shared tons of shots of myself; and I stink at "selfie." But I've been growing my hair out into a short bob, after oh ---- nearly 40 years in a pixie, if not more. At least in some iteration of a pixie, that is. And I noticed the wind blowing through my hair. 

I haven't felt that since freshman year of high school, when my hair was down past my waist. And then I chopped it off into said pixie. And I think I probably should've kept it long, but there you go. One more life achievement dashed. 

Oh well. Life is full of choices. Here's a picture - a rare one, by the way, of your intrepid blogger and her bob... I'm really not a grouch - I just can't smile and focus my phone's camera at the same time. This is a semi-messy station at the doctor's where I work. 

And in the spirit of "oh well, everyone shares," here's a picture of my office, a/k/a "used to be our file room." Seriously. 

The lighting sucks. The room is truly a closet. Thankfully, I have a glass door, otherwise I'd suffer from claustrophobia (worse than I already do). The computer is old and cranky. 

And I sit far, far too close to it. So after about half a shift of this, I need to step away and blink my eyes. And refocus. 

I've already put the type size down to a point where the doctor really doesn't like it, I've gotta be able to see for at least a few more years (ha) -- till I get the knitting stash down to reasonable proportions, so I have to take care of my peepers... 

And I have the oldest computer in the place; so it regularly crashes. Usually when I need it, like today. Trying to get the doc ready for a presentation next week. 

He knows that it's on its last legs; we're just keeping it going by sheer will. 

Beauty School...

So you know how I am about make-up. I don't usually wear it because it feels like I'm suffocating. And I can never get the color correct. No matter how "many shades for every skin" it says. Mine is always somewhere in the middle of "Casper the Friendly Ghost" and "Palest Nude." And it still feels chalky and like Kabuki artist paint.

What's a girl to do? Well, I went to Young Living Essential Oils Beauty School. It was in Lisle, and it was a weekend. And believe it or not, it was fun. That there is my book, along with my beauty kit. 

Lest you think I've gone over to the "girly side," rest assured; I'm still getting the hang of it all. 

And there was the hotel, with the requisite "five down pillows, all of them flat." The mattress was amazingly comfy. The room's fan was adequate (I love my ceiling fan). No, I was a "bad oiler" and didn't bring a diffuser. I did bring my current knitting project and was able to get a nice bit done, all things considered. 

But please, someone, tell me why there are never any firm pillows in a hotel room? Seriously, that bunch there? That's how I had to sleep just to feel like I had my head and neck supported. And then, the pillows tried to kill me. They rose up along the sides of my head and tried to smother me. 

On a good note: for the most part, I was able to stay on my detox plan and had plenty of food to eat. I brought my stick blender and breakfast shake supplies and was able to get that made every morning, though I never did get the fridge quite cold enough to keep the berries from thawing. 

Small beans, considering. 

I got a photo of myself with a special camera that detects vascular damage and sun damage. I was pleasantly surprised that the sun damage wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got burned badly a couple of times as a kid, and I thought it might have caught up with me. But it was better than I had any reason to hope for. Now to keep it protected. 

I didn't get my make-up till after I got home. Yes, I purchased the bare minimum: foundation, blush and a setting powder. I've managed to get it on to go to work a couple of times, though my blush skills are not good. Bad, actually; gotta work on that. 

It stays on; it doesn't feel like I'm unable to breathe. And it washes off like a dream. 

I'm not sure about the color of the foundation when summer comes, though. Even with sunscreen, we do ride our bikes outside a lot and I do have a slight change in my skin color. But I could just...skip make-up in the summer. 

There's an idea!

The Knitting...

The project I set myself to, a Close to You Shawl by the end of this month, is coming along. I won't quite make it by the end of the month, but first week in April definitely. I've got about 3.5 more repeats of a 14-row pattern. With a 1-stitch increase every row, that means... A LOT of stitches to get through. But I'm mindlessly blowing through it. 

The picture to the left shows the first ridge. The picture to the right shows about 9 ridges; I'm a little over 2/3 of the way done, so it's bigger. I will have to break into that second hank of the MadTosh; just not sure what I'll do with the remainder. Maybe some socks? It is sock yarn, after all...anklets, maybe?

My friend Deanna would love the stitch marker I'm using; it's a set of flamingo markers that I'd purchased from Sonda's shop ages ago. I wanted to use something fun; the functional one I'm using to mark the right side of the shawl.

You can, technically, wear this either way because everything's knitted. But there is a right side for the purposes of knowing when to bind the thing off. The bind off is a picot and it pretty much has to be, just so it finishes the echo of the ridges on the opposite side.

I hope this helps Kristin and Blair raise a lot of money for their IVF treatments. Here's a link to the auction. This shawl will be part of it as long as I get it done in time...

I'm honestly thinking this weekend will see it finished, though, because the weather is going to be crummy and I won't be tempted to go outside much.

It needs to be done. End of discussion. So with a lot of help from some lovely lattes I got turned on to by my friend Lulu, I'm knitting my fingers to the bone. This one is called Red Velvet Latte, and yes, it's on my "ok to consume" list. The Lunar Latte I just had is going to be sweeping me off to dreamland soon.

Here's another link. And no, I'm not being compensated for these. It's just stuff I like that I want to share. This is a company out of Australia, and that's where you'll get your stuff shipped from. Shipping is a tad pricey. But it's all great organic products. And the blog and photography are lovely!

Would I like to be compensated? Who wouldn't? But I don't think I need to chase that particular rainbow; y'all would have to share my blog a lot for that to happen... And so would I.

In the Kitchen...

So this happened: I bought watercress. I have no idea what, actually, to do with watercress. I know I can add it to a salad. I know that at High Tea, you might have watercress sandwiches.

And that's about it.

I didn't want to add it to a salad because when I bought it, unfortunately, it snowed like the dickens that week. I had to use it up, so I made a watercress sauce/dressing.

Recipe for Watercress Sauce

1 bunch watercress, trimmed of most of the stems
Good quality olive oil to cover
Salt & Pepper to taste

Wash the watercress; pat it dry. Pack it into the beaker of your stick blender (or a tall jar if you don't have the beaker). Add olive oil to cover, add salt & pepper, sparingly. 

Whiz it up...add more oil if you need to. Taste it. It should taste of watercress (green and slightly peppery), not oil. Adjust seasonings. 

Use as a dip or sauce. 

And then, at church, Pocket Priest has invited us to all use our Instant Pots...we've been cooking lunch every Sunday after the service through Lent. On St. Patrick's Day, I made a Dublin Coddle. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm-yyyyyyy.... And then I made Guiness Stout Bread (top) and Irish Soda Bread (bottom). Nope, I didn't eat either of them.

I will find you the Coddle recipe and put it in another post. I can't find the one I used; when I was given the bottle of stout, I chose to not use it, but instead, used it in the bread.

That was a better choice, I think. Everyone loved all of the food and we marvel at how hungry people are after church!

See the eggs?? Cool, huh? From a friend of Hubby's who keeps 17 chickens.

They're on the small side, but they're all lovely, and I can't wait to crack these babies into some scones or even just plain fried eggs!

Home-grown eggs are delicious, the yolks seem richer somehow, and I just appreciate someone giving us these treasures.


And just to finish  out the section, a picture of our altar at church; this is the Lenten arrangement. It's lovely and simple.

Our church is well over 150 years old and we love the way it feels, sounds, and kind of embraces us. That altar holds a columbarium. Many of our older members are in there, being cremated and put into little boxes.

FYI, it's not creepy at all. Kind of like they're watching over us.

Random Pictures...

Two of them. First is Quinn, dressed for St. Patrick's Day. The older she gets, the more she looks like Tippi. It's hard for me to tell them apart in the dark, lately.

She's my little snuggle bunny still, and is always smiling when I'm home. Makes me feel wanted, right?

And I finally managed to get a picture of mother and daughter, more or less together. Of course, they saw the phone and ducked...

I tried to get a shot avoiding the little pile under my table...But I failed. It was either that or fake them out. And it's darned near impossible to fake out an Elkhound.

Time for bed; the morning will come early. I have more pics to share and a few more items to discuss, but they'll have to wait for the next time.

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.