At Year's End

I totally stole that title from another blog, but I love it and the thoughts it brings.  It leads one to ponder.  

Yes, it is the end of another year.  How quickly they seem to go these days, but I guess that's the way it goes as one ages.  Or so I've heard.  And now it's almost 2019.  Impossible! Almost twenty years of this new century lived by Dan and me, who as Dan likes to say, "were born in the first half of the last century."  Yikes! And yet mostly so good, filled with beautiful days, like this one this week:

I love our backyard and the views beyond.  I'm so happy we still have snow! It lights these short days and keeps me energized.  Inside the Christmas tree lights up the evenings and makes everything so cozy.  We also have those amazing faux candles and tea lights that bring even more coziness to the darkness.

I love this little wooden "basket" that hold a tea light that actually flickers like a real candle.  And I don't have to worry about burning the house down!  

It may be the end of the year, but our Christmas decorations will continue to light our days and nights for a few more weeks.  Christmas day is not the end, but just the beginning and as we go into a new year, we'll take the gift of grace that Christmas brought so long ago and carry it with us each day. ♥

Christmas

Christmas has come and gone, but it was a perfect one! Ann and family came to stay on Sunday afternoon and we began our celebrating.  Following tradition, we had Papa Murphy's pizzas for dinner, and the occasion was enhanced by the Seahawks playing (and winning!!) on Sunday Night Football.

We woke up Christmas Eve day to four beautiful inches of snow!  We always hope, but don't expect, a white Christmas so all seven of us were overjoyed!  Papa and Daniel revved up the 4-wheeler and plowed, reminding me of past Christmases when Cameron and Keaton rode with him.  

Eric and Daniel built snowmen in the front yard but I didn't trek out in my stocking feet to get a picture.  Rest assured that they had fun making a 6-foot tall one (Eric) and a small one (Daniel), complete with carrot noses.  

We always have our big holiday dinner on Christmas Eve, and this year was no exception.  Ham, the Pioneer Woman's mashed potatoes,  and all the go-withs. Following a candle-light service at church, we came home to pumpkin pie and then settled in to watch Home Alone I.  It was Daniel's first viewing and so fun to hear him laugh hysterically over all the antics while all the rest of us mouthed the well known phrases such as "I made my family disappear!" and "Keep the change, you filthy animal!" 

Ann and I made a breakfast casserole before watching the movie and we're always so glad on Christmas morning when all that has to be done is stick it in the oven and then set out fruit and juice when it's time for breakfast.  Stockings were first, then the present opening began.  We took a break for breakfast and then more present opening.  I can safely say no one was disappointed!  

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating leftovers and playing with new acquisitions.  It continued to snow and the outside world was so beautiful that we also spent much time just looking out at it all.  Eric got snowshoes and he gave them a try in the backyard and came in with a big smile.  Cam and Keat took mega naps and may or may not have been joined by the grownup members of the family as the day progressed.  

Another day of fun transpired yesterday before we had dinner and they all packed up and headed for home around eight.  Another wonderful, wonderful Christmas filled with blessing after blessing.  ♥ 

Movin' Right Along

We've been busy little beavers elves today.  Dan cut our tree and brought it in (although we have yet to decorate it) and I got started on the cookies.  Two batches are chilling in the frig and another batch has been baked. Oh, and a pan of fudge is chilling in the frig, too.  Yum!!

The fudge recipe I use is a combination of two that I found on the internet.  I used the ingredients from a crockpot recipe (and I've done it that way in the past), and the method of another. It's so easy and only has four, count 'em, four ingredients!

Super Easy Fudge

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk (NOT evaporated)

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a heavy saucepan over medium heat

 and stir until chips are just melted.  Stir in butter and vanilla and pour into a

8 or 9" square pan which has been lined with foil and sprayed with non-stick spray.

Refrigerate 3 hours, until very firm.

Remove from foil and cut into small squares.

Store in covered container.  

So easy and so good!  ♥

Getting Closer!

Yes, Christmas is getting closer!  I am so happy I got the cards all done last Thursday and in the mail on Friday. There have been years. . .

And now I'm on to present wrapping and plan to start on the baking this week.  I'm so glad to have a freezer to store cookies in so they'll be fresh when needed.  Spritz, gingerbread, shortbread, and maybe some frosted sugar cookies.  Oh yes, and some candy cane cookies. Fudge?  You bet!  All of these are a tradition and would be missed by the usual attendees.  

I'm doing a little more in the sewing room.  I've always wanted Christmas pillowcases for the queen bed guest room and decided this was the year.  I have the first one almost done.  I'll be back at it tomorrow--unless we decide to head to Costco.

I finished a small machine embroidered wall hanging this year and remembered to hang it up this week.  The design is done in my jumbo hoop on my 830 and though the picture isn't the best (so hard to take a picture of something on the wall), I think you can see how it turned out.  Even after all the years I've had my 830, I'm still amazed at the large designs it can do.  So fun!!

And now I'll sign off for the time being--I think I'll wrap another present or two.  ♥

Christmas Cards

One of my earliest memories is helping Mom put stamps on the Christmas cards she was sending out.  We lived in the little duplex downtown so I was probably four or five.  As I recall, out-of-town cards required a three-cent stamp and in-town a two-cent.  And I remember many cards coming from in-town friends addressed to us with name, box number, and simply "City" for the town because in those long ago and more efficient days, the local post office actually handled the mail and local stuff never left the post office.  Ahh, the good ol' days . . .

Anyway, back in the day, cards were a vital part of the Christmas holiday.  And decorating.  Everyone displayed their cards as they arrived, usually by mounting them on a wall or around a door frame.  It was so fun to read the cards, especially those from far away friends and family. 

I began sending (or passing out) Christmas cards when I was in high school.  Seemed like such a grown-up thing to do, plus I loved anything having to do with Christmas.  So of course as a newly married wife, I continued the tradition for my new "family".  And I do to this day.  Fewer and fewer people send cards, but I still love receiving them although I confess that the process of sending them out looms larger and larger with each passing year.  It is often when I am reminded that sometimes I'm not a very patient person because you just can't hurry the process if you want to be personal. Some thought and time, and handwriting, must go into it, even if a printed letter is enclosed.  Some people have a gift for the perfect comments to add.  I do not.  Still, I must try.

And so, today I will start the actual process.  I wrote the letter over the weekend and printed it out.  It's laying right beside me, reminding me to get with it!  Soon my breakfast nook table will look like this, right down to the coffee cup.

Christmas cards 2017

Let the signing begin!! ♥

Time, and Other Thoughts

Does anyone besides me think that it goes from sixty-some days before Christmas to eighteen in the blink of an eye?  One day Christmas is two months away, and suddenly we're thinking we should have been doing more, sooner.  Time.  Its passing can be quite varied. Waiting for something special and it drags.  I remember being six weeks from my due date with Matt and thinking it might as well be a year, it seemed so far off. And now he's forty-five!! Then there are times when we are sure that it goes at mach speed it goes so fast.  (See those forty-five years!)

Ah well, Christmas will come and I will be ready. Actually, I'm pretty much ready except for baking and wrapping presents, most of which have been purchased. I do, however, need to spend some time on the internet this afternoon finishing up.  

Day before yesterday, in need of new reading material, I took myself to the overflowing bookshelves in our family room and reached for a favorite.  Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher.  I have no idea how many times I've read it, but a dozen is probably not far off.  I love her writing.  Some people dismiss them as "romance novels", but they are, I think completely missing the true essence of her writing, which is hearth and home. Pilcher is British and all her novels, as well as short stories, take place in the UK.  She does  a wonderful job of pulling the reader into the setting of her stories. I often tell people that if they are looking for a long, delicious read, check out Rosamunde Pilcher. And all those British terms! Members of our family have taken to calling the garbage truck the dustbin lorry, and the garbage can the wheelie bin. Then there's the gritting lorry. Such fun words!! Anyway, Winter Solstice is a Christmas story and curling up with it is like visiting, once again, with an old and very dear friend and it's become a holiday tradition with me.  

I must say that I am kind of an Anglophile.  If ever I travel to Europe, the UK is where I would go first. I recently discovered another British author, Jane Brockett, while reading the blog Jenny of Elefanz. Jennifer Reynolds, its author, is Australian, and discovered Brockett's nonfiction book, The Gentle Art of Domesticity, and recommended it to her readers. Jenny is a homebody, wife and mother of grown children, and the book inspired her to embrace her life and make no apologies.  

I decided I wanted to read it myself and so ordered a copy in early fall.  When it came, I was somewhat disappointed as I looked through it.  Brockett's style, decorating, colors, etc., are nothing like mine.  But when I began reading, I discovered her feelings and thoughts about home and family were very much like mine.  She knits, she bakes, she quilts, and so on, and she considers these neglected and often derided skills as very valuable.  And I learned a important lesson:  those of us who love home and hearth may have different styles, but at the end of the day, we embrace the same values.  She loves bright and modern and I love classic and traditional.  Oh, and Jenny of Elefanz?  She loves the pastels and the cottage look.  

And on a totally unrelated note, forty-nine years ago right now my sweetheart returned home from a year in Vietnam.  So glad he came home and met me and made all my dreams come true!!

And We Pause for a Beautiful Sunset!!

So gorgeous!!  The photo doesn't do it justice, but I think you get the idea. I'm so glad I looked out the window.  (Busy inside decorating for Christmas.  Mostly done!)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Snow is lightly falling and I need to put some Christmas music on.  I am using a Christmas mug for the first time today.  

So, outside is not the only place where it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.  My sewing room has taken on a life of its own and I'm not certain if it's ever been such a mess.  

I think every surface is covered.

Thread, stabilizer, fabric, patterns, and other things (including a coffee cup from several days ago!) are everywhere!  There are projects in various states of completion including this one:

I go to a ladies bible study on Tuesday mornings at 9:30, and since a morning person I am not, even that time seems early to me.  When I get there, I always realize I haven't taken time to put on hand lotion, so I get out the tube in my purse.  It seems rude not to offer it to the others, so I always do. My tube was almost empty last time, so I thought it would be fun to give each of the ladies a little stocking with a small tube of the same lotion.  Couldn't find a small tube, but found the cute little bottle shown in the picture and it fits perfectly in the stocking.  

Another project has been some in-the-hoop felt ornaments to add to packages and gifts for family friends.  These are Nordic inspired ones from Embroidery Library (as are the stockings) and are fun and quick to stitch out.

And I've become enamored of simple tea towels and stitched these out.  

The Jingle is for my kitchen, and the Peppermint one will be part of our friend Tina's family gift--I'm going with a peppermint, red/white theme for the items.  

Ann and Daniel stopped by yesterday late afternoon to pick out a Christmas tree.  Did you know we have a small Christmas tree "farm" here at the Resort?  Just for us and family, and several years ago they were big enough to start using.  When Ann left I gave her a Jingle towel for her kitchen and she loved it.  (Both towel designs are also from Embroidery Library.) So fun to give simple little gifts!!

Another Little Book Review

I always seem to be a little (or in this case a lot) late to the party on best-selling books.  And I don't even remember where I heard about this one back in October, but I decided to give it a whirl and requested it from the library.  

Well.  I fell for it.  All.The.Way.  I finished it and immediately began to read it all over again.  Then I ordered my very own copy.  When that came, I read it again.  

What is this book you ask?  

Isn't that just the quirkiest title ever?  It took me forever to remember it; I just kept calling it the Potato Peel book.  For those readers unfamiliar with it (and maybe I'm the only one left in the world who was?), the story takes place in 1946 in London and on the channel island of Guernsey and consists entirely of letters between the main characters. I laughed and cried my way through each and every time I read it (remember those three times!).  

I am a lover of historical novels (and this definitely qualifies), and I believe it was meticulously researched. The characters are unique and you come to care about each of them as they are revealed. Needless to say, I give this book my highest recommendation.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

The turkey is thawed, the big day is almost upon us, and we here at the Resort wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.  We have so much to be thankful for!

Gadget Girl Expands Her Repertoire

So I decided to make pizza for our supper the other night.  Yes, I know, I've blogged about making pizza before and shared my crust recipe.  But!  

You know I love my gadgets.  My food processor, my Kitchenaid mixer, my Vitamix blender.  (Wow, I really am spoiled!) And I do use them all.  So, you ask, how have I expanded?  Well, I'll tell you.  

Ingredients.  Yup, the stuff that the gadgets use to make a meal.  Many years ago, a new catalog showed up in the mail.  It was from King Arthur Flour and I loved it!  I took it to bed and poured over it night after night (and yeah, I also take cookbooks to bed for late night reading, especially when Dan is out of town--no scary stuff in them!).  I've ordered from them over time, things like the bread bags that fit my big loaves from the bread machine, nifty bag clips, and even my beloved Staub cast iron pumpkin colored pot.  But nothing that would classify as ingredients.  

Last Christmas one of my packages from daughter Ann and family was rather heavy.  And when I opened it I was excited!  A King Arthur extravaganza!  Specialty flours! Pizza dough flavoring, special bread salt, and a huge spatula!  My box of goodies even contained a British cookbook on pizza and focaccia.  Oh that girl knows what I love!  

So back to the other night.  I haven't been in a cooking mood lately (after forty-seven years of cooking, it does get old at times), but I finally decided that I would make pizza.  I had some turkey breast pieces from Costco in the freezer and a jar of Alfredo sauce in the cupboard, so I thought I would make my version of a Papa Murphy family favorite we call "chick pizza" (we named it that as a play on words because we thought only the girls in the family would like it rather than the traditional red sauce, super meaty pizza favored by the boys.  We were wrong.  They all, even my dad, ate all our pizza!)

Somehow, making my own pizza dough, chopping all the peppers and olives, grating the cheese, seems relaxing and fun.  And all those new helpers?  They make it super yummy!

The container for the yeast is also from King Arthur flour and I love the special measuring spoon that equals the amount a small packet of yeast contains.  And that huge spatula?  Makes it so easy to take the baked pizza off the stone in the oven and onto a pizza pan for serving.  

This is one happy gadget girl! ♥

I'm Gambling!!

Well, not in the traditional sense, with money and a bookie.  With yarn!  I bought a knitting magazine a few months ago, the holiday issue of Knit Simple, and there was a pattern for a scarf in it that I liked.  The crazy thing about the pattern was that each row was exactly the same, over and over again.   

I finished my oyster tweed socks and, ready to make something besides socks, remembered that pattern. I had a skein of rusty red yarn.  Would it be enough?  I decided to gamble!  I started a few days ago and pick it up several times a day.  The pattern is called mistake stitch rib and it creates a lovely, dense knitted fabric that almost feels like a super waffle knit.  I really like how it's turning out, but I still have no idea if I'll have enough yarn to make a usable sized scarf.  

Care to place a bet?  ♥

Machine Embroidery and Me

I'm not certain how I first became aware of embroidery machines for home sewers.  Maybe ads in quilting magazines?  As I recall, the ads I saw featured Bernina machines and designs by designers such as Precious Moments and Debbie Mumm.  Then a quilt shop in a nearby town became a Bernina dealer and I decided to make a trip to check out what they had to offer.

Well of course you know I bought.  My first machine was a Deco 600, a stand-alone embroidery machine with a 4" x 4" embroidery field.  And it cost me $1800!!  And the year?  1998. The quilt shop had a monthly embroidery club and I began driving the 45-minute each way trip on Thursday evenings (a good night for me because there was only one day of teaching left in the week).  It was three hours of learning and sheer fun each time.  Of course, I always seemed to come away with a new card of designs and more and more thread. An inexpensive hobby this wasn't! But sooo fun!

As time went on, I began to hanker for a larger embroidery field.  Four by four isn't very big.  And bigger designs were coming out.  Meanwhile, we had become grandparents for the first time and daughter-in-law Amy had chosen Winnie the Pooh as the theme for Ryan's nursery.  Well, it just so happened that the Brother company had acquired the rights to Winnie and Disney characters and had built them into several of their machines, including their top-of-the line ULT 2002.  The designs, along with additional 5x7" and 6x10" hoops were irresistible.   I bit.  

And so it went.  Later I upgraded again to a Bernina 730 and then again to their 8-series 830.  Oh the huge designs I could now stitch out!  Ten by sixteen!!  

But backing up, there was more to my stitching than just the fun.  I loved teaching but it is a stressful job and takes a lot of energy.  Machine embroidery allowed me to continue to be creative by stitching beautiful designs on premade items such as tea towels or make simple projects such as pillows or wall hangings without too much effort.  That part of me that needs to be creative was allowed to continue to flourish.  And let's not discount the soothing sound of the machine as it stitched.  We didn't call it Deco therapy for nothing!  

And now fast forward to last year.  My Dad had died in November of '16 and then suddenly in the  late spring of '17 my mom discovered she had cancer that had rapidly spread.  She died June 25th.  And then our cat, Buddy, died in August.  I was in serious need of some therapy. While I love my huge 830, it needs to be set up to embroider and then babysitting while it stitches.  I longed for the simplicity of my old Deco which I had long since worn out.  I mentioned this to my long-time (sixty-four years and counting!) pal Kathy and true friend that she is, she did some research and found a machine she thought might work.  

She was right!  My old Deco, while sporting the Bernina name, had been made by the Brother company and the machine Kathy found, another stand-alone machine, was a Brother PE-770.  With Dan's encouragement I ordered one through Amazon and it showed up two days later.  It's price?  A mere $540!!  It can stitch 5x7" designs and I've discovered over the years that most of the designs I use are no larger than that.  I was thrilled to thread it up and sit and silently hum along with its stitching.  I can walk away and come back--no babysitting needed.  It truly got me through the end of last year.  Deco therapy at its best.  

(And Kathy?  Well, she ordered one, too!)  ♥

Taking a Little Pause. . .

. . . from cleaning sinks.  Such a rewarding job when done, but not so much fun when doing.  I am grateful for nice scrubby sponges and good cleaning supplies!

I didn't mean to be gone for this many days, but last week was busy, and coupled with the remains of my cold, I just didn't get back here.  This week looks to be much quieter and that's good.  Cleaning needs to continue!!

I took the Thanks banner to our pastor's wife yesterday and she loved it.  Just was so excited and actually jumped up and down clutching it and hugging me.  So glad I did it.  I also made another kitchen towel for the friends who have a Christmas tree farm using a design from Embroidery Library.  It seemed appropriate and a nice thank you for the pumpkins they gave us. These towels are kind of addictive!

Well, I think I hear the kitchen sink calling my name so I'd better get back to work! ♥

A Little This, A Little That

Our phone rang a little after noon on Friday and it was Bruder Bear saying he was in Riggins just coming off a fishing trip with some friends and wondered if he could come up for a visit for a day or so.  Yay!!  So Dan and I hopped to and got a little house work done (left undone for too long due to my cold and Dan's knee) and we were mostly ready when he arrived about three-thirty.  We ate out that night (ref. clean house instead of cook...) but I came up with some plans for Saturday night.  I'm always okay with breakfast and lunch, but dinner often stymies me when I have company, even someone as easy at Bruder Bear.  

My plan?  One Hour Swedish Limpa Bread from Foodie with Family and Chicken Wild Rice Soup from Pressure Cooking Today.  The boys kept busy with discussions of hunting and reloading and then, thanks to BB's scouting skills, left to buy some rims for winter tires for the new SUV we purchased last summer.  I have tried to do some preliminary work for my cooking these days, so I gathered ingredients and chopped away on onions, celery, and carrots (which I have learned is called mirepoix in the fancy cooking world) and chicken. Having all these things plus the other ingredients at the ready is called mise en place.  All these French terms!!  But I am becoming a true believer in mise en place, it keeps me from leaving something out and I'm much more relaxed when it comes to actually doing the cooking.

The bread recipe truly is quick although an hour and fifteen minutes is probably closer to the truth for me.  AND it makes two lovely sized loaves!  Win, win!  We decided when I first made it earlier this year that we weren't fans of the fennel seeds, but otherwise I follow the recipe exactly.  And oh! the smell of the orange peel.  Mmmm!  We had leftovers from the first loaf toasted with breakfast this morning and it was delicious with a little butter and peach jam.  Dan said it was as good as dessert. 

Our beautiful days seem to be coming to an end with light rain and clouds in the forecast for the next week or so.  Fine with me!  Makes it all the more cozy.  We've had the fireplace burning merrily many nights.

The front porch is very festive for the season.  We've gathered in a few more pumpkins this year thanks to some friends who had leftovers after a Fall Festival at their Christmas tree farm.  We usually have one, but I'm loving the look of more!

I realized as I looked at this picture I just took that I need to take down the birdhouse and put up the Indian corn!  So I'm off to do that before I forget.  ♥ 

A Little Sock Tale

It seems that every year when the seasons change in the fall, I fall prey to a cold.  And that's what's happened again.  Arghhh!!!  So, I decided to make the best of it and rest and knit. I had started those oyster tweed socks and so I knit, napped, and knit. I usually don't have much problem with socks because I've knit so many of them at this point (about a dozen pair over the years which equals twenty four individual socks), but this sock was soon to become my nemesis.  

Saturday night I thought I'd reached the spot to begin decreasing for the toe, so I began the process.  I stayed home from church yesterday because I didn't want to infect anyone, and besides, I had no voice.  As I continued my decreasing, I suddenly realized the sock looked a little short.  What?!?  I grabbed a previously knit sock to compare and sure enough, I'd started an inch too soon.  Nothing for it but to pull out all four needles and unravel, hoping I could catch all my stitches back up onto the needles.  It took some doing, and I can tell (but hopefully no one else will be able to), but I was finally able to get back to knitting round and round, for that extra inch.

Last night, Dan was gone for a while and I was back to decreasing, and almost to the end, when a stitch slipped off the needle and defied my attempt to get it back on, instead running down a row or two, taking some decreases with it.  Nothing to do but rip back a few rows again.  And in the process of picking up my needles to put the stitches back on, one fell through the crack between cushions on the sofa.  Oh no!!  

You see, our sofa and loveseat are both Lazy Boys and that means they are recliners.  I'm guessing the sofa weighs several hundred pounds, and it sits right down on the ground, no legs.  In front of it sits our big coffee table, which has drawers in it full of books and CDs (I know, why?  We haven't played them in years, but...).  All this to say that the coffee table is very hard to move.  I managed to get the end by the lost needle shoved a little way from the sofa, activated the recliner, and with a flashlight in hand, got down on the floor to start looking.  And I could see nothing but a lot of mechanical pieces.  I attempted to crawl back out of my little space and for a brief moment thought I was stuck, but I made it.  I left the flashlight on and tried peering down between the cushions from above and finally saw what I thought was the needle.  The crack was far too tight for my hand to reach through.  

I had an idea though.  Dan has a magnet on the end of a swivel handle for jobs such as this so I headed down to his workshop to fetch it where I could not find it.  Forced to admit defeat, I went back to the sock and was able to thread all the stitches back onto the four needles I had left, and then waited for Dan to get home. I couldn't actually knit because I needed that fifth needle.  (I do admit to some, um, frustration over this whole little fiasco.)

Well, needless to say, my hero arrived home, found the magnet thingy, moved the coffee table further out, and was able to retrieve the needle.  I carefully finished up the knitting and decided to leave the last, harrowing (at least for me) grafting of the ends using the Kitchener stitch until this morning.  

Such an innocent looking sock, and its friend, the crack.

I'm blaming the whole episode on my cold and my fuzzy head. (Cue Meg Ryan saying to Tom Hanks in You've Got Mail, that she has a cold and, "My head's all fuzzy.")  That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I have started the mate.  Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment.  Cough.  Cough, cough.

Knitting Ponderings

It's starting to look like a sock!

Knitting is very conducive to pondering.  At least the type of knitting I do, which leads to a pondering in itself. Take my sock knitting.  I have several patterns for socks which have some pretty stitch patterns knit into them.  Every time I start a new pair of socks, I get out all the patterns, look them over, and then decide to use the one I always do.  They're just plain and simple socks. That's what I like to wear--plain and simple socks, plain and simple clothes. So why do I have those other patterns?? Because I think I should make them because other knitters are making them.  A case for pondering.  And I think I've finally come to the conclusion that it's okay to just knit plain socks.  I am who I am! (She said with determination.) 

So, as I knit my plain Jane socks in all kinds of yarns, I can let my mind wander because I'm simply knitting in rounds, knit, knit, knit.  Not even any purl stitches until I get to the heel flap.  I'm free to ponder life, plan new projects, and even decide what to have for dinner.  It's my kind of multi-tasking.  As I said, I'm a simple person.  

I can actually relate sock knitting to life.  There are those times when all is well, which equates to those rows of just knitting round and round.  Then there are those times when more attention is needed to keep things going well, in life and in socks.  When casting on, the stitches are to be transferred to four needles and kept from twisting.  Care must be taken then, and so it goes when life throws in something new.  

As I knit along, every now and then I need to measure.  Am I getting close to where I need to be for the next step?  The same goes for life--a little stop and check now and then can keep us moving where we need to go.  

And then there's the heel--adding the heel flap, turning the heel, and then picking up the stitches for the gusset and working them down.  Adding and subtracting to make things come out right in the end.  We have to do it all the time as we move through life.  

And at last, we come to the toe of the sock.  We subtract stitches and then we have to do some intricate work to join the last stitches together so our toes don't stick out.  I find I have to talk out loud to myself, repeating the steps until all is done, sometimes loudly to block out whatever is going on in the background.  And don't we have to do that, too, when we come up against especially tricky times in life?  I think it's called prayer.  

A Fun Project

I subscribe to BH&G's American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine, so somewhere along the line, I also liked them on Facebook.  Some interesting projects show up from time to time and I'm faithful to download them and stash them in a folder on my computer and promptly forget about them.  But a few weeks ago a cute and simple project appeared, and after downloading, I actually printed out the instructions and took them to my sewing room.  

There was a wedding shower coming up at church, so I decided on a themed gift featuring the project and sunflowers.  I already had an extra sunflower hot pad and I had recently finished a sunflower yellow dishcloth. Enter the project, a tea towel, and I would have a good start on a present.  I machine embroidered an appliqued sunflower on a white flour sack type dishtowel and added the trim from the project, bought a Pyrex baking dish and voilà, I was a happy gift giver!  And no, I didn't take a picture.  

But! When Dan had his knee surgery, our friend Tina came to visit bearing a huge basket of goodies for him--oranges, ingredients for chicken soup, a bag of coffee, and a baguette.  We've kind of adopted Tina since her husband Steve's death two and half years ago, and she wanted to bring her "Dad" some love.  I realized later that I had kept her basket and decided that it needed to be returned with some goodies in it.  So I made another towel and dishcloth.  Here's the towel:

And here's a link to the instructions.  The instructions call for cutting 4 1/2" squares to make the prairie points, which I did for the first one, but I thought they were a little big, so I cut 3 1/2" squares for this one and I like them better.  

When I first found the project, I went looking for flour sack type towels here in town and was dismayed to find they were rather expensive.  Three towels for $15.99 seemed to be a little over the top.  I searched on Amazon and finally found these.  I paid $16.99 for a dozen, but now that I check, I see that they are $21.99! Amazon's prices vary so much from day to day!  But even at that, they are much cheaper than the five plus dollars each they sell for locally.  

It's a fun project, and both the bride-to-be and Tina loved their gifts.  I'm excited to make more.  I can see Christmas themed ones, Americana ones, etc.  The prairie points are a great way to use up small scraps. Let the stitching continue!!  ♥

Saturday

I know that we're retired and all, but there's still something about Saturdays that makes them special.  I made a coffee cake this morning that I haven't made in quite some time.  Isn't it strange how some things just disappear off the mental menu list?  The recipe is from the quite substantial cookbook that came with my very first microwave, back about 1981.  It was a GE and of course it was huge.  Anyway, this recipe has stood the test of time and I'll share it with you.

Microwave Coffee Cake

1 1/2 c. Bisquick

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. milk

1 egg

2 T. oil

Topping:

1/3 c. Bisquick

1/3 c. brown sugar

2 T. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon

Mix Bisquick and sugar.  Beat milk, oil, and egg together and add.  Mix well, by hand.  Pour into greased 8" round dish.  Blend topping ingredients until crumbly; sprinkle over coffee cake.  Microwave 5-7 minutes (although in my newest one, 4 1/2 does it).  

Couldn't be easier, or quicker, and it's just perfect.  It's often made at Ann's house, too.

I finished my socks and they're on my feet today.  And that cute little knit pumpkin?  A present from Ann last Thanksgiving.  

And I've started another pair.  I think I'm in sock addiction right now!  I'm loving this Oyster tweed from Knit Picks.  

We had frost yesterday morning, and while the sun makes its appearance almost every day, it's cool, cool weather.  The trees continue to respond!

Dan invited me out to lunch today and we went to Subway.  We haven't eaten there in a long time and we discovered their rotisserie chicken.  We ate it on their flat bread and enjoyed every last bite.  What a fun thing to do on the spur of the moment!  

And now I'm taking my half-finished hot chocolate and heading for the sofa and my knitting needles.  Happy weekend!!  ♥

Just Stuff

It's a cold, damp day here at the resort.  The kind of day that makes me want to read for about five minutes and then curl up under my blanket and take a nap!  Which I did.  We have leftover Summer Squash Skillet for dinner made with the last of the zucchini and crookneck from the garden.  It wasn't a very good year for our plantings but we did get some squash.  

Meanwhile, the poplars in the backyard are in full fall color.  So beautiful!!

Carpet of gold!

The boxelder tree outside our bedroom has also burst into color.  It amazes me each year.

Inside, Dan has been continuing his exercises.  A visit to the orthopedist this morning left him with a big smile when he was told he was six weeks ahead of schedule!  Here's a photo I snapped the other morning of him working at getting the last degrees of straightness in that knee.  His right leg, the one with the new knee, is 3/8" longer than his left, always has been, and because of that and his knee problem, has probably not been straight in fifty years!  But Dan is determined to get those last few degrees (less than 5) beat!

He hangs his legs over the edge of the bed and then uses his left foot to push down on his right foot for ten minutes three times a day.  (He says it's very boring!)

We went to Keaton's soccer games on Thursday and Saturday.  They won both games and we spectators froze!!  There we all sat, huddled in our chairs under blankets, with heavy coats, mittens, scarves and hats. And it's only early October!  I felt bad for the boys out there in their shorts and jerseys. Keat did have on Under Armour leggings and long sleeved shirt under his uniform.  But still!!!  (Cam says it's kind of strange to just be an observer after all his years of playing.)

I'm just setting the heel in my second sock.  With all our cold weather, I've been wearing ones I've previously knit every day and they are keeping me nice and toasty warm.  

It's fall, y'all!  

Update on the Grandsons

Since I missed over a year in my blogging, I want to catch my readers up on my grandsons who are featured here now and then.  They are growing up!

Grandson Ryan, the oldest of our four, son of Matt and Amy, graduated from high school in May of 2017, and is currently a sophomore at Notre Dame.  Here's a photo of him giving his valedictory speech:

That same spring, our youngest, Daniel, son of Ann and Eric, graduated from kindergarten.  Here he is in his little graduation gown (be still my heart!):

And this year, Cameron, Ann and Eric's oldest, graduated.  He also was valedictorian of his class.  We have some bright grandsons!  Cameron has adopted an excellent British tradition and is taking a gap year and working while he ponders his college major.  

And lest we forget Keaton, Ann and Eric's second, here he is receiving an award at the Awards Ceremony last spring as he finished his sophomore year of high school:

And it hardly needs to be said that each of these boys (with the exception of Daniel--for now!) tower over their Grammy.  Waaay over!  I sure am blessed by each of these wonderful young men.  

From Soup to Socks

It's a gorgeous, gorgeous fall day.  The windows are open and I can hear the neighbors' rooster crowing and I can't stop telling Dan how beautiful it is and how much I love hearing that rooster.  It's a perfect day!

A blogger I have followed for years and years, Judy of Patchwork Times, has shifted her crafting focus from quilting to knitting.  (She's also the one who alerted me to the joys of the InstantPot.)  It's been a while since I picked up my knitting needles for anything other than an occasional kitchen dish cloth, but this week she inspired me with some links to a series of knitting videos.  I finished my last dish cloth and looked at my stash of sock yarn, picked one, and cast on.  

This was an, ahem, expensive yarn I ordered probably five years ago, and it's so soft and beautiful.  On a day like today, I love knitting in the sunshine so I can see all the colors this hand-dyed yarn has in it.  

I've been knitting away all week and have made much progress.  I turned the heel yesterday and am almost done with the gusset.  It's been at least four years since I've done a sock, so I'm sticking close to the pattern, which I see I downloaded in 2010.  Here's where I am today:

While I'm knitting, I can look up to my favorite corner of the living room.  It's decorated for fall, and I just love how it looks.

And here's a bright showing from one of our pots of gerbera daisies out on the deck.  

Wishing you all a beautiful fall!

Back in the Kitchen

I seem to move back and forth from the sewing room to the kitchen.  As you can see, life at the resort is very exciting!!  (Actually, it's just the way I like it.)  And now that fall truly seems to be here, both by weather and calendar, I deemed it pot-of-soup time.  

Monday morning I said as much to Dan and decided the soup of choice would be potato.  He immediately volunteered to be my potato peeler.  I think he was in the mood for soup, too.  Because I knew I was going to use my InstantPot, I told him we had some time so I puttered and he worked on his exercises.  His knee continues to do amazingly well, and I'm sure it's in part because of his dedication to the exercise regime his physical therapist has him on.  

About four-thirty I declared it potato time and hauled out my six-quart pot. Dan got out the potatoes and we went to work.  One of the sites I found when I first got my electric pressure cooker was Pressure Cooking Today (link on sidebar).  I was excited when she announced she'd written a cookbook and I ordered one immediately.  It has not disappointed!  Her recipe for chunky potato cheese soup is sooo good!  

As Dan peeled, I sauteed diced celery (used in place of onion) in the pot, then we both chunked the potatoes and added them and chicken broth to the celery, along with seasonings.  Soon, very soon, all was cooked and cheese, more chicken broth, half and half and bacon were added.  I use reduced sodium broth and fat free half and half. Mmmm...  We ladled it all into our bowls and practically swooned as we ate.  And then scraped every last drop with our spoons.  

It makes a lot and we'll enjoy our third go-round tonight.  As good as it was the first night, it, like soups seem to do, tastes better with each passing day. 

I can't recommend this book enough.  I've made many recipes from it and each one is excellent.  

Meanwhile, Back in My Sewing Room...

Yes, people, things have been happening in my sewing room.  My last post from there was about a baby quilt and while I pondered starting another, I decided upon a different course of action.  About four years ago, I found a project in a Fons and Porter's Quilting Celebrations magazine that I just loved.  It was a banner for Thanksgiving that simply said, "Thanks."   

I made one and gave it to daughter Ann.  She hung it from her mantle and it was perfect in her house.  While it was in place, Ann hosted a baby shower at her home and our pastor's wife saw it and loved it.  She asked if she could pay me to make one for her.  I declined because I hate to sew for pay--I discovered long ago that it takes all the joy and fun out of it.  I also need to say that at the time I made Ann's, my embroidery machine was giving me fits and it didn't know if it was the digitizing of the designs or my machine.  At any rate, I had no desire to make any more!  

Fast forward three years to last year.  I decided I would try again.  Since I had realized I could hang banners under my dining room window (my fireplace has no mantle), I wanted my own "Thanks." I decided I would stitch on my new (more on this in another post) Brother embroidery machine and see how it liked the digitizing.  The answer?  It did! I hung my banner and loved its message. **

So, back to this year!  I decided to make another banner--a gift for our pastor's wife.  I would make one for her because I wanted to and for that reason only.  I happily stitched out a pile of letters.

These need to be trimmed and a ribbon inserted and then they will look like this:

I just realized that there were two projects in that particular issue and that I wrote about the other one here. I really like Patrick Lose's projects and predict other embroidery designs will soon be purchased for my stitching fun!  And in this link-heavy post, here's a last one--to his designs.

**Note:  It was indeed my machine that caused the problems on my first stitching of these designs.  A trip to the spa straightened everything out, but still I was a bit "buffaloed" to try it again using any of these designs. After stitching the banner pieces on my Brother machine, I decided enough dilly dallying and stitched out a sunflower hot pad, which it hadn't liked either and it did just fine. Boom! Buffalo slain!