What's ya got Cookin'

Feeling frustrated I turned off the computer and headed to the craft room for some R&R. Bought a Maya Road Calendar stand and turned it into a recipe holder. I can't take credit for the original idea, found it on the internet somewhere. 

A beautiful pack of paper was the inspiration. There are 12 cardstock pages which results in 10 recipes plus a nice front and back cover.

One of the inside pages. I prefer old recipes to the new ones and enjoy baking cookies, cakes and making po' man lobster, all from my grandmothers' and great-grandmother's recipe books.

 Another page ready for something sweet to be written.

 The back cover is almost complete. I'm looking for another embellishment to add, then write the recipes and it's a Christmas gift that is finished!

Apple Pickin' Time

We are the proud owners of a very large apple tree in our backyard. In the past this tree produced apples that only the raccoon, bear and squirrels found to be tasty (as well as the yellow jacket swarms). This year is different. It produced the best eating and cooking apples ever! I'm assuming the horrible rainy/hot/cold summer had a big influence on this fruit bearing tree. 

The DH decided to climb the extension ladder (eyeroll here) to get the biggest and best apples which are always at the top of the tree. I was in charge of holding the ladder (insert another eyeroll). His twisting around to grab the best apples resulted in the ladder twisting which only caused me to scream and shout for him to GET DOWN! Did he listen? Why of course not. Kinda reminds me when I tell his dog to GET DOWN off the furniture and does Mr. Bettis listen? Why of course not.

Like owner, like dog or however that saying goes....

After picking a bushel of apples I went right to work baking apple pie, dumplings, applesauce and freezing. YUM!

 Dug around in my grandmother's antique button box and found 10 different buttons for this knit. Love this sweater. Nice fit and look just in time for Apple Pickin'.

Bountiful Blessings

I LOVE Fall! Best time of the year in my Life. 

A request from Chem-girl was fulfilled with hand crocheted pumpkin coasters. My girls appreciate handmade items and that is a blessing.

Some dear friends have a bountiful garden and have been sharing their fresh vegetables with us. YUM!

A knitter can never have enough sock yarn so when I found this skein reduced to $2.00 I had to have it. Not certain whether to knit socks or a nice scarf with a contrast. Any suggestions?

Enjoying my fall weekend, hope you do too.

De-stash and enhance

Knitting from stash has allowed my knitting to reach a creative peak. Love how this little sweater turned out. A bit fiddly crocheting the caterpillar but it was worth it.

 This little sweater pattern is worth the purchase. Directions are simple and a great stash buster. Only took 2 days to knit it, now to find special buttons. I've cast on for another one in a girly colorway and hope to line it with a nice flannel to make a heavier jacket.

 Someone 'dropped the other shoe' and I refuse to pick it up so I 'donned a new pair of shoes' and did some therapeutic shopping...stocking the paper stash. I will be making a recipe cookbook for someone special and I can't wait to scrap.

What are you de-stashing or enhancing these days?

From here to there

A move in progress and may I just say for the record: add other 'issues' into a move? and you've got MAJOR stress. Anyway, Chem-girl has a major life changing event and it's been a whirlwind around here. Her hibiscus bush bloomed beautifully this year in a fitting good-bye tribute.

 An early departure over the weekend to head to her new destination. Dear Dad behind the wheel.

 Living in the mountains only to spend most of the day staring at flat land was an interesting (and boring) ride. Due to medical 'issues' the hubby and I must stop every 2 hours (doc's orders) so we know every rest stop from here to there...Lol.  Thankfully we (including Chem-girl) were ok with this plan and enjoyed the breaks. To be truthful taking those breaks is really not much different than when we took the kids on a trip way back when. At one point I took on 'entertaining' and broke out in song: "This is trip that never ends, it goes on and on my friend..." I was threatened to be left at roadside (certainly wasn't the first time someone  threatened to leave me roadside...lol)

We finally arrived to our destination. While impressive I must add, I despise big cities.  Man made buildings just aren't a big attraction to me (unless they're historic) and I definitely don't like masses of people and traffic.

 Another view of the big and monstrous city. Whew! I was glad to leave it behind us.

 It was an exhausting 2 weeks prior to the big change and now that we're home, we're still recuperating. The 9 hour trip ended as a 12+ hour trip due to the stops. Near the end the hubby needed to stop every 1 1/2 hours. Sadly we must admit any car road trip over 8 hours will need to be carefully planned. We can never travel with others and it will be necessary for us to either a) travel alone or b) take alternative public transportation.

After many years, I've finally concluded that I am not a traveler. Like my grandfather, the mountains are in my blood. Country roads take me home....

Game on

A lot and I do mean a lot going on here and we decided to have some fun to ease the stress. Game on.

Homemade chex mix and iced tea was the snack choice.

 Disney Monopoly was the game choice (chosen by the eldest daughter who is a Disney fan)

 I have never won a game of Monopoly in my life but this one was different. These are the properties I purchased by chance.

 I haven't laughed this much in quite a while. While I was demanding my $950 rent for Fox & the Hound with a castle, our son-in-law faithfully requested his $4 and $6 rent for his lonely little properties. At one point the girls teamed up and against the whole gang. It finally came down to me (who they dubbed Mrs. Potter) and them. It wasn't long before the hubby and son-in-law were bankrupt.

At one point the girls were hoping to be in 'jail' so they could avoid paying the rent. Chem-girl found herself in 'jail' a total of 22 times thru out the game and Vet-girl was refusing the free get out of jail cards but it caught up with them in the end. 

I tried to 'visit' them in jail but they turned their backs on my visit and said they refused to speak to me...LOL. 

A game night we won't forget for a long time and a great way to put our troubles aside and have some fun.

School Days, School Days....

Remember the song "School Days, School Days, Dear old Golden Rule Days..."? Well the time is upon the kids in our area. We no longer have kids in school and I must admit for the first time that I don't miss it. While I enjoyed all the events of our children I certainly do not miss gathering school supplies, packing lunches, PTA meetings etc. I'll keep my thoughts and rants concerning the downgrade of the education system to myself but know that I pray for the kids of our country.

Now onto Mr. Bettis who is most concerned about the children waiting at the bus stop on our lane. *sigh* his barking begins at promptly 6:58 am with the high school arrival of the first bus stop. Then again at 7:14 am for the middle school student and once again for the elementary bus stop at 8:13 am. Makes for a very lo-o-o-ong and LOUD morning here.

 I will enjoy my morning sipping a cup of coffee and knitting some dishcloths. This is an older finished set but I realized over the weekend that I am in need of new cloths so I'll be casting on. I refuse to use sponges. They are not the best to wipe off countertops and IMO they are very germy. At least I can toss dishcloths in some hot water and detergent with a sprinkling of white vinegar for sanitary reasons and in no time flat they're ready for another day of work.

Only Time Will Tell

Almost two years ago this happy couple tied the knot. I call it the day 'my daughter took my breath away'. Still brings tears to my eyes when I look back on the pictures.

 This beautiful couple have already overcome a few major obstacles in life (economy) and are struggling with medical issues but they have some good news to share. She made some yummy cake pops for dessert and invited the great-grandparents for a surprise.

At first they had no idea but were pleasantly surprised and happy they were included in the unveiling.

As they bit into the cake pop, the color of the cake revealed the surprise :).

I have been blessed to attend her appts with her as there are more appts than normal due to medical 'issues'.  Her hubby's job doesn't allow much time off and just like my husband, he takes supporting his loved ones seriously (what's that saying about a daughter marrying someone like her dad? ;) ) So I know the news but have been sworn to secrecy....ssshhhhh.....  I have seen this little one jump, flip, open and close it's mouth, wave arms, kick and we have counted the fingers and toes. sshhhh....Not sure how much longer I can keep my trap shut....LOL. So stay tuned and be on the look-out for clues in the next few months :D

As my needles click

Life has a way of interrupting peace and harmony. The rhythmic sound and feel of needles clicking are calming to me. 

First up is a Christmas shawl/scarf for my upcoming holiday events. Our calendar is filling up quickly already and my intention is to have a beauty to wear to these events. Have I mentioned I love Christmas?

 Fall is right around the corner although in this neck of the woods I do believe it is upon us. There have been  been a few trees turning color and it's very early in the season. Hubby and I will be cutting and hauling firewood soon.
Love these gloves. I certainly couldn't wear a sweater in so many colors but gloves? It's fine and dandy to wear mismatched fun colored gloves. Using left over sock yarn and I enjoy every stitch.

 I cannot rave enough about this simple sweater. Stash yarn and an easy relaxing knit pattern and in no time a warm functional sweater to wear. As soon as this one is off the needles another one will be on. I've made this sweater for Chem-girl a few years ago. This one is mine.

Summer has been a bust, mostly rain and cool temps. They're calling for a snowy and cold winter here (remains to be seen) and I plan to be warm and ready. Knitting for decades I think I've finally found my solace in knitting and I must add knitting for myself and my home has become priority. It brings peace to my little world (not to mention color ;) ).

Life's adventures

Chem-girl graduated from college and has moved back home for a short stint before embarking on her next 'adventure' of Life. Unfortunately all of her belongings are all over my house. I feel like I'm living an episode of Hoarders . 

She turned her back just as I took the pic ;) 

 In order to not go completely insane over the whole thing I'm doing my best to stay busy. We did some scrapbooking and I finally finished the eldest son's album. Whew! Only have 3 more kids, 3 grandkids and family history album to go...Lol...but I'm determined. This is a wee book journal that I made.

 Of course my life would not be complete without a little knitting thrown in here and there. Wish there was more knitting but Life is getting in the way of the needles :/. Only a knitter would understand that I MUST knit everyday. It's more than a hobby to me, it's my Life :D

                       A little boy's hat complete with car buttons. Beep, beep... ready, set, go

Summer 2013 has been a complete bust. It has rained most of the season resulting in water in the basement, soppy yards and mud....lots and lots of muddy footprints from Mr. Bettis.

Hot, hot, hot....

The thermometer reading at 10:06 am. Yes this is in the sun and I must admit it's only 90F in the shade. Summer 2013 has been a bust in this neck of the woods. We had rain every single day for 3 weeks and now heat and humidity that is exhausting.

Even Mr. Bettis is sleeping through it. Thank heavens, considering his recent destruction but I'll save that for another post, it's too hot to think.
Stay cool :)

Good Intentions

I had good intentions to post this on Independence Day but between going to a family picnic and  family visiting for the past 4 days, the post didn't make the blog. So here it is in all it's glory: Happy Independence Day. It's important to celebrate this day every day as our freedom and liberty should never be taken for granted.
So read the Declaration and cherish every word, it's OUR freedom paper.

A dear friend wrote a beautiful tribute to this important day and I couldn't begin to compare. Enjoy the read.

Kitteh and woolies

It's flea treatment time. As I approached each and every pet with the flea treatment tube you would've thought I was giving them poison. Mr. Bettis ran and jumped on the bed hiding his face under the pillow :/ The little dogs hid under the bed and of course the cat took to higher quarters. She knows I cannot reach her but it's ok, I can hold out much longer than she can....or so I think.

The intention this year is to knit from stash and make a dent in the craft room. As I was digging around I found this yarn purchased eons ago. It's wool and a bit harsh but would make a very warm sweater when the wind is howling, snow is blowing and the heat bill must be lowered. So I cast on for the Garter Cardi. I've made this one before for Chemgirl and loved how it turned out. Think this will be a fave of mine to wear on cold days.

Summer...well it is officially summer but you would never know that in this neck of the woods. It's wet. It's VERY wet. We have rain every single day and that yellow ball in the sky is MIA. I just checked the weather and they're calling for average temps and rain, every single day for the next 29 days. Wonder if it's a safety net for the weatherman so if it rains, he's off the hook ;).

Knitting along

 The knitting on the Digger sweater is moving along. Since intarsia is not my favorite knitting technique it's been quite a learning experience but so far I'm pleased with the result. It still isn't my favorite technique but sometimes you gotta knit with the punches.

A few years back (when I clearly wasn't thinking) I purchased some Peace Fleece yarn. I have no idea what was going thru my wee brain when I snatched this stuff. It's scratchy, it's harsh and it's yellow. I cannot wear yellow. My olive tinted skin is not favored by wearing yellow clothing. There isn't even enough there for a sweater. Again, What was I thinking?

 Then the yellow lightbulb flickered :). I can dye it and knit it into a warm outer vest. Yes! That's it! So I dug around in my dyes and found a nice green and over-dyed a swatched. I like it. Problem solved. So the yarn is soaking in a nice bath and the dye is prepared. Let the fun begin.

p.s. Someone has a birthday today so hop on over and send some happy birthday thoughts her way ;)

Long time, no post

Procrastination is my name ;). I've had every intention of writing posts and that's what got me into trouble...intention. Anyway, just to catch up here we're doing some renovation and cleaning out so I've been busy. Add in grandbaby sitting 2 days a week and it becomes even busier. I'm off for the summer and have hope (probably too high) that I'll actually get caught up on chores and knitting (that will never happen because I have a case of startitis).

 Our grandson is 18 months old and loves big construction equipment and cars. I found this sweater pattern on Ravelry and decided to bite the needle and cast on. I'm not a fan of intarsia but decided I was going to master it one way or another.

 It took knitting the entire back to figure out a few tips. The words are in fair isle (my preferred colorwork knitting) and it's unnecessary to do all that little colorwork by intarsia. There is a wonderful stitch called duplicate stitch that fills the bill or should I say stitch.

 By the end of the one front I eliminated the construction 'operator'. The child isn't going to know if there's a person on it or not.

By the end of the second front (and intarsia work) I figured out to do the main colors only, add the duplicate stitch as I see fit and be done with it. It's not perfect and I am still working in all those ends on the back but he's going to love it and that's all that matters :D.

I've been contemplating making a pair of those socks that have zippers. Think the youngest daughter would love a pair of those. Happy Knitting!

Spring?

Let's celebrate spring by building a snowman! We woke up to a blanket of snow. The roads are a nightmare and the hubby is off work. We'll be spending the day keeping the home fires burning (literally).

A good day to knit :).

Snow horizon

The furnace needs to be replaced but that won't be happening for a while yet :(. In the meantime we're heating the house with one space heater and the living room fireplace. Under normal spring weather that would be sufficient but we're in a winter storm warning and expecting 6-12 inches of snow. (I need to find that groundhog)

 So we purchased a chain saw (yeah, I know...what were we thinking?) If anyone has read this blog for any length of time they would remember the saw 'incident'. But we need heat so drastic measures are needed.

Every morning it's a race to the coffee pot and shower while waiting for the fire to take off in the fireplace. The outside temperature has been below freezing every morning and the inside temperature hovers around 42F.....brrrr. 

As a knitter one would (mistakenly) believe that I have plenty of warm wool sweaters. That would be a wrong train of thought. I give away most of my knitted items with the exception of my socks. Lesson learned. It's time to knit a sweater or two for me. 

BTW: wonder where that sock yarn blanket UFO is hiding? 

Stay warm and Happy Knitting!