Tis Done - my little project!

I'm a "Bad Aunt" - forgetting the date of my nephew Zach's birthday. Good thing he's reached an age of maturity where he can forgive me. He will surely put it down to my old age which becomes all the more evident each time HE tacks on another year. I know you celebrated in style!

Soooo... What was I doing when I should have been going to the post office with a card? I was knitting, of course. It's thoroughly addictive and I could not put my project down tl it was complete.

I'll walk you through.





I used cut up shopping (trash) bags mixed with some good bulky yarn I found at a thrift store. I also accented in places with a pretty mohair like wool which was mulberry and shot through with tiny gold threads.





And I say THANK YOU - to the never ending supply of grocry bags I used to curse for they knot up into all sorts of wonderful things.





In case you're wondering how to do this - simply lay the bag flat, squeezing all the air out - then fold it sideways about for times. Cut off the top "handles" and the bottom 1 inch of the bag.





You unfold each little section (right) into long strips and "chain" them together by looping one through another. Now you can knit the strips on their own into a variety of projects or you can do what I did - mix them with other yarns.

I had a plan in my head - a vision of what I wanted to create. I'd lay in bed at night and think about how to do it. Knitting is very much to do with mathematics but I got sorted for most and learned along the way for the rest. This is the basic start of what I made and I'll walk you through the finish of it.





A purse! Very basic in style but it works for me.





I used a rug hook to 'sew' some of the seams together though there were not too many seams as I knitted this on circular needles. Note: knitting with this heavy yarn and how thick with the bags ... Very hard work on the hands! I won't be knitting another in the near future to give my hands a rest.





The white bits are the shopping bag pieces - makes this very sturdy, perfect for a project like this.





My mr. Helped me choose this button (two buttons together, actually) to accent.





Added in an 'anchor'





Voilà! Complete and ready to use!





Ummm looks like I got knitted right into my project! I warned you it's addictive.


-- Post From My iPhone

Becoming Tradition

Well we can't really afford nor justify it but we have been enjoying an outing once or twice a month. It's not terribly expensive - especially if compared to what it would cost to have dinner out. But this is a very welcome time that my Mr. and I look forward to - we anticipate it with our mouths and tummies. It's the exoticness of these little treasures called Dim Sum.




I always get a thrill to see what's under the lid of the "party tray" we order.




And there you have it - an assortment of about a dozen unique and modest delicacies.




Mr. And I prepare our soy sauce and hot chili sauce to accent. This is his "edible artwork"




And here's mine. A feast for the eyes.




This is an order of the sticky rice .




It comes all wrapped up in this HUGE leaf which we found out is a lotus leaf.




And our meal is complete when we add these pot stickers.

Hmmm - I missed taking a photo of an extra dish. It was a small cup of "dessert" ~ a complementary dish, a gift from the management. It was a very pale green, a thin milky looking broth, sweet, with a touch of pulp in it and tiny tapioca seeds. It was very sweet. The owner told us it was made from beans.

Mr. hated it (pulling a face I wish I'd caught on camera as if he was using his front teeth to scrape a caterpillar off his tongue!).

I thought it was fine though suspiciously like my buckwheat porridge!



-- Post From My iPhone

Inspired

I've taken up knitting in the past few months - why didn't someone inform me it's so addictive? Problem is I can't stick to a pattern and so I wind up making my own things. These are a pair of fingerless glove I made for one of our daughters - perfect for our generation of "texters".





And now I've ventured int some fun fibres and found materials. Acually I have bought all my wools at thrift stores, besides some interesting balls I've been given.





This is what these fibres knit up like. What do you think I'm making?



-- Post From My iPhone

Nutty about Thursday!

Today I made my own "butter" out of almonds and you can too! It's so simple - just take whatever nuts you like and put them in a blender, or as I did in my Magic Bullet. I took a few extra nuts and toasted them for added flavour. Add just a pinch of sea salt and then whirl away adding olive oil into the mix until it's the consistency you like! Numm.

My Mr. Liked this much more than my buckwheat cereal. He was never fed anything 'mushy' as a kid so is horrified when is offered anything of the sort. He claims I violently pursued him, teaspoon in hand yesterday to try it. It was traumatic to hom to be chased with porrige. So today I gently coaxed and got good results. You think I should do the old "the spoon is an airplane (car, truck, train)" trick we do to little kids? *snort*

-- Post From My iPhone

A Good Breakfast

Right - I usually have just a blended fruit smoothie for breakfast in the morning.  I'm not a big breakfast eater but my Mr. always tries to encourage me to eat one.  And I know breakfast is an important part of the day.  So, I've been experimenting and as I always loved "Cream of Wheat" when I was a kid the following recipe appealed to me.

 

 

I had a package of buckwheat sitting in my cupboard for a long time just waiting to be used, so this was a good opportunity to try it.  Being the recipe calls for raw buckwheat just soaked overnight it does not take a lot of work.  And I know EXACTLY what's in my breakfast cereal this way.  I did not add any sweetener at all other than 1/2 a banana and I also blended in the extra nut pulp left over from my next item - the almond nut milk I made.  It turned out terrific!

I was researching on the internet and it also looks like buckwheat might be beneficial for a diabetic diet - might be worth checking out.

This is great - as you can see you can use any sort of nuts.  I added a hint of vanilla to mine and it tastes wonderful.  I used almonds and am looking forward to trying other nuts.  I use my magic bullet for everything - its perfect with the cups you can store your "milk" in the fridge! 

Here's some photos of my own:

A healthy and yummy breakfast.  Have you any favourite "healthy" breakfast recipes you can share with me and my blog readers?  If you send me some jpg's and the recipe I'll post them here!

Another Dinner, a Free QP and a LOT of snow

I still owe out a trillion blog visits and emails but wanted to put down my thoughts and adventures while they are fresh in my mind.

We had a great weekend with our daughter.

First we went into town on Saturday morning and hit the flea market.

This is my dear friend Rose in the front - she met us at the flea market (danger danger with us two together at a market - only sometimes it helps if one of us is short a few coins... we enable one another) And the beauty in the back with dark hair is our daughter!

We had a good time and I even found a little travel iron for 50 cents - HA!

Rose came home with us and we all made cards for about four hours.

Later, Melanie and her friend allowed us to pamper them the first evening but the second one we were pushed back into our chairs and ordered just to enjoy!

First took fresh chicken breasts, patted them dry, then stuffed them with a mixture of goat cheese, mushrooms and shallots and then wrapped them in prosciutto.

See, all ready for the oven!

Next, she baked a spaghetti squash in the oven, whole! What a great way to make this. Was soft and succulent - steamed in its own self. She also steamed fresh cut green beans to accompany.

Cooking up a storm!

With aid from her boyfriend who was very helpful!

They turned out wonderful.

A veritable feast!

And all too soon the weekend was over and I was waving goodbye. Thank you sweet daughter for everything - we loved having you.

*****

And its been snowing, snowing SNOWING here all day. Lots of wet and heavy stuff. Not pleasant for much at all. Most of it is melting too. Hopefully it will stop in the next day. They tell us it will but we will see.

*****

Seeing as I have a trillion things still on my list I'm going to keep this short. I am able to give you a sweet 8 x 8 inch Quick Page that my friend Valinda (big hug) made for you using my Junkyard Garden kit. Hope you enjoy. You will want to visit Valinda's site to see the (gasp!) gorgeous doll her daughter Christy made. She's got incredible talent. She also made the pretty cross which was part of the surprise Christmas package Valinda sent me. (Thank you Valinda!)

I did not take a closeup of the cross because a little bird told me that my Sister in Law Judy might recieve one as well and I did not want to wreck the surprise. You can see a picture of the cross at Judy's BLOG and also find out her BIG news! And see cute baby pics. :) Who can resist a baby pic?

This pretty QP has three windows in it - I just darkened the bottom for the preview. Simply click on the graphic to download!

Random Thoughts and Junkyard Garden Elements

I was woken to a phone call this morning - from England from my friend Lillian! What a wonderful way to wake up - its funny how a hug can reach all the way through space between friends. How special to start the year re-connecting. Lilly, Matt and her young family have stayed in touch through her BLOG and its been so nice to share in her adjustments from Canada to the UK and to watch the children as they grow up. Thank you for blessing me today!

Enjoying a wonderful visit with our daughter - doing all the things that Moms (or Mermies as our daughter lovingly refers to me, or Mermsy or Mermlet) do when they get together. We have already cooked and learned to knit - something I also had the absolute JOY of teaching to my niece over the holidays.

Actually it was funny with my niece, she received some sort of computer game (quite an expensive one at that, it was her MAJOR present) and even so, here she sat knitting! On a pair of inexpensive needles, with a $2 ball of yarn. For hours. And we had great conversations during this time, and she's a very quiet girl!) I've talked to my mother in law since then and she told me that my niece already has bought more yarn and is knitting up little crafts for her teachers and friends. How cool is that?

Back to our daughter, today we plan to make cards. Yes, pull out both leaves to the dining room table and haul out all the supplies and go for it. I'll be sure to capture our fun day to share here.

She also brought gifts - always something so thoughtful and useful. My favorite thing is this:

This is the design of mine, but the top on the one she gave me is different - it has a cap on it and you can 'dial' the sip-lid as well. You need only push the bottle against your mouth to dispense water. You can also take the whole drinking top apart and wash it. Very nifty.

The other thing she brought was a Finger Peeler for vegetables. I've always longed for one when I saw them in the House of Knives (I LOVE this store, there are skid marks on the floor at each one where we visit which is because my Mr. has to draaaaaaggggg me away from there...) I can't wait to use it!

The top is like a ring which you slip over your middle finger - the ring part goes at the base of your finger, the peeler part nestles in the middle of your fingers. I can't wait to use this on a vegetable - I might get carried away peeling today. I had better plan some apple pie in the menu.

Right now I own two other peelers, one like this:

Not with the cute little monkey on it but the same concept. I love this peeler too. But I find some guests asking for one of these:

Yep, plain jane. Or even:

The good old paring knife. I've known people who won't use anything but.

So my question to you is - what do YOU prefer to use? Have you ever tried any of these others?

*****

A little inspiration for the day:

If you love, you will be loved;

If you respect people, you will be respected;

If you serve them, you will be served;

If you give a good account of yourself toward others, others will act likewise toward you.

Blessed is the man who loves and does not desire to be loved for it;

Blessed is he who respects others and does not look for respect in return;

Who serves and does not expect service for it; who acquits himself well of others and does not desire that they return the grace.

Because such things are big, foolish people do not rise to them.

~ Brother Giles

*****

Many of you have left me comments and emailed you and I promise to reciprocate in the near future. For now I am simply going to enjoy my family time with my daughter. Thank you for taking the time to visit and leaving some love.

*****

And now, here is the third part of my Junkyard Garden Kit - for personal use. I love the elements in this kit. Each one was inspired by a piece of "Junk" I found roadside during walks about the neighbourhood with my Mr. I always likened it in my mind to the thought that somebody's "junk" is someone else's treasure. Just as God created each person on earth as a unique beautiful treasure. Sometimes we just have to look very hard to see the beauty beyond the surface.

Happy Scrapping - I'd love to see how you use my kit, if you could find the time to send me a jpg of your layouts I'd gladly post and share them here! Just click ON the previews to be taken to the download for the Junkyard Garden Elements Pack!

Happy New Year and Junkyard Garden Alpha

My sweet Mr. made me a delightful evening of delectable food - as follows!  It was a wonderful way to bring in the evening, being snowed in all by ourselves.  Here is what he made me:

 

He had the table set up so beautiful with glassware etc and candles and the "whole nine yards" (boy he hates these cliches!) 

These are pesto filled portabella mushrooms topped with toasted almonds - a takeoff on a recipe someone dear to us served recently!

Crunchy coconut shrimp - oh my, with a sweet pepper jelly.

Some exotic Indian food - nummy samosas and I'm not sure what the other items were but they were yummy with a spicy sauce.

Hummus decorated with edible flowers (thanks Sis!)  and sesame rice crackers - a perfect combo.

Salsa chips in tri color with homemade salsa.

Spinach pizza topped with peppery sausage.

Served with a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbly!

And finished off with a delicious decadent pineapple/mango dessert.  And yes, he made it all and he did not even mess up the kitchen.  SUPER man!  A very memorable New Year's Eve.

Just waiting for our daughter to arrive, in fact have to finish her Christmas gift off so I will end off here.  Come back tomorrow to collect the third part of my Junkyard Garden Kit, as mentioned yesterday I have not changed the info in it since I had it posted at Sophia's so you get it "as is" - for personal use only, please and I would love to see how you use my kit!  Just send me a jpg and I will post your layouts here!

Click on the following preview to be taken to the download link for the Alpha!