Cat's Crafty Corner

Catching Up

Just realized I hadn't posted in a bit. I guess family drama has kept my mind tied up elsewhere.

For beginners DH and I went to Charlotte Yarn Shop on Sunday the 7th to meet

Wendy Johnson author of Socks From the Toe Up. I don't normally buy sock books because first of all, there are a ton of a patterns out there on the Internet and I also enjoy designing my own. However, since I have been reading Wendy's blog forever I had to buy it. She was really awesome, very down to earth and extremely funny.

I won these from the Charlotte Yarn Shop:

 

A set of six stitch markers made by the Spotted Sheep Studio. Two of them are marking the middle of my Iceland Shawl - one of my UFO's that I work on one day a week. What stinks is I misplaced my pattern, I always place the pattern with the yarn and I mark it up so if I put my knitting down say for oh a year, I can come back to it and pick up where I left off. Good thing because of the color change I was able to figure out where I was.

I am still working on the Lacy Rib socks and just about to start the cuff.

They are resting on my new KIP bag by 3AM Enchantment bought at the Loopy Ewe. Isn't that bag pattern so adorable? and how about the very cute sheep zipper pull? I have bought enough from the Loopy Ewe that I had a $25.00 credit and it was burning a hole in my pocket LOL. So I not only got the bag but some wonderful Dream in Color Smooshy yarn for an Outlander KAL I will be starting soon on Raverly.

 

Hugs!!!!

Namaste!!!!

WWKIP June 13, 2009

***I will leave this at the top and put any new posts below*** Scroll down for new posts.

Another year and time again for Worldwide Knit in Public on June 13, 2009. We will meet from 5:30-8 p.m. at the Saxapahaw Rivermill Farmer's Market and Music Series. Here is a Map of Saxapahaw, NC US, it is easy driving from Greensboro, Raleigh and all points. I will set up in the grassy area under a tree with some helium balloons and of course my knitting. Pack a picnic or there are vendors selling prepared food, (hubby and I bought a bottle of wine, some bread and chutney and chowed down - it was all very good), a blanket or lawn chair, and bug spray. They also have an area for children's activities. If you want to get in touch with me email me here and I can give you any information you might need.

Heading from Burlington, Greensboro or points west you will head east on Interstate 40, take Route 54 South, you will see signs for Saxapahaw. Make a right onto Thom Road (farm on the corner), where road meets major road (Saxapahaw Bethleham Road) make a right and follow the road a short distance, you will pass a gas station with a very mini-mall of about 4 stores. Just past this there will be parking on your left and the event will be held to your right. There are signs up for the Farmer's Market.

From Raleigh and points east you will head west on Interstate 40, take Route 54 North or West (just before the 15/501 exit for Chapel Hill). Follow 54 until you see the signs for Saxapahaw a few miles outside of Carrboro. Turn left onto Saxapahaw Bethlemahm Road and follow road until you reach Sax. If you miss Sax/Beth. Road you can continue a little and turn left on Thom Road (farm on the corner) and then make a right onto Saxapahaw Road.

From Chapel Hill just take Route 54 North or West (not sure how they list the signs), a few miles outside of Carrboro you will see signs for Saxapahaw. Turn left onto Saxapahaw Bethleham Road and follow road until you reach Sax. If you miss Sax/Beth Road you can continue a little and turn left on Thom Road (farm on the corner) and then make a right onto Saxapahaw Road.

Food, Knitting and WendyKnits

I had to share two pictures of happenings in the kitchen. This past weekend DH came in from working outside and proclaimed it was hot. He went into the kitchen and started doing something but wouldn't tell me what. A few minutes later he brought me this. OMG it was awesome. Some of the ingredients I remember are lemon juice, seltzer, mint, ice and some vodka.

This  turned into this a beautiful (if I must say so myself) Fococcia Bread.

I also joined a KAL on Raverly from the group Socks From the Toe Up using Wendy Johnson's book by the same name. Even though I design my own socks, I just had to get this book. If you are interested click on the picture to the right under On My Nightstand. I also put it out to the Yahoo KAL group to see if anyone was interested there. I hope we get lots of knitters to join in.

I am using Pagewood Farms St. Elias in the Watermelon colorway on size 0, 35" circs. using the Magic Loop method, 2 at a time. I increased the toe to 2" as I long a long covering on my toes before the pattern starts. I was also afraid that the lacey pattern would rub in my shoes. I hope you join us, even if you are brand new Wendy has awesome instructions in her book. Wendy will be in Charlotte NC this coming weekend for classes and book signings, I'll be heading down on Sunday. I can't wait!!!

Hugs!!!

Namaste!!!

Decisions Made

Not sure if I posted this or not but I am in the middle of making two pairs of Nanner Socks using the yummy Malabrigo yarn I used for the Clapotis. When I ordered the second skein of yarn I never thought about the dye lot number and the second skein is a little more greener; whereas, the first skein has more blue in it. I really thought that anal me could bypass the difference but it really was a dramatic difference. I decided to do two pair so I stopped just after the cuff of the bluer sock and started on the second sock using the other end of the skein. The more I knit on the second sock the more I am thinking I am going to frog the other greener sock and use the yarn for another sock design. I have been itching to create another sock pattern and decided today that is what I am going to do.

How was your Memorial weekend? Ours was pretty quiet. Mattie started in with diarrhea, which she seems to get every year at this time, and it is horrible. Okay if you are eating or get grossed out move to the next paragraph. It stinks to high heaven and is very mucusy. We didn't crate her when we went out Saturday and left her in our bedroom with the door closed and we came home to one heck of a surprise. YEAH it was bad. DH and I cleaned up the mess and Mattie, left the bedroom windows opened, and I put in two bowls of vinegar and put down some baking soda scented with essential lemon oil. Not thinking wet floor plus baking soda not a good mix LOL. She still has it today poor thing, if she has it one more day then she is going to the vets. We started her on some meds yesterday and I want to see if they kick in first.

Saturday I felt like I needed a hair cut badly, it is so hot and my hair is so thick I just couldn't take it. I had DH drive me to Ulta in Durham and I found a wonderful hair stylist, I am soooo happy. I told her think of me as your practice tool, do whatever you think would look good, I am easy going, don't care if you mess up it is only hair, go to it. She thinned my hair doing really nice layers that aren't too short, I can still pull it back in a pony tail. She also parted it in the middle and gave me longish wispy bangs. I love what she did. I was to go back today for highlights but it rained so hard I moved it to the end of the week.

After we got done with our running around and cleaning up Mattie's mess we headed out to Saturday in Saxapahaw which is a Farmer Market and Music series every Saturday night.

Sunday was spent just around the house not doing much of anything. DH did take time out from his yard work (putzing really LOL) to put up my screen gazebo with me. I love it, it is 10x10 and the four corners have shelves. I put in two lawn chairs and a small table and my double papasan.

Monday we went to Greensboro to McKay's Used Book Store, DH found quite a few of his Clive Cusser books, I found a nice novel by Alise Walker, a couple of books on Buddhism, and the best find were two Diane Gabaldon books on CD - The Outlander and A Breath of Snow and Ashes. I read her books but wanted to listen to them this time as I want to start the Lord John series. We stopped at Carvel for a sundae and headed home.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

Hugs!!
Namaste!!!

I am back sort of...

Hi Everyone!!! It's been a long time. I am finally home in NC. I did not leave NY as early as I had hoped. I stayed a bit longer to get my g-aunt's affairs in order, as much as I could as I am Power of Attorney through June and then my uncle takes over again. Long story there and many peoples feelings hurt over it. I talked to my Mom last night and my aunt was doing great, she was with it, talking normally. That was really good to hear. However, a month away from home is really way too long. It is great to be back. As soon as I walked in the door I sat down to greet Chantilly and she jumped on my lap and would not stop kissing me LOL I think I was missed. All week she has been my little shadow not letting me out of her sight. Even if DH and I head out she is at the door not wanting me to go or wanting to go with us. I think she is afraid I will be leaving again.

Hubby had taken the week off as he originally was to come to NY, I decided to fly home instead. We took advantage of the great weather and his time off to get the yard in order for summer. We bought lots of flowers for the property and deck and vegetables and herbs for the garden. While I was doing plants hubby was working in the garden and getting things set-up and organized. I have a huge area where my herbs are, my sage, rosemary and lemon balm plants are huge and take up a lot of space - they have been there for 8 years now - so DH made some raised boxes and transplanted my herbs into them. He also made a compost area which is now boxed in, a defined area makes it easier to turn things over and water. He also sifted our garden dirt and it is awesome!!! I used quite a bit of it for my plants on the deck.

I had been saving my money and had enough to finally get the freezer I wanted and that was delivered last week. LOL Just in time for my Schwan's delivery. I am so glad we got it as I use a lot of flours and if you freeze your flour you rid it of the pesky bugs, now I have the room to freeze them including my rice. It is all organized and I have a nice pad on the front with a list of things on the shelves, drawers, and doors. I am also psyched because I have room for my ice cream insert to make homemade sorberts and ice cream. I have no idea what in the world those refrigerator manufacturers were thinking of when they made the small side-by-sides. You can't even put a box of pizza inside them, not that I do as I make my own but still. When I would buy things from the Schwan's guy I couldn't pick out a lot of stuff as there was never any room or the box wouldn't fit in the freezer.

We also went and checked out BJ's Warehouse. We hadn't been warehouse shopping in over 17 years so it was a pleasant surprise when I got there. I was a little concerned about what I would be able to buy as I use mostly organic and make most of my things from scratch - including mayonaisse - so I was not sure what would be available. They had nice size packages of yeast, baking powder, and whatever else you could think of for baking, they also had a lot of organic products. The clincher was that I could use manufacturer coupons and combine them with BJ's coupons. They had different oils for soap making which I will not only use to clean but to make my shampoo and regular body soap (right now I am still using the stuff I made a while back with the Zote). They naturally had big bottles of vinegar, oxy clean and baking soda so all my homemade cleaning supplies are available. When we were done at BJ's we went to Food Lion and I compared prices with the receipt and what I had written down as we walked the aisles. We saved a lot of money at BJ's so that will be our new shopping venue. It doesn't take the place of Weaver Street my co-op and Whole Foods (which I haven't gone to since I read the bad things about them) but will take the place of my regular grocery shopping.

On the knitting front I am still working on socks. I have a bunch on the needles and near completion so I will have pictures soon.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

Still in NY

I am still here and so very tired. It is wearing being in a hospital anyway so I try to align my energies with the happy nurses but it still draws from me. I am so tired and sore my body screams but I will be heading home Monday. I have a buy yarn get happy plan on Monday LOL. I will take the early bus into the city and then go visit some yarn shops. Anyone near by want to do a meet-up? Then I will take a later Greyhound to NC.

I did get Wendy Johnson's new book Socks From the Toe Up and love it. I normally do not buy sock books as I love to design my own but I had to buy Wendy's. I have been following her blog and commenting on it for OMG 7 some years, is that possible? WOW. About just as long as I have been blogging. WOW Where does the time go? I really like the patterns she has in there and she has a wealth of information from cast-on to bind-off.

I am still knitting on the bolero, socks for hubby and socks for myself.

I did meet up with an old friend of mine Joan, we have been friends since 1975 when I moved upstate from the Island. We had a nice early evening at her house sitting in front of the outdoor firepit. Then met up again Sunday night and went out to dinner at the Pine Hill Arms. Nice dinner of shrimp and scallop ravioli YUM!!! glass of wine, and friendship, what could be better?

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

They Say It Comes in Threes

Wow 2009 is really turning for the worse. They say it comes in threes so maybe now we are done. First my uncle in Florida passed away very quickly and unexpectedly. Then my sister's husband Russel had a heart attack at 52 y.o. He is fine - had a stent put in and is home and working already. Then my g-aunt who was going to come live with me this Thursday went into the hospital. I was called Saturday and jumped on a plane to NY. Even though she is in NJ, my family (and hers) are in NY so I can get rides whenever I need. Mom said she would go to NJ as soon as possible, so it was a win-win situation for me. I did get to enjoy Easter dinner with the family and we left Monday for NJ.

The hospital originally thought she had no one except in Fl. but friends told them, no she has family in NY and they are on the way there. Otherwise the social worker was going to put her in a nursing/rehab. place on Monday. We were told she has to go to rehab., no ands, ifs, or buts. Thank God my Mom works in a nursing home/hospital/rehab. center so she called immediately to see if there was room. The SW said we could take her out on Tues. and as long as we had her Drs. permission to transport her to NY would could take her. Well of course somewhere there has to be a glitch. Tues. morning the replacement SW called us and said the first SW did not realize that between NY and NJ there is a form that needs to be filled out by drs., nurses, and SW - get this - 42 pages. She said it normally takes about three days, so they were going to put her in another facility and we could come get her once the paperwork is done. I explained that we drove 4 hours to get her, my Mom needs to go to work which would mean we would have to drive back down here again to get her, was there any way she could get it through. She said being the dr and nurses needed to fill it out also she wasn't sure. So we set a conference up with the SW, us and my g-aunt to tell her what would happen. We knew she would go through the roof as she wanted out NOW!!!!!!

Well we get to the hospital and the SW came in and pulled us out and asked if we could wait about two hours as she had the paperwork filled out and she faxed it to NY, it was just a matter if they could review it and get a dr. to read it, then we would be able to take her on Wed. Mom said if that was possible she would take another day off from work and stay down and we would transport her then. Mom right away called where she works and talked to the SW there and asked if they could please push everything so we could take her Wed. without having to make another trip down and especially so she did not have to go to another facility. We were totally worried what would happen if she had to go to a different place and then we would be taking her again to another totally different place. We knew this would be the best all around and I believe Margaretville (the place in NY) agreed. Well lo and behold at 4:00 we received a call that Wednesday at 10 am we could take her from NJ to NY. Believe me when I tell you my g-aunt was not very happy that she had to stay another night. Even trying to explain it was better than another three days at another center and then get moved to NY, she still did not want to stay. LOLOL she said she was going to start screaming and crawl under the hospital bed. I told her if she did that they would say she was crazy and put her in an institution and then we would never get her out LOL. Sometimes she is too funny.

Soooo we took her to NY and as we pulled into the hospital there she immediately started protesting. For some reason she got it in her brain that she was going to my parents place. However, once she got in and the nurses were all so nice to her she immediately calmed down. In NJ the nurses totally ignored them, never came with meds., or to clean her. When we got there on Monday she was full of urine since Sat. and no one had cleaned her. We immediately requested they clean her and give her clean clothes. The diagnoses in NJ was pain due to her cholesterol medicine, and a urine infection, plus she has fibromyalgia and arthritis. In NY the Dr. did not like the way her legs looked so swollen, immediately ordered tests and found blood clots in her legs. Geeez, why the hell didn't NJ do that. Well anyway at least he found it and they have her on the right meds.

In NJ she had no interest for reading, watching TV, or anything. When Mom left her last night she was watching Dr. Phil and asking when her Wheel of Fortune comes on so that is the most excellent thing. Mom called me this morning and she had a very good night YEAH!!!! as in NJ she just sat in a chair and stayed up all night, just snoozing. So this is very good, rest is much needed to heal a body.

Well I have prattled on enough.

Hugs!!!!
Namaste!!!!

Crazy Week

Went to the dentist last week Thursday for a periodontal cleaning; while I was there hubby headed to a job and was going to pick me up when done. I don't mind this as I am near Ninth and Broad St. in Durham and there are lots of cute shops even a tiny yarn shop, Cozy. Well hubby's company vehicle ended up with a flat and he was at a tire shop that was not an authorized dealer for his company. They had the tires off and once off they cannot put back on because they were too bad. I ended up spending like 3-4 hours in Durham LOL. I don't mind though I am use to things coming up, since I don't drive and have to rely on others I have learned this. I always have knitting and my iPod with me, sometimes a book or magazine also. So I went to Cozy and bought some yarn for my DS1's hat as he requested me to knit a hat since he is getting dreads again YUCK!!!!! Then it was off to Regulator the bookstore where I picked up Piecework and walked down to The Bean Trader coffeeshop. I sat read, knitted and listened to Pride and Prejudice from Librivox (free check them out) until he was done and picked me up.

Friday was a lovely windy day, great for hanging clothes on the line, so I stripped the beds and did all my linens. Went to bend over to pick up the gallon of vinegar and BAM!!! PAIN!!! Threw my back out. Quickly went into the whirlpool with epsom salts it helped but not 100%. DH has been taking care of me; back rubs, putting pillows under my legs at night to sleep and sleeping on the couch while I have the bed. It is not too bad now it still hurts but I can get around.

Saturday we get a call my sister's husband Russell had a minor heart attack and is in Kingston NY hospital. On Monday they will do a catherization and if he needs a stent or open heart they will transfer him to Albany. On Monday the transferred him, put in the stent, he was 99% blocked in one artery. He is home and doing well now.

This is the hat I am working on for DS1 is the Reasonably Hip Hat and it is a wonderful, easy, fast knit. If you do it be careful though there is an errata, after you cast on and knit one round you TURN before you start the W&Ts.

AK - I want you to know I love you, I am here for you and please never hesitate to lean on me.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

What A Beautiful World

Hugs!!! Namaste!!!

The Last of Busyness for a While

Sunday started off with me making Apple Pikelets for breakfast. I got the recipe over at Rhonda's wonderful blog. Mine were a little thicker and I think next time instead of grating the apples over the pancakes, I will grate the apples and put them in the batter.

Then it was time to start my bread dough and while that was going it was time to make the dog food and animal treats.

First I made sardine balls for Sasha. This is real easy, just take a 6.5 oz can of sardines including the oil and add about 1/2 cup of plain bread crumbs. Make into tiny meatballs and freeze. You are supposed to coat the balls with another 1/4 cup of bread crumbs but I tried a coated ball on Sasha and she snubbed it so I didn't bother coating the rest and she gobbled down the test ball.

Then it was on to making Chantilly her food. If you have been a reader of this blog for a while you know I had at one time starting making our animal food but Mattie's stomach did not like and she would get horrible diarrhea, but Chantilly was fine with it. This time I only made a small amount and Chantilly will be getting it and Mattie will stay on her regular dry food. Poor Mattie is getting up there in age and is totally blind now. Next up was Liver Snap Treats and Chantilly loves them. I didn't get to give Mattie one yet but I will later today when she wakes up. You can't beat the price, for .89 I bought a pound of liver, then you add a few different grains; flour, bran meal and cornmeal, which is already on hand for bread making and garlic, pour into a pan and bake for a few minutes and VIOLA!! you know have wonderful treats for your dog versus buying them at 5.00 a bag; which are the cost of the treats we buy.

Here are some of the liver snaps (you can also see some in the baggie) with the potholder and basket I crocheted. I had a dog biscuit cookie cutter so I used that, my heart cutter, and my tiny cutters that I picked up in an antique shop a while back. I had a lot of middle pieces left, I broke them into smaller pieces and placed them in the bag also. Next time I will use a bigger pan as some are really thick and the hearts are way to big, I will have to break them into pieces when I give it to the girls.

Here is the bread with the tin of cookie cutters.

While I was doing that hubby was outside using his metal detector looking for gold. Not sure if I mentioned it before or not but we have a lot of quartz with gold running through it, on our property so DH has been panning and using his detector looking for more. He found the most awesome piece of quartz; I am not sure what he did with it, when he comes home I will ask him and take a picture and post it. He also rotor tilled the garden and a piece in front of the house.

We have a long deck in the front about 15 feet from the door out so it divides the house as our front door is in the middle. Facing the house to the right he rotor tilled that whole area (I have some azaleas planted and butterfly bush, comfrey, and primrose so he didn't till those) and when the ground dries up some more we will plant a cottage mixture of flowers. We are hoping the high winds yesterday helped to dry the soil.

Here is another picture of the basket.

I used Lion brand Kitchen Cotton in Sherbet Swirl, a size G hook and the pattern is from Lion Brand. It only took maybe an hour to make. I starched it and put it over a small bowl to hold it's shape, the handle I wrapped around a Pomelo LOL, but if I make this again I will make the handle a little smaller it doesn't need to be this long. This was very easy and really helped me in learn to crochet in the round better than I had been. It is only single crochet stitches with one section sc in the back. Easy peasy!!!

I also made an amigurumi rabbit egg cozy when I get her ears stuffed and sewn together I will show you, it is also another Lion pattern and I used the Sherbet Swirl yarn.

Remember if you want any of the recipes just leave a comment and I will email you.

Now we have shampoo, mouthwash, facial cleaner, detergents, cleaners and animal treats for a month at least. Dog food for a week. The only things left to do is make my beef and chicken stock and bar soap. If only I can find lye. I am having the darnest time finding lye anywhere. I told DH I will search the Internet and maybe I can find some to order.

Today will be spent sitting and knitting; since I have been up since 7 a.m. (very unusual for me), I got quite a few of my chores done already. I just need to put a ham in the oven later on and we are all set. I might make my Ginger Beer today or wait a day, we will see.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

Busy Weekend

Whew!!! I have been busy but I think things are done for a while now so I can relax and knit or crochet for a bit. LOL You heard right crochet - I am still practicing and I will show you my basket and pot holder soon.

First I never did tell about our dinners and I totally forgot to take pictures. As you all know (if you read my blog anyway) I am slowly moving towards everything and I mean everything homemade. So Thursday night I decided to start using up some of my canned soups - I heated up a Maryland Crab soup and added some paprika, dill, tarragon and some crab. Then I grabbed some popcorn shrimp I had in the freezer from Schwan's and threw them in the oven. While they were heating I put on spaghetti and started my sauce. I put butter with some sliced garlic and sauteed for a few minutes, then added some more crab meat and spooned some of the soup into the sauce. OMG was this delicious. Oh yeah I made a quick cheddar and wheat quick bread/biscuit thing LOL. I don't know what to call it but it came out good - you make it in a round pan and cut almost to the bottom 8 slices and bake. YUM!!!

The other night after I cleaned out the freezer I made hamburgers and used up the last of our hamburger rolls and frozen french fries. Since I now make our bread every other day (not that we eat that much as what is left over gets ground for bread crumbs) if I need rolls for dinner I make 2 pounds of dough and cut some off for rolls. I made a homemade Ranch dressing and we had salad with it. For dessert I made vanilla pudding and a berry sauce. OMG was this good. Growing up my Mom always made Dr. Oetker pudding and she would have a store bought imported from Germany berry syrup. This tasted better than Dr. Oetker, which I never thought possible. Well the syrup is very hard to come by and making my own I can control the amount of sugar going into it. The pudding is all natural and good ingredients - milk, vanilla extract, corn starch.

Not the best looking picture but it was very good.

Saturday morning hubby made breakfast

The last of my homemade bread, boiled eggs (not sure how he knew I was going to make boiled eggs for breakfast, LOL but he beat me to it), and this wonderful creamy lemon sauce with capers.

Then it was off to do our shopping:
Steve's Vegetable Market
Bur-Gra Meat Market - believe it or not they did not have any bones and leftovers to make stock, he did have some t-bones that he gave me for the dog and I know Chantilly will love them. I have to go back Thursday as that is when he will have meat bones for me.
Aldi's for all my canned goods and some more veges.
Weaver Street for my bulk goods, essential oils, herbs and dairy products
Food Lion for beef bones, marrow, chicken necks and back to make stock.

When we got back home we took everything out of the fridge and washed it completely, taking out all shelves.

Then I went to work making: mouthwash, shampoo, hair rinse, gentle milk bath, face cleanser/toner and face scrub.

After that it was off into the tub because my back was absolutely killing me. Sweet hubby filled the tub for me as I cleaned up my mess in the kitchen. He added Epsom Salts to the water and when I came in I put in some of the gentle milk bath and some patchouli essential oil. I turned the jets on, had my music playing and DH such a sweetie, brought me a glass of wine. Relaxation!!!!!!

Oh if you ever want the directions for any of these things just comment and I will send you the instructions.

That is it for Saturday, I will post more later on Sunday.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

More Busyness

Hubby and I drink a lot of seltzer water, as it gives me the fizziness of soda and I do not gag on it like I do most waters. Usually for lunch I will add some Pom Juice, but I liked the idea of making my own cordial (non-alcoholic), it is what they call it in Australia, I guess here it would just be a simple fruit syrup. The ratio is 1:10 part fruit juice to seltzer, so it very economical. I mentioned I bought oranges and lemons in yesterday's post to make the simple fruit syrup and I followed the directions from Towards---Sustainablity and it came out delicious.

The jug on the left I bought at Ikea and the one on the right is one of many decanters my Mom brought down with her from NY and was in her collection.

While I was making this I had started dough for our bread and cinnamon rolls for dessert. 

The bread came out particularly good this time and was nice slicing - I added one egg to the mixture and a little less water. The icing is leftover from a Cinnabon Apple Pie we bought and did not use. The basket in the picture hold my cloth napkins, as one thing I am going to stop buying are paper towels.

Then when I was all done with these things I decided my kitchen counters need a good clearing and cleaning. I had a big basket in my roll around shelves that I keep my EuroPro and Slicer in, I took that out and put in my bread machine and blender - since I don't use these every day I thought it was a better place than cluttering my counters. I also put up my coffee pot as we know make only French Press so that gave me another big chunk of space. Flowerpots went outside. Now it is light and airy in the kitchen.

Then finally I planted a few herbs in my galvanized bucket - parsley, cilantro/coriander, and dill. That is a start for my garden, when the plants are big enough to transplant we should be out of all danger of frost and I can transplant into my garden.

I tell you I slept very well that night ;-)

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Monday was my birthday and the day Social Security Administration thought I should go to the ENT. I was worried they were going to do the water test in which they pour a steady stream of water in your ear. It really makes me sick and dizzy for days afterward so I was really dreading it.

Hubby thought we should make a day of it and I agreed, but suggested we do most of it before the appointment so if I was sick afterward we could go straight home. Well we headed out a little late as I had to find out what time my appointment actually was; SSA sent me a notice of 1:00 but the message on Friday from the ENT's office said 2:20 - it was 2:20.

First stop was Borders as they had sent me a 25% off coupon for my birthday. I bought Super Stitches Crochet as I joined a potholder swap and thought it a good idea ;-) Then Hancock Fabric as they were having a sale on Lion Brand yarn - 30% coupon in the mail - so I bought some kitchen cotton.

My choice for lunch was Giacomo's Italian Market as they make the best heros and my favorite it the Italian Stallion. Well they were no longer there but I did see they had another store near Battlefield but it was too late to head over there and eat lunch. I suggested we head to the ENT and then lunch afterwards if I wasn't sick.

The ENT visit went very well. They tested my hearing and I have low-level hearing loss in my right ear and more so in my left ear. So UNC ENT's bite this.... oops sorry just a little bitter there. Then the doctor came and looked over my results, and she also had my files from Dr. Farmer and Dr. Tucci who are my
ENT doctors at Duke. She agreed with all they had to say in the files and said that my hearing tests was typical of someone with Meneire's Disease. She also agree on the statement in the file by Dr. Farmer that I was disabled due to the frequency of Meneire episodes I have. So hopefully she says the same things in the write-up to SSA and I will have decision soon. Just to tell you... if you are sick and cannot work and thing oh I will wait on filing for disability be very careful as there is a time limit to apply. I did not realize this and was very fortunate to meet someone who is an advocate and I just got my files in to them on time. If I had waited another month I would have been out of luck. See I wasn't going to apply, I just figured I would wait, you know hoping that all this would go away and I would be healthy again, and if I wasn't then I could always apply later on. Glad I found out before it was too late. Okay anyway.

So since no water test we headed to Giacomo's on Battleground and they are closed on Monday's - oh poo!!! So I had hubby take me to Michael's and we could decide and where we want to go. I wanted something different and exotic - Thai, Indian, Oriental something in that line. We decided on Red Bowl in Burlington (the link will actually take you to the Cary restaurant) which is a NC restaurant branching out to different cities. We went there one day for lunch and had the combo platters and sushi this time I decided on one of their platters the Walnut Shrimp, OMG it is something to die for. AWESOME!!! I did have to try some nigiri sushi (no sashimi this time) and it was the quail eggs, yes they were raw served on a roll of rice and seaweed wrap. Yes very delicious, would I have it again, you betcha!!!

Then we tried to find some lye so I can make some homemade soap. No luck. I need to make some phone calls when I am done here. I did buy some oranges and lemons to try making the Australian cordial (which is non-alcoholic). More on that tomorrow.

Oh my birthday present:
I am in love with this

The front of my new Tom Bihn Swift Knitting bag

The back with my two new reads. A great write-up on this bag is at IndigoDragonfly. I am loving the Reader's Digest Homemade book. Mary Jane's Outpost I started a few pages and it has me wondering. She talks a lot about being outdoors and she shows a lovely bed outdoors which she claims she uses. Now I have to ask, I am sure she does not leave those covers on all the time, if so what does she do about rain and critters? Naturally it is a very lovely looking place and she has a picture of another one someone designed after seeing hers and it still brings to mind the questions.

Okay more tomorrow.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

Frugal Living

Today was spent watching and listening to NASCAR and making my cleaning supplies for the house. As I mentioned in yesterday's post I have slowly been using up my store bought toxic cleaners and I am replacing them with homemade cleaners. I have been doing this with my laundry detergent for a while now and that ran out Friday. My store bought supplies has dwindled to nothing, so today was the day to make new cleaners.

This time I followed Down---to---Earth's recipes, but they are pretty much the same as Junie Moon's.

Starting from the left we have: window cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, heavy-duty laundry detergent (2TBSP per load), peroxide spray bottle laying on top, regular laundry detergent (2TBSP), heavy duty liquid laundry detergent with lemon (1/4 cup), plain in ketchup/mustard type bottle (I am using this for spot treatments), and the big one holds more of the liquid laundry detergent (1/4 cup).

The heavy duty laundry detergent and the liquid are for my DH's work clothes and to put on stains. Even though he no longer is in the thick of putting together equipment and coming home with soot, oil and asbestos, he is still on construction sites and comes home with Carolina red clay, the occasional blood splatter (yeah he likes running into pipes) odds and end stains. I am using aprons more and more when I cook and clean and this seems to help my clothes.

The only thing is my dishwashing detergent; which is borax and washing soda, and the all-purpose cleaner are leaving a white film on things. Right now I am experimenting with the all-purpose cleaner adding different things to see if I can cut that out. My next load of dishes I will try adding just a drop of the liquid detergent; which by the way can be used for hand washing, dishes and add to different cleaners. If I cannot figure it out I will call Arm & Hammer on Monday to find out if they have any idea.

The cost for all of this approximately $5.00, the most expensive was the Fels Naptha and Zote Soap at about 1.25 each.

As you can see I do not have a lot of store bought cleaners left. I like my lazy Susan under the sink as I find it too big and clunky for the table. My garbage can I have had for years and it has the side pieces so you use your store plastic bags, I bought it online at Gaiam.

Hubby also was a sweetie and made me another shelf above my washer and dryer. The one that has been there is way to high for me and I always have to drag out my step stool. Now the top shelf holds my stock and the lower shelf holds my detergents that I use regularly.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

Quiet Weekend

We were to go out with another couple today but plans fell through; which is okay as I really wasn't up to doing a whole day outing. OMG I just realized DH and I were supposed to go the Recycling Center to pick up a compost bin, they were selling really nice ones for $40.00 and I totally forgot. We went out for a nice breakfast at Cracker Barrel, I went to Goodwill - I like browsing their books and knick knacks - but I didn't find much today. While I was there DH went to Lowes to get pieces for our sink. He discovered a leak last night and thought he had it fixed but found out this morning that he didn't. He or rather the sink needed new hoses and a valve. The timing was perfect as I had been meaning all week to get under there and clean out all my old and yucky detergents. I make most of mine now and the only things left were just dredges in the bottom of cans and bottles.

Oh yesterday I went to Borders to get my good friend Mel our monthly magazine, Simply Knitting, and stopped at the shoe store and came home with these...

Black Croc Mary Jane's. I knew I was going to get Croc's once my shoe store, Comfortable Soles, received a shipment. I lucked out and they had a new shipment. I never thought I would be a Mary Jane wearing person but I really like them. They are really, really comfortable. I bought the doo-dads during my visit to Charlotte a few weeks back. On the left (my right shoe) Yarn Diva and Crafty Monkey, the other shoe has Born to Knit and Stitch 'n Bitch. I am wearing my generic toe-up socks from Colinette.

I need a few washcloths for my bathroom and I wanted them just a bit bigger than I had made them so I cast on some really soft Sublime Organic Cotton (again bought in Charlotte) in a very pale pink and did the middle accent stripe with an off-white from Sublime. I used the Waffle Knit pattern from Homespun Living.

I am looking forward to a relaxin bath and using this very soft cloth. I have a few more lined up in the wings to make. ROFL right now it is a belly blanket for Chantilly, at least that is what hubby is doing with it LOL.

Oh I tried to get a surprise up here for Mel but unfortunately it didn't work. I'll try again...

Hugs!!
Namaste!!!

Nanner's and Bread

The smell of homemade bread baking in the oven is AWESOME!!!! Yesterday I did a trial of sorts in my bread making. I made a pre-ferment and let it sit in the fridge for 3 days, I was hoping for a sort of sourdough flavor. So I decided to make these into our rolls for the garlic bratwurst we were having for dinner. As a backup I had hubby bring home a few rolls, you know, just in case. I use Alton Brown's Basic Bread Recipe, even though it is not a quick recipe like Dutch Oven method or the No Knead, it makes a great bread.

This was dinner, garlic bratwurst with saurkraut and red onion sauce.

While I was making that I also started on dough for a cinnamon raisin and apricot bread. Mel, by the way, the raisins can just be brushed out for your share ;-) I had some dried apricots and decided to reconstitute them, chop them up and add them in with the raisins. Oh I also coat the fruit in the leftover sugar & cinnamon mixture. Oh the smell in the kitchen when these two were baking OMG YEAH it was that good.

My Nanner's are coming along great. I don't think they will be done by Saturday.

Yes the colors are a little different. I did not think to ask about dye lot when I found another skein online. OH well they will do, I can get past it as the yarn is so soft on the feet. I really love knitting up Wendy's new heel she designed and using Cat Bordhi's Video on You Tube as a help for the W&T and conceal.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Sock Knitting Continues

I turned the heel on one sock and now will pick up the second sock and do the same. I had major brain farts with this heel, I just was not meant to do it that day. I finally put is aside and picked it up the next day, that worked a lot better.

Wendy has the Nanner sock pattern up in celebration of her new blog.

My whatever yuckiness is still hanging around. I will make a doctor appointment, I think it is time.

Oooops I think I broke Plurk. I made another account with the craftyncer name and put up a widget on my blog and now Plurk is down.... oops.

Correction to previous post; my prescriptions are now 8.00 not 4.00. They are four dollars a piece - and the kicker - it is Wal-Mart's straight pricing, doesn't even include using our prescription card.

Hugs!!!!
Namaste!!!!

Excitement Over a Coffee Cup

I am looking to save a little money on some of the things we purchase and my prescriptions were a start. I transferred my prescripts. over to Wal-Mart, I know I really hated doing it but I pay normally 50.00+ a month for my meds. and at Wal-Mart that 50 is now 4.00. Yeah more yarn money. Hubby's job hasn't been affected by the economy, thank God, but I figured saving a little here and there would not hurt.

Another way is Starbucks coffee. Now I am sure some of you are saying WHAT??!!?? how in the world do you save money at Starbucks. Well hubby and I are coffee snobs, but we can and do drink Folgers. However, with Starbucks we use 6 scoops versus Folgers 8-10 (depends on what flavor coffee). Oh and I am a Starbucks member so I get discounts on my purchases and earn points and coupons as well. Soo anyway, we went to Starbucks to get our French Press coffee and they had this...

...a cable and ribbed coffee mug. Oh yeah I couldn't pass that up, and it was on sale.

I joined a sock club at TheKnitter.com - their luxury sock yarn club, the only reason I picked the luxury sock yarn was that I didn't want to chance getting acrylic yarn. It is different than most as there is no yearly up front charge, they charge your card the month of shipment. Here is the first skein I received...

It is Alpaca and Tencel, oh so very soft in the Clematis colorway.

Oh yeah I was going ot tell you the name of the kitchen cotton I used on that dishcloth. It is SRK CoolSpun Cotton made by Kertzer. What is really funny, weird, strange, take your pick LOL is that the color for that months yarn was Peaches and Cream Winterberry. I had no clue whatsoever what the colors were in that colorway, so when I was looking through my cotton collection I asked myself which of these colors remind you of winterberry? The skein I pulled out, yeah matches the PnC colors of Winterberry although they are called OMG OMG OMG LOLOL I just looked on the ballband and it says Winterberry. Oh okay totally strange LOL.

I am still working on the bolero but I also started on another pair of socks.

I had planned on making a pair from the leftover Malabrigo Solis yarn but Hillsborough Yarn shop did not have any more. I knew what I had left would not be enough, I did a search on the Internet and found a place that had the colorway. It is the Nanner pattern created by Wendy Johnson for her Plurk friends. Please do not email Wendy if you don't have the pattern as it was a one time limited edition deal and is no longer available. If you don't Plurk please join and look me up, I don't go on every day like I do Facebook but I am on there. I am using size 1 needles and I probably will make them into knee socks. Yes that is the mate started in the bowl. I'll alternate between the two - I want them done for next weekend.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

DAMN Why Does My Life Always Have to Include Drama??

Our local Fox news station, WRAL, reported a recall having to do with Wild Birds Unlimited. As a member of the Carolinabird Listserv for over 10 years (and since I also report recalls on my blog) and knowing that a lot of the members purchase their bird food from Wild Birds Unlimited I posted the recall along with a one line statement, underlined below. Well this one line has caused a furor.

It seems that some of Wild Bird Unlimited Bird Food is/was contaminated with the same peanuts that has affected many of our foods and the cause of major recalls. This is causing the death that were reported of the Goldfinches and Pine Siskens. Burkmann Feeds immediately recalled 20-pound packages of Wild Birds Unlimited Wildlife Blend bird food with the manufacturing date code of 81132200 2916 08124. The food is sold exclusively at Wild Birds Unlimited Stores.

What is truly sad is that the company in Kentucky knew the peanuts were part of the contaminated ones.

Cathy Davies
Eli Whitney NC

Someone emailed the CB listserv asking me where my source was for the one-liner. I replied:

P,

I really don't know what you are implying as I cannot see facial expressions and I have learned not to go by the tones in an email. You seem to be suggesting I would just throw out that sort of accusation without proper backup and documentation. The scientist in me balks at such an idea.

It was reported on WRAL news by Sloane Heffernan. Here is a link to the news cast where she states "state officials say the Kentucky based company that makes the product knew there were tainted peanuts inside." http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4708622/

Cathy von Hassel-Davies
Eli Whitney, NC

Well that was the end, P and I agree that Sloane Heffernan should have cited what state official made the comment. Yet, it was not the end, another email arrived to the list; someone sending on an email from a Wild Bird Unlimited Owner (which by the way in mid-February his partner wrote into the listserv "there has been a lot of chat about salmonella in peanuts, but most of the affected birds, such as siskins and goldfinches are eating thistle seed, not peanuts, so this is very unlikely to have anything to do with this outbreak." Also which really irked me, another WBU owner and biologist stated the bird deaths were probably due to avian salmonella and not related to the peanut recall at all - which turns out to be untrue.)

This is to clarify a message previously posted to the CBC, regarding the recall of our Wildlife Blend.  The original messenger, Cathy?, made a few false statements.  The one of most concern to us is that, "What is truly sad is that the company in Kentucky knew the peanuts were part of the contaminated ones."  That is entirely untrue.  The company VOLUNTARILY recalled the seed as soon as the possibility of contamination was raised, and in no way knew about the peanuts prior to testing done by the state of North Carolina.

Two varieties of seed, Wildlife Blend, and Woodpecker Blend tested positive. Both had already been withdrawn from our stores.

A real negative to the internet is that erroneous, and in this case slanderous information is so easily posted.

S & C

My Reply:
I am sorry you missed my earlier post where I cited the news reporter Sloane Heffernan as the source of where I received my information regarding the Kentucky plant and that they knew of the tainted peanuts. Again here is the link:

      It was reported on WRAL news by Sloane Heffernan. Here is a link to the news cast where she states "state officials say the Kentucky based company that makes the product knew there were tainted peanuts inside." http://www.wral.com/news/local/video/4708622/

To my knowledge I did not make a false statement as I  went by what the news reporter stated in her segment. It was pointed out to me later that she did not give the name of the state official that she quoted. Maybe YOU should contact WRAL's General Manager John Harris http://www.wral.com/apps/feedback/feedback/?d_id_person=211 instead of lambasting me for posting a heads up regarding a recall that affects numerous members of the CBC (as it seems a lot of members purchase their food through Wild Birds Unlimited). Even the gentleman on the segment states it was a shame that this was allowed to be placed in the bird food for a profit.

Sadder still is that recently there was a thread on CBC regarding where bird food is purchased (I purchase at my local feed store) and funny that so far it is only Wild Bird Unlimited food being recalled. It will be interesting to see what other stores will be part of the recall. To me just as interesting as finding out that Whole Foods peanuts were part of the recall and I have not seen any other "healthy organic" stores involved, products yes, stores no.

Oh another sad note - it was reported the day before, again on WRAL, that another bird "expert" had stated that there was no way that the same peanuts could be involved in the sickening of Goldfinch and Pine Sisken. Also, I believe it was this CBC list when another member wrote in to inquire what the dangers would be to birds regarding the recall and other so called "experts" posted that there was no danger to the birds and bird food. In my eyes this is/was more dangerous than my posting of the recall, or are you just taking your anger out on me because Wild Birds Unlimited food is involved?

Cathy von Hassel-Davies
Eli Whitney, NC

I did receive an email from WRAL's General Manager John Harris and that "someone will respond." This was before C's last email to me and no I have not heard from anyone at WRAL regarding this matter.

What bothers me so much during all this is the fact that bird food was responsible for the deaths of 100's, possibily 1,000s of birds all over North Carolina. There was an email thread on the listserv started February 12th, if it was possible that peanuts were responsible, and the "so called experts" and the one WBU store owner, poo-pooed the idea and said NO. It was again reported on the news the day before the recall that an expert said it was NOT related to the peanut recall. How many birds could have been saved if these "experts" had said it was a possibility? I am sure people on the Carolinabird listserv would have held back their peanut laden bird food and either not fed the birds or give them something else (which one member did say they would do if it was at all possible). Also the whole point of my email was to warn the members of the recall, yet it seems the whole thing has been turned around to focus on my "accusation" of Burkmann Feeds, while I still believe the whole fucos should be on the issue of the bird food recall.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Sick but Knitting

Listening to U2 - No Line on the Horizon - awesome album.

Seems I can't shake this darn bug. I think I am feeling better, head out to do something and relapse a few hours later. I did get to see two good UNC-Chapel Hill baseball games against Clemson Tigers. DH's company did the heating and air in the new Boshamer Stadium and the GC wanted someone there during the games, so hubby got four comp tickets for Friday and Saturday's game. Friday the Tigers beat the Tar Heels but on Saturday we turned around and beat them 5-2. Sunday's game which we didn't watch sounded like a real thriller, sorry we missed that one.

On the knitting front I have been busy; even though I did not knit a lot while sick so not sure why I got so much done.

Colinette Jitterbug socks size 1 needles. Generic toe-up stockinette socks.

Approximately 5" of the Silke-Alpaca Bolero. Pattern from Garnstudio.

Clapotis made with Malabrigo sock yarn color Solis. Size 4 Knitpicks Harmony needle.

January Mid-month KAL Yahoo Monthly Dishcloth Group This wasn't your regular Peaches 'n Cream or Sugar 'n Cream, can't remember the name right now but will update when I go look. Size 7 needles.

February Mid-month KAL Yahoo Monthly Dishcloth Group. Size 7 needles, Sugar 'n Cream. I do notice a difference between Sugar and Peaches. Peaches is softer but the above yarn was even softer.

I have more pictures but I'll save something for tomorrow.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Winner and Afternoon

We have a winner!!! Junie Moon send me your snail mail addy and you will get some cotton yarn sent your way. I thought we had someone else who was closer to the $ amount if it was you re-email me and you will also get a prize. I have an idea who it is but I can't find the email any where. The total we spent was $125.00; which I did not think was bad at all, and it was all regular pricing - how cool is that!!!

After we hit Ikea we went to the Charlotte Yarn Shop and I met...

Christi from Turtlegirl's Bloggy Thing. Why in the world I am not smiling is beyond me besies that I hate the way I look in pictures, as I had a great time with Christi and DH. We also went to Peace of Yarn as they are going out of business and had a great sale going. We managed to scarf up the last two books of Simply Shetland Book 4. I love Autumn Rose and have ever since I saw it on Claudia's Blog. It is on my to-do list once I lose 50 pounds LOL.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Station Break...

Sorry all I am down with the flu and a very nasty cough. Hopefully back by Tuesday and will once winner then.

Hugs!!
Namaste!!!

I am in Love... and a Contest!!!

with Ikea that is LOL. DH took a day off yesterday and we did a day in the Charlotte NC area.

First stop was Reed's Gold Mine for the tour. It was way to cold for me so I stayed inside and checked out the museum while hubby did the tour. I should have gotten the car keys from him as my knitting was in the car, but it worked out. I had my iPhone so I listened to some tunes and walked all through the museum. Then some kind gentleman asked me if I had seen the movie and since I hadn't he offered to set it up for me so I can watch while they rest were still out on the tour. DH is really interested in this as we have a lot of quartz on our property with gold and/or Pyrite inside, he has even panned in our little creek and got some gold flakes. Now he is set to go back outside and do some more digging and when it gets a little warmer we will pan the creek again.

Then it was off to Ikea. OMG!!! First of all the parking lot was jammed packed and they had guys directing you in. I felt like I was heading to a concert LOL. The store is huge so it did not seem crowded at all, which I thought it would be what with all the cars in the lot. First you go upstairs and they hand you a big yellow bag, a paper, and pencil. This is the showroom so to speak and you walk around writing down what you want. In some areas the little things are on shelves; like spoons, bottles, storage boxes, tealights, things like that and these if you want you can place in your big bag. The reason you write down what you want as all that stuff is downstairs and you go down and pick it up. I really should have just done the downstairs as I really wasn't interested in buying furniture this time around, I just wanted some things for the kitchen, a duvet set and bathroom rug. Yeah well I bought a little more than that. LOL. Oh they even have a restaurant but we did not eat there as I was meeting someone special later. More on that later on ;-)

Okay here are the pictures:

Starting to the left - two cutting boards, a froggy bib with froggy plate and cup (the cup suctions down onto the highchair), two storage boxes for CDs, two hangers which the wooden spoons will go into (picture of the setup later), coffee and three pairs of scissors in different sizes and very sharp all sitting on the rug that will go in front of my shower.

Two bottles with stoppers for my Kombucha Tea, a tall jar with metal closure for my Kefir milk/cheese, two deep ceral bowls that are hiding two small stuff animals for Kristoffer - an elephant and a lion (his Dad's nickname is Lion), two 14x14 pillows (that I will cover and put on my bed as I don't think the green throw pillows match to well with the new duvet cover), and two pink storage cubes to go in my craft room.

The new duvet cover with pillow cases and there is a down blanket inside the duvet that we picked up. It is rated, oops I forgot, either a 1 or 2, which is light weight for our warm and hot weather.

These are the baskets and we bought the metal rod to hold them. You can also screw the metal baskets to the wall and not use the rod. It is perfect for my wooden spoons and spatulas but not too sure about the pink set and the potato masher.

(Remember you can click on the pictures to see bigger versions)

Oh and you will not believe how much we paid for all this, yeah hubby and a minor heart attack. Oh Oh Oh contest... you guess correctly how much we paid to the nearest dollar and I will send off some yummy kitchen cotton.

Well that is it for now. I'll post again later on for the rest of the afternoon and evening. It includes yarn and a fellow blogger ;-) I have a headache and will lay down for a bit. I have a feeling I am going to miss Franklin Habits book signing.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

Yummy Goodness, Oh My!!!

Yesterday was the first day of NASCAR and it was filled with yumminess. I was originally going to knit a KAL that Kathy the co-owner with me on Yahoo's Knitting NASCAR Fans and blogger at Aunt Kathy's Place designed, but I fell in love with my knitting of the Clapotis on yummy Malabrigo sock yarn. The color is Solis which reminds me of the couple on Desperate Housewives and I truly believe this green would look lovely on Eva Longoria Parker.

For the race I made a 7-Layer Dip which DH loves and he can't stop eating LOL. It is a layer of refried beans; homemade guacomole; a sour cream, mayo and taco seasoning  spread; tomatoes; green onions; olives; and cheese. YUM!!!

DH's contribution was this:

Steaks and sweet potato cooked inside the fireplace. He cut down the grill to fit in and set them on bricks. The sweet potatoes are tucked in on the bottom among the coals. Yes this dinner was awesome!!! so delicious!!!! Later this week I want to try baking bread in the fireplace and see how it turns out.

Hugs!!!

Namaste!!!

The $14.00 Bowl of Sopa (Soup)

Hubby called last Friday that he was going to be later than normal but did not know how late. I didn't start dinner and really, I couldn't figure out what to make, I was in the mood for Mexican. He finally called at 8:00 PM that he was wrapping it up and heading home. I asked him if he was in the mood to go for dinner at a Mexican restaurant (Torero's) in Chapel Hill. He was and we did. I actually was in the mood for an enchilada, carne asada, or chimichanga but their soup was what was really on the back of my mind. We had been here once before for lunch and almost all the people there (mostly Mexican) were eating this huge bowl of soup and I could see crab legs and shrimps as they were eating it. The image of it never left my brain LOL and every once in a while it would creep out of it's hidden recess and remind me how awesome it looked.

This is just a mere sampling

Well I couldn't get it out of my head and suggested to hubby that we should order the Sopas de Mariscos and if he was interested order the Torero's plate and we can share both. OMG the soup came out in a huge, huge bowl, I kid you not it was huge, oh yeah and it takes 20 minutes to make. It was stuffed with crab legs, shrimp, clams, and various fish. I finally found it on the menu and it described it as 'seven kinds of seafood with vegetables in a tasty broth, accompanied with saline crackers, not served with rice and beans. When I asked the waitress if they still had this soup she asked me if I wanted them to make it mild instead of hot. Naturally I said yes, but it still came through a little on the hot side, but OMG culinary heaven - to die for. Hubby shared with me and he was in total awe over the soup, he absolutely loved it.

We also shared the Torero's plate which had Taquito Ranchero (Crisp, corn tortillas filled with picadillo (shredded beef and pork mix) or chicken, garnished with sour cream and Cotija Mexican cheese). Carne Asada (Thinly sliced skirt steak charbroiled, garnished with green onions and jalapeño pepper). Chile Poblano/Relleno (Poblano Peppers stuffed with cheese, dipped in egg batter and fried to golden brown, covered with salsa ranchera and Cotija Mexican cheese). Jalisco-Style Enchilada (Corn tortilla filled with Monterrey Jack cheese and dipped in a mild sauce of Chalifornia chiles and seasonings, garnished with white onions and Cotija Mexican cheese), served with avocado, fresh lettuce, pico de gallo, refried or Rancho (cholesterol-free) beans and Mexican rice. I actually did get to try the carne asada and it was awesome, but so was everything else on the plate except for the chil poblano as I didn't try it because when hubby bit into it he was shocked over the heat so I wimped out.

The soup came home with us and hubby had another bowl for dinner one night. I had it today for lunch, but I added a little vegetable broth to lessen the heat, some leftover noodles, shredded cheese and a dallop of sour cream. OMG YUM!!! There are still two bowls left over and I'll add more shrimp as it is done to one measly shrimp. I always have frozen shrimp and canned clams on hand, just in case. I buy two bags of frozen shrimp when the store has them on sale for BOGO. Yeah I am not kidding when I said this thing was huge! Next time we order it I'll have to remember to take a picture at the restaurant.

For knitting news I cast on 408 stitches on size 6, 32" round needles for my aunt's bolero using KnitPicks Andean Silk. I am using the Garnstudio Wavy Pattern in Silke Alpaca. I am a little disappointed with the feel of the yarn so I am going to wash and block my gauge swatch and see how it feels after it dries.

Hugs!!!

Namaste!!!

Everything is socky!

I finished up another sock and am working on the second one. I really am enjoying this yarn, it is Colinette's Jitterbug in Kingfisher.

I cannot wait to put them on.

This Saturday the I Love K and C alongs is going to start a Bolero KAL. No particular pattern just everyone knitting along with each other. I will be doing a DROPS Garnstudio bolero and someone else, Tina, will be doing another pattern by them. This all started because I have been wanting to knit a shrug or something to wear in the evenings when I am in jammies with short sleeves. I was scouring patterns and found a few, and then my great-aunt called and said she wanted me to knit a bolero for her. Well let me tell you, she is 93 years old and I cannot deny her wish so all efforts went into finding the right pattern for her in a color she requested. She wanted something darker than cream, like a light coffee, so I found KnitPicks Andean Silk in Cinnamon. I ordered the yarn on Friday and by Friday night they sent an email that it had been shipped, this morning it was in Greensboro so it should be here tomorrow. YAHOO!!! I am stoked to get started on this.

We also will be doing a Clapotis KAL, we just need to figure out a date for that one. I have been dying to knit this and have been searching for yarn to use. Now that the group wants to do this pattern I will definitely join in.

My prayers go out to all our Australian friends. I need to get in touch with Princess Clarabelle and see if she is okay, I am really worried about them all.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!!

Numerous FDA Recalls

I am inundated daily by recalls of peanut products through the FDA. At first they were only saying peanuts used in baking, then they upped it to peanuts added to foods, and now I have even received a few for peanut butter.

They are way to many that I can post in one day, I never realized so many things had peanuts in them, so please before eating or buying peanut products check to make sure they aren't being recalled. This also goes for animal food so beware. Here in NC I hear that agents are going out checking on stores to make sure products are off the shelves and they are finding that there are products still out there. Especially at the smaller convenience and Mom and Pop stores that haven't been getting the word, so please be very careful.

The FDA has created a searchable database to make things easier, there are numerous ways you can do a search for your convenience.

It still surprises me that Whole Foods products are listed, especially their organic peanut butter and bulk nuts.

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!

FDA Recalls Salix Dog Treats

Salix, a manufacturer of rawhide dog chew products, is voluntarily recalling its Healthy-hide Deli-wrap 3-Pack 5" Peanut Butter-Filled Rawhide dog treats that contain peanut butter made by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is the focus of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation into potential salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste.

FDA Recall Carolina Prime Pet

Carolina Prime Pet, a manufacturer and distributor of dog treats, is voluntarily recalling four of its dog treats that contain peanut butter made by Peanut Corporation of America (PCA). PCA is the focus of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration investigation into potential salmonella contamination of peanut butter and paste.

More Sock Saga

Friday was spent at UNC having tests done, so far everything is okay. Since I knew I would be at UNC for a good part of the day I bought along the socks I started for myself with the Paton's stretch yarn from Michael's. I first started these socks two on two circulars as I wanted to learn how to do it. I found it way to fiddley for my liking, constantly having to move the two socks to the end, moving the needles and doing this all the time seemed a waste, where I can have them on two sets of DPNs and knit away a lot faster, so I switched them over. They are done top down as that was what the instructions called for, and since I was learning via internet directions I just followed along. The instructions were for children socks so I adjusted stitches for my feet. Since I have made so many I pretty much know how many stitches I need for which size needles.

One sock is done, and since I got carried away with knitting on the leg I wasn't sure I would have enough yarn to finish (big reason I like toe-up knitting). I stopped knitting on the second sock just before the heel, so if I need to tink back I did not waste any time knitting the heel. The first sock is complete and I had enough yarn, so now I am finishing up the second sock, which should be done today.

I received two free tickets for the Glass Menagerie a Tennessee Williams play being performed at Chapel Hill's PlayMakers theater for the 8:00 showing, so the socks might not be finished until tomorrow. I am also getting the cold everyone else has. My parents ended up with it on their way to Florida and I really thought I would get it then but it waited another week. OMG I forgot to tell you all this. My Dad redid my master bedroom closet. It is a walk-in closet but was never set up right to hold all our clothes, shoes, handbags, scarves and whatnot. Plus I had my summer and winter clothes in there and did not switch them out the last year and a half, plus my "I will lose the weight to fit into these again, so I am not throwing them out" clothes (IWLTWTFITA). Hubby had a great idea, or so we thought and put in utility shelves, only they were way to wide and took up a lot of room. Our clothes got totally lost on these shelves and it was so hard to find things, I also cannot reach the rods across the top as he made these higher so I stopped putting the clothes away in the closet and this was regulated to hubby. YEAH!! Big mistake there LOLOL, as he would just throw the clothes on the shelves, over the rods and never hang things up. It was a total mess. I even told him when you take your shirts off the hangers, hang the hanger on the closet door and I will rehang your shirts from the laundry, to make it easier. No that didn't work either. I absolutely hated going in there for anything - it was a good thing it had a door so I didn't have to see it and have it drive me totally insane.
Here are the before pictures which I am utterly embarrassed over.

Well no longer!!! My closet is U shaped, dimensions, 5x6x5. Dad made 6 shelves going across the 6' part, the top shelf around the whole U. The lower shelf is slanted with a stopper for our shoes, the others are straight. Oh and he took my rods and made on top of each other on the 5' sides, as most of our clothes are sweaters, blazers and shirts (pants are folded and on the shelf, dresses-which aren't many are in another closet). The reason for the Michael's trip earlier to buy their baskets at 50% off. Now the IWLTWTFITA and summer clothes are in those vacuum bags along with my summer shoes in shoeboxes, my scarves and shawls are in baskets, along with some of my pocketbooks, hats, running gear, wallets all in baskets. Our pullovers, PJs, and pants are on the shelves. A lot nicer.

What a joy this is. I am going to put down contact paper and the handkerchiefs you see hanging on the shelves... I wanted to see if I have enough for the shelves and I do, so once I put down the contact paper I sew handkerchiefs together and hang up on the edge of the shelving. All my summer and IWLTWTFITA are in those vacuum sealed bags. I am very happy with this and it really is wonderful to open the closet and get things out of, I am even putting away the laundry myself as I can reach the rods.

Oh the lone black shoe on the shelf is a shoe that belong to my grandmother. I do not have a lot of things to remember her by, a few snapshots and my memories, so when I found out this shoe was hers I kept it. I now need to ask my great-aunt if she has the other one, as the lone shoe came from her.

Dad I love you and thank you so much!!!!

Hugs!!!
Namaste!!!