DOG SITTING DAY 3

Yup, today was my last day to dog sit.  He is a very good dog and I really enjoy watching him grow in knowledge and obedience.  This was a busy day for the two of us.  I did not get to his house until almost 10:30.  I needed to stop at Sam's Club and pick up a few items for him, my Grand Daughter and myself.

The Grand got out of school at 1pm today.  (Friday's are always early release days)  Thor and I went to pick her up and we had a BIG surprise for her.  Her letter jacket arrived this week.  The three of us headed into the BIG city (Phoenix) to pick it up.  Oh my, what a zoo driving into the big city is.  It was a 26 mile (one way) trip and took us almost an hour to get there.  She was so happy and very surprised.

She told me there are not any Freshman wearing letter jackets.  I asked why and she said it was because none of them had lettered.  WELL!  I told her to wear that jacket and be proud of it.  She lettered her first year in swimming as a Freshman!  We are so proud of her.

We spent 3 hours on the road going and coming from the city.  That dog was sooooo good.  What a dream of a dog to travel with.  He would nudge me with his nose once in a while to let me know he was still in the back seat.  My male dog whines all the time he is in the car.  My female is good as gold.

Once I finally got home, my dogs were so happy to see me.  That is until they smelled that other dog on me.  Then I was abandoned.

This is Enrique pouting because I was with another dog.  It could also be because I told him we were going to be going for walks starting Monday.  He is a bit chunky.  (Like his owner)

Luna was more interested in what my hubby would possibly drop (food wise) off the TV tray.   We are just astounded by the fact she acts like she never gets fed.  We assume this is because she spent quite a bit of time on the streets.

We had a lovely dinner tonight.  Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp from skinnytaste.  It has now been given the approval to make it again.  So yummy.

That is all for today.  I am going to watch a movie with the hubby and do a little knitting.

Until next time......................happy crafting!

DOG SITTING DAY 2

No, it is not warm enough to hit the pool, yet.  But that dog looks like he knows how to spend a nice warm/hot summer day.  That does look a bit like my Grand Dog I am sitting for, though.

Did not get up very early this morning.  Good thing I make a few days of overnight oats at time so I don't have to worry about breakfast on late start mornings.  All I needed to do was make my lunch, take a shower, grab my knitting and I was ready to walk out the door.  I stopped by the church to drop off a pattern to the prayer shawl ladies.  I was glad I did as I had tried to translate a charted pattern and knew it was not correct.  Thank goodness our crochet expert was there and she helped me get it written properly so it could be given out to those wanting to make it.

After that little detour I was on my way to my dog sitting assignment.  Thor (the dog) was very happy to see me.  He had been in his kennel for a little over 3 hours.  

I spent most of the morning steadying for our Bible class on Monday night.  The assignment is completed. I can turn the books over to hubby so he can study over the next few days.  After that, I perused a cookbook one of the prayer shawl ladies gave me to go through.  

It has so many good recipes in it.  The white tabs on the side are the ones I am going to copy and give a try.  The book tells you about 'super foods' and how to use them in recipes.  It also tells you what the super foods do for you and your body.  It is quite an interesting read.  I have the book until Saturday so will sit down with it in the next couple of evenings and really read the first 40 pages that tell all about the super foods.

That brought me to lunch time.  I have been eating cottage cheese mixed with a fruit each day.  Today, I used a banana in it.  I discovered Thor loves bananas.  Actually, I don't think he is a dog but a goat.  He will eat just about anything you put in front of him.

After lunch I got comfy on the couch and picked up my knitting.  A hallmark movie was playing on the TV (one I had seen) and Thor was curled up and snuggled next to me.  So nice and relaxing.  Once the movie was over I looked outside to see what it was like.  Here is my view.

Sunny and glorious.  Thor and I decided to venture out into the backyard and soak up some of the sun out there.  There were pictures begging to be taken.

The lemon tree is getting lots of buds on it.  I did find one that was opened.

The fragrance is phenomenal!  This means all the citrus in the area will be blooming in the next couple of weeks and the air will be filled with a sweet, sweet perfume.

Take a look at this tree.

There is no way for me to convey through a photo how large this tree is.  All I can tell you is it is gorgeous and provides so much shade.  I have no idea what kind of tree it is but it never looses it leaves in the winter, but does shed throughout the year.  That makes for lots of leaves in their pool year round.  

After our walk around the backyard, I came back inside and Thor decided to do this.

Always the protector.  

Tonight we will be having the last of the French Dip I made on Monday.  This has been a super easy cooking week for me.  We also have Adoration tonight.  That will give me some more knitting time.  

Tomorrow is my last dog sitting day.  There is so much I want to do at MY house.  I am looking forward to next week when I can really dig in and get some decluttering done as well as getting back outside for fresh air and sunshine.  There is a certain male dog in my house that needs to start getting out and walking with me.  He has gained waaaaay too much weight and his back knees are really starting to bother him because of it.

I will leave you with another funny I found online.  My hubby (ex policeman) loved this one.

Until next time....................happy crafting!

DOG SITTING DAY 1

This is dog sitting day #1.  It is so quiet here.  There isn't any traffic noise or neighbor noise.  The most noise came from the garbage trucks driving by.  Oh, and when the dog decided he needed to protect me from a leaf blowing across the backyard.  

Leaving my knitting unattended was not a good idea.  He decided it needed to be relocated to the floor by the back door. (Sigh)  He has hidden his chew stick somewhere and is pretending he has no idea where it is.  There is a fly in the house and he is fascinated by it.  This is the first one he has seen and he is not quite sure what to do about it.  It is quite comical to watch.

He wants to know when I am going to come sit on the couch so he can snuggle.

Remember how I have been trying to rid our home of items we no longer need?  I found this meme today.  

I can totally relate to this.  It has happened several times already.  Not to worry, I have not replaced any item That has left the house.

Here is another one that is a great way to help clean out that closet.

I just heard from my Great Nephew's parents.  They would be thrilled for me to gift the baby his baptismal blanket.  It will be mailed to them the first of next week.  Phew!  That made me super happy.

Time to go and do some dishes for my Daughter in Law and then sit on the couch and snuggle with the dog while I knit a dishcloth.

Until next time................happy crafting!

Working

The above photo is kind of what I am feeling like today.  This is my last full day at home until this weekend.  Trying to get all the necessary home chores completed before bed tonight.  I will say, I am over halfway there.

There has been 4 loads of laundry done today.  That was my main goal.  Veggies and fruits have been cleaned and are ready for consumption for the rest of the week.  The dishwasher has been emptied (again).  The garbage man has already been by so the trash can has been brought back up to the house.  

The things that are left to do are:  fill my car with gas, go to Costco to get my glasses adjusted (they are rubbing on the top of my ear), change the sheets on our bed, and last of all.....................knit.

Now for an update.  Last night, I made french dip for us. Let me tell you...............it was the best french dip EVER!  There was enough leftover for us to have 2 more meals from it.  Super easy too, since it was made in the crockpot.  We had it for lunch today since hubby teaches a class tonight and won't be home until after 8pm.  That is too late to have anything heavy in the tummy.  I just put the leftovers in a sauce pan with some of the au jus and warmed it up slowly.  It was even more tender than last night and the flavors really marinated overnight too.  We used provolone cheese and some horseradish to accent the sandwich.  

Would you like a little funny for today?  Here you go:

LEARNING TO CUSS
A 6 year old and a 4 year old are raking the yard.
The 6 year old asks, "You know what? I think it's about time we started learning to cuss". The 4 year old nods his head in approval.
The 6 year old continues, "When we go in for breakfast, I'm gonna say something with hell and you say something with ass".
The 4 year old agrees with enthusiasm.

When the mother walks into the kitchen and asks the 6 year old what he wants for breakfast, he replies,
"Aw, hell, Mom, I guess I'll have some Cheerios".

WHACK!
He flies out of his chair, tumbles across the kitchen floor, gets up, and runs upstairs crying his eyes out, with his mother in hot pursuit, slapping his rear with every step. His mom locks him in his room and shouts, "You can stay there until I let you out!"

She then comes back downstairs, looks at the 4 year old and asks with a stern voice, "And what do YOU want for breakfast, young man?"

"I don't know", he blubbers, "but you can bet your ass it won't be Cheerios"..

And now, something for you to contemplate.  This can be applied to so many areas of life right now.

Until next time................happy crafting!

ZZZZZZZOOM!

And just like that.............zoom...........Monday is almost done.  Well, for me anyway.  

I got up bright and early (6am) today.  My 'to do' list wasn't too long but most of it had to be completed in the morning.  To start, I needed to go to Sprouts (veggie market) to pick up 3 items for tonight's dinner.  After I got home I seared the roast, sauteed the onions and garlic that were to go into the crockpot.  Tonight's yumminess is going to be french dip sandwiches.  There is enough meet it actually will feed us tonight and tomorrow night.  

Once that was all together and cooking away, I sent an email to my Great Nephew's parents.  They had asked for an RSVP as to who would be at the baptism.  Unfortunately us going to Connecticut from Arizona for 2 days is not happening at this time.  Although, I did ask if they would honor me by letting me give them the baptismal blanket for the event.  (I did not mention I had already made it).  If they do not need the blanket (they may have an heirloom one to use), I do have some dear friends who are getting ready to have their first Grandchild baptized soon.  I can gift the blanket to them for the occasion.  The blanket will not go to waste.

Once that was completed I cut my dogs' toenails.  Enrique needed to go to the vet today for some bum maintenance and I wanted his nails nice.  Otherwise, they would have asked if I wanted them to trim them.  No need for me to spend $20 for something I can do for free.  Enrique is very upset with me and will not come near me. (He has attitude)  Luna is not as upset since she didn't need to go to the vet and only had a pedicure.  

There was also a dishwasher to empty and my breakfast oats to make for the next 2 days.  Just before I picked up the laptop to write my blog, I finished doing my studying for tonight's Bible class.

The roast has been sliced thinly and is back in the crockpot marinading in the lovely au jus.  I am getting ready to go and do some cardio and listen to my audiobook.  For the rest of the afternoon I will be working on this.

It is the "High Effect Feather & Fan Shawl".  It is such a relaxing knit.  This is one of those patterns I had lingering in my 'to do' patterns.  I have two three inch binders full of patterns waiting to be worked.  (someday knits LOL)

Yesterday, I mentioned that Lent starts on Wednesday.  One of my blogging buds said instead of giving something up, she was going to add something to her daily routine to promote her spirituality.  Hubby and I have been doing that for the past several years and have enjoyed it so much.  Today, our music minister posted this on FB.  

I thought this to be great for contemplation for those who would prefer to 'give something up'.

Until next time..................happy crafting!  

PS:  If you are wanting the patterns for any of the items I post, click on the name of the pattern and and it will take you to the link where they can be found.  If there is no link, it means the pattern no longer is available or is copyrighted.

WEEK 34

Hi there.  Hope you are all doing well today.  We are all fine here.  Let's take a look at what has happened this week in the world of fiber and of life.

There are 2 finishes this week.  First up is the baby blanket for my Great Nephew's Baptism.

The crocheting was completed on Wednesday.  After I finished it, I ran to JoAnn's to find the ribbon to weave around the edges of it.  Friday, I finally got around to weaving the ribbon.  

Here is how each corner of the blanket looks.  I love this ribbon with the little silver crosses on it.  This week, I will email my nephew and his wife to let them know I have made this for the baby.  Fingers crossed they will not mind that I took this on myself to do.  If they already have an heirloom blanket then I will still send it to them as a keepsake from me to the wee one.

Thursday, I started a new shawl.  I KNOW!!!!  But this one is for the prayer shawl ministry at church.  It is the Cabled Rosary Prayer Shawl pattern.  I only have a few rows completed on it so it is not photo worthy yet.  My plan is to only work on this shawl on Thursdays.  On the other days of the week, I will be working on my other WIP's I have going on.

The other finish this week is another dishcloth.

This makes #4 for the wedding gift.  Only 8 more to go.  The goal this week is to work mostly on these.

This coming week my son is heading out of town again.  This means dog sitting duty for me once again.  I really don't mind.  This will be a good week to see how many of the 8 remaining dishcloths I can knock out.  

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which leads us into the season (at church) of lent.  There are 8 days during this time where we are totally meatless.  I do enjoy coming up with recipes that are meatless and nutritious.  Hubby is not a fan of meatless meals yet, does not seem to have an issue during this season of Lent.  I would be happy to be meatless one day a week all year but.....................well, husband is not keen on that.

Yesterday, we had a retreat at our church.  My job for the day was to take pictures of the goings on.  We had about 25 people there.  It was a great retreat and I do believe I got some great shots during it all.  I gave my SD card to our leader's husband and he downloads and works with the photos.   He makes a CD to be given to each person in our RCIA class when the classes end.  Then they will always have a memory of their year long journey.

Because of the busy weekend, my body is not happy with me today.  My RA is protesting the amount of heavy lifting and of strenuous moving of furniture I did for 2 days.  You would think I would know this from the last retreat.  NOPE!  I never learn.  I should be fine by tomorrow though.  

Today will be a good day to knit on my feather and fan shawl or on my alpaca shawl. It is a nice cool day outside so a warm knit on my lap will feel fantastic.   There will also be a loaf of bread made as well as menus written up for the week and a grocery list made.  My usual Sunday activities.  The only difference is it is starting later than usual since we went to Mass today instead of Saturday evening.

What are your plans for today or for the week?

Until Next Time...................Happy Crafting!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SILICONE IS MY FRIEND

Do any of you love to bake?  Or should I say, do any of you bake often?  Having the proper equipment is always a plus for those of us who bake or cook.  Having tools that are multi purpose is even better.  

In the past I have tried and discarded many pieces of bakeware.  There has been trial and error with measuring tools also.  As I am now past middle age, it is time to finally get items that make me happy to cook and bake with.

About 6 month ago I finally bought a silicone pastry mat.  I had wanted one for years but never remembered it until I would be rolling out tortillas or pie crust.  Early, on a Sunday morning I was going to make an Apple pie.  There were a couple of items I needed to make said pie (like apples) and so I went to the grocery store to pick them up.  As I walked down the first aisle I immediately saw silicone pastry mats.  SWISH, into my cart it went without even looking at the price.  (It was REALLY early that morning)  I love it!  It is so much easier to clean that up instead cleaning my counter tops.  

On one of hubby's trips to Las Vegas, he was at our friends home and the lady there was making tortillas.  He was watching her and saw her use a measuring cup that totally got his attention.  It was a silicone cup.  He asked her why she used it and she gave him about 5 reasons.  I got a phone call immediately and was told to go on Amazon and order a set for us.

Oh my, how I love them.  The fact you can squish them and pour your liquids into your bowls is such a big plus for me.  Notice how easily I am squishing the 4 cup one.  Just to let you know, I have a jammed thumb on that hand and it is not causing me any pain to squish the cup.  The cups have metric, ounces, cup and the little one has teaspoon and tablespoon measurements on them.  They have been used at least once a week and washed in the dishwasher and still look like brand new.

While looking for the measuring cups I ran across a silicone bowl set.

Once again the squish factor is good. (I am squiching the biggest one) These are wonderful.  I have used my hand mixer in them without any marring of the inside of the bowls.  They do not slide around on the counter tops while stirring in them.  These also are used weekly and washed in the dishwasher.  LOVE THEM!

Now, I will say, I have tried silicone bakeware and was not a fan.  That being said, it was about 15 years ago that I tried it.  Maybe they have improved it by now.  I don't know.  I do know I love all the bakeware I am using in my kitchen now.  Most of it is USA bakeware.

The pans with the ridges are my favorites and they are all nonstick without Teflon type coating on them.  However, they are hand wash only.  Clean up with them is a breeze.  I have loaf pans, cookie sheets, jelly roll pans, round pans etc.  I wait until I see them on sale and then grab what I don't have.  They are not cheap but they are fantastic.

What favorite kitchen stuff do you have that you could not live without?

Until next time...............happy crafting!

PS: NO, I am not getting paid to endorse any of these products.