Day 14

Day 14 and I had an opportunity to post earlier today than normal.  I am having a 'stay at home' day.  Hubby is out and about and I declined his invite to go with him.  I have a load of towels in the dryer, have emptied and filled the dishwasher and it is running and I am going to spend the rest of my day working on my little sweaters.

I finished knitting sweater #3 last night but still need to sew in all the ends.  I was hoping to start another one last night but this happened:

I made spelt flour brownies from scratch.  Ok, so that really doesn't take too long, but then this also happened:

I baked up a nice batch of Malachi's cookies.  It does take a while to do these as it makes  about 50 cookies and they need to cool a bit before they can be removed from the pan.  But then while those were being baked and cooled I finished up my baking with this:

Banana blueberry spelt flour bread.  I really like baking from scratch.  That way I know exactly what is in my food.  I am hoping these will hold us until we get back from our trip to Las Vegas the end of next week.  I have some other goodies I would like to make but.......I need to restock my coconut palm sugar and spelt flour before I do much more.

Our Daughter is coming over tonight after her Doctor's appointment.  I have a couple of family Christmas recipes she wants to make.  Since she was coming over in the evening, I invited her to dinner too.  I am going to make one of her favorite dishes.

As you can see from the nastiness of the page, this recipe has been made quite a bit.  I will be using gluten free pasta for it but otherwise, it will be made as written.  It is a microwave recipe and that is great.  That way my kitchen will not get heated up again tonight.  We are still in the high 80's around here.  I would have loved to have waited until it cooled off more to do all that baking..............but we have been told we will be this warm for another 2 weeks.  YUCK!

That is all for today.............the dishwasher is done and the towels are ready to be folded.

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

Day 13

Another fun day for me today.  Hubby and I finally had a morning where there was no alarm set and we took the entire morning to do anything we wanted to do.  So there was not any house work done, no laundry to wash, dry and put away, no running to the store for any supplies.  It was heavenly.  After being so crazy busy since Friday, these old folks needed a bit of down time.  

I did some crafting this morning and am so in love with those little sweater ornaments.  Here is a second one I finished last night.

It is the blue/black one.  Look at the darling little cable going down the middle of it.  How stinking cute is that?  I started a third one this morning and only have the sleeves left to do and sew in ends and it will be done.  I will probably have a fourth one done tonight before I go to bed.

Before I do the fourth one, I am going to make some treats for hubby and myself.  I am going to make our 'good for you' brownies, Malachi's cookies (this is a recipe made up by our nutritionist, and then banana bread.  That should hold us over for a few days.  We really need to get back into our 'healthy' lifestyle as hubby has blood work again in a month and we want his numbers to go DOWN!  I figure while some of that is baking I can work on the little sweater.  It takes about 2 hours to complete one, start to finish.  I don't figure that is too bad.  I am hoping to have a bunch done by Saturday.  If so, I am going to mail them to Texas.  Our Texas family is hosting Thanksgiving at their house this year so all the grands will be there as well as all the in laws.  I want everyone to be able to pick their favorite and have something to put on their tree to remember us with.  If I can not get a ton done by then, I will just send enough for the children to have.

This afternoon was my visit to my mom.  What a difference there is in her since her Doctor took her off some of her meds.  She is my mom again.  It was a pleasure to be with her and talk with her.

On the way home, I saw this:

See the little rainbow?  FYI.............it is not raining here.  Evidently, there is moisture in those clouds though.  It was something I had never seen before.  Well, I have seen rainbows before but never one that just covered the sun with clouds and no rain.  Little things make me so happy LOL.

That is all for today.  I need to get into the kitchen and start my baking and then make dinner for the hubs and myself.  Tonight is chicken tenders turned into chicken fingers and fresh asparagus roasted with olive oil and Parmesan cheese.  YUMMY!  For desert I will have plenty of choices.  My favorite lately has been plain Greek yogurt with granola, dried cranberries and raw honey.  Nice and filling and just enough sweetness yet extremely healthy.

Until tomorrow................happy crafting!

WEEK 20 AND DAY 12

What a beautiful day it is here in Arizona.  We are still 'warm' with the temps in the mid 80's but that is oh so much better than the 110's we had during the summer.  It actually gets a bit chilly once the sun goes down so that is kind of nice too.

I was productive this week.  I don't know how many of you read my blog during the week.  I am posting daily for the month of November.  Some of what I am going to show you was already shown this week, but I am happy that I completed something and want to shout it all over the place

The Faroese shawl is completed, bagged and ready to turn into the prayer shawl ministry.  I finished it up on Friday.

I like how it hugs the shoulders so you don't have to hold onto it to keep it on.  Perfect for someone who is not feeling their best.

Ok, on to newer stuff...............................................

Since I needed something mindless to take with me to the retreat yesterday, I cast on another Faroese shawl.

It is the same Shimmer yarn I used on the red one.  Can you see my mistake?  And no......I am not going to pull it out and start again.  This one is going to be black and white striped.  I am doing 6 inches of each color until it is the length I want it.  I am also going to be changing the bottom of the shawl.  I did not like the 'rib' on the pattern.  Then nice thing about this shawl is.........You can really play with it and add design elements to it as you want.  One of the ladies in my group is going to make her next one with garter and stockinette stripes.

I did have a  little bit of fun today too:

And yes.............the pun was intended.  This is the sweater ornament from the magazine I bought this week.  Is it just too cute?  It took about 2 hours to make because I had to keep referring to the instructions to make sure I was counting rows properly.  I am sure the next one will take less time.  What a great way for me to use up those dribs and drabs of sock yarn I have laying around.  I am going to work on these for the next few days and I hope I can get the ones for the grands done.  If I do and feel like I am not going to burn the pattern, I will make others for friends and the grand's parents.

That is it for crafting......................now onto:

As I had told you, I was at an all day retreat yesterday.  It is a good thing we only have 2 of these a year.  I am always so spent the day afterwards.  We actually start on Friday by setting up the room.  This is quite involved as we are using a classroom and have to remove all the tables and chairs from the room.  Before we move anything, we take photos of everything so we know where to put it when we put it back.  We also put tape on the floor to mark where the desks go.  It took us 2 hours on Friday to set up the rooms.  (We also have a room we feed everyone in and need to set up tables for them to eat at)

We get to the retreat about 6:30am to make sure we have time to get coffee and food set up before the group shows up.  Once they get there it is non stop until we leave at 10pm.  Unfortunately for us, the schools alarms automatically come on at 10pm so we had to leave and go back this morning to put everything back the way it was.  

Hubby and I got to bed about 11 and we were back up around 5.  We managed to make 7am Mass and then went over to the school after that and worked on getting everything just perfect.  We finally got back home this morning around 9:30.  T

To say we were worn out is an understatement.  Hubby has been napping off and on all day and I managed to get an hour nap.  This is the first time hubby has really been out and about in almost 2 weeks.  It has taken it's toll on him too.  He said he just doesn't feel well and wants to do nothing for the rest of the day.

We had a little scare this morning with him as his nose started 'leaking' a bit but we realized it was just old stuff coming out.  I don't know if we will ever not worry about his nose LOL.

I did get a loaf of bread made and also made hard boiled eggs.  That and the little sweater have been my BIG achievements for the day.  It has been perfect since hubby has football on and my team has already played and lost. (sad face)  We will probably watch a movie this evening just to break up the monotony.  Hopefully by tomorrow we will be back to our normal boring selves.  

On a sad note........................we lost a dear person early this morning.  His sister is in our prayer shawl group.  She is a dear, dear person.  I saw her at Mass this morning and just burst into tears when I saw her.  She had been her brother's caretaker for years.  He will be missed as he would come with her to our prayer shawl meetings and always have a smile and a warm welcome for all of us 'noisy' ladies.  I am glad he is not longer in any pain and does not have to go through anymore treatments for his cancer.  So I am sure there will be funeral this week that I will be going to.

That is all from this side of the world.

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

Day 11, barely

Day 11 and i barely made it home in time to blog.  It is 10:30pm here and I am dog tired.  We have been at the church since 6:30 this morning.  It was a fantastic day but very tiring.  We need to be back at 7 tomorrow morning for Mass and then we still have a room to put back together for school on Monday.

I will post again tomorrow for YOP.  Right now, I just want to go to bed for a good nights sleep.

Until next time......,Happy Crafting! ! ! ! ! 

Day 10

Not too much to report on today. Or at least I don't think it is that much.  LOL

Last night, hubs and I went to Adoration at our Cancer Shrine.  It is such a peaceful time.  I always take my knitting with me and I pray as I knit.

This morning, hubs went and got his allergy injection.  I am so glad he finally went to get tested for allergies.  He has done so well since he has been receiving the injections.  I can always tell when it is time for him to get another one as he starts  a deep cough.  

I did 2 loads of laundry this morning and worked on the shawl.  I finally finished it about an hour ago.

I really like the way it hugs my shoulders and I don't have to hold it to keep it from falling off.
It is not huge but just about the right size for someone that is sitting down quite a bit of the time.

I apologize for the cruddy photos.  Hubs took them for me and I was in a hurry so they are just from my phone.

I am going to start another shawl tonight...............Yes, I know I want to work on those adorable mittens and sweater ornaments but.................we have a retreat this weekend at church.  I want a mindless knit to keep my hands busy and I would need to read instructions for the ornaments.  This is pretty mindless once I get past the tab beginning.  This time I am going to make it black and white striped.  It will be from the same yarn with all the little sparkles in it.  I am also going to make the bottom different than the pattern  I did not like the ribbing it used as it really slowed me down to keep switching from knit to purl.  I was working with over 350 stitches and ribbing that many was a royal pain.  I may just continue in stockinette until close to the end and then do a row with yarn overs to give it a little interest.  I used the 3 stitch i-cord bind off and love the way it looks on the edging.  So nice and finished on both sides.

That is all for today.  I need to leave here soon and go to the church and help set up for tomorrow's retreat.  We start bright and early in the morning (6am) and go until late (10pm). I am usually pretty D.O.N.E. by the end of the retreat.  I am not as young as I used to be.

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

Day 9

 Day nine and I am still finding things to blog about.  Could imagine what I would be like in person? LOL  Actually, I am not that much of a talker unless I am: 1) nervous or 2) had a bit too much to drink.  Then you can not shut me up.  Otherwise, I am a listener and will contribute when I think it is appropriate.

Today was prayer shawl meeting day.  It is so nice to get together with like minded women.  We had 3 new women join our group today.  None of them speak English but that doesn't matter.  Knitting and crocheting can bridge all language barriers.  It made my heart happy to see these women coming to our group and seeing our group accept them with open arms.  We do have a lady in our group that is bi-lingual which was a fantastic help.

After the meeting, hubs and I went to the water and ice store to fill our 2 gallon water bottles for our water cooler.  He is not allowed to lift them but he can fill them up.  We stopped at Taco Bell for a junk food lunch since it is right next to the water store.

Once lunch was over, it was time for me to go and visit my mom.  She seems to be doing a bit better with her memory and her response time has improved greatly.  She said she is just tired all the time right now but that could be due to the change in medication regimen.  The Dr has taken away 2-3 medications as he thought they were slowing down her thinking process and he said she really doesn't need them anymore.  

When I left my mom's, I headed to Hobby Lobby again.  I wanted to pick up white duck tape to tape the edges of her puzzle boards so they would last a bit longer and not split apart.  While I was there I found something that had my heart beating so fast:

I found these in the jewelry department.  I have turned the round medallions into Portuguese knitting pins by adding magnets to the back of them.  They already came with the lobster claw clasp on them as did the little charms next to them.  I will use the charms for progress keepers or stitch marker.  The best part..............they were 1/2 price.  I am going to give one of them away to a fellow Prayer Shawl lady as she wants to knit Portuguese style too. She was trying to make her own pin but was having issues.  I hope she likes it.



I told you about the magazine I got the other day at Barnes and Noble.  I have been perusing it and I have found a few things I really want to tackle out of it.

First up:

 Ornament sweaters.  Are these just the cutest things every?  There are Cardigans, Cable fronts, two toned and rolled collared ones.  I am itching to tackle them to see how long they take to make.  These might be the ornaments I make for the grands this year instead of the felt ones that take FOREVER to make.

And if you have sweaters on the tree, you better have some tiny mittens to match them.  My heart is just leaping for joy with all this cuteness.  I know these will take no time at all to make and I only have 7 grands to make them for.  Make that 6 grands, as I do not know where one of my grands is at.  (Long story)

Then there is this:

I love it but would make mine much longer as stopping just at my hips is not a good spot on my 'full' figure.  I like to cover my ASSets.  LOL

I even think this would work well:

I love men's sweaters and this would be perfect for the winter weather here.  I am not fond of the pockets either so those would not be made.  I am also thinking of not making button holes but knitting a belt to wrap around it and make it more of a wrap around sweater.  But I LOVE the shawl collar of it.

Is green the color of the season? YIKES!!!!!!!!!!  It is not the best color on my.  I kind of look a bit jaundice with I wear certain shades of green.

I did not make dinner tonight.  We both were still a bit full from our junk food lunch.  We decided to just have some cheese, summer sausage and crackers for dinner.  It is one of our favorite light meals.

Time for me to close this up and get busy and work on my shawl some more.  I am going to finish off the third skein of yarn and then call it done.  That will be about 750 yards of yarn and it called for 600.  I so want to start on those little sweaters and mittens.  I need to finish the shawl first though or it will never get done.

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

Day 8

It is a great day 8 here for us.  Hubby was given good news by his ENT today.  He has gone from restricted to light duty.  Still no lifting or bending over but he is now allowed to do light housekeeping.  He is allowed to go to the gym but only to walk the treadmill slowly (No heavy breathing allowed) and he can do some strength training with super light weights.  We decided to wait on going to the gym then until he can work out like he is used to.  We might just have to do walks around the neighborhood instead.

I got a manicure today.  It felt good to just relax and let someone wait on me for an hour.  I can tell I have been stressed a bit lately LOL.

Hubby and I went out to lunch at an new to us restaurant.  After that we went to Hobby Lobby to pick up a couple of things.  Then off to Barnes and Noble to pick up a magazine I wanted (thanks Sandra!) and then we went to Great Clips for us to both get hair cuts.  We are now all purty and are ready to just kick back for the rest of the day/evening.

Tonight's dinner is in the crockpot:

I know, it doesn't look like much in this photo.  But it smells divine.  I still need to make some rice for it go over.  Here is a peak at the recipe:

Super easy to make.  I love crockpot meals and will be making another one for tomorrow's dinner.

I was asked what a 'white' sweet potato was.  Here is the story.  When we went to the nutritionist, we were told sweet potatoes were wonderful for us and to replace spuds with them.  Then she asked if we ever ate sweet potatoes.  We of course got all pumped up and said of course we did and we eat them often.  Then she asked what color the 'meat' of the potato was.  Found out.................orange meated potatoes are really yams.  Here is a photo to show you the difference:

See the difference?  So when you order sweet potato fries, you are actually getting yam fries.  Sweet potato pie?  It is yam pie.  Oh my, 64 years I have been lied to.  LOL  Sweet potatoes are not quite as sweet as a yam and they do take a bit longer to cook.  But they are oh so good and good for you.

I mentioned we went to Barnes and Noble today for a magazine.  Sandra (Sam) had this on her YOP post on Sunday and I fell in love with it.  She got hers at Walmart and after looking at 5 Walmarts, I gave up and went to a book store to pick it up.  I was going to order it online, but they wanted $5.45 to ship it!  No thank you!  I was out and about today anyway so I picked it up and have already gone through it and found several items I want to make.

That pretty much covers my day.  I wanted to leave you with a couple of photos of my precious pups.

Luna, she has claimed possession of this blanket.  My friend, who just passed away, made this for me.  Luna loves it and will do everything she can to get her brother off of it so she can hog it.

Enrique, he is the instigator of trouble in the house.  This guy is attached to my hip.  I can not even go to the restroom without him sitting outside of the door waiting for me to come out.

No, they are not related.  They did come from the same rescue but 2 years apart.  Both of them were found wandering the streets of Phoenix.  Both were extremely skinny when we got them and to this day, Luna jerks every time we start to pet her.  Makes my heart hurt to think of the abuse they suffered.  Both of them were just about 1 or 2 years old when they were found.  Luna is now 9 and Enrique is now 6.

OK, I need to go and make that rice.

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