It's Nearly Tomato Time

Although the hot and dry weather has done a number on the zucchini and pepper plants (it broke my heart to buy a zucchini at the grocery story yesterday!), the tomatoes seem to be holding their own. 

We eat cherry tomatoes every day and have had one beautiful big tomato so far this year.  We're licking our lips in anticipation because they'll all come ripe at the same time.  FINE WITH ME!

Plant # 1

Cherry Tomatoes 

Delicious Plant # 2

His and Her Holiday

I've posted this Christmas stocking before, but now the mate is finished and they're both ready for Santa...in five months!  Although I didn't plan it this way, it looks like they are boy and girl stockings (pink and blue toes)  I was using up scrap yarn and that's what happened.  Honestly, I'm not crazy about the color choices from the scraps (too much purple and/or orange), but I love the design.  The stockings are HUGE when hung by the chimney with care!  More room for Santa's goodies, I guess.

Red and Ripe, but Rainy

I know I'm starting to sound like an old farm wife, but WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WEATHER?  It was 100 degrees yesterday and this morning at 8 o'clock we had a sudden horrific wind and rain storm.  The wind/rain was so loud and blowy, it sounded like surf at the beach.  It was one of those micro-bursts, I guess.  Our garden faired well as evidenced in the photo, but two houses down the street each lost a tree.  Luckily, the trees fell forward, out into the street, and not on the roofs.  I saw lots of limbs and lawn furniture cruising down the road during the storm!  Thankfully, all is well on this side  of the neighborhood.  

Although we've had oodles and oodles of cherry tomatoes, this is the first ripe tomato of the year.  Nothing better!  We had cages around the plants, but they weren't strong enough in the wind this morning. We've added stakes, so that should do it (?)  We only had one "casualty" fall off the vines during the storm, but I think it will ripen on it's own.

This is the most important thing I've learned during the stormy summer season: When the power goes out, eat the ice cream first!

Zig-Zag-Zow! Update on the Sunshine Bag

It's almost 100 degrees here today (definitely the high 90s)  It's too hot to knit, but it's not too hot to put the finishing touches on the zig-zag sunshine bag!

First of all, I don't know why I picked this color!?!  I really don't like the color yellow (in general). I always think of Meredith as a two year old who went through her "No yike it yeddo" stage where she wouldn't play with anything yellow, wear anything yellow, or eat anything yellow.  My feelings aren't as strongly against yellow as hers were, and I also think she's grown out of it! This yellow yarn was fun at the beginning, but then it started to get annoying...

The pattern was what I wanted to try, and with a couple of exceptions and adaptations on my part, I like the way it turned out.  I really like the two-pocket fold made from the zig-zag on the front - very clever designer.

This was a wool felted project, so the pre-wash looked like this:

The finished project is about 10 inches across.  Quite a bit of felting.

I changed the sides to give a more tulip shape at the top of the bag (easier to dig into!)  I also changed the handles to make it a shoulder bag instead of the cross-body type, as was designed.  I added a loop and knot closure, but may replace that if and when I run across an interesting button for the front.

Also, I added a multi-print blue lining with yet another pocket on the inside to finish the project.

Nine Innings of Knitting

We watch a lot of baseball in this house.  Not just ANY baseball....New York Yankee Baseball.

Seriously, we watch every Yankee game, every day.  How many hours is that?  I'm afraid to add it all up for fear that I'll see a wasted life dribbled out before me in hits, runs, and errors.  Granted, we DVR most of the games and fast-forward through the commercials and sometimes the opposing team's at-bats.  That also helps us avoid the inane chatter of the non-Yankee broadcasters on away games (everyone hates the Yankees, especially when they win)  I like watching the games because I like spending time with my husband and HE enjoys the Yankees.  I'm a fan by marriage, I guess.  After 30 plus years of following the team along with him, I've learned about baseball, in general, as well as stuff about the Yankee players and lots of Yankee lore.  I like that part of it.

I also like (love) the fact that the games are about 3 hours long (more if they're playing Boston) and that's a lot of knitting time.  I cannot and do not watch the entire game from the comfort of the couch.  I'm up and down, playing with the dog, washing the dishes, doing homework, answering the phone, blah, blah, blah, but I do have quite a bit of time with knitting needles.  I keep my knitting bag next to the couch and pick up my projects where I left off at the last game.  Honestly, it's been a bit too warm to wrap myself in yarn projects these last few weeks, but thanks to the Yank's latest winning streak, I have a new pair of slippers.

The slippers need to be made of real wool (not an acrylic) so they can be felted in the washing machine.  It makes a perfect fit to your foot.  Warm and soft and cuddly.

Gus LOVES my slippers and thanks to his attack on my old pair, I have some new ones.

One Yard Wonders

Although my sewing project list is finished, I still wanted to find a way to use my little reindeer motif.  How about an apron for the holidays?  Done and done!  I went back through the great book that Jill gave me for my birthday, and I found three really nice apron patterns.  I chose the pattern called "Cottage Cozy" and got to work.

In addition to using only one yard of material, most of the patterns are basic sewing - nothing difficult or too complicated to tackle. Because they're basic patterns, most can be completed in a day.  The apron took just about an hour to make, minus the buttonhole.  I had to look up a video on YouTube to remind myself how to make a buttonhole.  Okay...now I remember.  The first one I made was a little rough, but the others turned out fine.

Here's the reindeer apron.

I like wearing an apron when I cook (mostly because I'm messy).  I've always had a couple of aprons of my own, and now I have several others that were my mom's and a couple of them that were made by her sister.  That solidified my use! I wear a half apron most days, but a full one when I bake (flour has a tendency to fly!)

This cozy cottage apron is a real throw-back in style.  Two front pockets - essential, and a cross and tie in the back.  This pattern also calls for four yards of 2 inch wide ribbon to use as the cross and bow.  Perfect!

Speaking of throw-backs, how about this delightful bowl of cherries fabric for another apron?  This one is a housewarming gift.  Pockets, cherries, polka-dots, and lace - definitely an "I Love Lucy" homage!  Fun to make. 

You are My Sunshine

Summer vacation is officially half over (as of July 11), but there's still plenty of time left!  I started my final knitting project - a zig-zag felted purse.  The Lamb's Pride worsted color is called LEMONDROP, but I think it's cheerful like sunshine.  The pattern was a project winner at the jimmy beans wool yarn site and it was free!  I have a couple of adaptations in mind, especially for the handles, but I'm excited to work on it for now.

I really feel the pull of school work calling me.  I have several arrangements of songs that have been buzzing in my head.  It might be time to write them down (before I forget them) and put my crafting aside for a while.

By the way, the Crate and Barrel Throw is NOT finished.  I have to wind some more skeins and just haven't found the motivation to do that.  I think I'm about half-way through the throw.  It's a simple project with chunky wool on big needles.  That makes it move along quickly.

Ta - Da!

The placemats (both sets) are finished.  That's the official end of my planned sewing projects for the summer.  But I was thinking.....what if I took the reindeer idea to another project?  Hmmmm.....

4B Cream Pie (Black Bottom Banana from Barbara)

Thanks for the great recipe, Barbara.  She tells me that this recipe is originally from the Cooking Light Magazine, but I can't believe it.  DELICIOUS!

Baked pie crust (although I KNOW how to make a pie crust, I chose NOT to for this one)

3 T cornstarch, divided
2 T sugar
2 T unsweetened cocoa
dash salt
1 1/3 c 1% milk, divided
1 oz semi-sweet chocolate (I used chocolate chips)
1/2 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 T butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 c (2 oz) fat free cream cheese
2 c ( 2 large) ripe bananas
1 1/2 c cool whip (thawed)

Combine 1 T cornstarch, 2 T sugar, cocoa and salt in a small heavy saucepan with 1/3 c milk.  (I dissolved the cornstarch in the milk before adding to the pan to help prevent lumps) Stir with a whisk and cook 2 minutes on medium low heat.  Add chocolate and bring to a boil (I just let mine melt until smooth)  Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 minute more.  Spread evenly in baked (and cooled) pie crust.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 2 T cornstarch, 1 c. milk, 1/2 c sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, eggs (beaten), butter and stir constantly with a whisk.  (Again, I dissolved my cornstarch in the milk prior to cooking.)  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low and cook 30 seconds or until slightly thickened.  It will thicken more as it cooled. (Mine got very thick, very suddenly and I feared that I would have a lumpy chunky mess on my hands)  Remove from heat and add vanilla. Set aside

Beat cream cheese until creamy.  Add 1/4 c of the hot custard to the beaten cream cheese.  AHH!  My almost lumpy custard smoothed out beautifully.  Add rest of custard and beat until creamy and smooth.

Layer sliced bananas on top of chocolate.  Pour custard on top of bananas and top with Cool Whip topping (it called for 1 1/2 c cool whip, but I didn't use nearly that amount)  Garnish with chocolate shavings (I used chocolate chips)

Next time?  How about a ribbon of sweetened peanut butter between the chocolate and the bananas?  That would make it an Elvis pie!

The chocolate layer was wonderful but my favorite part was the custard.  Light and really delicious.  Thanks, Barb!

Basil Bonanza

Put this under the caption of "be careful what you wish for."  I thought it would be lovely to plant a little garden...just enough fresh vegetables and herbs for our little twosome of a family.  Nothing big or abundant.  Although the weather has alternated between scorchingly hot and hellacious downpours of rain and hail, our little garden has boomed!  We're especially bountiful in basil at the moment and we're on the verge on a tomato tsunami!  We're eating the cheery cherry tomatoes by the handfuls as then become ripe, but what to do with the basil?  I hate to see it go to waste!  We've had chicken with basil cream cause, basil orzo salad, a delicious caprese salad (with edible nasturtium flowers!) and I love a good old grilled cheese sandwich or BLT with basil tucked inside.

I've frozen a nice size package of the leaves and still have plenty to make pesto sause, and perhaps infuse some olive oil with basil (yum) and make some basil butter.  All of this from one, very healthy, plant.  The neighbors have there own, so no give-aways there.  Wait until the zucchini plants really get going.  Oh Heavens!

Dog Days of Summer

Barbara gave me a dog bone cookie cutter - so,  of course! -  I had to try it out.  I found an easy recipe online (the source of all modern knowledge) and although I shouldn't have been, I was surprised at the amount of doggie treat information and recipes that are readily available for the canine-caring cook.

There were long lists of dos and don'ts, including types of foods that are bad for dogs.  Good to know,  I guess, but I found that page a bit scary. I'm not sure I paid THAT much attention to the food I've been feeding my family for years.  There was even information about watching your dog's cholesterol levels.  I kid you not!  I settled on a basic recipe with ingredients that I (mostly) had on hand.

Here's the recipe I used: BABY BEEF DOG TREATS

2 3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 powdered milk
1/4 tsp garlic powder (I omitted this.  Several sites said this could be harmful to dogs.  Others said a little bit won't hurt.  I don't need a doggie with garlic breath.  That was my deciding factor!)
6 T vegetable oil
1 egg
8 - 10 T water (I may have left this out by accident, but no harm)
2 small jars strained baby food (beef, chicken, lamb or liver)
I made a trip to the grocery story for this.  It's been 28 years since I've purchased baby food, but for Gus, I bought the chicken with sweet potatoes - organic, of course.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  The first batch I baked got a bit brown, so on the second go round, I turned them over after 10 minutes.  That worked better.

Just like the nursery rhyme:  Roll it.  Pat it.  Mark it with a "G"

And put it in the oven for Gus and me.

So... how does it taste?  I wasn't going to try it, so I gave one to the "expert."

So, with that approval (keeping in mind that dogs will eat their own poop!),  the others are ready to send out to our doggie friends.

Road Trip = Road Knit

Sixteen hours on the way OUT to Colorado and sixteen hours on the way BACK to Indiana means a lot of time for knitting in the car.  I did my share of driving, no doubt, but still had plenty of needle time.  This pattern is called "Crate and Barrel Throw" and the yarn is Spud and Chloe a super bulky in the color peet (a light sage green).  It's an easy knit in seed stitch - purl 1, knit 1.  The effect is "bumps" on every other stitch.

It's hard to imagine the cold winter ahead with all the heat we've had lately, but I know it will be cozy in December!

A Garden Explosion!

While we were in Colorado, the weather at home was stormy and extremely hot - several days over 100 degrees.  Our little garden has exploded!

 The lettuce wilted and is extremely stressed, but the tomatoes and zucchini are gorgeous! The orange nasturtiums make a pretty border.  They're edible, too!

We had three cherry tomatoes and beautiful sunflowers!

The Happy Couple

We're just back from a our daughter's beautiful wedding at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado on July 4, 2012.  Here's one of the only photos I have (so far) of the day.  

A Very Special Day

Our daughter's wedding is on July 4th, so it's time to pack the car and drive to Colorado for this very special occasion. Before we leave, I wanted to post some of the crafty things her sister and I have been making for the wedding (a surprise for the bride and groom)

Instead of a guest book, we're asking our friends and family to fill out a "mad - libs" like card giving their advice to the newlyweds.  I found the designer on Etsy and printed them here at home then backed them on self-adhearing card stock.  The bride's sister found and decorated this scrapbook in the wedding colors.  A true keep-sake.

As a wedding favor for guests, we're making these little bags of S'mores.  The candles are s'more scented and the ribbon has the name of the happy couple. Perfect for a July 4th wedding!