I am sorely tempted to turn them into garter stitch miters but know that the gauge, thus size of the squares, will be different, so, so far, I have restrained myself....
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Mission Knitting: Afghan Growing Again
Recently I started working on the mission afghan again. I have decided to make it 7 squares by 9 squares then extend it by using up other leftover yarn. This is what it looks like today:
I am sorely tempted to turn them into garter stitch miters but know that the gauge, thus size of the squares, will be different, so, so far, I have restrained myself....
I am sorely tempted to turn them into garter stitch miters but know that the gauge, thus size of the squares, will be different, so, so far, I have restrained myself....
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Paper Crafting: Thick Envelopes/Boxes with Envelope Punch Board
One of the senior sisters came into the office. She spoke of wanting to deliver encouraging notes to some of our missionaries. Immediately I thought of the Envelope Punch Board. Because she wanted to enclose a little treat I thought of thick envelopes/boxes. Went to YouTube and found some great videos on how to do it.
France Martin (Frenchie) had a good one that is great for making any size thick envelope you want. I had watched several other videos which were all good but Frenchie tells how to measure if your card is any size.
For these that were for 3 by 5.5 inch cards, I cut the paper (in this case some really pretty 110# card stock that I found for 50% off at Joann just last night!) 8.5 by 8.5 inches. With the envelope punch board I lined up the first edge (I put the paper in white side up to make the score lines more easily visible) with the 2 7/8 inch mark on the punch board, then punched and scored. Next I slid the paper one inch to the left to the 3 7/8 inch mark and punched and scored again.
Now you just treat the paper like you do any envelope: rotate 90 degrees, line up the first score line then punch and score. Do this for every score line, two per side. When this is done, you can corner-round one or all corners with the corner-rounder on the punch board. I did not happen to do this.
With the paper scored and punched there is the matter of a couple of cuts and a couple of "corner squares" to be cut out. These cuts are on the long side of the paper/envelope. You are making little tabs on one side of the envelope which you will glue down. On the opposite side you will cut out the little squares that were created when you made the score lines.
Using the bone folder, fold along all the score lines. I have now done the folding both before and after making the cuts. I don't think it matters which you do.
Time to glue. If you have the red sticky tape that Frenchie recommends, I would use it. If you don't have any red sticky tape that Frenchie recommends, I suggest getting some! Using a glue stick did not work. Using wet glue was kind of a pain. Well, more than kind of a pain, but it did work. Eventually.
I am positive that I have purchased some of that red sticky tape since arriving here, but I cannot tell you where it is. It is just possible that it got thrown out with the bag it came in. At least, that is what I imagine. Not that I am such a great organizer that I would know where it is, BUT Dear One did bring me a chest of drawers from the storage garage to use for my crafty/painty/fun stuff storage. I even labeled the drawers--color, cutting, attaching, other stuff. It should be easy to find things there. Especially since I have begun acquiring shoe boxes from the Dollar Tree to put stuff in inside the drawers. Still...no red sticky tape. I foresee another trip to Joann or Michaels in the near future. They welcome me by name. No. They really don't but they might as well. I recognize the check out ladies for sure.
France Martin (Frenchie) had a good one that is great for making any size thick envelope you want. I had watched several other videos which were all good but Frenchie tells how to measure if your card is any size.
For these that were for 3 by 5.5 inch cards, I cut the paper (in this case some really pretty 110# card stock that I found for 50% off at Joann just last night!) 8.5 by 8.5 inches. With the envelope punch board I lined up the first edge (I put the paper in white side up to make the score lines more easily visible) with the 2 7/8 inch mark on the punch board, then punched and scored. Next I slid the paper one inch to the left to the 3 7/8 inch mark and punched and scored again.
Now you just treat the paper like you do any envelope: rotate 90 degrees, line up the first score line then punch and score. Do this for every score line, two per side. When this is done, you can corner-round one or all corners with the corner-rounder on the punch board. I did not happen to do this.
With the paper scored and punched there is the matter of a couple of cuts and a couple of "corner squares" to be cut out. These cuts are on the long side of the paper/envelope. You are making little tabs on one side of the envelope which you will glue down. On the opposite side you will cut out the little squares that were created when you made the score lines.
Using the bone folder, fold along all the score lines. I have now done the folding both before and after making the cuts. I don't think it matters which you do.
Time to glue. If you have the red sticky tape that Frenchie recommends, I would use it. If you don't have any red sticky tape that Frenchie recommends, I suggest getting some! Using a glue stick did not work. Using wet glue was kind of a pain. Well, more than kind of a pain, but it did work. Eventually.
I am positive that I have purchased some of that red sticky tape since arriving here, but I cannot tell you where it is. It is just possible that it got thrown out with the bag it came in. At least, that is what I imagine. Not that I am such a great organizer that I would know where it is, BUT Dear One did bring me a chest of drawers from the storage garage to use for my crafty/painty/fun stuff storage. I even labeled the drawers--color, cutting, attaching, other stuff. It should be easy to find things there. Especially since I have begun acquiring shoe boxes from the Dollar Tree to put stuff in inside the drawers. Still...no red sticky tape. I foresee another trip to Joann or Michaels in the near future. They welcome me by name. No. They really don't but they might as well. I recognize the check out ladies for sure.
Sorry this is so blurry. PS The heart must be from the Paint 3D software...I did not put it there. You can more or less see that these envelopes are thick..almost 1/2 inch thick. You can see that I have glued down some mini candy bars to the card. An encouraging note will be written on the card before they are hand-delivered to their recipients.
Monday, May 28, 2018
Munchie Monday: Spiralizing Again! Quick and Easy Zoodles with Sauce
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| Brieftons 7-blade Spiralizer, bad picture |
The first thing I made was zoodles! The second thing was potatoes spiralized and fried in deep fat, well, shallow fat, really, for Dear One. I had just made potato chips in the microwave and did not feel the need to eat delicious fatty salty potato strips. Well, only a few...
My recipe was simple:
Spiralize 1 small sweet onion. Put it in a saucepan with one-half cup water and turn on the heat to medium.
Spiralize 2 small (6-inch, skinny) zucchinis and stir them into the onions. Stir and cook until the onion is cooked, perhaps five minutes.
Add 1 Tablespoon hoisin sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons Kirkland Non-salt Seasoning, and stir well.
Add a few scraps of baked chicken and stir well. Eat it all up yourself. Well, Dear One did not want to eat zoodles this time so I just threw in some chicken that has been aging in the refrigerator.
Tasted darned good.
Friday, May 25, 2018
Food Friday: Quick and Easy Snack - Seaweed and Rice!
When we first arrived in the mission, that very first day we went to Costco to get a blanket and sheets for our bed. There I saw some seaweed snacks and thought instantly of the wonderful seaweed snacks that Sasha served. I loved those. Well, we bought the giant package of seaweed snacks at Costco. They were not the same. Disappointing.
Recently a dad came by the mission office with a huge open box of things for his son who is serving here. He had the same seaweed snacks. I asked if his son liked them. He said that he loved them! He takes one sheet and picks up a little bit of steamed rice, pops it into his mouth and is in heaven.
So I tried it. HE WAS RIGHT!!! So good. (You can see this is an office snack. I did share some with others in the office. NOT Dear One, who objects to this. It amazes me the things he doesn't like, or doesn't want to try. I only don't like watermelon, well, melons in general, I think. If it is food, I can eat it. Sadly.)
Recently a dad came by the mission office with a huge open box of things for his son who is serving here. He had the same seaweed snacks. I asked if his son liked them. He said that he loved them! He takes one sheet and picks up a little bit of steamed rice, pops it into his mouth and is in heaven.
So I tried it. HE WAS RIGHT!!! So good. (You can see this is an office snack. I did share some with others in the office. NOT Dear One, who objects to this. It amazes me the things he doesn't like, or doesn't want to try. I only don't like watermelon, well, melons in general, I think. If it is food, I can eat it. Sadly.)
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Life is Fleeting
Thank you for reading these posts. It makes me happy to know that you are there. I love you all for the support you give us by your thoughts and prayers and comments. It is a huge blessing to me and to us.
A short story today: we have been visiting a wonderful family in our ward. We stopped in to drop off a Mother's Day card and found that Sister D was in the hospital for a blood transfusion. This was surprising. Brother D said she was going to be fine, just that she was very anemic for some reason. We thought about her and prayed for her during the week.
This weekend we stopped in after Church. She met us at the door and invited us in. When we had seated ourselves she told us that on Monday morning, the day after Mother's Day, while she was in the hospital preparing to be picked up, Brother D had died. What a shock! To everyone. It turns out that for some time he had been taking two types of insulin. He had a blood sugar incident and needed insulin. This time he had made a mistake on the one he took. He had time enough to write a little note to tell Sister D about it before he slipped into a coma, and subsequently died. A shock to all.
There are so many messages one can take away from this tragedy. Probably the most important one is that we need to make each day count. We do not know what day will be our last day in mortality.
A short story today: we have been visiting a wonderful family in our ward. We stopped in to drop off a Mother's Day card and found that Sister D was in the hospital for a blood transfusion. This was surprising. Brother D said she was going to be fine, just that she was very anemic for some reason. We thought about her and prayed for her during the week.
This weekend we stopped in after Church. She met us at the door and invited us in. When we had seated ourselves she told us that on Monday morning, the day after Mother's Day, while she was in the hospital preparing to be picked up, Brother D had died. What a shock! To everyone. It turns out that for some time he had been taking two types of insulin. He had a blood sugar incident and needed insulin. This time he had made a mistake on the one he took. He had time enough to write a little note to tell Sister D about it before he slipped into a coma, and subsequently died. A shock to all.
There are so many messages one can take away from this tragedy. Probably the most important one is that we need to make each day count. We do not know what day will be our last day in mortality.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Another Card
Elder and Sister J reached 44 years together this week. I was going to make a pretty little cake and bring it to the office. Since everyone seems to be trying to get back to the original sylph-like form that may or may not have been a stage in life, I decided to make a card instead.
This is the card. First I embossed it then I painted the embossing. After that I spattered it. I like spatters. Inside I used some StazOn ink and stamped the cute little lovebirds. Finally, I painted them with some cheap watercolor crayons an art teacher talked me into buying after a Michaels class. I had tried them once and turned my nose up, but now I tried again. They worked out ok.
To put the card together, I made a little mat that was about an eighth inch larger than the painting which gave about 1/16 inch all around...barely visible but still there.
These little guys were on the inside of the card, more or less in this situation. It was a fun card to make.
This is the card. First I embossed it then I painted the embossing. After that I spattered it. I like spatters. Inside I used some StazOn ink and stamped the cute little lovebirds. Finally, I painted them with some cheap watercolor crayons an art teacher talked me into buying after a Michaels class. I had tried them once and turned my nose up, but now I tried again. They worked out ok.
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| Sorry. I cannot figure out how to stand it up correctly. The grass is supposed to be at the bottom. Sorry. Again. |
These little guys were on the inside of the card, more or less in this situation. It was a fun card to make.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Food Bonus: Kale Chips in Microwave!
On the weekend I saw a video about making kale chips in the microwave. Sadly, I did not keep track of the source BUT if I had, I would have told you to go watch the source. Instead, this is what I did.
First thing, always with vegetables and fruit, WASH the kale, then dry it thoroughly. Using about 3 stems of kale per serving (also per cooking try), strip the kale leaves from the stem. Break into large-ish pieces. Put them into a large bowl. Dribble on 1 teaspoon (yes, teaspoon) of olive oil and toss well with your clean hands. When all the kale is shiny, indicating a little dab of oil on it, sprinkle on some coarse salt, some granulated garlic, and a SMALL amount of chili powder. Toss again with your hands. (Lick your fingers before going on. You might need to add a little more garlic or chili powder. In my case, I thought it was perfect. Dear One thought the end result was a little high on the spice.)
On a large microwave-safe place, place a piece of parchment paper. Spread out the kale leaves on it, keeping the overlap to a minimum. Start heating on high for 3 minutes. Check the kale. Move it around a little bit on the paper. Cook for 3 more minutes. Check again. Repeat one more time. By then the chips might be done. If absolutely necessary, give them one more minute, then pull them out of the microwave and let cool, if you have the will power. These are nice and green and tasty and crisp.
The only advantage of baking them in the regular oven is that you can do more at once. These turned our really well. Dear One even enjoyed them, though he turned up his nose when I placed the plate on his lap.
First thing, always with vegetables and fruit, WASH the kale, then dry it thoroughly. Using about 3 stems of kale per serving (also per cooking try), strip the kale leaves from the stem. Break into large-ish pieces. Put them into a large bowl. Dribble on 1 teaspoon (yes, teaspoon) of olive oil and toss well with your clean hands. When all the kale is shiny, indicating a little dab of oil on it, sprinkle on some coarse salt, some granulated garlic, and a SMALL amount of chili powder. Toss again with your hands. (Lick your fingers before going on. You might need to add a little more garlic or chili powder. In my case, I thought it was perfect. Dear One thought the end result was a little high on the spice.)
On a large microwave-safe place, place a piece of parchment paper. Spread out the kale leaves on it, keeping the overlap to a minimum. Start heating on high for 3 minutes. Check the kale. Move it around a little bit on the paper. Cook for 3 more minutes. Check again. Repeat one more time. By then the chips might be done. If absolutely necessary, give them one more minute, then pull them out of the microwave and let cool, if you have the will power. These are nice and green and tasty and crisp.
The only advantage of baking them in the regular oven is that you can do more at once. These turned our really well. Dear One even enjoyed them, though he turned up his nose when I placed the plate on his lap.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Munchie Monday: Waffle Tofu!
The other day a message popped up on my computer about waffle tofu. What?!!! Well, I looked at it. It sounded easy and good. It promised chewy tofu. With a nice flavor. How can you go wrong? Wrong!
This is what I did:
Heated the waffle iron to hot.
Cut a block of tofu into thick slices.
Dragged it through some barbecue sauce.
Put it in the waffle iron for four minutes.
Ate it.
It was NOT chewy. The waffle iron WAS sticky with stuck-on barbecue sauce. I was NOT impressed.
Well, to be honest, when I looked at the recipe again, it said four minutes was the minimum to cook. I should have cooked it longer. Maybe it would have been chewy then.
After eating one piece, I put the rest in the refrigerator. I do not like my food projects to fail, so I insist upon eating them either way. After a few hours, I ate a piece in a sandwich. It was okay, just not stunningly good.
After cleaning the waffle iron, a big pain, I decided that I need to try this again, but that I will NOT put the barbecue sauce on the tofu first. After it is cooked to perfection, THEN I will slosh it with barbecue sauce.
On the topic of barbecue sauce, I guess in my heart of hearts I did not expect this to be a stellar recipe because when I went to get the barbecue sauce (not a condiment we keep on hand...) I just picked up the 99-cent no-name brand and took it home. When I actually looked at the ingredients, I discovered the first ingredient was HFCS--you know, that deadly high fructose corn syrup. What a dope for not looking at the ingredients in the store. I may have to learn to make my own barbecue so.
SO...the news is not all bad about this recipe. I will make a note when I make it again. I do think it will work, just not the way the original said.
Looks cute, doesn't it?!!
This is what I did:
Heated the waffle iron to hot.
Cut a block of tofu into thick slices.
Dragged it through some barbecue sauce.
Put it in the waffle iron for four minutes.
Ate it.
It was NOT chewy. The waffle iron WAS sticky with stuck-on barbecue sauce. I was NOT impressed.
Well, to be honest, when I looked at the recipe again, it said four minutes was the minimum to cook. I should have cooked it longer. Maybe it would have been chewy then.
After eating one piece, I put the rest in the refrigerator. I do not like my food projects to fail, so I insist upon eating them either way. After a few hours, I ate a piece in a sandwich. It was okay, just not stunningly good.
After cleaning the waffle iron, a big pain, I decided that I need to try this again, but that I will NOT put the barbecue sauce on the tofu first. After it is cooked to perfection, THEN I will slosh it with barbecue sauce.
On the topic of barbecue sauce, I guess in my heart of hearts I did not expect this to be a stellar recipe because when I went to get the barbecue sauce (not a condiment we keep on hand...) I just picked up the 99-cent no-name brand and took it home. When I actually looked at the ingredients, I discovered the first ingredient was HFCS--you know, that deadly high fructose corn syrup. What a dope for not looking at the ingredients in the store. I may have to learn to make my own barbecue so.
SO...the news is not all bad about this recipe. I will make a note when I make it again. I do think it will work, just not the way the original said.
Looks cute, doesn't it?!!
Friday, May 18, 2018
Food Friday: Roasted Tofu!
Most people turn up their noses at tofu. I did for many years. I still don't like tofu in its soft version. This way of preparing it is nice and chewy. I like that.
Roasted/Baked Tofu
Slice one block of tofu horizontally to make two "slabs" that are about an inch or less thick. Place on double or triple layered paper towels and cover with more paper towels. Put a flat pan on top with a can or two of soup or vegetables on top of it. Let drain for about fifteen minutes. Cut into cubes.
In a large bowl place 3-4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce and an equal amount of teriyaki sauce. Stir well. Toss the tofu in the sauce to cover completely.
In another large bowl, place dried bread crumbs...a cup or more. Put the coated tofu in the bread crumbs and toss to cover.
Place on a parchment-paper-covered or Silpat-covered pan and roast for 20 minutes in a 400 degree F. oven. Remove from oven and flip the cubes to the other side. Roast for another 20 minutes.
Eat them like popcorn. I enjoyed them. They could have had more flavor, and would have if I had marinated them overnight in the refrigerator, but I thought about it after coming home from Church. Too late for marinating. Next time.
Roasted/Baked Tofu
Slice one block of tofu horizontally to make two "slabs" that are about an inch or less thick. Place on double or triple layered paper towels and cover with more paper towels. Put a flat pan on top with a can or two of soup or vegetables on top of it. Let drain for about fifteen minutes. Cut into cubes.
In a large bowl place 3-4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce and an equal amount of teriyaki sauce. Stir well. Toss the tofu in the sauce to cover completely.
In another large bowl, place dried bread crumbs...a cup or more. Put the coated tofu in the bread crumbs and toss to cover.
Place on a parchment-paper-covered or Silpat-covered pan and roast for 20 minutes in a 400 degree F. oven. Remove from oven and flip the cubes to the other side. Roast for another 20 minutes.
Eat them like popcorn. I enjoyed them. They could have had more flavor, and would have if I had marinated them overnight in the refrigerator, but I thought about it after coming home from Church. Too late for marinating. Next time.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Drop Spindle Spinning
A man named Scott works for the company which has offices across the hall from our office. A few months ago he brought some of his angora rabbits in to work. I heard about it and went to see them. So adorable. We began talking about all things fiber relating to angora rabbits. We spoke of spinning. He mentioned drop spindle spinning, which he does with roving from his angoras.
About two weeks ago we saw him in the elevator and spoke of spinning and drop spindles again. Yesterday I "just happened to be in the neighborhood" of a yarn shop (after I had accomplished my real task of sending an overnight letter from a full-service post office!). I looked for the proper yarn for the neckerchief shawl but they had nothing that filled the bill for the Fort. As an afterthought, I asked the lady if they had roving or drop spindles. Oh yes they do!!!
They have a whole room devoted to spinning. In fact they had small kits with a couple of colors of roving, a drop spindle, and instructions on how to do it. Well, you know me...when I get an itch, I cannot let it go until I scratch.
Opening the bag after supper, I started reading the directions. Sounded okay, just not really that easy after all. SO what do you do then? Go to YouTube. I found a short video that was really helpful.
This video gave me the confidence to go for it. A side note: at home in Vermont I believe I have both a top whorl and a bottom whorl drop spindle. I had thought of asking the home folks to look through the attic stuff for them but then decided to be decent and leave them alone, especially since the cost was not that much to replace them.
This spindle works like a charm. I was unaware of the "spin and park" idea. When I tried drop spindling several times before it was more like "spin and drop and break the yarn"...not too satisfying. I am thinking of spending fifteen minutes a day (by a timer!) spinning. In fact, today I started out doing fifteen-minute stints of a variety of activities that I want to do each day. In the past, well, yesterday, I started on one of those projects and just kept going. No laundry done. No dishes done. No good meals cooked. I am hoping the fifteen minutes by the clock will help me get to the end of the day and actually have accomplished somethings. I am always so hopeful with these "resolutions"...
About two weeks ago we saw him in the elevator and spoke of spinning and drop spindles again. Yesterday I "just happened to be in the neighborhood" of a yarn shop (after I had accomplished my real task of sending an overnight letter from a full-service post office!). I looked for the proper yarn for the neckerchief shawl but they had nothing that filled the bill for the Fort. As an afterthought, I asked the lady if they had roving or drop spindles. Oh yes they do!!!
They have a whole room devoted to spinning. In fact they had small kits with a couple of colors of roving, a drop spindle, and instructions on how to do it. Well, you know me...when I get an itch, I cannot let it go until I scratch.
Opening the bag after supper, I started reading the directions. Sounded okay, just not really that easy after all. SO what do you do then? Go to YouTube. I found a short video that was really helpful.
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| First spinning on the new oak drop spindle. |
This video gave me the confidence to go for it. A side note: at home in Vermont I believe I have both a top whorl and a bottom whorl drop spindle. I had thought of asking the home folks to look through the attic stuff for them but then decided to be decent and leave them alone, especially since the cost was not that much to replace them.
This spindle works like a charm. I was unaware of the "spin and park" idea. When I tried drop spindling several times before it was more like "spin and drop and break the yarn"...not too satisfying. I am thinking of spending fifteen minutes a day (by a timer!) spinning. In fact, today I started out doing fifteen-minute stints of a variety of activities that I want to do each day. In the past, well, yesterday, I started on one of those projects and just kept going. No laundry done. No dishes done. No good meals cooked. I am hoping the fifteen minutes by the clock will help me get to the end of the day and actually have accomplished somethings. I am always so hopeful with these "resolutions"...
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Knitting with Cheryl Brunette!
Cheryl Brunette has been one of my knitting heroines for many years. She taught me how to use our Bond Incredible Sweater Machine and then the Bond Ultimate Sweater Machine...the same thing only a little better. She has many videos on using the Bond on YouTube. She has many more videos on many knitting topics, every one of them superb.
Sister F., A kind Church Service Missionary came into the office one day a couple of months ago and told me about an event where Cheryl was going to give a presentation just "across the River" in Vancouver. Yay! That was something I thought we could do. Permission received from President, and now I just had to wait for the magic day.
In the meantime, I finished up the baby sweater I had been working on following Cheryl's 15-episode series on YouTube--How To Knit A Sweater. I resolved to take the sweater with me to show her the results of her teaching. Sister F. brought hers along, too!
The Fort Vancouver Knitting Guild sponsored the meeting and invited everyone to come. There were lots of people there, sitting at tables so they could have their knitting convenient. The first thing this guild does at their meeting is to have a show and tell. Everyone who brought knitting with them, came up and showed it, and remarkably, told about it, too! Since only one person was up there, I decided to take the bull by the horns and go up, too.
It was fun to show the sweater and share that it was one of Cheryl's projects. Two other people came up then Sister F. came up, and one more, I think. When I said my name, Cheryl perked up, and came over and gave me a hug. I was so pleased. I have sent her probably ten emails over the years. She has responded to each of them. Such a nice lady.
Her presentation on gauge was so useful. I had heard much of it before in the various videos but it was so lovely to hear it in person. She also told me how to fix a problem I have with knitting stockinette flat...rowing out, is what she called it. I will try it the next time.
A note about Dear One here: he was so kind to go along on this trip. He drove. Thank goodness. We did not take the most direct route because of potential traffic issues. We went out 185th to Old Germantown Road and over the mountain, dropping down on Bridge Street then zigzagged our way over The River and through North Vancouver. We arrived in plenty of time to each our leftovers from the potluck (me) and egg sandwiches (Dear One). The trip took over an hour in rush hour traffic. The trip home, going the more direct route, took 34 minutes and we arrived home around 9 PM.
The Fort Vancouver Knitting Guild ladies were so nice. They invitedus to join (can't) and also to knit neckerchief shawls for the re-enactors at Fort Vancouver. I did take a pattern but did not realize the yarn there was free to take as well. So far I have not been able to find any that will fill the bill. Maybe eventually I will. It must be very fine merino or it will too scratchy against the ladies' skin.
Sister F., A kind Church Service Missionary came into the office one day a couple of months ago and told me about an event where Cheryl was going to give a presentation just "across the River" in Vancouver. Yay! That was something I thought we could do. Permission received from President, and now I just had to wait for the magic day.
In the meantime, I finished up the baby sweater I had been working on following Cheryl's 15-episode series on YouTube--How To Knit A Sweater. I resolved to take the sweater with me to show her the results of her teaching. Sister F. brought hers along, too!
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| Cheryl Brunette holding the baby sweater I made. You will notice the humpy-ness...that came from putting it in the washer and going to the office. Probably I could have helped it by wetting it again and blocking it severely. No time for that. |
The Fort Vancouver Knitting Guild sponsored the meeting and invited everyone to come. There were lots of people there, sitting at tables so they could have their knitting convenient. The first thing this guild does at their meeting is to have a show and tell. Everyone who brought knitting with them, came up and showed it, and remarkably, told about it, too! Since only one person was up there, I decided to take the bull by the horns and go up, too.
It was fun to show the sweater and share that it was one of Cheryl's projects. Two other people came up then Sister F. came up, and one more, I think. When I said my name, Cheryl perked up, and came over and gave me a hug. I was so pleased. I have sent her probably ten emails over the years. She has responded to each of them. Such a nice lady.
Her presentation on gauge was so useful. I had heard much of it before in the various videos but it was so lovely to hear it in person. She also told me how to fix a problem I have with knitting stockinette flat...rowing out, is what she called it. I will try it the next time.
A note about Dear One here: he was so kind to go along on this trip. He drove. Thank goodness. We did not take the most direct route because of potential traffic issues. We went out 185th to Old Germantown Road and over the mountain, dropping down on Bridge Street then zigzagged our way over The River and through North Vancouver. We arrived in plenty of time to each our leftovers from the potluck (me) and egg sandwiches (Dear One). The trip took over an hour in rush hour traffic. The trip home, going the more direct route, took 34 minutes and we arrived home around 9 PM.
The Fort Vancouver Knitting Guild ladies were so nice. They invitedus to join (can't) and also to knit neckerchief shawls for the re-enactors at Fort Vancouver. I did take a pattern but did not realize the yarn there was free to take as well. So far I have not been able to find any that will fill the bill. Maybe eventually I will. It must be very fine merino or it will too scratchy against the ladies' skin.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Paper Crafting: Scratch Paper Box with Envelope Punch Board
Lots of paper goes through our printers, here at the apartment and in the office. Many times it is one-sided copying. Eventually those copies are replaced with updated information. I hate to throw away that paper. So, what to do...
Earlier I showed you, I think, how to make a tear-off pad of paper (cut paper to size, hold together with binder clips on the sides, spread white glue along the top, put other binder clips there to hold paper to get, wait until the glue dries completely...a day or two is how long I wait, and there you have a nice tear-off pad with one empty side and a back side with random printing) but today I thought I would like to have a little box to hold single sheets of paper from recycling.
This is what I did:
Looked on YouTube for videos on how to make open boxes using an Envelope Punch Board to make the box. This is the first one I found. The Box Buster on her website told me what size paper I needed to cut and where the first and second punches needed to go. Since I was planning to have an open box, not a "thick envelope box" for storing greeting cards, I needed to look for further information.
Looked on YouTube for further help. This is the second video I watched. This gave me the second part that I needed to know to make the box I wanted to make.
To make an open box (actually, the box bottom of a covered box--to make the top you increase measurements by 1/8 inch) I cut the paper and followed the punching instructions from the first video. The next step was to follow the cutting and glueing from the second video.
Basically, after the punching and scoring, on the long side, you snip in to the score line, fold that down, then glue it to make a nice box shape. After then, fold down the flaps and glue to the bottom, first the short ends, then the long ends. I used hot glue because the double-sided tape I had did not work. Hot glue will pretty much hold everything down!
This box and paper is for at home. I might make a box for the office...my desk leaves something to be desired due to piles of different-sized papers.
Earlier I showed you, I think, how to make a tear-off pad of paper (cut paper to size, hold together with binder clips on the sides, spread white glue along the top, put other binder clips there to hold paper to get, wait until the glue dries completely...a day or two is how long I wait, and there you have a nice tear-off pad with one empty side and a back side with random printing) but today I thought I would like to have a little box to hold single sheets of paper from recycling.
This is what I did:
Looked on YouTube for videos on how to make open boxes using an Envelope Punch Board to make the box. This is the first one I found. The Box Buster on her website told me what size paper I needed to cut and where the first and second punches needed to go. Since I was planning to have an open box, not a "thick envelope box" for storing greeting cards, I needed to look for further information.
 |
| Untidy pile of paper with newly made box |
Looked on YouTube for further help. This is the second video I watched. This gave me the second part that I needed to know to make the box I wanted to make.
To make an open box (actually, the box bottom of a covered box--to make the top you increase measurements by 1/8 inch) I cut the paper and followed the punching instructions from the first video. The next step was to follow the cutting and glueing from the second video.
 |
| Box, close up, but hard to see because of the funky card stock |
Basically, after the punching and scoring, on the long side, you snip in to the score line, fold that down, then glue it to make a nice box shape. After then, fold down the flaps and glue to the bottom, first the short ends, then the long ends. I used hot glue because the double-sided tape I had did not work. Hot glue will pretty much hold everything down!
 |
| Tidy paper in box! |
This box and paper is for at home. I might make a box for the office...my desk leaves something to be desired due to piles of different-sized papers.
Monday, May 14, 2018
Munchie Monday: Quick and Easy Southwestern Salad
We plan to have a potluck lunch in the office the Wednesday after Transfers. This is a nice idea. We put the phone on answering machine for half an hour (unless SOMEONE forgets to turn it back on when lunch is over...it could happen....) and just enjoy each other's company and yummy food.
This time we had hot Costco pizza, chicken pasta salad, cut fruit, bagels with three kinds of cream cheese (have you ever had cinnamon and brown sugar? Deathly...), a gorgeous red velvet cake with ganache and lovely flower decorations on top and dribbling down the sides, and Southwestern Salad.
This salad was basically a can of red beans, drained and rinsed, a can of whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed, half a sweet onion very finely diced, and one red bell pepper, finely diced.
All these were put into a large bowl and covered with Southwestern Dressing. To make this the quickest and easiest, you can buy that sort of salad dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and let it marinate overnight. When ready to serve, bring it to the table with a big bowl of chopped greens for people to put on their plates then put a scoop of the vegetable mixture on top, then more dressing, if desired. It was pretty good salad. Don't ask Dear One, though, because he though it was too iffy to try. No problem. More for the rest of us.
The dressing I made:
All these ingredients I added to our blender:
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, including stems
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
A little coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fortunately I tasted it. Not great, but I was committed to it since I was tired and did not want to go out to the store late at night--well, it was about 8 PM. That is too late to go out to the store. For me.
Because I was unsure if there would be enough dressing, I added another half cup yogurt. Because this was also so acidic I also added, horror of horrors, one Tablespoon of sugar. Made all the difference.
It was good enough to take to the potluck. People said nice things, but then, people always say nice things. Mostly. I was not embarrassed by it, and because there were only six of us, there was leftover food to take home. I have enjoyed it!
This time we had hot Costco pizza, chicken pasta salad, cut fruit, bagels with three kinds of cream cheese (have you ever had cinnamon and brown sugar? Deathly...), a gorgeous red velvet cake with ganache and lovely flower decorations on top and dribbling down the sides, and Southwestern Salad.
This salad was basically a can of red beans, drained and rinsed, a can of whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed, half a sweet onion very finely diced, and one red bell pepper, finely diced.
All these were put into a large bowl and covered with Southwestern Dressing. To make this the quickest and easiest, you can buy that sort of salad dressing.
Pour the dressing over the salad ingredients and let it marinate overnight. When ready to serve, bring it to the table with a big bowl of chopped greens for people to put on their plates then put a scoop of the vegetable mixture on top, then more dressing, if desired. It was pretty good salad. Don't ask Dear One, though, because he though it was too iffy to try. No problem. More for the rest of us.
The dressing I made:
All these ingredients I added to our blender:
1 cup loosely packed cilantro, including stems
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
A little coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Fortunately I tasted it. Not great, but I was committed to it since I was tired and did not want to go out to the store late at night--well, it was about 8 PM. That is too late to go out to the store. For me.
Because I was unsure if there would be enough dressing, I added another half cup yogurt. Because this was also so acidic I also added, horror of horrors, one Tablespoon of sugar. Made all the difference.
It was good enough to take to the potluck. People said nice things, but then, people always say nice things. Mostly. I was not embarrassed by it, and because there were only six of us, there was leftover food to take home. I have enjoyed it!
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Happy Mother's Day!
My angel sister and her equally angelic husband sent me a gorgeous bouquet (on HER birthday!) to celebrate MY birthday and Mother's Day. Because I cannot begin to send greetings to all the beloved women in my life, I am sending you this picture to enjoy.
Imagine beautiful roses and Stargazer lilies, at least I think they are Stargazer sitting there in front of you. They are magnificently fragrant and have kept the office glorious for days. Now they are home for the weekend. I watered them and hope they will live forever.
With love to you all and wishing all you dear family and friends from so many times in my life the best woman's/mother's day ever.
Imagine beautiful roses and Stargazer lilies, at least I think they are Stargazer sitting there in front of you. They are magnificently fragrant and have kept the office glorious for days. Now they are home for the weekend. I watered them and hope they will live forever.
With love to you all and wishing all you dear family and friends from so many times in my life the best woman's/mother's day ever.
XOXOXOX
Thursday, May 10, 2018
The Bi-Fold Door Debacle
One of the nice things about this apartment where we live is that there is a washer and dryer in the apartment. No laundromat needed. So good. I got tired of that the first year we were first married. Once we had our first baby we found a used washer so at least that part of the laundry process could be done easier. There were a LOT of cloth diapers to wash and hang out to dry. I loved how funny and stiff those diapers looked on the clothes line in winter. After a while when I went back out to check the diapers, the water had sublimed away and they were soft and ready to come in. So glad not to be doing that anymore. So glad on multiple fronts!!
Anyway, the washer and dryer here are behind some nice bi-fold doors. We store the toilet paper on a shelf above the appliances. For some reason the last three in the bag fell off the shelf and into the very small space between the wall and the dryer. Dear One could not retrieve them so he took off the right bi-fold door, pulled out the toilet paper and a Costco insulated shopping bag that I had put there to store. And then he put the bi-fold doors back on.
Well, he tried. And tried. And tried. This was at bedtime and I was lying in bed reading The Book of Mormon before going to sleep as I always do, at least I always do this when I am participating in The Book of Mormon Translation Challenge. Being mostly oblivious to what is going on around me when I am lost in a book, I did not become aware of what was going on with the doors. Finally I did and went out to "help".
We spent a LONG time working on getting the doors back in. We got the little rod into the top hole but could not get it into the bottom groove. And we definitely could not get the white rolling ball into the track. Oh, that is wrong: we COULD get them all into the proper places, just not all at the same time. Eventually we gave it up and started again in the morning. I had watched a YouTube video on installing bi-fold doors. It is a snap. Just watch that video and you will see how easy it is.
Not so easy in real life. After quite a while we managed to get both of the doors into their tracks and were able to close the doors. Still not right but they work so we will go back to them some day when we feel better about a possible successful outcome.
Anyway, the washer and dryer here are behind some nice bi-fold doors. We store the toilet paper on a shelf above the appliances. For some reason the last three in the bag fell off the shelf and into the very small space between the wall and the dryer. Dear One could not retrieve them so he took off the right bi-fold door, pulled out the toilet paper and a Costco insulated shopping bag that I had put there to store. And then he put the bi-fold doors back on.
Well, he tried. And tried. And tried. This was at bedtime and I was lying in bed reading The Book of Mormon before going to sleep as I always do, at least I always do this when I am participating in The Book of Mormon Translation Challenge. Being mostly oblivious to what is going on around me when I am lost in a book, I did not become aware of what was going on with the doors. Finally I did and went out to "help".
 |
| Door maybe properly installed |
We spent a LONG time working on getting the doors back in. We got the little rod into the top hole but could not get it into the bottom groove. And we definitely could not get the white rolling ball into the track. Oh, that is wrong: we COULD get them all into the proper places, just not all at the same time. Eventually we gave it up and started again in the morning. I had watched a YouTube video on installing bi-fold doors. It is a snap. Just watch that video and you will see how easy it is.
Not so easy in real life. After quite a while we managed to get both of the doors into their tracks and were able to close the doors. Still not right but they work so we will go back to them some day when we feel better about a possible successful outcome.
 |
| Not quite right, but workable |
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
The Vinegar/Cookie Sheet Adventure
Some months ago Dear One was emptying a missionary apartment that was being closed. A few cookie sheets were taken to the storage garages for use in missionary apartments. I happened to be there with him one day soon after that and saw this pan. It looked horrible but it was a nice heavy pan which said to me: no buckling in the oven. I do NOT like pans that are so thin that the moment you get them up to temperature in the oven they pop and twist. I had purchased one half-sheet pan online soon after we arrived but here was this one was an even heavier cookie sheet, so it came to our missionary apartment.
The pan needed a good washing, which I did, then put it into the dishwasher for disinfecting, and started using it. It offended my sense of what is right, dish-wise, every time I used it but I did not think I could make it look better. Plus I often make roasted vegetables so there were more bits of olive oil attaching to the surface after a while. So the pan was really ready for some spring cleaning.
A flyer came from Cash and Carry which advertised stainless steel scratchers among all the other things they offered. That ad lodged itself firmly in the back of my mind for weeks. Finally, last weekend after Dear One's little hike, we went to Cash and Carry and purchased a sack of stainless steel scratchers. Using paper towels on front and back of the pan which I had placed in a kitchen trash bag, I poured on white vinegar and wetted the towels then closed up the bag to soak for 36 hours.
After rinsing off the vinegar I started scratching.
And I scratched. And scratched and SCRATCHED...
This is the pan after the third scrubbing/scratching. Now that I have gone this far it appears that possibly Wearever had put on a non-stick coating. There are some spots where the base shows through. Oh well. I don't like non-stick coatings anyway. There are still some spots that are possibly heat-discoloration but the whole surface feels clean and smooth. There is the tiniest bit of baked on grease in one corner which escaped my attention but I am pretty happy with this pan now.
Now for the half-sheet pan...but not today. My hands cannot take any more.
The pan needed a good washing, which I did, then put it into the dishwasher for disinfecting, and started using it. It offended my sense of what is right, dish-wise, every time I used it but I did not think I could make it look better. Plus I often make roasted vegetables so there were more bits of olive oil attaching to the surface after a while. So the pan was really ready for some spring cleaning.
 |
| Pan inside the garbage bag with fresh clean new stainless steel scrubber |
 |
| Pan with vinegar-wetted paper towels removed from trash bag |
After rinsing off the vinegar I started scratching.
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| Pan with paper towels removed |
And I scratched. And scratched and SCRATCHED...
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| Pan after first scratching ended This was much better and the surface of the pan felt much more smooth and clean. |
Now for the half-sheet pan...but not today. My hands cannot take any more.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Munchie Monday: Quick and Easy Baked Eggs!
Baked eggs? Yes, baked eggs.
Last week we stopped at a Goodwill Outlet. This is NOT to be confused with a Goodwill Store, where there are racks and racks and shelves and shelves of stuff organized as well as possible. The Goodwill Outlet we went to was a huge space where there were many many four- by eight-foot rolling bins. There were women pushing loaded bins here and there shouting at a high level in some language that I could not understand at all. By their appearance it was maybe Arabic. I suppose they were telling us to watch out as they were coming through.
Anyway, these bins were hardly sorted at all, except there were three or four bins that were almost all books. That is where I went. Dear One looked for other things. In one bin I found a cookbook of recipes from the Portland Journal newspaper which cookbook was printed in 1938. In it was a recipe called "Tillamook Eggs". I thought that sounded delicious and decided to make them for breakfast.
We have a nifty silicon baking pan that has six square wells in it. I purchased it ages ago (but since we arrived in Oregon) to make some kind of meatless meatloaf for sandwiches. I thought it would be the perfect way to bake these eggs. For some reason, when I was reading the recipe, I had one idea. When I re-read the recipe, I discovered that idea was totally wrong. Oh well. I went with what I was going to do but will share both recipes.
What I did:
Tillamook Eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a six-well silicon pan with vegetable spray and place on cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, break six eggs (trying hard to keep little bits of egg shell out of the bowl . So unpleasant to bite into something hard in an egg dish...!) and whisk until very well mixed. Add 1/3 cup dried Italian bread crumbs and 1/3 cup shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese. Stir again until nicely combined. Use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup portion scoop to portion into the six wells. Place in the oven and cook about 15 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked to your liking. I seem to remember we cooked them a couple more minutes.
Remove cookie sheet from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes. The eggs will pull away from the edges of the wells and will be very easy to remove from pan.
We ate these on toasted whole wheat bread with catsup. They were pretty good.
The Real Tillamook Eggs:
Grease six ramekins very well with butter. Break one egg into each one. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle on one tablespoon of Tillamook cheddar cheese in each ramekin. Top with 1 tablespoon of dry breadcrumbs and bake for the amount of time you like to get the hardness of yolk that you like.
This is the PACC Tillamook Eggs. The good news is that for three mornings we know what we are going to eat for breakfast, though I think we will add a Morningstar Farm sausage then next time, and maybe serve on a toasted English muffin. We shall see. Dear One really likes those sausages. I wish I could figure out the seasonings. I think I will ask my sister if she has our mother's Farm Journal Cookbook where there was a fabulous homemade sausage recipe. That is what we used to make "at home"...and that has been the go-to sausage flavoring for me. I have been searching for it in all kinds of places online and off every since. Country Breakfast Sausage does NOT have fennel in it, but that is what you find online in virtually every sausage seasoning I have found. Blaaaaah!
Last week we stopped at a Goodwill Outlet. This is NOT to be confused with a Goodwill Store, where there are racks and racks and shelves and shelves of stuff organized as well as possible. The Goodwill Outlet we went to was a huge space where there were many many four- by eight-foot rolling bins. There were women pushing loaded bins here and there shouting at a high level in some language that I could not understand at all. By their appearance it was maybe Arabic. I suppose they were telling us to watch out as they were coming through.
Anyway, these bins were hardly sorted at all, except there were three or four bins that were almost all books. That is where I went. Dear One looked for other things. In one bin I found a cookbook of recipes from the Portland Journal newspaper which cookbook was printed in 1938. In it was a recipe called "Tillamook Eggs". I thought that sounded delicious and decided to make them for breakfast.
We have a nifty silicon baking pan that has six square wells in it. I purchased it ages ago (but since we arrived in Oregon) to make some kind of meatless meatloaf for sandwiches. I thought it would be the perfect way to bake these eggs. For some reason, when I was reading the recipe, I had one idea. When I re-read the recipe, I discovered that idea was totally wrong. Oh well. I went with what I was going to do but will share both recipes.
What I did:
Tillamook Eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a six-well silicon pan with vegetable spray and place on cookie sheet.
In a large bowl, break six eggs (trying hard to keep little bits of egg shell out of the bowl . So unpleasant to bite into something hard in an egg dish...!) and whisk until very well mixed. Add 1/3 cup dried Italian bread crumbs and 1/3 cup shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese. Stir again until nicely combined. Use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup portion scoop to portion into the six wells. Place in the oven and cook about 15 minutes. Check to see if they are cooked to your liking. I seem to remember we cooked them a couple more minutes.
Remove cookie sheet from the oven and let sit about 10 minutes. The eggs will pull away from the edges of the wells and will be very easy to remove from pan.
We ate these on toasted whole wheat bread with catsup. They were pretty good.
The Real Tillamook Eggs:
Grease six ramekins very well with butter. Break one egg into each one. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle on one tablespoon of Tillamook cheddar cheese in each ramekin. Top with 1 tablespoon of dry breadcrumbs and bake for the amount of time you like to get the hardness of yolk that you like.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Food Friday: What I Learned!
After the Vegetable Smoothie debacle yesterday I decided to leave out future beet parts from them. The bunch had four beets, plus the greens attached. Since I could not bear to toss them out I decided to cook them up somehow. I remember my father eating beet greens with vinegar on them, then uplifting the bowl and draining the vinegar into his mouth. I am not sure I will go that route, but I did steam the beet greens. They are now waiting in the refrigerator for me to eat them tonight. I am not even going to TRY to offer them to Dear One. Why plague the poor guy?!
Now there were the four beets, well, three and three-quarters beets...remember the quarter beet in the benighted vegetable smoothie...What to do with them. Hmmm.
What I did with them was scrubbed the rest of them then cut them into quarters, pole to pole; put them in a large bowl with about 2 teaspoons olive oil; mixed them until there was oil on all surfaces; then sprinkled in some coarse Kosher salt and stirred again. I roasted them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. They were not quite done when we had to leave for the office so I just shut them off and left them in the oven, hoping the residual heat would finish cooking them.
Fast forward ten hours. We arrived home from the office but I had gotten a bug to go to a hardware store to get some plexi-glass sheeting cut for watercolor paper support. When I found an Ace Hardware store I noticed it was right next door to a Tienda Mexicana. This was a sign! I HAD to go.
So I left Dear One at home to shift for himself and headed out. I had a couple other stops in my mind, not that I shared that news widely, so I hoped he would eat up the leftover lasagna in the refrigerator.
The hardware store trip was way more successful than I had imagined and the Tienda Mexicana adventure came out really well. I walked out of the store with a few items (this had been an assignment for last week from my Spanish tutor which I had not completed for some reason, mostly gutlessness, but now it is done. I might go back and try again, and talk and listen a little more...).
When I got home Dear One met me in the kitchen doorway and apologized for turning on the oven without looking. May I say, the beets were ready to eat?! Actually, they were fabulous. Roasting beets is the best way to ingest that important food. This is a good thing to learn.
Now there were the four beets, well, three and three-quarters beets...remember the quarter beet in the benighted vegetable smoothie...What to do with them. Hmmm.
What I did with them was scrubbed the rest of them then cut them into quarters, pole to pole; put them in a large bowl with about 2 teaspoons olive oil; mixed them until there was oil on all surfaces; then sprinkled in some coarse Kosher salt and stirred again. I roasted them for 45 minutes at 400 degrees F. They were not quite done when we had to leave for the office so I just shut them off and left them in the oven, hoping the residual heat would finish cooking them.
Fast forward ten hours. We arrived home from the office but I had gotten a bug to go to a hardware store to get some plexi-glass sheeting cut for watercolor paper support. When I found an Ace Hardware store I noticed it was right next door to a Tienda Mexicana. This was a sign! I HAD to go.
So I left Dear One at home to shift for himself and headed out. I had a couple other stops in my mind, not that I shared that news widely, so I hoped he would eat up the leftover lasagna in the refrigerator.
The hardware store trip was way more successful than I had imagined and the Tienda Mexicana adventure came out really well. I walked out of the store with a few items (this had been an assignment for last week from my Spanish tutor which I had not completed for some reason, mostly gutlessness, but now it is done. I might go back and try again, and talk and listen a little more...).
When I got home Dear One met me in the kitchen doorway and apologized for turning on the oven without looking. May I say, the beets were ready to eat?! Actually, they were fabulous. Roasting beets is the best way to ingest that important food. This is a good thing to learn.
Another thing I learned this week is that it is possible to "over-process" flax seeds when you are turning them into flax seed meal. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I opened the container and found that rather than flax seed meal, it was almost flax seed butter. May I say that this has not stopped me from using it in smoothies and in the best oatmeal bowl ever. It just is not as pleasant...
Well, back to work!
Thursday, May 3, 2018
More Cards, Watercolor: Not Very Successful
Birthday cards were on the plate recently. I made them doing something a little different. They are not very successful, but I sent them anyway! I guess I have no shame. Well, I was thinking about these loved ones so why not send them word?! Even if poorly executed.
Having made these pretty poor specimens, I have now acquired a nice double-thick piece of plexi-glass to mount watercolor paper on with low-tack tape to keep it smooth while I paint. One added benefit is that there is then a nice white border around the painting.
In my view, this looks like pink worms on the trees/bushes, but it is something. It was an interesting thing to try. Now I know to try something different. I love to learn new stuff...
The envelopes made to go with the cards used the WeRMemoryKeepers Envelope Punch Board. When I cut the paper 8.5 by 8.5 there were strips left over so I mounted them on the inside and wrote a message there. Photography being what it is, you cannot probably really see that the yellow part says "Happy Birthday" on a background of little dots. It does look sort of cute up close.
The yellow card, encased in an embossing folder, was run through the Big Shot only once through. It turns out this yellow card stock is not the highest quality, or at least not as thick as I thought it was. The embossing folder almost cut through the paper! As it happens, I have a stack of that paper, in many colors, about 3 inches thick. Oh well. Better use it up quick and get some better stuff. Well, I have a file drawer FULL of the good stuff in Vermont. At least, I think I still do...!
Having made these pretty poor specimens, I have now acquired a nice double-thick piece of plexi-glass to mount watercolor paper on with low-tack tape to keep it smooth while I paint. One added benefit is that there is then a nice white border around the painting.
In my view, this looks like pink worms on the trees/bushes, but it is something. It was an interesting thing to try. Now I know to try something different. I love to learn new stuff...
The envelopes made to go with the cards used the WeRMemoryKeepers Envelope Punch Board. When I cut the paper 8.5 by 8.5 there were strips left over so I mounted them on the inside and wrote a message there. Photography being what it is, you cannot probably really see that the yellow part says "Happy Birthday" on a background of little dots. It does look sort of cute up close.
The yellow card, encased in an embossing folder, was run through the Big Shot only once through. It turns out this yellow card stock is not the highest quality, or at least not as thick as I thought it was. The embossing folder almost cut through the paper! As it happens, I have a stack of that paper, in many colors, about 3 inches thick. Oh well. Better use it up quick and get some better stuff. Well, I have a file drawer FULL of the good stuff in Vermont. At least, I think I still do...!
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Healthy, Wealthy, Wise-ish--Smoothies
It is such a good idea to eat healthy foods, not too much, mostly plants (ask Michael Pollan...). Recently (on my birthday, actually) I woke up to some information on my computer that put me back in the kick for eating better.
So yesterday morning I hopped over to Winco pretty early so I could get ingredients for some smoothies. I did not go hog-wild purchasing stuff, but did have a bag that was sort of heavy and off balance which was tough to drag up the stairs. I had a mind to phone Dear One, wake him out of a sound sleep, and ask him to come slogging down the stairs to help me. But I forbore.
For breakfast we had a fruit smoothie. It was okay. Not stunningly good, but certainly very edible.
Breakfast Smoothie-1
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1 cup water
2 cups mixed berries--blueberries (freezer-burned) and strawberries
1 frozen banana in chunks
1/2 scoop Plant Protein Powder
Put it all in the blender and let it roll for about a minute. As I say, it was okay. Next time I will put in pineapple to perk up the flavor, instead of water.
The OTHER SMOOTHIE: a vegetable smoothie. Everyone who knows me has been bored to tears from me talking about Dr. Michael Greger, NutritionFacts.org, and How Not To Die. WELL...one of the emails I read on my birthday was from Dr. Greger. He reminded me that not only stopping forward progression of major diseases is possible with a whole-food, plant-based diet, but even those deadly diseases can be reversed. He spoke of a vegetable smoothie that he eats every day that he is home. I thought it had to be good.
So the story is that I got everything except the jalapeno pepper at Winco--but only because they were all sold out! Rats! Well, I would only have put in a little anyway.
Everything went into the blender...then the magic happened: Vegetable smoothie ready to go.
Well, not quite. It turned out that warm vegetable smoothie is rather nasty. I realize as I am writing this that if I had blended for another couple of minutes it would have been hot and very much like a tasty smooth vegetable soup. At the time, however, I could NOT stomach it so I put it in the refrigerator and ate three servings of potato chips for supper. Smart, huh?!! Dear One noticed.
Anyway, this morning I pulled the chilled smoothie out of the refrigerator. Still not stellar but then I squeezed in half a lemon, grated in some fresh black pepper and sprinkled on some coarse Kosher salt. Yummy!! Surprisingly so.
Vegetable Smoothie
1 rib celery
4 baby carrots
1/2 red bell pepper
Green shoots from 4 scallions
1/4 beet
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup kale--or a little more.
1 cup vegetable juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
When I make this again I will use roasted beet instead of raw beet. One-quarter of a medium beet was a little heavy on the beet. Of course, if you love beets....
So yesterday morning I hopped over to Winco pretty early so I could get ingredients for some smoothies. I did not go hog-wild purchasing stuff, but did have a bag that was sort of heavy and off balance which was tough to drag up the stairs. I had a mind to phone Dear One, wake him out of a sound sleep, and ask him to come slogging down the stairs to help me. But I forbore.
For breakfast we had a fruit smoothie. It was okay. Not stunningly good, but certainly very edible.
Breakfast Smoothie-1
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1 cup water
2 cups mixed berries--blueberries (freezer-burned) and strawberries
1 frozen banana in chunks
1/2 scoop Plant Protein Powder
Put it all in the blender and let it roll for about a minute. As I say, it was okay. Next time I will put in pineapple to perk up the flavor, instead of water.
The OTHER SMOOTHIE: a vegetable smoothie. Everyone who knows me has been bored to tears from me talking about Dr. Michael Greger, NutritionFacts.org, and How Not To Die. WELL...one of the emails I read on my birthday was from Dr. Greger. He reminded me that not only stopping forward progression of major diseases is possible with a whole-food, plant-based diet, but even those deadly diseases can be reversed. He spoke of a vegetable smoothie that he eats every day that he is home. I thought it had to be good.
So the story is that I got everything except the jalapeno pepper at Winco--but only because they were all sold out! Rats! Well, I would only have put in a little anyway.
Well, not quite. It turned out that warm vegetable smoothie is rather nasty. I realize as I am writing this that if I had blended for another couple of minutes it would have been hot and very much like a tasty smooth vegetable soup. At the time, however, I could NOT stomach it so I put it in the refrigerator and ate three servings of potato chips for supper. Smart, huh?!! Dear One noticed.
Anyway, this morning I pulled the chilled smoothie out of the refrigerator. Still not stellar but then I squeezed in half a lemon, grated in some fresh black pepper and sprinkled on some coarse Kosher salt. Yummy!! Surprisingly so.
Vegetable Smoothie
1 rib celery
4 baby carrots
1/2 red bell pepper
Green shoots from 4 scallions
1/4 beet
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1 cup kale--or a little more.
1 cup vegetable juice
1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
When I make this again I will use roasted beet instead of raw beet. One-quarter of a medium beet was a little heavy on the beet. Of course, if you love beets....
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Thank You! and Jibber Jabber
As I am sitting here writing this post I have not yet taken the time to thank you all individually for your kind birthday thoughts. I do appreciate each one of them. They make me smile with love for you all. I hope to get
Dear One took us to lunch at a nice pizza and salad buffet place. I really was happy with the thought of celebrating my birthday a little early and eating out. He asked me where I wanted to go. I went to the Net and found a number of places that sounded good...each of them a buffet of sorts. My thinking was that we could each find something we wanted to eat. (An American Family Buffet, a Chinese buffet, an Indian buffet) When I looked at the reviews, I decided against all of them I had thought they would be fun. One of them had multiple mentions of the "creepy" bathroom. Not my cup of tea as I ALWAYS want to visit the bathroom. So we went to the pizza place where I knew Dear One would be happy and I could enjoy, too.
Well...just a word to the wise...buffet places are a delusion and a snare. I have absolutely NOT been able to just eat normally there. I always eat too much. I had only one plate of salad but it was a big one. No regrets there. The only regret is that I picked up two of the small pieces of pizza and felt like I had to eat them even though I was already full of salad. THEN I went back and tried some more kinds of pizza. I was fuller than a tick by the time we waddled out of the place. Uncomfortable, even. Not smart.
Because of the way I felt leaving that pizza palace I spent the whole trip home thinking about ways to solve the unhealthy for body and mind issue. I think I will not advocate for eating out anymore. (Since I have been here I have gained a ton of weight. I feel bad in body and soul.) Everywhere we eat out (except pernicious fast-food joints) gives us way more food than we can eat.
So, what to do? I love the idea of eating out. I love the feeling of being pampered. I love not having to prepare the meal. I really love not having to clean up after preparing the meal and eating the meal.
This is what I have come up with: when I feel the need for pampering/not going to a lot of work to make food for us, we will go to the grocery store and buy some pre-made acceptable food to eat. Serving sizes in the grocery store are more in line with what we should be eating. I hope that will help.
We shall see.
Dear One took us to lunch at a nice pizza and salad buffet place. I really was happy with the thought of celebrating my birthday a little early and eating out. He asked me where I wanted to go. I went to the Net and found a number of places that sounded good...each of them a buffet of sorts. My thinking was that we could each find something we wanted to eat. (An American Family Buffet, a Chinese buffet, an Indian buffet) When I looked at the reviews, I decided against all of them I had thought they would be fun. One of them had multiple mentions of the "creepy" bathroom. Not my cup of tea as I ALWAYS want to visit the bathroom. So we went to the pizza place where I knew Dear One would be happy and I could enjoy, too.
Well...just a word to the wise...buffet places are a delusion and a snare. I have absolutely NOT been able to just eat normally there. I always eat too much. I had only one plate of salad but it was a big one. No regrets there. The only regret is that I picked up two of the small pieces of pizza and felt like I had to eat them even though I was already full of salad. THEN I went back and tried some more kinds of pizza. I was fuller than a tick by the time we waddled out of the place. Uncomfortable, even. Not smart.
Because of the way I felt leaving that pizza palace I spent the whole trip home thinking about ways to solve the unhealthy for body and mind issue. I think I will not advocate for eating out anymore. (Since I have been here I have gained a ton of weight. I feel bad in body and soul.) Everywhere we eat out (except pernicious fast-food joints) gives us way more food than we can eat.
So, what to do? I love the idea of eating out. I love the feeling of being pampered. I love not having to prepare the meal. I really love not having to clean up after preparing the meal and eating the meal.
This is what I have come up with: when I feel the need for pampering/not going to a lot of work to make food for us, we will go to the grocery store and buy some pre-made acceptable food to eat. Serving sizes in the grocery store are more in line with what we should be eating. I hope that will help.
We shall see.
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