Saturday, February 11, 2017

Just in case you forgot...like I did............

Valentines Day is Tuesday!!!  Wasn't it just Christmas a few weeks ago?  Dang!  So, I ran off to the Dollar General and got some junk things for the grands.  I'll make some heart shaped sugar cookies tomorrow and send it off Monday....no USPS though.....FEDEX all the way.....
I swear, the grands love the cheap stuff from the Dollar store....who am I to argue?  Bless them as Grandma's on a budget! LOL!
Here's a picture of Miss Peeps yesterday.....she is really so much better behaved and I can even knit when she's around but I don't dare leave it on the chair after I get up!  I saw her Mother the other day in my yard.  Almost, like she was looking for Miss Peeps.  I am assuming it is her Mother as it is almost the spitting image of Miss Peeps.  I'll always wonder what happened that they got separated.
 She's still a playful kitten but no more biting or scratching which is nice and she's stopped jumping on Annie and she knows she's not supposed to.   Who says you can't train cats....just watch me! LOL!
I hope you're enjoying your weekend!
Happy Trails!

Friday, February 10, 2017

This girl's on fire!!!

I got  up at 2:30 this morning and I am still going! I'm not sure where this energy is coming from but  I'm taking it as a true gift from God....he's seen my messes and shaking his head!  It is a gift for sure because for years I struggled with RA and Graves and going blind and lo and behold....I am off the expensive RA medicine that practically put me in the poor house and now I have most of my energy and drive back and my eyesight is better than ever!  Don't get me wrong....I get tired but I take little breaks and go back at it!  At my age, energy and good health and strength are not to be taken for granted! LOL!
 I went and got supplies today at Walmart and here are a few of my bargains and unique items.........
Really dark seedless grapes.............

 These were on sale............I toasted one and they're good but they are NOT bagels.....they're made with sweet dough..........buyer beware.......but they won't go to waste........
 and this Naan which is a healthy flat bread............
 avocados, of course..............I wash all my produce when I come home...........
 and this little treat..........do you remember when I talked about Biscoff cookies and how cookies made in most other countries are baked with real butter, real eggs, etc. and no preservatives?  Well, you can get the cookies on Amazon as I can't find them at Walmart anymore........but they had this........OMG! Really?  It is so good I could just spoon it out of the jar and eat it all! 
There are no peanuts in it which is why I wanted to try it as my one grandson is really allergic to peanuts...like ER allergic and Epipen allergic. This is so good...this would take a P&J to a whole new level!  Of course, you don't get the protein either but boy is it good!  I'm thinking of having it on my toast in the morning....so much for my healthy breakfasts! LOL!  I never did like P&J anyway.  I would like to try it in my peanut butter cookie recipe instead of the peanut butter.....yummo!
 I also picked up one of my Pioneer Woman's line of dishware...............I try and buy a piece each time I go but it's been a while...........isn't this sweet?  I love her line of dishes etc; all mix and match which is so me! Nothing in my house matches and that's the way I like it.
I filled up the car with gas, cleaned up the house, unloaded and put away the groceries and I still had energy to burn.....I was home from the store by 11:00 a.m.......I used to be 'toast' after Walmart shopping but not anymore!  I finished the craft pattern organizing too..............the notebooks laying on their side are empty so I have 'spares'!
Next is yarn organizing and cleaning guest room..........progress is such a great feeling at the end of the day! I hope you had a great day too!
Happy Trails!


Thursday, February 9, 2017

Good day here...........

 I got quite a few chores done today.  Changed the sheets, ironed and went to the Dollar store and got notebooks.........
Some I already had set up but needed more.....many more!  These filled one entire shelf on my bookcase but there will be more tomorrow............ I have enough notebooks now and everything is pretty much in them but I have some to label yet...........I'm glad I took the time to do this as it will make my crafting life much easier............
I'm almost done with the cuff on sock #2 and I will never use Sirdar Heart and Sole sock yarn again!  It splits, unwinds and snags at the drop of a hat!  This is really the worst yarn I have ever used. Live and learn and also knit and learn! LOL!  You get what you pay for and this was quite inexpensive.
I am bushed tonight and hitting the hay early but it was a productive day so I'm not complaining.  I'm reading my regular books but also the New Living Translation Bible daily.  My goal is 3 chapters a day.  All my life I have wanted to read the Bible from cover to cover but never made it.  Hopefully this time I will.  It is so much easier to read and comprehend than The King James Version.  Also, I have been listening to Daily Hope podcast with Pastor Rick Warren which has really helped keep my faith up and not worry about my son.  Now, I'm off to take my Craftsy Knitting Class....Fearless Knitting by Lucy Neatby and then it is supper and beddy bye!  I hope you had a fantastic day!
Happy Trails!
 

Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Things I remembered that I had forgotten!

With my mind pre-occupied with my son Jim being ill, I had forgotten a few treasures that I had received in the mail!  My apologies to all gift givers!  First was this lovely tin of cranberry-orange cookies that my daughter sent me......and they are DELISH!  One of my favorites! I love the tin too.  She won't be getting that one back! LOL! I think the recipe is on All Recipes  but I have not made them myself yet so you'll have to search but you will not be disappointed.....
Next, Queen Betsy (on my sidebar as The Simple Life of a Queen) realized, unfortunately, that she was allergic to West Yorkshire Spinner's yarn which I absolutely love so she sent me hers..........

with this sweet note card..............isn't that the cutest?
Thank you so much Betsy!  See, she really IS a queen and so generous with her time and talents.
Next was a surprise Valentine's gift from my son Ben and my grandson, Uriah............
This time it wasn't my camera....the picture is done in sepia tones and looks like something out of the 30's or 40's......so cute!  Unfortunately, it was broken in shipping (we are not having very good luck with USPS lately) It was priority mail too. The glass stayed in tact but the picture was torn (you can see it on the right hand edge although I tried to keep it out of the picture) and the frame was broken but fixable and the backing of the picture was actually separated from the frame....geez!)  I have yet to get a refund for the packages I sent....they wanted a receipt, it was all homemade items so there was no receipt then they said a picture which I had from blogging so I uploaded but they said it was too big to upload....that's funny because my blog has no problem nor does Ravelry or email.....it is purposeful so they don't have to refund you....after more than an hour I gave up!
The picture came with a lovely card signed by both............it was a tear-jerker!
I hope I remembered everything now.
  I have been having problems with my Hermione's Everyday sock....I finally got the cuff done on the first sock and started 3 times on the 2nd (I am knitting them concurrently on separate needles).  I was trying some new methods of joining in the round to alleviate the gap but it really caused me more problems I think. I went back to just joining my regular way and snugging it up tight at the join spot and now it seems to be working.....I guess the moral is "if it ain't broke don't fix it"! LOL!  So, although I've spent hours on it this is all I have to show for it..........
But in that same vein, I was on Facebook and I had been seeing a Craftsy class on knitting called "Fearless Knitting" by Lucy Neatby.  I had ignored it several times but then I thought maybe I should look closer....maybe my knitting angels were trying to help me!  So, I investigated it and it has a 5 star rating and it was 1/2 price! I ordered it and started taking it last night!  I love taking classes and I think this one was made for me!  It is regularly a $30.00 class on sale for $15.00...check it out at Craftsy
Well, that's all the news that's fit to print today!  Hope you had a great one!
Happy Trails!




Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Busy day and I started REALLY early!

We had a storm early this morning that woke me up at 3:00 a.m. so I just started my day a bit earlier than usual.  I made my coffee and crawled back in bed to journal as I've done for many years.  I lit a candle and enjoyed the storm!  Besides many routine chores I've been working on reorganizing my craft pattern notebooks............
I used to have them organized by YOP year and also by knitting and crocheting but I have so many patterns now that I would have to search and search for the right one.  Now, I am on to "divide and conquer" so there are multiple notebooks organized by item as opposed to craft...such as hats, blankets, shawls, socks etc.  I put them all in plastic sleeves that have the holes for the notebook rings.  I got adhesive labels at Walmart and so far so good but now I've run out of notebooks! LOL!
 I have done well lately in the organizing and cleaning department.  I have not yet attacked cupboards or drawers but I do have porch, both bathrooms, family room, my bedroom and kitchen done except for my desk in the family room.  I still have "miles to go before I sleep" but that's another day.  Last night I made a ziti casserole (meatless Monday) and it is very good.  I got it on All Recipes and I think it was Carol's Ziti Casserole.  I'm really getting tired now so I am going to call it a day!  
I hope yours was a great one.  It was 76 here today....early Spring for sure!
Happy Trails!

Monday, February 6, 2017

It's Monday......what are you reading, watching and/or listening to?

I finished 3 books since we last talked about them...........I'm not sure if I shared this one with you...if I did I apologize but last week was sort of a blur........I loved this YA book and want to read more by this author. 
I love books on survival against all odds and this one filled the bill!  This is the first book in a short series by an award winning author...I'll be ordering the next one for sure!  If you like this genre you will love this book!

From Amazon: "This award-winning contemporary classic is the survival story with which all others are compared—and a page-turning, heart-stopping adventure, recipient of the Newberry Honor.Thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present—and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent’s divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair—it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive."

 The next book I finished was...........
This was very good but I must admit, I already do most of this except for the entertaining....I just entertain myself! LOL! It is also easier when you're retired and do not have to interact with negative people at work....yes, they're out there!

Last but not least in any way was....
 This was REALLY good and very well written...I can't say enough about the character development and the scenes depicted so well I could practically see them!  And the plot was really unique and fresh!  I will be reading ALL of her books for sure!  Thank you, Diane, for recommending her.....what took me so long?  LOL!
From Amazon: 
"Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards.Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter. Still Life introduces not only an engaging series hero in Inspector Gamache, who commands his forces---and this series---with integrity and quiet courage, but also a winning and talented new writer of traditional mysteries in the person of Louise Penny."

So what am I reading this week you ask?
One of my favorite fiction authors.......I have yet to be disappointed in any of her books and so far I am enjoying it.....one of those you look forward to picking up at the end of the day....
 Amazon states: "Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in."

And my non-fiction is this bestseller on Amazon............
Amazon describes it like this:"In 1834, Osborne Russell joined an expedition from Boston, under the direction of Nathaniel J. Wyeth, which proceeded to the Rocky Mountains to capitalize on the salmon and fur trade.He would remain there, hunting, trapping, and living off the land, for the next nine years.Journal of a Trapper is his remarkable account of that time as he developed into a seasoned veteran of the mountains and experienced trapper.In Russell’s own words he explains to the reader “if you are in search of the travels of a classical and scientific tourist, please lay this volume down, and pass on, for this simply informs you what a trapper has seen and experienced. But if you wish to peruse a hunter’s rambles among the wild regions of the Rocky Mountains, please read this”.Russell encounters grizzly bears, hunts buffaloes, trades with Native Americans and suffers from the extreme conditions of his mountainous environment. His account is written in vivid prose that transports the reader to nineteenth century Northwest America.Of particular note are his descriptions of the landscapes in which he lived. Although it had not been designated a national park during Russell’s time, his portrayal of Yellowstone is truly breath-taking.This is the perfect book for anyone wishing to find out more about the lives of the mountain men, what they ate, how they hunted, what shelters they used and how they survived in some of the most inhospitable conditions.After this book was written Osborne Russell became a politician who helped form the government of the state of Oregon. He was born in 1814 in Maine. He ran away from home as a young man for a life at sea, but eventually found employment as a trapper. In 1844, he was elected to the second Executive Committee of the Provisional Government of Oregon, but after he was not re-elected he eventually went and lived in California. He died in 1892. This edition was published in 1921."

As for watching...........Democracy Now, The Humanist Report, Al Jazeera, Reuters, Hueloco video podcasts, Daily Hope audio podcast, Inside #23 video podcast, Brooklyn Knitfolk video podcast  and The 51st Superbowl!  What a game!
I hope you had a great weekend and that this week is off to a great start!
Happy Trails and Happy Reading!


Sunday, February 5, 2017

YOP Week #32

Although this was a busy week, I did manage to get some crafting in....even a finish!  Ta Da!  My Cherry Heart socks............I really enjoyed making these...I think  it is the same heel but for some reason this is the first time they turned out perfectly.....no gap and I think it's because she has you take an extra stitch.....whatever it is.....I'm doing it from now on!  The pattern is a delight to work and it is my first rounded toe and can I tell you how much I like it?  I do!  I'm excited to try different heels, toes, and cuffs and patterns now......what fun...I think socks are my favorite thing to knit so far.....I am a very practical knitter...it needs to be useful.  BTW, if you ever order sock blockers from the Loopy Ewe....know that you will only receive 1.....for $15.00!  I need to order another now.
My "ME" project this week is the Hermione's Everyday Socks, again.  But it was nice to finish the ones above because it cleared off my favorite needles and now I can knit Hermione's concurrently or is it simultaneously?  I am halfway done with the cuff on the first one so by next week I should have both cuffs done and some more.  I'm hoping to be able to enter the Harry Potter KAL for February as I did not make it for the January KAL.  I think I will be able to pace myself better and know where I am with doing 2 at a time.  Also, the above socks do not count in the 2017 Box of Socks because I started them in 2016.
I got started on the "GIFT" for my daughter but not very far.............that red is very hard to photograph...I took several pictures and the red just blows out for some reason.......

As for the old "WIP".......I got one more giraffe leg done....hopefully this week won't be as hectic and mind blowing! LOL!
I also got some heavy duty cleaning in and worked on finances this week which were things I wanted to focus on.  In addition to some homemade bread, cookies and pizza......a girl has to eat in between stitching and cleaning! LOL!
I hope you all had a great week and that you have another one ahead of you!
Happy Trails!  
P.S.  I haven't been able to watch football all season because I canceled my satellite service but I have a Roku and they sent me an email that Fox is letting us watch the Superbowl for free!  No strings attached!  So, we'll see how late I can stay up! LOL!