Cooking and Baking and Candlestick making!!!

This a rural road in Iowa and is very similar to the road I lived on when I had my little farm.  That is what winter is supposed to look like! LOL!  Today it rained this morning and all night too, I guess.....I was sleeping.  The sun came out this afternoon and it is about 60, maybe a little less.  They had said it would rain all day and so I decided it would be a good day to bake and knit or knit and bake............it would have been a good day to wash windows actually but who knew?  Obviously not the weather people! LOL!  To be honest, Iowa doesn't look like this..not this winter anyway.  They have had very little snow and none on the ground right now.  It's been fairly warm there too.
So, I made biscotti.........cranberry and pistachio....pistachios are not cheap especially the pre-shelled ones but with arthritis, shelling nuts is not exactly something I excel in.   I had wanted to try this recipe at Christmas as it is festive looking with the green pistachios and the red cranberries but alas I never got to it..............but today I did.  It's not a complicated recipe or process at all and it went really smoothly except for the slicing.   They tend to crumble easily or at least mine did.  At times like that I wonder if an electric knife would do a better job?  They bake twice and although they are finished now and cooling, I haven't actually eaten one but I did snack on the pieces that fell off and if that is any indication I think these will be a favorite!  

 

This was the best picture I could get as I am still using my tablet and the cord isn't very long.  

I'm adding more recipes to my recipe section and as soon as I give this one the final okay...I think you will be finding it in there.....at least until I find a better one! LOL!  If you want to make them tonight here is the link

Also, here is the recipe picture..........

 

Oh, I also made a great salad this week.......orange romaine salad...very easy with a recipe for a honey vinaigrette to use with it.....yum! 

Here' s the link to it and it is also in my recipe section.

Have a nice evening!  Oh, as for the knitting and making.....stop by tomorrow for YOP Sunday!

Happy Trails!!!!

Books I've finished! Yay!

I've done really well with my FINISHES in the book department this week............
I'm finally done with this one....oh my what a lengthy soap opera of a book!  Not bad for having been written in the 1700's although I won't be reading another one anytime soon.  But for it's time I'm sure it was fascinating and it would make a great soap opera.....like Dark Shadows...remember that one?

I also finished the Wapsipinicon Almanac which was actually on Good Reads and qualified as a book!  Parts of it I liked and other parts I didn't.....it's a collection so that is to be expected. 

This one was a re-read and didn't count in my challenge for this year.  I re-read it each year at Christmas time. 

Now.....I am reading another HUGE book...870 pages, I think..........Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix book #5.............this is my fiction read right now....why do I pick such huge books?  No wonder I can't meet my book challenge! LOL!  But who doesn't love Harry?

 My non-fiction is a book I've had for quite awhile..........

As for a magazine.........it will probably be a National Geographic which I haven't chosen yet...........
I've been watching Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on Netflix (highly recommend) and knitting podcasts like Inside Number 23 and The Knitting Expat who has the cutest little girl and I really enjoy her.  That's all for this week....I'm still washing windows, cleared out my nightstand and paid all the bills for this month along with the regular household chores.  I hope you are having a good week.  My friend had her surgery today so if you would be so kind as to say a little prayer or send up some good thoughts for her healing and speedy recovery, I would appreciate it.
Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #30

 I'm a day late and a dollar short for sure!  The weather was really nice yesterday so I wanted to take advantage of it and wash some windows as it was supposed to storm later.  It got cold so fast this past fall that I never got my windows washed in time.  I also put up some new curtains (thrift store) that I washed and ironed.  They are really drapery length and not wanting to take the time to cut and hem I doubled them over and hung them with cafe clips.  I thought it might help keep lightening from waking me up when it flashes......wrong!  We had a big storm last night and the lightening still flashes through them.

 My camera is still not working and I can't afford a new one right now so I tried my tablet and it works but I have to have my tablet plugged in as it won't hold a charge plus it doesn't take the greatest pictures.  I think I need artificial light with it though as some of the pictures are pretty dark.  Sorry, it's the best I can do right now.
I finished the leg on the second sock and the heel flap on the first sock and now I'm working on the heel flap on the second sock.  I'm getting concerned as it doesn't look like I will have enough yarn left to finish them.  I've never had this problem and now I am wondering if this was a DK weight yarn and not a fingering weight.  I can't find the label although I know I didn't throw it out but I guess I will just have to go to the end and then use a contrasting yarn to finish as I am NOT tearing these socks out!  Probably a turquoise yarn or white...some color that is in the multi-color section.  It is so sad as these are my very favorite socks of all time!

I ran across a card making kit my daughter gifted me last year and I have been wanting to make cards so I was very excited to use it!  It is really cute and comes with everything you need EXCEPT card glue........I was able to put together the pop-up part of the card though..........

  I've got my sweater as long as I want it so now I will start the ribbing for the bottom.....I am not worried I will run out of yarn but I am concerned it will be too small for me......I made the same size as a gal I know who made it and she is larger than I am so I didn't think I had anything to worry about and maybe I don't.....we'll see...but when I try it on it seems small but then the needles are attached too.....oh well......it's a good experience for sure and I will definitely be making more sweaters.
This picture turned out pretty good.  I guess I need to ensure there is plenty of light!

I also mended a robe that the had lost a tie from it....I had the tie, it just needed to be sewn back on.
That's all for this week! I hope you had a great one!
Oh, here's the link 
to the Kleenix mittens I posted about the other day.  It's a free pattern on Ravelry and if you want to see what other YOP'ers are up to just check them out here
Happy Trails!!!