Pic Monkey...better late than never?

 Yes, I'm late to the dance, I know and I wasted spent a good amount of time playing with all the different features of Pic Monkey, a favorite blogger photo editing software.  Of course, the features I really liked were all the ones requiring money.
 These plants were 1/2 price at Wal-Mart yesterday.

 "One of these things is not like the other one".....too much Sesame Street when my children were little....don't judge me.

 Ah, yes...I wasn't going to mention this but here is the evidence of the third coat on the ceiling.  I think its the paint.  The first time I used it I had no problem but it has sat for a couple years and I think it chemically changed it's composition.  It was Dutch Boy's ceiling white with a novel pink dye that showed up so you could see where you painted and where you hadn't.  The "pink" disappeared after it dried but I won't be using it again.

 I picked up this pack of material at Wal-Mart to make some Easter candy bags for the grands. I do love me some polka dots!

 My friend Sue, the book fairy stopped by today but now she is not only the book fairy but the yarn fairy too!

 Look at this gorgeous yarn she gave me!!!!  I just keep gazing at it.  It is called "Coming Up Flowers" and tells you to "watch as little boucle flowers magically appear".  I should have taken a picture of Sue's scarf she is knitting from it.  She used a skein with reds and it is so pretty.  The yarn label states to "cast on 14 stitches with  size 11 needles and knit until you are happy or run out of yarn"!  LOL!  I'm happy just looking at it!  Thank you, Sue. 

Tonight is Friday Night With Friends where I attempt to sew on some projects.  Wish me luck as I am fading fast tonight and haven't even had supper yet.  But what a beautiful day it was here in the Ozarks!  It's still 80 degrees and no humidity....ahhhhhh.....Spring!  Open season on windows!
Happy Trails!

10 steps forward and 5 back......

 Things haven't exactly been "humming along" this week but compared to what else is going on around the world I'm not complaining.  Prayers to all who are suffering from all kinds of atrocities this week and this month!  I can't even keep up with it all.
I was so enjoying my sock knitting but they look like they may be too small?  I'm not sure but when I measure it looks like I have about 11-13 stitches while Susan Anderson (whose pattern it is) says she usually has 7-8 stitches per inch for these.  So do I go ahead and just see it they work or take the hint now and go up a needle size?  I don't have size 2 dpns so I'll have to order them.  Will I ever have socks?  Good thing the warm weather is coming!

 I did make some delicious cookies though!  Does anyone remember the old Dutch Windmill cookies you used to be able to buy in the store?  When I was a child I loved those as they had an imprint of a Dutch windmill on them and they were crispy and yummy!  I finally found a recipe for them but it requires a cookie mold which I don't have so I decided to try and make them without one.
If you roll them into balls and bake on an un-greased cookie sheet they are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside but if you roll them into balls and flatten with your fingers (you can see my imprint) they turn out crispy all the way through.  I can live without the windmill. 

 Here's the recipe:  (don't ask me where I got this....I get so hot on the trail of something I literally get lost on the internet but I definitely want to give credit where credit is due!)

Production Manager Mark Moynihan's Speculaas (St. Nicholas cookies)

By Sue Moynihan

This classic Dutch recipe is also known as St. Nicholas Cookies, or in northern Germany, Spekulatius. St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 6th.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add beaten egg and blend well. Sift the flour and all remaining dry ingredients together and beat into the butter mixture. Mixture will be stiff. Press dough into a special Speculaas mold or other cookie mold. Cut off excess dough -- wire or dental floss laid flat and drawn across the mold work best. Decorate the cookies with sliced almonds. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes until a light brown. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 36.

Backstory

My Mom's Mom really loved Christmas. She wasn't satisfied celebrating only the 25th. She kicked off the season on Dec. 6, St. Nicholas Day, by baking this delicious, buttery spice cookie.

I continue this family tradition by baking them with my kids just as I was taught by my Mom and Gram, using the same 60-plus-year-old mold. The spicy scent of these cookies in the oven is one of our family's favorite harbingers of Christmas; each one is a yummy expression of love from my Gram through four generations to my family. And it's not the only one. St. Lucia Day comes on Dec. 13 and we'll bake Lucia cats, but that's another recipe with another story!

I am testing cookies for the holidays too and this is definitely a "keeper"!

 Look what I found out in my yard leftover in a pot from last year
...bless it's little heart for blooming!

 Easter will soon be upon us and I am starting to do some little projects for the grand babies.

These are called Easter Marshmallow Babies by Doni Spiegle.  I'm not sure if they're on my Easter board on Pinterest but I think so.  I have a "secret" board too for presents for people who look at my boards (my daughter) so I can keep some things a surprise...lol!  She doesn't crochet though so I think I'm okay on this one.  They look just like the "peeps".

Here I go attempting to replicate them.......I just started........why am I getting those spaces in the middle?  I think someone jinxed me this week.  I'll keep practicing.  You make 2 the same, stitch together and stuff.
  Her's are so perfect and I'm using the suggested hook and yarn type.....oh boy!

Also, my painting of the bathroom ceiling is still ongoing.....2-3 coats it's taking.....do you believe it?
I would like to see some progress around here if it's not too much to ask?  I am certainly putting in the hours but nothing much to show for it....everything in "limbo".  Oh well, it could be worse...lots worse!
I hope all is well and good in your world this week.   Happy Trails!
If anyone has any hints as to what I should do with my needlework dilemmas, please do tell!  Thank you all.

YOP Sunday

 Boy, did this week go fast!  The swallows have returned to Capistrano or the songbirds are back in Arkansas rather and singing their little hearts out.  I usually open the windows but it has been cold and wet here this week.

 I had to tell you about this quick, delicious and healthy little breakfast that I found in Country Living magazine.  Take a little ramekin, put a slice of Canadian bacon in the bottom, whisk one egg in a separate bowl and pour on top of the bacon, microwave for 30 seconds, stir the egg, microwave for another 15-30 seconds and top with some shredded cheese.  Fast, healthy and tasty!  I must admit I have to have a couple pieces of toast with it as it isn't enough to fill me up but maybe some day it will be.  It would be great for kids too.

 A new book I picked up at the library.  It's non-fiction and was written by a woman who was married for years to a man who was gay and she didn't know it but more specifically it is how we deal with sometimes drastic and dramatic change in our lives.  So far it is very good.

Oh, yes, what have I been working on this week for my YOP's?   I am moving right along with the afghan made out of the "yarn from hell" and not doing too bad.  It has required patience and concentration and following directions....not bad for a woman who has trouble in all those areas! LOL!  I'm actually learning to work with this yarn and because the rows are so long I get a rhythm going and can even watch t.v. while crocheting it.   I'm come a long way, baby!  I am on row 9 of 102 not counting the edging.  Last week I misspoke and said there were 110 rows.  Whew, instead there's only 102....every little bit helps!

I've cast on the socks for MOI and have more done on the cuff than shows here.  I'm getting used to the tiny needles and sit down and knit a row when I want to take a break during the day.  I've been painting the bathroom ceiling this week and it is slow as I can't stay up there too long...the air is thin...lol.

I'll be by later to check up on everyone....it's been a busy week!  I hope it was a great one for you and that this next one holds lots of promise too!
Happy Trails...........

Spring fever and weather............

I'm trying to hurry and get this posted as we have tornado watches all across the state.....the clouds are dark and "rolling" out there and we are right in the cross hairs.  It was in the 80's today but the cold front coming in is what causes the storms.  We're very "unstable" here but then I didn't need to tell you that. LOL!

The Bradford pear is blooming.........

and the daffodils
I was "under the weather"  this week for a few days so my usual get up and go got up and went.

 

I did start a new book although so far it isn't "grabbing me"but hopefully it will get better.....

I'm also reading Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen but I think I enjoy watching it on PBS as opposed to reading about it and I did see this on PBS previously.  Again, I haven't gotten that far into it. 

I finally cast on my socks....again.  Hopefully this time all will go smoothly but no T.V. watching while knitting these!  BTW, my daughter's afghan is coming along....Row 7 of  110 but at least I can work on that while watching t.v.

 

 I did manage to get to Walmart before I got sick and picked up some paint and tools as I've decided to start painting the trim in this house.  I have some great pins on my DIY Home board on Pinterest and one is a gal that swears that the best improvement and the biggest difference in her home happened when she decided to paint all the wood trim in her house.  She shows before and afters (love those) and it really did make it brighter and more open looking.  I have so much wood here it looks like I live in a cave.

She said she paints her trim with a brush and then takes that little sponge roller over it to eliminate the brush strokes.  Genius!  That little foam roller kit was all of a couple bucks and includes a replacement roller and the package IS the tray!  Now someone was thinking!  She recommends specific tools she uses and another was the Spray Grip you attach to your spray paint cans and it makes it easier to use and of course you can reuse it over and over....don't throw it away with your can when it's empty! LOL!  I say that because I did might have done that once maybe...I can't really remember.

The paint is just plain white semi-gloss with a sealer in it...she recommends using a sealer first such as Zinser or Kilz.  I'll see what happens using just this combo.  I got all this at my not so local Wal-Mart.

So you can see I really haven't gotten much done this week but hopefully I'm "ramping up"!

Happy Trails and I promise I will catch up with you all....eventually.  Stay safe this Spring!

Spring Break is just about over................

I can't believe I haven't blogged for a week but that's what happens when Spring Break arrives!  It was for my grandchildren anyway.  They couldn't come down but that doesn't mean we didn't spend lots of time together! LOL!  One got food poisoning  (at a restaurant), one got pneumonia and was hospitalized and the other one spent his vacation at home because his brother was sick.  Me?  I spent hours on the phone with all of them getting updates, giving advice (when asked), trading the latest great ideas on Pinterest for Easter and recipes, etc.  I spent more time on the phone this week than I have all year but they're all better now and it was fun!
I did get a few things worked on but I am Spring Cleaning and that involves painting too but more on that later this week. For now it's YOPs we're focusing on.

It's done....finally!  I love this pattern and I actually love the yarn but the bulkiness is too much for my hands and the scarf is not as flexible but boy will it keep him warm.  This is the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern on Ravelry for my son, "Jimmy Me Boy".  We are Irish too so I know he will love it.  Should I give it to him now or wait until next Christmas or his birthday which is also in December?   It's getting a little warm to wear it now or is it?  Some places are still getting snow and they were one of them.  I still need to wash it and block it but it's done.  I also bound off  "in pattern" which I've never done before.  I don't know that it made much difference but maybe it did.  This scarf is taller than me and I'm 5'2" so I'm thinking it's 6 feet long.   Plenty of room for wrapping although it is really bulky.  This would make a good coat! LOL!  I do love this pattern and love making cables so there will be more of these but  not in bulky yarn.
I have finally figured out the front and back post cluster stitches but I can barely see the stitches as the yarn is so "heathered".  As long as it looks fairly consistent and nothing shouts "MISTAKE, MISTAKE!!!!" I'm forging ahead.  I am on row 6 which is the farthest I've ever gotten!  

It is a really soft yarn (Lionbrand Homespun) but again.....I would never buy this yarn for anything it's that awful to work with but the colors (greens and peachy coral?) will go great with my daughters couch and living room colors and it will be a really soft and cuddly throw when finished.....years from now. LOL!  I'm on Row 6 of like 110, I think..... not counting the edging.  Woe is me.
So, now it's time for something for MOI.  I will once again (they were previously frogged as I wasn't very far along and needed the needles for a quick gift) be casting on a pair of socks in my beautiful Cakewalk yarn but I'll have to go find the pattern as I can't remember what I was using.  It might have been my first pair of dpn socks.....yes,  I was using the tutorial from Very Pink.  It's all coming back to me now.

Did I mention this yummy snack and/or breakfast idea?  Quick and healthy.  Ricotta cheese spread on homemade bread or a nice Italian/French style, sliced grape tomatoes, 1 tsp olive oil drizzled on each, some salt and pepper and under the broiler for about 5 minutes or so.  Delish!

 I finished these 2 books this week and I highly recommend them....excellent!  This was a memoir and true..........

Agnes Morley Cleaveland is the author.  I put my glasses on top because the cover was curling up.  Sue Monk Kid's book was historical fiction.

I don't know what kind of bird this is but he was singing his little heart out on a beautiful day here in the Ozarks.

I managed to assuage my sweet tooth also as I made Swedish Browns; a recipe from a dear blogger up North, Far Side of Fifty.    Connie, these cookies are over the moon good!  Healthy too as they have a boatload of cinnamon in them.  I had everything to make them too without having to run to the store....love that!  Thank you for the recipe!

I think I've caught you up with this week so far.  Oh, Nitty had to go to the vet for an allergy shot even after my attempt to feed her really good natural foods and on top of that she had a yeast infection in her ears....I give up!  But other than that she's doing great....hopefully the cancer is bye bye forever.
Happy Trails!  I'll catch up with all of you this week.

YOP Sunday

I don't have a lot to show for myself...same scarf although I'm thinking I will have it wrapped up next week. Grace is thinking..."aren't you done with that thing YET???  She's so good.  She never touches my yarns but I know she wants to.

 Spring is arriving slowly in the Ozarks.  I bought 4 bulbs at Wally World the other day for .98 each.  A yellow and red tulip which aren't blooming yet and a grape hyacinth and this daffodil.

 The hyacinth perfumes the whole house!  It smells so Spring!

 I went rogue and started something that was planned for next years YOP list........filet crochet.  I just got the bug and couldn't stop myself from trying it.  There was a You Tube tutorial that had this sample heart and so I did it.  Filet crochet definitely needs to be blocked but I have the gist of it now only my printer is out of ink so I can't print off any of the hundreds of patterns out there.   Plus I need a size 7 or 9 crochet hook which I don't have and some crochet thread which I do have.  Has anyone ever tried using yarn to do it?   Meanwhile I need to update my YOP list and stick to it!

I found several neat websites this week....one called Chip It which I blogged about the other day and I got to thinking about using it for other things besides painting colors.  Tammy mentioned choosing yarn colors so I went out to Pinterest and applied Chip It to some colors of items I liked or that appealed to me in some way.

 I found it works much better if the item you want to "chip" fills the whole Pinterest posting else you get colors like black and white that sometimes aren't even in the picture.  Like above it got the background color of the carpet or whatever it was.  Take it with a grain of salt as I like to say.

 The poster did well because there was no background showing but where's the red?  And the blue sky?  I guess they only have room for 5 colors along the side so you'll have to improvise a little.

 This is also great if you want to use the colors in your wallpaper or even pictures on your wall to come up with a color scheme for a blanket or throw or a rug or on and on and on!  

 I wish Pantone had something like this.
For some reason Spring has made me want to dive into new arenas and try new techniques, new colors, new yarns and more.  I'm already making my list for YOP 1415.....and it includes.....oh, sorry....there I go "jumping the gun" again.   But just suffice it to say that until July, I might be doing some research into Fair Isle, colorwork, dyeing and Irish crochet.  Now, back to my YOP's of 2013-14.  Have a great week and I hope "Spring is popping out all over" at your place.
Happy Trails! 

I'm "chipping away" with Chip It!

I found this REALLY neat tool for use in decorating or just fooling around like I seem to be doing today.  It's called Chip It  and it is by Sherwin Williams paint company.  I've been wanting to do design boards like I've seen around blog land and they make it easy to get started.  Here's what I've been "chipping" today.

Here's some wallpaper I did.  

  Another bathroom...I have bathrooms on the brain lately.

 And here's my master bathroom wallpaper....isn't that cool how it works?  Look at all those colors I could use as trim paint or cupboard paint...amazing!

 Once you get the "chip it" on your toolbar you can chip just about anything.  You just click on a picture and it brings up the paint chips for the colors in that picture. I was chipping from Pinterest for the ones above.  Be careful though.....it's addicting but fun!  

Happy Trails!