Category Archive: Life
Multitasking
The laundry is done, the fleece is soaking – actually rinsing, and it’s a bit late to dry today, but I’ll put it our and it will dry tomorrow. A quilt is on the long arm
and the embroidery machine is still at work. It’s just me that is wearing thin. I still have the hanging baskets to water and then I’ll just drop. I’m so glad tomorrow is a day of rest.
Sweet Dreams
I finished enough projects, I could justify starting a new project. I had so much almost done, but not finished, I would not allow myself to start before now. This is a baby quilt that I purchased as a kit a few years ago. The name is “Sweet Dreams“ I had intended to make it for a grandchild, but I am informed that will not be happening and there is too much involved to make it for a grand cat. So I am making it for an extended family member who is having a little girl the first of September. This is a kit from Sweden and it doesn’t appear to be available anymore. The company is “kitandcompany.eu” if you want to try to look it up.
There are 8 embroidered blocks and then other sewn blocks. These are the ones done so far.
Shopping, shopping, shopping!
Why is it necessary to shop – or for that matter to clean house or cook meals? All that just gets in the way of fun. Or maybe we are just mixed up – people used to work for food and it was a real treat if there was anything left for pleasure.
It’s Wednesday and time to plan. So I pulled out the stack of recipes I’ve printed from the internet that I wanted to try and put 7 meals for breakfast and about 10 for lunches and dinners, then made a grocery list from those plus things that one does get low on such as toilet paper. Oh, the things on which we must spend money!
no photo
Today it was off to Marlene’s, a health food and vitamin store, where they sell a few items I like and can’t find elsewhere.
Then Panera’s for a sandwich for lunch.
Costco has chocolate chips without dairy that we like as well as better prices on frozen corn, beans, broccoli.
And finally, the local grocery store which was advertising a number of organic foods on special this week. So we bought many items today and still – until I actually cook – the refrigerator is half empty. You probably understand this all too well. At least we stuck to the list I had made.
Fleece to clean
The morning was spent looking for a cooler large enough to wash the fleece. I had one for washing and needed one for rinsing. That took longer than expected because some of the stores were sold out. I finally found one and came home.
This is a very dirty “white” fleece from which I shook loose seconds cuts and took apart
to fit into these bags to keep it from felting while it is being washed and dried. By the time, I had accomplished this, it was too hot to be outside washing it. However, now that the parts are assembled and ready to go, I can do this on another warm day.
A birthday gift
Our birthday girl (birthday July 19) was having her car worked on locally and asked if we’d like to go out to dinner together along with her DH. Of course we would and since we won’t see her Sunday, we took the birthday gift. They both loved the gift.
When I got up this morning, I looked outside and decided it was a wonderful day to applique the ants to the napkins, especially since I was a bit sore from weeding yesterday. I thought I had until Sunday to get them done, so I was really ahead of the game. The invitation came as a surprise, but I was delighted to be ready.
Garden til you drop
The chicken coop was first on the list this morning. I am grateful to have had help on that one. The coop is large, probably 16′ square and desperately needed shavings changed. Then the larger babies were taken out of the cage
and the wee bantams were moved into the house. After a week or so in there, they will also be released and the cage removed.
The greenhouse was also in desperate need, so I spent time out there.
Seems the potatoes were much smaller than they should have been and the ground was very dry, but I’ll take whatever help I can get. Now the tomatoes, beets, and celery are all weeded.
Walking by the artichokes, I see we have two of them ready, so brought them in
And we dug up the elephant garlic. I didn’t get another garlic planted last fall.
It is just as well, we didn’t get a lot of the garden planted this year. It is just so dry out there and even our pond, which dried up in August last year, is dry. In the past it has had some water in it all year. The pond is the bit in the background that has some green.
Almost lost washcloth
Here is another washcloth/potholder recently finished. I think this pattern may be a bit addictive. I see 4 of them (including this one) in the pile. If you click the red, there is a tutorial for it.
Mostly, it was a time to stop and rest from a very full week, which we did.
Laundry and hats
Would you believe that a bolt of fleece, which is 8 yards, produces 136 of these little hats and YES, they are done. That completes the fleece hats for this year. They don’t collect them officially until September, but they are DONE
No photos, but also several loads of laundry were done and some tidying up, Anytime I start feeling like I don’t want to do housework or laundry, I remember how many don’t have it to do. That makes me realize it is a blessing to be able to do these mundane chores.
Did anyone make yesterday’s cookie recipe?
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Tomatoes, cookies, and shopping
This is the first of the tomatoes. All are the small type. I labeled them as we picked them, so that we could compare and decide if we want to try these types again next year or only some of them as well as something new.
I was acquiring a list of must get items that were not at the grocery store, so I spent part of my very hot day in the stores, which is a great way to cool off. I purchased 2 shower rods, a birthday card, a birthday gift, a syrup bottle, a shower curtain with a map and 2 bags of lingerie bags in which to wash the wool. {It is not an accident that you can’t clearly see the card or the gift in the back.}
Here is a cookie recipe that we are really enjoying, sometimes just to eat, sometimes with strawberries over them as in shortcake, and sometimes with milk as for breakfast. I use one very ripe or thawed banana per cup of oatmeal. Sometimes I add just raisins, sometimes dried mulberries, blueberries and raisins. I mix it up. The big thing is you want about a cup of oats per banana. They are a bit tricky to get to stay together when you put them on the pan. I used parchment paper. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Quick and easy to make.