More Stamping Fun

 I have been on a stamping stampede. Our mission group recently had a craft sale and I wanted to contribute my share of cards. But I also recently ordered a new Blessed Mother symbol stamp on Zazzle, and I wanted to try it out.  Here are some of my favorites from my foray. It has been great fun. Have I used up all of my paper? No. But I have found a few new favorite designs, and I really enjoyed using some of my oldest stamp sets.

Turkeys

 The neighbors brought cookies for us. I had to take a picture in case I want to copy them with the girls. I have seen them before with Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, but the gummies and candy corn look very sweet, too. Cute, cute, cute.

Fruit Basket Upset

 It has been so long since I have blogged (So much for web log!) that I never knew that Blogger changed it's screen designs.

The morning started dark and grey, but now the sun is shining through patches of blue sky. I had thought that our snow was here to stay, but perhaps I was wrong. 

I just finished eating two mandarin oranges. So sweet. I am not sure if it is because they are a different brand than usual, Sunrays, or if it is because they are the first fruits of a new season, but they are so juicy and delicious. The Honey Crisp apples which I purchased a couple of weeks ago are also exceptionally large, juicy and tasty. Once I buy fruit I have to finish the bag, so I have been eating a lot of both this past week. 

Arthur and I took a short trip to Ottertail County at the end of September. While we were there we took a tour of The Prospect House Museum in Battle Lake. What an interesting place! It is dubbed a Civil War museum, so one expects when walking in the door to see Civil War artifacts. In reality, the first part of the tour, probably an hour's worth of time, was walking through the home which once served as the first resort in Battle Lake. If you like antiques and art, it is the place to go. The house is still furnished as it was in 1929 before the stock market crash, with items purchased from Dayton's in Minneapolis.The family did not throw anything out, so many things are much older. We saw a very fancy lace Valentine from the Civil War era, and a dead, painted baby turtle which had been mailed home from the Chicago World Fair. There were loads of antique toys which were fantastic replicas of the full versions - a cast iron stove, a cast iron "iron", and aluminum cookie cutters: I would be delighted to own them, and play with them. I have never seen so many varieties of paper dolls. The present owner's mother, Kay Wilkins Johnson, was an artist trained at the Minneapolis Art Institute. Several of her paintings are on display throughout the house. I enjoyed seeing them very much. Particularly spectacular was a portrait she painted of her son, Jay Johnson, who currently owns the home. After we toured the whole house, we moved to the basement where the Civil War mementos were located. There was a bayonet, a bloody letter from the battlefield, and a uniform coat with bullet holes. One could have spent hours in that part of the museum alone, reading all of the materials which were on display. If you ever go to Battle Lake, I highly recommend that you stop in and see it. Our trip also included hikes in Maplewood and Glendalough State Parks, and visits with friends.

I continue with Vision Therapy, though with very spread-out sessions. I have had double vision for quite some time since my right eye is now turned on. I can tell that as well as being cross-eyed, my eyes are also out of alignment with each other. It has been a long haul.  

Thought for the Day

I have a  lovely little laminated poem which looks like it had been printed in a church bulletin. If memory serves me correctly it came either from Fr. Robert Voigt at his time in the parish at Opole, or from Benedictine Father Gunther Rolfson while he was at Richmond. It is as follows:

What joy to know, when life is past
The Lord we love is first and last
The end and the beginning.
He will one day, oh, glorious grace,
Transport us to that happy place
Beyond all tears and sinning.
Sing out! Ring out!
Jubilation! Exultation! Tell the story:
Great is He the King of glory!

I finally finished Archbishop Athansius Schneider's book, Christus Vincit. My current read is a Pauline Press children's book, 32 Days, the story of the little Chinese girl who inspired Archbishop Fulton Sheen by her love for the Eucharist. When the Communists vandalized the church in her town, several hosts were scattered on the floor. She sneaked into the church night after night, consuming one host every night. She was caught on the night she consumed the last host. It is a difficult read since I fear what is to come in America, but it is a book for our time. If a young girl can have such a love for the Eucharist, surely I can love Him more.

Yesterday and today have been lazy daisy days for me. I need to head to the basement to sew a gift, and I just can't get down there, or do much else, for that matter. 

I made trips to Otsego  both yesterday and today. Yesterday's trip was by mistake. Today was the day for my actual eye appointment. I have been having double vision, which may necessitate more vision therapy. I am not thrilled, both because of the time and because of the expense. But if I do not do it, I may lose some of the gains I have already made. It comes just after a second cortisone shot in my foot for my neuroma, and as I am about to begin physical therapy for my arm.

We were blessed with wonderful rain this past week. My lilies are opening. Arthur's corn has perked up, and is beginning to tassel. Last week when we dug the first potatoes we had to dig three plants to get enough for a meal, and now suddenly they are also too big to be classified as babies.

Aroma Rosary

Earlier this year or late last year I purchased this Aroma Rosary on-line. I had eyed it for over a year after hearing about the rosaries on Relevant Radio. The picture does not do it justice, but it is in my colors, an orange-red and olive green stone. I do not know the name of the stone it is made from, but it is very beautiful. I was attracted by the color and by the idea that essential oils added to the lava beads (Our Fathers) would enhance my prayer. I have struggled over the years in trying to pray the rosary, so I thought I would give it a try. Besides, it was on sale.

The rosary came with four small vials of Doterra essential oil blends, one for each set of mysteries. I found the oils to be impractical and inconvenient. If I wanted to use the rosary at my holy hours in the adoration chapel, I had to remember to apply the oil before I left home. At home I often pray the rosary while walking on the treadmill or using my Fast Track. On those two devices, it was impossible to smell the essential oils. In my recliner or the chair in my shrine room, I usually have to cover up with a blanket while I am praying because of the cold, so I still could not smell the oils. And when it was warm enough to keep my arms out, the oils either irritated my sinuses or did nothing for me at all.

Now the oils are gone. I will not buy replacement bottles. Disappoointed? Yes. The oils did not help my prayers in the least. However, the rosary is beautiful and has a good weight and feel as I pray, so I continue to use it as my "upstairs" rosary. And I doggedly pray on. It is still difficult because I am impatient and find it hard to meditate. Has habit made it easier? No. But the Blessed Mother asks us to pray the rosary, so I need to keep at it.

Paschal Candle

This paschal candle kit came from Illuminated Ink. What a find at a time that we could not go to church for the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday! It gave me a sense of deep joy after I finished it. It may become an annual tradition.

I got a kick out of the instructions for the candle, written by a real mom: tie your hair back, and remember that wax and carpet do not mix! I used the hair dryer to warm the wax as recommended. I could have used it a bit longer since I had a hard time rolling the wax. However, I felt like caution was in order lest I melt it too much. The wick is very thick, so the candle has burned very well. With 100 percent beeswax, it smells wonderful.

I also received my lamb mold from Amazon, but too late for an Easter butter lamb. That shall be my project for next year.

I love these little, tangible links to the faith.

Another Project Finished.

I was on a roll before the Coronoavirus panic hit. I am still on a roll.

My Comfort Abides shawl from Knit Prayer Shawls: 15 Wraps to Share (Leisure Arts, Little Rock, Arkansas, 2010) is finally on the blocking counter. So glad to get it done. It was supposed to be a "quick" project to use up two skeins of yarn that I had purchased for another project. Quick, my foot! I bet I have been working on this baby for three or more years. I have never done so much ripping in my life! This was a project that could not be done while anyone else was present to distract me.

Now the question is, what do I do with it? It is probably a shade of red that I could wear, and I do have a dress that it would match, but I do not like red. It is also wool. While wool is nice and toasty, it can also be itchy. It is also higher maintenance than acrylic or cotton.

My next project is a pair of wool slippers, made from the pattern that I had made a pair of slippers from when I was in junior high. This project is in fact quick and easy, but has always left me frustrated because it requires two seams, and seaming is not my best talent. To compensate I have been watching lots and lots of YouTube videos. It helps. So much easier than the days when we would have to run to the library and check out a book on the subject. Not that I do not have loads of knitting books on hand at home, but I still just have not been able to grasp the concept.

On the side I have been sewing lots of aprons. It is nice to be using up my fabric stash. In the process I have purchased a few complimentary fabrics to freshen up some of the old prints that I have in stock.

The girls will be here this coming week-end, so I have to make a few Christmas ornament samples for our secret projects. I am excited to say that I have found a use for more of the wooden spools that my dad had collected when he was young. That is all I can say for now lest I reveal too much.

Happy crafting!

Bareroots Little Stitchies Turkey Candle Mat

It is finally finished! I got this wool Bareroots Little Stitchies candle mat project at the Heritage Quilters show at St. Ben's a number of years ago. I finished it last night. The scanner did not do justice to the salmon pink feathers. Nor did I follow the order of colors used in the pattern. But it is done! Now, to make some Christmas ornaments out of the leftover wool scraps. Ari wants to do some stitching like this, so I think I will have her join me, using some of the polyester felt from my collection in the basement.

I first saw felted ornaments in a Better Homes and Gardens magazine from my early college years. I threw all of that magazine away except for a knitted shoulder wrap, the size of which would not fit me anymore anyway! My next view was in  Made by Me. I used those patterns with Mom after she had her stroke, as physical therapy. However, I did not like the stitching and colors I had done on them, so I took most of them apart. This year Ari might be ready to do the stitching. Of course, since that book I have seen many very pretty felt ornaments on Pinterest.

Yesterday we had our annual New Year's gathering at my sister's house. I am still laughing at my niece's three year old twins, who each managed to occupy two of the bathrooms at the same time.

I am glad that our girls got to see their Vandeberg cousins yesterday, but I am feeling for Ari, who is probably having a tired day at school today. We did not get home until 8:00 PM, and from here it would have taken her mom another 45 minutes to reach their house. That was a late bedtime after so much and such a busy vacation time.

Today I am deep cleaning the house, starting with folding clothes and scrubbing the kitchen floor. 

Franciscan in the Basement

We planted a tree off of the corner of our deck last spring so that we have have morning shade in the future. In the mean time, I sprang for an umbrella. I chose a reddish brown that closely matches our house. The umbrella has a smaller layer of fabric near the top. When the umbrella is closed and tied, it looks like a Franciscan friar's habit and cincture. Arthur put the umbrella in the basement for the winter, so now every time I go in the back  room in the basement, I am thinking Franciscan.

I have been Christmas shopping. I have to share my excitement over the beautiful 18" dolls that I found at TJMaxx in St. Cloud. They carried two different brands, both Jillian's Closet dolls and Our Generation. All were so well dressed that I had a hard time deciding which one to buy for my granddaughter. I had already purchased a doll for her at Walmart, but these were so much nicer that I bought one, and returned the Walmart version. I got a Jillian's Closet doll with a pink sweater and tulle skirt. Same price that I paid at Walmart for a far prettier product with more well-made, detailed clothes.

After I got home I did an Amazon search for 18" doll clothes. What a hazardous territory for me! So many cute choices. Again I had a very hard time deciding, since I did not want to spend more than $15. I finally settled on another pink dressy dress and a pair of pink "patent leather" shoes. Ari will just have to wait until next year to get more outfits. And I will continue to look at garage sales to increase the wardrobe for the American Girl doll which we have here at the house. Of course, another option is that Grandma can start sewing dresses....

I have been spending so much time shopping this week that my plans for sewing have gone by the wayside.

I went to the doctor to have that "thing" on my finger checked. I have had it for years. The last time I asked the doctor what it was, she did not know. After canning applesauce it got irritated, and a call to the nurse resulted in another appointment. This time the physician assistant looked at it. She knew immediately that it was a cyst. After draining, she knew that it was a Ganglion cyst. After looking it up on the computer, I know by the location that it was a mucousal Ganglion cyst. When it fills again I will probably go to the hand doctor and request removal. It is in a location where it often gets bumped and poked.

Tea Time

I'm setting a record of sorts, posting two days in a row. The urge came after I poured myself a cup of breakfast tea.

I am using up a canister of The People's Green Tea, Daily Green Tea from the Republic of Tea. It is awful. I will be glad when I am back to my "perfectly brewed" Shaklee Green Energizing Tea. The Energizing Tea is a powder which can be used in either hot or cold water. It tastes delicious.

After reading Laura Child's books I am considering purchasing a Twinings sample box with Darjeeling, Earl Grey, and two more choices. I am hesitant because I had tried some of those teas in my college days, and did not like them. My staples for the past several years have been Irish Breakfast Tea, English Breakfast Tea, and green Energizing Tea. I drink one cup of caffeinated every day. If I want another cup with my evening dessert or as an accompaniment to a good book, I switch to decaf.

In tandem with my morning cuppa, I take my vitamins. For the next couple of weeks I will be taking Shaklee chewable calcium in place of my normal Osteomatrix. The girls see Grandpa and Grandma  take their supplements when they are here. I always have the Mighty Smarts for them. Maja could eat several a day if I let her, but I usually have her stop at three or four a meal. Since she is interested in vitamins, I ordered the Incredivites, chewable vitamin C, and chewable calcium. Ari used to not like the Incredivites, but now she will take them. Maja is also very willing. The calcium is a bit too chalky for her taste, so Grandma gets to finish the bottle. It was worth a try, though. Anything I can do to get more nutrition into them, I will do.

On Tuesday I get to take Ari to the eye doctor for a prescription update so that we can get her a new pair of glasses. Anne thinks her current pair is beyond repair.

Our winter storm was not as severe as predicted. School was canceled today, but the roads are looking quite drive-able.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Winter Storm Watch

My brother Peter and his wife gave me a North Carolina cookbook several years ago. It contained a recipe for oatmeal cake which was titled "Hurricane Watch Cake". I am thinking that I might need to bake it this evening for our storm watch. The recipe is probably a Betty Crocker original, since it is the same oatmeal cake that Mom made for us when we were young. Good, no matter the origin.

It has been quite the fall in a number of ways. I had put off doing shrub pruning in the Mary Garden at St. John Cantius. Not the first time that I have waited until mid or late November, but with the predicted snow storm, I knew that I had to get cracking last Friday. I was able to prune one potentilla and most of one spirea in just an hour, but I still had several to go. Yesterday I did the remaining three potentilla and a massive trimming of the old fashioned roses surrounding the statue. I knew the biggest challenge would be getting the cuttings home. I cut and bent everything to get it into bags. By putting one bag into the car instead of the trunk, and by bundling and bending the last set of branches, I managed to cram it all in. I finished clean-up just as it was getting to ark to work. The rest of the spirea can wait until spring.

In the midst of pruning, I found a plastic Easter egg. It just so happens that I was responsible for that egg's being there. About 15 years ago, we had a homeschool Easter party at St. John Cantius. I had stuffed the eggs, and asked the youth group to hide them for the younger kids. Finding the egg gave me a much needed laugh. I have to admit that anyone seeing me kneeling on the ground in the middle of the flower bed laughing to myself probably thought I was loony, but that laugh was a blessing at a time of great stress.

I finished two Laura Childs tea shop mysteries, and enjoyed them both. Clean, and easy to read. I copied quite a few recipes out of them. I have already tested two. They are both keepers. Prior to that I had read a Miss Seeton by Heron Carvic, which I did not like at all. The dialog style drove me nuts. It was much too busy.

I am making some inroads into my UFO's. I finished a sun dress for Maja, which she has insisted on wearing a few times already. I am over half way done with my wool turkey candle mat, which I had purchased at a quilt show three or four years ago. It was supposed to have been a gift, but I decided the the person for whom it was intended did not really need it, and may not appreciate it. The lycra knit in the beautiful fall pallet which I had had pegged for myself was not large enough for the desired dresses. One piece is now cut out for a dress for Maja. The other will also be used for her. I do a few rows on my shawl here and there, but still have more than half of the last skein of yarn left.

I have started playing my clarinet again. It will take some time to remember all of the notes that I have lost, but I want to be ready for when the grandchildren join band so that we can play together. Tom Strang, our former band instructor, has invited me to play with the current homeschool band. I think I will do that.   

Pine Grove Zoo

Almost a year ago we won a Pine Grove Zoo Birthday Party Package through the St. Cloud Times. We finally cashed in on it last week, forgoing all of the perks for simple admission. Arthur and I had not been to the zoo since Anne was around ten. This was back in the day when all that was at the zoo were a few emus, perhaps a cat, and the Dewey-Radke House. I was really anxious to go and see the new zoo. It was a fun, relaxing trip. We took both girls.

When we first arrived at the zoo, we were greeted by a couple of white peacocks. We learned at the admissions counter that they would be strutting around the grounds. The zebra enclosure was our first stop, and we got quite the show from her. She was running and leaping like a banshee. It was a treat to see it.The two keepers who were in her enclosure in a zebra print ATV informed us that they believed her to be reacting to the print. They drove their vehicle out to exchange it for the tiger print ATV. 

The petting stable included two alpacas, two donkeys, a Black Angus calf, and three pygmy goats. We fed them handful after handful of pellets. Well, at least Maja and I did. Grandpa sat on the bench. Ari was too scared to feed them out of her hand, so she put pellets on the edge of their pens and let the animals lick them off. That arrangement worked for the calf. One of the alpacas had blue eyes. The other had dark brown eyes. A couple of the goats got into a few tiffs, so we saw some head butting. Towards the end Maja was feeding the animals one pellet at a time, which was really a great way to extend the time she got to feed them. I could have stayed at the petting stable for another hour feeding and petting.

At the tiger cage we got to see a training demonstration. We learned training exercises are used both to familiarize the animals with the keepers, and to enable the keepers to observe the health of the animals. The keeper commanded the tiger in targeting, sitting, and opening its mouth.

We did get to experience the otters swimming above us in the tunnel. One of the otters put its nose to the drain cover and followed it around and around, as if it were trying to pull it off.

Other animals which we saw were Arctic and grey wolves, prairie dogs, a cougar, bison, antelope, turtles, and kangaroos. We also got to see the peacock spread his wings. We picked up a few feathers that had coloration from his tale, without the complete eye showing. Almost lost was the display of poison dart frogs, a tarantula, a chameleon, and another little creature requiring a dark cage. The petting stable attendant pointed them out to us before we walked away. We also got to feel animal pelts.

We were not allowed to bring in our own food. I thought the food expensive until I saw how much we had gotten in our chicken baskets. We could have skipped one order and split the other baskets between us.

Broadway Street was under construction at the time that we were there. We were not sure if that affected the number of people who were there at the same time as we. We thought the very small crowd and the small, enclosed grounds a good bonus. These things made the zoo feel safe, and the visit relaxing. We did not need to worry about the kids getting lost or abducted. At the same time it was large enough to be interesting.

On the way home we stopped along the Little Falls Dam on the Mississippi River. The girls were not  the least bit timid about climbing rocks along the shoreline. I told them that adventure was only possible because I had made them wear tennis shoes for the day instead of flip flops. Hopefully they remember. We saw a fisherman with a huge river cat fish. We also saw touch-me-nots, but the seeds had already sprung from their pods. Sniff! Grandma's favorite flower from Bald Eagle's shore.

Olive Garden Bread Sticks Copycat Recipe

Last week I found this recipe for bread sticks on Pinterest. I made the recipe following my own steps for mixing and rising.  I also halved the recipe, but it still made 15 bread sticks. Here is my modified version of that recipe for hand mixing, with the corrected yield.

Would that I were Sister Monika I.S.S.M., and could just pull chunks of dough off of the ball and get the right amounts for shaping in the number that I needed! I watched her shape rolls when I was in Waukesha last summer, and I was so impressed with her technique for shaping, as well as the way she added beauty to her bread baskets by garnishing some of the rolls with poppy seeds, some with sesame seeds, and then left some plain. So simple, but it made such an appealing presentation. 

 

Olive Garden Bread Sticks

1 ½ cups warm water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp softened butter

4 ½ cups bread flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, mixing until all ingredients are in a ball. Cover and let rest for ten minutes. Knead on a floured surface for 5-8 minutes. Let rise until doubled. Gently punch down. Divide dough into 36 pieces. Roll each piece into a log. Place on greased baking sheets. Let rise again until double. Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. Remove from oven. Immediately brush with a mixture of 3 tbsp melted butter, ¼ tsp. garlic powder, and ¼ tsp salt. Serve warm.

More on Marge Fenelon

I continue with the novena included in Marge Fenelon's book, Forgiving Mother. I so appreciate her writing, and I am finding a new confidence in praying to the Blessed Mother. I pray the novena prayers in the first person plural as a means to pray for healing for myself, my daughter and my granddaughters.

I stayed up late Sunday night to finish Raymond Arroyo's Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls. I would classify this book as an adventure story in the flavor of Indiana Jones. It was a relaxing foray into the land of fiction. That does not mean it was prudent of me to stay up until all hours of the night when I had such a full day yesterday.

I had my free motion class yesterday afternoon. I sewed one of my squares with the wrong thread, and in the wrong direction for the print. That square will just have to become a fabric basket instead of going into the quilt. We missed two of our classes because of snow storms, and I had not done any free motion quilting in between. However, I felt comfortable jumping right in. I left my free motion foot and top-stitching needle in the machine so that I can continue on this afternoon or tomorrow.

Yesterday I went from quilting to a quick dinner at Culver's, to the Catholic United Financial workshop at St. Anthony's, at which our council was serving refreshments. I was the keeper of the keys, so it was late before I was able to leave. I made a quick visit to Jesus in the Adoration Chapel, getting home around 9:15 PM.

I am looking forward to the next three days of relative quiet before a busy Friday, Saturday and Monday. My little girl may come over to do some sewing while she is on spring break. If she does not, I will keep myself busy with my own sewing and cleaning. Besides the quilting, I have some birthday gifts to sew, and lots of fleece to use up. My own "cutesy, cutesy, cutesy" Siamese kitty fleece blanket fabric awaits me! I am gloating over the beautiful fleece prints which I have on hand!

Dolly Diapers

In an earlier blog I wrote about making diapers for my granddaughters' Baby Alive dolls. Last week-end after Ari left, I went into the bedroom to clean up all of the dolly items she had carried there. I had a good laugh when I found a dirty diaper and poop all over the floor from the two "kids" - a wet disposable diaper, and one of my homemade diapers complete with yellow Play-Doh stain, and yellow Play-Doh poop. I would have called Ari and "scolded" her about leaving dirty diapers on the floor, if I had known she would take it in the right spirit.

I continue with my vision therapy. I can tell that I have made progress, but I can also tell how misaligned my eyes are when I do the exercises. And now I am wondering if I will in fact like the final results when therapy is done! A few weeks ago I was looking in the mirror, and saw what was more of a 3D image looking back at me. I was a bit freaked out. I thought to myself that I have a hard enough time seeing my fat as it is. In 3D, I may really feel huge.

I am currently reading Forgiving Mother, written by a fellow Schoenstatter, Marge Steinhage Fenelon. I do not necessarily need to read it in terms of my mom, but I wanted to read it to preview it for others whom I know have a need to forgive. I find myself having to stop frequently to pray for my own faults and for those I need to forgive as I read. Marge's scripture quotes and catechetical teaching are very compelling. Forgiveness is one of those things rarely preached from the pulpit. (One sermon on the topic by Fr. Bob Landsberger stands out, as does the private counsel provided me during an annual Opus Sanctorum Angelorum retreat).  We need to hear Marge's words about everyone being a child of God, no matter how evil they are. This is especially apropos given the persecution of Christians which I feel is imminent in our country.  We need to be able to say that we forgive those who persecute us, and see persecutors as children of God. And we need to hear Marge's words about vengeance belonging to God alone.

A First

Arthur and I went to the St. Augusta Legion last night for their two dollar hamburgers. That was a first! Only the second time we have been at the bar in the Legion since living here. All other events we have attended have been in the banquet room. It was very crowded. A volunteer selling raffle tickets found some chairs for us, and hailed a waitress. The bar room was noisy, but also bright enough that we could actually see each other and our food. Christmas decorations gave it a nice feel. The burgers were fine. Not my Culver's cheeseburger favorite, but the buns were toasted, giving them an added touch. Arthur had fried onions with his, and we both had onion rings and a beer. Even with the purchase of raffle tickets (We lost all three times.) and a tip, we left with having only spent about 20 bucks. Not bad.

With his day off for President Bush's funeral, Arthur put together the two dressers we got for the girls for Christmas. The price was in our range, they are made of real wood, and the size is manageable for hauling and for their apartment. Not top quality, but something that will give them a sense of home and order instead of having to store their clothes in bins. We purchased them from Overstock.com.

I spent part of the afternoon attending a planning meeting for Catholic United Financial. We ate at Jule's Bistro, another first. We sat at the high table. It was not the best spot for short old people. I had to step on the chair support bar to get up, and I was afraid that I would break it. Then I had to ask the waitress to push in my chair! I had looked at the menu on-line ahead of time, and I was surprised to see that their sandwich ingredients were almost exactly the same as those at Liquid Assets. I had the Avocado Portabello Mushroom Reuben. The bread was a grainy homemade bread, which fell apart as I was eating. I cannot say that I really tasted either the mushrooms or the avocado. I also had samples of some of the desserts ordered by the others. They were okay, but as Alvina Stilling would say, nothing to write home about. I am glad I did not have to pay for them. Should I go back, I will try some of their soups.

I was able to complete more sewing last night. My new hat and mitten set are done, and a few extras to boot. The girls' insurance against the typical losses that go with childhood, and some spares to give away. I am surprised at how relaxing sewing has been.

Now off to do some cleaning!

Free Motion Quilting

I had some fun today. I attended my usual Block of the Month class at Just Sew Studio. We learned the tree bark and slate block patterns today, also known as tongues of fire and mud puddles. I had spent the day at the shop last Friday doing free motion on one of my quilts, so my machine and I were ready to go today. After the six hours of practice on  Friday, I think I have found my speed! The patterns today were quite easy, so we all finished early. However, I chose to do my blocks in two different patterns. One pattern was an experiment in following the design of the fabric. It was harder than I anticipated, but I had been itching to try it for quite some time. I am glad that I was finally able to do so. I was able to sew so much longer today without a break. The relaxed muscles are another sign that I have found my pace.

After months of stagnation with vision therapy - well, also a few months' break because I was not taking the time to do the exercises -  I am "seeing" some break-through. What a difference in up-close TV Trainer from what I was able to do the last time. I usually play cards on the computer with the green acetate and left eye with red patch.So much easier than it was last time. The GTVT chart is also much easier. If I stick my nose almost onto the mirror, I can also actually see both eyes in the same shade of grey with the Polaroid glasses. That is encouraging! I am hoping that soon I will have my binocular vision. It has been a long haul. Vision therapy is great, but I am afraid that most people would not be able to invest the time and money that I have been able to put into it. Most adults work outside of the home. I am sure that a younger person would be able to retrain his brain much more quickly than I. I highly recommend starting at a younger age!               

Knitting Tales, Tales of Woe

I am tossing another book into the garbage. This summer at a garage sale I purchased mysteries by two authors new to me, one with a sewing circle as the setting, another, Maggie Sefton, with a yarn shop as the setting. No more of either.

In first book, which name and author I cannot remember, the author used "pale yellow" to describe the colors of three different items at three different times. It would have been fine had she tied it to the character and her emotional relationship to that color or some such thing, but she did not. Second thing: the character, Tory Sinclair, was new to the town, just over a break-up with her fiance. Widowed school teacher in town meets her and clearly starts falling in love. I want to shout, "Haven't you guys heard anything about boundaries in professional roles? Haven't you heard about rebound relationships?" I like a book that understands all of  human nature and does not distort one truth to promote another.

I got two Maggie Seftons. I read the first and thought, way too slow. Could use some editing. I have a red pen, and could help her out. Let's change the sentence structure here, delete this here, use the correct name there. No real mystery, no Agatha Christie gut-wrenching, psychological, freaky, Endless Night twist. It included the politically correct friendly, gourmet, wine connoisseur male-who-inserts-his-private-part-into-the-end-of-the-digestive-tract-of-another-male character, of course. But nothing sexually explicit, which was a plus.

So on to the second book, which I read just because I had it. What a waste of time. It had the usual  Sefton repetitions, the coffee, the upended bottles of  Fat Tire Ale, and the countless trips to the yarn shop. In this book, the goal of Kelly's so-called friends was to get her to go to bed with her friend, Steve. Never mind that she and Steve had already played house together, and that when he suffered bad economic times, Kelly abandoned him. Let's ignore the lie that somehow Kelly needed sex to have emotional wholeness, and that it was okay to use another person (Steve) to achieve that wholeness. Let's ignore the lie that sex is just sex, with no emotional or physical consequences when it takes place outside of a 'til death do us part marriage. Let's ignore that real police officers, retired or otherwise, do not share case information with those who do not have the right to know. Same with lawyers. Let's ignore the  fact that while Kelly castigated Zoe for not leaving her abusive husband, she also failed to report Oscar's criminal behavior, thus enabling him to continue. Let's ignore the  fact that Steve did not seem to be able to control his desires at the bar, and that Kelly had to use physical violence to keep herself top dog with Steve. Let's ignore the fact that violence was the same thing that Kelly abhorred in Oscar, but suddenly for her, it was an acceptable game. Same for drunkenness. In Oscar it was evil, but it was fine for Megan. Oh, and to call it a good book, I would have to ignore the dangling clue of the phone call between Zoe and Vera, which was never mentioned again. And the boredom as I waded to the end of the book, knowing who had done it.

Free Shaklee

I will be at the Saint Augusta Legion this Saturday for the Craft and Vendor Show. It runs from 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. Come and get a free Shaklee 180 Green Tea packet. I love my daily cup hot, even better with a book. Add yours to your water bottle for a pick-me-up on the go, if you like. I will have samples of some of the Shaklee 180 snack bars. Make a purchase from me or sign up to host a meeting and receive a stamp on your vendor card. Redeem your full card for a door prize. I will be providing a bottle of Basic H and a set of spray bottles. Remember, that bottle of Basic H is the equivalent of 5,824 (26 oz) bottles of a leading window spray, and it contains no harmful ammonia.

I am making my last batch of my Swany Mill Wild Rice Flour bread today. I have to say that I was disappointed to see on the flour package labeling that the first ingredient was unbleached white flour, not wild rice. I should have looked closer when I bought it. I will not buy it again.

I am also making another double batch of the King Arthur Flour Beautiful Burger Buns. They are good!

More Baking

In my last post I was making Beautiful Burger Buns from King Arthur Flour. I had a hard time working with the dough. I had used the smaller amount of water given since it was a rainy day, and the dough was very stiff. Certainly not the spongy dough the recipe said it should be. Nevertheless, Husband liked the finished hamburger buns. They were much more substantial than store bakery buns.

Yesterday I decided to try a new batch. I used the greater amount of water called for, and had a much softer, stickier dough. The buns turned out much softer and lighter. I also remembered to brush them with butter before and after baking. My only regret was that I did not read through the yield before starting, and therefore did not double the recipe. (It only makes 8 buns a batch.) Oh, well. I usually do not think it worth the effort to make a single batch of bread, although  sometimes the ease of a single batch makes up for having to do it twice. We had a couple fresh out of the oven for dinner with our chicken patties. 

The previous day I had made pies with the few apples we had from our trees. I had dreaded the task since our apples were not at all smooth. I knew they would be beastly to peel, and that I may have to cut out many spots. Add my inability to make decent crusts, and you get the picture. As usual mixed the crust, and things went fine until it was time to roll and put them in the pan. No spring to them even with a little butter thrown in. I do the best I can to fold and crimp the edges and get the pies in the oven.  They did not look the best, but they taste really good. Later on  the thought occurs to me that I use bread flour for everything to avoid having two containers of white flour in my crowded cupboards. I wonder if that is why my dough has no spring. I will have to experiment.

The previous day I also cut down the High American Cranberry bush from my flower bed. It was a bittersweet moment. I was concerned that its roots would eventually break apart my new concrete curbing. Also, the forsythia  bush which I had cut down four or so years ago had managed to send out shoots which were growing in the cranberry bush. I did not want the two growing together, and it was impossible to separate them. Because I only chopped out the bush, I know I will be digging roots and cutting stump and suckers for a few years to come. The plus side, though, is that the two rose bushes planted nearby will have the chance to take the limelight.

The new concrete border already has a crack in it, and not in a place where I would expect it. So disappointed.