I had to order the thread I needed for the columbines on the Colorado square. I wanted to use DMC #95 to match this flower, and the only way I could get it locally was to spend $20 on a whole set of variegated threads. So eBay to the rescue!
I actually had to buy size 8 perle cotton thread in a ball, much more thread than I'll actually need. But I enjoy using it. You can see how thick it is in the bottom pic. It's a single thread rather than 6 strands like regular embroidery floss. Someday I'll have to delve into this kind of thread more heavily.
I chose to fill in the columbine flowers on this one, unlike the sampler that Turkey Feathers did. I tried to do it like she did with this new thread, but it just didn't look right. I certainly don't mind doing a satin stitch! I need to increase my stitch library so I can be more adventurous!
Here is a close-up. I love the cool variegated patchiness of the flower:
For me a crazy week is a few things happening in succession that throw me off kilter. I imagine I'm a wimp when it comes to perseverance, but I do my best.
Sweet future son-in-love Ryan is back in the hospital with a staph infection. Between his new med for Crohn's symptoms and the steroids he's on, his immunity is a little shaky. He spent all day Monday in the ER hoping to be admitted for pain issues, but wasn't. Apparently, sitting around the ER all day gave him a staph infection. He's finally in the hospital and on two antibiotics. Poor guy! He doesn't deserve this. Our daughter, Angie is frayed from all the stress. Your prayers for them would be greatly appreciated.
Also, Monday was the younger girls' Valentine's Day party for their AHG troop and it was a very fun evening. The girls were split up by units and things went really well that way. Each unit brought their own food and decorations. I got to go back and forth between daughters' groups. Littlest brought her homemade mini heart biscuits and had strawberry jam on the side. The 15 yo brought cream cheese frosting dip and strawberries. Both offered something red without red dye since some girls in the troop are sensitive to food dyes.
Tuesday (St. Valentine's Day) was busy, but I can't recall why. Oh yeah. We worked on getting the 15 yo caught up on some badge requirements for scouts. She's working on her Dolley Madison Award. Son had to work that evening, so I just needed to feed the girls dinner. I made them bacon and eggs. Later, Hubs made the two of us a delicious dinner (Pasta Milano and Rosemary Bread) and we watched the two-hour Downton Abbey we tried to record Sunday, but failed to get. Thankfully, it was online.
Wednesday, what did we do Wednesday? Laundry, I think.
Thursday, I went to lunch with my dear friend, M. who showered me with little birthday gifts and treated me to a lovely salmon lunch at Cheddar's. We ordered their onion rings. Have you had them? Yuuuum! Then I went by JoAnn craft store and got some stamping stuff with some birthday money. Then I went by a Catholic friend's house to drop off my phone number and email address so we could get back in touch with each other. As soon as I got home Son took the 15 yo to Hubs's office and went on to work. Hubs later took her to her violin lesson. While all that went on I made red beans and rice and corn bread for supper. Crazy day.
Today I got a call from my Catholic friend and chatted with her for awhile. Then the Internet went down and so did our phone. (We use Ooma). Then I started feeling the monthly yuck creeping in. Oh, joy. I was going to bring the 15 yo to a scout event, but Hubs will end up doing it now. In the meantime, the 11 yo is making pizza dough for dinner while I become nearly useless with pain. I have my coffee and ibuprofen and I'm functioning. The weird thing is I'm 9 days late because of those dang water pills I took. I stopped taking them LAST SATURDAY and it took that long to start up. I'm pretty clockworkish on the monthlies, so this was truly strange.
Forgot to tell oldest daughter that tonight's family birthday plans were postponed. Bad parent! Thankfully, she called and I was able to inform her.
Sorry I've not been responsive in the last few days. Just kind of spinning, ya know?
Btw, Hubs has consented to letting me go forward with my desire to become Catholic (some of you already know this). I am just in the discerning process right now, nervous and excited.
It's freezing cold and windy here. All weekend we're supposed to be getting some real winter weather.
Yes, I had a birthday as my post title says. The big 5-0. Goody. I had a lovely celebration with just the kids at home and Hubs and I'll have the grown-moved-away kids and grandkids over soon for a bigger to-do.
On my birthday (Thursday to be precise) I woke to my 15 yo daughter fixing me a delicious omelet. Then Hubs came in with some roses in a pretty red vase.
Then Littlest went out to run errands with Hubs (who took off work for my birthday) and returned home with these. Wasn't that sweet of her?
The white lilies smell so sweet! They overpowered the roses!
For supper I asked Hubs if he would make me a steak, baked potato and a salad like Olive Garden's. It was amazingly good! (no pics, sorry)
Son had to work that night, so we waited till he got home to have presents and cake. I requested a tres leche cake and boy, was it good! I don't think there's a better cake than tres leche. If it were only a little bigger. It disappeared too fast.
The kids presented me with several of my favorite foods as gifts (these are within their price ranges): I got guacamole chips and coffee and cream chocolates from ALDI - one from each of the girls - and a Whitman sampler from Hubs. I asked Hubs if I could pick one big gift out for myself. He obliged, so I'm trying to decide what to get. And Son gave me another favorite candy: Almond Roca! I love having a candy stash I can go to whenever I like and I can stretch this stuff out pretty far. The kids always joke about my ability to wait a long time to eat my part of anything we buy, goody-wise. They have theirs eaten up in a day. Mine lasts for months.
The next day I was surprised by a package in the mail from sweet Teresa. She sent me the most awesome book about British hymns and their history in gorgeous pictures. And the book has a cd that accompanies it with the songs mentioned in the book. How cool is that?
And her card has a magnet on the front that will go on my fridge right after I'm done posting this. Thank you so much again, Teresa!!
My parents were also very generous to me and now I have some extra money to spend. On what I don't know. But I look forward to trying to figure it out.
I made another batch of kale chips again. This time I used whole kale rather than chopped. It was easier to remove the stems, but it did require a good washing, unlike the bagged kind. So both have their good and their bad. I think I'd rather wash and rip into smaller pieces than hunt for every piece of stem. They turned out delicious, as usual. This is my third batch and I must now keep these in the house at all times. They are so good and so nutritious! Crunchy and cheesy and salty. Mmmmmmm. Yes, dried green veggies are yum-o!
Son had a great idea for a pizza combo that we've had twice now. You use 4-cheese Alfredo sauce as the pizza sauce and sprinkle kale chips on top, not too heavy. Then you top with grated Parmesan. We add a little Mozzarella, too, although he didn't use it the first time he made it. This combo tastes a lot like the spinach pizza at our local Stevi B's pizza. Yummy!
Hubs has a good idea for another pizza combo I'd like to try: an Olive Garden pizza! Black olives, red onion, pepperoncinis, tomato slices, grated parmesan. Not sure which type of sauce he'd pick, but maybe a creamy Italian or the 4-cheese Alfredo? Must experiment!
Last night we watched an amazing movie on Netflix. It's called Miracle of the Bells starring Fred MacMurray, Frank Sinatra and an incredible actress by the name of Alida Valli. If you watch it keep the tissues within reach. It's a very moving story.
I've discovered that water pills (OTC diuretics) will make your period run late. Dern! I took them each day this week because they really help with the bloating, but I'm now 3 days late because of them. But at least I feel better than I thought I would. Wonder how long it could delay things?
Are you ready for the 2-hour Downton Abbey episode tomorrow night? We're recording it to watch later. Could things become any more convoluted in this series? lol My, my.
Ryan proposed to our daughter, Angie last night! We've very, very happy about this!
Well, I think my ramble is over for now. God bless you all. Have a lovely day of rest tomorrow!
Should anyone even trust our president anymore? Has he not proved to be a slippery snake in all things governmental? Yet again he is showing his true colors.
The new "accommodation" in health plans is worse, much worse than the old.
Please, Lord, not 4 more years with this man! Mercy!
My mom taught me this trick. She freezes meats this way and never has to deal with freezer burn since she began doing this. I've done this with meats (pork loin roasts, chicken breasts, ground beef...) and also breads. And I keep mold off cheeses in the fridge this way. It's really an amazing way to preserve food.
You wrap the food tightly in plastic wrap. The important thing is to get as much air out as possible. Air is your enemy when freezing food. Try to avoid air pockets. They'll be where the freezer burn starts.
With bread it's trickier than with meat because it's lighter and gives easier when pressed. But it works.
Once you have the bread wrapped up, place it in Ziploc bags and press out as much air from them as you can. Label and freeze.
To successfully thaw the Leidenheimer bread (or any French bread) so it tastes just as good as fresh, remove it from the bag and plastic wrap, lay it on a cookie sheet and thaw it slowly in a warm oven (about 170-200 degrees) until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. Crisps on the outside and stays soft on the inside.
Over the weekend, Husband went to see his mother and one of his brothers in Louisiana. While there, they ate homemade fried oyster po boys and sandwiches from their favorite local bbq place. I asked him to bring home some of our favorite French bread. Even though I know how I feel eating wheat, sometimes you're just willing to suffer a little, ya know?
Look at this monstrous bag! This was what the loaves came in.
We had roast beef po boys au jus on Leidenheimer bread for supper. Oh, man, it was good, but now comes payback time for me. Aches and pains and stiffness. Worth it, though.
I finished the Wyoming square the other day and finally got some pics taken. This one was almost totally satin stitched!
I get such satisfaction out of this hobby. It's very tactile and I love all the textures of the different stitches. If you embroider, do you enjoy running your fingers over the stitches, too? I feel the same way about my cards. That's why I love my Cuttlebug so much.
I'm doing Colorado first. I love columbines! I have some in my front yard. They come back every year in April. The eery thing is that they bloom around the same time the Columbine High School massacre in Littleton, Colorado took place (April 20, 1999). It's a yearly reminder to me of that terrible event. I participated in a cross stitch quilt project that year to show support to those who suffered through that event. I'm reminded of that quilt project every time I see my columbines in bloom. It's all interconnected. Anywho...
The directions call for a variegated purple thread so I'll have to get some. I only own the pink kind. There are pink columbines, but I want to stick with the purple.
I like keeping 2 or more squares together as the extra fabric holds things on the hoop better, especially when stitching the outer corners of the design. Too many squares together and the fabric just gets in the way. Kind of like having your hair fall in your eyes. Annoying! Bad Feng shui! lol
I have all the thread colors picked and ready to use (except the variegated purple).
It's been a dreary weather kind of day today; but the sun is starting to show itself. We've actually had some lovely spring-like weather recently, so I'll try not to complain about the blah parts.
Littlest is sick with something, mainly a fever that's a bit high (went up to almost 103, so far). Funny thing is, she feels better lying in bed than sitting in a recliner. So that's where she is, napping. I gave her a little bell to ring when she needs something. But I'm checking on her often, so not a lot of need for the bell.
Just a lazy day otherwise.
I've made her some lemon and lime Jello to eat later and I actually got her to take in some oatmeal and a grape popsicle. But other than that she's not eating. Just water, mainly.
We've been watching some great old movies on Netflix lately. I feel like I'm catching up on all the stars I missed growing up and hearing about - you know, like Laurel and Hardy, Abbott and Costello, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby.... So many great entertainers from the past. We've been on an Abbott and Costello kick of late.
Last night for pizza night we watched the Abbott and Costello film, Dance with Me, Henry.
Here's Netflix's description:
Abbott and Costello wind up on the wrong side of the law in their final film together. Kiddieland owner Lou (Lou Costello) becomes a suspect when the D.A. investigating the gambling debts owed by Lou's pal Bud (Bud Abbott) is killed. Toss in some angry mobsters and social workers who threaten to take Lou's two adopted kids away, and it's one wild ride at the amusement park as the slapstick-comedy duo tries to stay one step ahead of trouble.
We also recently watched Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Good family fun! We have yet to see The Noose Hangs High. Those are the ones on Netflix right now.
While watching these films, I can't help thinking how much Sean Hannity looks like Lou Costello! Don't you think so? lol
And just for my kids, here's the Abbott and Costello Who's on First routine which was not in any of the movies I mentioned:
I opened my stamp blog again. Hoping it will stir my desire to stamp again. Maybe I'll just make a simple card at first. I actually enjoy them better anyway, and it doesn't kill a whole afternoon to make one.
These lollipops made with xylitol are yum-ee! And they're good for your teeth. I got one at the dentist's office of all places! Yes, hard candy from a dentist!
I've been trying some different products that are supposed to be better for you for whatever reason, and I've wanted to share my findings with you.
One of them is palm oil shortening. It works like Crisco, but it's not hydrogenated! It's a little harder to work with ( a bit stiffer), but it performs amazingly in baked goods. We've done corn bread and biscuits, the two foods that truly put it to the test, and both came out wonderfully! Better, even, than Crisco!
I tried coconut oil (looks like shortening unless warmed) and it didn't perform as well. The baked goods were crumbly and had a heavy coconut smell and flavor. But the palm shortening is both scentless and tasteless and doesn't interfere with the results in any negative way.
Another product I've been using is xylitol. I have it in my tea and sometimes in my coffee. I've made my homemade Nesquik with it, but it wasn't a good use for it as it turned out grainy when cooked. But it dissolves right away in a hot beverage and stays dissolved. Xylitol is good for your teeth as I mentioned earlier, and it's low glycemic and lower calorie than sugar. And I don't get that sugar rush like I do with, um, sugar, which is why it's called a "sugar" rush. Yeah.
An alternative sweetener I've tried that claims to be good for blood sugar is coconut palm sugar. It's very yummy and caramel-like and reminds me of Sucanat (like a dry brown sugar). I like it with cream in my coffee and find it adds a nice richness to whatever I use it in.
Son found a nice car (finally!) on Craigslist after a lot of looking. The guy he bought it from met him at his church. His pastor even came out to meet Son and Hubs. Apparently, the guy was selling his car to donate the money to his church. Isn't that nice?
The new car is a 5-speed, so Son is getting lessons from his dad on how to drive it. I think Hubs misses driving a 5-speed. He gimped down on behalf of me when he bought his last car so I could drive it as well. I've never learned how to drive a stick shift, although I've tried! Maybe someday I'll give it a go again.
Right now, our neighbor across the street is playing with his motorcycle and revving the engine endlessly. *sigh* Thanks, pal.
Sales are going well at my Amazon store. It's really odd. I'll go for days and days without a sale. Then I'll get 4 in one day from 4 different people. So strange, but I'm getting used to it. I'm just thankful for every sale!
I've signed up for the Pro Merchant account at Amazon and will be listing a bunch of my old Stampin' Up! stamp sets there. With a Pro Merchant account I can now create fresh new listings rather than using the ones already there. Before I had to find an already existing one and sell my items using them. Not always easy depending on what you sell.
I finished my last embroidery project and am working on getting 4 more state flower quilt squares ready to do. I'll share more later.
Dinner will be leftovers. Nothing exciting to report there.
Well, I think I am at the end of this ramble. Have a good weekend and thanks for going on this ramble with me. ;)
It is a conflict of interest for Susan G. Komen for the Cure to have any connections whatsoever with any abortion provider when it has been shown through numerous studies (check out website's side bar) that abortion increases breast cancer risk (reasons given in accompanying video).
If a woman has an abortion in her first pregnancy her hormones set her body up to be at higher risk for breast cancer. It makes perfect sense, medically, which is why I just don't get it that SGKFTC would even want to be connected with Planned Parenthood, considering that it's the biggest abortion provider.
On the SBK website the founder and CEO, Nancy G. Brinker stated that "Our only goal for our granting process is to support women and families in the fight against breast cancer."
Really?? If that is true then why participate at all with Planned Parenthood? Think about your decision, SGKFTC. I have. I will avoid the pink products until you do the right thing and truly support women. For now, you're funding the problem. And maybe that's what you want? Let's hope not.
Last night the 15 yo and I each made a batch of homemade Nesquik to test some changes I had made to the recipe.
In the original I used powdered milk and water. This works fine, but it means having to keep powdered milk on hand and most people probably don't.
Also, one of my grown children and a grandson can't tolerate dairy.
So we made one batch with 2 cups of regular milk (2%) and one batch with 2 cups of almond milk (vanilla-flavored). Both turned out great! In fact, I think the consistency was better this time. The almond milk version was thicker than the regular milk version, for some reason.
I did find that the almond milk version needed more salt to taste more like real Nesquik. None of them tastes just like it, but I think it's due to my cocoa powder (bought in bulk - not sure of brand). A different brand might taste a lot better. That's probably the direction I will take next in my experimentation.
For now I have a dairy-free alternative my daughter and grandson can enjoy in some almond or rice milk without the stomach upset. That makes me very happy.
So here's the recipe for the dairy-free version:
Homemade Dairy-Free Nesquik
2 cups sugar 1 cup cocoa powder 2 cups almond milk (I used unsweetened vanilla-flavored) 1/2 tsp. salt
In a medium to large pot (the mixture rises fairly high when boiling, so a bigger pot is critical to avoid overflow), combine the sugar, cocoa powder, almond milk and salt.
Whisk together thoroughly on medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Whisk constantly at first, then often the rest of the time, scraping the bottom religiously with the whisk to keep it from burning. This is less of an issue when using almond milk.
When the mixture comes to a full boil, set the timer for one minute and stir constantly, taking care to avoid splatters. When the minute is up, set it aside to cool. Before allowing it to cool completely, pour through a sieve to remove clumps (it's easier when warm). Once cooled, transfer to a pitcher with a lid. I like those pourable glass orange juice containers, but you may prefer a lighter weight/unbreakable container if your children are younger.
This tastes great in almond milk. I'm sure it's good in any of the other "milks", too.
Eating low carb can get kind of boring, so I'm not sticking with it as much as I'd like. But I do feel better when I eat this way. Here's what I had for breakfast this morning:
Ham and Swiss roll-ups with mayo/mustard dipping sauce. Yum!
I had to order the thread I needed for the columbines on the Colorado square. I wanted to use DMC #95 to match this flower, and the only way I could get it locally was to spend $20 on a whole set of variegated threads. So eBay to the rescue!
