Happy Mother's Day

So this will be another short update. I can now show pics of what I made for my bestie. Her baby shower was really nice and she got lots of lovely gifts for the bebe!

I made her a circular knit baby blanket, a quilt, a knit baby kick sack, and cross stitch baby bloomers. I gave her a few things I picked up here and there as well. Pics of my handmade gifts are below.

Knitting

On the needles

Currently I am working on another test knit for dartfrog911 on ravelry. It is a hat and cowl set. I actually caught a mistake and helped correct it! I am thoroughly enjoying this pattern and plan on making another set after this one to gift to my best friend for this winter. This set I made in scratchy red heart so I will keep it for myself. The pattern is for an advanced beginner. It uses slip stitches and four different colors, so it might be a challenge for beginners at first if you've never done anything like that before. I hadn't knitted anything quite like this before but it isn't overly difficult. I would definitely recommend this pattern.

I am still working on my candle flame shawl. It hasn't gotten much love this week though. I am almost finished with it and am really wishing I had another skein of the yarn. It's nowhere near as big as I would like it to be.

Gardening

Well all of my seedlings have died. I am sad because I don't have any more of the different tomato seeds I had started. They were a mix of types I had never heard of before.

I did manage to finally get my garden tilled this week. When I went out there I found a large group of tomato plants ranging from three inches tall to about seven inches tall. I dug them up, tilled the garden, then separated and replanted about twenty of them. I still have a group of about ten of them in a big clod of dirt out there. I noticed that some of the smallest transplanted ones are dying, so I will try to replace them with the larger ones from the clod. Hopefully this means I will have a ton of tomatoes this summer! I was so surprised that the tomatoes I planted last year had reseeded themselves like that. They are all the same type, which I can't recall the name of right now. The fruits were about four inches across and not overly juicy but with a really great flavor. We used them for cooking and for sandwiches last year.
I am going to direct sow some squash, zucchini, bell peppers, wax peppers, and banana peppers tomorrow and hope some of them grow, if I have room left out there that is. I am not growing any okra or beans this year. I was going to grow some watermelon, cantaloupe, and pumpkin this year but I am so short on space I will have to pass on them. I was going to plant them outside my fenced in garden, but we have the cat now and I fear cat feces in my garden patches.

In other news I got some fish for Mother's Day. I got two Black Mollies that I've named Mike and Molly. I got four young snails that are either Mystery snails or Ramshorns or Ramhorns. Whichever is the right way to say that. I got four ghost shrimp as well but two of them are already dead. I'm going to call the pet store and see if they want me to bring them in and get more and if they have any ideas as to why they died. They are all getting along with Serenity's betta fish Zade. I hope none of the rest die!

I'm trying to remember if I had told you all about Miss Kitty. She is our new cat. She lives outside and for the most part seems to like it out there. She was my aunt's cat that she had found in a parking lot. A week of so after she brought her home, Miss Kitty had kittens and was renamed Mama Cat. As soon as she weaned the kittens, my aunt put them all outside. The problem was that shortly afterward baby chicks started showing up dead. Miss Kitty is an excellent mouser, but my aunt was worried that she was the one killing the chicks. Instead of taking her off to a pound my daughter talked me into bringing her home with us. She wandered a bit the first couple of days, getting into fights. She has settled down a lot and likes to sit with me on the deck and doze. She is always wanting food, even if she has just eaten. I worried when I didn't see her most of today and she hadn't even been home to eat, but she turned up right at dinner time. Who knows, maybe she wants to have another litter soon and that is why she was out prowling the neighborhood today.

So that about wraps it up today. No new finishes. Pictures of my no longer super secret gifts. A new test knit. And new pets.

Until next time my faithful tanglers....

Happy Crafting
and
Happy Mother's Day

Another freebie day and a quick update

Sorry for not updating this week. I have a feeling no ones reading my blog anyway, but I will update this weekend with pictures of my super secret surprises and my current WIP that may be finished by then. Haven't been doing anything else really. Until then here is a freebie for anyone using MyMemories Suite. Copy and paste and enjoy! Remember that you can use the code STMMMS37866 or click on my widget on the right side of the screen to save money on the purchase of MyMemories Suite software!

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=4da9a6979d&e=e2e2002f16

Photobox Tutorial
Using MyMemories Software to Customize your Flower Card


Download template file and install it into your software
Using MyMemories Suite, choose Create Album From Designer Template and find your project
Now you can add pictures, print and enjoy the provided template, or customize it with your own papers and embellishments.

TIP:
You can right-click on the white guide and lock it in place to keep it from moving while you are working. Make sure this is the top layer of your project before printing.

Instead of adding the paper as a background paper, you can add it as an embellishment so that you can move the paper around. This is especially useful when using papers with stripes or circles, so you can decide which part of the paper you want to use.

Once it is added as an embellishment, you can now select the paper and move it into the position you want it.

Just save and print!

Fun freebies this Friday!

catch the BLOG TRAIN!! Start on the MyMemories Blog on FRIDAY for
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I have a code that anyone can use to get 10 dollars off of the purchase price of the My Memories Suite v2.0 that I have been posting about. Here is the code if anyone is interested: STMMMS37866

My first test knit and other fun stuff

I have lots to talk about today! I have been knitting steadily and have pictures to show you. We have another new pet. I was going to review a book today but will just review the test knit pattern instead. So here we go!

Sorry again for how the pictures are all at the bottom and mixed up. I don't know why this app won't at least put them in the order I choose.

A finish!

Very short post today. Been feeling icky and am going to bed soon. I just wanted to share a few things. I will add pics of everything.

First off, I finished my shawl. I then started a LaLa's Simple Shawl and am almost done with it.

I made a stuffed animal last week and it turned out not so great. I am going to try again. It is cute but has a lot of seaming issues and threads are showing.

I am trying to figure out how to block my shawls. I don't have any pins or mats, so am not sure how to go about it. Maybe Bobby will get me some supplies for my birthday this fall.

Also, I am test knitting something! My first test knit ever. I am going to tell you about it when I have some pics to share. I just got the pattern today and haven't picked out the yarn yet from my stash.

My daughter finally got a fish today. She was promised one at Christmas from one of her uncles and finally got to go pick it out today! She named him Zade.

I got to go see my best friend yesterday and got caught knitting in public. She had to run to a store before I got there, so I waited for her outside her house. Her tenant saw me and freaked out. She posted on Facebook about the crazy person sitting outside her house! My bestie thought that was hilarious.

So that's about it today. I will definitely have a longer post next time I am off to bed now. Until next time my tangled tanglers! Happy crafting!

Take two

Ok let's try this again. I had this almost completely typed out last night and accidentally deleted it all. So this might be short because I don't remember what all I was going to say. Or It might be long because I tend to ramble. Who knows!

Knitting

On the needles/HOs
Collonade Shawl is around halfway done. I frogged it and started it over using a different second color for the lace pattern. I like it a lot more now. I will show you a picture farther down the post since I'm on my phone and it will only put the pictures at the end.

I still haven't started my socks like I had planned. Been spending time on my super secret projects and my shawl. I can't wait until the baby shower next month to see my bestie's reaction to everything I've made for her baby!

FOs
I have finished another of my super secret projects. I think it turned out well. I will show it after the baby shower in May. Of you can see it in my projects on ravelry or catch a pic if it on plurk. I am anonymous76 on ravelry or ahume08 on plurk. If you are my gifts' recipient to be, please don't go peeking! I'm trusting you in this!

Stash enhancements
I guess you can call these stash enhancements anyway. I got some doodads yesterday at Joann's for some projects I am or will be working on. I got some buttons and eyes and a toggle. I am so excited about these. I haven't ever done anything that required buttons or eyes or any embellishments at all. Pictures at the bottom as usual.

Also I got RAKed! Twice! I forgot to mention the first one last week. I don't have a picture and everything is put up now but I got lots of yarn and knitting magazines along with some books for the kids! I got two skeins of Batik cotton yarn, 100 grams each. Color 1332 lot 2361. It's a darkish pink color. I got six skeins of Rowan wool cotton, 50 grams each. Lot 11C6 and I guess the color is SH959. I'm not used to these labels! It is a very pretty purplish color. Also I got around five skeins of Rowan summer tweed, 70% silk 30% cotton, 50 grams each. It is a purplish red with brown and red flecks I guess. I am bad at describing colors.

My second rack I have a picture of. It was a lovely project bag, some stitch markers, and a stitch holder. The bag is white with green and is so pretty. I hope I can keep it looking white, but as much as I will use it, it will probably turn dingy quite quickly.

I love RAKs and I love getting stuff in the mail. Sometimes I even like surprises. I definitely love this kind of surprise! I have heard from a couple more people that are RAKing me and I can't wait to get the packages. One will come through South Africa air mail and will take a couple of weeks. Oh the wait will feel even longer! The other is a book that I saw that wanted a new home. I am eager to get my grubby little hands on it and to read it. I will remember to take pictures of anything that comes in. I will also probably review the book so I can tell you how awesome it is.

Garden

Nothing happened this week with my garden except that a lot of my seedlings died. All of my sunflowers, zinnias, and marigolds are gone. My okra and watermelon died as well. My peppers and tomatoes are holding on for now. I hope the tomatoes keep going. They were a mix of special seeds that I hadn't had before. A bunch of different types i had never tried before or even heard of. Everything else I had started I can replace as I still have plenty of seeds.

I really need to get my garden dug up. Maybe borrow a tiller from someone. I have hopes that direct sowing will work better for me. I don't know if I have been under or over watering or not keeping them warm enough or not enough sun..... All I know is that most of the ones that started out strong have died and made me sad.

Cooking

So I tried a couple of new recipes this week with good results. First one was a cheesy spinach lasagna. I looked up several recipes over a few days and finally ended up making up a recipe using a little of this one and a little of that one. I wanted to make one with spinach and without cottage cheese. I ended up browning some ground beef with garlic, bell pepper, and onion, adding that to some spaghetti sauce, and then mixing together some ricotta cheese, egg, shredded mozzarella and cut leaf spinach. Then I layered the two mixes with the lasagna noodles. I topped it with a Colby cheddar blend because that is what I had and I wanted it cheesier than most of the recipes I had read called for. It turned out good. We ate it for days and it was less than 500 calories per serving!

The next recipe I made up was based on one I had tried a month or so ago and nobody really liked. I decided to take away an ingredient, add a couple more, and make it all in one pot. I'm not sure what to call it. It is chicken and noodles in a Neufchâtel spinach sauce. I started out by slow cooking about two pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast in water with salt and a couple of chicken bullion cubes. Once the chicken was tender enough to shred it with a fork, I added a chopped yellow onion and three diced garlic cloves. I let is simmer for a bit and then added a can of cream of chicken soup and about a half a bag of egg noodles. When the noodles were almost done I added about a half cup frozen chopped leaf spinach and about 12 ounces of Neufchâtel cheese. I let it cook until the noodles were done and then took it off the heat to let the sauce thicken. It was a hit. I am keeping this recipe for sure!

The original recipe didn't have noodles or spinach and you cooked the chicken in the crockpot with some Italian dressing them added the sauce which was sautéed onion and garlic mixed with the soup and cheese. It wasn't bad. It just wasn't right for my family.


So that is about it today. I will review another knitting book next week. I think I have rambled on long enough today! I am adding pictures of the food as well as the others I mentioned earlier. I hope you all enjoy my posts.

Until next time my loyal tanglers...

Happy Crafting!

Freebie day

Once again it is time for a freebie for anyone that uses my memories suite scrapbooking software. Just copy and paste this link for your freebie. And remember, if you click the banner on the side of my blog, you will save on the purchase of the software.

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=a665a7fd46&e=e2e2002f16

Easter candy...yum!

Does anyone else buy candy they know the kids don't like much just so they can have part of it? No? I'm the only one? Ha!

Knitting

On the needles
I started one project this week. It is a Stephen West design called the Colonnade Shawl. I will add a pic of my progress at the bottom of this post. You can also see it in my ravelry projects. I am about halfway finished. I'm not sure I am loving my choice of colors, but oh well! It is the first thing I've made just for myself. It is also the first pattern I've made with a lace section. Wish me luck!

Almost finished!

First off I will tell you about my knitting.

On my needles:

I am a handful of rows away from finishing the baby blanket I have been working on for the last three weeks. It will (embarrassingly enough) be my first finish of the year. I got out of the crafty habit for a while, but now I have no idea why! I am so excited. This blanket and the quilt my aunt helped me make will have pictures taken and ready to be posted as soon as the baby shower in may is over. I wish I could show them off now, but they are still super secret gifts.

UFOs:

I still haven't finished the skirt that I started knitting for my daughter last year. I put it up and haven't worked on it in months. I plan to start on it and finish it in the next month or so. I would like her to be able to wear it when the weather starts to cool down again this year. If I wait too much longer it won't fit, so somebody needs to yell at me occasionally to work on it!

Also the sassy stripe socks I started last year didn't get completed. I took them out of the purse I had them in and my bamboo circular needle I had them on was broken and most of the stitches of one of the socks had fallen off. You might not remember, but this was my first attempt at socks. I went with two at a time, toe up on one circular needle. I ended up making the heel too soon so they didn't fit me. I am going to frog them and start over. I didn't like how the pattern I had chosen was turning out anyway, so they weren't a big loss. I am sad about the needle though. I really need to get a project bag or two!

Future craftiness:

I plan on knitting some vanilla socks with my sassy stripe yarn, hopefully in my size! I also had promised to make some slippers for a friend late last year but never got them cast on after I finished my Christmas knitting. In addition to those two projects and Serenity's spiral skirt, I want to learn to crochet. I started learning last week and hope to take time to learn at least enough to make some hats and baby booties. I also have a few more super secret gifts to make for my best friend and hope to get them done before the baby shower.

Now for gardening and cooking!

Garden:

I still have most of my seedlings alive! Some are looking a little sickly, but I have transplanted some to bigger pots until I can get them out to the garden.

I haven't gotten the garden ready yet. By all zone maps for my area it is still too early to put them out. I need to find someone with a tiller soon, though, so I can get everything tilled up and figure out where I want to plant everything. Last year the squash and tomatoes took over the garden until I could barely walk through without squishing something. I need to plan it out differently this year.

Also I have to figure out where I want a strawberry bed. I bought ten strawberry plants and want to make them a nice bed that Joey won't mow over. I went today to my aunts farm and collected some rabbit and chicken droppings to mix in the horrible clay dirt we have and also some pieces of wood to place around the perimeter of the bed to protect it from Joey. I got a good amount of straw for the bed and still need to go back and get more for the garden after it is tilled. The straw plus the landscaping fabric I used in the garden last year made the weeding a breeze.

Cooking:

As for cooking, I haven't tried a lot of new recipes. I found a nice chocolate oatmeal cake recipe and a butterless oatmeal cookie recipe on allrecipes.com that turned out well. I made them to share with my friend who is with child and deserves some sweets occasionally.

Tonight I didn't feel like making a big meal since it was still close to eighty outside at dinner time, so I threw together some ingredients I had on hand and made a one pot meal. I started with some wheat spaghetti noodles. After they were cooked to almost how I like them, i drained them and I added some frozen bell pepper and onions, frozen chopped spinach leaves, a jar of spaghetti sauce with mushrooms, and some baked chicken I had in the freezer. Cooked it until everything was hot. I had thawed out the frozen ingredients mostly so it didn't take long. It turned out great!

If you are wondering about the frozen chicken, I had cooked six pounds of chicken at the beginning of last month. I always stock up on boneless skinless chicken breast every month because we love it so much. I decided that it would be nice to have some on hand already cooked so on days I didn't want to mess with a time consuming meal I could just throw that in with some pasta or rice and add a few frozen or canned ingredients and be done. I finally got a cast iron stovetop grill a couple of months ago and love how the chicken tastes when grilled on it, so I grilled up three pounds and also baked three pounds for variety. I cooled it, cubed it, separated it into one pound servings, bagged it and threw it in the freezer and have been loving it!

I can't wait until the garden starts producing some fresh veggies for me!
Then I will be able to have fresh ingredients instead of frozen or (ick) canned.

I think I have rambled on long enough for tonight. I don't have anything ready for review right now. I have a few crafting books I want to read and review soon, as well as some magazines and podcasts. If anyone has anything specific they want to hear about, feel free to let me know either on here or on ravelry. I am anonymous76 on ravelry for those that don't know already. Also you can email me at ahume08@gmail.com. I love hearing from my loyal tanglers!

Until next time.... Happy crafting!

Freebie day!

Here us a freebie for anyone that uses the scrap booking software my memories suite. I haven't figured out how to make a clickable link on this blogger app yet so you will have to copy and paste. Sorry about that!

http://mymemories.us1.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=2db59f577e9668b002ca5c0af&id=3cb5e6676f&e=e2e2002f16