Scotty's Place

Monday Mojo

2012-02-20T09:44:00.001-06:00

Something made with my favorite, Snowflake yarn! I found a pattern I wanted to try late yesterday afternoon and got busy. Depending on what goes on today (hopefully nothing!), I will probably finish it. It’s quick and pretty and I can’t wait to share it with you. You’ll love the edging. My crochet mojo is back! Hello, Mr. Mojo! Where ya been?

I put these chicken skewers together yesterday morning, and the Captain grilled them up for us for lunch. They were SO GOOD! It’s just boneless chicken breasts cut into big chunks, onion chunks, and red bell pepper chunks. Then I mixed up some lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, garlic, salt, and pepper, and brushed it liberally over all sides. Delish. This is something I’ll be making at least once a week or so. It’s something different to do with chicken. Next trip to the store I’ll buy some fat mushrooms to stick on there too.

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I’ve gotta go crochet now.

It’s hooky-time for Pammy Sue again!

Yea!

Welcome home, Mr. Mojo.

My New Pinny!

2012-02-17T11:23:00.001-06:00

Who even knows what a “pinny” is?

It’s an apron!

Anne, my friend from Scotland knows what it is.

She generously shared her pattern and a very good tutorial on her blog a while back. When I saw hers, I knew I had to have one.(Or two or three!) Since I don’t sew, I begged my momma to make me one. I really didn’t have to beg. She was happy to do it. So I printed out Anne’s tutorial and took it over to her, and she whipped this sweet thing up in no time. She said it was easy. I love the material she chose too. She said if I found some material and wanted another one, she’d make it for me.

Ain’t it cute???

Thank you, Momma!

You can find Anne’s tutorial HERE.

If you’d like a nice, neat copy of it that I put together in a Word document for my mother, email me at PammySue8(at)gmail(dot)com and I’ll send it to you. Just be sure and give Anne credit and a link if you post a picture of yours on your blog. She has a tutorial for a Half-Pinny too. Check out her sidebar labels to find it.

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And for Dorothy in Australia:

This is what Mrs. Dash is. You can probably find something similar in Australia, or you can just add whatever individual spices and/or herbs you like. There are at least ten different blends of this stuff at the grocery store here.

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I’m off to work a little bit.

And then we are taking Ollie to the vet for a check-up.

We are hoping for signs of bones fusing together today!

He’d like to thank you for your thoughts and well-wishes.

Here’s a kiss…

Pucker up!

Bye.

Tuna Burgers/Patties

2012-02-16T12:50:00.001-06:00

I’m struggling with finding new healthy, clean recipes to keep our diet interesting. I saw THIS RECIPE yesterday and thought I’d give it a try today for lunch. I’m eating these two patties now, and they’re really good. You could have them on a wheat bun like a burger, but I preferred to eat them by themselves with a squirt of lemon. Here’s how I made these since some of the measurements in that link are in grams:

1 can Chunk White Tuna in Water, drained

1/4 cup Old Fashioned Oats

1-2 Tbsp finely chopped celery

1-2 Tbsp finely chopped onion

Mrs. Dash Original, to taste

Pinch of Kosher Salt

Black Pepper, to taste

1 egg white

Lemon to squeeze on top.

Dump all ingredients except lemon into a small bowl. Stir with a fork until well combined. Form into two equal-sized patties. Heat a skillet and spray with non-stick spray. Cook patties until browned on both sides (1-2 minutes per side). Serve on a wheat bun or bagel thin with hamburger fixins, or just eat ‘em with a fork with a squirt of lemon and/or ketchup.

Now that I’ve tried these and like them, I’ll probably make them for the Captain for dinner with a salad and a side or two. They’re a lot like salmon patties, but they stink way less!

See Ya!

Blockage

2012-02-15T09:39:00.001-06:00

My blog slump is turning into full-blown writer’s block. I have no idea what to do about it other than just take a bunch of pictures, throw them up here, and then just start typing. Doing nothing does not help a thing.

The Captain in his chair with Eli & Sammi piled on top.

I took this picture a couple of days ago.

The Captain made dinner last night. He did really well (other than everything being the same color!). We could have used some green, but oh well. I’m not complaining! Everything was great. The fish is Swai. Have you seen it at the grocery stores where you live? It suddenly started showing up here. It’s supposed to be a type of catfish from Japan (or China or one of those Asian countries…I don’t really remember). They are generally bigger and softer than the catfish we get here. Usually catfish tastes kind of “dirty” to me, but this didn’t have that taste or any fishy taste at all, really. It’s just a mild whitefish. He just salted and peppered it and put some lemon slices on top before baking it about 25 min. at 400. It was perfect. He boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes with some chopped garlic and served them with some soy butter, and he also heated up a can of corn.

Ollie is doing fine.

There is no crochet going on here. I’m just not into it right now. After I dragged my Rainbow Granny out a few days ago, I ended up only doing four rows before I put it aside.

We all watched the Westminster Dog show the last two nights for six hours. I loved it…always do! I was a little disappointed that the Pekinese won Best in Show. I thought some of the bigger dogs were SO MUCH better! I was sure it would either be the German Shepherd or the Doberman.

That’s it!

Hope to be back soon!

Same Old Same Old

2012-02-13T14:10:00.001-06:00

I think I’ll stay left if you don’t mind…

I will change my socks and rotate the dogs, however.

Hee-hee.

Saturday-Ness

2012-02-11T11:05:00.001-06:00

This is what I’m doing today.

I dragged out my Rainbow Granny Ripple to work on.

It’s a cold weekend in Texas!

This is some Roasted Red Pepper Hummus I buy at the deli at Wal-Mart. I really love this stuff! I’ve decided I can’t make hummus that tastes as good as this. It’s so good. You should try it, even if you’ve never really been a fan of hummus. This has great flavor!

The fire pit was going in front of Whole Foods when we were there the other day.

Love that RED Tractor.

I’m desperate for blog material, people.

I’m in a slump.

I take my camera everywhere hoping to find something worth sharing.

This is the best I could do.

B-O-R-I-N-G ! !

At least I’m trying for you!

Hey, I noticed in that picture of my fireplace that my bricks are turning black. How should I clean that?? Please leave me some love and your suggestions if you know a good trick for getting that black off. Maybe it’s easy…I don’t even know.

BYE!

All is Well

2012-02-09T11:53:00.001-06:00

Everything is well and good. I’m just really busy with work this week and haven’t had time to post or anything to post about. I’ll be back when I do!

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

2012-02-06T12:06:00.001-06:00

Basic Recipe is HERE. It says it’s 5-minute salsa, but realistically it’s more like 15 with the draining and washing and chopping and measuring. I made some changes to this recipe.

I added a jar of pimentos and substituted dried oregano for the cumin. Cumin is not one of our favorite spices. The Captain says it smells like dirty feet. Ha.

And we have another favorite Black Bean & Corn Salsa recipe that uses oregano so I decided to ditch the cumin and add a Tablespoon of dried oregano instead.

Serve with baked tortilla chips for dipping or on top of fish or chicken, or even use it as a salad topper instead of dressing. It’s so colorful and fresh-tasting.

YUMMY!

Gloves & Vegetarian Lasagna

2012-02-05T13:59:00.001-06:00

I made these two pairs of gloves early this week and mailed them off to a friend. The purple is the free Lacy Fingerless Gloves pattern, and the blue pair are from a pattern called Simply Elegant Fingerless Gloves that I bought on Ravelry which you can find HERE. I tried embellishing the blue ones with a little heart and a flower, but I didn’t like the way either of them turned out so I left them plain. But flowers or buttons on them would be cute. Both are made with Stylecraft Special DK and a size E hook. I started another pair last night using yet another pattern, but I only got one finished. Will make the other one during the football game this evening.

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I’ve been in the kitchen this morning putting together some Bean & Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups. I haven’t made these in a very long time, but we used to eat them all the time when we were following a mostly vegetarian diet. I’ll show you the process and give the recipe at the end.

Boil lasagna noodles according to package instructions. Drain the boiling water and rinse with cold water, leaving them in the cold water until you’re ready to use them.

Thaw out one box of frozen chopped spinach. I usually put mine in a colander submerged in a bowl of hot water. When it is thawed, squeeze out all the water and set aside in a small bowl.

Rinse and drain your 2 cans of pinto beans. Pour them into a bowl or big plate and mash with a potato masher, or you can use your food processor. It doesn’t need to be a perfectly smooth texture so I usually just use a fork or a potato masher. Set aside.

Lay out your noodles (I usually make 3-4 at a time) on a flat surface, spread with a layer of the mashed beans, and then add a layer of the spinach…

This is what they will look like.

Sprinkle with garlic powder and roll up the noodles…

Spray a large baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and spoon some spaghetti sauce into the bottom.

I made four of them in these individual dishes for our lunch, and then made the last 9 roll-ups in a bigger baking pan.

Pour the remainder of your spaghetti sauce on top of the roll-ups, sprinkle with dried oregano and parmesan cheese. Yes, I know the parmesan is not vegetarian, but we’re not being crazy with it. You could use a little soy cheese if you’re a strict vegetarian. But a little parmesan won’t make us fat so we’re using it. That’s the only cheese in this dish, but I promise you won’t miss it one bit. These are really good! (Especially if you’re on a diet and feel like you’re starving for some “real food”.

Bake at 350 degrees F about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Bean & Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

1-lb box of Lasagna Noodles

1 box Frozen Spinach (10-oz)

2 cans Pinto Beans (15.5-oz each)

Garlic Powder

1 jar Spaghetti Sauce (28-oz) (I use Classico Tomato & Basil)

Dried Oregano

Grated Parmesan Cheese (the canned is fine)

Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions. Rinse noodles with cold water to stop the cooking process. Place noodles back in your pot and cover with cold water until ready to use. Thaw and squeeze the water from spinach; set aside. Drain & rinse the beans and mash with a potato masher or fork; set aside. Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray and place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.

Lay your lasagna noodles on a flat working surface, spread with some of the beans and some of the spinach. Sprinkle with garlic powder, roll-up, and place in your baking pan on top of the sauce. Repeat until all noodles are used or your pan is full. Top the roll-ups with the remainder of your spaghetti sauce, and sprinkle with oregano and parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Note: I got 13 roll-ups using the above ingredient amounts. You can adjust your amounts according to how many you want to make. You may also want to use more spaghetti sauce than called for if you like your Italian dishes with lots of sauce.

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My yarn and hook for the gloves I’m making. I’m using Caron Simply Soft Gray Heather that I had in my stash.

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I’m not rooting for either the Giants or the Patriots today in the Superbowl. I’m not a fan of either. I’m sure the game will be on though. I told The Captain last night that we had to be sure and record it just in case I miss the David Beckham commercial during the second quarter (or I want to watch it again). Mmm…love me some David Beckham in his underwear! He called me a whore. Ha-ha-ha! (He was only kidding)

Round Ripple Ta-Dah!

2012-02-04T11:33:00.001-06:00

All finished…

The pictures did not turn out very well at all.

They’re all slightly blurry.

My camera is bad about that and it’s pissing me off.

Pattern: December 2011 issue of Crochet World

Yarn: I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby

Hook: H

Size: 52 inches from tip to tip

Border: I did one round of hdc in rust and one round in peacock, then the last round is the sedge stitch in turquoise. Basically the sedge stitch is 1 sc & 2 dc in same stitch, skip two stitches, repeat. You can Google it and find exact instructions. I did the tips a little bit different to make them more even-looking. In the first space of the tips I did 1 sc and 2 dc in the space, ch1, fptc, ch 1, then in the second space of the tip I did 2 dc and 1 sc.

Yea! I’m so glad I finished this! I enjoyed making it, but those last few rounds are killers. They seem to go on forever. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this one yet. I’m just going to stare at it a while and think about it. I really don’t have a place for these colors in my house.

Ollie went to the vet yesterday for a check of his splint. He got a new clean wrap of tape. The vet said it was too early to do an x-ray just yet. We will take him back in two weeks for that. But he seems to be feeling great and there is no sign of an infection or anything like that, so all is well. Again, I want to thank all of you for asking and caring and thinking about him since this happened. I love my bloggie friends!

Have a great weekend!

A Winner, Bead Crochet, Birthday Wishes

2012-02-02T09:32:00.001-06:00

Can you see who it is??

Let me give you a closer look.

Apparently cussing in your entry comment is lucky!

Bev, I have to admit I smiled when I pulled your name out.

You’re right…It IS “about damn time” you won!

Hee-hee!

You win! You win!

Wish it was the lottery, but it’s just a pair of gloves.

They are yours, and they will be on their way to Utah today.

Congratulations!

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FYI…I am going to be making at least one more pair, maybe more, of fingerless gloves. They may be from a different pattern, and they probably won’t be this color, but they will still be pretty…guaranteed! I don’t think I will be wearing any of these so I’m going to give them all away just because it’s fun. I’m going to save my pile of entries and draw a name for each pair I make. AND I can fit them into a small envelope so it doesn’t cost that much to mail them off. So stay tuned…you could still be a winner!

Thank you all for playing!

I wish I could make each one of you a pair.

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Now…on to the bead crochet I did last night.

It’s a candle holder cover!

It looks cute, don’t you think?

I was pleased with how it turned out.

Although, I did nearly hurt myself doing the math on how many beads to use, how many stitches to place between each so it would come out evenly, etc. You have to do some figuring before you begin. I don’t see myself doing this kind of crochet very often, but I will keep it in mind when I make little things like this that need some decoration, and I’m glad I now know a little bit more about how to do it. I’ve seen some really cute purses that incorporate beads into the pattern.

Finally…

Happy 79th Birthday, Daddy!

I love you GOBS!

Not a Clue

2012-02-01T17:38:00.001-06:00

I thought I’d try my hand at crocheting with beads this evening. I got this package of beads at Walmart earlier today. It was the only package they had that had holes big enough to fit yarn and a needle through.

Here’s a closer look. I think they’ll do for now until I decide whether I really even like it or not. I’m sure Hobby Lobby will have a much larger selection of these bigger beads.

I don’t have a clue what I’m doing either. I have an idea of how to do it so I’m going to give it a try. I saw Lucy of Attic 24 doing some about a week ago. I thought she was going to give a little tutorial on how to do the bead crochet, but I was wrong. So I’ll just figure it out on my own. Can’t be THAT hard, now can it? (Famous last words)

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I was reading a book by Jackie Warner a while back, This is Why You're Fat. I picked up this idea from her. (That’s right. I don’t have an original idea in my head.) Since green tea is supposed to be ALL THAT and it doesn’t really taste all that great, make your tea with one teabag of the green tea and one teabag of herbal fruit tea of your choice. I got the sampler of fruit teas so I could have whatever suits my fancy. I’ve been drinking one of these tea cocktails a day for a couple of weeks now. Love it. It’s the perfect thing to have in the evenings (note it’s decaffeinated green tea) when you’re apt to be hankering for a sweet snack. Drink some of this tea and think about how much better it is for you than a half dozen baby Snickers bars…I believe they call them “Fun Size.” Oh yes, they make it sound like such fun to get a GIANT ASS.

But my favorite tea is still Earl Grey. I love the stuff. This one I’ll have in the afternoons since it’s definitely caffeinated. I’m sure they make a decaffeinated one, but I’ve never looked. I like it with a big splash of milk and about 1/4 of those tiny packets of Truvia. That stuff is sweet! A little goes a long way.

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I’ve completed a couple of small crochet projects over the last two days, but I can’t show them here just yet. The recipient must receive them first so I don’t spoil the surprise.

I’m off to string some beads and see what I can whip up with them and my hook…

MIDNIGHT TONIGHT

IS THE GIVE-AWAY DEADLINE.

WINNER ANNOUNCED MANANA!

(If you don’t have a clue, see my sidebar)

Ollie Video #2

2012-01-31T13:37:00.001-06:00

This is a short one, but he’s so cute!

Ollie Video #1

2012-01-31T13:28:00.001-06:00

As you can see, he’s doing just fine! This is exactly what he’s NOT supposed to be doing, but I let him out just for this video. This is why he must be kept in a pen for about three more weeks.

I now realize that I should have turned my iPhone sideways to take these videos and they would have been wider and more easy to see. I’ll know next time!

Chop-Your-Ass-Off Quinoa Salad & Sesame Noodles

2012-01-31T09:24:00.001-06:00

I made this quinoa salad yesterday. I’d never had quinoa before, but I saw this recipe the other day and wanted to give it a try. Remember we’re doing the healthy eating thing now. (I lost 6 lbs in the first 10 days!)

Aren’t these ingredients beautiful?

Cooked quinoa cooling on a cookie sheet.

This is what the quinoa I used looks like.

I used the whole box, about 2 cups.

So pretty!

This is really good and so fresh-tasting. We both think it needs a little more dressing though, so I’ll be making more today to add to it (minus the oil). I got the recipe HERE, but I changed the name of it. You really do have to “chop your ass off” when you make this! But it’s worth it. *Edited to add: Add more craisins instead of more dressing…they’re fantastic in there! I ended up using a whole 10-oz. package.

This was our lunch yesterday…grilled chicken breasts and sesame noodles. YUM. These are salad plates so it’s not as much food as it looks like! I ended up only eating and 2/3 of my plate and had the rest for a snack last night. The chicken was marinated in Italian salad dressing (I poured out most of the oil before using it) and then grilled on my grill pan indoors to get the grill marks and finished off in the oven. The noodles are whole wheat with a little sesame oil, tahini, honey, green onions, red pepper flakes, and cilantro mixed in (I didn’t measure anything or use a recipe this time). This is one of my very favorite dishes of all time! Here is KATE’S original recipe that I normally use:

Kate’s Sesame Noodles

1 lb box Spaghetti Noodles

1/2 Cup Corn or Canola Oil (I use half of this)

6 Tbsp. Dark Sesame Oil

6 Tbsp. Honey

4 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

4 Tsp. Ground Red Pepper (Cayenne) to taste, more if you want hotter.

1 Tsp. Salt

Place oils and honey in sauce pan. Heat to just before boiling point. Add soy sauce, salt and red pepper. Simmer for 3 minutes or so.

Cook a 1-lb box of spaghetti. Drain, rinse and cool. Whole wheat works just fine.

Add above sauce to noodles. Refrigerate over night. Shake whenever you think about it to marinate all of the noodles.

Chop the following ingredients and add 20 minutes or so prior to serving:

1 Cup Chopped Cilantro

1 Cup Chopped Green Onions

1 Cup Chopped Salted Peanuts

More of the above can be added if you like. I do not usually measure this.

Serve Cold.

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My mission today is to get some video of Ollie. Will post it tomorrow or later tonight.

Have a good day!

Salsa Recipe & Stuff

2012-01-30T12:47:00.001-06:00

Easy Blender Salsa

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and followed the link and made some. It’s really good! It made about 1 1/2 pints. Recipe Credit: http://www.mountainmamacooks.com/2012/01/quick-and-easy-salsa/

EASY BLENDER SALSA

1- 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes

1- 10 oz can Original Rotel

1/2 small Onion, roughly chopped

1 clove Garlic, peeled and smashed

1/2-1 Jalapeno, seeded or not

1 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Small to medium size handful of cilantro, washed

Juice of 1 lime

Put all the ingredients in the base of a food processor or good blender and pulse to combine for 30 seconds or so until all the ingredients are finely chopped and salsa is desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust to taste. Serve with chips or over tacos.

Shitty Phone Camera Picture Alert

I saw this afghan on Ravelry. I think it looks so pretty and would be SUPER-EASY to make because you wouldn’t have any color changes in each square. I counted the squares and it’s 13 x 17 squares = 221 squares. (I cut that part off in the pic of my document I made) They’re not regular granny squares, but regular ones would work. These have a circle in the middle which you can’t see in the above pic. She didn’t give a link to the pattern she used. Anyway, I’m filing it away for future use. I’m all about SUPER-EASY these days.

Ollie is doing just fine. He gets a new crocheted cast cover about every other day. Hee-hee. Any excuse, right? It really does help to keep him from chewing on it and keeps it clean. I’m sure I’ll get sick of making them and start washing and rotating them, but for now, I’m happy to do it. It makes me feel like I’m helping him in a small way.

You’d be shocked to see how FAST he can get around on three legs! It’s amazing! I must get y’all some video to watch. I’ll try to do that today or tomorrow since the Captain is off and can help me corral him. He wants to play with the other dogs so badly. I feel sorry for him. But he does play all by himself just fine. You can see his toys in his pen in the pictures above and below. They’re actually baby toys, but they are more well-made than the dog toys I’ve seen.

DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVE-AWAY!

Comment HERE by Wednesday at midnight to enter.

Give-Away!

2012-01-29T10:47:00.001-06:00

As Promised…

A pair of pretty pink fingerless gloves!

These are adult-size and made by me with Stylecraft Special DK (acrylic) yarn. I found the free pattern on Ravelry HERE. It’s a very easy and quick pattern to follow. I highly recommend it if you want to make some light gloves.

To win these, be a Follower and leave a message on THIS post by midnight Wednesday, February 1, 2012 (U.S. Central Time). The winner will be announced on Thursday, Feb 2nd, along with instructions on where to email your mailing address. The winner must respond within 48 hours with a mailing address or be disqualified and another winner will be chosen.

Ollie Update/Give-Away Heads-Up

2012-01-27T12:50:00.001-06:00

I wasn’t going to post today, but I decided I’d better let y’all know that Ollie is okay. No problems so far. I just don’t have anything to blog about as he’s consuming most of my time and is my main focus.

Just for a change, here are a couple of plants I bought at Lowe’s before all this happened. I was feeling the need for some plants other than ivy in my house.

Don’t ask me the name of any of these because I don’t know and I threw away the tags.

All of these little succulent/cactus mixed bowls were on sale for 50% off. Aren’t they cute? Please excuse the plant stand they’re sitting on. It normally sits out on the back porch, but right now it’s just inside the back door holding these plants. I plan on spray-painting this baby AQUA very soon to cover up all the rust and wear. I all ready have the paint. I’m just waiting for a good day with no wind.

He’s doing well and settling-in to the new routine. I actually slept all night last night for the first time since it happened. I moved his pen into the bedroom during the night, and that worked out really well. The Captain is back at work for the first time today so I’m on my own. We’re doing just fine so far. I even managed to get most of his medicine in him this morning. Some of it ended up on his bed, but oh well. We did the best we could.

**ATTENTION FOLLOWERS **

GIVEAWAY ANNOUNCEMENT ON SUNDAY!

Sneak-Peek:

Rough First Night

2012-01-25T14:44:00.001-06:00

“Let me see how pathetic I can look.”

Pretty good, Ollie!

Mr. Ollie only slept about three hours last night from midnight to 3:15 AM. He couldn’t get comfortable and was whimpering and yelping every now and then when he’d move the wrong way and hurt his leg. I finally got a clue and moved him into his pen (instead of in the bed with me) in the living room. He settled in fairly quickly and then slept from 6:30-7:30 this morning when the Captain got up. Looks like I will be sleeping in the living room for the next few nights. Hopefully he’ll get used to it and I’ll be comfortable enough with leaving him alone and can return to the bedroom.

Yes, I crocheted him a little cover for his splint today. It only took about 30 minutes to make. I didn’t crochet the end closed because it would make that tip too slippery on the wood floors. He uses it as kind of a crutch and it’s all ready slippery enough. It’s going to get awfully dirty in six weeks. This way I can remove the cover and wash it at least. It’s much softer than the tape that’s wrapped around it too. He’s been laying his head on it since I put it on about an hour ago. It may keep him from biting and chewing at that tape too.

For those of you who have mentioned it, amputation is a possibility if the bones don’t heal properly, and that’s most likely the route we’d take rather than putting him through surgery and plates and screws, rehab, etc. I just didn’t want to mention it before because it was such an awful thing to think about. We’re not going to even entertain that thought until we see how it goes the next few weeks.

This is a full-time job keeping an eye on him, holding him, and making sure he doesn’t move around too much when he’s in his pen. I’m not sure how it’s going to work when the Captain goes back to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on 12-hour shifts. I don’t know how I’m going to get his medicine down him without another person to hold him still. Maybe I’ll go next door and get my neighbor to help me twice a day. I’m pretty sure she’s home most days.

I’m going to make a little video of him hobbling around on his peg leg later today so y’all can see how pathetic he is. (Like you don’t know all ready!) He has to get down and walk to go potty. It’s gut-wrenching. GAH. Poor thing.

Ollie is Home

2012-01-24T16:39:00.001-06:00

Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments, thoughts, and prayers! You have no idea how much it meant to me to read all of your comments. Now all we can do is wait and see if the bones in his little leg will fuse back together. We go back on the 3rd of March for another x-ray and update. For now we just have to keep him isolated from the other dogs and as still and quiet as possible.

We went out and got this pen for him to be in when we’re not holding him so that the other dogs can’t get to him. He can walk between his bed and the potty pads. The vet said he can walk around some on that leg without any problems. He mostly just hops without using it anyway because it is so bulky and stiff. I’m sure we will be holding him a lot too!

He does not seem to be in any pain at all, but we do have pain medicine to give him twice a day. He is SO MUCH better than he was yesterday when I left him. Thank you again for your thoughts and comments!

Little Ollie

2012-01-23T18:36:00.001-06:00

I’m just sick, y’all. Ollie either fell or jumped off of my lap at about 5:00 this afternoon and broke his leg. Both of the bones in his leg broke through. He’s at the vet for tonight and most of tomorrow under sedation because he’s in a lot of pain. We should be able to go get him around 5:00 tomorrow.

The doc is going to try to splint his leg and re-x-ray it every two weeks or so to see if it is healing. He said with little dogs like Ollie, it’s not uncommon for these type of breaks in this location to not heal properly. Both broken ends just fuse shut instead of fusing back together. In that case, he can send us to a specialist who can insert a plate, blah, blah, blah.

He’s going to have to be isolated from the other dogs and kept in a small area or kennel for the next month or so while that leg is trying to heal. We’re just hoping for the best and not even thinking about “what if” just yet. Some of you might think it’s silly to ask this for a dog, but say a little prayer for Ollie tonight anyway.

Of course, I will keep you updated.

Yackity-Yack

2012-01-23T10:00:00.001-06:00

Sorry no pictures today! I really don’t like going to blogs and seeing a bunch of text and no pictures, but that’s what this entry is today. I lose interest in a bunch of yacking and no visual stimulation, don’t you? Bear with me or just skip this entry altogether.

I saw THIS POST this morning over at Coco Rose and instantly had a bad case of yarn envy. It looks so beautiful and soft! But no more yarn for me until I get rid of a bunch of what I’ve got, if for no other reason than I just have no more room!

But to be honest, I’ve really been burned out on crochet lately. I know! Blaspheme! I’m having a hard time getting excited about anything crochet lately. But this too shall pass, I’m sure of it. I’m going to blame it on January. January is just a boring, boring month. Sorry, January, but I’ll be glad to see you gone.

On the bright side of things, I have been eating well and walking regularly this past week. I know it’s just a week, but it’s a start and I’m feeling very motivated! I really never thought I’d have it in me again to get myself in order, lose a little weight, and just get healthier. But here I am doing it, and it’s not that hard. There comes a point where the physical suffering from not eating well and not moving one bit becomes harder than doing something about it. (I think the effects of that are worse the older you get.) So that’s where I am, and lo and behold, it feels good!

I hope not to bore you with it too much in the coming weeks. This is NOT going to become a weight-loss blog or anything like that. You’ll probably just notice a few more recipes (healthy ones for a change!), and maybe more outdoor pictures.

Obviously, with the 70+ degree weather around here lately, we are not going to have a winter in Texas this year. for those of you actually having a winter, I’m really enjoying seeing the snowy pictures on some of your blogs lately. Keep ‘em coming!

Enough yacking…I’m outta here!

Office Move/RR Update

2012-01-22T16:57:00.001-06:00

Updated picture of the round ripple. Six more rows and then a couple of border rows to go.

We spent all afternoon moving my office into a part of our living room, and I don’t like it! We are going to get rid of my office furniture and buy a new desk to replace this set-up very soon.

Why does my camera make all the lights in my pictures so bright? It does that with the fireplace too. I don’t know enough about cameras to know what adjustment I need to make so that it doesn’t do that.

Anyway, now my living room is crammed full of furniture and the front room where my office was is now empty. I’m not real sure what to do with that room now. It’s always been a dilemma because it’s kind of the same room as our dining room but not really. I know that makes no sense. You’d just have to see it. I’d take a picture to show you what I mean except it’s a mess in my dining room right now and I’m too pooped to clean it up now.

Bye

Me on Pinterest.com

2012-01-21T15:20:00.001-06:00

Credit: Found it on Pinterest…link HERE.

Fabulous Baked Chicken Fajitas

2012-01-20T13:27:00.001-06:00

This is a GREAT recipe! It was so easy too…

Before Baking

This is a one-dish meal. Just chop and throw everything together in your sprayed baking pan. Mix well with your hands, throw it in the oven, and 25 minutes later, you’ve got a healthy meal!

After Baking

We didn’t use cheese or sour cream or anything fatty on these and didn’t miss it at all. The Captain made some fresh pico de gallo to put on top after we wrapped them in our warm tortillas.

I only used two chicken breasts, about half of an onion, and 2/3 of a green pepper, and I substituted olive oil for the vegetable oil.

HERE is the recipe. I highly recommend it. No muss, no fuss, and it couldn’t have been better.

(Pico de gallo: Chopped fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapenos, cilantro, a little salt, and a squeeze of lime)

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I haven’t worked on my round ripple in several days. I need to get busy and finish the last 8 rows. I did go to Hobby Lobby and get two more skeins of turquoise to finish with. I’ll be finished soon!

If you haven’t been to the RR Flickr Group Page recently, there is a finished one posted, and there are several more in different colors in-progress.

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It’s 78 degrees here in sunny Texas!

Have a great weekend…

Had a Bad Day

2012-01-18T18:00:00.001-06:00

I woke up all weepy and feeling sorry for myself So I said to myself, “Self, pull up your bootstraps and get out of the house. You’ll feel better!”

Um, yeah. Not so much…

I ran into a @#$%^! cart return cage in the parking lot of Target and scraped down the ENTIRE side of our one month-old car!! GAH!!! The above picture was taken before I washed it off to see how bad it was.

This picture is just a portion of it after I washed off the dirt. (It rained recently that’s why it was so dirty. Really!) You can still see how gigantic the scrape is. It’s about 3 inches wide and 7+ feet down the side of the car across both doors.

I can’t believe I did something that damn dumb. Oh wait. Yes I can.

A Walk in the Park & the Globes

2012-01-16T12:36:00.001-06:00

We took all the dogs to the park by our house today. It was really windy and overcast, but it was nearly 70 degrees so it wasn’t bad.

Ollie stayed in his papoose and was totally content to be there.

Fletch, Sammi, and Eli were a little harder to handle.

But we managed and they had a great time.

Not sure what we’re doing the rest of the day. Maybe nothing. We’ll at least go get some dinner somewhere because I forgot to thaw out some hamburger for a casserole I was going to make. I was too distracted by the Golden Globes yesterday evening to think about dinner the next day.

Speaking of the Golden Globes, there were so many pretty dresses! But I have to disagree with what I’m hearing everyone on TV saying about how great Angelina Jolie looked, and she was best-dressed, stunning, etc. I did not like her dress at all! There were so many others that were prettier if you ask me. I’m not a fan anyway. She always gives the impression of talking down to people, and she definitely thinks she’s God’s gift to humanity and the only one on earth who feels sorrow and pain and horror at what’s happening in some Third World countries. It doesn’t occur to her that most of America does not have the privilege of traveling around the world at will to see it first hand, but we still “get it”. We also don’t have the money, individually, to make a huge difference like she does. Don’t get me wrong…her work is wonderful and generous and all that, but she needs to drop the attitude that nobody knows it or feels it like she does. Bleh. Whatever. Charlize Theron gets my vote for best-dressed, although there were several others I really loved. It’s always so much fun to watch the red carpet arrivals and see what everyone is wearing and their hair and makeup, etc. It did not disappoint.

Now bring on the Westminster Dog Show in February and then the Oscars in March!

A Star, Ball(s) and Q&A

2012-01-15T11:57:00.001-06:00

Free Star Graph HERE.

I forgot to tell you…we took the dogs to the vet this past week for their flu shot boosters. I knew it was about time to schedule Ollie for his neutering and microchipping, but I had noticed that his little testicles had not dropped yet and I wasn’t sure he could have it done before then. When I asked about it, the doc flipped him over and said, “You’re right! He doesn’t have any! And then he felt around a little farther up his abdomen and found one and pulled it down with his finger and said, “There’s one!”

What the hell? I had no idea you could do that!

And then he said, “He’s a unilateral cryptorchid.”

“He’s a WHAT?!”

“A unilateral cryptorchid…he only has one descended testicle. The other one will never drop.”

“Oh. So do I even need to get him fixed then? Is he sterile?

“No, he’s not sterile since he has one that has dropped. The other one is there, but it will never drop. You don’t want to ever breed him because it is genetic, AND you do need to still get him fixed and have the other one removed from his belly because a high percentage of them become cancerous.”

“Aww…no! My little Ollie!”

“Now don’t panic. We just need to get that other one out and he’ll most likely be fine.”

So there you have it. My little Ollie only has one visible ball. Bless his sweet little heart.

If you are interested and are in the dark like I was, I found this on the Internet about dogs with different testicle disorders:

“If a dog has only one testicle, he is monorchid. If he has one undescended testicle, he is cryptorchid (unilateral); two undescended and he is cryptorchid (bilateral). Popular but incorrect usage calls the dog with one undescended testicle monorchid and two undescended cryptorchid. Granted, you may not be able to tell whether a dog is monorchid or has unlateral cryporchidsm without exploratory surgery. Undescended testicles often become cancerous and should be removed. Furthermore, such dogs should not be bred since the condition is hereditary.”

I had no idea! And I had two sons too! Apparently human males can have the same condition. Jeez. Have I been living in the dark or what? Did everybody else know about this?

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I haven’t done a Q&A in a long time so here ya go…

1. Is the bakeware I see in your photos Rachel Ray? Yes! I bought several pieces recently. (And blogged about it, skimmers! Hee-hee.) However, I am NOT a fan of Rachel Ray in general. She gets on my nerves with her yammering on and on and on and on and on and…well, you get the idea.

2. Is the homemade laundry soap safe to use in high-efficiency front-load washers? I don’t know, but if you follow the link I provided in that post and read the comments at the end of the post on her blog, someone asks that question. I don’t know if she answered or not because I didn’t read all of the comments. There are over 200 of them!)

3. Is it okay to join the Round Ripple CAL group on Flickr and just be a lurker? Absolutely, yes! And you don’t have to use the featured pattern either if you are making one. I posted a different free pattern for a round ripple on that page that is an easier pattern to follow (in my opinion) that you can make and post on the group page.

4. What kind of dog is Ollie? Were both of his parents white? Ollie is a Chihuahua. I did not see his parents, but the breeder told me one was white and the other was buff or fawn colored.

5. I love Cheez Its! Okay, so nobody asked me about this, but it’s true! I have to force myself to not buy them every single time I go to the store. I only buy them once in a while. They are so good. Cheez-Its and a Dr. Pepper on ice = heaven. (The Dr. Pepper on ice, not the Cheez-Its! Ha.) I have to be careful with all crackers in general because they are one of my favorite things to snack on. Give me a cracker over a cookie almost anytime!

6. Spaghetti is my favorite food. (Nobody asked this either, but I’m telling you anyway.) Besides spaghetti, I love ALL Mexican food and crave it. I could live on spaghetti, Mexican food, and Cheez-Its! Eat carbs much, Pammy Sue? Heh-heh. I have no idea why my ass is getting bigger by the day, do you? (That is what you call a rhetorical question. If you answer that, I will hate you forever.)

I must be hungry because I have food on the brain. I’d better go eat something.

Rugs, Hummus, and Lots of Dog Pics

2012-01-14T12:13:00.001-06:00

I saw some of the coolest rugs while out shopping yesterday. These are big rugs…5’ x 7’ or larger.

Pretty medallions.

A lot of these reminded me of crocheted afghans.

Looks like Granny Ripples!

Furry and soft.

Pretty, eh?

But not $249 pretty!

I also saw these owl mugs.

I saw A LOT of owlie things.

Owls are in, man. They are IT.

I bought nothing.

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But later back at the ranch…

I made some hummus.

I’ve been in a tizzy to make some hummus the past few days. I had a heck of a time getting the ingredients together. First, I bought everything I needed, but I forgot the GARBANZO beans. They’re only the main ingredient. DUH. So back to the store I went for some canned garbanzos. In my defense, I thought I had some, but I was mistaken. THEN I realized that I had forgotten the tahini (sesame paste), which is also another main ingredient in hummus. I just plain forgot that one. So back to the store I went AGAIN.

I was so excited to finally make it and was really craving that hummus at this point. I bought these Everything Bagel Thins to heat up and eat with it. You’re supposed to eat it with flatbread, but I thought these would be better. I was right. They were delish with it! Yum, yum, yum.

Just as I got up from pigging out on some hummus and warm bagel thins, I realized that, in my haste and excitement, I HAD FORGOTTEN TO PUT THE TAHINI IN IT! GAH. I thought it was great without it! The real pisser was that I had all ready cleaned my food processor. SO…I put it all back in the clean food processor, added the tahini, and whirred it all up again. I was full so I didn’t taste it with the tahini added in. I’ll be having it today for lunch.

Here is how I made mine if you’d like to try it. I had looked at many recipe for it on the All Recipes Website the day before. After the basic ingredients of garbanzo beans, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil, it looked to me like you just add whatever you like according to your preference. I decided to just use a good amount of garlic and a handful of fresh cilantro. Here you go…

Pammy Sue’s Hummus:

2 cans of garbanzo beans, rinsed & drained

1/3 cup tahini

4 large cloves of garlic

3/4 tsp salt

Freshly-ground black pepper

Juice of half a lemon

1 big handful of cilantro leaves

About 1/3 cup olive oil

2-3 Tbsp water

In a food processor or blender, whir up all ingredients except the olive oil and water until a paste forms. Stop and scrape the sides and start whirring again. Drizzle in the olive oil and add water until it reaches the consistency you like. Serve with warm Bagel Thins. I heated my bagel up in the microwave for 20 seconds and tore pieces off to dip into the hummus. The Captain had a toasted bagel with his. It’s also good with tortilla chips. Use whatever you want! It’s healthy and delicious. And apparently it’s delicious without the tahini if you don’t want to buy any. Tahini is kind of expensive. I paid $7+ for a can. I’ll probably be able to make it at least 3-4 more times from this one can though. I had always seen it in a jar before, but all they had was canned at this store. (You can usually find it by the peanut butter at the grocery store if they carry it. Otherwise, a health food store like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s will have it.)

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I’m bored outta my mind all ready today. The Captain is working. I have no idea what I’m going to do.

And finally, some shots of my doggies. This first one I took to show you the spots on Ollie’s back. They have darkened the older he’s gotten. Now they are nearly as dark as Eli’s spots and are a butterscotch color.

The angle this picture was taken at makes Ollie look really big! Y’all know he’s not that big though. He looks nearly as big as Eli in this picture. You can see that the backs of his ears are the same color. He has no spots on his under-side.

What‘cha doin’?

Sammi is also bored, but content.

She’s always content. And shiny!

Fletcher wants to go outside.

He loves it out there in the sun.

Eli hoarding toys.

All of my iPhone pictures have a yellow cast to them in artificial light.

This was Ollie on Christmas morning in his Dallas Cowboys tee-shirt.

Fletch enjoying a new toy on Christmas morning.

Love that butt in the air.

What the hell are you wearing?

Eli collected ALL of the toys and wouldn’t let any of the other dogs have any. What an ass! How can he be that pretty and be such an asshole? I don’t know either, but he definitely is.

Sammi would rather sit on my lap than play with toys anyway.

Friday Follow-Ups

2012-01-13T10:15:00.001-06:00

I made some more progress on my Round Ripple last night. It’s bigger than it looks in this picture. It measures approx. 40 inches tip to tip. I may make it a little bigger and add more rounds than the pattern calls for. The pattern says the finished afghan will be about 52 inches across. I want mine bigger than that. OR…

I may just end it at 52 inches and start a new one! And now that I think about it, I think that’s exactly what I’ll do. I may even give one of them away to a Follower. Stay tuned! As you may have noticed, I love having giveaways on my blog.

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The Café Rio Shredded Beef turned out great! The beef was so juicy and not dry at all. The last roast I made in my crockpot was really dry. (I threw that recipe away and didn’t share it with you. It was one from the Food Network.) This one, however, is a keeper. I will definitely make it again. We had the shredded beef tacos made with it.

These soft tacos were so good!

(Recipe in yesterday’s entry)

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I’m going to leave the house and do some leisurely shopping today while my housekeeper is here cleaning. I usually just hide in my room with the dogs after she finishes cleaning in there, but I don’t feel like being cooped-up today. I’m going to get out and do a little window shopping, mostly for a little exercise and fresh air. I really have to get out of this house more! I’m such a hermit.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Love you!

Science Projects, Roast, and Cake

2012-01-12T10:06:00.001-06:00

It’s Science, y’all…

Those of you who are on Pinterest and follow probably know from looking at this picture what I am about to do. I’m making home-made laundry detergent! Two gallons of it for about $6. Is that a deal or what? The only ingredient not shown is 2 gal of water. Supposedly it gets your clothes just as clean as the expensive store-bought kind. I will let you know how it works once I start using it. That probably won’t be for another month or so since we have a new jug from the store we just opened. You have to cook it. The full instructions with pictures are HERE.

Also found on Pinterest recently was a recipe for a magical solution for cleaning your glass shower doors. Heat up your vinegar, add an equal amount of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid to it, and funnel it into a spray bottle. It’s supposed to work great on your shower and faucets and anything else you get water spot stains on. I’ve misplaced the link and credit for this one. Sorry! But it’s just equal parts of each with the vinegar heated up first.

I hope I don’t blow up my kitchen today with all these weird concoctions. Yikes.

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On to more normal things…

Ingredients for Café Rio Shredded Beef

This recipe is in my crockpot as of about 30 minutes ago. I can’t wait to try these tacos. It sounds so good. Recipe is HERE, but it’s kind of messed up so I retyped it with corrections below. Note: I’m using beef broth instead of chicken because using chicken broth in a beef recipe is just weird to me. I also used olive oil instead of bacon grease.

Next!

Yes, I know this cake looks rather plain, but it’s really good. It’s not frosted on the sides because I didn’t have enough powdered sugar to make enough to cover it. It looks kind of pretty anyway. I’ve read that it’s very “French” to frost a cake this way. So I’ll call it French and stop apologizing.

It’s just a yellow cake mix made according to the directions on the box. About 1/2 can of Lemon Pie Filling is between the layers. I used two 9-inch round cake pans.

Cream cheese frosting for just the top: 4 oz cream cheese and 1/2 stick of butter creamed together with your electric mixer. Gradually add about 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, and a little milk to get the consistency you want. Double these ingredients if you want to cover your whole cake.

Refrigerate for a few hours before serving.

So good with your Three O’Clock Afternoon Coffee. That is my family’s traditional afternoon coffee and sweet time.

I sure have been cooking and baking up a storm lately. It’s a tribute to how much better I’m feeling these days from the HRT I started about three weeks ago. I have noticed that I have so much more energy and desire to do things.

Bye!

Another Video From Me!

2012-01-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

I could not upload my video from YouTube this time. For some reason, I had to create another account to upload a video and then it wasn't showing up when I tried to upload it directly from there like I did last time. Also, this one-minute video was like 66 meg...a really huge file. I have to figure out how to make my files smaller. I know there's a way. Anyway, I'll dig around and figure it all out soon. In the meantime, here's another silly video from me.

I did this one in ONE TAKE this time!

Crochet Ta-Dah & WIPs

2012-01-09T18:21:00.001-06:00

I made another little sweater vest with the Star-Shaped Baby Vest pattern over the last two days. This one is made with Bernat Baby Jacquards yarn and an F hook. I’m using wooden buttons on this one and a plain border.

This is a fun pattern. I enjoyed making it both times.

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Here are my top-three unfinished projects that I WILL finish this year…

Remember these??

Rainbow Granny Ripple

Blue Granny

Pink & Green Granny

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Now…what’s for supper tonight?

It’s leftover Chicken Taco Soup for us. It sounds really good after the cold and rainy day we’ve had.

Old Round Ripples

2012-01-08T17:30:00.001-06:00

I wanted to show y’all a couple of old round ripples I made back in early 2009. I’m hoping to inspire some of you who may not be too keen on round ripples. I made these two as gifts.

The free pattern is HERE. It is a baby blanket, but I just kept going and made both of mine about 72” across. They were both made with Red Heart SS yarn.

There are well over 900 of these that others have made with this same pattern on Ravelry HERE. You could look all day at all the different colors and color patterns! I love doing that.

Pancake-Sausage Griddlers

2012-01-08T10:48:00.001-06:00

Yesterday morning I made 18 little pancakes, cooled them, and stored them in sandwich baggies in the fridge.

This morning I made 9 sausage patties from a 1-lb roll of breakfast sausage and put them all together to make little griddler sandwiches.

I got nine of these sandwiches for approximately $4. When I bought them ready-made at the grocery store, it was $4.98 for four. I used 1 lb of sausage ($2.98), and about half of a small box of pancake mix that only calls for water to mix with (1.98) for the whole box. I still have enough left in that box for at least one more batch of 18.

Next time I will double the batch. They’ll last at least a week in the fridge (or you could freeze and thaw some out in the fridge overnight as needed), and the Captain will eat at least two, and me one, for breakfast.

AND they are so freakin’ good! Three sammies for 35 seconds in the microwave on a paper plate, and you’ve got breakfast for two. I like putting grape jelly on mine. Nom-nom-nom.

I’m not normally the thrifty type, but I should be, and I am very proud of myself this morning. Plus, they were fun if you like to mess around in the kitchen. It made it easier for me that I did the pancakes one day ahead and just had to fry up the sausage patties and put them together the next day.

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Randomness

1. I gave up milk about three weeks ago. Not milk completely, but drinking big glasses of milk twice a day. The Captain gave it up years ago when we swore off it and never went back, but I caved and had been drinking it again. I love milk! I’m going to see if makes a difference in my weight at all. Plus, it’s just healthier without it, I suppose. I miss my cow juice though. WAH.

2. Where is Old Man Winter? He seems to be missing in a lot of places around the country so far.

3. I heard my doily pattern is on AllFreeCrochet.com. I went to see for myself, and sure enough, there it was. My teapot cozy pattern is on there too. So who wants an autographed photo? hee-hee.

4. It’s Award Show Season…mark your calendars: Golden Globes are next Sunday night, and the Oscars are Feb. 26th.

5. Also for your calendar: Westminster Dog Show is Feb 13 and 14th…3 hours each night on the USA Channel.

6. The last two days my back/leg/hip pain has been better. FINALLY! Thank goodness. Still ZERO hot flashes. Yipee! I’m so happy about that too.

7. Get your asses over to the RR Flickr Group page and post some pictures, DAMMIT! I mean it! Pretty please? Post a picture of your dog or cat or something…I don’t care! Just post SOMETHING. Man, is it sad or what that I have to beg for friends? And YES, I’m going to post that link every day and be really annoying about it. So there.

8. About the RR pattern, I have rewritten the first three rows of the pattern in my own words and used a magic circle to begin instead of what is written. Several of you have had problems with it so I’m going to post this over on the group page along with any other tips I have.

That is all. Goodbye.

Making Life Easier

2012-01-07T11:35:00.001-06:00

I just had to post these. Some of them are so great!

Fabulous Tips for Making Life Easier: HERE

I’m Cool Now

2012-01-07T10:33:00.001-06:00

Progress with third color added. The Captain suggested I add a fourth tan-ish color. I don’t know about that. We’ll see.

Have any of you started yours yet? How about adding a pic or two over on the RR Flickr Group page? Maybe some yarn pics too? I feel like I’m talking to myself over there. I’ve started two threads in the Discussion section.

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I love this Tetrazzini Tuna Helper!

This is the only one I buy.

It’s great with parmesan on top. I like to add a can of peas and/or pimentos sometimes to it sometimes. Last night I had it with just the parmesan and a little parsley sprinkled on top to make the picture prettier. I had corn and beets on the side. I’m trying to add more veggies to my life. Wish I had some salad fixins, but I still haven’t gone to the store.

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I did get this yesterday…

Yes, I’m finally hip and cool. Hee-hee. I’m going to upgrade my Beta VCR soon too. (Just kidding!) I was eligible for an upgrade on my Blackberry so I replaced it with an iPhone yesterday. I got the white one and got this Aqua Otter cover for it. It will take me a month to figure it all out. Ha-ha.

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It was in the mid 70s yesterday for a high temp. Can you believe that? So warm for January. Today it’s about 10 degrees cooler and will be dropping this afternoon. Still won’t be too cold, but at least it will be cooler…in the 40s I believe.

I’m off to read some technobabble about my iPhone. Wish me luck comprehending it. I should be sexting in no time. LOL. (Again, just kidding!)

Have a GREAT Weekend, Friends!

BBQ Chicken Thighs

2012-01-06T10:40:00.001-06:00

The Captain’s Dinner Plate

(And the ever-present dog fee)

I made the best BBQ chicken thighs last night for dinner so I thought I’d share the recipe and method with y’all. (You know, because I love you and all.) I found the BBQ sauce recipe on the Life as a Lofthouse Blog the other day. It’s so delicious!

First, make your BBQ sauce. You’ll need to reserve plenty of time for this or make it a day or two ahead so it’s ready for your chicken:

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Yields 3 1/2 cups

2 cups Ketchup

1 cup Water

1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar

5 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

5 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 Tablespoon fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Tablespoon Onion Powder

1/2 Tablespoon Ground Mustard

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

DIRECTIONS FOR SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Cook, uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, stirring often.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash your boneless, skinless chicken thighs and pat dry. Coat them with olive oil (just rub it all over them with your hands), and then salt and pepper to taste. Heat your grill pan to high heat. Place your chicken pieces on the grill pan and do not move them. You’re not cooking your chicken at this point. You’re just getting those great grill marks. Once you’ve got good grill marks on the bottoms, turn the pieces over and do the same for the other side. Once you have grill marks on both sides, place your grill pan in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the tops of your chicken with a generous amount of the BBQ sauce. Reset your oven to Broil on the high setting. Put the chicken back in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so the sauce does not burn. You just want it to start to bubble and caramelize. Take it out of the oven, turn the chicken over and brush the other side, return it to the broiler and caramelize this side too. Remove from oven and serve.

This was the best BBQ chicken I’ve ever had that wasn’t done on an outside grill. It was fall-apart tender, and the sauce was to die for. We had ours with mashed potatoes, jalapeno black-eyed peas (canned), and some buttered toast. We really needed a salad, but I didn’t have any salad fixins so we just did without last night.

You can use your leftover chicken for the BBQ Chicken Salad that is in the link to the Life as a Lofthouse blog above. I’m beginning to love that blog. The recipes I’ve tried are great, and Holly is so pretty. Do you think we will be as pretty as her if we all eat her recipes? Hee-hee. Yes, I’m sure of it.

Have a great Friday!

16-Spoke Doily Repost

2012-01-06T10:12:00.001-06:00

I’m reposting this pattern from August 10, 2010. This includes the corrections found by a couple of readers who have used this pattern and made suggestions. However, please keep in mind that, as with every pattern, if you use a different size hook and/or yarn, or if you just crochet looser or tighter than I do, you may need to make adjustments if your work starts to ruffle or curl where it’s not supposed to. You also need to block it when you’re finished to get the desired effect. I wrote this pattern after seeing a similar doily on Flickr that did not include a pattern. I have made the same corrections to the post back on August 10, 2010.

I used white cotton worsted yarn (Color A) and peach baby-weight yarn (Color B). Mine came out to 16 inches across using these yarns. I’d recommend using all baby-weight or all thread as it was kind of weird using two yarns of different weights.

Size E crochet hook or appropriate size for yarn or thread
Dtr = yo three times, insert hook into sp indicated, yo and pull up a loop (5 loops on hook), (yo, pull through 2 loops) four times.

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With Color A:
Start with a magic circle (or you can Ch 6 and join with a sl st to form a ring)
Round 1: Ch 3, 15 dc in ring (total of 16 dc); join with a sl st.
Round 2: Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc in each dc around (total of 32 dc); join with a sl st.
Round 3: Ch 5, (skip next dc, dc in next dc, ch 2) around; join with a sl st to third ch of beginning ch-5.
Round 4: Ch 5, dc in same st, (skip a space, dc in next stitch, ch 2, dc in same stitch) around; join with a sl st to third ch of beginning ch-5. Fasten off.
Round 5: Join Color B with a sl st into any ch-2 space from previous round. Ch 3, make 2 dc in same space (first “spoke” made), ch 2, (3 dc in next ch-2 space from previous round, ch 2) around; join with a sl st to top of first ch-3. (16 spokes made)
Round 6: Ch 3, 1 dc in next dc, 2 dc in next, ch 2, (dc in next 2dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 2) around; join with a sl st to top of first ch-3.
Round 7: Ch 3, dc in next 3 dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 2, (dc in each of next three dc, 2 dc in next dc, ch 2) around; join with a sl st top top of first ch-3).
Round 8-11: Continue in same manner, adding one dc to each “spoke” and always ending the spoke with 2 dc in last dc. Fasten off.
Round 12: Join Color A with a sl st to any beginning dc of a spoke. Ch 3, dc in each of next 4 dc, ch 3, dc in each of next 4 dc, 2 dc in last dc, ch 1, (dc in each of next 4 dc, ch 3, dc in each of next 3 dc, 2 dc in last dc, ch 1) around; join with a sl st to top of beginning ch-3. Fasten off.
Round 13: Join Color B with a sl st to any ch-1 sp, ch 1, sc in same sp, ch 1, [(dtr in ch-3 sp of previous round, ch 1) 7 times, sc in ch-1 sp] around, ending with a sl st in first sc. Fasten off.
Round 14: Join Color A with an sc to any ch-1 sp, ch 3, (sc in next ch-1 sp, ch 3) around, ending with sl st in first sc. Fasten off.

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All Ollie All the Time

2012-01-05T12:56:00.001-06:00

For Ollie Lovers…

I want a new camera so bad. I mean a GOOD camera. No, a GREAT camera! Like stupid-expensive great. And why not? I use my camera every single day of my life! Right? I shall make my case to The Captain. Any opinions, suggestions, etc., about camera options are appreciated. I know nothing about them. Ignorance is bliss…until you see others with GREAT cameras and their luscious, crisp, clear, color-perfect pictures.

Okay, that’s it for today…just a little Ollie love and camera lust.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

2012-01-04T14:23:00.001-06:00

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Recipe HERE

I made this coffee cake earlier today and just had a piece. It’s so good! It has a very light texture. Love it. Thanks, Lea!

A couple of notes: The butter measurement is 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup). I only used half of the almond extract because I was afraid it would be too strong, but I can’t taste it at all. I’ll use the full teaspoon next time. I also sprinkled some regular-size chocolate chips on top of the crumb mixture before baking.

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I’ve been busy doing domestic duties today…mostly laundry.

B-o-r-i-n-g!

We have eight members in the RR Flickr Group now, including Julee Reeves, the author of the pattern.

Yea!

Bye.

Yummy Soup Recipe

2012-01-03T21:07:00.001-06:00

I just had to post again and share this recipe I made today…

Chicken Taco Soup

It was delicious!

Recipe HERE

It is a little salty so you might want to use lower sodium taco seasoning mix. It’s still really good though even with full salt. I know some of you like to be healthy though. It was very easy. I chopped my onions and green pepper the night before, so all I had to do this morning was dump everything in the crock pot and turn it on. I cooked mine about 7 hours on low before removing the chicken, shredding it, and then adding the cream cheese and sour cream. I used the 1/3 lower fat cream cheese but full fat sour cream. I only used three big chicken breasts (about 1.25 lbs) because that’s what I had, and it’s plenty.

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Here’s what little progress I made today on my RR:

Y’all come join the flickr group even if you’re not participating so you can see everyone’s yarn and colors…and so I don’t look like a total LOSER with no friends! Ha-ha. But seriously…come join. Really. Do it.

Round Ripple Crochet-Along Group

2012-01-03T14:50:00.001-06:00

Photo taken from Ravelry.com

The Flickr group page has been started! Find it HERE.

Feel free to post your yarn pictures once you’ve chosen your colors, and please keep us all posted with your progress pictures! I have notified the pattern author, Julee Reeves, of this crochet-along and group on Flickr, but I haven’t heard back from her yet. Pass the word on your blogs if you have one.

Thank you for joining us…the more the merrier!

Crochet Along?

2012-01-03T10:48:00.001-06:00

Here is my progress with the Round Ripple with the Terra Cotta color added in. I’m following the stripe pattern from the magazine, but I’m using different colors. I’m pretty sure I’m going to use Peacock for the third color. It’s a darker, brighter teal color than the Turquoise I started with. The main color is the Turquoise.

I realize I should have planned this out a little better, but if anyone would like to make this along with me, I’d love that. I could make us a Flickr page if enough people want to join me. The author, Julie Reeves, is always around Crochetville and Ravelry. I bet she’d be thrilled to know a group of us are enjoying her pattern. I’ll contact her and let her know if I get enough participants to get a group started. In fact, I may go ahead and start a group so people from Flickr who don’t follow my blog can join us too if they want.

Again, the pattern can be found in the December issue of Crochet World on Page 6. Here is what the cover looks like:

I know I’m a little bit ahead of everyone else, but I don’t plan to rush through this. I’m going to take my time. So y’all join me, okay? Okay! I think it’ll be fun to see everyone’s color choices and color patterns.

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I had a request for another Ollie picture so here he is with Sammi. Can you believe how big he’s getting? His legs are so long and skinny! He’s such a doll when he looks at me with those big black eyes.

The Captain says he looks like a little white deer and he’s right!

He melts my heart like butter.

First 2012 Project

2012-01-02T15:50:00.001-06:00

From the Dec. 2011 Issue of Crochet World

I haven’t made a round ripple in a long time.

I worked on this yesterday and last night and got a good start. At least one of the other colors is going to be a rust color...specifically ILTY in Terra Cotta I’m not sure about the third color yet. I’m still pondering. This is ILTY in Turquoise. I’m into aquas, teals, and turquoises at the moment. I have a couple of skeins of Peacock that I may go with. It’s a dark and brighter color of turquoise.

Nothing else is new.

See ya.

New Vest for Harper

2012-01-01T13:27:00.001-06:00

Harper’s Vest Front

Back

I screwed up this vest from the very beginning of the pattern, but I didn’t realize it until it was half-way done. The pattern clearly states that you start with 14 panels, but I only had 10. I don’t know why because I started with one of the suggested chain counts. So I made a few adjustments and managed to salvage it. I refused to frog it and start over. The pattern is not easy to follow. It’s definitely for a more advanced crocheter, or at least a crocheter who pays very close attention, which we all know is not me. I’m too easily distracted. You have to know how to crochet using a graph only. The language used is kind of strange and hard to understand because the writer obviously does not use English as a first language. All in all, though, it is not bad if you know what you’re doing.

Anyway, I love the way it turned out even with the screw-up.

Here are the details:

Free Pattern: Knits4Kids.com (Requires Registration)

Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK (from Deramores.com)

Colors: Magenta & Clematis

Hook: Size F

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Obviously, from my completely bitchy post yesterday, I am not feeling very well. It’s starting to get to me. Looks like I may be going to the back doctor later this week for ANOTHER MRI. I’m going broke from all these MRIs, even with insurance. That makes me feel really pissy too. That’s my yarn money flying out the window! I’ve been forcing myself to walk every other day, but it doesn’t seem to be working at all. I’m not better.

So just WAH.

WHATEVER

I’m just a huge bummer and will try not to post if all I’m going to do is bitch and be negative. That means expect very little posting from me (except maybe superficial stuff like recipes or crochet pictures) until things get better and/or I get a new attitude.

I guarantee you one thing…

I WILL be back.

Love,

Pammy Sue

P.S. I have added several new blogs to my sidebar list. Hopefully, I’ve picked some that update often. So have a look over there. Most of them are not crochet-based but are beautifully done and I’ve enjoyed reading them. I think I’ve added 4-5 in the last couple of days. Those of you who don’t update very often are about to be booted. That doesn’t mean I don’t love you and will still read you…you just won’t be over there on my sidebar. Those are the ones I go through on a daily basis, or at least I try. They are automatically ordered by Blogger by the most recently updated.

Year in Review…NOT

2011-12-31T17:26:00.001-06:00

If I see one more “year in review” post, I’m going to vomit. Please stop. (If that’s you, I apologize, but JEEZ!)

Do we have one original thought out there today?

Gah. Somebody is a grouch.

AND…if I see one more extra-long, melodramatic commercial for Unicef or ASPCA, I’m going to puke again. I’m all for charity and such, but their tactics just piss me off. I don’t need somebody ramming that up my butt three times ever hour on every single channel out there. I will find someone else to give my money to just because of it.

Jeez, could I be anymore annoyed right now? NO!

I just had to get those two things off my chest. Comments are closed for this post.

Goodbye. See you in 2012.

Happy New Year!

I mean it.

Last Day of 2011

2011-12-31T09:58:00.001-06:00

I’m crocheting a little this morning while I have my coffee. I’ve started drinking a cup of instant every morning. Ever since I got sick back in November, I cannot stand the taste of my regular coffee. I can’t even drink it from Starbucks. It’s just gross. But this instant hits the spot, and I only have one cup. I don’t even drink my iced coffee anymore, and I used to have 2-3 very large glasses a day. Things change. I wish I’d lose my taste for sugar as well, but I just don’t see that happening. Ha.

I had one of these for breakfast. My daddy told me about these last week so I had to try them. They are REALLY good! Figures that they’d have 22g of fat though. Ugh. I guess I could try making some myself with turkey sausage and freezing them. We’ll see how ambitious I am.

I really must do some work this afternoon. I know it’s a holiday weekend, but I’ve put this off for two weeks and need to have it done by Monday. I don’t wanna! Boo! Hiss!

I’m still down in my back. It’s no better. I spend most of my time laying flat with my knees up. Sucks to be old.

It’s Not Love

2011-12-30T10:06:00.001-06:00

But maybe a one-night stand.

Since I’m not really in love with it, I decided not to do an elaborate border. Afterall, you can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. Ha-ha-ha. I shouldn’t say that. She’s not hideous, but more of the homemade soap variety.

I did enjoy making this blanket. It’s a combo of cotton yarns and acrylic yarns…just what I had in my stash. The white border is a round of sc, then *(sc, ch 3, 3 dc) in same stitch, skip 2 st, repeat from *. It’ll make a good car blanket, and that’s exactly where it’s going.

Lunch at Heritage Ranch

2011-12-29T08:56:00.001-06:00

We met my parents for lunch at the Heritage Ranch Clubhouse in the community where they live yesterday. It’s about 3 miles from our house…

They live in an “Active Seniors Community”

This is part of the front gates as you enter.

It’s a gated community with 24-hour security guards at the entrance.

It was a beautiful day today and the golfers were out in force.

This is the lobby of the clubhouse.

My mom & dad as they arrived.

They still had all of their Christmas decor out.

It’s a really nice place.

And it’s nice to have my parents close and know they are in a secure place.

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Me? I’m still hobbling around and popping pain pills. I had some left from the neck problems last month. I hope they last until this resolves itself. I only take one a day because they make me really nauseous, so I wait until I can’t stand it another minute, eat something, and take one. Kat asked in my comments if I thought cleaning the porch the other day might have been how I injured my back. I can’t believe I didn’t remember that! I’m sure that’s exactly what it was because it started the very next day and that porch furniture is heavy. Well, DUH, Pam! That’ll teach me to clean!

Still working on that border and trying to decide exactly what I’m going to do for sure. I’m on my last round of black sc stitches before I have to decide.

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Susie, your package was mailed yesterday!

I’m so excited that my depression glass will be living in the UK now.

**Insert long rant about how the U.S. Postal Service sucks**

I’ll spare you the actual rant.

But it’s no wonder they’re having money troubles.

They deserve it!

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It was dinnertime when I snapped this picture.

They were impatiently waiting.

Did you know dogs can tell time?

They can!

And very accurately, I might add.

They know exactly when it’s time to eat.

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We’re dealing with computer/modem problems.

The Captain has gone to buy a new modem.

Wish us luck.

I’m a Cripple

2011-12-26T17:43:00.001-06:00

Well…

I’ve been hobbling around like a 90-year-old today when I’m up, but most of the day has been spent flat on my back with my knees up on pillows.

*SIGH*

I really hate complaining here, but it is what it is. That’s what’s happening so that’s what I write. I’ll spare you the whiney details, but it’s really nothing new with my lower back and left leg/hip, just more severe than it has been in a long time. I had surgery back in 2002, and I’ve been lucky not to have any major problems since. I’m hoping it’s just aggravated and inflamed and will calm down soon…kind of like my neck did a few weeks ago. Why is it ALWAYS something?

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My Giveaway winner has contacted me with her address. Congratulations again to Susie, and thank you all for playing, reading, and commenting.

I had hoped to get all my Christmas decorations put up today. I don’t have that much stuff out so it shouldn’t take long once I can actually get up and do it. Another Christmas come and gone all ready.

Teresa, my husband took that picture in my last post. I called him in to the living room to take it because I thought it would make a neat picture. He likes to take pictures and help me with my blog when I ask.

For those who asked, here is the link for the Jello Salad recipe and instructions I used again: 12-Layer Jello

Ramen noodle soup with garlic, cilantro, and lime for my dinner tonight. The Captain is working until well after dinnertime so no cooking for me.

The weather is supposed to be warming up each day this week until we reach of high of 68 degrees on Friday. I should have a few days of good bicycle-riding weather if I’m able, and I’m looking forward to that.

That’s it from me today. Y’all have a good evening.

Christmas Night Crochet

2011-12-25T20:39:00.001-06:00

I’ve just been sitting here crocheting most of the day.

A perfect Christmas Day in my book.

Well, unless there had been some snow.

THEN it would have been perfect.

But I’ll take this one.

Starting the border on my blanket tomorrow.

Nightie-Night

WinnerWinnerWinner

2011-12-25T12:17:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to:

*SUSIE LITTLE*

Susie’s Profile & Blogs: HERE

You Win!

I’ve emailed your notification

And left a comment on your blog.

Please respond within 72 hours or a new name will be drawn.

I’ll get your loot in the mail mid-week if I get your address.

Thanks to everyone for playing and reading.

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Here is a picture of my 12-Layer Jello Salad.

It turned out great.

The Captain and I wish you all a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Winter Clean-Up

2011-12-23T11:56:00.001-06:00

I’ve got ten rows left…at least that’s the plan. I’ve decided this one is going in the car. You never know when you’ll need a blanket in the car. I’m hoping to finish it up over this long weekend.

I made four of these smaller Jello parfaits yesterday.

I haven’t unmolded the Bundt pan yet.

You can see that tomorrow.

By the way, these were YUMMY.

I was out of sour cream after making the BIG salad.

So I used Yogurt in these. It worked great.

I spent part of yesterday cleaning off the back porch. The leaves had piled up after blowing off all of our neighbors’ trees, and it needed a good sweeping and general clean-up. It was a beautiful day yesterday with lots of sunshine. I also cleaned out some stuff from the garage. I seem to be getting more done these days. HRT? Hmm…

As you see, I had plenty of company.

I left the back door open most of the day and the dogs ran in and out as they pleased. They love that.

Ahh…

So much better.

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Gotta run.

Take it easy. Remember…

Keep it as stress-free as possible.

Enjoy your families.

Bead Curtains

2011-12-22T10:00:00.001-06:00

OMG…

Could she be any cuter?

I think not.

Hee-Hee.

Her Peepers (me) is so proud.

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Okay, so I’m making the 12-Layer Jello Salad today. First layer is in the fridge.

Yesterday did not go as planned and I wasn’t home all day. I did put a pork roast in the crock pot at about noon. HERE is the recipe I used. The shredded pork is to die for, however, because I left it cooking too long (about 7.5 hours on low), the sauce scorched a little and it ruined the taste of the sauce. That is going in the garbage and a bottle of BBQ sauce from the pantry is being used. Darn it. But I will definitely use this recipe again when I can be home to monitor what’s happening in the crock and prevent it from burning. In my opinion, it needs a little water added to the recipe so it’s not so thick. Anyway, the pork is great and will provide several lunches and dinners for The Captain and me over the holiday weekend.

I don’t know how well you can see these beads I hung in the doorway to our bedroom, but I think I like them. I used to have a drape hanging from a decorative rod and swooped to one side. I got sick of that (and it never did look exactly like it was supposed to anyway), and I decided to try some beads. They look nice and neat…and a little bohemian but not too much.

Here’s what it looks like from inside the bedroom.

Our bedroom door leads right out into the living room so I like some kind of privacy there instead of it being wide open all the time. You can still shut the door since they are hung on the outside of the doorway.

I need to paint the door frame and door a darker color still. The white is really too much of a contrast with the woodiness of the floors and beads. Agreed? I’ll tackle that after the first of the year if I decide to keep them. I wish I could get a better picture of how they look, but I tried and failed. That last picture is really crappy. And the wall colors in my bedroom and living room are not showing up accurately either in these photos. Hmpf.

And what is up with those light switches? They are so tacky-looking. (See the first photo.) Why have I never noticed them before until I saw that picture? I need to go to Lowe’s and find some nice switch plates.

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I’m off to add another layer of color to my Jello. Why do I have a feeling mine is not going to look as good as those photos from yesterday? I’m making mine in a Bundt pan like the first photo in yesterday’s entry.

Layers of Sweet Color

2011-12-21T10:34:00.001-06:00

This one is a little different, but I love the look.

What a great idea…so pretty.

It’s pretty inside orange rinds too.

Just cut in half and scoop out all the orange.

Than layer on the Jello however you like…

Refrigerate, and then slice it up.

These melons have the fruit still in them.

Pretty-Pretty

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Find the recipe for a 12-Layer Jello Salad HERE. I’ve seen other recipes that use Sweetened Condensed Milk, but the less-sweet version sounds better to me. Just Google away to find a recipe you like.

I can’t stop looking at different versions.

But I’m forcing myself to stop now.

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*HRT Update*

The hot flashes have all but stopped. I haven’t turned an extra fan on in a few days now.

I’m having trouble sleeping...even more than before. I go to sleep just fine, but then I wake up at 2:45 AM (weird, but it’s the same time every night), and I feel completely awake. I’m taking an educated guess that it’s the Testosterone I’m taking at night. I’m going to switch the Testosterone and the Progesterone to mornings and see what happens. Supposedly you absorb it better in the mornings anyway, but I can’t tell you why. My doc said I could take it at either time.

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I’m outta here.

An Inspired Hook & Some Cookies

2011-12-20T16:35:00.001-06:00

A spark of inspiration crept up on me today…

It smacked me right between the eyes.

And I’m off and running working again on a project started weeks ago. You haven’t seen this one before. I’ve been hiding it next to my bed and been doing a row or two in the evenings when I had nothing else to do. Now I hope to get serious and finish it.

Here’s a little something else that was created by someone’s inspired hooks…

Isn’t it gorgeous?

I love the pillows too.

A wonderful touch.

The room looks so pretty and clean.

Inspired by the Deep Blue Sea.

Made by: Sveta T.

Go see the rest of her photos.

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Here are some pretty Christmas cookies I made last night…

Peppermint Meltaways

Have you ever tried a recipe called Lemon Meltaways?

The lemon ones have always been a favorite of mine.

These are exactly the same only Peppermint.

And melt away they do.

Right in your mouth.

So YUMMY.

Go see Paula and the recipe HERE.

My Favorite Christmas Song & More

2011-12-19T14:53:00.000-06:00

I've been listening to this over and over with my headphones on. It makes me happy. I do it every year just before Christmas. I bet I listen to it 200 times. The video is cheesy, but I love the song. Put those headphones on and enjoy. I bet it makes you smile and bop your head a little.

I'd give nearly anything if I could play along with that song on a trumpet. Wouldn't that be fun?? I would dance and blow that horn like I was in KC and the Sunshine band. Remember how they danced and played their horns? Hee-hee. That would be too much fun.

Instead, you can put your sunglasses on and pretend your blind like Jose Feliciano and play an air guitar. Ready? Let's go.

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Here's a little KC & the Sunshine Band dancin' with their horns in case you forgot them...

Oh, I could so do that.

I wouldn't look as cool as they do, but who cares.

I saw KC walking down the street in Miami a few years ago. He looked good! I saw them on concert in about 1976. Fun-fun.

I had so much fun watching this video.

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Another 70's rock goodie...

Hold up your cigarette lighters and enjoy.

Ah, those were the good old days.

Feeling Nostalgic.

I love 70's rock & roll.

Yes, I do.

Video Hello Takes 3 thru 6

2011-12-18T14:39:00.001-06:00

Okay, so here are some of the other videos I made that same day trying to get a good one. (See December 15th entry for the original videos.) I was alone and recording these from my laptop camera.

Take 3

Gawd...I gave up on the hat idea. At least Eli was awake for this one. These are kind of like watching blooper reels. Now you know just how goofy I am if you didn't already. I abandoned this one before I even finished., and I was cracking up at how dumb I looked before it even started recording.

Y'all should all make one (or 10 like me) of these. I think it should be mandatory that you show all of us your goofy selves. If you do, you'll see. You'll be obsessed and start them over and over trying to get a good one.

Take 4

Good Lord.

Take 5

Take 6

See what I mean? It's hard.

Obviously, I am bored today.

THE END

Merry Christmas, Assholes

2011-12-18T10:39:00.001-06:00

No, I’m not talking to you!

We had to get out last night to go buy a new printer. It was a madhouse. This was my lovely holiday shopping experience…

I’m not very fond of people.

Can you tell?

UGH!

(This subway art is great therapy)

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Things are looking good for those of you that entered my Depression Glass Giveaway. I can’t believe there isn’t more interest in it, but whatever…that just means each of you have a better chance to win, right?

Love you.

Ollie’s New Sweater

2011-12-17T19:41:00.001-06:00

I spent the afternoon making Ollie a new sweater. You can’t really see any details because it’s so black, but it does look cute on him.

I intended to make it multi and black, but I got so involved in the pattern that I forgot to change colors until it was too late. I wasn’t going to rip out several rows just so I could add a color. It looks great in all black in person.

Thanks to SHARON for the pattern link and video how-to. I had to make a few alterations to the pattern. For one thing, his chest size was 14 inches, and the pattern jumped from 10 inches to 16 inches. I used hook sizes G & H and altered the number of stitches and rows the pattern called for. I’d just stop and fit it around him every now and then to see how much bigger or smaller I needed it. It’s a cute pattern, but it’s very hard to follow and understand.

I have to get up and let The Captain sit at my computer and hook up my new printer. I broke mine today. I laid my headphones on my printer and the cord ran through the printer where the paper feeds in. GAH. It was a mess. He worked for over an hour trying to get the cord out without ruining my headphones, and because they are BOZE that I use for my work and are expensive, I didn’t want him to ruin them. A new printer was cheaper! He ended up banging the crap out of it with a big hammer & crow bar trying to take it apart.

P.S. Glad y’all liked the videos. Maybe I’ll do more of them because it was fun for me even though it makes me cringe to see and hear myself.

The HRT Verdict

2011-12-17T11:00:00.001-06:00

Looks familiar…

1. I’m not menopausal. Estrogen is fine. (TMI for the www? Who cares! Not me.)

2. Low, low progesterone. The imbalance between this and the estrogen creates problems even though you may not be in menopause. You need to have a good level of each.

3. Almost non-existent Testosterone.

4. Low Vitamin D even though I all ready take a high dose of 4,000 mg/day. Did you know Vitamin D is actually a hormone? I didn’t. I’m either not absorbing it well or I’m using a cheap brand that doesn’t have as much as it says it does. I was using a cheap brand from Walmart so I got a different brand (from the doc). We’ll see if it makes a difference.

5. All of these things add up to sleep disturbances, hot flashes, achy joints, mood swings, forgetfulness, and other menopausal symptoms.

6. Progesterone pills (lower dose building up to a higher dose after a week).

7. Testosterone gel. I would tell you more about this and exactly where I have to rub it, but it would attract all kinds of perverts from the Internet so I’ll just leave it to your imagination. When she instructed me exactly where to put it I said, “No wonder it raises your libido!” We both laughed. The instructions that came from the pharmacy said to rub it on the inside of your wrists. I don’t know why she instructs you otherwise, but whatever. I’m game. LOL.

8. Higher dose of Vitamin D.

9. I SO can’t wait for it to all kick-in. I forgot to ask how long that would take to notice a difference.

10. Recheck in 2 months for any medication/supplement adjustments.

Alternate Video Hello

2011-12-15T20:15:00.001-06:00

LOL

I made about 7 of these stupid videos trying to get one I liked. These were the best two. Maybe I'll post the rest and show you how stupid I am. I even have a cowboy hat on in some of them.

It's really hard to see myself and hear myself. I swear I don't look or sound like that, but there I am in all my glory.

Video Hello

2011-12-15T17:40:00.001-06:00

Table Runner & Dogs

2011-12-15T12:14:00.001-06:00

Table Runner Sneak-Peek

I’ve had this red sparkly yarn for a few years now. I found three balls with no labels at an antique mall. It looks pretty, but it’s hell to crochet with. I’d bet my bottom dollar that it is some type of discontinued Red Heart. Ick…it practically squeaks when you crochet with it, and it’s very hard on the hands. When I changed colors to the white (ILTY) it was like crocheting with pure silk. Wow, what a difference. I hope I have a nice green-colored yarn to add to this. I’m sure I have some, I’m just not sure it’ll be the right color. I may have to reconsider.

Anywho…looks like I have another “free” day today. My doctor’s office called and postponed my appointment until tomorrow afternoon.

All I have for you is more dog pictures…

Sweet Pile-O-Dogs.

Eli thinks he’s too good to lie in a pile.

He considers himself the Alpha Dog so sleeps away from the others.

He only snuggles with people.

He doesn’t look so alpha-ish now, does he?

Ollie was 3.9 pounds at the vet.

His legs have gotten long and lanky.

Sammy, on the other hand, is a super-chunk.

Bless her heart.

It must be all that sweetness.

A sweeter dog will never exist.

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It’s a dark and rainy day…my favorite.

Time to go crochet.

Later.

Visit from the “Kids”

2011-12-13T21:04:00.001-06:00

My dad holding Harper. She just smiled and smiled at him! All babies do that with my dad.

Cooing at my momma.

Precious little baby feet.

Ollie took a shine to my daddy too.

Snoozing.

My momma & daddy.

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Not much crocheting going on here lately. But I did make this hot pad for my cousin last Saturday & Sunday. She received it with her Christmas card so now I can show you a picture of it. It was fun it make. Love you, Cuz.

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It’s time for my happy place and a magazine.

I’m looking forward to doing NOTHING tomorrow.

Nadda.

Zip.

Zilch.

Lots of nappin’ and ass-sittin’.

Maybe a bike ride if the weather is nice.

Nightie-Night, Y’all.

Subway Art & Cookies

2011-12-12T14:01:00.001-06:00

Here’s my attempt at Subway Art created in Picnik. Find instructions HERE if you’d like to try it. I had fun making mine.

I made some Snickerdoodle Cookies yesterday.

They turned out really great.

I used this boxed mix, and I will NEVER make them home-made again. You can’t do much better than this. They were quick and easy. I made my cookies kind of big, so it only made 20 cookies, but that’s more than enough for us. I highly recommend this mix. They make great coffee cake mixes too.

Posting may be scarce for me this week. I have a commitment nearly every day to do something. Right now I have to leave and take Fletch & Ollie to the vet for booster shots and check-ups.

Bye!

Depression Glass Giveaway!

2011-12-11T10:24:00.001-06:00

*Updated with glass info…thank you Beth.

*The sugar and creamer are Cambridge Decagon Depression Glass. The marking on the bottom of both is a triangle with a “C” inside it. They do not match the plate as they are clear glass and the plate is frosted.

The plate has no markings whatsoever.

I’m not sure it is even real “depression” glass or a knockoff or what.

Plate measures 7 inches (not including handles)

All pieces are free of chips & marks.

But it’s FREE so stop being so critical. ;)

HOW TO ENTER: Leave a comment on THIS POST and be a Follower.

DEADLINE: December 24th at MIDNIGHT (Central Time)

Winner announced on Christmas Day!

You must leave me an email address if you don’t have a blog linked to your comment, and you MUST RESPOND to my notification that you have won within 72 hours. If not, another winner will be drawn. NO EXCEPTIONS. I will draw a name from all entries to determine the winner.

I will have a button on my sidebar so you can easily access this post and the details. Feel free to snag it and put it on your blog.

If anyone knows anything about these items (manufacturer, date of manufacture, etc.), I would love to know about them. I purchased them separately on ebay about 6-7 years ago and have no record of the details that were given, if any. I just thought they were pretty. LOL.

Hey You Sewers!

2011-12-10T16:11:00.001-06:00

Can somebody point me towards a good sock monkey pattern? And where do you get the socks that you need? Does Hobby Lobby have them? Anybody? I saw several online, but I got bored looking for a good one.

Y’all know I don’t sew.

It’s for my momma.

Thank you!

Hats for Everyone

2011-12-09T08:29:00.001-06:00

I made both of these last evening. They were both very quick to make.

This hat is for my son, Shaun, but I don’t have a male model. It’s Deborah Norville Yarn in Lava. Mostly hdc stitches and a size J hook. Free pattern: HERE Beware…the pdf is 31 MB…it’s huge!

Another one for Harper. The flower & trim are made with Stylecraft DK yarn. I love that orangie color. The white is Deborah Norville. Flower pattern: HERE

***********************

Huddled in front of the fireplace this morning.

I Killed Them

2011-12-08T12:56:00.001-06:00

You little harry guys please forgive me.

So…the doc appointment went well and I really love the doctor. Nothing to report HRT-wise because I only have the blood drawn yesterday. I go back a week from today for the results and to get started. She said she would not be surprised if I come back for my second appointment after starting the treatment and tell her I’m 80 percent better. Wow. Wouldn’t that be nice?

However, the other lingering problems I’ve been having she believes are caused by the 10 days of antibiotics I took to get over the CRUD. It killed all the good bacteria as well as the bad, and that’s causing my nausea and shitty britches. She gave me some probiotics so I should be on my way to being well in no time. Yipee.

Note: To read more about probiotics and it’s possible benefits to your mood, read HERE.

I’m about to bundle up and go ride my bike for the first time. Cross your fingers that I don’t come back with a skinned knee or something. Ha-ha. I’m sure I’ll be fine.

*Updated*

Here’s a better picture of my bike. Can you see the basket on the front this time? It was hard to see in last picture I took and someone had mentioned that I needed to get one. Well, I have one and fully intend for Ollie to be my biking partner. Little Boy used to ride with me all the time.

I’m back only after about 10 minutes of riding. Dang…it’s dad-gum hard to ride a bike when you’re 51 years old and out of shape. It’s especially hard on the arse. I need to get The Captain to adjust my seat a little higher when he gets home. Or maybe I’ll just get all ambitious and do it….NAH!

If it’s not too windy tomorrow, I’ll remember my camera and also stick Ollie in the basket with a little blanket and see what he thinks after a ride around the block.

It was FUN.

HRT & More

2011-12-07T10:38:00.001-06:00

This is a short post today because I have a lot to do. Ugh.. I hate having lots to do.

Here we go…

I made the banana cookies.

(Recipe in previous post)

Definitely worth the trouble of frosting them.

Two Thumbs Up

YUM

I got a pedicure yesterday.

I’m showing you my ridiculous get-up.

I wore these legwarmers, flip-flops, and capris all day yesterday.

And the high temp was 36 degrees outside.

A fashionista I am NOT.

At least I didn’t wear this out of the house.

My husband was the only one who saw.

He wanted me. Hee-hee.

My Tiger Rice Cooker

I’m making fried rice tonight for supper. I wanted to show you my “authentic” rice cooker. I bought it 15 years ago or more at an Asian store for $99. That was before there were any rice cookers out on the market. I love this one. It’s so pretty and feminine-looking with the pink flowers on it. It makes cooking rice so simple. Just throw in the rice and water, hit “go,” and it cooks it perfectly and shuts off to “warm” automatically. I’m sure you can order these online, but I’ve never looked. I bet they aren’t anywhere near $99 anymore…probably $25-ish. Just a guess.

I’ve got to get some work done now.

I have a doctor’s appointment at 3:00 today.

YIPEE

HRT Note: For all of you who have mentioned your concerns about HRT, I have done my research. What I’m looking at are bioidentical hormones (natural). If you are one who is afraid of them, you need to do your research before speaking out against them. Maybe you have, but I’m just sayin’. They are different from the synthetic or animal (horse, pig, etc.) hormones of long ago. In fact, the risks of NOT taking them (if you need them) are much worse than the risks of taking them. Besides, my symptoms are so severe, if there are any risks to me (which I don’t believe there are), they are well worth it for me to be able to live a “normal” life again. But if you don’t think they’re right FOR YOU, by all means, don’t take them!

I do appreciate your opinions and concerns! Always feel free to say whatever you want here in my comments. I certainly don’t hesitate to say what I think here on my blog. Okay, I may hesitate, but it rarely keeps me from saying it anyway. LOL.

HOWEVER…as I’ve recently found out (very painfully), there are people (or even FAMILY MEMBERS) who will use what they know about your personal medical situation against you to try and hurt you for whatever reason. Don’t YOU dare to ever even think about it. Be a better person than that. I can be mean and vengeful with the best of them, but that is just WRONG and the lowest of the low.

Comment on…

Thoughtfully.

And if you choose not to, well, FUCK YOU.

Good Day.

Pretty Little Coasters & Shitty Britches

2011-12-06T09:17:00.001-06:00

Simple Crochet Coasters

Free Pattern HERE.

I used H.L. I Love This Cotton and an F Hook.

Lookie Lookie!

I received the rest of my Rachel Ray bakeware.

I like.

Merry Christmas to me.

Fiber Optics Village Decoration

My sister got it for me after Christmas one year.

She got it on clearance at Target.

I’ve had it about four years now.

I’m amazed that it still works when I take it out every year.

A few of my snowmen (and ladies).

I love the crochet ones in the front.

I got them from Dawn’s etsy Shop last year.

***********************

I’m off to take some Dramamine and get some work done this morning. T-30 hours until the doctor appointment tomorrow. I’ve never been so excited to go to the doctor in my life. We may not be able to start the HRT stuff until she gets me over whatever this crap is that’s still hanging on and making me nauseated 24 hours a day. I’m still Miss Shitty Britches too, but only intermittently now. Thank goodness for small favors.

Mondee

2011-12-05T11:14:00.001-06:00

I didn’t say it was going to be a GOOD picture!

But here it is.

Shaun said she wouldn’t be still enough to get a better pic.

You can’t see the flower or anything. Boo!

The beautifulness of her face makes up for it.

DO NOT GO TO THESE LINKS…

BEFORE LEAVING ME SOME COMMENT LOVE!

I cried when I read this: Christmas Traditions

I’m DEFINITELY making these: Banana Cookies

I bananas

The Ham & Rolls were YUM.

I thought I had more links and stuff, but I can’t find them so I guess that’s it.

Later.

Sickly the Owl

2011-12-04T13:34:00.001-06:00

Sickly the Owl

I’ve been working on him for a couple of weeks now – the whole time I’ve been sick, hence his name. He is probably full of germs so, please, DO NOT LICK HIM. I know you want to, but please refrain.

Side View so you can see his tail.

It’s hard to see because it’s so dark.

I followed the basic pattern HERE, but I made a lot of changes.

Changes to his head, all parts of eyes, ears, and nose.

I just winged those because I didn’t like how they looked.

There are many imperfections, but I still like him.

I will make another now that I halfway know

what I’m doing.

You know I had to do it.

Mr. Sickly is bigger than Mr. Ollie.

And then…

I tried to tell him he was too big BUT…

He insisted his ass would fit

and I take his picture too.

Just take it anyway, Momma!

I can stand up.

Okay, fine.

But we were so distracted trying to fit his ass in the basket,

we forgot Mr. Sickly! I wasn’t about to try this again.

Maybe next time, Fletch.

**************************

This stuff has worked wonders for me.

Notice it’s the “Less Drowsy Formula.”

Still makes me a little bit sleepy,

but that’s better than nauseous any day!

I have been living on this the last couple of days.

Dolled-up Beef Ramen Noodles

After the noodles cook, add:

1/2 Tbsp chopped ginger

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Squeeze of lime

Fresh chopped garlic is great in it, but I used it all yesterday.

I substituted ginger since it’s good for a sick tummy.

The Captain gets off work at 3:30 today.

So I’m putting this 4-lb ham in the oven.

And…

Making dough for home-made rolls in my bread machine.

EASY!

Just throw everything in and Start.

(My machine has different instructions for the order of the ingredients than the recipe below.)

When the Dough Cycle is done,

Shape dough into rolls and let them rise.

(Left-Click then print)

Honey Ham and fresh home-made rolls…

You can’t beat that.

And for dessert…

The rolls with butter & honey are delectable.

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Just between you and me…

The eyes look like BOOBS to me!

Remember the Autumn Pillow I made?

Some of the squares looked like BOOBS to me too.

I hate that.

Once it’s in your head, that’s all you can see!

It’s that orangey color that’s doing it.

I plan to make another when I’m not sick in BLUEs.

Hopefully, no boobs will appear then.

********************************

COMING TOMORROW…

A picture of Harper in the hat I made her!

Have a happy Sunday.

Love You!

Ugh

2011-12-03T11:04:00.001-06:00

I Don’t Know

2011-12-02T16:13:00.001-06:00

Yesterday when I mentioned that I hadn’t taken down the fall picture from above the fireplace yet, PAULA left a comment with a brilliant idea. Instead of taking it down, wrap it like a present and leave it! Although this is a terrible picture, you get the idea. It looks great! Just a little more progress made. I still need a big red bow to go on the “present.” Thank you, Paula!

Also yesterday, I made this Cheesy Taco Casserole in my new Rachel Ray baking dish.

Isn’t it fab?

(My friends in the background are some I picked up for the dogs.)

I loved this dish so much when I received it, I got back online and ordered several more pieces in different colors. I got some red, some orange, and even some little lime-colored ramekins. I’m not giving you the link for the recipe because, one, I don’t remember which site I got it from, and two, it wasn’t that great. I’ve had better. I got the Rachel Ray bakeware from Zappos.com. And you thought they only had shoes! But they have other things, and the shipping is FREE, and the price was among the lowest I found. I received it the third day after I ordered it, again FREE shipping and FAST.

Here is the casserole after I baked it.

Finally, it’s just me complaining again…

I’ve felt like crap ALL DAY.

Nausea, snot for days, hot & sweaty, cold, achy, etc.

BLAH!

I’m so sick of this shit.

Oh…one more thing!

I’m going to the doctor on Wednesday to see about Hormone Replacement Therapy. I can hardly wait! I can’t imagine what it will be like to have a normal body temperature again, one of the many perks I am hoping to achieve with it. Of course, I will let you know how it goes.

Thank goodness that god-awful “BUG” is a little further down the page now. That thing gives me the creeps!

Oh My God

2011-12-02T09:29:00.001-06:00

This is real, folks!

Did you see Live with Kelly today? She showed this on her show today. It makes me pee just to look at the picture. I can’t imagine seeing it in person!

Here is the first part of the article in The Telegraph.

World's biggest insect is so huge it eats carrots

Adventurer Mark Moffett has found the world's biggest insect - which is so huge it can eat carrots.

Former park ranger Mark, 53, discovered the giant weta up a tree and his real life Bug's Bunny has now been declared the largest ever found.

He came across the cricket-like creature, which has a wing span of seven inches, after two days of searching on a tiny island.

The creepy crawly is only found on Little Barrier Island, in New Zealand.

********************

I will be posting again later today. I will not be able to stand seeing that “thing” every time I open my blog.

I have something to show you anyway!

I Must Feel Better

2011-12-01T14:06:00.001-06:00

I got out of the house for the first time in over two weeks today…

I bought myself a new bicycle.

It’s retro and cool!

Time to get moving a little.

I got tons of bins for storage too.

I feel the need to purge and organize.

Sparkly Christmas Trees

They sparkle more in person.

I made the Snowflake Bunting a couple of years ago.

I’ve been working on my mantle today. I need to take that fall picture down still. I can’t get it to look like I want it. I couldn’t find a mantle scarf at Walmart, but I think it needs it. It’s still a work in progress.

That’s all.

I’m tired.

Bye.

New, Old, Helpful, RED, and Bratty

2011-11-30T14:33:00.001-06:00

My new Deborah Norville yarn arrived.

Four balls each of two variegated.

This will make a nice knock-your-eyeballs-out blanket to replace the one that passed away recently. I also have some solid red and solid black to throw in there with it.

Speaking of blankets passing away…

This is the blanket I replaced the dead one with. You will not believe this, but I got it for $2 at a garage sale around the same time I made that other one 12 years ago. It looked unused. Not really my colors, but TWO DOLLARS! This one has also been through the wash & dry cycles at least 100 times over the past decade. I noticed a hole in it when I put it on the end of the bed this time. What is happening to all of my blankets?!

**************************

Here is some useful information for a change…

My sister (the nurse) sent me this when I was bemoaning the latest development in my sickness. It’s definitely TMI so I’ll just leave you with this and will not elaborate (something which I am known to do WAY too much…ha-ha). I printed it off and put it in the front of my recipe binder. This is a more detailed version of the B.R.A.T. diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) that I have always referred to. Thank you, Sister!

The 'Diarrhea Diet'

Just SIP on clear fluids so you don't overload your stomach and intestines with a bunch of fluids all at once.

Avoid carbonated & caffeinated beverages.

Ok to drink soda if you let it go 'flat'. You can stir it up in a glass and it goes flat very quickly.

Ok to nibble on saltines or pretzels while sipping fluids. The salt helps increase the sodium which is being lost thru the diarrhea.

Chicken broth is good too.

When you have a decrease in the frequency of diarrhea, acceptable solids are:

· Banana

· Applesauce

· White plain rice or pasta

· White dry toast

· White chicken, no skin

· Chicken Noodle Soup

· Pretzels & Saltines

**********************************

Poor Man’s Christmas Decoration

A string of Christmas lights in a big jar.

Man, that’s a RED picture.

It really looks kinda cool in real life.

**********************************

And lastly, I will leave you with this:

I put this basket of yarn in my chair to keep the dogs from laying in my chair and ruining the upholstery.

Yeah, that didn’t work out like I planned.

I would expect a CAT to do this.

But Eli loves the soft yarn from the UK.

DAMMIT!

Who cares about the chair…

GET OFF OF MY YARN!

Favorite Crochet Book

2011-11-29T11:25:00.001-06:00

I’m sure I blogged about this book when I first got it a year or so ago, but it’s worth another mention. It’s really my favorite crochet book. It’s really gorgeous inside!

It has projects and patterns inside in addition to illustrations and instructions for LOTS crochet stitches. This Philosopher’s Coat is my dream project. I’m a little intimidated by it, but it’s so gorgeous. I will give it a go one of these days.

Really cool in a Boho, nerdy-kind of way.

That’s my style…Boho-Nerd. LOL.

This is a gorgeous sparkly little baby blanket. I bet that yarn is so soft. (Click to see the sparklies better.)

This book is not cheap. I think I paid $26 for it, but it’s SO worth it. I will have it forever and refer to it again and again for the stitch pattern library. It has beginning chain counts too, i.e. multiples of 3 + 2, etc., for so many popular stitch patterns. You can make any stitch pattern in any size you like with an easy reference to this book without having to use your own brain to figure it out. Yes! I love not using my brain most of the time. Ha-ha.

Anyway, look for it on Amazon used for a better price. I have never been disappointed in a used book I have bought through Amazon. Just make sure you get one with the condition as “New, Like New, or Good” condition. I usually don’t purchase anything from a merchant with less than 96% satisfaction reviews from previous customers. Hint: If there is a list of used books available from different merchants, look for one in your state or a state close to yours for faster delivery.

********************

I’m feeling kind of rough this morning so that’s it from me today. This is a MEAN bug! It’s spreading like wildfire too, according to my doctor. It goes something like this:

Day 1: sore throat.

Day 2: sore throat and migraine from hell that lasts all day.

Day 3: let the congestion begin.

Day 4: congestion drops to your chest but doesn’t leave your face either.

Day 5-14 and Beyond: more congestion and general body aches.

Go to the doctor immediately and get some antibiotics if you get a sore throat. It will go downhill QUICKLY from there and put a hurt on you, trust me. A lot of my family members have had this thing. I will start Week 2 tomorrow. It’s nasty!

You’re Welcome

Bye

Death of a Blanket

2011-11-28T14:07:00.001-06:00

This is one of the first blankets I ever made about 12 years ago. Good old Red Heart yarn and all DC stitches.

Within the last couple of years, I turned it over to the dogs. They’ve loved it. I usually keep it on the end of the bed for them to waller on at night, or it’s on the couch for them to bundle up in. They are all blanket divers. They love to be under the covers. As you can see it’s worse for wear. I can see three holes in this picture, one which has grown exponentially in the last week or so (the long one at the bottom). It’s been through many cycles in the washer and dryer and held up beautifully until now. It’s starting to disintegrate before my very eyes! It’s used up.

I could repair it, and I did consider it, but I think it’s time. It’s time to say goodbye. Sniff-sniff. I remember how proud I was of this blanket when I finished it. Sniff-sniff.

Goodbye, old friend.

Alive & Kickin’

2011-11-27T17:25:00.001-06:00

Sort of…

Let me ease back into this by just posting a few pictures that were taken over the past few days. I’m not feeling very chatty, but I do feel better.

I dug out my beads for the votive jar so I decided to make myself a couple of bracelets while they were out. As soon as I was finished taking this picture…

I broke one of them taking it off.

DAMMIT.

Shoddy workmanship.

Then I made another votive jar cover.

Love the RED.

I tied some red & white ribbon on it after I took the pics.

Quick & easy little gifts for Christmas.

A couple of washcloths.

A nice little home-made gift for my nail lady.

The obligatory doggy picture.

I tied some red & white ribbon on him too.

I snapped this pic of Fletch & Ollie…

I’ve told you before…

Fletch is constantly flashing his pretty white teeth at us.

He’s done it since he was a puppy.

He’s doing it again in this picture.

It CRACKS me up!

I can always count on my doggies to make me smile,

Even when I’m sick.

I’m feeling so much better.

Thank you for your well-wishes!

Low Sick

2011-11-25T13:39:00.001-06:00

My sweetheart is sick with what I had the last two weeks. My turn to take care of her now. She says she will be back soon.

Captain

Embellished Tea-Light Jar

2011-11-22T20:23:00.001-06:00

This is the result of three days of planning and calculating and frogging and bead-sizing. Jeez. It turned out pretty cute. The pictures are not great and don’t show the true colors of the beads.

Here it is in a little bit different light. At least the blues show up closer to their real color. The red and cranberry colors look gold in this pic, and the green looks yellow. In person, the beads and colorful edging yarn are exactly the same colors. Maybe if I take a picture in the sunshine tomorrow I’ll get a more view of it for you.

I got the inspiration and idea over at Bunny Mummy’s blog. (Scroll down a ways to see her jar.) Hers is really pretty and inspired me to try making my own.

Before & After

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I braved a trip to Hobby Lobby today. The whole shopping center was jam-packed with cars and people. I almost turned my car around and went home, but I’m glad I didn’t. Nobody got in my way and I got right up to the checkout counter with no waiting. How is that possible when it was such a madhouse? I’m just lucky sometimes. I think I’ve mention here before that I’m a very lucky girl. Boon Pappy tells me that all the time. “Pam, you have fell into a pile of shit so many times and come out smelling like a rose! It’s amazing!” Hee-hee. It’s true.

And speaking of me being lucky…I felt so good today it scared me. I haven’t felt this well in a month! Knock-knock-knock on wood. Do you remember that disco song from the 70s? Ahh, those were the days. But I wouldn’t go back there if you paid me. I was so DUMB and didn’t even know it. It was fun though. I would only go back if I could know then what I know now. (Did that sentence even make sense?) Anyway, I digress.

I woke up pain-free and have remained that way all day. I went to Hobby Lobby AND even got my nails done. Wanna see? Okay…

That’s right…

BLOOD RED for the Holidays.

I told her to cut them short and paint them red. It’s been a long time since I’ve had color. It was OPI Kennebunkport. You should hear an Asian lady try to say that. Hee-hee! She tried to say it, then laughed at herself and told me to read it. And her name is “Vicki.”

Um, okay.

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Lookie-Lookie!

I went to Tuesday Morning last night to buy some new pillows. I’ve found they have the best quality pillows at FANTASTIC prices. I thought it might help my neck if I got some new ones because I’ve had trouble getting comfortable at night. I found these two Laura Ashley pillows marked down to $8.99 each from $20 each. Yipee! I grabbed them even though they don’t match. They’re going to be covered with pillowcases anyway. I slept like a baby last night!

AND THEN

I spotted these…

Did I need them?

NO.

Did I snatch them up like they were free diamonds?

YES.

I love them.

Marked down from $10 each to $3.99 each.

Lucky girl. I told you.

Did I mention I bought some YARN when I was at Hobby Lobby too? Well, I did.

You see…I “needed” some new cotton yarn to make some potholders and wash cloths and stuff like that for Christmas gifts. I thought that would be a good little gift for “Vicki” and the other girls at the nail salon. As you can see in the picture, they had my favorite peppermint sticks there too. King Leo Pure Peppermint Sticks. They always have them around Christmas and I always get a box or two when I go. Mmm…sugar!

Man, I have been chatty the last couple of days. I have more to show you, but I’ll save it for later this week.

Time to go watch the Dancing With the Stars finale. I have moved my support from J.R. to Rob in the last couple of weeks. J.R. has gotten over-confident and cocky in his dancing. He will probably win because of his compelling story and amazing attitude, but I’m a sucker for the underdog, and Rob has gone from a complete uncoordinated loser dirt-bag (in my mind) to a really good dancer and man with potential in life. I think this experience will turn his life around.

Okay, bye!

New Blogs & A Hat Pattern &…

2011-11-21T22:32:00.001-06:00

I’ve added a couple of new blogs to my sidebar recently. That’s how I always get to all the blogs I read. My sidebar automatically updates them in order of most recently-updated blogs.

Two of my new favs are: Lovely Little Snippets and
Six Sister’s Stuff (Both have great recipes.)

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Harper’s Earflap Hat

Free Pattern: HERE

Thanks to Kat for sending me the pattern link!

I used two strands of DK-weight yarn held together for this little hat instead of worsted. I used the newborn size instructions and it came out the perfect size for Harper…finally! Now I think I will use this same pattern without the ear flaps for the rest of the hats I make her.

And then there’s this:

I love this afghan, don’t you? CUTE. Find the info on it on Ravelry HERE. The afghan pictured above was made by Elvee on Crochetville.

Have you tried Deborah Norville Everyday Yarn? I just love it. It’s so soft for acrylic. You must try it. Hersschner’s has it for $2.79 a skein…a great price. Yes, I just ordered some. What the hell is my problem? I already have way too much yarn! I couldn’t help it. They sent me an email so I was forced to buy it. I did not seek it out on my own. At least I didn’t buy the same colors I already have. LOL.

It is raining cats and dogs here tonight. It has been raining heavily since it got dark at about 5:30-ish with thunder and lightening and the whole bit. It’s downright chilly out too. I love it.

I love this picture. I got it off Google Images. There was no credit. I mean, I really LOVE it. I lurve it. Hint-hint. (It looks like it would be easy to copy for someone who paints. Hmm…) Hee-hee. I have no shame.

I have to go. It’s almost 10:30 and I haven’t even cracked my Star Magazine yet. It seems one of the Twilight hunks is gay and Kim K. stole somebody’s husband! I’m a celeb gossip ho.

Granny’s Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-21T15:03:00.001-06:00

*Full recipe added to the end of this post.

Everyone has a favorite candied sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving. This is mine. You gotta try it at least once. You’ll never go back! It’s easy and delicious.
This is my big stock pot. This recipe is about all I use it for because it’s so big. I have to make A LOT of sweet potatoes because everyone loves them and you’ve got to have leftovers, right?
I buy between 8-10 lbs of sweet potatoes. The best part is you don’t have to peel them. Just cut them into really thick slices, throw them in the water, add 2 TBSP lemon juice to the water (bottled is fine), bring to a boil and then set your timer for 15 minutes. When they’re done, drain and leave to cool enough to handle. They don’t need to be completely cooked through because they’re going to bake later. Peel (the peelings will slip right off after they’ve boiled), and place them into a greased baking pan with at least 2” sides. I only do one layer per pan. I used the disposable foil pans this time and they worked just fine. If you use the disposable foil pans, be sure to set them on a cookie sheet while baking so the bottoms don’t burn and for stability when moving the pans around.
Now don’t freak out over this next part. Just do as I say and be happy…it’s Thanksgiving DAMMIT!
Dump approximately 1 1/2 cups of sugar on top of each pan of potatoes…
I know that’s a lot of sugar, but these are called CANDIED sweet potatoes. You need the sugar to make the syrup that will form while they are baking. Just dump it on. When in doubt, dump some more!
You are going to then use 1 stick of BUTTER per pan. Slice them up and place them over the potatoes. Sprinkle pure vanilla extract over both pans. I place my finger over the opening of the bottle, turn it upside down over the pans, and shake it around. DO NOT STIR during any of this process.
Place your cookie sheets and pans into a preheated 350 degree F. oven. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Check them at 50 to make sure they are not burning on the bottom. The butter and sugar will melt together and boil, making the luscious syrup that make these so good. The crusty parts that form are really good too. We fight over these bits at my house. It’s THAT good.
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Remove from the oven but, again, DO NOT STIR OR COVER. If you cover the pans at this point, you will ruin your candy & syrup and it will get all watery…GROSS! I always let these sit at least two hours before serving. We think they are better that way.

Pammy Sue forgot to take a picture of the finished recipe.

What a dumbass! Jeez!

Here…

This is a picture of some leftover potatoes I brought home. This is before I reheated them in the microwave. Those clumps of butter will melt when you reheat.

Here is the recipe to print:

Candied Sweet Potatoes

(Recipe for one pan; may be doubled)

5 lbs of Sweet Potatoes

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided

1 stick real butter

Vanilla (2-3 tsp)

Cut unpeeled potatoes into thick slices (approx. 1 1/2 inches thick). Place slices into a pan of water for boiling. Add 1 Tbsp lemon juice. (This helps the potatoes retain their pretty orange color before and/or after cooking.) Bring to a boil and boil for 15 minutes. Potatoes may not be completely cooked through and that’s fine. Drain and cool enough to handle.

Remove peelings from potato slices. They will slip right off at this point just using your hands. Place one layer of potatoes into a deep baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Dump sugar evenly over all. Slice cold butter and place over the potatoes. Sprinkle vanilla extract over all. Do not stir at any point during this process. Cover with plastic wrap when the potatoes have completely cooled and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree F. oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check at 50 minutes to make sure that they aren’t burning on the bottom. Be careful! The syrup will be boiling-hot and sticky. If they’re not in danger of burning, continue baking for the full hour. DO NOT COVER. Let sit uncovered for 1-2 hours before serving slightly warm or at room temperature. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator, but do not cover until they are completely cool.

Curse and kick yourself for not doubling this recipe and making two pans.

Note: This is my Granny Levoi Barton’s recipe. She made them on top of the stove in a heavy skillet. She tried to teach all of her granddaughters how to do it, but we always either burned them or didn’t cook them long enough to get the candied effect. My sister altered the method so that we can now just bake them and they come out perfect every time.

THE END

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-20T10:53:00.001-06:00

*Edited to add a Giveaway Notice!!*
Paula is having a Giveaway. Go check it out HERE, but you'd better hurry. It ends tonight at midnight. (I was a little late in seeing it.)

Well, for me anyway. We are having our dinner today around 5pm.
Very quickly because I’m super-busy today…
(Links in purple)
1. Here is a link with a pattern for the Granny-type hat I made the other day. I didn’t use this pattern because I just found it today, but it looks the same: http://suzies-yarnie-stuff.blogspot.com/2008/03/kids-granny-hat-c.html
Thank you, Dorothy, for the link.
2. I’m definitely going to make this Cream Cheese Ring. OMG, they look so good!
3. I'm also going to make some of this rice (but probably double it). I will add lots of chopped broccoli and a couple of eggs stir-fried into the rice along with the other ingredients she has listed before freezing. Then I'd add fresh chopped green onions and/or cilantro after you reheat it too.
Freezer Fried Rice: http://lovelylittlesnippets.blogspot.com/2011/11/freezer-fried-rice.html
4. I will be posting my Candied Sweet Potato recipe with pictures soon. I’m rushed for time this morning. You must try this recipe. It’s an altered method of my Granny’s recipe.

BYE!

Ollie’s Sweater

2011-11-19T13:50:00.001-06:00

Bwa-ha-ha!

Do you think he likes it?

He got used to it after a few minutes.

I got it at CVS.

It swallowed him when I first bought it.

I can’t believe how much he’s grown all ready.

He’s still really tiny though.

I weighed him just a minute ago.

Only 2.8 lbs

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I’m not feeling much better, but I don’t think I have a cold. My nose only runs when I get really nauseous. You know how you salivate and your nose runs when you puke? I think that’s all it is.

Too much information?

Why yes, I think so.

Bye.

Sick Day

2011-11-18T18:50:00.001-06:00

I have been sick since last night. Nausea, runny nose, and just generally feel like dog do-do. That’s putting it mildly. I did manage to make three pumpkin pies for our Thanksgiving dinner, which we’re having at my mom’s house on Sunday late afternoon. I rolled around the kitchen on a stool like a 90-year-old. I made these two regular pies and one crustless for The Captain.

In the fridge they go until Sunday. I remembered to take the Cool Whip out of the freezer too. Go me.

I made this little hat yesterday. It’s supposed to be for Harper, but it’s way too big. I am convinced I am incapable of making a hat in an infant size. This was my third try and I still didn’t get it right. I swear. How hard can it be?

This is the only one I didn’t frog because I like it too much. She will grow, right? I will try again tomorrow. No pattern…I winged it.

I managed to finish the front of my pillow. Here it is folded into fourths. It’s BIG. Those last rows were very long. I had to shave my legs twice before I finished one round. Okay, I’m exaggerating, but they were long. They probably seemed longer because I didn’t feel good.

Did I mention I don’t feel well?

That means I can’t see Harper.

Okay, bye.

Sniff-sniff.

Scotty's Place

Monday Mojo

My New Pinny!

Tuna Burgers/Patties

Blockage

Same Old Same Old

Saturday-Ness

All is Well

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Gloves & Vegetarian Lasagna

Round Ripple Ta-Dah!

A Winner, Bead Crochet, Birthday Wishes

Not a Clue

Ollie Video #2

Ollie Video #1

Chop-Your-Ass-Off Quinoa Salad & Sesame Noodles

Salsa Recipe & Stuff

Give-Away!

Ollie Update/Give-Away Heads-Up

Rough First Night

Ollie is Home

Little Ollie

Yackity-Yack

Office Move/RR Update

Me on Pinterest.com

Fabulous Baked Chicken Fajitas

Had a Bad Day

A Walk in the Park & the Globes

A Star, Ball(s) and Q&A

Rugs, Hummus, and Lots of Dog Pics

Friday Follow-Ups

Science Projects, Roast, and Cake

Another Video From Me!

Crochet Ta-Dah & WIPs

Old Round Ripples

Pancake-Sausage Griddlers

Making Life Easier

I’m Cool Now

BBQ Chicken Thighs

16-Spoke Doily Repost

All Ollie All the Time

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Yummy Soup Recipe

Round Ripple Crochet-Along Group

Crochet Along?

First 2012 Project

New Vest for Harper

Year in Review…NOT

Last Day of 2011

It’s Not Love

Lunch at Heritage Ranch

I’m a Cripple

Christmas Night Crochet

*Winner*Winner*Winner*

Winter Clean-Up

Bead Curtains

Layers of Sweet Color

An Inspired Hook & Some Cookies

My Favorite Christmas Song & More

Video Hello Takes 3 thru 6

Merry Christmas, Assholes

Ollie’s New Sweater

The HRT Verdict

Alternate Video Hello

Video Hello

Table Runner & Dogs

Visit from the “Kids”

Subway Art & Cookies

Depression Glass Giveaway!

Hey You Sewers!

Hats for Everyone

I Killed Them

HRT & More

Pretty Little Coasters & Shitty Britches

Mondee

Sickly the Owl

Ugh

I Don’t Know

Oh My God

World's biggest insect is so huge it eats carrots

WinnerWinnerWinner