Good Day To……..

 It's always a good day to take some time for yourself.  it's also a good day to do nothing when the day is rainy and no outside activities can take place--you are stuck inside--no snacking involved! Just busy work with our hands.  I wondered what I would do with my self today.  I could do household chores--like dust, sweep, empty dishwasher, do laundry, clean toilets--nope, none of that appealed to me--at this moment.  I went into my spare closet to find a book to read (well, actually, if I read, I'll fall asleep)There staring me in the face was my spinning bobbins filled with cotton--ah, those need to be wound off and plied.  There also sat my little electric spinner--Hadn't done much with it in a month of Sundays--out it came.  Found a comfortable spot to sit up the spinner, plug her in, turn on a good movie and begin...........

that little machine hums along.  OOOOh, let's spin some silk--this silk 

Isn't it lovely?  photo doesn't do the colors justice though!  

Those bobbins are calling my name "wind me off"  I pull out my handy dandy 'lazy kate" only it's just an old shoe box with bamboo skewers--works perfectly well for my purpose.  

If I get bored with my spinning, I pick up my knitting to go round and round with this hat--easy knit--so go round and round--using four ply silk for this hat--cast on multiple of 8 and knit till height to suit your head,  begin the decrease K 6, k2tog, alternate with plain knit row--decrease your stitches--K5, 2tog, and etc.  love this hat!  the bottom brim rolls up--no need to do k2, p2--

Cast on for another pair of socks--green this time--simple pattern--well, it's easy for me to memorize.

and there is another dishcloth to knit--

I think I might have attention problem!

Now, I'm thinking of what to do with that handspun silk, and what fingerless glove pattern to choose

...................hmmmm what shall it be? After all, it's a good day! 

Stitchin' and Listenin' !!!

 We're just a stitchin' and a listenin' while we work! I'm on a roll...........all is going well...........

Then...............that Kirchner stitch gets me!  Always does, always will. 

I hate when someone is trying to talk to me when I'm trying to keep my brain from venturing off into never never land.  Started out great!  then I had to rip, rip, rip out the top few stitches and begin again.

Finally finished!  Don't look too closely though!  It's not perfect that's for sure! It's another pair of socks done; ready for wear.  I used my stash to mix up these socks.

Knitting on Stephen West's pattern; began my second yarn and then I realize I don't have the next color yarn to continue........must hunt that down! So, this will be put off to the side and I'll do something else 

Okay, let's stitch this binding--this quilt top has been resting and aging the past few months.  It just needs one or two more sides bound and then, done! and added to the stack in the guest bedroom.

Nothing like adding to the pile of warmth!

While I'm stitchng in onr room, hubby is doing computer work in the office so we both listen to

 Orphan X by Gregg Hurtitz

Widows on the Wine Path by Julia Jarman--laugh out loud! This one is for my ears only! Because he wouldn't 'get' it!

Hope you can find something to stitch along with your listening.

MOTHER'S DAY!!!

 

The origin of Mother’s Day has been associated with Miss Anna M. Jarvis. Jarvis (b. May 1, 1864 – Nov. 24, 1948), an especially devoted daughter who was concerned about the neglect shown to mothers by grown children.

According to folklore, there are a lot of rules gardeners need to follow. Whether it’s planting on Good Friday or waiting until after Three Ice Men have passed to get your seedlings in the ground, lore and tradition have a lot of advice to impart, and many swear by these tidbits passed down from our ancestors for a successful, prolific garden.  One popular bit of planting wisdom suggests that you hold off doing any planting until Mother’s Day, known appropriately as “The Mother’s Day Rule.” What is it, and is there any truth to it?

The premise is simple—Mother’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May which, for many, the threat of frost has passed and it’s considered safe to get your garden started. It’s a good rule of thumb because as we all know, while the calendar may say spring, it doesn’t mean we’ll have spring temperatures in March and April (especially for those of us in the Northeast).

Want to show your appreciation for Mom? How about breakfast in bed or a lovely brunch? Our cinnamon French Toast recipe is a treat to die for! Get the recipe here.

so, you are planting a rose bush for mom on her day and you're making her brunch, just be sure to clean up your utensils!  Don't leave a messy kitchen!  or leave your gardening tools on the lawn--  

Leftovers

Leftovers!  What to do with leftovers?  Never know what to do with all these leftovers--hate to pitch them.  It's all good stuff and should be used, if only in a different way.  Case in point:  We had a brisket that was smoked--

Meal #1 Sandwiches

Meal #2  Brisket hash

Meal #3 Brisket tacos

and there is still lots of brisket leftovers

To put this out of mind--brisket was wrapped and placed in the freezer--

The thing about food leftovers is search engine will hand you many recipes using your given ingredients.

As I was fretting over leftovers, I was cleaning out the freezer—why some of these things were here?? I pulled out package of hot dog buns—why did we have these?  

We don’t eat hot dogs!!  Found container of mixed fruit 

Idea!! 

Took six eggs beaten, 1/2 cup of melted butter, 3/4 cup white sugar, splash of rum, and fruit mixed all together; tore buns into bits to place in greased 8”x8” pan,  sprinkled cinnamon over the top, topped with egg mixture 

And baked till knife came out clean when stuck in the middle.  Now, that’s a good leftover—bread pudding!   It's not the prettiest thing pulled from the oven but the taste is delicious--added rum sauce before we ate.

Another leftover is these four 16" applique quilt blocks! 

 I love those blocks!  

Don't want to make another quilt.  Heaven knows how many orphan block quilts I've made.  It is fun to stir your creative to build a quilt top with various odd blocks that shouldn't fit together, but they do pull together to give a pleasing look. Guess they will just need to let them 'age' a little longer.

My brain has been searcing for that perfect finished product.

I used the search engine to give me some ideas--nothing dinged!

Every idea was to grow a quilt top or how to make a 16" pieced block

not what I want..  I want something unique and unusual.  After all, I took time to applique each perfect stitch.  These blocks do need to be special!

Back to the bread pudding—at least that was an accomplishment for leftovers. 

Old habits revived

 Years ago I had a habit of listening to podcasts on a regular basis.  That was the way I could listen to classic books that I never would read. Or learn unique and interesting tidbits in the knit world. 

Somehow, in this world of streaming services, that habit went to the wayside. There is a distraction to view videos, watch tv, or listen to an audiobook.  

Recently, I stumbled upon my old habits again and it feels so good! 

Cast on== a podcast about knitting!

Craft lit== a podcast on classics without pain!   At the present time, Emma by Jane Austin is being read.  The best part is the information you gain on Craftlit.

I'm happy to start those old habits back again! 

 But, now, I've picked up new habits-- more podcasts pop up.  There are those podcasts that I must listen to eg my brother’s music one--he interviews musicians that I've never heard of--it's all good.  He interviewed a candidate from American Idol who made it to third place--it was an interesting behind scenes of that show.  That podcast is "The Trout Show" 

You can find these podcasts plus other interesting ones to distract you and give you bad habits on many different platforms.

Thumbing through a few sites, I was reminded of books that were read years ago; books that were enjoyed.  Books that contain interesting information; books that should be read again.  Amazing how many words that have passed by my eyes.  I plan to revive these books! 

. 

X Y Z

 X Y Z  The slang phrase XYZ, meaning “examine your zipper,” has been used since at least the 1960's 

These letters are used for constants (because “c” stands for “constant”). xyz - because they are the last three letters of the alphabet. These letters are used for variables and unknowns (because “x” is symbolic if the unknown - a mystery, as in “x marks the spot”, “Mister X”, etc.).

Generation X (1965-1980)

Generation X is the demographic group following the baby boomers. They are described as people born between 1965-1980.

As of 2019 U.S. Census data, there are 65.2 million Xers in the United States. Most of the members of this group are the children of the Silent Generation and early boomers. Meanwhile, they are often the guardians of Millennials and Generation Z

Millennials (1981-1996)

Millennials are also known as Generation Y and were born between 1981-1996.

Generation Z (1997-2012)

Generation Z is commonly known as Zoomers. They are the new generation after the Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha.

This generation was born in the mid-1990s and the early 2010s. The people from this era are children of Generation X. The effect of the economy has been known by this age group as being shaped by COVID-19.

And there you have the END of this ABC challenge. 

Walk for JD

 

Every April around this time of year, we sponsor a walk for our little great grandson, Jerry Daniel aka JD; he was born February 17, 2023 with CDH (Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare condition that occurs when the diaphragm – the muscle that separates the chest from the abdomen – fails to close during prenatal development. This allows abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, and/or liver) to move into the chest. When the abdominal organs are in the chest, they can crowd the heart and lungs and keep the lungs from growing normally.)

He spent 8 months in hospital, having 10 surgeries to correct the hernia.  The worse probability came when he had a twist in his small intestine and several inches were removed.  Now he has a g button (One of the most common types of G tubes is a low-profile tube sometimes called a “button.” This type of tube lays on top of the abdominal wall and is kept in place in the stomach by a water-filled balloon. A special extension tube is attached when administering medicines or feedings.). He is fed constantly thru this g button.  

At this writing JD is thriving little boy, learning to crawl, even adapting to his feed tube attached.  He is always in a good mood!  We are happy to bring awareness as we walk for JD and other children born with CDH. 

We had a nice crowd that gathered at Oma’s ranch for breakfast, then our walk down the ranch road, watched patiently by herds of cattle and horses.

 We returned to enjoy brisket lunch with all the fixings!  The afternoon is spent visiting and watching JD as he belly laughs about the least little thing.  We love our adventurous boy!  And will continue to walk every April!