Try Something Different Tuesday. Counting Calories.

Don't you just love it when products you've never tried go on sale?

Our local TOPS supermarket is simply amazing. They may be small, but they carry a good variety of products. Their sales are pretty darn good too! If their pet supply and paper products were less expensive, all our grocery shopping would be done there.

A few weeks back, TOPS had a sale on Asian cuisine supplies. What you're looking at is Sweet and Sour Chicken using bottled sauce by Asian Gourmet. (It looked better before I stirred it up.) Easy enough to make. Fresh carrots, peppers and onions were sauteed. Canned chicken and sauce added and heated through long enough to allow the flavors to meld. Served over rice. The whole process took less than half an hour.

This Sweet and Sour Chicken would be a quick (and tasty) company meal. As for us making it again - it's a possibility. More than likely a from-scratch version will make it into the monthly rotation. Less sodium, additives, and preservatives that way. 

Speaking of the monthly meal rotation...

Be advised: We're dieting here. The next few weeks, or months as the case may be, the food posts will be good tasting diet food.

Monday's Mini Project. Paloma Pony.

Monday's mini-project was completing another pony for the herd. One more to go, then they'll be three. In years past, biographies were included with each animal. Not sure if that's going to happen again.

Each pony takes a full day to craft -- for me at least. The instructions are easy to follow. The finishing touches are the most difficult to complete. Embroidering the face and eyes, stuffing each piece and sewing everything together becomes a bit tedious after you've put together ten or fifteen of these. In spite of all that, it truly is a fun, easy (mindless) project. The supplies don't cost much (about $3 a skein) and you can get two ponies per skein.

This is a perfect gift for friends who need their spirits lifted.  This silly face is enough to make the soggiest person crack a smile.

Here's a link to the pattern from Red Heart (the yarn people): Amigurumi Ponies. If you compare the original pattern picture with my version, you'll notice the eye lids have been omitted on this pony and more yarn was used for the mane and tale. 

Hope your Monday had at least one positive interaction that you can reflect upon as you fall asleep. Rest well, friends.

Sunday Fun Day.

Good morning, y'all! Happy Sunday!

For the past week, daytime temperatures have ranged from the mid-50s to 70 degrees. All sorts of high temperature records for February in Pennsylvania were broken.

Except for the mountaintops and a few shady areas, most of the snow melted. Neighbors were out and about working in their flower beds and walking the streets and trails. A few of the willows sprouted soft, grey kitty toes.

The birds came back to the feeders. Quite a bit of time throughout the week was spent at the kitchen window simply watching them feed. The feeders seemed to draw in a dozen or so black capped chickadees, a tufted titmouse and a beautiful, iridescent headed grackle (thinking the bronze race, but haven't seen it since it saw me, so can't be sure).

The transition from Winter to Spring can be devastating to our fine feathered friends. Many times they have to travel long distances with little forage. Keeping the feeders stocked and a suet cake available seems a small price to pay for all the enjoyment they provide. Waking to birdsong is on my list of favorite things in life.

Back to reality.

Yesterday the snow began anew. Tiny little pellets about the size of a glass-head pin top. This morning the flakes are the size of goose down.

The warmth was nice while it lasted. We took advantage by getting a bit of fresh air. Amazing how restorative sunshine and warmth in the great outdoors can be after a month of being cold.

Work continues on the Brown Bag Challenge quilt. All but one of the hand-quilted blocks was ripped out. Six of the twenty holly and berry blocks have been embroidered. Am hoping to complete the quilt by the end of March, but a painting project is due in two weeks and another (easier) quilt project is beckoning. (More on that later this week.)

We spent this past week running from Physical Therapy to the Doctor. Back to Physical Therapy. TOPS, Walmart, and getting the Jeep ready for inspection. Doesn't sound like much, but add crafting, chores and a physical disability...

Folks, we're just plumb worn out. Today is truly a day of rest. 

Where ever you are and whatever you choose to do: May you find something to laugh and smile about as you go about your day. Look for the good and chances are you'll find it!

Sunday: A Typical Day of Rest. It's Not Work If You Love What You Are Doing.

Back in 2013 I began this wall hanging as part of a Brown Bag Challenge at a local fabric shop (Little Fabric Garden).

The blocks themselves went together rather easily. I was rather proud of how crisp the points came out.

The holly leaf pattern is an original pattern. You can read more about it here.

The project was put on hold because my hand quilting of the leaves looked horrible on both sides. Because I'm working on finishing up projects, it was put back on the active work-in-progress pile.

After speaking with one of the ladies at the fabric shop and learning that to have someone with a long arm complete the quilting would cost more than budgeted, I decided to attempt machine quilting on my own.

That bright idea only got this far:

What a pain in the butt trying to quilt this small detail using a conventional sewing machine. Too much like work.

So...

Set aside for a little while until a solution could be found.

After weighing options, I decided to rip out the leaves already hand quilted and embroider them instead.

Rip. . . Rip. . . Rip. . .

It took about a half hour to rip out and then embroider the two leaves on this triangle. Although ripping is time consuming, it's the best solution because the embroidery really accentuates the leaves, as you can see from the first picture in this post.

After the leaves and berries are all embroidered, I will stitch-in-the-ditch using a similar green.

This is going to take a while. *sigh*

Good thing I find embroidery relaxing.

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Sunday!

Wednesday Worktable. The Little Stinker.

I came across this pattern book while looking for something else.

Even though I have several projects waiting completion (as always), I decided to take a break and make something different.

I purchased this book several years ago for the hedgehog pattern and made a few of them before becoming bored with the pattern.

All of the patterns in this book are very easy. Single crochet in rounds for the most part. Increase and decreases as well. Nothing more complicated than counting.

This week I chose to make the skunk. It's just very cute.

Being an experienced crocheter, when the pattern increased for the nose I placed some crochet thread across the stitches to mark where the nose should be embroidered.

This is how he turned out.

I'm undecided on whether to make another, but if I do I'll make the arms and legs bigger.

Other than that, I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out.

What do you think?

Happy Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day I have decided to practice kindness. Today I've done my best to have a pleasant word and a smile for everyone I met as I went about my bi-weekly errands.

But I've taken it a step further. I've adopted one of the stray cats in the community. Not that I'm bringing it into my home. I don't really want another indoor cat. Especially a cat I know nothing about.

I have made a shelter for him out of an old tote in a place that provides shelter from the elements, but allows an almost 360 degree view without compromising security from predators. An old fleece blanket big enough to act as a nest is inside the shelter.

With all the streams that feed Tunungwant Creek, water isn't a problem for any animal in the wild. Food is a different story. I will be feeding him both dry and wet food once a day - right before sunset. It won't be enough to completely sustain him, but it will be enough that he won't starve. He'll still have to hunt for some of his food.

Speaking of food...

Time for Valentine's Day dinner. I hope you have had a wonderful day full of smiles and laughter.

Blessed be.

Monday Mini-project.

A while back I purchased some felt from a friend at an insanely low bargain price. A few weeks later, I purchased this little, green and white felt bird from her as well.

The felt was automatically relegated to the official craft room in a small shopping bag with the rest of the felt stash. The little bird has been sitting above the computer staring at me with its beady little eyes... Inspiring me to try to make a little birdie like it.

I rose to the challenge.

None of the patterns I have printed matched this type of bird, so a Google search led me to this pattern. Not exactly the same thing, but close enough.

Now, in with the felt was some lovely baby blue flannel. That's what I chose to work with. Unfortunately, flannel frays bad enough that the seam depth needed to be about 1/4 an inch.

This is the result:

Not good.

Rather than waste the time spent embroidering another top and more wings, the trusty old seam ripper came out.

Seams were removed and sewn again from the inside.




This is the result:

Again, not good.

Some day I'll make another birdie again using this pattern. But flannel definitely won't be used.

Live and learn, right?!