YOP Week #35 Year #11

 I was sick last week so I didn't post for YOP but I am better now and although some projects got by-passed I managed to do a little handwork..........first and foremost I have found a new passion......amigurumi and since we had the ice storm too my supplies are yet to arrive.  There was no traveling on our roads for several days!  So, I am a little stymied in moving ahead on my new passion.

Here's what I have so far on a free pattern from Le Petite Saint Crochet.........this is the head of one of the bunnies but I am waiting for the safety eyes to arrive so I can't go any farther right now....

     

This is the little scarf for the boy bunny....

now I am starting on the ears............not sure if I will make both bunnies....we'll see how well it goes.....this may be a short lived passion ....but I don't think so.............

I did manage to do a little cross stitch but actually, I was so sick I just wanted to sleep....so I did! LOL!  Then I had housework to catch up on after 4 days of just laying in bed...so I've gotten off my XS routine.

I did work on the Prairie Schooler Santa on the 25th..........

and Stu the Snowman..............

and in the evenings I worked on the giant granny square blanket.............

I continue to pray for the Ukrainian people and the country they are so brave in defending.  There are organizations that are helping and one that I have contributed to is Doctors Without Borders and Oxfam but there are many more.  Just ensure they are legitimate.

Happy Trails!!!

   

The Ice Storm cometh......and left finally!

 It's melting now and we never lost power...PTL!  After being ill I didn't want to deal with no power.  But I feel better and we stayed toasty warm.   Here are some pictures from this morning when the sun finally showed itself........

I found a new passion while"recuperating"......amigurumi!  I am now addicted although I haven't completed anything yet.  The patterns are so cute!

I started a free pattern for beginners by Le Petite Saint Crochet.  It is her Bitty Bunny Pattern for a boy and a girl.  I did get the yarn but now I have to wait for the "safety eyes" to arrive.........

Here's the next pattern I have my eye on.......too cute!  This one happens to be knitted and crocheted...

Meanwhile, I have also been busy doing housework.  I washed the laundry and kitchen floor yesterday....actually it ended up to be a 2 day process....but it got done!  I cleaned a cupboard today and threw out all kinds of "outdated" items that had made their way to the very back of the cupboard.  It's a lower cupboard which I will not put food in anymore because I have to get down on my stomach to reach it! LOL!  I put items I seldom use in it.  I need to clean the frig next but not sure my energy will hold out.  We had no mail one day and I haven't seen a UPS or FedX truck for several days.  I was supposed to get my supplies today.  I hope they arrive!  It's been melting all day with the sun and it is now above freezing for the first time in days!  Yippee!

I am praying for the Ukranian people and have been for weeks now...praying it would not come to this

Hold your loved ones close.....it could be us one of these days!

Happy Trails!!!

Thank you everyone!!!!

 Thanks to all your comments and experiences I made a doctor's appointment!  I told them no rectal exam and no colonoscopy!  I draw the line...there are scans and x-rays they can do.  That didn't sound like anything that should be done anyway.  They could have gotten me in today but we are expecting an ice storm where "travel will be near impossible".  So, it's next Tuesday.  I do feel better but it is still there and now feels like a pulled muscle.  I am eating very bland foods and it has really killed my appetite.  I think I'm afraid to eat! LOL!  

I slept yesterday as I was tired from the storms keeping me up the night before.  I didn't get much done but today I need to because they are expecting power outages.

I found a new word game called Wordle.  I use the New York Times one and they give you the instructions.  It is only once a day so it not something you will spend a lot of time on.  It does get your neurons firing though!  I enjoy it and I hope you will too.

Happy Trails!!!

Hopefully on the mend.

 I'm still in pain but not as bad...just twinges once in awhile.  My cousin called me and mentioned a friend of hers had experienced diverticulitis which sounded exactly like what I was experiencing.   I'm pretty sure that's what this is brought on by those wonderful barbecued ribs!  I did not make a doctors appointment because what they do to diagnose it is not fun!  A rectal exam and a colonoscopy and who knows what else!  No thanks!  I researched diet for diverticulitis and I am trying to follow it.  Sunday, I was feeling so good that I think I overdid it a bit with the housekeeping.  Yesterday wasn't much different as storms were coming and I had errands to run.  I picked up prescriptions, went to the next town and had a key made for my neighbor, and went to the local grocery store and got some needed items.  I'm eating very bland foods and not very much.  I changed sheets, did laundry, and washed the kitchen floor.

Being sick and laying in bed for days, I finished a book!  A really good one!  It is the first in a series but I think there are only 4  total which is too bad because they are really good......similar to the Mitford books.  I've already started the 2nd book which I downloaded to my Kindle.

 I also received some  yarn I had ordered............... I ordered the wrong kind of yarn so not sure if I should send it back or just keep it for another project?

We had big storms last night so I didn't get a lot of sleep...I may be napping today plus we are still under a tornado watch and tonight the temp is going to dive into the 20's with ice and snow!  Never a dull moment around here!

I hope you are all doing fine.

Happy Trails!!!  

Just an F.Y.I.

 I haven't blogged because I've been sick since last Wednesday.   Bad abdominal pains.  I did talk to BCBS nurse and have been surviving on applesauce and  saltines.  I'm feeling a bit better but still know there is something not right.  I was going to go to the doctor if I could get an appointment but we are expecting bad storms this week and the doctor is 1 1/2 hours away.  So, I won't be blogging until I know what going on and I feel better.

Happy Trails!!!  

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

 I did some falling down rabbit holes today...one of my favorite things to do!  I ordered some yarn and printed off some patterns and ate some candy while doing it!  It was a great day and it's not over yet!

These are little fox feet........I'm trying my hand at some amigurumi.............

I also trimmed and pinned my rug hooked heart....I thought it was appropriate to do that today.......this is before I trimmed it and pinned it....I will back it with black felted wool and then stuff it for a pillow.

Here's a little humor for Valentine's Day............

Just kidding!!!  You are all loved by me and God.....see.....there's 2!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #33 Year #11

 Lots of variety this week as some of my cross stitch rotations rolled around..........there was a Halloween stitch which will be every Friday from now on..........this is one of a set of ornaments on plasticized paper by Satsuma House...........

my Valentine stitch.............which doesn't look to be finished by Valentine's Day but there's always next year!

My Sabbath Stitch................I'm on the big "G" in God...............

Saturdays I work on my Blackbird stitch..........I got another finger done!

I also worked on my Multnomah and got quite a few rows done...you can see by the green progress marker.....of course, each row takes longer and longer as you keep increasing...........

Watching the Olympics I've been working on my giant granny square blanket.............

There weren't any treasures or stash this week but I did find a wonderful crochet blog and podcast gal at LaPetitSaint Crochet  She specializes in amigurumi, knitting and crochet.  She has tutorials, free patterns and she makes beautiful things.  She has a blog and podcasts

 

Also, she mentioned Dada's Place another great crochet resource..........

and a book that I m ordering today.........LOVE!

I've been cooking some yummy things this week; Borscht soup...delicious if you like beets.  Check my past posts this week for the link.  I also made a quesadilla yesterday.....healthy and tasty also..........at the same link......

 As I said, I've been watching the Olympics and last night I watched Kurling.....very interesting!

Today is the Super Bowl but not sure I'll be able to stay up that late.........we'll see.  I'm rooting for the Bengals......I always root for the underdog.

Oh, I did manage to finally press the seam open on the quilt backing and press the entire backing.....it's a slow boat to China but I did manage to get a bunch of  other ironing done yesterday too.

I hope you had a good week!  I enjoyed several days of upper 60's F weather and now this morning it was 13F with a storm coming Wednesday night into Thursday.  Not sure what kind of storm yet....snow or tornadoes?  Never sure this time of  year.

Happy Trails!!!

I love beets!

 I have always loved beets but I have never made Borscht.  I finally did yesterday and I was not knowing what to expect but I loved it!  Not only that but it is a super healthy dish.  It was suggested to serve it with some sour cream on top so I did!  This soup has beets, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, onions, celery and tomatoes.........

I don't know if you remember Jenny Jones who had her own talk show years ago....80's?  I never watched as I was working all the time but I did remember her.  I found some recipes and they were healthy.  I discovered that it was the same Jenny Jones but her website is called Jenny Can Cook.  She has wonderful recipes, healthy, delicious, and no exotic ingredients.  This is where the Borscht recipe came from.  All my recipes this week are from her website.  If you watch her videos she is funny and gives excellent directions and tips.  She even has a recipe for Kettle Corn that you  make in a paper bag in your microwave.

My menu for the next few weeks (all from her recipes):

pizza with homemade dough

stuffed cabbage rolls

salmon patties with caesar salad

fall off the bone ribs

for lunches and/or  breakfasts:

quesadillas

green eggs, no ham

cheese blintzes

Today was beautiful.....65 and sunny so I went out to the highway and filled up the tank.  I changed sheets and did some laundry.  I decided that the 13th and Fridays would be Halloween cross stitch so I worked on the Satsuma ornaments..........

I've been watching the Olympics in the evening.  I watched a couple episodes of Yellowstone but was not impressed.  Not only do they swear like troopers but the violence and cruelty is enough to give you bad dreams.  I will try and watch to see if it improves or if there is some kind of story line but I can't really make any sense out of it.   I finished Where the Crawdads Sing and that was very good.  The Wednesday Sisters not so much.  I'm reading Agatha Christie's biography which has some interesting parts but is just very strange for a biography.  I always hate to give up on movies or books hoping that in the end it will all come together and be wonderful.  I am also reading the 4th book in the Mitford series..........I call the Mitford books "comfort reading" similar to "comfort food" but without the calories.

I hope you had a good day and have wonderful plans for the weekend!

Happy Trails!!! 

I might be able to relax a little tomorrow...maybe?

 Yesterday I made the other "treat" for the grands...much easier than popcorn balls......good ole Rice Krispie Treats with a Valentine spin on them..........agai.n I wrapped each one individually and then placed them inside a zip lock bag.  I had 2 boxes...one for Valentine's Day which I mailed priority and one that had books and magazines in it that I mailed as media which is much cheaper but probably won't get there for 3 weeks but that's okay.

After I ran up to the next town to mail them I went to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions.  I was going to go out to the highway and fill up with gas since it was in the 60's yesterday but I had 1/2 tank so I skipped it for now.  When I came home I made my menu and grocery list and ordered groceries.....by then it was 5:00 p.m.!

 Today, I picked up the groceries at 10:00 and came home, unloaded into the garage, debagged in the garage and then I take a few at a time (an armload) into the house and disinfect.  I put the disinfected groceries on the other counter and when that's all done I put them away.  I take several breaks too!  I needed a lot of things as I had used  some of my backups when I couldn't get out to the store during the snow storm.  All stocked up again.  It was in the 60's so really nice for being outside.

I got my Chicken Salad quilt "simple Shapes" from Lori Holt.  The QAL starts on the 14th....Happy Valentines Day to me!  The shapes are for the applique chickens on the quilt.  I've never done her method of applique so it should be interesting

I also received my new Roku Express 4K+.............I can see Peacock now and Amazon Prime video!  I installed it after I got all the groceries put away.

Peacock has the Olympics on which I haven't been able to watch and also it has Yellowstone which I've been wanting to watch.  I will be relaxing tonight!  There are lots more channels and voice activation and more!

I'll leave you with this...............

Happy Trails!!!

Front loader as snow plow?

 They plowed a bit...bless their hearts.  It was 48 F today so there was melting but it's still on the drive way and streets.....the grass is peeking through and the deer are right on it!    They're not used to this much snow for this long either.

I spent the day making a mess of my kitchen.............

to make these..............

 

and then I wrapped each of them individually with saran wrap....which is so much fun...said no one ever!

I doubt if I will make them again.....big mess, a lot of work and hard on the hands to stir....I'm sure the grands will like them though.  Grayson has a nut allergy....severe....so anything I make for them is homemade so I know exactly what goes in it.  A lot of things are made in factories where they process nuts...even M&M's...he can't even go to the ice cream parlor.  He's smart about it because he remembers how sick he was before they discovered it was a nut allergy.  He questions everything you give him just to make sure.  Hopefully, he will grow out of it someday but meanwhile we are very careful.

There's one more thing I'll be making tomorrow.  My Valentine cards haven't arrived yet but I'll mail them when I get them.  Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day?

I hope you had a great Monday so far!

Happy Trails!!!

YOP Week #32 Year #11

 It's been a tiring week with not a great deal of progress.  Between not feeling great at the beginning of the week to the storm which really was not bad since we didn't lose power.  But it is still cold and the snow is still here which is rare.  We still have travel advisories because they don't have salt or snowplows except maybe in the big cities.   Today is supposed to be 47 so I imagine some melting will take place.  I'd like to get some groceries sometime soon.

This week I worked on my New Years cross stitch on the 31st and the 1st..........this is a long-term project

then there was my birthday start on the 4th..............Ida Mae!

the Valentine XS..............

and yesterday  I worked on the Blackbird weekend project.........

Things I did but did not photograph are I sewed the backing fabric together for the Christmas quilt...finally and I worked on Stu the snowman just a bit...........

I did try the Join As You Go blanket but it was too fiddly for watching t.v. so, I went back to my tried and true Giant Granny Square blanket.  I'm making this one big enough for a real blanket for my bed.I've made 2 throw size Giant Granny Squares and I still have lots of acrylic yarn left!  This is the best project for watching t.v.

Today, I will be stitching on my Sabbath Stitch and hopefully get my quilt backing and batting and top all pinned together.  I've been cleaning and cooking this past week too.  Today I'm making linguini with broccoli, pine nuts, and feta....another favorite!    

Here's a little humor for you....at least I thought it was funny........so true, so true..........

Happy Trails!!!

So blessed!!!

 I woke up this morning and we had power!  I checked outside and it had rained and was sleeting and was about 20 F.  It stopped fairly soon and turned to snow.  It was quiet most of the day...no precipitation until just a few minutes ago and now it is snowing like crazy!  This picture is mild compared to right now.  From the radar it looks like we will be getting snow for quite a while!  Yay!

I did chores and some cleaning and then this afternoon, I made a Waldorf salad and sausage stuffed acorn squash with maple syrup.  It should be really good as the sausage was Jimmy Dean maple flavored.  This is one of my favorite winter meals.  It's all set to go in the oven in a few minutes!  I usually buy 2 squash which is perfect for 1 pound of sausage but I must have forgot and only bought 1.

I hope you are all safe and warm wherever you are.

Happy Trails!!!

Ready or not here it comes!

 All day has been prepping for the storm pretty much.  It rained in the night and this morning.  It was 50 something and now it is 31 so if it rains there will be freezing.  From the radar it looks like we are right on the edge of the line between freezing rain and snow.  If it gets 1/2 to an inch of ice and it's windy we will not have power...Arkansas is like one giant forest beautiful but treacherous during an ice storm.  Last time there were elderly people that died in their homes because so many trees were on the roads they couldn't get to them.  Some of them lived way outside of town.

I did all the laundry so even if it's cold I will have clean clothes.  All the dishes are clean and I ran the dishwasher.  I replaced batteries in my lights and candles.........

I prepped for a fire in case I wake up to a cold house it's ready to light..........

Plenty of wood and kindling and more in the garage.......the green can holds paper

I also hung curtains in the doorways....I have a few more to hang.......

I don't have to worry about water because I have city water and it flows regardless.........I did manage to start a Valentine cross stitch....free from the Colorado Cross Stitcher.  The link is on her You Tube channel.  I should have just done the heart........it's bigger than I thought........plus I thought the fabric was blue but now I think maybe it's green.....it's sparkly too............

Here's a little something to make you smile........it did me!

If you don't hear from me tomorrow I probably lost power or maybe you did or maybe both of us or all of us!  Stay warm!

Happy Trails!!!