making

Nothing gets me back in my "work groove" better than a little quiet and a chance to do things and make stuff.  This past week has been pretty darn productive.  I've written two articles (and one will go live this weekend sometime), I've done some blocking and knitting, I've mended some clothes--which instantly increases what I can wear again...it's all good.

Both twins are also somewhat better settled when they are back at school, so I love routine.  Part of that routine is getting to do something absolutely crazy beyond producing meals for everyone else--It's eating a homemade lunch, by myself.  Better yet, the lunch doesn't comprise of a calzone or sandwich (things I could eat one handed while trying to feed those babies, for instance) but rather a salad.  here's an improvised delight I ate yesterday.  One cut up leftover baked potato, some spinach, some dilly beans--canned by me in long ago hot summer weather, some leftover 'mediterranean' type salad on top (cut up tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, carrots, with oil, vinegar, and Italian herbs), topped by plain yogurt and some peanuts for crunch.  Eclectic?  yup.  Good?  You bet.  And...I did not have to compete with two five year olds over the salad, which, by the way, is an issue.  I have two boys who love salad but will eat it all before I get to serve myself any!  

 Also on the schedule?  Writing up a pattern to submit as part of my local festival's collection!  Here's the sample, all blocked and tidy.  The yarn?  Handspun flax, from TapRoot Fibre Lab.

That one bead?  Recycled glass, purchased from an African fair trade vendor, at a long ago street fair.  Having a deep stash is great when it comes to finding that perfect bead or button...
Happy Spring Making!
Joanne

Scenes from August

What does August look like?

A locally grown tomato sandwich...

On homemade spelt bread, with mayo (cause I could not ever skip the mayo), that one perfect heirloom tomato, homemade basil pesto, and sharp cheddar.

Here it is again, in case you needed a close up of the pesto dribbling everywhere.

Also, today was the last morning of camp, or any kind of childcare, until preschool starts after Labor Day...so homemade challah?  Is hard to find time to make.  For the first time, I tried the bread machine.  It is definitely world's funniest looking loaf, even upside down, as in this photo, but it tastes good.  Obviously need to fine tune my recipe for the bread machine, but it's a start...and it all works for French toast, even if it isn't braided!

what a difference a day makes



I am writing this blog post in bits and pieces when I get a chance.  We just had world's longest staycation with the boys.  My brother wrote me a "happy back to school day note," and boy, I felt like celebrating!  I am so grateful for preschool that it hurts. :)

A few notes from our cold cold last few days.  On Sunday, a friend babysat and we went out to eat after the boys went to bed and walked too far in the cold (my idea) and I seem to have a bit of frost nip on my ear. It is red and hot and hurts, but is not white or blistery, so I don't think I will lose my ear or anything. However, no earrings at this time. Just the idea hurt.

Monday was another weird ordeal: here is the summary from a note I wrote to my brother.

We are under an extreme weather warning, with temperatures between -35F and with windchill, -50.

We had a very tough morning.  The professor's car didn't start (at all) so he heated up mine and we got the boys into it. I went with the professor to preschool as I thought I'd have to drive him to the university (first lecture of the term at midday)

Then, a guy yelled to us as we left preschool that one of our tires was flat. It was.

Three gas stations later, we realized all the outdoor air pumps were frozen and would not work.

We stopped at a tire place, where the professor dropped me off with the car and he went off to find a bus to the university.

I sat there for 2 hours, but now our tire is fixed, and I can pick up the boys.

I hope he made it to lecture on time.

Did I say it was -50F with the windchill?

Oh, and we forgot to turn on the slow cooker last night, so the oatmeal didn't cook for breakfast. I turned it on and it is cooked now.

I am eating it now. It is hot. Hot is good.

(That was just before noon yesterday.) Picking up the boys at school was again hard, and they both fell asleep in their snow suits in the car, and I had to carry them in one at a time and lay them like mummies on the rug in the kitchen and take off their outdoor clothes there. I could not risk leaving anyone outside very long, obviously.I was dripping with sweat just getting them out of school and into the house....

Anyhow, today, I have had a whole morning indoors, mostly on my own, and have made a full meal for tonight.  (rice, chicken, salad, the works.) The silence is blissful.  I have two things to share.
Remember this post?  I am posting a photo of the sweater again as I have remade it.
I never wore it as this deep v-neck with a zipper and a shawl tie.  It didn't work.  The sweater was too heavy and yet freezing around the neck.
So....
I took the zipper out and sewed up the front.  I transformed the deep shawl collar into a high one, which can be buttoned up like a turtleneck if necessary.  The following snapshot (lopsided? sideways? no, finally corrected!) shows how loved it is now.  I wear it often.  It is warm, soft, bulky handspun that is getting pilled and loved and spilled on with use.  Finally--this is how a sweater should be. :)

Also, today, I managed to have lunch.  It is an open faced ricotta/cream cheese/chutney/eggplant salad sandwich.  Again, is this upside down or something?!
(It tasted great though)

OK--for anyone who is checking this a second time, I have finally fixed the photos so that they are right side up.  Took several tries.  I think it is possible I am not quite done with being upside down and ice cold yet. :)

Wishing you a wonderful 2009!

Things over here on the blog might be a wee bit quiet over the next few weeks. I've got this thing (called a book deadline) and well, it turns out that I'm letting myself get distracted too often! From now until the projects are done, I need to knit. All the time. I'll have to write a little too, but that's it...or at least, that's what I'm telling myself. Just a lot of knitting and some writing until mid February--no play. (hah! See how long that lasts...)

On the 30th, a former student of the professor's (and a blog reader, I might add) came over for a lunchtime visit. We ate homemade grapeleaves, a bean dish with garlic, oregano, artichokes, tomatoes and roasted red pepper, cheese and crackers, tangerines and pistachios. (the professor made the grapeleaves, he wants that duly noted!) She's also a knitter and a spinner, so we had a couple of hours of stash diving and other fun. A blast, complete with hand carding lessons!

We then had a delicious vegetarian Gulyas (goulash) at a friend's house for New Year's Eve. We were at home and in bed by midnight, listening to fireworks, guns being fired, and other craziness when the new year came in. Somehow, I never mind hiding from the noise and broken glass!

The professor decided to catch a few photos of a normal work day around here. The first two are dark, but now you see how the blog (and yes, many articles) are written. Sally is on patrol, watching for bad guys from the office window. Harry monitors my progress. The laptop is in use...and I even wrote something that day!

We also took a break to attempt the famous "author photo" shoot on New Year's Eve. It didn't last long. Our models were restless. Here are a couple of the funniest shots. First, there's Sally. Her eyes practically glow from the flash (whoops) and if you see my hand? I'm clutching at her. Some of us are nervous around the paparazzi. Heck, Sally's nervous all the time, who am I kidding?

Harry, on the other hand, is a pro. Note that boy, licking his chops! After the shoot, he'll go out for kibble treats and the photographer/the professor always pays!

We (me, the professor, and of course, Harry and Sally) wish you a happy, healthy, prosperous, peaceful and safe 2009! May your meals be good, your knitting and spinning beautiful, and your friends be plentiful. Also, we hope you'll have a lot of quality time-possibly on the couch-with your animals. (even if they're not dogs....!)