Been a little busy

Been a little busy getting things ready for Christmas.  That's why I haven't been around much.

Remember that brown tunisian cable I was experimenting with?  Hubby thought it was cool so I decided to make a scarf out of it.  I wasn't going to have enough yarn, and decided to see if we could find some to match.  We were unable to and we ended up buying different yarn, that hubby picked out.  It's his Christmas gift, he knows it will be late.  It's not like he will need it before then.  We are gearing up weather wise for severe storms on Christmas day.  They say possible tornadoes.

This morning I fixed a pair of jeans....while wearing them.  That was a challenge.  It's not pretty but it does look better.  The knee was ripped out and it didn't look too professional.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I pulled a project from the WIP box

Actually I guess it was the "TIME OUT" box since it made me mad.   A year in that box sure was a long time.  LOL!

I made this LAST Christmas season.  It was one of two that I made.  The first one sold and I was hoping to sell this one too, BUT I sewed the logo on the wrong side of the hat.  It made me mad so I tossed it in the unfinished box.  Someone recently asked about a hat like this and I'm like, "yah I have one".  So I dug it out, took the logo off the wrong side and sewed it to the right side.  I'm hoping the person still wants it, it's been a few weeks.  If not I guess I will sell it i our shop.  

Thanks for stopping by!

More Ways to Stay Warm

A couple more way we are staying warm upstairs......We have been putting our coats across the foot of the bed.  Not only does it help keep our feet warm, it also makes our coats a bit warmer in the morning when we put them on.  I have started putting my jeans on the bed too.  They usually fall off, but at least I'm trying.  LOL!  

Hubby fixed the front door to where hardly any air comes in at all.  The door actually will swing in or out (it's pretty cool) but he put some trim and weather stripping on the inside to where the door only open out now.  That has made a huge difference in the amount of cold air coming in.  There was a good inch plus gap at the top and you could see all along the edge too.  

One other thing we did last night, which we used to do at our old house (and I had forgotten about until I seen the blanket we used to use) is between is and the top sheet we have put a warm fuzzy blanket.  Oh my that made a big difference in the covers temperature.  

We still have a bit more we want to do.  I still need to finish the moving blankets over the doors.  I think that instead of having to take them down or having to sit on the cold floor to sew them, for now I will safety pin them together.  Maybe come spring or summer I will officially sew them.  More on that later, when I really do have them finished I will share the end results.  So far though  do believe they are helping.  Should help even more after they go all the way to the floor.

I uploaded a short video to YouTube last night.  It's about the current tunisian project I am working on.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tunisian Cable Stitch

That crochet cap I told you about last week?  Well I frogged it and made something else from the maroon yarn.  Youngest son said he needed a stocking cap.  So, not really with the intention of making it for him I made this cap.  It's tunisian crochet, of course.  What else have I mostly been doing this year?  Wait, I haven't been telling you everything.  LOL!  Anyway when I finished it I had him try it on to see how big it was and it fit perfectly.  I told him Merry Christmas and to keep it.  I don't think he has taken it off since.  Made this Mom's heart warm.😄

My next project.....just because I was curious and thinking it was going to be super difficult.......

Tunisian Crochet cable stitch.  Pshaw! It's easy once you get the hang of it!  I think it's awesome it looks knitted but it's not.  I'm going to finish out the skein with this pattern, making a scarf, and give it as a gift.

What have you been creating lately?  Thanks for stopping by.

I Can See Clearly Now......

Well no, not really.  We woke up to this.  I took my son to work because I don't want him walking and risking getting sick.  I scraped a little on this but it needed more cleaning.

So I drove it around the block and decided to splash cool water on it.  It's worked in the past.  Not this time.  It made an even bigger icy mess.  I had to scrape again enough to see until the defroster did it's job.

I'm not a fan of winter anymore.  This was the first incident, and I hope it's the last.  Unfortunately we are probably just getting started.

Thanks for stopping by!  Hope you have a great weekend!

Making Some Scents

One thing I do is make homemade incense.  Well.....I dip the unscented sticks in the fragrance.

I had to mix up more fragrance.

I had several that were out or almost out on the shelf.  These should be ready to sell by Monday.

22 with a wind chill of 13

We got a little snow today.  Tonight the temperature outside is 22 with a wind chill of 13. Upstairs it's a cozy 51°. Not too shabby.  We have our space heaters on and the kerosene heater going. A few candles lit and the oil lamp. Gives the room a cozy feeling.

Stocking Up

Snow is coming.  I checked the forecast yesterday and it's been moved up to today.  I don't know how much we are supposed to be getting or if we will even get any at all. I'm just thankful that we were able to get stocked up on kerosene earlier this week. We also bought a few moving blankets from Harbour Freight to put over our doors. I seen this idea from a van dweller who bought them to line the inside of their van. They are pretty cheap right now. I bought 3 and paid $4.99 each. I still need to cut the third one in half. I'm going to sew the halves to the full ones so it makes them longer and hang to the floor. Here's one door:

 This one is about a foot short and the other door about 2 feet. The blankets are about 6 feet long. I think it's going to work out pretty well. Even like in the picture it made a difference in room temperature.  

Crochet Cap

With the help of a few friends I stared on this Woman's Cap this past weekend.  It's a pattern from a 1987  Annie's Attic Crochet Magazine.  My mom subscribed to it back then, and when I moved out I got to take some with me.  Wish I had taken more.  I do have a big stack of them, but haven't made much from them.  Ok I probably have, but I don't remember.  I moved out over a quarter of a century ago.  I don't like the colors I am using and it feels rather stiff and not very inviting to wear.   I'm not sure if I will finish it or not.  I may just frog it and find something else to make.

HHM

Happy Monday Morning!!!!!!!  Thanksgiving is over and it's time to start thinking about Christmas.  Not to mention it's crunch time for homemade gifts.

As I look outside my window:::
When I got up at 7:30 to take my son to work it was 33* and foggy.  I could see just a bit farther than a block away.  After I got back I curled back up in bed for another 30 minutes.  When I got up the second time to head to open the shop I could see a lithe over 2 blocks.  Now it's almost noon and it's kinda gray and cloudy out.  Defiantly looks like winter weather is getting closer.
 
Right now I am::: 
eating lunch.  After I'm done eating I will be walking to the post office to get stamps and send out bills and I am sending a yarn package to a friend.  The yarn is actually from a lady in our crochet group.

Something funny from this past week:::
I am no longer allowed to tough the parmesan cheese can.  This past weekend we were busy making sandwiches at the Castle and I went to put some parmesan cheese in a container for a customer.  It had chunks so I [thought I had it closed] went to shake it to break up the chunks, and parmesan went EVERYWHERE!

Currently Reading:::
Listening to the Bible, I'm currently in Proverbs
Also I'm still reading A Perilous Proposal by Michael Phillips.  

On my tv:::
Still hoping to fish Land Girls on Netflix.  If our son doesn't want to pay the monthly subscription (he said he might) then we will be canceling it in a few days.

On my to do list today:::
Start chicken cooking for chicken noodle dinner later this week
pay bills
post office -- get stamps and send package off
pick up some moving blankets from harbor freight (to put over our doors upstairs)
work on the tunisian gloves for hubby
the usual thing care of customers 

Today's Lunch:::
Thought I'd share since I said I was eating lunch……loaded mashed potatoes, cookies and hubby and I are sharing a pepsi

Preparing for Cold weather:::
It's supposed to be here this week!  We have already put insulated ceiling tiles in some windows, and styrofoam insulation sheets in a could others.  Some have both.  All 3 sets of windows are covered in heavy clear plastic.  We have 2 space heaters, candles and THIS!  I took it up last night.  I Love it!  I had forgotten how neat they are to use.  It really lit up the room.

We are also trying to get ahead on kerosene for our back up heater, and I want to get more lamp oil for this lamp.

What I am crocheting:::
Today I plan on working on  that pair of tunisian stitch gloves I started for hubby.  I also still have that scrap tote in the works, and I started a tunisian elf hat.  I may or may not keep going on that.  I'm not too far along, but I don't really like the yarn I'm using.


From the camera:::

You know it's cold when your cat refuses to get out from under the covers.  She is sleeping in my son's room here, which is good since I keep telling her to go keep him warm.  LOL!

Prayer List:::
My niece.  She is in foster care and supposedly being adopted or being put in the guardianship of a family member.  please pray that this works out.  My niece turns 16 in January.

I'm joining Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for HHM.  Go visit her and the rest of those who have joined in.

Thank you for stopping by and visiting.

Another Quickie

One more homemade gift scratched off my list.  I still have almost 3 weeks left until christmas too!  Yippee!  Maybe I can come up with and make a few more.  I do have another idea for one, and it's for someone I haven't gotten for or made for yet.  There are only 3 people left too.

Here is my red and gray elf hat.  I found the pattern on Repeat Crafter Me.  This was quick and easy to make.  I obviously used 2 different brands of 4 ply yarn, you can see the obvious difference on the tail. Oh well I'm sure the recipient will like it.  They better anyway ;-)

God is Good

Yes he is. We were able to get, for free, a winter coat for both me and the youngest son tonight. Our church hosts a free clothing exchange the first Friday and Saturday of each month.  We went out there and were able to find some with hoods that are warm. Now I am more ready for that much colder weather we are supposed to be getting.  Mine even has a "P" on it......my last name starts with"P". Don't think I have ever had anything monogrammed before.

How has God blessed you recently?

Thanks for stopping by!

Hard Boiled Eggs

One thing we really like is hard boiled eggs.....with or without being deviled.  It has taken me a few years (I don't make them all the time) but I finally have perfected making them.  Finally, most of the time, I can cook them perfectly and be able to shell them without tearing up the white.  It's the times I am distracted or trying to do too many things at once that I have a disaster and they don't peal right.

Here's how I make them.  I use my sauce pan.  As you can see I can cook 10 at a time.  I add enough water to just cover the eggs.  I add white vinegar and salt.  These I don't measure, but if I were to guess it's be about 1/8 to 1/4 cup vinegar and maybe a rounded tablespoon of salt?  I cover the pan with my slow cooker lid, it's clear and it fits perfectly on the pan, and wait for the water to boil.  I don't let it come to a rolling boil, but more than just the little bubble boil.  Maybe a medium boil.  Is there such a thing?  I then turn the heat down to low and let the eggs cook for 12 minutes.  When time is up I immediately run cold water in the pan to stop the cooking process.  I change the water several times since the eggs keep heating it up.  After a few times I add ice to the pan and fill with water until the water and ice are even.  This really cools down the eggs.  When the eggs are cold I then remove them and put them in the refrigerator. 

How do you make hard boiled eggs?

Thanks for stopping by!