I've Been Working Hard

I've been working hard doing this and that, thus the reason for my absence.  Today I spent the afternoon setting up an online store to sell some of my handmade things.  I know I have tried several different ways to do that and none has satisfied me.  I'm hoping this store will be "the one".  I am familiar with the set-up as I have used it in the past.  That helps.  It is also easy to access and easy to add/modify products.  You can check it out HERE.  I still have a little work to do on it but I'm pretty sure it's ready to go.

Prepping for Winter ~~ More in the Bedroom

I love to use my hurricane lamp and candles not only for heat but also for light.  I wasn't feeling safe after adding the blanket the other night so I found an old mirror that was left behind upstairs and polished it up and put it behind the dresser.  (when I say old, I mean actual antique mirror.  It's painted with silver on the back)  Not only does it hold the blanket back at a safe distance, it also makes the light brighter.

Fuzzy, our cat, has a bad habit of using the bed as a litter box when she isn't getting her way.  Part of it I think is she is lonely because she mostly only sees us at night when we are sleeping.  I used the last of our clear plastic (we bought for the windows) and pieced it together to make a cover for the bed.  I'm going to see how she behaves now.  Hopefully she is good and doesn't find someplace else to be naughty.

One half was a little extra long and I had another piece left over from something else, so I pieced them together.  It fits nicely here in the corner by the window where thee blankets don't meet.  I just tucked it in over the rails.  It's behind the dresser and there is a box fan holding the other side.

Slowly making progress.  I have 1 more "wall" to make.  I have been able to keep it about 20 degrees warmer in our "tent" than the temperature outside.  Every little bit helps.

Ham and Beans Update

Well it smells good.  I like the broth and the beans.  Hubby likes the broth and ham. Son said it was ok.  We took it to church for the Wednesday evening supper and everyone said it was good.  I think the original recipe needs a little tweaking and then maybe I can call it my own.  We never use a recipe as is for Cosmic Castle.  We always have to change it in some way, then I can tell people where I found the recipe, but I won't tell them the changes I made.  SO table this for a while and I will let you know when/if we proceed.

Prepping for Winter ~~ Craft Room

I have a window in my craft room.  This is also the room where my computer is.  It's not is real good shape and mostly covered with plywood.  This past summer we cut a hole in the plywood so we could have more ventilation.  The USA map is taped on the glass over where the hole is in the plywood. There is a LOT of cold air that comes in the window at night.

Sitting next to the window at my computer gets pretty cold some nights already.  I can only imagine how much colder it's going to be once the snow starts falling.

I found an old quilt and a board that was just the right size to fit in the old blind holder.  I shoved the top of the quilt over the board and tucked it in on both ends.  It's long enough there us a good amount there on the window sill.  It may be old and torn but it sure does a good job helping to keep some extra cold air out.  One more step to being warmer.

Update on Orange/Black Tunisian Hat

I posted a few days back that I was working on an orange/black tunisian hat.  Well Here it is!  I remember why I do not like making tunisian hats flat.  I think they look funny and they are a pain to work on.  They cramp my hands.  Thus one was done with the tunisian knit stitch.  It's super warm and I'm sure one of the boys at the shelter will love it.  If you're interested in this pattern, it's free on the Yarnspirations Website.  The original pattern is for a ribbed hat.  I now have 11/20 hats finished and have 1 currently in progress.  They need to be done and delivered by December 15th.

Beans and Fudge

So something I don't ever remember eating growing up is ham and beans.  My dad refused to eat any beans other than green beans and lima beans. His reasoning is he ate way too many growing up.  His family grew pinto beans in Wyoming.  They sold the good ones and lived off the not so good ones all winter long. Guess I can see his point.  We have had a request for ham and beans and cornbread for a Thursday evening meal at Cosmic Castle.  I have to get brave and fix it and see if I like it.I found this Slow Cooker Ham and Beans recipe and decided to give it a try since the ingredients looked good.

It's been awhile since I cooked dried beans (I like pinto, red, and kidney) and, silly me, forgot you had to soak them.  I put them in a container with water and soaked them for about 7 hours.   My finger is about where the dried beans level was.  I decided to try one and my word they are good!  Kind of like a cross between a raw pea and a raw lima bean.  I may have found a new favorite snack.  LOL!

So I added everything to my crockpot.  I must say the broth tasted good.  I can't wait to try the whole dish.

I plugged my cockpot into my trusty timer and set it to cook over night.

Like I said, I can't wait to try them tomorrow.  I'll let you know how they turn out.

Now for the fudge.  I wanted a quick easy sweets recipe. I found this Two Ingredient Strawberry Fudge recipe on Pinterest.  No mine isn't strawberry, i'm not much of a strawberry person unless they are fresh.  I got the funfetti chocolate fudge (I think that's what it was.  It was one of those chocolate ones).

It was super easy.  It turned out pretty cute and wasn't bad tasting, but my family and I couldn't get over the fact it tasted like chocolate frosting.  I plan to take the rest of it to church Wednesday evening to the weekly supper before Bible Study.  I probably won't be making this again unless I can figure out some way to seriously improve it.  Guess I need to find an actual fudge recipe and give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!  

It’s Time to Get Ready For Cold Weather ~~ Prepping for Winter

Cold weather is just around the corner here. Upper 30’s start tonight and low 20’s are just a couple days away. Burrrr! Thankfully as of the current forecast we aren’t to get any snow. If we do it shouldn’t amount to much at all. So what have I done to prepare for winter?  Well I've gotten out my candle holders and washed the globe on my hurricane lamp. Candles are fun to watch, can smell good, and they put off heat.   I did buy a few scented tea light candles from the dollar tree today. I’ll share about them in another post.

We also have a camping awning over our bed. It’s not anything fancy just a lower "roof" than our actual ceiling. Maybe I should note most of our time is spent in this room. Most of the remaining time is spent at work.

On 2 sides, the side towards the windows and the side towards the door, I have added sheets along the frame of the awning. I have safety pinned it so we can easily slide it back and forth.

I do plan to add sheets on the other 2 ends. Inside this little room in a room is the bed, a dresser, and a space heater. Be watching for more ways we get ready for cold weather.