When the pantry gets low, that’s when I get really creative. I make meals I wouldn’t make under normal circumstances.
We had leftover spaghetti noodles from dinner two nights ago and half a can of pumpkin from three nights ago. So the pumpkin was mixed with cornstarch, water, butter, milk, pumpkin spice, extra cinnamon, garlic, salt, pepper, cilantro, and some sugar. Once that was looking good I added the noodles and heated them through.
It was a savory dish I don’t usually make. Everyone liked it well enough, but the kids weren’t impressed. Apparently it won’t be on request, but I might try it again. I rather enjoyed it.
It’s been grey, chilly, and rainy for days now. Fall has officially arrived and I’m soaking it in.
Now that I’m past the armhole, this project is a little more daunting than before. I’m also playing yarn chicken again and I’ve not had much success at that game.
I’m quite proud of it. I’ll stitch up the ends to secure them later. It’s still a satisfying project, but now that my rectangle sweater is done I’m itching for a new project.
So I’m planning my next sweater with some yarn I have laying around. I’ve been wanting to make something with the grey and pink yarns, but it’s definitely not enough for a sweater. This blue yarn has been waiting for years and the white was just sitting there. I’m getting excited.
I’ve got hot coffee, soft blankets, and lots of yarn to play with. Happy Fall and happy knitting.
Much like what I’m doing with books right now, I’m rotating between three shows. One I can watch with the kids in the room and they can watch it with me. Another I usually save for once they’re in bed, but isn’t too bad if they walk through or come down for water. The other I typically save for when no one else is home.
Of course I’m still watching Murdoch Mysteries. The kids love it too. Plus I get to talk to them all about history, women’s rights, minority groups, immigration, science, social issues,… the list goes on. The new episodes are so good!
I’ve also been on kind of a nostalgia kick lately and have started watching X-Files again. I can’t believe it first aired 30 years ago! And I still remember most of the episodes. I was very young when I started watching (really unusual for my family) and so seeing it as an adult is a whole new experience. I find it to be very relaxing before bed.
The third show I just finished and am rewatching. Riverdale. What a wild show! It took a few tries for me to get into it. I kept thinking it was too crazy, but then I just went with it and absolutely enjoy the craziness. I do skip most of the singing (why is there so much singing?!) and all the sex scenes (even if the actors aren’t teens, I’m too old for that). Even with all that, I love how it pushes the envelope, but in such a casual way.
Three shows that bring me a lot of comfort, which is perfect this time of year.
This project is so relaxing that I keep making the same mistake. While the middle cable ropes are always crossing front, the rest of the cables mirror each other. Right side crosses front and the left side crosses back.
I get into such a groove that I’m crossing the left side front instead. I have fixed this same mistake repeatedly. I think this shawl knows how much I love laddering down and correcting my stitches.
I had about an hour of waiting time and was able to clean it all up in before time was out. I have a lot of double pointed needles. I used to swear by them for knitting in the round. Now I exclusively use cable needles unless I have to use dpns. But I have found them really useful for cabling, and fixing my mistakes.
Ah. Everything back in order and ready for more. This is truly a happy knit and I’m hopeful I won’t run out of yarn. Fingers crossed!
It’s finished! I’ve been breaking it in for a couple of weeks now. Definitely a cozy sweater. I’m already thinking about a couple tweaks to the pattern, but I’m very happy with what I made.
I could have made it a little shorter, and I think the seed stitch hem could have been longer so there would be more of a roll for the collar.
The armholes came out perfectly even and we’re really fun to knit up. Yes, I like knitting sleeves. One section of cabling kept it interesting.
It took forever to dry. First it hung in the house. Then on the porch. Back inside, and out to the porch in the morning again. Finally I was able to put it on again.
I tried to take some pictures at work, but I really need to just ask someone to help me out.
So there it is. My cuddle up sweater. On to the next project!
Two squares done! Ten more to go! All the ends are sewn in because I will not leave them all for the end. It’s exhausting, but I’m determined to have this blanket finished before winter.
I’ve got all the pieces for four more squares ready to be crocheted together. I realize I’d have less ends to weave in if I sewed them all together, but I hate sewing (I may have mentioned that a few times), so I’ll stick with weaving ends.
This was where I was about a week ago, maybe two weeks. I had made enough squares that I needed a plan to keep from making too many of the wrong colors. This led me to diagram the three different color patterns I am using for six of the twelve squares.
Well, I’m going to start tucking the kids in so I can get back to it. Maybe get another square put together before I have to go to bed.
I finally got around to buying one of my most beloved childhood favorites. My kids are getting old enough to be interested in such tales and this one I’m sharing with my youngest first.
I frequently quote her speech about saying her name with the ‘e’ on the end. How it sounds much more elegant with the ‘e’ on the end. I, too, have a name that is often spelled without the ‘e’, but I spell it with the ‘e’ and was often sore about people leaving it off.
I day dreamed, much like Anne. I had a quick temper and was infinitely passionate about many things. I felt I had found a kindred spirit in this character, and by extension, the author. Who else could dream up such a tale other than another free-spirited woman?
I loved Diana, too. Their friendship was much like my approach and I always appreciated it being more important than some boy. Oh, but how fun was Gilbert Blythe?!
And how could you not fall in love with Marilla and Mathew? L. M. Montgomery wrote such magnificent characters. How well the whole setting told layers of history and the kind of descriptions a brain like mine could see.
I grew up watching the 1985 miniseries. Repeatedly. I’m going to order the sets eventually, but for now, my kid and I are enjoying the book together.
While reading it last night, she commented that Anne sure does talk a lot. I laughed, agreeing. Just another character trait we have in common.
We have a neighbor who has been mowing our lawn all Summer. It has been such a life-saver! And he is so nice about it. He was actually the first person we got to know when we moved in.
My husband and I are introverts, especially when we’re struggling. Being social is just more energy than we have after surviving each day. He’s always been really respectful about that. I do want to repay his kindness, so I’m making him and his wife a blanket.
I don’t make blankets often. They take forever and I tend to get bored. We all know I love granny squares. Well, I rediscovered these squares I had been working on and am going to turn this into that gift.
He keeps our grass trim in the Summer, so I’m going to make them things to keep them warm in the Winter. Maybe we’ll make some cookies to go with it.
The weeds are in charge of our yard now. The garden stones swallowed up by overgrowth. Any hope of a tidy landscape is on the cusp of being lost.
We’re in our second Summer heat. There may be a third after the next chill. I’m hoping cooler weather will help me get things done. The pull of Autumn tidying. Making ready for the coming Winter.
I got knocked on my butt with a cold as well. Off of work and in bed for almost two days. Run down and stuffed with allergies, it was bound to happen. I forget I’m not invincible sometimes.
Here’s to hoping my usual Fall motivation shows up soon and I can start attending to things like a proper grownup. Almost there.
Like The Little Engine That Could, “I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.” Then you look at yourself doing it.
The Accidental Domestic Goddess 