Sock it

I was motivated by a co-worker. She said “just do it”. After seeing her and talking to her about it, I decided I should. So I turned off my self-doubt. That little voice inside that said you cannot do it. Deaf to my inner-voice, I did some research. I thought positive. I started. Yes, I did it.

In order to start, I had to take a trip to the local craft store to buy yarn, double-pointed needles and a pattern booklet. I knitted in the wee mornings of our vacation. It was quiet. I could concentrate. I could read and re-read the pattern. I was able to concentrate. I was off. I started my first sock. Started not once, twice, three times! The fourth time I had the yarn and the needles all in alignment. I was jumping with joy! I am doing it. I was thrilled.



I could not wait to get up each morning and enjoy 1-2 hours of craft time. Socks are not hard to knit. I have read that statement over and over. Yet, I was not sure I could knit them. I like socks. I love the sock yarns. I am so happy that I dove in and attempted to knit a pair.



I have completed my first sock. It has mistakes. One very obvious mistake. Yet, I did not lose sleep over it. It is my first attempt. Solo attempt. I am proud to say I knitted it all by myself, mistakes included! I know how I knitted the error so I won’t do that again. (Although my son, who has claimed possession of the first pair, has repeatedly told me to make the same mistake. I will. I want him happy!) Working with 4 needles was intimidating at first but once I had 3-4 rows knitted, it was easier to work with them. It was fun. FUN!

My daughter has looked through the sock books I have borrowed from the local library. Yes, she has put her order in. Last Saturday we went back to the store, with 50% off coupons in hand, to buy her sock yarn. Her socks will have a fluffy cuff so that will be a challenge to knit with two yarns. I have crocheted many afghans with two yarns so the real challenge, I think, will be working with the fluffy yarn. It is just used on the cuffs so I can knit and purl my way through it.

So after the second pair of socks, I have a hat pattern I have chosen to make for myself. I am looking forward to working on new and challenging projects. I’ll knit the occasional dishcloth (a good way to use leftover yarn), but now that I have broke through the barrier (you can’t knit it, you can’t knit it), I have the confidence to browse patterns and attempt new stitches and projects. Oh the fun I am going to have!

And to top it off, I have joined a sock club. It meets once a month, the group gathers to knit socks, buy yarn (at a discount - club perk) so I may be posting lots of socks in the future.

America the Beautiful

Happy Birthday America!

God Bless all the true Americans. God Bless all the men and women in service now serving and protecting our country. God Bless their families as they live daily without their loved ones near. God Bless all those that have died for and served our country in the past. Our freedoms have not come without a lot of bloodshed, bravery and sacrafice.

Pray for our country this 4th of July. When you hear our national athem, sing loud and clear. Respect our flag and respect our country.

God Bless America!

Packing

We are going on vacation! The time to pack has snuck right up on me. I have my lists (3 to be exact) in hand, ready to face the tasks.

I have what needs to be packed for our children and myself, the personal items that the family will need. Those items that make living together possible – soap, shampoo, and deodorant as well as some comfort items.

I have my list of foods to make, buy and pack. This list has a menu attached to it! I like to bake cookies, muffins or breads to freeze so when we arrive at our destination we have goodies to eat. It is also nice to make salads at home, package and put in the refrigerator upon arrival. I also buy some items that I would not normally purchase for us to have at home. Vacation, after all, is a time to relax, enjoy, and have fun!

We are headed north…to Canada. We have gone to the Portland area twice in the past and have really enjoyed it. It is a small town, complete with a nice store, diner on the lake and a small but wonderful playground. What more could we ask for? However, we had to rent a house we are not familiar with, so we may be father from our little town than we want to be. We are right on the water again with a beach so we won’t complain. We’ll spend a lot of time in and on the water. We have a boat rented, the Big Guy has replaced all the line on the fishing poles and has sorted through (and added to) his tackle box. I think we are ready. I cannot wait to snap shots of the big fish (that did not get away). The fishing is great so I am sure all will have a story or two to tell! Fish for dinner, anyone?

Our daughter vaguely remembers our previous two trips to Portland. It will be the first (out of womb) trip for our son. We have told him about the Hershey factory we will visit as well as a small cheese factory (great curds!) and two quaint towns we like to walk around. Two of us, not me, are excited about visiting a small but wonderful little fudge shop – trying to decide what flavor(s) to purchase. Not that I won’t eat any fudge but it is not what I am anticipating! I am thinking lazy mornings, lots of fun in and on the water in the sunshine, lots of family time and pictures. Total relaxation!

There is still a lot to do before we leave. The majority of the packing is my responsibility (thus the lists). I also have to clean the house before we leave. Check-in time is in the afternoon so we don’t have to leave our home at o’dark-thirty so that is comforting. Leave a clean house – return to a clean house.

I am taking a few knitting projects (quick and simple) that I can work on between snapshots of the big fish and some books have checked out of the library. DVD players will be rigged up in the truck and each child can take 3 movies with them as well as the Leapster and DS. And what would a family vacation be without a few board or card games? Have to be prepared for rainy days or evenings.

After all the prep and packing, I will definitely need a vacation! And the weather forecast looks wonderful!

Free Time

Yes, I have some but shhhhh! Honestly, almost daily, I feel like I am running from the time I get out of bed. However, since I take a bus to work, I have some "free" time. Approximately 40 minutes one way. That adds up over the week and I use my time wisely, if not selfishly. I read or knit. It is a little sad when your town librarian knows your schedule. If I show up early on Fridays, she'll say, "You didn't ride the bus today or are you off?" I tend to read a lot of books and then the kids and I visit every Saturday.

Last week, a co-worker gave me 12 simple patterns for dishcloths so I have been knitting dishcloths. They are fun to knit and very quick. I have made three, as I finished the third one last night after taking these pictures!

Below are the birdhouse, cardinal and bee skep. Next dishcloth will feature a ladybug.

Dip and Roll

I was up earlier than a normal morning as I wanted to make a new muffin recipe. I have wanted to make this recipe for some time now and when I mentioned I planned to make blueberry muffins for our vacation, our daughter asked if I could make a plain muffin for them since they don’t like blueberry muffins. (How can you NOT like delicious muffins with sweet, fresh blueberries?) Anyway, I remembered a recipe I had read when I was flipping through my KA (King Arthur) recipes. Donut muffins! What a perfect choice!

Donut muffins. Not fried. Baked and they look so delicious. My mouth was watering. Butter. Sugar. Flour. Eggs. Nutmeg. A few more ingredients, mix in the flour, alternating with the milk. Fill your tins and bake. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar. A simple recipe. So this morning I mixed the batter up, spooned it into 18 muffin cups, not 12 like the recipe states, and baked.

After 16 minutes in a hot oven, I pulled them out and moved them to a cooling rack.








After melting some butter and mixing up cinnamon-sugar, I was ready to top them. Time to dip and roll.[As suggested in the recipe.] Neater than brushing and sprinkling.








One muffin at a time, I dipped the top into the melted butter, then rolled in the cinnamon sugar. Almost done...


Yes, I tried one. Do I like them? Yes, but before I cast my "keeper" vote, I have to poll the family. I decided to share this batch. I boxed still-warm muffins to take to daycare for a morning snack, one for my bus driver and some for the office.

Error - apparently the link is not working properly (???)! You can go to www.kingarthurflour.com, click on the recipe tab then type in doughnut muffins in the search box and you'll have the recipe.

www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/doughnut-muffins-recipe

Just having a little kitchen fun today! Is there any other way to start the day?