Breakfast

For those who didn't know what the Valspar commercial was mentioned in yesterday's post, here is one that someone uploaded on Youtube: Valspar commercial.

~Sock Afghan update~

Several days ago, I came across two squares that I had knit months ago for my sock afghan. The only thing left to do was block them. So I did. And then I lined up all my pretty squares. Since the pattern calls for 42 blocks, I now have one complete row (lenghtwise).

(Pattern from the book Knitalong)

Valspar Tree

Today's walk afforded me a view of a tree that looks like it could be in a Valspar paint commercial.

Lightening Bug in a Jar

~Tuesday~

I don't know what it is, but I just don't like starting dinner in the crockpot. Mind you, I sure like having dinner ready 6-8 hours later! Last night I soaked beans, so I pretty much had to get my meal started this morning. I made White Chili in the Crock. Yummy. I've made this recipe many times, except I have always used canned beans and cooked it on the stove. So much cheaper using dried beans, and just as tasty! I used chicken, not turkey, which is usually how I make it.

One nice thing about throwing dinner in the crockpot is that you can go away and not worry about being home in time to cook dinner. I went to the mall, where I scored a great deal on an outfit at Christopher and Banks. The saleslady helped me a few weeks ago, and today she actually put together an outfit for me to try. I wasn't sure about it, but I tried it on and what do you know? It fit me and looks nice! I sure hope she's there next time I'm shopping!



Tonight I took time and weeded my flower beds. Such a lot of weeds! Why, oh why did Eve have to eat that fruit???

Here is the side flower bed:


I have a miniature bleeding heart, and it is doing really well this year:


Regular bleeding hearts only bloom at the beginning of spring, but this plant blooms from spring to fall. It didn't do very well last year, but this year has been cooler and I've given it more water.

All in all, I had a great Tuesday! I hope you did too! :-)

Time to Weed!

~Summer~

After the rain:


Hello! Wishing happy summer thoughts to everyone! I've been enjoying my walks, fresh fruit (cherries! blueberries! Yum!), and the summery weather.

I started a new blog. We'll see how it goes! It's called Point & Shoot: 365. The idea is to take a picture every day. I know that I often post pictures here, but my thought in starting a dedicated blog for this project was that it would be pictures with few words. I tend to be wordy sometimes, but this blog will help me let the pictures do the talking. You know, the old cliche, "A picture is worth a thousand words". =)

Around the house, I've been trying new recipes, (mostly) keeping up with the dishes and laundry, and not doing nearly enough housework! LOL Summer is just slipping away so fast!

Patriotism

I've been walking every day, and keep noticing how many of my neighbors have flags.

Late-night Bible Reading

I'm currently reading through my Bible in 90 days. It has been both a challenge and a great blessing.

Laundry Day

~From my Garden~

I don't have a lot of flowers this year, but I'm pleased with what I do have. My flower basket on the front porch is growing quite well. I planted geraniums along with the spiky plant (I'm sure that's not horticulturally correct, but it didn't come with an identification tag!), and vinca vine.


My echinacea plant is blooming like crazy.


I lost a few of my perennials over the winter, and I haven't gotten those replaced yet. Maybe this fall. I had high hopes of a veggie garden this year, but it just didn't get done. Maybe next year!

~Keep a song in your heart~

Today's been a cheerful day!

~Walking~

This month has been perfect weather for walking. Our July has been nice and cool this year!

Crocs on a walk:


And I have an adorable little walking companion. :) The Baby loves to go for walks. I purchased an Emmaljunga stroller off Craiglist. The stroller system has been perfect for neighborhood walks, but it is a little cumbersome for trying to pack in the car. So I got a cheap stroller from a yard sale to keep in the car.

This is the Emmaljunga. The bassinet and stroller seat come off the base:




(pictures from the listing on Craiglist)

Emmaljunga does not sell (or ship) their strollers in the USA. So you have to either buy them while abroad or know someone abroad who can ship them to you. This particular stroller is about 14 years old. The couple we bought it from purchased it for $300. I don't know what they would cost new now!

I do know that this stroller does something to my little vintage-loving heart. ;-) It may not always be the most practical of strollers for our American lifestyle, but it is sure cute! And it makes my walks a little more fun!

Ozzy was here

Carved into a picnic table at a park.

~Stuff~

Two little bits of business, then back to my "regularly" scheduled posts. Not that they've been super regular or anything. But you get the idea!

First up: have you heard of Swagbucks? It is a search engine that randomly generates Swag Bucks in your account, and then you can turn them into gift cards or items. I've been searching with Swagbucks for a little bit now, and I recently had enough to buy a $5 Amazon.com card. If you'd like to give it a try, just click the "Search. Earn. Redeem." button to the right: ------> You'll automatically get 3 Swag Bucks to begin with, and for the first 100 that you get, I'll get them too. Sounds a little greedy, but you can turn around and beg ask your friends to sign up under you. There's nothing to lose!

And lastly: I just activated some items in my Etsy shop. I sewed these eons ago, so if you've been following my blog for a while, you'll recognize them right away. These are just taking up space in my closet so I slashed the prices drastically. So drastically, that I'm really just recovering the cost of materials!

Now back to our regularly scheduled blogging! *Smiles*

~Just in the Nick of Time!~

Just in time for cold weather, and curling up under a cozy blanket with a good book:


These socks are actually a project I started last September. I promptly finished one sock and somehow the other one never got started. (Talk about major SSS!)



So last night I picked up my needles and knit the other sock. I estimate that each sock took approximately 2 hours.

Pattern: Socks 101 from Knitalong by Larissa Brown
Yarn: Marr Haven Organic Mule Spun Worsted
Needles: Size 10 DPN's

Anything is fast when you're knitting on size 10 needles! When I went to buy the needles (which I had a hard time finding! Most projects don't require size 10 DPN's) the lady at the knitting store asked me what I was making.

"A pair of socks"
"I’ve never seen a sock pattern that called for size 10 needles."
"Yes, it is in a book called Knitalong."
"I’ve never seen a sock pattern that called for size 10 needles."

LOL Thankfully she let me buy the needles even though I'm sure she doubted that I needed size 10 needles.

~Ducklings~

There is a very soft place in my heart for ducks. I *heart* ducks!

We saw this mama duck with her half-grown ducklings:



And while we were watching these, a man walked by and said that there was a mama duck with teeny ducklings on the other side of the pond. So of course we had to go check them out.

It was harder to get a picture because the mama took off with her babies.


Ducks are just so adorable. Full of personality. And fun to play with, if they are pets, that is. My sisters and I had ducklings for pets once upon a time. I named one Tammy (of course, a very natural name for a duckling!) and then later, I had to change his name to Tommy. Ah, what fun we had with our ducklings!

~Lemon-Herb Chicken Salad~

This recipe is fantastic! The yogurt in the dressing makes this salad light and refreshing.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced {I used canned chicken}
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. yogurt
1 T. fresh dill, chopped
2 t. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon zest
1/4 t. salt

Place chicken in a serving bowl; set aside. Combine remaining ingredients; mix well and toss with chicken. Chill before serving. Serves 4 to 6.

(from Gooseberry Patch's One-Pot Meals, page 160)

I ate this for lunch, with some whole-grain tortilla chips, because that is what I had on hand. It would be great with croissants, crackers, or as a sandwich spread. This recipe was just too yummy to not share!

~Why, Hello!~

I forget I have a blog sometimes! *grin*

I hope my American bloggy-friends had a great Independence Day!

Kevin had Friday off and he used it to paint our room. I'm really excited about the paint colors we chose. We got really brave and painted a red accent wall, and the other walls tan. It looks so pretty! On Saturday, I did the finish work around the ceiling and by the accent wall. Kevin is also redoing the trimwork in our room (the previous owner was not so great with woodwork, and he installed it all in the bedroom). Kevin is going to have to borrow a nail gun in order to get the trimwork installed, so it will be a little bit before he gets the room completely finished.

Here's a picture (with a flash) to give you a bit of an idea of the paint colors:


When we get everything completely finished I'll post more pictures.

I just wanted to pop on and say "hello". Have a great day!

~Sewing Machine Meme~

What brand and model do you have?
A Singer 500A Slant-O-Matic

How long have you had it?
For nearly 9 years

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
It is an old machine - and it was given to me, so I'm not sure what it would cost to get one identical to this one.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?
Whatever strikes my fancy! Clothing, handbags, craft projects, etc.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
My sewing goes in spurts. Right now I'm sewing quite a bit.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I love my little sewing machine! It is fun to have an old machine, but on the other hand I'd really like to have a newer machine with more "bells and whistles".

What features does your machine have that work well for you?
It has special stitches, but I don't tend to use those. I basically use the straight stitch, zig-zag stitch, and buttonhole attachment.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
I took it to a machine repair shop to get "maintenance" and they messed up the timing. I still need to get that fixed (I'll use a different machine repair shop!)

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!
It was given to me by a long-time friend of my mother-in-law. We drove from California up to Washington to get it! On the way home, Kevin's truck hit 100,000 miles. We have a picture to prove it! :)

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
This machine is very sturdy and a great workhorse. If I were looking for a machine, I would probably buy new. But overall, I've been very happy with this machine!