Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Pillow talk? ...


On Monday I finished this pillow. Jane, Margo & I had seen a similar one at Sycamore Farms B&B in Terre Haute and I found a pattern in a book that looked a lot like it. This is definitely not as large as the one we saw but I like it. (It's on a 12" base.)

I've been crocheting recently! Got the book Crocheting for Dummies and have already made a scarf. I tried crochet in the past but never really mastered it (or felt like I was doing it correctly). My sister and I took a crocheted rug class MANY years ago and I have done two crochet rag rugs -- that was fun. So since I can't seem to get a handle on knitting, and wanting to at least make some scarves, I thought I'd give crocheting (the correct way) another try. My first project was a natural gray wool scarf, using some hand-spun wool I purchased at our Guild's fiber fair many years ago. (Actually, I use hanks of wool as decoration and these have been hanging around for a while.) So I got one down and used it ... HEY ... I'm allergic to that stuff! Since I've hooked for years, using 100% wool fabric, this came as a shock to me. But after crocheting steadily over the weekend, I woke up Monday a.m. with itchy hands! ARGH! So yesterday, when I went to Bloomington to get my hair cut, I shopped for other yarns in organic cottons, acrylics, and bamboo. My next project will be a wash cloth. I'm loving it!!!

Soooooooooo ... no hooking on that *#%!*&#% runner rug lately! What to do???!!! I MUST get back to it if I'm to make my goal of getting it hooked and bound before the Christmas holidays. I did a bad thing (don't tell Margo) ... I took it back over to my "work" room. I use the word work in quotes here because not much work has been produced from that location lately! Had been getting a lot done on it when I had it with me here in the house. Ah ... I keep thinking "tomorrow" ...

I still have lots of okra in the garden and have been cutting some in hunks, dredging in dry Jiffy cornbread mix, and freezing it for the winter. Also Wendell has been giving it away. Anyone want some???

We're planning a big church breakfast next Sunday! Wendell & I volunteered to make the monthly breakfast. Others will bring in fruit, etc. I'm doing a crock pot of sausage gravy, he's making biscuits (NOT from a can), I'm doing scrambled eggs and heating some ham they have at the church, and Wendell offered to make eggs to order! Wow! that sounds way too ambitious, doesn't it. But we'll git r' done! It should be fun! Y'all come!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

On the road ...


This has been a hectic two weeks. I'm sorry to say I haven't pulled the first loop. Other things have first priority now. Isn't that the way it always goes?

Mom is back in her independent living apartment. Went up there last Thursday and got her home Friday a.m. Spent lots of time sorting things out, such as meds, what was coming up on her calendar, etc. Right away, that day, she wanted to get her hair "done" so she did. What a trooper. I think she will recuperate from the broken leg. She does have other problems to hurdle ... but don't we all?!

While in Bluffton I got a surprise phone call from an old classmate and she came to Mom's apartment and took me out to dinner Saturday night! What a great time! We talked wall-to-wall! Thanks Judy! In less than a year we'll be celebrating our 50th class reunion from good old Petroleum High School (hey ... don't laugh ... that is really the name of the town).

Got home late Monday and was very tired. Wendell had a wonderful dinner planned (isn't it always wonderful when you don't have to cook?) and grilled out. Wine with dinner, followed by chocolate ... what more could a girl ask for? We've had some pretty good weather and it is nice sleeping with the windows open again!

Tuesday we mowed, picked the last of the corn (and some more okra) and had to go into Linton to re-stock the kitchen shelves and do some other errands. This a.m. I was up early and got that corn in the freezer. Also canned my LAST 4 jars of pickled okra. I love the stuff but I'm tired of it! Wendell will keep picking and give away until he gets tired of it too! LOL! So all I have left in the garden besides that pesky okra is tomatoes, basil and flowers! (Yeah!) I "may" make some more pesto for the freezer (?). It seems way early for the garden to be done but I think this frightful hot weather in July and early August contributed to that.

Wendell was on the phone the other night with a Lodge acquaintance and when he got off he told me part of the conversation that made me laugh out loud. This friend had just re-married and told W. that he had found a really swell girl -- she was a great cook, she loved to fish and she couldn't drive! What a hoot!

Early last week we took turns washing the decks and I want to show you how different it now looks (picture above)! Have a great week. Hopefully I will get back to hooking on that runner rug SOON! BTW ... thanks for all of the prayers for my Mom.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Oh ... about the picnic basket questions ...

A couple of you asked how I attached the hooking to the lid of the picnic basket. Pretty simple ... after steaming (and let it dry overnight) I used fray check all around RIGHT next to the hooking, let dry and trimmed as close as possible. (It was hooked to be just a LITTLE smaller than the top.) I glued it down by applying some all-purpose glue, smearing it all over the bottom of the hooking, right up to the edges. Pressed it down by weighting it with some books overnight. Next day I used some very small matching cording and hot-glued it all around the edge to cover any raw edge of the hooking. I think it looks pretty good. It was easy!

Thanks for asking!