happy new year~

new year....new slate......

out with the old....in with the new

resolutions...make them or no?

for me

 this is the season of

organizing

cleaning

new calendars

cleaning out the file cabinet

cleaning closets,drawers & cabinets

de-cluttering

dieting & exercise (usually short lived)

giving our living space new life

all this and....

promises to be a better

wife 

mom

daughter

friend

person

&

blogger

wishing you and  yours a very happy new year

~*~

looks a lot like me...

the pixie drew a picture of me...

there are many mornings my hair looks just like this.... 

and there are some days that i am wide eyed as shown ...

and there are moments that i feel like my arms are missing hands 

and coming out of the place my ears should be

and then there are days i do walk like my legs have no feet and they are coming out of my chin

i love that she sees me with a big ole smile and no torso (hence the smile)

but

there were a few inaccuracies 

 there is no part of my body that resembles sticks or straight lines

nor do i have a cute little button nose like the one she gave me

and i need glasses...

but other than that...she is right on

~*~

button, button...where do they go?

"what happens to the buttons on your shirts?", i ask the hubs...

his reply...."i don't know, check the dryer"

he also blames the dryer for missing socks and for shrinking his clothes...

(the dryer & the attic have both been accused of causing his clothing to no longer fit)

hmmmmm.....

and all this time i was blaming twinkies & bowls of lucky charm cereal 

mending....do you mend or get rid of?

i mend when i can although i will admit,

 people have outgrown various pieces of clothing

before i get around to it 

some even graduating from high school

mending isn't high on my priority list...unless it's something i want to wear right now

and if that's the case, i have been known to sew a button on a shirt while wearing it 

you've done that right?

do you take buttons off old shirts before turning it into a rag?

oh tell me i'm not the only one that does that...

yea...i didn't think so

~*~

sunflowers & blue skys~

we headed to yellow springs

to see a field of sunflowers 

it made us happy to just to stand among them

it really was breathtaking

the skies were as blue as the sunflowers were yellow

the bee's were busy

just look at those happy faces

sunflowers work that kind of magic on you

it was one of my favorite days this summer

~*~

the sweetness of friends~

my friend andi of my sisters knitter

has been hosting a KAL/CAL on ravelry

the goal.....to finish as many UFO'S or WIP's 

the reward.....a finished project!!!!!!

and andi, being the sweet girl she is, will also be doing a drawing at the end

where she is giving away goodies like yarn, fiber & stitch markers

she is also hosting a KAL/CAL in October

stop by ravelry & check it out

i've found by joining this group, the reward for me is not the finished item,

nor the prizes at the end....

it is the friendships that are made, the encouragement offered a long the way,

and the closeness of those in the group

case in point...

andi has a friend who is in the need of some comfort

she let the group know she was doing a comfort blanket & ask for help in achieving this goal

the girls in the group came through!

soon someone in need will feel the warmth & care of not only one kind & thoughtful person but

 a whole group of caring women

when i think of the women in this group, i'm reminded of this african proverb...

"If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

~*~

and if you are in the area

don't forget the wool gather at youngs dairy on saturday & sunday

cheer at the end of a poopy day~

i am a caregiver to a person with dementia

needless to say

some days can be a challenge 

and at the end of those days, i find myself drained

both physically & mentally

yesterday was one of those days

and my sweet daughter knew it was going to be one of those days

when i came home

sitting on my table was a vase of sunshine wrapped in ribbons of my favorite colors

and the sweetest card

she's a little bit of heaven that girl of ours 

~*~

flower friday~

~sunflower~

kinda corny & a kitchen tip~

and so the squirreling continues

i went into town to have lunch with my mom and to  hit up a few garage sales & to buy corn

(we don't grow corn as it is like candy to the raccoon's )

i know, i know

you can buy canned corn all ready to dump into a pan

but there is nothing better than fresh corn

the hubs being the good guy that he is

removed all the husk

a quick bath & a scrub to remove the silk

into a pot of scalding water

onto a rack to cool

and here's the nifty part

use a angel food cake pan! 

 this makes for easy removal of the corn from the cob

and

catches it all in the pan

i learned this tip from rachael ray

corn goodness

 i double bag & squish out the air & use those twist ties

that are growing by the hundreds in my junk drawer

throw in the freezer & enjoy that when everyone else is eating

that awful canned corn, we'll be enjoying fresh corn

even lucy loves corn!

she grabbed a cob & ran as fast as she could

(to the living room on the rug of course)

~*~

still behaving like a squirrel~

the jars of green beans didn't have a chance to cool off before my mom called & said she had apples!

moms are great aren't they!

our family friend Rich had excess apples & offered them to us

we love homemade applesauce

such pretty little apples

core, quarter & cook

i'm lucky in that my mom found this attachment for my kitchenaid

it makes for easy work when it comes to making sauce

see what i mean!

no seeds, peels or cores...magic i tell ya

and there you have it

yummy, wholesome & free with just a little bit of time & effort

~*~

kitchen tip~

i keep a roll of masking tape & a sharpie marker

in my kitchen gadget drawer

it comes in handy for...

~closing boxes & bags

~ marking the contents of jars

~labeling anything you can stick tape to

what's your favorite kitchen tip?

~*~

a bushel and a peck~

i love canning

it's in my blood

the love of gardening and canning was passed down from my granny & granddad

to my mom & dad

and on to me

and i'm happy that my daughter (babs) also has canning fever in her blood

we're all like a family of squirrels...always putting something up for winter

(i think we have a squirrel gene)

we have a garden, but the rabbits ate our green beans....twice!

so...... i was thinking no beans for us   booooo

but then.....

yesterday my mom went to my sister in laws & picked up nearly two bushels of green beans!!!!

she (marianne) had a bumper crop this year and offered her excess to us

i started canning yesterday afternoon & i'm still going strong today

i'm thinking i'll be canning tomorrow as well

given that i now have a surplus of green beans

i'm giving dilly beans a try

green beans bathed in brine & the spicy goodness of garlic, mustard & dill seed & pepper flakes...yum!

ahhhhhh, is there any sound sweeter than that of canning lids popping when they seal

happy canning!

~*~

flower friday~

~black eyed susan~

kitchen tip~

this little tip has saved many a page in my cookbooks 

& 

the cookbooks i borrow from our library

i place a sheet of plastic wrap over the pages & tuck it in so as to 

keep the pages free of splatters & messiness

if you would like to share your favorite tip, feel free to leave a link 

~*~

flower friday~

~dahlia~

this is my first time growing dahlia's

my grandfather always had them in his garden

i  planted only one & after watching it thrive through this growing season

i wish i would have planted more

do you have a favorite flower?

~*~

knit knit knit~

one down

one to go

whooooohooooo!

unblocked

blocked...not much difference

pattern from socktopus

misti alpaca yarn

what's on your needles?

~*~

teacup exchange~

i was recently the recipient of a very sweet teacup & a variety pack of chai tea (one of my favorites!)

it was so much fun to receive a gift in the mail!

in this era of email, the art of handwritten notes is nearly a thing of the past

as are packages with sweet handpicked goodies

how cute is this teacup!

and i just loved the little mouse on the saucer!

much thanks to heidi from pensacola florida for sending such a special package

and

to stephanie at the enchanting rose who was so sweet & thoughtful to organize & host this fun event

a special thanks to sherri at little house for letting me know about the exchange

if you were part of the exchange, leave a link to your blog for all to see

~*~

it's a zoo out there!

the weather has been great for an ohio summer

albeit unusual

temps in the 70's during the day & 50's at night

not great for pools & beaches but perfect for visiting the zoo

the flamingos are my favorite

i didn't know this until one of the zoo volunteers told us

but the grey mounds are nest

she said they have a smoothed out hole for the eggs

this little family of monkey's was not behind glass.....

thankfully, this guy was

(a bit intimidating don't you think?)

when my son worked at this zoo, he said there was a waiting list for this volunteer job

and who wouldn't want to let this little one nap on their lap?

hey iris.......it's soloman!!!

do you have a favorite at the zoo?

~*~

motivation, support, prizes & pretties

there are a couple of fun things taking place in blogland

andi from my sisters knitter is hosting knit a long/crochet a long

this kal/cal is to help you finish those projects that you started but lost your enthusiasm

 somewhere along the way....

you know the ones

they are buried in your knitting basket

or

stuck in a project bag

socks with no toes, sweaters with one arm, gloves with no fingers...

there is hope i tell you!!!!!!

 we knitters & crocheters who start projects, will finish up or two or three or twenty projects

with the support of each other with this KAL/CAL

and if that isn't enough to coax you into joining...there are PRIZES!

you can read all about it at my sisters knitter or ravelry

below, you'll find my unfinished projects...

the pattern is favorite scarf ever the yarn started out to be a pair of socks but 

the pattern was lost with this yarn so i frogged and it's on it's way to a scarf

it has been on it's way for well over a year...

i like it but i'm wondering if my two sides are going to match?

it may get frogged...again

*sigh*

this is addy's tiny tea leaves sweater...the pattern is easy

and is going pretty quickly!

this is the "V" sock out of socktopus

this too is coming along well

(said she with one unfinished sock)

if it were going to be a spa sock, i would be half way there!

it's not going to be a spa sock but...just saying

these are the three projects that i AM going to finish for the KAL

i would love for you to join me & andi would love it too!

~*~

there is a tea cup exchange over at Enchanting Rose

thanks to sherri at little house in paradise for sharing the info

stop by and visit these girls...they have the loveliest tea cups & two of my favorite blogs

~*~

flower friday~

~shasta's~