Do not disturb,,,,,,

Romantic Weekend in Progress!

I think its time to get away!

     This summer has been pretty hectic for us, with my husband working up to 60+ hours, and then the usual busy summer social schedule, we are pretty worn out, and its only half over! So, we decided its time for an adventure! We're not 100% sure where we are going yet, maybe someplace in the white mountains, maybe someplace on the coast. A nice little B&B somewhere or a hotel. That's part of the fun, not knowing!

     Any where we go though, we always make memories! I'll be bringing my camera, so I hope to capture the fun!      Better get back to packing, and getting everything in order here at home so we'll be ready to leave first thing in the morning. Have a great weekend!

I have been working up to this for more than a week!

     I have done it! My first ever Irish Rose granny square!!!! I am sooo excited. There were a couple of points in the pattern where I was confused, and momentarily stumped, but in the end I figured it out.

     I am going to make lots of them in different rosy colors, then sew them all together to make a bed sized blanket. I am thrilled to be learning how to do something that both of my Grandmothers could do! I hope to know enough soon to whip up a few snowflakes before Christmas, for gifts. I guess its that time of year, and I should start thinking about what to give and to who. For people who make gifts for people, Christmas starts in July!
     Anyway, I am going to go take a nice bath, I had the Goober bright and early this morning and "eu de similac" just doesnt suit me! Time to go sink into a some rose scented bubbles (oh how I love thee, Crabtree and Evelyn!) and read a good mystery,,,,,

Godnight all!

Yay for Irish crochet!

  
     I have been working all day (in between loads of laundry) to learn how to make Irish roses. I have found several versions, with how-too videos on YouTube. I am super excited though because this version I am holding I actually made by reading the pattern!!! No, you really have no idea if you don't crochet or knit, but that first time you are able to read AND understand AND do what a pattern says, its an extremely thrilling feeling!
     So tomorrow, I am going to work on making an Irish rose granny square, that I can then duplicate and proceed too make a big afghan for my rose themed bedroom, YAY! You really just don't know, I have been wanting to learn to make these for ages and have just had no one to teach me,,,, thank you Interwebs for the creation of YouTube!!!!

Catching up on the housework ~OR~ Going to War with Chaos!

     I have a confession,,,,
     I have let things go,,,
     And now they are LONG gone, well past neat and tidy and on the express to utter Mess-Topia!

     I can make the excuses that I have come up with for the past few days, I was watching the baby, and its SOOO hard to clean AND stop a child from finding a millions ways of hurting herself at the same time! Or,,,, I am running low on iron, and just the act of getting out of bed is exhausting enough to want to tumble mussy haired and rumpled self right back into it. OR,,,, how bout, I can't vacuum, my schizophrenic and extremely bi-polar cat doesn't like it, and when she doesn't like something, she tends to take it out on my much smaller, weaker and STUPID(er) cat, causing the kitty version of the battle of the bulge under my bed!
     But I won't bother you with these symptoms of procrastinitus,,,, its catching you know, and I wouldn't want you to bring it home to your tidy and well kept homes and have it wreak the havoc it has wrought on my once domestic paradise. No, I could not be the one responsible for that,,,
       Instead I am going to tie on my apron, put on my pink rubber gloves, and grab my mess by its dirty cheeks and slap it silly! Mess! Are you listening?!?! You have met your match! And just so you know, I have a black belt in scrubbing and I KNOW HOW TO USE IT!

     Watch me now, my feather duster and mop swing through the air and chase the Mess, with its arms over its head and a whimper for its mummy, from my home! Chuck Norris himself can't do as much damage to dust and fluffy cat hair "dust kittens" that I can! Chuck Norris is a cleaning WIMP compared to me!
    

 

I love fresh and FREE food!

     My husband came home last night with a big bag of garden fresh English peas.

A friends of his at work grew a bunch this year, and was kind enough to share with us. What a treat! Fresh peas are a bit expensive to buy, as you end up throwing away half of your money, but they are REALLY yummy.
     I ended up making a chilled pea soup out of them. It was soooo easy. Just a minced onion or a shallot if you have it, sauteed with a little EVOO or butter and a clove or two of minced garlic. Toss in a couple of cups of fresh peas (or frozen) and cover with chicken broth, stock, or even water. Simmer until the peas are nice and tender then let cool. Zip through a blender or processor for at least a minute until creamy and smooth, chill and serve with a dollop of sour cream, YUMMO
     Ps,,, you would have snickered if you could have seen how I took that picture,,,, with NO HANDS, lol,,,,, I'm not telling!

Spaghetti (squash) and veggie sauce for dinner!

Photo: © Ann Stratton
Woman's Day. com

      After watching Food Matters, a documentary about how vitamin deficiency might be the cause of all sorts diseases and sicknesses, we have decided to up our veggie intake, especially raw fruit and veg. I believe that the lackluster American diet that is so filled with refined carbs, corn syrup, battery raised meats and cheeses and oh so few fresh fruit and veg is very much responsible for a whole host of ailments that plague this world. I mean, honestly, how many people these days eat plant based diets?. I can't tell you how many of my friends and family eat less than 2 servings of fruit or veg a day, and THOSE are canned, or processed. Even if people try and make the right choices and buy fresh fruit and veg from the produce section, these items are probably weeks old, very low in flavor and much lower in vitamins than they should/could be. It is a HIGHLY interesting documentary, and has inspired my husband and I into really putting more effort into our health.
     So this week we have been consuming vast amounts of fruit and veg from a farm stand and local grocery. Mmmm, sweet corn, fresh green beans, big bowls of cantaloupe and watermelon for breakfast, lovely! I also picked up a spaghetti squash, which I haven't had since I was a child. I steamed it in a little simmering water for about 30 min and had it with some simple Hunts (its too hot for complicated cooking this month) sauce and lots of parmesan! Oh so good!
     So, NOW is the time, if you don't have a garden like me then get out and find a local farm stand or market and get your five a day! Or better yet, get TEN a day! Here's to health!