JANUARY...THE BEST

Tuesday E and I went 30 minutes east of us to a Post Office (tiny one) to get new passports. I was kinda nervous and why I have no idea, it wasn’t like we would show up on the FBI 10 most wanted list, I have never even had a speeding ticket( E has). It was all so easy and our pictures actually turned out good. After submitting all the paperwork ( we took along every legal document proving who we are and that we are US citizens) and paying a rather LARGE fee we walked out free as birds and hungry. We stopped in the towns’ local cafe, Gray’s, a authentic small town greasy spoon sorta a place filled with local ole’ timer ranchers and the decor pure gun loving conservative dye in the wool GOP (trump) supporters. Listening to the conversation E and I just smiled and ate. The food was great and the place entertaining if not a bit weird. We did say on the way home “I eat there again” though.

January, where did it go? We had an ‘eat through the freezer and pantry’ month here, grocer shopping only to buy fresh produce and milk. I am happy to say our January food bill totaled $73.06. I had set a budget for $100. It was easy too and though we made very little of a dent in the big freezer,  the freezer upstairs I can see the bottom of the drawers. February we will continue are freezer/pantry eat down but we do need to stock up on a few things to continue this winter project.

 

I have a quilt retreat coming up and am busy cutting out two large quilt top patterns to sew up in 3 days of quilt heaven. 1) Soldiers Cross(civil war pattern) and 2) Shoo Fly pattern. I am a reproduction quilter and can’t make enough.

The cardigan my DIL is wearing -Felix cardigan, knit in Nutiden Yarn from Honerocheir in Sweden. Love the yarn, single plied. Wasn’t overly thrilled with the service but I may order more at some time.

I belong to a Featherweight sewing  machine group and a women told me as a resident of Colorado I can get an Ecard to just about any library in the state, I now have an Ecard to the Denver Library! So many books to look through and no or little wait time. 

Books Completed-

The Churchill Sisters(Rachel Trethewey)-  excellent

Founding Mothers(Cokie Roberts)-excellent

The First Conspiracy(Brad Seltzer)- very good

February will be a good book month I feel.

My rug hooking project is so close to being done. Maybe it will be a PJ day to finish.

-20 this morning! 

Please join Kat at

Unravel Wednesday

 

WEEKENDS

We spend a lot of time at parks through out the city

Neighbors trampoline (what a monster) blew into our yard weekend before last and Eric spent 2 days taking it apart to remove it, returning it to rightful yard and putting it back together again. 

Why do HOA's allow monster trampolines but not clothes lines? 

Weather here in NoCo has been rather, bipolar, is the only word I can think of that accurately describes the past weekend. Friday and Saturday sunny and in the 70's, Sunday cloudy, snowing and in the 20's! Expecting snow through Wednesday this week then a warm up, though Halloween will be cold for the little ones out trick-n-treating. 

Warm or cold, I got my walks in-2 miles daily!

Working on a pair of socks that have been on the needles way, way too long. On the second foot now so hopefully soon, very soon they will be on my feet! 

Very little work done on wool rug..ugh!

Finished a smallish quilt for a donation. (Pictures to be posted later.)

I met my goal of $400 food bill for the month of October!! Wahoo!

Grand total $400.96, ( yes, I see the .96 cents, but I am calling this a win, win!)

To be able to cut our food bill in more than half, I have been cooking at home just about all meals and from scratch. Very little frozen and or canned foods used, this will change a little entering into winter and the fresh garden produce almost gone now. I am also back to baking bread once a week! 

Reading: The Zimmermann Telegram(audio)

-Roosevelt and Churchill(audio)

-The Erma Bombeck Collection

-I'm Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness (this book is so good)

Stay warm!

APRIL_YARN ALONG

April already, WOW! 

Soon the garden work will begin and only light weight knitting can be done on back porch, hot sun and wool yarn-no no no, not for me. I have finished 3 sweaters since Jan.1 thus far this year. Two were started in 2019. I would love to be one of those prolific knitters, but I get side tract all the time with new cast ons and fun yarn. I guess I have difficulty staying focused on just one project.

The sweater in this post is Humulus and a fantastic knit. I really made this for my youngest but when I had Caitlin try it on, I realized it would need about 4 more inches to fit Erin properly. So, Caitlin loves it and with her, it will stay. I get to knit Humulus again! I do not mind knitting the same pattern twice or even more if it's a good pattern and Isabel Kraemer's patterns are always good.

I joined the National Rug Hooking Association. I have always been intriqued with rug making and I'm going to try this art form again- now that I have time. Oh, and I have a pile, (several piles) of wool to use up!

Books that have been read since last month's Yarn Along:

Whistling Past the Graveyard

this book is a very good, a story of friendship between a white girl and a black woman during the 60's in the deep south-nough said!

The Patch Work Bride

I have read all of Sandra Dallas books, this one not so good. The story was interesting, but the ending a total flop!

A Seat By the Hearth

A mindless read with a feel good ending.

Mending Matters

A great reference book with some wonderful ideas.

 Trying to stay home and cook more for meals. I think I'm a better cook than most meals we get at resturants and I can make meals for much less money. Homemade pizza that Eric and I both enjoyed, with "whatever" salad. It is time for me to start experimenting with salad dressing recipes this spring, I plan to grow all different kinds of lettuce.

I'm still having trouble with creepy people looking at my blog site. Wish I could block them! Any ideas?

Please join me over at Yarn Along

31 OCTOBER 2017

A full weekend was had here at LHQ. Halloween outfit dressing for little B with a wonderful tour of Grave's Dairy( a local dairy, makes Noosa Yogurt too). I love the milk at Grave's diary because no hormones and or antibiotics in the milk. Of course they will treat a sick cow with antibiotics but that milk is dumped. I started home delivery of their milk when my girls were 1 and 4 due to the practices used in this dairy. Seeing the baby cows was so fun, soon they will be turned out in the pasture then in 2 years they are put in the milking rotation.

We had our chicken delivery! I call it more like our turkey delivery, those birds weighed in at 18-20 pounds. These are local birds that a young boy raises for his home school activities. I have broth and all sorts of great chicken dinners in my head.

Betty and I cleaned the basement ( just one room...ha) and I discovered projects that I had forgotten about and am excited to get working on again. A wool rug started 'ages' ago but still makes my heart flutter. I am soo close to the finish with this one.
An Amish quilt with heavy, heavy Amish style quilting was discovered as well. That quilting soothes my soul, but so much left to do, even with so much completed already.
One other discovery in the basement, 'Elizabeth Zimmerman' DVD's . Elizabeth Zimmerman is one of my heroes. Her life story is amazing how she and her husband fled  Nazi-Germany, and started a new life here in the United States. Elizabeth was taught at a young age to knit and without patterns. I so admire that kind of a mind that can
just visualize the outcome of a garment and knit it!!!!!

Off Betty and I go now for some Halloween fun. Be safe out there today!