It's Been Awhile!

It's Autumn. No question. The tempo picks up around here more than at any other time of year. I see a downturn in participation online in groups and blogs because so many folks are back in school (students, teachers & librarians), but parents are busier keeping the kids activities together along with their own.

I've always loved fall. I can remember the excitement of going back to school, but I love the crisp air as temperatures drop, the crunch of dried leaves underfoot. People start baking again (I think apples, pumpkin, and cinnamon are some of my favorite food smells...).

Knitters start working with wool again. Of course, some of us never stop, but new projects are just itching to get started! I start making Nana Sadie Rose bags with a vengeance - partly due to the September cat show, but also with an eye to the Christmas craft shows and gift orders I begin to receive...

Mostly I like this:

The sunsets of Autumn. As I drove home tonight, this was what I was driving into! It was so gorgeous, that I pulled off, rolled down the window, and took this shot.

It's a time of purples, russets, golds, black...some of my favorite colors. Hmmm...wonder what I have in stash that would work up into some cool bags for fall?
(((hugs)))

Eating Local & Updating The Kitchen...

My fall gift to myself is the toaster oven you see in the background below. I wanted one that was an Oster, as I'd heard good things from my big sister about hers. When I got to Tar-Jay, they only had the stainless steel and I despise cleaning stainless...I kept looking to see that I really had what I wanted and suddenly realized that there was a red one. RED? Really?

So here you go. I have a vegetable theme in my kitchen - colors of black, white, green, yellow and - ta da - RED! So it was delightful to find this! And it works so well (so far, anyway...).

In that shot you can also see the local produce I found on my farmer's market run on Saturday - the October beans are already in the freezer, one of the eggplants is in a vegetable stew in my crockpot crock in the fridge (to cook tomorrow), honey from a local farmer (goes well with the Bee Shawl I hope to knit someday soon), the rosemary sourdough from On The Rise bakery here in Roanoke (sorry, they don't have a website), and locally grown tomatoes, too...

I've been spending some of my "vacation" time, while the Bernina is undergoing annual maintenance, working to get a bit more settled in this new place (that I've been living in since March!!). I finally got a bit of the kitchen done, tho' there's enough left to do, that I won't share photos, yet.

I hope you're enjoying the harvest season!

This is soooooo true!

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

What's An Inheritance?

Last summer I lost a very special aunt to lung cancer (okay, they're ALL very special...I shouldn't single anyone out, but this one was the one who stepped in as "mom" when my own mother died).

Over the past year, we've been hearing that certain things were being set aside for members of the family with the intention of "inheritance..." I dislike this process, as most do, because it is fraught with all sorts of angst. But in the end, I recognize that we cherish what we can salvage from a loved-one's lifetime, sometimes irrationally. And of course, there are some occasions when those "things" truly have value. As I am the one in the family who strongly shared the penchant for crafting (more so than most of the others) some specific things found their way to me...

Everything has now arrived (courtesy of a dear cousin, my DD & dear son-in-law, my Big Sis and her husband, also known as BIL). There is much I haven't gone through yet. I know there are sewing things, embroidery things, knitting things, books. But there were a three very special things I thought I'd share with you...

This was my great aunt's sewing machine and when she became ill and moved from her home to be near her neices before her death, it became a part of my aunt's home:

It's a Singer Touch & Sew 648. I have a bit of information on it, but am particularly delighted to see the chair and sewing table (original) are still in wonderful shape - I wouldn't really have expected anything less, considering the two ladies who previously owned it. On the desk are two paintings my aunt purchased from a Vermont artist she had introduced me to and of whom I'm particularly fond, Anne McFarren. I have several of her winter scenes, so I was touched to hear that these summery ones would make their way to me...
And then my cousin asked if I'd like this "Victorian monstrosity!" I don't think it's Victorian. But I don't have any idea what it is...

How about you?

Website Under Construction...

Most of you know that my DD is my webmaster, and she's been having a time lately with life getting in the way of keeping my website up to date. (Full-time job, husband, three kids, a move...you get the idea? I'm not 100% sure how she's staying sane...but sleep right now is a precious commodity, so...)

In light of the problems that's created for my business, I've opened another blog where you can easily see the types of bags available from Nana Sadie Rose

So just click on the link above - and pop over to visit me? I'd love to talk with you about how you can have your very own Nana Sadie Rose bag...

Sometimes I Post Something Worthwhile Here...

This is such a Great Idea!
I wish I'd thought of it. But since I didn't, I'll pass it along and suggest that if, like me, you already recycle the water from washing dishes by hand for this purpose, you might like to consider doing this, too!

Every little "green" thing we do, helps.

Ok. Now I Have to Read This?

Which woman from the Outlander series are you?

You are Brianna Randall Fraser MacKenzie. You are extremely loyal to those you love, and very intelligent, but you have a temper. You are very preoccupied with doing the right thing. You have some artistic talents.
Take this quiz!








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Fresh From the Garden!

This was part of my dinner tonight - it's so hot here, that going to water my sis-in-law's gardens while she's been away has been very challenging (I'm just not able to do this outdoor stuff these days...

But I do enjoy the rewards!

Where's The Surprise In This?

You Are a Ring Finger

You are romantic, expressive, and hopeful. You see the best in everything. You are very artistic, and you see the world as your canvas. You are also drawn to the written word. Inventive and unique, you are often away in your own inner world. You get along well with: The Pinky Stay away from: The Index Finger

What Finger Are You?

Too Funny - and I LOVE Starbucks!

I am 69% Addicted to Coffee

Mingle² - Free Online Dating
Only 69%!!?! You coulda fooled me...

Fresh From the...Well?

Ok. I tried. But with all the work I needed to do for the upcoming cat show in Roanoke, I didn't make it to my farmer's market this weekend. I did, however, get to my local store for some traditional (sort of) July 4 fare...
That's a black bean vegie burger made MY way: with cheddar cheese, salsa and jalapenos on a whole wheat burger roll, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and yellow/white corn on the cob. Don't know that it's possible to have fresh corn in these parts yet, but come the end of the month, there should be some.

Anyway, it was delish.
:)

On the Day I was Born..

Ruinwen put this on her blog and invited others to participate, and I thought, why not?

According to Wikipedia these are the three events, two births, and one holiday (those numbers are what's required in the meme) on July 11. (You just have to type in the month and date folks!)

Events:
1616 Samuel de Champlain returns to Quebec. Ok...this spoke to me because I spent many happy summers at my aunt's old-fashioned 1950s-style "camp" on Lake Champlain in Vermont (my aunt was also a French teacher in the Burlington VT public schools).

1804Aaron Burr kills Alex Hamilton in a duel (when I was studying US History, this story just caught my fancy. I probably knew this was on my birthday back at that time, but it had slipped my mind!)

1955 The phrase In God We Trust was added to all US currency. (very appropriate considering my main occupation as an accountant!)

Births
1920 Yul Brenner - and I've had an infatuation with men who have no hair all my life - I LOVED Yul in The King and I!
1955 Sela Ward - I remember watching her biography on Lifetime and hearing that she was not only born on the same day as I, but also the same year - we are the same AGE!

Now why on earth don't I look as good as she does???

Holiday
World Population Day. I have always been a family planning supporter meaning: make sure you're ready to have a family, and can afford to have children, and don't have more than you can afford, financially and emotionally, to care for! In short, be a responsible parent...(my ex wasn't, and I've had years to pay for that)

Ok...I'm not tagging anyone either (Ruinwen didn't), but if you'd like to do this - that's cool!

Eat Local Challenge (Redux)

I'm going to participate again in the Eat Local Challenge this time promising to eat one main meal each week from mostly local sources of food and blog about it here! Actually began that this weekend (tho' it's only supposed to be starting on June 24) - see the post below!

I'll add that I'm going to do my best to make that one meal a (lacto-ovo) vegetarian one.

I'll post the button in the sidebar...the main premise is to think about where food comes from, be intentional about choosing healthier foods (without additives, trans fats, as organic as possible - that sort of thing).

I think I can do that!
(((hugs)))

To Market To Market...

But not for a pig.
lolol
A few vegies for Fresh From the Market...plus a loaf of On The Rise bakery's Rosemary Sourdough bread. I'm trying to eat more simply, more healthfully.

So new and different squashes! An amazingly good tomato...I'm told you cook the squash the same as summer squash - so I added Mrs. Dash and steamed them. Absolutely delish! The bread and tomato were wonderful, too. Unfortunately, the vegies aren't local yet. They're from South Carolina. But the bread is Roanoke, thru and thru!

Then while on the market I got a couple of basil plants and a curly leaf parsley (I like it better than flat leaf) to go with the two little yellow pear tomato plants my SIL finally found. Couldn't find the Sungolds I planted and fell in love with last summer, but I do like these. So here is my "front yard garden" - yes, I'm still planting in pots!

Being Green...

Birdsong and Carole have been posting about how Easy It Is To Be Green in a meme and I wanted to add my practices. I think, tho' that's it's best if I do this here, rather than my knitting blog as it pertains more to this one...and while I'm sure I can't hold a candle to the things I know my friend Jane does, I was raised by one of the best Depression Era Penny-Pinchers and New England Tightwads, so some of the things I do, I might not want to admit to publicly! lololol...

1. I have one of these. I rewash ziplock bags (as long as meat hasn't been inside) and this little device allows them to dry very quickly! I used to wash and reuse aluminum foil, but since I rarely use it anymore, it's a non-issue. I gave these wonderful contraptions to several households on my Christmas list one year and I know they ALL use them and LOVE them! It saves $$, and keeps a lot of plastic out of the landfills!

2. I pack my lunch and eat at my desk most days of the week. I use washable containers and limit the amount of single serve packaging unless it's recyclable - like aluminum cans. I like to have V-8 as a snack at work, but usually I buy a bottle and portion it out into small containers to take in my lunch.

3. I don't actually "buy in bulk" b/c I'm only one person. But if I buy enough for a family of 4 or 6, it's still reducing the packaging considerably. I'll make a stir-fry and package in reusable (washable) containers in the freezer. I've always heard how hard it is to cook for one. I don't. WHEN I cook, I do enough for 4-6 and freeze the rest in single serves - for lunches, for dinners. I've been bad about this for a couple of months...gotta fix that!

4. I reduce, reuse, recycle. Since my move, I'm 2 blocks (I know that sounds awfully close, but they are long blocks!) from the recycling center. When I moved, I collected boxes from the liquor store for packing and gathered newspaper from friends. When I was finished (yeah, sure, I'm STILL unpacking), there was a friend in the office getting ready to move. I brought her boxes as I unpacked them and she used them, then took them to the recycler! (I love that...) The liquor store would have trashed them.

5. I trip chain. I try very hard to plan where I have to go and combine my errands so I have limited back-tracking to do. Our public transportation system leaves a lot to be desired. :(

6. Thrift stores, yard sales, and reuse shops (including book exchanges) are some of the most fun ways to shop - tho' I must admit with the cost of gasoline, I doing fewer and fewer yard sales these days. (Most of my furniture is at least second-hand, tho' I do often have it re-upholstered - I like antiques)

7. I check out books/videos/books on tape fro my library. I pre-screen (as much as possible) knitting books before I buy. I'm trying to get to the point of releasing my current books (not knitting books!) into the second-hand market...it's hard.

8. I only wash full loads of laundry on cold.

9. When I moved to this new house, I realized that even by filling the dishwasher to capacity (which takes a long time for one person who really doesn't cook much) I would still use less water if I half-filled two dishpans with water - one to wash, one to rinse - once or twice a week! The water is then saved and used to water plants and shrubs in front of the house.

10. I moved into town and reduced my commute by 15 minutes each way. I try to keep my car tuned up, air in tires, all the stuff you're supposed to do to get good mileage. While I have a small SUV, it's an "economy car" according to the insurance company and gets 27 mpg on the highway. But I have a dream of owning one of THESE, at least for around town...

Wonder if I can find one in Grape (oh, I know it should be GREEN, considering the title of this post - but I am not THERE in my color preferences...)?

Is it? Love? Infatuation? or...

a serious emotional disorder?

No. No male could begin to get me thinking this way. No male has the "power" to make my heart go "pitty-pat" these days...not like this, anyway!

It's Ravelry!

I'm obsessed with finding all the neat things it offers, adding in my projects, linking to KALS I run (or co-run), photographing my stash, uploading my library, finding my friends and making new ones.

This is another example of the addiction that knitting and the internet communities concerned with this craft is for me. I am possessed by Ravelry. Amazed at the creators ability to envision what this could become...

I really really hope, tho' that this time the bloom won't come off THIS rose!
lololol

(make sure you sign up, okay? It took about 2 months for me to get in, don't let another day go by before you knock on the Ravelry door!)

Put a Little Soy in Your Life?

Ok...this was last night's dinner. Looks good, huh?

Please don't ask for the recipe...I did a number on the seasonings - and it wasn't as good as it looks...which made me very very sad.

The vegies, tofu (omg, when did they start selling PRE-cubed tofu? Whee!), and brown rice were fine.

But it was extremely bland...(sigh)

Maybe I'll follow a recipe next time. LOL

Simple Is ...

as simple does...

If I'd a mind to knit a sweater, I'd start here, I think.

Just as a Follow-up

I think this is a great blog (all the way around!) for vegan recipes but I can't wait to try THIS very, very soon!

That Time of Year Again...

so because it's the growing season, and I somehow always pick a place to live that makes it hard to grow anything (it's completely out of the question where I am now!), and because my history - and my family's history - is that of vegetarianism, and because what I put in my mouth matters to me....


It's Fresh From the Farmer's Market time...Or Eat Local Time...(take your pick! Or better yet, do BOTH!)

For me, it really is about health. So I've been spending a lot of blog time recently seeking out vegetarian (and vegan, and macrobiotic) blogs...collecting recipes (I'm reminded of the early days of learning about blogs and knitting - I was consumed). This focus works in well with my general life view anyway...

I was at my local Co-op on Saturday and discovered a freshly prepared and packaged macrobiotic meal (they have a deli, and oh, my, it's beyond anything you've ever seen in the grocery store, let me tell you!). I was intrigued, as I've been eating more and more whole grains and vegies, less and less white flour/sugar and prepared items...Once I had tasted it, I was over the rainbow (tho' I must admit anything with lots of garlic easily wins me over...), three different items: a brown rice and lentil mixture, a narrow lazagna noodle with pickled coleslaw filling, and a spicy pasta and minced vegies mix - I couldn't believe how good it all was!

I'm probably not going the vegan route, or even going back to the lacto-ovo vegetarian I used to be. I'll always eat fish, as it's vital to my heart health. And I just can't see why nightshades like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants are not considered healthful (as in macrobiotics) so don't look for them to leave my diet, either.

But I can surely get on board this Fresh From the Farmer's Market bandwagon.

And frankly, I think it's all about making the most healthful, and freshest choices you can make! I'll try to share links and recipes I create (b/c I do tend to be that kind of cook - give me a basic idea and I'll morph it...) so you can see what I'm up to.

This won't become a food blog - it's really all about my current thinking on a hodgepodge of lifestyle and craft ideas, anyway! And cooking is just another craft in my mind...
(((hugs)))