Super Woman at it again

Socks for me from Amy!

I am balancing on one foot so that my new sock does not touch the ground.

Can't get them to stand still so I can take their picture but try to keep them away when you don't want them in one!  (Click on the pictures to make them bigger so you can appreciate her work.)  The socks are merino and cashmere.  Fabulous on the feet, so very soft.

Selecting the perfect spot

and diving in!

It's stopped again and the sun is out.  I just had 60 pounds of dog food delivered so we are good for a while, actually about four weeks.  60 more pounds are on the way and then I will feel secure.  The place where I have been buying this food has been a bit inconsistent with their supply so now I won't have to worry about that.

Beach Towels

Not for the beach of course but for toweling off the boys.  Dylan tolerates it but Jack loves it.  Only problem is that Jack has to be leaning into my legs as I dry him off or he tips over.  Another reason I worry about taking him for a bath and some grooming, even if I can get him into the car.

Boxing Day

I so want to embrace this Canadian holiday but sadly I am still un-boxing.  While I was gone, UPS and USPS left seven (7!) boxes, two of which held furniture and much packing material.  I am hoping to take the four ginormous bags of packing peanuts back to UPS or possibly to my friends in the Novell shipping department.  I will admit to actually putting my tongue on one of those peanuts just to double check in case it was made of corn and would dissolve.  No such luck.  Re-using is at least  something.  Well and my sister's video with her packing peanuts does provide some amusement!

I would like to be at my sewing machine all day today but I must go out and shovel first.  I left my coat in Seattle which means I am waiting for yet another box!  It also means I am shoveling wearing several layers of clothing topped only with sweats.  Heavy sigh.  I know my neighbor will shovel the public sidewalk for me, I think he does it as a trade for my summer duties in his garden.  Still it's my responsibility and maybe the snow will stop long enough for me to go out there and not get soaking wet.  There is an outside possibility that there is a hooded windbreaker in the car but I think I may have tossed it when I cleaned out the car recently.  Another. Heavy. Sigh.

Oh, and the miles of that columnar type of bubble wrap in the top picture?  I cut each air compartment and rolled it all together because that is recyclable.  The roll weighed just over a pound.

Froebel Star

I needed something quick to do this morning.  This took just minor cutting and some pressing before I got right to the folding.  This is not as fancy as the ones Amy did last year which also had some poking out points from the center and because it is fabric, it is rather chunky.  I wanted to see how striped fabric would end up and I like it but I thought it looked rather plain and so that's why I added the button.

A Yard Ornament

I have a list of blogs that a check on a regular basis.  Yesterday morning I read a quilt blogger's opinion of pre-cuts and the lack of imagination (she was ranting on the jellyroll race) of those who use what is really created as a marketing strategy.  This woman is a graphic artist and comes from a family of artists.  Still, I let her comments bother me.

Then I got an email from a dear friend and she said that her goal was to complete a quilt top every other day.  That is an amazing goal and she will do it.  Still, I let it bother me.

I have another friend who will say, why are you letting these things bother you?  That thought nagged at me all day. In other words, it bothered me that I was bothered by these things!

So after stewing about this all day, my conclusions are:

• I am happy to be a follower.  I can change patterns to suit me as needed but I do not need to be an innovator in design.  I'm good where I am.
• I used to say that I never watched a tv show if I wouldn't want to live next door to the main characters.  Really it should be the same with a blog.  Deleted.
• I don't need to be intimidated by anyone's goals (or skills) but will just admire them.  To be intimidated is to be diminished.  My sewing goals are between me and Time.  Efficiency is what I will strive for.
• It's good to be bothered by things.  It's like a small stone in your shoe.  You think, investigate and solve.  If you aren't bothered or don't let yourself be bothered how do you differ from a yard ornament?

Christmas Crafting

There's a lot of that going on here!

A few weeks ago Janie and I stopped in at Harmony, the new boutique just around the corner and as usual the shop was loaded with inspiration.  Loaded.

I gravitate to the yarn room just because of the colors I think.  There was a charming project, casually displayed with the yarns pictured above and well, they just fell into my "cart".

As we were checking out, after voting for our favorite hat, I said to Laura that for pete's sake, I had plenty of projects to do and what was I doing buying more yarn.  She said there could be another plan.  She had seen these very same yarns with sticks from trees stuck in their centers, looking very much like apples and used as part of a table centerpiece.

And that would be Plan B.

Today's playlist:

• Christmas in the Aire - Mannheim Steamroller
• A Timpanogas Christmas - Varied artists
• Light Jazz Christmas - Varied artists
• Silent Night, Holy Night - Mahalia Jackson

Winter Light

This afternoon at about 4:30 from the deck.

The Magic Pot

I do believe I may have extolled the virtues of this pot before.  It's a 2 3/4 quart Le Creuset Dutch oven that can be used on the stovetop as well as in the oven.  It's mushroom colored not green as it looks by the light of the oven and is the perfect size when cooking for one or two.

Today's recipe is a keeper and so fitting for a grey winter day.  I cut the recipe in half and followed it almost exactly.  I had to use whole grain brown mustard because it was all I had and I added carrots to the pot because I love them cooked this way.  The recipe can be found here, make sure you read the part about the beer. 

Beer Braised Chicken  from Simply Recipes

1 teaspoon butter
3 chicken thighs, about 1 to 1 1/4 pounds
Salt
1½ pounds yellow onions, sliced 1/4-inch thick, root to stem, about 3-4 cups sliced
½ Tbsp brown sugar, packed 
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 Tbsp smooth or whole grain Dijon mustard
3/4 cup dark beer (I used Michelob Amberbock)
½ cup chicken stock
4-6 carrots, cut in chunks of uniform thickness
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy pot with a lid, such as a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and set them skin side down in the butter. Salt the meat side lightly. Brown the chicken on both sides well. Remove the browned thighs from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan, taking care to not discard any of the tasty browned bits.  Lower the heat to medium and add the sliced onions to the pan.   Sprinkle brown sugar over the onions. The added sugar will intensify the natural sweetness of the onions. Cook the onions slowly, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.

Add the bay leaf, thyme, mustard, 1 teaspoon of salt, and beer to the onions. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the carrots, chicken thighs and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer.

Bake, covered for 45 minutes at 300⁰ then uncover the pot and simmer until the liquid is greatly reduced and the meat wants to fall off the bone, between 45 minutes and 1 hour.  Add freshly ground black pepper and more salt to taste.

Serve over egg noodles or with rice or potatoes.