A Great Day for Catching Up!

     Had a great weekend, getting a chance to shoot down for a quick trip to Buses at the Brewery down in Springfield, MO! Great day talking with friends and meeting new ones! Making it back, I ended up taking a little bit of down time, enjoyed just getting things done at home and spending a bit of time with my son.
     Finally grabbed a shot of the finished crocheted pineapple vest, thinking the color is just not doing it for me though. Believe in the next few days I will be dying it to a darker brown or even burgundy. After wet finishing, it left it a little large, but thinking the dye process should shrink it up just perfect. Other than that, fairly happy with it and look forward to getting a chance to wear it out. My camera help is not so experienced, but you can at least get an idea. I am a size 14/16, but this pattern on a G hook would easily have suited up to a size 20.

     Update on the engine rebuild - got a bit further, but not by much. Had an issue with the cam shaft not lining up well with the gear, but I am lucky to know some wonderfully talented people! A friend was able to get it to line up and we are keeping our fingers crossed that all will be well with the timing. Should be fine! Last I was at the shop, was able to get the crank and cam shafts in the case, still fighting with one of the cam shaft bearings, so still need to do a bit of adjusting before it is ready to close up (more grease needed on the center crank bearing and gears as well), but went in well for a first shot. Looking forward to getting back to work on it tomorrow! Not the best pic, but this is what it looks like now. Trying to take my time to double check, but sometimes it is hard. Nice to have someone checking behind just to make sure I got it right - it has been a good 20 years since I have messed with engines, and have had a few too many hits to the head to remember much! LOL

     Will have to make sure and post some photos from the event this weekend, had spaced on grabbing the XD card before heading out, so only able to take a few photos while I was there. Looking forward to getting more done on the new sweater tonight - will be helping out in a friends' shop for a bit this evening and figure will be an excellent time to get some knitting done. Looking forward to getting far enough along to have a photo to post on it! For now, time to get moving on some pumpkin bread I have promised for my son and a few others. They adore my mad baking skills! 

Just Keep Swimming...

     Feels like we will be expecting rain soon, hoping so! Taking it a bit easier today, had gotten much done yesterday, but also reminded by my movements today, that I often over do it! Such is life. I am happy enough to be alive to feel the pain! Just keep swimming... (love the little Dora character from Finding Nemo...LOL)

     Update on the crocheted vest - just about done now. Taking a little longer than I had hoped, but it is looking beautiful! Working up quickly enough, but had found a mistake and had to back it out a few rows, and usually only have a chance to work on it while sitting still. Doesn't happen often! Helps that we no longer own a TV or have cable - haven't for some years. There was so much on that I really didn't feel my children really needed to see. I do not think they have been any worse for wear, due to not having one, and the amount of negativity coming into our home dropped immensely. We do have a projection system that is hooked into the computer and use it to watch movies on occasion, but it is not an every day thing. My family loves to read, and an evening can sometimes find us in the living room deep in a book or conversing about a situation the book held. Of course my son also loves his Xbox...

     Here is a photo of the pineapple vest in progress. Have about 11 rows to finish, so hopefully soon I can wear it! Right now it is a little over a yard in circumference. Wet finishing will make it look incredible! Really happy with the pattern and how fast it has gone. I really have not had much time to dedicate to this project, and this is the first time I have actually used a charted pattern. Not too shabby! Have a VW club meeting tonight, so should be perfect for keeping my fingers busy while there! I give it a couple of hours or less to being done. Super quick!

 
      Awhile back I came across a tile grout cleaner recipe, and this stuff was AMAZING!! I used it to do my floors and they came out looking like new! Unfortunately, I never sealed them, and they are starting to look foul again. Thinking it is time to redo the floors and make sure to have the sealant on hand this time, so it will be so much quicker and easier to get it all looking beautiful once more! Not sure why, but 16 year old boys just seem to ooze mud and dirt at an ungodly rate. LOL If you are looking for new flooring, might want to give this a try...it can do amazing things, cheap and pet/child friendly! All natural! Here are my before and after photos with the link to the recipe....

(and just want to make note - this was shortly after I moved in! LOL Not really my dirt!) 

Grout Cleaner Recipe via A Mum 'n the Oven (TOTD #72)

        

Before: just after spraying grout cleaner 

After: Looks like new!! 

(also the tiles came out perfectly bright white - the lighting and shadows make it look tinted)

Soup Anyone?

     One of the aspects I have appreciated most about being medically retired so young, was the opportunity to be home with my children and be an integral part of their lives as they grew. One area I have been most strict on is adequate nutrition. I make almost everything from scratch, not cooking from pre-made foods in cans or boxes. We do not have sodas on stock, nor any snack type foods that are filling grocery isles these days. I try to make sure that High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and preservatives are non-existent, or at least kept at a minimum, which means I have learned to make many spice mixes or base mixes, from wholesome natural ingredients.

     One of my favorites is the dry mix for canned soup replacement, which I will be throwing together today. No artificial anything, no preservatives, and is incredibly cheaper and better tasting than Campbell's will ever make! This was a replacement that saw at least a $20 drop on my monthly grocery bill! Super simple to make and very easy to store in the pantry. One batch replaces about ten cans of creamed soup! If you would like the recipe, you can find it here:

                       Condensed Cream of Anything Soup Mix from One Orange Giraffe

                           

     On other projects, just started working on a new jacket/vest for fall (more likely Spring...), which is already looking great!! Will be excited to get it done, hoping I can finish it up within the week or so, as I have a few other projects I am catching up on at the moment. I lucked out and found a whole, unopened box of vintage crochet cotton at a yard sale or thrift store some years ago for a couple of dollars. Still not too sure of the color, but figured I always have the option of dying it later. So brought it home, where it has lived in my stash until now. This will be a great project for it!

     Here is a shot of my work in progress, along with a photo of what it should look like when it is completed (fingers crossed!). If you are interested in this free pattern, it is located on a Portuguese site. Just click on "Grafico Aqui" highlighted in bright red. Very easy chart to read and works up quickly!!

Pearls Crochet Blog - Pineapple Vest (free online pattern)

If you like the recipe and pattern, feel free to check out my Pinterest boards! I have unabashedly become a Pinterest junkie (too bad there is no help for that one)! A great look at just how multifaceted and eclectic my tastes and hobbies are!