Another Project Finished!

     Another day of being busy on very little sleep! Training is going well with the Eshe, and she is quite an intelligent little girl! Already settling in very nicely!
     Finished another project last night - a wool hat for a friend. I enjoy giving back when I can, and know that his hat was looking well loved and well used. LOL Love the crown on this one, although the photo doesn't show it well. Will have to get a better photo up later. This is based on a free pattern from Ravelry, with a link below, this was a very quick project and has a wonderful feel using the Malabrigo Arroyo wool yarn.

Free Pattern: Ritenour Hat

          Have to keep it short today and get out to run errands. Helping out at a friends' shop today, and Eshe will be tagging along. Great chance for her to meet lots of people and other dogs, working on getting her well socialized, which will be a bit harder with the cold weather upon us. Now if I could just make a bit more time to get the yard work done... 

A New Family Member!

     I wish I could say I have been overly productive this week, getting things done and such, but no luck. I have been taking down time to try and dump some of the stress that has been piling up over the past couple of weeks and working on getting a few spaces reorganized. With the news of the kidney issues, and the problems with the engine, I just needed a break - just a small one! Actually got to closing up the engine case, and had the first stud pop out with just 10lbs of torque. So back to square one with that project. All torn down and getting reworked. I am blessed to have a very talented friend helping out with this, truly a hero to me, as I would have had to scrap the project were it not for his metal working skills. So heads are getting resurfaced so as to be salvageable, the studs are getting helicoiled into the case, and he is now working on creating a flywheel cutter that will level out the cylinder seats. I have been so amazed at what he has been able to accomplish! What I would give to know more about how things like that work! So now just waiting to see if it will all work out. Just have to have faith that it will at this point~!
     We also just adopted a rescue puppy from one of the no kill shelters here in KC, this evening. She is a beautiful 5 month old Pharaoh Hound we are naming Eshe (E's pronounced as "eh") which in Egyptian means "life". Our little girl is a parvo survivor, and has such a wonderful disposition. Settling in well and is already a great source of joy for my son and myself. Looking forward to the years passing and watching her grow!

Eshe with her piggy ears - first night in her new home!

   

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! 

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly....

     What a week! Glad it is almost finished. This week has been busy and filled with not so good news, but suppose that is part of life. Finally back onto the engine rebuilding project. I have been blessed to have many talented and wonderful people in my life, and pray they know how much I truly appreciate them! One in particular has been wonderful about letting me rebuild the engine in a shop that he owns, and being available to help with guiding me in rebuilding it. There is much I have forgotten since my first one - twenty years previously. LOL So far, the case is clean and ready to be put back together, which is on the list for today. Figured here would be as good of a place as any, for chronicling the project.

Not much, but a clean case is a great start!

     The crochet vest is completed (wet finishing and drying now - photos soon!) and I have begun working on the new Tapestry sweater pattern. Only a few rows in and already very happy with the progress and pattern. Turning out easier than I had originally had thought it would be. Very happy about that! Was hoping to take it with this weekend for a quick jaunt to Springfield (Buses at the Brewery 2013), as I will not be driving, but thinking a small and simple hat project may be a better idea. Less chance of making a mistake on a complicated pattern! Really looking forward to the trip, though will only be there for a few hours, I can really use a bit of time to recharge, make new friends and see old acquaintances.

     Yesterday was a fairly hard day for me. I received the news from my doctor that my kidney is indeed failing. Granted, this is something I have dealt with for the past twenty years (complications after a severe trauma), but hearing it and seeing it in writing really made it hit home. They had told me I would probably be on a recipient list by the time I turned 22 years old, but it has hung in there. Turning 40 years old come January, I think it has held up well. Thankful for that. Just a bit shaken by all of the procedures, tests and solutions they may come up with now. Working on finding holistic and natural fixes, but I may have exhausted all of those - still trying to find hope and stay positive. It is what it is, and I can only try and be strong and deal with the issues as they arise. I am also thankful for having such wonderful people in my life. I have a great support network, and many  have already sent offers of assistance - even some in other states! Crazy how life goes. Just have to hold on and enjoy the ride (or try to)! 

A Different Twist on Leftovers...

     Had a conversation with a friend earlier looking for ideas on meals and meal planning, and figured I would share what I have been up to this week, in hopes that it might inspire others.
      I have a rule at my house, waste not - want not. Saturday evening, we enjoyed a meal of beef roast (slow cooker), baked potatoes and fresh carrots with a butter dill sauce (Not so normal for us to have a full meat course, but on occasion it is nice...). As always, I plan on leftovers with most meals, using one base to make another meal completely. Now after cooking the roast, I had stock and left over roast to put up. The stock was set into muffin tins, to freeze into smaller portions, leaving easily usable disks of beef stock to add to recipes in the future (one less thing to purchase from the store and I keep it sodium free!). All kept in a wonderful little labeled bag in the freezer - without taking up too much valuable space. (The little floating bits are just fat. I skim most of it off, but happy to leave a small amount). This is also a great thing for leftover gravy, as I often add a disk or two to soups and stews to give it a little flavor.

Muffin tins with beef stock ready for freezing.

     Next, I shredded the leftover roast (had two teen boys for dinner that night - so not quite as much left over...), added some frozen peas & carrots, some onions, herbs & spices, and a bit of the left over gravy - all dumped into a pie crust, and topped with mashed potatoes. A quick and easy meat pie! Completely different meal, but using all the leftovers I had. Even the water that I boiled the potatoes with is set aside and fed to the plants. They love the starch boost from the potato water!

Meat pie before the potatoes. The little white pieces are garlic and dehydrated onions.

     Then I added the mashed potatoes and gravy just before going into an oven heated at 350 degrees for approximately 40 mins - just long enough to get everything heated through and a bit of browning on top of the potatoes. Came out wonderfully, and even my picky son ate it. Always a grand thing!

Finished meat pie - fresh from the oven!

     Now whenever I cook, I try and use whatever I can so as not to waste. Vegetable scraps are chopped coarsely, thrown into a labeled bag in the freezer, and boiled down to make vegetable stock, frozen the same as above. I also do the same with chicken stock, and find I no longer need to purchase extra from the store. After the veggies are boiled down and sifted from the stock, they go onto the compost bag, which when full, heads out to my rolling compost bin. So nice when everything can be used!
     Sunday was a casual dinner night of chicken quesadillas (left over single grilled chicken breast from Friday was cut up and used for them -perfect size for a couple for each of us), along with some single serve cookies in a cup for dessert. Finished off the last bit of cheese, the grilled chicken breast, and some pico di gallo I had thrown into the freezer. Thinking my son also finished off a couple of other small veggie leftovers we had in the fridge as well. Tuesdays are my cleaning the fridge day, as Wednesday is trash day. Nothing worse than something going foul in the trash and stinking up the house! Luckily, it is a rarity that I have any food that needs to be emptied out of there though - lets' get real, I have a teenage son and he LOVES to EAT! Luckily he has a mom that is a great cook! LOL

     Also, most days I bake small batches of all the bread we use (check out this site for Artisan bread in just 5 minutes a day!), but sometimes it still goes stale. When that happens, I end up cubing up and throwing in the freeze for bread pudding or making croutons later on, the freezer halting the oxygen from damaging it further. If I am really not paying attention and a tiny bit gets a little mold, the critters that live out back get a treat. LOL Though I usually am fairly good at keeping it all under watchful eye. 

     Too, if your family has a great deal of left overs and not really a good thing to try and make another meal out of, try freezing single portions into smaller zip lock bags. We have a bin in the freezer just for that, so on nights that I am busy or unable to cook, the kiddos can fend for themselves. A much better "frozen dinner" option. Many times we have left over soup, and it too is frozen into muffin tins and then transferred into zip lock bags, as you can heat up as much as you wish to eat. Makes life much more convenient! 

     I know as busy parents, we are always looking for useful tips that are tried and true. Perhaps just trying to shave down a bit on the grocery bills, etc. Always good to save as much as possible in this economy! If you are single and tired of cooking for one, the freezer portions work great! Or find some friends and get on the same style of freezing, and host a meal swap. Each of three friends cooks three separate meals, then freeze portions. Get together and swap out, so as to have variety without having to cook every night. Saves a ton of money and is always a great way to try other foods! 

     I always love great tips and ideas, please feel free to share some so that we may all benefit from the shared knowledge! Thanks! 

Yea For Relaxing Weekends!

     Spent much of the weekend relaxing, I really needed some time to take a break and just get back on track. Often I push myself a bit harder than I should and reap the consequences of doing such. Not always a good thing, but it allows me to see where my limits are and how they have changed. While my mobility is not so much of a problem these days, overdoing it definitely lets me know that the issues are never far off!
     I did finally make time to fix the plumbing issue in the guest bath. I was hoping for just a quick removal of the trap and clearing it, but that was not my luck this time. The clog had moved further into the main line (figure one of my children probably tried the plunger...), so after three separate trips to the hardware store, it is now fixed and functioning once more! Found the leak issue there as well, as the trap had rusted a hole right on the bottom (very odd I hadn't noticed sooner...). Replaced that, snaked the pipes, and got everything working once more. I usually can clear most problems by running 1 cup of salt mixed with 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by a kettle of boiling water. Keeps the clogs at bay, and really works beautifully. I usually treat all of the drains in the house about every three months just to keep things running smoothly. I ended up saving quite a bit, as the plumber had wanted $120 for the work, and even after having to purchase channel locks, I still only spent $25. Not a bad savings, though is certainly not my favorite thing to do!
     Today is more painting and remodeling at a friends' home, and tomorrow begins the rebuilding of the engine for my convertible bug! Really looking forward to having that project done and installed, as my current engine is faltering pretty bad these days. Using quite a bit more fuel than I should be as well. Will be nice to just have another item on the list crossed off! Working on getting some time on a lift to replace the master cylinder as well, as there is a crack and it is leaking pretty good these days. Also needing a brake adjustment and to install the new odometer and cable while the tire is off, so figure that will hopefully all get done at one time. Just have to see how much time I can make for it and how smoothly things go. If there is one thing I have learned - as with most things - it will usually take twice as long and cost me twice as much as originally planned. LOL Would be lovely if I could just save back enough to pick up a decent jack... such is life....
     Hoping everyone has had a glorious weekend and had a chance to get out in the beautiful Autumn weather. Looking forward to Winter now - only for the fact that Spring will be here even sooner! Can't wait to see the new bulbs I planted in full bloom! The front island bed has been a major labor of love and really hoping this year will be it's best so far! Working on planting for three full seasons of color - so will make sure and add photos as the changes progress! Also, please feel free to leave comments, ask questions, etc. I enjoy making new friends and getting feedback. Thanks!
   

Which is Better? A Bargain or a Trade?

     I will be the first to admit, if there were a help group for people who time, and time again, habitually surpassed the idea of "bargains", I think I would need to be in it! LOL What's better than a great bargain?! Trades! If you live on a very limited income (such as I do), a trade is like finding free gold. It is a win, win situation - even better when both parties are equally happy with their received trade! Even better than that?! No money needed. Just a handshake and a smile and the deal is set in stone.
     As I had mentioned previously, I needed help getting my floor pans for my 1968 convertible up to par, especially before Winter settled in. With a shoulder surgery last February, it seems that I am still unable to use it quite like I used to and sought out help for the repair job. Just lucked out enough to have a couple of friends that had the knowledge to help me to fix the problem, and that they had something needing done, that I knew how to do! So in exchange for helping getting my car squared away, I had promised to help in the fixing up and (major / minor) remodeling of his home, so that it could get sold as soon as possible. Granted this began a couple of weeks back, and while I am sure they would have been happy with just one week of assistance, I enjoy the company and having something to do, so have continued on. It is something different than my daily routine, I often get free lunch out of the deal, and I really enjoy the company of friends. Beats staying home cleaning all of the time!

     Yesterday, my task was to work teak oil into the closet doors. Now, had you been there to see these doors, you would have seen me give them that look of incredulousness - yep, one eyebrow up and all. But, being me, I didn't say anything, but went about the task asked of me. Never had I been introduced to teak oil, and yet, now I wonder how I have lived so long without it! Those doors looked absolutely incredible (not to mention custom pieced), rather than the tired, worn out and dilapidated state they appeared to be in. I was absolutely amazed. Price runs a bit more than I like, but some incredible stuff for rehabilitating wood pieces! 

     All I could think of was how I was going to pick some up and start playing on some of my antique wood pieces at home. Fortunately though, I have a friend with a full can! For an example, my (recently retired) antique spinning wheel which is figured to be close to 300 years old, was in need of some sprucing. So decided to bring it along to the help day and set back a bit of time to apply the teak oil to it. Granted the photo is not quite the best, you can get the point. Unfortunately, I did not think  to get a before photo, and had left my camera at home, rather than remembering to grab a couple of shots of those closet doors... she looks absolutely stunning now!! Amazing! Yet also, the patina I cherish is still there and even more protected. Love it! Not at all bad for a 290+ yr old piece! And it didn't cost me a dime! Just an hour of my time. How sweet is that! 

Castle Wheel

     Later this afternoon, I swung over to a thrift shop with a friend, and found even better bargains there as well! Ended up with a couple of sweaters (one a beautiful cashmere), and a couple of hats for just around $15. Not bad...but even better was that one of the sweaters was a knee length, cabled sweater that was just a bit snug and looking a little tired. I fell in love with the yarn, especially the way it draped with the extreme cabling design - beautiful wool sweater from The Loft. 

     I will admit it, I am a tightwad. For me, $7 for a sweater is a bit steep, especially a used one. Granted, this sweater was from a major name brand retailer and a silky merino wool to boot. Can almost see it coming home with me, but not quite. Try it on and it only confirms what I know - definitely not the style for my body type (miracle-gro pear shape). Then it hits me. I really love the fiber....and there has to be at least 2200 yds of yarn in this thing - size L. Sweet! There has been a sweater I have been wanting to make, that would look absolutely fan-tab-ulous on me, but have not had the money to purchase the yarn I would like to have for the project (it would cost me well over $120). Lucky for me - this seems to be the exact same yarn I need - approximately 12wpi or sport weight. So now that $7 is not seeming so bad... LOL Amazing how I talk myself into the piece, but the fiber is beyond words. One of the better merinos I have come across. 

   So it will be written, so it will be done! 

Laid out and breaking down the yarn for recycling...

...and last,but not least...
the chosen pattern for the recycled yarn!!
Tapestry Cardigan Pattern ~ by Carol Sunday

     Not sure what it has been, but it seems like lately I find myself drawn to much more feminine styles in clothing that I normally purchase or make. Actually kinda started when I started working on my car, now that I think of it. Though rarely in much beyond t-shirts and jeans, I have been really drawn to the lace and "feminine" look. Now beginning to wonder if there really could be some correlation. Whatever it is, the pattern will flatter my figure quite a bit more, and with the heavy cabling design of this pattern, this yarn will perform absolutely perfectly! Excellent! Just a bit more to finish off my current project, then onto this one! Can't wait! Not bad for a total of approximately $15 (sweater and pattern price) and a week or two worth of knitting! 

      Ended the day with some great girl time - movie and dinner with a great friend. Love to cook when there are people around to eat, and decided to hang at home and save the cash rather than go out. So grilled steaks on the BBQ, along with some wild rice and southern style green beans. The perfect meal and hit the spot! Though while cooking on the grill, we had a little visitor...

...caught him trying to figure a way to get to the steaks cooking inside the grill. Smart little guy and absolutely fearless. As you can see, gave in to the little beggar and fed him a bit of bread. He was repeatedly coming up and checking us out - often within less than a foot of us. No fear at all. Though of course this young one has seen me taking photos since they were very young, they live in a dead tree in the woodland space just behind our home. Two babies and the mother is all we have seen, though we also have a woodchuck (a very large one), a family of possums, plenty of chipmunks, birds, foxes, rabbits and other such furry critters. Makes me appreciate living in the "city" that much more. Thinking if there were no wildlife, it would make life much more unpleasant. Now if I can just figure a way to keep them all out of my garden!