Good Things

John and I were on the same wave length yesterday. After work he called to see if he could bring home Salmon Sandwiches from Beyond Bread home for dinner. They were great as usual, Thanks to everyone at Beyond Bread in Tucson.

I finished my scarf last night. I wove in the ends and wove the hand dyed silk through as a design element. I can't wait to wear it next winter. Oh by the way it has 411 rows of knitting for the Ravely 1 million row challenge.

A First Today

Eric had a very rocky start to his day and almost came home from program today 5 minutes after we got there. So I sat and knit for a while, not wanting to drive home and turn right back to pick him up. After about an hour he got settled in. I decided to say later to the errands on my list and came home to ice my back and rest. The world was not going to end if I did not get to Costco for Vanilla Soy milk or drop of the clothes at the dry cleaners. I think it helped my back a lot to rest.

As you know Eric feels it is his job to do laundry to keep me busy. I wore out the old whirlpool after 25 years of use. We then got an LG washer. Since we have gotten the LG washer, I have not come close to filling it to capacity until today. Today I filled it to the top and had laundry left over. I was very surprised to say the least. Thank goodness one of Eric's aides is putting it all in the dryer and doing the folding. my back is not quite up to that. I also don't want to hit John with that the moment he walks in the door.

I am hoping that John will pick up the Salmon Sandwiches (it is the Friday special) for dinner from Beyond Bread tonight so that I can ice my back and rest some more instead of cooking dinner. I may just finish a scarf for me if I have the energy tonight.

Its time to go ice my back.

Slowly Cleaning and Healing

My back is still in the healing process. Yes this is still from the December accident.  I have found that I either have the energy to do chores and errands or knit and spin using my drop spindle. Just not both in the same day.   I really wish that backs would not take so long to heal.   I am really over being so uncomfortable and having no energy.  

The purging of closets is continuing. This week 8 pairs of shoes that I have shrunk out of are no longer in residence.  My attention span seems to be at 10 to 30 minutes of deep cleaning about once a week. I hope that will get better as my back gets better, because I would really like to tackle Teri's old room and the garage. The deep cleaning song of the week is Inch Worm, that old childhood classic.  This might be dating me but I like the Danny Kaye version. 

I am working on my summer tea concoctions and as soon as I have one that I really like, I will share the recipe. I am still not drinking sodas, so I can safely say that I think I kicked that habit at a savings of at least $520 a year.   TTFN.   

I Am Still Here

I have been very cranky of late. The minor fender bender of December has moved down my back and is causing more pain that I can deal with. So that would explain the absence of blog posts. So my plan of action is to continue with physical therapy and get a second opinion to make sure we are not doing more harm than good with therapy. I am also back to icing my back and cutting back on a few activities.

Also, it is possible according, to the shoe salesman for my feet to lose another shoe size after a weight loss. Its funny the weight and inches have been coming off so slowly that I do not seem to notice that much. Friends who do not see me on a regular basis notice more. So I am purging my shoe closet yet again. I will also hold off buying more shoes just in case my feet decide to shrink again. Also when I have time I will be looking for smaller pants too. Shirts are not as much of a problem because I can shrink them a bit by throwing them in the dryer. I am not bothered when they get longer. Pant waistbands however, should not be riding on my ribs. Pant shopping may have to wait until I move and feel better. On my skirts as long as they stay up and don't get too long should not be a problem. Most of my skirts are 3 inches longer, so a few will need high heels. Flat ones of course, like clogs, no spiked heels for me.

Well it is time to get dinner going.

Shrinking Feet Again

Since giving up soda a little over a month ago my feet have shrunk another shoe size. I was under the impression that your feet were suppose to get bigger as you aged.   This is the second time in 12 months that I have had to get rid of shoes that were to large.  Oh well, who is up for shoe shopping with me? Maybe I should only get a few pairs and see where I am 6 months from now. 

Oh, did I mention that the skirts that I bought to wear with flats in December now require high heels, yes we are talking 2 inch heels. This means that the skirts are now 3 inches longer. My hips have lost some padding. I think I will hold off on clothes a few more weeks to see where I settle out.  Just maybe I will get back into my skinny clothes.  

Now if I could just figure out what is going on with my hip things would be better. 

Knitting Again

I am making my way back from the arthritis flare up caused by flu.   I know this because I finished knitting 3 hats and 1 scarf today.  I also cast on a few more hats too.  I have not counted the rows yet, I will do that tomorrow.  

Still Resting

Eric had a rough night, last night. I never did figure out what the problem was, but a long mommy hug seemed to do the trick. I was only up for 3 hours with him. John was so nice and took care of everything this morning. Even so, this lead to a very tired day for me. I screwed up on the same section of scarf twice, so I put it aside for when I am more awake.  I was too tired to do laundry today, so all the baskets will be at least knee high tomorrow.  

I am looking forward to tomorrow.  New Mobility is coming to the house to do the updates on Eric's wheelchair. How cool is that? I don't have to pull Eric out of his program or drive across town for wheelchair modifications.  Maybe I'll celebrate by doing some laundry while they are here. 

I hope to have more energy tomorrow.  Maybe I can catch up on a few things around the house. It's time to go tuck Eric in for the night.  

Laying. Low

I spent the day laying low today.  Eric and I napped while John worked on setting up his work shop.  He is doing a great job.  I am hoping that laying low will give my body time to finally kick the bug and after effects that have been slowing me down.  This afternoon Eric and I watched a documentary on John Denver. I also got some knitting done.  I am planning another lay low day tomorrow.  

An Updated Chicken Soup Recipe

I have updated an old family recipe to include parsnips, which by the way tend to have the taste and texture of potatoes in this soup. A good friend Lisa loves this soup and wanted the recipe so she does not have to wait for me to make it.

This is my families favorite chicken soup. This is a basic recipe that you can change up with the addition of matzo balls, dumplings or noodles or a combination of noodles and dumplings or matzo balls.

1 whole chicken ,washed in cold water.
1 teaspoon salt
water to cover chicken
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 pounds of carrots peeled and sliced
1 large celery sliced, this will be about 7-8 cups
1 onion diced
1 Large Parsnip peeled and sliced*

In a large pot add cleaned chicken and salt. Cover with water. Bring to a boil. Skim the pot of any junk that comes to the top, this should take about 30 minutes. While you are waiting for the chicken to boil now is an excellent time to scrub down your sink with your favorite bleach cleanser. It is important to clean the sink and the surrounding area before you chop the vegetables.

Once the chicken is not making any more junk and the broth has been skimmed clear, Add all the vegetables at once and add the pepper. Turn the stove to medium low and and simmer at least 2 hours.

After about 2 hours I carefully pull the chicken from the pot and de-bone the chicken, this is the process where the skin is pulled off and the bones are taken out of the chicken. Smaller pieces of chicken are tossed right back in the pot, I tend to dice the larger pieces before they are put back in the pot.

If you are going to add dumplings this is the point where you add them. For a quick dumpling just use a regular biscuit recipe and spoon into the boiling broth and turn down the temperature and simmer for about 20 minutes. For and even faster dumpling just get your favorite ready to use biscuits and layer them on the top of the broth and simmer for about 20 minutes.

I usually make the noodles separately and keep them separate from the soup. Since everyone has their own noodle preference I let everyone scoop their own noodles and then add the soup. The only exception to this would be alphabet noodles which just taste better when they have more time in the broth.

The soup is ready to serve. I usually serve this with bread and margarine.

Enjoy this soup recipe and add your families favorite vegetables to the soup to make it your own.

Unfortunately I have no vegan or vegetarian options for this soup.

* The parsnips are not in the original version published in 2009.

Have a wonderful day and enjoy your families.

Wanna Bee's

This is an open letter to all Printshop Owners and People who want to second guess my art.

Dear Print Shop Professional,

Your staff screwed up beyond belief today. I won't be coming back. Thank goodness it was a very limited run.  Not only did your staff MUCK with the color of my new knitting pattern turning a medium blue into a dark royal blue after, yes I said after my color approval.  The reason is because they thought it looked better. if your employee wants to be an artist fine, yes really.  That does not give them the right to MUCK up my artwork.  The blue almost black your employee turned the picture made the picture worthless to the knitters who will be using the new pattern. Not only that but you charged 80 cents more per copy than last year. $1.00 per copy this year verses 20 cents a copy last year.  Inflation is just not running that high around here.  

Depending on the size and scope of the project it can take me any where from 20 to 80 hours or more from design,to knitting the sample,to getting the finished pattern out the door.  This is why I am so mad. If they wanted to get into the act of this pattern design, they should have showed up in early January. 

Now I will take the high road and not mention your print shop by name.  I have no idea why you hired this person in the first place and frankly I really don't care.  What I do care about is getting my project done right, yes my way.  Also be aware that not everyone has an eye for color. There is a world of difference between a verigated medium blue and a royal or black blue. So if you or your employee does not have an eye for color, just don't mess with my color.  Don't presume that I don't my colors and won't notice. 

Feeling Better

I think I have finally kick the flu and the secondary.  I am still going to take it slow.  At least the house did not take too bad of a hit. I have got my knitting mojo back, so maybe I can get some projects off the needles this week and get 2 patterns out the door.  Well it's time to go back to knitting.  

I Am Bored

This is day 2 on the medicine. I am exhausted. I am even too tired to knit.  I was even too tired to watch tv or listen to books.  So I spent most of the day resting and sleeping. The big excitement of the day was a flickering of power followed by a power outage that lasted an hour and a half. Eric was not a happy camper.  It was so wide spread that I could not even bring up Twitter to find out what was happening.  The power company has still not called me to say that the power has been restored. At least we have lights. I still have not reset the clocks around the house.  Maybe I can get John to reset them tomorrow.  

The Flu Morphed

The flu bug morphed.  I tried to get into my doctors office today, the earliest appointment was Friday.  So I headed to urgent care.   I also managed to lock my keys in the van.  Not only that but dropped them under the seat where my hands could not reach.  John came to my rescue, he not only brought the spare keys, but was able to reach under the seat to get the keys.  He then went to pick up my medicine so I could go home and eat some lunch so that I could take the medicine when he got home.  

I spent the rest of the day resting.  I hope to kick this bug soon because I am not a sit on the couch for days type of gal.  I did not even have energy to knit or do laundry today.  Tomorrow will be better.   

Teri Time

Teri time is almost over. Teri and I had a great weekend.  I will pack before bed tonight; have breakfast with Teri; and then head to the airport.  I still have some knitting to do on the flights and while I wait for my planes. I will get home in time to tuck Eric into bed. It looks like the guys did great on their own. : )

Teri Time

I get to spend the weekend with Teri.  We are having fun shopping. Need I really say more?

Time to Tink

Sometimes when I find a projected buried at the back of the closet there is a very good reason for it.... In this case I was not fond of the pattern and could not see me wearing it.  Between the price of the yarn and the time it was taking to make it would be too expensive for me to sell. It is also not a charity scarf. So while Eric is doing his breathing treatment I will frog this scarf and make something more useful. Rip-it rip-it rip-it.

Addendum: As I was tinking the project the yarn just started breaking. I gave up after the 7th break in less then 1/4 of the skein. So Now the yarn and scarf are in the dog pillow stuffing box. I am not going to waste any more time on it.

We survived

Eric and I are both feeling better. Just maybe he will go to program on Thursday.  I also picked out one of my knitting projects for the weekend.  Just maybe I can get a few things for me done.  Well it's time to call it a night.  Eric will still be home tomorrow.  

My Name is Toast

I picked up the bug du jour last week, which started with a 4 day headache and then moved down. I have spent the last 2 days sleeping hoping that it will help me get over this bug. I was hoping for another solid day of sleeping tomorrow. Eric had other plans, he just started throwing up. I gently suggested to him that tomorrow would be a day of sleep and he just glared at me. Lisa suggested that he take care of himself and he shoot that dagger glare. I have decided that I will be over this by Thursday, I sure hope that my body listens to me.

If you want to join the party here tomorrow just bring Pedilyte and Lemonade. Also I declare tomorrow will be another laundry is like fine wine day. No laundry shall be folded before its time. Even though it's after 8 pm I expect to get 2 loads of laundry washed tonight.

Wish me luck for tomorrow.

Catching Up

Eric has been keeping us very busy with tummie troubles. He has missed almost a week of program.  The hours have been long and the stress hit my back with vengence.  I have been to stressed out to eat at times, which lead to odd meal times when I was relaxed enough to eat.   Eric is feeling better and we will try a half day at program tomorrow.  Lisa has been a godsend coming over to sit with Eric while I went to PT. 

I am behind on all things crafty.  I just cast off my new shawl pattern now I just have to do the finishing work and polish the pattern.  I am wondering how Amber is doing on her test shawl. I am also behind on finishing the belt made with the new weaving sticks at Grandma's Spinning Wheel. I just started it tonight and am already 25% of the way through the project after just 1 hour.  I am having fun with this project.  I hope to have it done tomorrow.  Now it's time to go back to weaving. 

New Pattern

I am almost finished knitting my new pattern.  This is all the yarn I have left. I have given it to my test knitter. Since it was designed with new knitters in mind I showed Amber how to do the knitting combanation and gave her the lace weight yarn she will need to knit the pattern.  I can't wait to see how Amber does with this pattern.  

Now it's time to finish knitting and clean up the pattern.  

Salsa Chicken

Salsa Chicken is a recipie that is fast, easy and gluten free. I will have some more gluten free dishes on the blog as I create them for my wonderful sister in law Marla.  They will all be fast and easy to put together. Many will be semi homemade with pre-made ingredients. Perfect for the cook with active children or newer cooks.  This is an easy recipie to bring the younger cooks into the kitchen to help with. 

For those of you who do not live in the United States the following conversions will be helpful. These are exact conversions,  C= F-32.00/1.8) Since I do not cook in celius just get them as close as possible to your own oven.  

350f is equal to 176.67c

325f is equal to 162.78c

185f is equal to 85c

 16 ounces or 1 pound is equal to 0.45 kilograms

Ingredients

1 pound of chicken ( more or less depending on your needs. )

Salt and white pepper

1 cup of salsa, pre made is fine. 

Spray your favorite casserole dish with non stick cooking spray. The clean up crew likes this.   Add the chicken.  Lightly salt and pepper. I use white pepper because it has a milder taste.  Evenly cover the chicken with the salsa. Bake at 350f for 50 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal tempature of 185f. If you are using a glass casserole dish set the oven to 325f and bake for 1 hour or until the chicken reaches 185f.   

I will be serving this with gluten free corn  tortillas, refrained beans and vegetables. You can also add olives for good luck, this is a south of the boarder tradition.

In The Blender

My life has been in the blender, which is like dancing as fast as you can on the edge of a sword, but with an I interminted vortex being controlled by a higher power than me.  I am sitting with Eric who is having a bad tummy week.  We know what the problem is and tried the quick fix solution.  Since it is almost 12:30 on Thursday morning we know that is not the solution.  Weather we go down path B , C D, or E will be up to team Eric medical professionals.  

I am just wondering how early I can hand off my meeting notes for tomorrow, so that I can take care of Eric and someone else can run the Old Pueblo Knitting Guild Meeting.  I am positive that this is the wrong hour of the morning to call someone.  

I would also like to thank PBS Kids for running good programming for kids at a time when we should all be sleeping. If you don't already support public television, a small donation will keep early morning programming going for Eric and other kids..I also want to know why Sprout has changed their programming to run excercize programming at midnight for kids?

Well I think it is time to go adjust the air conditioning.  I usually don't run the air conditioning in February. Then I will do some charity knitting.  

A Plague of a Day

It would have been enough if I had only woken up with the room spinning and my ears hurting, without  the right medicine in the house.  Then finding out that you can't get it at the drive up window was a bit much this morning. 

It would have been enough to get to Eric's doctors appointment on time, but not being at the wrong office was too much this morning.  

It would have been enough to leave after Eric's doctors appointment and bring him to his day program. , instead of enjoying the fine dinning of the hospital cafeteria.  

It would have been quite helpful to know that there are really bad colors that need immediate attention.  We learned the hard way, don't ask.  

On the bright side it was a nice sunny day so Eric and I enjoyed some time outside listening to music. 

On the bright side we check into the lab test early and the hospital transport system was behind so we got in early to the test.  

On the bright side we are home tonight.  I am exhausted beyond belief.  It takes a lot of energy to get in to high gear when I don't feel good, let alone keeping it up all day.  

On the very bright side John brought home dinner.  For that I am very grateful. 

Today's Progress

Today I tackled 7 boxes in Teri's room.  I did the daughting task of separating her tea cup collection that she inherited from her Grandama Audrey from my own tea cups and precious memories.  My collection is now neatly arranged and Teri had 3 boxes to deal with.  I also found a lovely Spode serving dish that we got as a wedding present and never used waiting for a fancy enough dinner. I made the decision to unbox it and make it an everyday dish, because everyday is special.  

For those of you who remember what the shelf used to look like here is the new view.  I still might rearrange things so all the Woodland Flowers tea cups are together.  John on he other hand has 4 boxes to break down and recycle.  I also did not need all the newspaper that I thought that I would.  This means that the recycle can will be extra full this week.  

The Last Room

Today I started the deep cleaning of the last room that has not been zenned. I am hoping that it will only take about a week.  Although I have my doubts, I put in 4 hours of solid cleaning and only made a small dent.  Tomorrow I hope to sort the tea cups, Teri's and mine got blended together in her jounior year of high school.  At least most of mine are in a different style.  My tea cups will go on display and Teri's will be repacked so she can take them when she is ready for them.  I probably should not have recycled last weeks newspaper.  

I did not realize just how much hand spun yarn I had in Teri's dresser and in her bookcases.  That was all moved today.  I will have to do more knitting and weaving to start using it up.  2016 will be my year of creating as much as possible. I am off to a good start in knitting more projects. I would like to finish Teri's room and start on the zenning of the garage before it hits the 100's.