REAL Food.

Have you noticed how much of what we Americans eat is not really food? I mean, look at the ingredients on a loaf of bread in the grocery store...what IS all that stuff??? I make bread. It's simple and easy...whole wheat flour, water, honey, oil, a little yeast, and a little salt...like I said, SIMPLE. The ingredients are real. Not a lot of chemicals, preservatives, colors and flavorings. I am amazed at how much junk, mass-produced and manufactured stuff we put into our bodies. Don't let me get started ranting about the sodium levels and evil high fructose corn syrup!

And I find that REAL food is more satisfying. Tonight for dinner we had grilled chicken kabobs (seasoned with just a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper), fresh corn on the cob, fresh picked green beans, baked potatoes (with real butter) and a salad. We were all sitting around afterwards saying to each other, "Man! That was GOOD!" My body feels like it has not just been filled, but it has been truly fed.

Oh, and for dessert? I've got some homemade scones baking in the oven to go along with fresh strawberries and whipping cream (not the fake stuff). Good old fashioned strawberry shortcake. Yum!

Another Quote

Kids were watching "Martha Speaks" on PBS this afternoon. Apparently a character in the show had been severely embarrassed and was now afraid to try anything new and her friends were trying to help her snap out of it. As I walked into the room, I heard the following:

"You can't let a little thing like public humiliation come between you and a good time!"

The truth of that statement made me laugh! Some people take themselves too seriously and worry too much about what others might think. Being able to laugh at yourself is a good thing.

Quote(s) of the Day...

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.


The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.


My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

--Thomas Jefferson

What's for dinner tonight?

Tonight's menu: taco salad topped with fresh homemade guacamole and pico de gallo. Perfect on a warm southern night.

I can not tell you how many people have raved over my pico when I take it to parties and gatherings. Now, here's my confession...my homemade pico is actually made with Rotel Tomatoes! They are so yummy and the "original" version has just the right amount of green chiles in them to pack some punch. I drain the extra liquid and chop them up in a mini food processor. Then I add fresh cilantro and chopped onion. That's all it takes. If I feel like it, I might add a squeeze of lime juice. But gosh, it can't get much easier than that! I now have a hard time eating store-bought salsa; this homemade pico tastes so much fresher!

Brilliant!!

Ever found a piece of fabric you love, but there isn't enough of it to actually make anything that would fit a grown woman??? Well, I have found the answer. It is easy, cute, thrifty, and just plain ol' brilliant!

Today I found a tutorial that teaches how to make a cute skirt out of just one yard of fabric. Yes, it really, truly only takes one yard of fabric!

Thank you, Darling Petunia, for posting this tutorial on your blog.

Another FO!

These were called my "Autumn Socks" because they were optimistically going to be finished in time for Thanksgiving.



So, May is a little late. Okay, stop laughing! I finished them in plenty of time for Thanksgiving...2010!

Actually, I don't think I will be wearing them for any Thanksgiving. As soon as I finished them today, my 16 year old daughter snatched them up. Her legs are longer than mine, so they don't quite reach the knees. However, her legs are also thinner than mine, so the pattern looks nicer on her...I guess I will let her keep them.

Here, little sister wants to get in on the photo action:



Free Pattern: Double Eyelet Rib Toe-up Socks by Wendy Johnson
(Pattern is not for knee-socks, that is my personal preference.)
Yarn: Ditto by Universal Yarns
Raveled here.

It is my goal this year to make a pair of socks for everyone in the family. One pair down, seven to go!

FO's

I have been working hard to turn my UFO's (unfinished objects)into FO's (otherwise known as "finished objects.") First up is a scarf. I managed to complete it this winter before the cold weather was over and I like it a LOT. It was knit using Patons SWS (no Noro in my basket) and Jared Flood's Noro Stiped Scarf pattern.




I was so happy with how it turned out, I made a Calorimetry to match.



I like the Calorimetry since it keeps my head and ears warm like a cap, but I can still wear my hair up in a ponytail if I want to. Here it is modeled by my daughter...




Next up is a cap I knit to send to the troops. A group of ladies in my community knit 100 caps to give to soldiers soon to be deployed. The first one I made was just plain old brown knitted in the "London Beanie" pattern using Patons wool. I decided a soldier might enjoy a cap with a little more umph, so I took the graph from "We Call Them Pirates" and modified it a bit to work with the pattern. And here is how the 2nd one looked:





And last, but definitely not least, do you remember this I showed you a year ago?







Well, it is almost completed!



Doesn't he look comfortable lounging on my bed?



Sorry for the poor bunny photos...dreary day, bad lighting, yadda, yadda. But you get the idea. He is just waiting for a skull to decorate his shirt front and a knitted cap to match his striped sleeves. The pattern is from Amigurumi! Super Happy Crochet Cute by Elisabeth Doherty. He is a graduation gift for my third son who will be off to university in the fall.

There is even more to show off like the knitting bag I designed and sewed, and those "autumn" socks that are almost completed, but I will save those for another day!

Creative Cravings

I feel it coming on. Soon it will be too strong to resist. I will have to give in and start some sort of new project! Being wife and mom can often leave little time for ME. As a result, I can only take on limited "personal" projects. As I pursue one obsession, others must be neglected. For the last few months, most free time has been spent on fitness and nutrition...reading about it and doing it. Knitting needles, crochet hooks, sewing machine, musical instruments...all have laid pretty dormant. However, I feel the urge bubbling up inside. I can't explain it, but I feel the need to create!

Update on My Life...

Consistency in blogging is not my strong point. It ebbs and flows with the tides of my life. Those who are closest to me have an idea of what I have been up to for the last 6 months or so. My poor internet friends get left hanging. Sorry. So, for your reading pleasure, a brief update:

• Home-makeover was completed and we moved back in. Just as I feared, all projects not finished before move-in are still waiting for me to finish! I have lots of little touch-ups, and small painting projects waiting for me to find the motivation and time. (Maybe this summer.)
• College son #1 is doing well in school. He may be changing his major to engineering. He has been investigating the possibility of doing a SEND International summer missions trip to Alaska.
  
• College son #2 is also enjoying his time at a university in the mountains. He is participating in a 5-6 week STIM missions trip to China this summer. His plans are still to go to med school after finishing undergrad work.
• Son #3 graduates from high school soon. He has been accepted to same school as son #2 and is very excited about living in the mountains too.
• Oldest daughter completed her junior work and is currently working hard to finish her home schooling high school requirements a year early. If she does, she will be attending the local community college for her "senior" year. She is planning on spending her summer working with kids at the Word of Life family camp located in upstate New York. This is not a paid job, but she will earn scholarship money towards attending Word of Life Bible Institute which she wants to attend after high school.
• Son #4 has turned 15 and is doing great. His skills with the guitar have increased and he amazes me with his ability, especially considering he has never had lessons. He plays each week with the praise band at youth group.
• Daughter #2 will turn 13 this summer, but she already looks and acts like a teenager. Where did my little girl go? She is still playing piano and does so beautifully. She also has a lovely voice and sings with the praise band weekly at youth group.
• Daughter #3 is may be the "baby" of the family, but she is no baby! Now 7 years old, she is reading well and shows a good head for math. This year in home schooling we have completed1st grade and proceeded to 2nd. She has also taken up the violin and definitely has an "ear" for music.
• Hubby has changed jobs this year and is now working for the local university (can you say "vacation, sick leave, and health benefits?") In addition to working full-time and supporting this large family, he is pursuing his Master's Degree in Library Science and hopes to someday work in an academic library or some sort of archives.
• I am still doing all the "mom" jobs around the house and homeschooling the 5 kids not in university. I have found a little spare time to knit a few things this year. I may start going to school in the fall part-time to pursue a nursing degree. I never finished my degree years ago and 20 years of being "mom" does not exactly give me a "marketable" skill. We do not know what the future holds and I am not promised that dear hubby will always be here to provide for me (although I pray for us to both grow old together!) I have no plans to abandon my children for a full-time job. However, it would be nice to be able to contribute to the household budget if the need should arise.

I guess that will get you up to speed on my world.

Oh, and just to explain the posts below from the last two days...I had a small "fitness" blog to track my progress as I attempt to eat healthier and get fit. I found the blogging software at LiveStrong greatly lacking, so I have moved those posts to my blog here. I have been tracking all my food online at The Daily Plate and exercising regularly. I have been learning alot about health and fitness and now know that the scale is NOT an accurate measure of "fitness" since a person can weigh less, but be less healthy and have more body fat. My goals now have to do with strength, endurance and bodyfat percentage.