Picture-heavy post ahead.

Been to some of the garden centers to start getting some of my herbs to plant. I only use pots so I don't get too many...besides, I don't do "well" with plants. Not a green thumb at all. But the majority of the herbs that I got last year did okay so I am attempting to have more. I planted 3 basil plants (why yes, I do like basil, why do you ask?), sage, apple mint (smells divine),and curly leaf parsley. Some of the basil is ready to pick so dinner tonight is pasta with fresh 5 minute basil and tomato sauce from La Dolce Vegan. I got some lovely tomatoes on the vine and they are just ready to eat.

At one of the garden centers (Varnau) they have animals so here are some of the fun shots.

Chickens! They were busy studying the cell phone.

These are their 2 emus, Charles and Camilla. I don't know which is which and I thought it was rude to ask them...teehee.

The goat was quite cute...but wanted to eat the cell phone. Sure did like having his/her head scratched.

You can barely see the goat on the hut but he sure looked unpleasant.

Peacocks both male and female. The male was really trying to impress the lady who couldn't seem to care less.

I think he's attractive but since I'm not a bird, what do I know?

He was one proud rooster.

Another male trying his best.

Here are my toasted coconut cupcakes with coffee "buttercream" frosting. Sooooooo good. Unfortunately I only have one more. Guess I'll have to make some more.




This is a barley "risotto" with mushrooms and kale and beans. Just fabulous.

Been knitting up a storm and will have photos of that next time.

I can't believe that it's been since the 14th that I've posted. I don't know what I've been doing. Well, I haven't been online much so I suppose that will do it.

I did some lawn mowing this morning since we are supposed to have days of rain so time to get a jump on all the dandelions! Had to buy a new mower last week because the self-propelling part stopped propelling. It made more sense to buy a new mower for about $100.00 more than repairing a 5 year old one that was going to be at least $150.00. This one does a nice job so it can stay.

Did some baking today. These are Toasted Almond cupcakes with a coffee ''buttercream" frosting from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and they are FANTASTIC!!! The frosting tastes like buttercream and just melts in your mouth. A definated make again!

Went down to Coffee Emporium to stock up on some tea and here is their patio. It's hard to see in this picture but the whole trellis top is covered with wisteria and it's just stunning. It was a great day for a drive and went "the long way" home. Which is just a fancy way of saying that we took all the back streets and didn't take a direct route home.

Here is a shot of one of the homes on the same street.

I don't have any knitting pictures to show but I have completed a pair of socks for Amanda and am working on a pair for mom right now. Also I did finish the sampler socks and they are very comfortable. I'm getting ready to knit a shawl and a vest for myself but am trying to get a few small things done first.

Ahhhh. I love when the weather is just warm enough to have the windows and back door open. I just like to sit in the family room by the back door and just feel the sun warming my back and a little breeze whispering through every so often. If I just had the computer facing the door I'd be set. It's so lovely and green out and the lawn is freshly mown so that's out of the way for several days. Which is good since the mower just stopped self-propelling and had to go out and get a new one. *sigh* Well, you know what they say. "If it's not one thing, it's your mother." Hahahaha. Oops silly me.

Here's what I'm knitting right now. It's a sampler sock from "The Big Book of Socks" and I'm almost half finished with the second one. I thought the yarn would show the patterns better than they do but still it's a fun knit and it does look good. The yarn is "Walk Away" sock yarn by Yarn Bee from Hobby Lobby and was a good buy at $9.95 for over 400 yds. I know I probably should have used a solid yarn but until just recently I didn't have but one skein stashed away. I know....crazy, right? But I got some lovely Opal solids from www.littleknits.com and will pick out a good textured pattern to show off.
Here's my latest "try" in cooking. It's a ''quiche" from The Urban Vegan cookbook and definately a winner. I sauteed greens, mushrooms, and onions and topped with sliced tomatoes and panko. I love panko as topping on just about anything. It's a good cheese substitute sprinkled on pasta. And I really like the crunch.

I made some great "pesto" out of spinach with pecans and basil and some with arugula and walnuts. Yum. I keep it in the freezer and just made a great pasta dish with some yesterday. So good.

Since it's starting to warm up now I've been craving more salads and spreads for sandwiches. Yesterday I made a wonderful potato bread but gave the loaf to Amanda because I figured I would make another loaf today. I suppose I will have to make one tomorrow since today seemed full of trying to find a lawn mower that didn't cost more than the car...teehee.

Well, I'm off to get another cuppa and have some dinner before sitting down with my knitting and watching the final "Ugly Betty". I really like that show and hopefully I can find some of the seasons for less than $45.00!

Enjoy the lovely day all!

It's spring looking up into my tree! Busy scraping and painting and generally cleaning around. Will be back in a day or two.

Spring has sprung at Whole Foods! This is their display of heather and lavender. Not only beautiful to see but the smell is fabulous! I really like lavender. It makes a great tea if you have a headache. And such a pretty purple color. My favorite "perfume" that I wear (well, besides Obsession, when I can get a squirt of it!) is patchouli or a blend of patchouli and lavender...or as I call it--patchinder. Amanda likes to just call it smelling like dirt but at least she can tell when I'm around....teehee. Been busily knitting away. Finished my Cuffed socks from "Color by Kristin" book and LOVE them. Learned a few new things from them, including better colorwork handling. So thumbs up for me. I also really like the yarn. It's Full 'o Sheep Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. The colors are screamingly bright and really get a nice amount of wool for the money. The only drawback is that JoAnn's is the only distributer so far. But they take competitors' coupons so that's a plus.


Cooking has ensued here also. These are mac and "cheese" bites from a blog that I read. I have loved everything that I've made from it ...except for these. I wasn't thrilled with the "cheese" that I used, which could account for the lack of enthusiasum on my part. I can't find the Daiya cheese anywhere that everyone is raving about lately so I think that could definately make a difference. Would I make them again? Probably not.



But some of the other dishes are fabulous.

Wheatberry salad and seitan spread sandwich are a great hit!

This is a soy-mirin glazed tofu with a peanut sauce and snow peas over wild rice from the Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. An excellent dish and one that I will most definately make again.

Busy knitting! Be here soon.

This is my new mug. Red,isn't it? I have been eyeing it for sometime at Starbucks but like to buy mine on sale. I take the chance that they will sell out but the majority of the time I mange to snag one. I found this one in a clearance bin at my local Kroger store!?! There is a Starbucks inside but I don't get drinks there as the employees are not baristas but Kroger employees that now pull shots. And, I might add, quite unpleasant people at that. They wouldn't speak to you when they were working outside the kiosk so why would I have them make my drink? Not. Which is unfortunate since said store is located directly across the street from me. So I would drive 5 minutes to the Starbucks that I have frequented since they built it. Years ago. But the sad news is that in their infinite "wisdom" the powers that be decided to close that store. But it's Starbucks so they are practically on every corner anyway.My stash of Noro for the Grinda scarf that I am going to knit again. The first one I knit in Lion Brand Suede and I knew better than to use it but it was the only yarn in the same weight that I had handy. Well, just like chenille it worms and loops as it sits.

So the Iro it is. It is a nice textured yarn that should hold up well in the sculptured scarf. Considering that's what it called for. The Opal is some sock yarn that was in the same order. I got them from www.LittleKnits.com and just love to order from them. Such great sales! And good service and selection as well. Go browse.


Been cooking every day. Trying to do some different recipes from my collection of cookbooks. Branching out to a bit more difficult recipes rather than just the easy ones I am drawn to. The sandwich is seitan "chicken-style" spread (from The Urban Vegan) on homemade (why yes, I did make it myself) onion caraway dill bread with argula and tomatoes with a wheatberry citrus salad on the side. Delicious!

Yesterday I made a dish from Vegan Yum Yum which was Soy-mirin glazed tofu with snow peas and peanut sauce drizzled over the top and served on rice and it was indescribable. So good. The glaze was sweet yet tangy and the peanut butter picked up the taste of the peas and carrots . I practically licked the plate I enjoyed it so much.

Today I threw together some pesto made with arugula and pecans and some lovely fresh basil (does anything smell and taste better than fresh basil? I don't think so) and froze it. The arugula gives it a tangy fresh taste that is totally different from regular pesto. I use it in savory muffins, on top of pasta and it's surprisingly good just on top of a baked potato. Good for me!

Oh well, it's rainy and gloomy and chilly so a good day to stay in and knit. I have to finish a pair of socks that were promised so off I go to knit!

Springtime mug! I really like this mug. It's so pretty and pastel. Makes me smile just drinking out of it.Here is what I've been knitting lately. I just finished this one, which is the first and did the embroidery the other night. I love the colors.
Here it is before the embroidery. Nice,but the extra touches really make it pop. I am making a pair of socks next that should be really colorful.

Got a bread machine yesterday and spent the majority of the day ....you guessed it,making bread. This is a loaf of oatmeal date. I also made a sweet fruit loaf, an onion soup mix loaf (that one is VERY good) and a rye beer bread. Amanda has a friend in town and half of each goes to her house so they can all enjoy some fresh bread. To me there is nothing that smells better than bread baking. Just fills the house and I practically sit with my nose on the machine waiting for the bread to be done! Although, I have had enough slices to last for several days. Because you have to try a slice of each one as it comes out, right? I don't want to send it to someone and have it not be good. It's only the polite thing to do. Sure, that's what I'll keep telling myself. And you be quiet! Teehee.

I spoke too soon. The weather is dismal. Rain since last night and chilly. Everything is just sodden and damp and I'm very glad to be indoors.

Here is today's mug. I thought it was rather spring-like so used it to cheer up the day. It's filled with a delicious cup of Berryblossom White from Tazo that is quite good. A nice, light tea.

I've been rather lazy today and so far haven't gotten any knitting accomplished. I don't like any of my projects right now and want to start something else. Maybe I'll start on my Swirl shawl. Or maybe I'll just finish what I have been working on lately. I have the first Bloomsbury gauntlet finished except for the embroidery so maybe I'll do that. But first I think I'll have another cuppa.

Pre-spring! First Birkenstock wearing day. The colors didn't show up in this shot-the toes are bright green. Ahhhh,but it felt good to let my toes wiggle. First day at the park. The ducks are enjoying it as well.

Looks like spring came to Trader Joes. They are the cutest little pots of flowers. I love daffodils the best of spring flowers. They are just so cheery. And if you can see just out the window there is some shiny thing casting light all over outside! Now have had a nice, sunny day today. Just warm enough to go down to a flannel-lined jacket. Which is good because my big winter coat was looking kind of ratty. So it had a nice wash today. That's always scary....are you going to open the washer and find the coat or just a string that was holding the hood? The coat survived and thankfully I had my woolen handknit "glittens'' in a covered pocket. Can't believe I forgot to pull them out of the coat. Luckily they did just fine. I think if they had been in the side pocket without the flap they could have been a little bit felted if they had fallen out. Even though the washer is a front-loader it will still felt somewhat. I know because I threw a pair of socks for mom in and ooops, they now fit me. It was out of KnitPicks Palette sock yarn and I really didn't think they would shrink. At least I can wear them. Oooooh and they are soooo warm.I have finished all my ufo's (yes,yes Not the Celtic poncho. Get off my back! teehee). Just seamed up a pair of beaded socks for mom and now am working on the Bloomsbury Gauntlets. It's a pretty fast knit so instant gratification. Which is always nice. They should really "pop" when I add the embroidery.

Deciding on whether to make a vest or a sweater next. I have a cool cabled vest pattern but it's the same yarn as Ragna so maybe I'll go for the sweater. It's a sport-weight Aran-like sweater that looks rather slouchy and comfortable. Those are my favorite kind of sweaters. You know, the ones you've had since high school or college. Those sloppy looking, push up your sleeves, wear it with everything from jeans to skirts with boots to Birks. I think I made up my mind. The yarn is a lovely medium purple, which isn't a color I normally go for but will be different to use.
Finally got my coupon for my free Starbucks drink for my birthday so I think I'll go and treat myself to some kind of "fancy" latte that I never drink but why not?

Woohoo!!! Wild happy dancing abounds. Ragna is FINISHED. I can't get a full shot because there's too much of me for the camera phone to capture..teehee...but you can get the gist of it from some of these pictures.

The only thing that I don't really care for it that I am reminded of a prow of a ship when looking at my profile. I'm not a tiny, little thing (think linebacker shoulders and arms!) but I should have taken that into account when making a thick, cabled sweater.

But it's still lovely so it'll do.
I do like the color though.

Now onto my chullo hat for myself.

Rufus says "HI". He likes to look at the camera...right before taking a bite out of it! They love to have their picture taken. Finally got some decent weather! Here is a picture of the plain "car sock" that I'm knitting right now. I am in the back seat of the car because our neighbor wanted to come out and run some errands with us. She is older and it was still slushy/icy in some spots (especially her driveway) so we picked her up and did some shopping. Found some great vegetable buys at the market where we get alot of our produce. But they were out of all their greens except a few bundles of kale. Guess greens are the thing to eat this weekend.

Got myself a fun treat today. At one of my lys they have a frequent shopper card that when it's filled you get $25.00 free. I filled mine today and brought home the coolest dvd--"50 Socks-50 States plus designs for Canada, Mexico and the US Territories". That's 58 patterns total. I thought that was the best bang for the buck since it was only $24.95. Sweet. As soon as I finish Ragna (got the front done last night!Only sleeves to go) I will pick one to knit.
Here is some fabulous soup I made yesterday. It's lentil, greens and orzo soup. Just delicious and quite healthy. Since it has beans (lentils) and pasta (orzo) it is a whole protein so all that's needed is a tasty slice of bread. Which I have since my neighbor just made a lovely loaf of homemade bread and shared some with me. It looks so good. Of course, to me there is nothing better than a slice of homemade bread right out of the oven with some Earth Balance margarine slathered on top. Mmmmm. Better than dessert in my opinion.

Snow

A Haiku

Snow-it's the white death.

I'm tired of shoveling.

The snow-disgusting.

That's about the only civil thing I can think to say right now. I'm sick of shoveling and the driveway gets smaller every time. I am running out of places to push the snow. And the snow plow just keeps throwing more slushie crud in the bottom of the drive. I have to move it away because I don't want it to freeze on the driveway because I like to get out when needed.

Okay. I bought myself a birthday present yesterday and I just can't decide which project to knit first. Here's the book. I love it. The colors are so vibrant and mixed.

Here's the first one I want: The Bloomsbury gauntlets.

The next: Last minute mitts.

And finally: cuffed socks.

Here are the colors that I have for the project. The dark one on the top left is actually a nice, deep,dark purple. The main color will be the orange-y color on the right side(the colors didn't come up great...the ball in the front is actually red). So what do you all think? Which one should I knit first?

I was going knit in the Knitting Olympics but decided to finish what I have been working on instead. I know, aren't I oh so good? I have been diligently knitting on my Ragna sweater and have only 7" more to go on the front before decreasing for the neck. I'm going to try and finish it this week. In between shoveling.

Tomorrow I am going to try and cook some things because, well, I like to eat. And in this weather it seems all I want is CARBS! But, unless I want to be the size of a hibernating bear, I must make some vegetable dishes! Soup sounds like a good winter meal so I will make lentil and greens soup with orzo. And some bread.

Now my tea is ready (Harney's White Christmas tea..the BEST!) I saved some as a special treat and now the pot is ready to drink. I think I will put on some jimjams and have a cuppa while I slog away on Ragna.

Stay warm and safe all.