So that happened…
30 Dec 2011 3 Comments
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Notes to Myself, Off the Needles
Around our house last night:
Me: Stick a fork in me, I’m done! I finished 11 sweaters in 2011!
Him: Well you got that one in just under the wire, didn’t you?
Me: Holy shitballs I knit 11 sweaters in 2011!
Why yes, yes I did.
1. Vestpa, 2. Jeweled 3. The Amazing Technicolor Dream Sweater, 4. Blue Morpho Surprise, 5. Channel, 6. Staying Warm at Camp, 7. Rosy Retro Redux, 8. Idlewood, 9. Rocky Coast, 10. Rusty, 11. Lobstah
May I never be so silly as to try that again.
Day 17: I’m still here.
17 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days, A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
Who knew it would be so hard to do 31 straight days of interesting photos of Kansas? I think I should have thought this out a little more carefully before I started. The first weekend, I grabbed the camera and Wes, determined to get some pictures that screamed Kansas. You’ve already seen some of them. This one, while beautiful, doesn’t really scream Kansas. But it was a beautiful evening, in a neat little park, and a great photo.
Photo taken on October 2011 by Wes, Overland Park, Kansas.
Day 2: Unexpected Sunflowers
02 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days, A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
Kansas is sometimes known as the Sunflower State. There are parts of Kansas that are completely covered by sunflower fields as far as the eye can see. The Sunflower is the official state flower, and is just one of the many wildflowers that grow with abandon in Kansas.
What always catches me off guard, however, are the unexpected sunflowers. The ones that spring up by the side of the road or in the middle of fields without being planted. They are beautiful, and rich colored and appear in late summer in the most unexpected places.
Day 1: Me too! Me too!
01 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in 31 Days, A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Learning to be a Midwestern Gal
Several days ago my friend Kippiann told me about the 31 Days of Change project. I’ve been wracking my brain for the last few days for a way that I could play. Sure I could showcase my creative endeavors, but I sort of do that enough already. I toyed with the idea of doing 31 days of things I’m thankful for (given that the fall and Thanksgiving are around the corner), but it just didn’t feel right. Then I thought about the things I’ve been trying to do lately: take pictures, enjoy the beautiful weather outdoors, watch the fall colors and I had it. My 31 day challenge.
Before I moved to Kansas I had an idea of what I might find here. Not surprisingly, influenced by the Wizard of Oz, I thought Kansas would be flat and grey and boring. But it isn’t – it’s beautiful and green and vibrant. So I’m going to give you 31 days of photos of Kansas. Some are stereotypical, many aren’t. Some were taken over the last few years, some are taken now with my new camera as we enjoy the outdoors.
So welcome to 31 days of Kansas!
Photo shot: October 17, 2010. The Arboretum, Overland Park, Kansas
To-may-to, To-mah-to
27 Aug 2011 1 Comment
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Domesticity, Farm Fresh Foods, Finding my Green Thumb
Last weekend Wes and I went out to the yarn to find it chock full of tomatoes. Sadly the pests have gotten some of them but there were still a fair number to pick. But given our one disastrous attempt at canning (we won’t speak of the pickles ever again…), I had to come up with something quick to do with them. Enter this fabulous recipe at Smitten Kitchen.
1. Pick tomatoes, wash them. Any tomatoes will do.
2. Set up a pot of water to boil. The first step is to blanch the tomatoes. Take a knife and score an X at the bottom of the tomatoes and drop them in the boiling water for 10-20 seconds.
3. Quickly move the tomatoes from the boiling water to a bowl of ice water.
At this point the skins will have burst and will be easy to remove.
4. Remove the skins.
5. Now remove the seeds, while keeping the juice. I found the easiest way to do this was to squeeze the tomato over a strainer and measuring cup. Since I had scored the tomatoes on the bottom, and these were small, this got rid of most of the seeds and juice.
6. Now chop the tomatoes up in whatever form you want. If you want the sauce to be a little chunky, give them a rough cut. If you want the sauce to be smooth, you can use an immersion blender or puree.
7. Now let’s chop a few veggies to flavor the sauce. Here is 1 carrot, 1 stalk of celery, 1 small onion and a bit of garlic.
8. Now (finally!!) let’s get cooking! Start with some olive oil and all the veggies in a pot. Cook them 10-15 minutes, or until they start to soften/lose some color/cook.
9. Add in your tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30-45 minutes. If the sauce ends up too thick, add some of the tomato juice you captured earlier during de-seeding. Add salt to taste.
YUMMY!
We made ours a generic tomato sauce. We could put this over pasta as is, or make it more of an Italian spaghetti sauce by adding basil and oregano. I’m sure you could can this, although I only made a few servings in this batch so I opted just to freeze it. I can’t wait to thaw it out a few months from now when it’s snowy outside and enjoy it that much more because it came from my own garden!
Three and some change.
21 Aug 2011 4 Comments
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Here Comes the Bride, Off the Needles
Often, when close friends of mine get married, or have children, I knit them blankets. I don’t know what else says love and welcomes new life (whether together or for the first time) than a blanket to cuddle under, to keep warm. When Wes and I got married, I really wanted to knit us a commemorative blanket. I wanted us to pick the patterns and yarns together, and I wanted to knit us something for our new life together. My caveat was that I didn’t want to stress about trying to finish it for an August wedding, so with that in mind, I suggested I would finish it for our first anniversary.
Well three patterns, three yarns and three years (and some change) later, it’s finally done. I actually finished it last week – exactly a week past our third anniversary, but only got to take photos today.
The Pattern: Paintbox Log Cabin Blanket
The Yarns: Noro Kureyon (various colors) and Lamb’s Pride Superwash (Northern Lights colorway)
The Needles: US 8′s
The Verdict: The pattern was easy and the squares were addictive. The fun part was laying them all out and picking where we wanted them to go. I also loved that there was no seaming needed – each of the garter sections has a three needle bindoff! I love the finished product and I can’t wait for it to be winter so I can snuggle with my honey under it.
Three.
09 Aug 2011 3 Comments
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words
Three years ago today we got dressed up in our fancy clothes and under a big green tree with twinkle lights we promised to love each other forever. This year has been the most amazing of all the ones we’ve been together, and also the hardest. But there is no doubt in my mind that you are the only one I want to walk through this life with. I am so grateful for all the things you are: wise, funny, sweet, warm, smart…the list goes on and on. You are the best person I know and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have you. I love you with all my heart and always will.
Alpaca!
27 Jun 2011 1 Comment
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Spinning a Yarn
Yesterday I joined the Harveyville Spinsters out at Alpacas of Wildcat Hollow for an afternoon of spinning, fun chatting and ALPACAS!
The farm itself was lovely and we sat and spun in a shady gazebo. It was a little warm, but there was a nice breeze. We did briefly go visit the alpacas, as you can see above. This little guy was so sweet – he just wanted to say hi! Of course there were others. I keep calling this one Elvis:
I admit I’m not much for spinning from fleece – I haven’t done more than a few bits, and I kind of prefer my fiber to be processed before I get to it. However, I love the coloring on this little fawn one:
Now I may have been enamored of the alpacas, but I’m not sure they were as excited with me. I call this one “Alpaca Ennui”:
In memoriam.
23 Apr 2011 4 Comments
in A Picture's Worth 1000 Words, Family
James Allen Cameron
May 16, 1974 – April 17, 2011
We will love you and miss you forever.
I will always remember your wicked sense of humor,
your smile, and your toast to your big brother at our wedding.
The world just won’t be the same without you.
