Last Day of Unemployment

Oh how nice it's been but I am oh so glad it is over. I start my new job on Monday. And don't you know I don't remember anything (okay almost anything). It's going to take a little time for me to get back up to speed. My last job was as a project/office manager so I've been away from the technical side of engineering for about two years. I'm excited about it though. Today and Tomorrow (Sat) will be spent getting ready. Getting clothes together and packing and what not. I am flying to Pittsburgh Sunday to get started there on Monday and then I'll be back in Chattanooga later in the week.

Wish me luck.

Noro Socks Done

One project down, many more to go.

















And four more pair of Noro socks to go as this is just the first of five skeins that I won from Knitch during the Yarn Harlot event.

On to the next.

Finishing Those Projects

I've got lots of projects I am trying to finish up before I start back working. First are the socks that are on my needles. The pair of the moment are the spiral noro socks. I'm really excited that I'm almost finished with these. I can't wait to wash them.


















I've broken a lot of jewelry and I need to get some fixed. I've also decided to make some new ones. I've got them beaded. I just need to loop, wrap and hang on hooks.











I'm using fused plastic bags as lining in some new projects. More on those later.










My week is just about half over. I need to get all of these loose ends tied up.

My Soup Kick

When I need a little pick-me-up, I tend to cook. And for some reason, chicken soup has been the feel good meal for the past couple of weeks. I made a new batch tonight. I'll be eating this for most of the week. I've put it in containers and I'm just waiting for it to cool down a bit before putting it in the fridge.











I ended up with a lot of it because I tend not to cook with a recipe and I don't measure anything. So if you want a chicken soup that is perfect for you, this is what you do.

pot of water, salt the water
add chicken (as much as you need)--don't bother to thaw and chop at this point. you can do it later
I added a chunk of a frozen mix of onions, bell peppers and celery that I keep on hand. Perfect for all soups and cornbread dressings.
When the chicken is cooked remove pieces, chop to desired size and return to pot. Shredding the chicken also has a good effect. (to shred, pull chicken apart with a fork)
Add more salt and pepper to the water as you are about to add noodles of choice and the noodles need a little flavor. I used veggie ribbon noodles for this mix but I have use all types of pasta or rice or both. Rainbow color varieties are perfect for this. Add as much pasta as you need. This soup freezes well so don't worry about making too much.

Before the pasta is completely cooked, add all vegetables. I used a frozen mix of vegetables. It doesn't matter what vegetables you add. You cannot go wrong.

Continue to cook until vegetables are heated through. Make cornbread to accompany, pour a glass of sweet tea, ladle up a big bowl and ENJOY!!!

See! You don't need recipes. Just throw it in the pot! More easy cooking to come in the future.

My Productivity is Improving!

I finished the second bag for the sew-a-long.

Knitting, Sewing and Kindergarten

Storm weather is rolling in so I am going to try to get this done before the DSL start acting funny. DirecTV is already flickering.

First, an update on my knitting. It's been awhile since I've done a project update. I'm still working on socks (of course!!). I have two that I'm actively working on right now, the Noro spiral socks and the Hourglass socks in Collinette Jitterbug. The Hourglass socks are giving me problems. For some reason I keep losing my stitch count and have to tink back and start over. I've done this 3 times now and it's getting irritating. I'm excited to be getting the 2nd sock of the Noro set done. The first sock turned out better than I thought and it fits better than I thought it would. I can't wait to see how they feel when they are washed.

It's pouring outside now but the rain smells delightful. I've got all my windows up so I can get a good breeze through the house.

I've been on an entrelac kick. I was talking to a friend on the phone and we both mentioned wanting to learn entrelac. I looked around on the e-net and found a couple of tutorials and decided to use some washcloth yarn to try it out. It turned out great. I did two washcloths in the tan and white and then couldn't stop there. I did another washcloth using the cotton leftovers I've had laying around the house. But that wasn't enough. I've had some Shaeffer yarn laying around waiting to become a wrap but after seeing the entrelac washcloths, it decided it wanted to be a Lady Eleanor Stole. I've listened to it and gave in and the results so far are beautiful.



AmandaH and I are still working on our sew-a-long. Both of us are a little behind on our goals but we've both made some progress. I had two bags on my agenda and I did finish one of them but the unfinished one is a gift for a friend so you would think I would have gotten that one done first. You would think!

My greatest accomplishment though is the pin cushion that I made. You step on only so many straight pins before you find a place to put them.





Tomorrow is the last day of school for most of the kids in our county and I volunteered to help out a kindergarten teacher I know finish up with her end of year activities. I always love hanging out with her kids. They are so honest and cute at that age and they love having visitors. It's so nice. When you walk into the room, there are always two or three that run up and hug you. And they love to tell you what's going on in their lives. And despite the fact that they are little people, they do have fascinating lives. And I will be writing more about them in the near future.

Consider volunteering at your local schools. The little ones love having people come read to them.

Rain has stopped although I don't think this is the end of the stormy weather. I'm off to drink a cup of tea and finish my sewing and knitting.

Crafty Friends

I love the crafty friends that I have been bonding with lately. There is nothing better than spending time with like minded people making something you love using a skill you love.

Sunday was family day at the Hunter Museum in the Bluff View Art District which also meant it was free. Every first Sunday is free day!! Check your local museums for events. It's well worth it. So I spent early Sunday afternoon gallivanting through the museum listening to the Satellite Sisters on my iPod. I may make this a monthly thing. It was really nice and such a beautiful day. The view from the mansion on the bluff is gorgeous. Someone was even getting married on the terrace overlooking the river. I made it through the museum in about an hour and a half and I was hoping to find a nice postcard to send to a penpal oversees but I didn't like the selection.

I met GailR at Rembrandt's for tea, sweets and knitting. We were there for hours and it was such a nice day. The bride from the museum even walked by taking her pictures using the backdrop of the art district. Sorry I didn't take any pictures that day. I wasn't thinking.

So the rest of my week (hobbywise), I've been prepping for a sew-a-long with crafty friend AmandaH. We're doing an Amy Butler frenchy bag and actually I am doing two of them. One or both may end up being gifts. In needing to choose fabrics, AmandaH pointed me towards Sew Bee It in Ringgold, GA. This is such a cute and fantastic shop. The ladies were great and very helpful and I know I will be spending time with them in the future. I chose six fabrics that I absolutely love and I spent some time last night getting everything cut out.











My goal for today is to get my bobbins threaded and possibly get all of my pieces basted as needed. I may not get to sew until next week as my little sister is graduating from college this weekend. More on that later.

With that, I'm signing out to clean. Happy crafting!!!