They had dried mushrooms, normally carry mild miso but were sold out, I got spices and gunpowder tea and most of all, dried black bean powder--my camera didn't want to take a closeup, but the contents really made me laugh:
"the product contents all the people, especially vegetarian for nutrition."
So that would make me a cannibal, aye?
Here's a pile of clean clothing trimmings, either they have a spot, it's too small, it's a scrap or a pocket or a hem or a placket. I'm going to make them into two flattish pad/pillows for animal cages. When I get twenty of them put together, will find a local pet shelter or vet who wants them for disposable cage pads.
Boo's morning routine, part twenty-seven, he gets up on the futon and watches for the squirrels to come and eat the squirrel-bait. Sometimes it's leftovers from husband's dried snacks, or a butt of homemade bread (like today) or an apple core from breakfast. Put it out there and they will come. And Boo will bark at them.
And that jar on the windowsill has the last of the honeysuckle blooms, and those peppers are drying for my mid-winter chili stash. Those herbs are dry enough to jar today, I think, oregano, tarragon, and basils from the garden.
There's a chicken in the crock pot, all my neighbors are sick so I'll do chicken and rice casseroles, one small one for husband's dinner tonight, and two family-sized ones to pass to houses nearby. A whole chicken, cooked all day in the crock pot, can stretch a long long way.
I have aprons to finish for Saturday's craft show, pincushions by the computer to do tonight after husband is safely home, and several hundred fabric squares to iron that I purchased for $5 last week and washed by hand. It will be a sunny, busy day, I think! Since I have to drive him to work today, will stop at an Asian grocery and pick up tofu and miso. There is a dangerously attractive knitting store across the street, let's see if I can resist it.
Been busy with pincushions, making aprons for the stock, and getting the porch all decorated for Halloween so Husband could hand out candy to the neighborhood kiddies,
And I also made an art quilt, 40 x 70, for a bookstore in Ann Arbor that is struggling. They give my friend a good deal of conversation, an outlet for his writing interests, so wanted to be a good Friend to them,
and I've been collecting batik and tie dyed fabrics from clothing and pillowcases, and am getting ready to piece those for quilt tops. Also have gotten out five started quilts, some of them with the blocks all done ready for assembly, and am deciding what to do about those.
Husband was told at work he will be laid off soon. He is exhausted. We are looking forward to a few days visiting with friends, getting an exercise routine going on a more regular basis, and not getting up two hours before daybreak (me to iron and make breakfast, wake him, and then both of us starting our days).
Here's what happens when someone (not me this time) goes to sewing group and then hours later remembers they left breakfast's biscuits in the oven:
Here's our sewing room there at the community center--those tables are wonderful, you can adjust the height on them, and they roll around if you want them to,
And then yesterday I showed I was just as good as anybody else, and EGGSploded a batch of boiled eggs in my own kitchen, because I had darted off to list some items on my etsy page, like this new instant pocket idea:
Isn't that a cool idea? recycled portion of jeans, some leftover scraps . . . instant extra hand for a young mother, or a dog-walker's pocket to hold baggies and treats. Imagine a spray bottle, a place to put those small things you pick up when you vacuum, or how about a pocket for your money while you're doing craft shows or farmer's markets? Place to put handouts while you're doing a charity event? Hold all the keys while you're the designated driver? and they are fun to make, too.
I started on three dozen pincushions to provide something in my craft booth that is a little lower-priced, these will be $3.50 each, won't they look adorable in a basket? Each gets a yo yo or a rick rack or a top pieced from scraps, and a bow with a bead or two or three . . .
And my tomatoes are finally taking off, here it is late september and they are blooming and doing that mid-summer thing. I guess late bloomer women should have late bloomer tomatoes!
and now I'm debating whether to go to a $3 a bag rummage sale at a church about an hour away, hmmm.
Tomorrow, sitting in on a booth with a War Awareness display in Circleville, Ohio. I'll take some knitting along, I have a hard time just sitting, and there are many many mittens and hats on my holiday giving list.
So when you want to fill your pincushions, don't use aluminum oxide, sand, or other obnoxious fillers, use this! All natural ground up walnut shells! if the pincushion gets gnawed upon or squashed and split or whatever, this is natural and easy to vacuum up, no toxic residue, no worries. This is a 25# box from Harbor Freight, $26 and tax, and of course that's at least 25 pincushions (somewhere between 25 and 50, actually, depending on sizes)
So here's what it looks like, no smell or muss or fuss. Gives a nice weight to the pincushion, yet flexible enough so if your pins and needles sink into the cusion, you can push the bottom onto the corner of the table and push them back out to retrieve them!
So this week, am spinning for Gingo Gallery in Oberlin, making aprons, starting prayer caps and bonnets, and pincushions. I now have nine shows for this fall, yowsa. Got a couple of recorded books to help pass the afternoon away.
Good Husband has to go on a 8-day business trip soon, and I will get SO much done while I am "off duty" from fixing meals, ironing shirts, extra laundry, and being lazy watchin' movies with him in the evenings. Can you hear the whip crackin' over my head? must get to it!
I went to the thrifty store because, well, it's in the same parking lot as the post office. Justified Rationalization, right? (I want a bumper sticker that says Gluttony is Fabric, Not Food, Right?) So Boo slept and I went and found this quilt to put on Etsy in a few minutes. It needs a lot of mothering.
and here's that poor, needs-love quilt
Looks like Typepad is having problems, so will check out now before experiencing more difficulties, more tomorrow!
Imagine how wonderful this make my kitchen feel. Yesterday was my last day at the Delaware farmer's market for the season, and I got a nice big sack of fresh basil for six dollars. Some will go into pasta this afternoon for my dinner--hubbin is getting this spicy, cooked for hours hot chili for dinner with homemade pizza bread:
It has MEAT in it, so not for the Valerie. I also portioned out a large batch of stuff to list on my online stores,
this is lace, my frame woven mats, crafting magazines and books, a vintage suitcase (will have to check the postage on that first). Some mats and aprons are going to be for the Folksy site I'm opening up later this week. I've learned not to trust the post office's web site because it doesn't always match the price when I arrive to the counter, so will verify some mailing rates to Europe before I jump into Folksy. Just posted a conversion chart of British Pounds to U.S. Dollars on my bulletin board. That 'ol learning curve jumping out at me again.
And this is the black wool dance cap I was telling you about a couple of posts ago. The piece over my hand is a long rectangle, about 7" by 20, angled at the ends. There's a 7" each side triangle in the back of the head. The rectangle goesies on the triangle and the trim is just 14 inches long several rows of individual rick rack. In the center bottom of the back is a stretchy loop. After it's on your head, you pull the two ends through the stretchy loop, and Voila, instant, comfty, well fitting cap. I'll make a pattern from it and offer them for sale, but mine will be doubled linen or cottons, some slightly larger so you can pull them over the tops of your ears when in the sun outside. They will be a delightful way to use up some of these narrow linen scraps I've rescued.
Eeeek, good thing I have stacks of cleaning rags, aye? This is the first wiping-off. I'd already oiled the machine and fished out someone's tooth from an indentation in the surface, along with a small piece of rick rack, suspicious fuzz, end of a toothpick, a sharp tack, a blue button and a tiny white shell one.
While the surface was soaking between cleanings number two and number three, I opened the drawers and discovered:
not just one, but two puzzle boxes, jumbled deliciously full of bizarre little parts that I am sure would make an engineer's heart pitter-patter, but only elicited from me a deep groan . . .
here's baby's social security number, and,
The Dr. Spock manual (whew). Mousies have nibbled upon it, but after the first few pages the rest are pristine and very easy to read. Made me sneeze, it did. Maybe I'll work from a photocopy of it . . .
Back to cleaning. I spent the day with the Mt. Sterling ladies, sewing and gabbing. I got caught up on all of four weeks of letter to the Card Parties in the Budget newspaper, all addressed and ready to mail with a package to Dee up in Michigan also, and then stitched and flipped seven more quilt blocks with those crazy green scraps I'm generating in great numbers from the apron-making.
I also decided to send in a quilt for a quilt auction and see if that is profitable. The other ladies are waiting to see how it goes for me, and we might send in more when the springtime auction comes.
Be good, be thankful for what you have. I smell like mousey dust and Murphy's oil soap, but I'm still happy anyway, and Ms. Singer will feel better when she's clean, I'm sure.
