Winter Garden.....

This year I am trying a small experiment by growing a few winter hardy varieties in the bed at the front of the house. Right now I only have a few cabbages and lettuce varieties, just to see how they do.  So far we have had very mild winter temps, but last night the thermometer actually dipped into the low teens.

I wasn't sure what I would find this am when I slipped out right after sunrise... And I was very pleased to see how well these cabbage and lettuce look!

What do you think?

I have to say I am loving how pretty  the cabbages look, and think next winter I will plant an entire row in the front bed along with lettuce and spinach.

Home made sauerkraut anyone?? YUM!

Easy-Peasy Gluten Free Black Bean Chocolate Cake

This past weekend we celebrated several birthdays!  Yay for birthdays!

Saturday we celebrated my friend's oldest daughter's sweet 16! We had a blast at her home grilling hot dogs, making s'mores around the fire, and eating too much cake!  Us moms got a chance to sit down and chit chat, which was sorely needed. The men did manly things like catering to their inner pyro.

Sunday we had a family gathering at our house to celebrate both Little Miss Helpful's birthday and my mother's birthday.

It was nice having our family here to celebrate and enjoy the day with us.  And LMH really loved her presents, which were all artsy supplies!  No.. she really did love them!  She is easy peasy to keep happy. :)

I wanted to make a cake that was a bit healthier, and I have several friends in the Gluten Free circle rave about Black Bean Chocolate Cake.  So I decided to give it a go! 

A quick Google search landed me on A Hippie With a Minivan and her recipe for Black Bean Chocolate Cake. 

At first I was a bit skeptical, because I have never made a cake without flour before.  But this cake turned out so moist and definitely chocolatety!   Plus it filled the house with the most amazing chocolate cake aroma ever!  

When it was done I kept it simple with just a small dusting of powdered sugar, topped with some frozen strawberries and blueberries. (Fresh berries would of been better, but I only had frozen on hand).  No overly sugary frosting needed for this cake!   

When my mom tried it, she loved it and even said it was better than normal chocolate cake.

I tweaked the recipe a bit.   I used regular granulated sugar, because that is all I had on hand.  I want to play around with the recipe to try to make this with raw honey instead of sugar.

And I mixed everything together in the blender.   This made it really quick and easy and cut down on the amount of dirty dishes!   I ended up making 3 cakes in a very short amount of time.  :)

Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Helpful love making the cake for Grandma!

Here is the recipe with the steps I took.

Easy-Peasy Black Bean Chocolate Cake

1- 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed or 2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed*

5 large eggs

1 Tblspn vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

6 Tblspns butter - softened at room temperature

1/2 tspn salt

6 Tblspns Cocoa Powder (I used Nestle Toll House Cocoa)

1/2 tspn baking soda

1 tspn baking powder 

1 Tblspn water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.   

Grease a 9" circular pan or a 8x8" square pan.  Grease with shortening or coconut oil, and dust lightly with cocoa powder.

 In a blender - Add black beans, 3 eggs, vanilla extract, sugar, butter, and salt.  Blend on the highest setting (liquify setting on my blender)  until the beans are liquified and all items are mixed well. This took about 45 seconds to a minute in my blender.

To the blender - Add remaining two eggs, Cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and water.   Blend on the "blend" or "mix" setting until all ingredients are incorporated and mixed well.

Pour cake batter from the blender into the cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.   Start doing the toothpick poke test for doneness at 35 minutes and adjust the cook time accordingly.  Cake is done when the top is rounded and you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean and dry.

Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack.  Remove from cake pan, cut into serving size slices.  Put a slice on a dessert plate, dust lightly with powdered sugar.  

Top with your favorite berries and fresh home made whipped cream. 

Serve and enjoy with love and gratitude for another blessed day with your family and friends.

* 1 cup dried black beans equals about 2 cups after soaking and cooking.

This recipe originally found at A Hippie with a Minivan. and tweaked a bit by me. Please stop by her blog and tell her hello!

Open letter to my mom....

I know I am naive. I wear heart on my sleeve and I am too trusting.


Even with my age, as many times as I have been hurt, used, abused, and tossed aside.....  I still trust and hope.  I trust too much and let down my boundaries.

I know how I try to act and treat others.... and I just assume others will do the same towards me.

So of course my boundaries are over run. I am hurt.  I cry a bit. I give  it to God.  I go on.

It hurts. But God gives me grace.

But it is especially hard though when it is your own family who over-runs boundaries and disrespects.  It is most hurtful when the one who should be there the most to help and protect you, condones,validates, and participates in the behavior.

It is heart wrenching when it is your mother.  The one who instincts tell me is the one I can trust no matter what.... and then time and time again has proven that I can't.

Mom....

Once again... I hoped.  I wanted to believe the best.  I let my guard  down.  I tried to make your birthday a special day. I did the best I could do with what I had. 

And once again boundaries were disrespected, values were mocked, trust was broken, and hearts were hurt.


The most common definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.

And that is what I have been doing. Time and time again.... you have proven that you have no respect for my family or myself.  But I still want to believe that you will so I try again.  And again  I  get hurt.   I have been living in insanity.

I can't do this any longer.

So now my boundaries are back up.  I still love you. But my boundaries are up thicker and stronger.

My family comes first.  My husband deserves respect.  My kids deserve respect. I deserve respect.  Our house is our home. It deserves respect.   My boundaries are up to protect my family and my home.

I love you.  I am keeping the door for a relationship open.  But I now realize you will probably never have the ability to foster a healthy relationship with me or return my love.   I now understand that you have no respect for boundaries or our beliefs.   I am not judging you.  I am just observing your fruit that you have produced over and over again.

For the safety of my family I have to keep my boundaries strong.  And until your behavior and your "fruit" changes our relationship will stay distant.     We can no longer help you how you ask us to... because we no longer will enable you and your behavior.

I still hold hope that one day things can change.  But until then I give you to God.  I  still pray for you, and I will still love you. 

Happy birthday Mom.

Love me.

Getting my House in Order - Kicking Butt in the Kitchen

Last week I posted about how I had just let things go in my home, and I was starting to get them back in order.

This week I have decided to focus on the kitchen.

Although there are other areas in my house that are probably even more messy, the kitchen is the one that affects the rest of the house the most. When the kitchen gets cluttered and messy, it is harder to keep the rest of the house in order too. When the kitchen stays in disarray it is really hard to get other areas in the home back to where they need to be.

And most of all, a messy kitchen shows lack of pride in the home. I really am proud of my home. I love my new home. I am so thankful to God for what He has blessed us with.

So high it's time I rolled up my pant legs, clean my kitchen and show my pride.

This is how my kitchen looked Tuesday mid-morning. Looking at this picture, it probably doesn't look that bad. There are dirtier kitchens in America (have you seen Hoarders?), but this is messy to me!!

This picture was taken after I started working on the kitchen. I had just cleaned out the mound of dishes from the sink, stuck them in the dishwasher, and cleaned the junk mail off the ledge (hey some progress). Then I remembered to take a snapshot. I still had a lot of work to do!

I also had a lot of work to do in the fridge.


My laziness in the kitchen has resulted in a rather bare and messy fridge. Don't worry we didn't starve.... we have not eaten very well either. But on the up side, an empty fridge is easier to clean! This didn't take more than 30 minutes.

I spent every spare moment I had all day Tuesday and Wednesday cleaning, and organizing the kitchen, adding a few personal touches when I could.

Wednesday I made a big pot of chili to use up the ground meat in the fridge and clean out the pantry. After the chili was done, the stove top got a good scrubbing.

After taking 15, 20, or 30 minutes here and there when I could I finally could feel good about my kitchen. This is how it looked at bedtime Wednesday night. I still have some more work to do. But my kitchen definitely looks much better, and only in two days!


It's amazing what a little elbow grease and some prayer can accomplish.

Happy March 1st Day!

Today was a beautiful day! It was hard to believe that it was only March 1st and still technically winter. This year we are having even warmer than usual temps in the winter months, and February ended with very mild weather, leading March in like a gentle lamb.

With this weather, I wonder if March is going to do an opposite of its usual, by coming in like a lamb and roaring out like a lion. So I am determined to enjoy each day we can outside.

Today was the perfect day for the kids to:

Look for signs of honey bees among the clover

Look for snails in the water.



Play tag with the dog, running the full length of the park.

Pick a log and sit to rest.



Discover the first Daffodils of Spring



(Little Miss Daredevil may or may not of picked them when I wasn't looking.)

(But evidence strongly suggests that she did.)

Today was the perfect day for mom to:

Sit, enjoy the view, laugh with the girls, snap pictures, and work on a knitting project.

Who knows how many days like today we will have in March? But I am so glad we got to enjoy this one.

The good. The bad. The ugly. I'm here again.

The good: I was blessed with a new home with more room and a school room.

The bad: I never got back into a good cleaning routine or set a realistic schedule.

The ugly: My house is cluttered, not clean, and I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Yep, it's pretty ugly.

A year or so ago I had to tell myself that "I'm not SuperWoman" to remind myself that I really can not do it all. I had to remember that I could only do so much, with the time and resources I have been gifted, with the grace that God gives me each and every day. And I had to learn to say no to things that really don't fit in with the priorities and purposes I lived by.

But I honestly think that I am now using the "I'm Not SuperWoman" as an excuse and a cop out to not do the things I don't really want to do, and giving myself the go ahead to spend my time doing things I would rather be doing.

I'm going to be honest. I don't like house cleaning. I don't like dishes. I don't like laundry. It was fun just after we moved into our new home, as we were settling in, and setting up house. But the newness wore off and it got "old".

The daily upkeep of maintaining a home is monotonous, and I don't do well with monotonous tasks. I feel like I am trapped in a rut when I am not doing something creative and spontaneous.

But the fact is, I have been blessed with a home, I am the housewife of the family, and I do need to take care the house to the best of my ability.

The good truth is, is that God did not bless me with this house for it to become a burden and a drudgery. And He didn't give me the desire to nurture my creativity only for it to be squashed in the monotony of housework. There is a way to take care of the home within the confines of a routine and still be able to balance it with spontaneity and creativity.

In all the upheaval moving created, I have some how lost realization of this, and it's time I got it back.

It's time I put my big mamma panties back on and took care of business. I need a butt kick. My house needs an even bigger butt kick. And I'm going to bring one.

Catching up

It's been almost a year since I updated my blog and posted anything really of merit. But now is the time to dust off my keyboard, and get back to blogging. I have put it off for too long because A) I've been busy. and B) I really haven't felt that I have anything to say that anyone would really want to read. But I don't care if anyone reads this or not. Blogging will be my way of stretching myself.

Since my last real update alot has happened and a lot has changed in our lives. If you are one of my personal FB friends... the following will be old news. So just skip over this since you already know it all... :)

We moved twice in 3 months, first in May 2011 to a temporary country house, and then again in August to our new home. It was hard moving twice, but the end result was more than worth it. God opened the doors for us to move out of our cramped two bedroom mobile home, and opened doors again for us to purchase a beautiful 3 bedroom home.

Our new home is in the city, but right next to a park. We have a big open field right behind our home, so it does not feel like we are boxed in with neighbors. We are within walking distance from 2 grocery stores, with 2 more grocery stores only 2 miles away. The library too is within walking distance and we are only 5 miles from church. The location is perfect for us!

We now have 3 bedrooms, and an extra room that we have turned into a homeschooling/study room. I love having all this space! But I have to admit... I have not gotten into a good routine yet to keep it clean consistently.

We had a nice lull for a little while after moving in. But 3 weeks after we moved in, life got kicked into high gear again when we resumed homeschooling, joined 4H, and prepared for holidays, and dealt with life in general.

And we started to slowly turn our backyard into a small urban farm by digging garden beds and adding chickens. We currently have a small zoo of 4 hens, 1 rabbit, 1 cat, 1 dog, and incubating 35 eggs due to hatch in 2 weeks. In the back yard we have 2 large and 2 small garden beds dug. We have also started clearing out garden beds in the front yard. All outdoor projects are currently on hold until we get this drizzly weather cleared out.

I am so thankful for our "new" home. It's hard to believe we have already lived here 6 months. In some ways it still feels like we just moved in. But in some ways I have already forgotten life before this home.

I look forward to sharing my adventures and life here with you, as we continue working hard making this house even more our home.

I also look forward to connecting with you all again!

A Few Different Continental Knitting Techniques

This Post has been moved to my new Knitting Blog, which can be found Here!

Tubular Bind Off Technique

I have been knitting a lot lately, and knitting several projects that are in the round. My friend Carrie shared this a few days ago on her FB, and I am posting it here for my reference.

This video is a good tutorial on how to bind off in a ribbing pattern in a circular project. The quality is not the greatest, but Mt. Mom put in a lot of time and effort, and the information is valuable.

Post Workout Ponderings

I am very fortunate to be a member of CrossFit Tulsa. I am really VERY fortunate because my hubby, Mr. Strong, is a trainer there.

This video was recently put together by one of the other trainers, that give a brief glimpse into what a normal workout class looks like. No I'm not in this video..... I avoid cameras at almost any cost. :)



I was given a compliment yesterday. Some one told me I was strong. But I certainly don't feel strong.....

I can tell I am making some improvements, and I even got my VERY FIRST DOUBLE UNDER tonight during group class. But I still don't feel very strong compared to other women in the class.

Now you have to understand. Looking from the outside I'm not strong. I'm not fit. I am still 40lbs overweight, and I am barely better off strength wise than I was a year ago, or 4 years ago. (It's not a failure due to the workouts or any of the coaches. The failure is mine due to my lack of commitment and consistency.)

(Please be kind as you read my attempt to explain, since it is late, way past this momma's bedtime, and I'm barely functioning. But I had to write what I was thinking now before I lost the nerve to do so.)

So being told I was strong was a huge surprise to me. And when I asked them in what way they thought I'm strong, their answer surprised me even more.

They responded, that I am strong because they know how self conscious I am, and how embarrassed of my self I am. But yet they've seen that I've been able to force myself to come anyway, and give every workout I'm here for my all.

This really got me to thinking.

Yes it is true that I am extremely self conscious of how I look, of how unfit I still am.

I am extremely embarrassed of my size, and am afraid that I would be an embarrassment to my husband. After all, he's a Physical Therapist Assistant and a CF trainer. I really have no excuse, having the resources I have here at home, or the access to the CF Tulsa box that I have, or the knowledge I have, to still be in the shape I'm in.

I am self conscious because I can't fit into the "cute workout clothes", and what I do have isn't very flattering at all.

I am self conscious because I am aware of how many times I have started working out, determined to be consistent, but yet something in life gets in the way and I don't stick with it.

And the list of why I am self conscious can go on and on.

Up to this point, I have timidly listened to my self consciousness, and have been afraid of my embarrassment. I cared way to much about what others may think about me, or say about me, keep me from stepping out and doing what is better for me. I have let fear keep me from making another step, or another effort, to reach the goals that I have. I have let my self consciousness, and fear of embarrassment, keep me from doing anything about what I am self conscious or embarrassed about.

But no longer.

I don't know exactly when. But I've decided that I'm no longer going to let those things keep me from working out.

Yes, I am still self conscious. Yes, I'm still embarrassed about how big I am. Yes I still have little nagging thoughts of doubt about being able to stick to it. But I've made a conscious decision that I'm not going to any longer let those things paralyse me from making progress.

But thinking about what this person said, made me realize, yes I am strong. I may not be strong on the outside. But when I made that decision, I have begun to be strong on the inside.

And I know there are others out there who are like me. Who up to this point have let fear or self consciousness, or little doubts stop you from doing something positive to better yourself and your life.

And if you are one of those, and you somehow stumble onto this little blog, I just want to encourage you. I want to encourage you to stand up for yourself on the inside.

Tell yourself that no longer will you let fear of embarrassment stop you from taking another step. Tell yourself that no longer will you let your self consciousness paralyse you into inactivity. Tell yourself you no longer care what others may think or say.

And honestly, it's none of your business what others think of you. Your business is only what God thinks of you.

Take that next step you need to take to better health and fitness.

Yes, you most likely will have the self consciousness, the little doubts. But the more times you take that next step, you will find that those fears and doubts are unfounded like I have, and the easier you will overcome bigger fears and doubts.

You will find a hidden strength deep within yourself.

And you will become strong in your inner-self long before it is revealed in your outer-self.

McLinky Monday - My Favorite Things

This week on RHOK - McLinky Monday, Mrs. Albright shared the things she treasured the most, and asked us to do the same.

I love sharing things that mean the most to me. I am aware that others may look at these things and not think they have much value....

We are determined to be debt free in the next 4 years, so we live in a very small home, and have a minimal lifestyle. We don't have much that is considered worth much monetarily. I have very few heirlooms passed on to my from relatives. Most of what we own, we own because it is practical. But I love my home, my life, and I feel I am richly blessed.

To me these things are my greatest treasures.

At the top of my most treasured list is my hubby. But Mr. Strong Man detests pictures... and I wasn't able to sneak a photo of him.

Next on my list are our 3 beautiful girls, Little Miss Helpful, Little Miss Sunshine, and Little Miss Daredevil. Here they are this morning cuddling on the couch right after they woke up.


These are the silk flowers I carried in my wedding bouquet and our unity candle. The unity candle is a glass oil lamp that was custom etched for our marriage ceremony. They hang on the wall over our dressers.

I love collecting knitting needles. I rarely use these, but they sit in a vase on a corner of my craft cabinet. I love the kiddie knitting needles with the cheerful faces! They are so fun and I smile every time I see them!


This is our piano that was given to us by a dear friend. It was used by her daughters when they were growing, and she passed it on to us. On top of the piano sits the family bible, my favorite lamp, and some pictures.


The pictures are reproductions of paintings by my favorite artist, Mary Cassatt. (I got them recently at a yard sale and I'm waiting patiently for Mr. Strong Man to put wall anchors up so I can hang them).

I love tea cups, and this is my small collection. I like to have afternoon tea when we are home, and my girls love using their own little dainty tea cups. Even the most boisterous tom boys (like mine) can appreciate a little elegance. :)

I have 1 tea cup that was a part of my husband's grandmother's china set, and is the only piece that has survived all these years. Hanging on the bakers rack you can see my aprons. I have 1 everyday apron for me, 1 apron for my daughter, and 3 handmade 1/2 aprons made by an old friend.

This is my knitting basket where I keep my current knitting projects. I am currently working on a Candle Flame Shawl, a Feather and Fan Scarf for Little Miss Sunshine, a Diamond Lace Scarf for me, and a Lacy Leafy Baby Afghan.


This is the Candle Flame Shawl I have been working on for several years. It is about 3/4 completed, and will be a gift to hubby's Granny when it is done.


This is the baby keepsake box. I have kept a few infant outfits that all three of my girls have worn. What you see here are the keepsake baby blankets.


The quilt was hand made by a friend for my oldest daughter, and has covered all 3 of my girls. The afghan on the lower left is a crocheted Granny Square Baby Afghan that I discovered at a thrift store. The two on the lower right and the one on the upper right were crocheted for the three girls by Granny. But my favorite is the yellow afghan in the center.


This was the afghan knit by Granny for Mr. Strong Man when he was an infant. I have the same pattern that she used for this afghan, and will be making one for each of my girls. Hopefully some day I will make one for each of my grand children.

I had a lot of fun sharing my treasures with you! Each and every one of these items has a dear place in my home and my heart.

Now it is your turn to share your treasures with us. Write about your favorite things on your blog, and link up with RHOK on the original McLinky Monday post.

Blessings.

Angela

You Are My God

First Planting of the Season

Oh it's finally here! The glorious day I dug holes and filled them with lovely things with roots!

I love each and every season, but the drabness of winter got old, quick.

This year we did have a lovely snow storm, and the snow was absolutely beautiful for a few days. Unfortunately, it did not last long.

The snow became dirty from sand or mud, and the beauty was tarnished. The snow melted, uncovering dull yards and dreary fields of brown grass. The countryside was full of sleeping trees and colorless landscapes.

During the cold winter, my main hobby is knitting or crocheting. The yarn satisfies my need for color, and it's therapeutic to me because wool feels wonderful to work with. But I also spend time perusing seed catalogs, thinking of what I want most to plant in my small garden plot, and itching to dig in some dirt.

Thankfully we did have warm spells with lots of sunshine before the biggest snow storm. I took advantage of these days and recruited hubby to turn compost into the soil. I didn't dare plant anything yet because I hadn't yet made a cold frame to help the soil warm early.

But now the natural world is starting to wake up. Pear trees are adorned with an abundance of white blooms. Red Clover is dotting the hillsides with splashes of color. Tulips are beginning to push through the crust of earth. And Daffodils are brightening spring flower plots with color of sunshine.

The spring I have been craving for is finally here!

Today I bought new Strawberry plants, onion sets, and garlic. I also bought seeds for flowers and some vegetables. I spent this afternoon happily turning the soil one more time, dividing up one plot, and planting. And when the rain showers began, I came inside to plant veggie seeds for seedlings.

It was a wonderful day when my dreaming, wishing, and planning could be put into action. Now I am looking forward to planting more, and reaping the rewards in the late Spring and Summer!

What do you look forward to with the coming Spring weather?

New Strawberry Plants

Companion planting onions among strawberries

Starting Tomato, Cucumber, and Pepper Seedlings

You'll Come from Hillsongs This is our God

Diamond Lace Scarf Cast On

Photo1513 a photo by jdcadc on Flickr.

This evening I cast on to begin the Diamond Lace Scarf, or the Short Row Lace Shawl designed by Iris Schreier. I am using ArtYarns Cottonspring H15 (Pink Pearl Twist) and H5 (Plum Twist). I purchased both colrways of this yarn online at FabulousYarn.com.

This yarn is a DK weight yarn, and is thinner than what I am used to. It will take some time to get the right tension for working with this yarn.

I am using size 8 Denise Knitting needles.

This pattern is free with the purchase of any ArtYarns yarn. The first part of the pattern may be found at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/f247-short-row-lace-shawl-flat-version

Part 1 Complete 03/08/11

McLinky Spring Clean Challenge

This week the RHOK rolled out a spring cleaning challenge, a before and after challenge.

Yes I know the button says McLinky MONDAY, but I was a little busy yesterday. No I wasn't doing stereotypical housewifey activities like watching soap operas. I was occupied with wonderful housewifey activities like cleaning up potty accidents, spilled milk, running errands, and then taking our SUV in for repairs.

So I'm sorry. I apologize. I just didn't have time to get it done on time.

Apology accepted? Great!

Now back to the challenge.

RHOK challenged us to tackle one messy area of our home for spring cleaning. For this challenge I took on underneath the bathroom sink. This is one small space that I constantly battle with it being messy and cluttered.

This picture is my after picture.

My before picture has been withheld to protect the innocent.... and because I feel too vulnerable showing you my dusty plumbing. I'm just not ready to be that vulnerable.

Just trust me, it was bad.

We are a family of 5, in a tiny home, with 1 very tiny bathroom. (1 husband + 1 wife + 3 daughters + 1 tiny bathroom = my husband needs some sympathy.) The one tiny bathroom only has 1 tiny under sink cabinet for additional storage.

I am not really a girly lady. But my daughters are trending towards girly girl things. That equals a lot of hair accessories. Add that to normal, everyday bathroom items, and bathroom storage gets really crowded, quickly cluttered, and extremely disorganized.

It is really hard to stay on top of keeping it together because usually we are in a hurry and just toss items back in underneath and shut the door.

To contain all the hair accessories, I freed up several school supply containers by purging old crayons and craft supplies we rarely use.

I labeled each container for each type of hair accessory, such as "Hair Bands", "Clips and Bobby Pins", "Scrunchies" etc.

I got a medium size white bin for the extra bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and hair products. And I used small/medium office drawer organizers to hold soap, extra toothpaste and toothbrushes.

To organize the hair dryers, curling irons, and clippers, I glued a 1x4 to the inside of the cabinet and nailed in nails to hang them from.

It honestly didn't take that long to do. The part that took the most time was sorting out all the hair accessories and placing them in their own box.

Now when we are fixing hair, we can just take out one box with exactly what we need, instead of a huge bin with everything mixed in. It will be a lot easier to keep it neat and tidy!

This is my first spring cleaning challenge. What's yours?

Blessings!

Angela

Emily Ocker's Cast On

Today was a busy, busy day full of home schooling, errands, and visiting the library. I didn't have much time to sit down and do what I love the most, knitting. But I was able to squeeze in just enough time to make a few stitches.

I a started a new blanket to replace a previous one I was not able to finish.

I began a baby blanket 2 weeks after Little Miss Daredevil was born. I have been working on it off and on for the past 3 years, but I underestimated the amount of yarn I needed. So I obviously ran out of yarn, and sadly discovered the yarn I was using had been discontinued.

There is nothing more frustrating than spending countless hours on a project only to be able to not finish it because you ran out of yarn. So this time I bought double the amount of yarn I think I will need.

The pattern I am using uses a circular beginning, more specifically the "Emily Ocker's Circular Beginning" as described in Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitters Almanac.

This beginning is a little tricky to get the hang of. But once you do it a few times, it really is easy, and the simplest way to start any knitting project that requires a circular beginning.

Below is one of the best tutorials of this beginning I could find. Thank God for YouTube!

And the shawl that she shows in the beginning of the video is absolutely beautiful. After doing some Google Searching, I do believe the shawl is knit from the Feather and Fan Shawl in Meg Swansen's Gathering of Lace. It is very similar to the shawl featured in this Blog post here on The Rainey Sisters



Do you have a craft or hobby you love? Do you have any projects in the works? Share them with me! Leave a comment with a small blurb, or post it on your blog and leave a link in comments below!

Blessings!

Angela

Featured Finished Project - Another Dishcloth

Photo1474 a photo by jdcadc on Flickr.

I love knitting, and lately I have been knitting a lot of dishcloths because they are small (so I can take them with me easily) and quick (for quick satisfaction!)

To appease my knitting addiction, I joined the Monthly Dishcloth Knit-Along yahoo group.

This dishcloth was knit from the KAL February 2011 Mid Month pattern, and is called "Weave Me, Wash Me" by Alli Barrett.

I LOVE how this cloth turned out. This picture does not do well to show the finished pattern. but it is a type of basket weave coupled with a seed stitch. The resulting clothed turned out a nice, generous size. I can't wait to knit a few more.

Normally all of the Knit-Along patterns are archived in the Yahoo Group Files. But Alli Graciously shared a pattern that she sells for profit, so it is not posted in the archve files.

If you like this dishcloth, you can knit one for yourself by purchasing the pattern here http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/weave-me-wash-me-cloth-2 . It is well worth it!

You can also see all my other projects, completed and in-progress, at my Ravelry projects page.

Flickr

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Home Made Laundry Soap - Part Deux

I have been making my own home made laundry soap for some time, and I love it. It saves us so much money when compared to store bought laundry soap, and I believe it cleans just as well as the leading brands. Plus I know what is in my laundry soap and don't have to worry about chemicals that might irritate mine and my daughters' sensitive skin.

I know there are LOTS of websites and Blogs about how to make laundry soap. In fact I already have one from way back when. But I have a few friends who have asked me to show them how I make it. I don't have time to show each of them individually (I wish I did girls! Sorry), and since I tweaked my recipe some what I thought I would make another post "how to make it" now.

Home made laundry soap does not take a lot of ingredients. Simply Borax, Washing Soda, bar soap, and water.

There are 3 different types I use, depending on what I have on hand, or which store I happen to be shopping at when I need to pick up ingredients for laundry soap. I buy the Fels-Naptha and the Kirk's Castile soap at Reasor's. I buy the Zote bar soap at Warehouse Market or Latin American grocery stores.

I've shown all 3 of them below.


My recipe is:

1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda (not Baking Soda, there is a difference)
1/3 bar of soap.
Water

Here I am using 1/6 of a bar of Zote Soap, and 1/6 of a bar of Fels-Naptha. This is the combination I like the best. But if you only have 1 bar of soap, use 1/3 of a bar.

You will also need a medium-large pot, a plastic spoon, and a 2 gallon bucket with a lid.

If you have an old pot you can keep around for just making soap, that would be best. Do NOT use a cast iron pot you normally use. My experience tells me if you use cast iron, you will be tasting soap in whatever you cook for quite a while.

Use a food processor to grate your soap, or hand grate your soap, as fine as you can grate it. Place the grated soap into the pot.


Fill a tea kettle with water, and heat to boiling. Pour it into the pot. I pour it over the hand grater to melt any soap that may be stuck on the grater. (Yes I have a spotted cow tea kettle, and I love it!)


Place the pot on the stove top over medium-low heat, warm and stir frequently until all the soap is dissolved.

While the soap is on the stove top, measure the 1/2 cup Borax and 1/2 cup Washing Soda into your bucket.


When the bar soap is dissolved in the water, pour the mixture into the bucket, and stir well to thoroughly mix the soap, water, and dry ingredients. It will look like a runny "Icee" mixture, and frothy on top. Stir until the dry ingredients are completely dissolved.


Refill your pot with more HOT water. I refill the tea kettle and boil more water. Pour it back into the empty pot to rinse the pot of any residual soap. Pour it into the bucket. Add more hot water if needed to fill the bucket. At this point you can add any essential oils for fragrance. I like to add 5-10 drops of Tea Tree Oil.


This is what it looks like in its liquid state. You can use it immediately if you need to do laundry right away. If you don't get all of the soap completely dissolved, don't worry. A few pieces floating won't hurt it.

Set it in a place where it can sit safely away from your littles. Stir it occasionally as it cools. It will slowly transform from a liquid to a gel, to almost solid. Keep stirring it to make sure the soap is evenly distributed through the mixture.

I use 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup per wash load, depending on the size of the load and how dirty it is. For fabric softener, I use 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar. My clothes come out clean and soft.

Do you make your own laundry soap? Or do you make your own home made cleaners? Share in the comments below, or share it on your blog and leave your link in comments!

Blessings

Angela