more finished objects :)

I cast on yesterday afternoon for a hurricane hat. I think the pattern was great. Easy to follow and very simple but gave a interesting product in the end.

I know I will be making more of these for the hubby and others I am sure. :)

It has purl stitches that swirl around to create the hurricane ..

All the way up into the decreases. I also took pictures of the Taylor shrug I knit up for hopes bday. :) It is big on monkey butt because hope is a few years older then her.

I ambushed her fresh off the bus yesterday to try it on her before I blocked it and it fit hope like a glove. :)

Hopefully she likes it. :) I enjoyed knitting it up quick for her :)

I also found time to work on some more stitch markers.

These are just some pretty beads I picked up

These were given to me for ever ago by my older sister for being a jerk to me the bracelet I made out of them broke and some were lost I found it as a sign to let go lol but they do make lovely stitch markers :) It is a cool chilly day here and me and fire monster are snuggled up on the couch watching harry potter 4. Today is a huge deal for my hubby he is very excited for the first real vikings game of the season. He is a huge fan and very excited that "the purple Jesus"(Brett favre) came back. So I am making him a big pot of chili and I have some home made bread raising on the stove top :) I have never made home made loaf of bread before I will let you know how it goes :) don't forget to comment and get entered in the drawing for the stitch marker necklace :)

prizes...

So there were some other things I whipped up while I was making my ring the other day. I made these pretty little stitch markers. I am keeping a couple but most of them I am putting up for a prize here on my blog here they are...

They are pretty beads and fit through up to a size 7 needle..

but then I put them on here and I had a stroke of genus. (these are some of the ones I am giving by the way :)

So I decided they can make a funky little pendant with one of my necklaces I picked up. So you can have your stitch markers with you all the time. :) I have a feeling this rough draft is only going to get better and more brilliant but I am putting this pretty little dodad up for a prize on my blog. You can always stick another pendant on like I did yesterday with my pretty painted shell pendant.

This is what is up for dibs. Just put your name in the running by posting a comment the drawing will be done on September 15 (monkey butts bday)

So when we went to the farm to visit the in laws for some reason my mother in law always sends me home with things I have no want or need for. Don't get me wrong and think me ungrateful..these are things that are usually expired and full of trans fat. The woman can't throw anything away. She is the same woman who a few trips ago had a entire bedroom floor of rotting tomatoes because she couldn't throw them out. I just got rid of the 10 bottles of trans fat syrup she sent home last year and expired frosting and it is back now although I did refuse the instant potatoes since I still have more then 2 boxes in my pantry. So one of the things our trunk was crammed full of this last trip was a hand full of these bad boys.


So I decided I better get making zucchini bread. For those of you who haven't had it, it tastes sorta like banana bread. You start by preheating oven to 350 then grate 3 c of zucchini. (I had to seed this big monster since it was the size of a pumpkin.) then add 1 2/3 c sugar 2/3 c oil 4 eggs and 2T vanilla. In a separate bowl sift together 3 c flour (now let me let you in on a secret if you have self rising which i have bought on accident before you can use that in recipes simply by omitting the baking soda and baking powder.that is what I used) then add 2t baking soda and
1/2 t baking powder 1t cinnamon and 1/4 unsweetened cocoa. add wet and dry together. It makes 2 loafs bake for 50 minutes.





Here is the finished product. Slice it, slap some butter on it and yum.







I am off to have a slice with a cup of tea and snuggle fire monster while watching harry potter3. By the way I finished hopes Taylor shrug and started a hurricane hat. Pics next post have a great day guys

accomplishments..

I had quite a busy weekend so I didn't get as much knitting accomplished as I would have liked I did cast on for my neighbor hopes Taylor shrug. I am making it for her 10th bday. Here is the progress...

I did get allot of other things done. Saturday was the drive inn movie with the family to see toy story 2 and despicable me. Then Sunday my sister came over. My brother in law put up this for me...
My counter in my laundry room to fold laundry on it goes almost the full length of the wall and is perfect. :) One thing me and my sister worked on was a ring I saw on that's so cuegly...
I decided to use a necklace that's chain had broken. So I took my needles nose pliers and went to work getting the beads off..I used bead pins and put a bead on each and made a loop then hooked them all to one loop and added to a ring...here is the finished product..

it is cute big and chunky just like I like..

I also got this cute pendant to go on my interchangeable necklace I got at a craft fair last year.

I love it! It looks very cute with my coachella top

I also foiled my sisters hair Sunday and cut it. Monday was all family dinner. Well what did you accomplish this weekend?

saturday is all about comfort

Some how it went from being in the 90s to being 60s and 50s here in Minnesota.. It feels like fall, cool weather, school starting, getting dark earlier. So I am all about the comfort. I have been curled up on the couch watching a show called wildfire on netflix. My hubby describes it as horse racing meets 90210 but I was never a 90210 fan. I am hooked on wild fire though. While I sat there I was of coarse knitting and what is more comforting then a cute hat...

based off the lovely crevasse by Mrs Angela Johnson I just can't get enough that girl is brilliant.
there is another view..

and another thing I love in the fall since I am still a Washington girl at heart...
apples. I have the window open to let the cool air in and a apple scented candle burning in my freshly scrubbed kitchen making the house smell yummy
and I am drinking this. I grabbed it at target yesterday. I always drink my tea with lemon heads and red hots in it (my grandma always had a jar in her kitchen full of them for her tea) and this is extra yummy that way.
next project a bday present for Hope the neighbor. :) and here is my lunch today a new ultimate comfort food. I listen to audio books while going to bed or cleaning my house and I was listening to blue berry muffin murders by Joanne fluke. It occasionally has recipes and one they made was grill cheese made with cream cheese. Well the other day I went to make lunch for me and fire monster opened the fridge and decided what the heck lets give it a shot. I found this is my favorite way. It is like a less fatty cheaters version of pioneer woman's olive bread.
you need two slices of bread some sort of butter product some cream cheese and olives.
butter the bread I slice the cream cheese with a cheese slicer and place it on the bread I chop up some green olives and grill it up just like a grill cheese.
It is salty and sorta sweet and just yummy. Monkey butt likes hers with jelly instead of olives also very yummy. well I am going to start season 3 of wild fire and then we are going to the drive inn with the family for its last weekend open. Have a great weekend guys.

I love bertrand louis/ best brownies

So I had been debating riping my 5th avenue infinity out because I was just never happy with it it rolled and made me crazy. So I was messing around on ravelry instead of doing my chores yesterday morning and saw Bertrand Louis. That was it what my beautiful malabrigo yarn needed to be. So I colored my girl friends hair and cut it then set to ripping 5th ave out. It was a chilly blustery day here in Minnesota so by 5 this afternoon I had myself a Bertrand Louis.

Bertrand Louis is a tube that can be worn as a hat or a cowl. It can be worn a couple different ways. Here is the ways I have found so far. It is very easy free pattern and reversible too.

this is with it folded over and tucked in the back
here is the top view of it worn like that...

Here is the back. If you look on ravelry some people wear it other ways too...

here it is pulled down as a cowl. It is rather lovely and I think I will get a ton of wear out of this through the winter. This chilly day has me in the mood for hat knitting and...brownies. Here is another recipe you will love and you will have to trust me on this one . Here is what you need..

your favorite brownie mix, a can of black beans (rinsed and drained) and 3/4 c water. You add the rinsed and drained black beans the the water and puree in the blender. add it to your mix and bake to the box directions. In mines case is is 325 for 45 minutes. Another tip is make a little hammock by folding some foil to fit into your brownie pan and non stick spray it. That way you can lift the brownies out and place on cooling rack right away so they don't continue to cook. and makes them easier to cut and serve also. :)

Here is the finished product they are 2 ww points a piece. They are moist and gooey and yummy. They taste nothing like beans but you don't add any of the unhealthy stuff to the mix. Don't tell any one and I guarantee you they won't even know :) let me know if you try them and what you think. I am off to snuggle up with my hubby yesterday made 5 years together so we are going to curl up and watch a movie while I start a new hat ;) night guys

fo coachella

As you can see I have finished my coachella. I saved it for post breast reduction and I am very glad I did. i made it from Louisa Harding fauve color way is evergreen. It is a apple colored ribbon with shiny flecks that look sorta gold when they catch the light. It feels nice it is different from what I usually work with.

It didn't turn out looking like most coachellas it is not as drappy and as loose. but I actually prefer the way it is . I added more increases on the second half and seed stitch around the bottom to avoid rolling. I also opted to do 2 of the bust shaping rounds. It is really cute and fitted and comfy. I enjoy it allot.
Here is the view from the back. I can't wait to wear it out it is too cute.

First day of school/pampering for mama

Today was a big day in our house hold. It was my post op which went great. I got the last few pieces of fishing line trimmed from the sides of my breast (it felt like I had the tags still on them) I also got the ok to soak in the tub (we all know how I love to lock the door and hid in there for hours on end) and I found out that they removed a pound from my right breast and Pound and a half from my left!!! (It didn't seem like there was that much of a difference lol) So 2.5 pounds!!! But the most exciting thing going on in this house is this...

Monkey butts first day of first grade. That means packing lunches (big deal). Her father bought her the biggest lunch box I have ever seen. She had a good day everything went well. I was very happy to hear. She got up for the first time to a alarm clock and was dressed teeth brushed and ate breakfast with in 15 minutes lol. I was still dragging my self out of bed.

While the kids are off I figured I would share a new secret I have with the mommies... I have a new face regimen. It works better then anything I have ever used. I love it soo much. I have sorta sensitive skin. I get eczema and tend to be on the dry side and ever since I tried going back to mary kay this winter my chin has been prone to break outs. Well no longer my friends. Let me tell you my secret. I got this from (like most good things in my life) a blog. Thats so cuegly. She is brilliant. It is o.c.m. Oil Cleansing Method. I know sounds crazy will clog your pores that is too freaky no way. WRONG. Don't ask why this works it just does. Oil cleanses mixes with oil leaving your face soft smooth glowing and not greasy. Also because you aren't using harsh chemicals it doesn't dry me out. Love my skin because of it. So here is the scoop on what you need..
A moisturizing oil (grape seed is great and I got this giant bottle at the evil corp. of walmart for 5$!!!!! ) You can also use evoo but heavier and may clog pores on some people, coconut oil (yum but more $) and jojaba oil. (again heavier) Grape seed has some spf properties is light and helps aid in repair what not to love doesn't leave me greasy either. So that is #1 #2 is Castor oil. This cleanses your skin and pulls out impurities. (no it doesn't smell fishy that is cod liver oil. Castor doesn't smell like anything) and you can add some essential oils. I add a bit of tea tree into my mix for the acne fighting :) I mix mine about 65% grape seed to 35% Castor and then a few drops of tea tree. that is what is in the aveda bottle. Then # 3 a washcloth. That is it. A whole ton of this and it cost maybe 7$ to make !!!! What was I doing before. Now here is what you do:
#1 pour a palm full of the oil mix in your hand and massage into your face. Do for a few minutes. Not scrub your face off but just massage in..
#2 get your washcloth wet with the hottest water you can take (don't burn your self) Then lay it on your face
#3 Relax take some time to chill out and let it cool to room temp. massage your skin to help work properties and redo steps 2 and 3 a few more times
#4 wash off oil with wash cloth rinse it and keep wiping until it is off.
#5 splash face with cool water to close pores
#6 (optional) apply few drops of oil for moisturiser.

That is it people it removes all make up eye make comes off beautifully and oil even helps strengthening your lashes! I got my niece hooked she has issues with little red bumps on her cheeks since she was a baby and has sensitive skin that tends to get dry but this seemed to work really well so far.


grape seed oil rocks! it is all I use for a moisturiser now. My make up has spf but I might use a bit more if I will be in the sun allot. Here is some more info on it if you are curious.

Here is what else I did with my first school day. Coachella here I come. Enjoy the tips guys