fall – Page 4

UFO Wrangling

September 28, 2013 Marie Leave a Comment

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I hate to admit it, but I’m just so utterly uninspired lately. Nothing strikes my fancy. I’ve picked up and put down more knitting projects lately than I care to admit. I’ve spent countless hours trolling the internet for new projects,recipes, ideas, etc. I just want something – anything – to reignite that creativity I thrive on.

Since my inspiration is nowhere to be found, I decided maybe it was a sign to get my sh*t together and finish some projects that have been languishing in my WIP basket. I basically tried to force myself to believe that if I finished up a few projects I’d feel less overwhelmed and maybe I’d start feeling back to normal. I’m not sure it worked, but I can’t really complain about having three less projects on my plate.

First up was the Organic Guernsey knit in the Hobby Lobby version of Caron’s Simply Soft. I purchased the yarn back before I decided to stop giving them my money, and I really just got tired of seeing it in my stash so I wanted to use it up. Everyone and their brother seems to be having babies lately, so a baby sweater it was. Not sure who it will go to, yet, nor am I even sure it will fit right. The body looks a bit long and the arms too short despite following the pattern. Oh well.

Then we have the Georgia On My Mind socks in Patons Kroy FX. I had purchased a lot of this yarn when I found it on clearance but I’ve since fallen out of love with it. I really didn’t need a new pair of socks – my sock drawer is already full as it is – but I guess now I have an extra pair as back-up in case I suddenly find a hole in one of the old ones.

And then we come to my absolute favorite: The Wee Austin Hoodie. This project sat for several weeks simply because I didn’t feel like weaving in the ends and sewing things up. So Monday I forced myself to block it, and this morning I finished the whole thing up. All I need are 7 buttons and this project will be good to gift to its intended recipient (if I can bear to part with it – I don’t have a little one to use it, but it still isn’t stopping me from wanting to keep this project all to myself!)

Next up on my to-do list: the Vintage Rabbit. Quite literally, all I need to do is stuff and finish seaming the thing. I really don’t know why I’ve put it off for so long, but I have.

Weekending in Yellow Springs

September 23, 2013 Marie Leave a Comment

Oh, how I do love that man I married! ♥ This weekend we celebrated our 6th anniversary and we spent our weekend in Yellow Springs. I have to admit, our weekend was less-than-stellar. And by that I mean that I was off-and-on sick all weekend. Bummer :( But it was still a weekend away, so I can’t complain too much!

Friday we checked into our rental, the Sunflower Cottage. It’s such an adorable little house and decorated in my favorite colors (my whole house is some combination of blue/green). There may have been a bit of day-dreaming about moving into a house exactly like it. I could just curl right up on that window seat on a rainy day and just read or knit the day away. I may also be drawn to how uncluttered the place is. Much like most cabins we’ve rented, the kitchen cabinets are lightly furnished, the refrigerator is empty for us, and the decor on the bookshelves is minimal. Coming from the chaos of my house (where I need to work on some serious organizing and de-cluttering), it was like a weekend in my dream home.

Saturday was Wool Gathering day, so we ventured north a bit to the dairy farm for yarn shopping. I only came home with one braid of roving, and two skeins of yarn. The roving is going to be spun up for a scarf for the Mr, and the two skeins were going to be gloves for my niece and nephew but now I’m not sure if I’m going to go through with it. Honestly, I wanted to shop for more. I had more money set aside than what I bought. I guess I just wasn’t feeling very… inspired? Don’t get me wrong, there were gorgeous yarns and fibers there. But nothing really jumped out at me screaming “BUY ME!” like yarn usually does. Oh well, I guess that’s what Etsy is for!

After Wool Gathering we stopped in town for food and then walked around the shops a bit. The shops were nice and fun to look through, but nothing there said “buy me” either. The downtown is beautiful, however, so it was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Sunday found us up and out early, checking out the Glen Helen Nature Preserve. GHNP is home to the “yellow springs” for which the town got its name. The water coming out of the rock is beautifully clear and cold and tastes like well water (if you’ve never had well water then just imagine the taste of water with a very slight sulfur taste). It’s not the same as standing in front of the waterfalls at Hocking Hills, but it’s still lovely. And I still hold to my belief that nature is, to me, what religion/church is to others. As silly as it might sound, I wish I could have sat there for a bit by myself to close my eyes and just be.

So now we’re home and it’s time to ease back into the regular routine. I have a laundry list of things to do (including laundry, of course) so here’s hoping a weekend of relaxation results in a week of productivity.

Back in the kitchen.

September 15, 2013 Marie Leave a Comment

For the last few weeks I’ve been in a sour mood and just completely and totally uninspired. And then Thursday morning I witnessed the most horrifying thing I have ever seen/heard to date involving a neighborhood dog getting hit by I car. I completely broke down. Not only was the event itself completely heartbreaking, but my sobbing on my way to work felt like the cumulative release of weeks worth of emotions I’ve bottled up.

I still can’t stop thinking about Thursday morning, and I can’t forget the images permanently embedded in my mind. Not yet, at least. But I think all that crying restored some balance to my life, even if just a little.

Thursday night I did something I haven’t done in a long, long time: I tried a new recipe. Apple Cinnamon Muddy Buddies (though in my family we’ve always called it “puppy chow”). Not exactly gourmet cuisine, here. But it was a step forward in the right direction, a step toward getting out of this funk I’ve been in. (The recipe is okay, by the way, but I’m not at all a white chocolate fan so maybe it’s just me. My coworkers seemed to love it, however)

Saturday night I hosted my knit group girls over for dinner and movies, and I decided to push myself a bit and make fancy grilled cheese sandwiches with Muenster cheese, tart apple slices, and turkey with roasted veggies (pictured above) on the side. The roasted veggies? AMAZING. And so perfect for this cool fall weather we’re experiencing. I peeled and chopped two sweet potatoes, half a bag of brussel sprouts, a red onion, and two Fuji apples and drizzled olive oil over the whole thing, added salt and pepper, and roasted the whole thing at 400 degrees for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Before serving I sprinkled crumbled feta cheese on top. SO GOOD. So simple. I think next time I might add some sausage to the whole thing and just call it a meal entirely.

Hats, Thanksgiving, and other Monday ramblings

November 19, 2012 Marie Leave a Comment

Charity hats #1 and 2. White one is Twistygoo, black and white one is Hadley. That’s 2 down, 8 more to go (with one kid-sized one on the needles currently).

It’s hard to believe that we’re in the final days before Thanksgiving. We’re hosting again this year, which means a lot of cleaning going on as well as a lot of stress. I’m sure the family doesn’t care if the house isn’t spotless, but I clean like they do regardless. I’ve decided this year to make my life a tad easier, so I’m just doing the turkey and stuffing (oh, and homemade cranberry sauce) and requested everyone else bring a dish or two. Last year I made sides and by the time everyone brought their own dishes we had too much food and not enough counter space!

Other things/ramblings:

Finally getting back into running after taking 6 months off after my 5k in May. Might even be getting the Mr to join me this time around! It’s probably too much to hope that we’ll be running 5k’s together come Spring.
Ran across The Life Less Bullshit Manifesto today and I’m in love. Both with the manifesto and the author.
In line with the manifesto’s “spend less time obsessing and more time actually doing” idea, I decided to dump a chore I absolutely hate: planning dinners/grocery lists for the week. So I signed up with eMeals. Every week I’m now getting my grocery list emailed straight to me so I don’t have to think of it. No more trolling the internet looking for food inspiration when I really just don’t care so long as its healthy/not full of processed crap.
Ikea! Oh, Ikea! Took a trip Saturday to visit and came home with a new shower curtain, some new towels, a new memory-foam pillow (which was annoying the first night, but I’m adjusting and my neck is thanking me). I did not come home with the Strandmon chair I saw and immediately wanted. I was incredibly tempted, however.
Racking off my 2nd batch of hard cider today! Or maybe bottling. I need to taste it and see. Trying to decide what next to brew. Mead, maybe?

Sunday Baking: Banana Bread

November 12, 2012 Marie Leave a Comment

Took a go at a new-to-me banana bread recipe. Years ago I was given one of those Better Homes & Gardens binder cookbooks, which is where my original recipe had come from. I hadn’t made banana bread in years because, well, I didn’t like my old recipe. Or that cook book, for that matter (and I suspect that, given the amount of them I see at the thrift stores, many other people out there have had the same experience after they actually learned a thing or two about cooking or baking).

There they sat, three pathetic-looking bananas, wasting away on the kitchen counter. And, since I’ve been on a trying-new-recipes groove this last 6 months or so, I thought I’d start my search for a new recipe. One worthy of a place in my family recipe book, next to my grandmothers zucchini bread recipe.

This recipe was picked because it didn’t call for adding oil to the batter. Instead, it called for melted butter. And butter = better, in my opinion. Also, it didn’t require a mixer – you can do it by hand with a wooden spoon (or, in my case, a regular ol’ fork).

So I mixed the wet ingredients together, and sifted the dry, and then beat the whole thing into submission before I dumped it all into a buttered loaf pan and threw it in the oven.

And then I licked clean the spatula, because I’m of the opinion that you can tell how good your finished product will be if your batter is tasty (raw eggs and salmonella be damned!)

And 50 minutes later I had what has to be the most gorgeous loaf of banana bread I’ve ever baked. The house smelled amazing, the bread turned a gorgeous golden color, the inside was perfectly done (not gooey or under-cooked like my previous recipe), and it tastes really wonderful and moist. I think we’ll call this a keeper, with a few modifications of my own, of course.

Banana Bread
Adapted from here

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
1 tsp baking soda
A pinch of salt
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup chopped nuts (I prefer walnuts. Also, this is optional if you’re not a nut person)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease or butter a bread loaf pan.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix the butter, egg, vanilla, rum extract, and mashed bananas together. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until thoroughly combined. Dump it all in the loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes, then cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing from pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.