Expired??? That Is The Question!

DH and I decided yesterday after the dermatologist visit to stop and pick up a few groceries on the way home. I won't say which store we buy from... but the initials are "Albertson's"... Now we have always bought our hamburger at the fresh meat area as I can have it packaged in one pound packages...easy for me when it comes time to cook.

We stopped at the counter and told the "butcher" behind the counter that we would like 5 pounds of hamburger wrapped in 1 pound packages. Ok... I was looking somewhere else as the first 2 pounds were wrapped...then I noticed something not quite right. The hamburger on the tray in the window was not getting any smaller...hmmm I watched more closely and the "butcher" (she) was reaching under the trays in the window and getting hamburger from hidden packages stored there. hmmm....

I asked her to please show me the package that she was getting the hamburger from. She was immediately flustered, her face turned a little red and she proceeded to tell me (many times) how fresh that hamburger was and that it was the same as the hamburger on the tray and that the only difference was that it was packaged..there was not enough hamburger on the tray..yada yada infinitum... BUT SHE NEVER ONCE SHOWED ME THE PACKAGE ... NEVER ONCE SHOWED ME THE EXPIRATION DATE ON THE PACKAGES... That will be the last shopping done there.....

Mother Marion Spindle...

This was what I wanted ... I tried to get it built for me...grin... to the point that DH finally said "Why don't you just go ahead and get a real spinning wheel?" Now ask me if I hesitated for one second...lol But I thought it might be fun for you to see...

Naalbinding Primer and Patterns

Wow! It's finally happened..grin

Alix's Nalebinding Page

has brought together an easy primer on 3 naalbinding stitches with free online patterns for hats, gloves, flowers and the amazing Coptic Sock.

Alix announced her new web page on the Yahoo Nalebinding Group and of course all of us had to rush right over and see it..grin Thanks Alix!

Take a look... you'll be glad you did!

Follow Up on "Lotion Soap"

I have used the Lotion Soap for a couple of days now and it is really helping my poor dry hands... but I have found that the soap I mixed up for the kitchen sink area has become very thin and a little watery. I continue to use it and it still "sudses" (this is not a real word..I'm fairly sure..grin ) pretty well... and it continues to leave my hands soft...

I suppose this is one of the drawbacks to the mix, but not enough of one for me to stop using it...lol

Lotion Soap....mmmm good!

I get so tired of dry hands and dry skin in the winter. Not long ago we were in a doctor's office or hospital or somewhere... anyway, after washing my hands they felt like I had just put lotion on my hands. So today I decided to see if I couldn't come up with something like that.

Since we have any number of lotions around the house (trying to find one that will work..sigh), I picked up the soap for the dispenser and some lotion we bought to try and voila'...

I filled the dispenser about 3/4 full with the soap and then finished filling it with the lotion. I stirred them together, replaced the dispenser top and then shook it really well to continue to mix the two. Felt so good when I did the experimental first try..grin It still has plenty of suds and washes the hands without leaving them feeling like sandpaper.

I don't think this will totally replace using lotion on my hands, but it will keep them from drying out completely with every wash of the hands.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

THE GOOD

We're having wonderful company this afternoon from McKinney. I've done some picking up, wiping down this morning and am really looking forward to dinner out with good company.

THE BAD

I've been looking sooo forward to spinning the Icelandic fiber that I got in McKinney a while back. That Merino fiber just seemed to last forever while I was spinning it..grin (Sure feels soft and silky tho!)

So I pulled the Icelandic out of the plastic bags, began to look through it and found that it is FULL of vegetable matter. UGHHHHH! So now will have to go back to McKinney and buy some carders...sigh

But I did pull a little out and try it with my spindle. It will be like nothing I have spun before and it is a little easier to make into very thin singles.

THE UGLY

Got my hair cut....and cut....and cut....and cut... It looks like a modified, gapped, ragged Marine's high and tight with the hair on top left about 3 inches long.... sigh.... I should have known ... NEVER allow anyone under 40 to cut your hair... About 2 hours after the haircut the Merle Norman Studio made some big bucks selling me a wig...sigh

Merino is Spun!

Yesterday I finished spinning the Merino roving that I have been working on for a while. Whew! Some days it seemed as if I were trying to spin cotton...seemed to ball up and not release during the drafting. But is sooo soft... Now for the dyeing process....grin

Naalbinding a Red Cap

This is another of those pieces that I have been working on over the last few weeks. It seems to have gotten set aside while I worked on trying to learn to knit socks...sigh I will finish it..lol

This one is made with the handspun Corriedale from the second dye batch and also uses the first needle I made..the oak one. This needle continues to be my favorite even though I have made several other ones. The stitch used in this one is the Korgen stitch (classified as UOO/UUOO) This is a very easy stitch to do and makes the cap quite warm.

It has been lovely for last couple of days. Actually got into the hot tub yesterday afternoon and it looks like we will be able to again this afternoon. The sun is shining brightly today and as far as I'm concerned we can't have enough of days like this ...

Have a wonderful day...

Getting back in the swing of things....

...after all the holidays. There's a lot to show and tell..grin

Our son and his wife that live in Michigan had to cancel their trip home for the holidays due to weather. But this beauty came in the mail...wow! As dyed in the wool DIYers, we all oohd and awwd over this one. It's a glass tile with a hole drilled in it (I'm told this was the hardest part) and a string of tiny Christmas lights placed inside. The bow is hand made by Loretta... what a talent! Love the soft glow of colored light it makes when turned on in a dark room...

And talk about wonderful! These hand knitted socks made by DDL Tomomi are toasty! I really like the pattern and have to wonder how she keeps the pattern straight..lol As I am just now learning to knit socks, the good old stockinette stitch is as adventurous as I want to get..grin

There is more to say and show...but will wait until tomorrow and continue on......