Pinky Has A Brain...Free Recipe for Home Made Starch

I'm trying to finish up all the projects and get everything packed up for the Show tomorrow.  In the process of gathering up the doilies I found that some needed some quick work.  I tried the sugar syrup thing a few days ago and Boy! What. A. Mess. I. Made!  Will try that again when I have more time..;o)

I remember going with my grandmother to the laundromat when I was a little girl and the lady there would ask her if she needed starch...which of course she always did..  That lady would mix up some mystery concoction on the stove at the back of the laundry..(wringer washers..;o)  .. and voila'.. starch. 

Today I thought about that and did a quick google search... Here is what I found..  A wonderful, easy recipe for home made starch.. Can be made a quickly as boiling water.  Pinkyhasabrain.com  ... wonderful site for all the old home made recipes used for cleaning..and etc..

Have a great day!

1st Annual Ingram Arts and Crafts

I have mentioned the 1st Annual Ingram Arts and Crafts Show to be held in Tupelo, OK on September 22, 2012 on my other blog Fabric Follies Two.  I'm a little late getting it up over here and I apologize for that.  It's been a busy month.

I love to weave.  Whether it's with my own hand spun or not, there's just something soothing about the rhythm and the immediate gratification that comes with something that comes together so beautifully and quickly.  This is the beginning of an envelope purse that I put together a couple of weeks ago.

This is how it turned out.. ;o)

These beaded stilettos are an exceptional tool when doing hand sewing.  It was very useful when making the coin purse below.

This fabric for this coin purse was at one time a sheet on our bed.. ;o)  I tore the 1/2 inch strips and then wove them onto a pocket weaving board (see photo in header), embroidered the ribbon rose grouping, sewed the back onto it and then cut and mounted it into the coin purse frame.

 These are hand spun embroidery threads.. most of them hand dyed using kool aid as the dye agent.

 Hand spun yarns, hand felted fabric.  All hand dyed or natural fiber.

 This needle book is made using hand spun.. on a spindle.. yarn, hand woven, hand spun and dyed embroidery yarn, hand felted fabric inside.  The only part not hand made is the cotton lining and sewing machine thread used to sew it in.

 Yarn, yarn and more yarn.. ;o)

These hand spun yarns were Rit dyed.  This was my first foray into the acid dyes.

There will be much more at the Show..  My Uncle Bobby is the most amazing "whittler" you have ever seen... He will be showing his planes and guns..  My Aunt Betty is a wonderful artist.  There will be other art projects shown also.. If you are near .. we would love to have you!

Free Clipart .. Stars of Angels

I've suddenly developed an interest in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow...
Hope you enjoy this.. ;o)

Vegetable Stand

We found a Vegetable Stand here in town and decided to go see what was up with it.  Drove across town and found packing crates strung around fruits and veggies.  The fruits and veggies had been freighted in just like any of the stores.  But they did have some peaches that looked fair, some overripe strawberries and some .. ta da...banana peppers!  I seldom find banana peppers in our stores.

I looked online for recipes, but they all called for sugar or for making large batches of pickled peppers.  So, I made my own recipe.  I used:  1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar, 1tsp salt, 2 tsp pickling spice, and 1 clove garlic.  In a couple of weeks we'll see if I like them or not.  ;o)

 

 The peaches are in a freezer bag and freezing.  The strawberries were not good enough to eat fresh, so they were cooked down in a medium syrup for about 30 minutes then poured through a sieve.  The strawberries have been wonderful on toast and the syrup is waiting for me to find something to put it on..lol  But I did taste it with a spoon and it is seriously wonderful ...

Now... with all that being said.. my SDH and I have begun using Atkins Shakes and have seriously started dieting.  So... ;o( ... no more strawberry syrup...

Anyway, this is late July and August is just around the corner.  Let me tell you the joys of Iced Coffee!... ;o)

Have a wonderful day...

Today in My Life ... Sunday, June 24, 2012

Today is:  Sunday, June 24, 2012

I got up this morning:  at 5:45.  Awake as if the sleep had been really good.  Pushed the button on the coffee pot, opened the blinds, turned on the computers, run my hand across the counters thinking how fortunate I am...

I look out my window:  and realize that I really need to dead head my roses and get my mint and lemon verbena planted!  As in .. TODAY!  

I am thinking:  that the bandages in my groin from the cardiac cath and the tape burns will have to come off today or they'll drive me nuts... ;o)  I'm allergic to the tape they used and it left a huge seeping burn area.. ;o(   However... it's dry now and time for the bandage to come off.....!!  ;o)

I am thankful for:  the fact that the cardiac cath shows only a 30% blockage of the stent.  Very happy result!  ;o)

Plans for the rest of the week:  include finishing several of the project I've started and put aside.  I am determined to NOT start anything new until these are finished... (hmmm... wonder if that will hold true..lol)  But I will try...

The third CESI injection will be Friday.  That will be the last for this series.  I just wish I had known about these earlier in my life....

Creatively:  there hasn't been much happening.  I have been doing some mindless knitting in the evening and come up with some cute hand towels for my bathroom.  I love them.  They feel much better on my face than the terry cloth towels. 

And a "Thanks, Pat!" goes out to my buddy for bringing me a huge plastic bag of this wonderful cotton yarn.  Plans are to use it on my rigid heddle loom and make some small blankets.. but if I don't hurry up and finish some things I have started, it will end up being knit up into small things I can make in the evenings... lol

Happy thought:  that will continue to make my happy all week.  Two of my sons called this weekend and I think I have not laughed so hard in months!  What a joy! 

My online friend Judy of Apron Strings and Other Ties That Bind   has been doing some really pretty embroidery for her crazy quilt squares.  Among other things.. ;o)  Take a look and say hello.  ;o)



 

Frugal Living... hmmm

I've been doing a lot of pinterest lately.  There are so many links up for frugal living and make your own things that I am overwhelmed with ideas.. ;o) 

One of the things I found was concerning eggs.  It said that eggs have a film on them that will allow the egg to remain good for weeks if it is not washed off.  The eggs we buy in the store are washed with a caustic soap so all of the film is removed... and as a result the eggs spoil much more quickly.

So... the article said that if you cover each egg with a thin film of mineral oil the eggs will last for months in the pantry or where ever without refrigeration.

I HAD TO TRY THIS... !  ;o)

So I took 3 eggs, smeared them with mineral oil and put them in the pantry for 3 weeks.  I really couldn't make myself wait any longer so I finally had to check and see what would happen when I broke the eggs... Here's what I found..

 

I was truly stunned that eggs were still good, usable eggs after 3 weeks!  How's that for re-learning what our grandparents always knew.. ;o)

Hope you have a wonderful day...  Having a cardiac cath tomorrow so will be back in a few days.. ;o) 

Lavender Ridge Farms

Pat and I went to Lavender Ridge Farm on Saturday.  We picked lavender, drank lavender iced tea and lavender iced lemonade and bought lavender plants... along with some others.. ;o)  What a wonderful day. 

Well, it's Monday one more time.  ;o)   Have sewing to do.  Will finally be able to get back to my patiently waiting (almost) purse... 

It will have a very large red button on the pocket.  I've been trying to make it have over the head straps... but I think that will not work.  ;o(    Anyway, we'll see.  More on this project later.. ;o)

I hope your Monday is the beginning of a week that you will look back on with fondness.. ;o)
Have a good day...

Today In My Life

Today is:  Tuesday, June 5, 2012

I got up this morning:  after dreaming about Michael Kitchen... Can't imagine how that would happen, especially with our penchant for watching every movie or television program we can find that has Michael Kitchen in it.. ;o)  We have just finished watching The Hanging Gale .  This is a BBC television special that is absolutely wonderful...about the Irish Potato Famine.  Tea at Trianon  speaks about this BBC special.  Michael Kitchen portrays the Land Agent.  It is a wonderful, gritty and heartbreaking movie...

As I look out the window:  the trees are waving at me.  There is a strong wind blowing in a storm that we are supposed to have this evening.  But the view through the screen on the back porch is still lovely... ;o)

 I have to say that seeing these lovely roses bloom over and over all year is such a pleasure. 

I am thinking:   that I should have remembered all those crocks that my grandmother had on her cabinet.  I can still see her taking her knives and gently running them over the tops of those crocks.  I guess I never really thought about the fact that she was sharpening her knives... until I came across a pinterest site that shows how you can do the same thing with you ceramic cups! 

By holding the knife at a 30° angle and gently running the blade over the unglazed part of the bottom of the cup... voila'.. sharp knife!  I do soooo with I had known about this long ago.  All those years of complaining about dull knives would have never happened...lol

Today I am thankful for: the sounds of the birds chirping away out the back door.  I have painted some small birdhouse and will be trying to get some wrens to come visit us.. ;o)

Plans for the rest of the week:  include Dr., Dr., Dr., ... but that is a relatively good thing... I hope.  I have been having surgical injections for pain in my back and am in the the third round now...  And are they wonderful! 

Creatively:   I have so many projects going that the pics will have to wait until tomorrow.  ;o) 

A happy thought:    Everyone needs a little fairy dust .. ;o)  Hope you have LOTS in your day!

Canned Oranges... Yum, Yum!

Today is:  Thursday, March 1, 2012

I got up this morning:  after listening to the sounds of trucks whining by since around 4:30 am... What's up with that?

I was dreaming of a great little place to sit and talk, eat a bit.. great ambiance with a water feature filled with something that looked a lot like bamboo...  Youngest son John was there (there were several of us)  and he was ordering paper bags full of olives.. We would talk a while and I looked down and saw the most adorable, hefty looking frog sitting on my leg and just looking up at me.. Everywhere I went in the little deli I would find a little frog just sitting and looking at me.. ;o)
I looked it up this morning in my book of "Dreams" and found that dreaming of frogs means you will have a pleasant and even-tempered friend as your confidant and counselor.. ;o)  Love that part..

Dreaming of your own child denotes cheerfulness and the merry voices of neighbors and children.

Eating the olives with a merry band of friends foretells favorable results in business, and delightful surprises.. ;o)

I've had this book for years and every now and then it's just fun to go thru it.  I really can't see that much of it has come true, but it all sounds really nice today.. ;o)

As I look out my windows:  the sun is shining and today the weather man says we will have temps in the low 80s... wow.. It will be a lovely day for our Red River Fiber Arts meeting this afternoon, but I have to wonder what will happen to the lovely pear trees that are all in bloom when we have that usual hard freeze around Easter.. ;o/

I am thinking:  that I have way too much stuff..hmmpfh  I think it's more of an organization problem than really having too much of a good thing.

Creatively: it's been a busy couple of weeks.  I have this quilt top started and need to finish up.

 This quilt has been tied and is ready for the binding... that I am hand drawing and coloring in.. This seems to be taking more time than I had anticipated..lol  This one is for our soon-to-arrive  Great-Grandbaby. 

 I've been stuck in Pinterest ever since I first found it.. ;o/   But... I did find the coolest little quick pattern for DIY little baskets.  Here's the one I made...You can find the templates and tutorials at Craft Passion.com

 Today I am thankful for:  creative and fun friends... They keep a healing and healthy smile on my face.  This is include those on the net who share their activities and thoughts through their own blogs and pop over here to share mine.. ;o)

Plans for the rest of the week:  include doing a little more thrift store shopping.  I found these lovely egg coddlers in perfect condition (Royal Worcester Porcelain)  at one little shop here in town.  Too much fun to wander around and find hidden treasures..

  Something I'm happy about: .... In Arizona the oranges, lemons and grapefruit all ripen in December.  When our son bought his house in a suburb of Phoenix, they were lucky enough (or was it planned?? ;o)  to have several orange, lemon and grapefruit trees growing in the back yard.  This pleases me no end because he sends me some!  ;o)

Did you know that it is remarkably easy to can oranges?  Amazing.. and so luscious!
 Here's the website that shows how to do this... CLICK HERE!

Well... I think I should stop here before this becomes a book!  I hope everyone has a lovely day.  Spend at least a part of the day either talking to or visiting with a friend.. ;o)

Very Low Carb Muffins

I'm always on the look out for recipes that I can use for my sweet DH since he is diabetic and is very careful what he eats.  These muffins are perfect!  Easy to put together, bakes quickly... and here's the recipe.. ;o)

 Low Carb Muffins

Heat oven to 350 °F

Butter or spray with baking spray a 6 cup muffin  pan

Dry ingredients:

3/4 cups almond meal  (9 net carbs)
1 ½  tsp. baking powder (3 carbs)
1 ½  Tbsp. cinnamon (1.7 net carbs)
½ tsp. salt ( 0 )

The recipe I found calls for 3 packets of Splenda.  My DH has an allergy to all the artificial sweeteners, so he requested that I leave out all the sweeteners.  You may not have this problem.

Other ingredients:

3 eggs, beaten  ( 0 )
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil ( 0 )
1 dash pure vanilla extract  ( 0 )
1 cup chopped nuts .. I use either pecans or walnuts  ( 4.65 net carbs)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Mix in beaten eggs, oil, and vanilla well.  Add the nuts and stir until blended. Pour batter into each muffin cup, dividing evenly.   Bake at 350° for 25 minutes until golden brown.  ( NOTE:  Not all ovens are the same.  My oven bakes them in 10 to 12 minutes.. Don't ask me why!   So I would suggest keeping an eye on them and when the look a little dry on top, test them with a knife to see if it comes out clean and if it does, take them out. )  I seldom let them cool more than a minute or two.  I use Pam Baking Spray or Baker's Joy on my pan and they just pop out.  I cool them on a paper plate.  Then I store them in a large ziploc.. but they don't last long.. The midnight strolls of my sweet DH see to that.. ;o)

They are quite good served with whipped cream.  We sometimes put them in a bowl and pour Silk Vanilla Soy milk over them.  Wonderful!

When I add the carbs and divide them by 6 ... I come up with a net carb of 3.06 carbs per muffin.
Even with the addition of 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar ( 33.06 carb)... after dividing it all out into 6 muffins there will still only be 6 carb in each muffin.  I think I will make a batch using the sugar for me.. ;o)

My husband loves them.  They fill a big hole in snack department.. ;o)

Looks like we're going to have more rain this afternoon and while I am totally tired of all the dreary day blues that I get when there is no sun for a while... we really need the rain.  So.. I will turn on every light in the house and enjoy it.. ;o)

Have a great day..

And How Time Flies....

I haven't died... I promise...

But I have found a "new" way to fix eggs..

These are called  1) baked eggs, 2)shirred eggs, 3) sheared eggs... and I love them.  This was yesterday's breakfast.  Chopped up ham in the bottom of a Pam sprayed individual oval baking dish.  I used this one..

After the Pam... chopped deli ham, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onion,  2 eggs beaten, more cheddar cheese,  tomato slices... baked in a 350° oven for 15 minutes or until knife stuck in center comes out clean.  My goodness.. so wonderful..

Today I put (pre-cooked)bacon and cheese on the bottom, two eggs (not beaten) , more cheddar cheese and had it with the last of my guacamole  and one piece of toast...  yum yum

I have been dieting a bit again.  Have lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks... I'm sure it's just water weight, so we'll see what the next 3 weeks do...

Life has been busy, but no more than usual.  I have had pain injections for my back in the last 6 weeks and am amazed at the way they help!   Dr. Amhan says they will wear off and this will be an ongoing thing...but I DON'T MIND  how many times I have to go back!  This is great!

I hope you have a great day.. and I'll be back sooner.. ;o)