Spinning Lessons

Well, today was the big day!! I buckled my new wheel into the front seat of my car and headed out to Karen's house, a spinner from the local spinning guild who offered to teach me to spin. It was fairly easy to find her farm... there is a big quilt painted onto the front of the barn. It is part of the Barn Quilts of Grundy County. This quilt pattern is called 'North Winds'.





Karen and her husband actually raise alpacas, and I got to meet the whole herd. I have to say there is nothing sweeter than a little alpaca face!! Karen shears all of the alpacas and sends the fleeces to a company to be washed and carded and made into roving. She is waiting for the call that the 50 pounds of fleece she sent in last May are ready for pick up!!












More Alpaca sweetness... I am now thinking that I may need a couple of little alpacas!


















But onto the business at hand... spinning! Karen was a very patient teacher, and it wasn't long before I was actually sort of getting the hang of it! Now it is just a matter of spending time at the wheel practicing, practicing, practicing!








I have been doing a little knitting, and just have to finish the handles and the Sophie bag will be ready to felt. I think I am going to have to 'reward' myself with spinning time after I do a certain amount of knitting on my projects that have a deadline!!








Of course, Sumo is happy to keep me company whether I am knitting or spinning or whatever. And yes, his face is even cuter than those little alpacas! (Although it's very close!!)






Off to spin! I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Until Next Time...

It's The Monday After...

a wonderful, family-filled weekend!! We celebrated Christmas with my family on Saturday. There were 33 of us that filled my brother's home for a full day of food; games; family and more food! The day starts at 9:00 a.m. with stocking stuffers. There is a bag for everyone just full of all kinds of fun things. (including a bottle of my brothers' homemade wine, which is just wonderful!)




We then draw jobs from the 'job jar'. This lets you know what your responsibility for the day will be. It may be setting the table; serving drinks; clearing the table etc.. There are even the ever-coveted 'loafs' in there as well! Here you see M reading her job and R reaching in to grab his. Always lots of excitement as people reach in and try to avoid the ever-dreaded jobs of washing and drying the dinner dishes!




This year, that honor went to my oldest brother and his daughter! Of course the big 'perk' of these jobs is that you get to sign and date the aprons after your job is complete!








The rest of the day is spent eating and playing games and just enjoying each other's company. A new game this year for our family gathering was Texas Hold'em. My very own son won one of the games and the big $5.00 prize! Hmmm, does make me wonder what he is really up to at college.....





There is lots of Euchre played. I got several games in and only managed to win one. Bummer. Steve, on the other hand, won every game he played! Lucky!








In between breakfast and dinner there was a large assortment of treats to graze on. Let's just say nobody went hungry!! In fact, most people ate past the point of being comfortable. (Me included!) Our son A brought the ingredients to make his deviled eggs. They were a huge hit! Over 50 of them were gone in a flash!





K enjoyed my brother's grandson. It is so fun to have little ones around again. It's been a few years! (And another niece announced she is expecting, so they'll be another new one next year!)








On Sunday, R's Aunts and my oldest brothers girlfriend hosted a family bridal shower for M. It was a wonderful time. We played some very fun games! I even won one of them! My friend Cheryl won the first two games. She's so competitive! (Like me!!) She and my other dear friend Renae were invited as 'honorary' Aunts. (As I've posted before, they are more like family than friends!!)

As with our other family gatherings, the food was wonderful. My sister-in-law made this amazing Lasagna Soup. I thought I would share the recipe with you. It comes from a Cuisine at Home magazine.





Lasagna Soup












1# bulk Italian sausage
2 cups onions, chopped
1 cup carrots, diced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced (opt.)
2 Tbsp. garlic, minced
4+ cups chicken broth
1 can (14 1/2oz.) Italian-style stewed tomatoes, chopped
1 can (10 3/4oz) tomato sauce
1 cup uncooked mafalda pasta (mini lasagna noodles)
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1 cup provolone cheese or fresh mozzarella, diced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
4 tsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Brown sausage in a large soup-pot over high heat.
Add onions and carrots; saute 3 minutes.
Stir in mushrooms and garlic; saute 3 minutes.

Add broth, stewed tomatoes, and tomato sauce, bring to a boil.
Drop in pasta and simmer until the pasta is done (+ - 10 minutes).
Stir in spinach and cook until wilted

Place 1/4 cup of the diced cheese into each soup bowl and pour soup on top. Garnish with Parmesan and basil shreds.


This was so yummy!! She even sent the leftovers home with us which we had for supper last night. Now today I am mapping out what the next few weeks will look like. Hard to believe the wedding is less than 3 weeks away!! Excitement is in the air!!

Until Next Time...

This And That

Well, not much new around here this week. Spent a few days getting caught up after being gone and now I'm getting ready to head to Minnesota again this weekend for my family Christmas get together. THEN I think I will stay put for while!

Not much news to report on the knitting front. Still plugging away on my Sophie bag. I'm a little over half way done. I should be able to make some good progress riding in the car this weekend. I am taking steps on learning how to use my new wheel, which is sitting here patiently waiting some fiber! I have contacted a local spinner who is willing to give me some lessons. I start next Wednesday. I can't wait!!










I ordered a couple of drop spindles and a few books on spinning and they have all come in the last couple of days. I know now it is just going to take lots of practice, but it should be fun. I just wish I lived closer to some of my fellow spinner friends!!





I've got most of my Christmas decorations up. We are undecided on what to do about a tree. Do we do real again? Do we invest in a high quality artificial tree? We are kind of at an impasse.

In the meantime, I am enjoying little Pablo who looks on from the shelf in my family room. I just love this little guy. I got him from Julie's shop and feel very fortunate to have him. She knits the most incredible toys that sell out within seconds of her posting them in her shop.










Recipe time. I thought I would share my recipe for the Chicken Enchiladas we had last night and that I brought for one of our meals last weekend.

Chicken Enchiladas












2 cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (8 oz.)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 -2 cups cooked and chopped chicken
6 flour tortillas (7-inch diameter)
1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce (or pureed diced tomatoes)
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (1 oz.)

1. Mix Monterey Jack cheese, 1 cup Cheddar cheese, onion, sour cream, chicken and pepper.

2. Spoon about 1/2 cup cheese mixture onto each tortilla. Roll tortilla around the filling and place seam side down in greased baking dish.

3. Mix remaining ingredients except 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese. Pour over enchiladas. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.

4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream, lettuce and salsa.


Enjoy!

Until Next Time....

There And Back Again...

I'm back! I decided to stay an extra day and come back today after getting about a foot of snow where we were staying up in Brainerd Minnesota!! Here you can see my car nestled in front of my friends cabin. I'd never been to her cabin before and it was so fun to be able to be there... especially during a beautiful snow!!









Of course, snow like that requires lots of shoveling. (It was quite a long driveway!) Even though I had 'accidentally forgot' my boots, my dear friends were only too happy to let me borrow theirs!!













Of course, you can't have a snow like that and not make a snow angel... right Cheryl?? (She had also conveniently forgot her boots, but found her dads snowmobile suit and boots to wear. She looked lovely as usual!!)












We had to keep a fire going in the fireplace, which meant heading out to get fire wood. And why simply walk out when one can do whatever this is???















The snow was lovely and we had a wonderfully relaxing time. We laughed alot. We learned new meanings of words. We laughed some more. And we also did a little scrapbooking and knitting. (Well, I'm the only one that knits....) It was a cozy fit with our two tables and ALL of our stuff, but we did it. Sure is a good thing we all packed light! (Ha ha!)






These are the friends I went to the cabin with: Renae, Colleen and Cheryl. But they are more than friends, they are family. When God saw fit to give me four brothers and no sisters, He knew I'd be OK because of the friends that would come into my life. I met Renae when I was 4 years old and we have been close friends ever since. Colleen married my younger brother, so is really a sister! And Cheryl and I go back to elementary school. I am incredibly blessed to have them in my lives.










Ok, now on to knitting. While I was gone, I was able to start and finish a pair of Fetching mitts for a Christmas present. It is made with Wool Bam Boo. I just LOVE the feel of this yarn!














I also cast on a Sophie bag in Paton's red. Here is Sumo, happy to have me home and happy to be in front of the camera again. (Ok, so he doesn't look so happy, he really is!)
He thanks you all for your wonderful comments and for encouraging extra treats and attention. Steve would like you all to know that he took Sumo on a little weekend excursion to Galena this past weekend. It was a little stressful for Sumo being there for the first time without Nikko and he was very happy when he got home again. I think Sumo has decided it's ok to just stay put. (He hopes I think so too!). Off to give him another little treat.




Until Next Time....

Gone Again...

Well, she's left me again! I can always tell when she's getting ready to leave because she starts making piles all over the house. And then she takes these piles and loads them into the car. And then I get 'the look'. You know the look. The 'Sorry, Sumo, maybe you can come next time' look. Sigh. I never get to go anywhere. Instead she leaves me here with the guys. Now, don't get me wrong, they're great guys and all, but they don't understand me like she does. She gives me a little extra food in my bowl each morning. When she's in the kitchen, she throws me a little treat. She understands my fear of the garage floor and opens the back door just for me. I know she'll be back in a few days and all, but I really think she just needs to stay home for awhile! I really thought when I saw how excited she was about the spinning wheel that she would cancel her trip to stay home and spin. But no, she still left (and took lots of knitting with her!) Just a few more days, I keep telling myself. That's a long time to go without a treat. I guess I'll survive somehow. Sigh. Maybe I'll just take a little nap........

Sumo

Hurray for UPS!

I have had a visit from the UPS truck two days in a row! And both times were very exciting packages!! Yesterday I got my Knitters Coffee Swap package from Michele! It was full of coffee goodness! There were two kinds of coffee beans and a grinder to go with it!! A fun book on how to create coffee drinks; Pumpkin Biscotti; Trader Joe chocolate covered espresso beans; a hand knit ball band dishcloth; lots of 'Coffee To Go' candies (more than what are actually pictured, but some disappeared...); a snowman ornament and some very yummy DK weight sock yarn from DIGI-TECH. I anticipate some highly caffienated knitting in the near future!

Today the UPS truck brought my SPINNING WHEEL!!! It has a little assembly that needs to be done when Steve gets home and it will be ready to go. It came with 2 large bundles of white wool to practice with, which will also be fun to dye after it's been spun. I'm really thinking that I could use a visit from the spinning guru's Alice; Wendy; L-B; Julie and Sheri right about now!
I'm not sure when I'll actually be able to sit and really play with it as I am leaving Thursday for Minnesota for a long weekend away.









I did have a chance to finish up the Vintage Bubble Bag I'm working on. Just need to do the straps and felt it. I'm planning on casting on a Sophie Bag next for a special order I need to get done before Christmas.






I've been busy wrapping Christmas gifts for our family Christmas in two weeks. EVERYONE is going to be able to make it, which will be lots of fun. (There will be 33 of us!) We don't exchange gifts, but we do bring stocking stuffers for everyone. I just about have mine done and wrapped. In lieu of exchanging larger gifts, we all donate money and give it to a family who is experiencing some hardship during the Holiday Season.



This past week, K was taking pictures of R & M for their wedding announcement in the local paper. Thought you would enjoy this series of pictures of the two of them and their surprise visit from a llama!




Well worth the laugh!

Well, today I was suppose to be at a tax seminar all afternoon, but my friend who I work for called and told me I didn't need to go. So I've been given the gift of time this afternoon. I think I'll curl up with some knitting and enjoy!!

Until Next Time...

Roving...

Well, this has started arriving in my mailbox in anticipation of my Christmas present. It is roving... waiting to be spun into beautiful yarn. (I guess I should say it is waiting for me to attempt to spin it into something resembling yarn... that might be closer to the truth!) I'm getting pretty excited!




I also received the yarn I ordered to start the Bubble cardigan that I want to make. I know I should wait to cast this sweater on until I've made more progress on the first sweater, but I am itching to try the k5b stitch that had me so defeated earlier!!! Maybe tomorrow during football. I haven't done any knitting these past few days. I have just totally been enjoying the time with the kids, playing games, shopping, hanging out etc... It's sad to think they all have to go back to school tomorrow!

Our neighbor has been gone the past few days, and K was taking care of the llamas and the kittens while she was gone. The kitties have gotten so big!! Here's the little calico that we picked up for her in Galena. Isn't she a cutie?





It's been very cold here lately. We got some snow a few days ago which has lasted this whole time! Sumo loves to be out in the snow, but I really have gotten to kind of dread it. Must be my age! Winter used to be my favorite season when I was a kid. Now I dream of the day I can fly south for the winter!!





I've been so enjoying hearing and reading about how several of you have been trying the recipes I've shared and been enjoying them! Some have even added them to their own family favorites! I LOVED seeing the Swedish Tea Ring on Danielle's blog! It made me smile. The Tea Ring is a staple around our house during the holiday season!


Until Next Time....

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Fact:
- Turkey makes you tired.

- 29 % of women will take a nap after the Thanksgiving meal

- 56 % of men will take a nap after the Thanksgiving meal

- 100% of dogs will take a nap after the Thanksgiving meal

Sumo invites all of you to join him for a long nap after your Thanksgiving meal!

Dance Lessons!!

That's right! Last night we started our Beginning Swing Dance lessons! It was a lot of fun! We are taking it with some very good friends of ours, Karen & John and Denise & Randy. It is a 5 week course, which is a good thing because we have a lot to learn! Now I have to make sure that R & M play lots of swing music at their wedding so we can show off our new skills!





We were told to practice the steps we learned as much as possible during the week, so Steve taught K what we learned when we got home. She caught on right away!! Now I just need to download some swing music from ITunes! I'll keep you posted on our progress!!












I have zero knitting to show you today. I've hardly been able to pick it up over the past couple of days. In lieu of knitting, I've been doing lots of cooking and baking and cleaning, as well as playing games with the kids. It's so nice having them home!! (Oh, and I've been ordering Christmas presents online! Wait until you see what I got to order for myself!! I'll show you as soon as it arrives!)


I do have a 'recipe' to share with you. I hesitate to call it a recipe, because it is so simple! Here it is: Our Favorite Chip Dip. One can of Mexican Stewed tomatoes, pureed in a blender. (Or mini food processor). One pound of Mexican Velveeta, cubed. Put the two together and microwave until melted and hot, stirring occasionally. Put in a small crock pot to keep warm and serve with chips.



Sumo has been watching us dance and thinks we could better use our energy taking him for a nice long walk or something! Sigh.







Off to see if the lefse is ready to roll out. I'm excited to have the first warm lefse of the Holiday Season. I have to say it is about my favorite holiday food. My mouth waters just thinking about it!! What is your favorite holiday food? It's always fun to hear what everyone else likes!!

Have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!

Until Next Time....

Monday Again!

Well, another Monday. Looking back over the weekend, I would say it was a very fun, productive time. I was able to get 2 Swedish Tea Rings made and put in the freezer for our family Christmas. I have two more almost ready to roll out this morning. That gives me a spare, as I only need to bring 3.




I did some knitting as well. I finished the first of the Cabled Fingerless Mitt from my last post. I really like this pattern, for the most part. A few things I will change on the next pair I make. I LOVE how they work the thumb gusset on this pattern and will modify the fetching pattern to use it next time around. I didn't like the ending rib pattern, because I ended up with 4 knit stitches together, which broke up the 2X2 rib pattern. Next time I will either increase or decrease by 2 stitches to have the pattern work out correctly. But I definitely see doing more of these!!






I also made good progress on the bag. I continue to be amazed how fast knitting goes on size 15 needles compared to using the 0's -2's that I use with the socks. A rather nice break!
I will be adding a gray top and I-cord handles and possibly a red tab to close the bag with. Should be ready to felt later this week.











'A' came home from college with a new game to teach us. (We LOVE to play games!) It is called Hand and Foot and uses 6 decks of cards! Here you see the kids shuffling the cards getting ready to play.







One of the highlights of the weekend was watching Steve paint K's nails for her! She really can get him to do anything for her! (And I have to admit that he is MUCH better at it then I am!!)





Well, time to roll out the Tea Rings and start wrapping the Stocking Stuffers I am bringing to our family Christmas as well.

Until Next Time....