Yummy Yarn

Today I went to a yarn tasting at the 'local' yarn shop, Yarn Lady. A yarn tasing is like a wine tasing, only with yarn. I've been to one once before and tried to make a scarf with the yarn I was 'tasting' but it didn't quite work. I just couldn't keep the sides even with the different weights of yarn I was using. So I decided to try something different this time. I started out trying my hand at a little freeform crochet, but I couldn't remember enough interesting stitches to make it work. I had made a circle with some yarn intending to incorporate it into something freeform, but I added another yarn around the edge and it worked so well I just kept going. It turned into a nice little hat! It's really cute, but sadly it is too small for anyone here because I didn't have a head handy to try it on. But I will definitely be ready for next yarn tasting! I'll post a pic of it here soon!

Wondering what side dish goes with yarn,
Alberta

The Spice of Life

I'm starting this post without anything in mind to blog about. Well, maybe one thing. I have discovered a new spice that I love! I bought it around Thanksgiving time because it was included in a pecan pie recipe that I was going to try. The pie was great! And this new spice, Chinese Five Spice, was the reason. It's a blend of five spices (obviously). The blend I found has cinnamon, anise seed, cloves, ginger, and fennel seed though there are different blends out there. I use it in any dish that calls for cinnamon, just in addition to the cinnamon, not to replace it; 5 spice is very powerful. The scent is quite exotic and adds that little extra kick without extra effort. Mmmmmm... (Google Search on five spice)

I finally got my grow light set up! It's a 4' shop light with 2 fluorescent bulbs (one cool and one warm to get the full light spectrum) suspended by chains from a PVC stand so I can raise and lower it. Plus I've got a seed starting warming mat to speed germination and a timer so I can be sure the seeds get 18 hours of light. Plus I have 2 miniature green house seed starter kits. So I'm set! I've started some black pearl tomato seeds. Hopefully they'll grow! It's funny how with all that preparation, I still can't be sure that the seeds with sprout or grow properly or at all. That's the mystery of creation, I guess.

Hoping to see a green tinge on my thumb,
Alberta

Potter Musings

I'm currently re-reading "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and I've noticed a few things that I find curiously coincidental.

First, there are only 12 members of the Order of the Phoenix (besides Dumbledore) mentioned in the book: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley, Bill Weasley, Snape, Sturgis, Mundungus, and McGonagall. (Now I may have missed someone, so just let me know if I'm off in left field.) Remind you of any other group of people? Maybe from the New Testament? Who's leader died? Would that make Snape Judas? Is is proof that Dumbledore is coming back? Hmmmmm.

The other thing I've noticed rereading the series is that all Trelawney's spoken prophecies come true! Not the ones related second hand, and not just the ones she gives in her wired voice. For example, in "Goblet of Fire" she says (paraphrasing) death is hanging over the school. Harry selfabsorbedly assumes she means he will die, but if you look at the actually wording of the prediction, he isn't mentioned. It's Cedric who dies. In OotP she tells Umbridge she is in 'grave danger'. It's a little far fetched, but Umbridge does get hauled off by centaurs. And in "the Half Blood Prince" she mumbles something about towers on fire and the dark mark appears over Hogwarts. I haven't done any extensive checking on this (ie. finding all the spoken predictions and comparing the results) so I could be totally wrong. Feel free to point out my mistake!

Expelliarmus!
Alberta

Tempest Tossed

Here's an article about 30-somethings in debt. This kind of hits home since I just turned 30! But thankfully, I am not in the the same situation as most 30-somthings, according to the article. I managed to graduate with my undergraduate degree and NO debt. Now a lot of that can be attributed to luck; I got a full tuition scholarship from my alma mater and my parents made enough money for me to qualify for lots of grants. (Yes, my scholarship was due more to luck than hard work. I had a friend who had the same GPA and ACT as I did who did not get a scholarship.) Oh, and I lived in my grandparents basement rent free. But graduating with no credit card debt I can attribute to parents who taught me to be thrifty and following the advice from the church to stay out of debt. How thankful I am for that. That is not to say I didn't have financial troubles. I bounced some checks and missed some credit card payments, but these mistakes amounted to under $100 since I wasn't spending much in the first place. My dh also managed to get his BA without any debt. Because of this, I can stay home with our kids while my husband goes to grad school full time. Yes, we're going into debt for it, but without undergrad debt and still no credit card debt, it is definitely an acceptable level of debt, nowhere near what was described in the article. Just another example of the blessings that come from following the prophets council.

Counting my blessings,
Alberta

And now a word from our sponsors....

Here's some cool stuff I've found that I want to share with everyone!

First, Wonder Soil! Every previous year I've started seeds directly in my garden. Living in CA it's warm enough to do that pretty early. The first year, they did pretty well. And then the bunnies came. Somehow they figured out how to get past the rabbit proof fence. They would eat my seedlings before they even had a chance (especially the sunflowers). So this year, I'm starting my seeds indoors so they will at least have a fighting chance against the bunnies! (The bunnies don't have a huge impact on mature plants.) I'm getting a grow light from my dad and a seed warmer mat that I bought with birthday money from my mil. I have peat pots and even little plastic greenhouses. Now all I need is seed starting mix. I live in an apartment, and I really don't relish the idea of trying to store a bag of DIRT in here somewhere. That's where Wonder Soil comes to the rescue! A 1 lb. tube holds the equivalent of 15 lbs of potting soil! And each wafer expands to fill a 5in. pot which should be ample for my seed starting needs. I got a deal on 2 tubes and I figure they will last me until we move, about 2 years from now!

Speaking of seed starting, check out this new variety of cherry tomato; Black Pearl. Makes me think of "Pirates of the Caribbean". Anyway, I was very intrigued by the description, so I bought a seed packet. At $5 a packet, they are not cheap but the plants sell for $10! Maybe I'll start a bunch and make a killing selling them for $5 a plant! I wonder if there's a way to collect the seeds from tomato plants. They probably wouldn't produce the same fruit as the parent plant. Oh well. I wonder if these tomatoes would make good jam.

And speaking of jam, here's a no cook freezer jam pectin that I love! I used it today to make strawberry freezer jam with my two boys. It is soooo easy! My older ds helped me cut up and mash the strawberries, then both boys helped me stir in the sugar (only 1 1/2 cups, much less than other pectins). Then after we let the sugar dissolve, my older ds gradually poured the pectin in while I stirred. Then we took turns stirring for 3 minutes, let it sit for 5 minutes and ladled it into jam jars. I ladled and my ds told me when it was full, moved the funnel to the next jar, and put the lid on the full jar. Then we put them in the freezer! So easy, yet so fun. And you can't beat strawberry freezer jam. MMmmmm.... The hard part is keeping it around for any amount of time! My boys especially love it.

Speaking of my boys, we've decided to sign up for Upromise. Basically, when you buy certain products affiliated with Upromise, they put a certain amount in a savings account to use for college. It's not a lot, but it's more than nothing! It's kind of like a rewards card, without the extra card. You register your credit cards and any store cards you want to use online. You can also earn when you shop at certain online retailers. Then you choose the students you want to save for, in our case our two boys. I think you can add as many as you want. And family and friends can sign up to contribute you your students as well! So if any of you would like to contribute, or just open an account for yourselves, I'll send you an email. But only if you want me to, I don't want to spam anyone!

Sorry if this post sounds like a commercial break! It's not meant to be.

And now back to our program!
Alberta

Christmas: The Final Chapter

My last two Christmas projects are made with the same yarn, Chenille Sensations. First, the bitty bear. The pattern is here and is super quick to make, though a little fiddly since it is so small. The finished size is maybe 2.5 inches tall. Sorry about the fuzzy pic, my camera doesn't do close ups well! My older ds gave the bear to his best friend, a little neighbor girl.

And last, but probably my favorite project this year (the elephant was a close second), a baby girl's 'snow queen' dress with headband and booties (that I designed myself). I got the pattern for the dress and headband from Crochet! magazine and have been dying to make it, but never had the opportunity until now. I ran into trouble when I discovered the yarn it called for had been discontinued! But thankfully I was able find someone at crochetville that had some in their stash and was willing to swap! The yarn wasn't the color called for in the pattern (a dark purple), but personally I like it better in this color. It was made for my newest niece, who was only 2 months old. The pattern is for a 6mo, so it was a little big, but she'll grow into it!

And that's it for my Christmas projects! More coming in a year!
Alberta

Christmas part 3: Blankets

I made two afghans for Christmas presents this year; the pink, purple, and green one for my bil's mother using this pattern and the blue one for my dad from this pattern book. I used a Q hook for both of them so they were quick and easy, a must when making afghans! Last year I made a blanket for my mother with a much smaller hook and a more complex pattern. It took forever! I almost didn't get it done in time. My hand started cramping up at the end as I rushed to finish it. It looked beautiful but I learned my lesson. Unless I have a whole year to make it and take my time, use a Q hook!

Make you Christmas afghan requests now!
Alberta