Progress

Thanks to this:

I was able to make this:

!

It really felt so nice to have knitting needles in my hands again! The IcyHot really helps. There is still a dull ache while I'm working, but I'm able to work through it. With Christmas coming up in less than 4 months, I've got a lot of work to do. These round cloths are my favorite!

Sorry the pictures aren't that great. DH is away for an extra long weekend and took the camera with him :)

So Fresh, So Clean!

Can you tell what I made today?
 

Laundry soap! It cost me $14.21 at Hannaford for everything but the crystals, which I already had.

If this works, I will never buy liquid detergent again :)

I made a couple small changes, but the original "recipe" is from being creative! She used 2 tubs of Oxi Clean and I only used one. I added the fabric crystals which she did not. I'm excited to try this. I've had it pinned on Pinterest for quite some time now!

It smells WONDERFUL!

Happy Birthday

I turned 31 on Thursday! 

Pretty flowers sent from my parents.

And a sweet teaspoon from my friend Karin.

New Orleans

I still haven't knit anything new since the last time I posted anything. I've been having a weird pain in my right wrist as well, which bothers me when I'm not even using it for anything (lovely). ANYWAY! I went to visit my parents in Florida. I left 4/13 and returned 4/20. I had the best time. We went on a 3-day trip to New Orleans!

Crawfish salad. Mom's is shrimp!

These funny little bubble dogs are all over the place. They are made to look like Mardi Gras beads. I should have stopped to read the little sign, but I didn't, so I had to Google what they were all about. "Last year, LA/SPCA took in more than 7,000 unwanted, abused, or neglected animals, and found homes for over 1,600 of them. So when you see one of the bright Paws on Parade bead dog sculptures around town, the organization hopes that maybe you’ll smile, and think about ways you could help." from Mardi Gras Bead Dogs.

I had the best time in New Orleans! I'm still totally exhausted (not looking forward to work tomorrow), but it was well worth it :)

So much for knitting..

I still haven't been able to knit. I don't know what's wrong with me, but that craft fair is getting closer and I still don't have enough to participate. Instead of forcing myself to knit, I pulled out the Crock Pot last night and finished up this morning.

Made a whole box of linguine. Divided it up in 2 dishes.. 3/4 in a big one, 1/4 in a small one.

"Cream Cheese Chicken" from my favorite slow cooker cookbook. Looks disgusting, but is super tangy and delicious!

I found this stir-fry recipe on the back of a Kikkoman seasoning mix. I used stew beef instead of chicken.

Nom!

Mystery meal

I know you all know how much I love to knit/craft, but my heart is often in the kitchen. I love to bake, especially. Although I had Thursday off from work due to the snow we received, DH unfortunately had to brave the elements and go to work (3-11pm). Because most of his work is done outside I thought it would be nice of me to make sure he had something yummy when he came home.

Our cupboards (and fridge) were pretty bare, but I managed to whip up a little something delicious. I call it Mystery Meal because I really didn't know how well it would turn out.

I'm happy to say that we both really liked it! Here's what I did:

• preheat oven to 375
• boiled 3/4 package of Wacky Mac (cooked, drained, set aside)
• buttered a dish
• whisked 3 eggs in a bowl, mixed in Italian seasoning and s&p
• added it to the Mac, pour into dish
• cover pasta with a large can of tomato/pasta sauce.. any kind will do.. I used a 4 cheese one I think
• top with cheese (the more the better, IMO)
• 20 minutes until cheese melts a bit and sauce bubbles

I'm sure it would taste just fine without the eggs, but I wanted to give it a little more density. I'm sure DH would have liked some meat or something in there. Or a sauce with meat?

And then, because I'm that nice and had just one egg left, I made him some chocolate chip cookies :)

Hello March!

Here in Maine we are welcoming winter (finally) and March with a bang! We're supposed to get a pretty good storm.. the Elementary school that I work at in the afternoon is closed, as well as the YMCA so I don't have to work at all. As you can tell by the photo below, I didn't even bother opening up the door. This photo is just the beginning! I'm a little excited, as this has been a very, very mild winter for us and our first snow day!

My front porch.

"Mommy & Me" cable and lace hats

I was recently asked to take part in a craft fair. I said I would and then couldn't bring myself to knit anything! These hats are all I have been able to make. I start something and then rip it out and start again or start over. The fair is in July so I might be able to still do it if I can get my butt in gear!