Garden rug update

I’ve still been working away on the garden rug when I’ve had time.  ( I really am trying to make a little time to hook now and then) Last time I met with a few friends, I worked on adding more knots to the mullein flower.  Tying the knots and getting them to be the right shape and then stitching them on is very tedious….I thought it better to work on those while I was hooking with a few friends rather than doing it while I’m at home by myself. If I work on things like this when I’m home alone I get frustrated and end up finding something else to do. It doesn’t look like I have much to go, but there are about 20 more knots to make and attach. YIKES!

Something about the chattering of girlfriends and a little wine helps me forget how tedious the task is.  However, it is satisfying to put it down on the floor and see how many I was able to stitch on in a night’s time.

In this photo, it looks like a lot of the background is black, but it’s really a cool spot dye with dark purples and greens….I’ll have to try later on and see if I can get a better picture of that color.  Looking at it in a picture, I think I’m going to add rusty orange iridescent beads to the coneflower heads. I love a touch of sparkle!

Since I’m getting so close to completion of this panel, I’ve decided to show you the other panels in this series.

Yes, my husband drew these, based on his garden! I love his whimsical drawings!

To be thrifty with the linen I just can’t help myself  I’ve had Kenny draw them all on one piece of linen…..this gets a bit “bulky” to work with at times…..like wrangling a calf while you hook!

To give you an idea of how big this is, the square slate tiles on the floor are 16” x 16”….so pretty large when it’s on my lap.  I’ve been using legal clips to keep it under control while I’m working on it.

Here is a better picture of the dark part of the background…dark, but really rich!

While I was hooking last week I was introduced to this recipe that now I’m TOTALLY in love with!

Marinated Cheese!

Sandy made this and hers was so pretty…just like this picture.

Here is the recipe from www.allrecipes.com one of my favorite recipe sites!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 (2 ounce) bottle diced pimento, drained
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons minced green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cold

Directions

1. In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the olive oil, wine vinegar, pimento, parsley, green onion, garlic, sugar, basil, salt and pepper. Shake vigorously to blend. Set aside.
2. Cut the block of Cheddar cheese in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch slices to form squares. Repeat with cream cheese. Arrange cheese squares alternately in a shallow baking dish with slices standing on edge. You can arrange in a single long row, or 2 parallel rows depending on the size of your dish. Pour the marinade from the jar over the cheese slices, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or overnight.
3. To serve, remove slices to a serving platter so they are still arranged in an alternating pattern. Spoon some of the extra marinade over the cheese, and serve with crackers.

 

Here is a picture of mine….you might say a bit more rustic! I don’t have the patience to make those pretty little rows! Plus, it still tastes the same!

I had some fresh mozzarella cheese balls that were really pretty bland, then I added in cream cheese and Montico cheese.  I’ve tried this with just plain white vinegar and also white balsamic vinegar…I really think you could use any kind of vinegar that you have on hand and it would be great!  I also didn’t use fresh parsley or dried basil (out of both)…instead I used Italian seasoning. Put it on crackers or toasted slices of French bread or just plain French bread (the plain French bread really helps to sop up the oil/vinegar left in the bottom of the dish)….yes, I’m addicted and starting to feel more like myself!

Fall pics from a mid-day walk

Sunday, we took the dogs to Phelps Grove park for a walk....they weren't very motivated, so it was a great time to take some pics of the fall foliage before the leaves started to fall.

I just love walking in the fall. The cool, crisp air.
The leaves crunching under your feet.

The smell of the dry leaves mixed with smoke from the chimneys.

The way the sun is not quite so bright and it gives everything that romantic, hazy look.

Watching squirrels busily collecting acorns.

Have a great day!

Lil Bit adopted!

Yay! Another homeless dog has found a home!

Blessings to those who adopt!

I found it!

Thanks to this wonderful guy above,

my husband,

I think I found my mojo last night!

He took me downtown to see all the Halloween revelry in downtown Springfield.....

did it matter that almost everyone downtown was half my age?

Not really.

(Okay, those 21 year old girls have some really nice legs that I don't think I could get back if I exercised day and night!) And, I think my hair even half-way cooperated with me last night....

maybe I'll keep working on

growing it out.

We went to Trolley's and because we were older and told them we were going in to eat (which we did), we didn't have to buy the $15 pub crawl ID bands

and we got a window seat

so we could watch the people inside as well as out on the streets.

If you look REALLY close at the picture below you can see a HUGE, TALL glass of beer that these folks were drinking out of....they were having so much fun!

I couldn't get my flash to work, so the pictures are dark, well, it WAS dark....but fun!


A lot of people have been asking for photos of the re-worked fireplace....TA-DA!
This room is very lodgey and Kenny doesn't hunt, but it's got a nice cozy feel to it.
Next on the list....
gas log
and cleaning and sealing the slate floor one more time for good measure
before all of the furniture goes back in.
I love cleaning and sealing...
NOT!


So much better than the before
I hope November is off to a great start for you.

We should all start out with some clean SLATE!


Go forth and be creative,
Tammy

Has anyone seen my mojo?

I'm feeling more and more like I've lost or misplaced my mojo......

Maybe it's all the home remodeling going on and feeling like I'm tied to my house every single day that I have a day off.

Sure, there are always things that need to be done around here....but I'm just so tired of HAVING to be here...it's getting on my last nerve!

Or maybe it's that I'm trying to let my hair grow out and that is also getting on my nerves.....I'm seriously thinking of going back to short.....

I miss my short hair...

it was so easy,

so quick,

so chic....

now I find myself spending so much more time trying to get my hair to do something...anything....

hot rollers,

curling iron,

hairspray....

it's just so freakin' tedious!

Sorry to rant, but just had to "get it out of my system".

29 Day Giving Challenge

My friend Sheri at Shabby Sheep invited me to be a part of 29 Day Giving Challenge. This involves giving something away every day for 29 days…..it can be money, clothing, a smile, sending someone a card….the possibilities are endless.

Give one thing away each day for 29 days. Why? Because to see your world change, you have to DO something to change your world.

Today, I paid for the lunch of the person behind me in the lunch line at work. It was fun, just to see that unexpected smile! Maybe that will inspire that person to do something nice for someone else today….I hope it does.

Can’t wait to think of something to do tomorrow!

Find more videos like this on 29-Day Giving Challenge

This is based on the book

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Going with the Flow

Well, I'm trying to go with the flow of the universe this week.

The guy who was going to do our fireplace was going to come on Wednesday, because it was supposed to rain that day..

...instead, it's supposed to be sunny on Wednesday

and rainy today.....

yep, it's rainy.

Fortunately, I was able to trade days off with one of my co-workers and be home today for him to work on the fireplace.....just one problem-o.....
we thought he was going to make a false front for the fireplace
and he thought that we were doing that part.....oops!
However, he has a friend who needed some work who is a carpenter, so the guy drives down from Joplin, about an hour away, and things are starting to move along now....YAY!
Since the guy drove so far I'm going to see if I can also get him to do our baseboards today while he is here....that would be awesome!


Here is the BEFORE picture of the fireplace with a lot of the stone laid out in front of it....I hope to have an AFTER picture for you tomorrow.

So what to do on a rainy day when you have to be home from work and hang around while your house is being spruced up?.....I'm thinking hook!

So, I'm sitting in this recliner in the bedroom hooking away on the garden rug

while the dogs sleep the day away Why is it that any time you put a rug down to take a picture, it always ends up with a dog on top?

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Things are coming together

Hey all, just checking in.

Things are moving along with the den remodeling....finally!
The floor is in and grouted and sealed....YAY!
Wednesday we should have the fireplace done and then we need baseboards put in.
Needless to say, blogging has been a little lower on my list this week.
What I've been up to:

• sealing the slate floor
• picking out fabric and trim for the bottom of the hooked foot stool
• reading
• cooking
• space clearing

It's all good!

One of the books I started reading today:

Will write more later this week.