Vacation's Over

Good morning all!  I am trying my very best to be cheerful on this Monday morning that finds me back to work after February break.  And-to top it off, I have a dentist appointment this afternoon(what silly person made that appointment for today??!!)  My youngest got his driver's permit over break(yikes) and the next day, he came down with the dreaded stomach bug.  I felt so bad for him.  It really wiped him out for several days.  I decided to put some highlights in my hair and ended up way too blonde for my liking.  Hubs says he loves it and I can't tell if he is just being nice.  I ran into two co-workers at the grocery store and they didn't mention my hair at all so I feel that is a sign that it is not a becoming change.  Oh well, enough of the blahs and on to the fun stuff! 

I was very fortunate to have won a giveaway from Tiff at Folded Gingham.  I was beyond thrilled.  Hers is one of the first blogs I started following long before I started blogging myself.  I felt like I knew her a little bit from reading all this time.  Thanks Tiff. 

I continued on my journey with my serger and made the second recommended project.  I made 2 rice bags for my boys.  I changed the thread to coordinate with my fabrics and had a little trouble this time, but I got out the handy cd rom that came with it and found it a little easier to follow than the directions in the book. They turned out pretty well and I enjoyed making them.  They were fairly easy and my two guys liked them.  My oldest is playing arena football right now so he was using mine all the time and appreciated a more masculine covered one of his own!

I also made a really cute fabric basket.  I found the pattern on a sewing calendar I bought this year.  A friend of mine had last year's calendar and she mentioned it to me so I looked for one this year.  Every three days, there is a cute idea to sew.  I used cat fabric(naturally) for my basket and I can keep my knitting in it or my cat's growing number of cat toys!  

Speaking of Mickey, here is a picture of her sitting on my dresser among my Disney Haunted Mansion collectibles.  For some reason she puts on her stern face when the camera comes out!   

I hope everyone has a wonderful week.  Take care.  Nancy

Oh by the way, I am thinking of purchasing a Tempurpedic Cloud bed-anyone with experience willing to let me know their opinion?  Thanks.    

Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day.  My little ones at school had their party and exchanged valentine cards.  They were all so excited!  

I painted a cute night light for my craft room.  It looks like a sewing machine doesn't it? (I am my worst critic!)  I am really enjoying getting back into painting. I have all kinds of projects lined up.  There are so many things I want to make for Spring and Summer, inside and out.

                                                  

I have an amazing recipe for you.  It is called Spaghetti Pie.  I know the picture may not be the prettiest, but it really is yummy.  First, I saute a chopped onion, chopped green pepper and a can of sliced mushrooms in a tablespoon of olive oil and a pat of butter.  At the same time, cook a pound of spaghetti.  Drain the spaghetti.  In a large bowl, whisk 4 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk.  Add the cooked spaghetti and the sauteed vegetables to the eggs and milk.  Combine.  Fold in 1/2 pound diced Velveeta and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  Spoon into a 13 x 9 dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Press down with the back of a spoon.  Bake 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Cut into squares and serve with warmed Marinara sauce.  Even the leftovers are good!      

 Well, I bought a serger book and decided to follow the path advised by the author.  I am starting at the beginning and building my serger skills and knowldge with each project.  I started with a project I didn't really want to do, but it was the suggested first project, so I found a place for it.   

It really was easy and it was fun to get a feel for the machine.  I was surprised at how much thread I went through but I love the neatly finished edges. 

 This is the book I was telling you about(I know, I know-another book!!)

TaDah!! I made a cord cover.  I had some fabric left over from pillow covers I had made so I thought-why not use that?  The serger is really pretty cool.  I have a question for all you serger users: Should I get an attachment for my vacuum to clean it out after each use or use canned air?  I have read both suggestions.  The book above said canned air just blows all the fuzz and strings into the mechanisms of the machine and cause trouble but the serger manual says to use that.  I saw a cute vacuum attachment for less than $10 that said it was for just this purpose.  Please let me know what your experience has taught you. 

Have a great week everyone.  Happy crafting and take care!   Nancy

This Blog is Working!!

 I finished a couple of projects this week, one that has been hanging since 2001!  More on that in a minute. 

I was able to finish knitting my "fleece yarn" scarf.  It turned out so cool.  The fleece made a knitted fabric that is dense so I know it will be very warm.  It was slightly bulky to work with but definitely worth the effort.  I love it.  It has a hole knitted into the pattern so it closes itself.  The nubby texture makes it really different from any other scarf I have.  If I had the patience, I think this technique would make a nice bath mat or rug for in front of the kitchen sink!  If you are a knitter, you really should try this.

Now onto the 10 year old project that has been hanging on.  I started painting this lamp in 2001.  It has four sides to represent each season.  I had all but one finished.  I don't know if it has been this blog or my new craft room(or both), but I have been able to actually finish my projects.  Finishing this reminded me how much I love tole painting.  I see much more of it in my future.   

I bought a book with simple serger projects to dip my toe in the water of serging.  I hope to do one of those this week.  My oldest son turns 20 tomorrow so, with that and appointments and work,  it will be a busy week.  Speaking of my oldest, he snapped this picture of me and my Mickey with his cell phone.  Mickey looks like a ghost kitty and frankly, I hate pictures of myself, but I thought I would put it on here.  The candlestick lamp in the background was replaced with my new painted one to give you an idea of where I put it.    

We had a mini blizzard Saturday night and I am a little disappointed it didn't happen on a school day so we could have had a snowday(ha ha) but I hope wherever you are the weather isn't too difficult and you are all safe and warm.  Take care.  Nancy