Storage Wars

Look in what used to be my dining room and you'll see hundreds of plastic bags laying around, some in piles and some just thrown on the floor.  I'm going to turn them into plarn for my crochet projects, but right now I have a storage problem.  When I finally get around to cutting up all those bags, I will still have a storage problem.  And, it isn't my only storage problem.  I have potatoes that I just canned that need to be put up.  I have yarn, I have lots of stuff that needs to be put away.  My goal for February is to come up with unique storage solutions and to get some of those bags cut up.

Update on Recipes

At the beginning of the month, I said that my goal for the year is to cook different recipes, never cooking the same thing twice.  Well, it's almost the end of January, and so far, I have managed to stay on track.  I have also made 4 new recipes this month. 

My favorite by far is French Toast Casserole.  The recipe is from Bon Appetit, Y'All: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking by Virginia Willis.

French Toast Casserole

4 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 loaf brioche or challah bread, sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices - I used challah (egg bread)

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pure Maple Syrup

• Combine the melted butter and sugar in the bottom of a baking dish.
• Make a nice even layer of the mixture to cover the entire area.
• Arrange the bread slices on top, squeezing them in place.
• Whisk the eggs, add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans.
• Pour over the bread, letting it soak in.
• Top with pecans and cover with plastic wrap.
• Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours - I refrigerated it for 5 hrs.
• Set out at room temperature for 20 minutes before popping into a hot oven set to 350 degrees.
• Bake until lightly browned and set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove and slightly cook if you can wait a few minutes.
• Serve hot or warm with sorghum, cane or maple syrup - It didn't need any syrup.
• Serves 8

Check this out!

This is such a cool idea.  When I saw it, I knew that I had to make one of my own.  So I did, and here it is!

An Alternative to Swiffer Sheets

If you're like me, you have a Swiffer Sweeper, or some variation, in your cleaning arsenal.  I have to admit that I like my Sweeper; it's easy to use and it works!  I'm less enthusiastic about the sheets; I'm always having to buy new sheets and it's just more waste.  I've tried recycling the used sheets in my compost pile, but I'm not thrilled with the results.  So, I have two problems - the cost of replacement sheets and how to dispose of the used sheets.  

While browsing the internet, I came up with a great solution - I made my own Sweeper covers.  I got the pattern from www.favecrafts.com.  I'm including the pattern, along with pictures of my home-made sweeper covers below.  This is an easy crochet pattern.

Instructions:

Main piece:

Chain 37.

1st Row: (RS). 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook.  1 sc in each chain across.  Turn.  36 sc.

**2nd Row:  Ch 1.  Working in back loop only of each sc, 1 sc in each sc across.  Turn.

Repeat last row until work from beginning measures 4 inches (10 cm).  Fasten off.**

Sides (make 2)

Chain 12.

1st Row: (RS). 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook.  1 sc in each chain across.  Turn.  11 sc.

Repeat from ** to ** as for Main Piece.

Join Sides to Main Piece: Place 1 side at each end of Main Piece and pin outer edges together.  With RS facing, join yarn with slip stitch in any corner.  Chain 1.  Work 1 row of sc around outer edge (through both thicknesses of Side and Main Piece at each end), working 3 sc in each corner.  Join with slip stitch to first sc.  Fasten off.

 

Unconditional Love

I spent the weekend with my daughter and her fiancee doing a little shopping and a little wedding planning.  When I got home this evening, my two dogs, Ruby and Chopper, were waiting for me.  What a welcome home!  It amazes me how much these two animals mean to me, and even more, how much I mean to them.  They love me unconditionally; I mean, no matter how bad my day has been, they're always at the front door to greet me.  I have a favorite chair that I sit in and somehow, one or both of them manages to squeeze in beside me.  They love me if I'm grumpy or tired or smelly from working out in my yard.  I don't have to dress to impress them and they're always there for me.  What a wonderful gift from God!

My Life thru a "magnet-fying" glass

I was preparing dinner and I went to get  milk out of my refrigerator when I realized something.  My refrigerator is covered with magnets and in those magnets is a part of my life's history.  My very first magnet, a girl holding a rolling pin with the words "Wendy's Kitchen" on it - I received it as a wedding gift along with a cookbook and a box of spices.  "Mike's Kitchen" used to be next to it, until Mike left and took his magnet with him.  There's a small cross-stitch house with the word "Welcome" that I made for a grandmother and which I took back after her death.  Bittersweet memories.

There are pictures of my daughter when she played soccer and a note that says "I love you mom" from my now grown-up daughter.  My son is in the military; he bought me an "Army Mom" magnet which goes with the "Support our Soldiers" and the "I Love My Soldier" magnets.

There are magnets from places I've visited like Providence Canyon, GA and the Utz Potato Chip Factory in Hanover, PA.  There are magnets that I've received as gifts from far-off places that I've only dreamed about, like Hawaii and Italy.  There are business card magnets for pizza, the vet, the electric company, and the doctor (on the side of the fridge).  Magnets which reaffirm my faith are scattered throughout the other magnets on my refrigerator.  My newest magnet I received as a Christmas gift - "I love my granddog".

And there are shoes!  I love ANYTHING in the shape of a shoe and over the years, I've collected quite a few shoe magnets.  Again, some of them I've bought myself and some of them are from friends and families.

Amazing isn't it, how such a small thing can bring back such powerful memories of your life.

 

21-Gun Salute

My son is in the Army and is currently stationed in Afghanistan.  He's on his third deployment and will be home in July, just in time for his 21st birthday.  I've decided to make him a quilt.  I want to incorporate items from his sister, his aunts, his grandparents, and his childhood.  I've never made a quilt before, so I'm going to make it a simple block pattern.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be gathering my materials and cutting out the blocks.  Stay tuned!