Weekly progress update - 4.27.23

 Hello everybody!  

It is time for another update on my crafting.  It has been a pretty good week.  I've made progress but I didn't take pictures of all of the stuff I worked on.  

I did make progress on the Rose of Sharon block but it's not that exciting to see so I didn't take a picture.  The only thing I have left on that block are some of the leaves and then the geometric design.  I won't have it done next week but it won't be too long before it is done.

I *did* keep up with the Blackwork Stitch a Long.  Here is a picture showing 17 of the 56 blocks.

There is still a long way to go before I can start to work on the final border.  I could do it now but I'm afraid that I would mess it up.  Once I get to work on the second outline of rows I will start to work on the border.  That will be WEEKS away yet so don't hold your breath.  :)

I also worked on the Christmas words cross stitch.  I managed to finish two more words (believe and cheer).  

This week I will start the top row which is Happy Holidays.  When Happy Holidays get done, I will have half of the stitching done.  That will be a good feeling.

Speaking of feeling good.  I've made progress on getting yard work done.  I had taken part of the stump apart.  I tripped and had put my out on the stump to stabilize myself.  It was squishy and before I knew it, I had started to pull it apart with only having used my hands.

Then Dan came over and noticed it.  I had asked him to bring me one of his heavy duty yard garbage bags so I can put some of the stump in it.  Well one thing led to another and before I knew it, he had pulled a crowbar out of his vehicle and started to swing it at the stump.  This was the final result.

When it stops raining, I'll try to get a picture of what it REALLY looks like now.  What do I mean?  Last night Shalom came over and we were chatting about the stump.  He mentioned he thought a sledge hammer would finish the job or even a couple of well placed kicks.  Before I knew it, he went over to it and started to kick it.  Yep, before I knew it the stump was laying on its side.  I made him put it back upright because there is a metal bar next to it and I didn't want anybody to trip over it.  But that is next week.  

I'll end this post with a cute, in my opinion, picture.

Enjoy your week and stay safe.

 

What's cooking this week...

 Another week of meal planning has come and gone with lots of changes.  I don't think I will ever make a meal plan and not adjust it during the week.  So how did I do?  Let's see...

- Shrimp salad - tiny salad shrimp. - yes I made this and loved it

-Tuna salad - or Salmon Patties - I made tuna salad sandwiches and then just ate the tuna salad by itself when I had leftovers and wasn't enough for a sandwich

- Terriyaki Chicken Drumsticks - will have to rethink since I just used my drumsticks to make in a chicken vegetable soup.   Did not happen.  I made Chicken and vegetable soup and had that for leftovers.  First time eating it was regular chicken and veggie soup.  The second time I added some milk to make it more like a cream of chicken and veggie soup.  Third time I added rice to regular chicken and veg soup and the fourth time I added rice and milk to make it more like a cream of chicken and rice soup.  Fifth time I added noodles (a variety).  When I made my Chicken and vegetable soup, I didn't add in any noodles or rice or anything.  That way when I had leftovers I could just add whatever for that day and not be stuck with the same thing all the time.  That seemed to work out pretty good.

- Ramen in some mixture. LOL. Not sure what recipe or just regular ramen. - I just had regular ramen soup with some salad shrimp added in.

- Breakfast for dinner - something with eggs but am not sure yet. I need to cook up some potatoes before they go bad so it might just be eggs, potatoes, and onions.  I was getting tired of chicken so I made some super nachos with ground turkey.  YUMMM.  Then I saved some of the mixture to use in tostada's on leftover day.

- I also made Pork Roast and after giving Dan a couple of slices, I still have plenty.  

Snacks were cream cheese on tortilla and another time I made up the tortilla like I do my lefsa (with butter and sugar).  

So what is on the menu for this week?

Leftovers - obviously.   cut up some of my pork loin to use in Pork Fried Rice.  I also thinly sliced some of it to have either in sandwiches or to have with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Other planned meals :

Bean soup - since I picked up some sliced ham to use in it

Salmon

Yumesetti

Burrito casserole - this uses cream of mushroom soup mixed with sour cream instead of a tomato base.  It will also be leftovers.

I know that it will change but that is what is planned so far.  Oh yes, as a back up plan, I will probably have mac n cheese with tuna in it sometimes during the week.  I also will be making some more taco seasoning mix since I am now out as well as probably mixing up another batch of enchilada sauce.  Not sure what else I will make but whatever it is, I'll let you know.  :)

I hope everybody has a great a safe day/week.

Have you seen this? A different way to do binding.

 I saw this a couple of months ago and then lost the link so I thought to post it here in case anybody else is interested not to mention I might find it easier the next time I need it.

This is a different way to do binding.  At least for me it was different.  The binding part starts around the 12 minute mark.  I've tried this and it works quite well and I didn't have most of the stress I get when it comes to the binding part.  Let me know if you've tried it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDShkBwaNok&ab_channel=mysewingroom

Have a great day.

Needle Progress Report- 4.20.23

 I am happy to report that I HAVE something to report.  LOL.  Little things to report but it IS progress.

First up is a photo of my Blackwork Stitch A Long (SAL).  Can you believe that this is 16 weeks worth of progress?  

Overall I am happy with how I am doing on this.  First I'm happy that I am keeping up on it but also I'm happy that what mistakes I made, I can't really see that well.  There is one block that I might redo but I will make that decision later.  This will not be my last Blackwork that I will be doing and I will probably sign up for another SAL if they offer it for free next year.

The other thing that I get to report on is my Christmas words cross stitch.  I had to order the DMC floss (still in shock that I didn't have all the colors for this) and it came is so I was able to pick up stitching again on it.

Sorry for the wrinkles in the picture.  I just quickly took it off the hoop and wanted to show you since it was a Thursday.  The sandalwood color was what I needed to order.  One thing that I like with this pattern is that the backstitching is done at the same time and in the same color as the words so I won't have to go back and do the backstitching.  Next to stitch will be some words in red that go above and around cookies and Seasons Greetings.

I tried to work on my UFO Rose of Sharon block but didn't really get to it this week.  I'll try and do some more on it this week.  I did take a break from stitching this week to go through some of my older patterns/magazines and decided what I would keep and what I would get rid of.  That is hard to do but I am getting a little better at it.  I mean, how many versions of Rose of Sharon blocks/patterns do I REALLY need?  It is more of a want than a need.  

That's about it to report for this week. I am still having around 4 cats that show up for breakfast.  At dinner time it is usually 3 but that's ok.  I sit out there with them in the morning and usually Mama Smidge and Sonny come up to get their morning pets.  Miss Callie lets me pet her but doesn't always stay around or come back in the evenings.  I still haven't seen the new litter from Mama Smidge but  they are around somewhere.

I will say goodbye now and get back to sorting through things and putting in some stitches into the Rose of Sharon quilt block.  One day it will be a finished block.

I hope everybody has a safe and great week.  

What's cooking?

 I guess I'm changing my day of food posting to Tuesdays.  It seems like I think more of what I'll be eating on Tuesday then trying to remember what I wanted to say on Wednesday's.  As always, let's start with a recap of what I ate or planned on eating this week.

- Breakfast tortillas - This turned out so well that I actually made it three times.  Took a Pyrex dish, sprayed it with non stick vegetable spray, and then put in a tortilla.  Next comes your toppings in whatever order.   I usually had fresh baby spinach, eggs, sometimes leftover meat, and cheese.  Spices were usually garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Baked in 350F oven for around 28 minutes.

- Shepherd Pie - Oh yeah.  I love this dish.  I actually used some of the leftovers in potato soup.  Basically I just added a little water to it when I heated it up on the stovetop.

- Herbs de Provence Shrimp with Basil, Peas, and Couscous - Didn't make

- Sloppy Joes - my three ingredient sloppy joe mix.

- Popcorn shrimp which was already breaded but  not cooked.  I deep fried it.  Leftovers saw in mashed potatoes and pepper gravy over it in a semi knockoff of KFC's chicken bowl.

- Arby's Beef n Cheddar - on the way back from Newbie's Collegium in the SCA.

- Shrimp ramen - with added salad shrimp and green onions.

- Snacks - Wacky cake; cream cheese on top of a tortilla.

and, of course, leftovers.

It was pretty good week for food and found it easier to keep to the food I had planned if I didn't assign any specific day to each dish.

What for dinner in the coming week?  Mostly Shrimp and Tuna.

This week the menus will probably include:

- Shrimp salad - tiny salad shrimp.

-Tuna salad - or Salmon Patties

- Terriyaki Chicken Drumsticks - will have to rethink since I just used my drumsticks to make in a chicken vegetable soup.

- Ramen in some mixture.  LOL.  Not sure what recipe or just regular ramen.

 - Breakfast for dinner - something with eggs but am not sure yet.  I need to cook up some potatoes before they go bad so it might just be eggs, potatoes, and onions.

Last but not least it ....  Leftovers!!!!  Can't ignore them.

This weeks progress...

 This week was a busy week for me and this weekend will be also so I'm not sure how much I will have to report next week either.  I did get some things done though.

First up is a picture of week 14 of the Blackwork.  I downloaded week 15 yesterday but haven't started to stitch it yet so you'll have to wait for the next update for that.

I am liking how this is turning out.  Each time I look at it I find myself fascinated that I'm still doing it.  LOL.  I did download a couple more Blackwork projects to try and slip in my rotation.  Nothing large but still something a little different.  Wish me luck.

My DMC floss came in so I can now pick back up on doing the Christmas words cross stitch.  I finished another word and the bells.  You can see the new color in the picture (Jingle).  It is a goldenrod-ish type color.  What is nice with this pattern is that all the backstitching is done with the same colors so you can easily backstitch as you go along.

My Just CrossStitch magazine came in the mail and I do a couple of things in that too.  Nothing until I finish the above project done.  I need to do some HAED also but it is nice to have a little less complex pattern to work on.  This seems like it is huge since it is on 14 count while my Blackwork is on 18 count.  :)

The last thing that I have to report on is my other UFO that I am working on.  This is the Rose of Sharon BOM going back to 2014.  I now have the inner flower all done and am starting on the buds and leaves around the inner flower.

This isn't how I normally stitch things.  I normally would do all of one color at a time since I can thread multiple needles of that color and don't have to stop and start all the time.  With this BOM, however, the glue is so old it doesn't want to stick on so I find myself stitching at whichever part seems to be coming up.  The leaves do not like to stay down, even with using Roxanne's Glue stick.  It is another incentive to finish this UFO.

I hope everybody has a wonder and safe day.  I'll see you back here with another update next week.

It's Pre-Wednesday which means...

 I'm going to post my menu ahead of time but before that it is time to look back at what I ate this week.

Wednesday - Mexican meatloaf - I was a little disappointed with this recipe.  It was very loose but leftovers weren't too bad.  I don't have a  microwave so I couldn't reheat it that way and I didn't feel like putting it in the oven so I used the stovetop.  I broke it up since it was kind of broken up anyway, and then added BBQ sauce to it.  It was pretty good that way but it certainly needs more spices.

Thursday - Leftovers -Mexican meatloaf - see above.

Friday - Easy Taco Casserole - Leftovers again.


Saturday - Whatever I ate it didn't stick in my brain long enough to report on it.  

Sunday - Easter - Slow cooker Swiss Chicken, Mashed potatoes because I love them so much, green beans with bacon and shallots. - OMG!  This turned out great!  Nothing negative to report on.

Monday - Leftovers


Tuesday - Leftovers. Chicken and Dumplings that I threw out after two bites and throwing up twice.  I'm ok.  My stomach settled down after it cleared my stomach.

So that was my adventures last week.  This week my adventures, so far, include:

- Breakfast tortillas

- Shepherd Pie

- Herbs de Provence Shrimp with Basil, Peas, and Couscous

- Sloppy Joes

- Alternate/Backup dish - Chicken and Arugula Casio e Pepe (made with spinach instead of Arugula and made with regular chicken instead of rotisserie chicken)

and, of course, leftovers.

Did you notice that I haven't assigned them to a particular day?  I'm hoping that by doing it this way, I won't have to change it so often.

Wish me luck!

Happy Easter

 This is just a quick little post to say I hope all of you have a great and safe Easter.

Oh Dear! What should I work on?

 Another week has gone by and I am finding myself trying to figure out what to work on for this week and month.  

I haven't worked on my week 14 fill for the Blackwork this week so you will have to wait until next Thursday for that update.  It probably won't be worked on until after Easter.  Speaking of Easter, I found some really cute images for Easter and thought I'd give you guys a break of looking at my stuff and instead you can look at some cute pictures.

Isn't this one so cute!  What could be cuter?

Well  I think Smidges new kittens are cuter.  She moved them the other day before the storm came in but before she moved them, I managed to take a couple of pictures of them.

I wish I could curl up like them.  Instead, before I curled up on my bed, I had to clean it off.  I was looking for something and the most logical place to put things once I looked at them is on my bed.  :)  That's what happens when my crafting room is also where I sleep. Anyway, while I was unloading the bed, I ran across another UFO (what a surprise...not!) and thought I would bring it back out to work on again.  It is cross stitch and once finished I will probably frame it.  Of course that is what I am thinking now but you know me.  When it comes to actually doing it I might change my mind.

My goal this week was to get the string of red bells completed and I met that goal.  Now it gets to sit a little bit since I had to order some more red and hazelnut floss.  With all my floss I have, you'd think I wouldn't EVER have to order more wouldn't you?  Nope.  I do not have enough of this shade of red.  If I had realized at the beginning how much red it would take, I would have changed the red to 498, which is the color of red my cone of red floss is.  Oh well. I will have it soon enough.

In the meantime, I can work on the next UFO Rose of Sharon block dating back to 2014.

I have the outer red of the main flower done and will soon work on it again.  The smaller pieces don't what to stay fused down so I will have to get out my Roxanne's glue stick and use that in a couple of places.  I actually think I might take off some of those outer leaves (top and bottom of picture) because they just glare out at me.  I'll see when I get that far.

After Easter I will be getting my sewing machine back out.  I have some things that I need it for.  That might not be this week though.  I also want to work into the rotation my reindeer table runner.  That will be done by hand.  I'll let you all know how the week goes and what gets worked on.  

So, until we meet up again, have a safe and great Easter.

Another week of menu ideas coming on board in...

3...2...1...

Yes, it's that time of the week where I post how I did with my menus last week and what I expect to eat this week.

Wednesday - March 29th - Yumesetti - it was taking up space in the freezer.  I didn't have the Yumesetti because I noticed that the salmon I took out of the freezer had thawed quicker than I anticipated.  So I put the Yumesetti back in the fridge and decided to cook the salmon.  I made up some salmon seasoning and used that on it.  I fried it in a pan and also had spinach with garlic and salt.

Thursday - March 30th - Pork chops with green beans

Friday - March 31st - Leftovers. Probably Yumesetti since I only thawed out 1 pork chop.  This time I actually DID have the Yumesetti.  

Saturday - April 1st - Potato Soup  I was going to have the potato soup but my friend Dan stopped by with Pizza Hut meat lovers type stuff crust pizza.  Yummm.  Obviously it would have been rude not to eat it with him.  Especially since he also brought me two 2 liters of Pepsi.

Sunday - April 2nd - leftovers Smoked Polish Sausage

Monday - April 3rd - Spaghetti Casserole Potato soup or Cheesy potatoes foil pack Mac n cheese lasagna - turned out pretty good.

Tuesday - April 4th - Leftovers. Leftovers will always be on the schedule for Tuesdays so that I can clean out the frig before taking out garbage. :)

So this brings us to a new week of menu ideas.  I already know that I will be changing up my meal plan but for now it stands like this:

Wednesday - Mexican meatloaf - I will have to wing this a bit since I just discovered that I don't have a loaf pan.  Still it is meatloaf and I shall probably make it in my 9 x 9 pan instead.

Thursday - Leftovers - I will still have leftovers from the mac and cheese lasagna I made on Monday as well as the meatloaf.

Friday - Easy Taco Casserole

Saturday - Leftovers probably from all of the above dishes.  LOL.

Sunday - Easter - Slow cooker Swiss Chicken, Mashed potatoes because I love them so much, green beans with bacon and shallots.

Monday - Leftovers 

Tuesday - Leftovers.  Yes a second day in a row from leftovers since I was making new dishes and might forget to freeze some...if I have room in my freezer.  I might have to switch up Tuesdays leftovers with Chicken and Dumplings that are in the freezer just to make room for other things.  We'll see how it goes.

That's what currently thinking of for meal plans this week.  How are your meal plans going?  Do you have company coming over to your house for Easter Dinner or do you get to have a break from cooking and go some place else?  

Curious minds, like mine, want to know.  

Have a great and safe week everybody!