The rain has stopped and the sun came out...YEA!!! I decided to do some baking today and here is the result.
This is a recipe I got from Farmgirl's site and gave it a try. I had to tweak a few ingredients though but it still came out yummy (thanks Susan). I didn't have enough blueberries so I used strawberries as well. The recipe calls for a tsp. of almond extract and when I opened mine it was evaporated.....guess I don't use almond extract too often, huh? In it's place I used a tsp. of lemon extract and that did the trick. I also used steel cut oatmeal rather than old fashioned, but I figured the steel cut was plenty old fashioned enough. They taste delicious, neither too sweet nor too lacking in sweetness because after all, if it's a dessert type bar, I want it to taste like a dessert or what's the use, I ask you.
I had lots of strawberries to use up so I also made some preserves to use on bread and possibly even put over ice cream....peach, that is! Yum, yum, although I can only have a very small amount of any and all desserts but I do look forward to each bite and savor each one completely. Gee, ya'think I like sweets just a little bit? 
It has been raining pretty much non stop for 5 days now here and things are getting a bit dicey, to say the least. Many people are having flooding and now there's talk of possible evacuations for those living near water in our area! I hope it doesn't come to that for those of you who are in the above situation and at this point, I'm praying for sunshine to come back again.
Here we have the Bunny Boy in all his relaxed glory insisting that the cat toys he laying on are HIS, HIS, ALL HIS. Sorry, B-Boy, but you're already spoiled along with your sibling, Trixie, so these are going to some kitties who don't have it so good. Let's not be so selfish Mr. B and let's try to remember to help out those poor, sometimes forgotten pets that are waiting for someone to take them home and love them. Rebekah is the sweet person who is organizing a critter charity drive here and I think she is so special for doing so. I'm crocheting a little snuggle blanket for a pet and hoping I will get it to her in time for the cut off date, which is July 15th. If you'd like to participate in this worthy cause, there's still time so check it out.
I continue to work on my UFO's but there's not much "growing" going on. A little bit here and a little bit there so I just need to enjoy the process and not be overly concerned about the finishing date. Isn't that what our wonderful knitting craft is all about....the pleasure is in the process. :)
Oh, and one more thing.......I've been remiss in thanking the kind Yvonne for making my button with the yarn and needles.....I love it, Yvonne and bless your heart. Right now she's not taking any more requests, but if that changes in the future, I'll let you know.
Until next time dear knitters, be safe, be happy, and knit on!
I'm into the sock yarns in a big way right now for some reason. Maybe it's because it's summer time and hot as blazes and these babies don't make me hotter while knitting them, or maybe it's just because there are so many fabulous sock yarns out there to choose from. I must confess that I'm not doing my yarn stash any justice because I bought 2 skeins of new sock yarn which I needed like a hole in the head but what can I say.....only fellow knitters can empathize. The yarn pictured above is from Fleece Artist and it's a merino sock yarn which is so lovely to fondle that I know it will make comfy socks. I think the colors will be pretty neat as the sock starts to take shape.
Here is the other skein which is alot like the Opal "Owl" colors and since I love those colors I figured I couldn't go wrong with this especially since I got it on sale! Yes, there's a sale on certain Regia sock yarn and Opal as well here. The sale price is good and since one skein of each makes a pair of socks, it's a win win situation! 
I wound up sending the Opal "Owl" sock to the frog pond because there was something odd going on with the cast on edge which I kept fiddling with and knew I wouldn't be happy in the end, so I ripped it out and will begin anew. As soon as there is enough progress to report on, I'll post some pics.
Other than that, it's a birthday today for someone I love very much.....my oldest son! So, "drum roll please"...........
Happy Birthday, J. and many more xoxoxo
Of course, my kids think I'm going crazy with a knitting blog but since they don't knit, they don't understand. Now, if we were talking golf or basketball, that would be another matter, I'm sure. I always ask them if they've checked out my blog and they give me that look that says, "are you serious". The only exception is my darling daughter who checks it out from time to time and only has nice things to say! I guess it's a girl versus boy thing, who knows.
So, I will bid you adieu for now and until next time, dear knitters (sons and daughters too), be happy, be safe, and knit on!
Here are the socks I'm knitting 2 at a time on circulars. I was a bit hesitant about the garter stitch heel but as it turns out, I like it! I tried them on and it feels very soft and cushy which can only mean comfort. 
I've also been working on a pair of Opal socks which I couldn't resist beginning because the colorway of this Opal is soooo lovely. It's from the Rainforest collection in "Owl" and I think this has to be one of my favorite Opals I've seen. I'm only 2" into the ribbing, but here's a close up in any event.
I've also picked up a Fair Isle Vest I started quite some time ago. Granted, I don't have much to show you here, but I hope to work on it when I'm in the mood for a challenge and I want to knit with a Shetland wool instead of a thicker type wool. It's a nice blend of colors and I really like the design which is from Meg Swansen at Schoolhouse Press.
I have more than enough to keep me busy although when I look at some of the talented knitter's blog pages and see what they churn out, I wonder if they knit night and day, or else they are quite speedy. I think it's great and what I really admire is the actual "finishing" of projects begun, one at a time. I can't seem to get into that because I get bored working on one thing and have to put it down after awhile and go onto another project. The drawback, of course, is that I don't finish things as swiftly as I should and that "should" is the law according to MOI.
Wasn't I saying something about being kinder to ourselves and less demanding, just as we'd be for a friend or loved one? I better start taking my own advice! I'll keep you posted with any and all finishing as it occurs. In the meantime, here's some food for thought:
"O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us, to see ourselves as ithers see us"!
Robert Burns
Wow, I sign on one day and everything I've put on my blog page is in tact.....the very next day, there's nothing but "oops, your link to this picture is missing" messages all the way down the page! What's up with that anyhow? I have no idea why that happened but if anyone could give me some idea of what may have gone wrong, I would really appreciate it. It took me quite some time to put everything back and heaven knows I don't need to take more time away from my knitting than necessary. :) We've had lots going on this past weekend and the time flew by. I didn't get any knitting done because we had my son and sweet DIL here for the weekend and we were just too busy partying! It was party here, party there but we were up to the task. My youngest son and his fiance (what a sweetie pie she is) had their engagement party Saturday evening thrown by 2 of his brothers and their wives, and it was a blast. Everyone had a great time and the two families got along really well which is a bonus. Then Sunday we celebrated my DH's birthday with dinner out and lots of laughs there as well. This morning it was time to go to breakfast with 3 of our kids and the coffee was flying, trust me!
It will be back to watching the food intake for the foreseeable future so that I can concentrate on losing some of this flab (not a pretty picture, believe me) before the wedding, which is a little less than a year away, so I do have time. I just have to make sure I use that time wisely.
I'm beginning another book today so I can meet my summer reading challenge. Sure hope I can get some knitting in, though. I'll keep this short today and wish you all a wonderful week with all the things that make you happy and until next time, dear knitters, knit on.
Ahh, the good life as seen through the eyes of "sister and brother", perched on the couch!
Tonight I'm in the contemplative mood, so I'll share with you a few thoughts on life, in general. First of all, remember this: we are here to do the best that WE (as individuals) can do on this earth. That doesn't mean "perfect", it just means our best at a given moment, which can vary from day to day.
On one day our best might be meager, but on another, we reach unkonwn heights, and so it goes. Let's try to be as kind to ourselves as we would be to a friend, an acquaintance, or even someone who is a stranger! Isn't it odd how we can be all the above to others and yet fail to give ourselves basic kindness and understanding? Rather we come down harder on ourselves than we would on a total stranger? I say, it's time to STOP that and be kind to ourselves so that we can pass even more onto others in this "vale of tears". Just my thoughts on this eve of the first of June!
That's my story and I'm stickin' to it, as they say, so until next time, be happy, be kind to yourself and to others, and knit on!
