New Glasses and New Progress---Kate Spade

I've made some progress since last posting! I'm still working on the top down section with a lace border. I have about 30 rows left ( or when I have 191 stitches on the needles) until I get to all lace charts.

 And.........this will be my first project reading charts instead of written instructions.

A bit of a curl right now and hard to display but it's uber soft and buttery.

You can see at the beginning how the edging will look at the top and sides from the beginning.

So pumped about my glasses getting here in the mail this week!

 I ordered some readers and this time went a little out of my comfort zone for bigger lenses in size but I heart anything Kate Spade!

She mailed them to me like this AFTER I opened a box full of all different colored glittery paper.

I'm a sucker for packaging. I jumped up and down like a little girl. 

I love the detail she put on the outside of the wrapped part.

These are great quality. I used them today while knitting on the back porch. Hubbie likes them.  Alot. 

The inside of the case is so cute.

It's time for dinner and some knitting. I hope to get the first section completed by the end of the week if possible. 

Miss Abbie is hiding her treat bones. Yup, just don't shake out the throws on the sofa around here because you might just find one or two of them. :)

Hope your Saturday evening is a delightful one too.

Watching the sunset over the mountains, good food, a good book, good companionship, and knitting are my favorite simple ways to enjoy a Saturday night.

Tomorrow after church, a trip for fresh veggies. Maybe I'll take some pics!

Till later,

Jennifer

PS  Don't forget to take your vitamins.

Monday Musings--a compilation of home working

Monday started with Banana bread breakfast this morning.

 

I baked a DOUBLE recipe of Banana Bread Friday and here is how fast is flies.

Out of the oven

 

24 hours later

and 48 hours later...........it goes fast!  That's why I doubled the recipe. It is a simple one I found in a very vintage recipe book from 1979. The name of it is "Think Christmas" and was compiled and published by The Junior League of The City of Washington, Inc. I've had it for about 5 or 6 years now found in a junkin' store.

 

 I really needed a few more bananas but I made do with what I had.

 

The basic recipe is :    (remember to double if making it in a cake pan)

1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter, softened
2 eggs, well-beaten
3 large bananas, mashed or 6 small ones
1 tsp of baking soda
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of chopped nuts (I used pecans)

If using for only this recipe and not doubled,

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
Cream sugar and butter
Add eggs and bananas
Add sifted flour and soda
Add nuts and mix well
Pour in greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Now, when I doubled it, then I poured all this in a tube pan and baked at 300-325 instead for about 1 hour 10 minutes or so.

Makes great dessert, or a breakfast bread or a good midnight snack!!!! You can also freeze some of it.

On the stitching front, here is my progress on At Home with Jane Austen.............(designer, The Sampler Girl)

I finished the flower motifs and now on the last band of flowers at the end.

 

As for knitting, I have started and now have sections of a scarf I'm putting together with some serendipity.

 

I will combine all the sections. I found this wonderful FREE Chunky Lace Scarf pattern on You Tube over the weekend and it's a 6 row repeat.

 

Here is one section of the 6 rows. It makes a lovely scalloped pattern. I will do another row or two of this and decrease gradually to fit the gartered sections on each end.

 

 

I'm using straight needles for this because I don't have a 13 circular, I so wish I did!!!!!

I adjusted the pattern by decreasing by 10 cast on stitches and still this is a cramped fit on my 14 in straights.
I "unbunched" some stitches to show more of the lace pattern.

I would love to work this pattern on circulars in a shawl. This pattern practices ssk, ssk2p, YO, K, P.

You can find the pattern here  http://www.thecastingoncouch.com/ along with many others.
This is under freebies. It will also lead you to the You Tube tutorial. Please don't make the mistake of just Googling Cast on Couch as it also leads to some kind of porn videos.........wacko and not intended at all.

I like to follow her knitting as she knits like I do in English style.

Speaking of English style, there was a great replay of the last episode of Downton Abbey last night on PBS and another show for sneak season 4 previews. I LOVED IT. I didn't love watching the death of one of the main characters, Matthew, though. They said season 4 will start 6 months AFTER this happens, so next Sunday night we are glued to watch the new season start.

I hope by this time I am on to model stitching my Downton Abbey design. The colors I chose are so pretty. So, when I finish this band of flowers on At Home with Jane, I will be picking up my design of Downton Abbey pretty quickly. It's a large design. I plan to make some smaller designs from this series in between as well so stay tuned!

Keep calm and stitch on,
Jennifer

Good Eats and Treats

Hi Sweet readers!

It's the day after Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring...... wait.......after lunch today some creatures were stirring.......

Miss Abbie got a new blanket for Christmas!

She even meditated on it today.

Before you get excited about the pattern.....I didn't knit it!  I found this blanket in ivory at a junkin store for 3 bucks. No stains or tears. It is perfect. I couldn't even buy the yarn for that so this is her present along with snackie treats this year.

On  Christmas Eve, she was rocking this for a few.......

She froze for about 15 minutes in one position so we took it off. :)

 

 

 

A big baked ham, cut in slices by the Mr. and I cut up some fresh sweet potatoes to make into a scrumptious sweet potato soufflé.

The recipe is simple but absolutely like dessert.

You bake it at 350.

While oven is preheating, cut up about 8 sweet potatoes after peeling them and washing. Slice and put in a pot on the stove top to boil for about 20 minutes. Drain them. Use enough sweet potatoes for 3 cups.
In a separate bowl put the well drained cooked sweet potatoes in, 2 tablespoons of vanilla flavoring, 2 eggs, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 stick of softened butter.
Use electric mixer and mix well.
Pour into a large casserole dish. I use a clear one.
Then in a smaller bowl make the topping.
Put in this bowl, 1/3 cup of all purpose flour, 1cup of brown sugar, 2 cups of chopped pecans and 1/2 stick of very soft butter. I use the mixer again to make a crumbly topping.
Then pour the sweet potato part in the casserole dish, take a large spoon and just pour the pecan topping  by big spoonfuls on the top.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
For the last 5 minutes remove and put small marshmellows on top then put back in oven for 5 minutes until light golden brown.

 

And watch it fly off the stove.

 

 

Acorn squash steamed. Of course you eat the inner part and it's sooooooooo good. The first time I ate these were when I met my hubbie.

 

 

I also cooked some seasoned green beans.

Tiny buttered Southern tea biscuits....this was what was left of 12.

 

And today putting away all the Christmas décor into closets and cleaning up the mess afterward of just taking it easy yesterday.

 

Gathering all the Christmas stuff from our tree was easy. I just had a 3 foot silver tree out.

Pick it up and into the closet!

 

 

Although the tree was small, we had many blessings to be thankful for.

 

I made some progress on my "girly" thick scarf.

 

I'm using number 13 glass straights.

 

 

A little sparkle to go into the Winter months. I don't know why I'm doing this scarf in sections but I have. I think these will be the middle and then the ends will be chuncky lace sections.

 

Tonight working on some cross stitch while watching The Waltons, and then another long Winter's nap.

 

I hope you had a cozy Christmas too,

Jennifer

 

 

 

 

Making Crunchy Peanut Butter Dog Treats!

Fall is in the air for sure! We are in the 50's at night and quite cool. We had a small fire in the wood stove after church on Sunday just to cut the chill in the house which was so very nice! That and watching the entire miniseries of the Thornbirds was our treat!

Along with happenings in September at the homestead is Abigail's birthday. She is four years old now!! I can't believe it actually.

Out with the rolling pin and making peanut butter dough for treats this morning early. Thought you would like to try them for your furbabies too!

This recipe is simple and if you click HERE you will find a great website from which it came as well as other simple dog treats to make. These put in a little treat tin would be a great little Christmas gift for a dog lover!

This is my crowd pleasers here. Staples at the homestead that we go through quite a bit!

You will need:

1 cup of milk
2 cups of flour, all purpose or wheat flour (either works)
1 cup of peanut butter, crunchy or creamy
1 tablespoon of baking powder
a rolling pin
some extra flour for your wood board
and your favorite cookie cutters that are small

So you measure out 2 cups of flour. I've been using White Lily flour since 19.................80 something.

Followed by the 1 tablespoon of baking powder (NOT baking soda)

Stir the 2 dry ingredients well.

Add the cup of peanut butter. You can use either crunchy or creamy. I only have creamy on hand.

Stir by hand until it makes a nice dough.

Flour your surface

Plop out the soft dough and knead once or twice.

Roll out to 1/4 inch thick

The dough is surprisingly not sticky but if so, put a little flour on your rolling pin again.

And cut the little tiny men, put in oven for 20 minutes. I always use parchment paper which prevents burning the bottoms and sticking to the cooking sheet.

If you want really hard treats, cut the oven off at 15 minutes and leave in oven overnight.

Since Abbie is a very small dog, at 5 lbs, I had these 2 little cutters for her. The one of the left I have made treats with in the past but decided to make the little men this time.

They are Abbie-approved! She has eaten 2 of them this morning and loves them.

The smaller treats are good also for rewarding your furbaby for being sweeeeeeeeeet!

And who can resist this face? Standing by the oven while the last batch is baking! 2 is her limit though right now. If she is a good girl, they will be in her treat tin.

Saves a trip to town for those store-bought ones!

I hope you have a great treat-filled day!

Jennifer

Sneak peak at Anticipation sampler

Anticipation

 

designed and stitched by Feathers in the Nest

copyright 2013

 

model in progress

in honor of the big anticipation of the Royal Baby and will be for purchase when finished on Etsy or the Feathers in the Nest facebook page..........................................boy or girl?????? well, it will not be long until we find out but certainly this last week has been filled with anticipation if it's a boy or girl baby.

  This pretty little sampler can be stitched in other colors for your own decor, primmed with coffee or walnut stain, or whatever to your liking. I like the colors as is for any nursery or baby gift.

This is a reproduction of an antique design that I've had for quite a while and was found in an antique store.  The colors are similar but not the same.. I added the hearts and the date for the baby's birth month.

 

 

I have always treasured this find! I hope you will like the sampler remake too.

 

 

 

Speaking of sweet, it was our 8th month anniversary yesterday, so by tradition every 20th of the month, I make a dessert. This is a Maple Sour Cream pound cake with hot cream cheese icing and cinnamon on top.

 

It is YUMMY!

 

I best get ready for church now. I hope you have a beautiful day, filled with sweetness.

 

Jennifer