tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86955780424306221502024-03-19T04:44:37.231-04:00A Written RecipeMrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-76580037826481800882016-07-10T00:08:00.001-04:002016-07-10T00:09:31.235-04:00Giving Indian Food Another TryWe don't like Indian food. As a couple, my husband and I had this motto to define us. You see, when the husband and I were in undergraduate school together (before we were even dating), we had this fantastic poetry professor, an Indian man named Saleem. We were a smaller, close knit college and so, for kicks, Saleem took a group of students to an Indian restaurant his family enjoys in Ann Arbor. We did not enjoy it. At all. My then toddler-aged special-needs son was also there and didn't like his food either, most of which ended up on the floor no matter what I did to try to stop the rain of rice from landing on the carpet.<br />
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Fast forward to a year or so ago at work. One of my coworkers, upon hearing the full story assured me that Indian food is delicious and I really ought to give it another try. I held off, worried about the spiciness of curry and the memory of the bad Indian food of my past. Then, in the library a few months ago, there it was on the shelf: Made in India, a cookbook by Meera Sodha. And I decided it was time to get over my Indian food fear.<br />
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I can say this much: we tried a number of dishes in this book and every single one tasted amazing. Bombay eggs were a particular favorite of my son, whose picky-eater status is still very much a thing. (For example, he will eat soft taco shells in a quesadilla but refuses to eat soft tacos. It doesn't make sense to us either.) The recipes in this book were so good that they turned self-avowed Indian-food-haters into a family in love with the idea of Indian night. Go out, get this book, make the food, and savor each spoonful.<br />
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For my birthday this year, I even chose to make Indian food. While I was at it, I turned it into a regular science experiment. With the help of the preteen, I made naan, daal, and even homemade paneer, a soft Indian cheese.<br />
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We made the black daal the day before. Black daal is made from a type of lentil that isn't so easy to find in a normal grocery store. With the daal out of the way, we could focus on the time-intensive cheese and bread. Daal, it turns out, is time-intensive on its own, requiring near-constant stirring during its long simmer on the stove.<br />
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With the daal just needing to be warmed up though, the naan dough was first priority, since dough has to have plenty of time to rise. It said to put the dough in a warm place, so we covered the bowl with a towel and popped the whole thing into the car. It doesn't get much warmer than a car interior in June.<br />
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Next up was the paneer. We chatted with the nice cashier at our local (meaning two towns away) Indian grocer and were informed that the recipe for paneer and mozzarella is the same, only to make mozzarella, you stretch the cheese. Two cheeses for the price of one recipe.<br />
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Making cheese is actually a lot simpler than I was expecting. You heat milk in a pan and add lemon juice. My son was amazed watching the curds separate from the whey, so cheese-making really works well for science in the kitchen. Then you line a strainer with cheese cloth and pour the curds in. The whey runs straight through and down the drain, leaving the curds behind:<br />
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At this point, the recipe said to put something heavy on the ball of curds in the cloth to hope release remaining liquid. So I used the best heavy thing I had handy: <br />
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Then, I left the cheese to sit, by which point it was time for the naan. I rolled up the dough into a number of little balls, which then needed to be rolled out into flat ovals like so:<br />
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Once they were all rolled out, I put them into a hot frying pan two at a time. </div>
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They cook for a few secs on each side for a few flips. It goes really fast and so, never gets boring. There is no wait time. It's like making pancakes on steroids. <br />
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The cheese was finished pretty much at the same time as the naan and the daal, I heated up in a pan while the naan was frying. Paneer looks a lot like tofu and doesn't have a lot of flavor. Like tofu, it seems to take on the flavors of other elements in a dish really well.</div>
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If the cheese ended up a little tasteless, the naan certainly didn't. It was perfect. My Indian food-loving coworker assures me that I got a good char on them. The taste is like a more flavorful, slightly charred pizza dough but better. The daal was rich and lentil-y and utterly delightful.<br />
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Indian food. People weren't making it up. It really can be quite tasty. And not one grain of rice on the floor.<br />
<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-7580999086833641372015-07-03T18:06:00.000-04:002015-07-03T18:06:10.343-04:00A Needle Pulling ThreadThere have been months and gnashing of teeth. It has been a hard thing, this break from blogging, but I have done it. I still have back-blogs half-finished, just waiting for me to remember what needs done to finish them. I will get back into the groove with time.<div>
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On the homefront, though, I can tell you that life has gone on. Though the upstairs nursery/spare room construction is still not totally constructed. It has studs and, trust me, that is a vast improvement to where it was a few weeks ago.</div>
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All the plans I had for maternity leave, those went out the window, along with a lot of other plans, including the timeline for second story construction. They were good plans, but it is important to know when to re-prioritize and the fact is: work and family come first. I did finish the husband's Dr. Who scarf in time for Halloween:</div>
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The girl was also decked out in her knitted finest and ready to exterminate:</div>
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And now, 9 months later, months since I have returned to work, she is decked out in her sewn finest because I, the-one-unable-to-sew-a-straight-line, I, dear readers, have learned to sew.</div>
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This just goes to show you that with initiative and the right book, anything is possible. Even if you have the hand-eye coordination of an intoxicated mole. My right book was <i>Making Baby's Clothes</i> by Rob Merrett. What set this book apart as perfect for this beginner was the step-by-step guides with each pattern. Each step has a handy illustration so a newb like me can see what the heck Merrett means when he says things like "pin the outer yoke to the front and back panels of the dress, matching up the outer edges of the armholes with the reference dots on the yoke."</div>
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I have no idea what that says but when I did what the illustration looked like, it all worked out fine. The pattern I used, by the way, is a plain version of Chiquita Charm with bias tape made from the dress material used for the sleeve holes and a second material used for the yoke and flounce. I also hemmed the flounce instead of finishing the edge with bias tape. I rather enjoy how it worked out, even if I had to rip out the yoke three times before I got it (mostly) right.</div>
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The patterns in Merrett's book are cute, varied, and tackle-able for a beginner. I did find the sizing to range a little large. The dress I made was sized for 9 months and my daughter is wearing 12 month stuff now and it's still a little big for her. Up-side: it should fit for a long time to come.</div>
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Maybe it will fit her when her nursery is finally finished...</div>
MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-40953819170693167162014-10-14T17:31:00.000-04:002014-10-14T17:34:25.901-04:00Garter Stitch Land, Population 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We have finally welcomed a new addition to the household:<br />
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That's the baby girl in the afghan my Aunt Donna made for her. She weighed in at 6 lbs 10 oz at 19 inches long with ten fingers, ten toes, and a slight case of jaundice.<br />
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She's 12 days old today and I'm wondering if I will ever get sleep again.<br />
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Now that I'm on maternity leave, I have big plans for learning to sew, getting a lot of writing done, and most importantly, finishing Art's Dr. Who scarf in time for Halloween. I'm knitting it in various colorways of Lion Brand Wool Ease.<br />
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I'm over 75% finished with the knitting, which is entirely done in a never-ending stream of garter stitch.<br />
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Once the knitting is done, I still have a countless number of ends to weave in and a crap ton of fringe to add to either end.<br />
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Just to add to the garter stitch fun, I'm also working on a baby blanket for the girl using the Elizabeth Zimmerman baby blanket pattern. The construction just seemed fun. It is done up with four squares knit using two triangles. The first you knit one stitch fewer every other row until you are down to about five stitches. Then, the second triangle adds a stitch back every other row until you are back to the full number of stitches. It's small enough to still be portable for the moment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXOOy-5XuZ1nXBucYmHsVRCyzkGfSoDCN6vXLUyAGNr9iVDLwxIk2vDmy77exhXHDdOn5HTlGLacEwR4d-mq1KQm_oAJl-QIekfBkifAGbAAn_V4cQ_EhuvSP7FmTEI3riATeHROYw54/s1600/DSCF4116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidXOOy-5XuZ1nXBucYmHsVRCyzkGfSoDCN6vXLUyAGNr9iVDLwxIk2vDmy77exhXHDdOn5HTlGLacEwR4d-mq1KQm_oAJl-QIekfBkifAGbAAn_V4cQ_EhuvSP7FmTEI3riATeHROYw54/s1600/DSCF4116.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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With all this garter stitch, I have a feeling I'm going to need a more intricate pattern with some stranded colorwork or lace or cables or something and soon. Anything that requires more than the knit stitch and oodles of time.<br />
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But it is nice to work in worsted and bulky weight after finishing that dress and hat set for the baby's home coming day. Better still, the whole thing actually fit her:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31YRyS3GlJpChml5B5DO3_K33ydKjal6R4SboBVf2XgrMYZp_YOBKU5Shyphenhyphenor4cAMIkV8sZ19Q9VG_XrZyAB7qTDCrTMDsuvp8h8ZcFEVTD_VTnVg6g9JYCJP6o5X6nfEJuNhRJ_wYT2s/s1600/DSCF4063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh31YRyS3GlJpChml5B5DO3_K33ydKjal6R4SboBVf2XgrMYZp_YOBKU5Shyphenhyphenor4cAMIkV8sZ19Q9VG_XrZyAB7qTDCrTMDsuvp8h8ZcFEVTD_VTnVg6g9JYCJP6o5X6nfEJuNhRJ_wYT2s/s1600/DSCF4063.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I believe I will be coming up with a hat pattern for this one in due course. I was worried it would be too small, but with some intense blocking, it all worked out in the end.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5wimNqiQ2yWc52aRbbiJ-Zz_OVKGl2G2qa8XiwrIS1b-UaCrzk0sGtw1Uzpj6CxvdymIHI7LIs_Fmlx1l21ZMX1ae7iE5Gv8J7nsS5DVctr6YzWxRb4K-gAM-X43DBdMs4oVWrJ4C9c/s1600/Photo+on+2014-09-29+at+17.02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5wimNqiQ2yWc52aRbbiJ-Zz_OVKGl2G2qa8XiwrIS1b-UaCrzk0sGtw1Uzpj6CxvdymIHI7LIs_Fmlx1l21ZMX1ae7iE5Gv8J7nsS5DVctr6YzWxRb4K-gAM-X43DBdMs4oVWrJ4C9c/s1600/Photo+on+2014-09-29+at+17.02.jpg" height="308" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the meantime, it's just me, the baby, and miles of garter stitch. Wish us luck.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-66909161391870099832014-10-09T21:11:00.001-04:002014-10-09T21:11:05.466-04:00Pacman the Ghosthunter Sugar Cookies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is much news chez Kate, but all in due course. In the meantime, content yourself with a little recipe magic, courteous of the last office potluck.</div>
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I wasn't a fan of the potluck theme, which was to make food inspired by your favorite reality tv show. Only I don't watch reality tv. The closest I come is a youtube only show in which knitwear designers face off to see who will be the champion. It's called Fiber Factor. No one else in the office is going to guess that.</div>
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Ever.</div>
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But my husband really loves watching Ghost Hunters. Sometimes I watch it with him and make snide comments. He doesn't watch it with me very often anymore. Instead we watch things we can both be snide about. Like William Shatner's Weird or What.</div>
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Either way, I needed a food that screamed not only "ghosts" but "I hunt ghosts." Naturally I thought of Pacman and decided to make up a nice batch of sugar cookies.</div>
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Pacman Sugar Cookies</div>
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What you need:</div>
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3/4 cups shortening</div>
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1 cup sugar</div>
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2 eggs</div>
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3 1/2 cups flour</div>
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3 teaspoons baking powder</div>
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1/4 teaspoon salt</div>
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1/2 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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1/3 cup milk</div>
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Plus ingredients for <a href="http://awrittenrecipe.blogspot.com/2011/04/so-sweet.html">frosting</a></div>
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food coloring</div>
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metal spatula</div>
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circle cookie cutter</div>
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1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the shortening through the milk in a large bowl and mix to form dough. Roll the dough into two equal-sized balls. </div>
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2. On a floured surface, roll out a ball of dough to desired thickness.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9Kygb4hLDH3YHPD4qOnuAJnXLfzbpFB2gigDmRnYCjwgibdidK8HaM506rjHDsiIm2fdztbW-Xf85I4Y1-L3V4fIfYQAEC2NJmI6UYAudrMxRzAx6s-QrHLuJGqH6dOgVUCqBTTI2nI/s1600/DSCF3924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY9Kygb4hLDH3YHPD4qOnuAJnXLfzbpFB2gigDmRnYCjwgibdidK8HaM506rjHDsiIm2fdztbW-Xf85I4Y1-L3V4fIfYQAEC2NJmI6UYAudrMxRzAx6s-QrHLuJGqH6dOgVUCqBTTI2nI/s1600/DSCF3924.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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3. With the cookie cutter, cut as many circles in the dough as you can fit.</div>
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4. Remove the excess dough from around the circles. Roll it back into a ball and then roll it out again to the desired thickness. Repeat until no dough remains of the ball.</div>
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5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for the second ball.</div>
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6. Place the circles on a cookie sheet. For half of them, use a spatula to remove a small pie wedge from the circle, like so:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_uUtGn7TklqAQ4RNoD6YyTbVob-u3OMfj63hS60hDVDW_FmM6lNww_Qgas7egYxeZUS5eIlEb93okWxjjbNS6fQq5hiX3uf6aPLLrV5s28ZImnghjUrh91L6ldURTa8roLralS9jrs8/s1600/DSCF3923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1_uUtGn7TklqAQ4RNoD6YyTbVob-u3OMfj63hS60hDVDW_FmM6lNww_Qgas7egYxeZUS5eIlEb93okWxjjbNS6fQq5hiX3uf6aPLLrV5s28ZImnghjUrh91L6ldURTa8roLralS9jrs8/s1600/DSCF3923.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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7. Bake the cookies in batches for 10 minutes each in the oven, set for 400 degrees.</div>
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8. Remove cookies after 10 minutes and let cool.</div>
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9. While they cool, make frosting. Then, separate the frosting into three bowls. Leave the frosting in the first of the three bowls white. In the second bowl, make the frosting yellow (as you see fit for Pacman). In the third bowl, make the frosting a purple-tinged blue. Do this by adding a good amount of blue and then a drop or two of red. Play with it until you get the right color for the ghosts in a Pacman maze when they are safe for Pacman to eat.</div>
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10. Eat the pie wedges immediately. There's no point in frosting so small a cookie and you really really shouldn't have to deprive yourself of cookies for too long. Frost the circles with the missing pie wedges yellow. Voila, you have an army of cookie Pacmen.</div>
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11. Put the blue frosting and white forsting in two separate small ziplock bags. Cut the very tip of one corner of the blue bag. Use it to frost small ghost figures onto the center of each completed circle cookie.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuwsRhBUEtCcDXfHW9yvkv3BTQgyG_4cl4TtzqurEuq1RAhbl3D-9G0Z4k-yjMwT9629VRO030q8bghOnmx7gsl5pATpXgYaG90SzNiKHhas4UgAQsjtf_ETiVBMJ0e8sUaOfyHCSeAU/s1600/DSCF3932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisuwsRhBUEtCcDXfHW9yvkv3BTQgyG_4cl4TtzqurEuq1RAhbl3D-9G0Z4k-yjMwT9629VRO030q8bghOnmx7gsl5pATpXgYaG90SzNiKHhas4UgAQsjtf_ETiVBMJ0e8sUaOfyHCSeAU/s1600/DSCF3932.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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12. Once all the ghosts are done, cut the tip of the white bag and add two eyes and a squiggley mouth to each ghost.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1CwMeEQcYj5pAg_nulrwpuHIizyYRTMmdPwyMy5-fUyCcwSshbmUV20P3vMaoCEikQ6qK-fjpcWPxWP95ApYme-4XkoKj6NASNmw4Of-e_8Da4-nt3yW7tzhouVRl6dB8qvcKCyF1gc/s1600/DSCF3933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit1CwMeEQcYj5pAg_nulrwpuHIizyYRTMmdPwyMy5-fUyCcwSshbmUV20P3vMaoCEikQ6qK-fjpcWPxWP95ApYme-4XkoKj6NASNmw4Of-e_8Da4-nt3yW7tzhouVRl6dB8qvcKCyF1gc/s1600/DSCF3933.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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No one at the office guessed that my show was ghost hunters, but it's enough that my cookies were adorable.</div>
MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-21957630489119473352014-09-29T16:20:00.000-04:002014-09-29T16:20:20.649-04:00More Baby Knits (and Construction)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, I'm in labor over here and have been for a week. Alas, it's early labor so I'm just biding my time, wondering if this day will be the day these contractions start kicking it up a notch. My hospital bag is packed and every morning, I have to take my toiletries out of the bag and then put them back in. It's a barrel of frigging monkeys.<br />
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The good news about the baby wait is the upstairs is not ready for her to be here yet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNGmmO1fZwbFr20rqh27sCONoNSfk0MTTyKffD_32Y4leDK0X9-jUp6rWHRfL4EPNwQNvS2dRSSSWcMZhNKOS7NuykUGNoFY2yFJEgeIc1qWElf_kfsigQ10MvYgIgjaLjGjU5c7JfUU/s1600/DSCF3965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNGmmO1fZwbFr20rqh27sCONoNSfk0MTTyKffD_32Y4leDK0X9-jUp6rWHRfL4EPNwQNvS2dRSSSWcMZhNKOS7NuykUGNoFY2yFJEgeIc1qWElf_kfsigQ10MvYgIgjaLjGjU5c7JfUU/s1600/DSCF3965.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Baby's room</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZu1n-QTyQ49l43pkUbhYdrrZL4U1Pi6FqYpzP3LOw5D-v536oV-uw1kKQnJuMETqyHFs040DtZV5J56CwzyK4PX0_XFw2Vm8ItVQ5IvhB202wYvbI1sAizWebRX8LzN9dFfhEnGTtWw/s1600/DSCF3966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzZu1n-QTyQ49l43pkUbhYdrrZL4U1Pi6FqYpzP3LOw5D-v536oV-uw1kKQnJuMETqyHFs040DtZV5J56CwzyK4PX0_XFw2Vm8ItVQ5IvhB202wYvbI1sAizWebRX8LzN9dFfhEnGTtWw/s1600/DSCF3966.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Baby's closet</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ812p5joB_j4freya8F59RDigU0dKa1XiO6p9_ODMGvg2Ea5zlifpdIMcaOoQ5QW_KTyYGHNgjFVy2a-xlURaKSoMjgznGuwOw-hU4lQoDOhy7ThgfCAEzJdc-c7jOmRi4DivUtigEHk/s1600/DSCF3967.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ812p5joB_j4freya8F59RDigU0dKa1XiO6p9_ODMGvg2Ea5zlifpdIMcaOoQ5QW_KTyYGHNgjFVy2a-xlURaKSoMjgznGuwOw-hU4lQoDOhy7ThgfCAEzJdc-c7jOmRi4DivUtigEHk/s1600/DSCF3967.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Guest room</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDZE_U4INQS7Gq0pl7fK_0T3c-kvYFdRvYnrr8bJDNXxclYDd9Z4DsIS0YVW_n-Fe0DtpyJyihU_kUE4beDfzdjE_AfnyYGAlh0bzpyEaGkM3_w4HnOY-a3JiGUHMKoenJvw8z9pLHNs/s1600/DSCF3968.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDZE_U4INQS7Gq0pl7fK_0T3c-kvYFdRvYnrr8bJDNXxclYDd9Z4DsIS0YVW_n-Fe0DtpyJyihU_kUE4beDfzdjE_AfnyYGAlh0bzpyEaGkM3_w4HnOY-a3JiGUHMKoenJvw8z9pLHNs/s1600/DSCF3968.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And all together</div>
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Granted, since the taking of these pictures, the plaster and debris have all been hauled out to a dumpster, but it's still not exactly a heartening site.<br />
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On the knitting front, there has been much progress. I finished my <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/her-first-party-dress">Her First Party Dress</a>, blocked it, and added a cute little black ribbon with white hearts on it that my husband actually picked out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPYQ8aPDf6A3w1zIEAS8vaWoGcjtBsR6LHpuysl0Yuu1-qMbv3Z3rBVZ1OFBMXC9NIBc5wcDdDZmmg4u5tlKqYh4lpNuExGgeYDf0eKIslVo1QJppyhPybXp5xeBbGKMXV_oN1Rs-4pI/s1600/DSCF3985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPYQ8aPDf6A3w1zIEAS8vaWoGcjtBsR6LHpuysl0Yuu1-qMbv3Z3rBVZ1OFBMXC9NIBc5wcDdDZmmg4u5tlKqYh4lpNuExGgeYDf0eKIslVo1QJppyhPybXp5xeBbGKMXV_oN1Rs-4pI/s1600/DSCF3985.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I didn't knit this one up like it was stated on the tin, mostly because I don't understand why anyone would knit this flat when it is clearly an in-the-round sort of design. Thus, once I finished the yoke of the dress, with all it's cabling, I converted the rest of the pattern to be knit in the round. I also changed the bottom ruffle from what it was to a cable that sort of matches up with the yoke. A little pearl button from my mason jar o buttons and voila.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1ttbla9OqTBk38BUY9qcs5whOsfFDs671TXO_HOfXKILyAk1PApCnmyuM3ITTamq14Tq_OBogLmgxy14m23D0TaAWPsMC2MjXh_BwKOzOBjzLoI762-JUi3dc9YIHG-_THzdMFWYguE/s1600/DSCF3986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1ttbla9OqTBk38BUY9qcs5whOsfFDs671TXO_HOfXKILyAk1PApCnmyuM3ITTamq14Tq_OBogLmgxy14m23D0TaAWPsMC2MjXh_BwKOzOBjzLoI762-JUi3dc9YIHG-_THzdMFWYguE/s1600/DSCF3986.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
This dress is packed in the hospital bag, along with a matching hat I created the pattern for that the blog will see in due course. I don't have pictures taken of it yet because it only just finished blocking.<br />
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I also finished a quick little<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/wash-cloths"> Washcloth</a> I knit mostly to use up bits of worsted weight cotton scraps. It worked like a charm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrtW8WgJ5ljnwEiztspfaorOENQynsRZnm2jDi_mmMwEnrmc_nZcpRYdvmvU7KNcXrFqwIM-WcxL0FGeX7UT6MsQsA-tscq7oW17XGfmHAJ7_lQ3vFtprF53f0EOWd6yIA5AxDBcWU9U/s1600/DSCF3957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKrtW8WgJ5ljnwEiztspfaorOENQynsRZnm2jDi_mmMwEnrmc_nZcpRYdvmvU7KNcXrFqwIM-WcxL0FGeX7UT6MsQsA-tscq7oW17XGfmHAJ7_lQ3vFtprF53f0EOWd6yIA5AxDBcWU9U/s1600/DSCF3957.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I also used up a skein of self-striping baby yarn I got on clearance but really ended up not caring for a great deal to make some <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/essential-leg-warmers">Essential Leg Warmers</a> and a matching hat. With the hat, the leg warmers look at least a little less strange.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftUtFBXcfNJHlysc-h1yY6yL4deBpaEfC569Dwj0Ke_Lw8JZuv-VHQMGf4nsMrSpix-NJgIuO4RSfewasvYPaM651WQu_Uqcu4bCMr7bwRzIYH__MzW_YJ9JwQwFz8kLOil8zg9Lde98/s1600/DSCF3975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftUtFBXcfNJHlysc-h1yY6yL4deBpaEfC569Dwj0Ke_Lw8JZuv-VHQMGf4nsMrSpix-NJgIuO4RSfewasvYPaM651WQu_Uqcu4bCMr7bwRzIYH__MzW_YJ9JwQwFz8kLOil8zg9Lde98/s1600/DSCF3975.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Finally, there is the baby's <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/projects/MrsZuvers/mummys-little-dalek-jumper-doctor-who">Dalek Costume</a>. The dress is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mummys-little-dalek-jumper-doctor-who">Mummy's Little Dalek Jumper</a> but the hat I created the pattern for myself, and I'll be sharing it with the general public soon. I think I'll wait and see how it actually fits on a baby's head first.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsE3GPq6OMfl6hL-dk5ECCnO-kM7MI0OdpQUO6g0xcWBElcjUq0HZyW-VwLkRN0zzEyvGBLQ-ciW_0KXhWw2nOKZJKSDsCwWm0V0AtvwLDN1E39MAYJxkjOSRmcltCdSxbtN6rjpu8dM/s1600/DSCF3964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIsE3GPq6OMfl6hL-dk5ECCnO-kM7MI0OdpQUO6g0xcWBElcjUq0HZyW-VwLkRN0zzEyvGBLQ-ciW_0KXhWw2nOKZJKSDsCwWm0V0AtvwLDN1E39MAYJxkjOSRmcltCdSxbtN6rjpu8dM/s1600/DSCF3964.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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Of course the knitting is far from over. In fact, I have already started on the Doctor Who scarf my husband requires to complete the baby's dalek ensemble. Then, of course, there will likely be frantic Christmas knitting while on maternity leave.</div>
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For now though, it's just a lot of waiting. Oh and contractions.</div>
<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-34065183465366640412014-09-11T14:46:00.000-04:002014-09-11T14:46:00.891-04:00Using up the Zucchini<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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August has passed and the end of gardening season is upon us. It was a late start, with the lack of hot nights in the early part of summer, a lot of the plants just didn't get the opportunity to flourish. The tomatoes, for example, never really turned color except for one or two weeks. Instead, the green tomatoes I kept hoping beyond hope would ripen started rotting on the vine. Near the start of fall though, things really started to get going. Especially the squash. We have more squash now that we know what to do with, of both zucchini and scallop/patty pan varieties. There's plenty of kohlrabi and the tomatilloes are finally filling in their husks. The peppers are coming in and sadly, a large rabbit has completely obliterated the broccoli.</div>
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In the front yard, there is chocolate mint. Oh is there chocolate mint. And I have been delighting in mint tea, with and without chamomile. Since the chamomile never grew in, I have to use tea bags to get my chamomile fix. The mint leaves, though, I just pluck off the stem, give a wash, and throw in my Teatanic tea infuser, a lovely novelty gift given to me by a friend who shares my love of bad puns.</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QT2JEb36JNzLk6-ialcG4MaOpSo-EdBk7yV787nsa-wrJwMXBDPjUjY50-KbdQDVzp8Ti8X6szwmrKRAOYWHyTeHHtf0mVztVZYcZvcu4_fEkLopYhSlNA7q-Umbbcs04haD44SoPtQ/s1600/DSCF3881.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
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It sinks every time.</div>
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To use up my plethora of zucchini, I decided it was finally time to try out the recipe for <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/recipes-summer-zucchini-chocolate-chip-cookies.htm">zucchini chocolate chip cookies</a> from Barbara Kingsolver's Animal Vegetable Miracle, one of my favorite books on food and eating whose website features an easy print version of the recipe, which I have conveniently included above.<br />
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We also took this opportunity to use our handy food processor for the first time ever. It was a wedding present, I do believe, but since we lived in an apartment when we got hitched, there was no counter space with which to use the food processor and it was just relegated off in a cabinet, never to be used. When we moved into our house, it sat there on the counter and I would say, "You know, honey, you should really use the food processor to shred that" and the husband would poo-poo and say it was easier to just do it with our manual shredder.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiorAPWZ3-DFKwDBkGDX4ZwuYFSjFDZFQ302qewfUWd2IRavYXVlclzBDXhjxZNS2IF4I-KXYMTZCEr4Ha7rTYxFnBN7YzOUumstkzuCwRZ7nUVXaOIcvatIm1wMtmLvezs1cxeveuBcM/s1600/DSCF3886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiorAPWZ3-DFKwDBkGDX4ZwuYFSjFDZFQ302qewfUWd2IRavYXVlclzBDXhjxZNS2IF4I-KXYMTZCEr4Ha7rTYxFnBN7YzOUumstkzuCwRZ7nUVXaOIcvatIm1wMtmLvezs1cxeveuBcM/s1600/DSCF3886.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I'll have you know, I was right. He was wrong. And we have much shredded zucchini bagged and stuffed in the freezer for future use. The cookies were delicious.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0elCtW0DXdVnLnbyYRmfexMGwrFv6rLlITLe61Gq9W4QAXMU7obXVWZfSUigXok7hCRgEH5I5kO_XPXbqBzbqoNFjJXx1wpx6t9HoNKdN_5dRITqLhJOaumz3iqVBVdjApEqGaB9Opv0/s1600/DSCF3887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0elCtW0DXdVnLnbyYRmfexMGwrFv6rLlITLe61Gq9W4QAXMU7obXVWZfSUigXok7hCRgEH5I5kO_XPXbqBzbqoNFjJXx1wpx6t9HoNKdN_5dRITqLhJOaumz3iqVBVdjApEqGaB9Opv0/s1600/DSCF3887.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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And because I had a family reunion to attend in which a dish to pass is required and a mass of shredded zucchini. I baked some zucchini bread too, using my mother's recipe, passed down from her mother. The best thing about these sorts of recipes is that they give no real instruction and often interesting directions. For example, I had to call my mother and ask if by "Crisco oil" she meant "Crisco" as in shortening or vegetable oil. She meant vegetable oil. Why it was necessary to specify a name brand, I leave for you to ponder, but I have left off the name brand placements in my recipe here.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWeF9Ms3dU9WqpQIY_4RasdA_m_frQd68qj-QjGRWJ9SFBe73iLeXl1b1epcBWiS5KPAlw_eemxcvklWb1U3pKlcIZmEFhIdLawoeTcikPX6R9aaH9P5bdywchcGtTEnLAxn5RTtct2o/s1600/DSCF3889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWeF9Ms3dU9WqpQIY_4RasdA_m_frQd68qj-QjGRWJ9SFBe73iLeXl1b1epcBWiS5KPAlw_eemxcvklWb1U3pKlcIZmEFhIdLawoeTcikPX6R9aaH9P5bdywchcGtTEnLAxn5RTtct2o/s1600/DSCF3889.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Mom's Zucchini Bread</div>
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3 eggs</div>
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1 cup vegetable oil</div>
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1 and 1/2 cups sugar</div>
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2 cups shredded, unpeeled zucchini</div>
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1/4 teaspoon baking powder</div>
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1 teaspoon vanilla</div>
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2 and 1/2 cups flour</div>
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1 teaspoon salt</div>
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1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda</div>
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2 teaspoons cinnamon (I tend to be more liberal with my cinnamon)</div>
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1 c chopped nuts (optional)</div>
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Mix together in a bowl, pour into two greased bread pans, and bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for one hour, or until the top is firm and golden brown.</div>
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Easy peasy and delicious. Some of my more modern recipes in the recipe box require stapling on an extra index card to fit all the instructions. Not the good, old-fashioned recipes of my childhood. They usually contain no instructions at all on the back, just a list of ingredients on the front with a notation for the number of degrees for the oven and length of time in which the baked good should remain in said oven. That's all and sometimes, it's all you should need: a boatload of shredded zucchini, some bread pans, and a list of ingredients.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIzSdQVGTKVMVkHji65VUK6EYuxJr4HRv7aYDmiE3ndAtwHpQdVGYRpNGKp4sJRDyNjAr2h8nRNTekuadQj_fZXKPUwI8veM3a8s8gY7ZPMjTDC7CtD-IN55mzYXY-qCIrcAlAHyR8mA/s1600/DSCF3890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGIzSdQVGTKVMVkHji65VUK6EYuxJr4HRv7aYDmiE3ndAtwHpQdVGYRpNGKp4sJRDyNjAr2h8nRNTekuadQj_fZXKPUwI8veM3a8s8gY7ZPMjTDC7CtD-IN55mzYXY-qCIrcAlAHyR8mA/s1600/DSCF3890.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-1900890113225395232014-08-29T15:07:00.000-04:002014-08-29T15:07:57.260-04:00Preparing for the Baby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here in the rural-end of Cleveland suburbia, we are in full preparation mode. This baby is coming in a month and a half and nothing seems ready, including the house. Demolition of the living/dining room and the second story above it commenced at the start of summer. However, due to the fact that the ten-year-old was home with the husband and needed chauffeured from swim practice to band to summer rec and then still required large amounts of "pay attention to me" time, not a lot of progress happened until recently, with back to school in the air (the school year here starts in the middle of August).<br />
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The house demo has resulted in numerous unexpected surprises, as is the case with old houses and this house in general. For one, the wall between the future dining room and living room, the one we are taking out to make one large great room? The husband sledgehammered through drywall to find a second wall beneath made of plaster and lathe and in that wall:<br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQLKCwWJ2_3lIvf7YiuBHQZ1VA6W0YEztQ9WRHMHBT0FMwnJ-rd8AJT09cJBp_SzD6fqrFcvIwGCQgB3K6hdF_nCwuFZiXJyHrZQQOBFj4BjSPh_gcTRRbrheR9_6xZQLFY-cCsw-h04/s1600/DSCF3911.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></div>
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A large opening. The rooms used to be connected. This has happened twice before to us and has led me to the conclusion that we are not renovating the house. We are merely returning it to its original state.<br />
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In the upstairs, the husband found the original means of heating the second story in the form of a poorly plugged whole in the chimney, sealed behind layers of drywall and plaster and lathe. It was a bit of a sooty mess and plans are underway as to how to properly seal that hole. Also discovered: there is no insulation. Zero. We had planned to have insulation blown into the house after the polar vortexness of last winter, but the budget just wasn't there for it. In lieu of that, we (and by we I mean my husband) are in the midst of ripping out that whole part of the upstairs down to the studs, Then, it's insulate, redistribute wall and closet locations, fix the radiators, dry wall, and paint. Can it happen in a month and a half? Probably not. Hopefully enough of it so that the radiators function by winter. The baby will be in a bassinet in our room for the first few weeks or so anyway, right?<br />
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Because of house is a mess and I'm in serious nesting mode, I got out all the baby clothes and washed all the blankets, socks, hats, and clothes sized 0 up to 9 months. There's a little dresser now set up in our dining room to house the clothes and a garage-sale purchased changing table in the current living room. I also hosed down the car seats, port-a-crib, bassinet, and stroller and washed all the cloth parts separately. The bassinet went in our bedroom, the port-a-crib is back in its box for storage, and the rest is in the garage.<br />
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It made me feel a tiny bit better.<br />
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On the knitting front, it's pretty much all baby all the time. After much procrastination, I finally did the last of the finishing for the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/striped-boatneck-sweater">striped boatneck sweater</a>, started so long ago I didn't know the gender of the baby yet and now done in two lovely shades of Cascade 220:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_mAV5LKLjMuFyx9vO66JsyhR3WD1cuv0Pb3m8E3HAQ7AQ_456yiwVNN3BT0xI1X7WLvzb2uBRVRkNoqixk_d8Nwrv6_sy7Qr0YXKVi9ZHWpj_uBJsK9COn5Rl2XiWT0RzLLK2XrhyphenhyphenQw/s1600/DSCF3915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_mAV5LKLjMuFyx9vO66JsyhR3WD1cuv0Pb3m8E3HAQ7AQ_456yiwVNN3BT0xI1X7WLvzb2uBRVRkNoqixk_d8Nwrv6_sy7Qr0YXKVi9ZHWpj_uBJsK9COn5Rl2XiWT0RzLLK2XrhyphenhyphenQw/s1600/DSCF3915.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daphnes-baby-cape">Daphne baby cape</a> I started and ran out of yarn for, requiring a hurried yarn purchase from a nice lady in Australia, that's done too. All it lacks is the buttons, which I'm waiting on because I'm still hoping to find the perfect buttons. I have some. They just aren't perfect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAp9jVhB3x6oq9sz4VoN7KAwjez9-6jO6Ori_YBkd1eCXsTIK-S55g6vIuI2xgpRJMjgG3iDtyU5b75vqFUYk0gi1jbpf0vzdqqE3fqrR-Pa1va7hDTccl1k59MjJXGAYHAHaDNzMLhg/s1600/DSCF3916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAp9jVhB3x6oq9sz4VoN7KAwjez9-6jO6Ori_YBkd1eCXsTIK-S55g6vIuI2xgpRJMjgG3iDtyU5b75vqFUYk0gi1jbpf0vzdqqE3fqrR-Pa1va7hDTccl1k59MjJXGAYHAHaDNzMLhg/s1600/DSCF3916.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT9TLd4WJffDwu_2b60qrUQG6WbytSnvvX8us85f4h7JcHbKC2vZOzfSQjegoXIgMmFEj04AtQaaOU4GSwBaqg0PmpkbzsNGNeKKxsGnCDeWAuXp0oDLOG3FIfgOsETyOqdUkvh1t1Fk/s1600/DSCF3917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTT9TLd4WJffDwu_2b60qrUQG6WbytSnvvX8us85f4h7JcHbKC2vZOzfSQjegoXIgMmFEj04AtQaaOU4GSwBaqg0PmpkbzsNGNeKKxsGnCDeWAuXp0oDLOG3FIfgOsETyOqdUkvh1t1Fk/s1600/DSCF3917.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Also finished: the baby's first Halloween costume (assuming it fits). The dress is the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mummys-little-dalek-jumper-doctor-who">Mummy's Little Dalek</a> pattern and the hat I created the pattern for myself because I just couldn't find one I liked in the right size. I'll have more on this in a later post.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQBiQQe1_xiWZnuB3I9c7tAavFbKfgQ5iVEcYDVut_fq3f3Ijb4hFqY_radQidUW72rRq0HO43iNTwmxE6CowBKDh8qOnrkIp1t6PsJwIWdy6ulSoBUCLOI86tTG-UpiLcPyzQOYc0nc/s1600/DSCF3919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQBiQQe1_xiWZnuB3I9c7tAavFbKfgQ5iVEcYDVut_fq3f3Ijb4hFqY_radQidUW72rRq0HO43iNTwmxE6CowBKDh8qOnrkIp1t6PsJwIWdy6ulSoBUCLOI86tTG-UpiLcPyzQOYc0nc/s1600/DSCF3919.JPG" height="240" width="320" /> </a></div>
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And these <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/mini-motif-baby-mittens">mini baby motif mittens</a>, done using the Totoro chart. The entire family loves Studio Ghibli and Totoro in particular so it only made sense to introduce it early.</div>
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I took the photo before blocking so the colorwork doesn't look as smooth in the photo as it actually is. The mitts are my first real attempt at stranded knitting and I found the whole experience thrilling. I know want to rush out and knit a complicated fair isle that requires steeking. I won't. But I want to.<br />
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Nothing feels ready but at least this baby will be awash in handknits. That's what really counts, isn't it?<br />
<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-59622254140819809802014-08-27T03:38:00.001-04:002014-08-27T13:38:03.982-04:00Pumpkin and Cinnamon Fun, or Alice's Tea Cup the Sequel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We loved the Alice's Teacup cookbook recipe for my lemon blueberry birthday cake so much that I just new I needed to make a few other recipes.</div>
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First up, <a href="http://www.cookiemadness.net/2010/12/alices-tea-cup-pumpkin-scones/">Pumpkin scones</a>! One of my bosses decided to go back to teaching and for his last usual friday meeting, we surprised him with breakfast. I made these:</div>
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They were good, don't get me wrong, but after the awesomeness of that first cake, I was expecting a bit more. They were overly bland for my taste and the caramel glaze that they recommend for the drizzle didn't really pair well with the pumpkin, in my opinion. They were much improved by a quick batch of homemade frosting, which I spread on right over the caramel glaze.<br />
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Not the best. And for all the work and special ingredients required, I wouldn't bother with this one.<br />
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Instead of a second batch of pumpkin scones, due to this dilemma, I made a nice batch of <a href="https://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32364/old-fashioned-soft-pumpkin-cookies/detail.aspx">pumpkin cookies</a>, my favorite cookie recipe by far. And because of the pumpkin, they are almost like eating your vegetables at dessert.<br />
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In a classic move of redemption through, Alice's Teacup redeemed themselves with their <a href="http://www.framedcooks.com/2010/11/cinnascones.html">Cinnascone </a>recipe, which I made because once you have buttermilk and heavy cream in the house from making bland pumpkin scones, you might as well try to make these. They were time consuming to make, but oh so good and fun. You mix all the ingredients and form a dough, which you then roll out. Then, you make the cinnamony center and slather it on the rolled out dough before rolling it up lengthwise (think hotdog rather than hamburger bun) and cutting the result up into the scones and baking them.</div>
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What really makes these shine is the almond extract. If there's anything better than a cinnamon pastry, it's a cinnamon pastry that also tastes like an almond cookie. I've since made them a second time and learned a secret trick to make them turn out better (I had some trouble with the cinnamon paste running out of the dough while I was trying to roll the scones up. Slather the paste on the dough and then let it sit a few minutes, preferably with a ceiling fan running overhead, to let the paste solidify a bit better rolling. It worked like a charm.<br />
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And nothing does monday right like sitting at my work cubicle desk with a mug of hot chocolate coffee (decaf, no worries) and a nice almondy cinnascone.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-17439118408376920572014-08-14T13:52:00.002-04:002014-08-14T14:08:26.186-04:00Waiting for VegetablesHere in my third trimester of pregnancy and deadline crutch time at work preparing for maternity leave, I've gotten a bit behind the ball again as far as the blog is concerned. This does not mean I've had no content. A lot has happened. Many things have been growing, baking, cooking, and knitted. In addition, there has been home demolition and much washing of hand-me-down baby clothes in preparation for newborn, who needs both things to wear and a room in which to put them.<br />
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So, at the time that these photos were taken, these beautiful lilies were growing right beside my front door, looking ever-so-much like cartoon flowers and not really like real flowers at all:<br />
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And by now, due to drought and changes in weather from cool to hot to cool again, the petals have all fallen and the lilies are just weird stems with nothing attached to them, just standing there awkwardly to greet any visitors that happen by.<br />
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Likewise, the zucchini, which at the time this was taken had yet to sprout a stinking thing, have exploded in vegetable goodness.<br />
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We have no less than seven zukes in the crisper drawer of our fridge now, some of them too large to do anything with but spread and bake. Then, there is the lettuce, which we just planted too much of in our excitement to have a legit garden. I have gifted empty ice cream tubs full of the stuff to various loved ones and still, it grows. Which I'm not really complaining about. At least something is growing back there.<br />
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Because that sums up everything the garden has to offer right now, here in mid-August, with autumn nipping at our exposed arms in their short sleeves. There is proof that action is happening, but little fruits from our labor to show. The daikon radishes sprout these lovely flowers but are not fully grown yet.<br />
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The kohlrabi is nearing picked size but not quite there yet.<br />
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And the tomatoes, despite three tiny red ones, are just a see of green that won't ripen no matter what.<br />
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The eggplants and peppers have flowers but no fruit. The broccoli and okra are large but no veggies. Then there are the tomatillos. They have all these little husks, but when I fondle them, alas there's nothing yet growing inside.<br />
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This waiting game is has gone all summer long and I'm ready for produce.<br />
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<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-72477397790550250932014-07-07T14:28:00.003-04:002014-07-10T12:46:40.628-04:00Making the yarn pretty and hoping for the best, or why I love seemingly useless electric gadgetsWell, it's happened. My agent has received my latest revision and rubber-stamped it. After seven years of writing and revision, my book is "done." I've worked my tail off on this book, going so far as to welcome a slight case of what may or may not be carpal tunnel. It has gone from thesis to novel-in-stories to novel told in chronological order to novel told in stages by multiple narrators. The end has changed a minimum of five times. Two storylines vanished entirely. It took everything in me to shut my creator's brain up and make the needed changes, but at this finish line, I really think the book is better for it. It gained a depth, a cohesion. I somehow took the tangled thread of its beginnings and made it whole, but it wasn't easy. It wasn't fun. No part of this has really been fun. It's just work. But you can't weave a yarn without effort and you can't write one without work.<br />
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I think it's important for people who decide to embark on this journey toward novel publication to know what they are in for. I certainly did not and still don't. What lies ahead? I really don't have a clue.<br />
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In the meantime, I have a new story idea and a novel idea percolating, and while they percolate, I'm spending my leisure time on other endeavors, among those tidying my yarn stash thanks to the new yarn ball winder I got with the gift card my mother-in-law gave me for my birthday.<br />
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I never knew what it was to have a yarn ball winder until now and I can't understand<br />
how my knitting life could have felt complete without it. In minutes, it takes a tangled mess of yarn and turns it into a tidy, center-pull ball. The effort I put in is minimal and the output is so satisfying. It's just the mind-break I needed.<br />
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The first day I got it, I spend the entire evening until bedtime turning my yarn stash into center-pull balls while my husband looked on and watched shows on Netflix. Really, the joy of a seemingly useless electric gadget will take one's mind off the worst of stresses.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-47300203343852189222014-06-30T15:16:00.003-04:002014-06-30T15:18:50.120-04:00The Alice's Tea Cup Lemon Blueberry Cake with Buttercream FrostingThough I turned 30 at the beginning of the month, we had to put off the actual celebration until slightly after the real date of my birth, due to a general state of busy, not to mention the fact that the actual date fell on a Tuesday. Who has time to celebrate on a tuesday anyway? Besides, I really had no idea what sort of cake I wanted.<br />
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A trip to the library sorted that dilemma out in short order. After perusing a lovely cookbook entitled "<a href="http://alicesteacup.com/">Alice's Tea Cup</a>," named after the restaurant owned by the writers of said cookbook, I quickly settled on a lemon blueberry cake with buttercream frosting.<br />
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However, that was far from an easy decision. I have since gone through this cookbook and post-it noted every recipe I wanted to try. The aftermath was a devastation of post-it notes. And if the cake recipe is any indication of how awesome the scones will be, I need to set aside some serious baking time, because this cake was, in a word, heaven.<br />
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<a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/recipes-alice-tea-cup-blueberry-lemon-cake-article-1.187484">Lemon Blueberry Cake with Buttercream Frosting</a> (from <i>Alice's tea Cup</i>) </div>
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I won't be providing the recipe here, because 1. if you want the recipe you should really buy the book and 2. the New York Daily news has already provided it on their website (click on the link above).</div>
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My husband gathered all the ingredients, including the less familiar but happily inexpensive buttermilk (it was my birthday cake after all, so why should I have to make it?). He then mixed it all together.</div>
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He poured a third of the batter into a parchment paper-lined 9-in round baking pan. Then, he did the same for the remaining two-thirds. Since we only have two 9-in round baking pans, this did require a little down time before the third one could go in the oven, but in the end, it worked out fine.<br />
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Then, it was time for the frosting. If you've been reading my blog for any duration of time, you probably know that, in my house, I am the sole maker of the frosting. I just do it better. I followed the directions mostly but subbed in the skim milk we had for the whole milk the frosting called for. I also cut the sweetness with a small handful of flour.<br />
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The actual frosting of the cake was quite the affair. Worried that we would run low, I skimped on the frosting between each layer of the cake, which was a smart move. By the end, I had used every scrap of that frosting to get the cake fully covered, so if you want a nice heaping of frosting between layers, make a double batch of the frosting.<br />
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It turned out just decadent. The cake was crumby but moist and very lemony with the blueberries adding just the right amount of sweetness. The frosting was sweet but not too sweet (thanks to the added flour) and the buttercream flavor paired well with the lemon. I've seem recipes for lemon blueberry cake that uses cream cheese frosting, but the cake was rich enough on it's own without adding cream cheese into the picture. I think that would have been too much. </div>
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Within a week, we'd eaten every bite of this cake and we plan on making it again. It's lemony and sweet and polka-dot pretty. What more could you want in a cake?</div>
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<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-78403530453558503762014-06-16T11:22:00.002-04:002014-06-16T11:22:59.208-04:00A Vegetable Garden and the Need for Fishing LineLast year, our garden attempts had two big problems. One, the bed we used did not get enough sun and so, the harvest suffered. And two, the tomato plants were eaten by deer. When I say that, I don't mean that the deer ate the fruit off of the plants. No, I mean they ate the whole plant, stems and leaves and all.<br />
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There are thick, marshy woods behind our house and they aren't quite expansive and rural enough for hunting. The deer have fairly free reign. Thus, the big fix for this year is designating a sunny section of the backyard for a new, dedicated vegetable garden and finding the appropriate way to fence it to protect the harvest from deer.<br />
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At first, we had plans for a wooden fence with a wire mesh blocking any spacing, but the expense of a fence like that was just to great this year, with all the work to the house that needs done before the baby comes. Then, the husband decided to take the posts to the old tall (and now useless and falling down) fence out back and use those as posts to a deer netting fence. He dug out one fence post hole before that idea got tossed. You see, within a few feet, he hit water. Apparently, setting fence posts becomes all sorts of complicated when there is a marshy woodland area behind your house, as it means your water table may be a tad higher than you might think.<br />
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Then, the husband discovered a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKWsyn9TgHE">youtube video</a> that described one man's method for garden fencing that keeps the deer out. It, essentially, entails using tall metal garden posts every so-many feet. Then, wrap 30-gauge clear fishing line around the perimeter every two feet. The fishing line is strong enough at that gauge that the deer won't break it if they run into it, but is small enough that it's invisible to the deer. They can't see it so they won't try jumping it and tend to give it a wide berth (or so the video claims).<br />
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<br />We got the posts and line up and the plants in this past weekend and as far as I'm concerned, the fishing line is pretty well invisible unless you are really looking for it. In an hour or so time period, the ten-year-old must have ran into it a good five times. I hit my head on the lower rungs a couple times while planting the tomatoes.<br />
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As far as the deer are concerned, so far no plant damage.<br />
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Thus, the garden is planted. Two hills each of butternut and scallop summer squash, four hills of zucchini, two rows of root vegetables (beets, parsnips, daikon radish, and carrots), one row of half cucumer and half edamame, two rows of lettuce, one row of assorted bell peppers, one row of broccoli, one row of kohlrabi and okra, one row of eggplant, two rows of tomatoes, and one row of tomatillos (with a few stray tomato plants at the end).<br />
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We are hoping the fence holds and that the high water table works to our advantage in the plant-growing department. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.</div>
MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-68129455739447295082014-06-13T20:38:00.001-04:002014-06-13T20:38:32.515-04:00Girl Pending: Let the Knitting Commence. Or not.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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We have known for a few weeks what the sex of the baby is, and yes, she’s a girl, which really set up my knitting plan for the next
several years probably. Now, I just need to decide on a nursery theme, because
really? I have an aunt who is very impatient about our indecision in the
matter.</div>
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Though I have yet to sew the sleeves on my unisex baby sweater, I
immediately cast on <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/daphnes-baby-cape">Daphne’s Baby Cape</a> in a red merino blend yarn from my
stash. According to the pattern, there should have been just enough yarn
between the three skeins I had to get the job done for a nice little red riding
hooded cape.</div>
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Inevitable last words: I have just enough yarn.</div>
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Because it will never end up being enough yarn.</div>
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By the third decrease row it was pretty clear I did not have just
enough yarn. In fact, I didn’t have nearly enough yarn. I had only a skein left
and probably half of the cape still left to knit. Also, the yarn? Discontinued.
I hopped online and sure enough, one of the issues people have with this
pattern is its tendency to use up more yarn than indicated. By a hundred yards
or more. </div>
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In desperation, for the first time ever, I used the function on Ravelry
that searches other people’s stashes for yarn. There were six people willing to
sell or trade the yarn I need in the colorway I needed it in (that would be
Country Caron in the Claret colorway). Two of them had multiple skeins: a lady
in Texas that happened to even have my same dye lot and a woman in Australia. I
sent messages out to both and hoped for the best. That same night, I heard back
from the Australian. Shipping over $10 but the yarn was mine if I wanted it. I
held out a day, waiting for the Texan, who never messaged back. Then, I sent
word to the Australian. I was in. The yarn arrived in the mail yesterday and it’s
just what I need to get this cape finished.</div>
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I turned 30 on Tuesday, so I guess you could call this 30 some odd dollar purchase my present to myself. Even though it goes against my whole attempt at destashing.<br />
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And at some point soon, I promise to sew those sweater sleeves on. Really, I have until October. There's still plenty of time.<br />
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-84871252187661904902014-06-05T16:11:00.000-04:002014-06-05T16:11:19.838-04:00Malt-o-Meal Magic MuffinsWell, I'm slightly over 21 weeks pregnant and sometimes, I just want to eat certain foods RIGHT NOW. This has, I will admit, led to a situation once now, where, upon watching an episode of Anthony Bourdain's <i>Parts Unknown</i> and viewing Bourdain partaking of a coney dog, I convinced my husband to go out past 9 p.m. in search of vegetarian hotdogs (no small feat in semi-rural Ohio).<br />
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The hotdogs he brought home, by the way, were Yves brand and I was not impressed. They had funny white pebble things in them that perturbed me slightly. However, they can be grilled, which is not always the case with veggie dogs.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, a craving hit me and all I wanted, right then, was some Malt-o-Meal magic muffins with jam on them. Malt-o-Meal, for the unaware, is a wet cereal mix in the same vein as Coco Wheats and oatmeal. I couldn't tell you how tasty or bland Malt-o-Meal is in this form, however, because, in my family, Malt-o-Meal is strictly purchased for the <a href="http://www.malt-o-meal.com/recipe/malt-o-meal-magic-muffins/">muffin recipe </a>on the side of the box.<br />
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They aren't fancy and they aren't hard to make, not being a from-scratch recipe per say. However, they are tasty sliced in half and microwaved for a few seconds with a dab of butter stuffed between the halves. Or with a spread of good jam. <br />
<br />
Much to my husband's happiness, we actually already had all the ingredients necessary to make these muffins, so I got to baking. Within the half hour, I had muffins in hand, ready to eat. They have a slightly sweet and light taste, but are surprisingly filling despite that, and best of all, they remind me of many a childhood breakfast, waiting for my mom to pull the muffins out of the oven. So really, they taste just a little bit like home too.<br />
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-49273859354598080932014-05-28T19:23:00.000-04:002014-05-29T13:48:08.269-04:00Separating the SeedlingsMemorial day has come and gone and that can only mean one thing: it's time to plant the garden. Unfortunately, our garden isn't quite ready for planting. After a week of straight rain, plus a long weekend visiting family, there hasn't been enough time quite yet to get the sod up and the dirt tilled. It is getting there though. The space in the back yard is marked off and almost half of that space is now sodless.<br />
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(Ignore the loose piece of fence there. The backyard is a work in progress.)</div>
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So far, I can say that the whole gardening from seed idea seems to be a success. I have separated most of the seedlings. I say "most" because I ran out of little pots to put them in before I even finished with the tomatoes and I started with the tomatoes. The finally tally for tomato seedlings is as follows: 4 Bloody Butcher tomatoes, 7 Abe Lincoln tomatoes, 8 Purple Cherokee tomatoes, and 7
Big Red tomatoes. That makes for 26 tomato plants if all of them survive until the garden is ready to be planted. This, of course, does not include the additional 8 purple tomatillo seedlings.<br />
<br />
Upon seeing what we were in for, I sent my husband out to a home improvement store to try to find more little pots, which he did not find. In lieu of those, he brought home a package of blue Solo cups. He then drilled holes into the bottom of each cup and filled them with dirt for me. With these, I managed to get the eggplant seedlings, 16 total, (a mix of Shooting Stars and Black Beauty and I can't tell how many of each because I can't tell the seedlings apart) separated, as well as the 10 Romanesco broccoli seedlings and most of the 9 kohlrabi seedlings (though I may have the two mixed up, as they look very similar as seedlings). By the 19 mixed bell
pepper seedlings, I was using little starter pots from last year and doubling each plant. Finally, I just ran out and left them in their original starter containers.<br />
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(The one on the right is a lone tomato seedling.)</div>
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Those plants in the smaller containers are clearly not fairing as well as the plants in the cups or the updated pots. Since returning from Michigan after Memorial day, though, all the plants grew significantly in size.<br />
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The swiss chard and blue kale seedlings, being cold weather tolerant, I planted in the front bed with the herbs from last year, spinach, raddichio, and cold weather lettuce. There are about 5 swiss chard seedlings and roughly 7 kale seedlings at present. They aren't getting quite as tall as the seedlings still under nightly porch protection but they seem to still be alive thus far. And that's something. The raddichio, however, looks like it might not sprout for the most part, due to mole interference.<br />
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Neither the lavender nor the rosemary sprouted at all. We have since purchased four nice-sized pots for the various herbs, so, unlike last year, I can bring them in when the weather turns cold. The sage and half of the thyme seedlings went in one pot, while the rest of the thyme went in a pot with the rest of the rosemary seeds I'm really hoping at least one takes off this time. If not, I guess I'll have to go buy a starter plant from the local greenhouse. In the other two pots, I put seeds for the parsley and basil in one and seeds for oregano and lemon balm in another. Some green is starting to come up from the seeds in the herb pots but I can't tell what yet. I do know that there is no luck with the rosemary seeds yet. I gather it is not an easy herb to grow in a pot, let alone grow from seed. Time shall tell.<br />
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The lavender, as well as the other seeds, including beets, carrots, parsnips, daikon radish,
zucchini, butternut squash, chamomile, red lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, okra, two varieties
of burpless cucumbers, and
Early White Bush Scallop squash, will have to wait for the weekend. Hopefully the back garden is ready by then and I'll finally have time to plant the lavender and chamomile in the front somewhere.<br />
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And if all those tomato plants live, I might be looking for new homes for some of them. Twenty six tomato plants seems like a few too many for one small family garden. Also this columbine is totally out of control:<br />
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<br />MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-73310504780040045852014-05-12T17:56:00.006-04:002014-05-12T17:56:50.365-04:00A Baby SweaterKnitters, for the most part, tend to enjoy making baby things. For one thing, they don't require as much time to make or as much yarn. For another, they are itsy bitsy and it's just adorable. Also, we like making gifts for people who need and will use them, and there's no one who needs warm wooly things quite like a baby. So when baby showers roll around, we get out our needles and some soft and washable yarn and we make something sweet, a blanket or a hat, something the mom-to-be might like. This is all to be expected (unless of course, we get suckered into a year-long commitment to knit our little brother a blanket, in with case, we tend to attend a few baby showers knitless).<br />
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However, there's nothing quite so thrilling for a knitter as when that knitter has the opportunity to knit up baby things for herself. Now, I'm not saying I got pregnant just to make baby things, but I do have three different books soley dedicated to the making of tiny garments, 2 for knits and 1 for crochet. The crochet one is called "Baby Crochet" and I only have it because it was on clearance really cheap at Borders, back when Borders was still a thing. The two knitting ones, however, I just fell in love with upon seeing and bought for a rainy day (you know, when that rain consists of babies about to be born). The first is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-expectant-knitter/patterns"><i>The Expectant Knitter</i></a> and the second is <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/what-to-knit-when-youre-expecting/patterns"><i>What to Knit When You're Expecting</i></a>.<br />
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When I first found out I was expecting myself, I pulled out both of these books and started paging through them. Then I made a list, quite an expansive list, of all the baby things I wanted to knit, including both those knits I liked from the two previously mentioned books and any patterns I have favorited on Ravelry. It was a massive, completely unattainable list, and a lot of the patterns were dependent upon whether the baby ends up being male or female.<br />
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Of course, I won't know the gender until the 18 week ultrasound, which is, incidentally, happening later this week. There is one thing that I know all babies need regardless of gender: a nice, sturdy woolen sweater. Thus, I picked out two gender-neutralish shades (a bright greeny blue and a gray) of Cascade 220 washable wool at <a href="http://www.mysistersyarnshop.com/">My Sister's Yarn Shop</a> in Green, OH, and I cast on for the <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/striped-boatneck-sweater">Striped Boatneck Sweater</a> from <i>What to Knit When You're Expecting</i>. <br />
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I made a few alterations to the pattern, however, as I much prefer to to stockinette in the round and I used a different gauge of yarn than the pattern calls for. I knit most of the body in the round bottom-up instead of flat and then separated the front and back for flat knitting once I reached the sleeve holes. It should make the making up easier when I get to that stage, since the front and back won't need sewn together. I finished the body a few weeks ago now and blocked it out to see how it will look when finished.<br />
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If it ends up being a girl, I'll probably add a little flower to the bodice or something, but overall, I think it looks rather nice for boy or girl. I had to pause in the sleeves until this weekend to knit up a requested <a href="http://awrittenrecipe.blogspot.com/2012/01/christmas-knitgiving.html">Go Blue Bro Beanie</a> for a (get this) paying customer. My brother-in-law, now a proud postal worker, wears his wool blend beanie all the time to keep his head warm in the winter on his mail route and a coworker of his wants a Michigan hat of his own. <br />
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I still need to add the M in duplicate stitch, but it will be all set to go to its new owner by the next time I head to the mitten. If you want a version of your very own, I might be interested in the business. I'm thinking twenty bucks a hat seems like a fair price.<br />
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I'm hoping to start in on the next baby knit once I know the gender. In the meantime, I'll be swiss darning an M, knitting up some baby sweater sleeves, and getting the garden ready for planting. There are fun things on the horizon.<br />
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-83415876227578458112014-05-06T10:39:00.004-04:002014-05-06T10:39:53.389-04:00Lunch with the Kid: A Wrinkle in Time SandwichesOne of my favorite food blogs (Food Adventures in Fiction) wrote up a recent <a href="http://www.fiction-food.com/2014/04/sandwiches-hot-chocolate-from-wrinkle.html">post</a> that I knew I needed to make as soon as I saw the headline: "Sandwiches and Hot Chocolate from a Wrinkle in Time."<br />
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My son and I read <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i> over last summer and finished the followup <i>A Wind at the Door</i> this winter. Then, his English teacher assigned <i>Wrinkle</i> as their first big book assignment in school. It's safe to say at this point that we are very immersed in this series. At the beginning of the novel, there is a dark and stormy night and the main characters, along with their mother and the ever-important Mrs. Whatsit, sit down to some hot chocolate and their own personalized sandwiches. The recipes in question at Food Adventures in Fiction recreate these sandwiches and a no-sugar, rather authentic hot chocolate to go with them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSJsCiYPNY72dP2CaegpqSOPLreaKOCM3zbgZkGv-Q8FCCgtJSsELAwesjg4hO8ZlLal1C_n4Diwx4ZrP4k8il3D9LEfT3PMAjNJSh6BlWd0qs8ZstyJiZ6ueapL3qVUTXYFhA78fCUw/s1600/DSCF3822.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNSJsCiYPNY72dP2CaegpqSOPLreaKOCM3zbgZkGv-Q8FCCgtJSsELAwesjg4hO8ZlLal1C_n4Diwx4ZrP4k8il3D9LEfT3PMAjNJSh6BlWd0qs8ZstyJiZ6ueapL3qVUTXYFhA78fCUw/s1600/DSCF3822.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>So on Saturday afternoon, when the boy announced he was hungry, I popped open the webpage and showed him the possible sandwich options he might have with his hot chocolate. The Charles Wallace features an open-faced sandwich with fruit preserves (that one was out--the kid doesn't eat jelly) and the Mrs. Murry involves liverwurst (not going to happen), so the boy and I quickly settled in on the Meg Murry for me and the Mrs. Whatsit for him.<br />
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We started with the Mrs. Whatsit, which we agreed would be amended to not include celery. There were still pickles involved and so, green things on the sandwich, so I wasn't going to press my luck by forcing the issue of green things that crunch. The boy added the tuna and mayo into a small bowl and mixed it up himself. The recipe called for diced pickle so we used dill relish, which really amounts to the same thing. I spooned in the specified amount and he swirled that in too, along with a pinch of salt and pepper. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qp2UyoJpl9_hgZ7aP4S0yNcGAStwGveyZBpJglW2y1anWyLnImndE94x1f6MGWigbL0AkDtpHRCSb5l6sSnqoC2H6poMGWSOIDsM0ledJcgYASyhvA6MQdTCsiBIHsODZ_BABa-udb8/s1600/DSCF3825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5qp2UyoJpl9_hgZ7aP4S0yNcGAStwGveyZBpJglW2y1anWyLnImndE94x1f6MGWigbL0AkDtpHRCSb5l6sSnqoC2H6poMGWSOIDsM0ledJcgYASyhvA6MQdTCsiBIHsODZ_BABa-udb8/s1600/DSCF3825.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a>Then, while the boy did the constant stirring of the heating milk on the stove, I put together my Meg Murry sandwich, consisting of cream cheese, tomato, lettuce, onion salt, and pepper on wheat. <br />
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We negotiated that the boy's Mrs. Whatsit could be on a hamburger bun. Then, with the milk heated, I added the cocoa, vanilla, and nutmeg, while the boy stirred it in. Then, mom poured the hot chocolate equally into two waiting hot cocoa mugs. (Yes, we have mugs specifically created to house cocoa, given to us by my generous Aunt Debbie. They are fancy and larger than coffee mugs with a decorative lip at the top. They are awesome. Deal with it.)<br />
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Of course, we both agreed that hot chocolate really prefers to be topped with whipped cream, which was dully added, and then we sat down to lunch.<br />
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The really surprising thing was not that the boy ate a tuna sandwich (he loves tuna), but that he ate a tuna sandwich with relish in it and did not even seem to bat an eye. There's no way that would have happened if he hadn't been eating a Mrs. Whatsit. On my part, I'd never thought to put cream cheese on a sandwich before, and, though the onion salt was a bit much, I loved me a cream cheese sandwich. I can also assure you that a friend of mine tells me cream cheese and pickles make a quite tasty sandwich. I can't wait to try it.<br />
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The kid also proceeded to have a Mrs Whatsit with Cheese. He claims it was even better. You be the judge.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-8861806895960241842014-04-30T20:18:00.000-04:002014-04-30T20:27:28.774-04:00Gardening from SeedsMy dear readers will note that I've been MIA from the blog for almost three months, so it was winter and now the magnolias are in bloom.<br />
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It was a self-imposed sabbatical, partly to get my head around my latest novel revision, partly to deal with a number of family-related events, and mostly, because I have the proverbial bun in the oven and unlike my previous pregnancy 10 years ago (we can discuss my sanity related to this procreation decision at a later time), the first trimester just kicked my behind. At this point, I'm at 16 weeks and only now started to lose that morning sickness, which really just lasted all day. I've been unable to consume chocolate, pineapple, green or black tea, overly tangy food, overly sweet food in moderate qualities, or basically anything that wasn't bland as the driven snow, nor could I so much as stand the smell of coffee. This, obviously put a damper on my recipe options.<br />
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Now, I'm starting to regain my ability to eat more food and I'm not allowed to exercise for at last the next three weeks. Doctor's orders.<br />
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This, however, does not mean I haven't been busy. The first big project of spring has been our decision to start the garden entirely from seed this year. While I'm not allowed to rake, shovel, or touch soil without gloves, I can still plant seeds and watch plants grow. With the help of the 10 year old, I got those seeds that need to be planted indoors ahead of time into a little seed-starter greenhouse contraption we bought on clearance at the end of last year, including Bloody Butcher tomatoes, Abe Lincoln tomatoes, Purple Cherokee tomatoes, Big Red tomatoes, purple tomatillo, Shooting Stars eggplant, Black Beauty eggplant, Romanesco broccoli, swiss chard, blue kale, mixed bell peppers, lavender, sage, rosemary, and thyme.<br />
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Once they started to sprout, which happened in days, the lid came off and now they spent the sunny, warm days outdoors and the chillier nights and days in the indoor porch. So far, only a few seeds haven't sprouted yet.<br />
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I also cleared out a section of the herb/leafy garden to plant the cold weather varietals: spinach, Grand Rapids Tipburn Resistant lettuce, and radicchio.<br />
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The rest of the seeds--beets, carrots, parsnips, daikon radish, zucchini, butternut squash, chamomile, parsley, basil, lemon balm, oregano, red lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, okra, two varieties of burpless cucumbers, and some bizarre looking summer squash called Early White Bush Scallop--have to wait until closer to memorial weekend, when all risk of frost should be behind us. And not all quite all of the plants will come from seeds this year. The parsley (a biannual), thyme, and oregano are still killing it in the herb garden and the rhubarb, asparagus, and strawberry patch has returned nicely. There's even a flower on the strawberry vines.<br />
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We're really going to try to kick it into high gear with the garden this year. I have my canning pot and I'm ready to give it a go. And having purchased all the seeds buy one, get one, there was no monetary reason to hold back. Now, all I have to do is wait for summer.<br />
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-33561338431494192002014-02-15T22:18:00.000-05:002014-02-15T22:18:05.181-05:00My KilldeerWhen last we saw my knitting progress on Canary Knit's Killdeer pattern, I had hit a small snag in the form of a manufacturers knot in my first ball of yarn. I was remiss as to how to proceed and almost set the whole thing aside in favor of a cape more suitable to winter. I was (this) close, but then, I decided to hope on google and look for demonstrations on how to join yarn with a double knot, as this would easily fix the problem without any more ends that need weaving in. I hate weaving in ends almost as much as I hate manufacturers knots in my otherwise perfect ball of cotton yarn.<br />
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After watching the demonstration, it seemed simple enough, so I gave the join a try. I cut the knot from the yarn and took the two resulting yarn ends and I knotted both using the following method:<br />
1. Cross the end under the other yarn strand.<br />
2. Turn it around and cross the end over the other yarn strand.<br />
3. Take the end through the resulting circle of itself and pull.<br />
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A small knot will result for both. Then, you pull on both strands and the knots magically come together to form a very strong join that hardly shows in the finished work, so long as you cut off the ends very close to the final knot. There are plenty of tutorials out there if this didn't make sense to you. Just give it a google.<br />
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I used the double knot trick to join all of my yarn thereafter and had hardly any ends to weave in when my Killdeer was finished. And it is finished.<br />
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I loved this pattern. The shaping gives the cardigan a nice fit, while the short-row detail results in a collar and sleeves with a slight ruffle to them. The pockets, created by knitting an extra patch of stockinette that you then join back into the main garment, were fun to knit. They really made me feel clever when I managed to pull them off.<br />
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It needs blocked still, but there's plenty of time to get that gone. It's February here in Ohio with a foot of snow on the ground (at least) and a consistently subzero windchill. I won't be able to bust out the short-sleeved cotton anytime soon.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-82037689134429606662014-02-06T12:40:00.003-05:002014-02-06T17:58:13.137-05:00Bearing ItI have a confession to make. It is February 6th and my Christmas tree is still up. I have no real excuse for this except for the fact that there are still gifts under it. These gifts will not reach their recipients until I see them the weekend of Valentine's Day. The question now becomes: do I leave the tree up until after V-day or do I just take the thing down now? My work-ethic-inclined self tells me that I should just get it done, but that persistent lazy side says: why not leave it up? I mean, it would be festive to open these last few gifts before a twinkling tree, right? Right?<br />
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Of course, I am dealing with a side-effect to the tree-still-being-up thing: the cat has decided that the ornaments on the lower branches are toys, since they've been around so long. I keep finding them scattered about the tree. I can't decide if I think it's cute or annoying.<br />
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In the meantime, novel revision is in full swing again. I'm focusing mainly on getting the last chapter polished to a shine, but after, there are going to be some tough decisions. I have to figure out how to reconcile what the agent wants my book to be with what my book actually is without losing something essential in the process. I think for beginning writers especially, this is a real concern and I'm not quite sure I know the answer. When does an edit become so all-encompassing that it destroys the book? I know what is sale-able isn't always good (*cough* Twilight *cough*), so I really want to make sure my book becomes sale-able while also retaining what I think makes it worthwhile.<br />
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The next meeting of my writers group, which should have happened yesterday but was postponed due to a minor snowpocalypse, will be comprised partly of going through my last chapter revisions and getting me back on track. Partly, it will be talking about the other writer's work, and partly, it will be a book discussion of Claire Cameron's <i>The Bear</i>, which we got advanced copies of through its publisher. At a time when I could use some fictional motivation but am somehow reading two nonficiton books (one about introverts and one about physics and how the universe is actually a mathematical structure), <i>the Bear</i> felt like a needed change. The novel is about a five-year-old girl and her toddler brother, who are lost in the wilderness after her family is attacked by a bear while on a camping trip. The story itself was rather engaging and I got a special kick out of it after remembering a story workshop I experienced during my MFA. Some guy suggested that the main character of my story--now a section of my novel--should be attacked by a bear. The story had nothing to do with bears and the comment was so out of left field that my husband and I laughed about it for weeks. So here it was, the story I never wrote about a bear attack.<br />
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What really made it stand out, though, was the narrative POV, which was a first person through the eyes of the 5-year-old girl, Anna. Because Anna is so young, there are things the narrative inherently can't do, like use proper grammar or sentence structure or have a basic intellectual concept of the world. She's a kid and, as such, she has a hard time distinguishing present from past. She doesn't necessarily understand what is going on around her. It's just beyond her comprehension, and of course, like all young children, she is very self-centered.<br />
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I have seen reviews from other advanced readers who didn't appreciate Anna's perspective because they felt like her voice was younger than her age or that they didn't buy her responses because they aren't what that reader's own five-year-old would do (because I'm sure your little darling is the epitome of what it means to be 5...). I think those readers started off this book not trusting the writer enough. Anna might have been a little immature for her age (I know plenty of other 5-year-olds less mature than her), but her POV was very consistent. Once you get in Anna's head, you don't get out again. Sometimes, the strangeness of the language got to me because it was so not grammatical, so caught between present and past that I didn't know where I was, but you know what? That's how Anna felt in that moment and that's what she thought. It was simple and honest, and as a writer, I thought the choice to stick with that narrative voice was quite brave.<br />
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As a whole, I quite enjoyed <i>The Bear</i>, especially the last sentence of the epilogue, which just about killed me because I didn't see it coming. It is a story about survival and family, the love between siblings and the sacrifice that parents make for their children. It's not a story I'll soon forget. I hope I can remain as true to my novel as Cameron was to hers.<br />
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Oh, and on a side note, if you are curious and have yet to read it, my first interview as a writer is up at <a href="http://midwestgothic.com/2014/01/contributor-spotlight-kate-graham/">Midwestern Gothic</a>. Now excuse me while I chase the cat away from my Christmas tree.MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-2428999341596705572014-01-28T15:07:00.004-05:002014-01-28T17:55:45.735-05:00Quick Stir Fry, Slawless<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had once again forgotten to make a list while doing a quick shopping trip at the only Meijer near us (which isn't exactly local because it's 30 minutes away but when one can Meijer, one should Meijer, for the produce alone). This sometimes (mostly) happens. Of course, everyone knows that the best way to do the shopping is to make a weekly menu and divine a list of those items needed to make said menu that aren't already in the cupboards/fridge.<br />
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Then, you STICK TO IT. You don't buy extra and thus, maintain some semblance of budget.<br />
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So this shopping trip was not one of those well-planned ones, but we still needed to remain budget-conscious, in light of the bills of Christmas past. We tried to buy sale items only and only necessities. My bakery-made blueberry mini-bagels were both of these things because who doesn't need mini-bagels? I was so excited by the sale, I bought two bags.<br />
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We did fairly well for once (bagels really would have been on the list), mostly because we did not go to the grocery store while hungry. We were practically running through the produce aisle (which tends to be where I find fun ways to spend lots of money. Purple kale, anyone?) when my eye halted on one of those orange clearance stickers. Now, these stickers are a price-conscious shopper's best friend. They mean "this food isn't bad yet but is very-near or just-past its sell-by date so you can have it at a significant discount that will totally be worth it if you eat this item soon, like today." This sticker was on a bag of broccoli slaw mix.<br />
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I've never had broccoli slaw, mostly because I really dislike slaw in general. There's something about vinegary vegetables that just doesn't do it for me. I almost walked right by but then I thought:<br />
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Just because you buy broccoli slaw mix doesn't mean you have to make slaw with it. So I bought that bag and I took it home and made some broccoli slawless stir fry.<br />
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Broccoli Slawless Stir Fry<br />
One bag of broccoli slaw mix<br />
2 cups uncooked brown rice<br />
a random can of beans<br />
whatever sauces and seasonings you want<br />
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1. Make the rice.<br />
2. Fry up the slaw mix.<br />
3. Add in a can of beans and some sauce and seasoning. I used a few twists of my Asian spice grinder (McCormick) and soy sauce. There may or may not have been teriyaki.<br />
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So simple. Also, cheap. Also, broccoli stems are very tasty when cut up into teeny tiny slivers.<br />
Who knew?MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-4714177505617336012014-01-14T22:03:00.001-05:002014-01-15T08:40:07.321-05:00Well this is easy... knot.With a year of Christmas knitting behind me, my options have opened. Inevitably, this has actually caused an increased stress level, as I contemplated knitting All The Things. I want it all, all the patterns I've coveted and purchased in preparation of this moment. Staring at all the things I wanted to do, I was overwhelmed.<br />
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That's why it was actually a very good thing that my boss requested that I make her a hat. We planned it together. She explained what she wanted and I searched for patterns until I found something that fit the bill. Then, because she wanted a flower on it, I busted out my book of various crocheted and knitted flowers and she picked out a pattern for an irish rose. Then, that settled, I grilled her about what she wanted in a fiber, warmth? easy to clean? preferred color? any wool allergies?</div>
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Chat done, I had a solid lead on a good yarn choice that would meet all of her requirements but not break the bank. Yarn prices tend to give the uninitiated-- and the cheap-- sticker shock. She is uninitiated. I am cheap. I settled on a nice bright white color in Lion Brand's Wool Ease, a colorway called "White Frost," that also had a soft halo. For the pattern, I went with <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lotus-hat">Lotus Hat</a> by Uptown Purl.</div>
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This hat served as my just-after-Christmas knitting. I finished it and had the flower sewn on and the hat blocked and dried before the end of my work's Christmas break.</div>
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So far, everyone who sees it either loves it or loves it and wants one. It may end up being the it hat of the season.</div>
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Hat out of the way, though, I wanted to knit something for me. Looking back through my ravelry notebook, I, in fact, discovered that I haven't knitted a single thing for me since I finished my wedding veil, which just seems ridiculous. Until I remember I've been knitting the same blanket (not for me) for a year.</div>
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I thought about starting in on the<a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ice-skating-cape"> ice skating cape</a> from <i>My Grandmother's Knitting</i> using my 10 skeins of merino, but then, I wasn't sure the gauge was right. Plus, I really wanted to finally be able to knit a Canary Knits design, so I pulled out my Village Yarn Bahama Cotton DK-weight yarn and I cast on for <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/killdeer">Killdeer</a>, which I plan to have finished in plenty of time to wear to work in warm weather.</div>
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I'm calling this project, knit specifically for work, Leftmost Corner Cubicle, as that's where my desk is located. The design itself, I'm loving so far. It's obvious that a lot of thought was given to its construction. I did have to frog 10 rows initially because I had a little confusion about the first line of instructions for increasing the yoke. It didn't come out quite symmetrical the way I interpreted it and I just couldn't live with that. I ended up using the following in lieu of the instruction given, which may or may not bite me in the butt later, but I don't think it will: </div>
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Sl *k to m, sm, kfb* x 5 (I'm doing the medium), k to m, sm, k to 1 st before m, kfb, sm, k last 2 st</div>
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That results in a total of 7 increases per increase row, which should result in the required 235 sts after 44 rows, as long as I've done my math right. Either way, I'm loving how the increases look and I love what the colorway is doing. It's almost like blue camouflage.</div>
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So there I was, knitting my happy way to row 32 when it happened. The unthinkable. The dread swelled up within me as I saw it.</div>
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My yarn ball has a knot in it from the manufacturer. I have a big beef with manufacturers who allow knots to exist in their skeins. If I had purchased mill ends, I would not be complaining, but I did not. I purchased full price (well... on sale) yarn. There should be no knots, and rest assured this will be my last Village Yarn purchase. I have put the project aside until I have the time to sit down with the video I saw that one time about the way to knot yarn so that it doesn't come untied later (i.e. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nq_7EXTWHE">how to join yarn with a double knot)</a>. In the meantime, I threw the whole project in my stash cedar chest and shut the lid in disgust.</div>
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I have looked into the gauge on that merino and I think it might work for that cape after all. Depending on my mood, I may swatch for that and do the cape before returning to the knot situation. Or I may buckle down and figure it out now. I do know this: I refuse to have to weave in yarn ends for a manufacturers knot. It's just not fair. Not fair at all.</div>
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-74886145599499663242014-01-10T19:51:00.001-05:002014-01-10T19:51:34.927-05:00Kohlrabi and Kale, the K VegetablesThe boy got Scattergories for Christmas. It's a board game I used to play with my siblings all the time when we were kids. There is a list of items and a 20-sided die filled with the letters of the alphabet. Then, you roll the dice, it lands on a letter, and everyone has to think of a word for each list item that starts with that given letter. We've been playing it all week, and it's just as fun as I remembered it.<br />
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Well, the last few weeks of food in this house could easily fill up a list of words for vegetables that start with the letter K. The weekend before Christmas, my husband and I happened upon a lovely purple ornamental kale at the supermarket. It was bright and crisp and looking at it, I knew what I needed to do. I bought the kale and delightedly took it home to make some delicious, homemade lentil soup.<br />
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Lentil soup is one of my favorite things, especially with some french fried onions floating on the top and a handful of shredded cheese melting into the broth. Thus, while I was working my last day before my work winter break (which lasts from Christmas Eve to New Years Day), the husband took my recipe and made lentil soup with a bag of dried lentils and the purple kale. Or rather, he was supposed to make soup.</div>
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Having left the soup to boil down too long (the man is just not a soup fan), he created something slightly more dense than a stew, but it still tasted lovely. Thus, it went into a big Tupperware container and I served it to myself as gravy on my Christmas whipped potatoes, for the much needed protein I, as a veggie, don't get from the Christmas turkey (my family doesn't have Christmas ham, as my sister, having puked up ham with a case of childhood flu, refuses to eat most pork products).</div>
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Sorry I was too busy eating it to take a Lentil soup picture. Besides, it was so thick, it didn't really look like soup anyway.<br />
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Lentil Soup with Purple Kale<br />
What you need:<br />
olive oil<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
1 stalk of celery, chopped<br />
1 large carrot, chopped<br />
2 cloves of garlic, minced<br />
1 1/4 c dried lentils<br />
6 c worth of vegetable stock<br />
1 T soy sauce<br />
One bunch of purple kale, minus the stems, chopped<br />
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1. Stir fry the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic for about 10 minutes in the bottom of a large pot.<br />
2. Add the lentils, stock, and soy sauce to the pot and bring to boil. Then, cover and simmer for an hour or two.<br />
3. When the lentils are thoroughly cooked, bring back to boil and add kale to pot. Let boil for several minutes until the kale is soft.<br />
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When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I'm feeling sad, I just need some lentil soup. And really, it only gets cheerier with those flashes of purple. The lentil soup was pretty to look at, but it's also packed with flavor from the garlic, lentils, and stock. Of course, I, being the lentil soup lover I am, knew it wouldn't disappoint.<br />
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The big shock of the pre-Christmas season was the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/health/nutrition/kohlrabi-risotto.html?_r=0">Kohlrabi Risotto</a> recipe the husband found on the New York Times website. The ten-year-old scarfed this stuff down, even after hearing the word "Kohlrabi," which is a miracle in itself. We subbed in apple cider vinegar for the wine and brown rice for the arborio, but stayed fairly faithful to the original recipe otherwise.<br />
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Kohlrabi is a rather mild root vegetable, with a slight tang to it that really contrasted nicely with the slightly sweet taste of the Parmesan cheese. It made for a complex meal that didn't feel overbearing. Both meals were a big success and left us with plenty of leftovers to skimp on meal-planning for the rest of their respective weeks (Kohlrabi, the week before Christmas and lentil soup, the week of). This left more time for such things as Scattergories and reading the new Russell Banks and George Saunders.<br />
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There were just no downsides, really.<br />
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-64221036543673154002013-12-31T19:26:00.000-05:002013-12-31T19:26:06.580-05:00ThemedThe new edits are in on the novel, ladies and gents, and no, I'm officially not done with it yet. Which I'm coming to terms with. There's a fine line between revision and over-revision and I'm hoping I see that line before it's crossed.<br />
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So one more revision. And while I revise, I need to be thinking whole-heartedly about my theme, which I have given a lot of thought already, so... yeah. I'm discovering, as I go through this process of trying to get a first novel published, is that about 60% of the process is about facing disappointment. It is definitely not for the meek. I figure sharing this process with you can only help to prepare you, because this part is not what I expected it to be. I thought it would be mostly waiting on editors to respond, but I'm not even there yet.<br />
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Be warned. The process of getting a novel published (to my knowledge so far) is this:<br />
1. You write a novel.<br />
2. You revise the heck out of that novel until you feel like it's ready to be published.<br />
3. You submit to agents.<br />
4. You wait.<br />
5. You hear back and hopefully, they like it and want to help get it published.<br />
6. You get edits back from your chosen agent.<br />
7. You re-revise based on those edits.<br />
8. Repeat 6 and 7 repeatedly.<br />
9. I'm not sure what 9 is yet but I'm hoping it's that the book gets shopped to editors.<br />
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This process is long and it's tedious, but I'm hanging in there. Time to give this one more go.<br />
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While I'm doing that, on this nice New Year's Eve, note that, starting now, January 2014, my story "the Godmother" will be available for purchase in the 12th issue of Midwestern Gothic. <a href="http://midwestgothic.com/2011/01/issue-12-winter-2014/">Go buy yourself a copy</a>, either in a print or ebook version.<br />
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And speaking of theme, my son's big Christmas present this year was a steampunk-themed bedroom (or the start of one anyway), with bright orange paint, black curtains, furniture re-painted in a paint color called "Tuxedo Tie," maps, brass, copper, cast iron, cogs, a green steamer trunk, and what will become a model airship once we get it put together.<br />
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Revision comes in many forms.</div>
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8695578042430622150.post-13408813166642645072013-12-28T16:50:00.001-05:002013-12-28T16:50:19.367-05:00The Year-Long Blanket Slog, C'est FiniIt took months of planning, math skills I had forgotten about entirely, two excel spreadsheets, over 2 pounds of yarn, and a year of knitting, but it's finally done. May I present to you, the Maize and Blue Stained Glass Blanket:<br />
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It's 74 inches long, 53 inches wide, and very very warm. I developed the pattern using the long cabin knitting technique popularized by the Mason Dixon Knitting duo Kay Gardiner and Anne Shayne. If you too would like to knit one of your very own, I'm hoping to have a functioning pattern up for sale on Ravelry in the near future.</div>
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Last Christmas, my little brother got a bag of yarn and a promise, and this year, after buying yet more yarn because that bag was just not enough, I came through on that promise. The sketch I showed him last year has become a blanket. A big blanket, every stitch infused with team spirit.</div>
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Since finishing this giant time-suck of a blanket, I have already finished three hats (one for my husband, one for my son, and one for my brother-in-law) and am in mid-completion of a fourth (requested by my boss). Think of how many hats I could have if I had made hats instead of a blanket. It boggles the mind, really.</div>
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MrsZuvershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123729737070676885noreply@blogger.com0