vintage Tilly

Pudding!

 

The appeal of chocolate pudding is universal and timeless...Even when it comes out of a pudding pack.

 

 

Double The Fun

No, the picture above isn't a clever photography trick.  Yes, we have just fallen right off of the deep end.  A dog living in a house with three children could get bored, so providing her with a doggy playmate will cure that...Right?

Last week, it was just last week, when we adopted Jenny there were NO plans to add another dog so quickly into the family.  Really.  There are some who know me who don't believe that, but it is true.  A call on Saturday from the same rescue Jenny came from let us know that there were two beagle pups coming up from Georgia the following day, was I interested?  **

**Proof of my semi-sanity is that we did not adopt both pups.  Thank goodness.  The other pup was adopted by a friend.

Amazingly it was husband who was really excited by the thought of getting ANOTHER beagle, even though it had been only three days since Jenny arrived. 

This is Maggie, only 10 pounds and about 6 months old.  She is a doll, and part flying squirrel when she wants to be. 

Interestingly enough there was no posing in this photo session, when left on their own (if this chair is free) this is how they will curl up.

The dog gets a bed, and another bed and another...

I have been making beds for our new dog Jenny.  During the three trips I made to Petsmart in a 24 hour period, I determined that one thing I would not be buying for Jenny was a dog bed.  The orthopedic style, the flat kind with egg crate foam inside is just too easy to make.  For less than the price of one such bed at Petsmart I was able to buy three egg foam mattress pads at Target.  The way I sized and cut them, I was able to get three Jenny-sized beds and have leftovers.  She likes them on the floor and they are easy enough to put up on a chair for her afternoon nap.  (I know, it is hard to believe, we have only had her for three days and already she has favorite places and routines.)  They are now scattered throughout the house.

Using some fabric from my studio, the top is fleece and the bottom is cotton fabric.  I used two layers of foam. 

 

Another benefit of the project?  The really nice barrel-shaped zippered heavy plastic bags that the foam came packaged in. 

They have already been put to good use.

Sick Day

Today was an unplanned sick day.  Not that many plan sick days, although I used to.  When I was in high school my mother would allow me to take what we would jokingly call a 'mental health day' every so often.  This day, only possible with extremely good grades and no real sick days any other time, would often consist of doing something fun and creative.  Those were really nice days. 

However, since this is a real sick day it has meant surrounding myself with creative but comforting things,. 

Such as:

My computer (yes, there is a close-up picture of a scarf I knitted for mydaughter on it)

Ravelry, because if I'm not up to knitting, it is nice to look at what other people are knitting:

The Noro Yarn that I am using for the Shalom Cardigan (more for looking at than actually using today)

Hot Tea

The February '09 issue of British Country Living

Spare wool from the stash to think about using next because just looking at yarn can be comforting.

 

And what is most likely my favorite, the afternoon sun streaming into my window:

No Chocolate Necessary...

While sleeping in late on a Saturday morning is a great thing for some, I have never been a late sleeper.  I love to be awake early with the house quiet.  Looking outside this morning I was treated to another reason to be an early bird.

 

 

It really was an amazing sunrise, these photos do not do it justice. 

Later in the day I was treated to this sight:

I love roses. 

 

I love yarn too.

I will confess that the yarn was not a suprise and did arrive a few days ago.  With it I have begun the shalom cardigan .

 

Happy Valentine's Day.

 

 

Windy Day

What started yesterday as a windy but warm-ish February day here in Southeastern Pennsylvania turned cold by evening.  The sound and feel of the wind whipping around the corners of the house is a reminder of how thankful we are to have a warm home. 

It was a perfect night for home cooking. 

Chicken and dumplings (heavy on the dumplings).  My family requests extra dumplings so if/when there are leftovers, there will be dumplings too.

It makes the house smell wonderful.   Homemade dumplings are as easy as using Bisquick and cook just as fast.

Chicken and Dumplings:

several pounds of chicken, cut up (a whole cut-up chicken, legs & thighs, etc)
coarse cut carrots, celery and onions (use several of each, as much as you want)
3 +/- cups water
salt, pepper, sage, favorite spices for chicken

Place all ingredients in pan and simmer with the lid on until carrots and chicken are cooked.

Dumplings -  basic recipe, I double, triple or quadruple this:
2/3 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder (not baking soda - big difference!)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c milk (or a little more if dumpling batter seems too dry)
2 Tbsp. oil


Mix dry dumpling ingredients together in a bowl and the milk and oil in another.  Add liquid to the dry and stir with fork.  Drop lumps of batter onto chicken and vegetables and cover with lid.  Cook for 10+ minutes.

Eat!

Sanctuary

The word I keep thinking about today is Sanctuary.

Pronunciation:  \ˈsaŋ(k)-chə-ˌwer-ē\

Etymology:

Middle English seintuarie, sanctuarie, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin sanctuarium, from Latin sanctus

Date: 14th century

My favorite global definition is this one: 

 (1): a place of refuge and protection

 - sanctuary. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Retrieved February 6, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctuary

I am a homebody and my home is definitely a refuge for me.  Within my house, my studio is a sanctuary. Even when I am not creating something, just to sit there surrounded by the tools I love to use is peaceful.  Because I have been creatively involved in some aspect of the fiber arts for more than 25 years I have many tools and fiber, fabric and yarn.   My husband and I have a really good deal, which is as long as he isn't tripping on yarn and fabric all over the house, whatever is in the studio is 'safe', or to use the term of the day, they are given 'sanctuary'.   (No one has noticed yet the two under the bed boxes in our daughter's room filled with fabric and I am not pointing them out).  Now yesterday I spent the day with friends at a favorite place, the auction

( I have no idea who those women are who are sitting in front of us)

and I found an orphan that is now claiming refuge in my studio.  As some of my friends have pointed out to me, it isn't even the kind of chair that could be overlooked by my other half.

And yet it has been.  The chair has been home for over 24 hours now and NO ONE has noticed it.  Of course, it is in my studio which is sort of like being on foreign soil such as the Irish embassy while still in the United States.

At first I just felt bad for the chair  because it wasn't getting bid on and so I bid on it (I have a chair weakness, but on the upside there are many places to sit down in my house).  It has really grown on me so I plan to reupholster it and keep it in my studio.  
Here is the newest thing to claim sanctuary in the sanctuary:

I'll let you know if and when it gets noticed.