Mosque at Ground Zero

This is an interesting clip I watched this morning.  I must qualify it by saying I agree with a lot of it, some I don't agree with, and some I just don't know enough about to have an opinion one way or another.

So have fun watching it and post a comment on how you feel about it (if you want to).

Back to School

Okay, I would like to apologize.  I have not been a very good blogger this week.  It may stay that way for the next few days -- I don't know yet, how long it will take to get back into the routine of things. 
As you know it is back to school time.  For me this time of year is additionally complex, as some of you can relate to, because my two youngest daughters are coming home from spending the whole freaking summer with their dad.  I picked them up at the airport yesterday (late afternoon, got home by evening).  School also started yesterday for my high schooler so she missed the first day.  I actually also let her stay home today too.  Heck, the girl needs more than a couple of hours to re- adjust and unpack, etc.  I better stop now before I start a venting rampage. 
Needless to say, I'm sooooooo happy to have them home, but the blog posts will be short for a few more days until we get settled and back to some semblance of normalcy (school starts for my youngest this coming Monday).

Thank you, dear viewers for your patience, love, and understanding!

I will give you some hints of what may appear in the future though . . .

Really, I had decided to stop crocheting for a loooonnng while, but that is just not happening.  I am making the cutest pair of slippers I've ever seen (sorry for the lack of humility) and will post them soon (hopefully).

I also want to conjure up a crocheted ear-warmer headband for the upcoming cold months and to start getting some Christmas present projects done.

I also want to share my very most favoritest cheesecake recipe.

If I get really ambitious I'll be sewing up some cute skirts for my girls for school too (I'll have to be pretty darn ambitious though for this one!).

James Madison

If President Madison came through a time machine and saw what has happened to our country now, I wonder what his reaction would be . . .

"But ambitious encroachments of the federal government, on the authority of the State governments, would not excite the opposition of a single State, or of a few States only. They would be signals of general alarm... But what degree of madness could ever drive the federal government to such an extremity."

                     --James Madison, Federalist No. 46

Hot August Cooler

It's hard for me to get very motivated to cook when it's so hot.  In the heat my mind and body want something fruity, refreshing, and cool.
Well, I made my 2nd ever batch of yogurt on Tuesday and decided today to make a smoothie with it.
I also had another motivation to make smoothies.  I had too soft to eat apricots on my counter, a few scraggly strawberries in the frig and a couple of un-crisp (not mushy, just not crisp and juicy) apples.
Smoothies are perfect for fruit that has not gone bad yet, but no one wants to eat it because it isn't exactly good and fresh either.

One more thing I did that I've never done before is I froze over ripe bananas. I got a whole bag of them for free from the store (they were just giving them away, instead of throwing them away) and the lady said you could freeze them. So, I took them home, peeled them, cut off any bad parts, put them in a big ziplock bag, and stuck them in the freezer. I hadn't used any of them yet, so I put a couple of them in my smoothie too.

Whatever old fruit you have (still good but no one will eat it fruit), just wash it and cut off any bad parts and toss it in your blender.

I used bananas, apricots, strawberries, and apple.  Use whatever you have sitting around: oranges, any berries, pineapple, mango, peaches, pears, plums, etc.  Oh, btw, the apple peels didn't puree completely so if you use apples and you want your smoothie completely smooth you might want to peel the apples.

Then I added a 1/2 c. milk and 1 c. of my yogurt.

If you want the smoothie super cold add ice.  It is creamier without the ice though.

Blend it to your own smoothness preferences and then enjoy your summertime cooler!

And if you want your summertime cooler even colder, the smoothie mix makes superb creamsicles. . .

YUMMY!!!

Finished Apron

I did it! I finished the apron!  I'm so glad this project is done (well, almost, I still have to hem the dress).  I've been thinking about doing the tea party dress and apron for years and now it's about done -- yippee!!!

I ironed the edges of the pockets in about a 1/2"(excluding the top of the pocket), then I pinned them on the apron.

Then the pockets got sewn in place.

The apron is now done!

I tried to take pictures with the camera timer and none of them turned out.  They were either totally washed out or very blurry.  I need some daughters home to help model for me!

Here is the finished (un-hemmed) tea party dress with the puff sleeves finally sewed on!

Apron Pockets

Remember the apron I made last week?  Well, I decided it would be nice to give it some pockets.
Then, I decided I should spruce up the pockets and embroider on them a little bit (this is how my little projects get turned into BIG time consuming projects, but I'll keep telling myself it will be worth it!).

Here's what I did today:

First I thought it would be cute with a little gather on the top middle of the pocket, so I hemmed the top of some of the left over sheet that I made the apron out of, then did a large straight stitch about 1 1/2" down from the top and gathered it.  Then I sewed over the gathers with a small straight stitch to hold it in place.  I actually cut the pockets out AFTER I did the gathers, because I knew the gathers would pull in the sides of the pockets a little bit, then the pocket wouldn't be square anymore (it'd be off).

I used a brick red floss (4 strands) and did a chain stitch to make flower petals.

I just put the little red flowers wherever I wanted and this is where they ended up.

Then using an outline stitch I sewed on some flower stems (with 4 strands green floss).

Then using a chain stitch again (same as the flower petals), I sewed on leaves.

This is where the stems and leaves ended up.

Then I added some yellow french knots just because . . . I don't know why, maybe I felt like the pockets needed a third color?  I don't know.

This is where the french knots ended up.

Well, there you have it.  I didn't have enough day to sew the pockets onto the apron, we will see what tomorrow brings.