This is Neat!

I was cruising around blogland this morning and came across a post to make the cutest crochet doily bowl. Unfortunately I can't seem to figure out a way to steal save the picture of it so that I can paste it here. You'll just have to go here and check it out!

While you're there, click on the "Free Patterns" link at the top, she has some really cute FREE crochet patterns, like this:

and this:

She also has some patterns for sale at really reasonable prices.  Enjoy!

Weekend Visitor

On Sunday morning, our black Persian cat Pepe was doing his usual crying at the back door wanting to go outside. We usually take him out there for a few minutes just so he can wander around and that usually satisfies him. Mr. S. was going to take him out, but first he went outside to fill the bird feeders and hummingbird feeder. He wasn't out there but maybe 10 seconds when he came running back in the back door and that is when I heard the dreaded word..... SNAKE!!  Yep, that's right, snake. He was curled up on our back patio:

That, my friends, is about a 3 foot long Western Diamondback. It is also the third snake we have had since we moved out here! We had two of them after the fire, and now this one.

Living on 4 acres sure has been an adventure so far!

Craft Project

I made this cute fabric pinwheel wreath today for our front door and thought I would share it with you. I posted a tutorial about it on my sewing blog if you would like to check it out. You can find it here.

Kittens, Kittens and More Kittens

I was thinking the other day that I hadn't shared any pictures of our kittens with you in quite awhile. They are now more than a year old (where does the time go?) and each has such a unique personality.
Here is Sammi Jo:

I love this picture.. it is almost like she is saying "no more pictures Mom, please!"  She has become quite the Mama's girl lately, and usually hangs out with me no matter where I am in the house. Her favorite place to sleep is on top of the printer in my craft room. It gives her a view out the window so she can watch the birds and bunnies and whatever else comes by.

Here is her sister, Ellie Mae:

We call her "Miss Ellie" (remember Dallas?). She is our talker, if you call her name she will talk to you, although it kind of comes out more like a squeak than a meow! She has been a Mama's girl from day one and still is. As you can see, she too loves to hang out in the craft room. She also likes to get up on my desk and take off with store receipts in her mouth... I find them all over the house! Many times I have tried to balance my checkbook and wondered about a charge; that's when I go hunting for receipts.

And last but not least, here is Cleo:

She will sleep just about anywhere, but she does love to kick Sammi off the printer every once in awhile and sleep there. She is the dominant one of the three and is quite bossy. Cleo loves to clean the other cats in the house, as well as me and Mr. S. She will lick his arm, and then climb up on the back of the couch and lick my hair! Cleo is also the best eater of the three, and will eat anything and everything ... her favorites include Cool Whip, Cheez-It crackers and red licorice, just to name a few (although we try to give her these in small quantities, and she just licks the licorice!)

In addition to those three, we also have Pepe, our black Persian, and Mollie Elizabeth, the Fattest Cat in the Whole World:

Yes, that is 5 cats total. I know, we're the Crazy Cat People. Next we would like to get a dog (or two) but we need to add gates to our backyard before we can get them, so it may be awhile.

Hope you enjoyed the kitten update, have a great day  :)

Another Finished Crochet Project

I finished the cover for the headrest of Mr. S.'s new recliner.

It is just a basic granny square that I kept crocheting until it got to the size I wanted it. The granny square just seems to be my "go-to" pattern for some reason. I think I like it because I don't have to count my stitches... I really hate doing that!

I would still like to sew one, but I haven't found any fabric that I like yet. Next time I go to the big city, I will search Jo-Anns or Hancocks and see what I can find.

I did some baking this weekend, and made the Blue Ribbon Apple Cake that Pammy Sue posted about here.

It is absolutely delicious. Trust me, you can't go wrong with a recipe that Pammy Sue posts  ... everything I have tried of hers has been really, really good.   Mr. S. says thank you Pammy Sue!

This weekend I decided that I am going to try my hand at planting a vegetable garden. I found a spot in the backyard that I think will work, so this morning I am going to go out and start preparing the soil... shovel and rake, here I come! Mr. S. says it is the wrong time to plant anything, and that the birds will probably eat all the seeds. Hmmmph... I am going to ignore him and just do it anyway! Here is what I am going to plant... and a girl has to have cute gardening gloves, no?

I'm off to start digging before it gets too hot outside  ... bye for now!

Quick Crochet Project

Remember the baby stuff I told you I needed to make? I finished one last project today for my friend who lives in England, so I can get her package mailed off tomorrow. Here is everything I made for her:

I made everything in gender-neutral colors, since she doesn't want to know ahead of time what she is having. I made her a blanket, receiving blanket, fleece blanket with crocheted edging, baby hat, flannel wipes and two flannel burp cloths.

Here is the fleece blanket:

I like buying the blanket with blanket stitch edging already on it, since I don't have access to a hemstitcher, and I always mess it up when I try to make holes in blankets myself!

I used Lion Brand Baby Soft yarn in Candy Print and a small hook and did a SC row around first, then another row of shells. It only took me a couple of hours to do.
I have a One-Pan Banana Bread Cake that I need to make, so I'm off to the kitchen. Bye!

Nuthin' Much

Nuthin' much going on around here. I've just been trying to stay inside out of the heat and humidity. Been working on sewing projects, I finished another quilt:

This one was for the daughter of a friend of mine whose bedroom is purple and lime green. I'm getting a little better with each quilt, but have decided to sign up for a beginner quilting class at my LQS.

I am also working on sewing up baby stuff .... I have four pregnant friends/relatives, so that is keeping me busy.

On the crochet front, I am almost finished making the cover for Mr. S.'s recliner, and will share pictures with you once it is done.

Other than that, not much else going on around here. Hope everyone is having a great week.

Favorite Summer Recipes

It is hotter than Hades right now where we live, and I really hate using my oven unless I absolutely have to. I try to get Mr. S. to grill as often as I can during the summer ... he actually loves doing it, so it is a win-win for both of us! Our staple meals tend to be steaks, pork loin and chicken. There are two side dishes that I make frequently in the hot summer months (besides the cole slaw recipes I have previously posted), so I thought I would share them with you today.

First up is something that my Mother has made for years and years, and it really isn't even a "recipe."  All you do is take 2 cans of sliced green beans, drain them and dump them in a bowl. Add some apple cider vinegar and vegetable or canola oil ... not a lot, just enough to cover the bottom of the bowl. (I never measure, I just eyeball it).  Season with salt and pepper, mix well, and let it sit in the fridge all day.  Couldn't be easier, and is very delicious... Mr. S. asks for it all the time.

The second recipe is one I re-invented from one of my Weight Watchers cookbooks. It is a Black Bean and Corn Salad. Here's what you'll need:

1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 (15 1/4 oz.) can of corn, drained (for added color you could use the corn with red/green bell peppers in it)
1 (15 oz.) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl; toss gently. Cover and chill.

I am a big fan of cilantro, and it really gives this dish such a great flavor. If you want to do the WW version of this, just omit the olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Do you have any go-to summer recipes that you use? I'd love to hear about them!

Happy Saturday

Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far. I am feeling much better.... thanks for all your kind words.

All my giveaway winners, would you please do me a favor and add a comment to this post when you receive your stitch markers (I have already gotten e-mails from two of you, so you two don't need to do this!)? I sure would appreciate knowing that you got your package okay.

Doing lots of work around the house today with Mr. S.  I got some sewing done yesterday, made a reversible cover for my sewing machine and two zippered pouches (you can check out my sewing blog to see them if you like, sandysewz.blogspot.com)

Have a nice weekend all!

Packages Mailed

My giveaway winners will be happy to know that their packages were mailed out today. I'm still not feeling that much better, but bills had to be paid and mailed, so a trip to the post office was in order.

Thanks for all your nice comments and thoughts on my last post ... am hoping I start to feel better soon.  :)

Ugh!

The picture pretty much says it all ... I have not been feeling good since Thursday of last week ... I spent all day Friday in bed, felt better Saturday and into Sunday, then last night my stomach started acting up, and is still bad this morning. Thank goodness for crackers and Sprite.

I did not get to the post office to mail off my giveaway winners' packages... I will try to get there today, I promise!