Tutorial Coming Tomorrow

Tile Magnets!  A fun and addictive craft for ages 6 to 106!

I have been going glass tile magnet crazy this weekend reworking the tutorial that I taught last fall.  The tutorial along with links to all the supplies I used will be up tomorrow... so just a few teaser photos for today to get you ready.

Happy Monday!

Weekending

Saturday and Sunday with the hubby, Em and Ro... nothing big planned happily.

A little menu planning for the week.

A little goofing off.

Some yarn winding with my new swift.  (!!! yay !!!)

A bike ride and afternoon picnic.

I hope your weekend is wonderfully uneventful as well!

Have yarn-- Will crochet

He holds the skeins of yarn in his hands gently... looking at the beautiful blues with a little grin on his face.  He knows these skeins are earmarked for him and this fact excites him... he keeps jumping up and down with them as if they were a new set of Hot Wheels cars.

I plug in my yarn parameters and project preferences on Ravelry and let him sit down at the desk to begin the selection process.  This wee one who rarely uses a computer happily looks through several patterns ... he goes back and forth with little comments about buttons and zippers and pockets and hoods.  Many minutes go by.  Many questions are asked and answered.  Finally, he points:

"This one Mamma... make me this one, can you?  Please?  I like it the BEST!"  Ro declares with a chortle and a sweet babyface grin.

And so begins my very first sweater!  I'll be using Spud & Chloë Sweater in Lake and Malabrigo Rios in Azules.  You can see a bit of it just off to the right in the above photo.  The pattern looks like it should be pretty straightforward - The Just Right Sweater.  I'm off to finish dinner and wind some yarn.  :-)

Contemplation and Camaraderie

Awhile back I bought these 3 skeins of Malabrigo Silky Merino in gorgeous Cape Cod Gray... a beautiful neutral color I hoped to add to my wardrobe. 

The very next day I spotted Annette Petavy's intricate looking but unfussy Violet Points Scarf and knew the two were meant to be together!  I wanted to crochet the scarf with two skeins and make a nice matching pair of fingerless mitts or perhaps a hat with the remaining skein.

After the hustle and bustle of the holidays, kid vacations and house painting died down, I was able to start on the scarf.  The pattern is quick to memorize and really very pretty.  I'm excited about it... but... I've been crocheting this very pretty maybe shawl/maybe scarf for about a week now and I'm stuck in contemplation about it.  At two skeins in, I'm thinking I will use this more as a shawl rather than a scarf.  Unblocked, it is ten inches wide and 37 inches long.  I know it will not get too much wider but I was really hoping for a bit more length.  Ah the joys of yarn substitution.

So, I've been talking with two fellow crocheters on Ravelry about my dilemma and I thought I should mention them.  I have never met either lady, but both have been so sweet to encourage my project and they have been leaving me sweet comments and private PM's about it.  For those of you who do not use Ravelry, it is a free online website to connect with like-minded crafters-- mostly of the crocheting or knitting variety.  Spinners, weavers, dyers and more are also on there. 

The camaraderie I get from these people is quite wonderful to say the least.  I'd say about 1/3 of my followers on this blog are from there!  Supportive, opinionated and loving, these men and women find one another in all sorts of groups, like "Yarn Hoars", "At Home Moms", "Crochet Liberation Front" and more.  If you have a love of Harry Potter or the color green... there's a group of people to share the love with!

Anyway, back to my scarf/shawl... I still am contemplating.  Should I use the 3rd skein to add 9 inches on each side or should I just finish up the borders?  I think I'm going to block it and see where it's at.

To be continued...

January 22, 2011 Update:  I ended up using all three skeins and it is the perfect size!

No scurvy in this house!

I am standing on top of small step stool, picking perfectly ripened California Navel oranges... some for me, some for my Mom, some for my in-laws, some to barter with my neighbors, some for... you get the point.  While on the step stool, I can peep over my neighbors fences and easily spot Meyer lemon, Tahitian lime, Clementine tangerine and Pummelo grapefruit trees... the joy of living in a post-WW2 era San Fernando Valley neighborhood!  It's a beautiful, sunny mid-January day and I can't wait to get down from here and peel my first orange of the year from our own backyard!

In the photo above, the citrus all hails from backyards in "the Valley".  They are all homegrown organic and vibrantly colored.  Most of the oranges and tangerines will be devoured within the week.  Almost all of those beautiful yellow lemons will be juiced tomorrow and used for drinking, cooking, baking and frozen for later use.  I think tomorrow or Thursday will be perfect for BBQing Lemon Chicken Skewers and some tart little lime and cream cheese cookies!  Wonderful doses of Vitamin C at the height of the cold and flu season.

Do you have an abundance of fruit or veggies from your local garden or backyard?  What do you do with it?

On Perfection

Monday Morning:  7:00 a.m.
Dirty dishes in the sink and on the counter as well
Laundry, dried yesterday, still in the dryer waiting to be folded
Books and toys shoved towards the walls (in case of midnight wanderings-- we don't want those footsies harmed!)

In the past month, I have had several friends and family say the following things to me:
"You're peerrrrrrfect, jeez!  I can't compete with all this!"
"You are what I want to be like when I grow up-- you do it all!"
"Really now... when did you have time to make that!  When do you sleep?!"
"You truly are a Martha Stewart Heather!"

The first time this happened, I laughed it off, but admittedly, inside I felt a little proud.  The second time this happened, I protested that no, I'm not like that, not really perfect at all!  The third time, I remember thinking "Are you kidding me?!  The dirty laundry pile is toddler-high, I'm wearing the same pants I had on yesterday and it's now 1:30 in the afternoon and I've yet to brush my teeth!!"

So, here I am with my slightly TMI list of normalities to tell you that I am sooooo not perfect! 

Now, some of my friends and family who have seen my messy home are probably rolling on the floor laughing in agreement about my imperfection, and that's fine.  I know I do a lot of things... more than others but less than others also.  I have good days and bad days just like everyone else... the pictures that I take to use on this blog don't show piles of laundry and sinks of dishes because, frankly, I don't want to post them.  But they're there!  Gobs of unfiled paperwork too.

I'm not perfect and I'm perfectly okay with that.

New Library

Looking back at several posts, I've talked often about us being a very reading oriented family.  I have always been a big reader, often reading novels in one sitting.  I remember many many a bleary morning in high school having spent half of my supposed-to-be-sleeping hours cuddled up with Stephen King's latest tome.  I remember my local public library and the elation when my mom would finally let me walk there by myself.  I remember when my friend Sheri got a job at the local bookstore and pumping her for discounts and borrowing advanced copies of soon to be released fiction and non-fiction works.

When I moved out on my own for the first time, I packed too many books in each box and realized that stacks of books were heavy!  And, where was I going to put my collection?

Years and years and bookshelves later, our library finally has an all-in-one-place home!  I have culled the collection down to the must-haves, the cherished historical, the willed by family, the daily inspirers, the kiddo educational and crafty ... the subject list goes on, but you know what I mean.
Once my hubby attached the bookcases to the wall, I began the task of sorting and re-sorting.  This was not easy primarily because I kept opening the books and wanting to read them rather than shelve them!  I quickly realized that my sons' books would need to stay in their rooms as I was running out of space.  By the end of several hours, I was mostly happy with the arrangement.

So, now the aftermath.  The library has been in place for a week today and the family and I are deep into the lovey dovey honeymoon phase with it.  Every day I re-find a new book to peruse.  Em and Ro and even Rob have stopped to look and think and pull a book out.

"Mom, can we make this?  I think I want to make this." Em says one afternoon while looking at a kids crafting book.

"Momma, I like this, who... where is this from?"  Ro says after finding Rob's collection of comic strip books.

"          "  Silence from Rob as he picks up a historical photography book and stares at something intently.

"Where is that... ah...!"  Me as I find exactly what I was looking for-- no longer having to search my old shelves in several locations around the house.  Shelves that had books behind the books that were hard to get to and sadly rarely looked at.

Loving the new library!

Oh, and if you want to know what is where... my organized in my brain shelving system is noted over on Flickr.

Mushy gushy post for my hubby



Rob with beanie and banjo

 I have asked my hubby many times if there was anything he would like me to crochet for him... scarf, sweater, hat, anything!  This sweetly easygoing man does not want much.  "Just a beanie would be fine... fitting close to my head.  Can you make that?"

So, I made him one.  I used the Simple Skateboarder Beanie by Chie O'Briant with Noro Kureyon.  He wore it!  He wore it often.  And then what happened?  It wasn't accidentally washed and felted... at least that would still have been in the house... I lost it at Disneyland.  Me, my fault.  :-(  Sad face.

So, when I realized this, I went to my yarn stash to find another hubby worthy yarn.  I wanted a color uniquely him and also warm and soft.  (Noro may be pretty but soft it ain't!)  Enter the gorgeous Madelinetosh Tosh DK yarn in Charcoal.  It's washable for one and hand dyed in small batches for the pretty semi solid look I was wanting.

Since the pattern by Chie was written for a thicker yarn, I had to modify the pattern just slightly (notes in my projects on Ravelry) to compensate.  The end result you see above.  I love it and I think Rob does too.  Now, we just need our winters to be 30 degrees cooler so that I can make him a sweater!

Mmm Marshmallows

At long last, here is the recipe for marshmallows!!!  Finally!

I took the pictures of the steps for making marshmallows quite a bit ago and could not find them!  This past week, I was determined to figure out where my OCD sorting brain thought they should go. 

Here we go!

Ingredients:

3 packages gelatin, unflavored

1/2 cup cold water

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 tablespoon vanilla (I used Penzey's Double Strength Vanilla Extract)

Additionally you will need:

PAM cooking spray

Saran Wrap

9x9 inch square pan

KitchenAid stand mixer with whisk

2 quart saucepan

Plastic spatula

Sharp sharp sharp knife

Cutting board

1 cup confectioners sugar -OR- Ghirardelli Sweet Ground Chocolate and Cocoa for coating marshmallows

Honestly, these are super simple to make but messy.  But messy in a fun way.  Make sure you understand the prep work before beginning to avoid frustration mid way through your candy-making.

Directions:

1-  Coat square pan with PAM cooking spray and line pan on bottom and all four sides leaving plastic overhanging.  Spray plastic again with PAM.  Set aside.

2-  In your stand mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup cold water.  Add gelatin and set aside.

3-  In saucepan, add corn syrup, sugar and 1/4 cup water.  Stir to combine.  Heat sugar mixture on medium until it comes to a boil.  Do not stir!  Turn heat to high and let boil for an additional minute.  Turn off heat and add sea salt.  Do not stir.

4-  Turn stand mixer with whisk on medium.  Being careful not to burn yourself, slowly add hot sugar mixture along the side of the bowl.  Once combined, set mixer on high and mix 10 minutes.

5-  Add vanilla along the side of the bowl and mix additional 3 minutes.

6- (OPTIONAL)  If you want to color your marshmallows, add colorings now.  Marshmallows will turn out pastel colored unless you add a ton of coloring, but this can also effect the texture of the marshmallow so I wouldn't recommend it.  Additionally, you can substitute Vanilla for other flavorings such as lemon, orange, peppermint or chocolate extract.  Use same 1 tablespoon measurement for peppermint or chocolate.  Use 2 tsp. of lemon or orange extracts.

7-  Spread marshmallows into prepared pan.  Use spatula coated with PAM to scrape bowl.

8-  Use plastic overhanging covered with PAM to cover marshmallows.  If not completely covered, spray another sheet of Saran Wrap and cover (face down).

9-  Let marshmallows set up for 2-3 hours or overnight.

10-  When marshmallows have set, prepare to cut and coat them.  Pour confectioners sugar or cocoa in a shallow bowl.  Sprinkle more confectioners sugar or cocoa onto cutting board so marshmallows won't stick.

11-  Take Saran Wrap off the top of marshmallows and sides.  Invert as you would a cake and the marshmallow brick should pop right out.  Take off the rest of the plastic wrapping.  Sprinkle confectioners sugar or cocoa on top of marshmallow brick.

12-  With a sharp knife, cut long strips of marshmallow.  I usually do 3/4 to 1 inch strips.  Cut these into squares, coat lightly with sugar or cocoa and set on a plate.

13-  Continue until you are done!  3/4 inch squares will yield about 144 marshmallows give or take.  1 inch squares will yield about 81... that is, if they all make it to the plate!

Happy Candy making!

Welcome 2011

Warm New Year's Greetings to Everyone!

We've been doing quite a bit of hibernating and pondering and practicing and cuddling and whatnot here in the CelticMommy family and have been mostly quiet online.

But preparations for good things are underway!

The 11's in 11 are coming for me and soon!  Not "resolutions" per se, but goals for the year.

For now, quick pics of how we've been spending our time in Southern California.

We hope your January is off to a wonderful start! 
Wow, January already!