Tuesday, July 31, 2012

...hawk sighting...


...we heard this hawk after Church as we were getting ready to leave for Band Camp (go here to listen to the sounds we heard)...and Scout tried to take a picture with his cel phone...but couldn't get one clear enough...he was quite far away...but we could hear him easily...and he was easy to spot on top of that branch...

...We saw Red Tailed Hawks a lot in North Dakota too...with all the open fields...

...I even got a photo of one in flight once...

~Have a lovely day!

Monday, July 30, 2012

...leaving for camp...again...


...Scout had 4 weeks of camp during his 8 week summer break...

...so this is the last one...

...Band Camp...it's a picturesque setting for a lot of work...

...there was also a week of pre-Band Camp last week...and two weeks of post-Band Camp after they get back...

...we left him all settled in his dorm...

...called the Lemon Room...funny...

...sign in was 1-3 and they marched to the field for their first practice at 3:30...

...he'll have a lot of fun and learn a lot...on Friday they will have their first 'show' for the parents...I'll try and get some video then...

~Hoping you have a lovely start to your week...

Saturday, July 28, 2012

...Knitting with Thread...

...so we stayed up past midnight watching the opening ceremonies...wishing that we didn't have to have the delay...we could have watched them live...it would have been better...

...and I would have still cast on for my shawl...

...the pretty beads...I'll use them later for the border...

...I put all the thread in a bowl so that the spools could spin freely...

...and started knitting away...the beginning of this shawl goes so quickly...but slows down as you add rows...

...but you know what...the colour isn't quite right...too light...so I'm going to add a couple more spools of dark blue and start over...arghh...

~Wishing you a lovely weekend...

Friday, July 27, 2012

...Ravellenics...


...I was kinda sad about the controversy and renaming of the Ravelympics...but I've entered EventBeads...and EventShawl...in the 'Ravellenics'...it's the same project though...

...I'll be knitting with thread...that's a ball of Aunt Lydia crochet thread...and several threads...lime green...forest green...and two royals...and a navy...

...and I'll be making another version of my Super Simple Triangular Shawlette...with a beaded border this time...more shimmer...

...I'm not going to actually spin the threads together...but just hold them all together as I knit...I've done this before with multiple strands of crochet thread...but this is the first time that I've done it with sewing thread...

...the reason is that I could not find exactly the yarn that I wanted...it had to have varying shades of blue and green...and it had to 'shimmer'...because...

...it has to match this dress...

...I got it early for my birthday...because I had to try it on of course...so it wasn't a surprise...it's for my nephew's upcoming wedding...and it will have a pretty beaded shawl to wear over the shoulders...

...I realize that doesn't look very impressive...but it's really nice in person...it's a nice soft suede...with pretty little embroidery details around the bodice...

...Let the games begin...

...so will you be knittin' and watchin'?...

~Have a lovely day!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

...Other People's Produce...

...sadly...we don't have a garden this year...(...and thanks to our backyard friends...we may never have much of a garden here...)

...but that doesn't mean that we haven't been enjoying fresh garden produce...our friends have been bringing us surplus veg all summer...we've already had bit pots of green beans and the sweetest - most tender corn I've had in ages...

...so...on the gardening front, anyway...we've been getting by with a little help from our friends...how's your garden growing?...

~Have a lovely day!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

...WIP Wednesday...

I can't seem to stop making these little hats...we'll need a bunch of them for the Pregnancy Center...would you believe that I've made four hats already and only used one skein of yarn...and a little bit from another one...I'm hoping to get 12 hats out of those three skeins...

...and catching up on some magazine reading too...

...there's a small - medium - and large size there...but of course I didn't pose them in order...I think the small is in the middle...oh well...and I love how the colour pooling changes on the different sizes...

...the little hats are so very quick and easy...and very gratifying to have a finished object (FO) so quickly...printable pattern here...

~Have a lovely Wednesday!

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

...Vegan Blue Cheese...

I finally got around to trying the Vegan Blue Cheese recipe at Melomeals...

...the ingredients...

...I couldn't find 'measurable' Acidophilus...so I bought some vegan capsules...

...and opened those up to measure...it took 3 to make a teaspoon...

...and I couldn't find a 4 oz. jar of fermented (or 'stinky') tofu...so I had to weigh that...

..but the recipe was easie-peasie...

...just blend everything up...in two batches...one for the white part of the cheese and one for the blue...

...then set it on the counter for 'several' days...this part kinda worried me a little...but I did leave it out for a couple of days...

...then I dehydrated it...mine was a little more tan and green and white and blue...but still tasted very cheesy...now I'll have to get on with some of Julia's Roquefort recipes over at The Vegan Version...

~Have a lovely day!

Monday, July 23, 2012

...Exploring W.V. ...Droop Mountain...

...another post in our Exploring W.V. series... the Droop Mountain Battlefield...

...You may or may not know that the Man is a huge Civil War buff...we used to visit Civil War battlefields in N.C., S.C. and Florida - where we have lived...and Tennessee and Virginia on visits...there weren't any in N.D. and this is our first visit to one in W.V. ...

...you can really learn a lot from history's conflicts...

...it's always very moving for me to stand on ground where people fought and died...

...you look out at this peaceful view and you think that could not possibly have happened here...

...I left the text large enough for you to read...

...it's also interesting to note that West Virginia is the only state formed during the Civil War - well Nevada too...but not as a direct result of the conflict...

...there were lots of these signs with information about the different battles and skirmishes...this one is especially interesting because of the reference to George S. Patton's grandfather...so the WW II Patton was actually the 'third'...quite the military family...

...some weaponry...I can only imagine the courage staring down one of these big guns would take...

...some other pictures from the trip...

...the New River Gorge...

...Pearl S. Buck's birthplace...that'll be another entire trip...I read all of her books as a teenager...and they made quite an impression on me...

...and I was so very sad that it was not open when we stopped...

...it's such a lovely house...and now that I've read all about it...I really want to go back...

Saturday, July 21, 2012

...From my back deck...


...look at this little spotted beauty that wandered into our yard...

...looking for mama...

...I'll just go get her...

...mother and child...

...sweetly wander off...

~Have a lovely day!

Friday, July 20, 2012

...Royal Walnut Moth...

...we must live in moth country here...

...this gorgeous fellow was on our doorstep...

...he wasn't bashful at all...

...he's a Royal Walnut Moth (or Regal Moth)...Citheronia Regalis

~Have a lovely day!

Thursday, July 19, 2012

...Youth Pool Party...

...Our Youth Group just got back from a Mission Trip to Tennessee - with an awesome organization - Appalachia Service Project...they all had a great time serving there...and working on houses...

...so now it's time to celebrate...with a pool party/cookout...

...the Man - grillin'...veggie burgers only...I wish...

...a Cornhole tournament...

...Scout's team won...

...some fun in the pool...

...Scout lovin' on Lily...and making Jack very jealous...

...Cornhole Tournament...round 2...it came down to Scout's team...versus the Pastor's team...guess who won...

...right again...

~Have a lovely day!