crafts + recipes + existential dread
On the last day of February we finally got a decent snowstorm! There was maybe 5-6 inches of the white stuff and it flurried all day. Yes, I was a very happy woman!
I also made a chocolate cake and tried a new frosting recipe which is delicious! I’ll share it with you tomorrow, but right now I’m going to dig into this slice!
Today I got some good crochet time in working on granny squares for Laura’s bag. The colors she picked are so springy!
I hope you all are having a super Saturday! We are here, for sure. I slept in a bit then made Western scrambles for me and Drew and an open-faced sausage, egg & cheese on rye for Laura. It has been lightly snowing all day, which you know I love!
This morning I cranked through my chores, then made a Greek salad for lunch.
After that we caught a matinee of Cocaine Bear, which I have been waiting to see since I first heard about it in like December!
Then we hit 4 o’clock Mass, came home, and I’m currently making honey BBQ chicken sandwiches for dinner. It was a day filled with all of my favorite things and I’m looking forward to an easy, relaxing evening.
Diane, 11:30 AM, February 24th.
Entering the town of Twin Peaks, five miles south of the Canadian border, twelve miles west of the state line.
I’ve never seen so many trees in my life.
As W. C. Fields would say, I’d rather be here than Philadelphia.
Fifty-four degrees on a slightly overcast day.
Weatherman said rain.
If you could get paid that kind of money for being wrong sixty percent of the time, it’d beat working.
Mileage is seventy-nine thousand three hundred forty-five, gauge is on reserve, riding on fumes here, I’ve got to tank up when I get into town.
Remind me to tell you how much that is.
Lunch was, uh, six dollars and thirty-one cents at the Lamplighter Inn, that’s on Highway Two near Lewis Fork.
That was a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat, slice of cherry pie, and a cup of coffee.
Damn good food.
Diane, if you ever get up this way that cherry pie is worth a stop.
To my fellow Twin Peaks fans, may your coffee be black as night on a moonless night and may you enjoy some damn fine cherry pie.
The photo says it all. So freaking glad the weekend is almost here.
Hello everyone, and happy Wednesday! Because I had Monday off and did all of my running around then, I have been able to stay at home all day and it has been wonderful. I folded and sorted four baskets of laundry (and put my own away), made a big pot of minestrone soup, searched patterns for granny square bags (Laura saw the one the receptionist had at our hairdresser’s and asked me to make one similar), ordered a new bullet blender (after 10 years my Magic Bullet finally died), and talked to my folks on the phone for a bit. I think I definitely needed a “down day.”
Of course, it is also Ash Wednesday today and the beginning of Lent. As a pretty wishy-washy Catholic I don’t typically do much besides abstain from meat on Ash Wed. and Fridays, but this year I found this book on Hoopla and decided to give it a try:
Every day there is a word to focus on, a scripture to read, and a meditation to think about. I thought it might even make an interesting paper craft project to journal through Lent and I have some ideas on how that might look. The ideas are spinning.
Now, like I said, normally we would go to Mass this evening, but I am not feeling well at the moment (raw, sore throat and bad sinus pressure), so it is probably best to keep my germs to myself. The weather is also factoring in tonight. After school activities were cancelled and it’s snowing right now, which is supposed to switch over to sleet and freezing rain. So, I’m just going to stay put and stay home. A big bowl of soup, sipping on tea, a hot shower, sitting by the wood stove, and hooking up a few granny squares sounds right to me.
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold, when it is summer in the light and winter in the shade.”
— Charles Dickens
A month from now we will be celebrating spring! I’ve kind of given up on winter at this point. Although we woke to a dusting of snow, I’m not sure we will get a good storm. Yesterday it was in the high 50s and today has been damp and cold. So now I’m forcing spring in the form of a hyacinth bulb and awaiting those days that Dickens describes.
Sunday – leftovers
Monday – Corned beef Reubens, potato salad
Tuesday – Chicken Alfredo lasagna
Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) – minestrone soup & salad
Thursday – Burgers?
Friday – something meatless
Saturday – Turkey chili, salad
Years ago when the boys were really little and Laura wasn’t even born yet, pretty much every Sunday we would go out for breakfast and then walk around the stores. Of course, times changes, kids (and appetites!) get bigger and let’s face it — we don’t always have a Sunday where everyone is free. But today we did so we took advantage of that.
We went out for lunch at the Chinese buffet, which Drew and Laura had both been craving. I haven’t been that into Chinese food lately, but there is always something I can eat there so everyone enjoyed themselves. After that we went to Barnes & Noble for a bit. Noah & Laura both found a couple books they were interested in, so we got those.
Sadly, our local Bed, Bath, and Beyond is one that is closing, so we wanted to see what was left. We were hoping to find some dorm stuff for Noah and we got lucky with sheets and a comforter set! Laura found a comforter set she liked as well, and the price was right so she got that. I found a few things too.
Fall is my favorite, so I couldn’t resist these two fall-themed trays. They will get lots of use here! I also picked up a holiday candle for next winter.
These cloth napkin sets were so inexpensive and the colors are very springy so I grabbed two sets of each color – a light blue and a seafoam (I know it’s hard to see in the picture).
This was a real treat to find! I have wanted one of these “6 in 1” type of serving sets for years. It can be a covered cake stand, a punch bowl, a salad set, a chip & dip set, a pie stand… It is heavy glass, too — not acrylic — so it should last a long time. I think I may have to bake a cake tomorrow to try it out!
We spent a lot of time in BB&B and I was getting worn out. We ran into Dollar Tree while Drew gassed up the car and I found just a couple more spring themed items.
The Dollar Tree signs are not great quality, but they have some really cute designs and since this one will just be in the house, it should be fine for a while. I also picked up some pretty napkins. I absolutely love pretty, seasonal napkins and grab a package whenever I see a design I love. I may use a few of these for some crafts I have in mind. And last, I had to grab a couple bags of candy! I have not yet tried the sour patch grapes, so I am looking forward to that taste test. The sour watermelons are one of my all-time favorites candies.
So that was a fun afternoon! After we got home I threw a load of laundry in the washing machine, and started a corned beef in the Instant Pot for tomorrow.
Hope you had a lovely Sunday as well!
Hello! Just checking in real quick. It was a busy day over here and the time just slipped by. Hope you had a great day!