Winter comfort food

"Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home." - Edith Sitwell

More snow for us means the kids are home and I have to cook something for lunch and dinner.  King Arthur Flour Co. sent a recipe for baked macaroni and cheese a couple of months ago and I decided it just had to come out of my oven.  


As the back problems continue, I drafted MM to grate the cheese.  She did a great job and added the secret ingredient.  After stirring and mixing, we have this lovely pan for the oven.

A round in the oven brought this wonderful warmth for the table which was quickly enjoyed by all.  The entire family agrees this recipe is a keeper.  

knitting round round

These are pieces for one of two scarves I didn't finish in time for Christmas/Hanukkah but the recipient did get another gift.

Now I can knit in the round - 22 stitches round and round and round. This first tube of three is complete except for weaving the ends.  Help from my mom is needed for that finishing touch.

Being laid up with back spams has kept me home and away from my sewing machine, so now the second tube is in process.  Since this is still a gift, shifted to birthday from Christmas, the last tube will remain a secret until the project is finished.

Warm fuzzies

and flowers from DH this year for Valentine's Day. Even better then that he took the shopping list for Trader Joe's and picked up everything on the list while the kids and I were at church.

What a lovely surprise to come home and have one task off the to do list.

Snow bound

Here all the world is white and windy.

Back to back storms each over 20 inches leaves little room for any color other than white out our windows. The magnolia tree is covered, but has lost two branches over night due to the heavy snow and wind.

Once we can get back in the front yard we will have pre-spring planting to clear up.

DH and the kids are enjoying the shoveling, playing, and snowball toss. Laid up with back spasms, I'm keeping to the enjoyment of watching from the windows and thus the screened photo above.

2010 resolution

I'm not one for making resolutions because like many others, they don't keep beyond a couple of months. For 2010 I decided to focus on one thing - simplifying my life.

During my Louisville trip, I decided this is the year to redefine my wardrobe focusing on color. Mores specifically four colors; black, white, browns, and red. With that focus, yesterday I cleared out the closet and drawers. It feels great clearing out things I haven't worn for several seasons, or kept around for when I find that perfect coordinate.

These three bags head to Goodwill next week and that is good for many others.

2010 already productive

So far January has been good to me and finished projects.

New Years Day I spent predominantly infront of my sewing machine. I achieved from cutting to finished item a bag to hold Mom's swift.

Discovered as I put the swift into the bag that it was opening up, so I added two straps.

Created without a pattern, I like how this came out and so does Mom.

Mom was also in need of a new bathrobe. After Christmas we visited Joann's and picked out the wonderfully cozy fleece and a pattern.

This week I was able to finish the hem and sleeves, so that part of Christmas is actually done.

I succeeded in getting around 15 scarves finished for holiday gifts. The craziness of the holidays got in the way of pictures, but I assure you they were lovely.

With this success, I picked up where I left off in scarf creation. Traveling this past weekend enabled me to finish these two. The right one is tagged for a church friend. I used two balls of Watercolors. Too bad the color doesn't come through, it's a very pretty lavendar with other pastels mixed in.

The right one will join the bag for later gifting.

Now back to the table and cutting out the next project for more fun at my sewing machine.

Humble thanks

to all who have served in times of war and times of peace.

RAGGED OLD FLAG
By Johnny Cash

I walked through a county courthouse square,

On a park bench an old man was sitting there.

I said, “Your old courthouse is kinda run down.”

He said, “Naw, it’ll do for our little town.”

I said, “Your flagpole has leaned a little bit,

And that’s a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.

He said, “Have a seat”, and I sat down.

“Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?”

I said, “I think it is.”

He said, “I don’t like to brag,

But we’re kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.”

“You see, we got a little hole in that flag there

When Washington took it across the Delaware.

And it got powder-burned the night

Francis Scott KeySat watching it writing _Oh Say Can You See_.

And it got a bad rip in New Orleans

With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seams.”

“And it almost fell at the Alamo

Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through.

She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville

And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.

There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,

And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.”

“On Flanders Field in World War I

She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.

She turned blood red in World War II

She hung limp and low by the time it was through.

She was in Korea and Vietnam.

She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.”

“She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,

And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home.

In her own good land she’s been abused –

She’s been burned, dishonored, denied and refused.”

“And the government for which she stands

Is scandalized throughout the land.

And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin,

But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in.

‘Cause she’s been through the fire before

And I believe she can take a whole lot more.”

“So we raise her up every morning,

Take her down every night.

We don’t let her touch the ground

And we fold her up right.

On second thought I DO like to brag,

‘Cause I’m mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag.