Oh Pooey

I just read another bloggers piece about how he hates the holidays and all the noise and expence and crass comersialsm. I can agree with that - up to a point. I don't like it when all those things get in the way of, or make us completely forget the reason for the season. (For all you evil minded athiests out there who are trying to get me to understand that there really isn't any God after all, I think that I'd far rather be wrong about there being a God then come to find out that He is real and ending up someplace I DO NOT want to spend eternity in because I was just too self absorbed and wanting to do whatever I wanted and hang the consequences.


Christmas is meant to celebrate Christ's birth - get over it.



But to me that means *not* spending half a year's salary on presents and the geting up at 3:00 am (!) on black friday and NOT giving a hang what anyone else thinks about my not wanting to be around people or things that drive me bonkers or that I out right detest. I'm just not able to put up with people or things that agravate me anymore; at any time of the year. My kids accuse me of getting old and cranky but I beg to differ - I've been that way my whole life; I'm only just now getting the nerve to act on it. And Himself thanks me for it because he's always been a bit of a hermit as well.

But no matter what way to celebrate the season suits your tastes' from Hinmself and I - A Merry Christmas and happy New Year. "God bless us, everyone!"

Some Websites I've Found Usefull

I've got a Big book mark folder. It covers everthing from needlecraft to food and cooking websites, history travel and writing and literature. Right now though, I'm finding alot of gluten free websites and blogs that have been a lot of help to me. When I first decided to go gluten free, I was still a little hesitant because I didn't want to have to give up all the things I loved (baked goods especially). I'm relieved to find that that won't be necesarry. And that's thanks to recipezaar.com and betterbatter.com to start with; talk about a treasure trove. I've found GF recipes for everything from Auntie Ann's pretzels to Bisquick mix. Also Karin Alldrich with her Karina's Kitchen blog has been a big help as well.
English muffins and Irish soda bread! I hope all these great bloggers out there know how much the rest of us appreciate all their efforts and advice.

What I'm working on now

I'm indulging in a little of what my grandmother would have called "fancy work". Although I think that term technically means any kind of intricate hierloom sewing like with wedding gowns and baby clothes and such. But Nanny used it to mean any kind of crocheting or knitting that would make most people ooh and ahh over your finished piece (You *made* that !? I'd go blind trying to just read the pattern!) Or really anything that gives you bragging rights.

But just between you and me? This one's really easy, just chains, single, double and triple crochet stiches. I now realize that as much as I might enjoy knitting my true metier is crocheting. After all Nanny taught me how to when I was six, and I only took up knitting three years ago.

She also taught me that being able to do something that impresses your friends is never a bad thing either.

This pattern is from the July 2009 issue of Crochet Magazine. If anyone wants a copy of it let me know.


(And if I really wanted to show off I'd tell about the blouse and skirt I'm going to make to go with it, but I won't. Nanny hated braggerts!)

Playing Catch-Up

It's pretty amazing what having a little energy will do for a person. The Fall House Cleaning (a habit I picked up from living in base housing) is almost done and on time too! Many thanks to Only Daughter and her fiance J. for doing the refrigerator and freazer. Now just a litle more dusting and mopping and we can start planning for all the fall holidays that we all love so much.

Also, I'm finally caught up on my knitting and crocheting (3 more wip's to finish up the last bits of but that will take maybe a weekend) 9/10ths the fun of finishing project is the fact that you can now start another with a completely clear concience.
Going gluten free has even helped with my sewing and crafting! Who knew?

Well, isn't that a kick in the pants

Update : Oct 14, 2009

Yeah well, that was just plain rude to say the least for me to just drop off the face of the planet like that but I have a (somewhat) legitimate reason for it.

I've been sick. Not the kind of sick that requires a trip to the hospital but the kind of sick that makes you dread getting up to make dinner or even climb out of bed in the morning. Sounds like depression doesn't it? Well that is one of the off shoots of Celiac disease (the inability of the body to process gluten found in wheat, rye and barley.

These particular problems (G. I. issues, general malaise, some depression- more on *that* later.) I've had to deal with in one form or another for as far back as I can remember. After reading Molly Wiezenberg's wonderful Orangette blog and through that Shauna James Ahern's Guten Free Girl blog, the light bulb clicked on and I did some digging around of my own. So that's what been the matter for oh around 40 (!) years!

I went to the doctor and got the blood test as well as some other tests he wanted to do including for thyroid problems (oh joy!). And guess what they all came back negative! "No worries" he says, "we'll do a biopsy of your small intestine." (!?) "We-eeel okay I guess, but when can you do that?" "Three weeks from now." he said cheerfully. "So I'll have to keep on eating gluten for at least another three weeks so as not to skew the test results?" "Yup" "Tell you what Doc, how about I just go gluten free and call you back in three weeks to let you know if it's working or not?" He considered for a moment and said "That works too" So I did and it did (work that is) and I've been gluten free ever since the 1st of September.

Shows you how much damage had been done over the course of 45 yrs though, it's taken this long for all the different symptoms to finally clear up.

Now if I can only figure out GF yeast bread.....

Me Himself and I

Himself and I, circa August 2007

April 16th was our 25th wedding anniversary. Honestly I must have blinked, because I just can't realize it. But I still think that the smartest thing I ever did was to marry that sweet man.

Here's some pics of us then and notice how young and svelte we *were*! Sigh I was an atractive young woman once, *before* the children came!

Us in May 1984. That's the Golden Gate Bridge
I was 4 months along with Oldest Son

Me circa April 1983, Oaknoll Naval Hospital,

Oakland, Ca.

Himself (he was a Corporal at the time)
On the flightline at NAS Alameda, July 1983

wish me luck

So now I'm starting something that I always dreamed of doing. I'm planning out a spring wardrobe. (and in the fall it will be my new winter wardrobe) I know who does stuff like that anymore? But I've always wondered if the Good Lord didn't plunk me down into the wrong era. I love any and all things, vintage and antique from books and magazines, comic strips
clothing, recipes and especially interior design.

I have to laugh at all the folks who are reacting to the economy like it's another Great Depression. Honey this ain't no depression. When unemployment goes to 25% and milk is $6.00 a gallon then I'll start paying atention to the gloom and doom talk.

So what's this got to do with sewing a new wardrobe? (Shrugs) It's what you did when you didn't have the money to buy a whole new set of clothes every season. Until the late sixties that is when the feminazies (Do Not get me started about those, ahem, *ladies*) decreed that all home arts especially cooking, knitting and sewing were degrading to women and the only way to restore our dignity was to stop doing them (or get even with those awful men and make them do them) I'm also convinced that we have become so prosperess as a country that we've become lazy. Why sew something when it's so much easier to go to the mall and buy it?

(Shakes head)


Anyway, hopefully I'll have my dress cut out by tonight and the skirt I'm crocheeting will be done by next week at the latest, then I need to start on the shawl to match and pick out the patern for the camisole to go with it. Then we'll see about a skirt and blouse a well.

(And if Ican cheese off some "feminazies" in the mean time even better!)

the Best Place to Begin is at the Begining.....

So now that the weather has finally turned warm again (yes Shay it actually does get cold down here in north Florida in the winter time.) Himself and I are actually turning our thoughts to all the renovating and redecorating we need to do around here. Why do I always think of the Mickey Mouse cartoon "Boat Builders" when I think of us doing any kind of DIY? "All you gotta do is put it together!"