Oops

Well, it’s been almost two years since my last post.  I really didn’t plan to be gone this long.  I got a bit tangled up in yarn, thread, and more.  Plus, I started going back to school. Yes, I decided to be crazy again. This time I’m going for a degree in Computers/Information Technology.  I’ve wobbled a little bit on exactly which path I want to take with it, programming, networking, general tech, and web design.  So far, I liked programming, but I’m loving web design.  I’m still in the first class for that though, so we’ll see how next semester looks.

I’m still experimenting with dinner recipes and some desserts, still quilting, doing embroidery, burning wood, and painting. I haven’t done as much crocheting in the past couple years though.

One of my last posts introduced our latest rescue kitty, a very frail and emaciated black kitten. She is still with us!  We named her Jayne Dough and she is no longer a sickly and thin kitten. She kind of plumped out.  A lot.  We’ve also nicknamed her Turtle, because she rolls over onto her back and then she can’t get back up.  She has a spinal nerve injury, so she’s limited in her movements. But she’s an absolute sweetheart and even Pixie, the cat that hates cats, tolerates her.

I will try not to be gone as long this time, but we’ll see how the next semester of work and school eats up my time.  Signed up for three classes, plus whatever classes my own students end up taking.

Keep stitching!

Shell

Recipe: Baked Chicken and Zucchini

Disclaimer: I’m bad about timing each step. I cook by how things look and smell at different steps more than anything else. And I rarely measure out seasonings and such. I’ll try to get close though!

My mother-in-law gave us some zucchini and tomatoes from her garden recently. Her garden has been going crazy producing veggies and we’ve benefited from it as well.

I only had one chicken breast to work with, so yours will probably look fuller in the pan.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into large pieces

1 tbsp olive oil

4-5 tomatoes (I used Roma)

2 medium sized zucchini

Bag of steamable broccoli

1-2 Garlic clove

Seasonings (to your taste buds preference):

Black pepper

Poultry seasoning

Onion powder

Turmeric

Slice your zucchini into rounds and dice your tomatoes.

Season your chicken with black pepper, poultry seasoning, onion powder, turmeric. Heat up the olive oil (I used medium heat), add in the garlic and chicken, then brown the chicken on both sides. I think I did 5 minutes per side.

Take the chicken out of the pan and set the chicken into a glass baking dish (I used 9×13 pan). Start the oven preheating to 325.

In the pan on the stove that you used to brown the chicken, add your zucchini. You should still have hot olive oil in the pan so be careful. Couple minutes per side, or until zucchini slices start to soften. (At this point I had steamed the bag of broccoli, but I would recommend only doing half the time the bag calls for. I did end up with soggy broccoli at the end).

Add your tomatoes to the pan. Let them cook a couple minutes together.

While the tomatoes and zucchini were cooking I dumped the steamed broccoli into the glass baking dish with the chicken.

Then I added the zucchini and tomato mix on top. Then put it in the oven. The dish baked at 325 for approx 25 minutes.

Then we ate!

Changes I would do next time: add more chicken. Season a little heavier. Remember the garlic. Less steaming on the broccoli before baking. Cook the zucchini a little longer on stovetop before adding to the dish. Maybe add some cauliflower rice.

Life After 65 – Check it out

Whether you are 65, older, or even younger you may enjoy this new blog that just started up last month.  It’s called: Life After 65

The blog plans to focus on family, life, investing for your future both financially for your retirement and for what you’ll leave your family in the end (wills, trusts, etc.), health topics such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s, being a caregiver for both an elderly parent and for a disabled family member, and more.

If you look to the right sidebar you’ll also see a link to the blog listed in My Favorite Blogs.

Check it out!   (the site is still being fine-tuned on the theme and layout, so you may see some things change over the next couple weeks as they get everything set up the way they want)

Needlepainting: Iris and Rose

The iris I mentioned in my last post is finished! And I’m extremely happy with it.  It now hangs on the wall in our main bathroom.

After it was finished I was still in the mood to stitch, so I turned my attention to another flower that had been on my mind. A rainbow rose.  

I traced it onto sulky then stitched it on a black background. 

I did make some changes to the colors to go with what I had, but the rainbow rose worked up quickly. 

My next project was going to be needlepainting a small waterfall landscape. After studying some drawings I drew up a design, transferred, and outlined. And after a little bit of stitching realized it’s not the right project to hold my attention right now. 

What to do. What to do. 

Out came the hexies to play. 

150 basted. 10 stitched into twos. 71 to still baste. Then I’ll need to drag out some more fabric to cut up. 

Where Did I Go

I feel like I’ve disappeared! From the crafting world that is.  Work is extremely busy right now so when I do have some downtime, I don’t have the energy to craft. 

Although I have had some fun with graph paper and colored pencils lately: 

I may end up turning these into wall hangings or quilts…someday. 

Happy New Year! UFOs Spotted Ahead

Hello 2017 and goodbye 2016. I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year’s Eve. My hubby and I went to see John Oliver Live in Detroit and it was awesome! He is hilarious.

2017 is bringing many challenges…such as the 2017 UFO Challenge I joined. 🙂 If you are on Facebook you can go to the American Patchwork & Quilting 2017 UFO Challenge page and join in the fun. They also have a website All People Quilt that you can check out instead. You fill out 12 sections on a spreadsheet/paper/etc. with the UFOs you’d like to finish in 2017. Fill it in randomly because you won’t be starting with #1 then moving to #2, and so on. Each month they will draw a new number and that is the section you work on that month. Such as for January #6 was drawn. So anything you have in the #6 section is what UFO(s) you try to finish or at least make good progress on.

My list is on my phone so I’ll have to put the picture up here later. But #6 for me is binding a Walk About quilt, finishing my Brick Wall quilt (it’s in rows at the moment needing to be arranged then sewn together and so on) and 2+ crochet chemo caps.

Yes…you can do more than just sewing/quilting on your list! Have some crochet or knit UFOs? Put them on the list! Embroidery? On the list it goes. Have fun and figure out what you want to get finished to reduce the UFO pile(s) in your craft room/house.

 

The main thing is have fun, be challenged, and get things accomplished. 🙂

 ETA: here is my list. 

 

Fall Sewing Retreat – soon

Very soon in fact. In just a couple of days I’ll be going to the Sew Crazy fall sewing retreat and I have nothing planned. NOTHING! I don’t know what I want to work on other than a Christmas gift quilt which is already in the rows and just needs to be sewn together. That shouldn’t take 3 days.

I have no idea what else I want to work on!  Maybe some bowl cozies for Christmas gifts? Pillowcases? I guess I better figure it out asap!

I’m glad they are doing a fall retreat. Normally it’s just a once-a-year retreat in January, where we’re dealing with ice and snow and brrrr cold weather.

 

I do have one small project I need to work on. Our craft group, Fiber Art Junkies, is doing a monthly challenge with 6″ blocks. Each month we’ll draw two colors out of a baggie, then we need to make a 6″ block with ONLY those two colors. Any shades of those colors but only those colors. They can be embellished, designed, etc. however we want, but must be 6″ finished, or 6 1/2″ unfinished (for future finishing with all the blocks) and only the two colors chosen for the month.

This month? Red and white! I’m debating if I want to do all my monthly blocks as crazy square blocks or if I want to pick a block design and go with that. Our next meeting is the 23rd so I need to have it done by then.

 

 

Happy 4th!

I hope all of you have a wonderful and safe 4th of July! Keep your pets indoors where it’s safe if fireworks will be going off near you.

 

 

Grrr

I had a post all written up. Then when I tried to attach the photos…my wordpress app on my phone crashed and reset back to before the multiple saves of the draft.

/sigh.

I’ll redo the post and share it later. It will have lots of photos…unless it keeps crashing!

Crocheting Again (after several months)

Yes that’s right, I started crocheting again today. If you recall, awhile ago I mentioned not being able to crochet because I deal with eczema and my hands had been affected badly. The eczema was caused by something at work.

Well as of Wednesday last week, I no longer work at that place any longer. I turned in my resignation the day before thanksgiving and worked my two weeks, said goodbye, turned in my equipment, and practically danced my way out.

I do have another job now, which is why I was able to quit the job that was damaging my hands. I’ll start training next month for the new job but I wanted some time to just relax and let my body recover.

After one week, my hands have healed up enough for me to crochet again! Another week and they should be fully healed.

I grabbed a skein of Red Heart in the colorway of Falling Leaves, and started crocheting. Frogged the first attempt. Decided to try something else. Frogged that attempt. Third attempt was also frogged.

When all else fails, make a scarf! Plus…I need a new scarf anyway.

Isn’t that gorgeous? All those reds, greens, oranges, and browns. Makes me think of fall and driving down the back roads with the windows down, listening to the music of the wind rustling through the leaves, the chirping of birds, and the subtle whisper of sound that is pure fall.

I can’t wait until it’s done. And I’m loving how the yarn is striping itself the way it is.