Cooking, Exercising, and Sale

Well, it looks like the cooler fall weather has brought on a new passion for me. All of a sudden, I want to bake bread and cook fabulous casseroles. So in light of this, I purchased two new cookbooks. The first is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. I have been using my breadmaker to make bread from scratch, and our family of five eats a 2-lb. loaf in about 2 days. This book is sort of an extension of that for me, making the dough and refrigerating it to bake later. A friend of mine has been blogging about her experiences with this book, if you'd like more information.

The other book is The Best Casserole Book Ever. I'm trying to get back to the all-in-one-dish, nutritious but cheap meals. Everyone is feeling the effects of the economy lately, and I am no exception, so I am trying to get the most out of my dollar. Not to mention how easy it is to throw a casserole together.

I have also decided, after all my life of hating it, that I like to jog. I am not a hardcore runner, I have just started, and it is because I'm looking to improve my fitness level. I have been a brisk walker for years, but my 2 year old egged me on from the stroller the other day. She kept telling me, "Faster, Mommy, faster!" as I pushed her through the colorful leaves on the sidewalks. So what do you know, I jogged, and it was fun. I was out of breath afterwards, of course, but not unbearably so, and it felt good.

Last on the agenda today, I have had slow (read "no") sales on my Etsy shop as of late. I was recently asked by a previous buyer to custom make a sweater, and when I agreed, she never got back to me. It has been about two weeks and I sort of gave up on that one. But if anyone is looking for gifts or stuff to get ready for the fall and winter seasons, take a look at these.

Knitting, Accounting, and Toys

Wow, I just realized how long it has been since I wrote on here. Chalk that up to school starting back up for the kids, continuing my online accounting classes, and of course, knitting. Here's a bit of what I've been up to.

I struggled and agonized over my final exam for my last accounting class. Just when I was about to give up, I reworked one section and I ACED my exam! I was so shocked, LOL, and then I wound up doing a little victory dance. Sorry, you don't get to see a picture of that!

I have been working on test knits, this one is for Justine Turner. I just love her designs. Here is Maya modelling her new cardigan, the Roaring Meg.

I have also become strangely addicted to Cartoon Network's Johnny Test, now that I can't seem to find Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends anymore.

I also made knitted toys for each of the girls.

Ok, this one is crochet, but this poodle is for Maya, from a Lion Brand Yarn free pattern.

This is a bunny for Emily, from Fuzzy Mitten's pattern. This is my interpretation of the Easter bunny, who is naked because Emily wouldn't let me hold on to it long enough to make him clothes.

I would love to call this my masterpiece, but it is not my pattern. LOL This is Maddie's Hedgy, a Huggable Hedgehog from the Fiber Trends pattern. He turned out so cute, and he is well loved.

Now maybe I can get back to my poor hoodie that has been neglected, or my socks that have been impatiently waiting...

Sneaky Little Monkey

The other day, I came out of the bathroom and only saw 2 of my 3 daughters. I asked the older two where the 2 year old was, and they pointed me to the kitchen. I still didn't see anything. I opened the pantry cupboard, and there she was, hands behind her back and telling me, "I don't have nothing!" She had climbed up the drawer handles into the cupboard, shut the door, and ate ALL the cookies. Ok, there weren't a ton, but a dozen is still a lot for that little girl to eat by herself. Check out how proud she is of herself.

Adventures in Camping

On the weekend of July 4, we went "up north" (a Michigan phrase) camping. We travelled to Mears, Michigan, to camp near Silver Lake. It is a given that we took the dune buggy; to DH, that is the whole point of the trip.

Here is Maddie hanging out at the campsite.

This strangely reminds me of the See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil monkeys. Maddie, Emily, and Maya in a giant Adirondack chair at Mac Woods dune rides.

Here are Dave's buggy and Bill's buggies the bottom of Test Hill at the Silver Lake Sand Dunes.

Here is the top of test hill. If your vehicle can make test hill, you can ride the dunes.

See how small Emily looks running down the dune?

This is at the beach with the lighthouse. We fell into a timewarp here; apparently our Nextels were receiving off Wisconsin towers across Lake Michigan, because the clocks on the phones were suddenly reading an hour earlier. Maya and Emily were trying to get away with splashing in this puddle.

Oh, and let's not forget: I leave you with an actual picture of me smiling. I have been told it is a rare occurence lately. What can I say, I was smashing other people in bumper cars with Maddie by my side, it was fun!

Test knits, horse herds, and health

I have spent the last 3 days knitting a herd of horses. I was testing a knitted and felted horse pattern for http://www.duofiberworks.com/. I have three horse-obsessed daughters, and of course, I had to make one horse for each of them. This pattern is very quick; I was able to knit, sew, felt, and finish each horse in one day. Which is a good thing when you have a cute little kiddo staring you down until you are finished... LOL So I have knit a small herd, and the standing horses are already well-loved enough to have wobbly legs.

On a personal note, I had to have my insurance health screen done this morning. My cholesterol is down 55 points since this time last year! Woohoo! I have been working hard on eating healthier and exercising more, so this was a great reinforcement, and also a great motivator to continue to improve my health.

The Miracles of the Post Office

Wow. This year, I have had 6 or 7 packages of yarn, patterns, books, and other knitting notions disappear in the postal system on the way to me. I actually received a package today that was shipped priority mail from Arizona on 3/4/08. The person I bought it from was even nice enough to refund my money when I told her the yarn never showed up (hi, Erika!). I JUST got the yarn today, where has it been sitting for 3 1/2 months? Who knows, but I guess filing a complaint with the USPS over a missing package may be worth it after all, even if it takes 3 1/2 months. I am so excited, I've been wanting to try some Trekking, and now I can. So I am posting the yarn today to show off what I waited so long for, and to thank Erika for her patience and understanding, and be sure that I am paying her back!

Horcrux socks

I finished my Horcrux socks, a pattern from Susan Pierce Lawrence for the yahoo group, Six Sox Knitalong. Anyone can get these patterns free by joining the Yahoo group, so check it out. There is a corresponding group on Ravelry. These socks worked up quickly, and it is a cool pattern, even if you are not a Harry Potter freak like me. I made these 2 At a Time style. This is my new favorite way to knit socks, so don't mind me plugging Melissa's site. LOL

These socks were a great break in between assignments for my online Financing class, which is a huge pain. When I thought my brain couldn't take anymore, I'd work on these socks for a bit to relax.