What was that?

When I posted the photos of the effects that are available on my camera. Did you wonder about this one?



What are these? Why, they're Inchies! Every trip to the library will find me prowling through the section of books on sewing, knitting, crocheting and crafts in general. This is a fairly small library and the selection is limited but I always seem to find something that I missed before. This time I found a Mary Englebreit Christmas book and something called "Inchies" by Peggy Donda-Kobert.



I love a book that sets forth a creative challenge, gives the basics and some examples which allows you to run with the idea.



An Inchie is a piece of artwork that is created using one square inch of fabric.

I guess it's the fiber form of Smith Magazine's Six Word Memoir. Now, there's a challenge.

For my first foray into the Inchie realm I chose cream colored felt. The edges won't fray and it has thickness and body. Some of my Inchies are more successful than others. I especially love this one featuring a bare tree. It was hand stitched with black all purpose thread and mirrored a design in the book.



Here's one using beads, spacers and sequins. I call it the UFO Inchie.



A hand-carved wooden leopard bead strolls across hand stitched grass. This one needs more work. I need to stitch the grass higher so that it's more visible.



Snowflake using small pearls and sequins.



Another free form snowflake using glass tubes and pearls.



It's a fun creative exercise and allows me to escape into the fog of concentrating on needle, thread and eye/hand coordination. The book shows the Inchies being used to create artistic pieces but I think they'd make cool little lapel pins.

So, there's the Inchie for you.

Picture This

Here's the view from the garret.



Yes, the precipitation from earlier this week has turned to snow. Not enough to fire up the snowblower, but just enough to cover everything lightly.

My new camera is a joy to use. That's not to say that the Fuji brothers didn't give me years of good service.


The Fuji Brothers

The one on the left was purchased over 6 years ago and I remember paying over $300 for it. After 5 years it finally died. I was so please with the Fuji that I searched out and found a used one on Ebay for about $60. Almost immediately the darn battery door latch broke (these cameras are famous for this) and I've been taping the door shut since then. It always looked as if it was covered with band aids.

I've also got some big guns in my photography stable including an expensive digital SLR and a film Mamiya medium format that weighs over 8 pounds! Those are for serious shooting sessions but for everyday shots I like something simpler to use.

The new Canon was featured on the front page of Target's weekly ad for $99. It stated that quantities were limited so I made sure to be at the store when the doors opened. I bought first (on a whim) and checked reviews and asked questions later. The most important thing to me was the 10x zoom. I am very pleased with this camera. It has a large viewing screen and I actually love the fact that you have to manually pop up the flash and it has a low light mode. Here are some other modes.

Standard mode.



Super vivid color.



Color accent, which allows you to choose one color to accent, leaving the rest of the image in black and white.



There's a mode called color swap which allows you to change one color to another. I don't have an example of that.

Here's the fisheye view.



This is something cool called miniature effect. This blurs the top and bottom.



This is a pair of vintage ceramic chickens shot in super vivid mode.



There are also modes for shooting winter scenes, fireworks, beach scenes, foliage, a face detect feature,

Thus far I'm very happy with the Canon. It's the SX130 IS model.

Do you love your camera, or is there a feature or another camera that you'd love to have?

Holiday Cookie Joy

Holiday cookie exchanges are the best idea. Just think about it, I had to bake 10 dozen cookies, all from the same recipe. No problem. Then the cookie exchange magic happens. I come home with 10 dozen cookies in 28 different varieties. It's magic!

Here's my batch before I bagged them up.



I prepared three batches of Martha Stewarts recipe for Cranberry Coins. There was no time this year for anything fancier than this. The are very good and have the texture of shortbread or the "sandy" cookies.

Here's the recipe, which is copied from Martha Stewarts Holiday Cookie magazine issue for 2010.

CRANBERRY COINS

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioner's sugar, sifted
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries

Beat butter, confectioner's sugar and vanilla with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add flour and salt; stir just till combined. Stir in dried cranberries. Divide dough into quarters.

On parchment, shape each portion into a log about 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 4 inches long. Wrap logs tightly in parchment or plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes or up to 1 day. (Dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen for up to 1 month.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With a sharp knife, slice dough into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Rotate log as you cut to keep it from flattening. Place rounds on parchment lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart.

Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until the edges begin to turn golden, 20-22 minutes. Let cookies cool on sheets or wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room termperature for up to 2 weeks.

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These are nice, simple cookies that taste pretty good. They're not cloyingly sweet. I'll have to admit that I'm a big fan of dried cranberries. I love to throw them on my salad and while waiting for a batch of cookies to bake I threw them into my favorite breakfast.



Steel cut oatmeal. This batch happens to be from Hodgson Mill but I've also tried Quaker and McCann's.

Add some dried cranberries.



Delicious.

Have a great day everyone.

Staying In and Baking

My hopes were high that I might get to seem some meteors on Tuesday night but alas, it had clouded up and started to drizzle. No meteors for me this time around.

This morning we were in full blown dreary mode. Here's the view from the garret window.



Actually, it looking out of my sewing room but garret sounds so much more interesting. Very Emily Dickenson. In order to take a photo from my attic I'd need to climb a ladder and enter through a small access panel in the hallway. Then I'd need to chop a hole in roof because there's no window up there. The sewing room "garret" will have to suffice.

It was so rainy and dreary that nothing seemed interesting except to go back to bed and sleep. Unfortunately cookies needed to be baked. Tonight is the Holiday Cookie Exchange. Sorry, there are no pictures of tutorials for the cookies. Y'all know how to bake cookies. You don't need any instruction from me. I made a Martha Stewart recipe called, Cranberry Coins. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. I thinks it's OK because the magazine it was published in is out of print.

Anyway, you don't want to see pictures of my kitchen when I'm cooking or baking. I agree with Paula Deen............


Paula Deen featured on January 2012 issue of Good Housekeeping.

My kitchen's a mess ya'll. There was flour and chopped cranberries bits everywhere. Not pretty. But Paula would be proud because I used lots of but-tah.

Are you a neat cook or a messy cook? I'm messy in most things I do. I like to start with a clean, neat slate but things deteriorate pretty quickly.

Tomorrow I'll show you some of the cool things my new camera can do. Today I wanted to share the rain and the cookie tales.

I'm My Own Santa Clause

A couple of years ago the Farmer started doing something at Christmas that just makes us all laugh. One year our son was handing out gifts and came upon one that had him puzzled. The gift tag said, "To the Farmer, From Santa".

The only problem was that it was written in the Farmer's handwriting! We all looked at him in amazement and said, "You bought YOURSELF a Christmas gift, wrapped it up and tagged it from Santa?"

Really?

We all had a good laugh at that one. It seems that there was something he really wanted but couldn't justify spending the money. So, hey..... Santa was happy to oblige.

It became a yearly joke. What's "Santa" going to bring the Farmer this year?

I never had any intentions of following in the Farmer's footsteps but this past Sunday I was browsing through the sales flyers and spotted a camera for sale at Target. It was a terrific price. But the sales ad stated, "limited quantities".

I knew that if I really wanted the camera I'd need to be through the doors pretty early. Did I really want/need the camera? I could probably limp along with my trusy Fuji. Actually, I loved the Fuji so much that when the first died a quick death, I bought an identical used one on Ebay. I loved my Fuji Finepix!


The trusty Fuji Finepix

The screen is teenie tiny though and every one of these cameras has the same flaw - the catch on the battery door breaks easily. For well over a year I've been taping the battery door closed, only to have to repeat the exercise every time I charge the batteries. It looked goofy too.

The new camera is a Canon. I've had a couple of the smaller point-and-click kind but was never happy with them. I like something a little heftier. The most important thing to me is a decent zoom. This has 12x optical zoom and 12 megapixels.


The Canon SX130 IS joins the stable of cameras.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, I have a real weakness for cameras and sewing machines. I suppose there are worse things to be attached to.

The Canon has some cool effects. I show you one of them tomorrow.

So anyway, this was my Christmas gift to myself. And, no.... I'm not going to wrap it up and tag it from Santa.

Girls Night Out X 3

After months of hospital visits (both the Farmer and the Other Mother) and coordinating physical therapist and home health care nurse visits, I find myself able to get out this week. Not only once or twice but three, count 'em, THREE evenings.

Heck, I don't even know if I remember how to socialize. Remember when your children were little and you were known as "Katie's mom" or "Tommy's mom", as if you didn't actually have a name of your own?

It feels good to get out and be with friends. This week I've attended a holiday gathering with my co-workers. Did I mention this is also the season of grab bags? I never quite know what to get for a grab bag gift but I was very lucky being in the receving end of this holiday tradition. Here's the great serving plate and tall mug I received in the co-worker grab bag.



Aren't the just the cutest? They are from Kohl's department store, just in case you're wanting these for yourself.

Last night I attended the December Bunco gathering with my neighbors. Again, so good to mingle with friends. Neighbor Lynn and neighbor Betty have been so supportive of me during these last few months. I only hope I can be as good a friend to them.

Another grab bag. This time I scored something incredibly cute. It was tucked inside this bag.



The pattern on the bag is all red glitter and I love the polka dot tissue paper. I'm a tissue paper ironer. How about you?

Here's what was tucked inside.



Ceramic snowman measuring spoons. So cute. The tag says they are from Pier One. You might want a set for yourself.

I'm going to use these measuring spoons to prepare for outing #3, which is a Christmas Cookie Exchange at neighbor Jacki's house. On Thursday evening I'll come home with 10 dozen assorted cookies. TEN DOZEN!! Gotta love cookie exchanges.

Have a great day everyone.

Cookie Magic

This week has been a flurry of home health nurse visits, physical therapist visits, doctor visits and more EKG's than you can shake a stick at. Thankfully the doctor has told the Other Mother that she cannot drive.... for now. The snow will fly soon and that will put an end to her driving for the winter and hopefully this will actually be the end of her driving forever.

I do not lament the loss of "independence" because it's just a fact of life. If we are lucky enough to live to an advanced age we will lose aspects of our independence. It's reality. Anyone diagnosed with a debilitating illness is forced to deal with this reality, some at very young ages. It just IS. The sooner you make peace with this idea the better off everyone will be.

I faced illness that left me never knowing if I'd be able to function on any given day. You just tell yourself, "I'll get up and do what I can do for this day. Tomorrow is another day and perhaps I'll be able to do more."

Yesterday the Other Mother thought she might like to go to the store and shop but I know that there are issues that could cause her to faint or become weak. On advice from the medical staff I told her that was not yet possible.

"Give me your list and I'll get everything you need," I told her.

You can be assured that she does not NEED coffee cake, cookies and biscuits. But I decided, what the heck, at 90 years old you should eat what you like. It's not going to cause a health crisis, so coffee cake and cookies it was!

She's particularly fond of cookies that are sold at a local grocery store. I cannot fathom how this particular cookie display has escaped the critical eye of the government. The cookies are displayed in a large display case. You lift up the lid and use tongs to choose which cookies you like, mixing and matching to your hearts desire. They're weighed at the register and sold by the pound.

Individual loose cookies, opening cabinet doors, tongs...... probably a recipe for disaster but oh well, the cookies are wonderful.



They're made by Voortman's and since I was the shopper for Other Mother, I got to choose my personal favorites. Be still my heart. The flat sugar cookie on the left has slivered almonds, a light almond taste and dusted with sugar crystals.

On the right is an all time favorite - the Windmill cookie! The shape has changed, they used to be larger and more "windmilley". That's not a word but you get my drift. They also used to have slivered almonds on the top. Those are missing but it still has that spicey flavor that probably has molasses in the batter. OH YUMMY!

Do you have a favorite store bought cookie? I don't think any of those packaged varieties can hold a candle to these Voortman cookies. Certainly not the Pecan Sandies. WHO changed the formula for that cookie? It tastes nothing like the Sandies I remember from years ago. I do love Lorna Doone's shortbread cookies.

I'm off to wait for the physical therapist and later the nurse, then it's off to work.

I need a cookie.

Windfall

wind-fall (wind'fol') n. 1. something blown down by the wind, such as fruit from a tree 2. an unexpected stroke of good luck

Yesterday's mail brought a windfall, of the second variety, an unexpected stroke of good luck. Money. A check.

It's seems I was part of a class action lawsuit and never even knew it. According to the accompanying paperwork it seems that someone sued EBay Motors and everyone who made transactions with this particular EBay seller was awarded a settlement.

Honestly, I don't remember ever ordering anything from EBay Motors, but perhaps the Son did in the past. The settlement was based on the final value fees I paid during a certain period.

Windfall. Just before Christmas and just after we found out that one of the garage doors needs to be replaced. Perfect timing.



I look a little closer.



Do you see it? The amount.



A two and some zeros. Actualy a zero, a decimal point, a two and a zero.



Twenty cents. Woo hoo...... 20 cents!!!

The Farmer knows alot about these sorts of things - cutting checks and such. He assures me that it cost at least 60 cents to cut this check. Think of all the man hours involved in compiling the lists of people involved, computing the amounts, cutting the checks, paper and ink, machines running the checks, folding them and inserting them in envelopes. Let's not forget the postage. I've already pitched the enveloped but I'm sure it was at least 14 cents. So, let's just say 74 cents to send me a 20 cent check.

Well, it's not quite the windfall I had in mind but actually it falls under my category of found money. We've talked about this before. Found money is money that I neither earned nor was expecting to come to me. It's money that's meant to pass through my hands into someone else's.

Please read more about found money here:

FOUND MONEY

If you follow that link you will also be rewarded with a black and white photo of a friend's aged but beautiful hands. Oh my, the work those hands have performed. They are beautiful to me.

The 20 cent check will be combined with a small bit of my own money and sent on to my favorite charity, TRICKLE UP. It will be used to provide small business loans to women in third world countries, empowering them to change the future for themselves and their children.

Thanks for visiting with me today. I appreciate your energy and your friendship.

Monday Morning Staff Meeting - the Long Time No See Edition

Good morning everyone and welcome to the Monday Morning Staff Meeting. I think it's been awhile since we've held one of these so again, welcome!

I found this quote on Lucy's blog, ATTIC 24, and I'm applying it to my life today.

"There is great happiness in not wanting,
in not being something,
in not going somewhere."

Today and tomorrow I'm not scheduled at work and I'm reveling in that fact. My plans are to nest, do laundry, finish some painting, crocheting and whatever else comes to mind. I'd love to be "not going somewhere" but late this afternoon the Other Mother has a doctor's appointment but until that time I'm reveling in whatever strikes my fancy.

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In my mind there's nothing cuter than a lamb. How I wish we were keeping livestock here. HA. I'd have lambs and chickens for sure. Take a look at this and tell me you're not falling in love.


Southdown Babydoll Sheep

These lambs were featured at the Rare Breeds Show at nearby GARFIELD FARM AND INN MUSEUM.

Brooks Brothers has the cutest ad ever. More sheep. More cuddly cuteness.



And here's how the video was made.



I can't stop smiling. Lambs in cashmere sweaters and scarves. Heck, I don't even own cashmere! Lucky lambs.

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Do you have Christmas cookie exchanges in your neck of the woods? My neighbor is hosting one on the 15th and I'm very excited to be going. I'll try to squeeze my snowflake cookies into the schedule but we'll see, I might have to settle on something simpler.



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Got a Star Trek geek in your life? Look what I found in the local newspaper:



This is from a store called Scientific Surplus and Supply. They carry all kinds of very unusual things. Probably a great place to find rare gifts, huh? But I'll draw the line at a $30 pizza cutter.

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Thanks to all of you who are crocheting along using the EMERGENCY ROOM SCARF pattern. VEE is being very productive, having already produced FOUR! I know Sandy is also hooking along.

Dorothy asked about the hook size. When using a worsted weight yarn I generally use a size H hook. This scarf was made with a soft yarn, slightly thinner than worsted and I still used the H hook. The softer yarn gives a better drape. This was from a small ball that I had laying around and the wrapper was long gone so I can't tell you which yarn was used.

Here's a close up of the pattern. Kind of a shell-on-shell design.



Thanks to everyone for crocheting along.

LISA D - Please send me your mailing address. E-mail me at - Abscissa63@aol.com

I'll get it in the mail to you pronto.

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Have a great day everyone. I'm off to do "whatever"!

The Part Where the Author Asks Her Readers For Suggestions

As you know, my brain is on a leave of absense. The time stamp on this post will read somewhere around 3:10 a.m. and yes, I cannot sleep.....so much on my mind and on my list of things to do. I'll go back to bed in a little while but not before asking you for some suggestions.

A week from Sunday I will attend a small holiday party with my new co-workers. They've decided to do a grab bag gift exchange with a limit of $15. Usually I can come up with something but in the midst of coordinating home health care nurses and physical therapists for the Other Mother the creative thinking portion of my brain has checked out.

Can you help me? I need inspiration. I need ideas.

It's a grab bag so the gift must be appropriate for anyone that might receive it. My co-workers range in age from 22 to 70, seven women and one young man (the 22-yr. old).

Have you participate in this types of exchanges in the past? What's been successful?

Thanks so much for your help because believe me, at this point in my life I need all the help I can get.