Daylight Savings Time

Daylight savings was such a cool idea way back when!  I love the fact that it's light after I leave work and by June it's light enough when I get home to actually get things done in the garden.  Here's a bouquet for you because I know that you long for springtime as I do!

 

I have an early Iris that is blooming right now and meant to take a pic of it for you.  If it's not raining too much this weekend then pic taking will be on the "to do" list.  March 14th (Sunday) is the beginning of daylight savings time, only 3 weeks away, YEAH

Happy day to you!

Crochet Epiphany

Good day!  I wanted to share this with you...

Definition of "Epiphany" as used here!

a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.

a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

Here are the last 2 grannies that I made last month for my afghan.  Whew!  Now I have a total of 72 squares and I'm crocheting a single crochet edge with a 3 chain stitch (scallop in white yarn) where they will get attached to each other.  I have been putting off doing them since I was still undecided as to how I would actually attach them and then how many squares I would really need to make it complete.  This is my first blanket and I've been working on it little by little for a couple years.  It's gonna cover my queen size bed.  I was having fun making the squares; I was using different sizes and types of yarn and different patterns from books, the internet and my own I made up and NOW I have to make sure they line up and have found that some are too large while others are too small.  See, they have to line up or the squares will be off and this is where the epiphany came in!

Other people, you and me (everyone!!) I believe has this one problem and maybe this is one of the roots of all our problems and that is the MISCALCULATION OF EFFORTS!  Or you could say, "didn't figure out before hand the effort it would take".  Think about it...every time you ran into something, for instance, such as a roadblock of some sort it was because of too much or too little effort (what you didn't see or know about) to get the thing moved out of the way for you to proceed onward.  It is always present when we're learning or starting out with doing things that we run into problems that we did not forsee.  When you've done things over and over, a bunch of times and you do it well and can do it fast and professional it is because now you have estimated the amount of effort needed to get the thing done that you set out to do.  See, we don't have to invalidate ourselves, think we're stupid, can't do things right, yakka, yakka, yakka.  We don't have to beat ourselves up over these things.  We just didn't estimate the efforts correctly and that is all.  This is a simple example but if you take it on a wider scale you can see it inherent in everything people do.

So, I'm applying this to my crochet project.  I'm learning, (only been crocheting for a few years now) and I've found that I did not correctly estimate what it was gonna take (effort) to figure this project out.  I had no idea that it would take me over 2 years to finish this blanket!  When I would run into something I wasn't sure of or was difficult, I'd put the project aside and do other things.  Now I know it's because of my lack of estimating what it would take to do what I set out to do that "got" me!  We don't have to be effect of this, we just have to know we will be hit with these efforts and to do out best to figure them out.  Then real "planning and then action" can take place!

This was my very last square and I think it's my favorite of all that I made.  I loved doing all the granny squares and creating the color combinations.  It's the planning on how many, how to attach them and their sizes that had me stumped!

All ready to be stitched together...

 

7 down, only 65 more to go!

I was thinking of entering this in the county fair since it'll be on my bed where nobody will see it and allot of work went into it!  I'd have to be finished by July 13th.  That gives me a timed goal to reach.  Have I calculated the efforts needed to get it done by then?  Time will tell.  Wish me luck and lots of crocheting nights!

Dutch Apple Pies

Hi there,
A few weeks ago I had an extra day off so I decided to use the apples that I had purchased back in the fall (before they spoiled) to finally make some pies.  It was a cold rainy day, perfect for having the oven on.  My view out the kitchen window:

I found I had enough to do three, 9" pies so I got to work...


Ready get set go:

My trusty mixer that has an attachment that I'm gonna use to slice the apples.  For one pie I would slice it by hand but for 3 it was worth it. 

 

I covered all the apples in this new wrap that is made with vegetable oils.  I really like it.  Now the apples won't get all brown.

 

Look at all that waste.  Wish I had some composting earthworms but I have to wait until we move!  They would love eating this and then making rich soil for my plants.  

I'm cheating and using pre-made shells.  Most of the time I make my own.  I got these to make Thanksgiving pies but I didn't need them for that this year.

The crumb topping for the pies.

 

Ooops!, I forgot to put the sugar in the crumb topping for the first one, darn.  So I spread it on top and it never melted.  I carefully removed some of the sugar after it baked and it still was yummy.

This is what it was supposed to look like!

Well, we had three so I gave one to my (computer guru friend) Danny.  I always love to give him home made goodies and he loves to get them. 

Isn't sharing fun?