Holly's Hobbies

Picture Perfect Wednesday

2012-02-08T07:24:00.001-05:00

Self Portrait 02/05/2012

Playing outside. 02/05/2012

New week, new menu.

2012-02-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Monday:
Grilled Cheese (need to get rid of this bread before it goes bad!)
Tuesday:
French Bread Pizza
Wednesday:
Fettuccine Alfredo
Thursday:
Frito Pie
Friday:
Pot Roast
Saturday:
Left Overs
Sunday:
Homemade Shake and Bake Chicken

So the Pot Roast is our new recipe this week. I've made pot roast many times before, but I figured I'd do it a little different this week. This recipe has the veggies already in there, which means two things, one there's less worry about timing and two, it's all done in one pot. I love one pot meals! If I can get over this cold enough by Friday, I want to try to make a carrot cake to go with dinner. Here's to hoping! I'm dying for some carrot cake. ;)

Anyone have a favorite recipe for carrot cake? Any other favorites? I'd love some new ideas and they don't need to be from the Allrecipes website.

Sky Scarf: Week 5

2012-02-05T10:34:00.001-05:00

We had quite a few days of sunny skies this past week. We've now hit a few days of grey, rainy, yucky skies. But at least it's still warm! I'm kind of excited about the storms we're going to get over the next couple of days, add some contrasting color into the mix, lol.

Charleston Blue Sky Scarf

Excuse the poor photo quality, I had to take it inside today, on the couch. I took it where I sit to knit because it has the best natural lighting, but that doesn't really help when there's no sun poking through the clouds. I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T19:02:00.000-05:00

Summer Kerchief

2012-01-31T11:12:00.001-05:00

I seem to be having more and more bad hair days as I'm going out my hair. My bangs are the worst part! I found this cute pattern on Ravelry, it worked up extremely quick and used little to no yarn.

Love this Linen yarn! Yum!

If I were to do this pattern over again, I would probably use the worsted weight yarn throughout the whole thing, instead of DK weight for the body of it. It's a little on the short side (which could be because I have an over-sized noggin) and I would make the ties a little longer too.

I love the way the pattern was written though, insanely easy to understand, even picking up the stitches along the band of it was explained in detail.

Menu Monday

2012-01-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

Monday:
Ham and Cheese Spirals
Tuesday:
Homemade Pizza
Wednesday:
Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins (with fresh blueberries, mmm!)
Thursday:
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Friday:
Baked Ziti
Saturday:
Left Overs
Sunday:
Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Our new recipe for the week is Blueberry Muffins! They look great and I managed to find fresh blueberries for a good price (good for winter time anyway). I can't wait for Wednesday! I love having breakfast for dinner. :)

Sky Scarf: Week 4

2012-01-29T13:45:00.002-05:00

I'm beginning to wonder if there's a better way to keep these yarns straight, other then the bobbins. I spent about as much time as it takes me to knit two rows, untangling them before I can knit anything. Any hints? Tips? The pattern says not to cut the yarn, but I'm tempted to.

Toddler Amusement 101

2012-01-27T19:15:00.000-05:00

I've been having a lot of fail days when it comes to amusing Sylvester lately. And when we're just trapped in the house doing nothing, we both go insane! I was reading This Tiny Spark and from their I hopped over to Click.Pray.Love.

She has this neat idea to fill muffin tins with different toys and treats and then covering them with lids and tape for your toddler to discover.

I set one up this morning in about 3 and a half minutes, it amused Sylvester for 10-15 minutes, which was long enough for me to get us breakfast ready.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T11:30:00.001-05:00

Tiny Twist Mitts

2012-01-23T18:15:00.005-05:00

Sylvester found Sly's gloves in the garage this past week and quickly fell in love with wearing them. I decided to make him a pair of his own, so Sly could have his back to use.
I found a lovely and quick pattern on Ravelry called Tiny Twist Mitts by Jessica Allram.

Each mitten took me about 2 hours to knit while watching TV, so I imagine it would take a good knitter about 45 minutes to an hour to make each one. There's more information about the yarn I used on my project page.

Menu Monday

2012-01-21T19:41:00.002-05:00

Imagine Credit

Monday:
Shepherds Pie
Tuesday:
Homemade Pizza
Wednesday:
Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
Thursday:
Going to GA to see Dad.
Friday:
Taco Casserole
Saturday:
Left Overs
Sunday:
Hamburger Helper

The Banana Muffins from last week were fantastic! They were simple to make, they turned out delicious looking, and the cinnamon sugar on top was a great touch.

This week we're our new recipe is the Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli. I'm hoping the beef turns out good enough for Sly to eat just that, because he doesn't eat cooked broccoli or rice. Donald and I on the other hand will devour all the above in mass quantity. Really looking forward to trying this one!

Week 3: Sky Scarf

2012-01-21T19:27:00.001-05:00

I can't believe another week has flown by. Here's an updated picture of my scarf with 14 more rows (7 more ridges).

It stormed all day yesterday, so I ended up adding a row with the dark grey and dark blue. I'm not used to it actually storming in January. It usually rains, we don't get much snow, but I'm not used to thunder. It definitely made it more difficult getting Sylvester to sleep, he wanted to go look every time it got noisy outside.

First socks of 2012

2012-01-20T10:40:00.000-05:00

This is the first pair of adult socks I've knit in 2 or 3 years and they show it! The mistakes are frequent (incluing undoing one of the toes completely) and noticable. But that's ok, that's why I went with a quick and easy pair of socks to get my feet wet, so to speak.

I had the best helper when taking these pictures.

I can't wait to try toe up socks, next! I'm excited at how easy it seems to size those to your feet. Judging from the socks I've made in the past, I have narrow feet, there's often too much room around the arch of my foot.

What's your favorite way to knit socks? Favorite sock yarn? I'd love to know!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T12:30:00.002-05:00

Menu Monday

2012-01-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

Picture from Banana Crumb Muffins on Allrecipes.com

Monday:
Banana Crumb Muffins
Tuesday:
Chicken Ranch Wraps
Wednesday:
Lasagna
Thursday:
Egg Salad
Friday:
Frito Pie
Saturday:
Baked Chicken Nuggets
Sunday:
Left Overs

I noticed I've been going back and using a lot of the same recipes, which isn't a bad thing, but I'm going to try to get in at least one new recipe a week from now on. Keep things a little exciting! ;)

Monday is our new recipe this week, Sly and I both love muffins (and I'm sure Sylvester will too), so I'm excited about this recipe. We've got some bananas that are almost over ripe, which are perfect for baking with!

Question of the week: What's one kitchen gadget you couldn't live without? Excellent hot pad? Toaster oven? Bread machine? Garlic press? Let's hear it!

Week 2: Sky Scarf

2012-01-15T19:13:00.002-05:00

We had our first stormy day of the year! I have to admit, when I saw it raining I was more than a little excited about getting to use my dark grey for this scarf. ;)

I'd never used such fine (in weight and quality) yarns before this project. I've always been a mostly acrylic or kitchen cotton kind of girl. This scarf is going to be so soft when it's finished, every time I add a row I just want to squeeze it a few dozen times. Who knew mohair, wool, alpaca, angora and bamboo could be so soft?!

Judging by the way this is working up now, the scarf will be about 5 foot when it's finished. I think that will be plenty long enough for me. I'm loving this project, it's my favorite in a long time.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T21:16:00.001-05:00

First Project of the Year

2012-01-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

I finished my first project of the year a couple days ago! It was also my first felting project, that was a bit nerve wracking. I mentioned wanting to make Sly a pair of slippers from the Patons: Family Felting book. I liked the pattern over all, it fairly easy to follow, they worked up super quick and it used less then one skein of yarn.

They didn't felt quite as much as I had wanted, especially on top. The bottoms are much more felted then the tops. I'm not sure why that is, but it's not a big deal. I first threw them in there by themselves and they didn't felt at all, so I had to throw a towel in with them to get them to felt in my front loading machine. I also used the shortest possible cycle, so I could check on them.

Prefelting

Menu Monday

2012-01-10T11:53:00.003-05:00

*** Sorry this is a day late, I hit save and not publish! DUH! ***

Monday:
Baked Slow Cooker Chicken
Italian Mashed Potatoes
Salad
Corn
Tuesday:
Frito Pie
Wednesday:
Left Overs (or baked ziti if there aren't any left overs)
Thursday:
Baked Ziti
Friday:
Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Chili
Saturday:
French Bread Pizza
Sunday:
Left Overs

Since I'm already a day late I might as well give my review on Monday nights dinner. The Italian mashed potatoes were great! I did leave off the vegetable broth and used a bit of butter instead. Sly likes creamy mashed potatoes, figured that would be better. Instead of injected seasoning or marinade into the chicken this time, I rubbed it down with the same herbs I used in the mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit, there's barely any left overs from a 5lb chicken. Granted, we fed 7 people, but the glory of that is the whole meal cost about $6 bucks. Not $6 per person, $6 total.

The First Seven

2012-01-08T21:54:00.000-05:00

January 8th, 2012 - High Temp 76 with a slight breeze.

We're already a week into 2012 and it has been wonderful. The weather is beautiful, my husband has been home, Sylvester has been an angel despite teething (ugh. molars) and I'm just generally feeling incredibly lucky.

I've completed a seven ridges for my Sky Scarf so far, I love how this project gets me to really take note of the weather. It has been wonderful weather here, and we've been living it up because I know it will get cold next week!

The awesome wraps up the side of the scarf, love this.

52 Week Challenge

2012-01-05T00:12:00.001-05:00

I came across the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home weekly challenge long before the beginning of the New Year and kept tossing the idea around in my head. I had pretty much made up my mind I wanted to do it, since I left the tab open in Chrome this entire time.

The first week is organizing the kitchen, which I love! The kitchen is one place I really like to know where stuff is located. There's nothing more frustrating than trying to bake cupcakes and not being able to find the flour. I use this as an example because it happened to me before we moved into our new house and it was very frustrating! Sly and I have made a habit of cleaning up all the dishes before bed, usually after Sylvester is in bed, so we don't have to worry about washing them before we can cook breakfast the next morning.

We've been in our house for over a year now, but we still have no pictures on the walls and very little by way of decoration. Along with getting organized I want to decorate, but I don't want to clutter our house up with just "stuff." I like decorating, but I also like function and items being toddler proof.

I also have an insane amount of crafting stuff of all kinds and it's constant struggle to keep it all organized and keep track of what I have. I often carry stuff up and down stairs with me depending on where we're hanging out at the time, so stuff gets left here and there. Going to try to avoid doing that this year! I'm ordering several more 31 bags* - the Organizing Utility Tote - to store my projects in. All the pockets in this bag are awesome, plenty of room for all kinds of projects! I also use the Double Zipper Cosmetic Bag for my jewelry making tools!

I hope to get better organized this year, starting with my kitchen this week and moving through the whole house with the help of the 52 week challenge! I can always get more done when I have a clean home, and that makes for a happier family all around. :)

* I sell 31 products, please don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have or visit my page to take a look around. They run monthly specials that are always great!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T14:34:00.002-05:00

Charleston Blue Sky Scarf

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

I found this intriguing idea on Pinterest about a "sky scarf." I love the idea of going outside or looking through the window and really taking a look at the sky and then keeping a journal in the form of knitting. I was already considering how I would keep track of the weather, for my gardening, and this project kind of takes it to a new level.

I couldn't get yarn until the 2nd, so I did two days and now I'll go daily as the year goes on. I love that I started doing this on a leap year, makes it that much cooler. Here's a link to my project page on Ravelry, which list the kinds of yarn I'm using.

Menu Monday

2012-01-02T11:09:00.000-05:00

Picture featured from Allrecipes.com Shepherd's Pie

Monday:
Tender Italian Baked Chicken
Tuesday:
Pepperoni Roll Ups - These make GREAT left over lunches.
Wednesday:
Hamburger Helper - We want to clear these boxes out.
Thursday:
Taco Bake - I have way too many Crescent rolls.
Friday:
Chicken Helper - Way too many here too.
Saturday:
Shepherd's Pie
Sunday:
Left Overs

Sly goes back to work his regular schedule this week, so it's time to make stuff that reheats well. We have way too many of those "whatever helper" meals in the pantry. Neither of us are huge fans of them, so it's time to get rid of them.

Your Total Is...

2011-12-28T14:52:00.000-05:00

I spent a grand total of $32.40 on groceries this week. Not bad for feeding four people! Especially since my younger brother (who lives with us) can eat someone out of house and home if given a chance. ;) I wouldn't have spent that much but I decided to get cheese and sausage for Sausage Balls, because Sly asked for them.