The Cone is Gone!

No longer is Buck half cat, half cone. He begins life anew today. I'm sure he will go far in all his future endeavors.

Wheel Repair 101

Remember last week when my wheel broke? So it turns out that the little leathery bit that goes to the wheel is kinda ridiculous to order from the Internet and being that I'm rather frugal (Jeremy doesn't believe a word of that) I fixed it myself. It was surprisingly easy. I bought an old belt at the second hand store (and also some books) and cut it down to size. I poked in a couple of holes and wallah! My wheel is as good as new!

And check this out, I have enough old belt to fix it like 8 more times. Hopefully I won't need to, but if I do...I can! Or maybe I can fix something else.

Ice Cream

So today the little punk came over to spend the afternoon with Jer and I. I was trying to come up with something fun we could do together. Ice Cream seamed like a good idea, (she usually likes to help in the kitchen and I know she likes ice cream) and it's been a heck of a long time since I've played with the ice cream maker. She came over, ate her lunch (only the apple sauce I should say), and took her nap like a good girl. I couldn't wait for her to get up. And up she got!

Right into the living room to play with her uncle!

No interest in making ice cream...and I do mean none. So I made it myself. It's vanilla and real cherries and it just happens to be Jeremy's favorite flavor ice cream.

Tawashi (AKA dish-washing thingies)

Okay, these are the best darn dish-washing thingies around! I'm not even a very good crocheter and I made about 40 in one weekend. They are addictive, and the perfect project for using up scraps. Here's the link to the pattern.

I love knitted dishcloths but I think these are even better. I use them every day. They are good for little spills, cleaning little hands and faces, and they scrub surprisingly well. You use them once and throw them in the wash. They don't even need to be folded when they are done! Stick them in a little basket and you're good.

This has to be the easiest "Go Green" project around. Have fun making these and wash your dishes with happy little flowers. You'll smile while you're doing it.

You Spin Me Right Round Baby...

So I go through these crazy spinning phases... I'll do nothing but spin for like days on end... I can feel it coming. I can feel it in my blood. It's like a really cool version of the flu. I catch it and I can't stop.

Here's my list for what I needed to do tonight:

1) Fold Laundry
2) Make cookies (oatmeal... hopefully healthyish)
3) Make brownies (make-a-mix recipe, probably not that healthy)
4) Clean up the sewing mess from this weekend



Here's the only thing I wanted to do: Spin!

Now did you see spin on that first list? I didn't think so.

Oh, and I totally get that no one 'needs' oatmeal cookies and brownies but just trust me on this one...

So what did I get done?

Well I folded the laundry and I made the cookies. Also I made a cake pedestal to display the cookies on. Can't have my cookies sitting on just a regular plate can I?



I decided I'd done enough work that I could spin. Unfortunately my wheel had other ideas. The little leather bit that holds the treadle to the conrod broke. It's not her fault. She's an older version of the Ashford Traditional and I think she sat for a long time before I got her. The leather looked pretty dried out. I'll have to switch over to the Lendrum for now. Unfortunately my next chance to spin isn't for 2 days. Oh well.

Butter Cookies and A New Look

Today I found myself with an unexpected day off... So after sleeping in and then vegging in front of the TV for awhile, I decided to rearrange my kitchen. I started with my baking cupboard, turns out I had more baking chocolate than I thought, so I'm thinking I'll have to make something chocolatey soon. Maybe a flourless chocolate cake? (I like this recipe) Anywho, I really like cleaning out my cupboards every so often, it reminds me of what's in there and what I have to work with.

Also today I found a permanent home for my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I've only had it a few months, and in my tiny kitchen its been kind of shuffled around, but its mostly lived on the kitchen table. Not a fitting place for such a fabulous piece of equipment. So starting today she lives on my counter next to the sink. I had to relocate the coffee maker (to a shelf, but I don't drink that much coffee) and my knife block, but it's worth it.

Also, it turns out you can't rearrange a kitchen without making cookies.



Here's the recipe:

Butter Cookies

1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup confectionary sugar
1 teaspoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup softened butter
cinnamon and sugar. (I didn't measure, about as much as you'd use for cinnamon toast.)
mix the first 5 ingredients until combined.
roll into 1 inch balls, flatten with a cup dipped into the cinnamon sugar.
bake at 325 for about 20 minutes

The Tale of the Woebegone Cat

Lately our cat Buck has been a frequent visitor to the Vet's office. It all began with a tiny scratch below his left eye given to him by his younger brother, Henry. The scratch turned into a wound and the wound soon got infected. Rachel took him to the Vet where she was given drops for his eyes, an antibiotic and salve for his wound. Since that initial visit Buck has been back to the Vet 3 more times and counting. He was scratching at his wound so much that he scratched his corneas and as a result has had to wear a cone around his head for the past 2 weeks. We're both hoping for a speedy recovery and for the cone to be a distant memory.