Sunday, September 27, 2009

♪ Crochet Studio Move-in Day ♪

My little studio is ready for my craft things to move back in !! Yippee !! This building has been a side project for a few years, giving me a place to do my creating. We have been putting it together when there was time, and even though the walls still need finish work, they are insulated and sheet-rocked now. I will unpack and use the studio while other projects move forward.

Here is what the building looked like before we finished the exterior:


It has 16 sides to make a circle, and inside it is 20 feet wide all around. In the center inside stands a natural wood post that supports the roof. The stucco is a clay pot color. Here is what the building looks like today:


Inside my crafting supplies have all kinds of room to spread out. Here are a few pictures that show my yarn, vases, and shipping supplies:




So I'm slowly finding all the supplies I packed away about a year ago when the wall project began. Some boxes have been packed for a few years, so it will be a treat to open them and find what treasures I socked away back then. All through the construction, my little friend Kiwi, the whippet, has been with me. Today she was enjoying being back on her blue couch, watching me go about my hobby.


Be watching my shops for more variety in my products, since I have access to more supplies to make them from. What fun !!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

✈ Fudge Popsicles ✈

One of my favorite treats is a recipe I made up in order to get some protein powder into my diet. My fudge popsicles are easy to make, and provide fairly good nutritional value. To start, I got some rocket popsicle molds like this from Amazon:

fudge chocolate protein powder popsicle
Then, I mix these ingredients in a bowl:
  • 1 Cup Chocolate Skim Milk
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1 Scoop Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
  • 1/2 Box Chocolate Instant Pudding Powder
I then carefully pour the mixture into the 6 molds and cap the rockets. If I get a bit extra, I pour it into a small container to make an extra serving. Freeze the rockets, and there you have it ! Instant fudge rocket popsicles.

Your nutritional values may vary depending on the product brands you use, but in general mine breaks down like this for one popsicle:
  • 75 Calories
  • 0 Grams Fat
  • 175 MG Sodium
  • 14 Grams Carbohydrate
  • 0 Grams Fiber
  • 4 Grams Protein
Let me know if you make these and how you like them !!

Monday, September 7, 2009

༺ The Violet Mystery is Solved ༻

Well, it wasn't much of a mystery, but now I know what color flowers my new violet plant will create.

!! PURPLE !!

Why the fuss? Those bloggers who have been following the story will remember that my violet plant was a gift from a friend. Last June I posted a picture of what the plant looked like - just a sprout with about 5 leaves. Since that time, I have given updates as the violet grew larger. Finally, at the start of September, I was pleased to discover that I will have the treat of seeing lovely purple flowers on my houseplant from now on.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

✈ Milk in Your Eye ✈

Recently I learned an interesting remedy for the pain of getting hot pepper oil in your eye. Milk or Soy Milk ! We have started cooking up some of the vegetables coming out of the garden. The hot pepper made the dish spicy and good. However, after the meal, a tiny speck of pepper oil made it into my husband's eye.

In pain, he asked me to do a fast internet search to find out how to relieve the pain. A number of pages mentioned milk, so he tried some soy milk to see if that would work. He said the relief was immediate after he dabbed the corner of his eye with the soy milk. So, apparently either milk or soy milk is a good remedy !! Here is a picture of our pepper plant:

garden pepper milk
My sweet potato plant is doing well in the garden. Remember how it started out on the windowsill?

This picture was taken last March. Soon it sprouted deep red leaves, and by May, the spud had a whole lot of light green leaves growing all over it. I took out the stakes, planted the sweet potato plant in the garden, and it is still growing as of September. I haven't looked for any sweet potatoes yet, but hopefully in a week or two the digging will begin.

Here is what it looks like now:


Hopefully there are nice sweet potatoes under the ground. Regardless, this was a fun experiment and I learned about a new garden plant.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Thanks From Karla

Just a quick post to tell you that Karla is pretty much back to normal now, recovered from her rattlesnake bite from last week. See this previous post for the details of that day.

doberman dog KarlaShe runs and plays outside now, bouncing and bopping just like always. Her brother Oz is happy that she's better too, because all the extra attention she was getting just didn't seem fair to him.

Thanks those of you who sent messages and thoughts to Karla.