✻ ✻ First Colorado Snow of 2009 ✻ ✻

There are parts of the state that have already seen snowfall, but here along the Front Range, this is our first snow of 2009. The weather forecasters are calling for only an inch or two, so it shouldn't slow anyone down much.

I have some crocheting to do today, so it is perfect weather for me to stay inside and play with yarn. From my window I can see the flowers of the summer covered in white fluff, including some now dry wild sunflowers, and my potted marigolds.

Here are some pictures I snapped this morning of the lovely white snow on the flowers:

☆ Sunflowers ☆

Today as I was crocheting some Sunflower Coasters, I thought I'd take a look around etsy to see who else made things with one of my favorite flowers. Here are my coasters:

Doing a fast etsy.com search on "sunflowers crochet" turned up a couple of real head turning creative items. Take a look !

In SturmDM's shop I found this wonderful Sunflower Hat with an adorable bee perched on top. What a unique and beautiful creation !! Click the picture to go to the listing and see more pictures of this special hat.

Next I found a bright and cheerful crocheted Sunflower, which as it turns out is a listing for a crochet pattern:

RippingYarn's shop is a great discovery for me. Besides the pattern for this lovely Sunflower, this mother and daughter team has other lovely crochet and knit patterns available. I am going to enjoy looking around this shop !!

As often happens, I enjoy exploring on etsy. What are you looking for? Check etsy and you'll be amazed with what turns up !!

♪ 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 !!

✈ 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:

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 !!

༺ 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.

✈ 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:

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.

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.

She 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.