Relocating to Colorado

I thought I would share a couple photos of our new home in Colorado. We'll be preparing to leave Texas over the next 4 weeks so I probably won't be around too much.

DH and I are really looking forward to the move and to being able to put our 'signature' on our new home. The finished space is smaller than our current home but we gain an unfinished basement. The mountains are fabulous and I'm not going to miss the humidity.

This is the house in the fall. When the tree's leaves come back you can barely see the entry. Notice that I finally got my front porch. It's small but it is my porch. I can't wait to use it. And hubby got his 3 car garage. Oh, life is good!

I'm going to have to learn how to care for roses. The red ones are tea roses and I'm not sure about the white ones. Anybody know?????

We're looking forward to having BBQ's on the deck, making new friends, and enjoying the quiet of not having neighbors behind us.


Well, got to go sort through boxes. I'm almost afraid to rediscover what has been lurking in the back of closets, cupboards, and cabinets all but forgotten for the past 5 years. Tootles!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Cloned Meat

Before you shiver and say, "YUCK" you should understand what it really means. And also what is really involved from a scientific point of view. But that's not a discussion I'm taking up here.

This post is simply to take a light-hearted look at the subject. And for that I offer this video from The Daily Show. It's an interview with a very good friend of ours, Mark Walton at Viagen. Mark did a great job of keeping a straight face. I doubt I could have done the same.

Also just a word of caution.....this video has a small amount of adult humor. It's not vulgar but it's not for prudes, either. Listen at your own risk.

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!




Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

A Wish For Dad

To all those dad's who might not get the recognition that they deserve the rest of the year. For all of the times that we might forget to say, "THANK YOU" for all you do. Because you do such a great job at being a dad, that we just expect you to be the way you are.

It's for my dear sweet dad that I post this:



Thanks dad, for being able to put up with me. Even in the worst of times. And for never holding anything against me. I love you!

I would however like to take this opportunity to voice my opinion about these sayings of yours.

I have found myself trying to use this one too. And as you might imagine, the response that I got was much the same as I gave you. LOL.

Sadly, this saying turned out to be more true than I ever imagined. Thanks for the forewarning!

This one I must admit did nothing for me then and thankfully never came true later on. Girls are just not supposed to have hair on their chests. Although, I do appreciate the sentiment.


To my dear sweet husband whom I know to be everything that a dad is supposed to be. The unconditional love that you have given for more than a decade made a difference to me, if not to the one it was given to. You are a wonderful person and I love you.

To everyone else.......

With your loved ones!



Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

CQI - ATC Swap

Finally, I get to post photos!!! These are the ATC's that I made and the ones that I received in the CQI ATC swap that just wrapped up. We got to ask for the theme that we would most like to have, and also the manner in which the ATC's were finished. As you can see, there was a Victorian and Asian thing going on here. LOL.

I made this ATC for Bonnie because she said she liked Victorian style. I thought that the parasol and flowers were suiting.


This is the ATC that I made for Lyn. She said she was open to 'whatever' so I chose an Asian inspired theme, since that was my other choice for my ATC's.


Too funny that I also received an Asian inspired ATC from her. I really like geishas so this worked out perfectly.


And look what I received from Jill. My other favorite, a Victorian theme. Needless to say, I was very happy at the end of this swap.


Thank you very much Bonnie, Lyn, and Jill!



Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Ceviche

Well, I'm back! I bet you missed me.....like a tooth-ache, huh????

I'm actually cooking and cleaning today. No, no....it's true!!!! I'm making Ceviche for dinner. Kind of a pre-Father's Day celebration. When I asked DH what he would like for Father's Day, he started naming off a number of different meals. I guess he noticed that all I've been making for dinner lately was reservations. LOL.

Tomorrow morning I will surprise him with pancakes for breakfast and then steaks for the barby tomorrow night. That should appease him for awhile.

What's this I see???? Question marks floating around out there wondering what is Ceviche (Sev E Chay)? Well, here's my recipe. Maybe you'll try it out yourselves.

Ingredients and Instructions


Step 1:
1 pound lean white fish (I prefer Orange Roughy), diced into 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (approximately 2 lemons)
1/3 cup fresh lime juice (approximately 3 limes)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Using a medium sized bowl mix ingredients well. Pour mixture into a flat (approximately 8" by 8") glass or plastic dish, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Step 2:
Remove dish from refrigerator and drain juice completely. Add the following and mix well. (Remember to be gentle with the fish)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 small crushed garlic clove
1/2 pound boiled and chilled shrimp, cut into bite sized pieces

Step 3:
1 medium tomato finely chopped
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
1 teaspoon vinegar (cider or white)
1 small can (approximately 2 oz.) mild to medium diced green chilies OR 2 tablespoons mild to medium salsa
1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped

Add to seafood mixture, stir well and refrigerate for 8 hours OR overnight. Note that the citric acid 'cooks' the fish so no heat is necessary. And as such, this dish should not be saved or used for left overs because the fish and shrimp will become over-cooked and very tough.

To serve, shred a small amount of lettuce and place in the bottom of a large wine or martini glass or even a dessert type dish. Spoon Ceviche (including juice) over the lettuce and garnish with cubed/sliced avocado. Alternatively, Ceviche can be served 'dip' style using less of the juice. Serve tortilla chips or crackers on the side. Makes about 4 cups or 8 appetizer/salad servings.


Please be sure to let me know if you try it and also how you liked it~



Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

STS-Summer (update)

With the exception of a couple of blocks being mailed out to partners, the second leg of this block share is under way. This time around I'm partnered with Debbie in Maine. Here is her lovely summer block.



I'm happy to say that we only had 2 participants pull out of this season's block share. And with 28 still on board, I consider this season another success. I'm hoping to get the rest of the blocks out on Monday (or so) and get to work on Debbie's block next week.

Well, that's it for now. I'll be back later to share a recipe with you. I just need to got 'stir' my stuff!

Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

Friday the 13th

Just listing some 'did you know' things today. I'm not superstitious but I do get a kick out of it being Friday the 13th - oooohhhhhhh!!!!

Did you know that if you are afraid of this day that you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia? Now, say that really fast three times. LOL.

And did you know that, "LEGEND HAS IT: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, all will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven." (by David Emery)

And this, "LEGEND HAS IT: Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. Don't start a trip on Friday or you will have misfortune. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck – as in the tale of H.M.S. Friday ... One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell once and for all the widespread superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned, named "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday, and was never seen or heard from again." (by David Emery)

If you're a fan, as I am, of the The Da Vinci Code, you might consider this:
"On October 13, 1307, a day so infamous that Friday the 13th would become a synonym for ill fortune, officers of King Philip IV of France carried out mass arrests in a well-coordinated dawn raid that left several thousand Templars — knights, sergeants, priests, and serving brethren — in chains, charged with heresy, blasphemy, various obscenities, and homosexual practices. None of these charges was ever proven, even in France — and the Order was found innocent elsewhere — but in the seven years following the arrests, hundreds of Templars suffered excruciating tortures intended to force "confessions," and more than a hundred died under torture or were executed by burning at the stake." (by Katharine Kurtz in Tales of the Knights Templar (Warner Books: 1995))

About.com has some interesting information about this date. Why people fear it, what it's supposed to mean, and how its history has developed. You can also find the complete article by David Emery there.

You can take a "Superstitious" quiz at this site.

Maybe you only fear the number 13 but are okay with Fridays in general.

Well, no matter how you feel, fear, or celebrate today.....be aware and be careful!


Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!

My Block - Progress

Last night and today I added some lace and trims to my block. Next I will decide on motifs and placement, and then stitches, charms, and other embellishments.









Until Next time...Happy Needling!!!