Painting Pottery with Darling Daughter

 You might have read about my recent Girls Wkend with my Fabulous Darling Daughter.  One of the many things we did (and if you didn't read about it Click Here and HERE...plus you can see how different the pottery pieces look now that they're fired), was paint pottery.  We enjoy doing that when we're together.  With each outing my pieces are less pathetic, but her's are always awesome.  She has a steady had and the ability to draw.  I draw to keep my piece smaller and more basis.  Shallow bowl above could be a good size for a salad bowl

 AND or snack bowl.  I think it would work for crackers and cheese, salty snacks etc.  We often have salty snacks with our Martini's during cocktail.

 Her bowl.......see what I mean!  She drew this awesome flower by hand inside the bowl, even picked up some shading with the colors in the flower and leaves.  Inside background is a pretty blue, while the outside is a nice dark navy blue.  She made two of these.

 These are good sizes for soup, cereal, and or side dishes. 

Sunday Stitches with Sandy

 The green sweater for DD is almost at it's 5 inches of garter which is the band of the sweater.  Once it hits 5 inches it's time to change needle size and move into the pattern stitch.  Took this photo several days before this Sunday's YOP post, as I was trying to get posts lined up.  Hopefully by the time you read this, those changes have happened.  If you scroll back or click here, you'll progress has been made.  I started with the largest piece for the sweater the back with a cast on of 120 stitches, so even with garter it takes so time.  Most people it seems start with the two smaller pieces of sweaters the fronts...thought mentally, I would like to do the largest first so I could really fell like headway was being made.  The pattern picture is Here

 The feather and fan afghan, Sea and Sand has been in the works for a long while; but it too is making progress.  It's so large I really can't take it with me anymore so only work on it here and there at home.  But, when you last saw it, I had just finished the variegated section.  I'm now about half done with tan.  There are 232 stitches per row, so it seems to take forever to get a few rows done...but I am plugging along.

Love the tan right next to that last variegated, so thought I'd show you a close up.

YOP-2 update:(see tab top of the blog for badge and link)
Make 10 ghans from donated squares etc. (8 done 2 more to go)
Finish Sea and Sand (getting close, I think)
Finish Candy Corn (I don't know if I'll get to it, or want to, but it's been waiting for SSSSSoooooo long.
Learn new cast on methods...haven't done anything in that direction
Use knitting machine....still in box in basement, no headway setting it back up for use
Knit myself a cable skirt.......not happening, by the time I get my other items done it will summer, probably
Something for DD, which was to be a scarf...which was in fact completed.  But, it wasn't right for her or needed.  Project for her has turned into the green sweater above.

Girl Time, Mother and Daughter Special

Girls times almost always involve pedicures.  Darling Daughter and I love to have a nice pedicure.  I had a wonderful 3 night 4 day visit this past weekend in St. Louis with my daughter.  We don't get to see each other often enough; but when we do..........we really know how to have a good time.  Over the course of the weekend we had a pedicure and manicure, we painted pottery, we attended a Pub Craw, we had fabulous food at a variety of restaurants, we shopped, and we had a massage.

I arrived mid day on Friday and DD picked me up at the airport.  We started off our weekend with lunch at Dressel's  Public House in The Central West End
Sorry, I don't have pictures, as I wasn't unpacked and didn't have my camera.  After spending an interesting afternoon with her at work, De La Salle Middle School we got dressed up for dinner at our favorite restaurant, LoRusso's.  Again no pictures.  We've eaten a wonderful meal at LoRusso's more times then I can count.  It's located in The Hill (The Italian neighborhood in St. Louis.)

Saturday was about The Pub Crawl.  We started early with coffee in the hotel.

Followed by necessary shopping for animal prints at Kohl's.  I was able to nab a blouse for $10.00 and Darling Daughter got several.  All were on sale, 30% off AND on top of that I had a 30% off coupon!  We had a good hearty breakfast at Chris's.  Falling down on pictures, sorry to say.  We've had a good number of good pancakes, french toast and the like at Chris's during our visits to St. Louis.  I highly recommend it.

Once back at the hotel, we reviewed our shopping and put together our outfits.  Darling Daughters

And mine.  The pub crawl's theme was animal prints.  The idea...is to get noticed.  Many of us had fun clashing prints!  We meet up at Handlebar (do click, I posted lots of pictures and info).  Before the night was over we managed to hit 5 establishments.

A bit hard to get pictures at Rehab Lounge (corner of Manchester and Chouteau Avenue), as it was dark with strob lighting.  There was some dancing

next up was Just Johns

where we noticed even the lady doing the weather on tv was wearing animal prints!  Awesome old building with tile ceiling.  Since we started out in the afternoon earlier pictures were easier to get...the lack of light as the night wore on decreased the ability to do that.

Funny thing, Jimmy here with his animal hat wasn't actually in our group; but we felt compelled to get a photo.

We had dinner at Atomic Cowboy's

And called it a successful and fun night after visiting Novak's .

Wanted you to get the feel for animalprint fun.......random pictures here from the group participating in The Pub Crawl.

We had dinner at Pi after painting pottery, and several awesome brunches at Cafe Osage and SqWires.  What a fun visit.

I managed to do some knitted on the plane coming and going, and a little bit while we were at hotel in between all of our activity.  I love Girl Time with my Darling Daughter.  Be sure and check out Traveling Suitcase for Menu Mondays, as there will be posts regarding those brunches mentioned above.

Mother and Daughter Style

 This past weekend I spent a fabulous fun filled "Girls Time" with my Darling Daughter Christine.  We live about 500 miles apart and love love love our time together.  She has some serious talent when it comes to painting pottery.  I dabble at it.  But, with dabble I am getting a wee bit better.  These are 2 small shallow bowls (shallow easier for me) that can be used as salad bowls and or snacky type bowls.  They weren't met to match, but possibly to coordinate color wise?  This is before firing.  The one with the dots and waves, and birds/arrow things should be a deep gold background with brown and dark gray-blackish design.  The 2nd one should be shades of brown and dark dark green with black dots.  Not sure when I'll see the finished results, as she will need to pick them up later this week after firing and at some point get them to me...via mail or something.  Here's my last dabble, wasn't girls wkend, but she and I were painting pottery while on vacation.

 This is more my style.  Finally got the awesome green sweater for my Darling Daughter started.  I cast on the plane trip there and worked just a bit on it during the wkend.  Was able to do a little on the return flight as well.  Several more inches of the basic garter stitch remain which is the trim section of the kimono style sweater.  Then I'll switch needle sizes and get into the pattern stitch.  Believe this will be a traveling companion on my up coming trip to CA.

I told she, DD had mad skills with painting pottery!  She drew this free hand in a deep curved bowl.  I couldn't draw that on a flat piece of paper.  Again this is pre-firing and the colors afterwards will be navy blue background, and a bright gold and yellow flower with shading and leaves.  She made 2 of these.  Both bowls are navy on the outside.  Really anxious to see this done.  All the things she's made have turned out so well.  Here's our projects On a previous Girls Time(this was my first, something happened we never got our pieces after they were fired.  No loss probably on my piece, but here's was really nice.

AND yet another vacation where we painted pottery together

A Day Late and Dollar Short

A day late, a dollar short, AND I lied!  Day late...yesterday was Wednesday, Work in Progress Day and here I am on Thursday making my post.  I lied, apparently.  See an additional variegated section is done on this feather and fan style knitted afghan, Sea and Sand?  When I posted the previous post I was going to stop at the gray, but it away awhile and go work on something else.  Nope....I lied, I didn't put it away.  I keep thinking about how close I was getting to the end and well....here we are a few days later after finishing another section and ready to add the next.

Actually...that only 3 sections to do, the tan/gold you see followed by the last variegated section and the final dark gray section.  Took this photo yesterday in order to make the post, and last night was working with the tan/gold section.  Can't finish a section a night, there are too many stitches in a row.

A dollar short...hum..nothing to post really about that; but the saying popped into my head.  Anyone wonder where or how that saying, "A day late and a dollar short", came from?  A quick google search and this is what I found.

Noun

a day late and a dollar short

1. (US, idiomatic) Action that was taken too late and is too feeble to be of any use.

My other work in progress is my NEW BLOG, which is need of visitors, comments, and followers...please and thanks!

I return you now to your folks, all work in progress wednesday meme's and links in tabs across the top of the blog.

Counting rows and Stitches, but...

 More sections done.  I have 4 left to do on this feather and fan afghan.  You're probably tired of seeing it, I'm getting a bit tired of working on it too.  Below is the next variegated sections, then tan, another variegated and the final dark gray and it will be done!  However,

there are still the tails to work in, launder and block it before it's really done.  I'm probably going to lay Sea and Sand aside again for awhile and continue working on Iris and Lillies Ghan.  Plus I have a friend who's mother isn't well and I need to make something green for her.  I'm thinking a shall.  I need something I can get done and in the mail to France quickly, as we don't know how much time she has left.

And I promised some squares for another friend who's making a comfort ghan for someone in need.  It's a secret so can't say more about it or show you anything.

Making progress with the ghans on my list for YOP, but not much on the other items.  Links in the tab across the top of the blog, join us.  We blog and share on Sunday's. AND my first Let's Get Social on Sunday Blog Post.  Badge and links in meme tab across the top of the blog.

AND because I'm pretty sure I'm boring you with looking at this same ghan over and over...will offer a LINK HERE of my newest blog...it's very new and desperately in need of visitors, comments, and followers.   Perhaps that will break up the boredom. 

Stuffed Chicken and Wine Pairings

 Wine pairings, a work in progress.  What...no yarn?  One of the cool Christmas gifts we got from our Darling Daughter was a box of wine pairings for each of us.  My box was all Pinot Noir while hubby's wine tasting pairings were mixed reds.  You get 6 cute little bottles like this in each box.  We've been selecting one from each box that by description seems to go with what we're having for dinner.  We have special wine tasting glasses that are appropriately small and fun to use.  We get a card that tells about each of the wines in our boxes.  As we taste them we pick a favorite each time from the 2.  So far 2 from my box and 1 from his have been selected.

It's fun, and nice way to try wines you're un-familiar with.  Sorry this picture is on a bit of an angle.  The night we had stuffed chicken our pairs were suppose to go well with Duck.  That was as close as I could get.  A fabulous spinach salad, fresh green beans season with almond slices, and experimental stuffed chicken. 

Experimental?  Well, I hadn't made it before, and it was not made from a recipe per sey. 
I had 2 chicken breasts thawing, when I also took out a bag of ham to thaw (intending the ham to be for lunch sandwiches....from my Honey Baked Christmas Ham).  Nosing around in the fridge and noticed I had some swiss cheese.  So.....placed sliced ham, cheese and spicy brown mustard between the 2 chicken breasts.  Couldn't find appropriate string to tie, and all my toothpicks were plastic.  Hum......how to keep together to cook it as stuffed chicken?  More nosing around in the fridge and came up with a pastry shell.  Pillsbury intended for baked brie.  Sooooooo, wrapped the pastry the chicken and sealed it.  Was gorgeous.  Cooked covered wtih foil and meat probe.  Chicken tasted wonderful, and the pastry got nicely golden brown.  It was a big hit!  Should have taken a picture before we sliced and placed on our plates.

Soooo my wip continues with wine pairings, though the stuffed chicken is now a FO, lol.
AND work continues on Sea and Sand. *posting a bit early, will hop over for linky's tomorrow

Looking for more yarn news? (check out my pay it forward post on a new blog), cause as some point.....that will be a work in progress.

Knitting and Crocheting Here There and Everywhere

 Sea and Sand is still in the works, coming along but seems like it's taken forever.  Not a good picture here at all, couldn't spread it out as I was in the middle of a row when I decided to stop and take a picture.  The row closest to you is the last row of variegated yarn before starting the darker gray so I think I'm about 3/4's done?  Probably going to take a little break from knitting this in order to work some on 

this afghan.  Sea and Sand is too big to tote around, so started on this one the other day.  Had a hair appointment to get un-gray and took the yellow squares with me to begin edging with purple.  You see the yarn off to the right.  Though in my picture it looks blue, it's bright purple.  I had several names for this afghan when I designed it months ago.  One was Iris and Lillies and one was Easter Basket.  The purple (which is what the really dark is even though it too isn't showing up true here) makes me think of Iris and the yellow Lillies.  Then both of those colors make me think of Easter Baskets.  Which name do you prefer?

You can see the variety of sizes of squares here.  And in this close up you can sorta tell the variegated is in fact purple and yellow.  These afghans like 99% of those I make and or assemble will be donated to Homeless Families Foundation through, Bridge and Beyond.

On my Year of Project List Iris and Lillies/Easter Basket is ghan #9 of 10...so doing well on that particular potion of the list.  I've not made any headway with the skirt I wanted to myself, or sweater I wanted to make for my DD, or worked any on the longest ever project, Candy Corn Ghan.  Well....we shall see what happens.  Happy Sunday, one and all.  YOP badge and link in tab across the top of the blog.  Do join us, it's fun.

*inviting you all to a new blog, a little of this and that

Teavana Tea Time

My special tea corner, thanks to my fabulous Darling Daughter, Christine.  One of the cool, really cool Christmas Gifts she got me was this Teavana Tea Set.  There are the foil bags of loose tea which are pretty heavy duty foil packs for freshness and can sealed...like a zip lock.  You get cute tea canisters, a special tea measuring spoon, a cool pouch of raw sugar cube.  The bags and the canisters have the information you need to know about much tea to use and how long to steep it.  You can write the name of the tea right on your canister, wash it off later if you store a different type of tea in it.  This nice wire basket was from another Christmas gift from Stacie and Megan.  Wanted you to know, all the goodies from it may now be gone; but the basket is being used.

In addition, you get these awesome tea pot.  It holds a nice large mug size amount, and or two nice tea cups worth of tea.  The diffuser is in the bottom of the pot.  Notice the little legs holding the pot up about 1/4 inch?  The bottom of the pot is pressure sensitive....so, after it's steeped, all you do

 

is sit it on your cup/mug and it starts to drain,

leaving you with a nice cup of hot yummy tea.   I generally leave the loose tea in the pot in case I want another cup.  Sometimes you can get a 2nd round...depending on the tea and how long you let it steep.  Sometimes I add just a pinch of fresh loose tea to make the 2nd cup.  Awesome gift.  I've used it almost everyday since Christmas.  Even took it to Hilton Head with us several weeks ago for vacation.  Enjoyed a cup after being out and about on the bike tooting around.  Thank You Darling Daughter.