Recipies for a Happy Cook

POPPY'S BIRTHDAY

 

all poppy wanted for his birthday was a canvas work apron for his woodworking.  had to be full body with pockets for his tools.  it took much searching on google to finally find something that fit the bill.  i found many belt aprons made of canvas.  pretty women's aprons.  plastic factory worker aprons.  beautiful leather aprons that were the right configuration but not canvas.  this one i got from duluth trading company.  it's made out of recycled fire hose.  i'm pretty sure he would have wanted something a bit longer but i think i made a good choice.  he wears it every day while he's working in the yard and in his woodshop.  he knit the sweater on the table in front of him.  my cousin got it for him from a cool yarn coop (wish i knew the name of it).  it's made out of plant fibers by women in nigeria.  see the computer in the background?  that's where i am right now.

   

ann and kaitlin knitting at the party

 

allison knitting at the party.  concentrating very hard.

 

me pausing during my knitting.  i'm wearing the scarflet that i started a little over a month ago.  doesn't really go with what i've got on but i had to show it off. 

poppy knit this for kaitin.  he made one for allison as well, just a different colorway.  the girls love these.  allison has a matching scarf.

 

tabs (the licker) and blue (the lickee) having a cleaning session.  they love eachother.  blue was throwing up the other night while i was at the gym.  turns out she swallowed a ponytail holder.  they find the little ones and carry them around in their mouths.  they take them to their food bowls and drop them in for safekeeping while they eat.  they do this with their little finger puppet toys that they play with.  it's adorable.  they are like little kids with their toys.

How cute is this?

finally finished knitting up the bear for a baby gift.  really fun and easy.  kaitlin came in from swimming just as i finished sewing it up.  i'm can't tell from this photo if she likes it or not.  i think she might look dissapointed.  seriously.

how about here.  doesn't she look sad here.  i wish i had stuffing so i could finish it up but, sadly, i don't.  i'll have to go to joann's or michael's to pick some up.  i can't make it there today with our trip down to the beach.  maybe i can leave the bread for half an hour on monday to pick some up.  i just had a thought, i may actually have some in a box in storage down in the basement.  there are several boxes down there with sewing things.  maybe i wont have to leavy my bread afterall.

here are our adorable new kitties.  they are about 3 months old now.  believ it or not, they are litter mates.  one of the many things that i love about them is that the sleep like this.  all snuggled together.  they like to clean eachother's heads which is also very endearing.  i found them here on my daughter's bed in the middle of the day.  their names are tabs, midnight and blusey.  the siamese has the most beautiful blue eyes.

i'm really very happy with the kittens.  wasn't sure how it was gong to work out.  their mother was ferral.  when we got them they were not used to people at all.  they hissed and ran away.  we kept them in a carrier in the bathroom for a day.  then let them out but kept the in the kids bathroom.  we all went in a lot and handled them.  at first we would wrap them in hand towels.  kind of bundled them like one would do with a baby.  then we just held them.  the stripped one, tabs, was the first to relax and purr.  this was on day two.  the next day midnight started.  is was another few days before blusey started to purr.  i was afraid they would always be skittish and scared.  but i held out hope as my visits to the bathroom were rewarded by them crawling up and around me to have me pet them.  lots of purring.  when we let them out into the main part of the house they were still skittish for the first week or so.  now, they've settled in very nicely.  they have completely acclimated to being with people.  blusey has stopped running every time she sees us.  our next issue with them is letting them outside.  i'm just not ready for it.  the kids thought they were but after the first experience of tabs trying to go under some bushes, they think it's a bad idea too.  i just want them to be bigger before they venture out where the hawks are lurking - and a mean stray that skulks around the yard.  for now they will be indoor kitties.

SQUIRELS

weekend before last was quite windy.  my son and his friend (seen below) were riding their bikes in the neighborhood and found these baby squirels strewn around on the sidewalk and parking strip.  they must have gotten blown out of their next.  i didn't know anything about it until they had alredy brought them home and had them in this big bucket.  they were so adorable.  i wasn't sure what to do at first.  i had to bring them inside so the cats wouldn't get at them.  i call animal control to get information.  they have a rehabilitation program with wild life experts that raise them and release them back into the wild.  i had them come pick the babies up.  the woman that came was so sweet.  she held them and talked to the kids.  let the kids pet them.  she told us that normally the parents will come back and get them but since it had been so long and they were there and we couldn't check on them later to make sure she took them.  i felt bad but we didn't know that the parents would come back.  we'll know next time.  at least they'll be fed and cared for by people that know what they're doing.

FINGERLESS

i finished my fingerless mits this evening.  my son is modeling them for me.  i think if they weren't pink he'd keep them.  i saw a similar version at our lys and liked the pattern.  just k2, p2.  i chose a different yarn.  just winged where to put the opening for the thumb.  i knitted them on a circular needle (two at once) and then sewed them up the sides when i was done.  i think i'll wear them tomorrow

This is Frito.  he is a crazy cat.  he bites and scratches.  i wont go into it anymore than that.  he climed this palm tree just ... because he can.  he hung out up there for quite a while.  i think he was a bit embarrasses but what was he going to do once he got up there and found that it was all thorny and not a comfy place to sit.  my husband thinks he's the greatest cat ever.  the cat will climb up onto his chest, lick his nose and then bite him.  go figure.