The rain has begun. This is the beginning of at least five more days of it.
Last night I took my frozen chicken out of the freezer and it went on to a plate and into the frig. This morning the chicken came out of the frig and on the kitchen counter. I thought it would be a good time to make my chicken soup. I have all the fixings except carrots, which I'll have to get later this morning. Even though I'll have to trudge out into the rain, it will be great fun.
Last night, I made my famous Martha Stewart cheese macaroni and combined it with my own ingredients. I love the buttered bread crumbs on top which, when you place the dish into the oven, it becomes a crusty, delicious taste and texture to the dish.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
THREAD PAINTING
Our cable service provider keeps adding or taking away channels unexpectedly. Recently, I found they added another shopping channel, but about a month ago, I came across another PBS station from the mid-west area that was new. A whole hour was devoted to sewing, dying material, painting on material, how to use a spinning wheel to make your own yarns; which I found very interesting, always wondering how those spinning wheels worked, crafting, knitting, crocheting and quilt making and the history of quilts. There are guest speakers and demonstrators and I've made it a point, every morning, to tune in.
One segmet I was really interested in were artists who paint with thread. They free-motion sew with their sewing machine. They thread their machines with different kinds of threads, mostly embroidery threads, which have a shine to them, drop the feeddog on their sewing machine, hold the material on both sides with their hands or in an embroidery hoop and with a free motion, continually fill in a design or picture with the thread very densely. Sometimes they have even dyed their own material or have painted either a background or a design on their material. This takes a lot of time and a lot of very expensive thread, material and/or batting and stabilizer underneath the material.
I've also learned that these sewing machines now, which are computerized, can be very expensive. The, what they call, the long arm machines, are even more expensive. These machines you hold on to with two handlebars with a long arm (hence the name long arm machines) and guide the needle over the layers. They work at very high speeds and are used mostly for quilting, but some of these ladies have found various other creative uses for these machines.
I've tried small samples of this technique myself before ever seeing this form of creativity on TV, but these very artistic people have brought this technique into new levels. The techniques take a bit of practice before venturing into it with your materials you will actually use for your final project.
I guess since the rain will be with us for a while, I'm going to be practicing some of those ideas. I purchased the embroidery threads and materials a while back and am excited about what I'll be able to achieve.
If anything I do is worth sharing with you, I'll take a photo and show you.
Wish me luck!
One segmet I was really interested in were artists who paint with thread. They free-motion sew with their sewing machine. They thread their machines with different kinds of threads, mostly embroidery threads, which have a shine to them, drop the feeddog on their sewing machine, hold the material on both sides with their hands or in an embroidery hoop and with a free motion, continually fill in a design or picture with the thread very densely. Sometimes they have even dyed their own material or have painted either a background or a design on their material. This takes a lot of time and a lot of very expensive thread, material and/or batting and stabilizer underneath the material.
I've also learned that these sewing machines now, which are computerized, can be very expensive. The, what they call, the long arm machines, are even more expensive. These machines you hold on to with two handlebars with a long arm (hence the name long arm machines) and guide the needle over the layers. They work at very high speeds and are used mostly for quilting, but some of these ladies have found various other creative uses for these machines.
I've tried small samples of this technique myself before ever seeing this form of creativity on TV, but these very artistic people have brought this technique into new levels. The techniques take a bit of practice before venturing into it with your materials you will actually use for your final project.
I guess since the rain will be with us for a while, I'm going to be practicing some of those ideas. I purchased the embroidery threads and materials a while back and am excited about what I'll be able to achieve.
If anything I do is worth sharing with you, I'll take a photo and show you.
Wish me luck!
PRETTY SURE TRIP IS GOING TO BE CALLED OFF
With pending weather conditions (rain) for the next week into the next weekend, I doubt our birding trip will happen. Since the gas prices are soooooo high, I try to stay close to home (within 20 miles) for a trip. The trip was to be going to El Dorado Hills/Folsom/Folsom Lake area where there are supposed to be great birding areas and I can get some great shots where the birds are close enough. It looks like the rain will be with us for some seven days straight.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
CELL PHONE BLOGGING
Since I've gotten my new cell phone, about four months ago, I've tried many times to figure out how to blog on my blog account. A few weeks ago, I saw somewhere when I was again trying to blog from my phone an address to use for blogging to my account. I wrote it down figuring it wasn't going to work, because when Google Blogger gave instructions as to how to blog to your account, for some reason, it never worked. Maybe now with this new blogger setup and new pages, they have finally made it easier to blog from your phone. However, I don't see anywhere where I can insert a caption for my blog.
So, when I'm out and about, and think about sending something on the spot to my blog, I will.
One more computer mystery solved. Hooray!
So, when I'm out and about, and think about sending something on the spot to my blog, I will.
One more computer mystery solved. Hooray!
UPDATE ON NEIGHBOR
As I was unloading my van, I saw my neighbor, the "neat freak," sweeping the sidewalk around our apartment building again. As he looked at me, I jokingly said, "You can sweep up here next." He laughed, and before I could put my groceries away, he was sweeping my upstairs around my apartment. I went out and told him I was only joking. Just for conversation, I showed him the spiderwebs I always have to sweep on the siding, so he did that too. I told him again I was only kidding and he didn't have to do it.
He said he doesn't have anything to do and is really bored...everyday. He said he does picture puzzles. Poor guy. He also told me last week that he underwent open heart surgery where they took his heart out for two hours and put in a new valve about two and a half months ago.
He is hard of hearing, because I could hear a loud clattering phone any time he gets a phone call. I also heard him outside on the phone telling someone he does nothing all day and wakes up the next day to do it all over again. Poor fellow.
I've been tempted to tell him he needs a hobby besides his gardening on his patio and picture puzzles, like getting a computer or photography, but he's quite old and would not understand how to use either. I have even thought of offering to get him started by teaching him, but I've held back, not wanting to get too close to neighbors' lives.
He doesn't drive and depends on his ex-wife in the next building to take him places and for company. They walk around here hand and hand, like lovers, but I believe she'd rather stay away from him as much as possible.
Yesterday he got new rugs and linoleum installed in his apartment. I don't know how he managed to do that since this apartment won't hardly do anything that is cosmetic. I asked for those little white coverings for your toilet that hides the bolts down to the commode, since I have a missing one. The maintenance man said, "As long as the toilet is working, it's OK." I also have a missing bulb protector in the ceiling where I can see the bulb in plain site and he said, "There are none; it was always like that."
If I ever get to that point in life, I keep saying, "God, take me."
He said he doesn't have anything to do and is really bored...everyday. He said he does picture puzzles. Poor guy. He also told me last week that he underwent open heart surgery where they took his heart out for two hours and put in a new valve about two and a half months ago.
He is hard of hearing, because I could hear a loud clattering phone any time he gets a phone call. I also heard him outside on the phone telling someone he does nothing all day and wakes up the next day to do it all over again. Poor fellow.
I've been tempted to tell him he needs a hobby besides his gardening on his patio and picture puzzles, like getting a computer or photography, but he's quite old and would not understand how to use either. I have even thought of offering to get him started by teaching him, but I've held back, not wanting to get too close to neighbors' lives.
He doesn't drive and depends on his ex-wife in the next building to take him places and for company. They walk around here hand and hand, like lovers, but I believe she'd rather stay away from him as much as possible.
Yesterday he got new rugs and linoleum installed in his apartment. I don't know how he managed to do that since this apartment won't hardly do anything that is cosmetic. I asked for those little white coverings for your toilet that hides the bolts down to the commode, since I have a missing one. The maintenance man said, "As long as the toilet is working, it's OK." I also have a missing bulb protector in the ceiling where I can see the bulb in plain site and he said, "There are none; it was always like that."
If I ever get to that point in life, I keep saying, "God, take me."
GOOGLE BLOGGERS' NEW LOOK
Since Google Blogger has changed their pages, I guess it takes time for them to get everything working correctly, or, I have to get used to working it. I've found that Google has tried to put so much unnecessary things on their sites, including G-Mail, that it's very confusing to some of us that aren't ITs.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
NOT BEING ABLE TO POST
Because I won't use Google Chrome, this site is making it very difficut or simply impossible to post anything. This is a test if I can post in this difficult way. I've sent feedback to Google at how they try to hijack their bloggers if they won't switch to their browser.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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