The Art of Lemonade

 

My grandmother has a lemon tree that grows giant sweet lemons (one of the benefits of living in Florida).  When we last visited her, she gave us a giant bag of lemons.  Rather than let the lemons spoil I used several of them to make lemonade.

While making the lemonade, I noticed that beautiful contrast between the bright yellow of the lemons, and the blue of our counter tops.  

My mother-in-laws truly old school juicer seemed to make the scene even more idyllic.

Later I will show you what I did with the peels.

Choffy

Simple Mom has just introduced me to a potential new love interest, Choffy.  Choffy is brewed chocolate, similar to coffee, but made from chocolate.  It is even supposed to be healthy. Check it out;

http://simplemom.net/choffy/

Doll Family Pictures

Christmas of 2007 Mr. Incredible and I bought our kids a doll house.  Since then the house has been virtually untouched, leading me to believe that the kids simply were not the doll house playing type.  However, Violet has recently developed a liking for the house, and as a result I decided to put a little extra effort into it and began the slow process of decorating it.

The first effort, as seen below, is a wall decoration in almost every house...family photos.

The Knit Kit

The Knit Kit. A multi-tool for knitters.  

I've got to have it.

Good Bye Blogger.

Dear friends in Blog land,

After much frustration with Blogger, I have decided to move on.  As of today I will be leaving this blog behind, never to post again.  My posts and I have found greener pastures on wordpress, and I hope you will follow me there.

I can now be found at http://gerwerken.wordpress.com

This new blog contains all of the posts that can be found here on blogger, as well as some new and (I believe) improved features that I think you will like.

I hope to see you there soon!

~Gerwerken

Welcome!

Welcome all of my blogger friends.  As you can see, http://gerwerken.blogspot.com has been replaced with this new, and I hope improved website. After much frustration with blogger, I finally decided to take the plunge and switch to wordpress.  I hope you enjoy the new website, and graphics.

Please bear with me while I learn the ropes of this new website.  While I do not understand all of the ins and outs of this new system, it seems very intuitive, and I should be humming along in no time.  Until that happens, please let me know if you are having any trouble with this site.  All of my old posts should be available, but I would like to know if you are having trouble finding anything.

In addition, the functionality of this site will change rapidly over the next few days and weeks.  I do not expect you to notice these changes, but if you do, again please bear with me.  It should all be running smoothly soon.

The Spoils of Christmas

I realize that this post is a bit late, Christmas now being about 3 weeks past.  My excuse is that I had some misgivings about posting about those gifts I was given in the first place.  Given the current economy I didn't not want to flout the fact that my family has not been terribly affected.  

I was especially fortunate in the present department this year, especially since my expectations were low.  I asked for little this Christmas, and got more than I cound hope for.  It was wonderful.  I decided to share my good fortune at the risk of upsetting others.

These beautiful handmade sock blockers, one sized for my husband, one for myself were from the Gadaboutknitter.  Her husband cut and sanded these himself out of some beautiful ceader.  I can't wait to use them, but until then they can protect my statsh.

These wonderful crafty books were from my parents, my sister in law, and myself.  You will no doubt be seeing projects from them in the comming year.A good friend of my husband and I sent me this book from his new home town, Austin, Texas.  This book stemed out of the Rhizome Collective, a sustainable living group local to Austin.  Many of the ideas in the book go way beyond what I had even considered possible in the city.  I fully intend to implement many of the in the comming year.I finially got my very own i-pod.  I have never had an mp3 player before (For that matter, I don't remember ever having a portable CD player, althoughI did have a tape player in college to recored lectures).  My husband hd been letting me use his old i-pod shuffle - the small kind without a view screen.  It served me well, except that I like to listen to books, and it was difficult to find the right place in the story if it got out of order.  My husband responded with this cool new i-pod nano in pink (my favorite color), inscribed with a personalized message.

This final present was from my sister.  He has been dubbed Sunny, and he is my new best friend.  My floors have never been so clean.  He even cleans under the couch.  If you live where there is dirt, you need one of these.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas too!

We're Back

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  I hope everyone reading this enjoyed social equality today.

Well the kids and I are back after spending the better part of the last week visiting my parents as my Dad's Christmas present.  When asked what my Dad wants as a present he always responds, "time."  This year we decided to take him at his word, and used the money we would have spent on a present traveling there and back.  

I have to admit that I was very tempted to give him thyme the herb as a bit of a joke, but I didn't think it would go over too well.

During the week there I got much needed rest allowing my mother to see to the needs of the children.  Since we don't get to see my parents as often as they would like, my mother often fusses about not taking care of the kids often enough.  I wanted to make sure that she got her fill while we were there, and I think we succeeded in leaving her in a state of happy exhaustion.

As a consequence of letting my mom watch the kids, I had a lot of time to work on my neglected Holly Jacket, and the knitting is nearly complete.  Hopefully you will see it soon!

Expanding the Garden

If you read my last post, you will know that one of my New Year's resolutions was to expand my garden, what you didn't know was that it had already begun.

Last year I planted a small garden bed that continues to provide my family with bell peppers.

  This year I plan on planting a much wider variety of vegetables, and enough tomatoes that a

 few can make it to our dinner table before my kid's devour them.  The first step was creating a raised garden bed that our dogs won't be able to run right through and trample our vegetables.

Here is what we did.  Keep in mind that we learned a few lessons along the way, and I point out what those lessons taught us below.

We created a 4' by 8' box, about 1' tall.  Mr. Incredible used 1" by 4" untreated pine (cull lumber).  He attached them with common sinker nails using overlap corners.

Next time we will use nails with a spiral or ring shank or wood screws because the sinker nails pulled out of the corners far too easily.

We then situated this box in a prepared bed (the soil had been turned to break up the heavy clay that lies just below the surface, and the soil had been leveled as much as possible).

We increased the height of the bed by installing 2" by 2" corner supports, and nailing the next level of pine boards to the supports.  He also installed 2" by 4" supports in the middle of the 8' spans to keep the wood from flexing or bowing under the pressure of the dirt.  In hindsight we probably should have made the entire structure before trying to stick it in the dirt.  Preassambly would have kept the joints from shifting and requireing clean up/trimming after assembly.  We may also use all 2" by 4" supports in the future.

He then trimmed off all the pieces of the supports that were above the top of the box using a sawsall.

He also ground off the ends of protruding screws to keeps hand from comming in contact with them while digging, as they could casue injury.

Then I layed landscape cloth in the bottom of the box, putting dirt in the corners to keep the cloth from blowing away.  The landscape cloth should help keep weeds at bay, slow water runnoff and erosion, and is deep enough that it shouldn't interfer with veggie growth.

After filling the rest of the box with dirt I layered on some compost (that was not quite as ready as I would have liked), then more dirt.  

Now I need to finish filling the box with more dirt, compost, and organic fertilizer.  Then all that is left is actually growing the plants.

~Gerwerken

New Years Resolutions

I know a lot of people dislike New Year's resolutions, because it seems as if they are rarely ever kept.  I, however, think that New Years resolutions are a great way to start something new, or to renew one's resolve to stay on the path they have been following.  

For me, the difference between a resolution that falls by the wayside, and one that is actually accomplished, is a plan of action.  It is great to say that you want to do "x," but saying it does nothing to accomplish the goal.  You have to know how you are going to get there as well.

All of that being said, here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2009 (broken up by category);

Crafting:

1)  Reduce my total project involvement, and spend more time on knitting.  How?  By saying "no," to myself.

2)  Become a reasonably adept spinner, by spinning the fiber currently in my possession, and keeping copious notes during the process.

3)  Finish all currently unfinished knitting projects, by not allowing myself to start a new knitting project for myself before the unfinished projects are done.  I will work on those with the least left to do first.

4)  Craft small gifts throughout the year, to avoid the Christmastime crafting mayhem.

Green Living:

1)  Learn more about homemade herbal medicines/remedies.  How?  I have been searching for good sources on this subject online for a while without much luck.  I will begin to search the local libraries and book stores for a good reference.

2)  Increase my household's sustainability by expanding the garden, and harvesting rain water for garden use.

3)  Produce less waste as a family, by reusing a much as possible, making more from scratch, and making sure that all recyclable products are recycled.

Personal Life:

1)  Better my health by walking to stores within 2 miles of my house at least 2/3 of the time.

2)  Find a routine that will keep the house clean, and allow me more time for my own pursuits.  This will probably involve a lot of outdoor playtime.

Does my list seem reasonable?  What about yours?  Do you have a plan of attack?

Extreme Knitting

Is it strange that I want to do this too?

1,000 Strand Extreme Knitting

1st Craft of the New Year - Ribbon Garland

When my husband and I first got married we had very few Christmas decorations, despite my inclination to decorate the house to the nines.  We also had little money to put into comercial decoriations, or hand made ones for that matter.  Our first Christmas our decorations consisted of a 1 foot tall tree, covered in small glass bulbs, and large bows I made from bargin basement ribbon.  I was appalled at the prices of the ribbon at the time, and decided I wouldn't waste any.

Fast forward several years, and nearly every scrap of Christmas ribbon that has passed under my nose has been saved in some way.  The same ribbon has been used in my family for years now, getting a bit shorter every year, as at least 8 inches of every piece has been added to my Christmas ribbon garland.

This year the garland grew to about 20 feet of recycled ribbon, each link 8 inches in circumfrence.  

How can you make your own Christmas ribbon garland?

1.  Ask your friends and family to give you the Christmas ribbon they would otherwise throw away.

2.  Cut the ribbon into 8 inch pieces.

3.  Sew the first "link" in the chain by matching the short ends of the ribbon (right sides together) and machine or hand sewing securely.

4.  The second and all subsequent links in the chain is made by inserting the 8 inch length of ribbon through the prevous link in the chain, wrapping the ribbon around the link so that the short ends of the ribbons match (right sides together), and machine or hand sew securely.

5.  Repeat step 4 until all ribbon lengths are incorrperated into the chain.

The chain lengths can be turned right side out as you work, or after all the links have been made.

The chain can be added to year after year, making a christmas timeline of sorts, showing change over time.  My chain is already showing differences over time, as well as tremendous growth.  I can only imagine what it will look like in a few more years time.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Every one!  As of today my family is officially back to business as usual.  We shipped Mr. Incredible back to work this morning with no prospect of vacation in the near future.  While it is good to get back to our normal routine, I think we all enjoyed Mr. Incredible being around during the day.  He brings a playfullness to the atmosphere at home I sometimes forget to encourage.  I get too wrapped up with getting things done, and he encourages me to let things go and just have fun. 

At the moment my sink is overflowing with unwashed dishes, my bed is slowing sinking under the weight of unfolded laundry, the house looks as if it has been ransacked, and there is almost no food in the cupboards.  Last weeks idea of a through spring cleaning seems somewhat daunting at the moment, but the house is slowly transforming back into it's nearly clean state.  On the upside, with the exception of washing clothing, I throughly let go during the last week!

Perhaps I should resolve to figure out how to both get things done, and let go and have fun this year.

FO - Grandma's Knit Slippers

My Grandmother lost her husband this last year.  I know that I can't give her anything to make up for that loss, but I wanted to give her something that would comfort her in her greiving.  I hope she feels that these slippers are like a little hug from me every time she puts them on.

They were made from the Plain of Flowerly Slippery Pattern, which is available as a download from Ravelry as well.  I made them in Lion Brand, Jiffy Solid, an Acrylic yarn, that I knew my grandmother wouldn't have any problem careing for, and was already familiar with (unlike the newer superwash wools, which she is sure to treat like regular wool).  

Even though the flowers will make them slightly harder to care for, I thought they were important to add.  They are my version of my Grandmother's favorite flower, a yellow rose.

~Merry Christmas

Gift Idea #6 - Embroidered Brooch

Another one bites the dust.  Yet one more Christmas present in my queue has been completed. My latest project was this little embroidered brooch, approximately 2" in diameter.  It depicts the Ebola virus, and will hopefully soon adorn the lapel of a young doctor.  I thought it would be a laugh for her colleagues, and a great conversation starter with everyone else.

Gift Idea 5: Heated Eye Mask

Christmas keeps comming closer, as inevivible as the passage as, well, time.  With it comes more Christmas presents.  I made this eye mask out of recycled materials for my grandmother who has eye problems.  If you have all of the materials on hand, and hour can see several made.

Materials for One Eye Mask:

1.  Burda Style Pattern Marcel #7997.  This is a free download, and the entire pattern should fit on a standard piece of paper.

2.  Two pieces of soft fabric approx. 9" by 5".  I got enough fabric for 3 masks from the front of a cotton dress shirt (the rest of the shirt had already been repourposed as napkins.
3.  Flat batting in the same amounts as the fabric above (optional).  I used cotton batting let over from a quilt, but fleece, or rescused batting would work well too.

4.  50" to 60" of ribbon, .75" to 1" wide, cut in half.  Deside on the total amount of ribbon you want to use based on head size. I used the ribbon from a kids store's elaborate gift wrapping.  One package yielded more than enough ribbon.

5.  Rice.  I used about 0.125 pounds of inexpensive long grain rice.  You can probably find enough in your pantry.

Instructions:

If you know how to sew, this will probably be a no brainer, but Burda Style has no instructions on this pattern (as of this writting), so....

1.  After printing and cutting out the Marel pattern, pin the pattern piece to your fabric (with the grain of the fabric), mark the side openings noted on the pattern on your fabric, and cut the fabric in pattern.  Do this so that you get two pieces of fabric in pattern shape, then do the same with the batting.

2.  Make the following fabric/batting sandwich; (Beginning on the bottom) batting, fabric (right side up), fabric (right side down), batting.  Then stitch around the edges of the mask with a 5/8" seam allowance, leaving the spaces that were marked "ribbon" on the pattern open.

3.  Turn your "sandwich" inside out.  The fabric should now be on the outside, the batting on the inside.

4.  Insert one of the ribbons about 1" into the ribbon slot, fold the fabric around the ribbon slot inward to that it looks as if it had been sewn with the rest of the eye mask.  Sitich the ribbon in place very close to the edge of the mask. DO NOT SEW THE OTHER RIBBON IN PLACE AT THIS TIME.

5.  The ribbon slot on the other end of the mask is still open.  Use this opening to pout in your rice.  Make a funnell with a spare bit of paper, stick the small end in the ribbon slot, and pour the rice in the large end.  Pour in enough rice so that half of the eye mask is full.

6.  With the rice at the opposite end of the mask, attach the 2nd ribbon as shown for the first in step 4.

~Happy Holidays

Edit:  If you would like to heat the eye mask, place it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  Test it's temperature on the sensitive part of your arm before placeing it on your eyes.  It should be warm, NOT hot.

Crafts in the Attic

Yesterday Mr. Incredible was rummaging around in the attic looking for an elusive box of Christmas decorations.  He found the decorations, as well as two boxes of craft supplies (one rather large) that I had forgotten existed.  I plan to have pics of the loot to follow.

I-Pod Nano Case

My latest project is finished.  It is an i-pod nano case for my cousin.  The tutorial was from Made by Petchy.  All of the measurements she gives are in cm, so if you, like me, live where yo can't find a metric cutting mat to save your life, let me know.  I have already figured out all of the English measure equivilents and can share them with you.

Closed.

Open, with an "i-pod" inside.  I don't have an i-pod, so I made a paper one to the correct dimensions to make sure the case would work.

Open and Empty.

Back to the Daily Grind

We have been back for a few days now, but I always find it difficult to get back into the swing of things after leaving town.  It is especially hard when we cut ourselves off from all major modes of communication during the vacation.  Thanksgiving found us in the mountains of North Carolina.  There was ice on the ground, a chill in the air, a fire in the grate, and a cup of hot cocoa in my hand.  There we have no TV, no Internet, little cell phone phone connection, and only one radio station.  It is blissfully disconnected from modern life.

I decided not to bring any of my Christmas gifts/projects with me, as this was supposed to be relaxing vacation time.  I intended to relax, at least as much as is possible with two toddlers in tow, and I spent much of my time there curled up next to the warm fireplace with a good book.

My kids spent as much time as they could outside exploring the mountainside.  They were hoping to find snow, but instead found large and small icy pools all over the mountainside (the only ice we see in Florida comes out of the freezer).  The smallest were ice filled ruts in the road which they used as an ice skating rink.  The largest was a lake that they threw rocks at for at least an hour to see which would bounce off the ice and which would crack the surface.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In this period of economic downturn it is easy to forget what we have to be thankful for, but, if you are able to read this post, you very likely have a lot to be thankful for.  You probably have all of your basic needs, such as food, shelter, clothing, and safety, taken care of.  There are still many people around the world who do not have these luxeries (but are still thankful for life, family, love, etc.).  So, as we sit down to our dinners tonight, whether lavish or meager, know that you have something to be thankful for.

I am thankful that my family is spending the holiday in one of my favorite places.  We will be back on Sunday, and I will tell you all about it.