Thrift Scores

I love a good thrift store and I hadn't been in a few weeks so I thought I'd run by a couple of my favorites this week, plus one new one. I've found some great stuff. I found a Coach bag...it might be a knockoff, I don't know...but it's a pretty good one if it is, I paid $4.95 for it. I found one of those yarn project folding baskets for $2.99. I found three sewing patterns for $.75, 2 yds of cotton fun polk a dot fabric for $2. A wonderfully seasoned cast iron skillet (not as big as the one was hunting...but perfect nonetheless) for $10 and a ton of clothes for O. and the boys. Sometimes I can find clothing so cheaply that it doesn't even pay to sew them...although I do like to sew still.
The thrifting brings me to mind that I'm going to have to tighten my belt significantly. Our tenants just gave notice last night and I don't know how long it will be before I will find some one to rent the place. I'm so sad to see them go. They were tidy, quiet and not once did they pay the rent late. I had one last hurrah before I knew they were moving out. I was at Tuesday Morning yesterday where I scored a ton of yarn and a Boye needlemaster set, but today I'm feeling like I should return everything. I'm not loving the needlemaster set and even if it's cheap, if it's not fun to knit on then it's not a bargain right? I'm used to addy's and knitpicks and the needlemasters don't seem very smooth or fast. I'm knitting a scarf for O. out of 100% wool and it's so grabby. I'll try a bit more and if I'm still struggling I'll return them this afternoon. I belong to a co-op and I was saving up for some Hiya-Hiya's, they are suppose to have an interchangeable set coming out.
I guess this a great motivation to continue with the deal a friend and I struck. We are pledging to shop our own stash for craft project. It's very reasonable for me to do so...in fact I don't know why I keep buying more stuff. I have so much yarn and fabric it's really insane. So...I'm saying it here, I'm on a moratorium. I have 2 co-op buys outstanding, but then no mas...I'm shopping at that exclusive boutique Chez Sabrina, lol.

Monday's meal

Well, it's just a few days before Thanksgiving, my most favorite holiday! I was thinking about dishes I had prepared thoughout my years of doing big holiday meals, you know the kind where you eat until you finally have to push yourself from the table and waddle to the couch until you can digest a bit of food and then come back for more. Well, the following dish is one of my favorites because squash is probably my most favorite vegetables. I love it in the summer, but hey why not enjoy it in the winter too? So...enjoy!

Squash casserole

4 cups sliced yellow squash
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp of minced garlic
3 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled w/the drippings reserved
30 buttery round crackers, crushed
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place squash, garlic and onion in a large skillet over medium heat. Pour in a small amount of water. Cover, and cook until squash is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well, and place in a large bowl. Now cook your bacon until crispy. Drain bacon on paper towel and reserve the drippings.
In a medium bowl, mix together cracker crumbs and cheese. Stir half of the cracker mixture into the cooked squash mixture. Add the bacon and the drippings. In a small bowl, mix together eggs and milk, then add to squash mixture. Stir in 1/4 cup melted butter, and season with salt and pepper. Spread into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cracker mixture.
Bake covered in preheated oven for 20 minutes, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more or until lightly browned and the cheese is melted.

I've Been Tagged!

Don't you just love the Internet? I never realized when I began blogging how many cool people I would meet and how interconnected our lives are. I just got tagged by one such mega cool mama, Chi-Chi of the blog Where there's a will there's a way. I so admire her style, prose and poise. You rock, mama! Anyway she tagged me so not only do I need to complete a list of requirements, but I need to tag seven others.

First the rules:


So...let's see, seven random or weird facts about myself.
1. I despise coconut, I think it has the texture of hair and it makes me want to go ah, eh, ah, eh and wipe it off my tongue.
2. I never go barefooted. I hate it. Even in the summer I either have on flip flops, sock or slippers. As a result of always wearing slippers I go through several pairs/year.
3. I can't take naps. No matter how tired I am in the daytime I just can't sleep if the sun is up. It kind of sucks since occasionally I'd love to just take a little siesta.
4. I've suffered from migraines most of my life and I distinctly remember the very first one I ever had when I was about eight years old.
5. I can't eat any food that squeaks...you know that has a waxy skin...like pickles. It's like nails on a chalkboard to me and it sets my teeth on edge. I know...kind of weird, huh?
6. I've time traveled...Well sort of. When we lived overseas and were flying there, we crossed the international dateline. So behind us it was one day and ahead it was another...I lost a day so I traveled into the future essentially...even if it was just for a day, lol.
7. My most favorite books of all time are "Pride and Prejudiced" and "A Prayer for Owen Meany". I mean who doesn't love Pride and Prejudiced, it's timeless. Doesn't every girl want to find love? Doesn't every girl have a crazy, dysfunctional family...with a bad sister and a mother who is all up in your business? Ok...maybe it's just my family, lol...but I know that story by heart. And Owen...come on, you have to love this story of the triumph of the human spirit. Owen is an amazing fully developed character. One of the best written characters I've ever read and that's saying a lot since I read constantly.

That's it...my seven. I could go on. But, I'll save some things for another time.

Ok, I'm going to tag the following people.

1. Brandy of the blog The Baldwin Girls
2. Steph of Steph's Random Life
3. Dawn of Olabelhe
4. Mary of Confessions of a craft addict.
5. Tonya of Everything I've got
6. Samantha of The Handmade Dress
7. I want to tag Heather of the blog HeatherK, but when I went today she had posted that she was on hiatus and I couldn't leave a comment. Heather, I hope you see this and know that I'm thinking about you and hope all is well with you. Take care, mama!

I won! I won! I won!

Lot's of the craft type blogs have awesome giveaways and although I don't consider myself to be particularly lucky in that manner, I decided to enter one recently and I won! My prize finally arrived and I couldn't be more excited. It came from Dawn of the blog Olabelhe and it's the niftiest little portfolio and pencil roll ever. It's just so clever and just the perfect item for journal writing, list making me. I've told her that she definitely needs to sale these. Her craftmanship is superb and wouldn't you like to have one too?

A simple holiday

I haven't been online much this week as you can tell. In fact I've been hard at work crafting. I've been talking about how I want a scaled back, low key holiday. The funny thing is as part of a very consumer driven society sometimes it's hard for me to stay focused on that. So I thought I'd develop some rules to live by
1. A want
2. A need
3. Play
4. Read
So far, so good, right? Sounds like it should be simple. Yet, it's not. Coming up with thoughtful, not "crap" stuff is pretty hard...especially when you have four very different children to get gifts for. So, let's start w/O. I haven't figured out the want yet, although I might do a Barbie since she absolutely loves Barbie. I think the quilt is the need...well, sort of. For the play, the dollhouse and the read...a book of fairytales. Then there's S. as a tween he's got very specific ideas about what he deems a good gift, lol. But, I think I have him pretty well figured out. It's just not terribly frugal though. There's E & M. I'm not above regifting. So the other day I found a huge and I mean huge...probably at least a $100 worth of leggo for $5 at a thrift store. I'm going to get a nice big rubbermaid container and put them in and use my labelmaker to make a clever title for them such as "M & E's imagination kit". I've picked up a bunch of Thomas the tank stuff and sock yarn from A.C. Moore on sale. I did get a game for E. yesterday. I think he'll love it. I'll probably do the crayon roll & portfolio set if I get time, but that will be something extra.
I'm starting to feel like coming up with clever ideas is harder than just going shopping. But...I forge on. I'm almost done with one of E.'s socks. I hope I can finish before Christmas. I see on Ravelry where people finish socks in a few days...uh yeah.
Well, I just thought I'd check in, now it's back to my list.

Monday's meal

So much going on lately trying to knock out some handmade holiday gifts that I thought I better fire up the old crockpot. So, here's one that offers delicious stick to your ribs chicken with a Southwest flair.

Black beans and Chicken Crockpot

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, your favorite kind
1(8 ounce) package softened cream cheese


Place the frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into crock pot. Add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn drained. Turn crock pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken is cooked.
Add 1 package of cream cheese to the top and turn the crockpot down to low for about 1/2 hour. Finito! You can serve it solo or over chips for a delicious meal, enjoy!

Zen and the art of knitting

I have come to realize that I'm a process knitter. I'd like to say I'm highly productive and I have a lot to show for the amount of money I've spent on my yarn stash...but I don't. I don't really produce very much at all if I'm honest with myself. I knit quite a bit though. I like starting something and trying out new techniques, then when I get bored or want to try something else...I rip it out. When I knit, however poorly, the rhythmic action of working with my hands, yarn and a set of needles takes me to another place. It's really is kind of zen experience for me. I can lose myself in the knitting, in the intricate patterns that are produced from a seemingly simple pattern of loops and knots. I think about how for centuries women (and men too) have taken needles and fiber in hand and created. It makes me feel connected to the past through this simple craft. I think that might be why knitting is such the craze. It really is a simple thing too. Aren't we all just looking for a simple way to quiet our souls?