We did pretty well with our schedule last week, I think, and we have a relatively normal schedule this week without too much extra in it. I'm pretty excited, too, because we have a swing dance coming up and Rich and I get to go and have a good time together. Meals are fairly simple this week, in the hopes that I can keep up with school work and kids' schedules and trying, desperately to get a few knitting projects and a design project ready.

Oh, also, I forgot to mention earlier that the verse numbering for our Bible reading schedule is the Eastern numbering. The Psalms are where you will usually see the biggest difference.

• Sunday Judges 5:1-6:10, Psalms 68:21–37, Proverbs 14:11–15, Luke 3:1-20
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Sausages, Peppers & Onions, Carrot and Celery Sticks
• Monday Judges 6:11-7:25, Psalms 73:12-23, Proverbs 15:16–20, Luke 3:21-38
  Breakfast: Harvest Pancakes, Grapefruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Claudia's Chicken, Rice, Marinated Cucumbers and Onions, Watermelon
• Tuesday Judges 8-9, Psalms 74, Proverbs 15:21-26, Luke 4:1-30
  Breakfast: Dutch Baby Pancake, Fried Cinnamon Apples, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Braised Lamb Ribs and Beans, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Cucumber Salad
• Wednesday Judges 10-11, Psalms 75, Proverbs 15:27-32, Luke 4:31-44
  Breakfast: Slow Cooker Rice Pudding with Pears and Dried Cherries, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Macaroni & Cheese with Anaheim Chiles and Acorn Squash, Garlic Sauteed Chard, Garlic Bread
• Thursday Judges 12-14, Psalms 76:1-10, Proverbs 15:33-38, Luke 5:1-16
  Breakfast: Pear Banana Bread, Yogurt with Jam, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Beef and Vegetable Soup, Rolls
• Friday - Feast of Saints Philip and James Judges 15-17, Psalms 76:11-21, Proverbs 16:1–5, Luke 5:17-39
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Bananas, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Quick Sesame Noodles with Kale, Garlic and Onion*, Salad
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Athanasius Judges 18-19, Psalms 77:1-17, Proverbs 16:6–10, Luke 6:1-26
  Breakfast: Bacon and Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham with Peach and Marmalade Glaze, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, Steam Sauteed Green Beans, Roasted Pineapple in Brandy

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up.

Labels: Church Year, Family, Fesah', Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen

So, I found this recipe on pinterest for a chorizo casserole, and it looked and sounded great. But it also used pop can biscuits and had very little instruction involved. This is what I made with the idea. Sorry there is no photo, we ate it too quickly both times I made this.

1 recipe biscuit dough
2 pounds chorizo
1 large onion, finely diced
1 pound mixed peppers (I used anaheims, but a mix of sweet and hot would be nice), finely chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded pepper jack
12 eggs
1/2 cup milk
sliced avocados to serve
salsa to serve
sour cream to serve

Preheat oven to 425 F. Lay your biscuit dough out in a single layer on a large pan, I used my lasagna pan, and bake for 12 minutes. (I just cut the dough into squares, rather than use the cutter for circles.) Set pan aside.

While biscuits are baking, brown chorizo, crumbling the meat into bite sized pieces. Add the onions and peppers to the pan and cook until the onions are soft. Spread this mixture over the baked biscuits. Sprinkle the top with the cheeses. Whisk together the eggs and milk and pour evenly over the top.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave pan in the oven with the door closed for another 10 minutes. Remove, cut into squares, and serve with avocado, sour cream and salsa.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

I finished the highlighter yellow, baby runway safety set. The grey really tones it down, I think, though it is still blindingly bright. I still haven't finished Elijah's sweater, but I am a lot closer. Perhaps this weekend. Some of the graphing is giving me trouble on Ventus, so that hasn't progressed as far as I'd like, either. Vogue Knitting's deadline for their holiday issue is next week, and I have been trying to get a small project swatched and sketched and written up for them, but it just hasn't been working the way I want, so I may postpone it for their winter issue. It's been a bit frustrating on both the designing and knitting fronts.


Rather than keep on with these projects that are getting to me, I made an instant gratification headband to give to a friend's wife. It's surprisingly encouraging to have a project that is simple, relatively mindless, and quick. There was nothing complicated about this, I could do it while talking to others, while teaching the kids, while checking facebook, while watching a movie with Rich. The instructions say to graft, because she doesn't like how the three needle bind off looks, but I didn't want to have to mess with grafting knits and purls and keeping track, so I did what I usually do, and that is to turn the work backwards/inside out, and do the three needle bind off on the inside. Honestly, even I, who knew where I did it, had a hard time finding the bind off on the headband. (In fact, the bind off is visible in that picture, see if you can find it!) And on the right side it is completely invisible. More so even than when I do it for shoulders or other pieces. Probably because of the cables.

Anyway, this makes 13 finished objects for 2015. Which isn't too far off of my goal for myself this year. I did miss one of the pairs of socks, as I just couldn't get the baby socks to work last month, and I don't think I will get the second sock I am working on right now finished by the end of this month. So that is another goal I didn't quite meet. But, it's not too bad for a homeschooling homemaker, who is mother to eight. Now that I've completed some other things, too, I feel more ready to tackle something and just get it done as well as return to the trouble making graph.


I'm still looking for people willing to test a pattern for me in the next couple/few weeks. I should have the pattern ready by next week. My goal is to have it published in mid- to late May, if anyone is willing to take a shot at testing the knitting on this pattern, and if it can be tested pretty soon. It is an adult sized, kerchief style headband. I made a doll sized version as my sample, which is what is in the photos (if it matters, the color is truer in the second picture), but this would be sized for an adult. It shouldn't take more than a few nights to a week once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Yarn required is a fingering weight. I made mine out of a cotton/wool blend. I would not recommend a variegated yarn, either a solid color or subtle semi-solid. Skills required: Basic knitting, yarn overs, decreasing by k2tog and ssk, casting on at the end of a row, knitting in the round, reading a chart. It shouldn't take more than a few nights once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Please e-mail me or leave a comment with contact information if you are interested in test knitting this pattern as soon as you can. Then, request to join Ventus Test Knitters on Facebook. Please also check out Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, for updates and testing opportunities and other design news. Thank you!

So, after more than a year, I have finally finished Christ in His Saints! I cannot recommend it enough. It took me that long, because it really took that long to read each figure, rather than to rush through the book. I wanted to take in something about each person discussed. I told Rich that I started to underline, and then bracket, portions of the book when I first started reading, but I really think the entire book should have been printed on highlighter yellow paper. It is that good.



Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On

Labels: Books, Design, FOs, Homemaking, Knitting, Yarn Along

We're finally back to our normal, hectic schedule here. School is back on track full time, activities are back to normal, and we're all a little slammed. But the weather is beautiful during the day and this is the greenest and prettiest time of year here. It's still freezing or below in the mornings, but we're in the 60s and 70s during the day. We are late getting our garden started and ready, as usual, but Rich has been having a great time playing with the dirt, and we've planted four more fruit trees this spring.

Our older boys have a couple jobs in our farming neighborhood, which is great for them as it earns them skills and money, and great for us, because now they have skills to use in our yard. This makes our school schedule a little crazy, because I have to make sure they are finished by lunchtime most weeks, so they can leave after lunch to go work. It's pretty exciting for them, though, as they get to drive four wheelers and have a little more financial freedom and do stuff that strengthens their bodies a bit.

In the meantime, however, one of my cousins had a a heart attack from which he seems to be recovering, but he is only 46 or so, so this was unsettling for him and his family, as you can imagine. Please be in prayer both for his health, and for the comfort of his wife and sons. Our friends with the preemie daughter have been dealing with some set backs lately and could also use some prayer.

In other news, we finally got tired of not having a place to go dancing and started a monthly dance. We've held three so far, and they are doing alright. We're hoping to open it up to more people and keep building it up a little more. So, if you are in the area, come join us!

• Sunday Joshua 12-14, Psalms 68:21–37, Proverbs 14:11–15, Mark 15:21–47
  Breakfast: Cream Cheese on Toast, Dried Apricots, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Snack Tray
• Monday Joshua 15-17, Psalms 69, Proverbs 14:16–20, Mark 16
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar and Dried Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Saucy Sour Cream Meatballs with Green Beans, Egg Noodles
• Tuesday Joshua 18-20, Psalms 70:1–13, Proverbs 14:21–25, Luke 1:1–25
  Breakfast: Harvest Pancakes, Fried Eggs, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Grilled Ham and Corned Beef Sandwiches, Pickles, Carrot and Celery Sticks
• Wednesday Joshua 21-22, Psalms 70:14–24, Proverbs 14:26–30, Luke 1:26–56
  Breakfast: German Paschal Bread with Cream Cheese, Fruit, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Vegetarian Ranchero Beans, Rice
• Thursday - Feast of Saint George Joshua 23-24, Psalms 71, Proverbs 14:31–36, Luke 1:57–80
  Breakfast: Chorizo and Egg Casserole*, Fruit Plate, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Roasted Salmon with White Wine Sauce, Steam Sauteed Carrots and Red Onions, Pan Roasted Red Potatoes with Garlic
• Friday Judges 1-2, Psalms 72:1–14, Proverbs 15:1–5, Luke 2:1–24
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Toast, Apple Sauce, Tea with Honey
  Dinner: Besan Chila, Green Hot Sauce, Tomato Cucumber Salad
• Saturday - Feast of Saint Mark Judges 3-4, Psalms 72:15–28, Proverbs 15:6–10, Luke 2:25–52
  Breakfast: Italian Paschal Bread with Bacon and Parmesan, Strawberries and Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pastitsio, Garlic Bread, Salad

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up.

Labels: Church Year, Family, Fesah', Homemaking, Homeschooling, Homesteading, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen

That's what I keep telling myself anyway. This has been a kind of disappointing couple weeks for knitting, actually. Elijah's sweater is still not finished. One sleeve is just about completed and the other still needs to be done. I made the size that would just fit him, because I wasn't sure that I would have enough yarn to make it a little looser. Now that I'm nearly finished, it is obvious that I would have had enough yarn to make it roomier for him. However, as the yarn was discontinued and I had a limited amount of it, I went with the greater estimate of how much yarn I would need. I don't particularly want to make it all over, though, so it will fit him for the windy days and cool nights this spring and likely go to someone else by the fall. Unless he doesn't grow that much.

Aside from not really having the time to work on Elijah's sweater, I didn't get much time to work on Ventus while we were traveling, as I was either busy or sick. Also, I had been working on a coordinating pair of baby booties to go with a bonnet I'd made, to give to a work friend of Rich's, but I only had enough yarn to make one and a third of them. I even chose a third coordinating yarn to do the heels and toes on them, and still didn't have enough. I gave up at that point and frogged.


Cute bootie, though.

I'm also making a set with a vest and hat for this couple. Because we know them through Rich's work, and since I had that dayglow, hideous, florescent yellow yarn, Rich mentioned it to the fellow, and the two guys thought it would be perfect to make a runway safety vest for their new little boy (who will be arriving any day now) so he could come to work with his father. So, I have made the world's ugliest baby sweater vest. Rich said to look on it as an act of love. That is what is pictured up top there, it needs the ends woven in and that's that. It is so blindingly bright it will keep that child awake. The hat is a bonus, as I figured he might as well have a matching set of ugly. It will forever give them a story about their first born child and that wacky lady who made the revolting sweater and hat set.

I wanted to make the booties to give with the bonnet so the fellow's wife wouldn't think that I have no taste at all. I'll give them the bonnet, and if I can find the time, I'll whip something else up that is nicer looking to give them as well.

Since I was traveling, I did shop for yarn, and I picked up quite a bit, since we visited several places with nice yarn shops. I also came home to my Paradise Fibers yarn of the month club package, which was a treat.


Here is the yarn I picked up at our home town yarn shop. The red, mink, lace weight yarn is something I had my eye on last summer when we visited, but didn't get. This time I did. There was one more skein of it that I didn't buy because I knew I'd be buying other yarn, but if it is there when I return, I will. The creamy white yarn is really cool. It changes from cream to pink with UV light. It doesn't even have to be full sun, just real sun light, even through cloud cover, or a UV lamp, I suppose. There is another color that goes from the same cream to a lavender color. I'm going to get some of that and some HiKoo Simplicity in the same base color when we go on our next trip and I have a couple really great plans for what to do with them.


The next shop I visited is pretty neat, and when we used to live in the area I never really had a chance to shop there as much as I wanted. I picked up a few skeins of American and locally produced yarn. The pull skeins are a cotton wool blend raised and spun in Virginia. The other two are a natural alpaca and wool blend whose color name is based on the names of the animals who produced the fiber. That was made right there in that county.


I've been trying to match a ribbon color that came attached to a tag on a dress for a few months now. I want to make a cropped jacket to go with the dress. The ribbon was lying across the fabric and I thought that it looked really nice with the plum color of the dress. It's not something I would have chosen had I not seen it that way, so I tucked the ribbon in my knitting bag and it's been following me along ever since. There was a perfect match for that ribbon. One skein of it. And it's possibly discontinued. So, if anyone out there has six or seven skeins of Lang Amalfi lying around in this same color #760.0078 (it was sometimes also only known by the last two to four numbers, 78 or 0078), especially in dye lot #70703, I'd be happy to buy them from you. The other two skeins are nice wool that are in a similar color family, and I bought them just because they were pretty.


And here we have my yarn of the month selection: Frolicking Feet Gradient DK in Silvered Spruce. A little bit of sock yarn for darning came with it, but I think I'll use it in color work with baby or other small objects. There are four more months of the yarn of the month club after this. I don't know if I will do it again, because of some things that have changed at the store. I'm trying to give them a fair shake to work out the kinks in the system, but it hasn't been as great as it used to be. We shall see. If I don't do it again, though, that will free up some money for a Yarn Box or Knit Crate subscription for Christmas, or even a Magnolia Society Sweater Club, which I held off on this year.

If you didn't see the announcement a couple weeks ago, Saint Helena is live on both Nimblestix and Ravelry. Again, if you like it, it would thrill me if you favorited, queued, or bought it.


I'm looking for people willing to test a pattern for me in the next month or so. I should have the pattern ready in a couple weeks. My goal is to have it published in mid- to late May, if anyone is willing to take a shot at testing the knitting on this pattern, and if it can be tested pretty soon. This is a bit more complicated than Saint Helena, being knitted lace, with patterning on both sides. It is an adult sized, kerchief style headband. I made a doll sized version as my sample, which is what is in the photos (if it matters, the color is truer in the second picture), but this would be sized for an adult. It shouldn't take more than a few nights to a week once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Yarn required is a fingering weight. I made mine out of a cotton/wool blend. I would not recommend a variegated yarn, either a solid color or subtle semi-solid. Skills required: Basic knitting, yarn overs, decreasing by k2tog and ssk, casting on at the end of a row, knitting in the round, reading a chart. It shouldn't take more than a few nights once the basics of knitted lace are mastered. Please e-mail me or leave a comment with contact information if you are interested in test knitting this pattern as soon as you can. Then, request to join Ventus Test Knitters on Facebook. Please also check out Arabian Knits Designs on Facebook, for updates and testing opportunities and other design news. Thank you!

Because I was traveling, I had more opportunities to read. I finished up The Jane Austen Rules: A Classic Guide to Modern Love, which was fun, though I still don't really like her quoting of Simone de Beauvoir, even though nothing she quoted was wrong or offensive. We read a little more of A Jane Austen Education: How Six Novels Taught Me About Love, Friendship, and the Things That Really Matter aloud on the drive. I'm nearly finished with Christ in His Saints! Didn't quite get it finished during Lent. Not even if I count by the Eastern reckoning.



Also posting to Keep Calm and Craft On

Labels: Books, Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns, Yarn, Yarn Along

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
I've been MIA for a while, as we had the opportunity to celebrate most of the Triduum and the Paschal feast with our church family "back home" as well as getting a chance to rent a house on the beach near our old house while Rich went to a conference for work. After that, we traveled to spend some time with one of Rich's cousins and his family. It was a beautiful and holy time for us.

Sadly, the "vacation" part for me wasn't much of a vacation as I had to drive Rich to the ferry at 5:30 for the first three mornings so he'd be at his conference on time, and the final night we were at the beach house I was so sick I didn't get to sleep most of the night, even though we could sleep in the next morning. I spent all the time at his cousin's sick, too. Though functional. Just not sleeping or eating well or feeling well. On the positive side, I think I've lost 15 pounds. Sunday night, we were able to return to our church and Fr. David prayed for me after I received the Eucharist and, for the first night in five, I was able to sleep all night without pain or feeling sick. That following day I was completely well. I am so grateful to God for His sacraments and priesthood!

We returned late Sunday night, or rather, early Monday morning, and were blessed that Rich had been able to take that day off, too, so we had a day to rest and recuperate. Tuesday night, Rich and I took a trip back to the west side, for him to take an all day class with his boss and another co-worker the following day, and I did some yarn shopping, walking around town, and resting while they did that. That was really my vacation. The hotel had a pool and hot tub, so I availed myself of the hot tub with its jets on my shoulder and back (oh! that morning, I went into the utility room to check the laundry and either the way I opened the door or the cold of that room tweaked my shoulder injury from way back in 2011 when we camped at Yellowstone, so my shoulder hurt and I couldn't turn my head all the way that day - it got better the following morning, but I'm still hurting a little). I finally found the exact shade of yarn I've been looking for to match a ribbon I have, that I'd like to use in a short jacket to wear over a dress. There was only one skein left and it appears to be discontinued. I bought it anyway.

In any case, here is our menu, such as it is, and the Bible readings. Here are last week's:

April 5 Deuteronomy 11-13, Psalms 56, Proverbs 11:26–30, Mark 9:2–29

April 6 Deuteronomy 14-16, Psalms 57, Proverbs 12:1–5, Mark 9:30–50

April 7 Deuteronomy 17-19, Psalms 58, Proverbs 12:6–10, Mark 10:1–31

April 8 Deuteronomy 20-22, Psalms 59, Proverbs 12:11–15, Mark 10:32–52

April 9 Deuteronomy 23-25, Psalms 60, Proverbs 12:16–20, Mark 11:1–19

April 10 Deuteronomy 26:1-28:14, Psalms 61, Proverbs 12:21–25, Mark 11:20–33

April 11 Deuteronomy 28:15-29:28, Psalms 62, Proverbs 12:26–31, Mark 12:1–27

• Sunday Deuteronomy 30-31, Psalms 63, Proverbs 13:1–5, Mark 12:28–44
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Dinner at Church
• Monday Deuteronomy 32, Psalms 64, Proverbs 13:6–10, Mark 13:1–23
  Breakfast: Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Enchiladas, Sour Cream, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham, Garlic Sourdough Bread, Chocolate Coconut Pie
• Tuesday Deuteronomy 33-34, Psalms 65, Proverbs 13:11–15, Mark 13:24–37
  Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Ham, Toast, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Ham and White Bean Soup, Garlic Toast
• Wednesday Joshua 1-3, Psalms 66, Proverbs 13:16–21, Mark 14:1–31
  Breakfast: Oatmeal with Brown Sugar, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Pasta with Garlic, Tomato and Olive Sauce
• Thursday Joshua 4-6, Psalms 67:1–20, Proverbs 13:22–27, Mark 14:32–52
  Breakfast: Ham and Herb Rolls, Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Biscuits and Sausage Gravy, Carrot Sticks, Peach Melba Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
• Friday Joshua 7-9, Psalms 67:21–36, Proverbs 14:1–5, Mark 14:53–72
  Breakfast: Harvest Pancakes, Sliced Oranges, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Layered Tortilla Casserole with Black Beans, Squash and Roasted Anaheim Chiles
• Saturday Joshua 10-11, Psalms 68:1–20, Proverbs 14:6–10, Mark 15:1–20
  Breakfast: Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Milk and Coffee
  Dinner: Saucy Sour Cream Meatballs with Green Beans, Egg Noodles, Salad

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up.

Labels: Church Year, Family, Fesah', Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen, Triduum

Christ is Risen! The Lord is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Have a Blessed Paschal Feast and joyous Bright Week!







The translation should say: Christ is risen from amongst the dead, defeating/conquering death by death.

Labels: Bright Week, Church Year, Faith and Morality, Fesah', Pascha

Our Paschal preparations are keeping me from the blog, but I wanted to make the announcement that Saint Helena is for sale on both Nimblestix and Ravelry! The single mitt on the left is the pattern as I designed it, and the set on the left is a slight variation made by one of my test knitters, using a single color on the thumb. Please favorite, queue, and purchase the pattern if you like it!

Labels: Design, Homemaking, Knitting, Patterns