better than chicken soup

When I have a cold, chicken soup isn't what I'm craving.  I want something spicy hot to clear my head.  I chopped up veggies from our garden and made some pico de gallo.  My oldest girlie and hubby are the only ones who will eat the pico de gallo I make when I have a cold because I like it HOT.  To kept my head from being stuffy.  

pico de gallo

2 parts tomatoes

2 parts tomatillos

1 part red onion

1 part green onion

1 part hot peppers (1/2 of it jalapenos)

1/2 part cilantro

1/4 part garlic

lime and salt to taste

sometimes I add 1 part sweet peppers

chop it all up and mix it up.

It's good on tacos, chili, ham sandwiches, and straight out of a bowl with chips or with a spoon.  Just to name a few ways I enjoyed it this week.

wordless wednesday ~ strider

we've already...

...caught a round of the sniffles?!?!   It's too early or maybe, it's too warm for cold season.  We're still dealing with heat, humidity and mosquitoes... now colds.  I'm not ready for it to begin.

My next batch of echinacea tincture won't be ready for over a week.  So I might have to buy some pre-made which I hate having to do; it's so pricey.  I should get some more echinacea p. root and start another batch.

I still need to make up another batch of thieves oil salve, cough drop lolli-pops, cough, and elderberry syrups.  Oh, and fill up some teabags with some one cup servings of cold care tea.  It's past time to restock the cold care cupboard.

I did get a batch of cold and sinus salve made last weekend.  At least it is one thing taken care of. 

hello my name...

...is Jess and I'm a yarn addict.  I use to buy yarn when I had a project and then stash away the leftovers Then I started to get yarn for near future projects... and stash it away.  I progressed onto getting yarn for projects I wanted to do someday... and would stash it away.  For years now I've been getting yarn without any project in mind... and stashing it away.

A few years ago I started thinking that I need to stop buying yarn and get some of those "someday" projects done... I didn't notice my stash getting smaller.  See I was getting some of those projects done but still stashing away lovely new yarn that I just had to have.  So the next year came with a phrase/question to ask myself when I was looking at new yarn... "don't you have something like that at home?"  I even taught it to my Littles and asked them to parrot it back to me when I was looking at yarn.  That became the year that my stash of interesting/unusual yarn grew...I didn't already have it at home.

Last year I decided to I wouldn't get yarn unless it was for a specific project. Now I did do a lot of projects from my stash but I still found reasons to get more yarn... that specific project clause. 

This year I told myself I am not going to get any new yarn at all.  I told my Hubby and  Littles... they laughed at me.  That made me more determined to make it happen... a reward should keep me on track.  If I manage to stick to not getting new yarn all year in January I can indulge in new yarn.  I thought it would be difficult but it wasn't I've managed to not add to my stash... until last week.

I started making hats with some leftovers.

See the hat that doesn't have noodles on top yet?  And that bit of green on the band?  I didn't realize it was the last of the green.  I thought I had some more and cast on this hat next....

Yep, you notice how it has a green stem and leafs... I looked for something from my stash...I really did... a different shade of green... another color... type of yarn.  Nope, it wasn't going to work.  I really wanted that particular green.  I thought of waiting to finish it until next year.  NOWAY! I'm not going to procrastinate.  I don't want another unfinished project in my life.  I'm going to finish it now.  I broke down and got my first skein of yarn this year with  less then 4 months to go on my year of not getting new yarn. 

So here is my thought... If I keep this yarn on my needles and use it all up on projects for others before the end of the year it's like I never got it...right?

wordless wednesday ~ sunflower seeds

wordless wednesday ~ sunflowers

eyes on the horizon

We went to the beach today and kept our eyes on the horizon. 

 looking to catch the first glimps

of the USS Enterprise returning to port from deployment

Now to wait for the call from my Love saying, "I can leave the ship."

Good thing we have the beach to help distract us from our wait.

and a little distraction knitting.

sunset

wordless wednesday

812

of 1000

blue, purple and green....oh my

I questioned one of my little's fiber choices when asked to make this hat.  Now I'm thinking of keeping borrowing it; which is kinda odd because I've never felt the urge to wear this shade of green or color combo before.

prism merino mia alpine and katia ingenua 15

wordless wednesday

alchemy al kozmos scarf

wordless wednesday

baby blueberries

yummi 'gurumi ~ nigiri

I have made about half a dozen pieces of sushi and my girlies are having fun playing with them.  Here is the "snack" they brought me this afternoon.

In the larger compartment: salmon, egg, crabstick, eel, tuna and clam.

In the smaller compartment: shrimp and octopus.

Time to move onto rolled sushi and dim sum.

outdoor monday

I am enjoying this warm winter day while weeding.

crocuses blooming

yellow dreams of sunny times

spring will soon be here

purple bamboo blend

I cast on another purple bamboo blend hat that I hope to finish this weekend.

1000 paper cranes

Cranes pair for life and represent faithfulness, longevity, prosperity, wisdom, loyalty, vigilance and peace. In legend it is said that they carry the prayers for those lost in war and take the souls of the deceased on their backs to the Western Paradise.

In the 11th century Kamakura period of Japan, during the celebration of a Buddhist festival, the people tied prayers to the legs of cranes for those who were lost in battle. Then set them free to carry their prayers of peace off to the world.

This reminds me of a quote by a 12 year old girl.

“I will write peace on your wings

And you will fly all over the world.”

Sadako Sasaki was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She was two years old when the United States dropped an atom bomb on the city. When she was 12 years old and sick in the hospital with leukemia her friend Chizuko brought some paper and reminded her friend the story of the old crane that lived 1000 years. And if someone folded 1000 paper cranes, the gods would grant that person a wish.

Sadako started to fold paper cranes and was able to fold 644 before she died. Her class mates folded the remaining 356 and all the cranes were buried with her.

There is a statue in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park at the Children’s Peace Monument of Sadako holding a paper crane. Every year on August 6th thousands of paper cranes are placed at the memorial.

I am working of folding 1000 paper cranes to add my voice to the plea at the base of Sadako’s statue.

“This is our cry,

This is our prayer,

Peace in the world.”

fibers on friday on monday

I finished the set and found my pashmina shawl. 

I'm definitely going to use bamboo blended yarn again.  In fact I've already started another hat with the same yarn and color.  Senior Chief asked me to make one for his Mom when I showed him the set; purple is her favorite color.

salmon, egg & tuna nigiri

echinacea

I found a beautiful bamboo, wool, and angora blended yarn in echinacea.  So, my sushi is now on hold while I knit up a hat and fingerless mitt set.  The hat is done and I'm almost finished with the first fingerless mitt.  I think it's time for me to take a break from knitting and dig through my closet in search of a lost pashmina shawl that might match the set.

wordless wednesday

sushi ~ tuna nigiri

I found this book and had to get it and get started right away.  See, I have a few sushi lovers in my family.  And one of them won't be able to get a hold of sushi anytime soon.  So I am going to crochet him up some and mail it to him.  Of course I will have to make a second batch of sushi for my girlies; along with some cakes, fruit salad, and veggies...

The patterns are written for worst weight yarn, but I like my crochet foods in miniature (see here and here.) So this will be itty bitty tiny sushi made with number 10 crochet thread and a size 7 (1.65mm) hook.

My tiny Tuna Nigiri, Yummi' Gurumi is finished.

 Now to make some Salmon Nigiri, yum!

this lip gloss...

.... is sooooo yummy!  The color, the sparkels, the name 'Ruby Red Licorice.'  But the best thing is...  

... it tastes like Twizzlers. YUMMY!!!

two toppers

i have hope

My girlies found some fabric in my stash and wanted matching pajama bottoms.  This took me by surprise.  My oldest hasn't wanted anything matching her sister EVER.  She is such a sweet girl and has humored me a few times but her heart was never in it.  Today, she wanted it.

I went to cut the fabric and realized there wasn't enough to make two pajama bottoms.  NO!!! They wanted and agreed to match.  When I bought this fabric there was enough to make them both tops and bottoms.  Oh, that was a couple years ago.  Another fabric was picked.

The pajamas were made.

She asked for matching pajamas once.  Maybe she will ask to match her sister again.  I have hope!

just do it

There are lots of excuses why I have neglected my blog but it all comes down to Military life and deployment.  I am not feeling too chatty but with the encouragement of Senior Chief telling me “just do it” I will make a post today. 

Including a picture of some of the yummy treats he left me with.  (I am not going out to the freezing garage to get a picture of the freezer stocked with my favorite ice creams.)

I would give up yummy chocolates and ice cream for the next year if only......