Everyone can now relax :o)

I have put my grumpy self away (for now) and a more Happy and content Ginny in in the house :o)...
I couldn't deal with the pain of continuing trying to fix the loom and wonder what the heck I did or didn't do..So I called the"Teacher, Sandra"....I think I sounded so hysterical and pitiful she decided to come over right away :o) (the truth is I prayed her butt here :o) so she just had to come..Well as soon as Sandra walked over to the loom, you knew "The Weaving Guru" was in town..Sandra started fiddling and fuddling and pulling and bending and squatting and fussing until the loom decided " I better behave myself or this woman is going to beat the hell out of me :o)   She had some task, ahead of her..but  a couple of hours later, the Loom acted like it had done nothing wrong to upset me  Maybe the Loom gave me a fit because it thought I was going to get rid of it. :o(  Plus "Teacher" fixed the brake to maintain tension. Also re-taught me to use the sticks.. ( you know we all get lazy, or forget) .
I was so exhauted by the end of it all. I couldn't do a thing, but sit in my chair bed and thank God for the help.  ..just goes to show ..prayers still work..

I thought it best to leave it alone until my nerves cooled down some and tomorrow is another day. Thank goodness there's tomorrow..with a good night's sleep..I should be good as new. Get ready, I just might be on a roll :o)

A Grumpy Post

Everyone seems to be having a Happy Holiday and waiting for Christmas Cheer aditude!
Here in NC I'm saying Bah Humbug!  My printer isn't working says "error paper jam" and there isn't one :o( .Trying to get help from the company is like pulling chicken teeth, if your not holding on, your listening to music, or sent somewhere where there is no return.
The loom isn't functioning correctly (Or I'm not doing something correctly) bah humbug.
I'm trying to look on the bright side..at least it's nice an warm in here with the new gas heater in the Studio ;o)  maybe I should clean it up or rather put some order to it. I had to do some moving things around before it was installed. Now I have too much crap in here, I need to get rid of some of them.

This is an old picture of my first dish towels that I made on my loom..my brake pedal is not in order and that's one of the problems I'm having as to where it was attached it's a simple thing  yet driving me out of my mind.
Oh well!, a better day is coming..now for some lunch..Brisket beef sandwich on Rye :o)

I had  a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, made all the usual goodies we like..except that for the three of us I decided to just make "Hot Turkey wings"with homemade tomato sauce  instead of a whole turkey that we wouldn't eat..Macaroni and cheese, candied yams, Stuffing with cranberry sauce, Collards and Cornbread. Cecil made sweet tea and yes I drank some ;o)  .(Hey, it seems to me I'm eating "Thanksgiving" all the time :o) It was a good day.
Today , the day after we are eating leftovers that I didn't freeze and it worked out just fine. I also wrestled with the loom and got it all sleyed up :o)...bent my little fat butt out of shape getting down on the floor to get the treadles strung up..I'll have to re do them over Tomorrow, tonight I'm just too tired to go over them tonight..They aren't pulling up separate enough...Ugh!  No Pictures today :o(

"Thanksgiving Day"

             'Happy Thanksgiving'

Last Day of testing Avocado and Banana's

Today I decided it was time to check the results of the Avocado and Banana's  after Eight days (put in the fridge after day 2) in the Food saver bags after having the air Vacuumed out. The results for the 8th day were as follows:


First of all I examined the bag before opening  and noticed "bubbling juices" flowing! that to me suggested "breakdown"


Second, after opening the bag, I noticed  there was no sour smell. The avocado looked fine but the banana looked mushy ;o(  I didn't want an upset stomach so I decided just to taste the Avocado with mayo and it was still quite solid. Except of the mushy mess of the banana I decided not to taste them..there was no smell, but it was  obvious that the breakdown was the acidity of the banana..The Avocado being preserved this way to me was the winner..I don't think I would keep it any longer than a week, (in the fridge just cut in half and not little chunks) also I wouldn't put it with anything else. I'm satisfied with this test, at least when I find Avocado's Usually at Sam's Club with 5 in the pack, I know I can take my time eating them up in a week without trying to stuff them all down in one day or eat one and lose the rest.
Update: next time I'll try putting more whole Avocado's in one small bag..take out one and re-vacuum the others. That ought to work :o)

Back to the Loom again!

Good thing I can remove my back beam! I made a mistake and had to fix it by removing the beam so I could wind the weft with the paper to keep the yarn straight. This step was a little complicated at first. I wondered how I was going to do it! Watching  video's on the Internet is quite informative :o)  Someone else had done the same thing and was explaining how she fixed it ...lucky me :o)  

Here's a side view of the back beam :o) not too shabby ugh!...remember I took this off of a loom when I took a class and now I was able to put it on my own loom at home.. I'm happy that I took my time when I took it off and it was easier to put on than I thought.

Here's the front view :o)  I don't remember if I  had a particular pattern to make anything except a scarf because of the yarn being so soft , touchy and feel-ly :o) (is that a word? :o)  anyway, I'm going to finish knotting up the front beam ..look for an easy beginners pattern, tie it up and get to weaving.. So far the Aleve  is helping the back and I'm stopping and resting when I feel it necessary.  I'll give an update on my progress, but don't look for it too soon :o)

Cecil makes breakfast

This morning I was treated to Breakfast like the Queen I am (that sounds better than the Lady of the house :o) I don't know what I did or said that got me that treat , I'd like to do it again  or say it again (and again :o). it was delicious , your looking at cheese and eggs, 2 slices of bacon,rye toast, and the famous "Pear Butter" that Cecil has been eating up like crazy..maybe he is giving me a hint that we are running out of it...it is so tasty I can see why he eats it with everything and even plain :o)  Thank goodness we have a Pear tree and I put fruit in the freezer..I can easily make more..
In other news, I decided not to sell my loom, yesterday I re -dressed it with a project I started long ago and I was surprised at how content I felt working on the loom (all day and until 9pm) I was surprised at myself ,the only thing was my back hurt after a bit..but it hurts when I do the gardening too...so what do I do about that..when You can't make up your mind which way to go. "Stay Still" < that's what my Mother always said and I found it to be a good solution,(for everything). I did have a lady come to see it and remarked "I'll think about it"   I thought about it too :o) and decided..for now..I'll keep it...it's a very nice looking loom and maybe once the old Heart is reamed I'll have more energy. Yesterday was a very good day for me.

Blueberries inside Puff Pastry

There were two of these last night :o) one got eaten before it cooled :o)..This one will probably be consumed later in the day ...My eater has a Dr's appointment and wont be available for the task :o)..
I don't know what I should call it...Blueberry Pastry tart, or roll. Whatever, it tasted pretty good , just not sweet enough  ( I don't really need the sugar). I didn't feel up to making pie shells and felt there was no need for Cecil to run to the store ..so I used what I had ..
As long as there was a dessert after dinner it didn't matter...:o)


Today I'm going to open the Avocado and Banana package to see how it tastes and then reseal it to see how much longer it will stay.I'll post an update.
By the way, this morning the "Studio Heater" had turned it's self on (that's that thermostat) and the room was nice and toasty upon entering , what a big welcomed surprise a toasty room and I'm still in my nighties :o) I opened the blinds to see the rain falling and really felt contented :o)


UPDATE: I opened the Avocado and Banana's this morning for my breakfast ..I added my mayonnaise to it ( a little too much :o(  anyway, both banana and avocado were as fresh as the day I packaged them..however, next time I will not slice either of them I will package them as whole as I can..then they won't be so "mashed" up I like them chunked. I'd say the test was satisfactory..and I will do it again, especially with the Avocado's..

A Blessing in disguise!

A couple of weeks ago I told you all that I had some business to take care of and I'd let you know about it later in another post...(The day I got up real early and when Cecil treated me to some crabs from the Farmers market)
 Well, do you also remember when we had the gas leak and had such a commotion with the fire truck and gas company that caused the neighbors some excitement? That day I had my two girls visiting and I thought what a drag for this to happen when we don't get to spend much time together...well , that incident really turned out to be a blessing! We had to replace the gas logs because a valve was leaking there it was a Vented log set
we never got any heat from it , all the heat went up the chimney so I kept a marble looking board over it :o( it was totally useless to us...The guy from the gas company told us we were better off with "Ventless log set" that's when they close off the opening (flue) up the chimney and the heat goes into the room...We decided to give it a try.

Needless to say, we had it done and it throws the heat right into the room..it is so comfy for us now , we just love it and wonder why the heck we didn't know about it sooner..come to find out we weren't the only ones ignorant of the fact. It takes the morning chill off so quickly...and it's almost like having a wood burning fireplace without the mess or work..So the gas leak was really a blessing in disguise...So I say " You Go God do your stuff".:o) 



 We were so pleased with it, we decided to put a "Ventless Gas Heater" in my Studio..lets be honest..I usually like to wear my P.J's as long as I like..(sometimes all day when I don't plan to go out). My Studio is a converted garage and that's a separate part of the house. Although we insulated it well, it still wasn't as "toasty" warm as I would have liked...and that's what that early trip was about that morning :o) Say hello to the new "Ventless Gas Heater"in the Studio :o), as I write it's hot in here,we have to learn how to adjust the built in thermostat to my comfort level..I'm so pleased to have it..I'm told it will cut down on the gas bill quite a bit..we notice the furnace doesn't come on as much..So that will  be a blessing also. I repeat myself often. "the incident was "A Blessing in Disguise" :o)

Pear Cobbler made for the weeks end gone before Sunday :o(

I should know better trying to make something sweet here to last until the weekend :o(
After you smell it baking, how can your resist "tasting".. well, we "tasted" it up before Sunday rolled around ..and now it's all gone and there isn't anything made to take it's place..We even ate up the last box of ice cream with it :o)...

UPDATE: on the Avocado and Banana's..after being out for 24 hours , I didn't want to chance spoilage from a warm temperature..so I put it into the fridge..It still looks as good as the first day I put it in, there is no change in it's color at all, my camera may have darken it in the corner That's four days already!..Can You image making up other dishes and keeping them for this long..As soon as I taste one I'll be honest and give you the scoop..:o)...

To all my blogging friends who like a bargain :o)  I sent away for these vacuum bags because they were cheap  100/bags  for $12.99 shipping was $8.87 total $21.86  i figured the others I wouldn't get as many for twice the price..so I'd give them a try.. I ordered the small size because they would be perfect for my greens and small items..Even two pork chops :o).. They came Today  and I'm excited ( just to get something new from the Fed Ex truck  :o)...So I tried them out on some banana's and avocados that would get too ripe to enjoy the way I like them ..( just add that dreaded mayonnaise and nibble away at them)
So here's what I did...

First I compared bag sizes the new bag is
6"X10"  which is as large as my regular quart size baggie :o) good thus far for my purpose. In the background you can see the finished product of two servings of Avocado and Banana's already packed.. I don't know if I should refrigerate them or leave them out. I have left Avocado out overnight wrapped in Saran wrap and I just had to skim off the top that got brown.. For now I'm leaving them on the counter to decide which way to go..but the two servings did nicely in the Food saver machine  (sucked that air right out :o) and didn't mash them. I think that was a good idea on my part :o) Isn't it nice you all have such smart and talented friend :o)

This shows me cutting up the Avocado and Banana's and wrapping them separately into serving size Saran wrap. When I take out the first serving..I'll just re-seal the bag with the second serving left in it.  I have put a link of where I ordered them for you ..I have no connections with the company, I'm not making any profit from giving you this link. So there!

I wanted you to get a good close look at the finished product. As you can see, the Food saver did an excellant job vacuuming the air out..Now the test to see how long the Avocado and Banana's do ..I think leaving them out won't hurt if air can't get to them...this is a test..:o) (not only the TV can do some testing ). I'll give an update, that I know you'll be waiting for ...:o) I'll make that "Penny" earn her keep around here..:o)




http://www.thehuntersbutchershop.com/Vacuum-Bags-s/66.htm

Did you think I was resting today?

If you do a close up you will see how fully crowded this bed of Mixed Greens are. Cecil should have left a pathway in order to reach them better..but No! just like a man he doesn't want to listen :o(  well he has to pick them or pull them to thin then out ..maybe that was his intentions .(he loves greens too :o) This may look like a lot, but by the time you clean, wash, and shrink (blanch) them you have next to nothing. Two pounds become one pound :o(.  so you need a lot when you want to have a green fit.

You can see Cecil down in the garden picking or rather "thinning" them out  and putting them into a box top..which he then gives me and I do the separating of the leaves into the red bucket for the first washing, then I put them into large pan for the second wash ..then into the strainer

..then put them into the shade ( on the Patio) We have a good system going, but it takes a long time to get done.. When they get into the house they are ready for the shrinking process...but first...turn on the oven to 350 while I fry up some "country ham" and mix up some "Jiffy" cornbread with some peppers and onions :o) That's going to be supper :o)  I had to taste those greens that had me salivating all day.  After supper I'll get busy and finish up the harvest of greens for the freezer.

I forgot to take the picture before I put the greens in the freezer :o(  So I just opened the freezer and snapped a picture of them after I remembered :o(  All together I got 7 packs each weighing one to one 1/4 lb each. which I would say 14 pounds + the three to four we had for dinner ...at least 20 pounds of greens for the total harvest ..thus far...Not bad for a days work..

What's growing in my Side Garden :o)

These are my Red Cabbage growing nicely in the side garden...The are also bedded down a little with some hay :o) Maybe a close up would show them better..

This video (it goes quickly) is showing the growing of the new Cabbage /Collards hybrid greens..I've never planted or eaten them before. When we went to buy some Collard plants ( I was afraid my seedlings wouldn't do well)  we couldn't find anything but Cabbage/ Collards.
The new hybrids are really looking good and tasty...but lo and behold my collards in the "P" garden have taken off like little jets :o)...(That means they are growing well :o) I'll show them another time.
Here is a couple of the ones I took a picture of in the Side Garden..I was hoping the video would work so you could get a good glimpse of them all..