pictures as promised

Hello all, THe last of the guests have departed, the garden is sort of under control and I am taking the day off to knit and update the blog. This is a picture heavy post but I figured I would just fire them all into one post and be done with it ( actually that's a lie, there are more)

The day before the wedding, (I will get this shawl knit if it kills me!) Some of us were working

and some of us were not. In their defense they did get work done as well, just not before they enjoyed their beers and pickled herring

All dressed up for the big day, I did finish the shawl. They took the pictures on the farm and there are some fabulous ones

My parents came from the westcoast


The groom and his Dad, good Irish Ukrainian catholic that he is

There was an univited guest or two

The wedding was almost beautiful as the bride


I've never P. dance as much as he did that night - this is kung-fu fighting


How could I leave out the animals, Max's knew favourite spot, the outdoor water dish


Sidney, we decided we needed to keep him

and one of our resident butterflies

And since some of you some of you come here for the knitting here is a close up of the shawl, although not a great one

Melon Scarf or Shawl from Victorian Lace today

Knit with 1.5 skeins of Sea Silk. I probably could of added about 10 more repeats and made it the suggested size to use up the yarn but I felt like it was bit enough at 55 and I was running short on time.

Next up on the needles is some 2nd socks and P's sweater, even if it kills me.

5 days in review ( well 6 with today)

Tuesday - clean house, get bed for parents to sleep in dropped off, drop off falls through, borrow van to get bed, van breaks, knit melon shawl, friends bring truck, get bed home at 11pm, truck dies in yard, 11:30 bed in house being made, truck starts and friends depart. 12am, do dishes, 12:30 parents arrive

Wednesday - cook, knit, cook, knit, sit in hot tub, send P to airport to get his sister.

Thursday - cook, tidy house, knit melon shawl, cook, finish shawl at 3pm, block shawl on top bunk before one of the groomsmen needs to sleep there, get dinner for 40 on the table at 8, sit in hot tub, tease a very happy(read drunk) P and a happy(also drunk) Dad, crash at 1am

Friday - drink coffee, lots of coffee, get groceries, iron clothes, take family photos, watch thunder and lightening storm blow in, watch wedding party flee from field to house (with photographer in tow) just at the rain starts to fall and the wind blow bricks from chimney into the yard, feed the masses again, pack them into cars to wedding, attend wedding, hug friends, hold back the tears (why do I cry at weddings) as I do the reading for them, watch L and A beam happily as they finally tie the knot, get in car drive to reception, enjoy my evening visiting with people I don't get to see enough, clean up hall, insist on bringing drunk guests home, deposit guests in afore mentioned bunk beds (groomsmen elsewhere tonight), crash at 2am

Saturday - rise to make breakfast for 40, lots of help was received from house guests, tidy up yard after the storm, 11:30, feed the masses again, watch L and A open gifts, 2pm start make loud noises about exhaustion setting in so that people will leave, tidy up, 2:30 nap for 2 hours, get up and go to friends house for potluck, take leftover wedding food and I am never cooking again, 8pm come home, enjoy hot tub, play with kittens, go to bed.

Sunday - kiss P as he leaves to drive sister to airport at 6:30, sleep in, drink coffee, blog and read email, go to phantom of the opera, eat dinner out ( see above never cooking again), enjoy hot tub and crash sometime before 1am ( or so I hope my day goes something like that).

See you all on the other side of the family visit (Thursday) with pictures of the shawl and oh yeah the wedding too.

kitten blurs

Time what's that, I don't have any. There is a wedding here next week, I am cooking 2 meals for 40. That and the garden has exploded, last night I made pickles. Anyone want some Zucchini? Here is some amusement for you, these are still the 1st batch of babies - the 2nd ones are cute but there are no pics as I am negligent. These babies are starting to go, actually the black one is gone already. - Never mind I don't know wherethe pictures have gone, stupid blogger!








I am almost finished the melon shawl, knitting the border and I as long as it is blocking by Thursday all shall be right with the world!

The Vortex

I have been sucked into the vortex of Facebook and Ravelry, sad but true. I have a few blog posts lined up in my head but no time to get them into cyberspace - so here's some pictures instead

You know it's hot outside when all they are wearing is a diaper and a pair of sandals. There were 2 kids but by the time I got my camera out they had turned the corner.

Max is working on getting bigger, he is almost bigger than Tai.

I am working on veggies. This is yesterdays haul from the garden. If you look closely you can see the tiles that people painted at the wedding reception, the knitting one is Jo's. I finally grouted them this week. I have also been painting and weeding and painting - what will I do when the reno's are finally finished.

This that same pile of veggies from the garden, washed and such. I got them all blanched/ frozen or put away but there is that much again today. We planted all this before I read Animal,
Vegetable, Miracle by Barbra Kingsolver but if you haven't read it yet I suggest you do.

That's all I got for ya today!

Happy Birthday

to the one who reminds me that sometimes the other road is the better way to go

The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Happy Birthday P, may the coming year bring all that you wish for and so much more.

it's a zoo

2 humans
3 dogs
2 cats
9 kittens

Any questions?

PS there is knitting content comingbut it involves pictures and for that I have to stop painting/gardening/making jam/dealing with 4 legged friends long enough to leave my house

fresh

I picked these this morning as they needed to be thinned out. Guess what we are having for dinner?

Raverly

I got my Raverly invite on Friday, not that I have had a chance to do anything with it yet. Because between partying on Saturday ( my birthday party) and reading Harry Potter it was a busy weekend but hopefully I will get to it soon. Now to cover the fact that I really don't have time to blog right now here are some cute pet photos... just because I can.


these 2 still need a home

you know you want one!

this one doesn't show it so well but he thought typing was a really good time

and that the kittens were interesting


but needed a bath.


Oh look at all that food,

I think I need some. Yes it will start bad habits but it was a good photo!

the very last potter...

Okay I finished it, every last page. I have avoided the internet for the last 72 hours because I was a afraid of a spoiler. It was good, I didn't want to put it down even though I had to a number of times as I had other things I had to get done. I'll have a proper post later, I am off to knit.

Old?

I spoke to my 3 year old niece last week on my sisters birthday.... little miss R had some interesting things to say

R - Hi annie teen ( she renamed me before words were her thing). Are you going to die?

J. No

R. Are you going to die?

J. I don't think think so R.

R ( still holding the phone) Mama you say annie you going to die, she says she's not

C. (my sister) I never said annie was going to die.

R. Yes you did, you said annie was going to be really, really old on her birthday.

J laughs hysterically and resumes the conversation with her sister while little miss R. puzzles over the fact that turning 30 does not mean you are going to die.

All this to say, that today on my 30th birthday I feel the same as I did yesterday, so I guess I am not about to keel over. It's the week of J here at the farm, last night we went out for dinner, today are going for a picnic and on Saturday we are having a party. All J, all the time.

P got me a few very cute treats, I will have to show you a picture of the t shirt later this week because describing it just won't do it justice. I am off to knit, play with the puppy and supervise the boy painting our dinning room ceiling.

Cheers

pictures anyone?

As if this one needs any sort of a description. The hat pattern is from Charmed Knits and the scarf pattern is my own. I have been knitting for a local bookstore who will be selling them at the release next Friday. Sadly they are knit with acyrlic but it was really the onely way to make the afforadble for the average kid.

And because you all need more pet pictures in your lives. Here is Chudder and Max, we wanted to show the current size difference because he won't be so much smaller for long.

Yes he is still adorable

Chudder is amazed by the kittens, she just stands there and stares at them for as long as we will let her. They are starting to be more alert and I caught this one in mid yawn.

Alright it's back to the garden and more Potter knitting for me.

Cooking for Karina

Indian Chick Peas (or Lentils)

1 19oz/540ml can of chick peas or lentils - rinse them well and then put them back in the can and fill it up with water.
1 large onion finely chopped
4 to 6 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1/2 tsp salt - if you cook with salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne - the more you add the hotter it is.
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 tsp cumin
1 to 2 cups of coconut milk ( lite or regular)

Heat a few tsps of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy frying pan ( I like cast iron as they hold the heat well)
Add the minced garlic and onion, saute for about 10 minutes over medium heat
Add the in all the spices, saute for another minute or so.
Add the can of chick peas/lentils and allow to boil rapidly for a few minutes to reduce the liquid. Turn to low and simmer for at least 5 minutes, longer if you have time. At the last minute add the coconut milk. The amount depends on your tastes, I usually add 2 cups. You just want to heat the coconut milk but not have it boil

Serve over rice or rice noodles. Serves 2 big eaters or 3 smaller eaters.

Notes - Sometimes I double the recipe and add both chick peas and lentils.
- I use canned but you could use dry ( that you have soaked and cooked ahead) and add about 1/4 cup of water in place of the water in the can.
- I rinse the can contents well due to the amount of salt that is in the liquid they are canned in.
- This is not a "hot" curry, I can't eat really hot things but it is tasty. P. makes his hotter with pickled mango added on to his plate.

well

It's my sister birthday today, so I can't start a blog post without a Happy Birthday to a fabulous older sister. Especially since I mailed her some treats but there is no way that they are going to get there for today. So Happy Birthday to a sister who has managed to put up with me for the last 30 years and remain one of my closest friends in the process - amazing I know.

I also have some pictures... puppy pictures.


This is Max, he is 7 weeks old and weighs in

at a whopping 10lbs. He's mostly Bull Mastiff and will be huge

but right now is little, cuddly and likes to wrestle with P

but not with Kieran. They are the same size and Kieran doesn't like him at all. I'll keep you posted with lots of pics through the summer because who doesn't love puppy and kitten pictures

FYI - the kittens eyes are open. Aren't they cute - you know you want one.

A pause

in my carefully scheduled day of carpet cleaning, cleaning in general and furniture moving to fill you in on the following very important pieces of information.

First a very good friend of mine decided that she needed to do something to give back for her 40th year. She is behind the current Afghans for Afghans collection in Ottawa, you can read about them here. There are collection points in Ottawa or Toronto that you can send them to and I know that they would be thrilled to hear and recieve stuff from other bloggers.

There is also a great project going on in Canberra, Australia. It is called Knit1 Blog1 and it is an interactive knitting show. They asked bloggers to send them a FO ( I sent a scarf that I also spun the wool for) and then they will exhibit the project with a link to the persons blog and some computer terminals set up for visitors to view the blogs. I have been meaning to tell you about it for ages and time has just gotten away from me. The show opens next week and they are great about posting updates, there will be pictures on their blog.

Alright, that's all you get for today. I am off to clean and maybe take a little break to work on some Harry Potter scarves ( long story).

cuteness and beauty

Cute - sleeping kittens, do you live Ottawa? Want one?

Beauty - the falling down chicken coop/milkhouse

is gone and I can see the full beauty of a very old barn

Cute - kittens who melt my heart

Cute - his eyes started to open yesterday

Beauty - this was in our field on Saturday

Cute - she loves her brothers

Beauty - old stuff we found in the ground while

digging holes for apple trees - a stove door, a gear and some other metal stuff.

It's been a busy week at the ol' homestead. I got lots to do and it seems that there are not enough hours in the day to get it all done. It seems that this is always the way though. The vegetable garden consumes many hours of my life as I am always weeding and watering but it will be worth it in the end.

Today I am making freezer jam with some local (amazing) strawberries and hopefully with some( not so local) cherries as well. Must be off, if you are interested there are some fun recipes up on my other blog

I live in my garden now, there is little else

to tell you but I thought I would wish everyone a happy Canada day and entertain you with a few pictures. ( that won't upload so you will have to wait for them)

* July 2 - blogger still hates me this morning and I guess I will have to wait until I can get to a high speed connection. I love life in the country but having dial up is a sad drawback

citrus salad

The summer is the perfect time for salads, salads with fruit are a favourite of mine and here is one I made last week. I was inspired a recipe I saw in a magazine but didn't want to buy it so I kinda made it up as I went along. I served the salad with some steaks grilled on the barbecue that I had marinaded in a second batch of the dressing. It would go well with chicken as well and the marinade would work for that as well.It was a tasty meal.

Citrus Salad - serves 4

Dressing
2 tsp curry paste ( make sure it is GF, I use mild but you can make it as spicy as you like)
2 medium cloves garlic minced
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar ( I use raw sugar)
1/4 cup pineapple juice (orange could also be used)

Salad
Lettuce - I use 2 handfuls per serving, I think it works out to about 6 cups
1 cup green beans - washed, chopped and then cooked until crisp and bright green it takes about 3 minutes in boiling water. Rinse immediately in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook.
2 fresh large tomatoes - chopped
1 cup chopped pistachio nuts
1 can well drained mandarin orange segments

Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing in a jar and shake well. Refrigerate until needed, it can be made a day or two ahead if desired.

After you cook the beans mix the salad ingredients in a large bowl, add the nuts at the last minute as they get soggy otherwise. Add the dressing, toss and serve.

If you are going to marinate some meat as well, mix up a second batch of dressing, place meat into a shallow container with a lid and pour dressing over the meat a few hours before you plan to cook it. The longer it has to marinate the tastier it is. I also added an extra tsp of curry paste to the dressing for this to make the marinade a little more tasty.

Enjoy

You do realize

that this means P and I are outnumbered by a 4 to 1 ratio - 4 legs vs 2 legs. There were 5 kittens this morning but the runt didn't make it and so there are 4. I was concerned about my little tiny Kieran kitty was going to nurse 5 kittens as she is so small herself.

I think we have 2 males and 2 females, 2 gray striped, 1 black and and white and 1 that seems to be a dark/black with some stripes. They are awfully cute! I will keep you posted as they only get cuter as they get bigger and Maureen I am sure we could find a way to get one out there, Miles would love it.

10 days

It's been a long week ( well a little more than a week). Last weekend we refinished our floors - big job! I am working full days this week and this morning I woke up to 5 (yes 5) kittens. If you live in the Ottawa Valley and want a kitten mid August let me know. I will add some pictures tonight when I get home. For your amusement I have been documenting my current renos with pictures. Don't ask me what happened to them, I uploaded them and now they are all funky looking and spilt up funny. If I have time later I will try to photoshop them a little.

Chudder looks innocent enough, she just got through digging a giant hole. I am not sure where she thinks that she might get to or if she just thinks

that is just a good place for her sister to hide in. I am assuming that Tai thought it was cooler in there.

Floors presanding after we moved out all the furniture and taped up everything that might get dirty

After sanding all day, well the top half of the photo that is

Stain and 3 coats of varnish

As we have moved through the house we have been replacing the old metal covers with new one, then I had the brilliant idea to just

paint the old ones with a can of spray paint. I also repainted the living room walls, ceiling and all the trim. I have a lot more to do this summer but I am looking forward to finally living a reno free zone!