Polishing Silver

I don't know about you, but almost all of my flatware is not actually 'silverware' - it's stainless.  Except for a few pieces that are always so tarnished that I never use them!

I have some silver polish, but it's kind of a pain to get it out and use it - so consequently I have some odd pieces of silverware that I've mostly inherited that usually look awful.  Some of them I've never actually used, but I have a nice assortment of unusual spoons, scoops, forks, etc.  But you can see that some of them are actually black with tarnish.

I had heard before of a way to clean silver by putting it in the sink with a special plate that you can buy.  It sounded possibly improbable, but simpler than silver polish if it actually worked, so I ordered the special cleaning plate and got it in the mail the other day.  The instructions seemed fairly simple. You put the plate in the sink, sprinkle some salt on it, pour some boiling water over it (to dissolve the salt) and then put the silver on the plate and add more hot water.

I did as instructed.  There were some comments about needing to do it more than once for badly tarnished silver, but for this attempt, I just left them in for a couple of minutes.  Then I washed them in soapy water with a little lemon juice added (which is supposed to retard the tarnish) - and:

I have to say I'm pretty impressed.  Those little knives were black and blue with stuff on them, so they didn't turn out pristine - but I probably waited to long to try to improve them.

I put all of the special pieces in an extra silverware box that I happened to have - which is supposed to be lined with some tarnish resistant cloth - and I cleaned the plate as instructed (with some vinegar) and put it in the box with the silver.

Now next time I entertain I'll be able to use all (or at least some) of these lovely old pieces.

Gardening

Rhubarb

Life continues to move forward

Summer is here!!

Spelling

Knitting for Summer - Update

Knit along Shawl

Easter Eggs

Lost Socks

Some random thoughts about getting older

Knitting for Summer

Yesterday I finished a summer top for Emma.  Last time she was home we picked out a pattern and some yarn.  It's a nice pima cotton so it should be cool.  I started it when she was here, and ripped it up after I had begun because I didn't like the way it was looking.  It's always painful to rip up something when you've put some hours of work into it, but I'd probably only worked on it for two or three hours at that point, and just wasn't happy with it.  So I tore it up and started over.  And I'm glad I did.  I started again with a slightly smaller needle, and it made a huge difference.  I think it turned out pretty cute.

And yes, the bottom is SUPPOSED to be uneven - I can't wait to see it on her.  The picture really doesn't do it justice.  the bottom part is sort of lacy since it was knit on larger needles.  It also looks much shorter in this picture than it really is.  I'll post a picture of her wearing it after she gets it.

My sweet girl

David was out of town this weekend, so I decided to drive to Morris to visit Emma.  I could hardly believe that it had been 10 months since we had both been there, and a visit was long overdue. 

I left from work on Friday (saving myself the drive back home and then turning around) and actually was able to get out of the office around 2, so I was at Emma and Tom's house by 5.  Friday night they made a fabulous dinner - meatloaf, roasted potatoes and salad.  They have a cute little dog - Jett - who is an Italian Greyhound and very active.  He likes to jump around from one person to another until he suddenly decides to settle in and take a nap.  They also have a cat - Boomer - who is a tiny bit aloof, but reminds me SO MUCH of a cat that David and I had years ago.  They are almost identical - except Boomer is a bit chunkier than our cat was. 

Saturday morning we lazed about.  I'm knitting a summer top for Emma so I was busy with that.  Tom made an awesome lunch (Asian chicken) and his folks came over to eat it with us.  His mom brought some yummy bars - we always called them 7 layer bars.  They have the graham cracker crust, chocolate chips, coconut, then you pour sweetened condensed milk over the top.  We had a nice chat.  I've only met them once before and we didn't spend a long time visiting that time. 

After lunch we drove to Alexandria.  Emma starts a new job today, and she needed a decent pair of nice work shoes.  We drove to the mall, which was CRAZY.  There was some sort of a 'lifestyle expo' that had everybody in town out at the mall.  There were booths set up down all of the halls, and there was some sort of dance exhibition with thousands of little girls.  (Well - maybe it just felt like thousands.)  We did persevere and found a couple of good pairs of shoes for Emma.  We were going to look for some nice tops for work and maybe a pair of pants, but after trying to look in a couple of stores, we decided to leave that for the next day.  We had dinner at a nice restaurant - I had an excellent Santa Fe salad with steak, black beans, corn, and a dressing that appeared to be Ranch with some salsa poured into the middle of it.  But they served it on the side, which I like, because so often I find salads tend to be overdressed.  I had about half of the cup still left when my salad was gone.

Sunday morning we got up and drove to their favorite breakfast place.  Then back to the house to hang out, play with the dog, do some knitting, go for a walk.  It was a beautiful day!  We took the dog for a walk, and later in the afternoon we drove (separately) to St Cloud, which is about an hour and half from Morris.  We had better luck at the mall there, and after shopping for a bit, we went to Olive Garden for dinner before we went our separate ways - Emma and Tom back to Morris, and me to Chanhassen.  I decided to stay close to work last night rather than drive all the way home, and then drive back this morning.  Plus David has lots of 'points' to stay in hotels since he's been travelling, so I was able to cash in some of them. 

It was a lovely weekend, and I had a great time.  Emma and Tom are picking up dog number 2 this week - a bloodhoud puppy.  I think it's good that I got the visit in BEFORE the new puppy comes! :)  At least while he's getting trained! 

So it's Monday, I'm back at work, Emma's started her new job (where she has an OFFICE that she only has to share with one person - something I haven't had in 15 years) and David will be home on Friday.

Now I just need to make it through the weather this week.  Looks like it could get crazy.

Weight Watchers

More slippers

Knitting Day

Yarn Tasting

My local yarn store (LYS) and a number of others in the area do something called a Yarn Tasting.  My store does it a couple of times a year when the seasons are getting ready to change and new yarns are coming out. 

I've been to almost all of them at 'my' store, and a  couple of others at other stores.  It's an event that's held after hours, there are sometimes prizes, sometimes wine, usually some sort of treat (cake or something) and usually 5 or 6 new yarns to 'test out'.  At my LYS, the workers have already started knitting a swatch, and then the yarn and the needles are passed around to eveyrone as they talk about yarn, what it's made of, some ideas for patterns, etc. 

Because I am a member of my LYS, I get to attend these for free.  (Because I pay a yearly membership fee)  Otherwise there is a fairly nominal charge.  There are generally only 7 or 8 people there, and at the end of the evening we all get a free skein of yarn, and then a discount if we want to purchase additional yarn.  (Which almost everyone always does - because no stash is big enough.)

The Spring Yarn Tasting was last Friday evening.  We had wine, and cake, and candy.  (I actually brought my cake and candy home because I don't like to try to knit and eat at the same time - comes from my days of doing hardanger.   Must Have Clean Hands!)

One of the yarns that was spotlighted was a yarn that is being used for something called a Knit A Long (KAL)  These are sponsored by a yarn company, and each week for a month (4 weeks) you get an additional part of the pattern to knit with instructios, video, etc.  You have a general idea of what the project is, and they tell you how much yarn to buy, but other than that the end product is a surprise.  I did one a few months ago where we did a cowl.  It's fun.  People post pictures of their product at the end, and you can see all the different ways that something can be done. 

We were talking about this KAL that is happening in April for a shawl that uses 2 skeins of this particular yarn that we sampled.  It was a lovely yarn, however the KAL requires 2 skeins, and the yarn is $26. per skein.  (And that's not the one we got for free - obviously).  So since I'm cheap (I mean thrifty) I was looking at some of the other yarns to see if another would work for less money. 

Well, Cynthia, the owner, introduced a new part to our Yarn Tasting last weekend.  We had a little quiz.  The first person who could write down the names of the 3 yarns we sampled that had silk in them and the 3 yarns that did not (without looking at the sheets that were passed out) WON 2 skeins of this yarn.    And I won.   Yippee!  I think mostly because I don't care much for wool, so am always looking for yarns that have other fibers in them, especially silk.

Anyway - I'm very excited - $52 PLUS a free skein of yarn ($10) PLUS cake and chocolates PLUS a glass of wine.  Plus of course, hanging with people who are even nuttier than I am when it comes to knitting. 

Boys

Lasers and Toes

In keeping with my pledge to talk about anything and everything for my sister's amusement - I'm going to tell you a story today that may gross out some people.  I know that my sister can't be grossed out by anything I say, so be warned.  This post is going to be about toenail fungus, so some of you may want to stop right now and  click on another page. :)

I don't remember having problems as a kid, or a young adult, but for many years now, I have had issues with my big toes having a fungus that grows under the nail and causes quite a few issues with my toes - not the least of which is the fact that it's difficult to wear sandals in the summer because they look gross.  (My toes - - not the shoes)  They also tend to hurt as the fungus grows under the nail. pushing the nail up and then the sides grow down into my toe, etc.  You get my drift - not fun -or pretty.  I think it's a pretty common thing - I've read something like 20% of the population has issues with this.  And based on all of the products for treatment, I'd guess that's true! 

I've tried pretty much every topical treatment there is.  I have not tried the medication that I've heard you can take orally, because I've also heard that causes other issues.  Many of the topical treatments that I've tried have not been cheap either.  I had some hope last year for one but it didn't pan out.  It involved putting a gel on my toes every day and covering them with a bandaid - for THREE MONTHS.  My toes seemed to improve a bit, but quickly went back to the way that they become. 

A couple of years ago my aunt told me that they have laser treatments now that will kill the fungus.  So I checked into it.  It's not cheap, and my biggest issue then was that there was not a place close to either home or work that performed the procedure.  And as anyone who reads this blog knows, with 2 hours a day on the road, I'm not inclined to extend my drive.  So I sort of put that on the back burner and tried some other gels and creams. 

Anyway, as I was hacking away at my toenails the other night, (winter is particularly bad) I thought - this has to end.  Besides the fact that summer may actually one day arrive and I might want to wear sandals, I started thinking - what am I going to do when I get old(er) and someone else has to take care of my awful toes?  So I went online yesterday (isn't the internet the greatest invention ever?!) and started looking into this laser treatment again.  Lo and behold, I found a place that I literally DRIVE PAST twice a day on my way to and from work.  So I clicked on 'schedule an appointment' thinking I could have it done the next time David is out of town. 

I got an appointment yesterday, stopped on my way home from work, and had it done.  It was relatively painless.  I took my shoes and socks off, we put on special glasses, and the person doing the procedure handed me a hose with cold air blowing out of it.  As she clicked the laser gun on my toes, I held the hose next to the laser to cool them.  The only slightly uncomfortable feeling is that your toes get quite hot, hence the hose with the cold air.  20 minutes later, I was on my way home with instructions to wash my bedding, vacuum the carpets, disinfect the shower, etc.  I sprayed all of the shoes that are currnetly in my closet and the mudroom.  (I'm saving my sandals for another day).  It took a while - I have lots of shoes - especially when you count EVERY pair - boots, slippers, etc. 

It cost me $450 (It was $500 but I got $50 off because I 'liked' them on FB) and they'll do it in 4 and 6 months for free again if the fugus is still there.  So I thought that wasn't horrible.  I used Health Care Spending money to pay for it, and believe me when I tell you that I have paid LOTS over the years for all of the topical treatments that I've bought. 

So I'm hopeful.  Of course, since toenails grow exceedingly slowly, I won't know anything for a while, but maybe this will be the summer that I can wear sandals without having to cover up my horrible toes.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Meeting people in strange places

What's for Dinner?

When David and I got married he knew how to make 5 'homemade' things.  Stroganoff, Chili, Spaghetti, Lasagna, and Oatmeal Crispies.  He had recipes for these 5 items and still uses those recipes to make them whenever he cooks.  The recipes have evolved
somewhat over the years, but even though he says he could do it without reading the recipe, he always get s the book out to double check that he hasn't forgotten anything. 

For baking, I understand that.  For cooking - I can't think of the last time that I used a recipe to make a main course.  Certainly I have some good recipes for main dishes, but here's how it usually works at my house:

Get home from work.
Open the refrigerator to see what is in there that might become dinner. 
Open the freezer to check the same thing.
Think about what I had for lunch so I don't duplicate the starch.  (You know - like if I had rice and something for lunch I don't want rice and something for dinner).
Think about what has been in the refrigerator for a while and needs to be used.  (Don't even pretend you don't do that too!)

Decide to eat out.

Just kidding - I don't do that every time - just sometimes.

Interestingly, what happens is this:  I can usually create something pretty good, and generally I never make it again because I don't have those exact same ingredients to be used.

Case in point - Dinner last night.

I had left over Curry with rice for lunch.  So - no rice.  We are currently out of potatoes.  So that means noodles.  I have 2 boxes of rigatoni noodles in the pantry.  I don't know why.  We have quite a lot of cheese - which is a good thing, but some of it had been around for a while - so I started thinking about a sort of macaroni and cheese dish.  But I'm the sort of person who likes to have meat at suppertime uusually.   I had some frozen sliced spicy sausage that I bought because I had a coupon.  (With no idea what I would do with it - but I love spicy sausage so I thought - What the heck.)  I also bought a red pepper at the store because all of the vegetables in the middle of the winter are so boring, and a red bell pepper is so pretty.  It was starting to get a little wrinkly -

 I put the noodles on to boil, turned the oven on, chopped up an onion.  Sauteed the onion with some garlic - threw in half of the red pepper that had been diced along with about 5 stalks of asparagus.  Drained the noodles, added the veggies and meat into a bowl.  Made a roux in the sauce pan (less clean up), and then added some milk and about a half a cup of cream cheese (which I bought a while ago and hadn't done anything with) some grated parmesan, and some yummy gouda (the stuff that was getting sort of old) and made a cheese sauce.  Mixed everything together, popped it in the oven for a half an hour or so - and Yum Yum Yum. 

It just started me thinking about the whole meal process because honestly - the above is a pretty normal way for me to make dinner. 

When the kids were growing up David would often mention that we should make dinner together with them.  But when you're making a plan as you go, it's kind of hard to get others involved - unless you can get them to do your chopping for you. 

So dinner last night was great.  We probably won't ever have that exact same thing again.  Or we might - you never know.

Winter Wonderland

Valentine Dinner

Although David and I like to go out for dinner, going out on Valentine's Day - especially when it's on a weekend night - is not something we get excited about.  Too many people, waiting, pricey meals.  But at the same time, we like to recognize that it's a special night.  Which at our house means ordering pizza.  No - I'm kidding.  Seriously, it means making a fabulous meal at home.  So that's what we did last night. 

For an appetizer, I made stuffed mushrooms.  I found a new recipe where you sort of roast the mushrooms first so they aren't as wet when you stuff and bake them.  Boy was I surprised at how small they became after roasting them in the oven for about a half an hour.  (First I 'de-stemmed them, tossed them with some olive oil, salt and pepper, and put them gill side down on a sheet lined with foil)  You know about how big a regular white mushroom is.  I know the sizes vary, but these were what I would call a sort of 'regular' size.  about a dozen in a package.  After roasting them, they were about the size of a quarter.  I stuffed them with some boursin cheese:

The plates that these are on are about 5 inches across the wider side of the oval.  So you can see how tiny they got.  But man oh man were they delicious.  That prebaking gave them a really intense mushroom flavor.  I'm not sure I'd make these for a crowd - even though they were really easy, you'd need a LOT of mushrooms because they definitely become bite-sized when they're done. 

After we had that little snack, we got to work on dinner.  We made risotto with shrimp and asparagus.  David had a choice of working on either the risotto, or getting the shrimp and asparagus ready.  He chose the risotto.  He'd never made it before, and was kind of nervous, but I explained that it's not hard, just a bit tedious.  I'd already put the chicken stock in a pan on the stove to warm, and chopped up some onion, so he just had to follow the recipe on the back of the package.  While he worked on that, I got the shrimp ready.  I'd found a recipe (in the same book the mushroom recipe came from) that suggested a different way to do shrimp.  I've found that often when you are cooking shrimp, they tend to get 'too done'.  This recipe specifically noted that, and so the directions were to bring water and some spices and lemon to a boil, take the pan OFF the heat, dump the shrimp in, and let it sit for about 7 minutes.  (I figured they could sit until we were ready - 7 wasn't critical).First I took all of the tails off.  One of my minor pet peeves is trying to eat shrimp neatly and having to deal with all of the tails.  I mean - the rest of the shell comes off.  Why not the tail too!  After I finished the shrimp I put the asparagus on.  I like to just bring a tiny bit of water to boil in a big pan, put the asparagus in, just let it get crunchy/soft, drain the water, and put a little butter and salt into the hot pan (off the heat again). 

I should mention that the night before I made some parmesan crisps, and a fabulous brownie with caramel and nuts in the middle.

When the risotto was done, we plated it with the shrimp, asparagus and crisps.  Of course we ate in the dining room with a fire in the fireplace.

Doesn't that look fabulous?  And let me tell you, the shrimp was PERFECT.  Cooked, but not rubbery.  I'll do them that way from now on.  Although David had been making fun of the parmesan crisps (which are basically a pile of grated parmesan cheese cooked in the oven until they get crisp) he LOVED them.  I won't tell you how many he had :)

Of course after all of this goodness we had to go watch the Olympics for a while before we could have dessert.  I bought a very small container of vanilla bean ice cream to go with the brownie.  Only a small container because we don't need to have that in the house on a regular basis.  We ate brownies and ice cream in front of the television.  But hey - that's the great part about eating at home instead of in a restaurant.  I think I had my pajamas on by the too. 

I hope you all had a fabulous evening, whatever you chose to do. 

Winter Driving

Chasing you tightly

Discontinued Items

I noticed a week or so ago that the pair of sweat pants that I wear all the time in the winter was wearing out.  To the point where soon I won't be able to wear them out of the house.  The sad part is that I know that I will at some point wear them out of the house because I won't feel like changing.  So it's time to get a new pair.  Before I embarass myself.

Basic, black, Hanes sweat pants without the elastic around the bottom of the legs.  They fit me PERFECTLY and I bought the two pair that I currently have at Target.  Simple, right?  Wrong.  I went to Target on Saturday to buy a replacement pair, and apparently Target is not selling these any more. 

So I figure I have two choices. 

Choice #1.  Spend the next 6 months searching for these sweat pants every time I go out.

Choice #2.  Spend the next 6 months buying other brands that don't fit the same way.

It's a conundrum I tell you!  Why can't things stay the same!!  They fit the way I like, I know my size, and they were readily available at a store in my town. 

This is not the first time that this has happened to me, and I'm sure it won't be the last, but boy, oh boy, is it frustrating. 

I've had this conversation with my sister about bras also.  You know how it is:  You have one that fits right, you know your size, and just about the time you need a new one, they stop making that style and come up with something completely WRONG. 

I did finally go on Amazon and found out that WalMart sells Hanes sweat pants.  Sadly, there is not a WalMart in my town, but I stopped on the way home from work yesterday and bought a pair.  And OF COURSE they are not the same.  They are 'less expensive'  (i.e. - CHEAPER) and don't fit the same way that the old ones do.  Figures.

I know this all makes me sound old - and I am - but it seems like some things could stay the same.  I 'get' that fashions change, but I'm not really talking about fashion here - I'm talking basics.  They should stay the same.  Forever. 

Lefse and the makings of traditions

Peanut Butter Cookies

An old and new quilt

Chuckles the clown

Sudafed

Invention Update

Baby Blanket

Kerry Greenwood

I'm going to tell you today about one of my favorite authors.  (Remember the other day when I said I could only think of one at Barnes and Noble? - Well this is the one)

Kerry Greenwood writes two different series of mysteries.  Both of them take place in Australia.  This in itself makes it interesting to me because of the language idiosyncracies.  I have to google her words with some frequency to find out what she's talking about.  Usually I can infer it, but I like to double check.  Examples:  She talks about loading up an Esky - which is like an Igloo cooler.  One of her characters also drinks chateau collapseau wine.  I haven't gotten a definitive on that yet, but I think that's like boxed wine. 

The first series that I started reading about has a main character named Phryne Fisher  (pronounced fry-knee).  This woman is living in the 1920s.  She was raised in England and then as a young woman inherited a bunch of money which allowed her to leave her horrid family and move to Australia.  Because she was mistreated when she was growing up, she has a lot of empathy for the working class and poor people.  And because she is independently wealthy, she has a butler, and a cook, and a maid, etc. etc. etc.  She also is very high spirited, and pretty much does whatever she pleases.  (Which of course she can do because she is rich).  She has a Chinese lover,  at some point during the series adopts a couple of orphans, and speaks her mind.  I think Greenwood has written more than 20 of these, and I still like them.  (You know how it is when sometimes someone keeps trying even after they should have stopped writing about a certain character - and then the books just get silly?  Sort of like sitcoms that don't end when they should?)

Because she pretty much does what she pleases, she meets lots of interesting people, and has friends all over.  In one 'episode' she joins the circus, in another she learns how to fly a plane (which was very new of course at that time.)  She loves clothes, drinks a lot (but of course never gets drunk) and sleeps around a bit (although she mostly stays with her Chinese lover - who - by the way ends up being married to someone else after a while, but of course since it's Phryne, everyone - including his wife -  is okay with all of it.)  She drives a fast car, carries a little gun, and pretty much does what she pleases.  She's tiny, and lovely and elegant. 

When I saw that Kerry Greenwood had another series, I figured I had to check it out.  This one is the newer of the two, so there are only about 5 in this series so far.  But believe me - I check every time I'm at the library, or cruising my Nook, or at the bookstore for something new from her.

The second series is in some ways far different from the first, and similar in others.

The second series is about a baker in present day Australia.  She is large, doesn't worry about how she dresses, and has trouble managing her hair.  I of course love her because she is a size 20 and very comfortable with that.  She's not trying to lose weight, and has a fabulous Israeli lover.  Who thinks she is absolutely perfect.  Which I love.  

Corrina (the baker) lives in an odd apartment complex.  It was built in a Greek style, and has shops on the main floor.  The people who own the shops have apartments above them, and then more people live in the other apartments  Although I've seen floor plans, and read all about these shops and apartments, I still have a bit of a hard time figuring out how it all fits together.  But I'm working on it.  With each re-reading I garner some new piece of informatoin.   There is a rooftop garden, a large basement area, and the building is filled with unusual characters.  Corrina's best friend is a witch, there's a weaver in one apartment, a gay couple in another, a couple of young wanna be actresses (who work for Corrina in the shop) - you get the picture?  Not othat they're all odd, but it's definitely an aclectic group.  Almost everyone has at least one cat - except for one woman whom everyone hates, who has a dog.

These stories are very modern - they involve people on drugs, homeless people, going out on 'soup runs' to feed the homeless in Melbourne, etc.  But much of the stories revolve around Corrina baking and being in her shop.  I love that part of the books.  (And she includes recipes at the end - of course!)

Some day I'd like to meet Kerry Greenwood.  If she ever is near my home I'm sure going to try.  Here's why.   Besides loving her books, she seems like a really cool person.  You know that part of the book where the author writes about everything being fictional and any mistakes are theirs and no one elses?  Well, in one of her books, she basically says - hey - if you find something wrong historically, or there's a store in the wrong place or something - don't bother writing to me, because I don't want to hear about it. 

I laughed out loud when I read that.  I thought - You GO Kerry Greenwood.  And keep writing about Phryne and Corrina because I'm always looking forward to the next episode!!

Eavesdropping

Chocolate Yumminess

Tongue tied about books

I was in Barnes and Noble last weekend looking for something new to read. This time of year especially I feel like I have read every book in my house about a thousand times and can recite some of them almost from memory.

I was of course in the mystery section (where I always start the process). There was a worker there putting away books and we were chatting in that way you do with someone you don't know. She asked if she could help me find anything, I said no, I was just looking for something new to read and mysteries were my favorite. And she said 'Me too. Who are your favorite authors?'

Now, this has happened to me before and it's kind of funny. I have many favorite mystery authors, and could recite a bunch of them to you right now, but when someone asks me, I often can't think of any of them off the top of my head. I don't know if it's because I'm more visual - when I see the books and recognize the titles I look for more by the same author? Or I just can't think off the top of my head?

I felt really stupid. I stammered out a couple of names, and she starting asking me more about one of the authors that she had not heard of - where she was from, etc, and again - I felt like I couldn't really answer - even though I've read this particular authors biography a hundred times, and her books probably more than that.

Weird, huh? I feel like after I leave they think - yeah - she's a reader. Not.

I ended up buying a biography to try to stray outside my comfort zone. It was fairly interesting. It took me about an hour and a half to read it, and now I'm done - and it cost $16. And it's probably not interesting enough to read a whole bunch more times. A reminder of why I should always go to the library.

Inventions