Christmas Blanket

So I've finally finished another blanket....only five more to finish now. :P It's a Christmas themed blanket made up of 16 squares that have been stitched together. I think it would be considered more of a lapghan since I wasn't able to add in the fifth row of squares since I ran out of one of the yarns.




This is an up-close shot of it.


Now on to finish all the other blankets I have half-done.

Confessions of a Tomato-Aholic

My name is Dawn and I'm a tomato-aholic (cue audience welcome). I have a list of foods that if life was limited to eating them and only them, I could be fairly happy and tomatoes are pretty high up on that list. I've really never met a tomato I didn't like and when summer comes I get well...a little tomato crazy. Tomatoes and I go way back - I inherited the tomato-gene from my father who decried that upon his retirement he would use all of his work neckties to stake his tomato plants. And he did.

We were city dwellers and had a small backyard, but there were always 12 tomato plants in his little garden plot. We scheduled family vacations around his tomato harvest - seriously. And when August rolled around and that first beefsteak tomato turned brilliant red, he would dash out and pick it at the peak of flavor and make himself a simple tomato sandwich - white bread, butter, thick slices of tomato and salt. Perfection.

In the Spring, I get glassy-eyed pouring over the seed catalogs and start to panic that I won't have enough tomatoes. This year, we planted 36 little peat pots - carefully tending to them like a delicate piece of china. When they grew too big for their little pots, we lovingly transplanted them into bigger ones - though by then we had lost half and were down to 18. When the weather warmed, out on the patio they went, where we lost most of the rest. By planting time, I was in full-on panic and dashed out to buy plants in tons of varieties. We planted 15 in the ground and another 6 in pots. 21 tomato plants and I'm still a little nervous about my yield. I have a real problem.

If you're not into the real thing, get in on the tomato fun this year by crocheting a few. I found these adorable versions in online photo forums.

Only another couple of weeks and I'll be overrun with tomatoes - start warming up the canner!

Happy Fourth of July!

by Kelly

Happy July 4th! Actually, I'm writing this post on the twenty-ninth of June, but even so, I can hear the pop and fizzle of firecrackers.Since the city of Chicago is not going to have their big fireworks display this year, I expect that this Fourth of July will see quite a few private shows.

Meanwhile, I think that our friendly little neighbourhood fireworks rivalry may have come to an end. The people across the street from us recently unleashed a round of mortars that shook the ground and rattled our windows when they went off. And that was on June 26th, so Heaven only knows what they are keeping aside for the Big Day. My husband, who started the whole thing years ago with a spectacular backyard show of roman candles and mortars, has called it quits. Oh, he didn't make any kind of official declaration, but when the mortars went off he said "My God!" and shook his head as he looked out the window.  His tone of voice  said it all. I was half afraid to look out the window myself, for fear I should see our neighbour's house reduced to smoking rubble.

So where shall I send you for the Fourth of July? After all, I almost always have a link in my posts, right? Well, where else but Instructables
where you can find tutorials on fireworks photography, igniters and computer controlled displays, and even, if you're feeling especially adventurous, ways to make your own.

For a slightly more tame experience, check out the Exploding Confetti Cupcakes here. Yes, that's right cupcakes with a built in firecracker. Forget that strawberry and blueberry Fourth of July cake that everyone has seen before. Pass a plate of these cupcakes around and people will sit up and take notice.

Or try this Pomegranate Pineapple Fireworks  Cocktail. With Champagne!

Whatever you have planned for the holiday, be safe and have fun.

Happy Birthday America!

Happy Birthday USA - 235 years old this Monday! A mere infant by country standards. I think one of my most memorable 4ths was the bicentennial back in 1976. I was 12 and very hopped up on the festivities. I remember lots of parades and parties. My aunt had a great country home with about 4 acres and an in-ground swimming pool. We spent every summer holiday there, but 1976 was the big one. I'm sure there were hot dogs and flag cakes and too many fireworks and we had a blast. I'd also pretty much guarantee there were plenty of crocheted beer can hats all around - a particular favorite of my Grandma Katie. She was a self-taught crocheter and she taught me to crochet as well. She passed away the following year and I still think about her often. Here's to you Katie - I'll have a beer this weekend for you.