Revised Nylon Netting Scrubbie

With all my projects and crafts I try to improve the design, and try to make things easier and faster to do.  I posted my pattern for making crocheted scrubbies last year.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/10/nylon-net-scrubbies.html

In this previous blog I included instructions for cutting the nylon netting into strips suitable for crocheting.  Recently I discovered nylon netting on a spool.  It is another way to make scrubbies.  I also changed the pattern slightly.  The old pattern works fine but the scrubbie gets a little loose and floppy when it gets wet.  This pattern makes for a tighter scrubbie.

A spool of nylon netting.

The spools of netting are 3 inches by 40 yards.  For my pattern I cut this spool in half.  Then I have two 1 1/2 inch strips that are 40 yards long.  You can crochet right off the spool with no knots to tie.  Some of the companies that sell spooled netting will also cut the spools to your desired width and you don't have to cut them yourself.

The first thing I do is mark the center of the spool.

Leaving the cellophane on, wrap a piece of tape to the side of the markings.

I wrap a couple rubber bands over the tape to hold it tight.

Next I cut on the tape edge with an electric knife.  Cut to the cardboard tube.

You might have to turn the spool to make sure it is cut all around.  I take a scissors to make sure.

Then I put it on a paper towel holder
and set it on the floor.  Crochet off one section and
unwrap the other when finished with the first.

Revised Scrubbie Pattern

Chain 3  with an "I" crochet hook and join with a slip stitch to form a circle. (magic circle with 6 sc works great also) 

Chain 1 and put 6 single crochets in the circle.  Join with slip st. and chain 1.

2 single crochets in each stitch around plus 1 stitch in last stitch.  Join with slip st. and chain 1  -  13 stitches

2 single crochets in each stitch around, join with slip stitch and chain 1 - 26 stitches

Work around without increasing for  9 rounds total.

Decrease by single crocheting in first stitch and leave the two stitches on the hook, single crochet in next stitch and pull through all three stitches - 13 stitches

Join with slip stitch and chain 1.

Decrease around in same manner until hole is closed.

Pull ending thread through to front, and tie to beginning thread.

My Free $100.73 Porch Swing

Several weeks ago my husband went to play cards at the local senior center.  He plays Sheepshead every Wednesday afternoon.  One of the ladies he plays cards with asked if he wanted an old porch swing.  She purchased a new one.  Of course we took it.  We hadn't had a porch swing for many years.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/07/playing-cards-at-senior-center.htm

So here it is.  Not too bad and pretty sturdy.

The first thing we had to figure out is where to put it.  My front porch really didn't have enough room.  Next we thought that our deck would be a good place for it.  It has a view in many directions, and the swing wouldn't be in the way.  Now where to hang it?  The only place to hang it from was from the overhang.  We weren't sure if we would have enough clearance.  I asked if we (meaning my husband) could build a frame to hang the swing on.  It would be moveable, and it wouldn't compromise the overhang with the weight of the swing and anyone sitting on it.  I even went online and found a pattern for a swing and stand.  It was a "buy it now" on ebay, so I bought it.  Next my husband spent some time planning and making notes for himself. 

Before you know it we were in the truck and on our way to the lumber yard.  Yes, we needed the truck.  We purchased long pieces of lumber, chains, nuts and bolts.

We got home and he started cutting pieces.

He laid out all the new hardware.

When he got the frame all cut and assembled, we thought the swing itself was a little tacky.  At first he was going to strip the boards but there were several coats of paint on them, and we didn't know the condition of the wood underneath.

Nearly finished assembling the frame.

So off to the lumberyard we went again.  This time we bought boards for replacing the slats on the swing.  We bought stain, varnish and paint for the metal parts.

This is all that is left of the original swing.

Staining and varnishing the new slats.

So after two round trips to Oshkosh in the gas guzzling truck and who knows exactly how much money, we have a swing that we didn't even know we wanted in the first place.

Dad trying it out.  We think it needs a cushion to support his skinny rear end.

All and all it turned out pretty well.  We have more seating on the deck, and a perfect position to watch the Baltimore Orioles build their nest.

Baltimore Oriole nest nearly finished.

Granny Does A 5K

Ready to hit the ground running
or in my case walking.

Today was the CHN (Community Health Network) Helping Hands for Cancer 5K run/walk. 5K is about 3.1 miles.   It took place around the campus of Berlin Hospital in Berlin Wisconsin.  Both my daughters work at this hospital.  My oldest daughter is a pharmacist there, and my youngest daughter is the community relations manager.  She was very involved with organizing this wonderful event.

Heather and Dylan before the race.

The Helping Hands for Cancer 5K started in 2002, when a local sixth grade girl was diagnosed with cancer.  The community came out to raise funds to help her and her family.  This girl beat the disease and has grown into a young woman.  Because of its success, it became an annual fundraiser.  Every year the event becomes bigger and better.  It is now the major fundraiser for the hospital foundation.  The foundation helps families who need assistance in treatment costs as well as other needs they may have in this stressful time.

My husband and I signed up to walk along with my oldest daughter, her husband and my grandchildren.  It was to be a family activity.  Of course, nothing ever goes according to plans.  My grandson got a bad respiratory cold and couldn't participate, so my husband stayed home with him.  Another grandson didn't get back from flag football practice with his dad so they didn't run.  That left me, my daughter, one grandson and my granddaughter.  My daughter and grandson took off running at the gun.  My granddaughter found some friends and walked with them leaving poor me all alone.  It was fine because everyone walks at their own pace anyway.  I didn't mind one bit.

Sarah and Dylan waiting for the starting gun to go off.

They are finishing strong.

Despite the rough start it turned out to be a good time and a beautiful sunny day.  Grandpa did well with staying home.  I don't really think he minded too much.  Sarah and Dylan ran at a good pace and did very well.  I enjoyed walking all by myself observing the people and the neighborhoods.  I didn't have great statistics, and they may not be totally accurate.  They had timing chips that we had to attach to our shoe.  I noticed some people didn't have the chip.  There were only 18 people over the age of 60 in the race.  I placed 7th out of those 18 in that age group.  I placed 175 out of 269 women of all ages.  Melissa and her friends came in nine minutes after me.  They are thirteen year olds.  I don't think it is because they are out of shape, I think they were just having fun and aren't all that competitive.  Hopefully next year we will all be healthy enough to try again.

Indigo Bunting

Every May we look forward to the arrival of the beautiful Indigo Bunting.  I first discovered them many years ago when I lived in Stoughton Wisconsin.  Every May 8th I would look out the picture window in mid morning and there they were.  They may have been there other times, but on this date I could always count on seeing them.  It was a brief visit, but very memorable.  Since we have moved to Princeton, we see more and more every year.  I think the population is probably increasing.  They stay for a few weeks, but then they move on.  I don't know if they nest in our area.  I am learning their behavior but there is a lot I don't know about them.  They are sometimes called a Blue Canary because they sing and are about the same size.  I read that Indigo Buntings have no blue pigment; they are actually black, but the diffraction of light through the feathers makes them appear blue.  I don't know if that is true.  They sure look blue to me.  The females are the same shape and size but they are very drab in comparison.  This is true for many of the bird species.  I tried to get a good photo of the female but she is very camera shy.  Poor baby, her husband is much more photogenic. 

I have included some Indigo Bunting photos in previous blog posts, but today I'm posting a few more.  Every six months, I make a book of my blog.  It is my way of documenting our life for future generations.  I have a feeling we will look pretty backward and primitive to future generations.  I wish I had more information about the everyday life of my grandparents and great grandparents.

I found this poem on a free poetry site.  It is http://www.poetryexplorer.net/

THE INDIGO BIRD, by AGNES ETHELWYN WETHERALD       

WHEN I see
High on the tip-top twig of a tree,
Something blue by the breezes stirred,
But so far up that the blue is blurred,
So far up that no green leaf flies
'Twixt its blue and the blue of the skies,
Then I know, ere a note be heard,
That is naught but the Indigo bird.

Blue in the branch and blue in the sky,
And naught between but the breezes high,
And naught so blue by the breezes stirred
As the deep, deep blue of the Indigo bird.

When I hear
A song like a bird laugh, blithe and clear,
As though of some airy jest he had heard
The last and the most delightful word,
A laugh as fresh in the August haze
As it was in the full-voiced April days,
Then I know that my heart is stirred
By the laugh-like song of the Indigo bird.

Joy in the branch and joy in the sky,
And naught between but the breezes high;
And naught so glad on the breezes heard
As the gay, gay note of the Indigo bird.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

This recipe was shown on the Living with Amy show we watch in the morning.  She featured this recipe a couple weeks ago, so I thought I would make it.  It was good.  It would be good without the chicken for those who don't eat meat.  I put homemade croutons on the top, but it isn't necessary.  I make them very often.  Whenever I see day old bread in the clearance section, I buy some.  Sometimes you can get a whole loaf of French bread for $.49.  These croutons are so good they get nibbled on as a snack, in fact my 89 year old dad has eaten four batches in the past two weeks.   I included the recipe for them in an earlier blog.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/02/stuffed-pepper-soup-and-croutons.html

Chicken Corn Chowder

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced onion
1 stalk of celery, cut in small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in small dice (I left this out because I didn't have any)
2 tablespoons flour
2 (10 ounce) packages of frozen corn, thawed
1 ½ cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

Melt butter in heavy bottomed pot. Add onions, celery, red bell pepper and salt. Cook until softened. Add flour, stirring constantly until blended with the butter. Add chicken stock and one package of thawed frozen corn. While this is cooking, put milk and other package of thawed frozen corn in a blender and puree. Add milk and corn mixture to the other ingredients in the pot.   Cook until the corn kernels are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and continue to cook soup until chicken is warmed through.

A Perfect Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day.  I hope everyone had a good day.  Today the weather here in south central Wisconsin was perfect.  The temperatures were in the high 70's with full sun.  The first thing I saw when I got up this morning was a beautiful Scarlet Tanager.  They are so beautiful and made me happy even before I had my coffee.

A Scarlet Tanager

 

The next thing on our agenda was to meet our youngest daughter and family for brunch.  We met at 10:30 at a beautiful place only three miles from our house.  It is called Mecan River Outfitters.  It is a log lodge with a dining room.  They have rooms in the lodge for rent as well as cabins.  They do canoe trips and hunting trips.  http://mecanriveroutfitters.com/lodge.html

My son-in-laws parents also met us, so we had eight people.  They don't take reservations so we had to wait outside on the porch.  The weather was gorgeous and a Mother's Day mimosa made it just perfect.  The food was very good.  Heather gave me my gift.  My grandsons helped her put it together.  Knowing how much I like nature, it was the perfect gift.

They got all the supplies together.

They put down some gravel.

Some stones...

Then some soil.

They planted some succulents and moss.

They made me a terrarium.

 After we got home, I heard from my other daughter.  Her family had celebrated Mother's Day in Wisconsin Dells with her in-laws.  She wanted to give all the mom's equal time, so they stopped by our house on the way home.  I put together some supper and they stayed for a couple hours.  Everyone was exhausted from the water park, but happy too.  She gave me a hanging basket for the porch.

Today we also saw more of our favorite birds.  It made for a bright and cheery Mothers Day.  It was a wonderful day.

The Indigo Bunting was around all day. 

Cast Iron Cookware Is My Old/New Favorite

Today when I made breakfast, I realized that I hadn't blogged about my love for my cookware.  Love is a strong word, but I really really like my cookware.  I have been married almost 46 years, and I have had every type of cookware.  I started out with cast iron frying pans.  When I was in my 20's,  I thought that was so old fashioned.  After saving for a while, we purchased some copper bottomed RevereWare.  I thought I was so smart and with it.  I hung them in the kitchen on a very pretty pot hanger.  I ended up hating them.  First of all the copper was tarnished most of the time and needed constant shining.  Food stuck on the pans and I had to scrub a lot.  I ended up selling them at a garage sale.

Next I bought those glass saucepans that were so popular.  They were even worse.  The temperature was so hard to control that I burned a lot of food or boiled things all over my stovetop.

 My next set was a variety of teflon.  It was good for a couple months and then the finish started to scrape off.  We have now learned that eating teflon is dangerous, but we didn't think about it at the time.  I went through new improved versions like T-Fal  throughout the years.  Even now I have a set of Cuisinart nonstick pans which are wonderful for their nonstick and cleaning properties, but the finish on some of the pans are getting pretty stratched.   So that brings me full circle.  I am now back to cast iron.  I only had one pan left from over 40 years ago, so I had to go out and buy them.  The pans you purchase these days come pre-seasoned.  If treated properly, nothing sticks and cooking in these pans adds iron to your diet.  I love them.

I bought this set from Amazon.com.

They even sell silicone covers for the handles so the handles don't feel hot.  That is really helpful because the pans do get very hot.  To clean all you use is water.  Never use soap because it breaks down the surface oil.   If something does stick, just let some water sit in it for a while and take a scrubber to loosen the food.  When it's clean, I put it back on the stove and turn the heat on until the water evaporates.  It's now ready for next time you cook.  I use two scrubbies.  I made one multi color so I know that is the one I use on the cast iron, and it won't have any soap residue in it.

Hand made scrubbies made from nylon netting.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2013/10/nylon-net-scrubbies.html

Fix For A Scratched Wood Finish

Today I spent the day with my grandson.  He had been sick during the night, so he had to stay home from school.  As the day wore on, he felt a lot better.  We actually had a wonderful day.  We watched HGTV and he played on his ipad.  I knit and made him dumplings for lunch.  My three oldest  grandkids want my dumplings whenever they are sick.  It must be comfort food.  During the day my daughter called to check on us.  She told me she had pinned several things on Pinterest the night before.  One of those things was how to repair scratches on wooden furniture.  She told me that all you do is mix 3/4 cup olive oil with 1/4 cup of vinegar, and that she was going to try it on her dining room table.  As long as I was there and she had the oil and vinegar, I gave it a try.

Two spots on the table where the finish was scraped off.

After I applied the oil and vinegar.

More marks on the table.

After the treatment.

My conclusion is that it really does cover the scratches.  The only thing that showed after I wiped the oil off was the marks didn't have a sheen to match the shine on the table.  It would need some wax or something to make it shine.  These marks were quite big but small scratches on furniture or woodwork would blend in nicely.  It is a very inexpensive fix, and it is worth a try.

The original blog shows another example of how this works.  http://lilyandthistle.blogspot.com/2012/07/a-quick-trick.html

Then another project that appeared on Pinterest.
http://www.domesticblisssquared.com/2013/06/diy-fix-scratches-in-wood-furniture.html

Taco Soup

Many years ago we went on the Formula Zone 40-30-30 eating plan.  It works but I quit because living such a rigid diet lifestyle is very difficult.  I did learn that living a healthier life style has many benefits and just cooking good meals at home is the most important part.  Some of the recipes from the diet book are very good and healthy, and we still make them.

My Tuesday recipe is from the 40-30-30 cookbook.  It's quick and easy.

40-30-30 Taco Soup

1 1/2 pounds extra-lean ground beef
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 clove minced garlic
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice
15 oz. can of tomato sauce
15 oz. can of black beans, with juice
1 cup fresh, canned or frozen corn
1 pkg. of taco seasoning mix 

In a large soup pot, heat the oil.  Add the ground beef and brown.  Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.  Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, corn and taco seasoning.  Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes.
 

Toppings:
Sour Cream (low-fat)
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Crumbled taco shells
Diced Jalapeno pepper (optional)
 

A Return Visit To The Worm Farm

I am going to preface this blog with a warning.  It is somewhat gross if you don't like worms.  I blogged about this subject before and was told by some that they wouldn't read it.  That's ok but some of you will find it interesting and may want to try it yourself some day.

My previous post was an introduction to my worm farm.  If you haven't read it or couldn't read it, here it is.  Just click on this link.  Worm Farming, An Unusual Type of Farmer

In the blog I told that I take the worms and the casting dirt out of the trays in the spring, and then I start the process all over again.  Today was that day.  I left one working tray in place because the worms were still working on the latest carrot peelings and removed the other three.  There were a lot of worms left in these three trays so there must have been some bits left to eat, but it was mostly lovely dirt.   At least I thought it was lovely dirt.

Tray of worm castings that used to be kitchen waste and paper.

It was nice and sunny outside.  I spread out an old tablecloth on the sidewalk and dumped out the first tray.  The worms don't like the bright sun and immediately embed themselves under the dirt.  By doing this, it made it a little easier for me to retrieve them.  If anyone has a better way, please let me know because it still wasn't easy.  Then I noticed it.  Oops, someone had shredded a plastic credit card.  That someone was probably me.  There amongst the dirt were pieces of plastic.  I mentioned before to be careful not to shred the envelopes with the clear plastic windows, but credit cards are a definite no no.  I started to pick out the plastic and pick out the worms.  It is a good lesson. It may take millions of years to decompose every piece of plastic that goes into a landfill because even worms won't eat it.  People shouldn't ingest it either but that's another topic.

Bits of plastic in the dirt.

This looks like more than one card.  I think it's the AARP cards we received.

This tray took a while to sift through, but the other two trays went faster.  I ended up with thousands of worms.  I'm not sure what others do with the excess worms, but I would love some ideas for this too.   I kept out a pound container of worms and put the rest of the dirt and excess worms in my outside compost pile.  I also spread some of the dirt around a few plants that were just starting to come up.  Now here is the gross part.  Don't look any further if you ever want to eat spaghetti again.  It's time to return the lucky ones to the farm, or maybe the lucky ones were set free today.

I started a new tray with a lot of shredded paper.  Then I put the worms back to live another day.