I'm Voting Republican

Sorry for being political, but I couldn't resist this!

Secret Pal 12 Question #2

Question #2--As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

As a kid, I looked forward to free time--most of which was spent at the local swimming pool.  Going to the pool was a real treat!  I also looked forward to our family week at the beach.  We took other trips, but the beach was the one I couldn't wait for!  As I got into high school, I looked forward to sleeping in then time with friends.  

Funny--the sleeping in thing is one of the things I enjoy most about the summer now!

Secret Pal 12 Question #1--another one!

Okay--we just tried a new summer cocktail for Father's Day!  Watermelon Martini's!  Here's the recipe:

Cut fresh watermelon into 1/2 inch cubes and freeze.

For each martini, place the following into a shaker:

3 oz. vodka

1 oz. sweetened lime juice like Roses Lime

1 oz. Triple Sec

1 oz. Chambord

12 frozen watermelon cubes

Shake until cubes are dissolved, leaving small shards that float on the drink when strained.  The original recipe is half the amount above, but my martini glasses are large and I had to double the ingredients!  

This was a nice starter for our grilled Filet Mignon Father's Day dinner!

Enjoy!

Secret Pal 12 Question #1

Participants in SP12 have been asked to post their favorite summer drink.  I have several.  Typically I stick to iced teas that are a blend of red tea and dried fruits that I get from Teavana.  I keep a pitcher of that in my fridge.  For special evening drinks I like a Peachy Pomatini.

Here's the recipe:  1 1/2 oz. Pama Pomegranate liqueur, 1 oz. premium vodka, 1 1/2 oz. peach schnapps, 3 oz. pineapple juice.  Place in shaker with ice.  Shake and strain into chilled martini glass.  Garnish with cherry and lime twist.

My other fave is a Pear Cosmo.   Here's my recipe:  2 oz. Grey Goose Pear Vodka, 4 oz. Cranberry juice, 1 oz. Grand Marnier.   Place in shaker with ice.  Shake and pour into chilled martini glass.

Good stuff!

Secret Pal 12 Questionaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love silk blends the most. I like Silk/Seacell, Silk/Merino, Silk/Bamboo, etc. I also like good Merino wool. I don't care for scratchy wool and I dislike most synthetics, particularly acrylic. I do like rayon or tencel in cotton blends--yarns like Classic Elite Premier.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I have a Shaker style wood box with "needles" stenciled on it. I keep my double points in wine tubes and my KnitPicks options in their binder.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting over 30 years! My mother taught me at first then I taught myself as I wwent along. I would consider myself to be advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I have an Amazon wish list and there is a link on the side bar of my blog.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I don't like strong scents. I do like citrus scents though. Also, spiced apple.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Doesn't everyone? I like dark chocolate,  chocolate covered espresso beans and dark chocolate covered fruit.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I sew, crochet and make jewelry (both beading and metalwork).

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I have eclectic taste. I like rock, blues, jazz, country--anything but rap. My computer does play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I like earthy colors: olive and sage greens, lime green, orange, rust, gold, browns and beiges. I also love teal and turquoise and fire engine red. Dark purple is nice. I like creamy whites as opposed to pure white. I do not wear pink or gray or most other pastels.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married with two fairly grown children. I have 4 cats (hence the Crazy Cat Lady name!) and a water turtle named Elvis!

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I love scarves and wear them frequently. I wear hats occasionally and I generally don't wear mittens. I do love gloves and fingerless mitts though. I don't wear ponchos, but do wear wraps and shawls.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I love knitting sweaters. When I need more immediate gratification, I lean toward knitting hats and gloves!

13. What are you knitting right now?
I have two sweaters I am currently working on: Classic Elite Soft Linen Feather and Fan Cardigan and Fete Silk Top. I am starting Labyrinth next week. You can find these designs on Ravelry.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
Absolutely!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer nickel circulars like Addis or KnitPicks options. I also like double points as I don't do the magic loop thing. I like ebony or other really slick woods for those. I tend to like short double points!

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I own both

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
WoW! It's got to be several years! I have a couple of heavy sweaters that I only work on in the winter! I'll finish them sooner or later!

18. What is your favorite holiday?
It's a toss up between Christmas and my birthday!

19. Is there anything that you collect?
I'm a big collector! I collect antique sewing tools, cats, scotty dogs and handmade cookie cutters.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I'm dying to get the new Wendy Bernard book and the new Stephanie Japel book when they come out this summer. There are others on my Amazon wish list. I subscribe to Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm liking some of the hairpin lace stuff that Stitch Diva has. I'm thinking that I might want to try that eventually!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I have several skeins of sock yarn and a slew of patterns, but I haven't been particularly motivated to knit any of them yet. I only wear socks under boots so I can't seem spending the time to knit beautiful socks that won't be seen! I may make some for gifts one of these days. My foot measurements? Not sure, but I wear a size 7 - 7 1/2 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?
April 8

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yes! I just had my one year Ravel-versary! My ID is kozykitty!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Geez--It is the first week in June and the mercury looks like it is the third week or so in August! After our weather excitement last Wednesday, we are being tormented with unseasonable heat! Temps got into the 90's yesterday with high humidity creating a heat index of about 110 degrees! Today's temp. is supposed to hit 98 degrees with more of the same on Monday - Wednesday. Relief is supposed to come on Thursday with temps of 88 degrees! Thousands of people still have no power in the DC area and, boy! do I feel for them! The biggest problem with this type of heat is that we get the awful thunder storms so we just go through this vicious cycle! I ran some errands in the heat yesterday then worked in the house--believe it or not--putting away Easter decorations! Now, don't get me wrong--I didn't have Easter eggs and baskets etc. around the house. I did have spring animals--bunnies, ducks, chicks etc. I figured they looked springy and I just had better things to do. So I've been packing them up and cleaning as I go. I got so into it that I was busy until about 8:30 p.m. yesterday when, as luck would have it, our power went out due to another one of those lovely thunder storms. Fortunately we have two battery powered lanterns and jar candles ready at all times. This did put an end to my dinner plans though. I had barbecue to microwave so we will have that tonight. DH and I headed for Cosi's where we had a nice relaxing, but late, dinner. I guess if the power had to go out, we were lucky it was at night. There was a cool, though very damp, breeze from after the storm so the house was bearable. I put a sheet on the living room couch and slept there as it is right by the porch windows and much cooler. DH slept in the family room. DH woke me up at 7:30 and said that the power had come on around 7 a.m. I got up a little bit later. Different for me! I'm usually in bed until 9:30 or so, but then I'm usually up until about 2 a.m. on Saturday night. I was in bed by 11:30.

All this has me reflecting on our culture of consumption. I was lost yesterday when I discovered that our DVR cable box was fried. I won't have another one until Tuesday. We may bring the upstairs box down to watch TV, but I put music on to entertain me while I work. Imagine what our lives would be like without computers, internet, electronic gadgets etc. Those in my age bracket can remember simpler times when we didn't have these. I dare say, we read more and socialized with our friends face to face more. My kids' generation may remember times like this from their early childhood, but their teenage and adult lives have often revolved around these conveniences.

As I get "nearer the grave than the cradle" I'm seeing the value in participating in activities that get me away from gadgets and involved with people. I watched my parents become isolated in their later years and I don't think that is healthy. I'm also worried about the economy and how energy prices are wreaking havoc on literally everything. I was amused to see that BG&E (our electric company that raised the rates 80% in the last year) is giving its customers a one time $170 credit on our August bill. As if that makes a dent in the increased costs! At least the credit is given during the month that typically has the highest energy usage!

I've been making conscious choices about where and when I drive and trying to cut back. I'm also starting to buy "green" products. I'm finding that the environmentally friendly cleansers are actually more effective! Most of them use citrus oils which really cut through kitchen grime!

Okay--That's my rant.

This week will see very little knitting. It is the last week of school and I have a ton of stuff to do. Next week, I will chill and make a lot of phone calls. I need to deal with insurance, cable, banking etc. etc.--all the stuff I just cannot do when I am in school. This summer will be one of cleaning and getting rid of a lot of crap in the house. I'm debating whether or not to do a yard sale or just to donate stuff. Some will go on Ebay, but most won't!

On a political note--I was impressed with Hilary's speech in which she endorsed Obama. While I was a Hilary supporter, I just don't get those other Hilary supporters who will not vote for Obama. What on earth are they thinking? Their policies were almost identical! Why would anyone who supported Hilary vote for McCain?!

As a reminder of why NOT to vote Republican, here is my
Bushism of the day:
"See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda." --George W. Bush, Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005

Yup! We've had seven and a half years of that! Do you think the American people have caught on yet?

Kitty Cam:
This one is from Ems--Mokey, the fashionista kitty is hiding in a paper bag because he has nothing to wear!

If today is a preview . . .

of the rest of the summer, then I'm definitely ready! Those who know me, know that I am a night owl. The worst, and I mean worst thing about the school year is having to get up at 6 a.m. School was closed today due to weather related power outages so I slept until 8:30. Actually that is early for me, but I did go to bed before 1 a.m. By the end of the summer, I will be in my 2 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. sleep cycle which feels absolutely fabulous! It's amazing that my skin looks better and I can lose weight when I keep that schedule. Unfortunately there just are no public schools which allow me to have a schedule that would accommodate my biological needs! I think there should be a school cluster for those of us who wake up in the later hours. I bet grades would be better and the employees a lot sharper!

Yesterday, we had tornado warnings. Our principal decided to be proactive and we went to a code blue situation at 12:30 followed by tornado safety stuff at 2:30--sitting in the hallway with heads covered. It was insane as it was just starting to cloud up and hadn't even started raining. She did tell us to leave by 3:30 to beat the storm and the storm hit as I was creeping up Rt. 29. It was really torrential and all the overpasses had cars stopped under them. It was gone in 10 minutes, but not without causing some major destruction in parts of the DC metro area. I drove by the house to make sure no trees had fallen on it then proceeded to the bank and to Petsmart as the kitties' pantry was bare!

I haven't gotten a lot done this week because it was the week of the Stanley Cup finals. I'm not a big sports enthusiast, but I do love my hockey! There's just something about the grandeur and the history of Lord Stanley's Cup! How did the USA ever get so wrapped up in football? This is so much better! I guess it is just more dignified than the Super Bowl!

So I'm sitting at home thinking about all the stuff I would be getting done at school today with 3 planning periods! Tomorrow I have none so I will have to pay the piper and put in some major overtime hours now to close things down.

This summer will be one of hopefully getting things done around the house. I cannot spend money except on some house things. The BG&E 80% electric rate hike along with the increased gas prices will see to that. Fortunately I have a lot or projects to tend to. We want to put some heat blocking window film on our back windows for starters. I also have curtains to make for the dining room plus other sewing to do.

Then there is this:

This is my Victorian vanity bench. I'm loathe to admit that I actually sit on this every morning when doing my make up. I acquired it about 18 years ago and it was quite lovely when I upholstered it in the sky blue moire taffeta. Unfortunately, that was not a durable fabric and, as you can see, this stool is falling apart. The braid has come off and the stool is becoming unglued.

But here is the real reason I haven't attacked this project yet:

Greg loves this thing. When I am getting ready in the morning, he runs over and gets on the stool just as I am about to sit down. Sometimes he'll even turn his back to me as if to say, "Don't even think about sitting here!" I'll have to use a spare chair and he'll just have to suck it up. Here's the plan: I have to take the stool completely apart and I will paint it off white which the little darker carved wood trim being painted in a muted blue--sort of shabby chic style. Then I have this fabric:

This will be a lot more durable than the moire. I have a love-hate relationship with the craft of upholstery. I simply hate doing it, but I love the outcome. Fortunately, my little purchase of an electric staple/nail gun will make this job a lot easier the second time around. It's pulling out the old tacks that will totally blow! I also have a nice wood armchair that is halfway done that I need to finish upholstering. It was a wedding gift to my inlaws and I hope to finish it up this summer as well.

On the knitting front--I am finishing up Fete within the next week then I have to do the SKC knit along project. Stitch Diva studios sent out an email with a preview of their new patterns that are coming out:





Another summer love--dinners with minimal cooking! I'll be sharing some of my favorite summer recipes here. We just got in some tomato and pepper plants and I'll be putting in cukes, squash and melons when school gets out. Here is a favorite side dish which is in our fridge throughout the summer:


Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:
2 med.-large cucumbers
1 med. sweet onion such as Vidalia
1 c. white vinegar
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 tsp. parsley flakes or 1 tb. snipped fresh parsley
salt/pepper to taste

Peel cukes and thinly slice them. Half onion and thinly slice. I use the thin slicing blade for both. Place vegetables in serving bowl. Combine water, vinegar, sugar and spices in a jar and shake well to combine. Pour over vegetables and refrigerate until serving time. This dish is best when prepared a few hours ahead of time. Really refreshing when the weather gets hot!

Other news--I took Ems to the BMAfor the Baltimore Ink show last Saturday night. I have never seen such tattoo art in my life! I'm not a tattoo person, but I have to appreciate the ink that some of the participants were displaying! Some of them were literally covered. We're not talking biker tattoos either. It was true art!

It is now time for my
Bushism of the day
"I think younger workers -- first of all, younger workers have been promised benefits the government -- promises that have been promised, benefits that we can't keep. That's just the way it is." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 4, 2005

Huh?

Kitty cam: Greg snoozes in his favorite box.