Here’s some other things that I made in 2010!

Matching Hat
Basketweave dishcloth designed by Andi Worthy
Mason-Dixon Ballband – knit with ecru Sugar’n Cream and Premium Peaches & Cream in Spice (scroll down to pattern link)
Ho Ho Ho Snowman by Alli Barrett
Linoleum Dishcloth – another Mason-Dixon design

2010 Dishcloths

Mid-July – Ribbons and Lace – Janet Nogle
August – Starfish –  Elaine
Mid-August – Ice Cream Cone – Andi Worthy
September – Mouse (Do I Smell Cheese?) - Elaine
Mid-September – Lacy Leaves – Andi Worthy
October – Spider – Andi Worthy
Mid-October – Witch – Alli Barrett
November – Peanut the Elephant – Elaine
Mid-November – Snowy Drops – Andi Worthy
December – Christmas Tree – Frugalhaus
Mid-December – Fire and Ice – Janet Nogle

Geez, I’ve been a slacker.  I didn’t post all winter!  These dishcloths were all fun to make.  I just got lazy about posting them on here!

Wind stirs up Lake Michigan on 10-26-10.

Emily and I made soup for supper, because with such blustery weather, what else would you be hungry for?

TURKEY VEGETABLE SOUP

1 1/4 pound ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup sliced celery
6 cups water
1 can diced tomatoes with juice – 14-16 ounces
1/3 cup white rice, uncooked
1/4 cup ketchup
1 T. instant bouillon – chicken or beef
1/2 T. dried basil
1/8 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf

Crumble ground turkey into a Dutch oven. Stir in onion, carrots and celery. Cook and stir over medium high heat about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Drain.

Return to kettle and add the water, tomatoes, rice, ketchup, bouillon, basil, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 25 – 30 minutes or until vegetables and rice are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

I don’t know where my mom found this recipe, but I’ve had it so many times as an adult, I finally asked for the recipe. Tonight we served it with Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and salads we made at the grocery store salad bar.

I need to brave one more trip outside with the dog and then I can go to bed.

Oh yeah, diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday, October 21st, after coughing for 1-1/2 weeks. Finished my Z-pak yesterday. I’m still coughing. I’m hoping for improvement by the time the full 10 days is up, which will be October 30th. Everyone, including me, is sick of hearing me cough. Coughing for 2 weeks is not my idea of a good time!

My new blue sweater has been keeping me nice and toasty all evening! I’m so glad I have it!

Carousel by Mags Kandis
Cascade 220 Heathers in 2447 Peacock – dark blue with hints of purple

Dawn's birthday sweater

I think it’s awesome and it fits beautifully. I think it’s a wonderful birthday present and worth waiting for. The thing is, it would have been too warm to wear during the summer anyway!

Also, at the ends of the triangular pieces on the bottom of the sweater, my mom put little gold beads in.  I think those are cool, too.  That was her own inspiration.

I wore it to my knit night last night and everyone thought it was pretty, there, too.

A picture of our family and a picture of Vollrath Bowl, at graduation.  From left, Gary, Emily, Sarah, and Dawn, taken in our backyard.  At Vollrath, you can see Lake Michigan in the background.  South sits to the south, in red.  North sits on the other side, in blue. It’s so pretty.  The band (not visible) dresses in khaki and white, so they don’t detract from the grads.

June and July dishcloths: All fun to work on.  The contrasting yarn in the Peacock cloth made it more fun.  The Father’s Day cloth was knit sideways, so it was hard to tell what the picture would be!  The Flamingo was hard to see at first, because we started with the legs.  Eventually, you could tell it was a bird. I love doing cloths that you don’t know what they will be, before you start.

Wow, I have been such a horrible blogger and then as it went on and on and on, I knew it would be a big job, so I put it off even longer!  We are going from meals in the crockpot to meals on the grill.  Also, from winter jackets to shorts!  In June, my younger daughter Emily graduated from high school.  We had a fun family party and a beautiful day, for the most part.  Weather is a factor, since Sheboygan tries to hold their graduation outside!  We did get sprinkled on a little bit, but never for longer than 5-10 minutes at a time!  I’m so happy that both of my daughters got to graduate in the “bowl” by Lake Michigan!

I’ve been busy knitting, though, in the past 6 months!  All the pictures are in the gallery above.  Will still post pics of Emily’s graduation, too. Weather has been hot and rainy most of the summer.  It’s mid-July and the grass is still green and soft enough for barefeet!

I finally found my Lands End sweatpants.  I haven’t known where they were, for months and with the cold weather upon us, I wanted an extra option to wear to my school job, to keep me warm, since we are outside with first graders, for 20-25 minutes.  I’m so happy!

I need to get caught up on my dishcloth pictures.  Some on my camera need to be downloaded.  I”m so behind.

Blueberry Vinegar:

1 cup fresh blueberries
2 cups white vinegar
2 T. sugar

Salad:

1 (9-oz) pkg. frozen French-cut green beans, thawed
3 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts(about 1-1/2 lbs.)
3 cups cooked spiral pasta (cooked without salt or fat)
1 cup fresh blueberries
3/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. finely chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup, plus 2 T. plain low-fat yogurt
1/4 cup plus 1 T. reduced-calorie mayonnaise
3 T. blueberry vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
Lettuce leaves (opt.)

Blueberry vinegar: Place blueberries in a sterilized 1-qt. glass jar. Combine vinegar and sugar in a non-aluminum saucepan over high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour vinegar mixture over blueberries. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Strain blueberry mixture through several layers of cheesecloth into decorative jars; discard blueberries. Seal jars with a cork or other airtight lid. Yield: 2 cups

Salad: Place green beans between paper towels and squeeze until barely moist. Combine green beans, chicken, pasta, blueberries, celery, green onion and oregano in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, mayonnaise, blueberry vinegar, salt and pepper in a bowl; stir well. Pour over chicken mixture; mix gently. Cover and chill 2 hours. Serve on a lettuce-lined plate, if desired.

Yield: 6 servings (about 1-1/2 cups)

Cooking Light March 1995 (I think.  Can’t find magazine issue anymore and can’t verify online, either.)

We are hoping that the flu passes us by. So far we””””ve been lucky, although Emily and I recently had colds.  Mine is still here, but getting better everyday.  So far, Gary has still been healthy.  Emily is hoping they DON”T have a “flu-cation” from school.  She thinks it””””s bad enough that we have to make up the wintry days on June 12th and June 15th.

Today, the sun is shining and the temperature is in the high 50””””s, which is a huge improvement over last week””””s rain. A few blocks from us, a sewer collapsed, so a major intersection is going to closed off for a month.  Ugh. I hope the time goes fast.

• February – Kiss Me (hot purple in Bernat handicrafter yarn on US 7 needles – Lisa Millan of Digknitty)
• Mid-February – Circle Cloth (Tan Sugar’n Cream and Fiesta Peaches & Creme on US 7 needles – Hakucho)
• March – Pot O’ Gold (Yellow Peaches & Creme on US 7 needles – Emily Jagos)
• Mid-March – The Windmill Dishcloth (Aqua Mist Peaches & Cream and Teal Sugar’n Cream on US 7 needles – Sew-Funky)
• April – Illusion Egg Hunt (White Peaches & Creme, Light green Peaches & Creme, Hot Purple Bernat Handicrafter on US 7 needles – Deborah C. Tilley)

Also, since we happened to be driving through Fond Du Lac today, and stopped at Animal Outfitters to buy some Sam’s Yams sweet potato treats.  Jasmine’s Gotcha Day is in 2 weeks and we wanted to get her a special treat.  You can see that she enjoyed her slice of dehydrated sweet potato.  It is crunchy and has ridges, so it’s supposed to help keep teeth clean.

Sarah got a new cellphone today.  It’s an LG Banter.  It looks pretty neat and takes awesome pictures.  She will have fun with it.