Thanks for the lovely comments re the sewing room stuff. I have to confess that they have all been works in progress for the past year. The bunting was cut a year ago in a fit of enthusiasm and then it sat there next to my machine for 11 months. As things do around here. Ditto the strips for the runners. Pacing, you see. That is my excuse!
The cowl I started crocheting a few weeks ago is a different story. Stupid thing. I ripped it out for the 3rd time at 1am this morning and started over. This time I am making up the pattern as I go along And IT WILL WORK or so help me, I will chop it all up and toss it out for the birds to make a nest. The irony here is that it has a pattern which consists of about 4 lines of instructions and is supposed to be easy. Hah. First it looked like a dress. Then it was too tight and then it was too loose, and now it had better be perfect because I am beginning to look at it with a baleful eye and soaring blood pressure. I know this because it is giving me a headache.
And of course there is nothing wrong with my following of the pattern. Impossible.
Moving on (because the headache returns as I think about the wretched thing) .....
We toddled off to drop off the huge amount of stuff gathered at church for the local homeless shelter this morning, after Jean got her Christmas cake in the oven, and then the 3 of us went wool shopping again. Yarn. Mother was running out. She is on a mission to keep the nation warm, as I think I have said before. If I go awol, just search under the mountain of wool or blankets. Well, at the moment, the pile of blankets is low, because they went to the shelter too, as well as to the church for the supply chest for families in need. But Mother has 2 in progress and more planned. She is not going to let the supply of blankets dwindle.
The autumn months seem to have flown by, haven't they - next week it will be time to haul down the 34,993,735,356,378,849,490,373 Christmas / Winter boxes and it will be all change around here. Yet it seems just yesterday that I packed away the summer things. It is still mild, especially when I think back to this time last year. Hang on - let me go and check.......
35 minutes later....
Oh my. I went back to November 2010 and started reading and it took my right back there immediately. We had snow by the end of the month and in so many ways, this month has followed a similar pattern, even down to the fact that tomorrow last year was the day I wrapped presents. And tomorrow may well be the day I start hauling things out to do just that this year.
It is such fun to read about my own life from a distance at times. I forget so much. I even forgot that I did a month of things I was thankful for last year.
I did write something about toasted cheese sandwiches which did not require a sandwich maker. And I don't think I ever explained that, so here we go. My great aunt had a wonderful housekeeper called Doreen. I remember Doreen well, because she was gentle and quiet, but mostly because she cooked and baked like a dream, and her desserts were legendary. She is the one who used to make us toasted cheese sandwiches. All she did - don't forget that we are talking about the dark ages here - the early 1960s - was to make a cheese sandwich, and lightly butter the top of the sandwich, then flip it over onto greaseproof paper, and butter the other outside part of the bread. Then she folded the paper round the sandwich and got out the iron. Yes, the one for ironing clothes. She never had any grease problems though. She was a genius. And she ironed the sandwich until it was golden and the cheese was melted. I can smell it now. We used to line up waiting for our turn, drooling. Simple. It worked. She didn't need fancy machines.
And another non-sandwich maker idea we started when the kids were small was at BBQs. If you do not have copious quantities of meat, a great way to fill up the bottomless pits children and teens seem to have is to BBQ cheese sandwiches on the grill. I just spread a little melted butter on the outside of the bread, pile on the cheese, onion, tomato etc and another piece of bread and pop it face down on the grill, and then brush the other side with melted butter and flip it with tongs before it gets charred. It is even better if the meat has already cooked and once the cheese starts oozing out, whip it off and eat. Delicious. Everyone loved these. I must remember to make them again next year when the BBQ emerges from its winter coat.
And on that note, I am off to stir the crock pot and find something to nibble.
Day 21: I am very thankful that Skype worked today and that I could talk to my daughter. And see the book she is working on (which is amazing!) as well. She is a star.
9 comments:
I love your Laugh cushion!
An iron for a cheese sandwich? Hmmm. I do mine in a pan on the stove. There is nothing like a grilled cheese sandwich - with ketchup, of course.
I think £3.99 is cheap for a good laugh that will last for ages!
I've done toasted sandwiches in the frying pan, not cheese as I detest the stuff, but corned beef and onion...lovely!
Good heavens - am I the only person who has never considered doing toasted sandwiches in a frying pan? And why has it never occurred to me before? I have been missing a vital link!
Hi, I'm new here and over from Dawn's blog.
Enjoyed reading this post. I like your sense of humor!
God bless.
Book? This will require explaining. You always amaze me with your doings. The "Laugh" pillow is a wonderful bargain and you'll smile every time you see it, I'm sure. Grilled cheese sandwiches using an iron? Wow. I thought that a griddle and a brick was low tech.
I've always done grilled cheese in a frying pan, and now on a griddle, which is so easy - I can do 4-6 at a time. Except in college - we got Sunday evening sack lunches so the kitchen folks got some time off. They were wrapped in wax paper bags - before the time of plastic wrap. We ironed the sandwiches to make them palatable by 6:00 p.m. Fun memory.
Hi, Just popped by on a blog hop and am loving the way your great aunt made toasted cheese sandwiches. I don't know whether I dare try that method though!
Love from Mum
xx
I've never considered using an iron, but with my current irritation at my iron, that may be all it's good for right now. We use a frying pan or a panini sandwich press.
Cute, cute pillow.
I love that cushion, so cute and so me
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