Declaration of Independence...from weeds!

Work got real busy and the weeds at my Oakeside community garden plots got way out of hand...I mean WAY out if hand.

See photographic evidence here:

Q: So what's a girl to do?  A: Declare independence from weeds!

You can barely see the edible greens...there's cabbage and collards in foreground of the photo.  There are also peppers and tomatoes and a potato tower in the background.  Help me holy ghost, the strangle vine morning glories choke off everything...and the bugs...oh, the bugs.  I have never seen a more diverse bug population...darn organic gardening!!

I think I need to reconsider my mulch options. The grass that I'm using must have seeds in it, contributing to my weed population. I need to source some local marsh grass, its expensive but it's seedless.

I spent several hours on July 4th weeding.  It was hot as hades with no shade to be found.  But it was great to see the progress (sorry no "after" photo).

Hope everyone enjoyed their fourth. ~ksp 

Lest We Forget-2011

8:46:26 AM

I remember where I was just like it was yesterday and I am still reminded of it on a regular basis.  I grew up less than fifteen (15) miles from the Twin Towers and met up with many friends there on my jaunts into The City throughout my adolescents and early adulthood.

While I was in Seattle on business at the time, my family and friends were very much in the fray.  I thank God that they were all (physically) well in the aftermath.

In unique ways, there was no one exempt from the impact of that day.  May we continue to pray for those who aim to harm others as well as the targets of their nefarious plans.

9/11/11

A Much Needed Rest

Happy Labor Day!!

 Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.
~John Lennon

To all who labor, enjoy wasting some time today. ~ksp

3's the Charm

My mother has three children - a boy and two girls.  While we have several similarities, we are very different.  For Mother's Day this year, we got her a new charm for her bracelet.

gemvara.com

It contains each of our birthstones in birth order-left  to right. I'll have it attached to her bracelet this week. 

Attributes of the sapphire:

§  Truth, sincerity and constancy; and

§  Clairvoyance, insight and interpretation.

Attributes of aquamarine:

§  Faithfulness, courage and friendship; and

§  Awareness, quick response and easing communication problems; and

§  This gemstone is often used as a charm by sailors for protection while at sea.

Attributes of amethyst:

§  Sincerity and a calm disposition: and

§  Stability, peace, balance, courage, inner strength.

Its hopefully a small but meaningful gift to say thanks for all of the things she's done and continues to do for each of us.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Easter 2011

Happy Easter to all who believe.

Easter is my favorite Christian holiday, because it is a time of reflection, renewal and resurrection/rebirth.  I love the hopefulness of Easter (it helps that it is slightly less commercialized than Christmas).  

And while I will not be celebrating Easter in the usual fashion (bonnets, church and egg hunts), I'll be spending the day with my family, eating and laughing (hopefully).  The dinner menu includes homemade mac and cheese and peach cobbler...I'll never lose any weight at this rate.  Sunday evening, my sister and I are going to a comedy show.  Unconventional, but so am I. ~ksp

John 11:25-26

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. All who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die".

Hand Made Christmas - Let's Bake Cookies

While I did bake cookies this holiday season, I also played with chocolate.  Several of my favorite local chocolatiers offer a chocolate enrobed Oreo cookie...it's decadent to say the least.

I stopped by Hanna Krause and picked up their chocolate "cote" products in dark (personal fav) and milk chocolate.  The process was rather simple, I dipped the cookies in the chocolate (heated on a double boiler).

I decorated them with some sprinkles I had left over from a batch of sugar cookies.  I think I ate more than I gifted...It's the thought that counts...right?

Have a safe New Years eve everybody.  ~ksp
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Kwanzaa Day Six:  Kuumba (Creativity): In some respects, I think I exhibit this principle the most throughout the year...having said that, there is always more/different that I can do.  In all endeavors I will do as much as I can, in the way that I can, in order to leave my communities more beautiful and beneficial than I inherited it.

Handmade Holidays - Merlot

The gift queue included a stash busting Double Irish Chain quilt.  When asked, the recipient reported their favorite color as "merlot".  Ah...merlot is one of my absolute favorite libations so a Merlot Double Irish Chain Quilt.

Grabbed a long-languishing Moda jelly roll (ETA: The colorway is Portobello Market) and two different burgundy fabrics and I followed this link.  Those who follow my blog know that I love the scrappy looking quilts so I go out of my way to incorporate variations in colors and fabrics.

Please pardon the crappy phone photos. I forgot to snap photos before wrapping and delivering it, so I had to grab a Blackberry photo.

Here's a close up of the center square. 

I very much enjoyed this quilt and it went by rather quickly...or I become delirious... The week of Christmas, I quilted it on a long-arm machine at Olde City Quilts with a meandering stitch pattern.

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Day Four: Ujamaa (cooperative economics): During the coming year, I will work to support local and minority-owned business whenever possible.  I will work to circulate the money I spend in my community of residence/interest.

Day Five:  Nia (purpose): I will continue to build and develop my community and its members in order to restore and maintain values, traditions and customs.

Handmade Holidays - Quilted Sunshine

A good friend of mine is going through a rough patch.  She lives several states away so I cannot be a physically present help to her.  But, I can do something for her, I can bend a rule.

My general rules for quiltmaking are as follows:

1. Quilts that I make are to be used.  I have never made a wall hanging quilt, I usually make bed/lap sized quilts and I want them to be used.  I don't care if they fray, I can make another one. 
2. Most quilts are to commemorate a significant event.  Now this rule is a bit tricky because I most often gift quilts on the occasion of a new birth, but I've given for other reasons.
3. I make the rules; which means they are subject to be altered at my whim.

With this quilt I exercise rule #3.

I followed the Oh, Fransson! tutorial here.  I wanted it to be bright and cheery and possibly coordinate with her living room which is an asparagus green.  I raided my stash and found a bright fat quarter bundle full of bright oranges and pinks and added to it as necessary.

I obviously cannot follow simple instructions and need a cheat.

I had the hardest time keeping track of the proper order of the fabrics...I was going for cheery, not perfect, so I pressed on.  I used a lattice lay-out for the 8" blocks.  The finished quilt was roughly 50" x 72".

The back.

Close up of meander machine quilting.

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Day Two: Kujichagulia - Self-Determination: I will actively work toward defining myself, creating for myself and my community and speaking for myself and my communities of membership.

Day Three: Ujima - Collective Work and Responsibility: I will use my energy to build and maintain my communities, to assist my brothers and sisters solve their/our problems together.

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ETA: Delivered. She lurves it and it has already been installed. ~ksp

Happy Holidays!!

Merry Christmas season, Happy Boxing Day (to my friends in Great Brittan and Canada) and lastly a warm first day of Kwanzaa* to all who observe.  Here in the US Northeast we are girding ourselves for a winter blizzard which is forecast to drop about one foot of snow across the area...so glad I'm indoors until after the new year.

This fall season, I began to come back into my normal self.  Those who follow my dealings know that I am over-busy most of the time.  In fact, it is my "normal".  But this summer, between implementing a huge expansion project at work, being a caregiver to my mentee and the usual foolishness I have going on, it was a stressful time.  More than that, it temporarily robbed me of my creativity.

SLOWLY, I have come back to myself.

So this season, I was able to complete several very fun handmade projects, many of which I was able to incorporate many Christmas gifts into the queue.  I'll be showing you some of them.

Stash Sachets

I had a little a little clothes moth scare in a segregated wool stash.  Out of fear of harm to the mother load, I did some investigating of natural moth repellents.  I detest the smell of moth balls, I have too many childhood memories of old smelly church ladies...did I ever tell you that I have an exceptionally keen nose?

Anyways, I did some research on natural materials that protect fabrics and developed these mixes.  All recipes are approximate, but feel free to replicate and adjust as desired.  I gave several cotton/wool gifts where I included a sachet.

Mint Medley

1 part dried mint (any variety is fine)
2 parts dried lavender
1.25 ounces whole cloves

In a small plastic zip bag, crush the whole cloves with a rolling pin (or whatever you've got).  Mix all ingredients in a bowl.  Place mix in mini sachets.  I used some organza pouches from a craft store chain to bundle them up. 

Cedar Lavender

4 parts cedar shavings

1 part dried lavender

Mix ingredients and sachet as you see fit.

Any of these sachets can be enhanced or rejuvenated with essential oils.  I spruced up my cedar shavings with them.  Enjoy. ~ksp

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*Umoja - Unity - is the principle of the first day of Kwanzaa.  On this and every day I will strive to create and maintain unity in my family, community, nation and race.

Laboring in the Kitchen

It's Labor Day* here in the US and since I chilled for a lot of the weekend,  I didn't feel bad about working today.  I planted a number of heirloom tomato plants and could not eat them fast enough.  I offered some to my neighbors but still had too many than I knew what to do with.

So as part of my canning spree, I made salsa.  I'm still trying to get better control of my food/portions/sugars etc. so these yummy pints will stock my snack pantry.

Varieties include: cherokee purple, mortgage lifter and aunt ruby's german green.

As usual, there is a lot going on here.  September marks many beginnings: my quilting guild meetings, winter-league bowling and the enrollment time at work.

On the guild front  I am charged with creating and maintaining the website...I have no expereince with html code so this is yet another learning curve for me...

Heirloom salsa

So now, in anticipation of it all, I will catch up on laundry and get ready for another work week.  

Yay for the un-official end of summer!


*Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Happy New Year!

I spent the night holed-up in a bed and slept through the ball drop and damn it felt good!

Happy New Year! ~ksp

Happy Thanksgiving

It's been an unusually warm fall here in the garden state. I usually wait until the first frost to harvest my cabbage and collards (usually in early November). There's no frost in sight so I processed all of the greens in time for Thanksgiving.

Total yield: 12 quart bags of bags of collards, cabbage and kale. More than enough to make it through the winter.

I'm bringing oyster and cornbread stuffing to my best friend's family in South Jersey. It's great to be able to relax and spin all day on a four-day weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving! ~ksp

Happy New Year

January 2009

Hello and Happy 2009 to everyone out there in blogland.

More time than I intended has passed since my last post. I had a very busy holiday season including a wicked cold that took my voice for several days.

For the new year I got some much needed recuperation in sunny Florida. (Truthfully, I too was celebrating my grandmother's 80th birthday).

Looking forward to sharing in a fabulous year of crafts and good times. Be well. ~ksp

Insomnia Is Good For Something

The up-side is that I have time plus energy to post, the down-side is I am wide-awake and am scheduled for an all-day training Tuesday. Pray for me.

I hope everyone in the US had a great Thanksgiving last week. I had several "dinners" throughout the week. I was invited to a dinner with a group of guys I work with. They cooked the entire meal.

This is Hector (don't ask) before...


And this was him after...he didn't stand a chance. The food was delish and they are a very entertaining group of young men. I was actually referred to as "an old head"...as I am in my early 30's, I'm not really sure what to do with that.

***

On the knitting front, I felted a pumpkin to serve as a centerpiece for the pre-turkey Thanksgiving table. Let's just say it didn't go very well and I threw it out the back door and into the rain... Let's hope the squirrels get it.

I also participated in 2 quilt swaps this season. The first is a sawtooth pattern in creams, beiges, golds and silvers... Can't wait to see what I get back. I'll show the second batch next time...

...a close-up

Must. Get. Sleep. ~ksp

Red, White, Blue and Blue

Although I've never been actually been accused of being a patriot*, I can barbecue with the best of them...

I was invited to an impromptu shindig with some of my former students. My contribution to the day's festivities...some red white and blue desserts of course. And hell no, I did not bake anything in this heat. All items came from my favorite local bakery. Yummy!

Clockwise from top blueberry/custard pie, apple pie and strawberry cheesecake.

It was a good time. As it was planned and executed exclusively by men, the menu consisted of a lot of protein and not much else...we played chess and Scrabble and had great conversation...

Lastly, I have a surprise...

wait for it...


wait...

an almost finished sock!

It's actually, the Embossed Leaves (Ravelry link) sock from Favorite Socks: 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. It's the first of a pair due to my aunt in Florida as her Christmas 2007 gift...I know...I know...I'm very trifflin'.... Just a few more rows of decreases and then an immediate cast on for the second sock. Thanks Risa! I am hoping I can send them to her as a "Christmas in July" gift...Here's to hoping!

Happy 4th to those who celebrate.

*As a descendant of enslaved Africans, my relationship with my country of birth and citizenship is contentious at best.