Luscious Fibers, Food and Life

Weekend Round-up

Hey Everyone...

I know it's been a while, but I haven't really had much to say and haven't felt much like writing. But Grant is finishing up dinner and I did take a few pictures this weekend, so I thought I'd share.

Friday Night: A New Vegan Cookie

Friday night I watched Becoming Jane and made a new cookie. I really like Becoming Jane, but I always like period pieces full of affluence, distinction and honor.  It was a good flick. After the movie I was in the mood for a little sweet treat with tea, so I tried a new cookie from the Joy of Vegan Baking. The Chocolate Coconut Macaroon was an incredibly easy cookie and it's a one pan no-bake so what's not to love about that?  It tasted more like the no-bake cookies I grew up with rather than a traditional macaroon, but I liked those better anyway.

Saturday: Pancakes on the Roof, A Walk in the Wetlands, Fireworks and Chili (again on the roof)

Saturday morning I tried a new pancake recipe, Easy Weekend Pancakes, from Vegan Yum Yum. It's a thinner pancake, which I prefer and uses spelt flour (or any flour.) We've found a new favorite and it really is easy, just as the name states. (So easy I made them the next day too.)  Grant and I took our pancakes to the roof, it's officially open, and enjoyed our breakfast with views of the monument, capital and cathedral.  As you can see from the pics, it wasn't all that warm and it was a bit blustery, but we enjoyed ourselves.

After breakfast and some discussion about our day, we decided to go to a park a coworker had told me about. Huntley Meadows Park is the largest fresh water wetlands in the area and is home to many birds, frogs, insects and mammals. It's a beautiful park and the trails are nicely groomed. It was an easy and pleasant walk.  For the first part of the walk we were in the forest and then all of a sudden it open up into this huge wetlands area. The boardwalk path brought us out over the water and we were able to look for frogs, turtles and water birds.  It was a great find and we plan on going back on an early sunny morning to see what will be waiting to greet us.

 

 

 

From there we ran some errands and got back home just in time to heat up some chili, crack open a Corona and head up to the roof again. This time to watch the Cherry Blossom Festival Fireworks. We have a pretty good view and you can beat the commute back home.

Sunday: More Pancakes, Laundry and Not Much Really

Sunday wasn't all that eventful, but I did love the pancakes so much, I made them again using all purpose flour. And guess what? I still love them.  Oh and I also tried making Cheezy Quackers from Have Cake, Will Travel. They are suppose to be like the little fish crackers, but without all the junk and dairy. I didn't have any cute little cookie cutters so I used the cap of my rice wine vinegar.  Grant and I both liked them. A good salty snack.

That's it. Perhaps I'll have more to say now that I've opened the door a bit. Otherwise, I'll at least provide weekend highlights.

ah sunday

Sunday was just like Sundays are supposed to be. Some quiet time, a yummy breakfast, church and spending time with friends. I got up early, sat by the newly decorated tree and worked on my current knitting project...it was nice. At some point I decided to make waffles.

I tried a new recipe, banana oatmeal (sans raisins), from Vegan with a Vengeance, and they were quite tasty. Grant and I hadn't tried making waffles since becoming vegan and these, like just about everything else we've tried, were delicious and will be made again.

Later in the day I went to a baby shower for my friend Amanda. It was nice visiting with everyone and we played some fun games that made us laugh a lot. Amanda received many beautiful gifts and books. It was a book themed shower and we reminisced when old favorites were opened and aaaahhhhed when for the new stories. I got her two of my favorite picture books, The Polar Express and One Morning in Maine. Now she just needs to have this baby!!!

Woodend...a great place to visit

Grant and I took a walk in Woodend on Saturday. It was the first time we'd been there and it was a pleasant surprise.  It's a land sanctuary kept up by the Audubon Naturalist Society. We walked around the property and saw lots of deer (really close), rabbits, and many birds. They have flower meadows that deer, butterflies and bees love to hang out in.  We had a lovely time and will definitely go back again.

Check out more pictures here...

Cappuccino Goodness

So my Mum is in town visiting and yesterday I broke out the espresso machine and made everyone cappuccinos - YUM.  It's always such a nice treat to have a strong Italian coffee.  I think Mum and Grant liked them too.

After our lazy morning, we headed over to see James' new place. The apartment is very nice and spacious. It has 3 bedrooms and was recently renovated - a great find! It seems that he's getting really close to getting the new place so keep your fingers crossed.

Next was breakfast. We were all pretty hungry at this point so we headed to our old stomping ground and had a yummy breakfast at Tonic. We hadn't been there in a long time so everything, especially the maple butter, tasted really good.

From there we went for a drive to the dairy farm, South Mountain Creamery, where we get out dairy products .  We thought it would be nice a drive, especially since it snowed the night before.  The dairy was pretty with all the snow, but most of the cows were inside.  We bought some cheese and yogurt and Grant got some ice cream, of course.

Our last stop took us to Frederick. Even though it was pretty cold, we walked around and did a little shopping. Frederick has a nice little downtown. There are many restaurants and a few specialty shops.  There are also a couple Irish bars so there was lots of St. Patrick's Day celebrations happening both in the bars and out on the streets.

In the evening we went to see Purlie Victorious at my church. Purlie, the musical, opened on Broadway in 1970 to audiences thrilled to see music and comedy used to expose the injustices of segregation. The performance was amazing, funny and touching. I highly recommend it, if you have time next weekend.

Today we went to church, where I was able to make some progress on my Everyday and then we had our traditional after service falafel sandwich - YUM!

A Felted Bag and Other Life Happenings

 

In knitting news, last week I helped Amanda (well really gave moral support) felt a bag she knit for her mother. I think we were a little concerned at first because it wasn't felting much and it was getting *really* furry.  In the end it turned out lovely and I think her mother liked it very much.  Take a look at the before pictures here.

In other news. My trip to San Francisco was great. I was busy working most of the time, but did find some time to enjoy the 70 degree weather. (Specifically knitting in Union Square while drinking *many* cappuccinos, see below).  On the last day Kirstin, Cee-Cee and I found time to visit Imagiknits and drool over all their amazing yarn. I bought some Noro Kureyon as I'm thinking about starting the Lizard Ridge and I figured why not start with just one ball. If I can figure out how to do one square, perhaps I'll do more.

I took a number of fun photos during my trip and you can check them out here.

Lastly, it snowed in DC on Sunday. Grant and I had much fun walking around in the snow and taking pictures.  I think the 3-4 inches we got took everyone by surprise.  It was a sticky, thick snow, so everything was white and clean. 

Still Making Progress

Gotta love 3-day weekends the weekend after you move!  We made time for some relaxation, but also made more progress unpacking.  We definitely have more to do, but I think we're both feeling a bit less overwhelmed by our own belongings and mess.  Kuba has seemed to settle in as well, which takes away some worry. 

My creative closet is coming along. I'll show pictures of that when it's finished. It's fantastic being able to see all my goodies. It's not the extra room I've always wanted, but it's pretty darn close.

You've all provided great support during this chaotic time - many thanks!! 

I've posted new pics on flickr, if you'd like to see some progress.

In other non-unpacking news for the weekend. I found my knitting - yeah! - so I hope to be getting back to that soon.  We tried out our new waffle maker and even though the first recipe I tried was a bit labor intensive, they were delicious.  We also tried out the espresso maker that Grant's parents got us for Christmas.  Lattes and cappuccinos all day long - lovely.  We celebrated Sarah's birthday by attending a rockin party at her house. There was lots of great food and yummy people...hmmm switch that...and we got to spend some out of work time with Kirstin and Rudy. 

Lots of Yarn Goodness

On Saturday I went to Stitches East with Jenna and Lauren and it was great. So much yarn, fiber and knitting goodness, there was no way I could see it all in one day, but I made a good effort.  Jenna and I left early in the morning, headed up to Columbia to meet up with Lauren and then to Panera to have some yummy breakfast with the Columbia Knitting group.  After having some tea and a bagel, we headed to Baltimore.  Once there, we made a bee line straight to the market. First to Webs, where Lolly got some fantastic Noro, then to Blue Moon Fibers, where both Jenna and I picked up some awesome Socks that Rock. Next we stopped to say hi to Michael during his book signing. Then to Tess (my home state fiber queen) to pick up some beautiful sock yarn for a pair of socks and a child's hat.  After that we wandered around a number of other places and then sadly it was time for me to go! This was probably a good thing as I was getting way too close to buying a swift and baller and well, I had already spent a nice amount of cash. So here's what I got...

1. Sock Candy for a pair of cotton socks (the other is going to my scarf pal).
2. Some bulky for a few felted bowls (holiday gifts).
3. A couple skeins of Tess sock yarn for a baby hat and a pair of socks.
4. A couple skeins of hemp to make a few wash cloths - very nice.

We couldn't take any photos inside the market, so I don't have many photos to share but believe me when I say that inside the market was like a live knitting fashion show and this one takes the cake (and yes the blue square being knitted is actually separate from the sweater).

I had a great time and will plan to spend more time (and probably money) there next year.

weekend round-up

It was a good weekend...a day trip, some knitting, yummy vegetarian Chinese food and lots more knitting!

On Saturday we drove to Annapolis and hung out for the afternoon. While Grant and his mom were in the front of the car chatting, I sat in the back knitting and listening to the latest Cast On.  Once in Annapolis, I went off on my own to walk at a slower pace (as I recently hurt my knee) and to take some photos. I eventually ended up in a bookstore, sipping a latte, reading and doing some Sudoku (I had left my knitting in the car!)

1. alex haley memorial, 2. naval academy boys, 3. fuzzy alpaca toys, 4. native american statue

There are a couple more photos on my Flickr, including a cool moth shot.

From Annapolis we drove to Rockville to have dinner a one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants, The Vegetable Garden.  Since becoming vegetarian, I hadn't really eaten Chinese food, until we found this place. It is so good. Fresh organic veggies, wonton soup (yes, wonton soup!) and the sesame beef...oh my!  We always enjoy going there and I recommend it, whether you're a veggie or not.

On Sunday Grant and his mom headed to museums and I knit just about all afternoon.  I finished my socks, finished and felted a purse and made a little flower for it. I also took pictures of my clapotis which I finished back in May but have neglected to celebrate.  Now you're probably wondering where the pictures are??  Well they're on the camera. I will post FO knitting this week.   

At this point I'm ready to start a new project!! So I'm off to my yarn stash to figure that out.

sunday brunch and some knitting

So this morning we made this for breakfast – YUM!  We had Cara Cara red naval oranges, wheat toast with strawberry jam and egg scramble with mushrooms, green pepper, cheese and veggie Canadian bacon. It was quite tasty and there is nothing better than a late brunch made at home, while in your pajamas, listening to the “Sunday Morning” playlist.  It was a nice start to the day.

In other weekend news, I found some time to knit – yeah! I finished my Kim’s Hat from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I love this hat pattern. It’s knit in the round and it calls for one of my favorite yarns, Manos. This color is O (aka rose.) This one is for my One Skein Pal. Hopefully she doesn't visit my blog.

Check out another view on my flickr.

I also worked on a little surprise for my secret pal, who may very well see this post before she gets it (we were all given hints this week), but that’s ok.  I’m not saying what it is…

weekend roundup

Ok, so let's get up to date...

Around 3am Friday morning some noise under my bed woke me up. I looked under there to find Oliver, clearly looking freaked out.  It was obvious to me that he wasn't feeling well and was frightened. His pupils were dilated and he wouldn't come out from under the bed. I wondered if he and Kuba had been fighting and he had gotten is hiney kicked. Eventually I coaxed with out with his carrier (he loves getting inside the carrier), checked him out and didn't see any wounds or blood and decided it was his heart so we headed to the animal hospital. It turns out that he had fluid in his lungs (due to being in end stage cardiac failure) and he was having trouble breathing. Oliver stayed in the hospital, hanging out in an oxygen tent, until Saturday when he was breathing much easier. They up his diuretic to take care of the extra fluid from his heart and hopefully he will maintain good breathing. The pink bandage is from his IV. He slept most of the weekend and appeared to be feeling better.

On Saturday I hung around the house with Oliver and did some knitting. I got further on my sock. You can see I finished the heel flap and turned the heel. Now onto the tough part...the gusset. On Saturday I received a package from my one skein pal. It was a beautiful skein of mohair/wool in a colorway named sun-baked earth. Isn’t that a fabulous name? Perfect for me! She also sent a lovely over-sized postcard and for a sock key chain. What a great way to use all those bits of sock yarn.

Lastly, on Sunday Grant wanted to go to the bike store so I went to the knitting store which is right down the street.  I picked up some Rowan Cotton Rope (on sale!)and the book Rowan Cotton Rope Collection because I fell in love with the hat on the front cover (Tishka Hat). I'm knitting the hat in blue with a mint trim (see below) for a friend, but I also got some yarn to make one for myself in colors that will hopefully match my clapotis which is also knit in cotton.

That should bring you up to day or at least to Monday :)