Come On In, Y'all

There you are. Come in, and have a seat. I'll pour you a cup of hazelnut creme coffee while we visit. Vanilla caramel creamer with your coffee?

Now that you're here I get to bend your ear a bit but not all of it about my knitting. ;)
See the ceiling in the picture below? Well, it had a few water stains from when our roof leaked...three years ago and a few little stains just above the stove from a very large batch of apple butter. (oops) Anyways, we got a new roof when the leak happened (Goodman did his part), but the ceiling just sorta hung there waiting to be freshened up. I never said I was quick, did I? oO Never mind. Now, voila, at long last, I painted it. So I rewarded myself with a new look around the top of the walls, blackberry vines at 50% off the regular price. Goodman even likes them. I keep lookin' up. The mitts are finished. I'm calling them Stretching Fingerless Mitts because I added to the length where the hand bones connect to the finger bones. Sing it. I knitted a couple of Scalloped Waves Spa Cloths. (Sugar & Cream Summer Splash from Hobby Lobby) Peaches & Creme Pink Lemonade from Walmart. Aloha, Yall!

Mitts, Pears & Pickin' A Winner

Adknittingly, I've been working on these fingerless mitts. I'm using Lion Brand Wool, and tweaking as I go for a longer mitt than the pattern would make otherwise. I do like the cables so I'm knitting those according to the directions at the wrist and adding more at the fingers. I'll refrain from griping about having to restart the second one over because my knitting got tighter, making it smaller than the first one. I hope I'm not getting second mitt syndrome. Yikes. Guess who's been making more pincushions? Enter the pears...pincushions they are. I used this free pattern to make them. Um, I made four, actually, so I think I've gotten my fill of making those now....maybe.
Twenty-nine wonderful readers entered my Great Smoky Mountain Giveaway. Thank you to all for your nice comments. I appreciate that very much. And now, the giveaway results are in, and I'm happy to say the winner was chosen in the most stringent scientific manner. First, I printed out all of your blogging names and cut them apart.
I folded and piled all the names in the middle of this decidedly birdy fabric and..

Scientifically, from 2 feet in the air above the table, I dropped the burgundy-ish pear pincushion on top of them, scattering them to tomorrow and beyond.... Well, okay, only one hopped off the fabric, but as there could be only one winner that was good enough, I say. Sir Isaac Newton would have been proud, anyway, maybe... maybe not.
The point is we have a winner! Squinting at the out-of-focus picture reveals Lesley Ann of From My Left Hand blogging fame has won the Great Smoky Mountain Giveaway. (click for a bigger pic) Congratulations Lesley Ann!
Note to Margaret: Oh, you just missed the drawing! I think you must have posted your comment while I was working on this post which was after the winner was decided. I'm so sorry. Also, I've tried numerous times to leave comments at your blog (and the new one), but the type of word verification on your blog(s) will not load for me. I think the problem is my dial-up connection on AT&T. Grr.
Have a great week, Y'all!

Cades Cove

In celebration of my 100th post I want to take you on a quick trip through my favorite part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the eleven-mile loop in Cades Cove. The cove was home to around 900 people before it became part of the park. Some of the homes are still there along with a mill and several churches. It's the most peaceful place I've ever visited.
Little River runs along Highway 321 on the way.
It's really cold now, of course, but it's very refreshing in the summertime.
We're on Loop Road in the cove now.
What a view...can you imagine seeing this everyday if you had lived here.
One of several churches in the cove.
I can never get enough of those mountains.
Now, this is a barn with character!
The chute sending water to turn the mill wheel.
The old mill still works.
A wonderful old house.
Deer grazing in the fields. I could live here. I wish!
A doe grazing as the sun begins to set...it's time to head back home. As I mentioned last week I'm having a little giveaway to mark this 100th post. I hope the winner will be happy to receive the mementos, pictured here, from the gift shop in the cove. There's a 2009 calendar, a cookbook, a packet of postcards, A key ring and several bookmarks; the next best thing to a visit to the Smokies. I'm going to include a few other things, too, surprises!. ;)
All who leave a comment will be included in the drawing. Have a great week, Y'all!

Putterin'

Got rain? We do, quite alot. We've been needin' it, though, so not complain'; just sayin'. :)
I'm still enjoyin' my bird quartet. Here they are singin' I'll Fly Away as I was putterin' around in the kitchen yesterday.My putterin' produced a few jars of pineapple, cherry & citrus peel marmalade. Unlike the blackberry jam I'd already made, I had to buy all the ingredients since we don't have a pineapple, cherry or orange tree. It's a good time to buy the oranges and pineapple now, anyway. I just used maraschino cherries. I usually wait till wintertime to make jams and such; no sense heating up the kitchen in the summertime. Beth asked for the recipe so I have added it below the picture. I had tweaked a recipe from the Ball Blue Book. The name was a tad mundane so I perked that up a bit, too. Here's my version:Rosy Citrus Marmalade
1 16 ounce jar maraschino cherries, drained (Kroger has 16 oz. size) do not chop
1 fresh pineapple, chopped or 1 can pineapple tidbits (drained & chopped)
2 oranges seeded & peeled, chop the pulp and slice the peels thinly
1 package fruit pectin
2 1/2 cups water
6 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Combine orange peel, water and baking soda in large kettle. Bring to boiling; reduce heat; and simmer, covered 20 minutes. Add chopped fruit and cherries to peels and return to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 10 minutes.

Stir in fruit pectin and bring to a full boil; stir in sugar. Return to a rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam and stir for a few minutes. Pour into hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 6 half pints.
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I had started this apron before the trip to Texas and just finished it this week, too. (Have I ever mentioned how difficult it is to get a nice apron picture without a model?)I've been knitting, uh huh, but it will be a week or so before I'm finished with my project.
The next post here will be my 100th and there will be a little giveaway. We'll see you then, Lord willin'. Have a great week, Y'all.

Shared at The Art of Home-making Mondays

Happy New Year, Y'all

I love cooking with cast iron, and even though it's heavy, to me it's just downright necessary. What isn't necessary is this newly acquired set of cast iron birds. I found them at a half-price sale.
Cool, huh. Oh, they're talented, too...
They get around.
And they're quite inquisitive...

And they've just formed a quartet.  Here they are singing I'll Fly Away!  (Not bad for 1/2 priced birds.)

Happy New Year to one and all!!
May your knitting needles fly, and may your blessings reach the sky.
(With Irish roots I just can’t help the prose sometimes.;)