Andrea409

what furikake is! 1 week ago

Why, oh, why am I out of cheers at the very worst possible moment?

I very much want to partake in the guac de Grinch.. 1 week ago

on your success with this goal so far. Sounds like you’re starting off on the right foot. Just wanted to drop a note to say AWESOME and good luck to you as you continue on your way.

:) 1 week ago

Yes, it’s wonderful to have something to daydream about, to look forward to. And it’s fulfilling to work hard for something you reeeally want, so we’re both content in the knowledge that it will happen in time. The student loans are piled high, but I have no doubt that we’ll make it happen. We’re both pretty determined to do this.

Thanks again for your support! 1 week ago

Wow, what great info you have given me! I really appreciate it. I’m intimidated by sewing. I am not a mechanical person whatsoever, so I guess I’m fearing using the machine. Which is ridiculous, I know. But I won’t let that stop me. I really want to learn to make my own stuff.

I’ve never heard of tat lace. It’s something I will certainly check out. Thanks so much for taking the time to explain all this stuff to me and to compare it to knitting for me, so that I may relate to/understand it better. Very cool!

- Andrea 1 week ago

I graciously accept! :) 1 week ago

in this list that I am overwhelmed. Bacon and eggs, Julia Child, knitting, sculpture, geraniums. Ms. Rat, you’re a gem. 1 week ago

I’ve got a few skeins of Red Heart Holiday yarn left over from two throws I made for presents last year. The throws turned out great. I’m a sucker for Christmastime (and holidays, in general), so I thought I’d have no difficulty finding something to make with this leftover yarn. But I am most certainly having trouble with this. Twice, I’ve made the decision to donate the yarn, and twice I’ve yanked the yarn back out of the donation bag. I really want to find something to use it for.

I started crocheting a holiday scarf pattern that I found on Lion Brand’s website. Their picture looks really cute. But my scarf didn’t look nearly as cute. I’m not a yarn snob, and I like cheesy…but my scarf just looked tacky. The yarn is acrylic with some sort of tinsel-esque strand of metallic something or other. And it’s made to look home-spun, so it’s sort of curly for lack of a better word. I really can’t describe it. Suffice it to say, the stitches don’t look very neat, and the yarn isn’t too much fun to knit with either. But, oh, those blankets turned out really cool.

Then I tried starting a Christmas stocking. Perhaps I’ll upload a picture and you all can vote “yay” or “nay.” I love old-fashioned things, but I fear these stockings may just scream “tacky.” I figure I’ll finish the knitting, and if I hate them I’ll donate them to charity. I told Mister that I don’t think anyone would want them. He looked at me like I was nuts. “Never underestimate people and their desire for tacky-ass objects,” he said.

I think he’s probably right.

(Picture is not mine) 2 weeks ago

I’ve started my first pair of two-at-a-time socks! My needles arrived, and I cast on that same day. I’m working on these slowly, because I’m also working on Christmas gifts. I’m about an inch into the leg of the socks.

Having to worry about two balls of yarn is a little bit not-so-fun, but I’ve figured out how to prevent them from tangling. So, that’s a plus. I’m not a fast knitter at all, so it’s going pretty slowly. But still, I think I’m a big fan of this so far. It’s going to be awesome not having to wait to knit an entire second sock before I can wear them. This way, they’ll be off the needles and on my feet the same day! 2 weeks ago

...is about to commence!

I decided to wait until the Mister was done with school to start this, because so much of the crap we have sitting around belongs to him. He’s a wonderful human being, but he’s a pack rat. He hoards all things music. I wouldn’t care if we had space for it. His entire bedroom closet is filled with stuff from his childhood that he refuses to part with. The ENTIRE closet. We really, really need that space for storage, because we don’t have an attic or basement. So, everything winds up in the closets or sitting out on the floor. This drives me wacko. Straight-up the wall nutso. If I had my way, I’d throw it all away or donate it. He is a fairly patient, tolerant man (very sweet, really), but I suppose this would really make him mad. So, I’ve held off. And I’ve surveyed the clutter daily for many moons.

But now I’ve had it. This clutter has got to go. I’ve got plenty of mine to get rid of too, namely old clothes that no longer fit and yarn in my stash that I’m never going to use. I’m determined to find a home for everything, and those things that can’t find a home are going to be kicked out. So long, chaos. I’m welcoming change and simplicity.

The good news is, he actually seems to be on board. He’s keen on trying his hand at making us some storage units for the place and getting rid of some old (free) furniture that we have no space for. He’s not as keen on getting rid of all the stuff he’s accumulated over the years. Baby steps.

He’s lucky I love him so much, or I’d toss all that junk today. 2 weeks ago

I’ve been following the GAPS diet strictly for about 14 months now. That means no grains whatsoever. I feel so much better on this diet than I ever have eating a conventional American diet. But recently I had a yen for popcorn. I needed popcorn. It’s definitely not GAPS legal, but I figured after so long on the diet, my gut was probably healed to the point where I could begin cheating once in awhile. So I made popcorn. A lot of popcorn. I smothered it in sea salt and Kerrygold butter and chowed down.

My god, was it DELICIOUS.

I didn’t appear to react to it at all, which is awesome. So now I allow myself some popcorn once a week. Anything made with processed oils, grains, and refined sugar is out of the question, so popcorn has become a practically decadent treat for me.

YUM. 2 weeks ago

I am on a spring cleaning kick and am eliminating as much junk as I can from our apartment. I think it’s wise to get rid of clothes that don’t fit. I kept trying to wear my first pair of socks, but they just aren’t comfortable. The leg is too wide, and the foot is too short. After a day of wearing them, the foot wearing the shorter sock is in PAIN. So, I’m not donating them. I’m sentimental about my first socks, but I’m really, really trying to crack down on this “Live simply” (another one of my 43 things, btw) motto. And to me, that means get rid of things that I have no use for.

So, they’re getting tossed. ::weeps:: Down to two pairs, right? Wrong.

The mystery KAL was pretty fun. The sock was stranded knitting, and the yarn was KnitPicks Palette, which is 100% (not) superwash wool. Yeah, not a great idea for socks, right? I thought that too. But I was so amped about how pretty they were that I kept knitting, trying to shrug off that nagging little voice that kept chanting, “You’re never going to wear these, because the heels and toes simply won’t hold up.” I even tried knitting the heel with some wooly nylon thread to give it some durability, but I hated how it looked.

So, I took a deep breath and sent those socks into the frog pond. Such a sad day.

Nah, actually I felt proud of myself for making that decision. What’s the point of knitting socks to have them sit around purposeless? A man needs a dog, and a sock needs a foot. I’m certain those poor socks would have felt quite listless, sitting in my sock drawer with nowhere to go.

Down to one pair.

Never fear! I’ve started a new pair…one made with actual sock yarn. So, I’m officially stating that I’m starting my SECOND pair for this goal. I’m killing two birds with one stone, in that I’m knitting this pair two-at-a-time on one long circular needle. 2 weeks ago

Make sure you show us your projects when you finish them! :) 2 weeks ago

Can you share some of your talent with me, please?

I’m a knit-aholic (and crochet too), but I’ve never used a sewing machine…although I long to learn! I’ve seen some videos on youtube and have picked out the machine I want. It seems they’re really user-friendly these days. I can’t wait until I’m sewing my own skirts.

Good for you. You rock! 2 weeks ago

You won’t regret it. I taught myself from the internet too. There are so many videos and tutorials, I’m sure you’ll do great. 2 weeks ago

You know you’re right. I have heard that rats are awfully bright. I don’t mind you laughing at my plight; I sometimes laugh at it too. After the fact, of course. I probably do look pretty funny yelling and running after squirrels, lol.

Thank you, and my basil and I shall persevere! 3 weeks ago

People say squirrels are just cute rats, so I don’t expect them to be so smart. But somehow the ones around my apartment are. Maybe some DNA mutation happened that made them freakishly intelligent and evil. Maybe it’s something in the water. Who knows?

All I do know is they make a beeline for my plants and leave everyone else’s alone. I scream and shoo them away and they practically laugh at me. Little fiends. They’re definitely not scared. If it didn’t irritate me so much, I’d find it quite amusing, I’m sure.

I envision myself setting up my little camping chair out back with some sort of tranquilizer gun in my lap, just waiting to take some of those critters out. I consider myself a peace-loving humanitarian, but these squirrels have awakened something primal in me – a deep-seated need to protect my delicate little shoots and leaves. 3 weeks ago

Yes, I start my Christmas presents early. What I do is this: each month I knit a gift for someone. That way I stay on schedule but never feel stressed since I allow myself so much so much time to get them done. I started this last year and it worked so well that I decided to stick to it!

I’ll definitely let everyone know once I’ve got things up and running! :) 3 weeks ago

It must feel amazing. I can’t wait to experience that same feeling. Good for you!! 3 weeks ago

I will definitely post it once I’ve got things set up. I don’t have anything made as of yet. I’ve just started working on my Christmas gifts for this year. Yes, already, can you believe it?! Alas, I’m a slow knitter, so I’m not sure when I’ll get the shop open. But your support is SO appreciated. :) 3 weeks ago

You are way too sweet and awesome to be put down by negative, insecure, miserable people. Keep rocking your bad self, Spatzy!

- Andrea 4 weeks ago

My bad – maybe I should have clarified that it’s for breadsticks, not bread. Hope that’s not a big deal. The recipe is super easy. I just had a hard time getting the right texture. Maybe a different cookie sheet will help. That’s what I intend to try next.

Without further ado, here is the link: http://fastpaleo.com/cauliflower-breadsticks/ . If you try it, please let me know how it turns out. I’m dying to get it right!! 4 weeks ago

In the evenings, I’ve been watching some episodes of “The Alfred Hitchcock Hour” on youtube. There were three seasons (totaling something like 93 episodes, I think). Not all have been uploaded, but I found the whole series at ioffer.com for a very cheap price. Of course, these are just recordings and won’t be as nice as a set released by the studio, but I think I’d be satisfied with them. I’ll mull over it for the next few weeks before deciding.

My absolute favorite episode of the series so far is “An Unlocked Window.” Wow, wow, wow, is it ever suspenseful from start to finish. I’ve watched it a few times so far. The atmosphere is dark and stormy, and I re-watched it last night during a very windy thunderstorm. The bush scraping against my window and the wind howling outside upped the suspense and creepiness even more. Ooooh, I love it. 4 weeks ago

The freaking squirrels dug up my basil that I had sitting outside. For the last two years, it’s been an ongoing battle keeping them out of our plants. My landlord even went so far last summer as to shoot a few of them with his BB gun. I don’t think it instilled a fear in the others, because they went right on with destroying my plants. It frustrates me to no end. Looks like this will be year three of dealing with the trouble-makers. Sigh.

Back to square one. Insert expletive here. 4 weeks ago

I found some 40” circular Addi Turbos (my favorite!) on ebay for 1/3 of the price I would have paid for them on Amazon or online knitting supply stores. I’ve got the yarn and my pattern picked out; now I just have to wait for the needles to arrive, and I’m ready to go. So excited to work one pair of socks at a time.

So long, Second Sock Syndrome! 4 weeks ago

that’s awesome. You rock. 4 weeks ago

I’ve been gluten-free for about two years now. Sometimes I get a hankering for bread, but that’s pretty much all I ever miss. Even that’s rare. I eat a lot of fat, so I guess that mitigates a lot of the carbohydrate cravings I used to have. Anyway, I recently tried to make some “bread” out of cauliflower. I found a recipe online, and people were raving about how it really tastes like bread. Well, mine turned out horribly. I’m going to keep trying until I get it right, though! 4 weeks ago

We’re determined to have all student loans paid off in another four years. As Dave Ramsey says, we’re pursuing this with ‘gazelle-like intensity.’ We both dislike where we’re currently living. The apartment is great, and the rent is cheap. We’re not unsafe. But we live in a city…not a cool, happening city. Just a filthy, loud city that no one in his right mind would want to live in. Plus, we’re both country folks at heart. We both grew up with grandparents who owned farms, and we both yearn for the peace and quiet of that seclusion. Quiet folks who want to live a simple existence.

Whenever one of us gets fed up with the city, the other will say “four year plan.” It keeps us focused and hopeful, because the current situation is only temporary.

Four more years…ha, just like the presidential campaign slogans. 4 weeks ago