Happy to Oblige

"Five minute cake? Oh, I need that", wrote Holly. Here it is, Holly. Enjoy.

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous). And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

Spicy Update

It's getting to the "I am sick and tired of this thing" point, but at 104cm x 119.5cm (41" x 47"), it's not quite big enough to call it quits, plus I still have quite a bit of yarn left. AliP suggested matching slippers to go with the blanket, and I must admit to the brilliance of her advice. Slippers would be much more manageable than endless stitches of garter stitch on one needle.

Sam and Pandora having a snooze fest. Doesn't Sam look like he has a major cranky on for having to share the love seat with her? In Pandora's defence, she was there first.

Fabulous Find

I'm so excited! No, really? Yes!!

I read a lot. I'm a slow reader but I make time to read. My tastes in books vary widely and when I get hung up on any particular subject, I read anything about it I can get my hands on. The funny thing is that reading sometimes takes me on the interesting journey . I borrowed Stitched In Time by Alicia Paulson from my local library. I love it. Such cute projects! What's more, I discovered that Alicia Paulson blogs at Posie Gets Cozy and the blog is even better than the book. Seriously! You should check it out. It kind of reminds of Victoria magazine. So pretty, so feminine. So flowery and old fashioned. I love it deeply.

Oh, and may I mention here how evil my boy kid is. All day he kept bugging me for the 5-minute cake recipe. I finally found it and printed it from an old email from AliP(wicked, wicked woman). Naturally as soon as the youngest one found out he was going to make one, she wanted to make one too. No big deal until I smelled that cooking cocoa. I only went upstairs to check that they weren't trashing the kitchen, honest. Now, 10 minutes later, inexplicably I find myself eating a mugful of cake with whipped cream (because, really, you can't have cake without whipped cream!). Damn. And I was doing so good. Let me tell you this, and I know it may be a big fat lie because that's what bathroom scales do, but since hubby left on his fishing trip I've lost (and don't want to find again) five pounds! Yeah. I was feeling pretty good about it until this cake incident. I've been walking everyday, and yesterday even biked and swam. Maybe tomorrow I can redeem myself.

Blue Skies, Nothing but Blue Skies

Finally. Blue skies and sunshine.

Nothing like blue skies to put a positive spin on the crap-tastic. Yesterday I sewed a pair of nice, cozy sweatpants for myself. Too damn cold for shorts and skirts! Today? Check out that picture. F*ck a duck. I don't know when, I don't know how I managed to get them stained already. My positively delusional brain tells me that I will be able to get them clean. We'll see soon enough.

Just for the record, I am not competing with the grandmother of Mat's fiance. Now check out these bitty socks. Perfect for a newborn, and wool/nylon blend so they'll be warm but also washable by young parents that have no respect for wool.




In my renewed attempt to get fit, I decided to start walking every day. The introductory foray into exercise lasted over an hour and a half, as the kids and I walked and talked and stopped along the way to take pictures of flowers and trees and bugs. All told we did about a 5km circuit. We even had fun! Wow. Today we'll be better prepared with water for our trek. Cheers.

Leaving the 70s Behind

My husband is an avid fisherman, particularly enjoying fly fishing for salmon and trout. He ties his own flies and keeps busy off season tying special orders for other ardent fishermen. Every year he embarks on a week long trip to the Marimichi in New Brunswick with his best friend where they're up before dawn and don't quit until well after sunset to try their wits again the mighty salmon. A bit fanatical if you ask me. Especially if you knew of the preparations that go into this coveted seven day retreat from responsibility.

A couple years ago the best friend purchased a 30 year old camper trailer to make their adventure more comfortable. It wasn't long before their realized its shortcomings, like the leaky roof. Since they weren't able to make their annual trek last year due to work commitments, it seemed like prime opportunity to get some work done on it and so the trailer ended up in our yard. Time, and enough cursing, is what it takes to fix things apparently. You know how it is when you start to fix something, and underneath that problem you discover another one, and another? Yeah. I thought it was never going to end. But it did and when all the necessary things where as they should be, it seemed a waste not to gussy the trailer up. My very talented husband gave it a funky new paint job, and I was hired to update the curtains and seat covers from the 70's special of orange and brown.

Before: After:

Damn, it turned out good! Perfect for a couple outdoorsy kind of dudes.

Fun When There's No Sun

First an oops to show you. Sometimes it really doesn't pay to knit while watching a movie, even if it's only garter stitch. I found the dropped stitch last night, about three inches past the offense. Since I really didn't want to re-knit three inches worth of garter stitch, I dropped the stitch beside it (I should have dropped at least two or three looking back on it) and picked up two in the space of the one. It came out a bit tight, that's why I should have dropped an extra one or two, but at the time I just wanted to fix it and move on. You can hardly blame me. It will be a big blanket and I hope the oops won't show so much when it's all done. I decided I will call this blanket Spicy, for the colours that are so well represented in my spice cabinet: curry, cinnamon, mustard, ginger, cayenne pepper, cocoa. Puts me in a baking mood.

School finished yesterday morning for summer break, and today the kids are already getting on mine and each other's nerves. Grrrrr. So I decided to put them to work. Child labour be damned. They were actually eager to get started. Whether they will complete the job is another matter.

I knew I wanted that ugly, dark wallpaper gone from the moment we moved in. I don't think a better opportunity would have presented itself if I waited another year. So far they've got the worst of it off, and now have to start working on removing the backing. It's going to be a long process that I am not prepared to start right now, since I have to find a tool that will be safe to use in the kids' hands without them gouging a bunch of holes in the drywall. Touchy.

I am suddenly inspired to knit a Kitty Pi bed. It's all Caroline's fault. Her kitty looks so comfy and the bed so pretty. Did I mention that it will use up lots of stash if I make one for each of my kitties? HA HA HA HA

Thunder On

There is nothing like a good thunder storm to clear the air. By bedtime, with the pouring rain washing the humidity away I was able to turn the fans off. Baking bread wasn't the major ordeal I was dreading. When I took the loaves out of the oven the whole house smelled divine, the yeasty aroma seeping into every room.

Apparently there are more of those Moderne Log Cabin blankets than I realized. A Caffeinated Yarn is making one. Iron Needles finished one back in March that is lively with colour. Mine is progressing well. At the moments it is 62cm x 74cm (24.5" x 29"). I am loving its stash busting properties.

Between this blanket, all the socks I've been knitting, and the baby items I still plan to knit, I should not only meet but exceed my goal of busting the stash by 100 skeins (there's a group on Ravelry). Unfortunately I lost count when I went away in February and haven't bothered to keep track since I returned. My finished projects will help me with some of the numbers.

Humidity Hell

I don't often complain about the weather. Honest. But seriously? I'm quite certain that the major reason I haven't moved back to Ontario, where my mom and brother with his family live, is to avoid their hellish summers. I'm not cut out for dealing with humidity. I am weak. I like that I can drive 10 minutes and be enjoying the cool ocean breezes. Unfortunately a jaunt to the ocean is not possible when there is stuff that just has to be done. It's hard to vacuum, or wash the dishes, or do the laundry, or sweep the floors when you're not actually and physically in the house. Damn. At least the kids are out with their friends so technically I suppose I should be able to get my work done that much faster. If I wasn't on the computer that is, bitching about the weather.

I may be acting a bit self-indulgent and like a drama queen when I say that I barely survived yesterday, and today is no better. The air is so saturated with moisture it's practically inhumane. (God help those people that have locked their pets outside or in vehicles on such a day!) There is no point in hanging out laundry because I doubt that it would dry. Good thing I'm relatively healthy. I can't imagine what it must feel like to people with breathing problems. At least I live in a place where I have access to clean drinking water, that I don't have to boil first.

Because as a friend kindly pointed out a while ago, with me, the weather thing is personal.

I'm so Relieved

You Are 24% Abnormal

You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at high risk for having a borderline personality. It is very likely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at low risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is unlikely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

How Abnormal Are You?

Long Live Garter Stitch

Yeah, baby.

From Mason-Dixon Knitting. The Moderne Log Cabin Blanket. Being knit in Briggs & Little Atlantic, adjusting the cast on down to 36 stitches on size 6.5mm needles. I'll stop knitting either when I run out of yarn (I have a lot of these particular colours), or I get sick and tired of it, or when it gets big enough to cover the house. I wonder which will come first. So far it measures 41cm x 56cm (16" x 22"). It hasn't gotten old yet but then I've only been knitting on it over a couple movies. The Harlot is making one too and you can click here to see her progress. Unlike her, I'm taking some liberties with the block sizes, just because it's my blanket and I can do whatever I want.




I finished reading On Writing by Stephen King. Excellent book, well written. Inspired me to start writing again. For me it's not so much about publishing but about putting my stories down on paper, because that's what gives me pleasure. It also doesn't hurt to dust those cobwebs from my brain.


For those interested, I already ripped back the baby kimono and plan on re-knitting it in stripes. I may even use that funky stripe generator. Also, in regard to baby knits, I've been informed in no uncertain terms that I'm a slacker. By Mathew, the future father. Apparently his fiance's grandmother has already churned out a couple hats, four (!) blankets, and a couple sweaters. Now you got to understand that IF I was a competitive kind of knitter, this revelation would grate on my nerves. It would probably make me say things like "she's probably using cheap, itchy acrylic" and "the stuff is probably ugly as sin" and "the stuff won't even fit". Good thing I'm not competitive (although I kind of think that's why Mathew told me of her accomplishments, probably in hopes of lighting that proverbial fire under my needles to start creating many and marvelous little bitty baby items). OK. I am a little bit competitive. I plan on knitting more baby stuff for his baby, due date October 21 so I do still have lots of time, and I also plan on sewing a number of adorable pieces too. So there.





In other news, Sam the cat is finally on the road to recovery. After a week, he's starting to fill out a little, eating more regularly, spending some time outside, and actually jumping up on my belly for cuddles while I read. This is all fabulous news, naturally. Even the pads of his feet are all better. I suspect that he may have strayed to one of the neighbouring places that sprayed pesticides about a month ago, which would explain the severely swollen and red pads; it would also explain his weight loss if he was poisoned by eating the chemical- sprayed grass.

Dumb Ass

After all that glee over spontaneous baby kimono knitting, I went and slammed up again the idiot wall. Must be because the knitting fates didn't want me to get too big for my britches. Especially since I tinkered with a perfectly good pattern and tried to turn the kimono into a sweater. That'll teach me. Maybe. But I will never start another project without checking my yarn quantities.

Wanna see?

First check out the amount of yarn left on the ball. Now notice the amount of sweater still in need of knitting? Yeah. And I don't have any more of this colour. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Hope the water in the frog pond is warm.

This is the first one.

With the seriously cute buttons.