What’s On Your Workdesk this Wednesday?
Continuing with the crochet squares for the kitty throw. After everyone’s kind words last week, I decided to take your advice, and persevere with the rather difficult design for this particular square, and make some more of the kitty faces. I’ve now made 4, and added embroidery to the second of the four.
I am getting a bit faster at doing them but keep making stupid mistakes (like forgetting to carry the colours along the row, or doing two stitches where there should be only one etc.) and having to undo it, and also, working the colour changes is quite time-consuming so that they don’t show. I am intending to make six in all, after which I shall go back to the basic (quick to make) ones. After I have made a total of 80 squares, I shall concentrate on the crochet appliqué embellishments, some of which will also require embroidered features.
I’ve had other useful advice too, on how to proceed with assembling the blanket without my hubby being aware of what is going on – one being to make up the squares in strips initially. Someone suggested putting my initials in one corner, and a friend (not online) suggested this, but putting our 2 initials together, which I think is a lovely idea. She also suggested, which I’d already decided, to use Mum’s bedroom in the flat, because he doesn’t go in there very often. The furniture is all pushed back against the walls and there’s a nice big space in the middle of the carpet. He has been going in there this week, though, to have another go at our wonderful cat jigsaw that we had for Christmas. I have forewarned him that I shall soon need that room for something and it will be out of bounds for the duration – I may have to lock the door!!
I’ve given the assembly of the throw quite a bit of thought, and decided that I need to assemble the blanket first, and then add the embellishments. The idea of making it up in strips is good, because otherwise it’s going to be far too bulky and impossible to hide from my hubby while I apply the embellishments! I also intend to take photos of the layout so that I will be able to remember what goes where.
Before I get to that stage, though, all the squares will need to be blocked. I’ve got my blocking mats, and the new pins my hubby gave me as part of my Christmas present. I’ve only got about 15 more squares to make before we get to that stage, so the end of this stage is definitely in sight now.
Food
I’ve been having a bit of correspondence back and forth in the comments under the brilliant YouTube video I found last week about making green smoothies (in my case, smoothie bowls). The lovely lady who did the video has been very kind and come up with some suggestions. She said that the bitter aftertaste I was getting from the greens (specifically the kale, because she said the spinach doesn’t have much flavour) could be counteracted by adjusting the proportions of fruit to greens.
I made another fruit smoothie bowl this week, and put in a handful of kale and spinach mixed, and because the greater proportion was fruit, this did the trick and I couldn’t taste the greens at all. The funny thing was that it turned the colour from the original rich dark red to a brown colour and it looked like a chocolate pudding! That didn’t matter, because the result was delicious.
I have found another video (there are loads out there on the subject of veggies in smoothies) – this one is hilarious with a little snatch of enthusiastic song before each recipe! A selection of mixed fruit and veg smoothies which I know can be adapted for smoothie bowls. There was a link to download her free e-book, which I have done, and it looks lovely. I shall definitely be trying some of these, and I’ll let you know how I get on.
This week I have made korma with lots of different veggies, some more Saddam Hussein soup, a big batch of my chunky tomato soup, more bulgur bread, vegan broccoli salad, and chickpea ranch wraps, and re-stocked the freezer with grains (millet and rice) in 2-person-sized portions, and also new batches of roasted mixed veggies, ready to take out at a moment’s notice. Also the usual batches of almond and soya milks, and soya milk yoghurt. Life is never dull in the kitchen.
I also had a large box delivered from my whole-food supplier this week. This always takes quite a bit of time to sort through. I have to empty the box in the entrance hall because it is far too heavy to lift! Some of the unopened packs are stored in the flat kitchen, and other supplies are put in the freezer. If you buy nuts in bulk it is always best to freeze them because they tend to go rancid after a while at room temperature. I buy bread flour, nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruit and herbs and spices from this supplier, and I keep a running list in the pantry so that I know what to order next time. I usually put in an order every 6-8 weeks.
Kitties
Both kitties have been working extremely hard this week – at sleeping. They really do put a lot of effort into this (lack of) activity. No wonder they have to eat so much.
My hubby is such a softie. Twice this week he has brought a hard chair in from another room, so that he could sit and eat his meals without disturbing the kitties. I told him we should have bought another armchair with the new suite so that the kitties could have their own.
Still, I suppose this is a bit better than him sitting on the floor, as he did back in November 2019.
(My goodness, looking at this photo of my hubby taken just over a year ago, I can see how much weight he has lost!!)
It hasn’t been all sleep for Ruby, however. She has been busy improving on her computer skills. If she keeps this up, she will rival Beatrice, her forebear, who deservedly received the accolade Computer Queen. I was working on updating my whole-food plant-based guide to send to someone, and Ruby added her two-penny-worth.
I am sure you will agree that this addition is of great nutritional benefit for anyone wishing to embark on the whole-food plant-based lifestyle.
Rock babies.
Ruby ruminating. She looks like a fat little matron with her arms folded across her capacious bosom.
I’m really looking forward to being able to start on the Persian Tiles throw for the settee. Meantime, my beautiful quilt is doing a lovely job.
There’s a story behind this quilt which people who followed my old blog may remember. Back in 2015 when I was undergoing my cancer treatment, a lady in the USA contacted me after reading my blog, and offered to make me a quilt! She was a breast cancer survivor who had teamed up with a friend to set up a small charity offering support and help to local cancer patients – helping with DIY, gardening, shopping etc. She made quilts, so she started making them to give to people undergoing chemo to offer them a bit of comfort – nice bold dark brownish colours for the men and more pretty ones for us ladies! I was overwhelmed by this offer from someone who didn’t know me from Adam. She said posting to the UK was no obstacle, and in due course this beautiful quilt arrived, with “A quilty hug” written on the reverse. It was too hot to enjoy it during the summer of my chemo, but I have enjoyed it constantly since.
Shoshi the enablee
A little while ago, Shaz Silverwolf recommended a book on Amazon called “Paper Transformed.” It sounded really good so I asked my hubby if he would like to give it to me for Christmas, which he said would be fine. There was a very long delivery time on it, and it only arrived last week.
It looks as if it is going to be brilliant – a really good source book for techniques and how to use various materials, once I get back in the studio doing paper stuff again. Here are some examples of the pages picked at random, beginning with a couple showing different techniques.
Towards the back of the book are a number of different projects using the various techniques.
Shaz the enabler
We all know Shaz, the great enabler who tempts us all to spend lots of money on gorgeous crafty stash! She is also the most creative and accomplished lady, and she makes such beautiful cards. All our cards came down on 6th January but I have left hers (and Cindy’s) up on the mantelpiece because I wanted to continue to admire them and think of the generosity of these two lovely ladies in spending time to make me such beautiful cards.
I was aware that Shaz had been poorly but I’ve just visited her blog and read what her lovely hubby Doug has written about what has been happening with her. I had no idea it was this bad and I am devastated for them both – such a lovely couple. When I was going through my own cancer, which was diagnosed six months after Shaz’s, she immediately leapt in with the most incredible amount of help and support, and practical advice. It was Shaz who encouraged me to keep my Cancer Diary, which I have edited and transferred onto this blog (see tabs above) for the benefit of anyone else facing this challenge. You never know how your own experiences may help others. She had received the same chemo as me, and her inside knowledge of exactly how it affected her, and what I should expect, was even more helpful than the oncologist’s information about side effects etc., good as that was. Shaz was always there for me during that time. She and Doug were invited to some sort of celebration in our neck of the woods just before I was due to go into hospital to have my colon removed, and they came and visited us for a cup of tea.
Shaz and I spent a bit of time together in the bathroom and she showed me what to expect after my operation, and this took so much of the fear of the unknown away from me. I shall never forget her kindness and generosity in doing this for me.
Apart from various complications and further surgeries that I have required since that time, my outcome cancer-wise has been extremely good, and I was eventually discharged completely from the oncology department. Cancer is such a lottery and nobody knows what the outcome is going to be. I am struggling not to indulge a feeling of survivor’s guilt at the moment, but just to hang onto the fact that I am so grateful for my own outcome, and can only hope and pray for Shaz as she goes through such awful struggles, and to give thanks for the support that she and so many others gave me during my own difficulties.
So, for those who pray, please join me in praying for both Shaz and Doug at this very difficult time.
Weird substitutions
Have you ever noticed how incredibly stupid computers can be? Over the past several years I have noticed some really funny things that come up when I do my online Tesco grocery order week by week. Sometimes they say “This product is currently unavailable” or “This product has been removed from our range,” under which it says, “You could substitute it with this…” and a suggestion.
Recently we’ve had red grapefruits not being available, and the suggested substitution is… wait for it… red grapefruits!
Last week, I wanted some grapefruits which weren’t available, and the suggested substitution was pasta! All I can say is, Tesco’s computer has a very curious taste in food. Grapefruits with marinara sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan? Grapefruit lasagne, anybody? Or perhaps your fancy is Grapefruit Bolognese. Or perhaps you’d like half a cannelloni for breakfast with a cherry on top.
When the delivery man came (one of my favourites – he is always so chatty and friendly), I told him about this and we had a good laugh about it. He then said that was nothing… He once had to do a delivery for a lady who had ordered a pregnancy test kit. This was not available, so they had substituted……. condoms!!! We both roared with laughter at this and agreed, “A bit late for that!!”
Your blanket is coming along nicely and I find it amazing that you are so close to the sewing up stage! You are still not convincing me on the smoothies , ‘tho. 😀 I have heard that removing the thick stems from things like kale will help reduce the bitterness….
I am not surprised to hear Shaz was such a help to you. She is an amazing lady, she and Doug a fab couple, and the news of her struggle is heartbreaking – and her brush-it-off, I’m-fine attitude unsurprising.
Love the quilt BTW. This is the winter to make use of that LOL!
Happy WOYWW to all!
Mary Anne (1)
Morning Shoshi. Well done on all those squares – I can’t believe you are so near your 80 squares already! The cat faces are going to look great on it. Yes – the substitutions these online grocery orders come up with are… somewhat interesting!
I trust both Shaz and Doug find peace in our Heavenly Father at this time – such a difficult journey for them.
Take care. God bless.
Margaret #5
Your Tesco comment did make me laugh! We spoke to one driver who had had the misfortune of having to hand over a substitute for children’s sun cream – again condoms! What is it with Tesco and condoms I wonder!! Well done with the kitty throw, although I’m looking forward to your Persian one. Your pussy cats have such lovely markings but I’m afraid they would have to get off the chair if it were me! Stay safe and keep smiling, Lisa-Jane #2
They have such different personalities! It may be more tiresome to do these blocks but they are so worth it and will look fantastic in the finished blanket. I never really thought about how you’d sew it up secretly, it’s a valid point but your mum’s flat sounds a good solution! Your hubby will be made up when he gets it.
HUgs LLJ 6 xxx
Hi Shoshi, got to be quick today as my mum is in hospital and been having to deal with some stuff for her this morning so might have missed a few things. Loving all the kitty stuff, our animals know all the best places for sure and if we have to sit on the floor ….well what do they care! Nice pic of Shaz and Doug too. Wishing you a safe and happy woyww, Angela x16x
That is a blast from the past for me. i once did a class with Julia Andras at CHA. She is a cancer survivor, or was then. She told us how she had had breast cancer before she began the class which was very sad and had half the ladies in tears. I am sure I have the right lady. She started her own business making Eco-friendly paints and I still have some of the tubes she gave out – and it has not gone off like so many. Enjoy her book!
Love the kitty pictures and I love how your husband has sat on a hard chair so as not to disturb them – I think it would be the same with me. How could you disturb those two little beauties.
That is a lovely photo of Shaz and Doug, she looks so well but the last photo IL saw of her a few weeks ago told a different story. I hate to think what she is going through. Doug has started a group for friends on Facebook where he posts updates – the latest one is very upsetting. I hope and pray for better news.
To finish on a brighter note, I loved the cartoon at the end and the story of the van driver was so funny.
Take care
Neet 4 xx
What a lovely blog post. Your cats throw is coming along beautifully and I have been wondering how you’ll hid it from your hubby as it gets bigger and bigger, so I’m glad you have found a solution – I hope you manage to keep him out of the room successfully! The kitties do make me laugh, especially seeing your hubby sitting on the floor while they lounge on the comfy seats. What a lovely picture of Shaz, and what beautifully expressed words.
Hope you have a good week,
Diana xx #23
the blanket is going to be amazing. good job you have somewhere you will be able hide away to carry on with it! the quilt on your sofa is stunning – and what a wonderful thing for that lady to do. Just shows how darn GOOD some people are! I really feel for Doug and Shaz, they’ve already been through so much, and now to face this all again…. as you say, they are both such lovely people. Take care and stay safe.thanks for visiting already Helen #3
Shaz is such an amazingly generous and lovely lady, I am not surprised how helpful she was. I am praying for her and Doug at the moment, the news is so upsetting. Love your kittie squares and the photos of the two trouble makers – had to laugh at the kitty contribution to the word document. Happy WOYWW. I hope that you have a good week. Take care and stay safe. With love & God Bless, Caro x (#10)
I bought the same book recommended by Shaz. I haven’t done anything more than have a quick look, but it seems interesting. Your husband is indeed a softer, to sit on a hard chair and the let the darlings sit on the comfy chair. They posed beautifully in the garden. Have a great week Angela #17
As always, I get so much inspiration when I read your posts! I missed a few posts because life gets complicated between Wednesdays but your writing has a way of helping me settle down, grounded, and remembering how much I enjoy life.
I left one of my support groups because I am in remission and after we lost a couple of members, I felt guilty about remaining in a group where so many people were fighting the disease and losing. There is no cure for my disease so remission is the best outcome one can hope for.
I love spinach, but I can’t abide kale. Even when the Hubster puts kale in our “Green Goddess” smoothies the taste seems to overpower all the other ingredients! But, as my grandmother used to say, “Everything good for you is not good to you and vice versa!”
Enjoy your week!
Hugz,
Chana Malkah, #32
Keep going your blanket squares are looking great, Love your cats they are so sweet and love the markings on them,
I’m chuckling at hubby sat on the hard chair and the floor, that’s just the sort of thing that would have happened here when we had papillon dogs. Men are such softies.
Well done on your kittie blanket, that’s really clever.
I’m adding your prayer list to my prayer list and including you. Keep smiling and creating.
Lynn xxx
The blanket is really coming along. Hopefully it won’t be comendeered by the kitties too lol. Sounds like a good plan for keeping the making up secret until the big reveal. I must admit that we have no experience of online food shopping as we have left slots available for those more in need but those suggested replacements sound like someone hasn’t done the best job of programming! Meow to Lily and Ruby stay safe and Happy WOYWW. Sarah #10
Love your blog this week, I definitely chuckled and also went back to see the Computer Queen post, as I missed it first time round.
Going back to the old post first, I empathise over the plant in the downspout. We had a similar issue when we moved in here, and one of the roofers who came to give a quote got up on his ladder and pulled the grass out of the downspout for us while he was here. With the plant came….. a screwdriver. Handle first (as in, the handle was down the spout first). No idea why or how…. ROFLMAO. Our only assumptions were a) someone was up on the roof doing something and dropped the screwdriver, or b) some enterprising magpie had carried it up there.
Well done on carrying on with the cat face squares. They definitely get easier the more you do! Reminds me that I need to carry on with some crochet squares for two blankets I’m supposed to be doing for two children. Long story but I’m about 120 squares in so far and need about 600 for two single bed sized blankets. Sigh. I need a clone.
Morti x
Grape fruit lasagne? Yum! yes…way back, when shopping on line was all new, we spend hours trying to sort it all out, I put 1 in the box for grapes. Thinking we’d get one bag/box of grapes?! yes? No! in one little plastic bag was one little grape! The pussy cat squares still make me smile! there was a picture of one under the post-I’m sure I used to have thattoo before I disappeared, another thing that’s gone missing! I’m still learning about my new lap top, my old steam-driven one could read my mind and spell things right for me, even if I spelt them wrong and find the right document without me telling it too, all be it…very slowly! But this one? It just doesn’t understand, but i guess that’s me, not understanding it! I found the button to make it read the other day, which is going to be useful, only instead of humming, when I write Hmm? the voice says H M M. My Prayers are with Shaz and Doug too, hoping the new treatment will do the trick. Mr Jinx is sat behind me right now, complaining that its waaay past bedtime. He likes to sleep with us, so I’m getting the meows that mean ‘come on!’ so! Keep Crafting- Stay Save Thanks for your visit and Happy WOYWW ((Lyn))#20
Your kitty blanket is coming out soooo cute ~ I’m glad you made some more of the detailed ones. It sounds like you have a good plan to complete it too. Your hubby has such a tender heart to sit on the floor or a hard chair to not disturb the cats ~ We tell them they’ve been in that spot to long and help them to relocate. The book does look interesting, I’ll have to see if I can find it. What a sweet friend you have in Shaz, and wonderful support. Enjoy the weekend ~ Love, Karen#27
Thank you for your visit!
As usual your post is such an interesting read – from the progress of the kitty blanket to Ruby’s typing!
We are all thinking of Shaz and Doug – I was interested to read of their visit to you.
I was amused by the Tesco story…
Happy WOYWW!
Stay safe and keep well!
I am hoping to visit everyone this week – unfortunately last week I just couldn’t make it…
Susan #8
Calling All Crafters! – My Blog!
Hello and apologies for the late reply. Lovely to be back in the friendly land of woyww. The kitty blanket will be such a treasure when completed and I am sure DH will be amazed that it was created without his knowledge. Those Kitties should be on a throne.
Sandra de
Hi Shoshi! Your cat squares are coming along beautifully, and I see Inky in there! The kitties are so beautiful, I just want to reach into the computer and give them a pet! Your Hubby is so tolerant, our cats know that we come to our chairs, they are to go somewhere else. We always eat in the TV room (watching Coronation St during dinner!) and Mittsy is often sleeping in my chair. When she sees me standing there with my tray, she looks at me for a couple of seconds, then jumps down. I have a TV tray beside me which she often jumps onto for scratches while I’m eating (she never bothers my food), and then when I need to put my tray on the TV table, she jumps into my lap for a snuggle! I love the photo of your two on the rocks, they are practically camouflaged! The book looks like a lot of fun. I have so many of those books, I need to go through them again and actually use them! Have fun! Thanks for your visit, have a great week, Lindart #33
Shoshi your blanket is going to be magnificent when finished, I like the idea of have the room to yourself to be able to finish it, what a special piece of handwork that will be to cherish. Your Hubby sat on the hard chair is exactly what my Hubby would do, our wee pup rules the roost in this house and lockdown has made her extremely spoilt. What a grand post this is, such kindness returned to Shaz & Doug, we need to keep them both in our thoughts right now. Wishing you a super week, catch up with you next WoywW.
Hugs Tracey xx
Hi there Shoshi, sorry I seem to have missed you last week when doing my hopping round the list! That blanket is coming along nicely, it will be worth the effort and hubby will love it! I had to pop over and check out Saddam Hussein Soup (LOL) and saw your lovely wedding photo. Nice to see I got a mention in your post as well – so glad you enjoyed the card. So hard to see Shaz going through tough times, but the latest news seems a little better. That photo is just gorgeous and is really how I think of both of them (although I think we all look a little rougher round the edges after this year!) See you tomorrow!! Love n hugs Cindy xx
Having invested hours in the Siamese block, yes, I’m not surprised you opted to keep it. And put in the row with the others, it’s just as lovely, it’s probably only you that will look at in the future with a slightly tainted eye! Blanket progress is marvellous, putting it together will be a piece of cake after all this!