Wednesday, August 26, 2009

AUGUST MELON

MY "AUGUST MELON" designed by BLACKBIRD DESIGNS is finished, framed and up for display in my home.

I find it so exciting when you are looking to frame a completed pattern. I have to say... it can be challenging. I must have spent over an hour looking for the just right frame, color and mat or not to mat. I decided to not mat this "AUGUST MELON" pattern. I did use the soft sticky board to frame this pattern. I admit I was very nervous trying to do it correct, so fearful it would stick and I not have it situated evenly. Once I got it on in the position I wanted ... was I thrilled !!
If I say so myself... I am very pleased and proud of this framed "AUGUST MELON".

I am so happy to have this project finished before the end of August since the name is "AUGUST MELON".

My frame and self-adhesive frame board was purchased from Michaels.



HAPPY STITCHING
CROSS STITCH WOMAN

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

INDIANA SWEET CORN

This is the time of year that everyone in Indiana goes "sweet corn" hunting. In Indiana you take a country drive to find the farmer who has planted fields and fields of "sweet corn". You can buy fresh picked "sweet corn" by the dozen or bushel, prices depend on the farm stand.

My husband goes "sweet corn" buying hoping to find the "just right" taste he is looking for. Just because you find a farm stand selling "sweet corn" doesn't always mean it is the taste you want. There have been years where the corn may not have any flavor or not be the right time it was picked. This year has been the exception !!
We stopped by the farm stand to again find the so called "Indiana Sweet Corn", as talking with the young boy selling the "sweet corn" he says " this year ... is the best". We have been experimenting for several years and this year we are right on target for the best yet. And he was right ! This has been the best "Indiana Sweet Corn" !!

My husband has purchased many ears of corn so we can cut the corn off for our freezer. Now, when I say many ears of corn... this is the funniest thing this year, this young boy is selling his "sweet corn" 10 ears instead by the dozen. Because we have bought so much "sweet corn" we got a "real deal" ... 11 ears of corn for $4.00.
Still not a dozen. Most of my life being raised in Indiana and buying "sweet corn" we always bought by the dozen and the farmer would throw in one extra ear of corn. This young boy won't give in to sell his "sweet corn" by the dozen. All he can say is "nope". So, we get those 11 ears of "sweet corn" and go on our merry way. For the life of me...I don't get it....why not by the dozen ?
Despite having to buy "sweet corn" by this young boy's standards, we feel we have hit the jackpot with his "sweet corn". It has been the best "sweet corn" we have had in many years.

So we get our "sweet corn" home and then begins the work...cleaning the "sweet corn" for cutting. We start by husking the corn, picking all the silks off, washing and drying each ear of corn. My husband cuts the corn off the ear just enough to get thin layers of corn. Then he takes his knife and scrapes the corn milk off the cob. When we feel we have enough corn for a freezer bag..we bag the corn and then freeze it. This makes for delicious "sweet corn" all year long.

Our family prepares the "Indiana Sweet Corn" by putting it in a large pan, butter, salt and pepper, sometimes a couple tablespoons of sugar and couple cans of Milnot Milk. Let the corn mixture cook down slow on low heat.
This last month I received a recipe using Heavy Cream and Whole Milk. Both ways are great !

So... as "corny" as this story goes...you now know why "Indiana Hoosiers" go "sweet corn" hunting.


Until We Meet Again...
CROSS STITCH WOMAN

Monday, August 10, 2009

" EMPTY NESTERS "

This last week was a busy week trying to figure out who our new family members were or better yet.... what they were.

I was home alone one day last week only to hear such a strange noise. A noise that caught my attention. This noise sounded like someone grunting or coughing and then a loud moving around sound. I stood still trying to figure out did I have a visitor that would surprise me out of my skin as I entered another room. You might know...all noises disappeared.

Later in the evening, I hear that coughing/grunting sound. This time I go to tell my husband...we have someone or something living with us. We both stood quietly listening for another sound. Oh yes...we got one, and then another and another. Scratching and a lot of movement noises. As we figured the damper to be closed to the fireplace we took to the thinking...whatever it is will go out the same way it came in. Really ???

Another day comes and goes and by this time it is weekend. And at last we finally received summer in Indiana. Indiana summers can be quite hot and humid. Such as it goes the ole hot humid weather of 93 degrees with heat index of 102 degrees kicked in just in time to put off the worst odor anyone could imagine in their home. My husband says " don't tell me that thing died ". I said "oh no..I hear it scratching & moving around".

I started calling for ANY animal rescue to come fast. After many calls, I finally get a man that was giving me lessons on raccoons as my impatient husband in the back ground says...just ask him " can he come NOW ". Trust me...that day I knew God was watching over us !! Just so happens that man was in our town on another call, not raccoons but a snake rescue.

As the rescue man arrives so does my little grandson " Little C ". "Little C" heard about Grandma's raccoon on his way to our house, but as he sees the rescue man he didn't know which was worse. This man had a long beard and "Little C" is scared of men and long beards. So, he says " I am not going in ".

The rescue man looks up in our fireplace only to see looking back at him a litter of coons. I think this man was so proud of himself as he diagnosed our problem. He then says, I am not going to try and pull them out but I will put a male raccoon scent up in the damper and this will run the mother and her litter out and away. We thought..that simple ? No, not really, we have another fireplace. He told us that the mother raccoon would just move her litter to our other fireplace chimney so he had to put the male raccoon scent up into that damper too. He said to just give the ole mother coon some time and she would move her litter to another home.

As this story goes...by Sunday evening we had a new definition of "EMPTY NESTERS". And we have never been happier to be "EMPTY NESTERS" !!

Now to the lesson I was receiving on raccoons. A mother raccoon and her litter don't like the scent of a male raccoon because a male raccoon is very aggressive and if he isn't the father of the litter, he kills the litter. So, this is why a raccoon rescuer uses male raccoon scent. The mother raccoon moves her litter to another home. And as we live in town not the country, these are "city coons".

As far as the rescue call on the snake... no snake yet, so he set a trap.

What's next...chimney caps !!

Until We Meet Again ....
CROSS STITCH WOMAN

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

LA - D - DA ~~~ A STAR POUCH

Last night I started on a new pattern, A STAR POUCH by the designer LA-D-DA. This pattern I picked from a trunk show at my local needle shop NEEDLE FEVER, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. The small antique looking pouch caught my eye immediately. I also thought it would be a quick stitch. The model was stitched on 35 count Straw linen by Weeks Dye Works. Being the person I am & not handling linen well...I chose to do this pattern on a 14 count Aida antique looking cloth. I wasn't too sure about the Aida cloth but the shop owner suggested it. So, I thought looking at the color of the cloth it would look antiquish. And I thought the shop owner knows more than I do...so go for it.
I love this antique looking cloth and hope it will look good when finished.

Along with this pattern is a matching pattern called A PENNY SAVED. It has the same little Star Pouch.

I am including a picture of both patterns which are from the company of LA-D-DA.

HAPPY STITCHING !!
CROSS STITCH WOMAN

Saturday, August 1, 2009

AUGUST MELON

Can you believe I just finshed the AUGUST MELON, BLACKBIRD DESIGNS Pattern. I didn't plan it this way to finish on the 1st day of August. It just so happened !

I now need to find the right size of frame and then I will be totally finished, ready for displaying in my home.

I feel I have achieved so much by stitching this pattern. I didn't work on it every day or night but when time allowed, so it did take me a little time to complete.

I stitched the pattern with DMC Floss so I feel the melon color is a little different. To me it is the color of a Cantaloupe Melon. However with that said...I feel it is a very pretty color and goes well with the pattern.
The cloth is 18 count Aida natural color. This pattern AUGUST MELON came from the BLACKBIRD DESIGNS Booklet titled A FINE COLLECTION.

Check back to see an update on this post with a framed AUGUST MELON.

HAPPY STITCHING !!
CROSS STITCH WOMAN