OAMC Lite

I'm still here. I spent Sunday cooking up some ground beef for various recipes. I can't get into the Once a Month Cooking thing entirely, but I can get into some of the aspects--like having ingredients ready, or parts of meals. I started with 6 pounds of ground beef I browned in the oven in a big pan.

These are some meat pies I made. (I will resist the urge to make a Mrs. Lovett joke--Sweeney Todd fans will 'get it.') I just used store-brand biscuits for them. I split each raw biscuit in half and rolled it out as thin as I could. I put a nice mound of meat in the middle (how's that for alliteration?) and topped it with another piece of biscuit dough. I cooked these then froze them. We already had them for dinner last night and they were reeeealllly good. Here is the link to the recipe. I was lucky enough to have all ingredients on hand!

http://www.rd.com/home-garden/miniature-meat-pies-recipe/article26225.html

I also made up some of it for what I call Slider Casserole:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slider-Style-Mini-Burgers/Detail.aspx

(I used 2 pounds for this as it is a family favorite!)

And for Ground Beef Casserole:

http://www.mealsmatter.org/RecipesAndMeals/Recipes/Recipes.aspx?RecipeId=54992&p=1&pageTemplate=PrintView

(Only the meat and tomatoes part--I'll combine the rest when I make it)

I also combined a pound of the meat with some cheese and green chilis (from a can) for enchiladas. And I left one pound plain so that I can throw it in sauce for quick spaghetti.

On the other side of the creative front, I've been working steadily on crochet/sew or knit projects. In fact, I'm signing off now to work on my daughter's wrist warmers, as the light from the window behind me is just right.


Oh, btw, the doll I got at the church sale is a "Ginny Baby" from 1965. Apparently she isn't worth much more than $20, but considering I paid about 50 cents for her, I think I got a deal, LOL!

I love Church Sales!

There's a church near me (Lutheran, I think) that has a big 'garage sale' twice a year. You just can't beat it for prices. Today I brought home a gorgeous "Vogue" baby doll (fully dressed down to her bloomers and bonnet), a popsicle mold (really nice--looks like Williams-Sonoma), never-opened plastic sheets for my laminator and 2 never-used sewing patterns! One is a Simplicity pattern for toddler clothing featuring a top, pants, overalls and a jacket. The other is a set of classic ladies' blouses (button front, collar) that, wonder of wonders, is in my size.

Oh, my gosh, I almost forgot the best...six skeins of cream-colored Sugar N Cream cotton yarn! Looks like someone started a project and just gave up. All the better for me, LOL!

And what did I pay for this treasure-trove of frugality?

Wait for it...


$3! Three dollars! Can you beat that? I am sooo glad I saw the sign last night for the sale or I would have missed a great opportunity!

Finished Gift

Yesterday, I decided to do at least one row or round on pretty much all of the crochet projects I'm doing. Lo n Behold, I actually finished something! I started this little mittens and scarf set a year ago for a Christmas gift but never finished it. Which is pretty silly since all I had to do was one thumb and weaving in the ends. So here it is, ready to give this year to a little 3-year-old I know. It works out okay since it probably would have been too big for her last year.

I had made these mittens one-at-a-time but decided on a different strategy for the wrist warmers for Katherine. I'm doing a section on one, then the same section on the other. This way both will be done at about the same time. I think I'll do this with any other 'pairs' of things I make. As soon as I have enough to show I'll post a picture.

Oh, btw: the pillow that the set is on was made from two "Target Clearance" napkins. The one in the back is green. I think they were meant for summer but the colors work nicely for fall.I just covered up a couch pillow I already have.

Happy Weekend and Autumn, everyone! It's finally here, although it's so warm you'd hardly know.

More on the Blouse/vest

Here's a few shots of the blouse-turned-vest. The camera doesn't pick up the turquoise very well--I think it looks greenish here. Ignore the messy desk on top. Actually, don't ignore it--I think I blogged about it on "Sorta Frugal," but fyi, it was free. Someone actually left this sweet desk on the side of the road! It's one of those that the front folds down and there's a bunch of cubbies inside. Amazing what some people consider trash.

Anyway, back to the top. I decided to do some fancy stitching down the front. It's times like this I love my sewing machine. I paid less than $200 for it at Wally World. It's a "Brother." I like that it has a pushbutton start/stop instead of a foot pedal. And a separate toggle for speed. Doing the diamonds would have taken forever on my old foot pedal machine!

Today I crocheted six more rows on the wrist warmers. I think I may have to at least let Katherine try this part on (the wrist) to make sure they will fit. I also did a round on the giant purple crocheted crayon.

Not really creative, but I went shopping at Sears today in the hopes of finding something to wear to my upcoming 40-year grammar school reunion. I almost didn't buy anything (I despise shopping, strange woman that I am) but finally decided to go outside my comfort zone and just try things on. I actually found 3 tops, all on sale! So now I'm happy. I just want to find a pretty jacket, too. I have a pair of black pants already but have to see if those fit. I'm just glad to have the top out of the way.

Putting an outfit together is somewhat creative, isn't it?

Blouse

This is the blouse I'm currently working on. I have it done to the point where I could try it on. I decided to make it in a size 16, which is my RTW size (generally). It is just a little too small across the front but fits everywhere else perfectly. I'm going to mark the pattern to add extra just on the front where you button it. That way when I make it again (with the longer sleeves for fall) it will fit just right.

I'm leaving off the buttons for this version and using it as a vest. It has a tie in the back which gives in a nice shape. The fabric is a darker turquoise with bits of black and gold color throughout. It looks kind of like a starry night.

I'm halfway through my mom's scarf and started Katherine's wrist warmers. The scarf has been easy to do. The wrist warmers...well, let's just say I really don't like working with a small hook and black yarn. But I did find it is a lot easier to see what you are doing if you have a big window behind you and the morning sun is shining through it.

Fall starts this week, maybe tomorrow? I brought down more things from the attic, including tw wreaths. It's beginning to look more and more like autumn around. I might have said it before, but Halloween doesn't go up until the first of October, or at least the very end of September.

Happy Almost Fall, everyone!

A Simple Idea

My husband wears glasses to read. He has numerous pairs around the house, any place he might need them. Reading glasses are cheap enough to buy.

I, on the other hand, am near-sighted. I can read without glasses and need them for distance. So I'm constantly taking off my glasses to read or do close-up work like crochet. The trouble with being near-sighted is that when you misplace your glasses, you can't see to find them!

Obviously, my glasses are prescription so I can't afford a dozen pairs. But I took a cue from Mike's idea of multiples to make eyeglass cases! I have one by my desk, one by the sewing machine and one in the dining room. Actually, I have another pair of glasses that I keep in the case in the dining room. They need repaired, by they are enough to help me see if I put my glasses down and forget where they are. Once I find them, the other pair immediately goes back into its case.

I made the cases bright so they'll be easy to see. I need to make a few more. I've also been getting myself into the habit of actually using them, even if I'm only sitting down for a few minutes.

These are nothing but simple little 'tubes' with one end sewn shut. I lined them to make them sturdier and nicer, but you wouldn't have to. You might be able to tell on the middle one that I finished the top with an easy overcast stitch.

Just a simple idea that makes life a lot less frustrating!

I know, not a very exciting picture. As you can see, I've ironed in the interfacing and pinned in the under collar.

I'm taking a break from the coat for a few days to work on the blouse. Since I had the iron out already I ironed in the interfacing for it. I have the princess seams, back tie and shoulder seams done. The facing is pinned in place. I'll sew that today. Next post I'll find a picture of it on line so you can see what I'm working on, but it's only a simple sleeveless top with buttons down the front.

On the knitting front, I actually finished a sock I started ages ago. I'm encouraged to start on the second one now that I know it came out pretty good. It fits my foot, anyway! I'm always working on the knit scarf since it's easy to do a few rows while watching TV.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Can you believe there was a tornado watch in Brooklyn yesterday? Brooklyn, of all places. It never touched down but the heavy rain did reach us out here in Suffolk County. There was a clap of thunder so loud while I was at work that it actually made me scream. And I loooove thunderstorms. But this was ridiculous. I actually had to shut windows 'cause rain was coming in and getting the paper on the exam table wet!

PS--ignore the 'no smoking' sign behind Sunny the Mannequin. Okay, don't ignore it as no one is allowed to smoke in my house. But this used to be my daughter's bedroom and she was always hanging nutty things on the wall. One of her friends wrote "WAKE UP" in chalk on the ceiling and it's still there.