Someone to Watch Over Me



My Dad was, among other things, an engineer.  His formal training came from the US Navy and everything else was self-taught for the most part.  When I was a kid, I would go to his office at the company he worked for.  It was a giant wallpaper manufacturer and I loved the way the place smelled- the giant rolls of paper, machinery, paste, and paint all combined to create a very unique scent.  We always called it the Plant.  He would let me walk around the floor with him, provided I touched nothing, and would tell me how each component led to the finished project.  It was loud and he would have to raise his voice so I could hear him, but I loved every minute of it.  All the guys that worked the machines knew him and respected him.  If John said it, then it was so.  I would bop along behind, a near spitting image of him in miniature, and the men and women would smile and say hello and I felt special as he would drop his big calloused hand on my head and say "This is my youngest daughter" and introduce me to the people who ran the machines.  Then, standing tall, arms folded over his chest, he listened to what they told him.  He respected their opinion because they knew the machine and they respected him because he listened.  Then he'd say "Well......" and start listing off the possibilities as he would talk with his hands.  I don't think my Dad ever knew how much those times meant to me.  I don't think he ever knew how much I learned by his side. 

When he had to go down and get into a machine, he would leave me in his office with my book or coloring or playing solitaire on the computer, so he wouldn't have to worry about me getting into trouble while he was distracted.  He always had a big whiteboard in his office, and somewhere on there, would be a Kilroy, watching over all.  In fact, my Dad's Kilroys would pop up all over the Plant, on people's message boards, whiteboards on the floor, in Big Al's office. 



Someone to watch over me.........



So, recently, when my safety engineers asked me to get a whiteboard for their office, I did so.  On the day it was installed, I went into their office and added a Kilroy to it and smiled.  I miss my Dad, but I know he's keeping an eye on me, one way or another.

Irish

Of Liebster and Lent..........



I have received my first blog honor!!!!


To my delight and surprise, Sami at My Barefoot Farm has honored me in her blog by giving me the Liebster blog.  The best part is that I get to pass it on to other blogs and bloggers that I love.  (But there are some guidelines.....)
The Liebster Blog Award is to promote smaller blogs that have less than 200 followers that deserve recognition.  Liebster means dearest or favorite in German and I am so touched to be one of Sami's favorites!!

So, without further ado, I would like to honor the following folks:

1)  My Barefoot Farm- Sami tackles life as the mother of a large family, raising some very strong, independent girls (!), as well as two very sweet baby boys, and homeschooling the lot.  On top of that, she crafts, cooks, sews, has a farm, and bees!  I guarantee you will walk away from her blog with at least one new thing to try and one new thing to think about.  And you will most likely go back for more.  :)

2)  i like margarine-  You never know what you are likely to get on this one, but it can often be thought provoking in the most unlikely of ways, and sometimes just funny.  The guy who writes it is a runner that I know through a running forum, and he is one of a kind and worth reading.  (Sometimes I think his wife is a saint.)

3)  Things We Forget- Okay, this one doesn't technically count, since it has so many followers, but I urge you to check it out anyway.  Each day features different post-it note art, reminding you of something you make have forgotten.  On bad days, I love to delve into the archives and see what I find.  I usually end up brighter and lighter than when i arrived.

4)  Wanderer in a Strange Land-  This sweet lady is another friend of mine who homeschools (and is addicted to chocolate.....)  She is one of those people who, no matter what, are shining lights in life, so I always look forward to her posts, whether it is on this blog, or her running blog. 

5)  The blogs that I have yet to find, but I know are out there.


If anyone has any recommendations, please throw them at me!!  I love anything crafting, cooking, retro, vintage, upcycling, repurposing, farming, beekeeping, reading, photography, running...............pretty much anything! 

This week was the beginning of Lent.  Mardi Gras was on Tuesday, with Ash Wednesday swiftly on its heels, and my own Lenten Fast beginning.  I was raised to "give something up" for Lent.  When I was a kid, I gave up doritos and root beer.  When I was a waitress at Cracker Barrel, I gave up Sweet Tea (that was hard- we were allowed to drink as much as we wanted, so I had to switch to unsweet, coffee, or water.....)  This year, I have opted to go old school and give up meat all together.  Traditionally, we never ate meat on Fridays during lent, opting instead for some pan fried Cod or Scrod.  This year, I am forgoing it completely and for the entirety.  So far (three days in), it's not so bad.  I know I will be tempted at points, by the smell of bacon most likely, but I know I can do this.  I've limited meat in my diet before, but never completely.  I am looking forward to the challenge and have a host of new vegetarian recipes to try, such as Parmasan Crusted Roasted Asparagus, which I will make this weekend and let you know how it turns out.

The weather is warming and the day's are getting longer, so a young woman's fancy is turning towards thoughts of spring and possibilites of new growth. 

I see adventure on the horizon.........

Irish

Packages of Opportune Moments

Is there anything better than coming home from a long day at work and finding a package on the doorstep waiting for you?  Even if you were the one who ordered whatever it is, there is still a thrill in the arrival.

Last night was no different.  I received a package.  I knew it would be there, because I checked the tracking until it said "delivered."  As I sliced through the fiber tape and fought my way through the inflated air packaging bubble things that my son loves to stomp on (because they make the most satisfying BANG noise when the pop), I held my breath until I had in my hands the ultimate prize.

My brand new Canon Rebel T3 DSLR.

*sigh*

I have literally waited years to own one of these bad boys.  I have the Rebel TI SLR, which uses film.  I also have a Minolta and a Pentax K1000 (Japan), as well as my Dad's original Yashica, that doesn't work, but I will *never* get rid of.  I have relied on point and shoot digital cameras since my son was a baby to capture images, which got the job done, but isn't quite the same.  Trust me- you can tell the difference between a point and shoot picture and a DSLR picture. 

Now that I have one, my poor family will have no rest from the pop and flash of my camera.  And while they grumble and glower at me sometimes, they know that I am capturing our family history, seizing moments, that eventually, will be what's left of long and happy lives.  A visual documentation of laughter, stories, adventures, and all the varied emotions along the road. 

It was my Dad and Mack Hickey who taught me how to take pictures.  Mack Hickey was my art teacher in high school, who taught me about framing a shot, darkroom procedures, and all the other "professional" aspects of photography.  The one thing, above all others, that Mack taught me is that in order to be a successful photographer, you must view the world as if you were constantly looking through a camera lens, so that it becomes second nature to see the amazing shots.  Still, he cautioned, even the greatest photographer might only get 4 great shots out of 24.  It was all a gamble.



January 2012, right before sunset



But, my Dad taught me something different.  He told me just to snap pictures.  Not even to look through the viewfinder- just take the pictures and see what they become later.  You’ll get some plain, goofy, serious, out of focus, hastily posed……….but then you get the ones that completely capture the person and who they are.  This theory of photography works especially well in the digital age, when you can snap until the card is full.



Trail Running in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

I use both these theories every day, in photography and in life.  Sometimes, a decision must be framed out and set-up just so.  Sometimes, the opportune moment comes around and things just happen.

Irish

Oh the smell of frying bacon.....

My One Weakness

Hard Worker

Glory in the Making

Glory in the Baking

The Grand Finale

The Recipe:

Bacon Cheddar Chive Scones (from King Arthur Flour)

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) King Arthur  Unbleached All-Purpose Flour or Perfect Pastry Blend
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick, 2 ounces) cold  butter
1 cup (4 ounces) very coarsely grated or  diced cheddar cheese
1/3 cup (about 1/2 ounce) snipped fresh chives, or finely diced scallion tops (the  green part, 3/4 ounce)
1/2 pound bacon, cooked, cooled, and crumbled (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (7 ounces) heavy cream or whipping cream, or enough to make the dough cohesive 

(I used 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/4 cup skim milk)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a baking sheet, or line it with parchment.

1) Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar.

2) Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly, with some of the butter remaining in larger pieces.

3) Mix in the cheese, chives, and bacon until evenly distributed.

4) Add ¾ cup of the cream, stirring to combine. Try squeezing the dough together; if it’s crumbly and won’t hang together, or if there are crumbs remaining in the bottom of the bowl, add cream until the dough comes together. Transfer the shaggy dough to a well-floured work surface.

  
5) Pat the dough into a smooth 7" disk about ¾" thick. Transfer the disk to the prepared baking sheet.

6) Use a knife or bench knife to cut the disk into 8 wedges, spreading the wedges apart a bit on the pan.

7) Brush the scones with a bit of cream; this will help their crust brown.

8) Bake the scones for 22 to 24 minutes, until they’re golden brown. Remove them from the oven, and cool right on the pan. Serve warm, or at room temperature. 

Enjoy!

Irish

Under Attack

They multiply when you aren't looking.

Birthday Blanket

When I turned 7, my Gramma made me my very own quilt.  I still have it- it has a puppy in the very middle, with pinwheels all around it.  My son now sleeps under it.  :)

His 6th birthday is in June and I started working on his own Birthday Blanket last month.  I know it's early, but I want to make sure I get it done in time.  I'm not a quilter, but I can knit, so I am making him a patchwork knit blanket.  I'm pretty much just making rows of different colored squares in a simple garter stitch.

 I'm knitting on size 15 needles with Lion Brand Homespun yarn in any color I can find it in.  It's a very soft yarn that is (more importantly) machine washable and dryable!

The weather here has been extraordinary for January, so we were able to go for a walk on Monday down the hill to our neighbor, which is a giant cattle farm.  The owner is leasing it out to an outfit from Texas- apparently the drought has gotten bad enough that he chose to truck his hundreds of livestock to the green hills of East Tennessee.  We couldn't be happier with the change- the hired hands are nice enough to let us wander in and out of the barns and even introduced us to the orphaned calves, who ate right out of A's little hands, much to his delight. 

On the walk back home, we found two magnificent treasures:  a tiny bird's nest and a green glass Coke bottle.  The nest has been added to our collection, while the coke bottle is soaking to get the gunk out.

This Spring, I may invest in some beehives.  I've been interested in them for awhile and have made a new friend who keeps bees and is teaching a class about them this Spring, which is open to any who want to attend.  You can find out more at My Barefoot Farm.  It's towards the bottom of the blog entry, but she's going to cover all the bases of beekeeping.  I, for one, am really excited to attend!! 

We have a local beekeeping club here, called the Clinch Valley Beekeepers Association that I've seen at some of the local festivals.  They always bring some good honey and a displayable hive with them, which was a big hit with us.

That's all for now- I'll be attempting to write a little more frequently than I have been.  

Todays' quote: 

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."   ~Morrie Schwartz~

Irish

A Crafty Weekend

Last Thursday, I went to our local yarn store, Loopville, for some single point knitting needles.  I came out with 2 skeins of yarn and two sets of single point needles.  Oh, and a blue-bird button.  A would like it sewn onto his scarf, which I need to knit before Christmas.  He picked a merino wool blend in a rainbow of colors.  It is gorgeous.  My kid has style!  When I got home, I found a box waiting for me with my chunky yarn and size 15 needles I've been waiting for to try making a poncho/shawl for myself.........

The other skein of yarn I bought is a secret, because the recipient of the finished product reads this blog and I want it to be a surprise.  After Christmas, I will show it off though..........  Eventually, I am hoping to move beyond knitting scarves and into fingerless mittens and hats and blankets.  One day at a time...........

I also bought a book called One-Yard Wonders, which has 101 sewing projects and they all use 1 yard of fabric or less.  (The books includes patterns for most of the projects.)  I immediately dug into the pile of fabric upstairs and pulled out some prints that I can't wait to try creating with.

I also went into my closet and pulled out a blue spangly half-circle skirt I made a year or two ago that is now too big for me.  I also have the left-over scraps, so between the skirt and the scraps, I have enough to make a blue spangly bag!  (And probably a headband too!)

What it was:

 

What it will (hopefully) be:

Let me state, right here, that I am not an accomplished sewer of things.  The skirt was made with a lot of help from my Mom, who is an accomplished sewer of things.  My goal is to become as good as she is at it.  So, please don't tell yourself that you can't do it, because if I can, you can.

As a result of all this craftiness, I have had to organize my things.  I had embroidery floss and beads upstairs, wool felt on top of the kitchen pantry, yarn and needles in the living room, and all the scissors are hidden where little hands can't get them.  So, I went to Lowe's and purchased a large clear plastic bin and found a set of three smaller plastic clear bins that fit inside.  Luckily, a bin I already had fit inside too!  I now am the proud owner of a craft bin, with containers for knitting needles and smaller skeins of yarn, embroidery floss and thread, beads and buttons, and paints and brushes, as well as room left over to keep large skeins of yarn, wool felt, scissors, and some fabric.  It's already full..........hmmmmm.........

We also finished the TreeHouse this weekend!!  JT did most of the heavy lifting, but I helped where I could, especially in tight spaces, while he built the stairs.  I also made the sign, which reads, at the bottom:  NO CRITTERS!!  BIRDS ALLOWED.  A loves birds. 

Right now, my main crafting focus is on finishing up Christmas presents.  After that, I have a list of things I would like to try, including the knitting I mentioned above, attempting my spangly purse, and doing a couple of the other projects in the book, as well as patterns I have seen on Ravelry.  (You can friend me- irishTNgirl).  I am trying very hard not to get ahead of myself in all areas of my life.  I have a habit of looking way ahead and forgetting about the present, which has its pros, but also has a lot of cons.  Having a "5 year plan" is one thing; trying to live 5 years ahead of today is another.............

Irish