Garage

The small garage project has turned into quite an adventure. Morphing from a fix to a replacement project, from a 1 week to a 4 week project.
We started out with sunny weather but of course mother nature had other plans and decided that it wasn't quite time for Oregon to have spring. So talks with the contractor began to be about pouring cement during a hail storm versus just rain. I learned that it is okay to pour cement in the pouring rain which is what they did.
The project is moving along slowly and hopefully by the time spring/summer does finally arrive I will have a nice new garage to store my gardening tools in.

Tiah

Spring in Spokane

I woke up this morning to snow! Its April and we have been having gorgous weather, just not today. There was about 1/4th of an inch of snow for a while but it melted but it is still snowing.

Lemon Bars

We had a sunny day yesterday, which being unexpected was a very nice surprise and called for an impromptu tea party. My roommate Corey made scones and tea while I made lemon bars.

I found this great new recipe that turned out to be sunshine on a plate. It had a coconut shortbread bottom made with: 1 cup flour, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 cup melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, & 1/2 cup coconut. All mixed together and backed at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

The filling was 1 whole lemon (quartered) put into the food processor with 1 tablespoon flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs & 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt. The filling was then poured over the hot crust & baked for another 20 minutes.

The Greek yogurt really made them creamy.

Tiah

March

Wow, the month of March just flew by.

I was able to complete my sock of the month as well as starting a baby sweater for my friend at works new grandson.

I was able to keep up with my book of the week as well for the month.
week 10: Expiration Date by Sherril Jaffe
week 11: Extraordinary, Oridinary People by Condoleezza Rice
week 12: How to be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway
week 13: Mr. Chartwell by Rebecca Hunt

And to add to the month, work began on fixing the falling down garage at my house. As you can see the fixing did not really go so well, so it is in the process of being rebuilt. I am very excited to be able to store my yard equipment with out it getting wet in the never ending Oregon rain.

Tiah

Why I take my knitting everywhere

I get teased quite a bit, mainly from my sisters, regarding the ever present knitting project in my purse. For the most part I don't leave the house without my knitting, and usually there is room in my purse to stash a small project like a sock or hat. You just never know when your going to be stuck someplace with valuable time to knit. This practice was justified this weekend, coming back from a short trip to visit my parents. Driving down the gorge there was a pretty bad accident which had traffic stopped in both lanes. I was actually stopped for 45 minutes before traffic started inching along. So for 45 minutes, I was not going out of my mind with boredom or falling asleep or thinking about how long it was taking. I was sitting calmly in my car knitting my sock.

Tiah

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day is always a big event in my house mainly because we love all things Irish. This year we invited a variety of friends over for an Irish themed dinner which included the basics - corned beef, cabbage, & potatoes; as well as a selection of Irish cheeses and Irish soda bread.

We learned that when making Irish soda bread it is very important to cut a cross in it (to let the fairy's out, as the old wives tale goes) otherwise it continues to rise in the oven until it hits the top.

I also invited some friends who were vegetarian & vegan which provided a fun challenge to come up with a tasty Irish meal for them to enjoy as well. I finally decided to make a vegan "Shepperd's Pie" which turned out to be quite good. At our local Fred Meyers I found vegan "meat" made from lentils as well as vegan Worcestershire sauce. I mixed in a variety of veggies - carrots, peas, & corn. Then topped it with a potato & sweet potato mash. A very sucessful endeavor.

Tiah

February Happenings

Well, February just flew by before I knew it. I was a little late finishing my sock of the month but I did finish it within the first week of March so I am still counting it as keeping my New Years resolution. So now I have one complete pair of sock done toward my goal of 6 pairs for the year. Yay!

I also kept up with my reading keeping on track for my 52 books in 52 weeks.

week 1: New Faces of Small Town America by Edgar Sandoval
week 2: Affairs in Thrush Green by Miss. Read
week 3: The Lost Art of Reading by David Ulin
week 4: Breath of Autumn by Lillian Beckwith

All very good books.

February started with some very nice weather in Portland, which fooled me into thinking that it was spring and that I should do some yard work & plant flower bulbs. And then of course in promptly snowed. This last week the weather has turned warm again so I'm hoping that spring really is on the way and I may start getting my raised vegetable beds ready for planting.

Tiah