Fingertip Microwave Oven Mitts

I did it! I figured out how to make these fingertip mitts without having to put bias tape around the edges.

If you don't mind bias tape around the edges you can find the free pattern at Savvy Seams I personally like the cleaner look. She also has a pattern for full sized oven mitts. I've had a pair of the fingertip ones for about 5 years that I bought at the market here one summer. They're very used and besides I found this really cute retro fabric and had to use it.

On the left is the back and on the right (below) you can see the pouches where you put your fingertips.

This is my prototype, which we'll use anyway til it falls apart but it isn't really straight and it was ripped apart a couple of times while I was trying to figure it out so it does have a frayed edge. Tomorrow, I hope, I'm going to make another one and I'll take photos along the way and post instructions here.

Em's Challenge

This was a hard one cause I like so many different singers/groups. I like James Taylor but it didn't look like his song titles could help. So I picked Alan Jackson. Then I realized I LOVE Great Big Sea but it took me too long to do it using Alan Jackson so that's where it stands.


1. Are you a male or female? Blue Blooded Woman
2. Describe yourself: Work in Progres
3. How do you feel: Strong Enough
4. Your family: Everything I Love
5. If you could go anywhere, where would you go?: Dallas
6. Your favorite form of transportation: I’ll Fly Away
7. Your best friend: Sissy’s Song
8. Your favorite color is: The Blues Man
9. What's the weather like: Tropical Depression
10. Favorite day: Let It Be Christmas
11. If your life was a TV show, what would it be called?: Murder on Music Row
12. What is life to you? Nobody Said That it Would be Easy
13. Your current relationship: Up To My Ears in Tears
14. Looking for: Who Am I
15. Wouldn't mind: Winter Wonderland
16. Your fear: Tall Tall Trees
17. What is the best advice you have to give: Just Put a Ribbon in Your Hair
18. If you could change your name, you would change it to: Itty Bitty
19. Thought for the Day: It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere
20. How I would like to die: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
21. Your pet: Just Playin Possum
22. Your motto: It’s Alright to be a Redneck

Today a Recipe

I wanted to post this a few days ago and I forgot. Now that Fall is here I'm being reminded of all our winter favorites. Number one on the list is meatloaf... ugh. But my number one is this stew I discovered I don't know where... I think an old Purity cookbook or something. I'm really not much of a cook but this is delicious!

Old Time Beef Stew

2 lbs stew beef cubed. I usually was buying a round steak instead cause the stew beef at Safeway was always too fatty and stringy. I got it last time at a different supermarket and it was delicious so you can do either. Also since we've changed to metric I just use some cause I can't figure it out. What looks about the amount I want.

2Tbsp shortening

1 tsp Worster sauce

1 onion sliced

1 or 2 Bay leaves

1 tsp salt (Optional - I leave it out cause I'm on a salt restricted diet and no one notices)

1Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp Paprike

Dash Allspice or Cloves

6 carrots, pared and sliced

4 potatoes

3 Tbsp flour

Brown meat in hot shortening... I also brown the onions at the same time.

Add 2 cups hot water and the next 9 ingredients. I also add a tsp Beef OXO or 1 beef cube, and because we like lots of gravy I increase the water to about 4 cups. I guess that's why I put the OXO in for more taste.

Simmer, covered, 1 1/2 hours stirring occasionally.

Remove Bay Leaves.

Add vegetables.

Cook covered 30-45 mins.

Blend 1/3c water w 3Tbsp flour. Stir slowly into hot stew.

Cook and stir until bubbly plus about 3 mins longer.

I don't stick to only carrots. I throw in whatever strikes my fancy... usually frozen green beans and corn, just to give it some colour.

I also find that I need to add more water (maybe a cup) when I put the vegetables in cause the simmering means there's less water than I put in to begin with.

Confused yet?

Just take the basics and put your own twist on it.

Crime Update

I really didn't feel like blogging today. I have a lot on my mind right now so wasn't in the mood. But I was on my way to bed just now and realized I do have something I can blog about.

We had to wait until our local paper came out on Wednesday but we finally found out what was going on last weekend with the police and the copter and everything.

In Wednesday's paper on page 3 there was a little blurb. There had been a vocal altercation in the park. One kid stabbed another kid in the arm. He was taken to hospital and released. They've made so many cuts to our hospital that it's more like a glorified walk in clinic except it takes longer to see a doctor.

They took the second kid into custody and he's out now pending a hearing. So, what that means is our police are bored and don't have a lot to do so when they got the chance to play with the helicopter and sneak around in the bushes in the dark it was a big deal for them.

So much for crime. We did have a panhandler once. The police told him to move along and no one saw him again. We also have 2 homeless people but everyone leaves out their empty pop cans so they can take them to the recycling depot and get cash to buy food so they aren't too hard up. The thrift shop doesn't have a lot of room inside so they leave larger items like couches outside at night and that's usually where the two homeless guys sleep.

As Walter Cronkite used to say "And that's the way it is."

I didn't miss today!

It's 11:00pm here on the West Coast so it's still Thursday. But I have nothing to say *LOL*

I did work today from 2-5. Walked in the shop at 2:00 and it was really bare. Everything was at the 2 shows where we have vendors booths this weekend. Even at that I did manage to make $80 in sales so that will make the accountant happy. There obviously was nothing to do in there so I just read my book and visited with the customers who came in. It's nice to do something different sometimes.

I Drew the Short Straw...or Needle?

October is blood test month for me. Every three months is blood test time. But October is the one where they do who knows what and I have to fast. I know Cholesterol is one of them. The nurses at our local lab are very nice.... but today I think I got Miss Ratchet's illegitimate daughter.

Even though I've had these tests for years, I have a standing order, I still get a bit nervous just before they are about to puncture me insert the needle. So I find something in my surroundings to comment on. This time I was watching her stick all these stickers onto my order sheet and I giggled. She just stared at me like Nurse Ratchet up there and asked what was wrong. I said "There's just so many stickers!" She just continued to stare at me and then told me to make a fist. That was the extent of our conversation and the expression on her face never changed. Usually the girls in there are East Indian and they are so nice and friendly and competent. They make going for a bloodtest almost enjoyable.

Came home and got a call from the quilt shop. They accidentally booked 3 shows for the same weekend. So even though that will leave very little stock in the store they still want to stay open. I get too tired working full days in there so she asked if I could work 2-5 tomorrow. Works for me. So this afternoon I need to finish putting the half square triangles around my Christmas quilt so I can take it with me to leave for the long arm quilter. She picks up her orders and the shop.

By the way, I heard from Kim (Doglover) from the old blog. Remember her? She said she misses all of us from the old blog. I told her where we'd all gone so she's going to come and have a look around. She hasn't been quilting lately and hasn't had the time to blog. I told her she should come on here anyway. In some ways I do miss our original blog. It felt more "homey" somehow. But a lot of us have moved here and connected and I think that's great.

Blog Every Day??

Oh boy. This is getting tough. I think I caught whatever Lane had yesterday *LOL* My get up and go, got up and went. Fall decided to arrive... or maybe it's winter.... whatever it is I don't like it. It's damp and dreary and all I feel like doing is sitting and organizing (in my head) what I should do next. The actual doing of it, well, not so much. I'm turning into my mother! She once told me she'd get up in the morning, look around at what needed doing and then sit down and read a book all day. I can live with that.

What I am doing though is I decided that I've been reading too many "cozy books" lately - probably cause a friend of mine lent them to me and she's a more avid reader than I am. I have stacks of them. So I decided to ease up on those and go back to reading books that make me think or that I might learn something from. Today I chose to read more of The Seven Daughter's of Eve. This book is way over my head. It's about mitochondral DNA which I can't really say I'm understanding exactly but only females pass it on. Science is like a foreign language to me, but the parts I do understand are fascinating. Did you know every pet hamster in the world is a descendant of a gold coloured female captured in Syria in 1930? See now I didn't know that yesterday.

Guess that's my post for today. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have more to say.