Recently I wanted to make a round bottom drawstring bag. Trying to make the bottom fit the sides is not easy, as I have tried this before without a pattern. So I started searching for methods to make this easier.
I came across a wonderful site that explains mathematically how to calculate the circle and the rectangle for the bag. Genious! Of all things, Pi is involved. I learned about Pi in school, way back when. I never really gave it any thought after the lessons and tests were over. When would I ever use that again? Well, I finally got to use Pi to figure out my bag calculations. The whole formula was amazing and my bag turned out perfect! Maybe teachers should show their students the practical uses for Pi…
For the worksheet to help make a cylinder bag go to:
While I had tried yoga in the past, even taking a class, it never became a routine for me until recently. Sometime late last year, I decided to give yoga a try again. This time, I decided to do yoga every day, not just once a week or whenever the urge took hold of me. Daily yoga soon became a habit I looked forward to. In fact, I had to do my yoga. I was hooked.
What was different this time? Why was I able to stick to yoga? Well for one thing, doing something daily, especially at the same time daily, becomes a habit. Another big thing is that I felt the differences that yoga had made on my body as well as my mood. Yoga is great at reducing stress. Yoga got rid of my aches and pains. No more getting out of bed and feeling stiff. The elbow and hip soon felt better. The shoulder, that seemed out of place, took a bit longer to mend. But with daily yoga, even the shoulder is now perfectly fine. After actually feeling the difference, there is no doubt in my mind that yoga is a wonderful way to start each day. I guess I am now a yogi.
Yoga does not have to be intense or take very long. A simple twenty minute routine is all that is needed. I like to do yoga along to videos. Many can be found on Youtube. After becoming familiar with yoga, building one’s own yoga program is easy to do. A good book of reference for this is Yoga Zone Introduction to Yoga A Beginner’s Guide to Health, Fitness, and Relaxation by Alan Finger and Al Bingham.
Sick and tired of trying to keep track of my embroidery needles, I decided I needed a needle minder. However, the one I really wanted was out of stock on-line. I did not really care for any of the other designs. What was I to do?
I searched through my drawer and found a cute French button I had ordered but never used. The button was made of wood and painted with a sweet design. I decided to have this button made into my needle minder. I enlisted my husband to help. He purchased a very strong button magnet set and attached it to the button for me with epoxy. One magnet attaches to the button. This piece goes on top of the embroidery work fabric. The loose magnet is then put underneath the fabric and sticks to the other magnet holding the needle minder to the fabric. When taking a break from embroidering, the needle sticks magnetically to the button minder. No more lost needles! Thanks Honey!
As always, Happy Crafting!
The back of the minder. Just slip off the top magnet and place between the fabric.
I ordered a package of Wonder Clips by Clover. I have used these clips on a few occassions now and I must say they are wonderful. Are they a total replacement for pins? Not in my oppinion, but they are quite useful. Let me share what I have learned by using these clips.
First off, pins have a few problems, if you ask me. Pins can obviously stick a person if not careful. They can also bend if trying to push through too thick of fabric, multiple seams, or elastic. When trying on clothing, pins can be downright dangerous. Of course, some fabrics are very delicate and pins can even run the risk of a snag to the fabric.
Wonder Clips are very strong little clips that do not put holes in or harm the fabric. I found them extremely useful in holding elastic in place in the shoulder of a dress I made recently. I tried on the dress without fear of being stabbed by pins and they stayed put perfectly. They are very quick to put on and take off. The only drawback, I have found, is that when sewing by machine, they need to be taken off sooner then pins. This is because of the bulk of the clip. On the upside, one can not run over a clip with the presser foot as one can with a pin.
Wonder Clips come in a package of 10 for around $7. This is pricey compared to pins. I would suggest two packages as a good amount to have on hand. I do not use these as replacements for pins, but rather enhancements. In some cases, clips are just more convenient to use. In other cases, pins are the way to go. I am glad I made this purchase and have use for both in my sewing.
My daughter likes sushi and decided to make her own sushi at home. This was new to our kitchen, so she found a recipe on-line and we watched a video on how to accomplish this dish. But first she needed supplies.
From the video, we could see that a sushi mat (small pieces of bamboo tied together into a bendable mat) would be an essential tool in the making of the sushi. So, we ordered a set to pick-up curb side. The set was very nice. It also came with a flat, fat wooden spoon to smooth the rice onto the mat and a pair of cute chop sticks. All for under four dollars.
Next, for the food items. She would be using sushi rice (rice especially made for sushi because it turns out nice and sticky), fresh alvacado, cucumber, wasabi, lemon juice, sheets of dried seaweed, and instead of the traditional imitation crab legs, canned salmon. These are the basic indredients for the California Sushi Roll. No raw fish for us.
My daughter made the sushi by first covering the sushi mat with saran wrap. Do not skip this step if deciding to try this at home. This keeps the rice from sticking to the mat. The mat is basically a turning/rolling device that helps to form the rolled sushi. Next, she used the wooden spoon to pat down rice onto the mat. Then she put a sheet of seaweed on top. On top of this, she added the alvacado mixed with lemon juice, cucumber, and salmon. Now it was time to roll it all up. This step required a bit of patience. I think watching a video of the process helped out a lot. After rolling it into a log, my daughter put it in the refrigerator overnight.
My daughter, the sushi chef, hard at work.
The next day for lunch, I was offered some sushi to try for myself. Not a big fan of seaweed, I opted for a small bite. My daughter sliced the log into bite sized portions and squeezed a bit of wasabi onto the plate. I was told only a small bit of this was needed as it was very hot. She also put soy sauce into a dipping bowl to dip the pieces of sushi into before eating.
I sat down, ready to wrinkle my nose up a bit. I tried using the chop sticks, however, I think I need to practice with those a bit more. A spoon ended up being my utensil. With a bit of wasabi on top, into the soy sauce it went, and then into my mouth. My daughter was right, only a bit of wasabi is needed. It was hot but tasted good. To my surprise, the seaweed did not taste like the ocean (maybe the wasabi covered the taste) and I actually enjoyed the sushi. Job well done daughter dear!
I just finished reading Bomb Girls by Jacky Hyams. This book is about the women who worked in Britain’s munitions during WWII. The book is a rare treat, especially for those interested in history.
Bomb Girls starts out by introducing the reader to munitions factories and what it was like to work in one of these factories. But what is even better are the following chapters, the memoirs of the actual workers, the stories they tell of their life experiences. The chapters read as though the women are right there, telling their stories in person. Each woman tells a little about her life before working at the factory and then details of her experience at the factory and what she did after the war was over. The last chapter gives more details about each of the munitions factories that the women in the book worked at and what happened to the facility after the war.
This book was an easy read and kept me interested the entire time. I had no idea that once a girl turned 18 they were called up to work in factories of this kind during the war years. It was very dangerous work. Accidents happened and some were deadly. So what got these women through this stressful time? Friendship, doing what they thought was right to help their country, and the hopes of helping the men they knew and loved.
I highly recommend Bomb Girls. If you love history, have an interest in WWII, or want to learn more about women and their efforts during the war, this book is a must read. As always, Happy Reading!
Back in high school, my teacher assigned the class to read Dracula by Bram Stoker. What! I was none too thrilled to say the least. Of all the books, why on earth did she have to choose that! I had NO interest in reading a book about vampires, or so I thought…
I should have known that this particular teacher (who was one of the best) would not let me down. Shortly into the book, I was hooked. Dracula, of course, is a classic. This is with good reason.
Since high school, I have read Dracula a few more times. I just recently finished reading it again. It is one of the few books that I have read more than a couple of times. It is a great read around Halloween. I am also a fan of reading this book at night; helps to set the scene.
So the moral of my story is… it is hard to judge a book by its subject matter alone. It is a good idea to try reading books one would not normally choose. One never knows what they may be missing.
The bagels were put together quickly using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. After that, they were set to rest for half an hour, shaped into bagels, and set to rest for another half hour. They were then tossed into a pot of boiling honey water, flipped to boil the other side, sprinkled with sesame seeds, and popped into the oven for fifteen minutes.
My taste testers agreed that they were good enough to make again. I was quite pleased as to how fool-proof they were to make. I think I shall be trying other versions of bagels soon. My son has requested his favorite cinnamon raisin bagel. I am sure the options are endless…
Boiling the bagels.Out of the pot and sprinkled with sesame seeds.Ready to eat!
I want to give my BIGGEST thanks to Julia and Katherine at Nourish for nominating me for the Sunshine Blogger Award. Nourish posts wonderful, healthy recipes and talks openly about eating disorders. I love this mother/daughter team site and I hope everyone will check them out. I can attest that their gingerbread recipe is wonderful. Thanks again ladies!
The Sunshine Blogger Award is given to bloggers by fellow bloggers who are creative, positive, and inspiring. After receiving the nomination, the blogger has the honor of writing a post that thanks the nominator, answers some fun questions, and nominates more bloggers for the award.
Here’s what the nominees have to do:
Thank the blogger who nominated you and include a link to their blog.
Answer the 11 questions asked of you.
Nominate other bloggers for the award and ask them 11 questions.
Notify the nominees in the comments of one of their posts.
Include the request and logo of the Sunshine Blogger Award in your post.
Questions from Julie and Katherine at Nourish:
What is one positive thing that happened in 2020? From the beginning of the whole Covid situation, I decided to make the best of things. After all, why make yourself more miserable by having a negative outlook? The best thing that happened in 2020 was that my family and I got to spend a lot of quality time together. There were more game nights, walks in the neighborhood, movie nights, and conversation. We enjoyed each other and appreciated what we have.
What are you looking forward to in the New Year? I am hoping that the New Year will at some point be more normal. I am also anxious to start in on my New Year’s resolutions. Oh yes, I’m a list maker. So resolutions are my cup of tea.
How will you be celebrating New Year’s Eve? I will ring in the New Year with my husband, daughter, and son at home. We will play board games and drink egg nog and eat a wonderful dessert, of which I have yet to decide upon.
Follow up to #3: are you planning on staying up until midnight on NYE? Yes! I will not be a party pooper.
Best recipe you tried in 2020? Making homemade croissants. It felt like I was in France. Oh yum!
Best book you read in 2020? I’m a bookworm by nature so it is hard for me to pick just one book. Lets see… I will say it was The Thoughts and Happenings of Wilfred Price Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones. I bought the sequel to the book before I was finished with the first. I guess that says something.
Favorite blog post you’ve ever done? (Feel free to link it!) That would have to be Learning to Skateboard at my age? Why Not! After a less than ideal skateboarding attempt as a kid, I finally got the nerve to try it again as an adult. Read my post for the whole story!
If you could travel anywhere (when it’s safe to, of course), where would you go? I want to go to Greece! I am a big fan of the movie Mamma Mia and I think it looks beautiful and peaceful there. It is on my bucket list.
What is something you do take care of yourself? I try to eat a balanced diet and get to bed at a decent hour. This year I have also taken up doing Yoga daily. It has helped to heal some aches and pains, so I am a big fan of it.
What do you hope readers get out of your blog? I hope that it offers a little something for everyone. It is an accumulation of all the things that make me me. I strive to be positive and honest and hopefully helpful.
What is your favorite thing about blogging? I love having a blogging community where I can communicate with like minds. I enjoy being inspired by others and building blogging friendships.
Enough about me… Now for my Blogger Nominations. And the winners are…
My husband noticed a hawk hanging around our home recently. He seems to like to hang-out on the wires in our front yard and also in our tree. He comes and goes more than a few times a day. He seems to have a pattern of places he likes to visit.
He seems fairly tame really, as he does not startle easily. I went to get the mail one afternoon and did not think he was in the yard, only to be surprised to find him on the ground. Our eyes met and then I carried on about my business and he his. Yesterday, I was walking past our tree on a path and was surprised to look up and see our hawk friend. Again our eyes met. I kept walking, so as not to alarm him. He stayed in the tree. After a bit, he flew up to the wires. Bicyclists, cars, etc., do not bother him.
Every day we catch ourselves looking out the window in search of the hawk. He is most likely hunting as he is very focused on the ground below. I have taken photos of him and compared them to the photos in a bird book I have. I believe he is a Red Shouldered Hawk.
Well, we hope he likes our yard and continues to stay around. He is a beautiful and fascinating bird. I wonder what he thinks of us?
