Busy month...

...and this is just the stuff that's written down.

Hope to be back soon.

Is the chicken really this good in pubs?

Most of my grocery shopping these days occurs during twice weekly Gymnastics classes, so I find myself doing just what they tell you not to do - shopping while hungry, just before supper. 

This is not a great idea.  Publix knows this, and has chicken frying in the Deli and nice ladies cooking at their "Aprons" kiosks. 

They sell a lot of fried chicken and Aprons meals ingredients that way.

As I was shopping in Publix a couple of weeks ago, I tried a sample from the Aprons kiosk.  I wandered down the next aisle, taking a bite...and circled back to grab a recipe card.  As I returned, the lady who had gotten a sample along with me was coming back from the other direction!  It is so full of savory-sweet-tangy-spicy-rich flavor that it kinda inspires little moans of yumminess.

It's so good that my husband requested it for his birthday meal.  Check it out:

Pub-Style Chicken and Caramelized Onions With Fresh Spinach

Kitty Ripple

I learned to crochet a ripple using the Neat Ripple pattern from Lucy at Attic 24.  I LOVE rippling!!!  I love Lucy's blog - so full of color!  She NEVER crochets in neutrals - it's all bright, happy, exuberant color.  And yet the effect is serene. 

This is the second ripple project I've done, a bright afghan for Earthgirl's room.  No, it does not belong to the kitty. 

Next up, I think I'll try out this even more ripply  Ripples of Happiness pattern.

How being Facebook friends with teenagers can make you less cool

You'd think being Facebook friends with teens would make me cool.  I mean, I feel all cool inside when I get a "friend request" from the younger generation.  Oooo...I'm feelin' cool...

But not only am I already NOT very cool, but being Facebook friends with some teens has made me even LESS cool.

I am hopelessly uncool.  Not cool, man, not cool.  That's me.  I wasn't cool back when I was a teenager, so the chances of getting cooler in my 50s is pretty slim.  (The chances of getting slim in my 50s is pretty slim, too). 

But I'm learning. 

Angsty teens often post angsty status updates.  I used to sometimes worry, and maybe respond to the status. 

Ha!  Rolling their eyes, they type back (at least, I imagine they roll their eyes), "It's from a song."  Or a poem.  Yup, if you have teenager Facebook friends, be aware:  they often post snippets of poetry or song lyrics as status.  They do not say where the words come from, because if your FB friends are cool, they would know. 

I am not cool.  But here's what I'm learning to remember: 

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise;
When he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

Thanks for the wisdom, Solomon.



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Coping with Crochet

I stayed busy in December.  I was a Crafty Mama, in fact.  I was not a Bloggin' Mama.  The next few posts will probably feature little crafty thingies whipped up between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Hmmm...maybe next year I can just re-post those posts if I get overly December-busy and unable to put words or pictures to blog...

First up, Coping with Crochet! 

I use crochet to cope with waiting time when reading would take too much concentration - like at Gymnastics practice!  

I love making a Super Star Baby Afghan.   Mikey showed me how:  Super Star Baby Afghan.  I wish I'd found his videos back when I first started reteaching myself to crochet.  He shows so clearly what he is doing.  Of course, some of my confusion may have stemmed from misunderstood terminology.  Did you know that USA crochet and UK crochet have different definitions for "single crochet" and "double crochet"? Live and learn...

The first one I made is hot pink, blue, and green,  all Caron Simply Soft yarn.   

 

 

The second, one made for a new great-nephew, is white, blue and green, also Caron Simply Soft yarn.  You can make these any size - just keep going round and round and round until you think it's big enough or you run out of yarn.  I made both these car-seat baby-lap-blanket size.   

They were so much fun!  As I worked on them at Gymnastics, piano lessons, Science club, they always attract attention - they are just so cute!  Seeing these pictures makes me want to get another one started - maybe I'll use this week's Hobby Lobby coupon for another skein of yarn.

Returning Soon

I disappeared for a month, more or less, but I will return soon!