January was a bit of a lost month for me. I think I got that flu that isn't responding to the shot, and I was sick for a solid two weeks. Then I had to catch up at home and work after being sick. One thing about the year long de-cluttering project, the house remained more or less the same with minimal attention and that was a great feeling.
Inspired by de-cluttering some pantry items, I used up the last of a molasses past its best by date. The internet told me it was still good to use, so gingerbread cookies again!
I hope to revisit the butter cut out cookies later this month. I find it's less nerve wracking if I cut the dough up in quarters, and roll out, then set aside. Once all the quarters have been rolled and cut out, I put all the dough back together. Maybe I roll a little less doing this but who knows.
I stuck with "ginger J's" (stocking or candy cane cookie cutters, and a biscuit cutter. Round cut out cookies are under appreciated.
The nice thing about gingerbread is you can eat a lot before you feel sick to your stomach. They turned out pretty well except for the last sheet when I forgot to set the timer. Crispy beyond all repair.
In other crafty news, I have made the first tentative steps towards getting over my sewing phobia,
Yes this is a neckerchief/bandanna. It is essentially a quilting fat square that I bought, not realizing it wasn't really made for apparel. Washing it 6 or 7 times has made it wearable. I have a good friend who is an ace sewer and quilter. She squared up the squares and ironed them and patiently set me up on her sewing machine. I don't know how to uh, load a bobbin or thread the machine. I know that the presser foot is important and you can turn dials on a machine to make different seams.
Look at this craftsmanship.
It's amazing how quickly one can fall into the flow of sewing. I had to rip out some stitches and found out what happens when I forge the presser foot. I'm looking forward to doing more bit by bit. Fine motor skill activities often leave my suspicious to try and frustrated when I do, but I do feel like this is a skill I should try having. Who knows maybe I'll get my own sewing machine one day.
In other crafty news, I've been making some new bead jewelry mostly while watching Sanditon on PBS. This is general fun auto-pilot crafting. Right now though I am working on a necklace that for some reason I can't tie and knot off. It's a weird hiccup so I have just tied it in a way that a dexterous friend can help me with later or I can revisit.
This is a moon stone rose quartz necklace, that I'm doubling up and using as a bracelet.
The houseplants are in a grim battle with winter. I think my creeping charlie is in an irreparable nosedive. Moxie has been extra sneaky about getting into the bathroom. She chewed about a half dozen leaves off my pothos plant and promptly threw up two leaves she ate. I trimmed the yellowed leaves that had been gnawed and and am watching how it recovers. It doesn't look as flush and full but I think it will survive. Moxie has also done a number on the spider plant I got last summer. The poor guy has just given up.
But, I have a whole line of baby spider plants from the plant at work that I'm rooting.
Despite Moxie's obsession with destroying my houseplant experiments, and coughing up hair balls with an alarming regularity, she has seriously earned her keep as a cat.
One morning I was home from work with the flu, I was eating a late breakfast and Tutu ran down the front hall barking like a maniac and when I followed her to the front door I expected to see either nothing or we would have gotten some kind of delivery. Instead, before my astonished eyes, was Moxie, large eyed and crouching in front of the door batting a small brown mouse back and forth. I think Moxie would have caught and killed the mouse pretty quick. But then Tutu crashed the party. It all worked out though.
Well, not for the mouse, let's be honest.
The mouse ran away from the dynamic duo, but right under the coat closet door. I rolled up a rug and called Dad, asking for a sticky glue trap and slid it under the door.
I was horrified to have a mouse in the house, but am chalking it up to a fluke, that he was an explorer from the garage. I've set out several glue traps in the garage and basement, and not seen any more sign of mice at all. I'm also hoping two cats and a terrier give off enough scent to keep a mouse off of settling in.
I'm just grateful we were able to contain the mouse.
Tutu likes to participate in my at home cozy winter activities. Here she is, offering to play fetch the fox with me, rather than allow me to work on a sewing project for a friend. Note, I don't do any sewing in the help I give. I cut loose threads, make little side cuts to prevent puckering, and then turn inside out.
Also, Tutu likes to offer me the option of rubbing her tummy, rather than writing in my journal.
I stuck with "ginger J's" (stocking or candy cane cookie cutters, and a biscuit cutter. Round cut out cookies are under appreciated.
The nice thing about gingerbread is you can eat a lot before you feel sick to your stomach. They turned out pretty well except for the last sheet when I forgot to set the timer. Crispy beyond all repair.
In other crafty news, I have made the first tentative steps towards getting over my sewing phobia,
Yes this is a neckerchief/bandanna. It is essentially a quilting fat square that I bought, not realizing it wasn't really made for apparel. Washing it 6 or 7 times has made it wearable. I have a good friend who is an ace sewer and quilter. She squared up the squares and ironed them and patiently set me up on her sewing machine. I don't know how to uh, load a bobbin or thread the machine. I know that the presser foot is important and you can turn dials on a machine to make different seams.
Look at this craftsmanship.
It's amazing how quickly one can fall into the flow of sewing. I had to rip out some stitches and found out what happens when I forge the presser foot. I'm looking forward to doing more bit by bit. Fine motor skill activities often leave my suspicious to try and frustrated when I do, but I do feel like this is a skill I should try having. Who knows maybe I'll get my own sewing machine one day.
In other crafty news, I've been making some new bead jewelry mostly while watching Sanditon on PBS. This is general fun auto-pilot crafting. Right now though I am working on a necklace that for some reason I can't tie and knot off. It's a weird hiccup so I have just tied it in a way that a dexterous friend can help me with later or I can revisit.
This is a moon stone rose quartz necklace, that I'm doubling up and using as a bracelet.
The houseplants are in a grim battle with winter. I think my creeping charlie is in an irreparable nosedive. Moxie has been extra sneaky about getting into the bathroom. She chewed about a half dozen leaves off my pothos plant and promptly threw up two leaves she ate. I trimmed the yellowed leaves that had been gnawed and and am watching how it recovers. It doesn't look as flush and full but I think it will survive. Moxie has also done a number on the spider plant I got last summer. The poor guy has just given up.
But, I have a whole line of baby spider plants from the plant at work that I'm rooting.
Despite Moxie's obsession with destroying my houseplant experiments, and coughing up hair balls with an alarming regularity, she has seriously earned her keep as a cat.
One morning I was home from work with the flu, I was eating a late breakfast and Tutu ran down the front hall barking like a maniac and when I followed her to the front door I expected to see either nothing or we would have gotten some kind of delivery. Instead, before my astonished eyes, was Moxie, large eyed and crouching in front of the door batting a small brown mouse back and forth. I think Moxie would have caught and killed the mouse pretty quick. But then Tutu crashed the party. It all worked out though.
Well, not for the mouse, let's be honest.
The mouse ran away from the dynamic duo, but right under the coat closet door. I rolled up a rug and called Dad, asking for a sticky glue trap and slid it under the door.
I was horrified to have a mouse in the house, but am chalking it up to a fluke, that he was an explorer from the garage. I've set out several glue traps in the garage and basement, and not seen any more sign of mice at all. I'm also hoping two cats and a terrier give off enough scent to keep a mouse off of settling in.
I'm just grateful we were able to contain the mouse.
Tutu likes to participate in my at home cozy winter activities. Here she is, offering to play fetch the fox with me, rather than allow me to work on a sewing project for a friend. Note, I don't do any sewing in the help I give. I cut loose threads, make little side cuts to prevent puckering, and then turn inside out.
Also, Tutu likes to offer me the option of rubbing her tummy, rather than writing in my journal.
