Interesting Walk in the Woods

Everyone knows that walking is good for you so yesterday after lunch I used the last 25 minutes of my lunch hour and walked through the woods near the University City Library.

Cute Critter....A little unusual to encounter one in plain day light. I was  told by a co-worker that he could have been rabid.  He did not make any attempt to attack.  He was soaked and wet from all the rain.  I was delighted to have met him.

Reporting from the UNCC woods this has been:

Heart Healthy Granola

A co-worker from University City Regional Library shared with me a Granola recipe that does not contain oil. It turned out very good. I did make a few changes to her original recipe. Instead of using brown sugar, I used only 1/4 cup of Agave Natural sweetener and Maple syrup. If you decide to use brown sugar in this recipe you will need to add 3/4 cup.   I have even been able to get Flavored Agave Syrup at Marshalls.  For this recipe I used Blueberry Flavor Agave Syrup but the plain Agave Syrup Sweetener would work just fine.


If you are watching the amount of sugar you consume, Agave Nectar is better for you since it scores lower on the Glycemic Index (17Gl) so it will help by not raising your blood sugar.  As with anything especially a sweetener use Agave in moderation and just enough to sweeten your coffee for example. This sweetener is super sweet.   Read more about Agave Nectar sweetener here.

You can download a copy of my recipe from this site

On My Birth Day

 

Enjoyed a wonderful and very special birthday in the company of my sweet husband Cliff who decided to take the day off.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch at the Hibachi Grill in Matthews.  Tried something new some kind of  stuffed  seafood shell.  Not really sure what I was eating but it was good.

 The weather was perfect for a walk.  I don't mind taking walks as long as the temperature is the the 50's...very appropriate since today I turned 55...lol..  I knew I'd be having cake...later on in the afternoon.  So I walked briskly.

Cliff got me the cutest wee little cake -- and we both enjoyed it!

I brought the mail in after my walk and  to my surprise a birthday card signed my UC Library co workers had arrived.  It was really  nice to enjoy my cake while I read all the sweet birthday wishes.  The picture below is the one I submitted for my Flickr Project 365.  It is a little bit of a challenge to take a picture a day but so far I'm still doing it.  I have also met some very nice people that participate on the Project 365.

Thanks everyone for making my birthday so special.

Snow Day Crafting

A coworker shared with me a neat way to recycle Christmas cards.  You can also use pretty scrap book card stock.  This craft works better with cards that are not too thick.  This makes the folding easier. The snow scene book mark was made using a Christmas card.  The other two were made with scrap book paper.

It's all about being green and frugal.




Surprise a friend who likes to read by giving them one of these.

Thank You Marilyn!



The instructions on how to make these is here.

When It's Cold Outside I make Soup

Today was the perfect day to make soup! I absolutely loved staying home today thanks to the snow and had a productive day.

I made Carrot Pumpkin Soup.

You will need Olive oil, pureed pumpkin, carrots, potatoes and celery.

I used about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to cook the chopped onions and red bell pepper.  While this is cooking season with curry powder and black pepper.
You will add some garlic at this point but be careful not to burn it.

Next add the chopped potatoes, celery and carrots.  If you have zucchini on hand you can also add some. 

I used store bought vegetable broth and there is no need to add salt because this broth already contains sodium.  This soup is very quick to make and is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Cliff likes to add some more heat using Texas Pete Hot sauce.

Click on the the following link for the complete recipe.
Carrot Pumpkin Soup




After making the soup I had 1/2 can left over of the pureed pumpkin so I made Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread.  A word of caution.  I watch how much sugar I eat so this bread may not be sweet enough for you.  Feel free to add more of the sweetener you use. The Bread turned out so pretty with the addition of pumpkin seeds and cranberries.

As I waited for the New Year....

I waited for the new year watching a few episodes of X Files (Season 7 now) and knitting. The perfect project to end the year knitting was a coffee cup sweater/cozy.






 

I knitted this cozy using No. 6 (4.25 mm) knitting needles and Worsted Weight Yarn.

 How cute is this....found some teensy weensy little buttons for eyes.  This cozy has 4 owls instead of the 5 in the original pattern.   I also decreased one row making the owl, otherwise the cozy would have been too tall for my mug.  I changed the ribbing to be knit 1, purl 1.

The cozy is joined at the bottom has a button closure.  Cozy slips on with the button closed. This pattern is available free from the Knitphomaniac in Ravelry.

 When you are done drinking your coffee or tea.....display your beautiful creation as I did.

 

At around  10 pm on New Year's Eve, I decided to join the Knitting Help Party and continued knitting the night away instead of watching the ball fall.  It was fun even if I did not win any of the prizes.  Thanks Sandy for organizing this fun knitting event. Sandy designed a Coffee Cup Sleeve to commemorate this New Year's Eve Party.  You will find the pattern on Shandeh's blog as she is known in the Knitting Help community of knitters.   To make the cozy I used Size 6 needles instead of the size 7 suggested in her pattern and it worked just right. This cozy fits a large paper cup.

Here is the completed Coffee Cup Cozy designed by Sandy.

Wish you all a Happy New Year in every way.  May your life be touched and enriched by the One who holds our life in his hands....The Lord Jesus Christ.

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