Friday Part 2 - or boy am I beat!

So dog class really takes it out of you! I don't know who is going to end out on top but if I were a betting woman I would say the family members with 4 legs and cold noses! It was like going to a gym for a workout...they are pulling you are pulling...While Daisy wasn't 100% good she tried....Toby on the other hand...well we won't even go there. The teacher seperated DH and I and even put up a barrier so that the dogs couldn't make eye contact with each other and want to start playing...oh well! LOL

I started to work up this week's free file: a cute card front. I hope to test cut it and have it up by Sunday...notice I am pushing it back a lttle LOL! Here is a sneak peak before I go to bed!

As soon as I am done I will share it here on this site for a limited time.

Well, I'm beat so I am going to head off to bed. Have a safe evening!

Eddita

It's been one week since...

Okay, so what happened? Where I have I been? To tell you the truth I don't know LOL! This has by far been the fastest week and I don't even know where it went.

Dog obedience classes started last week. Week 1 was only for the fur "moms and dads" where we received a binder, instructions and a "clicker". I don't know about you but my little mind can only do so much, so to have to remember to call the dog, click the "clicker" say good dog and give a treat at the same time is really asking a lot! Our homework this week was to practice with our dogs so that tonight when we go in they are ready to go. So....I have been working with my little Daisy and she is doing well...she is just so eager to please.

On the other hand, my DH is working with our most stubborn Bassett mix and I don't think they are going to do very well tonight LOL! Note: This will not be the first time he (our dog) goes to class and as a matter of fact he has his certificate stating he passed the first time. We joke that it was really a "pity pass" as he really didn't do to well save for the 2 things he continues to do which are "Off" and "Drop It". I'm looking forward to seeing how tonight and the clicker training goes LOL!

What else? I have been doing a lot of sketching and will post the weekly free file tomorrow morning, since my sketching has not translated into a finished file. I think the rain hasn't really been too inspiring and I am looking forward to a little sunshine. Right now as I write it is grey and POURING outside.

Well, this was supposed to be just a quick post, so I will finish up tomorrow and let you know how the class went.

Eddita :)

Friday, Bread and Free Files!

My friend Shirley asked if I had finally made bread and my answer was YES!!! and it is D-Doubly-Licious!

I followed the bread machine recipe and added the ingredients to my maker and set it to "dough". The machine kneaded it, let it rest and knead it some more. I didn't realize that it also added a little heat which really helped (as this is the first time I used the dough function). When I came back after a little more than a hour this is what it looked like!

Pretty Cool stuff! The recipe then calls for you to put it out on your non-stick surface cut some slashed in the top, cover and let rise another hour or so.

Once done, I brushed some water on the top, put it in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes and Badda-Bing-Badda-Boom you have some delicious bread!

Well, I was thinking as I am trying to offer a free file on Fridays,

to commemorate this wonderful bread, I created

a "Bread & Butter" file.

Since I am having some internet problems, if you send me a quick email I will send you the file either in .GSD or .KNK format.

Let me know what you would like!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and to all of you Mom's out there...Happy Mothers Day!

Eddita :)

Wow, its Thursday already!!

Sourdough Starter update: Day 5

As you saw, the other day I uncovered my bowl and the hooch was out of control. The next morning, I decided to go ahead and pour some of it out and now everything looks MUCH better now LOL!

After a couple more days of stirring, I think I am ready to try to make a loaf! This is good because it will give me a chance to try it out before Sunday!

Everything has been pretty quiet. I am going to have to spend my day cleaning up around here in preparation for the family's arrival, but things aren't too bad although laundry has piled up a little.

I don't know if everyone saw my posting at my Paperthreads Gallery but right before Easter I had a MOUNTAIN of laundry to do! It made me laugh it was so big (but in my defense, it did include a lot of sheets, etc!)

Of course I had to take some time out of the day to create a little washer and dryer file to add that perfect touch to the page!

Well today I have some to do, but nothing like before!

How are you all going to spend Mother's Day? Are you going out or keeping it closer to home? We thought about going out, which is what we do each year, but things being the way they are we took a vote and opted to celebrate at home! Everyone I know is on a budget and really trying to save a little money here and there.

Here's a little secret: I enjoy it a little more myself that way. Everyone brings something and we have a good time. We KNOW the food is good and the company makes it even better!

Well, I guess that's it for now. I'm off to start laundry and see what I need to do to make a loaf of bread!

I'll keep you posted!

Eddita

Hooch

OK, so I was starting to get worried about the starter because something weird was happening to the mix. I went and looked at the websites around only to learn what I have on top of my mixture is called Hooch.

I found a really good website by S. John Ross that described the hooch and it explained that it is a layer of watery liquid (often dark) that contains alchohol. He said that it smells a bit like beer, because it is a bit like beer and warned not don't drink it! I will say he is right, I walked in the house tonight and it smelled like a brewerey! LOL

Apparently it doesn't hurt anything and I can either pour it off if my starter looks liquidy or stir it in as it really doesn't hurt anything. I really didn't want to deal with it tonight, so I just stirred it back in.

If nothing else it appears I am doing the whole starter thing right! The only thing I really care about at this point is not poisoning my entire family for Mother's Day! I have "911" on speed dial just in case!

Speaking of Mother's Day, I hope you have your cards and presents ready! For those of you looking for a last minute card, I have a new card front up for sale. It's very cute (if I do say so myself) and can be used for many different occasions based on the colors you choose.

It looks like little buttons and I just used a pen to draw in the "thread" holding the button on. If you are a little handy with a needle and floss, go ahead and make a little knot to give it a more dimensional look.

You can also use the little buttons as accents on other pieces or layouts.

Well, I guess that's about it for now! Hope you are all well and have a great day tomorrow!

Eddita :)

Sunday, Sunny Sunday (and Sourdough)

My friend Shirley was looking for bread machine recipes since the ones she had worked but were not always the best. I told her I had a book that I have been using since '97 (OK can I be any older?!). She found a used copy on Amazon but in the meantime asked which ones I enjoyed making.

One of them was Sourdough bread. For those of you who don't know this type of bread, unlike other bread recipes where you add the yeast to the mix and you're good to go, for this one you have to make what is called a starter (mixture of flour, water, sugar, etc) and you let it sit on your counter for a week while it "comes to life". After about a week, you use some of it in your bread machine to make a loaf and whatever is left goes into the fridge. You do need to keep "feeding" the starter with sugar and flour as you use it so it can replenish. Just do a search on the Internet for Sourdough and you will understand what I mean.

Anyway, after talking to Shirley, I decided I would get some "starter" going. It takes anywhere from 5+ days to mature and I'm hoping by next Sunday, Mother's Day" I will be able to serve some nice bread when the family comes to visit.

So, in addition to my other ramblings, I will be adding Sourdough Watch to this blog and include pics for those of you who are interested and even for those of you who are not! LOL!

So here you are: pic of Day 1 - Actually not much to see, the ingredients are in the bowl, they have been completely blended and are now sitting on my countertop under a piece of cheescloth. Supposedly I don't have to do anything for a week. I'm looking forward to how it's going to turn out! LOL!

Anyway, I want to say thank you to those who have emailed me with suggestions for new .gsd and .knk files (thank goodness someone other than my mom is reading this blog!) I have made up a list and will slowly be creating them and uploading either here or Cutters Market. I'll keep you posted.

Talk to you soon!
Eddita :)

Happy Friday!

Well, I tried to take my advice and enjoy the slowness of the week but I still couldn't wait for today to arrive!

Don't forget that the price of stamps are going up starting Monday, 12 May! Better get your cards out before that date to save the penny!

I was talking to a friend who is a letter carrier who can't believe how angry people get over having to pay 42 cents instead of 41 cents for a first class letter. She says she is angrier at having to have to pay almost $ 4.00 a gallon for gas and almost as much for a gallon of milk! I agree with her. What we pay for a letter is a lot less than other countries AND we pretty much get our mail on time and delivered where it should be (note: I said pretty much...nothing is ever perfect LOL!)

Well, you might be seeing this pretty little knotwork. I have always loved the fluidity of them and for awhile, when I had my stained glass business, I would show many pieces from simple boxes, suncatchers and garden stones to very large intricate window hangings.

This cute little file can be used for anything you can think of including a card front or nice accent on your scrabook page. As always, send me a pic if you use it so I can share.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend (though it looks like mine will be rainy!)

Eddita :)

Click on this link for your Free Knotwork.KNK File

Click on this link for your Free Knotwork.GSD File