Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Return of Winter

Well, winter has returned here in mid- Missouri with -1 wind chills tonight.  Brrr.  Good excuse for a warm blanket, a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  While I still go through the seed catalogs at a slower pace, my focus is moving towards making pots of home-made soups and chili to freeze.  It's still soup weather and time for my 20 quart stock pot.  I made a pot of Fagioli (similar to Olive Garden) and it was great!  I didn't add the noodles since I was freezing it but they can be added once I make individual pots.  Chicken noodle soup works out great too- just cook the chicken, carrots, celery and onions and freeze it in 2 quart containers.  When you are ready to eat it, heat it up and add a package of pre-cooked noodles.  Its fast! 

I am thinking about a winter trip to Houston to visit warmer weather but the gas prices recently shot up again.  That could put a damper on things. I haven't been down there in a while and I'm itchin' to go see my sister! 

I am still playing with the new computer but I have found there are issues with the new programs (64 bit) and older files.  Seems I am still spending time upgrading all of the old-old pattern files but it's a labor of love.  I'm updating the graphics also and they all look much better.  I have had a lot of requests for PDF's and hope to offer them on the website soon. 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Winter Blues

It's winter, I know, but it was 65 degrees here in mid-Missouri yesterday.  At  11:00 p.m. last night, it was still 58 degrees.  This is crazy!  Today, however, it will snow.  That's usually the way it goes.  We do need winter to move on to spring.  I am already looking at seed catalogs and planning my garden this year.  We are expecting another drought so I will have to keep that in mind.

Christmas came and went way too fast this year.  I must be getting old but I am not ready to be done with it.  It was one of the best Christmases I can remember.  Very laid back and drawn out.  We still have our Christmas tree up, in fact.  It's not that I'm so lazy that I didn't take it down but we have all been sick since Christmas and just haven't felt up to it.  The stomach flu and influenza B, among other illnesses, have been running through our town like a wild fire.  So much for those flu shots we got since we all got sick anyway!  I'm feeling like today we might tackle the tree.  After all, January is almost half over.

I got a new computer last month and just love it.  I normally get them through our local computer place but  their quote was so high this time that I decided to check around.  I found some bargains on Amazon.  The first one I purchased was an HP and it was a beauty- about as big and loaded as they come. When it was on, it had a red light inside that made it look alive.   The only problem was, every time I tried to load a program onto it, it crashed.  I had to send it back.  The next time I ordered a Dell and I have to say, for my first Dell, it's pretty nice!  My son calls it a "bear" as it has about everything in the world on it.  I'm still adding programs and setting it up.  Such fun!

I guess it's time to get back to work.  Ever since I finished school, I have been playing and I have no more excuses.  I will update the website and add some quilts and runners for sale.