A good mug

Twenty years ago I bought this mug new. I have utilized it regularly since than. It was a good choice. It has outlasted the men in my life. Lately, however I have noticed staining and pitting on the bottom and I decided to replace it. To my dismay I found that while Waechtersbach still makes the same style of mug they are now being manufactured in China instead of Spain. I guess it's time for a change. How hard can it be I wondered to find lead free or almost lead free North American pottery dishware manufacturer's? At this point I have found three options. Homer Laughlin China Co., Emerson Creek Pottery and HF Coors all clearly state on their website that their dishware is lead free or nearly so. Whichever I choose I know the new one's will still match these mug rugs I knit up in worsted wool. Each one took part of an evening. It was a great way to use up left over yarn. If you knit you can make these easily too. Just draw out your design on ordinary graph paper allowing 1 stitch for each block. My red Waechtersbach mug is still as perfect as the day I bought it. It reminds me of sweet days long ago and good decisions.

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Mother and daughter skirts

It was the last item on my summer mending pile. A skirt that I had sewed years ago but it no longer fit and I no longer liked the style. However, I still loved the cotton Swiss dot fabric. It was a very full skirt and after removing the excess, I shortened it and put in an elastic waistband instead of the zipper. Now I suddenly had something I loved that fit. It was easy to see what to do with the excess fabric and my daughter was thrilled.
The summer mending pile is gone and the last camping trip is done. The sweetness of it is preserved in my memories. My daughter has grown with those good times and I see how the summer experiences we have shared together have become a part of her like how they are a part of me too. I feel truly thankful for these memories and I will carry the lesson I have learned into every season - not just summer. "True wisdom lies in gathering precious moments out of each day." Author unknown

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Vegan Hummus Recipe

My daughter loves this hummus. It's creamy and subtly seasoned. It get's it's creaminess from the oatmeal. If you are interested in how I make oatmeal milk check out my March 3, 2015 post titled Cell phones, blogging and making milk. For the hummus you will need; 1/4 cup of oatmeal ( any kind) soaked overnight in enough water to cover them, 1 cup cooked garbanzo's, 1/4 tsp. sea salt, 1/4 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. lemon juice, 1 tsp. olive oil and 1 very small garlic clove. Put everything in the blender and add a touch of water so that the blades will spin. Blend until smooth.

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Mittens

I broke the first birch wooden knitting needle shortly into the first mitten but I wasn't too alarmed. After all there are five double pointed needles in a pack and I only needed four. What are the odds of breaking two needles in the same project? And than I broke a second needle. What was a gal to do now? I wasn't going to town and there is no courier service or post office on this island so ordering online wasn't going to help me now. I checked to see if my bamboo skewer sticks were the same 2.75 mm dimension as my needles - but they weren't so I carved a new point on the broken end of my needle with my pocket knife, lightly sanded it with sandpaper, rubbed it across a piece of beeswax and knitted on. It worked very well and I actually preferred the shortened length of that needle enough that I carved a new point on the other broken needle and used that one too. But it did make me wonder how is it possible that I've knit four other pairs of mittens for my daughter from this same yarn and never broke a single needle? At least they both broke near the end and not in the middle. I've never had to make a knitting needle - at least not yet.

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