Swedish Mystery Novel & Meet the Author

If you see me around town, waiting at a stoplight, at the dentist's office, waiting to pick up a child from baseball practice or dance tryouts, sitting at my desk during lunch, sitting all cozy on my living room couch, chances are my nose is buried in this book:  Misterioso by Arne Dahl.  It is a murder mystery book by a Swedish author.  I've said this many times before - I love Scandinavian mystery novels.

I have a deadline of finishing this book.  I have to be done by May 12th.  Shouldn't be a problem as I just started it yesterday and am almost half way through.  Why the deadline?  I am going to a "meet the author" event at the American Swedish Institute with my friends Wendy and Betty on May 12th and absolutely have to have the book finished by then.

The last time I went to a "meet the author" event, it was to see Finnish Mystery writer Jarrko Sipila at Finn Style in Minneapolis, MN with my friend Wendy.  I was so star struck I couldn't bring myself to get my book signed by the author.  Wendy said I was like a giddy schoolgirl.  Hope I can act my age this time!

"The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read."  Abraham Lincoln

Project Day

I apologize to those of you who look for a new blog post every morning.  I have been negligent in keeping up with my promise of daily blogs.  Life has gotten in the way and with our busy schedules.  I am going to continue to blog but it may be every day or it may be every other day or it may be once every few days.  I hope you continue to visit my blog and I appreciate all of you who have been so supportive.  If I could blog full-time.....it would be the best job ever!!!

Today was a day of travel and of projects.  I left home this morning, bound for Paynesville, MN to pick up my daughter who had spent the weekend with my sister and her family for the weekend.  I had to make a stop in St. Cloud, MN at Crafts Direct.

I had started my bowling ball gazing ball project a couple of weeks ago.  You might remember that this time last year, my children helped my mom create a wonderful gazing ball out of a bowling ball she had purchased at a garage sale.

I started my gazing ball project the same way she did.  I cleaned the ball with alcohol.

 I gathered all of my flat glass stones.  I chose kind of a gold color with a few red stones scattered about.  I asked my husband if he thought I'd have enough to cover a bowling ball the size of mine.  He said, "maybe".  I took that as a "yes" and started adding one stone at a time.

I used clear silicone and added a generous amount in small squares.....pushing the flat glass stones in as I went.

I got about 3/4 of the way finished and then ran out of stones.  I thought a quick trip to my local Michael's or JoAnn Fabrics would solve my supply problem.  WRONG!  Neither place had the color or size I need.  This is where my pit stop to Crafts Direct comes in.

I thought if anywhere would have the color I need, Crafts Direct would.  Boy, was I right.  Not only did they have the color I needed.....I had to sort through a couple of bags when I got home.

They also had every color under the sun of my favorite dishcloth yarn.....I limited myself to two skeins.

AND....I just couldn't pass up the material to make another tie blanket.  Here is where the projects part of my day kick in.  When we got home from Paynesville today, after a brief stop to see friends in Cold Spring, it was project completion day.  My daughter made me a great blanket to keep in the car for these cold spring baseball games.

 I finished my bowling ball gazing ball.

 You may notice the difference in color but when the silicone dries, it will all look the same.  One thing I'm going to do that my mom didn't do is I'm going to coat my stones with varnish.  This will keep the dirt from sticking to the silicone in between the stones.

So......what started out as just a day of travel, ended up as a day of finished projects.

"A smile is a light in your window that tells others that there is a caring, sharing person inside."  -Denis Waitley

Tile Coasters

I have the enormous pleasure of having a very creative mom.  She is always coming up something new......a new card making technique, a fun centerpiece, a great garden sculpture, home decorating tips, knitting patterns and many other fantastically creative things.  For Easter, she helped my daughter make a "glove rabbit" (see my last post) and she made and gave me these great coasters.

My mom made them out of tiles purchased at a hardware store.  They are about a quarter of an inch thick with uneven edges.

She stamped each tile with a design and lightly colored in the pears and leaves.  She baked them in the oven to set the ink.

Lastly, she put felt tabs on the bottom to protect the surface from the bottom of the tile.  

Now if I can just get my kids to use them!

"Creativity is contagious.  Pass it on."  Albert Einstein

Cute Easter Gift

Happy Belated Easter Everyone!  My daughter, with some special help from my very creative mom, mad this Easter Basket for me.

Besides the cute rabbit with her baby rabbit and the beautiful stone pot, there were Easter Egg plant stakes and some packets of seeds.

My favorite part is the cute "glove" rabbit with her baby rabbit "thumb". 

My daughter drew on the face with a permanent market and used "real blush" for the cheeks.  The whiskers on the baby were made with dental floss.  The entire glove was stuffed and the thumb was tied off as the "baby", the pointer finger was tucked around the side to look as though the baby was in her mommy's arm and the pinkie finger was tacked down as the other arm. 

So cute and so sweet!!

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance.  They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life.  And, most importantly, cookies."  -Rudy Giuliani

Pizza Bread

I've been on a roll lately with quick family dinners and tonight's was not exception.  It was literally "a roll", a pizza roll.  It took only a few ingredients and very little time to prepare.  From start to the dinner table was about 40 minutes - most of that was cooking time. 

I started with a loaf of frozen bread dough.  I let it rise all day today in a covered glass dish.  I covered the dish and dough with plastic wrap and then draped a clean towel over the top.  Once it had thawed and risen completely, I rolled it into a rectangle making sure that it was very thin.  Then I brushed it with a mixture of 2 egg yolks (save the whites for a little later), a Tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of dried oregano leaves, a teaspoon of dried parsley, and a half a teaspoon of garlic powder.  You could also use Italian seasoning or any combination of pizza spices that you like.

I spread pepperoni slices over the top and then sprinkled on a generous amount of mozzarella cheese. 

Very carefully, I rolled up the dough from long side to long side.  I did this very slowly, making sure to tuck in the cheese and pepperoni.

Then I brushed the dough with the saved egg whites and put it in a 375 degree oven for between 30 to 40 minutes - until it was golden brown.  Move it to a cutting board and let it sit for a few minutes to set.

While it cooled, I heated up a jar of pizza sauce for dipping.

Lastly, I cut it into wedges and let everyone serve themselves. 

This recipe can also be used with ham and swiss cheese or smoked turkey and sharp cheddar cheese.  Just vary the spice combination to suit your meat and cheese choice, while still using the egg yolks and olive oil.  It's a hit with my family!

"There's always room for improvement.  And pizza."  -Unknown

Day of Reflection

So today I don't have any special recipe, craft or place I've been.  No service to compliment or good book to recommend.  Today, I'm reflecting on all the good things that happened today.  Things that didn't require anything from me.  Like:

 #1 - getting a compliment about my oldest son.  He has a great relationship with the mom of one of his friends.  She baked him cookies last night and when he went over to get them, he sat and talked with her about everything under the sun.  She sent me a note later, letting me know that she had a great conversation with him and that he is "one very wise boy".  I'm thankful that through all the ups and downs of parenting this very independent boy, he is turning into a wonderful young man.  A wonderful young man in the eyes of those who aren't biased as to how special he is!

#2 - the strength of my daughter's spirit.  Unbeknownst to my husband and me, our daughter has had some issues with a couple of girls at school.  Through others, I found out how horrible things have been for her.  We never saw a change in her always cheerful attitude.  When I asked her about it, she said, "Mom, it'll all work itself out".  Really?  What 11 year old says that?  I wish I could bottle her positive spirit and ability to see good in everyone, no matter how bad they hurt your feelings.  She is able to see that the hurt is more about the bully than anything that she has done.  As a 47 year old, I'm still trying to figure that out!

#3 - the excitement of my second son when he made the A traveling baseball team.  You have to understand that this child definitely has his grandfather's genes.  He, like his grandfather, is really happy but isn't quick to express that happiness.  Tonight though, after he got the call, he hollered to me, "Mom!  I made the A Team!" with a gigantic grin on his face!  He has worked really hard to get to this point and his resilience and hard work have paid off.  I just loved seeing his exuberant face and hearing the joy in his voice!

#4 - coming home and seeing my husband getting things ready for supper so I could quickly change clothes and head to our son's baseball game.  He had the home front covered without being asked.  He knew I wanted to go to the baseball game but he also knew that I would want to make sure that the rest of them were able to sit down together for supper.

Life is Good!

"One small positive thought in the morning, can change the entire outcome of your day."  -Unknown

Yummy Pasta

I don't know many children who don't like pasta, cheese and bacon.  I have a recipe that incorporates all three and is so simple my husband can even put it together when I'm too busy or under the weather.  It's an adaptation of a recipe from the Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver.  First, you start by cooking the bacon.  I cook mine by putting a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and then I "bake" the bacon in the oven.  It cuts down on the grease splatter on my stovetop.

Next, boil a one pound box of penne pasta in a large pot - any long tubular pasta will work.  Drain the pasta well and return to the pot.

In a small bowl, whisk together five egg yolks and seven tablespoons of cream.

Add about 3/4 of a 5 oz. container of shredded parmesan cheese.   Stir well.

Pour this mixture over the drained noodles and stir well.

Chop the cooked bacon and stir it into the pasta and cheese.

Serve immediately with a salad and good crusty bread.  My family loves it!

"Life is a combination of magic and pasta."  -Federico Fellini

Yarn Shop Hop.......Sort Of

It was with best intentions that my daughter and I headed over to our favorite neighborhood yarn shop, All About Yarn, in Coon Rapids.  That was to be our first stop.  This weekend was the Yarn Hop and there were 17 stores we could have visited but we only ended up at ONE!  I even picked up the official Yarn Hop folder, pin and paperwork.

We walked into All About Yarn and it was a bit like Norm walking into the bar Cheers....."where everybody knows your name".  We were greeted by the shop owner and her sister and then I got a huge hug from one of my former Tuesday morning knitting friends.  It was so wonderful to see her and catch up on all that I've missed since starting my full-time job.  I told her that every Tuesday morning at 11am, no matter if I'm at my desk, in training or at a meeting, my mind wanders to the days when I used to knit with that wonderful group of women.  We, as a group, never missed a Tuesday.  Even when one of our friends was terminal with cancer and could no longer come to the shop, we took our knitting group to her home and sat around her bed knitting and visiting.  I'll never forget the day she could no longer knit and lay with her eyes closed.  Someone asked her if we should leave so she could get some rest and her response was, "No, I love just laying here and listening to your voices".  I just couldn't go rushing off to all of the other stores.  It was too important to "hang out" somewhere familiar and I place I have missed going to every week.

I went to about six stores on the Yarn Hop last year.  The process was the same this year.  Each shop had a free pattern to go along with the yarn designed especially for the shop.  At All About Yarn, they had two patterns this year to go along with the two colors of yarn dyed especially for the shop.  One pattern is for a cowl and one is for fingerless mittens.

The yarn sold out but you can see from the fingerless mitten pattern what the colors are - I'm on the waiting list for BOTH colors!

I did find some other yarn to purchase.  I'm going to knit another quick cowl with fun spring colors.

Something to keep my fingers busy while watching my middle son's baseball games!

Next year, I am hoping my mom will come and go to ALL of the shops with me.  Mom, I will even take off a day of work to go!  Here is a link to the website for future reference.  www.minnesotayarnshophop.com

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy.  They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."  -Marcel Proust

Busy Day

What a busy, busy day today!  I started out the day having my 17 year old follow me in his car to the school where  he needed to take his ACT test (it was at a local high school - not his own).  At 7:30am I thought it would be better to have him follow me than try to give him directions.  He and I were both nervous about him taking the test and I wanted to make it a little easier on him by eliminating the worry about finding the school and the right door to go in.

I was OK with having to be up and ready for the day early on Saturday morning because I had made plans with a couple of friends to go to the Junk Bonanza at Canterbury Downs in Shakopee, MN and we wanted to get there right when it opened.  My friends and I all found some great finds.  I wish I would have gotten pictures of everything we bought!

I found these great boot socks for my daughter's Easter basket.

They are made from re-purposed jersey material.  I have them folded in half for the picture……the blue part is much longer.  We saw so many vendors wearing them with their cowboy boots.  Obviously they had done a little shopping before we had!  The socks were made by my cousin's wife's sister.  I have ordered things from her before and have love her style.  She has a Facebook page - Tillie's.  Anyone who needs a gift for a teenager, young adult or someone with a  bit of eclectic style needs to check out her art.

My other purchase was a plant stand.  I have been looking high and low for a plant stand that will hold my bowling ball gazing ball.  I haven't wanted to turn the bowling ball into a gazing ball into I found the perfect stand.  As soon as I got home, I made sure the bowling ball would fit.  Guess what my project tomorrow will be?!

I also found a cute way to recycle/upcycle tin cans and…...

an idea for a lamp for my very creative husband (sorry the picture is blurry).

The Junk Bonanza ended today but mark it on your calendar for the fall.  Here is a link to the website for all of the details.   www.junkbonanza.com  I'll be there!!!

"Money can't buy happiness but it can buy junk and that's pretty much the same thing."  -Unknown

Quick Knit Cowl

My middle son came home from baseball practice tonight not feeling very well.  It gave us all an excuse to sit and watch a movie together instead of having an evening of rushing around.  It also gave me an excuse to get out my new knitting project.

I was able to sit and knit this entire cowl in one sitting, while watching one movie.

I used some very soft cotton yarn and a size 10.5 circular needle.  The pattern is knitting, purling and yarn overs.  The pattern is free at All About Yarn in Coon Rapids with the purchase of the yarn.  It is only a 32 row pattern and is a very quick knit.

I'm hoping for another movie night, maybe not one with a sick child, so I can knit another one!

"Sometimes I have the feeling that I enjoy knitting things more than having the things I knit."  -Unknown