Mansion Bedroom Curtains

Turning my house into one that is Disney inspired has to have a kick off point with project number one.  Curtains and Drapes! 

The first room to tackle is the French Quarter Mistress Bedroom.  Who says it has to be a "master" bedroom, right?   I have two narrow windows that I want to have shaded or blacked out. I decided to go with a lace curtain over the shades. My inspiration starts with the windows in the hall of the Haunted Mansion as you go from the elevator to the Doombuggies.  In addition to the iron scrollwork on the balconies over looking the French Quarter.

The design is an adaptation of another design I found on Pinterest.  It was a netted curtain but I did it in filet crochet.  

I'm going with the Main Street's Carnation Cafe and Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor for the Kitchen.  This design in a cream would be great for the Bay window. 

I crocheted the first curtain using Black Curio from KnitPicks and a size 8 steel Crochet hook.   It took 5 balls.  Unfortunately after blocking the curtain is too long.  That's okay because I plan on sewing a thin voile as a liner behind the curtain and a strip of twill tape along the top for support.  I can cut the extra length off when I sew on the tape.   You can visit my Ravelry Page for this project.  

Here is my chart. The chart is just for the bottom of the design with the stripes. 

Home 2do list.

I'm Back!  (for a short time anyway.)  I've been working on so many things that I got overwhelmed.  So I shelved a lot of my 'projects'  and Yes...that included My blog.   

"2do"  is what I write at the top of a long list of things to do.  I have lists that are written on both sides of a sheet of paper (and sometimes multiple sheets).  I have daily lists, lists for events and holidays, lists for fix-its around the house, etc.  You get the idea and it is never ending. 

One of my biggest and longest "2do" list is for my house.  This list includes fix-its along with renovations and a hefty price tag.  This list also has a required finish date of April 2025.   When April came around this year I realized that is just 5 years from now. Instead of shrinking the list is growing.  Why April 2025?  Retirement.  Hopefully.  

The good news is that I did check off a big ticket on the "Home 2do" in May.  The Fence. 

About 2 years ago the fence on one side of my property started leaning and ultimately fell a year later along with the gate.  Several bids put the cost between $4000 and $6000.  Like I said, Big ticket.  

Working with my neighbor and a handyman I was able to cut my costs and finally get a new fence and gate put up this year.  Now that it is up I need to seal it.   That's another expense but thankfully a lot less expensive.

So I check one item off and add another to the "Home 2do". 

...and so it goes ... on to the next...

Sunny California Sweet Tea

I love a tall glass of seriously cold and sweet iced tea in the summer.   Especially on days when the temperatures hover around the 100 degree mark.  Which is more often than not around here.  On these days the last thing I want to do is turn on the heat whether it's the oven or stove.   So boiling a pot of water to make traditional Southern Sweet Tea is not going to happen_today at least. 

But I do want a glass of iced tea.  I could always  go out and buy a bottle of sweet tea from the store.  However,  that stuff is always too sweet!  It tastes more like sugar water than sweet tea.  Not to mentioned if you aren't careful you may be buying a  brand that is made with High Fructose Corn Syrup! Ick!  ...so I decided to resort to the ol' standby...and make a mason jar of sun tea.

There are two things that make tea Southern Sweet.  Sugar and baking soda.  In order to fully dissolve the sugar and baking soda into the tea it needs to be hot. So when I went outside and retrieved the mason jar of sun tea it occurred to me that the tea might be warm enough to dissolve the sugar and baking soda.   I was right it was!

So here is my version of Sweet Tea.

Oh, one more thing.  In case you are wondering why "the pinch of baking soda"?  It is to smooth the bitter taste of burnt tea.  Don't laugh! I've seen people just pour water over tea bags in a pot and boil them on the stove.  Ever leave a cup of tea to sleep too long?  I found it also helps me to use less sugar in my sweet tea.

Sunny California Sweet Tea

   10 regular black tea bags
   1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar*
   Pinch of baking soda

Put tea bags in 8 cup/ half gallon mason jar and fill with water.  Add lid and shake to make sure tea bags are moistened.   Place outside in the sun for 2-3 hours.  There have been days when it has been hot enough and only taken an hour!  Bring back in the house, remove tea bags and add the sugar.  Stir to dissolve.   TASTE for sweetness (add more sugar if it isn't sweet enough)  and then add pinch of baking soda.  Put lid on and shake to make sure all is dissolved.  Place in refrigerator to chill.  Pour over a tall glass of ice and enjoy!! 

Note:  I use 10 tea bags to make the tea dark so that when I pour it over ice it isn't too diluted:-) I have made this with just 8 when in a pinch.

*Depending on how sweet you want your tea,  I would suggest adding a third of a cup first and taste before adding more. I use a third of a cup when I make mine.  

Coconut Rice Pudding

In general I'm not a big fan of leftovers.   The exception for me is rice.  I intentionally make more than I need because I know that I will either make fried rice or my fav...Rice pudding!

     This recipe came to be being one night for two reasons.  One, I had a dish of leftover Jasmine rice in the fridge and two I was craving the pudding more than fried rice.  Problem was I had the rice but no milk, cream or even half & half.  It was late and I am too lazy to just drive out for milk.   I didn't even have a can of evaporated milk on the pantry shelf.  But as I was putting the dish of rice back in the fridge I saw an opened can of coconut milk I had left from another recipe.   I thought to myself "why not?" And took both the rice and coconut milk out and made dessert.

     The rice I had on hand this time was Jasmine but I make my rice puddings with Arborio and brown as well.  So it doesn't matter which you use just make sure to use rice that is already cooked.

2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup of sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 cup coconut milk

Put the rice in a pot and heat to warm the rice.  Add the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and salt.  Stir over medium-low heat for a minute and add the coconut milk.   Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before serving.  Makes 4 servings.

Note:  This recipe was even better the next day cold from the fridge.   The coconut milk makes a thick cream.  Next time I make it I will use a whole can of coconut milk for a more creamy pudding.  As the picture shows it's more rice than pudding but it was all I had...leftovers:)

Baked French Toast...or is it Bread Pudding?

Have you ever had one of those moments while shopping and see something new and thought to yourself, "Hmmmmm....maybe?"  Well I had a one of these moments the other day while shopping in my local WinCo Foods.  The item, a loaf of thick sliced Sweet Hawaiian Bread.

Have you tried these Ham and Swiss sliders yet?  I first saw it on Pinterest and made them for a potluck.  Delish!  I was just glad I made two trays or I wouldn't have had any to try! Anyway, when I saw the loaf of Sweet Hawaiian Bread I originally thought Ham and Cheese Sammies.  So I bought the loaf.  A couple of delicious Ham and Cheese Sammies later I wondered about how good the rest of the loaf would be as French Toast.  Hmmmmm...

I know the basic French Toast recipe.  It's one of those recipes you have forever etched on your brain not just because it's so simple or few ingredients but because it's so delicious especially for a Sunday brunch.

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
tablespoon of sugar
sprinkle of cinnamon and nutmeg
and a splash of vanilla.

Beat all the above and pour over thick sliced day old bread.  This was usually enough for four slices.  Let soak for a few minutes and then pan fry in butter to golden deliciousness.  Plate and cover with more butter, maple syrup and or a sprinkling of powdered sugar.  Sound familiar?

I was just going to make the basic French Toast but I really don't have the time during the work week.  I had heard of Baked French Toast but it really just sounded like a version of bread pudding.  Either way it was had to be good.  Now my dilemma was that I had already eaten a few slices from the loaf and what was left wouldn't be enough to make any of the recipes I found when I searched Pinterest.   In addition, they were all baked in a 9x13 pan and that was just too much for my household of one. I thought that cutting most of those recipes in half might have worked but only if I had everything.  Which I didn't.  I just had the ingredients for basic French Toast.  Why not just do the basic version and bake it?  Exactly. Why not.  So, I did and here's the recipe I made in a 9x9 glass baking dish.  It makes enough for 4-6 servings.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter the dish really well.

Cut Bread into big pieces and place in dish.  Set aside.   I used the Sweet Hawaiian bread here but any good hearty bread will work.  I'm thinking to try pumpkin bread this fall :)

In a mixing bowl beat 4 large eggs together till the yolks are broken up and then beat in 1 pint of half and half or 2 cups of milk.  Once beaten together add:

1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cinnamon


Pour over bread pieces making sure all pieces are saturated.  Sprinkle the top with brown sugar and cover with aluminum foil.  Let sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight.  Bake covered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Then remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.  Serve warm with Butter, Maple Syrup and or Powdered Sugar.


Wow, does my house smell so delish right now!

Mac-n-Cheese in a Mug

Wow_and I mean WOW! Mac-n-Cheese in a Mug!  That will never work! Seriously?  But...but it can never work.  Really?  Okay, I'll give it a try.  ...and Wow! just about covers it.

That was what was going through my head when I first found this recipe on Pinterest.  instant-mug-o-mac-cheese-in-the-microwave  Believe me, once you make your first mug of Mac-n-Cheese you will never go back to the "box" again.

But wait, like all good cooks I tweaked the recipe just a bit.  So, here's my 'tweaked' version.




Mac-n-Cheese _Single Serve from the Microwave;)

     1/3 Cup of Macaroni Noodles or Pasta Shells
     1/2 Cup Water
     Pinch of Salt
     1 tbsp. butter
     1/4 milk (I used 2%)
     1/2 cup of shredded cheese

Notes: The container of choice needs to be large enough to keep the water from boiling up and over too much.  I put a microwaveable bowl beneath the container to catch any spill over.  I've used my glass 2-cup measure with no problems. 

For this batch I used Velveeta Shreds but I've also used mild and medium cheddar cheese with the same success.  I don't recommend Mozzarella or Italian Blend Shredded cheese.  They don't blend well for a cheesy sauce. I tried :)

In a large (at least 14 oz) microwaveable mug or container with high sides add pasta, water and salt.  Stir.  Place in microwave on high for 2 minutes.  Carefully take out mug and stir.  Return the mug to microwave and heat on high for another 2 minutes. I've made this several times and 4 minutes has always been enough for the water to be absorbed and the pasta to be done.  But I have a 1100 watt microwave.  If your pasta needs more time then add another minute.  Just remember to stir after each minute.  When I made this version with pasta shells I found the shells needed 5 minutes to be fully cooked to al dente.

cheese and milk have been added

right out of the microwave

Take mug out of microwave when pasta is done and add the butter.  Stir till the butter is melted. Add milk and cheese and stir.  Place back in the microwave for another minute.

stirred and ready to eat!

Very Carefully (the container will be HOT) remove mug from microwave. Stir till cheese is well melted into the pasta and EAT Up!  Quick, super easy and 5 to 6 minutes later you're eating Mac-n-cheese from scratch!

For a crust top: Sprinkle crumbled crackers on top.

To change it up a bit try different combinations of cheeses.  Want something a tad spicy then try 1/4 cup of Pepper Jack with mild Cheddar.  Delish!  I added crushed Doritos on top for some crunch.

_the socks I promised when it was still foggy outside

Hmmm...where to begin.  First, let me say that the socks are done and have been for a few months now.  The delay in posting was a decision made to avoid a public rant online.   The Yarn..the yarn.  Oh, the frustration I wanted to rant on and on about.  But I waited and now here's the story a bit calmer and much re-edited than the original because I waited to hit "Publish". 

Hank vs. skein.  Which is better?  After this, I'm thinking hank.  Yarn that comes in hanks require extra work before you start.  It needs to be wound into a ball.  A skein comes ready to knit...just pull out the loose end and go.   So, when I saw that sock yarn in a skein, I thought quick knit socks.  But they weren't.  I spent just as much time piecing it together as it would have taken to wind a ball from a hank.  Maybe even more.   Hanks have another advantage over skeins.  You can check the yarn as you are winding it into a ball.

The skein had such promise.  I couldn't wait to have the socks knitted so I can wear them on my feet.  But, alas, the skein hid a secret that could only be seen after I had knitted halfway through sock number two.  Splice after splice.   Knots were used to tie two ends together throughout the skein.  Even a few that were no longer tied.  Ugh!  To add to the frustration, the ends didn't match up in the colorway.  I wasted a lot of yarn to match the colorway and in the end there wasn't enough yarn in the one skein to knit both socks.  A point for using this pattern design. 

If that wasn't enough, the yarn was hanging by one ply in many places so that I was forced to make my own splices!  I don't know if this was an issue with just this particular skein or a regular occurrence with all of the Deborah Norville Serenity yarn.  But, I'm so upset with it that the few skeins waiting in the wings to be knitted will most likely stay there for a lot longer.   I don't have the time to unravel an entire skein to check for the splices before I knit...what knitter does?  Understand that this yarn is labeled as a sock yarn and is for the most part used to knit socks.   So splices are NEVER a good thing especially if the yarn is a colorway and not a solid.  The company making the skeins should have realized this and not bothered trying to make a skein out of leftover bits and hide it inside the skein so that I wouldn't have to find out what they did after I was already into the project.  

So, NO.   I can't in good faith recommend this yarn to knit socks.  Too bad the yarn itself has promise but I  expect to knit socks from a colorway from start to finish with OUT having loose ends to worry about when done.   It's the point of colorway.   Stripes and multiple colors without having to piece it together from multiple skeins.  Yep, I'm going to leave the other skeins in the corner and buy a different yarn for the next pair.    Most likely the yarn will be wraped in a hank so that I can check for splices before I start. 


Inside the sock.