Fancy a floret or two of cauliflower dipped in houmous anyone?

What is it with MIL's. Ruth's gave her most of the contents of her larder. Mine, well mine did warn me in advance... but she turned up at the house yesterday with the most enormous cauliflower one could ever lay their little hands on.

Why, I hear you ask. I don't know, I didn't ask for it. Its not like I'm a cauliflower addict or anything, or that I'm throwing a big cauliflower cheese surprise party this weekend, or even planning an "how big is yours" competition.

What am I going to do with it. The photo doesn't even show the exact enormatity of it, even though I've tried to put it next to an average sized carrot. However, its 15" x 15" x 8". Oh, and thats after she had cut off all the branches and leaves it came through the door with.

Seriously.

The Bubela eats very little *full stop*, the Hubby is just as fussy as the Bubela but with a cordon bleu twist, me I eat most things but I'm just a bit creeped out by the bugs that are probably living in that monster. Unless its supermarket washed and packaged with a price tag of at least three digits then I'm cautious... to say the least. And the Nosh, well, he seems my best bet. Great eater. Hasn't turned his nose up at anything yet. Guess I'm just going to jeuzz it down with cheese and pasta.

I've been busy on the crafterly front too. Crocheting my first doily, progressing on the crocheted picnic blanket ('cept I've run out of KnitPicks yarns), plodding along with my Phildar swing jacket, trying to sew up a peg bag (without pattern - not good news for a beginner) and revising a pattern for my next sewing project (of which I shall be buying materials today).

So its no wonder why I'd been feeling a bit bleurr this week. Just conjested and heady, but nevertheless still ill. And I say just because if it was Hubby who was conjested and heady, his would have been a viral infection, naturally.

And to add sticks to the fire this week, I had to contend with a situation at the school with the Bubela. Jimmy Bossypants* was getting just a bit too bossy and his unhealthy obsession (of two years) with the Bubela has now got to stop. Go and find another friend Jimmy.

*Names have been changed to protect the underage.

**Edited to add a photo of Me and The Cauliflower**

Procrastinating Friday...

'Cept mines been Wednesday through Friday. And oy vey, am I knackered from doing nothing. Well, not nothing...I've been researching sewing projects. A tutorial for a tote and Amy Butler patterns.

Not to mention the lovely crocheted bags here and here. And this hat is a must.

And just love this knitted bag.



What does one teach a six month old. To sit up perhaps? Or if your lucky maybe to crawl? Me, I need to teach the Nosh that when the bowl is empty, that means no more food is coming.

The Bubela. He says he knows everything. That I don't need to teach him anything. So, I ask him what he's going to be when he grows up with all that knowledge. "Taller", he replies. He does make me smile.

One with his fathers wit, the other with his mother's palate.

FO in the sewing world

OK. This is all a bit much for me... One day knitting, the next crochet and now sewing! Oy, the world is my oyster.

My mother gave me her old sewing machine, and I say old because it was her mothers before that. After taking in its manual, then having a couple of lessons from mummy herself *thank you mummy, for flying over here last night to help me insert the bobbin*. And when I say fly, you'd better believe it.

I put thread to fabric and off I went. Arrhhh.... sew exciting.

You know the feeling when you get a new toy and all you do is look and touch, and dust and clean, but dare not play for fear of marring and spoiling, or greasing and scratching, at worst breaking it...I did that for a week.

? I know.

I also scoured the net for projects and found that a good beginner project would be an apron. And seeing as I'm a Monica around the house and a Bree in the kitchen... although Hubby would probably add wanabee infront of both those names.

So, in Bree fashion I cut out the shapes from the fabric which, btw is recycled curtains from my spare room in my old house, promoted to a dust sheet in my now house. Love recycling.

I ironed down my seams and tacked them. Though, in hindsight I didn't really need to tack them if I'd ironed them. I then placed the pieces together and sewed.

Sew proud of my first sewing finished garment.

Love is... Bonjella Bliss

When the Bubela was born I was very lucky to have him grow up along side my friends little girl. There was only 8 weeks difference between them and we would always compare notes and pretty much did everything together. If one would cry we'd question why, shrug our shoulders and dubiously whisper "teething?". If one wasn't sleeping through the night for a couple of nights... teething. Gone off food... Teething. Poo-ing... TEETHING. Who knew what it would be, but we'd bung in the Bonjella teething gel and watch the both of them lick their lips and appease.

The Nosh had a burst of tears today... dare I ask? I bunged in the Bonjella anyway.

Phildar Swing Jacket got thrown on the floor in a rage yesterday. Well, not a rage just a frustrated urgh. I finished the whole left side only to notice I didn't split the side for the pocket. Oy vey, had to frog the blooming thing. Well, we all know what WIP will be out tonight during Ugly Betty.

Geri's Losing, Posh is Gaining and Coleen's Yo yo-ing

Me... I gained half a pound. **Shriek** One supposes too many almond macaroons.

Anyway, I'm grabbing a Starbucks and a cookie and heading over to the Phildar Swing Jacket KAL to introduce myself. I've had a browse through some of the finished Swing jackets and they look great.

I'll post progress pics in the next few days.

Dont munch on matzah's alone...join a KAL

Oh my goodness, the excitement is too much. OK, the photo doesn't exactly shout extreme jubilance, but I promise I'm jumping for joy inside.

No one likes eating alone in a restuarant, nor do we like enjoying a film alone. However, sometimes circumstances force us to do so. So when someone says join the party you grab your needles and accept with thanks. Needless to say, I'm more like the gatecrasher sneaking in the back door. With thanks to Kate at KnitLit for the link to the Phildar Swing Jacket Knit-a-long, I'm now able to knit along with friends.

So, when I've stopped munching on matzahs and fishballs, I'll pick up a starbucks and join the fun.

A recipe to enjoy for Pessach

Hands up if you love Pessach cookies/cakes? Me. Me. Me... I say as I've just returned from the weight watchers meeting. I've lost another pound, taking me to 23 1/2lbs. (5lb until target) *clap, clap, clap*. *Nosh, this is all your fault, but boy, were you worth it*.

Matzo Cookies


They're sweet, soft and chewy.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup of matzo meal
1 cup of ground almonds
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs

Cream butter and sugar. Add all the other ingredients and mix well. If its too sticky add another 1/2 cup of matzo meal.

Roll into balls with damp hands and place onto greaseproof paper.

Put into a preheated oven 375* for about 12 minutes (until golden).

Hag sameach and enjoy your seder. Guess who's home for Pessach... ubba (my dad's out of hospital).

In the world of knitting

I'm still knitting up the Phildar Jacket. Things got a bit sticky last night though, Im finding their instructions a little tricky in places . Is it me, or do they not explain decreases very well? Anyway, it got my brain ticking but I eventually got there. Apart from having to think in places, its actually a very easy knit. I'm loving the look of the woven stitch.

As for the crochet blanket, its become my project on the go. Talk about ease of transport with a hook. No poking anyones eyes out and no flapping elbows, I'm loving the hook.