Needlwork Tuesday - In the Home Stretch

Needlework Tuesday is open to all readers looking for inspiration, encouragement or who want to share their recent needlework project. Introduce yourself in the comments and be sure to leave a link to your current post. Feel free to grab the cute little mouse for your post.

I am definitely in the home stretch.  Three motifs completed  in row 14. This project has 15 rows, leaving 12 motifs to complete.

Have you heard of the Hyperbolic Crochet Coral Reef project.  Hundreds of crocheters have created the most amazing replicas of coral.  Having been a scuba diver in my earlier years, I can attest that these are quite lifelike.

This second video shows very clearly how a piece grows from it's simple centre till completion.



I'll be back next weeks with my finishing photos of my mosaic afghan.

Sherrie at Just Books has been a busy bee.  Well, she has been hand quilting her 'Bee' quilt.  The hand quilting is a perfect fit for the them.
IN both Canada and the United States, we are moving quickly toward our National Holidays, July 1 for Canada and July 4 for the USA.  Visit at Lit and Laundry for some lovel Patriotic projects.

Please leave a comment wih a link to your Patriotic projects.

First Nations Friday: Canoe Way: The Sacred Journey

While wandering the internet, I came across the video, Canoe Way:the Sacred Journey.  I have copied the description below from their website.  I certainly could not have summed it up any better.

Canoe Way: The Sacred Journey documents the annual Tribal Journeys of Pacific Northwest Coast Tribes and First Nations as they follow their ancestral pathways through the waters of Puget Sound, Inside Passage and the Northwest Coast. Families and youth reconnect with the past and each other. Ancient songs, dances, regalia, ceremonies, and language were almost lost and are coming back.

Witness first hand, through the words and images of a proud people, as they share the story of the resurgence of the cedar canoe societies – and how it has opened a spiritual path of healing through tradition.

I'll be sending a message to my librarian to determine whether there is a copy available that I can view.

Free Audiobooks from SYNC - 2

Two new books are available for download this week:

June 21 – June 27, 2012
Irises by Francisco X. Stork, Read by Carrington MacDuffie (Listening Library)
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Read by Wanda McCaddon (Tantor Media)


To learn more about this summer program, read my introductory post.

The Color of Evil by Connie Corcoran Wilson

Hiding in plain sight.  In my opinion, that's what clowns do.  All that overt make-up and distracting clothing, but what are they hiding or hiding from.  Eight year old Tad really didn't care what was behind the make-up, he just knew he wasn't going anywhere near the clown that had been hired to entertain at his birthday party.  When Tad looked at the clown all he saw was a horrid gray-green aura, the worst possible color.  Every person that Tad looked at had an aura, most of them benign.

 After the birthday party, Tad started having gruesome dreams.  For the next few weeks, he dreamed of Pogo the Clown committing the most evil acts.  Once the clown is arrested, Tad's dreams stopped, but the young boy was left in an almost catatonic state.   We next meet Tad, eight years later, and he is a seemingly well adjusted young man, a junior in high school.  He has continued to see aura, but he doesn't tell anyone about them.  He has found ways to live with what he knows about people.  At least that is the case until he meets and befriends Jenny. 

When I read a horror story, I don't want to set it down until I turn the final page, and that is exactly what I did with this one.  By the time I reached the middle of the book, I knew I wouldn't sleep until I found out 'what happened'.  For the first few chapters I was distracted by the straight forward story telling and the repetition of some plot facts.  As the story continued and the story intensified, I found that those very same techniques kept me from getting too wound up.  The repetitions of the mundane parts of Tad's daily life were very reassuring that life was good and that he was safe from the guys with the 'bad' auras.  Each time I felt that I had a grip on the gruesome events, then author Connie Corcoran Wilson would throw in a twist which would put me on edge once again.  When I was one chapter from the end of the book, I thought everything was wound up and I would sleep fine, but then she used that final chapter to present those 'loose ends' that I had conveniently pushed to the side.  As I read those final paragraphs, I was once again forced to consider the evil and discomfort associated with those horrible colours.

Thanks to Virtual Author Book Tours for my review copy.  Visit  their website for more stops on the tour, including interviews and guest posts with author Connie Corcoran Wilson, and a several book give aways.

Needlework Tuesday - The Stitch Goes On

Needlework Tuesday is open to all readers who are interested in any of the various forms of needlework.  Leave a comment with a link to your recent post.  I love to see what you are working on and will visit and leave a comment in return.

This past week was good for stitching.  I worked on my mosaic afghan almost every day. Have the first three motifs for row 11 completed. Yippee  Looks like I will finish on time and not be darning in ends on the airplane.  I haven't decided whether to take a knitting project on vacation; I am taking several balls of specialty yarns for my niece and will be visiting at least one wool shop.  That should be enough.  Besides, I am going on vacation to visit with my friends and to see the sites.  I can knit at home any time.

I used my son's old SLR to take a photo this week.  Turned out much better.  Must be all the detail that it was too hard for the other camera to decide where to focus.

Do you knit or stitch when you are away?  Are you one of those people who keeps an 'on the go' project?  Last year I was working on an afghan that had small bits that were later worked together and it worked well to carry around, but a large project like this would be unmanagable.

While you are here, be sure to visit my post from yesterday to learn how to enter my contest to win a copy of The Last Romanov by Dora Levy Massanen

Contest: The Last Romanov by Dora Levy Mossanen

My niece's middle name is Anastasia.  Whether she was named for the late Great Duchess Anastasia is a matter for my sister to answer.  It is quite likely since one of my great grand father's was from Russia.  Sourcebooks has recently released The Last Romanov by Dora Levy Mossanen.  While this book might not answer what really happened to Anastasia, it does explore the 'What if's...." 

I haven't read this book yet, so have copied the overview from the author's website:

IN A TIME OF RASPUTIN’S MAGIC AND ROMANOV MYSTERY,
A YOUNG GIRL FINDS HERSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY.

She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majesty. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanovs haunts her still. Is she responsible for those murderous events that changed everything?

If only she can find the heir, maybe she can put together the broken pieces of her own past—maybe she can hold on to the love she found. Bursting to life with the rich and glorious marvels of Imperial Russia, The Last Romanov is a magical tale of second chances and royal blood.

 Had she been very long lived, Anastasia would have been 111 years old today.  In honour of this event Sourcebooks has kindly offered me a copy of this book to send to one of my Canadian or American readers. To be entered to win all you must do is leave a comment, guessing my niece's complete name: Z Anastasia M (you don't need to guess the last name. Guess the Z and the M. If you happen to know my niece, you can still enter, but don't give away her name, respect her privacy.   International entrants are welcome, though will be eligible for some other prize, yet to be determined and purchased by me. Contest closes June 24, 2012.  I will randomly select a winner(s) from all valid entries.  You don't have to guess my niece's name correctly but I am curious to find more Z and M names.

Be sure that I have a means of contacting you and that you clearly indicate where you reside: Canada, USA or International.  commenter's with 'no reply' will not be entered.

Weekend Cooking - Healthy Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of those dishes that is different every time I order it in a restaurant.  I have had sauce that tasted just like Franks Red Hot Sauce, and others that were more like curry.  No two recipes that I have compared have been similar much beyond the rice noodles.  One thing I have found, is that most of the recipes and restaurant dishes are heavy on the amount of noodles and light on the portion of vegetables.  My favourite recipe that I find myself going back to time and again is "Spicy Thai Noodles with Vegetables" from Anne Lindsay's Lighthearted Everyday Cooking.


 When making this dish, I find it easiest to complete all the measuring, chopping and sauce making ahead of time.  I like to add shrimp at the same time as I add the sauce and the noodles.  Thawed, uncooked shrimp that has been shelled and with tails removed works best.  Often I end up using pieces from a shrimp ring as that's what I find in my freezer.  Feel free to play around with vegetables and add what you like and/or have on hand.





Spicy Thai Noodles with Vegetables (Pad Thai)

8 oz flat rice noodles
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage (savoy works very well)
1 medium carrot, cut in julienne strips (coarsely shred is faster)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups bean sprouts
1 cup julienned green onions (I like to slice them in little rings then cut the rings in half)
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander
1/4 chopped peanuts/raw cashews

Seasoning Sauce:
3 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla or Thai fish sauce) or 2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes

• Cover and soak rice noodles according to package instructions.  Drain well.
• Seasoning Sauce: In small bowl, combine fish sauce, ketchup, water, molasses, soy sauce, sugar and hot pepper flakes; set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; stir in garlic, then cabbage and carrot.  Stir- fry for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp.  Push vegetables to side of pan; pour in eggs and stir to scramble. (I remove  vegetables to a large glass bowl, cook eggs omelet style, cut eggs up with spatula, then return veggies to the pan)
• Add drained noodles and sauce; reduce heat to medium and stir-fry until noodles soften, about 4 minutes.  Add 2 cups of the bean sprouts and green onions; stir until mixed and heated through. (I add all the bean sprouts but not the green onions, which I use as a garnish) Transfer to serving platter or individual plates.  Sprinkle with coriander, peanuts and remaining bean sprouts.

Variations:
Before adding eggs, add 1 cup chopped raw chicken or pork and/or 1 cup cooked or raw shrimp to pan; stir-fry until cooked.  Then add eggs and continue as in above recipe.

Do you make Pad Thai?  In the comments section, please leave a link to your favourite recipe.

For more foodie fun and tasty recipes, be sure to visit Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking post.  You are invited to add a link to your recent food related post.