One of my big goals for the weekend was to finish all the laundry and put it away. I don’t mind laundry, and there’s only two of us, so it’s not like there’s even that much to do, but somehow I always get caught on that last step, you know, the actual putting away of the clean clothes. I wonder what that says about me. Nothing flattering, I think. Honestly, right now I’m pooping out and I don’t think the clothes are going to be folded tonight, much less put away, but I did finish a lot of other things, so I’m not going to feel too bad about it. Actually, I mopped the kitchen floor on Saturday, so I’m not going to worry about the laundry at all. Mopping earns you a break from laundry, doesn’t it?

As I mentioned before, my Spring Forward socks were easily finished on Saturday. I’m finally getting the hang of the elusive kitchener stitch. The toes on these aren’t perfect, but they’re the best I’ve done so far.

I did go up a needle size, from one to two, so they would fit my big feet. I could tell within a couple inches of knitting on the ones that they wouldn’t fit, so it was simple enough to undo and start over.

I’ve also been working away at some items for the shop, and finally got a few done and listed. I’m having a little crisis of confidence. All week I’ve been thinking of all these great ideas, sketching, making lists and just planning and scheming, but when it comes down to actually adding a listing to etsy I get all nervous and doubtful of my once great ideas. This isn’t a pity post, fishing for compliments sort of thing, because I think the only thing that will reassure me are actual sales with positive feedback. Blergh. Okay, I will just act brave and confident, and keep plugging away here in the Hey Lucy workshop. If nothing else, I’m really enjoying myself, going from one activity to the next. A little bookbinding here, a little sewing there, a little drawing and stenciling, and even knitting a tiny hat for a tiny chick.

He’s in the shop, all by his lonesome, except for these pincushions, but now that I’ve worked out the pattern, I’ll be making a few more. I think. Or maybe not, maybe no one will like him and I should just go back to the drawing board.

I caught a little bit of a cold this week. Nothing terrible just a sore throat and stuffy head. Of course, soup sounded pretty good, so I stopped at our regular Vietnamese Pho restaurant for some pho tai and Vietnamese egg rolls. I think the restaurant has changed owners, I didn’t recognize anyone working there, and the customer service was sorely lacking. Then, as the man behind the counter was bagging up my order, he put a tray of fresh rolls on top. When I asked them why he was putting those with my order, he told me they were what I ordered, Vietnamese fresh rolls. Um, no, I told him, I ordered egg rolls. Well, he said, egg rolls cost two dollars more, so did I still want egg rolls? Pfft. I was tired, and sick, and hungry and didn’t have any cash on me and didn’t want to charge two dollars for egg rolls, WHICH I ORDERED. So I went home, still happy with the thought that at least had my soup.

Pulling everything out the bags, once I got home I realized that there was no puffy plastic bag with bean sprouts and basil and limes. Boo! And they were stingy with the hoisin and chili sauce. I’m very particular about my pho, and this place has always done it right before, but after today I’m afraid I’m going to have to find another place. Anyone in San Diego know of a good place for pho in East County? Sigh. Life is hard sometimes.

I’m not going to dwell on my tragic problems any more tonight, however. I’m working on some things for the shop. Here’s a little peek:

It’s been a while since I’ve pulled out my bookbinding supplies, and I’ve been enjoying tearing up big sheets of paper to fit some old book covers.

I’ve also found a new favorite sock pattern, and will definitely have a finished pair of socks to show off by Saturday morning. I can’t believe how fast these guys are knitting up. If you’re looking for a quick sock knit, I highly recommend knitting yourself a pair of Spring Forward socks!                                  

Why was Kenley not auf’d? Why? I’m really not liking her and her attitude. How can a person be rude to Tim? It’s just wrong.

And seriously this:


Was way worse than this:


That’s all I can say about this right now. The final three better be Leann, Korto and Jerrell. Please discuss :o)

As usual, I did some cooking this weekend. First of all I decided to enjoy some tomatoes while they’re still at their peak, and made a classic insalate caprese.

Using a variety of heirloom cherry tomatoes might not be completely authentic, but it was delicious.

Then I continued my Italian theme with an even more inauthentic lasagna. Following Melissa’s suggestion in a comment on my post about freezer meals, I decided to make a couple small pans for the freezer, as well as the one I baked last night. The ingredients were a little trailer park-ish (I went to Fresh & Easy for the cheese, and they were all out of ricotta, so I used cottage cheese, and the sauce was from a can), but I have to say, and Mr. HeyLucy can confirm, that it was one delicious pan of lasagna.

Look at that drippy, yummy mess! There are three layers, each with a layer of noodles in between. I started by smearing a little marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish and topping it with noodles. The bottom is Italian sausage and extra lean ground beef, cooked with some chopped onion and a small can of tomato sauce, topped with a light layer of mozzarella. The middle layer is low-fat cottage cheese mixed with lots of fresh chopped basil and a tablespoon or so of dried oregano and topped with marinara sauce. The top layer is thinly sliced zucchini and spinach, topped with a thin layer of alfredo sauce. Add another sheet of noodles, top with marinara sauce and a sprinking of mozzarella, and bake until bubble-y and golden, and don’t worry about cleaning the oven until tomorrow if you want to be just like me. I left the zucchini out of the frozen pans, because I wasn’t sure how it would freeze. Have you ever seen frozen zucchini? I don’t think I have. There must be a reason for that.

I’ve decided to embrace my inner capitalist, and start listing stuff in my etsy shop again. I’m working in earnest this weekend on a few things, including some inexpensive items, like this tiny little pincushion in a tart pan.

Since I have a pretty severe case of creative ADD, there will be a pretty wide variety of items, from little quilts to hand-bound books to sock monkeys. I’m not sure if that will make for a successful etsy shop, but I’m going to give it a shot. Stay tuned for regular previews right here in this space!

Sally, without the white balance set to Incandescent. Much better, I think.

Here’s kind of a gross story. The chickens love grapes. LOVE. Sally has always been more partial to the thinly sliced apples I feed them. This Summer, however, she has discovered that yes, grapes are quite delicious. I try to tear them in half for her, but sometimes she gets so impatient, she just grabs them out of my hand. And then she swallows them  whole, one after another. And you can actually see them, the little round lumps, moving down her long neck. It creeps me out, yet I cannot look away. Sometimes I even just feed her the whole grapes so I can watch her swallow.

I’m still trying to learn how to use my zoom lens, and I was practicing this morning. Sally kept walking closer and closer. I think I have a picture that is nearly all beak. In this one you can see her pretty blue eyes. Er, eye.

The dogs run through the dew and drink out of Sally’s pool in the morning, then go lay in the dirt, so they’re always a bit disheveled looking in the morning. Here’s Winston’s dirty face:

There has been quite the chicken soap opera going on around these parts, but it will take several entries to share that tale. In the meantime, meet Colonel Sanders:

Something I really need to work on: check the white balance before taking pictures! I was so concerned about my aperture and shutter speed that I forgot that the last time I used my camera I was taking pictures in the kitchen in the evening and had the white balance set on incandescent. Doh! So that’s why everything is blue. That’s also not the first time I’ve done that. When will I learn?

And now, a list of movies that should not be viewed on an empty stomach:

• Big Night
• Eat Drink Man Woman
• Howard’s End
• Mostly Martha

Do you have any to add to the list? I’m just trying to serve the public here at Hey Lucy, and prevent any unnecessary hunger pangs.

I watched Mostly Martha last night, but it was after dinner, so I was okay. Next on my Netflix queue is No Reservations. I’m going to see how it compares to Mostly Martha. I usually hate Hollywood remakes (for example, Shall We Dance, the Japanese version, is far superior to the U.S. version), so I have very low expectations.