Third Infinity

Need I say more?

Cut and pasted off Yahoo Green:  Most of us know that baking soda can be used for more than just making homemade cookies and other dough rise. It's not uncommon to see an open box of this leavening agent deodorizing refrigerators, for example. But did you know that there are at least 40 different ways to use baking soda? Baking soda makes a perfect stand-in for many personal care, cleaning, and deodorizing products. The list of benefits is long: It is inexpensive, free of toxic chemicals, versatile, and effective. Wondering how baking soda, aka sodium bicarbonate, works its magic? It helps regulate pH — keeping a substance neither too acidic nor too alkaline. When baking soda comes in contact with either an acidic or an alkaline substance, its natural effect is to neutralize that pH. Beyond that, baking soda has the ability to retard further changes in the pH balance, known as buffering. This dual capability of neutralizing and buffering allows baking soda to do ...

I just have to show off this new block pattern for Randy's birthday quilt.

If you've never had a corn fritter and you're a carb hound, prepare for orgasmic sensations.This is the kind of warm, lovely dish that just makes a Cakes and Ale special.

This stuff is too good to have only once a year. I'm a little lazy, so I throw all this in the crock pot. It's too darn hot to heat up the kitchen! Let the crock pot do the work. Only change is, don't add the milk until just before serving. If you're low carb like I am, you can substitute steamed and chopped (in the food processor) cauliflower.

Lammas is the holiday to love grain. Breads, rice, corn and I'll even throw in the legumes.For someone on a permanent low carb diet, it can be a little tricky. However, with good sense and some simple changes, even someone like me can celebrate the grain harvest, summer, and have fun. There are many options to suit any palate. I make baked brown rice, so the oven is already warm and ready when I mix up the casserole and I can shove it right back in. The rest of the rice I don't use in this recipe can be frozen in a zip-top bag for later use. You can even add meat to this casserole and save yourself a step. I keep cooked chicken in the freezer, all ready for recipes like this one.

Just a quick little brag on release day for Man vs. Wild I just had to share my new quilt. It was paper-pieced, and the pattern came from AllPeopleQuilt.com. It was the 2009 Calendar Quilt Free Pattern. Lena Austin "Stop fighting the Wild," said the coyote. Coming Soon: Man vs. Wild http://www.LenaAustin.com

Sunshine Muffins for Litha 1 8.5 oz can crushed pineapple, drained and reserving the syrup milk 1.5 cups packaged biscuit mix (like Bisquick) 3 T sugar 1 beaten egg 1 T sugar 1 T finely shredded orange peel Add enough milk to the reserved syrup to measure ¾ cup liquid. Combine the biscuit mix and 3 T sugar. Add in the egg, ¼ c pineapple, and syrup-milk mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until just moist. Grease or line muffin tins. Fill 2/3 full. Stir together remaining pineapple, 1 T sugar, and orange peel. Spoon about 1 T pineapple mixture atop each muffin cup. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Makes 8-10 muffins. Calories 161 28 carbs Lena Austin "Stop fighting the Wild," said the coyote. Just Released: Man vs. Wild Book 3 in the Coyotes of Yellowstone http://www.LenaAustin.com

Karen DeAngelo and I were talking this morning and we wondered just how many scrappy gifts we could come up with. This is our list. Can you come up with more? Definition of Scrappy for my blog friends: Scraps leftover from projects. Scrappy Gifts to Give Bookmarks Hackysacks/beanie balls for children Grocery bags Plastic Grocery Bag tubes for recycling Lunch bags Ipod/Cell/Messenger bags Eyeglasses case Puppets, Teddy bears, and stuffed beanies Tooth Fairy Pillows Ring Bearer Pillows Neck pillows and U-shaped Travel Pillows Spa sets (slippers, tote, do-rag and scrubbie) Potpourri balls and bowls Journal covers, photo albums, guest registers Book and Bible cover totes Poppets and pet toys (catnip mice and chase balls) Pillowcases Scrunchies and hair accessories Gift/Wine bags Small Appliance covers Casserole/Crock Pot totes Tea Cozies Aprons Placemats, runners, napkins, table cloths, napkin rings Holiday themed plate chargers Silverware set holders Picnic sets Pouches Coasters Ta...

Sunshine Muffins for Litha 1 8.5 oz can crushed pineapple, drained and resereving the syrup milk 1.5 cups packaged biscuit mix (like Bisquick) 3 T sugar 1 beaten egg 1 T sugar 1 T finely shredded orange peel Add enough milk to the reserved syrup to measure ¾ cup liquid. Combine the biscuit mix and 3 T sugar. Add in the egg, ¼ c pineapple, and syrup-milk mix. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until just moist. Grease or line muffin tins. Fill 2/3 full. Stir together remaining pineapple, 1 T sugar, and orange peel. Spoon about 1 T pineapple mixture atop each muffin cup. Bake at 400F for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Makes 8-10 muffins. Calories 161 28 carbs * * *

Isn't this GREAT? I'm also posting this in October 2009. (Yes, I plan this far in advance)

I've discovered a certain peace lately in quilting. Yes, I'm sure most of us have read Dorothy Morrison's book on Magical Needlework.

You know them-- the margarine tubs, sour cream pints, yogurts, and nut cans you keep back in the storage container cabinet "just in case" you need them. Well, here's a new trick. Take the tubs, bowls, pints, and all other container bottoms outside. Plant some seeds in potting soil. You can transplant later and you won't feel guilty if the container looks too shopworn to keep anymore. It was recycled and reused. Put it in the recycling bin with no guilt. Now, don't throw away the lids!! Oh, no honey!! Save those puppies! If you do needle arts like I do, you have a ready made supply of stencils, quilting foundation piecing patterns, and plastic bobbins for your embroidery silks and yarns. Let me explain each. Let's start with the easiest: Stencils. Let's say you want to use fabric sprays/paints to decorate your favorite tee shirt, table cloth, napkins, and a wooden crate with stars for the Fourth of July, or sunflowers for Litha. You're even a lit...

Nope, this isn't about being "green." This is about making do with what you have. I've wanted a matching bedroom set most of my marriage-- over 25 years. It's never been in the budget, not to mention DH and I have radically different ideas of what a bedroom decor should be. I don't find dark man caves at all restful, and he can't sleep in bright, breezy spaces. The closest we've ever come to agreeing has been an Oriental theme focusing on bamboo greens,  soft beige, haiku, with touches of black and gold. Needless to say, paint for all the furnishings and enough money to buy matching fabric for padded headboard, bedspread, drapes, bed skirt, and pillow shams has never been in the budget. Yet, that would be the most economical solution. My mother is the past master at changing things around to create new and different "looks" using paint and a change of fabrics. She didn't like the way her ceiling fan housing looked. So, she found a carou...

As I write this, my family has suffered under the economic crisis of 2009. I'm not sure we'll even have a home next year. We've never known the pleasure of a summer vacation. There's no such thing in the low-level blue collar world. However, kids don't understand economic turmoil. They only understand it's boring. So, this year, try the Stay-cation and explore the local area. I am. We're going to the zoo, the MOSH, and a festival in the park this summer.

What a good idea! Because the label is easy to change, you can switch things up a bit from year to year if you need to do so.

Lately, I've noticed that I'm no longer stressing about the upcoming change in our circumstances. My DH has been out of work long enough that I no longer believe it's possible to hang on much longer to our beloved home. I will shed a few tears when I move out, mostly as mourning for the dreams of home ownership, once more broken in the mud. However, I cannot say I'm terribly sorry to have the burden removed. The mortgage payment was a crushing burden of about $1300 a month, even before the mortgage company began tacking on $250 a month in late fees. When I see I could rent a 3 bedroom, 2 bath manufactured home for about $700-$800, you can imagine how I long to jump on lowering my sights. I don't think it's sour grapes, though some might accuse me of that excuse. Look at it from my perspective. I'm the one who has to listen to DH and Dante bicker and bitch about mowing the lawn and edging the walk. Admittedly, our present home sits on almost a full acre. ...

I can deal with ice cream in summer, can't you?