31 Days of Tea

Close-up photo of an orange Bijou Basin Ranch mug, with a bag of David's Tea Forever Frosty tea leaning up against it on a cluttered desk.

I’ve noticed several of the blogs and podcasts I follow starting their Vlogmas posts, and although I didn’t much feel like sharing my pathetic little Hanukkah celebrations (I light candles just before I start my shift each evening), I did kind of want to get back out into the world a little bit. I’ve been a hardcore hermit since just before the panini started (first because the Black Lives Matter movement was gaining steam, and I felt other voices should be heard than mine, and then later because my mental health took a nosedive). But I’ve been ruminating and thinking and having urges because I miss my podcast family, and I miss everyone I’ve been fortunate enough to meet in the process.

I wasn’t comfortable recording today (we’ll see, it may happen before this month is over). So much has happened since I last podcasted. I haven’t knit in nearly a year. I did not get married in September of 2020. I no longer live in the same place. I don’t work at the grocery store anymore (new side gig, actually quite exciting!) I’m no longer with the same person. My life has changed in a lot of really significant ways. And I’m still struggling to put some of it back together.

So I figured why not start small? I was making myself a cup of tea this morning, and I remember back in March 2020, that was my intention. To start a tea diary. I’m not going to go with anything quite that elaborate, but I did want to see if I could stick to coming by and chatting with you all a bit over a cup of tea for one month. I have FAR more than 31 kinds of tea in my stash (it’s actually a bit embarrassing). And I wanted to challenge myself to have a different kind each day, but all from David’s Tea. No, they’re not sponsoring me – and I didn’t buy the advent calendar. This is all from stash.

At the same time, I’ll try unpacking a few boxes, reading a few books, watching a movie or two, and talking about whatever catches my fancy.

So today’s tea is Forever Frosty. The description says it’s “a jolly, happy blend with orange slices, spices, and sugar-dusted almonds.” The ingredients list is considerably longer than that (there’s MARSHMALLOWS in it! – so obviously not sugar-free, but only 1g of sugar per tea bag). It has all those sweet & spicy notes that make you think of Christmas, smells like an old-fashioned spice cake, and is warming and welcoming and lovely. It’s not cloying like some of those spicy, sweet teas can be, it’s a very light flavor, like walking through the kitchen after the holiday baking has been cleaned up. and I’ve been drinking it as I write this, and I’ll be sad when it’s gone – sort of. I do have a few more tea bags from the Christmas Classics sampler I bought at the beginning of the year. It was just the pick-me-up I needed this morning, as I see the fine, sunlit dusting of snow in the yard.

So welcome to December, and happy fourth night of Hanukkah! I hope you all have the best day possible.

Photo of a snow-covered back yard, grass poking through. There's a small, bare maple tree, a small spruce in the sunshine, and a much larger spruce closer to the window. The base of another house can be seen in the background.

Podcast Episode 66

Not much to mention in show notes. I had no progress other than to switch needles on my Lace Chuppah. I had negative progress on my Find Your Fade – I knit fourteen rows, and then had to unknit sixteen and reknit two – so basically ended up right back where I started! So technically, I did knit, but have absolutely nothing to show for it!

This video features an unboxing from Adagio Teas. I ordered a bunch of their samples to see what I would or wouldn’t like. I’m very excited to try these! I’ll be recording a bunch of snippet videos of daily (or nearly) tea reviews based on the teas I purchased.

Depression is a dirty, rotten liar

I haven’t been very active for a few weeks, either on the podcast or here on the blog, because depression has reared its ugly head and has been lying to me on a daily basis. Telling me I’m not good enough. Telling me I’m not smart enough. Telling me I’ll never succeed at anything. Telling me I should just stop trying.

Also, funds have been very, VERY limited recently. Somehow, even though I’m trying to budget and paying more attention to my spending than ever, there’s less and less money to go around. A big part of that is because my daughter recently turned 18, which means I lost all those lovely parental tax credits I was getting from the government. And let me tell you, that was a pretty significant portion of my monthly budget. That tax credit used to pay for my car insurance, our tenant insurance, and my monthly bus pass. It also paid for any meals we had “out” (usually delivery).

So anyway, all that to say I’m having to pinch my pennies a bit harder, and it’s difficult, which makes the depression get a better toe-hold into me. Why am I telling you all this? Because I’m trying to dig myself out of it. And one of the ways I do that is to make myself a little bit accountable outside my own head. One of the plans is to meal plan a bit better. Today being payday, I went through the discount grocery chain’s flyer with a fine-tooth comb, made a list, and made some plans about what we’re going to eat for the next seven days.

I plan on making a pot of Budget Bytes Gingerbread Steel-Cut Oats in the Instant Pot (recipe will be followed except for the method – I’ll follow the method I usually use for steel cut oats in the IP). That, and a pot of seriously-discounted yogurt (yay sales!) will cover breakfasts. I also bought some bananas, so I may make a second batch of steel-cut oats with bananas if I run out of gingerbread. I bought some seasoned chicken legs (with back attached). When I picked up the package, both my kids groaned. See, a few weeks ago, chicken legs were on a deep discount at my store, so I bought a crapton. We’ve been eating nothing but chicken legs for a long time, and the troops are tired of them. So those are my work lunch for the next four workdays (I’ll cook them momentarily).

I bought some chickpeas and tahini to make Real Simple Five-minute hummus (my daughter eats it like it’s going out of style, so why not save a bit of money and make it at home?) There are fresh vegetables to go with that. She also has cans of condensed soup, which are one of her favorite foods – those will be doled out one per day. I bought chicken hotdogs and buns for my son’s lunches, and I usually leave him a big pot of rice in the fridge at the beginning of the week. I managed to get two barded king roasts for less than $12, and some ground pork that should be enough to make 3 meals (along with 3-lb bags of onions and carrots). My budget was $100. I spent $101.16. I feel okay about that. I need to do more advance food prep, and I need to make sure I have decently healthy food for my grocery store shifts, so I don’t end up buying something to eat on my break (I literally can’t buy anything this week).

Anyway, beyond the money and food thing, I know I need help to pull myself out of this. Both my kids are in therapy currently, so I can’t really afford to go that route myself, but my employer has a rather impressive Employee Assistance Program that I intend to contact some time before the end of the week. I got stressed out at work this morning, for entirely valid reasons, but I was 100% unable to prevent myself from bursting into tears over it in my boss’s office. Don’t worry, my boss is entirely in my corner and wants to do whatever she can to support and assist me. I wasn’t stressed out about her 🙂

So since the EAP is available to me, and costs nothing, I will avail myself of the assistance offered. Because there’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeking help. Depression and anxiety affect a lot of people, and a lot of them don’t have access to the kind of assistance I have available to me. So as difficult as things have been for me in recent weeks, I am privileged to have assistance available to me.

I guess my point in bringing all this up is, if you need help, ask for it. Talk to your doctor, if you can. Talk to a friend. Talk to your family (if that’s something that would help – not everyone has a supportive family, or even family at all). Talk to me. We all need a helping hand once in a while. And some of us need that a bit more often. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Also, everybody’s always looking for ways to save money, so if you have a favorite tip, share it in the comments 🙂

Printables & a Plan!

I know I haven’t been active lately – to be honest, I haven’t even been posting show notes for the last several episodes. But I’ve been trying to get things organized, and I think I’ve finally started hitting my stride. What with two adult children (WHAT), two cats, two jobs, two classes going on at school, and trying to renovate Rob’s house and my apartment, life has been a bit hectic. I’ve been creating some tools to help myself stay organized, and my boss actually jokingly suggested I should do it as a side-business. Well, THAT doesn’t interest me in the slightest, but I am more than willing to share my organizational tools as free printables that you can customize for your own use!

When Rob and I are together, we tend to do a lot of errands in one trip. This means trying to divide a shopping list between several stores, which can get confusing. After I took a Microsoft Word class last year, I developed this multi-store shopping list template that can be customized with your own store names, and a bullet list for each store. I’ve included some items as examples.

I’m also really bad at planning my groceries out ahead of time. I wasn’t keeping track of what I had at home, things would sit in the fridge for far too long after they were no longer edible, and I would buy things I didn’t think I had, so I would end up with three bags of apples! Meal planning is a great way of using up what you’ve got, and knowing exactly what you have to pick up at the store. My weekly meal plan document is attached with a week’s worth of meals and shopping sorted out by grocery store section.

And even though my kids are adults doesn’t mean I don’t still need to spell out exactly which chores I want done when. (I also need reminders of when things need to be done by – such as getting the recycling and compost out the night before they’re meant to be picked up).

Multi-store Shopping List

Meal Plan

Chore Schedule

I’ve also tried bullet journaling several times now, and this weekly layout I designed for the binder I keep on my desk at work has proven to be quite helpful! I also don’t have to worry about buying a new calendar every year, and I can customize with stickers, clip-art, markers, whatever I want, really!

Bujo Weekly Layout

I do have some other things I’m working on, but those will have to wait until I iron all the bugs out. I hope that some of you find these useful. They’ve certainly been lifesavers for me! There will be some recipes on the way in coming weeks, some plant love, as well as some photography/outings and more podcast/knitting posts. Stick around, things are going to get exciting!

Episode 24

Knitting content!

FO: Flirt Shawlette by Heidi Sharp Designs. Knit out of Bijou Basin Ranch Tibetan Dream in the Green-to-Black Fade colorway, specially dyed by ModeKnit Yarn. Knit on size 3.75mm (US 5) needles.

WIPS: Casting on Rob’s 2019 socks out of Gnomespun Yarn Phouka Base in the Brave colourway, on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Knotty Mittens by Tessa Rexroat. Knit out of Bear in Sheep’s Clothing Bear Masham base in the Squall colourway on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Stash

I received an absolutely beautiful skein of Manos del Uruguay Marina in the Appalachian colourway from my friends RabbitRibbit and Sylvie for my birthday!!!

Screen time

I finished season one of Jessica Jones, and now I’ve started season three of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While I was in Chicago, Rob and I went out to see Bohemian Rhapsody, which was amazing, although I’m still annoyed at a few things in the film (like glossing over the wild behavior of the other band members and making them look like bloody choir boys). SO MANY podcasters have new episodes out, among them selmaknits, ARunnerBean, Knit Night with Mekamika Podcast, and so many others!

Not much else going on, trying to concentrate on school and work, and organizing my living space as much as possible. I hope you’re all having a productive beginning to your hibernation season! see you next week 🙂

Episode 21

Knitting Content

Test knit: Mina Capelet by Emily Walton, for Expression Fiber Arts. This is likely the last time it will be shown before the pattern is released, so I don’t give away details of it! slightly_smiling_face

Celestial Socks by Brandi Miller. Knit out of Fleece Artist Trail Socks hand-dyed by my friend Krystal on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Flirt Shawlette by Heidi Sharp Designs. Knit out of Bijou Basin Ranch Tibetan Dream in the Green-to-Black Fade colourway (dyed by ModeKnit Yarn on size 3.75mm (US 5) needles.

Tea Review

Today’s tea is David’s Tea Cream of Earl Grey. It’s a luxuriously smooth black tea that just feels like a nice warm hug. There’s a bit of a sweet note to it, as well as a minor bite from the black tea. It tastes full and rich, and almost custardy… and now that I say that, I TOTALLY want to steep this in some heavy whipping cream to make crème brulée!!!

BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUTS

I am so sorry I forgot to do this last week, but happy birthday to all the October babies!!! Happiest of birthdays to patcha, Celestya22, CrochetingWhovian, KnitPurlandRepeat, nmarchn, geigerkounter, LMcrafting, alisonwonderland, chumstick, maryreadsalot, ocdknitcase, sandyknits88, LDSVenus, deepcovegrl, Ellisknitstoo, TalesOfYarn, Knitincrazee, LylaCraft, ShhhLulu, Haylsknits, PinDoll, liviej, Robina1911, blackjax21, nzfriend, gfgislason, knit1baketoo, TheCATTLady, JansHands, pacasinmaine, CraftyYarnaholic, FirstMateJules, CatlynInWonderlad, calicokitty6, k10, and Marlene31. I hope you all had a fabulous birthday month!

Annie Modesitt Fund

There’s still time to get in on the draw for these fantastic prizes by donating to Annie Modesitt’s lymphoma fund before November 10th! Please see details in the thread here. Annie is a fantastic teacher, knitwear designer and indie dyer. She was recently diagnosed with a rather nasty form of Lymphoma that has attacked her spine, and has been undergoing chemotherapy… but while she’s been battling cancer, her husband Gerry, who has been battling Multiple Myeloma for ten years, passed away suddenly. Helping her defray the costs of a funeral and keeping afloat while she works out the rest of her treatment and recovery is a super generous thing for you all to be doing, and I’m so proud of our little group here for pushing their sleeves up and getting it done RoMillet!

Bijou Basin Ranch KAL

Hop on over into the BBR KAL threads to show us what you’re working on, and to save your spot in the FO thread 🙂

On Screen

I made it through the last few episodes of season one of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and onto Guardians of the Galaxy. I completely forgot to mention all the new podcasts that came out this week – there’s a new one from ARunnerBean on Hawthorn Cottage Crafts, some new non-knitty stuff from TrueCanuckGirl on Steeped in Books, some Must Love Yarn goodness from jrbirdkid and KellySpins, ANOTHER new episode from TheCATTLady, some new content from NinjaChickens (go see her new studio! Exciting stuff!!), a little bit of pumpkin carving fun and a Knit Crate review from MinaPhilipp on The Knitting Expat podcast, and a brand new episode from handmemyknitting!!!

Stash

My lovely friend krysknits thinks about you guys too!!! She gave me an absolutely stunning sock blank and a pretty skein of Tanis Fiber Arts, and suggested I use one for a giveaway. Now, as much as I LOVE LOVE LOVE this sock blank, I also know I would never take it apart to knit with it, and why be selfish and keep it if one of you could enjoy it? So the lovely skein of Tanis Fiber Arts Blue Label sock in the Lilac colourway will join my stash, and this gorgeous sock blank by CACTUS Yarn Studio, aptly called “Spring Crocus” will be used for a future giveaway on the podcast.

The Wayward Skein: Episode 20

I FORGOT TO DO BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUTS!!!! They will be included in next weekend’s episode!!! I’m so sorry!

Tea

Drinking the New York Sheep & Wool 2018 tea, which was Apple Almond Harvest. It’s subtle, and robust, and delicious… and it completely reminded me of the cabin in the woods and hanging out with everyone ❤

Knitting Content

Flirt Shawlette by Heidi Sharp Designs. Knit out of Bijou Basin Ranch Tibetan Dream in the Green-to-Black Fade colourway (dyed by modeknit) on size 3.75mm (US 5) needles.

Celestial Socks test knit for Brandi Miller. Knit out of Fleece Artist Trail Sock by krysknits on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Scrappy sock blanket (based on Knitted Patchwork Recipe by Martine Ellis) on size 2.75mm (US 2) needles.

Annie Modesitt Donations and giveaway

Please visit the thread over here to donate, and post about it, and you’ll be entered into a draw to win this lovely bag, made by MinaPhilipp and a skein of Lydia Squishy DK in the Harliquen colourway. Draw will take place on the weekend of November 10.

Bijou Basin Ranch KAL

If you’re participating in the KAL, please visit the Finished Objects thread to save your spot 🙂 Prizes up for grabs include a set of mini skeins from Bijou Basin Ranch, Knitted Wraps & Cover-Ups by Annie Modesitt, and a bunch of little goodies, as well as a participation prize, generously provided by Heidi Sharp, of the Flirt Shawlette pattern!

Reading

I finally finished An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle, and it was quite good when I finally got into it, although I had a lot of difficulty with the power dynamics in the relationships the main character got into. I very much enjoyed the entire series, and I’m very much looking forward to watching A Wrinkle in Time now 🙂

On Screen

I made it through the first seven episodes of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and then Thor’s Dark World. Then watched the next eight episodes of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and then Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Thoroughly enjoyed all of it, and I’m enjoying revisiting the earlier episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – before some of the characters showed their darker sides.

In podcasting land, several people have new episodes out, including selmaknits of the Little Big Knits podcast, thecattlady of the CATT Lady podcast Serenova of the Serenova Crafts podcast, mandypinecone of the MandyPinecone Crafts podcast, TrueCanuckGirl of the Steeped in Books booktube channel, MinaPhilipp of the Knitting Expat podcast, and jrbirdkid and KellySpins of the Must Love Yarn podcast 🙂

Everyone have a fantastic week!

Killer Spaghetti Sauce

In episode 12 of The Wayward Skein, I promised that I would share my recipe for killer spaghetti sauce with all both of you 😉 So here it is. The recipe that prompted two proposals (neither of them from Rob, ironically), and has kept people coming back for more for about 20 years! (suffice to say, I will NEVER be a food photographer…)

20180901_192303

Lynne’s Killer Spaghetti Sauce

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, diced (or 1.5 Tbsp from a jar)
4 stalks celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced (or 3 jalapenos, finely diced)
6 oz (or 1 cup) mushrooms, finely diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz beef sticks, sliced about 1/4″ thick (I prefer Wentzle Farms, but whatever you have is fine, as long as it’s not Teriyaki or some weird thing like that)
2 lbs lean ground beef
1 106-oz can diced tomatoes (a #10 can) or 3 28-oz cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp crushed red peppers
2 bay leaves
1 12-oz can tomato paste

Open can of diced tomatoes and place in stock pot. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic, and cook until transluscent, about 6 minutes. Add bell peppers (or jalapeno) and mushrooms to skillet. Cook 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir into tomatoes.

Return skillet to low heat. Cook beef stick slices until slightly crisp, approximately 3 minutes. Stir into tomatoes.

Over medium heat, without removing grease from the beef sticks, cook the ground beef. Drain, and stir into tomatoes. Place tomatoes on medium-low heat, and add all spices. Simmer, covered, for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cover, and stir in tomato paste. Simmer 5-10 minutes more while pasta is cooking, and serve.

This recipe will make enough to feed approximately 20 people, or enough for dinner, and several containers for the freezer (makes approximately 5-6 quarts). And be prepared – if you feed this to people, they may just ask you to marry them!

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 20
Amount per serving

Calories 199
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8.7g
11%
Saturated Fat 2.5g
13%
Cholesterol 59mg
20%
Sodium 322mg
14%
Total Carbohydrate 11.9g
4%
Dietary Fiber 3g
11%
Total Sugars 6.9g

Protein 20.4g

Vitamin D 41mcg
204%
Calcium 29mg
2%
Iron 11mg
63%
Potassium 786mg
17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet.2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Recipe analyzed by verywellfit.com

The Wayward Skein: Episode 12

Knitting Content:

Finished Object: Rob’s 2018 socks, based on Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee). Knit out of Bergère de France Lubéron in the Eau Vive colourway on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Works in Progress: Peppermint Mocha Socks by C.C. Almon (from her Coffee With C.C. ~ A 7 Pattern Caffeine Inspired Knitting Collection book). Knit out of Tilting Planet Apollo Sock in the Ocean in a Bucket colourway on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Winterlong by Bristol Ivy. Knit out of Filtes King Velour in colourway 1317 on size 5.0mm (US 8) needles.

Tea: Today’s cuppa is Organic Serenity Now by David’s Tea. This one isn’t my favorite, because I brewed it before reading the ingredients, and I just don’t care for the taste or smell of lavender. It has quite a mix of flavors in it, from floral to fruity, and I find it a bit too complex and busy.

Giveaway!!!! Please come watch to see if you’ve won one of the two patterns offered up by eatmyyarn of Brandi Miller designs. If you are the winner, please go to her Ravelry store, choose the pattern you’d like to receive, and PM me or Brandi to receive your pattern.

Screen Time: I’ve continued watching Marvel’s Agent Carter, and I’m nearly done the second series (I’m pretty sure there were only two). I can’t wait to see how it all turns out, and move on to Iron Man! I haven’t had much time to watch podcasts this week, and in fact, have barely been online while in Chicago – although I have gone a little Instagram crazy since I’ve been here. Photos from this trip will be shared on the blog later this week.

In the Kitchen: I made Rob a batch of my famous spaghetti sauce 🙂 He loves having it in containers in the freezer. One batch usually does dinner one night, and then fills enough containers for him to have it for dinner four times, and then leftovers for lunch the next day as well. The recipe will be shared on the blog at some point on Monday.

KALs in other groups: This coming Thursday (Sept. 6), BostonJen of the Down Cellar Studio Podcast will be hosting her annual Pigskin Party! It’s loads of fun, and there are lots of great prizes to be won, so come join in the fun! If you do decide to join, please link me as the person who referred you 🙂

That’s all for now! Hope everyone has a great week!!!

The Wayward Skein: Episode 10

Milestones!

Not only is this episode ten, but we’ve surpassed 275 members in the Ravelry group, and 245 subscribers on the Youtube channel!! I think that’s worthy of a little celebration, don’t you? There will be a two-pronged giveaway held over Ravelry and Youtube. Brandy Miller Designs (eatmyyarns ) has generously offered to donate two of her patterns! She wants you to tell her which pattern you have knit more than once! Brownie points if you link to the pattern on Ravelry, so we can all grow our queues a bit. (If you have never knit the same pattern twice, telling us that will be considered valid).

Ravelry: You must be a member of the group to enter. No chatter, please. Simply visit the Giveaway thread, and answer the prompt!

Youtube: You must be a subscriber. Comment under Episode 10, answering the prompt. Comments that don’t answer the question posed simply won’t be entered into the draw.

The winners will be chosen the weekend of September 1st, when I’ll be recording from Chicago!

Tea: I’m drinking Rainbow Sherbet by David’s Tea today. It’s a vivid, fruity tea that is excellent cold! i was going to try Rhubarb Cream Soda today, but I noticed JUST as I was about to add water to the teabag that it contains mango! Not doing that twice in one weekend 😉

Knitting content:

Rob’s 2018 Socks (based on Sock Recipe: A Good, Plain Sock by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee ). Knit out of Bergère de France Lubéron in the Eau Vive colourway on size 2.5mm (US 1.5) needles.

Color Affection by Veera Välimäki. Knit out of Night Owl Fibers Basic Sock in the Rusted Hook, Pumpkin Spice Latte, and Leather Boots colourways, on size 4.5mm (US 7) needles.

Podcast Reviews:

The Knit Girllls Leslie udontcallmeles and Laura LaLa just recently had their 400-episode anniversary!!! That’s a HUGE milestone. Congratulations, ladies!!! There are some fabulous sweaters being worked on in this episode (403).

Rosehaven Yarn Shop Podcast: Lesley artsymom and Tim have a new episode this week, and they were at Twist Fibre Festival this weekend! Tim recently attended a Men’s Knitting Retreat and tells us all about it, while the dyepots are bubbling in Lesley’s basement!

Selma’s Knits: Not to be confused with Selma from Little Big Knits, THIS Selma, Selmasknits, is from France, and records her podcast both in English and French! I love seeing the yarns she uses, as they’re not generally widely available here.

That’s about it for this week, folks. Have a great week!

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