I've fallen...

Ugh. Flew down the back steps this morning, all ten of them, and landed on my head. Bump is forming, and the ankle is being heated, per doc suggestion. Concussion is pretty much a guarantee.

Ch-ch-changes!

There will be some changes around here soon. Don't worry, nothing too dramatic, but I'm working with a graphic designer tomorrow to determine a new logo & establish a brand for Minestrone Soup. My little reusable ziplock bags (I call them Eco-Zips) are going up for sale at several craft shows and have spread like wildfire via word-of-mouth (mostly my SIL, who's basically been hawking them at the local playground without knowing it-- having a 3 year old who seeks out his snack bag, can open & close it himself and it has awesome dinos on it? Sold to the mommies and nannies at the park!).  So, there will be a little link on the right directly people for purchasing them. I'll have a BUNCH with me at the New England Fiber Festival next weekend too: about 80 to be exact... $4 each. (camera phone being pushy, so no photos today. Woe.)

Also, I've been working on some new mitten patterns, those links will be going up on the side there too. The #s are being worked on and I'm hoping to get some test knitters soon. Photos by Thanksgiving.

So... changes. It's a good thing.

Ten On Tuesday: Dressin' Up

The 10 best Halloween costumes I've ever seen? Hmm....

1. Daschunds as hot dogs. I hate costumes on dogs, but this one cracks me up!
2. Couple dressed as elderly husband & wife, cross-dressed
3. our friends have passed around an infant Yoda costume, which is adorable.
4. I made my brother, J, a dog costume once that was pretty outstanding... he won 1st place at two parties that year!
5. I love me a chubby baby as a pumpkin, a lobster or any other creature!
6. I was once a bag of jelly beans: balloons stuffed into a clear plastic trash bag. 
7. My mom dressed me and my brothers as the California Raisins once, also, involved trash bags
8. My best friend, Sylvie, dresses her baby up in a dragon costume (first her oldest: he wore it twice , and her newest, he'll be in it on Monday!)--- but the costume is SO big and the baby's so small, it's known to friends as the "dragon-eating-the-baby" costume. :) 
9. a sweet little Indian girl came to our door last year as "Jasmin" from Alladin...I oohed and ahhed over her costume, but she set me straight: it wasn't a costume, it was "what my mom made me wear to my cousin's wedding." lol... well, that's one wedding outfit that did double duty!
10. and lastly, I loved the year my brother was  mailbox. My mom made him look like a real USPS mailbox... :) 

Remember, if you are trick'or'treating in my neighborhood on Halloween: No Costume, No Candy. As PC said to one kid last year "if you are in a dark hoodie, carrying a sack in the middle of the night, i'm going to assume you are robbing me, not looking for a kit kat!" 

When life gives you apples....

Make applesauce. My applesauce recipe is not fancy. It's not super sweet. It doesn't require a lot of work, but it is delicious. And freezes very well.

Kate's Caramel Apple...Sauce. 

• 8 medium apples, skins on, cored and cubed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 7 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 cup water

Add everything to a stock pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature and pulverize in a food processor.  Makes 8 1-cup servings, at 98 calories per serving. 

I eat it cold, hot, with pork chops, with a spoon... 

Putting my money where my mouth is

My 17 year old self

My 17 year old self would be hard-pressed to recognize me these days, but just in case time-travel does happen, somewhere, somehow, let's discuss what she ought to know.

Dear 17-year old Mini,

1. You're gorgeous and have a kick-ass body. Love it. Ignore the high school boys.  Own your body and love it. Oh, and stay active... it's the key to those great legs. 

2. Look up. Stop looking at your books and homework. Look. Up. At the world. This is a great time, if you let it be. ( you get into college, it's great and you do fine... lighten up)

3. Challenge and push your parents. Mom & Dad are great, but they think you are strong and fragile all at once. Grow up a little and show them what you are made of. 

4. Yell less. Listen more. Yup, even to Mom.  

5. Hug Nana alot. Don't roll your eyes and try to hurry her along. Enjoy her. Hug her. You are going to miss her.

6. Start having coffee with Grampy. (you are going to do this after college, so start now) He loves you and has a lot to teach you. You are going to miss him too. 

7. Don't drink white russians with Heather Goodwin. You will throw up, you will be sick and her dad will know. Oh, and you will both have to clean the driveway. 

8. Take chances. Being afraid is something you come by naturally, but it doesn't have to own you. You spend a lot of time between 31-34 learning not be. 

9. Take typing senior year. It will prove invaluable in your life. 

10. He's not "the one" and you won't remember his last name when you're 34... don't waste senior year on a guy who doesn't like you back. (the "one" really, really likes you. ALOT. In fact, he loves you.  And he's a great kisser.)

10 ways to eat pumpkin

She is NOT amused.

No, not that Pumpkin, but pumpkin.

The large orange member of the squash family that we carve up, dice up, puree and spice to our hearts content. The ubiquitous image of October, fall and Halloween. Anyone who has met me knows: I love all things pumpkin. Even so much that I didn't want our cat at the shelter, until Dan said her name was already Pumpkin. Then it was fate. And then she jumped in my arms. Game over. Sign us up.

So, it's no surprise that I like to EAT pumpkin. And I'm happy to share with you my favorite ways to do so...

1. Pumpkin beer.  Oh, the varieties... our house is lovin' Harpoon's UFO unfiltered Pumpkin Ale, but i'm a die-hard fan of Cambridge Brewing Company's Pumpkin beer. (available at the bar, in the restaurant, in growlers "to-go" and now, your local Boston area packie). 
2. my alternative to too sweet pumpkin pie: pumpkin fluff pie 
3. Pumpkin risotto. I had this for lunch today--- yummm.....
4. Pumpkin Latte (nonfat, 2 Sweet & Low, please!) at Dunkin' Donuts
5. Green Mountain coffee company, Pumpkin Spice coffee. Available at Mobil gas stations... and i'm usually a Mobil girl during October just for the damn coffee.
6. pumpkin muffins
7. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. PC's mom makes the BEST pumpkin chocolate chip cookies EVER. And, I usually get a dozen for my birthday, which I flat out refuse to share, but none so far this year. :(
8. Edy's Slow Churned Pumpkin Ice Cream. Or go to Christina's in Cambridge and order the following: 2 scoops Pumpkin, 1 scoop Burnt Sugar. OMG. To quote Rachel Zoe: "I die." or Soc's in Saugus. Add chocolate jimmies for some flair. And don't call the sprinkles. 
9. Thai Spiced Pumpkin soup.
10. toasted pumpkin seeds... with salt. 

Winner: Martita!

OMG: this never published on Saturday morning!!! :( Sorry....

Martita... you won! Send me your addy via email: kskaare (at) gmail (dot) com and I will send you an awesome prize!

Everyone else... send me your addresses too! I have "booby" prizes for all of us who just couldn't get to Rhinebeck this year!

Rhinebeck: Unbound

I'm not heading to Rhinebeck this weekend, for so many reasons, but the first being : crowds. Have I ever discussed with you my distaste for crowds? I can handle SPA, I can handle the guild retreat, but Rhinebeck? Well, it needs a full 2 days, with me getting there when the gates open because I need to be in and out of those barns immediately and before The People arrive. The People who push. Shove. Maneuver. Snatch. Pull. Stop in the middle.

Reason #2? Money. Quilting supplies have been creeping in on my yarn budget. And I'm trying to stick with my budget.

Reason #3... space.  I'm out of yarn storage. Yup. I've hit capacity. And now I have to knit it all. That's a LOT of knitting. I'm trying to finish 2 sweaters (adult) before Christmas, 3 kids sweaters, and 4 pair mittens and 2 scarves. Wish me luck. :)

Reason #4... time. I've been traveling for work, traveling for personal and really ready to have a weekend where i'm staying put. But, of course that means I've planned a day out with a girlfriend to go shopping.

So, why aren't you heading to Rhinebeck? I'll draw a winner on Saturday morning... and there will be a nice prize.

:)

Ten things...

10 things I did last weekend...

1. Turned 34. Never done that before.
2. Slept in a tent for 2 nights (first night was hovering around freezing).
3. Sat by a campfire with my honey.
4. Drank a pumpkin beer, a gray lady beer, and a Leinekugel Oktoberfest beer.
5. Went to the Fryeburg Fair in Fryeburg, Maine.
6. Rode a ferris wheel.
7. Smooched PC at the top (we always do that... don't you?)
8. Watched a chariot race.
9. Started a stranded mitten and knit on a scarf.
10. Finished 3 books.

Yup, I turned 34 over the weekend. It's a bit bittersweet... I feel ahead of and behind my contemporaries all at once.