Emptyknitster

This is a great casserole that Daughter Number Three found. It has quickly become a family standard.   Rice And Easy Casserole Serves: 4-6 Prep time: 25 min. Total time: 1 hr., 20 min.   Ingredients 2 tbsp. butter, divided 1 cup (8 oz.) rice 1 tbsp. olive oil 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup) ½ tsp. cayenne pepper 1 pkg. (8 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 2 eggs 1 cup milk 4½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided 1 tsp. dried basil 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp. dried thyme Directions 1. Heat oven to 350ºF. Grease 9"x13" casserole dish with 1 tbsp. butter; set aside. Cook rice according to package directions; set aside. 2. Heat remaining butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with cayenne pepper and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach; cook until heated through, about 5 minutes more; set aside. 3. In...

Years ago friend and fellow teacher, Kathy W., sang the praises of this mustard plaster recipe. I was ill several times with a chest cold before she could persuade me to give it a try. Perhaps it was the Vicks Rub or just the comfort of the heating pad but I think it works! Today one of our first year teachers came to work with a horrible chest cold. I promised to give him the recipe but I wonder how many times he will get sick before he tries it! Mustard Plaster 1 part baking soda 2 parts dry mustard 3 parts flour................................mix these three things with water to make a paste Layer on chest: Vicks, then the plaster that is sandwiched between a tea towel, and on top of it all a heating pad. Check every 5 - 10 minutes, as it could burn your chest. Stay out of drafts. (the combination really heats things up and your chest pressure is eased)

Years ago, when we were interviewing son-in-laws, it was important to know who their primary football team was. SIL#1 is from England he thinks that the game of football is when the teams run up and down the field kicking a ball and the fans riot when the game is over! We just gave up and let him join the clan. SIL#2 is, was, and forever will be a stanch Vikings fan. He told me then that if the Vikings EVER made it to the Super Bowl he would die a happy man. We let him in the family because he's true BLUE .   Today, the Vikings are playing their final playoff game. If they win, they will go to the Superbowl. If Brett Farve can join the Vikings and become a true BLUE player, I've decided that I can watch and root for the Vikings . Years, and years from now I want my SIL to look back and know that he has had a satifying life...today I'm declaring my loyalty - go Vikings !!

For several years Number One Daughter and a group of her co-workers have rallied for Relay for Life . In February they are continuing their fundraising tradition with a silent auction. I wanted to do something to help out so I knit this mitten pattern, felted them, and tried my hand at needle felting. Here is the result: Could they be million dollar mittens? Pattern: Felted (Fulled) Mittens by Nancy Lindberg Yarn: Two skeins Patons Classic Wool Colorway: Dark Grey Mix, and various bright wool colors. P.S. You can tell by the picture - the snow did hit today and life was much better at the work place!

Oh my Gosh! Without even watching the weatherman on TV I know that the air pressure is changing. I know this to be true because of the behavior of my students today! It was one heck of a day - proof, I'm having a beer as I'm writing! Damn those Californians, why can't they just buck up and take all the weather? H 2 O and all! There's supposed to be a major snowstorm arriving tomorrow. Just like hospitals know when a full moon arrives there are babies to deliver, a teacher knows that when air pressure changes and a storm is coming the students go crazy! I had a student in at lunch recess burst into tears ( blubber ) because he had to finish ( START ) his morning assignments.  I told him that he had made the choice to play earlier and so now had to do his work while the others were enjoying their recess. He told me he wasn't playing...Okay, to clarify son, if you choose to sit there and do nothing you will do work when others are playing. AND by the way, don't...

Last night NDpurlgurl called and we had such a nice visit. I told her that I’d missed the updates on her blog. I do love to see the little ones and to have her check in every few days so I know what's going on in their neck of the woods. Then I realized, I hadn’t added to my blog for almost as long! My Sadie Lou Who received a hand painted tea set for Christmas. It was a beautiful set. I remembered that I have, carefully packed in a box, two little tea sets that were my mother's when she was a child. I played with them when I was little and they gave me many happy hours of enjoyment. I displayed them for many years in a small cabinet before packing them away. The green transparent set is depression glass from Agate Company."The Akro Agate Company produced a wonderful collection of dishes for children out of slag and glass in the depression glassware era of the 1930's and 1940's. These vintage tea sets are a wonderful treasure. The Agate Company was founded i...

What a strange day from start to finish. It's cold, I mean really cold today, we woke to the weatherman telling us that it was 22 degrees below zero . But when hubby looked at our thermometer at our house, it was 5 below, hmm...As I drove down the hill into town, the thermometer in the car began to drop, -10, -16, -20, and finally upon my arrive at school, -23 degrees. What an interesting lesson on: "What an Inversion Can Do"! Once at school, I was met with the announcement that 5 of the 12 buses were not running! As teachers began arriving they all had different stories, buses stranded at the side of the highway, in parking lots and one bus was even stalled in the middle of the busiest street in town. For you California or Oregon people, diesel doesn't like the cold - it turns to jelly. However, within about twenty minutes things got better and all but one bus was up and running They were able to make a run though their routes and pick up any stray kiddos. Interes...

I stumbled upon this purse on ravelry and fell in love with it. The pattern was hard to track down but worth the effort. Even though it took 4 skeins of yarn, approximately the same amount as a size 5 child's sweater, it was a quick knit. The purse was approximately 36 inches tall and about the size of Santa'a sack before felting it! Turning a sow's ear into a silk purse!  There was a big learning curve as far as the lining was concerned.  It didn't turn out the way I had envisioned, I had wanted to have a zip down the center, but I soon figured out that it was not to be. The sides were just to flexible and I needed to provide some "give", I cut the lining down the center of the sides and added about 4 inches of gathered lining to each end. Perfect! It has three pockets on one side for sunglasses, my camera, and the last for the cell phone. I also added a strap at the side to attach my set of keys. Pattern: Felted Purse with Celtic Know by Debbie Bari...