Happy Fun Day (Hubby Version)

This is Rhinebeck weekend and originally I planned to take a class at the festival but I could not decide so I kept the time off and decided to have a Happy Fun Day with the Hubby instead. We started off with our tea and scones in the am. Hey if it is good enough to start a weekend it is good enough to start a fun day too.

Then a factory tour of the Serotta bike factory in Saratoga Springs. They build custom bikes. Hubby knows how I love factories and he really loves bikes so it was a great fit. It was amazing that they could contain so much in a small space.

One of the frames

Finished bike frames

Various forks

D and Ford tri bike

They manufacture everything. Not all at this location. But they like having control over all aspects. If I remember correctly their allowable tolerances were with in a tenth of a mm. Don't quote me on that but it was impressive. Hubby wants one really badly but we are talking about a bike that goes for the price of a car. But he can dream all he wants.

Then he took me to one of my favorite places for lunch. Panera Bread. What can I say the boy knows how to romance me.

Next on the happy fun list was a movie. I feel so daring going to the movies in the middle of the day. We saw the new Bruce Willis movie, Red. We even went to the fancy theater, and got popcorn! I had to switch out the sock in my purse so I would have something to knit on in the movie. I knit on D's sock since his foot is longer and seems to take me forever. I have no idea what the lady next to me thought of my knitting but I know she was happy to see Ernest Borgnine. I really enjoyed the movie too. A bit of Ocean's Eleven without all the flashbacks. The cast was great. I do love a good ensemble cast, and this one worked very well together. 

We spent some time in the bookstore and I got a new/old bread book. Beard on Bread, it came out in the '70s and many people still think of it as a great reference. Some books can stand the test of time and apparently this may be one of them. I wanted a good basic book and this one came in at my price range too. All the kinks should be worked out of it by now, right?

The comfort of home called to us so we picked up a take and bake pizza from the store and happily finished it in each other's company. 

It was a great day and we need to make more time to have special days.

A good weekend

Well we're back in our comfort zone. We really needed this on Saturday morning. Tea and scones really feels like home to us. Plus when you're sick you need all the help you can get.

I managed to bake some bread to go with my chicken vegetable soup too. I still need to learn how to let bread cool before we cut it. It is supposed to improve the taste and texture but all be darned if I can hold off long enough to see.

I finished my first Yarnkettle sock club winter selection.

It is a wee bit difficult to take pictures with the grass being wet. These are the Retro Rib socks from Favorite Socks. I made them with Paton's Kroy sock yarn and 2.25 mm needles. The color is Glencheck, I think. I really like how this yarn feels knit up. It is rustic with out feeling harsh.

One of my most recent purchases so intrigued me that it was cast on the next day. How is that for stash management? I will post details when I finish them. Not my normal colors but it called to me.

I found Ann Budd's blog (which is great) this weekend along with her new free sock pattern "Celebrate Spring Socks". I immediately paired it in my head with some yarn I bought 2 years ago at Rhinebeck (NY Sheep and Wool Festival). So here is the next installment of the Yarnkettle sock club. The yarn is from Ellen's Half Pint Farm, 50% Merino and 50% Tencel.

So since I promised myself that I would not have more than 20 pairs of socks worth of yarn in the stash, and I just cast on another pair that means I can go looking for more right? What do you mean I should finish a sweater first? That was never part of the bargain!

Organized randomness?

I made bread this weekend but it was consumed before I could get a picture. Hungry cyclists will do that to a loaf. I lost half of my muffins the same way. They seemed to go over well.

I made an onion bread that was quite tasty. Not what I would like for breakfast but I bet it would go great with chili. I've still not tried the no knead bread. Let's say I'm still doing research, yeah research, that sounds so much better than not getting around to it. I did not know if the 16-18 hours thing is a hard and fast rule, I did not want to be up baking bread at midnight. My luck I'd fall asleep and wake up to smoke in the kitchen. Smoke not my favorite bread flavoring.

We had a new/old yarn shop open in the area so my friend and I made a Saturday of it and had lunch and checked out the yarny goodness. We went to an Irish pub and had pub food. Bangers and Mash!

I've always wanted to try it and I did not get a chance while we were in England. Good golly that meal was good! I told D we have to try it again soon. They had fish and chips too but it was made of Haddock and I am not a big fan of that fish, but I will have to try it.

I was able to take a picture of this yarn before I wound it into a cake. I so want to try it out but I need to get a bit more done on D's Peruvia sweater.

Oh and the following pictures are an example of what happens when you leave the Hubby and cats home alone with nothing to do.

Jack says "Dad said he wanted a close up, Mom."

Cat butt who takes pictures of cat butt? The person just odd enough to marry the person who would post those pictures on their blog.

Hmmm?

I have nothing to say. Well I have things to say, my nickname is not "Babbling Brook" without a reason. Just seems like I am continually writing posts in my head that instantly disappear when I sit in this chair.

Sometimes they disappear because I'm lacking the photos that help me tell a story, but most of the time I go through a memory wipe.

Let's see what I can come up with tonight.

Oh for some reason when I am sick I like to cook/bake. It is not just comfort food like chicken soup either. I was sick day a couple of weeks ago and this is what I ended up making.

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Four bean beef chili, Cheesy Mustard Pretzel Bread and Chocolate covered Strawberries.

I told you there is no rhyme or reason to my urges. It must be that when I am sick all I want to do is stay home. Staying home in my mind means "homey" so that means good food.

I did learn a lesson, nonstick surface does not apply for chocolate strawberries. You really need to put them on wax paper so you don't ruin a pan trying to pry them off.

I'm really trying to bake more of my own bread these days. I like it and since I like to spend one day of the weekend at home, I tend to get the urge.

I make the dough in my bread machine then bake it in the oven. Gives it a more rustic look. Plus I get to sink my hands into the dough at least once. The other day I made a batch carefully measuring and rechecking that I put in all the ingredients. I ran the dough cycle on the machine and was letting it do the final rise when I walked by where I had put it all in the pan. Fiddlesticks, the packet of yeast was still sitting right there. I tried baking the dough just to see what it would do. Turns into a big hockey puck. One of my friends tried to tell me that I'd made Matzo, but I don't think so. I did make sure the yeast made it into the second batch and that one tasted fine.

Great now I want to make bread! Yep too late for me. I just got to get through one more day then it is on, the oven I mean.