It's a Bittyful Friday

It's a crazy time around here.....I just wait for her to shake that snack bag and then I come running.

MORE FROM THE FIBER FESTIVAL

I couldn't resist showing a few more pictures of the RIVERSLEA FIBER FEST An older gentleman was mixing a rainbow of colors for the artisans to use as they saw fit. Just look at those hands. They have worked all their life doing for friends and neighbors.

I was mesmerized by the flow of his work and finally dared to ask what he was doing. "Whatever she tells me to do seems to work best" Of course everyone laughed,but, he never did volunteer any further information. He was working in the barn out of the hot sun and when I stepped outside.............

children were gathered around a young lady hoping for a turn at felting. She was using those rainbow strips of color to teach them how to felt using cookie cutters to make a design that they would be able to take home. Or they could felt with their feet....

This young lady put felting wool in a kiddie pool with bubble wrap and let those little bare feet do the work.

When all was done they had a piece big enough to be a rug. All involved couldn't wait to show mom and dad,or anyone that walked by, how creative they had been with their own two feet. How nice to find a way to get the little ones

so excited about making something........said the hobbit

It's a Bittyful Friday

It was a very busy week.........lots of cooking and party prep made me one pooped kitty. Hobbit is giving me a bit of TLC...........ahhh

Here in New England

Do you know someone that has made preserving the past their purpose in life? I am fortunate to know LIZ AND JEFF and their wonderful farm. They made the choice to live on this farm,raise sheep and lamb and educate people to a way of life that is still possible. For the second year they have opened their doors to the public to show how it's possible to live with the land and share with each other so many great talents.

Many of these crafts were available to purchase but, every artisan was also there to give you hands on instructions if you wanted to try yourself. Of course most have been at it for quite a while so their finished product was most tempting to purchase. The baskets were of the highest quality and would make a great gift by themselves or filled with fresh bread and homemade jam.

These adorable felted animals are made by Liz's niece and she proudly displays them with all her local yarns. Isn't that how families should support each other?

I fell in love with these and I wish my camera could have done them justice. They are 16x16 napkins. She uses the finest of threads to weave patterns that she remembers seeing. I have her card and will be placing an order for a few real soon.

Also on my must have list are these 100% wool blankets. The wool comes from her sheep and they are woven in Nova Scotia. They are over sized and even a twin would fit a double bed with overhang. At $75 for the twin size how could you possible go wrong. It was a wonderful day and I was introduced to so many new arts. I'd love to do them all but, I have decided to support my local artist instead of copying them. So this year for Christmas I will be making some of my gifts but some I'll just say I made it..................Naw, just kidding............said the hobbit

What are we eating now?

I've been trying to get back to my blog,but, every time I sit down in front of the computer something demanding me urgent attention happens and it seems like forever before I can get back to it. Worst yet, it takes me a day to figure out where I left off. Talk about senior moments.So I'm re tweaking my schedule and setting aside several hours in a block to hopefully accomplish what I haven't been able to do on a daily basis. Now for the yummy stuff. As you might remember I have a group of people that I make soups and salads for once a week. I also offer muffins. Variety is something I want them to have so when my friend SHAHEEN is a vegetarian who also believes in variety. Just check out her blog and you'll find something tasty for everyone. So, when I saw Courgette and Apricot muffins I couldn't wait to try them.Don't you just love the european word for zucchini? So, I tried these out on my "soup people" and they were a big hit.

First thing was to grate the zucchini (courgette) and let it drain.( I used a small one about 6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter) Slivered my apricots and sat them on my zucchini because it seemed like a good place to put them. I used 5 thinly slivered dried apricots,but, I think you can go up or down with this number.

I should have kept some to place on top of the muffins but, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I love apricots and they probably would have disappeared before I got to the presentation end of it. I know Martha would be very disappointed in me.

Then I put my dry ingredients in my sifter, I'm going to give you the measurements that I used since Shaheen is in Scotland and everything is on the metric system.I have a scale that converts so for those of you who don't here is a close estimate of the measurements.

1 cup of white flour

1 cup of whole wheat flour ( she used barley but I didn't have it)

1 1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3 tablespoons cocoa powder

This was all sifted together.

In my bowl I whisked together:

3/4 cups of milk

2 large eggs

Added my flour mix and stirred in the zucchini and apricots till well blended. I filled my papered muffin tins 3/4 full and popped them in the oven at 375 degrees for 25 min or till the toothpick comes our clean. Actually I use a piece of uncooked spaghetti instead of a toothpick.Whatever you do is fine.

They were GREAT! I am pleased to report that the compliments were plentiful. Everyone thought this was a great way to use zucchini. I grated a few cups of zucchini and placed it in freezer bags so we can do this again and again. Hope you give this a try and let me know what you think. I'm sure Shaheen would like to know also..................said the hobbit

It's a Bittyful Friday

WHEN I CLIMB UP HERE AND STARE AT THE WINE GLASSES EVERYONE GETS REALLY EXCITED. I WONDER WHY?