MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Wednesday, December 02, 2020

A hodge podge

 Typing that title for this blog post made me stop and wonder where those words actually came from.  One of the mysteries that make up the English language!  

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Hodge-podge is a thick, nourishing stew with origins in the Canadian region of Nova Scotia. The name of the soup is probably derived from the English term hotch-potch, which means a mixture, referring to the fact that the stew is prepared with a combination of different vegetables such as carrots, beans, and potatoes.

Thank you Maureen for this tidbit of information!  Folks...she was up at 2 am researching this - so kudos to her!!!!

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Today I do have a myriad of things to mumble about so here goes...

First of all, I did finish a project.  This afghan was my 'in front of the tv watching Christmas movies on W' project for the past month.  It is one of two that are destined to be wedding gifts over the next year....



The pattern is the 'Grace Throw' from Mary Maxim
and I used Caron Simply Soft yarn
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Yesterday we awoke to a winter wonderland outside.  I, of course, am hard-pressed to think of it that way but I'm attempting to be positive!


This is the view from our balcony overlooking the river 


And this is one of the two large spruce trees that are right outside our bedroom window




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And, just to prove that I am trying to be creative...


I've pulled some fabrics that might - or might not -
make the cut towards the new landscape.


Today, instead of a quote, how about this....


26 comments:

  1. The Afghan is beautiful!

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    1. Thanks Vicki - it was a fun project. I haven't crocheted anything of that magnitude for a long time so I enjoyed it.

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  2. Oooh... your wedding gift blanket is just beautiful. The recipients will be so touched, and kept warm by your generosity. Winter wonderlands... ah yes. I understand what you're saying, but being retired makes them easier to enjoy - from the cozy indoors. :) Nice decluttering haul. I wish I could say I've completely divested myself of undesirable light bulbs. It seems lightbulbs went through quite a process of transformation over the last couple of decades to finally give us something that is truly satisfactory - if expensive. Meanwhile, how many of us have collections of less-than-stellar bulbs that are a challenge to get rid of?

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    1. Thanks Becki - I enjoyed making it.
      As for the light bulb issue - having cataracts means I need brighter light to be able to see so replacing the bulbs was a no-brainer. There's still a few more to do but ran out of new bulbs. All the rest went down to our laundry room and disappeared in short order.

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    2. I wish we had something like your laundry room where we could take things and others who want them could help themselves to them. It sounds so convenient, and neighborly.

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    3. Yes, there are oftentimes things we find that are really useful. Resident Chef once found about six brand new really nice tea towels that we've used for a long time. Anytime I take anything down that we no longer need it's surprising how quickly somebody else will grab it.

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  3. We got that storm as well and now it's melting away. Drip. Drip.

    I've be following Mousehouses for years. It's a blog by the creator of those little mice. I love those little guys.

    And I love the wall hanging that is your header picture. Just amazing work.

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    1. It doesn't look to be melting much here, although the sun is shining and that might be helping it along. It's definitely a picture postcard look out there right now.

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  4. That Wedding blanket is so lovely--just perfect for a Wedding gift...
    We are still in the gray gloominess stretch of days here...
    I got out and sent off my mailing gifts early and got Christmas stamps for my cards.
    Not a whole lot going on in my neck of the woods...
    Hugs from afar Julierose

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    1. Our kids friends pretty much have grown to expect an afghan from me when they get married. Far be it for me to break with tradition!
      Our gifts were mailed a couple of weeks ago and now there's only one lot to be dropped off on our son's doorstep and then the rest are local deliveries. Cards went today.

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  5. I have to check in with MouseHouses now. They're a different world! Thank you for showing them.

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    1. I have always had an interest in miniatures so the 'mouses' caught my eye. Glad you enjoyed them too!

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  6. Your Afghan is so beautiful and will be much appreciated. I like the look of snow and while those trees look great, I'd rather be inside than outside. Love the mice and the mini quilts.

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    1. I'm with you on being inside looking out at the snow. We did go out today mainly just to clean the car off. Today was sunny and everything looked like a picture postcard.

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  7. The afghan and the snow pictures are lovely!

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    1. Thank you Jeanne! I was happy to take the snow photos - from the inside.

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  8. Afghan is lovely! I too, have to get rid of the shampoo (grin). Keep the snow. We had lots of rain instead, which doesn't need shovelling!

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    1. Yep, that shampoo is BAD stuff!! We're lucky that we rarely have to shovel - just a little bit around our car and if we play our cards right we go out and let the parking lot people clean us out.

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  9. Shower info makes me laugh
    Beautiful afghan.

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    1. Glad you had a laugh - we all need more of those!

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  10. Oh my, what a beautiful wedding afghan. A labor of love for sure. Still waiting for the first snow here. The Rubik's cube project is amazing. I always wonder where they get the money for things like that.

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    1. Thank you Lorraine. One wedding gift done and another one to go. As for the Rubik cube projects - I suspect the manufacturer likely must donate a large portion of them (but don't quote me!).

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  11. The afghan is beautiful. Such a lovely wedding present. It looks freezing there, but beautiful.

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    1. Thank you - hopefully the groom and his fiance will like it. It did look beautiful outside yesterday but today it's back to being dull and threatening more snow.

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  12. What a beautiful finish Mary Anne! So delicate and pretty! Have a good weekend! Christine xx

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    1. Thank you Christine. I hope they'll like it!

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Thank you so much for leaving comments! I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy life to talk to me. It's wonderful to know that someone is actually reading my mumblings and even more fun if I can connect with you and visit your blog.