Mom's nutroll

Requested by Lisa B

Dough

1/2  cup of milk warmed to 105 - 110 with 1/2 tsp sugar

1 fresh yeast cake (2 oz) finely crumbled

Add crumbled cake to warmed milk, wait for yeast to proof and expand

If using dry yeast instead, add 3 packs (not quick rise) to the warm milk/sugar

Combine -

4 Tbsp sugar (I use 5)

3 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 tsp salt

1 cup very soft butter

Add  -

6 cups of flour

Easier to blend in butter using hands (I wear latex or nitrile gloves for mixing&kneading

Once blended, knead for 7 minutes

Add to bowl, cover loosely, let rise till doubled

Divide into six, keep covered as each piece is worked

Roll on lightly floured surface into rectangle

Spread 1 cup of nut mixture evenly, leave edge clean to seal, roll, pinch edges shut

Put two on cookie sheet, cover, let rise one hour, bake 350 for 30 minutes

Brush with milk when out of oven

Nut filling

1/4  cup butter

1 1/2 cup sugar ( 1 use 1 3/4)

1 cup milk

2 Tbsp honey

Heat the above mixture to blend and melt sugar, then add  ...

2 pounds walnuts, (8 cups whole/pieces), ground fine

Stir to combine 

I add 2 Tbsp maple syrup or omit honey and use 4 Tbsp but not in mom's original

 

Making another batch, this time two will be poppy seed.  Used to make from scratch but buy Solo canned filling now.   

Bolbalki!!!

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Tootsie's new husband

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The project I didn't expect to love this much

This one.  I love it!

OK.  Truth time.

I am having a difficult time.  Crying a lot.  To others I'm just making a face since it's twisted and no tears come.  I just can't stop thinking of bygone days ... my mom, my aunts, my sis, the gatherings.  The regrets.  Things I should have done.  I know this is normal, many experience this especially during holidays.  

My doctor has not updated me on my lung, it's tricky and he needed to speak with a few surgeons.  Still waiting.

Enough.

I want to mention an item that I am planning to order, thought it may interest you too.  I've been looking for a magnetic knife holder and still haven't found one that holds the knives straight.  Mine eventually slide down or sideways.  Then I realized what a great tool for my sewing room this would be.  A short one on wall above ironing board, another next to sewing machine or on cabinet.  Various scissors, the letter opener I use to poke corners, hemostats, sewing gauges, metal clip to hold pattern. 

 

A few of these bars also have a rod for adjustable hooks, hang a pouch of wonder clips, bag of candy, spray bottle, extra glasses, glue stick.  What do you think?

 

Smallest is 10", should be enough, maybe 12".  Keeping my scissors handy will be a great help along with other tools always misplaced.

 'Ya think?

First batch done.

Last weekend before Christmas.

Loads of sick people here!  Be careful.

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If I had any hair left

I would be ripping it out.

What a disaster.

I applied fat pom trim to my finish and it was perfect.  Until the end.  The poms are also the band's top.  Cut an end and the bump bombs.  Gluing before cutting was no help, the material pulls out when touching the glue to it.  Over and over and over.

Tried piecing the affected areas.  The same.  By now, glue is dried on the other three sides.  On the last attempt to add a touch of Tacky to the end pom with a needle, it stuck to the needle and pulled away, raveling ensued on the already glued trim.

This is an example of what happened.

So this tiny remnant of the pom trim, sort of ruffled looking, remained glued.

Not as nice as the original pom, and I haven't decided if I will keep, wet and remove the trim, or make another attempt.  Thinking ... let it be.

The backing fabric is perfect for this finish.  

Good grief.  What a fiasco.  I want to sit and enjoy a snack and soda right now.  But with my lack of saliva ... no chips, Doritos, crackers, pretzels.  Out of ice cream, which is so soothing.  But I'm piggy with no control and it doesn't last long.

Staying home tomorrow (friday).  Making nutrolls.

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2025 Finish #32

Love my berries thread choice.

Dark brown mini poms are perfect, but one is quite flimsy and the other can't be removed from the flange.

A few things ....

My favorite littles are hung on cabinets so I can enjoy them all day.

The tree I almost threw out is also a favorite every year on the fridge.

Freed from its frame, bows, ornanents and buttons, fringed the edges.  Looks like it needs pressed!

Hubs loves this wire tree, I purchased simple shiny bulbs and they reflect the lights very nicely.  

Missing Carole as much as the day we lost her.  Not up to hosting the family, will get together for cookies and the kids' gifts.  Last year, a simple get together, I made the poppy seed sliders and their favorite mac 'n cheese, took it to Carole's house.  Tracy had paper plates stacked, no napkins, no flatware set out, no cold drinks, no other food.  And she kept mentioning she wanted to take the kids to visit her dad, which they had all day to do.  I will tell you what I found out at Thanksgiving dinner, totally shocked, soon.

Have a good day folks.

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Occident

After a two day break, back to Christmas to close in on a finish. This is lot of stitching for me.  Not for most, but when I want a project to be over it drags and feels like more than it actually is.  I do like the way the berries will finish with the overdyed thread.  

I found this old Occident flour baking book in family recipes.  Occident was a brand of flour and this little book has breads, tarts, muffins, cookies, cakes, pies, rolls, icings, and sandwiches.  Some sound a little odd but obviously popular many years ago.

I was surprised to learn this flour is still sold, mostly in Amish areas, and is highly rated for texture and freshness of baked goods.

,

Who knew?

Have a good day.  Stay warm and safe.

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The brighter the berry

It's time.  Do I follow the dmc 814/902 or change for a brighter berry? 

I have Needle Necessities overdyed red and it is what I'm leaning toward. The called for is on left.

How about keeping the 902 but changing to the brighter 815 with it (on left)?  The overdyed may not show variations in such a small area so I would cut short pieces of varying shades.  The red is like 498.

I just don't know if I would prefer the bright, or the rich deep.

And probably won't until tomorrow.

Or later.

Have a good weekend.

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Failure to align

Second time I had to pick the letters because of failure to align.  Not realized until the greenery met them.  Correction was also off, this is second time around.

Had no choice because of design of the letters, could not adjust.

I think it best to set things aside for now.

I received a call an hour after my lung CT.  Biopsy is needed.  I will check Pittsburgh after meeting with local doc Thursday morning.  I want the latest method.  My doctor is the only pulmonologist here and quite conservative.  

When I know more, I'll update.

Be safe, be well.

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Next

My linen inventory is mostly 36 count, I prefer 40 simply because of finish size.

This is Legacy from PTP, not the darker shade recommended, but I like it a lot.

I need to pick up the other starts to continue my WIP training.

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Pastels

These pastel bulbs and sparkling hearts and stars in this champagney shade of pink, are not my style.  Neither is shiny garland to match.  But I like them. 

Searched for larger plain pastel bulbs, so far have found none.  Metallic and brights, fancy shapes, patterns, nothing simple and pale.  I may not even decorate a small tree with these, not really into it again this year.  But if I didn't get them, I would regret it.  The sparkle on the hearts and stars is beautiful.

What's next in stitching?  Not sure.  Two docs today, therapy tomorrow, CT scan wednesday.  Hope to dust, sweep, finish decorating Thursday.  I use live outside, just stuffed into tubs and such, most are still in the garage.  Way too cold for any outside adventures.  As for my extremely painful mouth, several more weeks of lidocaine on my tongue injury before acceptable healing.

I was asked if anyone would be interested in selling their Goode Huswife's Pennsylvania Christmas chart.  Anyone?  She was outbid but oh so close!

If you have a Medicare advantage plan and missed the deadline to change, another enrollment for advantage plans only runs from 1/1/26 to 3/31/26.

Hope your week is swell.

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2025 Finish #31

 Sweet little stitch on 40 count with chosen dmc.

Red mini poms.

Yes I changed the birds a bit.

Don't be impressed.  You can't imagine my piles of smalls never fully finished.

Stay safe.  Be well.

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Merry Pinkeep

 Available on Sub Rosa's Etsy site.

Here

It's cold outside.  Really cold outside.

Been somewhat off today, feeling better now.  Plan on catching up on blogs tomorrow.  So many appts every damn day and I'm exhausted by evening.  Canceled them for tomorrow.

Holding my breath after I learned my physical therapist's husband is bed ridden with covid.  They didn't test until that morning (his 4th day), never been that sick, just like others we know.  This variant is severe.  But no one seems to test until they have spread it.  Hubs is furious.  No, no mask, working on an elderly man and me.

Don't take chances, Paxlovid must be started in first days.  Does it still help with new variants?  Please be cautious and carry sanitizer gel.

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Searching for a stag

Several questions were asked on IG about that stag shown with Elizabeth.  Finally found the post and now I want the entire sampler.  Did I recycle it?  Was it in the download from SANQ that I lost to laptop death?

This is so interesting and would be fun to stitch.  I stitched this single stag from the fall 2015 SANQ but found this photo of a chart from Samplers Remembered.  I need to know count, could a drum finish work?  

 Hunting for that stag now!  

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EDIT - Found it and other SANQ files!  

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The error

 When a comment on Instagram asked about thread colors, I compared the chart to the photo before answering.  And ... saw that the house trim was not stitched to the bottom.  

A relatively easy fix.

When I worked for a framer mounting needlework, first rule was to check the piece thoroughly for missing stitches.  It surprised me to see some framed pieces online that were not caught.  I notified the customer about any possible omissions before framing.  Missing a few of my own on finished pillows, I went back and using the sewing method added the missing.  But I should inspect my own work before assembling!

Whew.

Mouth is quite miserable, root canal was back molar and my jaw is terribly sore from the shots and the work. Numbness caused me to take a bite out of my tongue, that's worse!  That molar and another tooth became the anchors to a permanent bridge.  I'm hearing about too many people having failures of their implant, especially the bridge type of several teeth.  This was much less $$, and much less prone to revision.  It's over, and I'm glad it is.  But there's more work to be done.

Getting old is not for sissies as they say.  When I tell someone my age, I am shocked to hear it out loud!

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Boom

Tons of snow over all the leaves on a day of root canal and crown.

Crabasses unite!

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2025 Finish#30

Am I sorry I cut the linen preventing the border I had no intention to stitch?

Of course.

Would I have been able to complete such a border during my era of errors?

Of course not.

Am I happy with this little sampler?

Yep.

40 count cappuccino, dmc, added the heavier outline.  Scrappy new tablet's photo looks like a row of pink.  Nope.  But I wondered if a light blue row between the red would be good.  Stitched the alphabet in eyelet.  Hope to final finish with subdued olive green backing.  Red would be too much.  Or not.

Boom.

Have a warm and sunny day. 

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