Friday Night Beer Review - Porterhouse Red

Porterhouse Red Ale

Porterhouse Brewing Company

This is a true traditional Irish Red brewed at Porterhouse Brewing Company in Dublin, Ireland.  You can't get more Irish than that.  It has a beautiful red color and the taste is true red.   It has a great blend of flavors  and the finish is smooth.  This is a great Irish Red and worth trying.  This is another one we liked from East Wake Wines and Craft Brew.  

Hubby's Irish Red is great too!  I believe he has perfected his recipe, my vote is for Hubby's Irish Red recipe #3.  This will be a great night to sit on the deck and enjoy a couple or three. 

Enjoy your Friday night!!

Frost Warning

We've talked before about how crazy NC weather can be.  Well last night I had to prepare the garden for possible frost.  It is a little late in the season for frost in these parts but the temperatures dipped into the low 30's last night.  I debated all afternoon what to do about the garden and decided it would be better to be safe than sorry.  So I spent time covering every plant and seedling in the garden, just in case.

Here are some of the tomatoes covered with newspaper tents.

See the baby tomato underneath it's protective tent.

  

 Here are some newly sprouted cucumbers protected under bed sheets. 

I was prepared so of course we didn't get frost.  I'm not complaining.  Okay  - I did complain this morning when I had to clean all of this stuff up at 6:00AM and get to work.  Never mind that once I had it all collected and my arms were full of sheets and wet newspaper I FELL.  Yep, I tripped on the way out of the garden (in my work clothes) and did a face plant right into the wet sheets.  I didn't get hurt physically but my pride was bruised a little.  It wasn't funny until later today when I replayed the scene in my head and realized while laying on the ground I looked around to see if any of the neighbors witnessed anything. 

I've always heard it's good to laugh at yourself.

Rosario's Bag

I finally found the pictures I took of the bag I made for my friend Rosario for the Dutch Sister's Surprise Spring Swap.  I know this is old news for some, but I never got to post these pictures on my blog.  I am very happy that I found them. 

The bag is crocheted and I lined it with a matching fabric.  I also made a yoyo flower cluster with matching fabric. 

I was very pleased with how it turned out and hope to make myself one someday soon.  I enjoyed the swap and hope to be able to participate in another one soon.  It was a great experience and getting to know Rosario from Dona Maria was the best part.

The Laughing Tree

Look.  Do you see it?  Can you hear it? 

Look again... a little closer this time.

Do you see the laughing mouth, the large hangy down nose

 and the teeny little eyes tucked in at the top of each side
of the nose? 

Do you see it now? 

 I do every time I walk past this tree. 

  I can hear it laughing and it makes me smile. 

We're Not in Kansas Anymore!

Crazy! Just around 7:30 this evening a terrible wind blew through. It blew the deck furniture all around . I yelled for Hubby to come help me secure the deck furniture because I thought a bad storm was brewing. By the time we got out and secured a few things the wind was gone. I asked where that came from and Hubby pointed to the sky. We watched the tail end of a funnel cloud pass over the neighbor's house and across the street.  We rushed to get the camera and these are the few shots we got of a new funnel cloud forming. 

  

There have been several reports of sightings.  So far no reports of anything touching down.  Scary and exciting all at the same time.  Sorry my pictures aren't better.   I hope everyone is safe! 

Update - There was some minor damage a little east of here but no injuries -thank goodness.

Prayer Shawl

This is the beginning stages of a prayer shawl that I started knitting last night.  If you don't know what a prayer shawl is I hope you will visit the Prayer Shawl Ministry site.  There you will find tons of information about prayer shawl ministries, the purpose, patterns and prayers. We started a prayer shawl ministry at our church in 2004.  It came about as the result of lots of prayers and God working in my heart.  

A friend introduce me to prayer shawls and I started reading about different ministries and did some research to figure out what is was all about.  The first prayer shawl I ever made was while my mother was in the hospital after a car accident.  She was in pretty bad shape and we (her children) lived at the hospital waiting for her to recover.  It was a great way to pass time and gave me an opportunity to have some quite prayer time.  I still have this shawl and treasure it.  After that experience I started making shawls for friends and family that I felt were in need.   In need of what you may ask - prayer, love, comfort, God's warmth. I felt this little ministry blessed me more than the recipients at times.  It was amazing.  Then one night I woke up with this church wide ministry thought rushing through my head.  I tried to make it go away but it wouldn't, it weighed on me for weeks.  I thought about it all the time and things I would read would always lead back the the shawl ministry.  After a few weeks of this and several God winks, I decided to talk to my pastor about it.  When I talked to the pastor about everything that had happened he listened patiently and then said, "Woman, connect the dots, this is what God wants!"   So began the Woven Prayers ministry at our church.  We have a small group of dedicated knitters and crocheters who make prayer shawls for those in need.  We also make shawls for baptisms, confirmation, and graduation.  The shawl I am working on now is for a high school graduate.  It is such a blessing to work on something like this.  

If any of this has peaked your interest I would encourage you to check out the shawl ministry site and maybe even read Knitting into the Mystery: A Guide to the Shawl-Knitting Ministry by Susan Izard and Susan Jorgensen.  The shawl ministry is truly is a blessing and well worth the time. 

I know all of this may sound crazy to some, but it is what it is. I truly believe God was at work in all of this and continues to be today.

Have a Super Sunday!

P.S.  I gave you the short version of the story. I didn't want to go into everything that happened because it would take too much of your time.  I know I left out some important details and information so please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Friday Night Beer Review - Sawtooth Ale

Left Hand Brewing Company

Sawtooth Ale

Every now and then Hubby and I will actually purchase beer.  I know, I know, why would a home brewer with a closet full of brew spend money on beer?  Research, of course.  There are some really good craft beers out there that must be tried.   I ventured to our local East Wake Wines and Craft Brew shop Thursday afternoon and picked up a few things.   The shop owner, Ken, is always helpful and can give you a review on practically everything in the store.  We have seen this store and stock grow and grow over the past few months that is has been opened.  Ken was surprised by the response the locals had to the craft beers in the shop.  He has had to bring in more variety and is even having beer tastings along with his wine tastings.  Ken recently started tastings from tap - very cool.  This is a great wine and beer store.  Stop in and you will be amazed at the variety of wines and beers Ken carries. 

So here is my first attempt at a beer review that includes my limited knowledge of what goes into making beer.  I just know what I like and what taste good to me.  This review doesn't really mean anything other than this is one of the craft beers I recently tried and what I thought of it.

The beer pictured above is an amber ale from Left Hand Brewing Company out of Longmont Colorado. Sawtooth Ale is Left Hand's flagship beer. The balance of the malt and hops is dead on.  It is a little nutty and down to earth.  I am a big fan of amber ales and I truly enjoyed this one.  It was very smooth and clean tasting. This is one I would definitely spend money on again. (That's how you really know that it was good.)

Stay tuned for future beer reviews.  Enjoy your weekend.