Spaghetti squash and other things in my little world

There are a few things in life that I regret not trying, but it's getting more and more clear that I'm losing interest in trying a bunch of new things.

I would never have cared about the experience of cooking spaghetti squash except for seeing a new recipe that looked good without the carbs the pasta has in it.

High protein, low carb, reasonable calories.  Why not?

It took a little looking in the grocery store, but I found one.

I had no idea if it was the right ripeness or anything, but it looked pretty good.when I got inside  The hardest part of it was cutting it in half.  I don't have a really big sharp knife, so I had to whittle away at carefully for a long time with my medium-sized one.

This is not something I would want to undertake a whole lot, but I found it interesting to learn how to do it.  I wasn't sure whether to just pick out the seeds or scoop out the whole middle, so I opted to scoop.

The other option was cooking it in the oven for 50 minutes or in the microwave for 10 minutes.  Easy choice since I was hungry.  With an inch or so of water in the bottom of the dish and cooking it on high, it seemed okay, but I added another 5 minutes just because I didn't know what it was supposed to look like.

Looks like spaghetti.  I used my fork but ended up using a spoon because it was kind of clingy.

The rest was easy as could be, and I have to say it was one of the better good-for-you dishes I've made.

I topped it with salsa verde and a few spoons of sour cream plus some cilantro - and so good!  I forgot to take a picture before I dug in, but 1/8 of it makes a nice serving.  It did look better in person than it does in the picture.

One change I would make:  The squash is a little sweet tasting to me, so I would add more salt to that part or, better yet, mix it all together instead of layering it.  That way, you're not eating bites of plain squash.

I've had a couple of days off from babysitting and told Emily I felt refreshed although I've missed those little girls.  I've cleaned and organized for 2 days and feel a lot better about my space now.

I even did a little embroidery.  When I came back to this apartment alone in September, I've not wanted to sew - or do much of anything.  The sewing room became the place where I put everything I didn't have a place for.

I spent several days slowly finding homes for non-sewing things and cleared out enough space to do these sister shirts.  They're a really nice soft navy from ARB Blanks.

Gray wants to ride her bike in the Fourth of July parade and have Katherine pulled in the wagon, so maybe these will do for that.

It was hard to be back in the groove of embroidery again.  I had forgotten things in that short time.

Graysen saw me looking at Christmas pajamas on line and had a lot to say about them.  She picked out what she and Katherine would wear plus a pair for her doll, Twinkle Star.  She decided on the green-and-white polka dot - for now.

 It took her so long to make the decision that I'm afraid to give her choices of what to put on the shirt!

I'm waiting for approval before I do the next bit of embroidery..  Aunt Kathy and Uncle Alan gave Graysen this cute sundress  at the beach, and we all thought it needed a little something on the top.  We found this design, but I'm looking for an opinion on whether it's too big or not.  Emily says no.

The red and navy will match the red and navy in the dress, of course.

So glad to have ventured into that room, and I am enjoying it.

Cooking -- not so much.

I went shopping on Amazon this week instead of going to Target.  It's much safer for me driving-wise, and it's fun to get packages.

Not very exciting here though.

I thought it would be nice to cover the dirt in some of my pots until the growth starts.

The (supposed) pink jessamine surprised me this year after I thought it was dead.  I'm not sure how big it will get before fall.  The leaves really don't look like the one I just bought next to it.  It may be a surprise.

Graysen's sweet succulent looks better with a little blanket too.

I had to replace my watering can.  I don't even like to think how old this one is and how many states it's lived in.  I noticed it had a crack down the side last week

I thought this bright red one would add some more color to the balcony.

It is quite big.  But that means fewer trips carrying water.

It's turned out to be summertime at last - or at least spring-like weather.  I think all our rain went South, and it's a beautiful, beautiful day - cool and breezy with blue skies and good smells.  I think for sure I can read outside this afternoon.