November Musings

I received school pictures this morning from Cozy, our granddaughter. She is in kindergarten. She is also a talker! She figured out really early what a phone was for and called me frequently. I may not have understood anything, but we talked. I still talk to her as often as I can. She loves school. She is a tiny little one and has been very sick. Among other things, she has a vomiting disorder. They have just found a medication and protocol that is helping. Maybe now she will begin to put some weight on. She weighs about 25 lbs at age 5. But inspite of everything she is funny, joyful and you never know what she will say or do next.

This is a picture of Christina and I at Apple Hill in CA. We were having a wonderful time. I am going to get started on her quilting projects this week, hopefully. Just need to get some muslin for it. I need quite a bit. Probably should find a good deal on a bolt! She & her hubby bought a beautiful new dark oak table. So we found some "wine" related fabrics to make a set of placemats, a tablerunner and some napkins. Very pretty. It should go together very quickly. Soon as I have it done or mostly done I'll post pictures.

I have much to accomplish today. Laundry, ironing fabric for the Broken Star class tomorrow, and paying bills. ugh. :)

Will talk later,

hugs,

Cheryl

Happy Halloween!

I can hardly believe that it's Halloween already and I haven't posted all month! However, being gone most of that time on my trip to Sacramento CA is a good excuse.
I took the train down. It was late leaving Seattle, so we were late all the way down. But it was a beautiful ride. I had decided to pack my meals for the trip down and that worked really well. The one thing that I didn't think to pack and that will go into my carry on first next time is a blanket! It was cold on the train. The view was fantastic. All the rich fall colors were perfect. I heard several people say, both going down and coming back "Stop the train! I want to take pictures!" :)
Our daughter and I had a great time. We spent most of it shopping. Most of it was shopping for clothes for both of us, one day was spent checking out local quilt shops, another day we caught up on a few things and then partied. The group that she works with threw her birthday party early so that I could attend. Then we went in and got our hair done. Her's is about 12 inches shorter now. She donated the braid for cancer victims wigs. Her hair was down to her waist. I just got a trim, coloring and highlights. Looks terrific. We checked out the bar where she & her hubby work part time as well as the local casino. On my last day there we went to her in-laws home. They have a beautiful home in the hills. Lots of wild animals- wild turkeys all over the place. Also the deer are tame. They just stand and stare in your window and watch you like TV. Unnerving! Funny too! Also that day we went up to a concert. We went to hear Nick Palance-Jack Palance's nephew. He's a wonderful tenor. The town we were in was built in the mid 1800's. There is a plaque on the building where the Wells Fargo wagon stopped, there is a Hotel and Saloon, 1 small grocery store, an antique store/gift shop. No stop lights :) Very small- but neat little town to visit. There are many towns like this in CA. Had tons of fun. Had to go buy another duffle to cart my new stuff home in.
Brought home a horrible cold, so have been sick most of the last 2 weeks. But I think I am just about over it. There will be more to tell. I will try to do better in the coming weeks.
hugs for now,
Cheryl

Ready for Chili?

It's getting to be chili weather. I am making up a pot this afternoon and I thought I would share my recipe with you. I love this one as it is a total harvest veggie chili and I don't mind not having meat at all. See what you think. Let me know. If you have a favorite chili recipe I'd love to know about it.
Garden Chili
Makes 5 qts
3T corn or safflower oil
3 large onions, chopped
3 zucchini, sliced
1 lb fresh mushrooms, chopped
2-3 leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1T chili powder
2tsp mustard seed
1tsp cumin
¼ tsp cardamom, ground
¼ tsp cinnamon
2 (20 oz each) cans diced tomatoes
1 (16 oz) can stewed tomatoes
1 (6oz) can tomato paste
1 cup beer or water
1T vinegar
1T light brown sugar
3 cans (16oz each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

GARNISH: Your choice
Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Plain yogurt
Green onions, sliced
Salsa
Tomatoes, chopped
Lettuce, shredded
Tortilla chips, lightly crushed
Green chilies, chopped

Heat oil in large kettle over low heat. Add onions, zucchini, mushrooms, leeks, garlic, and spices. Saute for several minutes. Add diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, vinegar, brown sugar and kidney beans. Cook over low heat for 45 – 60 minutes or until thickened.
Ladle chili into soup bowls. Garnish as you choose.
Makes 10-12 servings. I think I figured a serving was 1 2/3 cups- 2 cups depending on whether you base it on 10 or 12 servings. (5qts=20cups)
If you are following Weight Watchers this is 4 points per serving, without any garnishes.
Calories:262; fat5.6gram;

From the Kitchen

We got mom & dad into their new place last week. Kitties were dropped off in a safe place for a few days, the packers were there on Wed. and my hubby, brother & nephew moved them on Thurs. Kitties went to their new home on Fri after the phones & cable were turned on. Busy week. Still much to do. Now comes the unpacking and finding a place for everything. Then they still have to clean the mobile home and get it ready to sell. I think once everything is finally all out, they will just hire someone to come in and clean. Much simpler.
We celebrated Phil's sister's birthday this weekend. Phil's mom used to make a wonderful Korean Steak on the bbq. When she died, so did the recipe. But we found one that was very close. Phil's mom used to make this for E's birthday dinner. So we've picked that up. It's very easy to make. It marinates for 2-3 hours, or even overnight, so you can make it up the day before you cook it.

Korean Steak
this makes 4 servings

1 lb flank steak
6 cloves garlic,
1/2 pear, peeled, cored
2 green onions
4T soy sauce
2T granulated sugar
1T sesame oil
1T rice wine (sake)
1T sesame seeds
1tsp minced fresh ginger
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Very thinly slice (as thin as you can possibly cut it, a very sharp knife helps) flank steak across the grain into strips. Put into large resealable baggie.
In a food processor, mince pear, garlic, ginger, and the blend soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, sake, and black pepper. Pour over meat. Add green onions and sesame seeds. Mix well to cover all the meat. Refrig. at least 2-3 hours. I like to do this a day ahead.
To cook in oven: Broil about 4 min per side on a broiler pan that has been sprayed with a nonstick spray.
To cook on the BBQ: gently lay across the grate and watch carefully. Cook on medium heat. It will only take a few min to cook.

I served this with her favorite veggies: green beans and sweet potatoes. I dressed up the green beans with a sprinkling of feta cheese. Then instead of a birthday cake, we had marionberry pie. It was very good- not to sweet.

Another good recipe that I came up with this weekend is a spinach salad. I was looking for something different for lunch. This is what I came up with:

1/2 cup baby spinach
3 oz chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1/2 cinnamon pear (canned)
1T feta cheese
Layer in order. The juice from the pear will act as the dressing. Mandrin oranges would be good on this for a change instead of pears too. (This makes 1 serving)

Let me know what you think of the recipes. If you have some to share, I would love to hear them. I am always in search of new recipes.
hugs,
Cheryl

Sewing With the Stars '08

This last week has been a busy one. I left early last Wed and spent the day in Lacy at the Pfaff Creative Center. I helped put the finishing touches on a 12 foot banner that a friend had made- it took 5 large spools of thread to embroider. It looked big until it was hung on the wall in the room where we were sewing! Then after the store closed, we were off to the Little Creek Casino where the retreat was being held.

Thurs morning I met my "roomie", a wonderful 70 yr old lady who is originally from Holland and has been all over the world. It was fun talking to her. We then spent the day working on a pillow and learning new techniques. We embroidered the first part of the design, then felted the center and then went back and finished stitching it out. Then it was on to playing with our decorative stitches, adding cording to the outside and then adding trim and the flaps in the back to insert a pillow form.

The felting machine was lots of fun - we used it to add the color to the center of the rose and to the leaves. Great way to add shading as well. I can see the potential for many things! I just had to get one.

Then on Friday we first embroidered the stippling on the cream part of the bag and then learned how to use the new yarn couching foot for both embroidery and free motion stippling. This was lots of fun! All of the bags turned out really nice. That night "Mr Pfaff" came to talk to us on the history of sewing machines and Pfaff in particular. It was a wonderful presentation and I learned a lot. He has been with the company for 53 years and now lectures to various groups.

Sat had us up and ready to sew- but we were tired. We did a small sachet. The sachet parts were all pre-done linen. What we did was to learn how to do sequencing in our machines with scallops. We stitched them out on a length of linen, added fray check to the outside and then cut away the fabric. Then sewed it into a circle and gathered it to look like a flower. Sewed it to the center of the sachet and machine stitched a button on to the top of that. Added a lavendar sachet to it to finish. It came home and immediately went into my new dresser. (it still has that new dresser smell-more chemical than wood).

By then it was lunch and time for our Pfaff Educator- Sara, who had so patiently been teaching us, to show us her goodies. Show & Tell time brought lots of ideas as well. That's always a fun part to look forward to. I realized as I was packing that as busy as I had been this last year, I had either given or sold everything I had made, leaving nothing to take. So I just did the "Tell" part. It was lots of fun.

Now to get busy. I came home with so many new ideas. Molly was really happy to see me- the puppy kisses lasted about an hour. I have only a couple of weeks or so before I take off again and so much to do.

Will share more with you later,

Cheryl

Busy September

Busy day. It was time to update my sewing machine and the embroidery software. Took a trip to Silverdale for help, but it got done. So everything is up and running in time for the embroidery class this weekend and "Sewing with the Stars" next week. Then late this afternoon I received a phone call that I was going to have a roommate next week. That will be fun. I enjoy meeting new people. 3 days of sewing and having fun at the casino.
My afghan is coming along nicely. I have 2/3 of the blocks completed now. All of blocks 1 & 2 are done and I've started on block 3. That took a little longer as I had to learn the new stitch. But it's getting better.
One of the things that I deal with 24/7 is back and hip pain. Sometimes the meds will help and sometimes it doesn't. This week I saw my dr again and he has done 2 things. The first was to ask my insurance to get me a tens unit and they approved it. I have to call about it tomorrow. The other is looking into vitamin deficiency. We had found before that my vitamin B12 was really low and when we got it up to where it was supposed to be, my back pain disappeared. Now, I realize that vitamins won't take care of all of the problem, since part of it is due to degeneration in my lower spine- but if we can get the nutrients back to where they are supposed to be just maybe things will smooth out. I hope so.
DH managed to secure a 4 day weekend and has Mon and Tue off next week. One of the days I think we are going out to the Point Defiance Zoo. We haven't been there in ages and it seems like it would be a fun day to spend together. I'll post more on that later. Pictures too.
Take care,
Cheryl

Crocheting

Lion Brand Yarn is having a Crochet Along and is crocheting a sampler aghan. I thought that with my limited skills, this would be fun to do. There are only 3 different blocks involved and you make 10 of each and then sew them together. After that you add a border to it. It will make a nice throw. I chose to do mine a little denser than the pattern calls for, so it will be a bit warmer. I also chose dark colors- block 1 is a "print" a varigated purple, gray & dark blue. Block 2 is dark purple and block 3 will be dark blue. The border/trim I plan to do in the print. Total of 30 blocks. I have the first set of 10 complete and 3 of block 2 done. It's going together nicely. Much easier than learning to knit.
My knitting leaves much to be desired. I am still having trouble getting my head wrapped around what my hands should be doing. Most things like this have come easy-but for some reason knitting has been difficult. We do have a brand new yarn shop opening up here in town in about another week. I may check into seeing if they are going to have beginner classes.
I have talked to my granddaughter, Cozy, several times lately. She called me the other day very excited and pleased with herself. Seems that they all have to memorize their student ID numbers as they need to know them for the cafeteria, the library and other things. Now, this is not a short 3 or 4 digit number. But she had it memorized in just a few minutes and the number ends with "enter", just like you would enter it into the computer. Her mother re-enforces it around the house to help her remember it. I think she did remarkable well for an autistic 5 year old. She is loving school and always has lots to tell me when we talk.
My mother's packing is coming along. We spent 3 whole days just packing fabric. There is still some left-but that is current stuff she's working on. We'll tackle that later. We mainly wanted to get the sewing room done. Our goal on Thurs was to find the closet door. We did. We didn't open it-but we did get there. For now all the boxes are stuffed in the livingroom. You have to peer around them to see the tv. This next week is a busy week for both of us- so I won't go back over there until the end of the week. One find was her composition book from her 6th period sewing class in Jr High. It was full of samples of sewing, embroidery and fabric. That was fun to look at. All that fabric was original then- reproductions now!
Hope you are having a good weekend,
Cheryl

Friday Update

Just a quick note to let you know that Sam is recuperating nicely. When E went to the refrigerator this morning, he hopped right down and was there. Definitely hungry. Ate a bit to fast... but it's a good sign that he's on the mend. The vet didn't find anything wrong with him and doesn't really know why he's been so sick the last couple of weeks or so. So we shall see. He's been spending alot of time in kitty playland just breathing in the fresh air.

Also want to say "Happy Birthday" to my sister in FL today. This has been a good year for you-I hope this next one is just as good! Love you.

Hope you all have a safe and fun Labor Day weekend -
Cheryl

Ramblin's

I called Cozy after she got home from school on Monday. She had a wonderful day. We had a great chat and she talked on and on about her day. She had breakfast and lunch at school. Naptime, storytime, recess-which she spent on the slide and in her words, she went "Wheeee!" and then climbed up again and again. They have brand new computers in their classroom and she was excited about that. She was concerned that not everyone knew how to be quiet and listen when the teacher was talking. She likes having lots of choices in the cafeteria line-but has to learn to eat quicker. I learned from Terra this morning that by the time they get through the breakfast line they have less than 5 minute to eat. So she may be having breakfast at home where it's a little quieter and less hectic. Her newest phrase is "and next came.." she will tell me something and then say "and next came..." this became quite funny to follow. Her speech has cleared up alot. This was the first time I could understand everything she was saying. Speech has been difficult for her-but being around other kids her age, as well as getting assistance has helped. She will also be getting speech and resource help in school. I think she has a good chance of getting over some of her disabilities.
I spent yesterday at my parents house helping to sort through things. We worked on the bedroom. It was work-but it was fun as well. Some of what we went through were things that belonged to my grandparents or great grandparents/relatives. Some things dating to the late 1890's and early 1900's. It was interesting and fun. A few of those treasures I brought home.
One item is some crochet in an envelope that said it was 40 years old at that time and it was dated 1937. I have several darning eggs- for darning socks. These days we just go buy new ones! I will have to take some pictures of some of these things and post them for you to see.
In then meantime, we are waiting to hear from the vet this morning about Sam-I-Am. He's been sick for the last couple of weeks and had to have surgery this morning. They think that it's either a twisted intestine or possibly, at worst, cancer. They wouldn't know until they got inside to see. He's a really sweet, affectionate kitty. Loves attention and loves to eat! So, if you would keep him in your thoughts.
Hope you have a great day,
Cheryl

The Big Day

Our Granddaughter, Cozy, starts kindergarten today. It's a big day for her. I'll call her this afternoon and see how it all went. I know she's been looking forward to today all summer.

I finished the 2 bargello's this weekend that I've been working on all summer. They are now ready to be quilted. I'll post pictures of them when they are finished. I should have them back late October.

For all of you who are sewers and quilters, About.com Quilting, has some fun quizzes. If you go to the link on the side it will take you there. There is a quiz on fabric, one on tools of our trade, one on quilt assembly and a fun one to see if you are a fabriholic. I know I am!

Other than that, life is quiet for the moment. I have a pinwheel quilt I am working on that is almost finished. I have also signed up to make some blocks for the Dear Jane Winter Holiday Swap. I will do those as soon as it's been confirmed as to which blocks I will be doing. I hope to do one set by machine and one set that is appliqued that I can take with me on my trip to CA in October.

Have a great day.
Cheryl

Laundry List

On the Dear Jane Forum we've gotten into talking about laundry and hanging it outside to dry. There have been some really funny stories that have been told. In keeping with this Rosa did a whole blog on it. I've added her blog, Rosa's World, so you can click on it. There she has a recipe for washing instructions. Very funny. It's not been edited for spelling or anything- it's straight out of the scrapbook. She has also put up some great old pictures of laundry day. When we lived in FL I used to hang laundry outside to dry. In our first house, I had a 2nd line in the garage for days when it was too wet. There were days when the laundry was frozen too! I had a washer-but not a dryer. Gone are those days. I do love the smell of sheets and towels when they have been dried outside. These days I just do the laundry in my laundry room/pantry.
The washer & dryer have been getting heavy use this week. E started the week out with a sick cat. So she got the laundry done after that. The next day it was a sick lab. Had to redo the laundry! Today I'm doing just the usual stuff to be done. Phil needs workclothes for tomorrow.
I plan to spend most of the afternoon sewing as well. So I must get on with it.
Cheryl

Crazy Weather

This is the middle of August and it seems as though our fall rains have started. It's cool, wet and breezy. Granted, we can use the rain-but I wasn't finished enjoying our summer! Our quilting group had hopes to have a lunch and pool party yesterday. It turned into a wonderful afternoon of chit-chat among friends-but wearing sweaters instead of bathing suits! We met at one of our members home in Poulsbo and got to see her wonderful collection of dolls. I've never seen so many dolls outside of a museum. They are beautiful. She regaled us with stories of each of them. It was a fun afternoon.
Our granddaughter gets to meet her Kindergarten teacher this week. Then school starts on Monday for her. She is very excited. She gets to walk to school as it's right across the street from where they live. She has all her new school supplies ready. New clothes and shoes are ready and waiting as well. It is so exciting. It doesn't seem like it was that long ago when I walked her mother and auntie off to school!
Many things are going on this fall to keep me busy. Sewing with the Stars is in the middle of Sept. I am looking forward to that. It's a retreat of sorts and we will be spending the days sewing. October will bring me to my trip south. I haven't seen our oldest daughter since her wedding nearly 2 years ago. So I'm taking the Coast Starlight Train to Sacramento for 10 days for some quality time with her. By the time I get back it will be time to get into the holiday mode.
I am thinking it's getting to be time to make some veggie chili too. It has all the chili spices in it- but it is full of harvest veggies- like zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, leeks, kidney beans and a host of others. The recipe makes 5 quarts! But is sooo good. It's meatless-but you really don't miss the meat in this recipe. Then I serve it with fresh corn muffins. I've discovered that I prefer to make them from scratch these days instead of the mixes. They have better flavor.
Well, time to get busy. Hope everyone is keeping well these days and enjoying the last days of summer.
Cheryl

August Chit Chat

I've been keeping an eye on Hurricane/Tropical Storm Fay the last couple of days to see where it was headed. My sister lives in St Petersburg Fl. Heard from her last night with her possible evacuation plans for today if need be. But I had email first thing this morning that all was fine, Fay had come ashore south of them, so they will have a relatively quiet day.
Sunday we met my parents and brother & sister in law at the rental house in Manchester for a walk through. We are moving my parents in there in about another month from their mobile home. So there is lots of sorting & packing to do. I will be setting up some time so that I will be helping with all of that in the next few weeks as well. This is a lot of work and at times seems overwhelming for them, but in the long run I think they will enjoy living there. It's a nice house, great yard and even has a small view of the water & Seattle.
Our Granddaughter is also very excited as she starts Kindergarten next Monday. This week she gets to go and meet her new teacher. I got a copy of her school supply list and we got everything she needed and sent it off to her. I wanted to make it special, so I embroidered an artist's palette on her paint shirt and embroidered a patch to go on her backpack. I wanted her to be able to look at it an know quickly that it was hers. That was fun to do. I also added some stickers so that she could decorate her pencil box and of course, I had to put coins in her coin purse. She is a fiend for books like the rest of the family, so in went a new book as well. It was a silly book about chasing bears. She will do well in school.
I have much to do today. Appt with the nutritionist this morning and sewing and baking this afternoon.
Have a good one,
Cheryl

Musings and New Recipe

Many things are going on. Hubby & I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary yesterday. We met on the first day of high school 36 years ago. We celebrated by going window shopping at South Center & IKEA on Sunday. Wasn't sure the weather would be nice, so we opted for something indoors. Also discovered one of our favorite restaurants had relocated up there- Zoopa's- so that's where we had dinner. Came home tired of walking and tired of traffic!

Seems like this is the time of year for moving. I have two friends that are cleaning and packing and selling their homes. My parents are also packing and getting ready to move as well. However, instead of moving far away- they will be moving closer. But it's still an ordeal to sort and pack all that stuff.

The quilting is coming along. I am halfway finished with the 4th bargello. I also did a cute little baby quilt with spaceships and aliens on it for a friend of mine who just became a Grandpa for the first time. I am also working on some lace. Not really happy with it yet. After the bargellos are done and my parents are moved, then mom and I are going to work together on a Hidden 9 Patch that will be king size and done in red, white and black. The fabrics we've chosen have a oriental feel to them.

I went out to lunch a couple of weeks ago and had crab cakes. While they were good- they were loaded with fat and I didn't feel well after eating them. So I came home and thought about the recipe. Here is my take on a healthier version:

toast a 1/2 English muffin, then add a slice of tomato, an 1/8 of an avocado that has be sliced in 1/2, then some imitation crab, a sprinkle of chopped green onions and some finely grated cheddar cheese. Pop under the broiler until the cheese melts. Serve. We use the imitation crab since most of my family is allergic to shellfish. But this is really good. I've been having it for lunch. It has also passed the family taste test.

Time to get to work.
Cheryl

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!
These are the two Scrappy Bargello's that I've been working on this winter/spring. They are finally finished, and on their way to their respective new owners. The twins' birthday is today. I hope they will be pleased.
I will start 2 more the week after next. They will also be for twins- however, these twins won't be born until Nov or Dec. Must be the year of the twins!
I am also taking another EQ6 class at Quilt University. This one is Patti Anderson's Applique Drawing class. We are working on how to draw and use the tools-and then save the collections in the libraries for future use. I am having fun with it. Today is lesson 2 and we are working on posies, vines and borders. One thing about EQ- I can design and make quilts to my hearts content and they are all on paper! I can make more this way then on fabric. But I get to play this way. I have the Scrappy Bargello put into EQ and then I can go in and just recolor and see how I like the way it will play out. If I don't like it- I can change it- BEFORE I buy any fabric.


We were up at Mt Rainier the first week of June. The weather was typical-grey and misty in town, raining at Longmire and snowing heavily at Paradise. It was really beautiful. We also stopped at Narada Falls. It is beautiful at anytime of the year-however, after the water went over the falls-it disappeared under the snowpack for quite a ways- then popped up in a hole and then disappeared again. It was really neat to see. We had lunch at Paradise Inn. The food was wonderful and we sat between the fireplace and the large windows, so that we could watch the snow falling. The next morning (we were home by then) they had and additional 10 inches and were expecting 5-7 more.

Happy Father's Day
Cheryl

Back to Sewing

I finally think I have things working again. My sewing machines are home and running and I think I have my computer finally where I want it. There might be a few more tweaks to do, but for the most part things are installed and useful. The backup didn't work like it was supposed to and I lost all my pictures from the last 3 years and all of my current recipes. For that I am heartsick. I will do things differently from now on. I also now have an external hard drive and that should help as well.
Back to sewing. I have a long list that needs to be done now and I am hoping to get busy on that this morning. Also got some new ideas floating around in my head as well...
talk to you later,
Cheryl

Love them computers...

I've been having trouble with this computer being slow and a few other problems. So after discussing it with my techie (DH) it was decided to reformat it and add an external hard drive. It has taken 2 days to do the back up and begin to reinstall stuff. I am finding some of my critical discs are not working properly and that some stuff didn't get backed up right. What a nightmare. It's a good thing we don't do this very often.
I just want it up and running.
But for tonight, I am thru dealing with it. I am going to pour a glass of wine and sit in my chair for the rest of the evening.
night.
Cheryl

Grey May Days

This has started out to be one of those months. I wrote to this blog the other day and went to save it and my computer refused to cooperate, so nothing was saved.
Then hubby has been laid off for 2 months. That has put my schedule out of whack. But at least he didn't have to go out to sea this time! Glad we are done with that. Then he was out trimming tree branches and one caught him in the eye. It's still tender and bruised.
I had been working on a design for my secret pal and was going to embroider it out yesterday. I discovered that my new machine all of sudden wasn't working properly. UGH! I did all the usual things- rethread, change thread, change bobbins, change needles, switch from emb to sewing... and cleaned it. To no avail. It was going to have to go in for repairs.
Well, I have a backup emb machine-but had not used it since I got it. So after a couple of phone calls, I got it all installed and ready to sew. Only to find out that one of the major items on it was broken.
It was time for a trip to the shop for both machines yesterday. I still have one machine that I can sew & piece with, but will have to put my mother's day project & Secret Pal project on hold. Not that I don't have plenty to do!
Molly went in for her grooming this week- they trimmed the underside of her tail and she's feeling very naked and skittery. A breeze comes by and she jumps. Poor dog.
On the other hand we did spend time last weekend with some good friends. That is always fun. It was a beautiful day, we had taken Molly with us and she had met a little dachshund named Allie who just wanted to play. Molly preferred to just sit in the car thank you. On the way home we stopped at Point Defiance Park so she could have an adventure. The beach was full and we had to park in the last parking spot in the 3rd parking lot up the hill. So Molly and hubby went hiking up the trails. Molly may be little, but she is curious and loves to go on short hikes.
I guess today will be spent backing up the computer so that we can clean it up and do a reinstall of things. See if we can work out the bugs we have developed. Hubby is off to get what he needs to do that while I start on the backup. Guess I won't get to that much needed sewing today.
See ya
Cheryl

Catching Up

Finally time for a quick breath! I finally finished the apron wall hanging that I was working on, and I finished the 2nd bargello since Feb and got it off to be quilted today. I will have both bargello's back by mid May to finish up and get off to my customer. Now on to the last 2 quilts that I need to get finished. One is a lighthouse quilt that I designed for my dad - about a year ago. My goal is to finish it by July 1- his birthday. Then I also have my " Beyond Color Purple" that I really want to have finished by Sept.
Now that baseball season is upon us, I am spending more time on my handpiecing as well. I am working on my Grandmother's Flower Garden that I started quite a few years ago. Maybe I will even get the top finished this year?? I hope!! The end is in sight! I have 2 more light green blocks to go and then a round of dark green blocks. We won't discuss how long hand quilting might take!!
I did find a great new recipe that we like. I just need to refine the technique for it. Take flank steak, pound it out thin, then add a layer of fresh spinach, provolone cheese and some italian seasoning & salt. Roll up- jelly roll style. Then add more seasoning. Slice into portions and bake/broil until done. Now mine fell apart. So the next time I may use a toothpick to hold it together or I may cook the whole thing and not slice it until after it's cooked... still playing with the recipe a bit. Any suggestions would be welcomed.
The weather reports state that we are due for more snow possibly tomorrow and Fri. I hope not. I am SOO ready for warmer weather!!
Talk to you soon!! Keep warm,
Cheryl

April Fool's Day

Was our weather fooling us yesterday or what?? We were watching the opening game of the Mariners and wow, wasn't expecting to see hail, and snow! Had it all yesterday. I was sure glad I was sitting here in my nice warm house watching the game. I had my Grandma's Flower Garden quilt top that I've been working on for a number of years in my lap and working on it. Perfect TV or game time project. Maybe this will be the year that I will actually get the top done? I've said that the last couple of years. We'll see. I started collecting fabrics for it when we lived in Mare Island CA- probably around 1992. But didn't cut it out and start sewing until after we moved in here 1998 or 1999. So you can see it's taken me awhile. But it's my hand project and it's very relaxing.
Today has dawned cold -but sunny. I hope the trend for the rest of the week will be to get warmer. My Valentine scrappy bargello is being quilted and the 2nd one I have the panels sewn and will cut out today. I am also working on an old fashioned apron quilt-wallhanging. I'll get that finished by the end of the week as well. Today I'll get it layered and pinned and maybe even start quilting. We'll see.
Time to walk Miss Molly and get busy with my day. Hope you have a wonderful sunny day.

Time Flies

Been awhile since I last posted! I've been busy sewing, cooking and all three of us have had the "crud" that's been going around at least once. But I am back on track.

I have been reading Rachael Ray's magazine and find most of her recipes easy to make and modify for our needs. In the April edition there were several that were very good and one in particular we found we like alot. It's a Crunchy Parmesan Chicken-which is basically crushed cornflakes and parmesan cheese mixed together for your coating. Dip chicken breast in coating, then in egg, then in coating, brown on both sides and then bake until done. Super good and moist.
The other one that we liked was a ham and asparagus lasagne. We've been looking for a good lasagne-without a tomato sauce and this one is good. The only modification I made to it was I substituted chicken broth for the milk. It would have been creamier to use the milk- but milk & soy allergies prohibited that. Turned out really good.
Now Molly liked the Orzo with carrots & peas for pets. Chowed it down. The carrots were pureed and then blended with the peas & orzo. Then we discovered molly is allergic to peas. So next batch will be made with her other favorite veggie: green beans.
Then over Easter weekend we cleaned house and rearrange furniture. I was putting some cookbooks away-and thumbing thru a few of them too. :) Came across a nice, but quick one.
Put on a pot of couscous (3/4 c couscous & 3/4 chicken stock) to cook. While that is cooking, saute some onion, celery, red & yellow bell pepper, matchstick carrots, for about 5 min. Then toss in 1 grated zucchini and saute an additional 5 min (it will take about that long to get the liquid out). Also add in some rosemary, thyme and a little salt.
When the veggies are done & the couscous is done, mix together and serve.

On the quilting side of things I finished some Easter drawstring bags for the kids-they were quite pleased with them. I have the Valentines Scappy Bargello being quilted and I am working on a blue and pink bargello.

I will try to keep this up better... :)
For now I need to get to work.
See ya,
Cheryl

Cabin Time

I spent the last week at my brother's cabin with my folks and their 2 cats. It was truly wonderful. I didn't get as much done as I had anticipated, on the other hand I did get most of 2 rows of my Dear Jane quilt cut out. I did take books to read and my knitting to do as well... but I think I got 5 pages read and maybe 2 rows knitted!
My Dad wants to be on the go, so we compromised with him and said that we would go out for coffee or lunch every other day. That was ok. The weather was sunny and cold. High about 38 and low about 24 most of the time. I chose to sleep in the loft - the ladder/stairs I am not used too and it took a couple of sore days to get used too!
The best part of the week were the eagles. At any time we saw from 1 to 3 of them. They would arrive at about breakfast and stay until about 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Sometimes just sitting on a branch of the tree or a rock across the river. On Wed though, they were playing! They were playing "king of the hill". There were 3 of them and one was on the rock and the 2nd would come in and knock the first one off and then the 3rd would come in and knock him off and then it would repeat! It was funny to watch. This went on for some time before the game ended. Then one of the eagles just sat there for a long time. This was a real treat to watch.
I came home with new ideas and while I was sick all week, I did come home refreshed in many ways. I have many things to do and many ideas.
I think this week I will get things ready to sew a scrappy bargello with the online group at Quiltville.com. I also have a baby quilt that needs to be done and several other things that need attending too. Time to get back into the saddle and start quilting!!
Talk at you later,
Cheryl

New Items

Quick Note:
I also added a list of books that I've been reading- they are really good. We also saw the Bucket List and it's absolutely wonderful. I've seen it twice now and it will go down as one of my all time favorites!

I have added a Link to Anita's BedofRoses blog. I recommend it- she is wonderful, has lots to say and is very talented! She taught me that knitting is NOT impossible!!
Also thru the end of this month there is a virtual quilt show going on at Quilt University. If you go to the home page- the link is on the right hand side about 1/2 way down. It's called Beating the Blues. There are some wonderful quilts in there. The idea was to brighten up the grey days of January.
For anyone who is interested, they also have wonderful online classes. I've been taking classes there for a couple of years and love it. It's the only quilt class I can attend in my pj's, show up when I want to (during the proper dates) and meet new friends from all over the world.
talk to you later,
Cheryl

New Pizza Sauce

Due to many allergies and health issues in our family, I've been re-doing some of my recipes. One that I just did yesterday was pizza. Needed to come up with a pizza sauce with no tomatoes, and toppings that didn't include pepper. So borrowing the hamburger sausage recipe from my neighbor Pegi (thanks Pegi!)- and making a spinach pesto it turned out really well. Here is the recipe:

1. Brown 1/2 lb hamburger with 1 T fennel, 1 tsp of dried oregano, and 1 tsp of basil (or adjust to taste). Also add a bit of salt, 1/2 chopped onion, and 1 clove of garlic, minced. Drain well. Can be made up ahead of time and refrig. or frozen until ready.
2. In a food processor add: 4 cups of firmly pressed fresh spinach leaves, 1 clove of garlic, 1 T basil (or 1/2 cup fresh if you have it), little bit of salt, Process until coarsely chopped. Then drizzle 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil in until mixture is finely chopped. Then blend, by hand, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Mix well. This can also be made ahead of time and stand in the refrig. This can also be frozen.
3.Make up your favorite pizza dough- we use one for the bread machine and add Italian seasoning to it for more flavor. When it is done with the first rising, punch down, and divide into 2. Roll each out into a circle to fit your pan. Cover and let rise 30 min. in a warm place. (turn oven on to warm, turn off and place dough in oven).
4. Divide the spinach pesto between the two crusts, divide the hamburger mixture between the two pizzas, then add sliced onion, sliced mushrooms, feta cheese and grated parmesan cheese.
5. Wrap foil around the edges to keep from over cooking. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 15-20 min. Let cool about 5 min before serving.
6. Enjoy!! Refrig. any leftover pizza for breakfast or lunch! (if there is any)

One thing that I am in search of is a salad dressing. The key is that is cannot have any citrus, vinegar, tomato, pepper of any kind, nuts, soy or mayonaise. It also must be homemade, as many of the preservatives are a problem. If anyone can help out I would truly appreciate it.

I have also been packing. I am headed for my brother's cabin next week to sew, read and play cards with my parents. Molly will be holding down the fort for everyone here. Auntie E will keep her belly fed during the day and daddy will keep her belly rubbed at night...
I should have lots to talk about when I get back as I will be offline until then. No phone, no internet, no tv... quiet.
see you later and I hope you get a chance to try the pizza
Cheryl

Daisy's Garden Blog

I've been wanting to start a blog for sometime and thought today was as good a time as any.
Let me introduce you to Molly. She is my closest friend. Her favorite thing is bellyrubs and naps in my lap during the day. She goes everywhere with us. When our daughter got married, she even walked her down the aisle! If you keep up with me, you will get to know and love Molly as much as I do. She just turned 6 and shares the house with 2 cats- Graham (about 8 yrs old) and Rosie (11 yrs old) both of whom are bigger than she is.
The things that keep me busy here are my quilting, reading and cooking. My 3 favorite things. I will be posting more about all of that in the future as well. I am in the middle of working on new recipes. I cook for 3 of us- all with different needs. I am in a position of relearning and rewriting most of my recipes to fit those needs. I will share some of those here. I hope to get my website up and running better so that I can do that as well.
I have 3 goals. I want to share the books that I read and tell others about them. I want to share my quilting and what I am doing and I want to share my journey in cooking. I am hoping to write a cookbook soon. Whether it will be published or whether I just put it together for a few friends will remain to be seen.
But I hope that anyone who reads this and wishes to comment or ask questions- will. I will do my best to answer.
Tonight I still have to finish my lesson at Quilt University- I am taking an Electric Quilt (EQ6) class on drawing quilt blocks. (Building Blocks). Must do my homework! This way I can turn around and teach what I know in the spring.
goodnight
Cheryl