Motivation Friday

It's been a busy week. No sewing since company came, but I broke in the spices and the apron.
You'd think my relatives never eat, they were saying "Hurry Up, we want to eat!" The food was good, all three spices were tried. I cooked a lot using the original, fried the cabbage with the white pepper blend. And one nephew put the HOT on all his plate, he said it was good too! My nephew and his wife are getting ready to move to Naples, Italy and were visiting. He is career Navy. They will be there for about 18 months.

And of course cooking led to more cooking. In between I baked a double batch of pecan chocolate chip cookies. And I was trying to read blogs in between. Not good. The timer went off and I thought I had taken the pan out of the oven. NOT!!
So I put them all on a plate together, I wanted to see if Ken would notice. I hid the others.

Look what I found him doing today.

Not a man to let an overdone cookie go to waste! Here is what they were supposed to look like.

We like our cookies chewy, not dunking material. Ken thought they were my CHOCOLATE chocolate chip cookies and the color was normal!

My bobbin case came yesterday, tomorrow I will try it out.

Not Cajun but Greek

Just a quick post, I baked the cake for tomorrow, it's a Greek New Year's cake called Vasilopeta. Baked in it is a *surprise*. There are many internet recipes for this, mine is made with six eggs, warmed milk, lemon juice and lemon zest, with slivered almonds and sugar sprinkled on top half way thru baking. YUM--it smells delicious!

Apple compote is done, my pork roasts are thawing, the black eyed peas are soaking. Next I will make a couple loaves of honey buttermilk bread. If you are wondering what I am making the menu is--

Pork roasts with gravy and apple compote
Black eyed peas with ham
Smothered cabbage
buttermilk cornbread
rice (to put the gravy on!)
orange salad
Vasilopeta cake
Buttermilk honey bread
Homemade apple butter

Don't worry, we will have plenty of food because all my relatives are making a dish of some kind to add to the table.

Wednesday Ramblings

Today's post will be a hodge podge of things.

First, I received Judy's box. It's perfect timing as I am cooking New Year's Cajun recipes I received from Vicky for my visiting relatives, and anyone else who shows up! Judy and Vicky both grew up in Louisiana.

I need the apron, I am a messy cook!

I made a top out of Tia's blocks, and plan to make a backing and binding to match, I have plenty of the border fabric. The fabric for the blocks came out of Paul's (my favorite brother in law's) box. Sorry, but the afternoon light really washes out the color. If you enlarge the pictures you can see the colors better.


I had a few blocks left over.

In Paul's box was a whole bunch of cut out squares. I think his mother was at one time planning a 9 patch. When I have time, I will play with these and see what I can come up with.

Last night we went out to eat and saw a movie, if you like action/spy movies, see Liam Neesom's Taken--I could go again! The plate from the salad bar is Ken's, the beer is MINE!


I read this on Pat's blog. I'm still cleaning my computer screen.

"Someone asked me if I was a quilter. I said well......I'm like a man and sex...I think about it all the time, talk about it all the time, read about it all the time....but I don't do it so much!"

Pat, you made my day reading this. I hope you are feeling better, and remember, it only takes one leg to run a sewing machine!!

Monday Goals

Okay, I've crawled out from under the covers to make this post. No, not really, those mistakes are all easy to fix or live with. I have a very busy week planned, company until Friday, so most my goals will be easy ones.

1. Fix the square on the log cabin
2. Put the borders on the pink Jacob's ladder
3. Play with Tia's Wonky Stars

I can't quilt until my bobbin case arrives, so won't put any of that on my list. Tia's Wonky Star's are great fun, relaxing. I made 13 more last night. I hope to sew some into a top to mail her, the rest will go "loose" and will be combined with other peoples.

I also want to try some QAYG Heartstrings blocks, I will look into my baskets this evening.

I've been reading about everyone knitting socks, and although I don't knit, I was gifted these socks. I should have remembered to wear the black sandals, I have an orange (used to be red before they faded) and a black pair. Very comfy!

PS--I read everyone's Stash Reports, even if I don't comment. You are all so interesting!

Sunday Stash Report

Nothing bought, nothing finished, still at that same old +8 yards for the year! I'm trying to remain positive here, but I'm spinning my wheels this week.

It started out well with Judy's "Slap ya Mama" giveaway. And, then there were the Pink Jacob's ladder blocks. Remember them? One going the wrong way? Oh well, I can live with that. In fact, I kinda like it that way! And the big box of fabric with the four lovely berry bowls, hey, this week is looking good!

Then I got a bit off focus making Wonky Stars for Tia's project. They were fun!

Next I decided I wanted to participate in Judy's Bear in the Wood's quilt, and I started with step one, a gadzillion HST's. No problem. Uh, well, just a small one. I cut twice as many as I needed. Well, at least I have plenty! (mumble mumble, wonder what I'll use all those extra squares for.....) Here they are sewn together, ready for step two. Notice the large bottle of tylenol.


I sewed all my Christmas courthouse steps together. Wow, something that's looking like it might be close to done! Ummm, if you look at the picture closely, there is one square sewn a quarter turn the wrong way. Now, that bothers me and I'll take it apart and fix it. More tylenol.

I decided my back felt a little better, I'd quilt. Can't seem to get the tension where I want it. Played with it, hmm, looks pretty good. Made almost an entire pass. Checked the back. Crap! So, spent the next four hours unpicking what I had done. Grrrr!! (more tylenol) I've finally decided that it's not the thread, needle, bobbin, or anything like that. I've narrowed it down to the bobbin CASE. Yeah, I'd dropped it and stepped on it, NONE of the bobbins feed evenly. So on Monday will call and order a new one, I don't have one on hand. So no quilting for a few days.

And, to add insult to injury, I was talking to Henrietta, and she was laughing. I had wished her Happy Birthday on the wrong day! Now I'm breaking out the Bourbon!

I going to put my head under the covers until, oh, say maybe May! And I'm taking that bottle of tylenol with me! And the bottle of Bourbon!

Motivation Friday

Okay, how is my week shaping up. Quilt a top, it's started but not done. Borders on pink/white quilt. No, but I have decided what I'm going to do, it hung on the wall till I decided how I wanted to finish it. Yesterday my husband helped (the pieces were large and hard to handle, the courthouse steps is now officially a top!

Its too big to show all of it, but now the dark/lights really show! Next I will be able to start piecing the backing. And in case you think I've been slacking off, I started Judy's Quilt-a-Long. Aw man--first step is a zillion HST's!

But I went to the pile of fabric from that box and cut lots of little squares, I'm about half done. Luckily Judy gave us a few weeks to get it done. I may need them!

Bear in Woods Fabrics

Last night I decided on the fabrics for Judy's Bear in Woods quilt along. In "that box" there were many homespun checks, plaids, and stripes. I have decided these will make the bear paws. In darker colors, lots of reds, blues, browns, dark greens. Even a dark black. And the rest I will add in as I go along. I am trying Henrietta's "fly by the seat of the pants method". Hey, it works for her, I will try it! I am going to try to make that quilt mostly out of that box. The only thing that wasn't in there was background. I have plenty of that. It's going to be a scrappy quilt, I love scrappy and bear paws make me think "scrappy". So here are some of those fabrics---

I know it will be more work to cut out from many pieces, but I have decided that this box of fabric had a purpose and this is one of them! And, I really didn't have a stripe in my stash that was even CLOSE TO working. Well, one, but I only had half a yard!