Exciting Weekend


Here I was doing so well at posting every day or two and now I have slipped.  Not without good reason, however.  This past week has been really hectic.  It was gorgeous weather, then it was not so gorgeous weather, then we had a sudden and heavy ice storm followed by nice weather -- again -- and here we are.  I babysat all week but got stuck at my daughters because of the ice so that threw my week off a bit. Had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday but he was called into surgery and I had to reschedule -- after I was already sitting in his waiting room!  So, that threw the day off.  It has just been a week of near-misses and re-do's.  Good thing I am flexible and don't get angry over stuff like that.

However, the weekend proves to be exciting.  We will be having a house guest and I am very excited.  This is our Bean's first foray into sleeping over.  She has been at our house sans parental units before but not for overnight.  This will be a first and I am looking forward to it.  I will let you know how it goes but now I have to go turn my sewing space back into a guest room.  I am working on a quilt that I am really wanting to get finished soon but I keep having to put it away for one reason or another.  However, I am hoping to get that finished next week as I won't be babysitting due to spring break. 

So, for now, wish me luck! It has been a long time since I have had a little one under my roof.  

The Weather


I don't like to complain because I am seriously grateful for each and every day and don't feel that complaining is a viable use of my time..  I find gratitude to be as essential to life as food and water.  However, I am a bit weary of the weather.  I live in Texas and Texas is known for its weather changes.  Today is no different.  For the last couple of days we have had springlike summer-like temps -- mid-80's, light breeze and beautiful sunshine.  My daughter and her family spent the day at the local zoo and actually mentioned being hot.  It didn't start out so beautiful though, at least at our house.  This is what our morning looked like out my back door--

Just on the other side of this foggy wall is a huge Target store but you would never know it

From the front as it starts to lift

However, the fog lifted to expose a beautiful day.

Today -- yeah, not so much --

Oh dear -- it is blue-- a sure sign of ice or snow

So, I was hoping this was going to be our last arctic blast -- we will see if I am right.

 

 

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you’ll read next?


I am currently reading "The Quilter's Legacy" by Jennifer Chiaverini.

I recently finished reading "French Women Don't Get Facelifts".

I am not sure what I will read next but the next three in my queue are "The Master Quilter" by Jennifer Chiaverini, "The Mystery at Lilac Inn" -- the fourth in the Nancy Drew series and then "The Screwtape Letters".  There is a Bible class at church that is reading "The Screwtape Letters" and while I can't attend the class I would like to read along with them.  "Past Imperfect" by Julian Fellows might rise to the top of the list, however.  We will see.  I wish I could read more than one book at a time!

Thread -- Yes, It Does Make A Difference


I did a bit of online shopping the other day -- a movie and some thread.  I know, I live walking distance from Joann Fabrics but I was introduced to a thread that I wanted to try for English Paper Piecing.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was giving EPP a try and had been surfing the net looking at blogs about the technique.  I ran across Flossie Teacakes which is a wonderful blog about EPP.  The entry that I happened on was about thread.  Florence (aka Flossie) was recommending a particular thread that, quite honestly, I had never seen before so, since I was shopping online anyway, I thought I would give it a go.

So, day before yesterday this big box came--

It was filled with this --

There was nothing in the paper so I looked in the box and there was this --

Yes, one spool of thread in that great big box with all that packing material.  It made me smile-- I don't know why.  In retrospect, I wish I had ordered the larger spool because the difference in price wasn't all that great and I have a feeling this will be my go-to hand sewing thread from now on.

I purchased the thread in the silver shade as Flossie suggested the light grey would probably work well with most things and I think she is right.  The thing about EPP is that I don't like the idea of having to change color threads so much as I like doing the piecing in the evening in my comfy chair and I don't care to have to schlep all different colors of thread around with me so one would do nicely.

This morning I gave it a go.  I apologize for my not so stellar photos -- I tend to shake a bit and when trying to get up close -- well, it just doesn't work so well.  However, here are some of the photos.

This one is done with a regular sewing thread and a regular sharp needle.

back--duh

front--double duh

It is not too bad but the stitches are more visible than I would like.  The next two photos are done with the new thread and a regular needle.

The stitches are almost invisible.  Yes, it did make it better using lavender fabric-- I didn't really think of that when I decided to do a test run -- I will post more photos on different fabric -- but the point is the thread is so fine that I think it would do with almost any color.  I am thrilled.

The only thing that would make it even better, I think, is to use a finer needle, like a milliner's needle which I am off to procure!  I really enjoy EPP but I think with this thread and finer needles, it will be even better.  I will update.

Thank you Flossie!

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.  It is a weekly exercise where you post two lines from any page in your current read. 

Since my current read is in my room where my husband is snoozing, I will choose two sentences from a newly acquired book - Past Imperfect - by Julian Fellows.  I haven't begun this book as I have a hard time reading more than one book at a time but it won't be far down my tbr queue.

"London is a haunted city for me now and I am the ghost that haunts it.  As I go about my business, every street or square or avenue seems to whisper of an earlier, different era in my history."

These are the first two sentences of chapter 1, page 1.  It is definitely a leading couple of sentences, drawing you in because who wouldn't be curious to know why this is a haunted city for the character. 

I might have to move it up on my tbr list.

Today -- So Far


Today has been a truly odd day for me.  I have been down in the dumps for a couple of days -- don't know why -- perhaps the weather changing back to cold and dreary -- I don't know but I decided that I was not going to let today be a repeat of the last couple.

So I decided to get up and actually DO something.  Lately I have actually been DOING things more than usual for me.  I have a good amount of energy and am having trouble sitting still so it isn't so odd that I wanted to do something, it was WHAT I chose to do that made my husband frown and want to check my temperature.

What was it, you ask?  I wanted to go outside.  Now, anybody who knows me that I don't play well with the outdoors.  I am allergic to everything on the planet, I seem to be a snake magnet and I worry a lot about the little "gifts' in the yard left for me by some sort of animal.  That is what worries me -- we live in a very fenced, gated area and I don't have an animal so.....yes, I am afraid of raccoons. Anyway, I went outside and took a good look at the wretched garden.  Hopefully this latest cold snap will be the last and we will be able to do something about the garden.  However, even with everything pretty much dead, the mint wouldn't give up the ghost -- unfortunately.

The mint patch -- quite dead?

Not quite -- here is the new growth

I then walked around to the side of the house to find our crab apple tree sprouting all these lovely little leaves.

 

 

Such a shame because I know we will have one more freeze

I then came into the house and announced to the Hubs that I wanted to take a stroll.  That really blew him away.  We live in a very small housing development with only about 75 houses -- if that many -- I will have to count them.  There is a central gate that divides the neighborhood and we live at one end.  If you walk from our drive to the other end of the neighborhood and back it is approximately 1/2 mile.  I chose to walk to the gate because between the perusing of the back garden and the declaration that I would be taking a walk, the temperature dropped about 10 degrees and the wind picked up.  So, we made it to the gate and back again and that squelched my desire for a walk.  My husband is still scratching his head, however, over my desire to actually leave the confines of my house to commune with nature.

We then left the house to do a couple of errands.  We went to the bank and then to Half Price Books.

Half Price Books is my first line of defense when it comes to book buying.  I know I should be using the library but it is farther away and that requires me remembering that I need to return books.  My memory seems to be in a bit of a fragile state right now so I try not to stress it out more than necessary.  At any rate, I went in with a list and got most of what I went after but not all.  Here is my haul.

I also wanted a copy of "The Screwtape Letters" but they didn't have one so I will buy it for my Nook.  They did have a copy of "Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker" but it was only $5 less than retail and I think I would like it in paperback.

So, that has been my day, thus far.  Now, I am going to have lunch and read until it is time to pick up the Bean from school.  I wonder if, by then, I am going to need a coat?

Musing Mondays is hosted by Miz B at Should Be Reading.  This morning's "musing" is a bit involved but here goes.

3 Books That Have Impacted You

The Good Master
The Kitchen House
A Woman of Substance

3 Books Currently on Your Wishlist

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker
The Screwtape Letters
The Great Gatsby (no, I didn't read it in high school much to everyone's shock)


3 Books You Have Purchased in the Last Six Months

French Women Don't Get Facelifts
The Christmas Candle
Nancy Drew, The Bungalow Mystery

3 Books You Can't Help But Recommend to Others

Folly Beach
A Woman of Substance
The Aunt Dimity Series

3 Books With Amazing Covers

Ok, this is my weakness because I tend to buy books by their covers so I don't know if this answer is going to reflect amazing covers or just covers that appeal to me.

I love the covers of the Jan Karon's Mitford Series as well as the Aunt Dimity Series.  The Elm Creek series has covers that appeal  to me as well although they are a bit whimiscal, like the other two.  Another author that has beautiful covers is Kate Morton. Yes, I know that is more than three.  Sorry.

Learning to Scan -- finally


A number of years ago we had a lovely photo scanner/printer.  Then we changed operating systems and my lovely photo scanner/printer no longer worked.  So, we went out and purchased a scanner/printer that would play nice with Linux and it is very nice but it won't print photos well.  That stands to reason since it isn't a photo printer -- duh, Melissa!

Ok, it has taken me all this time to figure out that it might not print out the photos but it most certainly will scan them in and very well, I might add.  I kept asking the Hubs to do something so that I could post old photos to my blog, Ancestry.com, and Facebook.  His answer was for him to photograph the photographs and then download them.  That works but it requires him to actually do it and therein lies the problem.

A couple of weeks ago I was whining discussing the issue with him and voila! he sat down and figured out how to use the scanning option of the machine.  Of course, we knew how to scan, we have been scanning documents for ages but not photos.  So, after about an hour he has figured out how to scan and crop and save in Shotwell.

The real challenge was teaching me how to do it.  So, armed with a yellow pad to write down the steps I was ready.  However, he really needs to get over his over reaction when I touch the mouse.  It really freaks him out because he says I just push buttons willy nilly when all I have done is put my hand on the mouse.  We aren't particularly compatible when it comes to computers. It is a good thing we met and married before home computers were available otherwise I have no idea what might have happened. Anyway, I digress.

So, after a bit of fiddling around I managed to scan in and tag a half dozen photos and think I can actually do it myself but we shall see.  I will try a few more this evening.

But, in honor of me mastering scanning (gag!) I would like to introduce my parents.  Aaron P. Boyett on the left and Alma Elizabeth Davis on the right.  Both were born in San Antonio, Texas in 1923.

Recipe Update


A couple of posts ago I discussed some recipes I was trying so I thought I would update.

Brownies -- the recipe I tried with three different chocolates was just too chewy -- in fact, it didn't taste done even though I cooked it longer than it called for.  So, I finally tried the one bowl recipe on the inside of the Baker's Unsweetened Chocolate Box and that is exactly what I was looking for.  After taste testing it was about as close to a box mix as I think I will get so it is going to be my go-to brownie recipe.

Cornbread -- I haven't made this recipe again but will this week.  I had tweaked the original recipe myself so I am going back to the original recipe only I am going to cut the sugar in half.  I will revisit when I have done that.

Squash Salad -- I recently read the book French Women Don't Get Facelifts and was surprised that there were some recipes included.  One caught my eye and I tried it yesterday.  It is a squash salad and it was surprisingly good -- I wasn't sure what to expect.  The ingredients are yellow squash, thinly sliced , zucchini sliced into thin ribbons and cherry tomatoes.  A light dressing of olive oil, sherry vinegar and lemon juice is added along with chopped fresh mint and feta cheese.  I had to change the recipe in a bit because I didn't have the correct ingredients.  I substituted lime juice for the lemon juice because I was out of lemon juice.  I also substituted white wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar and I had to chop up a tomato as I forgot to buy cherry tomatoes.  I don't think the tomatoes made a big difference but I am not sure about the lime juice and the different vinegar.  With all that changing, though, it was really good.  I had never thought about a squash salad but it will become part of my regular rotation.

For anybody who thinks I have taken all leave of my senses in my old age let me explain.  I am trying to get all the toxins and negative things out of my diet and my house so I have resorted to scratch cooking which is actually proving to be more fun that I thought it would be.  I am not a stranger to the concept but we have gotten to the point that we are either eating out or take-out or convenience foods and I am trying to change that.  I used to spend my time quilting or cross stitching or internet surfing -- now I find I am spending my time cooking.  I have been dabbling in the creation of a greener life and also becoming more minimalist in our lifestyle and I like the idea of buying raw ingredients and putting them together to actually make something rather than just opening a box or a can and worrying about the ingredients that I can't pronounce or what is lining the can.  After a weekend pantry overhaul, I am standing back looking at my lovely, retro glass jars full of flours, sugars and cornmeal -- my turntables with my baking supplies organized where I can actually find something and all my bottles there in one place -- and it is peaceful.  It is somehow relaxing and reassuring to know that I can actually create what I want from these simple ingredients and don't have to rely on a box of something that I might or might not have.  I know that sounds really crazy but it takes me back to what I consider a better time -- my youth -- when everybody lived this way.  It makes me happy.

So, now that I have found the perfect brownie recipe and the perfect cornbread recipe I am off to find the perfect biscuit recipe.  I grew up eating biscuits made from Pioneer Biscuit Mix -- local to San Antonio -- and it makes lovely biscuits.  My goal is to find a recipe to make equally as good biscuits as those from scratch.  I will review when I do.

Musing Mondays -- February 17, 2014


Musing Mondays is hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.  To participate you need to answer one of several questions.  Today I will be discussing what I am reading currently and my opinion of the book.

I am currently reading The Quilter's Legacy by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It is the fifth book in the Elm Creek Creek series.  While you wouldn't have to read these books in order, it is helpful because there is a serial aspect to them.

I have only just begun this book but I am totally into it.  Even though I am more than twenty years younger than the main character -- Sylvia Bergstrom -- I identify with her.  I don't think I am necessarily like her because, in the first book, she is quite gruff but I think I admire her.  In any event, for an octogenarian, she has serious spunk.

I especially love the setting of these books.  Elm Creek Manor is a place I could see myself visiting and probably never wanting to leave.  The thought of having inherited a mansion and then turning it into something like a quilt camp just sounds like a lot of fun. 

Then, there is the quilting.  When I began this series of books, I thought they would be heavy with all things quilting but they aren't.  There is just enough to get me over my "quilting block" and inspire me to get back into it.  I am the sort of person that has to be in the mood to do something and sometimes I need a little push.

The history aspect of these books is very appealing.  If you like history or do genealogy these books will appeal to you.  There is a little of all of it. These books also have a bit of mystery to them so if you like mysteries, there is some of that for you, as well.

All in all, I have enjoyed this series thus far and I am sure my current read will be no different. 

To Mix or Not To Mix -- that is the dilemma!


Ok, I am trying to regain my sanity straighten out and reorganize my pantry. I seem to have an abundance of outdated food and many duplicates of things that I don't need.  I know why.  It is a large pantry and very disorganized so when I can't find something I need I just go out and buy more and then shove it in the over stuffed pantry on top of the stuff I already have.  If they had a show for Pantry Hoarders I would be a great candidate for it.

Hubs and I have been looking at ways to reorganize and so we made several purchases.  Since I am trying to cook more from scratch and less from processed, boxed foods, I am looking for storage for more raw ingredients.  I had several of these jars in the past, gave them away and realized lately that they were really good so I have purchased more.

We have a reasonably large pantry with L-shaped shelves.  That is all fine and good except for those pesky corners which are very difficult to deal with because things get lost in them.  When you are shorter, like I seem to be getting, the third shelf up is just too high for me to get into the corner so we bought  three of these for two of the corners.

We bought two large ones -- one for bottles and one for baking supplies.  I seem to constantly lose that little tin of baking powder.  You can't imagine how much I was able to put on these whirly gigs and clear off much shelf space.  The smaller one we use for meds.  We don't have medicine cabinets in the bathrooms so we keep those things in the kitchen but want them up out of the way of curious children.  So, they have worked well so far.

 
 I have been paying close attention to our food and what is in it so I am making more of an attempt to cook from scratch.  My husband doesn't like my cooking -- much prefers restaurant fare -- so I thought he would really like home cooked meals from scratch.  Wrong! Again -- he prefers restaurant food.  I, on the other hand, am tiring of it.  As I find myself harkening back to a different time (makes my childhood sound eons past) I realize that I really like my cooking, such as it is.  I like easy, simple meals -- mostly cooked in an oven because the stove top and I don't seem to play nice together. ( A couple of months ago I actually started my first ever grease fire but that is another story.)  However, I don't like all the junk that is in most of our foods -- from the unrecognizable ingredients in boxed goods to the linings of the cans.  I mean, seriously, why do they have to screw up the green beans -- those cute little diagonally cut morsels we all put in green bean casseroles?  So, in an effort to find scratch recipes that will successfully replace the boxed varieties and get rid of the poisonous cans, I have been doing lots of research and lots of playing in the kitchen.  Fortunately, Hubs has been a willing taste tester although he doesn't like much of what I am doing but at least he is honest.

My first attempt was to make a hot cocoa mix that would rival Swiss Miss.  I found a recipe online that was DIVINE! It consisted of powdered milk, unsweetened cocoa, powdered sugar and white chocolate chips.  Basically you grind it all up together in the food processor and mix 1/3 of a cup of the mix to a mug of hot milk.  It was perfect and entirely too sweet.  I am making an effort to cut sugar out of my diet but I am realistic and know that is going to be difficult so I am going about it slowly.  If I am going to eat something sweet I want it to be worth it. Today I tried to make it one cup at a time, without the powdered sugar.  It was really good but it didn't mix up well so I am going to concoct my own recipe and try again.

Then, I tried to find a recipe for brownies that were as good as a boxed mix.  I googled "chewy brownie recipe" and picked from the numerous sites that came up.  They were chewy all right -- as in not done even though I cooked them longer than the recipe called for.  I will be revisiting that with a recipe I found from Rachel Ray's site.  It calls for three types of chocolate so we will see.  I will probably have to rely on somebody else's opinion of these because I am pretty sure there will be too much sugar for me.

Then, there was the cornbread.  I like my cornbread to be a bit cakey rather than crumbly and I found a recipe that I thought would work to replace my favorite Pioneer Corn Muffin mix.  I had read a couple of other recipes that called for brown sugar in them and so I thought I would divide the sugar using white sugar for half and brown for the other half.  The recipes said "it made the cornbread".  Well, not for me.  The bread rose up beautifully and had a lovely texture.  It was a little darker due to the brown sugar but it tasted really -- well -- brown sugary.  Too much molasses.  So, I will try it again without the brown sugar and I will probably swap the milk with buttermilk and cut the sugar in half.

Fortunately my regular white bread recipe has turned out to be a winner.  I did substitute butter for the shortening but that was the only change I made and it is the only bread we have had in the house for weeks.  It makes a lovely full loaf and it lasts for several days unlike the bread made in the bread machine.  I also used one of these pans for the last loaf I made and I loved the results although most breadmakers will tell you to just use a regular aluminum loaf pan.  I have been using that sort of pan and it turns out great but I ran across this pottery pan in the back of a bottom cabinet -- I forgot I had bought it -- and it was really good.

So, I can't believe I am having all these culinary adventures in my old age but I am .  My three year old granddaughter wants to be a "cooker" and loves to get in the kitchen so I am having thoughts of trying to influence her to cook from scratch, something I could never achieve with her mother.  She already has a good sense of "good food" versus "bad food" so maybe with a little encouragement from me her interest in cooking will grow.  Of course, for that to happen, I have to work at it myself so maybe I will have some recipes to pass on to her when she gets that restaurant of her own she says she wants.  Or, maybe she will just be able to feed herself which is a good goal as well.