Tonight's Menu

Same group of friends....relaxing good time and good food.
The Menu:
Asparagus and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Green Salad
Scalloped Potatoes
Dessert ~ Amish Friendship Bread
Yum!

Remember This?

My post yesterday was full of accomplishment....I got the 9 patch blocks done and ready to mail. I took another look at Bumblebeans blog to compare my blocks to the one she posted.

It was only then that I realized I'd cut the squares too big. My blocks are bigger than she called for. I wrote to her with big apologies and she said send them anyway.

What is it carpenter's say...measure twice, cut once? In my case, re-read the blog entry before making blocks.

So, I'm off to the post office with an envelope full of too-big blocks and a shovel full of regret thrown in for good measure. I'm hopeful that she can find a way to use them.

Industrial Accordian Accident

Okay, I have to tell on my friend, Ann. I called her yesterday to report that Barb had been here and gone, and Annie's hubby, honey-bunnie, told me that he and Ann had just come from the Emergency Room. When I asked what that was about he said that Ann had been in an Accordian-related accident.

Ann, like me is a women of substance and her chestal area is not lacking, if you get my drift. Well, I put together her endowments and the image of an accordian and my mind went to places we probably shouldn't even talk about.

When I stopped giggling long enough to get the details, it was so much tamer than my imagination. She and Rick were clearing out his mom's house, and Ann was carrying up an accordian from the basement. She somehow got her hand caught between the accordian and the wall and got a laceration that required stitches. See, I told you it was tame. Anyway, I couldn't wait to call the Quilt Shop back in Boone where we all meet on Wednesdays, and where they still meet without me (boo-hoo!)....because I had some embellishments to that story that I wanted to share with the Punkin Haid Quilty Gurlz there. No such luck...the shop was closed today due to weather.

That story is just too good to wait, so you get it.

9 Patch Blocks Done

Bumblebeans put the call out for 9 patch blocks and quilters scrambled to respond. Rotary cutters whirred, fabric flew, and sewing machines all over the land hummed.

Be careful what you ask for, because shortly thereafter she closed the request....lol. I squeeked in under the wire.

After some false starts and interruptions, I finally got the blocks put together today. I'm going to the post office tomorrow and get them on their way.

These simple blocks have got me out of the doldrums, and I'm happy to be busy again. She posted a very simple pattern on her site in the last couple of days and I'm yearning to get going on that.

And, I also have pulled out some squares that I plan to cut and make half triangle blocks for a zig zag two-color quilt that's been fermenting back there in my head.

Thanks Victoria for moving me on down the path.

On other fronts, I baked another loaf of bread....put together a grocery list for shopping tomorrow.....pulled my stuff together to meet with Bob the tax preparer on Friday noon.....and had a good walk with Maya this morning.

Thankful today for being able to do all those things.

Guess what? Chicken Butt!

Okay, that's the mood I'm in today. My friend, Barbie, from North Carolina came to visit me yesterday and what a visit it was! Too short. But sweeeeeeeet!
(click on this picture to read it....sorry it didn't post big enough)


She and I laughed, chortled, hooted, snorted, giggled and, oh my.... how I loved that she took the time. She was visiting some friends in Reno who generously lent her their car so she could drive down here.

She only had a day, so she came yesterday, and had to leave this morning. We went to IKEA! We picked up our conversations like we'd just seen each other yesterday. I love an easy friendship like that.

Then after I got her on the road today, I was just marveling about how lucky I am. Those Sweet 'Tater Haid, Qwilty Gurlz in NC just folded me up in their hearts and haven't let go. I miss them.

I've got a bowl full of yeast dough rising to make another loaf of no-knead bread, and am still making 9 patch blocks for Bumblebeans. They're fun.

Also, today on the True Up blog I read one of the best articles on stash building and color mastery. It is really helpful. I think I'll buy the book she references, and for sure I'll pay attention to what I buy for my stash. I have a ton of material....so why do I need to buy something for what is lacking in my stash that I need in my current project. It's not that I don't have enough, but it's that I have too much of the same stuff and not enough of the fillers.

You really have to see this if you love animals....

No, it's not an animal rights ad. Though I have nothing against them. This is something I saw on Bonnie Hunter's blog....a small youtube video that is absolutely unbelievable.

Click here

I wish I knew how to embed those videos on my blog like she has on hers, but I don't. So, do yourself a favor and go over there and take a look. While you're there, look around at her wonderful quilts ~ she is very talented, and she repurposes thrift store shirts into many of her quilts.

Adventures in bread making....

This was the first time making the NYTimes No Knead Bread in the new dutch oven. I made the dough and let it sit covered for 18 hours til it was roughly twice the size (and then some, I think).
After forming the loaf and letting it rest covered for another 2 hours on a cornmeal sprinkled tea towel, it was ready to go into the Dutch Oven which had been heated in the oven at 450 degrees.

Careful! I was fearful of dumping the dough into the sizzling hot dutch oven, but all went well and I think the reason is that the cornmeal dusting on the tea towel allowed it to just fall off into the dutch oven. I quickly put the lid on and into the oven it went for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes I cracked the lid on the dutch oven and let it bake for another 15 minutes. I took it out of the oven and inverted the dutch oven over another tea towel which I used to handle the loaf and get it onto a rack where it rested.

(actually, I don't own a rack, so I used the steamer insert to my sauce pan (inverted) and it worked just fine.)

Isn't it beautiful?



After resting for 15 minutes I couldn't wait another minute and cut it in half and took half over to my neighbors across the hall. I'm so lucky that they are willing to be my guinea pigs on all my kitchen adventures.

Then, I came home and tore off a piece. Oh just YUM!