this and that

It has been raining fairly steadily today, not hard or stormy but enough to keep Oscar and I inside a good bit. It is also staying cool enough to shut off the a/c and open some windows though I had to check periodically that it was not raining IN. I finally was able to walk him about an hour ago though I had taken him out on the leash to try to get him to do his business a couple of times.  All he wants to do is sniff for whatever dog, cat or varmit might have been in the front bushes and head back in the muddy ground back by the bedrooms--like a blood hound!  A laid back day here.


I had hoped to be sewing on the required retreat blocks that I must get done by the end of the month! With Oscar IN the house I should have gotten started yesterday, in retrospect.  What stopped me?  Well, I had some things to tend to in the kitchen for one and that took longer than anticipated, mostly due to critter interference. 

 True to form, the minute I am busy in the kitchen and my back is turned, my naughty dog kept heading over to the gate and trying to get it open with his nose.  I told you it does not latch properly due to installation error so I bungee cord it closed.  He managed to get his entire head stuck in the gate but was not barking or crying yet when I caught him.  I got a heavy duty cord out and stuck the first one down lower and I don't think he'll be able to do that again

The 2nd deterrent, these fabrics (above) arrived in the mail.  Ellen our Wrap Them in Love leader had gotten some donation fabrics and scraps from  Fabric Traditions for our use in making quilts for kids.  Ellen offered them to our yahoo group if we wanted to participate and accept this challenge.  I figure I need something to light my fire plus I do have to have something to work on at the upcoming quilt retreat and/or quilt meetings or sew with the small group on Tuesday afternoon.  When I first saw it, my mind went to a possibility of an e-pattern I know I had bought.  I may have printed it up but maybe not so I was looking for the file.  That got to be far more involved than it should.  I've got the notebook backed up with the files from the desktop, or so I thought, but a few must have slipped through the cracks.  The desktop is so danged slow or has so much stuff running in the background all the time that you do well to turn it on and come back in a hour if you expect to use it---or print.  UGH!   I've got to look into a wireless printer some day.  Eventually with a different search of the pattern name, I was able to track down an old email and the designer did allow the file to be downloaded up to three times from the email link.   I may not use it now but it was my first gut reaction of an idea when I first looked the fabrics.  I even spotted a few fabrics that go with it as we are allowed to add whatever we want to it to make up something.  Ellen said she will quilt the top and they sort of set a deadline of November 1st so pictures of what we made can be sent on the the fabric company as a "thank you" for their generosity.  I have a couple other thoughts, LOL,,,,,and will get started AFTER those blocks are done.


I DID finally come to a decision of what to make for the 12 inch QOV themed block and the 6 inch fall themed block.  The patterns are printed up.  Some of the fabric is pulled but not rough cut.  I'll foundation piece them for size accuracy and I like the technique.  I even found one that Lois might like to do and printed it up for her from EQ.   I had taken the notebook with me to Belles earlier in the week and was still trying to come to a decision and was sharing some options I found in my files.  If not for her QOV, then maybe down the line as we were supposed to try to keep our blocks a secret.    See, you will have to take my word for it when I tell you I finished them.  I can't share pictures of them till AFTER the retreat!

There were only three of us at Belles.  We didn't stay too long since we knew the others would not be coming but it was nice to visit with Lois and Bev anyway.  Yes, I remembered which day I was supposed to show up, LOL.  I will never live down missing it earlier in the month.    Bev made this little chatelaine for me as a late birthday gift.  Cute, huh?  It has all the cute Bev touches too with the ribbon roses.  I don't know if the little pocket for a thimble showed up in this shot or not.

Lois, meanwhile, had recently returned from a trip to the Midwest and while gone, she and her husband visited Hamilton, MO and Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I think she was on sensory overload with all the lovely things in stock.  All that stuff and she didn't find anything for herself but she picked up some charm packs of things she knew her quilting buddies would love.  I had my choice of two 30's packs and picked the "Walk in the Park" from Maywood Studios, that you see above,  Marilyn got the other one as we both love 30's prints and she is making the Emily's Wedding Quilt from Fons and Porter with 30's repros.  You can download the "Aunt Gracie's Garden" pdf file there as I don't want to direct link it from here.

I love iced coffee and recently found an article in the Parade "Community Table" newsletter on how to make an easy cold brew coffee using a French Press.  They were inexpensive so I ordered one through walmart.com.  You can make up to 4 cups of hot coffee in this one as well as brew tea.   I'm going to ditch the coffeemaker and the iced tea maker and lessen up the counter space grab.  Shown is the cocoa attachment in place and before I tried using it.  I've done the cold brew and made a yummy sugar free pumpkin spice latte so far but will wait to try that frother thing for the cocoa till it is cooler outside.  The link will take you to Christy Jordan's recipe and video for making this delicious fall themed taste treat.  No electricity or batteries required either.  No filters required either.

The "new to me" recipe I tried this week was Two Peas and Their Pods "Cilantro Lime Rice" which was quite good.  I know some people cannot do cilantro because it tastes like soap to them but regular parsley would also work.  They suggest making it in a saucepan but I used my rice steamer and should have cut a tad on the liquid as I had to drain off the extra broth-water mix.  I then did a layered rice bowl deal as I had some fire roasted corn and black beans I had leftover from another use.  I shared one with my neighbor Miss Katherine as I had to get an onion from here when I found my only one on hand was bad.  Cook so little lately.  However, the cooler weather makes me want to be out in the kitchen more.  I see some loaves of zucchini  bread on my horizon, LOL.

Not much else going on.  The usual really:  walking, laundry and other household tasks.   Dortha had suggested the "tea shop mysteries" by Laura Childs and it looks like the Anniston Public Library has the whole series.  I checked out the first three and have read two and am half way through the third.  THX Dortha!  The librarian had a few other suggestions and I've got them all written up in a document so I can track them--whether the library has copies or go through camellia.net or Kindle. To break up my Monday, I had a doctor's appointment the other day but that was just followup from the colonscopy I had clear back in early July.  Yeah, I'm fine.   Come back in 5 years.   Oh, goodie!  The days go quickly and the next thing I know, it is time to go to bed though I am having problems getting to sleep lately.   I don't know which is worse--waking up the middle and staying awake for a few hours or not getting to sleep in the first place.  Frustrating.

THX for stopping by to see me----------hope you have a good weekend ahead.