Reading the instructions...

or at least looking at the pictures (as these days there are almost no words to be found in assembly instructions) would have saved me about an hour.  As it was it took almost two, which is twice my daily allotment/requirement of yardening time.  This is not the way to assemble the barrel.  No, no, no.  I think I only tried that four times.

I know a lot of gardeners are fortunate enough to just be able to make piles with a little bit of chicken wire.  I am just putting this in the cost of keeping big dogs column.  No way would they leave that kind of pile alone.   The good news is that we are now composting!

It's in a nice hot place and yes, there should not be crab grass flourishing there in the rock area but it is what it is and it's on the list.   Also on the list is replacing that hideous railing with some Trex railing.

Hard To Believe

It's finally gone and it's only taken three, maybe four years.  I'll wait for confirmation on that from Miss Costco.  In the meantime, I'll put it on the shopping list.  I hope they still make it.

QOD

                                       Joyous consumerism is a world of diminishing returns.

                                                                   - Bill Bryson

Stash Report #22

Added this week           3.0      
Used this week            18.75
Added year to date      78.55
Used year to date         53.75
Net year to date          +24.8  YARDS

Ahhh.  Now that's showing some progress!   The yardage in the "used" column is comprised of the 16.5 yards I gave away and 2.25 yards I just threw out.  It was a nasty green poly/cotton blend that I moved here so, you know, more than 20 years old.  Bleh.

This week I will work on finishing.  That always makes me feel so good.

That would be hail on the chair and on the stone.  It's cold!

 

Yes!

Sixteen and a half (16 1/2) yards of washed and ironed Christmas fabric donated today.  Doing the Happy Dance!  That stash report will look sweet tomorrow!

The View from my Reading Chair

250 pounds of dawg and just enough stepping room to get up.  Usually it is more of a challenge as Dylan prefers right smack in front of the chair.

Noxious fumes are included free of charge.

Word of the Day

sewjo: n. magical sewing power

(as in I thought I lost my sewjo but it is back)

from Bree at Distant Pickles

Design Wall Monday

Dresden Plate with the center appliqued.  The angle of this shot is looking up a bit so the center  appears off but I did measure and both north and south blades are 3 1/2 inches from the edge of the center  Whew.  That kind of stuff makes me crazy!

The center is not quite as flat as it should be and I will baste the next one in place with a plus sign from edge to edge before beginning the applique.  There are 24 of these 15 inch blocks in the quilt  and where four blocks meet there is a smaller green circle appliqued.  It's all very cheerful!

Here is a close up of the quilting on the Everything being Equal quilt.

I took this picture this morning and had to play with the auto contrast in Picasa.  It must be that massive amounts of black are just hard to photograph with my camera.

Solar Eclipse

There will be a solar eclipse early this evening here in Utah.  In the southern part of the state there wil be a ring of fire visible as the moon slips in front of the sun.  Here in the northern part of the state there  will only be a 90% eclipse.

It is very quiet outside right now which is supposed to be the full eclipse, 7:30ish.  It has gotten dark but as I sneaked a sideways glance, the clouds have also moved in and at this time of day the sun is below the tree line for me anyway.

Illinois, 1963, two of my sisters and a neighbor girl.

Stash Report #21

Added this week         12.41
Used this week             4.33
Added year to date      75.55
Used year to date        35.00
Net year to date        +40.55 YARDS

Washed and almost Dried

It seems that morning is the best time for these fence shots but when I finally got the hanging sleeve on this and got it washed and almost dried, I thought I had better just go for it.

This quilt is 48x48 and I made it to hang in the living room.  I don't have a rod for that yet so it might hang in the store for awhile.  I'll probably have to hang a lint roller next to it when it hangs here at home.

Very happy with the way this turned out although maybe there could be a few more rows of quilting on it!

DP Summer Project

I counted this as a finished block yesterday but really it was just Step 1, which is piecing the Dresden Plate, that is done.  Step 2 is to applique the plate to the polka dot and I will do that by hand.  There are 24 blocks so, for me,  this will take some time.

I was grateful that the blades laid flat after they were pieced because I had only a paper template to use and the first time I did it they were too big.  Fortunately, too big can be re-cut!

The plate fabric is A Stitch In Color by Marla Dubrawsky and I bought a yard of this at the HMQS last week.  It's a "cheater" print in that it kind of looks like it has already been pieced but of course not after I cut it up into blades.  Just a log of jumbled up happy colors now!

Recipes Revealed and Reviewed

Crockpot Caramelized Onions - Dorothy

 I followed the recipe found here, exactly.  Well not quite exactly because I had in my mind 8 hours in the crockpot and the recipe says 10-12.  Consequently, my onions, while sweet and tasty, were not caramelized until I put them in a frying pan for 10 minutes.  This is so easy to do that I will try it again, following the directions.


3-4 pounds of yellow onions, not sweet onions
3 tablespoons olive oil or butter (my choice)

Cut onions in half, stem to bottom; peel and then slice in 1/4-inch moons.
Fill crockpot and add oil or butter on top.
Cover and cook on high for 10-12 hours.

If you read the original recipe, she gives you a good explanation about which onions to use.


Meatless Spaghetti Sauce - Smitten Kitchen

I'm not even sure how I stumbled onto this one but it worked out because I have a 3 quart crockpot and had onion halves left from the above recipe!  The original recipe is here, I used what I had.

And no, these are not my tomatoes.  :-)




1 (14,5-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14,5-oz.) can stewed tomatoes, Italian style
5 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
1 large clove of garlic, peeled

Put all ingredients into a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a slow simmer.  Simmer on low (there should be some bubbling) for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes.

Remove onion and garlic before serving.  I added no salt because the canned tomatoes had enough.  I did add 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.

approx. 3 cups  (one for dinner, two for the freezer)

Yum!  Love this!

What I did today

1268 emails deleted

20 jars filled with dog food

2 large containers, one blue, one heavy black, dragged to the curb for pick-up

3 pounds of onions, peeled and chopped

2 recipes typed into computer

2 new recipes tried

1 Dresden plate block done

1 quilt finished!

Also weeds pulled and the rest of the back yard mowed. Plus, several science projects were removed from the refrigerator.

I will get a picture of the quilt tomorrow after it is washed and also document the new recipes.

Stash Report #20

Added this week         14.83
Used this week             0.00
Added year to date      62.14
Used year to date        30.67
Net year to date        +32.47 YARDS

Not a good trend here.

Happy Mother's Day

My very own Lego Lady Liberty mini-figure, standing just 2 1/4 inches tall!

Visual Overload

Sheila and I went to the Home Machine Quilting Show today.  We walked around looking at the quilts for about and hour and a half and I snapped a few pictures to remind of some these ideas.  Then we sat and listened to a local designer who talked about her quilts as they were being displayed.  That lasted about an hour and we learned some fun things about round robin quilts.  We grabbed some lunch and decided that we didn't want to look at more quilts because it was all becoming a blur. 

We browsed around the vendor area and spent some time in the store's booth and I got to sit down at the Sweet 16 long arm quilting machine and test drive the new TruStitch stitch regulator.  The Sweet 16 is really the only long arm that will fit in my house without sacrificing an entire room.  I just kept chanting kitchen cabinets, kitchen floor, kitchen cabinets, kitchen floor... etc.   I was also lucky enough to chat with MaryAnn Fons for about 10 minutes.  I watch her show every Saturday morning at 6:30.  As delightful a woman in person as she is on tv.

What a lovely day!

Wilson

Because it is so windy, this is an inside picture of this month's packet from the Solids Club at Pink Chalk.  It's called Castaway so I guess I will have to put a soccer ball on it somewhere.

Storing and Sorting

Big sale yesterday on peanut butter.  $1.79 for the 16.3-oz. jar (formerly known as the 18-oz. jar).  On top of that there was a surprise in-store manufacturer's coupon for 50 cents!  These small jars are perfect for me and since I am an almond butter convert, I mostly use peanut butter for magic sauce and the occasional spoon-snack.

Last week I bought 24 cans of Cuban recipe black beans at 33 cents a can.  The problem with bulk buying is that I do not have bulk storage space.  I could put things under the bed or under the sofa but I would forget about them.  Creative re-arranging needed!

Gaye recently reminded me that effective organizing is single layer, not stacked.  We were talking about bowls and containers but I think it works other ways as well.

This is a middle shelf so while I can't reach the peanut butter unaided, I can see them.  Most importantly, there is only one row of grains and the seasoning container, in front of the peanut butter.  That's important because again, if I don't see it I will forget about it and all of a sudden I discover things on the shelf that were best by 2004.

Now.. the beans.

Stash Report #19

Added this week         11.42
 Used this week            0.00
Added year to date     48.51
Used year to date       30.67
Net year to date       +17.84 YARDS

Ran into some kits  I couldn't live without.

Lentils and Rice

This is a classic, it stands alone or works as a side dish.  I had a craving for it yesterday so made up a batch.  If there is any leftover, I will freeze it but I am taking it for lunch today.  :-)

Lentils and Rice – adapted from Janie Campbell and The Daily Herald

1 cup lentils

½ cup brown rice

2 cups sliced carrots

½ cup chopped onion

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon garlic

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or less

½ teaspoon black pepper

Place rice in a large pot with broth and olive oil.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Wash lentils; add to rice with remaining ingredients.  Cover pot and simmer an additional 25-30 minutes until rice and lentils are tender.

The Brick Mobile

The difficulty in moving the bricks from in front of the garage door is fivefold.

1. They are heavy
2. They are numerous... at least 60 possibly 75
3. Jack
4. Dylan
5. The gate

Everything hinges on The Gate (hahaha).  It can only remain open for so long before the big dogs get really close.  Really.  Close.  Carrying in two at a time is not too awkward and is all I can actually carry in my hands.  Very slow though. 

 I did fill the recycling basket with just 6 bricks because I was afraid more would break it and it was almost too heavy to lift.  Not what those little hand holds were designed for that's for sure.  The bricks weigh 3.5 pounds apiece.

The answer came to me today.

A $4 stroller from DI at least ten years ago.  Today was the first time I ever used it to haul anything and an amazing TWENTY bricks were moved at one time!  We're getting close to setting the lawn mower free!

40 Years Later

 Flavor Craver Shrimp Dip

½ cup Heinz Chili Sauce

1 pkg. (8-oz.) softened cream cheese

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons horseradish

1 can (4-oz.) tiny shrimp, rinsed and drained

Gradually blend chili sauce into cream cheese.  Mix in mayonnaise, onion and horseradish.  Fold in shrimp.   Cover and chill at least 1 hour.  Makes 2 ½ cups.

---

In the never ending battle against pile-itis, I discovered this recipe cut from the back of a box of Chippos.  Chippos, you ask?  “Chippos potato chips are made a new way to be stronger, crunchier – perfect for dipping…” 

The recipe encourages you to buy Heinz Chili Sauce as well as the Chippos.  By sending in 3 box tops from the Chippos and a neck band from the chili sauce, they will send you 45 cents (Heinz Chili Sauce average retail price).   Limit 1 per family.  Void where prohibited.  Offer expires July 1, 1972  

I wanted to make this recipe and see if it was any good.  The answer is YES! although I would add more shrimp.  For the record, I paid $2.89 for the Heinz Chili Sauce.  I usually buy the generic brand but wanted to see if there was a difference in flavor.  I like the Heinz better than the Western Family generic.

More Than Bothersome

This report can be found on today’s PBS NewsHour here. 

Science teachers are facing challenges on teaching climate change with major skepticism from students (82%) as well as parents (54%).  Politics and policies play a part in this, which is to say, Big Money aka Super PACs.   I understand that unbelievable amounts of money are spent on advertising by people who want us to believe one way or another so they will continue to make even more unbelievable amounts of money.  I never really thought about how that kind of advertising permeates the classroom.  Not quite as obvious as supplying school computers or paying to advertise on the sides of school buses.

It’s just disturbing.

John T. Scopes