Proverbs 17:22

Shauna Mooney Kawasaki - 42nd Springville Art Museum Quilt Show

When I have saved up enough for my new computer, the next fund will be to buy one of Shauna's quilts.  It will be about the same dollar amount.

This quilt is about 36x24.

What the Frosted Flakes is going on?

The digital antenna.  We don't care what the cable companies do.

*
I heard that phrase yesterday on NPR and it made me laugh.  I can't get it out of my head.  I don't remember what they were talking about but it seems appropriate to use it today.

A banner came across the tv while I was watching CBS Sunday Morning. It said that Dish Network would no longer carry KUTV, our local CBS station, as of midnight Saturday.  Bizarre.  I mentioned it to she-who-has-her-finger-on-the-pulse-of-pretty-much-everything and found out that Dish had also dropped Fox at one point.

Last night there was an "ad" announcement indicating that DirectTV is dropping KSL, our local NBC station, as of midnight tonight. 

Years ago I remember reading that whenever something makes no sense at all, it's all about the money.

True again.

*I wrote this on Wednesday, had difficulty getting a picture of the antenna and then went to bed without posting. Busy day yesterday, Thursday, and I forgot about posting again.  I haven't heard on the radio about any rioting in the streets so I looked on KSL online just now and while not on their front page, I did locate this.

Wow.  I'm interested to see who wins this. Probably not the consumer.

Recycling Day

Currently our blue recycling bins are picked up every other week.  Because Mike and I share a bin, generally it is full when it goes out.  This week I added a shocking 20.25 pounds of magazines.

Theses two holders were just over 15 pounds and then this morning I carried out another 5 pounds I had gathered last night. All these magazines were from 2004-2011 which means there are more, but not too many more, lurking about.

I now read some magazines on my nook because they are free from the online section of our library.  That's a good thing and yes, Martha Stewart's Living magazine is one of those.  Also, the other day at the dentist's office, I actually used my phone to take a picture of a product I want to try.  That's another good thing, particularly for me, to avoid bringing more paper into the house.  It just doesn't get to the recycle bin fast enough.

Also shocking was to see how much the scrapbook paper on the spine of the magazine holders has faded in five years.  The background was a golden tan and all those polka dots were intense primary  colors.  I probably should dust there more often.

QOTD

From the quilt show, a favorite block in a favorite quilt

“Learning is not attained by chance,

it must be sought for with ardor and

attended to with diligence.”

Abigail Adams (1744-1818);
U.S. First Lady (1797-1801)

(Stumbled on this quote today and as it is the first day of school here, it is wildly appropriate!)

The 'Maters Are Comin' On!

My neighbor brought over four tomatoes yesterday on his way out of town.  No watering by me needed while he is gone but I should go over and help myself as there are going to be lots of ripening in the next week.  Also he said there was a zucchini that would be ready in a few days.

I'm glad I checked the garden this morning when I went over to check for mail.  That's already a hefty zuke!

Ina Does It Again

Ina is The Barefoot Contessa.  She has written many cookbooks and you can count on her to get it right.  I am seldom, if ever, disappointed with one of her recipes.  As usual, I followed this recipe as closely as I possibly could.  I did not have raisins as I don't care for them and do not keep them on the shelf, so there are a couple of changes.

Curried Chicken Salad - slightly adapted from Ina Garten
     
2 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup Hellman's Mayonnaise
1 3/4 tablespoon dry white wine or apple juice
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Major Grey's chutney
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/3 cup diced celery
2 tablespoons chopped scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons Craisins
 1/3 cup roasted, salted cashew pieces

Mix the mayo, wine, chutney, and curry powder in a blender until smooth.   Stir together the chicken, celery, scallions and Craisins and add in the dressing.  Refrigerate for at least an hour so flavors meld and Craisins soften a bit.  Stir in cashews just before serving.

Ina's recipe is also different because she serves her salad on a bed of lettuce, whereas I was making the salad to put on a croissant.  Her recipe can be found here.

 The photo is from The Standard Daily with a warning about being affectionate with chickens.
Read the story here.

Thursday Night Sewing

Nothing scary about this guy!

This guy is from a Craftsy class I bought on fusible applique.  I bought it because the class is taught by Wendy Gratz of Shiny Happy World.  I get an email from her every Monday morning and I read it after everything else, saving the best for last.

I am not comfortable with fusible for items that will be used daily because of raveling and the uncertainty of how it holds up in general.  Wendy does a lot of things that I have no experience with such as QAYG (quilt as you go) and so that's what I did on this piece.  I laid the batting down, put the green fabric on top and quilted six curvy lines horizontally. Then I fused down all the pieces of the bear.

The last step is stitching about an eight of an inch from all the edges.  That's a challenge.  I had to adjust a couple of settings and use a foot with an open toe but towards the end I was getting to where I wanted to be.  I hadn't planned to do the qayg but reconsidered because otherwise how will I ever know how that turns out.  This will be a small piece, maybe only three more blocks, so I can do a washing machine test.  I replayed the class last night and discovered I should have used lightweight fusible not featherweight so now I know and will use the correct weight in the other blocks.  That will make an easy comparison block to block.

Pretty fun and I base a lot of that conclusion on not clenching my teeth while doing that top stitching!

I Heart Beets

We get spoiled with beets right from the ground from our CSA and since there are not nearly enough of them, I prefer to just cook them and eat them plain.

When I saw these organic diced beets at Costco last week I decided to give them a try.  I had to check the nutritional label to see if they were pickled beets, something I thought it should say on the front label.  Pickled beets or pickled anything for that matter, is very much an individual preference and often too sweet-sour for me.

The ingredient list made me smile.  I would call these gently pickled as the vinegar is quite mild.  I was surprised by the diced celery as it is not something I would ever use in pickling.  They are quite good and I enjoy a small bowl at least once a day.  Another Costco win!

This picture of Min's cousin Max, also made me smile.

Max in bag with beets.

Extraction.

We, the dentist and I,  have been fighting an abscess for months.  First an apicoectomy, cutting and removing the tip of the infected root and then stitching.  That was not successful and next came a large shot of antibiotics right into the abscess area.  No again.  That left extraction, followed by a bridge.

I was in the chair for an hour and a half but you know they spin around from patient to patient while x-rays are taken, Novocain kicks in, fillings harden, molds set up, etc.  Still, I  believe the Dentist spent at least half an hour getting that molar out.  At first, he thought he could just wiggle it out but by the end I think he used every tool in the drawer plus the drill.

Gross...lots of little pieces but the big piece is the crown.

He called last night to see if I was doing okay.  That was very nice.

What a Great Day!

Thanks for the dead headed seeds, Sherise!  So happy!

Yesterday started off with the new coffee maker and the Spiralizer being delivered before 10am.  The coffee maker is actually a replacement and this time I have noted the date.  The previous Mr. Coffee seemed to have lasted longer than any of the Keurig brand but I do not have documentation on that.  This one is a bit larger but oh boy!, I can choose a 10-oz. "cup".  Woo hoo, you bet I do!.

Then I had lunch with two long-time friends.  (Notice how I tactfully did not say old friends even though we all are of a certain age.)  It was wonderful to share book lists, adventures of all kinds and just generally catch up! Now we have all noted that we must not wait so long to do this again.

A few hours between events, enough time for a quick refresher nap and off to the Springville Museum of Art.  My dear friend Jan asked me to walk through the 42nd Annual Quilt Show with a small group of women from her ward.  I had very little planned except some ice-breaking (for me) comments about Pantone's Annual Color of the Year.

Ha!  I never ran out of words.  I can talk enthusiastically about quilting and fabric forever.  Not claiming any expertise here, just enthusiasm.  There is such a wide spectrum of quilts on display that I think everyone went home learning something new about quilting. I did not bring a camera to post my favorites but I will visit the show at least 2 more times so there will be other opportunities for pictures.

So, the lesson for me is that I can handle two events in one day and not be overwhelmed or crabby that I "double booked" myself.  It was a fabulous day!

Could not find attribution but I identify and it makes me laugh.

Two Ways To Keep Your lips Soft While Living In Utah

Make your own salad dressing!

Seriously Simple Vinaigrette – adapted from Serious Eats

2 Tablespoons minced shallot or sweet onion

1 clove garlic, pressed (about ½ teaspoon)

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon water

½ cup EVOO

½  teaspoon Kosher salt

¼  teaspoon ground black pepper

Mix everything in a pint jar with a tight lid and shake enthusiastically until emulsified.  Adjust seasonings.  Keeps in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Green Summer Saute’

1 ounce dry fettuccine

1 strip of bacon

1 medium zucchini

1 cup of sweet onion, chopped

1 cup broccoli florets

¼ cup pesto

Parmesan cheese

o   Fry the bacon, crumble and set aside, leaving the grease in the pan. 

o   Add onion to pan and cook on medium heat.

o   Start cooking the fettuccine according to package directions, three minutes before it is done, add in the broccoli.

o   Quarter the zucchini length-wise and then chop in ¼-inch slices.  Add to pan with onions.

o   Drain pasta and broccoli, set aside until zucchini is just tender then add to pan.

o   Stir in the pesto, check for salt and pepper

o   Sprinkle with cheese before serving.

Makes 2-4 servings.

It's all the olive oil that will keep your lips soft!  Pesto has a lot of it!

August Goals

A dismal report for July. Besides the drawstring gift bags, I did make the Classmate because I took a class at The Provo Cotton Shop. I am very pleased with the end result and I finished it the day after class because it was so exciting to see it come together. (post here) I am ready to try another bag!

I read a very good blog post last Thursday and have changed my goal process for August. My August goal is just this... sew at least 30 minutes everyday and log what I did.

Here is the post:
http://maryhueyquilts.blogspot.co.nz/…/thoughts-on-building…

I did keep up with my stash reduction project so July's net is still a negative.  It's a very good negative and now I am just 16% away from my goal.  That means I can keep going until the end of the year and perhaps finally have a reasonable amount of fabric in the house...keeping in mind, of course, that reasonable is relative.

Today I am pressing and assembling.