SPRING RANDOMNESS

Spring has Sprung!!

Time to do the yearly reorganization of the garden sprinkler system.

 That Master's degree in Hydraulic Engineering (for you non-engineers - that's the flow of water) is worth something!

 Time to plant peas, onions, lettuce, and spinach.  Wyatt is good help in the garden.

Caitlin read that a definition of a boy is "dirt plus noise".

Speaking of Caitlin -- rafting season has started, and she has started her summer work schedule of 50-hour work weeks.

That leaves very little time with this Grammy.  She and I have always done kitchen crafts together for holidays.  This year she has left me to my own devises.  This idea is all over Pinterest, and I thought I could handle it by myself.  

Let the Bunny races begin ----

I'll include these with their Easter goody bags.

Easter will be quiet for us this year -- just church, which is the most important thing anyway.

Our son, Mike, will be home next week for a day or two when he is on Spring break.  So, we'll have a belated family pulled-pork dinner one night then.

In the meantime, I'll continue sewing on a future quilt making these little 4-inch medallions.  I have 28 of them done -- more to come.

Being a winter-type person; I usually have spring-depression, and not spring-fever.  But, with Easter and the Resurrection, it really is a joyous time of the year.

Joy to you-----

I'm joining the following:
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday and Everything Else
Coastal Charm for Show and Share Tuesday

SORTING PHOTOS AND FABRIC SCRAPS, AND A BIRTHDAY!

One of my goals for 2016 is to conquer the 125-year's worth of photos I've been entrusted with for the next generation.  I've done some work on them over the years, but I seem to peter out before completely finishing the task.  There are photos of ancestors dating back to the 1880s through photos of my grandchildren taken recently ---- 1000s of pictures that need organized, dated, identified, etc.  

I have 15 of these large media boxes that contain photos of different occasions and branches of our families.  The one above happens to contain pictures of my granddaughter -- it still needs work on putting the photos in date order.  And, of course, I have photo files on my computer for the last 10 years that need to be reorganized.

This year I'm committed to accomplish some sort of order.  BUT, if I work on them too long, I go batty and buggy-eyed!

I needed a diversion.  So I've decided that I will work on the photos one week, then alternate a week working on sorting out my fabric scraps.

To make a long story short --- I'm not really planning to do anything blog-worthy for the next few weeks; so I will be in blog-limbo for awhile. 
You can check my quilting blog, Q-Bits --- that's probably where most of the action will happen. 

Have a happy Spring and a joyous Easter!

P.S.:  Also, happy birthday this week to our hard-working, under-paid teacher son, Mike.  In addition to teaching high school algebra, calculus, and chemistry classes this week, he has night time parent teacher conferences.  Plus, he is in the process of accompanying on the piano several students for solo and ensemble contests.  And then, he is completing plans to take 30 teenagers to Paris and the British Isles in June --  all on a salary that a pro athlete would spend for dinner out.  Next time you see a public school teacher with a day off, thank them for their service!!

In the meantime, I'm sorting through his box of photos reliving the joy of having him as our son!!!

MUFFULETTA AND PECAN BARS -- MAKE, BAKE, AND TAKE IT

Another make, bake and take it weekend.  Here were my offerings for a church potluck yesterday.

First --

Muffuletta, a sandwich popular in New Orleans originated by Italian immigrants.  What makes it different from the normal American sub sandwich is the olive salad interspersed between the usual meat and cheese layers.

There are probably as many recipes for the olive salad as there are cooks. but here is my simple recipe:

2/3 cup chopped green olives

2/3 cup chopped black olives

1/2 cup chopped pimiento

1 tablespoon capers, drained and rinsed

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Mix all ingredients well; store in refrigerator over night to combine flavors before assembling sandwiches.

I also made Easy Pecan Pie Bars -- the recipe I came across on pinterest or facebook -- sorry, I don't remember where.

Easy Pecan Pie Bars

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x13 pan with foil, with 2-inch overhang on sides.  Separate dough in 2 long rectangles and press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust pressing perforations to seal.  Bake 8 minutes.

Combine filling ingredients except pecans mixing well.  Add pecans.  Spread evenly over hot crust.  Bake 22 additional minutes.  Cool for an hour and cut into bars.

If you love pecan pie, this is a yummy alternative.

I came home with two empty plates; I assume a sign of success!

I'm joining the following:
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday
Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday

JANUARY INTO FEBRUARY RANDOMNESS

Not much inspiration to post about recently, so I have been blog-negligent.  But, here is some randomness.

#1:  Someone gave this little chest to Bob recently.  I love any kind of box or tool tote that was homemade originally for the workshop, but I commandeered this one for my sewing room.  It joins the other little chest on the right with thread spool knobs.

The new chest didn't come to us with any drawer pulls.  We found a bag of wooden thread spools for a couple of dollars; and by cutting them in half, they became the perfect knobs. 

#2:  I've been holed up in my sewing room recently.  By avoiding the cold, windy, and wet weather, my asthma is kept at bay.  That's a good thing all around, as there is not much that I like better than staying at home and sewing.
I've been working on a new quilt since last September.  It is a sampler quilt of 64 different blocks that I have used in my quilts over the last 35 years.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of sizing my patterns down to 5" blocks - it has my math brain working overtime.

 I just finished the upper right quadrant (above) of the quilt top,  and it will join the left half of the quilt when I finish up the last 16 blocks.

#3:  It's birthday time again --- grandson, Wyatt, turns 14 this week.  Yes, he is tall at 6 foot already.   A snack for him after school is a meatloaf sandwich, chips, fruit or dessert, and two glasses of something to drink -- then I either send him home for dinner, or if he begs I feed him again -- lots of salad, meat, potatoes, etc!

Working on extra-credit project for history class!

He thinks the middle school has a dance on Valentine's every year to just celebrate his birthday!!

It's always difficult to get a decent picture of this goof-ball.  His sister can only get a silly smile out of him!! 

Happy Birthday, Wyatt!!  And, Happy Valentine's Day to our two special 'heart tuggers'.

#4:  Back to the sewing room.  My mind is full of ideas for when I finish this quilt.  Never at a loss for keeping busy.  This mother is always making something.

I'm joining the following:
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday 
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

LITTLE THINGS AND ONE BIG THING

Little #1

One of the people who toured our house on the local home tour in December, recently brought us this little model of our house.

It was produced on a 3-D printer from a computer-aided drawing; and is made of plastic without seams.  I don't understand the process, but it sure is cute.  Oh, modern technology!!

Little #2

Since I didn't win the Powerball this past week, I can't buy my often dreamed-of log cabin in the Colorado mountains.  My first mistake was not buying a Powerball ticket, I guess.  At any rate, I compensated myself by buying this little log cabin at a Denver antique mall this weekend. 

 I remember in my childhood these little log cabin incense burners were available for purchase at every kitchy souvenir shop in Colorado during the 1940s.  This one has never been used, is well made, and is 3 1/2" tall.  I think it will be cute to use next Christmas with my collection of bottle-brush trees.

Little #3

I couldn't go antiquing in Denver for the weekend without buying a piece of brown transferware.

This little cup measures just 2".

And now the big thing -- a view of America's mountain -- Pike's Peak taken on the ride home from our road trip to Denver on a beautiful Colorado day - 38 degrees and sunny!

I'm joining the following:
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
Coastal Charm for Show and Share Tuesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

AFTER THE GLITTER!

 It has been three full days since Christmas, and I think I have all of the decorations down and put away.  Plus, possibly 80% of the glitter has found a new home in the vacuum.  I know that in two months time there will still be a piece of glitter sparkle up at me!!!

I took some time today to change out the dish rack in the dining room into something for the winter season.

 Brown transferware, brown bottles, pinecones --

 and feathers.

 I realize, of course, that it will be time before I know it to get out the Valentines for another glitter-filled holiday!

I'm joining the following:

Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday

Rattlebridge Farm for Foodie Friday and Everything Else

Coastal Charm for Tuesday Show and Share

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

THE LAST OF THE HOME TOUR PICTURES ---

I promise this is the last of the home tour pictures.  We were honored to be asked by the Fremont County Community Concert Association to be on their annual Holiday Home Tour for 2015.  It was so much fun -- we loved working on our house in preparation, then sharing with over 200 tour guests on the day of the tour.  Throughout the 57 years of our marriage, we have accumulated a lot of stuff!!!   Everyone seemed to enjoy the stories connected to our family memorabilia, the history behind some of our more unusual antiques, and our Christmas traditions.

If you are interested, previous posts about the tour are here, here, here, and here.

So, now the wrap up ----

The kitchen and dining room ----

Special memories from grand daughter's preschool years ----

The hall ----

The porch ----

And now it is time to take a blog break for the important things --- celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spending time with family.

May you have a very joyous Christmas week.

MORE PICTURES OF OUR HOME TOUR

The home tour continues.

The master bedroom ---

Who says you can't have a tree in a tiny bathroom? ---

The computer room ----

The guest room ----

 The doll house furniture even received the Christmas treatment ----

To the grand children's delight, the presents are piling up ----

I'll finish up the photos in a couple of days ----

I'm joining the following:
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday