Chock-A-Block Wednesday

Big T

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A:  Rust

1 - 4 1/2" square

8 - 2 1/2" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric B:  White print

2 - 5 1/4" square - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

Fabric C:  Light Brown

2 - 5 1/4" squares

Fabric D:  Dark Brown

4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric B and Fabric C 5 1/4"

squares with right sides together.

Sew a 1/4" away from each side of

drawn line,  cut on drawn line and

press seam to the Fabric C.

Square to 4 1/2".

Make Outer Center Units:

Place 2 1/2" Fabric A square on left

side of Fabric B rectangle.  Sew a

thread width below drawn line and

press seam to the bottom corner. 

Trim back 2 layers of fabric to 1/4".

Repeat procedure to opposite side.

Sew flying geese unit to Fabric D

rectangle.  Press seam to the Fabric

D.  Square to 4 1/2".

Make 4.

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 3 rows.  Press seams

in rows 1 & 3 to the outside and

row 2 to the inside.

Sew rows together and press

final seams open to reduce

bulk.  Square to 12 1/2".

Dutch Breakfast

Or How To Start Your Day Wherever You May Be

We often travel as a family and

with 4 or 5 in the group we have

found the most comfortable and

economical way to make the most

of our trip is to rent apartments.

When we come home from touring

we don't want to just sit on a bed,

we want living space and we eat.

Every morning we have what we

call Dutch Breakfast.  For us it is

hard boiled eggs, meats, cheeses,

some fruit, breads or pastry items

and yogurt, juices and coffee.

I loved this setting in Spain where

if we looked to the right we saw

the Mediterranean...

...and if we looked to the left we

saw the mountains of Andalucia.

And if your apartment happens to

be around the corner from the

flower market in Amsterdam,

don't forget the tulips!

Eet smakelijkj!

(enjoy your meal)



Life Is Like...

A Bowl of Cherries

Sometimes the smallest things

 can bring you joy.

Some of you may already know I

have an obsession with a collection

of Japanese blue & white bowls.

Whenever I'm in Pearl River Mart

in Soho I pick up a few.

One day Mr. Wonderful & I stopped

into our favorite little thrift shop in our

 neighborhood in NYC's Hells Kitchen.

I found the sweetest little blue & white

bowls with cherries but since that was

the first stop on our "Things we have to

do while in New York" list, I didn't buy

them because I didn't want to have to lug

them around all day.  No sooner were we

a few blocks away when the regret started

in.  I worried all day about those bowls, I

could picture someone else snatching them

up and displaying them in their NYC kitchen.

So, later that day, I sent Mr. Wonderful back

to get them.  I could describe exactly where

they were in the store and with the Luck of

the Irish, they were still there.  We use them

all the time, for our hot & sour soup lunches,

cereal for breakfast or a late night bowl

of ice cream.

But my favorite way to use them,

is to fill the bowl with ice and water

and throw in a handful of ripe cherries.

Yum!  It's heaven on a hot summer day.



Alone Again

Me, Myself & I

The other day I read an article from

the New York Times about living alone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/garden/the-freedom-and-perils-of-living-alone.html?pagewanted=3&_r=1&smid=FB-nytimes

And I realized I have had a parent,

sibling, roommate, husband or child

living with me for most of my life.  Maybe

that is why I love solitude ~ for about 3

days and why I don't know what to do

with myself after 3 days.

Every once in a while I go to New

Jersey and hang out with a cute

little black doggie.  I realized these

weeks of dog sitting are the longest

stretches of "alone time" that I've

had in my life.  This photo was taken

a few years ago, when both kids were

still at home, there were always kids

in and out of our house, the phone never

stopped ringing, etc.  And then, silence.

Well, maybe not silence, since I didn't know

how to be silent.  I talked to that poor

dog non-stop,  eventually she would get

up, look at me, I swear she rolled her

eyes, and would walk out of the room.

The last time I was in NJ I went out

with my old boyfriend, who has lived

alone his entire adult life.  I asked how

he dealt with eating, which is what I find

hardest to do alone.  He said, he rarely

sits down to eat, he just grabs something.

I can't do that, I still have to set the table

and light a candle. 

So this weekend, I'm going to be alone again.

Kate is at school, the guys are flying down to

South Carolina  and I'll be home ~ alone. 

 I like that I can stay up and work until all hours

and sleep half the day if I want, I can watch British

mysteries and not drive anyone else crazy, and

I'll be talking to my dog, but at least she is used

to me and acts like she is listening...

and it is only for 3 days.

Fleurs

I love how a few simple flowers

can make me so happy!

Chock-A-Block Wednesday

Weathervane

There are quite a few versions of

the Weathervane block, this one

is easy and looks great.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Large light print

1 - 4 1/2" square

Fabric B: Red

4 - 4 1/2" squares

Fabric C:  Green

4 - 2 1/2" squares

4 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric D: Small light print

4 - 2 1/2" squares

8 - 2 1/2" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

4 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Make Half Square Triangles

Pair Fabric C and Fabric D 3 1/4"

squares with right sides together.

Sew 1/4" away from each side of

drawn line,  cut on drawn line and

press seam to the Fabric C.

Square to 2 1/2".

Make Corner Units

Layout units as shown and sew

 together in 2 rows.  Press seams

 toward the solid 2 1/2" squares.

Sew rows together and press

seam open to reduce bulk.

Square to 4 1/2".

Make 4.

Make Outer Center Units

Place a Fabric D 2 1/2" square in

the corner of a Fabric B 4 1/2"

square and sew a thread width

away from the drawn line on the

side near the corner. 

 Press seam toward the corner.

Trim back 2 layers of fabric to 1/4".

Repeat process on the other side.

Square to 4 1/2".  Make 4.

Assemble Block

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 3 rows.  Press seams

in rows 1 & 3 to the outside and

seams in row 2 to the inside.

Sew rows together.  Square to 12 1/2".



Happy Paczki Day!

And Also Fat  Tuesday!

Even though I have ancestors from

eastern Europe, including some from

Poland, I had never heard of the Paczki

until I moved to the American Mid-West.

A Paczki is a deep fried piece of dough with

a sweet filling, much like a jelly doughnut.

It can be glazed or covered with powdered

sugar.   In some areas of the USA paczki

are very popular, with people lining up

 outside bakeries to get theirs.  The paczki

has been in Poland since the Middle Ages.

Traditionally they were made to use up the

sugar, eggs and fruit before the Lenten fast

that begins on Ash Wednesday.

Road Trip: Indiana University ~ Bloomington

On the road again...

First of all, let me apologize for the

poor picture quality, in typical Murphy's

Law fashion, my battery died in my camera

as soon as I got there, my back-up camera

was at home, so I had to use my ipod.  Sorry...

Today I went to visit Indiana University

with Brennan.  IU is settled in the softly

rolling hills of southern Indiana, it is a

beautiful area.

When I think of what a great university

should look like ~ this is it.  There are

beautiful old limestone and brick buildings

with brick walkways through a wooded

campus under that gorgeous American

mid-western blue sky.  I love how much

of the campus is closed to vehicles.

The architecture is lovely.

We started with lunch at the Tudor Room.

It was like having lunch in the Great

Hall at Hogwart's.

Brennan then went off to his

research scholarship interview.

I took advantage of the fantastic

weather and walked around campus.

We still don't know where Brennan

will choose to go to school but I

wouldn't mind visiting this campus again.

Of course, that would mean we

would be a house divided ~ yikes!



Elle's Kitchen: Irish Tea Bread

A Little Sweet Before the Fast

This Tuesday is Fat Tuesday, the last

hurrah before the fast of Lent.  I thought

a little sweet was appropriate.  My cousin

Suzie sent me this recipe, it is from the

Farmers' Almanac but we both have

tweaked it a bit to make it healthier.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 teas. vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

2 teas. baking powder

1/2 teas. salt

1/2 cup 1/2% milk

powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Grease and flour a loaf pan.

Cream the butter and the sugar

until light and fluffy.

Beat in eggs, 1 at a time,

then stir in the vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder and

salt.  Add gradually to the butter

mixture, alternating with the milk.

If too stiff add a bit more milk.

Spread in pan and bake for 30

minutes or until toothpick inserted

in center comes out clean.

Note: Mine took 40 minutes.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan

for 1 hour.  Then turn out on to

serving platter.

Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Enjoy!

Thanks Suzie!

East, West, Home's Best

Why Go Out When Home Is So Fun?

Now that Mr. Wonderful & I are in

the "Honeymoon Cottage" stage of

our lives, (some may call it empty

nest), most Friday nights we head out

to a Mexican restaurant.  Mr. W usually

doesn't get home until after 9 on Fridays

and we find going out for a Margarita and

some nibbles is a great way to say, "whew,

we made it through another week" and to

plan what is in store for our weekend.

We both have jobs that usually include work

over the weekends so Fridays are a special

time to relax.  This weekend Kate is coming

home from Purdue and I asked her if she

wanted to go out for Mexican or stay home.

Without question she said ~ Home!

So I figured why not have a little Friday

Night Margaritaville party? 

I made homemade guacamole, mini sweet

peppers stuffed with whipped cream cheese

and topped with fig preserves and a good

old-fashioned 9 layer dip (think TGI Fridays

in the 80's).  The prep only took about an hour,

when Mr. W came home he became the bartender.

(He was a TGI Friday's bartender, in the 80's).

Gather a group of fun people, add a little toasting,

a little noshing and watch Paris When it Sizzles.

Perfect!

For over a decade, our kids spent every Saturday

night at Grammie's house and Mr. W & I had date

night.  For a number of years we went to plays,

concerts, dinners out, every Saturday.  Finally, one

of us said, can we stay home this week?  And the

other said, that would be great.  The new Saturday

night tradition of making a homemade feast began

and we still do this and after the meal we always

say, we couldn't have this good a meal out.

Home is best!

The Suffolk Puff

I would never claim to know eveything

about crafts.  In fact with my addiction to,

obsession with, recent introduction to

Pinterest, I learn at least one new thing

everyday.  And that's where I read about

the Suffolk Puff.  Many of you may know

it as a Yo-yo, that's what I've always called

it, I have heard it referred to as a rosette

as well, but a Suffolk Puff ~ never!

When I was a little girl, I'm thinking about

7 or 8, we were at our relatives house for

a holiday.  My older cousin had a girlfriend

over who had on a vest somewhat like the

one in the middle in the pattern above.  Even

at that age I had an interest in fashion and

asked her about it and she told me she made

it.  Wow!  I told my Mom on the ride home

and she said, 'Oh yeah, it was made from

yo-yo's, we used to make them when we were

young."  I felt like my Mother held the secrets

to the universe and I wanted her to share.

She did, and my life with the yo-yo began.

I still use yo-yo's.  Here they are in my

Pursuit of Scrappiness quilt pattern.

They are a big part of my

All Stars pattern.

They can be used in crafts.

They could make an interesting garland

for an old-fashioned Christmas tree.

You can stuff them to make jewelry. 

This was going to be a necklace or

a bracelet and the first photo showed

a brooch.

How do you make them, you may ask?

Nowadays, you can buy a tool to make

them and I use this when I want the

opening to have a finished edge.  These

tools come in variuos sizes and shapes.

You can make them as hearts and ovals

as well as circles.

Generally, I'm pretty old school when

it comes to yo-yo's.  I make them the

way my Mom taught me.  Draw a circle

on fabric, I usually use a small plate as

a template and cut out.  Thread a needle

and knot both ends together so you have

a double thread.  Take a tiny first stitch

and take another in the same spot, you

don't want the knot to pull through the

fabric.  Now stitch all the way around the

circle about 1/8" from edge.  I use a 3/8"

stitch when I make mine.  A good tip is

the larger your stitch, the smaller the hole

will be while the smaller the stitch, the

larger the hole.  Since I usually finish

my yo-yo's with a button, the raw edge

is covered.

Pull on the thread and gather the fabric

use your fingers to make the fabric settle

nicely and knot the thread firmly.  Add

a button as embellishment.

Make sure to pass your knowledge on

to future generations. Thanks Mum!