Life in the Country

Scenes Along the Back Roads of America

I have lived in the American

Midwest for over 20 years.

This was never something

I planned to do, it just happened.

I had previously lived on the

east coast, in and around

New York City.

People will often say don't you

get bored?  Isn't it boring with

all the flatness of the land?

And I answer, no.

I love the prairie landscape.

It stirs my soul to look

out across the land and

see wide open country for

as far as the eye can see

just dotted with a few

barns and farmhouses.

I love the old barns, I

think back to a time when

this was a thriving farm and

a family's whole life

could depend upon what was

in that barn.  Think of the

births of all the animals and

the countless harvests

 this old building has seen.

I love to drive through

the little towns.  They

can be quite rundown now

but at one time they were

bustling little burgs.  I hear

stories about the downtowns

all the time.  On payday, everyone

went to town, to shop, to eat, to

see & be seen.

And then there is the sky.

It is so huge out here in a

land with few trees. 

Imagine it at night

filled with stars.



Elle's Kitchen: Mediterranean Green Beans

A Restaurant Favorite at Home

One of our favorite local

restaurants is a Mediterranean/

Middle Eastern place.

It is a "go-to" place for those

of us who like ethnic fare

beyond the chain restaurants.

A nice husband & wife run it,

they sponsor our local public

radio station and it is a fun

and funky atmosphere.

It is the type of place, that

when the saganaki is set aflame

everyone yells, "Opa!"

They have the best green beans I

have every had ~ it's the type of dish

you crave when you wake up at 2am.

Take 2 cans of green beans

and drain most of the liquid

from them, place in medium

saucepan.  Add diced tomatoes,

do not drain and add to saucepan.

Heat on medium.

I use the tomatoes with

basil, garlic & oregano.

Add 1 1/2 teas. dried oregano

and 1 1/2 teas. cinnamon to

the veggies.  Heat & serve.

I hear people in this restaurant

begging for the recipe and I

always want to tell them, it's all

about the cinnamon.  I hope they

read this.  This is not their recipe

it is just the closest I have come

to recreating it at home.

Long Ago & Far Away

Williamsburg, Virginia

                                                         At this time of year I always

long to be in Virginia.

I love to see the dogwoods in

bloom and watch the gardens

of Williamsburg wake up

from their winter slumber.

For years, we spent our Spring

Breaks in Williamsburg.

And in those days, BQ,

(before quilting), that was

when I would put my sewing

skills to use.  Every year,

I would make new colonial

costumes for the kids.

They always felt like they

were part of the historic

experience and they

still love history!

Through the years we

made wonderful friends

who became like family

to us.

We ate great food

that we would try to

recreate at home.

Mainly, we always felt

at home there.  The

thoughts still spring up

saying, "maybe we should

move there." 

Perhaps, some day...



Test Pattern

Do I Have Test Anxiety?

When you design quilt patterns

you find you can't trust just

yourself.  The designer has

looked at the pattern for months

in the design/publishing process.

You must be sure that everything

is precise and accurate.  That

is when you have a pattern

testing day.

And today was the day.

I have many people

measuring, cutting &

stitching away.

Here are a few

peeks of some

snippets of the quilts

being tested.

Measuring.

Sewing.

There is chocolate, of

course, it's a quilting tool.

Indiana pizza ~ it was good!

We spent the day

with beautiful fabrics.

A few sneak peeks

of the works in process.

Thanks to all the pattern testers.

You did a great job!

And we had a great time!



Goodwill Hunting ~ The Pewter Collection

Score!

About this time last year

we were spending our Spring

Break in Williamsburg, Virginia.

For those that are not familiar

with Williamsburg, it is a

living history museum in a

very historic part of the US.

And one of my favorite places.

So I decided on this trip I was

going to buy myself a pewter

wall sconce for a particular

place in my dining room.

I have some pewter and was

looking to expand my collection.

I went to the Pewter Shop and

looked around and decided to

wait until my friend Melissa

arrived to go back and pick one

out.  Honestly, we just never

got around to it. 

There happens to be a few really

great thrift stores in the area

and while looking through one

I found the sconce above.

I was thrilled, just along the

lines of what I wanted.

I was very happy with my

"find".  As we were heading

out of town on the last day

we were passing a thrift

store and had to have one

last look.  I hit the

pewter motherload...

I couldn't carry it all myself.

I found some that are

not very old, but I

still took them.

Some that are funky.

Some that are not real

old but old enough to

interest me.

And this one, that I

think is old but even

if it's not, I don't care.

I love it!

I think there are two camps

when it comes to antiques.

One camp wants to go to

a chi-chi store and buy their

stuff there.  And then there

are people like me, who love

to pick through a pile of junk

to find the gem.  The hunt is

as much fun as finding the

treasure.

Civil War Remembered ~ Block 12

Louisiana

We are in Week 12 of

Barbara Brackman's

2011 Civil War Quilt.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

I made mine using

a different method.

Cut:

Dark: 4 - 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles

Medium: 8 - 2 1/2" squares -

 Mark a diagonal line on back

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

Place medium square right

sides together on left side

of light rectangle as shown.

Sew a thread width above

drawn line (see next photo).

By doing this you allow room

to accomodate the turn and

do not distort the unit.

Press to the corner and

trim the back two layers

to 1/4". 

This is what I mean by a

thread width above the line.

The needle is just above the

line, not on it.

Repeat procedure on the

other side of rectangle as

show.  Then square units

to 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".  The

unit tends to distort at the

intersection at the top where

all that fabric comes together.

Make 4.

Place dark rectangle and

above unit right sides together

and sew as shown.  Take care

to sew just above the intersection

of the seam lines and not directly

on the intersection to allow for

the turn of the fabric in pressing

and you will get very precise points.

Press seam to the dark rectangle

and square unit to 4 1/2".

Make 4.

Layout units as shown

and sew together in 2 rows.

Sew rows together and

square to 8 1/2".

Here is another one I

made using different fabrics.

Check out everyone's blocks

at Dustin's Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/civilwarquilts2011/



Travel Tales: Spring arrives in El Escorial, Spain

With the Pansies Comes Spring

We were traveling in Spain a

few years ago during the kids

Spring Break.  This day we

happened to be in El Escorial

not far from Madrid.  We had

just toured the magnificent but

rather austere palace and monastery

and since it was so beautiful outside

we decided to have a picnic lunch.

We found a lovely little park

to eat in.  Some people went

off to find drinks, some went

off to find samdwiches but I

sat in the square soaking up

the Spring sunshine.

 As we were leaving the US

a few days earlier a major

blizzard was just on our heels

chasing us as we left.  We hit

the air just as it hit our area

and closed everything down.

So back home we were still

in the winter season and to

sit outside in the warm sun

was wonderful.

As I sat there I noticed

workers were planting the

Spring flowers in the beds.

An elderly couple strolled by

and complimented the men

on the work they were doing

and with that the men gave

them a plant to take home

 for their balcony.  It was such

sweet kind, gesture.

And now every year when I plant

my Spring pansies like I did today,

I think of those workers and the

elderly couple.  Sometimes the little

things in life can stay with you forever.