sheriff badges, new long arm quilt, raclette grill

OOPS!!!  When I did the tutorial yesterday…I forgot to add in the chicken!  Before you add the soy sauce and hoisin sauce, you should put in 3 oz of cooked chicken per person (so I added in 6 ounces) and that ended up filling 3 wraps, so Michael and I shared the 3^rd wrap….sorry about that!

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Michael went golfing here at SCCL on Friday (8/29).  Their tee off time wasn’t until 11 AM and the temperature was brutal by the time he got home at 3:30 PM.  Nancy H and I ran an errand in the morning, then stopped at PUBLIX and had a good time grocery shopping together on the way home.  I spent the early afternoon cutting out and trimming the sheriff’s badges:

 

I made them a tiny bit smaller than the sample…Joyce will be picking them up over the weekend.  The rest of the afternoon was spent on totally finishing the new quilt

this quilt top was so old that I don't even remember making it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I also had a chance to cut apart my last long arm sample into dog bed sized rectangles.  At 5 PM, Michael and I got cleaned up and headed over to Debra & John’s.  They had invited us for dinner…and it was make your own dinner…it was so cool!  They have a raclette grill and it was on the table.  Debra had baked potatoes for all of us, and there were about 10 different toppings for us to cook on the grill, or under the broiler on the machine, to top our potatoes. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What a fun and tasty dinner it was.  After that they introduced us to another new card game….it is always fun to get together with them!!  We were home by 9:30 and I got a second wind.  I headed to the studio while Michael watched TV and got all 8 of the dog beds serged before heading to bed.

sheriff badges, asian roll-ups

I was up at 6:15 AM on Thursday morning (8/28) to make breakfast for my honey, who left for golf at 6:45!!  I was wide awake, so just stayed up to get a lot of stuff done.  I ended up spending most of the day on ‘badges’ for the next production at the Fort Mill Community Theatre.  They needed 3 sheriff’s badge and Joyce (costume person) called to see if it would be possible for me to do them.  Here’s what they look like:

 

She’s going to buy gold ‘star’ buttons and attach those to the space in the middle.  I also worked on the binding and label for my small quilt, but didn’t quite get it finished.  I made those wonderful wraps for dinner again, and here’s a tutorial:

thinly slice napa cabbage, carrots & red onion

toss with 1 tbsp soy sauce & 2 - 3 tbsp hoisin sauce.  Layer on tortilla

top with drained mandarin orange slices

roll up tightly and serve....YUM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I read for a bit in the evening and then watched TV.

Michael and I had a lovely breakfast on the deck Wednesday morning (8/27).  It has been getting so cool in the evenings that it was in the low 60’s this morning.  After breakfast I took off on my bike for the grocery store and the library.  I got out 4 books of a series of quilting related murder mysteries!  The first woman was killed with a rotary cutter…we all know how easy that would be :- ).  Anyway, by the time I got home and returned a couple of phone calls, it was suddenly NOON.  I took a shower and started reading the first book while waiting to have my massage at 2 PM…it was heavenly.  The masseuse came right to the house and my wonderful honey took the dog for a walk so that I wouldn’t hear her whining and crying to come for a visit.  After the massage, I read for a bit more, and then made this fantastic dinner!  There was a recipe in the paper and it was so simple, but so good.  I chopped up napa cabbage, shredded carrots and sliced red onions very thin.  I added in chopped, cooked chicken and tossed it all with a bit of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce.  Then I layered it in these great high fiber, low carb tortilla wraps, laid down a bunch of mandarin oranges and rolled them up.  They were SO YUMMY!!!!!  We are definitely having again tomorrow night.  I had a SKYPE session with Janice and got to hear all about her new job, then I got to sew for just a tiny bit before snuggling with my honey in front of the boob tube.

garden flowers, radon pipes

I LOVE having flowers in the house all summer long….here’s the latest bouquet my honey picked on Tuesday morning (8/26), he was excited to find an errant gladiola

 

 

 

I made a fruit smoothie and headed on over to Nancy H’s for a morning visit.  This was just as the ‘radon’ guy was arriving.  Radon is a colorless, odorless gas that we finally tested for a month or 2 ago.  Our readings were very high, so we called to have it corrected.  By the time I came home from Nancy’s, this is what the outside of our house looked like:

 

It’s a large pipe with a fan that goes into the groud and pumps the radon out.  We will re-test in a few days.  Anyway, I had a fabulous time at Nancy’s, we talked and talked at the kitchen table…it was delightful!  Just before NOON I headed to the Blue Heron (our golf club restaurant) to meet Jan and Beth and Carolyn for lunch.  We all had a cup of the she crab soup, and 1/2 of either a chicken or tuna salad sandwich.  Then it was off to Stitch & Chat.  Nancy A and I ended up staying for just a bit (I think without Joanne there, it’s just not the same…she was off golfing today…filling in for someone else).  Anyway, Nancy’s mom and son are both having medical problems and she fills pulled in both directions…it’s very hard to do anything when the people who need the help are states and states away….her mom is hoping to move from Florida to here sometime after the first of the year…that will be much better.  I hit the library on the way home and finally hit my sewing room to finish stitching on my new, small quilt.  I worked on getting the binding done so that I can hopefully put in on, on Wednesday.  Michael and I had a quick mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner, then I headed to the studio to pull together some embroideries I want to do, while Michael watched a bunch of ‘his’ shows.  He decided against going to the movies, so he made popcorn at home and settled in :- ).

tumbling blocks 2 tone, computer pattern on first quilt

Michael left before 7:30 AM on Monday for golf at Emerald Lakes (coming home in the afternoon with an 88), and I was up early to pull together all of the supplies I needed for my second demo at Cooking Fingers.  Once again, everything went well and everyone seemed to enjoy the Peach Crisp.  I brought home the casserole I made and gave it to Anne & Bryce (since we still have some of it from last week’s demo!!)  Just a few minutes after I got home, Janice (from CT) called and SHE HAS A NEW JOB!!!!!!  She is very excited….she thinks it seems like the perfect fit…and best of all, they are totally OK with her taking time off for retreat!!!!!  I got down to my sewing room in the afternoon and finished off 2 corresponding sets of 2 color tumbling blocks:

 

and also started to sew in the ditch around my quilt from the long arm.  Here’s a picture of one of the blocks where if you look closely, you can see the pattern stitched out by the computer (this quilt top is so old I don't even remember making it!!!):

 

I was in the studio until 9 PM, when I finally went upstairs to collapse and watch TV with my honey.

Michael left super early for golf here at SCCL on Saturday (8/23), but they only made it through 16 holes before heading home.  It was way too hot, and slowed down way too much to continue golfing.  I could not tear myself away from my book until NOON, but spent the rest of the day continuing to learn how to stitch on my long arm.  I read for an hour before dinner and finally finished my book…it was EXCELLENT.  It is called Delicious:A Novel and the author is Ruth Reichl.  I can’t wait to get my hands on other books she has written.   Dinner was lots of chopped up roma tomatoes from the garden, tossed with homemade pesto and hot spaghetti.  We watched a library movie ABOUT TIME in the evening while Michael munched down on popcorn.  While he was making it, I put together the overnight Belgium yeast waffles for breakfast on Sunday.

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We had our waffles and bacon out on the deck Sunday morning (8/24) and had a good time reading the paper and watching the hummingbirds dive bomb each other at the feeder.  After Michael cleaned up the kitchen, he took off to do some grocery shopping and I headed to the studio to unload the finished dog beds and load up an actual (small) quilt.  I had to wash and piece the backing first, but at 1 PM I started to load it.  I got it all pinned and decided to take a break to make the 70 servings of peach crisp I will need for Cooking Fingers tomorrow.  Between doing that, helping Anne carry in her groceries, and a visit with Susan, it was 4 PM by the time I finished.  Michael and I ran the casseroles up to the Lake House fridge, then came home and had dinner.  I headed back down to tighten up my backing, cut batting, float the top of the quilt on and start stitching.  I started stitching at 7 PM and was done by 9.  As I’ve discussed with a couple of people, it is probably less quilting than many people would do, but it is the perfect amount for me…I’ll try to get a picture once the quilt is trimmed.  At 9 I headed upstairs to watch a little TV with Michael and to knit on a new baby sweater.

Jan and I had an errand to run Friday morning (8/22) and we had breakfast at IHOP on the way home.  I got home at 11:30 and immediately headed to the studio to play with my long arm.  I spent all afternoon stitching patterns out, and Nancy stopped by for a bit of time to see it in action…it was so much fun!  Just after 3 I headed upstairs to change and get a few noshes ready: cheese & crackers, sweet baby gherkins, cashews and set out some wine/liquor/glasses.  Phil & Gale and Ralph & Candace showed up at 5 and we noshed and talked until just after 6 Pm when we left for Trattoria Antigua, a FABULOUS Italian restaurant in Waxhaw.  Michael had ravioli in butter/sage sauce and I had ravioli in Parmesan cream sauce…both were divine.  We were home around 9 and I read a bit before heading for bed.

mini-quilts

Michael took Cookie for a walk early Thursday morning (8/21) while I ran around and gathered supplies for quilting and then headed out.  I got 2 more sets of tumbling blocks cut out and was home around 1.  Barry came at 2 PM and stayed until 5….when he left, my long arm appeared to be working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I spent the afternoon sewing on 2 small quilts (8 inches by 8 inches):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These quilts are going to be a test…on one quilt, I pressed the seams open and put straight of grain binding on it…the other quilt has the seams more traditionally pressed to the dark side, and also has bias binding.  I’m going to wash and dry these quilts every time we do a load of laundry and see how they hold up…stay tuned until next year for the results :- ).  Michael and I had leftovers for dinner, and I played with my long arm for the rest of the evening.

Cookie a duex

Michael left for golf here at SCCL very early Wednesday (8/20) and luckily the oral surgeon could fit me in, in the morning.  He said my description of what happened was textbook perfect for a strained ligament in my jaw and maybe some movement of the disk.  He said it is very inflamed and swollen and that is what is pulling/pushing my jaw out of alignment and causing the pain.  The ‘prescription’ is hot compresses 3 – 4 times a day, and high dose ibuprophen (I like this conservative approach).  He said it may take 3 – 4 weeks before it is fully healed, and I should also get a mouth guard for nighttime wearing.  Between that and my CPAP, I’ll be putting on more to go to bed than I do when I get up  :- ).  As I suspected, I don’t grind my teeth at night, but I do clench them, and that’s how this all got started.  Anyway, I got home late for my SKYPE session with Janice, but we ended up just talking on the phone for an hour.  When we got off the phone it was time to take the first dose of ipuprophen, and that’s when the fun really started….I felt nauseous for the rest of the day and night!  I guess I have to start at a lower dose and work my way up.  Anyway, that didn’t stop me from working on a sewing project of 2 small quilts (to test what kind of seams and what kind of binding are the most sturdy) in the afternoon and starting a new baby sweater in the evening.

I have to show you this picture…it is a first….Cookie has found a new place to go to watch Michael while he is in the shower and then as he gets dressed:

yep, on top of her sleeping crate

 

 

 

 

baby sweater

Michael was up and out early on Tuesday (8/19) to go to breakfast, then the chiro, then Triple A (planning his father/son trip for golfing at Pebble Beach next year), then CVS then home.  I finally got to sewing around 10…working on the tumbling blocks triangles I cut last week at quilting.  Jan’s grandkids (Rachel and Amy) came over a NOON looking for purse fabric.  They found stuff they liked, and left just before 1 PM, when Joanne picked me up for Stitch & Chat.  I got a ton of solid yellow and solid green yarn wound into center pull balls…but the best news was…there was more free yarn on the table and it was white/yellow/green….so lots of combinations of baby sweaters I can work on!  As soon as I got home from S&C, I jumped in the car and headed to the dentist.  I woke up on Sunday morning with a lot of pain in my jaw….saw dentist, and he said it was dislocated (is Michael practicing for his middle weight boxing title while I’m sleeping???) and I need to go see an oral surgeon.  I picked up a pizza on the way home…I desperately wanted to eat some, but only made it through 1/2 a piece before deciding that I couldn’t even enjoy the taste…due to the pain.  Michael left for the movies THE EXPENDABLES and I picked up Jan in the golf cart for a quick trip to CVS to pick up muscle relaxer pills.  I finished up sewing the smallest size blue and purple tumbling blocks, then watched TV until Michael got home at 10:30.  I DID finish a baby sweater a couple of days ago, and finally got a pic:

 

Cookie a duex, supply basket for Cooking Fingers

Michael and I were both up at 6 AM on Monday (8/18)….he had a very early tee time at Fort Mill golf course, and I made him breakfast before he left as he didn’t have time.  Once again….Cookie was loath to move anywhere:

Then I pulled together a bunch of paperwork for our Volunteer Board meeting and our regular meeting.  After that, it was time to get together all of the supplies I needed for the demo at Cooking Fingers. 

 

 I finally roused Cookie and after I took her out, she scurried over to her second favorite napping place:

The board meeting started at 9 AM and we got a lot accomplished before our regular monthly members meeting at 10:30.  Just after 11 I hurried down the hall to cooking fingers.  The first presenters were still going…the theme was vegetarian and they had a veggie lasagna (heaven…made with alfredo sauce…yum!) and veggie burgers with salsa and guacamole and a triple bean appetizer served with tortilla chips.  I did a demo on my Peach Crisp for dessert and was thrilled when more than a few women came up to tell me how good it was!  I’ll tell you….Paula has whipped that club into shape and it works like a well ordered machine.  By the time I finished eating samples of everything, all of my dishes had been washed and piled up by my basket.  I got home around 1 PM, and frankly I was pooped.  I read my book for a bit, then headed downstairs to try to get my long arm working yet again.  No surprise, no luck.  On Thursday I should receive a package of more electronic equipment to switch out with what I’ve got.  I’m still holding on to my ‘it will work by the end of the year’ calm…but it’s taking an effort.  Michael made spaghetti for dinner for himself (I woke up Sunday with a toothache and still had it…I actually didn’t get to eat very much at the cooking demo, which was a shame because stuff looked really good) and I had a fruit smoothie…something I could eat without chewing.  I worked in the studio in the early evening, sewing together tumbling blocks and joined Michael around 8 PM for TV.  We also went through boxes of stuff we had ordered as wedding gifts and got it all arranged and wrapped. 

Someone asked about the fidget quilting I want to do…these are small quilts for Alzheimer's patients, which give their hands something to fidget with.  You are supposed to include things tied to the top like velcro, old keys, buttons, beads, whatever and to use different textures of fabrics.  They are also not supposed to be pretty, because if they are, people tend to put them away as ‘good’ and not use them.  I have all of my fabrics cut and many of the things I want to include on the top…but still need old keys!

garden flowers, tutorial on omelet making

I spent all day Friday (8/9) reading a book (while MIchael was golfing in the second day of his tournament; he personally lost his match, but his overall team won)…and all night watching an oldy but goody movie…WHAT A WAY TO GO. 

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Michael picked another beautiful bouquet of garden flowers Saturday morning (8/16),

a second hydrangea blossom....WHOO HOO!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and we had a lovely breakfast out on the deck.  I spent the rest of the day and the early evening working on my secret project, and I am happy to say that I’m almost finished  :- ).  I also got a bunch of fabric cut for the fidget quilts I hope to make at retreat.  Leftovers again for dinner (the last of the halushki’s….guess I have to start cooking again tomorrow!) and we watched a SYFY movie in the evening.

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Michael played golf here at SCCL on Sunday (8/17) and you know what that means?  We will both be screwed up as to what day it is for the rest of the week!!  Last week he played Monday – Thursday – Friday (as opposed to his usual Monday - Wednesday - Saturday)….and all day Saturday both of us thought it was Sunday.  I don’t remember him ever playing on a Sunday….so it’s really going to mess us up this week.  Anyway, he decided to do a tutorial on his omelet making (he usually makes an omelet when he goes golfing). 

mushrooms

spinach

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

swiss cheese

with 2 pieces of rye bread...his favorite

 

I worked a bit on backs for my fidget quilts, and at 2 PM headed upstairs to make sandwich bread, and 80 servings of my peach crisp.  I am doing a demo at Cooking Fingers on Monday, and need to feed a bunch of people.  Once the 4 pans were made, Michael and I ran them up to the Lake House fridge, and someone will put them in the oven at 10 AM (when I will be in my Volunteer meeting).  Then it was back home to get dinner ready for Gale and Phil, who arrived at 5:30.  We had baked potatoes, crab cakes and 2 salads, and spent a pleasant couple of hours talking.  Once they left, Michael and I spent the rest of the evening reading.

My honey left BEFORE 6:30 AM for a golf tournament here at SCCL on Thursday morning (8/14).  I left for quilting around 9:15 and managed to get 6 of my strata cut into triangles for new tumbling blocks while there.  June needed to kill a couple of hours between quilting and her doctor’s appointment, so she stopped by and we had lunch and talked and talked!  Barry called and came by at 3 PM to set up new machine.  At 6 PM he was still there, talking to Grace company, since he was experiencing the same problems I had…rear handles not working…computer moving machine, but needle not going up and down :- (.  He finally left, saying he would bring new equipment, probably on Friday.  Michael made halushki’s for dinner and I read for a bit before joining him in front of the boob tube.

I got to sew first thing in the morning on Wednesday (8/13) as my honey made an omelet for breakfast that we both shared.  Then he left for the farmer’s market, while I visited with Nancy.  Nancy left just as Janice was calling for our SKYPE visit, then Jan arrived to get her golf cart serviced…all in all it was a busy morning and I didn’t get back to sewing until after 1.  I sewed for a bit in the afternoon, then made an abortive trip with Jan to the library…it was CLOSED!!!  We decided to drive around and tour the new construction for awhile and by the time I got home, it was time to shower and change and pick up Joanne and Larry and head to the Lake House.  The guys had a golf meeting in the pavilion, while Joanne and I sat and talked in the Lake House.  At 6 PM we headed for a free-for-SCCL screening of the movie WHEN THE GAME STANDS TALL.  It was an excellent movie, as long as I didn’t watch the football parts where they knock each other senseless!  We got home around 10 PM and I read for a bit before bed.

I really have no idea where Tuesday (8/12) went….but it went in a FLASH!  We both had breakfast, then Michael left for his usual Tuesday errand run…I got a tiny bit of sewing done, then Paula came for a visit and to talk about next week.  Next week I will be at Cooking Fingers (Paula’s cooking club here at SCCL) demo-ing my peach crisp for 70 people!!!  We were talking about pans and how many pans I need to make.  This would not be so hard…but I have a volunteer meeting at the same time as Cooking Fingers on Monday….so I need to race through the meeting and haul on down the hall for my demo.  Nancy stopped by for a bit and the 3 of us had a nice chat.  After they left I had time to discover that my shirt had tomatoes spread all over my belly, just as Joanne slid to a stop in front of my house.  I did a quick change and grabbed my stuff for Stitch and Chat and headed out.  As I walked through the door into our meeting room, 3 different people said ‘I NEED you’, which felt nice and which was actually good as I hadn’t brought anything to knit (the baby sweater is finished, I just have to sew in a few ends and get a pic).  I think I helped everyone who asked and Beth gave me a ride home since I had to stay a bit late helping someone.  That turned out to be great as we haven’t seen each other in quite a while and got at least a little time to talk.  Michael and I read our books a bit in the afternoon, and after meatballs and spaghetti for dinner (we both liked the new sauce) we headed off to the movies to see CHEF.  We both really enjoyed this movie and when we got home at 10, Michael watched TV for just a bit while I finished a book from Ginny called MAMA”S SHOES by Rebecca Elswich (a great story told from many different perspectives) before bed.

canning tomato sauce

Michael was up at 6 AM for golf on Monday (8/21), and I joined him shortly afterwards to get ready for Loree.  I sliced, cored and seeded my roma tomatoes

washed and awaiting my knife

on an oiled cookie sheet, ready to go into a 425 degree oven for an hour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and roasted them in the oven.  I was ready to go when she came at 9 AM to show me how to can my sauce.  I added in a mixture of olive oil/basil/garlic/balsamic vinegar and got the sauce into jars.  Here’s Loree, explaining how to use the pressure cooker:

 

After 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure, we turned it off and let it cool.  I only got 3 pints of sauce from my roma tomatoes…but Loree brought me a PECK of the last of the tomatoes from her garden!!!!!  She stayed to help me slice, core and de-seed, then we put them on the stove top to cook down.  I told her she might as well head for home, as I was going to cook them for at least another hour.  I got them all cooked down, and bottled up into EIGHT more pints of sauce.  After 3 separate phone calls to make sure I was doing it right….voila:

Eleven pint jars of sauce, and 2 extra cups in fridge that we will eat Tuesday night for dinner.  I was finally finished at 2 PM (Michael was already home…the second nine got rained out) and I was just exhausted, so I put my feet up and read my book (and maybe slipped a small nap in there  :- ) before we went to a new Asian place (Ming Fu at the end of Jim Wilson) for dinner.  I had an egg roll while Michael had a spring roll, then we split sizzling shrimp and scallops for dinner…yum!  When we got home, I sewed for just a bit before heading upstairs to be with my honey.

garden flowers

We were both up before 7 AM on Saturday (8/9)…Michael went to the grocery store, while I collected everything I needed for the final sorting of our school supplies up at the Lake House.  He dropped me off at 8 and Becky and I proceeded to get the room all set up for the sorters.  We had a FABULOUS group of people helping and got everything sorted and loaded onto the trucks, which will deliver the supplies to both elementary schools next week.  I was home by 11:30 and was absolutely exhausted.  I took 2 Aleve, read the paper, took a quick nap, then Michael and I headed over to Jan’s to get a stationary bicycle out of her car and into her sun room.  The therapy people have been urging her to get Walt on a bike, so she bought one on Friday.  We took the long way home to check out all of the new construction, and once we were home, Michael took off for 9 holes of (squishy….lots of rain this morning) golf, while I got a second wind and continued sewing.  I sewed until 6, when Michael did burgers on the grill for dinner (our first burgers of the year and it is AUGUST!!!)  I went back to sewing until 8, then wandered upstairs for some snuggling!

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Michael picked the most beautiful bouquet from our garden, including the FIRST hydrangea blossom!!!

includes hydrangeas, dahlias, zinnias, daisies & a sunflower

Jan and I had errands we ran Sunday morning (8/10), and I spent the rest of the day in the studio, working on things.   In addition to working on secret things, I got all of the strips for my remaining tumbling blocks cut and sewn into strata.  We had leftover skillet lasagna for dinner and I continued sewing until after 8 PM, when I joined Michael to watch a bit of TV before bed.