Janice on vacation, new QoV basted, pizza

Janice & I were emailing back and forth Tuesday morning (7/30) and she finally just called and we had a very satisfying talk  :~).  She’s in Maine on vacation, and I think was out on her deck just enjoying the weather and her morning coffee before everyone else got up:  

views from her deck

I read my book in the morning while I ate a leisurely breakfast (sausage bread from Ann Mary & Jim (a birthday present!) with a fried egg), but finally headed downstairs to get another quilt basted.  This quilt contains most of the leftovers from my previous 30 some odd Quilts of Valor; I finally came up with a way to use up many of my scraps.  

I got it all basted, and also worked on the second row of my quilt on the design wall before heading upstairs at 3 PM to get dough made for pizza for dinner.  

I got the dough made and started it rising, and chopped up a bunch of tomatoes  and tossed them with just a tiny bit of salt to start them draining.  Anne & Elaine stopped by just as I was finishing up.  Elaine’s dog managed to claw her way out of her crate, and I think I can repair the damage with a piece of cloth, so they came by to drop it off.  And my honey came home (very happy with his 85) from Pinehurst while they were there:  

Elaine, my honey, Anne

By the time everyone left, it was time to start dinner.  We have not had homemade pizza in FOREVER:

rolled out dough

a layer of  homemade pesto

the chopped and drained tomatoes from Loree & Reg

lots of cheese

OMgoodness.....so very good!

Michael thought the pizza was heavenly and we relaxed and watched TV for the rest of the night.

Michael goes to Pinehurst, Cookie

Michael was up at 6 AM on Monday (7/29) to get breakfast out of the way before Ralph picked him up for their 2 day trip to Pinehurst.  

Ralph

Michael trying to find room in back of car!!!

My goodness....looks like our car when we leave for retreat!!!

I headed to my studio and kicked off quilting on the QoV once again.  While that was happening, I got a project cut and placed in my bin for retreat.  I think I’ve got 3 projects in there so far, as well as the quilt I want to work on for Anne…although I still have to cut all of my cream colored strips for that.  

After that I dropped back to working on the squares Michael laid out on my design wall.  I continued to quilt all day…..the pattern is very dense and I am loving it…..by 5 PM…it was done:  

I’m going to have a ton of ends to weave in on this one….I used 6 bobbins (there were 137,159 stitches in the quilt) and my thread broke a couple of times….but I LOVE it!  

I had a grilled cheese & tomato sandwich for dinner, with wedges of garden tomato on the side.  Nothing perks up a dinner like wedges of garden tomato on the side….thanks Loree!!!  

I sewed a bit in the evening and finally finished the first row of the new quilt Michael laid out on the design wall:  

before heading upstairs to watch TV and snuggle with one of my furry babies:

pancakes, Cookie, QoV pattern, Africa sweater

Michael and I decided to do a mini-fry-up on Sunday morning (7/28), so just pancakes and a potato, but everything was yummy!  

onions sizzling away....almost ready to be added to the potato

We both spent time in the studio in the afternoon…Michael was updating his round of golf on the computer, while I was setting up the program for the first QoV.  As usual, Cookie made herself comfortable:   

I started stitching out my quilting and I LOVE this pattern:  

I got 5 rows done before heading upstairs to make 1/2 a meatloaf sandwich for dinner, with another round of tomato wedges from Loree & Reg:  

And I finally got my second ‘sweater for Africa’ sewn together while we were watching TV in the evening:

And more cuteness on the horizon:

mud run!

QoV basted, Michael at ball game

Michael was up and out for golf on Saturday (7/27) and I cleaned up the kitchen a bit before heading downstairs to vacuum the basement….HEAVEN!  It was covered in cat hair, and my newly refurbished vacuum (courtesy of Reg & Loree) sucked everything up like a pro!

I decided I needed to get a few more QoV’s done, and I still have several (many?) tops done and folded in my guest room downstairs, so I measured out over 5 yards of backing fabric and loaded it up, and also got the first QoV basted:  

I spent a LOT of time reading a new book that Janice turned me on to called THE CASUAL VACANCY.  I like it a lot, but it introduced 20 characters in the first 40 pages and I’m still trying to keep them all straight!  

My honey left at 5 PM with 3 other guys to see  KNIGHT’s baseball game in Charlotte.  

There were fireworks after the game (and Michael took fabulous videos, but I couldn't figure out how to turn them to play correctly, so am not including) and they didn’t get home until after 11 PM, but everyone had a good time.

Cinnamon Star Bread

I spent Friday morning (7/26) in the eye doctor’s office (she is still not happy with the pressure in my right eye and has put me on a 4^th different VERY expensive drop.  If this doesn’t work she’s talking about in office surgery to get the pressure down) and running to BB&B to get new sheets for our new and deeper mattress.  

I was finally home after NOON and got dough made and rising before having a very long and satisfying phone chat with Janice (she and Dennis have been in CT for a week and are leaving for a 2 week vacation in Maine).  After that I put together a Cinnamon Star Bread:  

egg wash on each layer

then cinnamon/sugar mixture

ready to start the second rise

before heading over to Anne’s to discuss a quilt I want to make for her.  That took about an hour, but we got everything settled and I came home and called Loree.  

Michael and I headed down to her house to pick up my fixed vacuum cleaner and to drop off the Star Bread.  Reg & Loree have done so many things for us, they certainly deserved it  :~).  They got to bake it and have all of the good smells in their house…and Loree sent me a pic of the finished product (after she glazed it with confectioner's sugar):  

Should you want to give this a whirl yourself, here you go: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/cinnamon-star-bread-recipe

We both had meatloaf for dinner when we came home, along with many wedges of tomatoes that Loree sent us home with......YUMM-O!!!

Michael and I decided on a mini-date night….no puffy things, but champagne and popcorn instead while we watched INCREDIBLES 2.

SHQ Show & Tell, Joanne & Pat

Michael was up at 5:30 AGAIN on Thursday (7/25) to be on the road by 7 AM.  He had a club fitting appointment in South Park and knew he’d hit rush hour traffic along the way.  

I followed at a more leisurely pace (7 AM) and got a bunch of chores done before Paula picked me up just after 9 AM.  We were a small but fun group at quilting, with light show and tell: 

this was a block of the month for Cheryle

Sandy showing the quilts that Rick (hubby) puts together

Paula doing a 'texture' quilt for a school teacher friend

everyone semed to really like this pattern I just finished

but lunch was OUTSTANDING!!!  Loree brought in ‘maters from her garden, I brought bread and Paula brought chips and homemade cookies….YUMM-O!!!  

I got home around 2 and Michael and I talked until 3 PM when a couple of (previously invited) people wandered in for cake:  

My honey and I both took a nap before dinner, and I got a bit of sewing in before settling down to watch TV.  I got my second sweater for Africa bound off and hope to sew together soon!

Paula's quilt, Pam, birthday cake!

Michael was up at 5:30 AM on Wednesday (7/24) for golf here at SCCL and left early for a 7 AM shotgun start.  I got the program all set up for Paula’s quilt before leaving for my Guest Pass Policy meeting.  I made a quick stop at the bank and Harris Teeter before getting home at NOON.  My honey was already home, pleased with his 86 and one birdie.  

AND, Jan H came through her surgery with flying colors, so I’m hoping you’ll all switch over to praying for her speedy recovery. 

After Michael and I talked for a bit, I started to put together my birthday cake.  I LOVE chocolate cake with a non-sugary white frosting.  

I have several excellent chocolate cake recipes, but have been struggling with frosting recipes….so I’m trying a new one this year, and will get opinions from the people who try it :~).  

That took most of the afternoon, but before dinner I did make a start on the quilting for Paula:  

I think this pattern looks AWESOME on her quilt!!  

Pam stopped by in the afternoon to drop off a gift, a felted pin cushion in my colors that she made herself:  

I finished up frosting the cake while she was there, and even did a bit of piping (the hardest thing is making sure you don't get those chocolate crumbs picked up into the white frosting....and I'm always too lazy to do a crumb coat!!):  

We invited just a few people over to try out the cake:  

Doug and Phil

Gale and Jim

Ann Mary

Paula

Sally

and everyone pronounced it yummy!  

I headed downstairs after everyone left and finished off Paula’s quilt!

Mary Jo sent me this article, and for anyone who sews it is EXCELLENT reading…and something I never thought of:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/apollo-11-the-seamstresses-who-helped-put-a-man-on-the-moon/

I know most people don’t get to see the comments on a post, because they are added after the post if published.  So, I wanted to include another note on the UTI subject :

Thank you for sharing your UTI story. And maybe my daughter's story added on will illustrate the consequences of ignoring the symptoms. My daughter could tell by her symptoms she had a UTI, but just followed home remedy of lots of cranberry juice. The outer symptoms eventually went away, but couple weeks later she became very sick and went to emergency room. She ended up spending 2 days in the hospital with a kidney infection. So Deb is right, go for that test!