Tuesday, June 30, 2009

epic fail averted

thanks to everyone who offered encouragement and sympathy after my nervous breakdown. i decided to get new fabric and start over. and hello bonus - i like this combination of prints even better. how about you?
i've got all the strips sewn together and cut apart into blocks. now, after squaring everything up a bit i'll be ready to sew the blocks together.

quilting seems a bit like madness - you cut everything up only to sew it back together again just to cut it all up again so you can sew it back together. seems a little crazy to me but i am enjoying the process. i am. i swear. a lot, i know. i'm not even going to pretend and say i'm working on it because quite frankly, i like to swear. and quilting, as it turns out, gives me plenty of opportunity! so yes, i -do- like quilting!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

first quilt - EPIC fail

i've been thinking about the old red barn co. quilt along for a few weeks now. i've spent hours drooling over all the flickr uploads of the beautiful quilts being submitted. i finally decided to go ahead and join the fun. sure, i'm about six weeks late. and ok, so i'm not that experienced of a sewer. i can do this, right? right?

i spent over an hour at the fabric store this week selecting just the right fabrics. the excitement is building. yesterday, i worked for an hour or so cutting all these fun fabrics into perfect little one and a half inch strips. they looked so happy nestled in their box. and today, i was all set to go:

machine - CHECK
ironing board and iron - CHECK
spray sizing - CHECK

happy little stacks of one and a half inch strips - CHE. . .
what? the strips are supposed to be HOW wide??
TWO and a half inches you say?
pardon me while i have a complete nervous breakdown.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

miscellany

this post is exactly why i chose the name for my blog. today i have a little of this, a smidge of that and dogs. because it's thursday. i'm still not official, as if i need an excuse to talk about my dogs! and if you don't like hearing about them well, you may be in the wrong place.

first things first:
grown by me. from scratch. i love zinnias.
my sadie girl. holding still long enough for me to snag a picture.
and a sneak peek. inspiration here and here. but shhhhh. don't tell. it's a boy-child surprise.

and lastly, i am official over at barefoot bloggers. got my acceptance email this week. short notice though for today's recipe. i am ill equipped. after looking over the recipe i wondered - is it wrong of me to want to serve this in a glass with some vodka? :D check out meryl of my bit of earth. she selected ina's gazpacho this week. she's got a nice little blog. i think i'm going to like it on barefoot bloggers.

are you cooking up anything fun?
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today

ali did it the other day. cathy's doin it today. and now, i'm doing it too. cause you know i want to be like cathy z. when i grow up.

TODAY June 25th, 2009

Outside my window... my garden is growing by leaps every second.

I am thinking... hormones are not my friend.

I am thankful for... my husband's good job.

From the kitchen... chocolate chip cookies. gone.

I am wearing... comfy capris and a wife beater. barefoot.

I am creating... fingerless gloves. again.

I am going... crazy with cabin fever.

I am reading... new moon. again.

I am hoping... the weather cools to bearable for being outside.

I am hearing... commercials on the tv.

Around the house... is dog hair, dog hair and more dog hair. oh and don't forget the dog hair.

One of my favorite things... air conditioning. in the house and now in the man-cave. i may never see him again.

A few plans for the rest of the week... hitting the local fabric stores for the makings of a surprise quilt.

Monday, June 22, 2009

fingerless gloves done!

sorry for the crap cell phone photo. i was in a hurry to share.
these are for my friend, noemi. she has tiny little hands. i may try a pair for me knit up on bigger needles. i did model these but if i was going to wear them for any length of time i'd want them a smidge bigger.

now all these ideas are swirling through my head - i'm thinking any of my favorite sock patterns could easily become fingerless gloves. monkeys perhaps? the possibilities are endless!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

knitting up something good!


knittywhipped offered up this great pattern for fingerless gloves. click on 'mitt envy'. super simple pattern. i cast these on last night. late last night. love me a speedy knit!
check out this tutorial for cabling without a cable needle. omg. i -love- it!

stephanie gifted me this fabulous yarn when we were in seattle. check out her etsy store to get your own fabulousness.

Friday, June 19, 2009

friday's blog finds

today it's all about the food!
  • first time reading baking bites today. they've posted girl-scout cookie recipes. hells yeah. thin mints here i come! ironic name, no?
  • i'd forgotten how great the cupcake bakeshop was. and now it's closed. :( for some of the strangest but best flavor combinations in cupcake form, check out chockylit.
  • robin sue over at the big red kitchen shares some fantastic recipes. do try her mini ham and chesse rolls. they rock. seriously. i can eat about a million.
  • cathy at noble pig is busy moving but she still manages to share beautiful, step-by-step photography with her recipes. rivaled only by ree over at pioneer woman cooks.
mmm remember these?

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Grilled Pizza 5/22

when i took the garden pictures this morning, i realized i never uploaded these.
and this is just too good not to share.
my first time grilling pizza. so good.
i used mozzarella - had trouble finding the manchego. it was still good. have i mentioned how this was good?

it's exciting to me, finding new uses for my grill. i do all the cooking at my house. even grilling. if you want something charred beyond all recognition, ken is your guy. but if you want a tender, chewy crust, smoky, delicious and perfectly grilled, you'd better call on me. or do it yourself. :)
enjoy!

Bon Appétit | June 2009
by Diane Rossen Worthington
Grilling the pizza dough adds a smoky flavor to the crust.
Yield: Makes 12 appetizer servings

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large red onions (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 pounds), halved, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine (such as Zinfandel)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 pound sweet Italian sausages (about 4 links), casings removed
Pizza Dough Rounds or 1 pound purchased fresh pizza dough

Nonstick olive oil spray
2 cups (packed) coarsely shredded Manchego cheese,* divided

Heat vegetable oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and deep golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, vinegar, and sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Cool.

Heat medium skillet over medium heat. Add sausage; sauté until cooked through and browned, breaking up with back of fork, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to small bowl. Cool. DO AHEAD: Onions and sausage can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Lightly flour 2 rimless baking sheets. Divide purchased pizza dough in half (if using). Working with 1 dough round or dough half at a time, roll out on lightly floured surface to 12x8-inch oval. Transfer to baking sheets. Spray top of flatbreads with nonstick spray.

Invert flatbreads, sprayed side down, onto grill. Cook until grill marks appear and sides of bread are dry, 3 to 5 minutes. Return to same baking sheets, grilled side down. Spray uncooked side with nonstick spray. Turn flatbreads over on baking sheets, grilled side up. Sprinkle 3/4 cup cheese over each flatbread. Sprinkle onions, then sausage, over flatbreads, dividing equally. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over, dividing equally. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.

Transfer flatbreads, topping side up, to grill. Cover and cook until crusts are crisp and cheese melts, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to work surface. Cut into rectangles and serve.

* A Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk; sold at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

garden update - zucchini, cucumbers and strawberries. oh my!

zucchini and corn. broccoli and root vegs.

beans, strawberries, lettuce and cucumber. and tomatoes!
i keep telling the girls, if all the strawberries go missing i don't know a thing about it!
and the shade garden.

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sunflowers

the morning sun beckoned.




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