Further looking back, and yummy soup

I know summer isn't perhaps a time that one's thoughts (and taste buds) turn to hot soup, but something cold certainly hits the spot.  DH is the chief cook in our household and he's  come up with this recipe for Gazpacho Soup.  Mmmmm - it tastes so fresh and lovely on a hot day!  I thought you might like the recipe (there sounds like a lot of ingredients, but it's oh so worth it!)....

JACK's GAZPACHO SOUP

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 sweet red (or green) pepper, chopped

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/2 c. chopped cucumber

2 green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

1/4 c. fresh basil, chopped

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

4 c. tomato juice

2 tsp. sugar

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

3 T. lemon juice

1/3 c. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

6 drops Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Place all ingredients (in batches) into blender and blend to desired consistency.  Chill overnight.  

Further in my looking back series....some of you (most of you, probably) know that I have a 'thing' for working with recycled denim.   These two jackets were ones that I made in 2006.

  The rag style was a one-off and was done for a commission.  

The jacket below was one over over 30 jackets I made in the crazy quilt style and using recycled denim, along with lace and recycled clothing labels.

 

 
Alas, the arthritis in my hands has meant that I have had to pretty much give up my work with denim.  It was certainly fun while it lasted though.


Today the quote is from Anonymous......"What you permit, you promote"

 

Looking back once again and still celebrating

First of all, did you  know that today is 'World Embroidery Day'?  I didn't either,   What are you planning to do to celebrate the occasion?  I, of course, will be working on the grand secret project!

Please excuse the picture quality on this piece!  I thought that you might like to see it though, despite the poor photo.  This was my 2006 entry into 'The Quilt' (the breast cancer fundraiser). 

It measured 18x18" and was entitled "All I Want For Christmas"...."All I want for Christmas is an end to the disease that robs us of our mothers, sisters, grandmothers, daughters, friends and sometimes our men.  Hopefully this small quilt will help."

If you can see the snowman on the mid-left - it was one of my first forays into the use of waste canvas on my pieces.

 Yesterday was our monthly CQTeers meeting and the birthday celebration continued on.  Sue and Irene both gave me some fun things and I thought you might like to see....

Irene made me this adorable little owl, created from an Ann Wood pattern.  I promptly named her 'Hilda' and she will reside in my sewing room overlooking all I do.

Thank you Irene!

(she measures about 5" high)

Sue is the queen of all things paper (which we like to tease her about), so she gave me these pretties to create with.  I know these will be showing up on some of my atc creations in the future.

Thank you Sue!!



Our theme for this month was 'strawberries' and these are the atcs we exchanged...

The one on the top is by Irene, the two on either side were created

 by Sue and the bottom was mine.

Today your quote is from Melissa Loruso....."We cannot change the direction of the wind but we sure can change the direction of our sails"

Yet more bits and bobs

Further in the looking back series... in 2006 two of my friends and I decided we would like to create 'decorated' bras which were donated to a local breast cancer fundraiser.  At the time we were members of our local quilt guild and we decided that we should cause a bit of a stir and actually model our decorated bras.  Of course with the members being a mixed aged group of ladies we were met with a great deal of laughter and bit of condemnation as well.  You have to realize that our meetings were held in a church and I suppose this sort of thing could have been frowned upon by some. 

Anyway.....here is my bra, entitled 'Two Cats In A Bag Yowling To Get Out'....

and this shows the inside....

 

Today the quote is from Dame Margot Fonteyn.... "The one important thing I've learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and one's self seriously.  The first is imperative; the second is disastrous."  

 

Reflection and yummy stuff

I've been trying to think about what I might be able to post about so you can at least see something when you come for a visit.  After seeing a post on Christine's blog showing a piece she had done several years ago I had an 'aha' moment and decided it might be fun to show a few of the things I've made over the years that you might have missed seeing.  For those of you that remember all of this, feel free to hit the snooze alarm!

Back in 2005 I made a small wallhanging (17 x 17") that was entered into a breast cancer fundraiser called 'The Quilt'. 

This one was entitled "Hope - Is Eternal"

"This small quilt was created - in hope - that a cure will
soon be found"

I didn't have a great camera back then, so the quality of the photo is probably not the best.

I don't suppose any of you are like me and that you haven't had the experience of drinking something called 'Raspberry Vinegar'.  When I was little my paternal grandmother had a large raspberry patch and she made this drink mixture which tasted SO good!!  Unfortunately all of her recipes were lost in a house fire.  I've been years trying to find the directions and finally came across them in an antique cookbook.  We found raspberries on sale for a really good price so thought we'd give it a try...

There's no 'recipe' as such....Place washed raspberries in a glass bowl and cover with white vinegar.  Let stand 24 hours. Make sure you put a tight cover on or you will have a bunch of drunken fruit flies!!   Bring to boil and mash berries.  Strain and measure the amount of liquid.  Add an equal amount of sugar and return to boil.  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Place in  sterilized jar(s).  Refrigerate.  Add some to either regular water or sparkling water and enjoy.  (The directions aren't explicit as to ratio of water to juice, so you would have to experiment). 

Today the quote is from Melissa Accadia....."Just because you're handed a cactus doesn't mean you have to sit on it"

Bits and bobs and stuff, and a little bit of nonsense too

Remember the rhubarb recipe I posted the other day?  Well, I have to say it's good made with cranberries too.  AND try replacing the graham crumb crust with chocolate crumbs...use cherries....and chocolate pudding on top.  Now, I wouldn't know WHY any of those options would be good.  Nope, not moi.

I don't know about you, but I've been seeing images of the Grumpy Cat all over the internet.  This one caught my eye and made me laugh.

Today the quote is from Dave McIntyre....."Appreciation is like an insurance policy.  It has to be renewed every now and then"

 

Can't post. Too much celebrating...

Yep.

 Can't post.  

Celebration of birthdays.

DH and mine.

Too much cake.

Too much food.

Can't post.

See you when I recover.

In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves.

Oh yeah....and the quote of the day?  From Mark Twain.... “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”

  

Secret projects and poundage

The work continues on my secret crazy quilt project and how I wish I could share with you what I'm doing!  I really like it and I'm excited about it, but I can't share.....yet. 

I can, however, show you the fabric that arrived in the mail today...

This will be added to the leftover pieces from the Quilt-zzz to make a double-sized quilt (I think).  The fabric on the right will be the backing and the tiny flowers will be combined with the white offcuts for the front.  Hopefully it will look okay!  

Now, about the poundage (of the around the hips sort), here's a recipe that we've recently discovered and have already made several times.  Hmmm.....do you think perhaps we like it?

RHUBARB FOUR LAYER DESSERT 

  Make a graham wafer crust and press into bottom of a

9x9" pan.  Bake at 350 for 8 mins & let cool

  NEXT LAYER:  

1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water 

4 cups finely chopped fresh (or frozen) rhubarb 

Combine and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Let cool, and spread over prepared crust.

NEXT LAYER: 

1/2 cup whipping cream, whipped

1 1/2 cups mini marshmellows

Combine and spread on top of rhubarb layer

TOP LAYER:

1 box instant vanilla pudding, prepared with 1 3/4 cups milk

Spread on top of marshmellow layer and then top with

a sprinkling of graham crumbs

Finally, here's your quote for the day, from Evan Esar..... "Pleasure: An agreeable feeling caused by getting the last laugh, having the last word, or paying the last installment" (and I will add just one thing to that - pleasure is eating that rhubarb dessert!!)

and more bits and bobs

Quite obviously I have nothing to show you in the way of creativity, altho' I HAVE been working on a couple of projects.  One is a secret for now, but you will see it in time.  The other is to create a bag for a head.    A head, you say?  Yes, a head. 

See?  

 

Believe me, this thing is massive.  It's part of a human sized 'Furry' costume and I've been commissioned to make some sort of carrying bag for it.  Not an easy chore I might add!! 


Today the quote is from John Ruskin.... "The highest reward for a man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it"

More bits

Today I have a quote from Francis of Assisi...."He who works with his hands is a laborer.  He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.  He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist"

 

Bits and bobs

I'm sure you are not the least bit (yawn) interested in seeing any photos of my ongoing purge in my sewing room, 

And, finally, here's your quote of the day, attributed to the infamous 'Anonymous'.... "I'm still hot - it just comes in flashes" 

Another collaboration and....drumroll.....!!!!

Last night I finished up another collaboration project that has been stashed in my sewing room for too long.  This little baby quilt was started by my friends mother and she was unable to complete it.  I finished the quilting (by machine) and put the binding on.  Now the quilt will go back to her family to await the birth of the next baby.

 

And....remember The Quilt-zzzzz?  And that I had some block off-cuts left over??  Well....last night I laid them out to see how many I have and how big a quilt using them might be.  Would you believe a twin??  So....all that fabric will result in THREE quilts (two kings and a twin).  It's the project that never quits!!!

See?

 

To the right of the photo you might be able to see that I've laid out some charcoal 'bits' that will be sashing between the 7x12" blocks.  Those bits are leftovers from the backing of the first Quilt-zzzz.  Can't say that I'm not using every little bit of that fabric!!  Now - once I make it, what on earth will I DO with it!!!

AND - I'm totally surprised by the sheer numbers of you that were interested in my little rusty eight giveaway!  Thank you.  So.....by the uber-scientific means of typing everyone's names onto pieces of paper, folding them, shaking 'em up, and asking handy hubby to draw out a name, the rusty fabric will be going to (and I'm so sorry that I don't have enough to send everyone some!)...

 Yay, Christine!  Please send me your snail addy and I'll pop your package in the mail the first of the week. 

Today the quote is  from Stanislaw J. Lec.... "When you jump for joy, beware that no one moves the ground from beneath your feet"

Collaborative effort

One of my friends enjoys knitting blankets and prayer shawls, but doesn't enjoy crocheting.  She has recently become a great-grandma and knitted a pretty little blanket and she wanted me to add a crochet border (we often collaborate on these sorts of projects), so here is a photo of the blankie....

I've also been spending an awful lot of time putzing about with my family tree.  My cousin has loaned me a bunch of old family photos so I've been scanning and printing them for my records. 

This is my great - grandmother.

Can't say as I would have wanted to wear that heavy black

dress in the summer time!!

Today the quote is from Theodore Roethke...."Deep in their roots all flowers keep the light"