It's been awhile since I worked on a big project. Today I'm heading into my children's bedroom to do some much needed purging. They have clothes that are too small or that they just that don't wear that are taking up valuable space. I've really been on a kick to let go of stuff. I'm going to take the stuff directly to the local thrift store so that someone else can start enjoying them right away. Wish me luck! It's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
I'm having such fun participating in a few flickr virtual bee block swaps. I'm learning a ton. I'm trying things I'd never try if left to my own devices. I'm also learning more about the concept of the scant 1/4" seam allowance since I've had a couple blocks come out a tad smaller than they should have, lol. No worries though, it's all part of the process. Here's some of the latest blocks I've worked on. I have a couple more I'll be working on in the next few weeks so stay tuned for those pictures. I honestly never thought I'd enjoy the quilting process as much as I do, it's nice to be wrong.
I really liked doing the wonky star block and will probably use that as the inspiration for one of my bee blocks when it's my turn.
I've been thinking lately about some of the things my mom used to make growing up that I rarely cook myself. I dug through my recipes and found this one to share. I really like them and need to add them to the rotation. Now that the farmer's market is kicking off it's a great time to try out all varieties of peppers. Let me know what you think.
Stuffed Peppers
4 medium green bell peppers
1 pound ground beef, turkey or pork
2 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
1/2 cup uncooked instant rice
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 small chopped onion
1 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 eggs, beaten
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut tops off peppers and discard; seed them. Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine your meat, 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, rice, half of the cheese, onion, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and eggs; mix well. Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes or until meat is no longer pink and peppers are tender. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven uncovered for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
I've been hard at work making numerous blocks for my own lap size quilt. I'm modifying a pattern that came in a sampler tin of my all time favorite fabric collection "Summer in the city by Urban Chicks for Moda" . It's basically a square in square block which is becoming my favorite block for it's simplicity and versatility. Anyways. I will probably make a few more blocks before I start putting things together. I think I will probably have some kind of border between the blocks to help them pop. I'm trying to decide what color to use. I have to use something that will make everything pop but not compete. I was thinking of a light gray or a lime green. I'll have to see how that looks with the brown which is rather dark. Or if I could find the right color fuschia that would be cool. I'm having a bit of trouble finding the moda bella solids locally and the RK's aren't exactly a perfect match. In between all this block making I've still been working to finish up my dd's preschool teacher's quilt too. I'm participating in a couple of block swaps so I have to finish a couple blocks this week too. Oh and I need to get some garment sewing done too. I have a growing list of projects running around in my head. I need to really get cracking.
My children love milkshakes. As the weather is warming up they've been asking for them a lot lately. I thought I'd share how I mix up a homemade delicious milk shakes for them in a jiff.
Vanilla milk shake
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup half-and-half cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a blender, combine ice cream and vanilla extract. Add the half and half slower to obtain your desired thickness. Blend until smooth. Pour into glass and serve.
What is it all about? In many ways I approach my life with fearlessness, but lately I've been suffering from some strange case of indecision I call "Fear of Paint". I want desperately to redecorate the master bedroom. I finally found the fabric I want to use to make a quilt from. I'm going to make curtains. I'm going to paint and refinish some furniture. I mean I want to generally spiff the place up. And yet, for many months I've been stalled by my inability to pick a paint color for the walls. What's the big deal? It's just paint. Yet, I can't seem to make a choice. I have decided that it would be some shade of light blue. I think that's part of my issue. I'm more of an autumnal color person and I keep trying to find a blue that is warm enough...does it exist? Yesterday I went and got yet more paint samples from Benjamin Moore to slap on the wall. This time I got In Your Eyes (actually that's a Royal Ace Color), Stormy and Wedgewood Grey. I already have Tropical Lagoon (Glidden), Sapphire # 2 (Laura Ashley for Lowes) and Bottle Glass (Kilz). I also have Bird Egg Blue (Benjamin Moore) and Porcelain Blue (Walmart). I also like the color Parma Grey (Farrow & Ball) that I saw in a magazine but don't have a local place to get a tester pot, so I'd have to get at least a quart custom mixed. All this paint testing is getting expensive. I need to make a decision already. Today, now...right this minute. Wait, let me think about it just a little longer. By the way, if you know of a fantastic blue that is not too cool, let me know. I've got my paint brush ready.
I'm getting into the grove of this block thing. I'm learning a lot and getting outside of my comfort zone which is the point, right. I just finished these two blocks and will get them into the mail to Andrea. I didn't have quite enough to make two 12.5" square blocks, so I dipped a bit into my own stash, so I hope she doesn't mind. I think the blocks came out pretty nicely though. She said she wanted right angles. I did a pieced square and sashed it with Kona snow and then I did a pieced log cabin. I love the fabrics she picked. Very fun and vibrant.
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