And so it begins

We spent yesterday wandering around the Moncton Home show. For two solid hours we looked at windows and doors.   As soon as I spied this beauty I knew the search was over.   It is the Craftsman by Barrington,  which comes with a choice of  three different glass deigns and a dentil shelf.    The door is fibreglass as wood would be too difficult to maintain and prevent from bowing in our cold Maritime winters.  We are considering the same design for the interior transoms over the bedroom doors.   The Arts and Craft style has always been my favourite so this door is a perfect match.

While my DH and the glass company salesman went through the house plans, I just sat and stared lovingly at the door.    We will put our present home back on the market soon and keep our fingers crossed.  Meanwhile, slowly we are organizing everything so that the building of our new home can start the moment the old home is sold.    This is the first time I have been involved in building a home.  I find it a bit overwhelming, but the home show was a good chance to see what options are available.

Mike Holmes was the star attraction for many visitors.  I was surprised to see that the women were outnumbered 4 to one by men waiting in line for Mike`s autograph.  I walked past with just a glance, after all now I have to consider counter tops and cupboards.

Big truck went boom

I have been driving an extended cab truck for the past couple of years.  I  pride myself on my ability to back it up, park it properly, my sense of space when it came to driving it.  That was until today,  I misjudged the length of the truck when leaving a parking spot and scraped the truck against the cement pole protector.  Those  concrete suckers do not have any give to them whatsoever.

I could post a picture of the damage to the truck (the concrete post survived without a scrape, other than missing the top coat of yellow paint which now adorns my truck) but my DH is away until tomorrow, so I think it would be best for him to see it in person.   You know how exaggerating a picture can seem.

Ummmmm, I love chicken

Even though  I haven`t been posting recipes lately, doesn`t mean we haven`t been eating well.  Chicken is on the menu most nights as we do not eat red meat. I am always looking for new and differnt ways to serve it. I find the internet a great source for recipes.

When using boneless chicken breast, I find one breast makes two servings, especially if you are adding cheese to the dish.

Here`s a few of the chicken meals I have prepared lately.

Braised chicken thighs, which is a variation of this recipe.  I used grated carrots in place of the mushrooms, frozen spinach in place of fresh.  Mighty tasty, wonderfully cheap dish.

Chicken pork lettuce. The only variation I made on this recipe, was to serve it over a bed of chopped lettuce, rather than making lettuce rolls.  Definitely a make again recipe.  No need to order take out with meals like this. Take a few minutes to check out Yes, we cook!

Cindy`s Cajun chicken – this idea is from a co-worker.  Cut one large boneless skinless chicken breast into chunks.  Sprinkle with cajun spice.  Cook in a bit of olive oil.  Remove from pan, keep warm.  In the pan toss onions, red peppers, celery, green peppers and mushrooms.  Saute.  Add chicken back into pan, sprinkle with more spice if desired.   Brush a pita lightly with mayonnaise,  sprinkle lightly with grated cheese, and chopped lettuce.   Add chicken vegetable mixture.  Eat with a fork, as you don`t want to miss a bit.

an extra day off

The office is being painted today so I had a day at home.   As the gym is off limits  due to my recent butt injury the only other thing I could do was spend the day sewing.   I am resisting the temptation to begin any new projects, despite the long running list I have in my head.

I spent most of the day working on this project which I originally started quite a few years ago after taking a class on paper piecing. I love the secondary block pattern it makes with the border.

Vintage sheets

Like I needed another quilt to ponder.   In my mind I am working on Julia`s winter blues quilt and a green quilt for my niece Becky.  In my sewing room, I have the blue quilt, a huge pile of strings, one pink baby quilt and a bunch of  string blocks to finish.

To drive myself even crazier, I bought these beauties awhile back  when we visited the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop at St. Michaels.  I promised myself I would not get even consider another quilt, but these were too pretty to leave behind. For a lovely example of vintage sheet quilts, go here.

Vintage sheets would be perfect for a memory quilt for someone going into a nursing home, or moving away from home (because there is no place left to store her fabric).

To kill a mockingbird – 50th anniversary

My favourite novel of all time, Harper Lee`s `To Kill a Mockingbird` is celebrating it`s 50th anniversary.  The Pulitzer Prize winning novel about racial injustice and loss of innocence in a small southern town is as timely as poignant as it was 50 years ago.

I had the great pleasure of watching the movie once again on Bravo TV this week.  Even though this film is in black and white, the story and characters stand the test of time.

The scene which starts me crying is the night Atticus stands outside the jail to protect Tom Robison. Here it is summarized by Tim Dirks of Filmsite

In one of the most compelling scenes in the film, as the children begin taking a shortcut home, four cars noisily converge on the jail from the Meridian Highway. The children hide and watch from the cover of the bushes. The armed men get out of their cars and surround Atticus – they are a self-appointed lynch mob that has gathered to take justice into its own hands after diverting Sheriff Tate. To get a closer look, the three kids run over to the cars. Scout, in particular, who is oblivious to the danger, pushes her way through the crowd to glimpse her stern-faced father – he immediately fears for their safety. While Jem stands by his father and stubbornly refuses to leave after his father’s command, a stalwart Scout faces down the crowd and sees someone she recognizes. She conducts an innocent, uninhibited exchange with Walter Cunningham Sr., and engages him in a disarming, candid, yet humanized conversation. Scout makes him uncomfortable in front of the mob:

I said, ‘Hey,’ Mr. Cunningham. How’s your entailment getting along? (He turns and looks away.) Don’t you remember me, Mr. Cunningham? I’m Jean Louise Finch. You brought us some hickory nuts one early morning, remember? We had a talk. I went and got my daddy to come out and thank you. I go to school with your boy. I go to school with Walter. He’s a nice boy. Tell him ‘hey’ for me, won’t you? You know something, Mr. Cunningham, entailments are bad. Entailments…(She suddenly becomes self-conscious) Atticus, I was just saying to Mr. Cunningham that entailments were bad but not to worry. Takes a long time sometimes…(To the men who are staring up at her) What’s the matter? I sure meant no harm, Mr. Cunningham.

Scout’s words cause him to break up the potential lynching. The embarrassed crowd disbands.

The movie is as heartbreaking and heart warming as it was when it first previewed (1962).   Do yourself a favour and rent the movie.   Settle down with a bowl of popcorn and a box of Kleenex and go back to a time when movies were worth watching.

My butt hurts

I took a tumble down the icy back stairs and cracked my tail bone.   I`m out of commission for a few days but should recover soon thanks to the excellent care I am receiving from  my DH, ibuprofen and the supervision of one good kitty.   Porsche has not left my side since it happened yesterday.   My original plans for the next few days were shopping trips to Fredericton and Moncton, but instead I will be resting in bed reading a good books, being waited on hand and foot by my DH.  If it wasn`t for the pain, it wouldn`t be a bad March break.

Thanks for all your good wishes, I spent the first two days in bed flat on my back.  Little by little I am recovering, but the bruises will  be around for awhile.

Spring magic

The March wind roars
Like a lion in the sky,
And makes us shiver
As he passes by.

When winds are soft,
And the days are warm and clear,
Just like a gentle lamb,
Then spring is here.”
-   Author Unknown

The storm continued today punctuated with winds, sleet, rain, and snow.    Despite the nasty weather outside, in my sewing room it is spring, thanks to the beautiful April Cornell charm pack which arrived on Friday in the order I placed at Sew Sisters

I also ordered the 20 Fat quarters for $25.00.  Unfortunately this special is no longer available.  The quarters I received included cuts from the Rock-n-Roses collection,  Sweet briar, Recollections by Deborah Roberts, the Polly goes to Paris line and Robert Kaufman, to name a few.  I have been too busy fondling these beauties to even consider cutting them.

Some day I intend to make a trip around the world quilt using reproduction 1930 prints, The two packs of Scrap Block Mania is a start collecting fabric.

I an very pleased with Sew Sisters excellent service.

Well the weather outstide is frightful

The fog rolled  in this morning, layering the trees with even more ice.   We can hear the trees crackle as the breeze hits their limbs.  Being surrounded by trees is great in the summer, but causes concern on winter days. 2600 homes in our area are without power, luckily we are not one of them.   My DH is clearing off  the deck and getting the generator ready just in case. Over the next two day the weather forecast is calling for snow, freezing rain, gusting winds, followed by more snow and high winds.  Sounds like quilting weather to me.

Yesterday I worked on a string quilt which I started a long time ago.  String quilts are a great way to use up those small bits of fabrics (strings).  This is  an excellent project for a beginner quilter, or when you want to do mindless not fussy sewing.  If you are interested in knowing more about this method check out Bonnie`s  at Quiltville  String Quilting Primer.   Check out the many different patterns and ideas for the string quilt at the end of the primer.   The only limitation on this fun to make  quilt is your fabric stash.

By mid afternoon I had most of the blocks and the borders  sewn together.   My DH is my quilt layout foreman.    I place the blocks on the bed in a pattern I think looks good.  Then he comes in and gives it the thumbs up or thumbs down.  When he makes a suggestion it oftens works better than my original idea.

The foundation of my string blocks is  9 inch squares of cotton. To match the thickness of the blocks  I decided to use denim for the borders  and crumb blocks on the corners.  This will be a  very heavy cover as the flannel back will add to the weight.  The perfect winter weather quilt.

Snow Day

According to my DH,  shoveling out from this storm is as bad as  shoveling sh*t.   He was  raised on a farm, so he knows his sh*t.  The snow is wet, heavy and difficult to move.  For the past hour he has been out in the yard shoveling as the snow is too heavy for the snow blower.  He punctuates his labour  with short breaks to bring me the status of the storm.   Everything is covered with a thin layer of ice, topped with a thick layer of snow, and we are not out of the woods yet.   Parts of the province are without power, and might be so until 6:00 o`clock tonight.  The storm will combine with a another storm front tomorrow, so we will have nasty weather until Tuesday.

While my DH is out in the cold, wet, snow I am indoor fondling fabric.  I intend to spend the rest of the day sewing, with brief intervals of cooking.  Sounds fair to me.

Today`s menu will be made from recipes I found on the web. Chili and southwestern drop biscuits from Yes, we cook!  for lunch.    Saturday nights` dinner and a movie will be baked egg rolls from Under a Blue and Moon and our all time favourite carrot and pork dumplings from Retorte, and chicken and pork lettuce wraps, thanks again to Yes, we cook!

So if you`re hungry come on over, my DH should have the driveway shoveled by then.