Vacuuming the oven

 I have two types of severe allergies.   One  is to chemicals, perfumes, etc, the second is to housework.  Growing up I lived in a house that was so clean you could eat off the floor.  Mind you, you would never find a crumb of food on the floors as they were cleaned at least 3 times a day.    The worse fight I can remember my parents having was about germs.   That is not what started the fight.  But when Dad realized he was fig a losing the battle he pulled out the big guns.  He looked my Mom straight in the eyes and exclaimed “Mertiece,  someday a germ is going to get into this house and wipe us all out”.  My mom went berserk.   It wasn’t the thought that her entire family could face complete annihilation.  It was that Dad would even consider a germ entering her spic and span house”.

For years I tried to keep a clean house.   Then slowly I came to the realization that it doesn’t really matter.  You clean the house and nobody comes to visit.  You let it look like a pig sty and national television will appear at your door.    I’m opting for the 15 minutes of fame rather than a clean house.

Thankfully I now have a husband and brother who will chip in and help clean up.   I’m in charge of the groceries and cooking, they do the clean up.   However no one ever volunteers to clean the oven. Last weekend I made radio pudding, this weekend I had to vacuum the oven.

Apparently the pudding had overflowed.  When the oven was turned on, black smoke billowed out.   I knew it was time.   Once the windows were opened, the smoke detectors unplugged and the neighbours reassured, I pulled out the baking soda.   Even when the oven catches on fire, it leaves black chunks of previously enjoyed meals.    I dampened the oven with water, sprinkled on baking soda and let it set for an hour.    Then I pulled the Shop Vac from the basement and vacuumed the entire oven.  Works for me.

I thought quilting was relaxing?

I have been at a quilt passe for the past few days.  I have been working on Andrea’s Christmas Tree quilt since Monday evening.   Actually I’m not working on it, I’m staring at it.  There is one small 2 1/2 inch block that is driving me crazy. I finished the center block on Monday night, but I’m not happy with the colours of the fabric that forms the top of the tree.  So there it sits on my cutting table.   Sometimes I think I’m a bit too anal but I come by it honestly.   My mother is an incredible seamstress and my father is a  retired shipbuilder.   From an early age, I was taught if it wasn;’t perfect you didn’t settle.  

 BesidesI’m hoping Andrea will enjoy the quilt for many Christmases to come.   She doesn’t need to hear me say…….”Oh, I hate that colour” everything time I pass the quilt.

The good news is, as I was pondering on the block, I sorted fabric.    When Jeannette dropped the quilts off last week she mentioned her daughter would take my scraps to make a chinese coin quilt.   So I have a large bag of scraps for Jessica, my fabric is a bit more manageable…………and today I’m going shopping to find just the perfect blue fabric to finish Andrea’s quilt.  Wish me luck!

“Home is where we should draw our strength.  Though as life goes on, it is increasingly the place where we recuperate.  In the happenings of the larger world beyond, there seems to be a delight in distress and uncertainty which I cannot share.  Protection among the things that I know and love has become required security”……….”the kind of house where you can comfortably reach the end of your thether/ give-up/ pass  out/pretend your day happened to someone else instead of you”………..Simon Blow

This hasn’t been one of those days, it has been one of those weeks.  So for dinner this evening I pampered myself.    I made spicy garlic shrimp  with caesar salad.  Maybe it is a good thing that Carl is working out of town.  

Happy Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving to our American family (San, Sadee and Sunshine) and blog readers.  If you would like a pdf of this quilt card, please leave a comment. 

Mittens

My ninety year old neighbour, Winnie, knitted these lovely mittens for me, with strings attached.    Nothing this pretty and colour co-ordinated ever came out of my grandmother’s knitting bag. 

Winnie is an incredible person.   She and her husband were childless.  She has been widowed for 20 years and has outlived most of her friends.   A severe fall a few years back left her dependent on a crutch, but Winnie never complains.   Her mind is sharp, her wit is sharper.  I hope I’m like that when I hit 60 let alone 90.

 I can not knit, despite numerous attempts and instructors.   Until grade two I was predominately left handed.   When we moved to town I attended a Catholic school, where  I was slapped each time on the arm each time I wrote using my left hand.  So I learned at an early age to use my right hand.   When I attempt to knit, despite my best attempts, I knit backwards.

Everything old is new again.

During my after work blog jog I read this entry which made me think of another prize I won a long time ago.  The day Andrea was born, her paternal grandmother aka Little Nanny entered her name in the Carnation Milk lucky baby contest.  Our entry was drawn for first prize, one dozen disposable diapers.   That may not sound like much of a prize but at that time disposable diapers were just being introduced to the market place.  No one I knew had even seen disposable diapers. 

How I hoarded that dozen diapers.   I would only put one on Andrea when we had someplace special to go, such as my grandmother’s, Andrea’s baptism and the last one for her first birthday.

I can still hear my grandmother tsk-tsk ” Disposable diapers.  Disposable bottles.  What next disposable babies?”

Andrea’s own children came home from the hospital wearing cloth diapers, which were just returning to vogue.  It never ceases to amaze me, how everything just goes round in circles.

Andrea and my grandmother celebrating Andrea’s 1st birthday.

Lentil Rice Loaf

Most of my family do not eat beef.  So this is a perfect “meat” loaf for us, which is also vegan.  I serve this loaf with mashed potatoes, pickled beets and green peas.  This freezes well so it makes a perfect standby dish for those busy nights during December.

19 oz. can of lentils, drained, rinsed and mashed

2 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup EACH of chopped onion, green peppers, red peppers, celery, shredded carrot, and walnuts

1/2 cup bread crumbs

2 cups salsa

3 cloves garlic crushed

2 T. olive oil

1/4 teaspoon EACH of salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a skillet; add garlic, onions, peppers, celery, carrot and walnuts.  Cook 3 minutes. Add rice, lentils, bread crumbs 1 1/2 cups salsa and seasonings.  Stir and press into a glass oven dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  Heat remaining sauce, slice loaf and top with heated sauce.

Don’t tell Emma

This is one of Emma’s Christmas gift.  I started it in February at my weekly quilting visit with my friend Win.  The pattern had to be something that did not require a lot of concentration as we talk more than we quilt.  It is a variation on the Chinese Coin pattern and the flip and stitch method.  If you would like more instructions on making a similar quilt, please leave a comment.  Jeanette, my quilt finisher, only had to do the binding this time but still did a lovely job

Emma saids that a quilt is made with love in every stitch.  Not only is this quilt made with love in every stitch, it is also made with memories. Each piece of fabric either was part of a previous quilt I’ve made or a scrap from her mother’s sewing basket.  Pieces of baby dresses made for Emma, Sarah and Meaghan, scraps from Addison’s pyjamas, cloth napkins made for Sunday dinners all form part of this quilt.  Bound together by Emma’s favourite colour, yellow, which makes everyone happy.

Home alone and loving it

Being the oldest of seven children, growing up it was a rare event to be alone at home. Today the Maritimes are being hit with a snowstorm and both my husband and brother are out of town. And I have the house all to myself………at least until this afternoon.

I’m an early riser even on the weekends. So finding myself alone on this stormy morning, I did what I like the best. I made breakfast and took it back to bed.  For me it has to be the whole meal deal.  On the tray I bought on Marken Island near Amsterdam years ago, I placed poached eggs, whole wheat toast, pumpkin preserves and my favourite big mug full of tea.  This  makes the perfect breakfast in bed meal, especially when you add the latest issue of Mother Earth News and Connecting Threads. CBC Maritime Morning played softly in the background. Life is good.

Now back to reality.  The soup is simmering on the stove (chicken and rice for this storm).  The turkey is ready for the oven.  Applesauce sauce, cranberry relish and potato stuffing for tonight’s dinner need to be cooked.  I’m happy I don’t sleep in late.

Card tricks and fabric wishes

Andrea took this picture of an incredible quilt at the Woodstock Public Library.   Andrea loves the colour blue and this “card trick quilt” shows it to perfection.

But I think I should finish this Christmas card trick table topper before I add a blue card trick quilt to Andrea’s wish list.  Subtle though the hint was given.

Andrea emailed this afternoon, between our discussions about Christmas fabric for her blue wall hanging and with Crazy Mom  showing cute holiday fabric charm packs, Andrea thinks is dreaming of a stash of co-ordinated fabrics.  Unbeknownst to Andrea, I was reading Crazy Mom, thinking the same thing.    Can you say “after Christmas shopping at Fabricville with your Mom, Andrea?” Or how about “Hey Andrea, you’re turning into your mother”.