Things I like Thursdays Apr 26

Greetings!

Here is my list of likes for this week:

1. A new blog to follow. Jocelyn at canadianneedlenana posted about Susan Carlson's blog and You  Tube tutorials  a week or so ago.  Naturally, I had to check Susan out because Jocelyn's likes are similar to mine.  Wow, I had no idea how inspiring Susan's artwork would be. I have never made or even tried "artistry quilting".  I have admired Lee Anna's artistry at lapaylor.blogspot.com but did not feel it was something I could do. But, after watching Susan Carlson on You Tube tutorials, I am hooked:

This is my first attempt-Pastiche. Tiny, little scraps of fabric are glued onto muslin to form a piece. I cut batting and muslin about 22 inch square and drew circles on muslin; then started gluing scraps to the design.  It's a great exercise in color placement and a serene project.  I hope you will check out Susan on You Tube as her designs are so beautiful.

2.My grandson's 8th grade graduation photo . Thomas got his first real shirt and tie in his favorite color-orange!

He is trying to be serious while mom was cracking him up to make him smile.  Sooo  cute. He looks older than he is. It's hard to believe he was 1.5 pounds at birth. Thank you God.

3. Plant protein. So, this is a long story but here goes. I have several medical issues already and last  week got a new one for my birthday next week.  I seem to get a new, permanent, medical  issue every 10 years(40, 50, 60 and now 70th birthday- what's with that?).  This time was a little scary- I was weak, shaky, dizzy and brain fog!  After lots of tests-it was diagnosed as reactive hypoglycemia.  I had an attack every day for 11 days 2 hours after breakfast. Crazy. I've been borderline to diabetes for years but not this. Luckily, I had an attack in the doctor office and he checked my blood sugar which was low. He gave me a bottle of apple  juice right then and there. Twenty minutes later I was fine.
So, I was put on increased protein in my diet.  This is a very new area to me-protein shakes, powders, cookies, etc and of course watching carbs and sugars.  I already have a restricted diet- no gluten, so, yellow no.5. But, when you can find something that makes you feel better, sleep better and have more energy without drugs, I'm in.
This particular product works for me:

I spent days researching and trying different products as they are not inexpensive.  Plant Fusion is available online thru Amazon, but I didn't want my food product sitting in a hot delivery truck (about 120 degrees in a truck) all day so I purchased it at Sprouts.  I'm pleased with the results.  I do however carry snacks with me wherever I go just in case.


That's what has brought me joy this last week.  How about you? I  appreciate you stopping by and love your comments. Please join us at Lee Anna's Not Afraid of Color to see other "likes" posts.

This is going to be a busy week celebrating my birthday, and watching Thomas then on Friday because teachers are going on strike! This is really hard on parents who are finding alternative places for the kids while they are at work, but teachers need help too while the governor and legislature are not doing anything to help teachers-just talk. Scary times because the kids will suffer this late in the year and close to graduation.

Until next time-have a great day!
mary💮

Things I like Thursday Apr 19

Greetings!

Once again, the week flew by. This time due to medical issues-- again.  I swear this has been a long year of issues and it's only April. Running back and forth to doctor, blood tests, etc.etc. Oh and new drugs-that's my favorite   -NOT.   Of course, I'm even missing my Wednesday sewing  meeting I just joined!
Oh well, hope things calm down soon.

In the meantime, I do have a list of likes that have been making me happy:

1. "Cuban" pork ribs.

I used pork shoulder ribs (a cheaper cut of meat) and cut small slits in the meat. I combined  2T olive oil, juice of 1 orange, lots of salt and pepper, 1tsp lemon juice, 1tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp cumin, dash of cayenne and dash of Italian seasoning in a small bowl . I put the ribs in the crock and brushed them with the seasoning mixture. Then I added a bay leaf to the top of each piece. Cover the whole thing with parchment paper and then the lid. Cook on low 6 hours. =DEVINE.

By the way, I have used this seasoning mixture on chicken thighs in the crock pot without the orange and it's very good.


2.My 30 day old tomato plant update

I'm pleased to say I have a few buds!

3. My 30 day snow peas update:

From seed!!  yay!! Since this photo was taken, I 've added strings for them to climb on.

4. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta courtesy of The Pioneer Woman.

This entire sauce is made from a jar of roasted red peppers- no tomatoes.  Here is the recipe:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/quick-and-easy-roasted-red-pepper-pasta. 

This was relatively easy and SOOOOO good.  A welcome change from tomato sauce. 

So, as you can see - I'm cooking and eating well.  I just need to find more time to sew! 
Hope everyone is finally warming up in the northern states!  Enjoy your day and thanks for dropping by!
mary   💮

Things I like Thursday Apr 12

Greetings!

Just in case you are wondering-we will probably hit 100 degrees today! Yeah, our So- Called- Spring was about 3 weeks. Ugh.   It's been a pretty busy week- new brakes on the truck, new fan installed in the living room and new blinds installed in the living room and dining room. This is an old home(1973) so some things were not made to last forever. However, see my number one "like" and others below:

1. Renting my home not owning. My last home was a money pit and as I've gotten older I can't repair or install stuff myself.  So then I had to pay for those repairs/installs or ask the kids for help. In the words of the "church lady"- "Not gonna happen".

The drapery rods fell out of the wall at the living room window when I went to close the drapes last Friday! Scared the daylights out of me! I lifted one rod hanging to the floor  and stuck it back up against the brace (the other is left on the floor with the ugly old drapes ).  Called the landlord, threw up a sheet and left for the quilt shop.

The repair guy came yesterday and installed custom blinds!  Love them- so much prettier and easier to clean. I don't know why he put  the rods back up on the wall. weird.

2.  The movie, The Martian. 

Sorry, this is the only photo I could find.   Matt Damon was cast perfectly for this role. The story kept me totally engrossed!  I love getting lost inside a movie.


3. Omiyage for Safelight. This is from the website,From My Carolina Home. Carole provides a project each year for shelters that provide services for domestic violence.  This year, the project is to make a very quick, easy, set of sunglasses case and cosmetic case:

I stopped all sewing and made a set in order to meet the deadline.  I used 2 fat quarters alternating the outer vs inner fabric. So cute.  Stuck them in the mail today.  Otherwise, they would never have been done in time. I provided the link to her website above and hope you will check it out.

4. The HST Cheat Sheet provided by Jacquelynne Steves at : jacquelynne

I couldn't duplicate this correctly for you, but have provided the link above in case you want to get it. I'm going to start a new project soon that requires HST's made with triangles and I  need to change the instructions so I can make HST's this way ( I don't sew triangles together to make a square -well at all).
This way, you determine the finished square needed, cut 2 squares, sew the 2 together down both sides of the diagonal, cut down the center and you have 2 HST squares.  So much easier and more accurate.


5. My new Rolling Shopper Tote from Amazon.

Officially, it is Olympia USA Cosmopolitan Rolling Shopper Tote.  It's for traveling with quilting supplies to class or a sewing day. It arrived yesterday and is big. Vinyl on the outside for easy cleaning and durability.  I needed something on wheels, but not my sewing machine case. I attend my sewing meetings on Wednesday but don't need to take my sewing  machine.  I was carrying a tote with supplies and projects but it was too heavy to carry from the parking lot, so I spent hours online searching for something lightweight on rollers. I think this will work.  It cost $31 plus tax and shipping. It stores nicely in the back seat of my SUV or here in my bedroom.

I thank you for stopping by and hope you will leave some comments.  I love reading your thoughts.   Please join us at Lee Anna's blog for more "likes" at Not Afraid of Color
Have a great day! ☺
mary

Thursday Things I like Apr 5

Greetings!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week of Spring. We are in the 90's now (already). Ugh.
The allergies are all haywire for most people as everything is in bloom here in the desert. I am no exception. I'm taking Benadryl every night and trying to stay indoors.

Here are my "likes" for this week.

1.  A reputable auto service center.  I can handle most stress and interruptions in our daily life but car trouble is not one of them.  Last year, I lost my brakes without warning and coasted into a neighborhood national- chain auto service center.  The manager was very nice but the repair work wasn't.  A year later and the brake pedal just wasn't right so I went to the Ford dealership where I worked for 20 years and was treated well and correctly.  My vehicle should be ready today and I can rest easy it's done right.

2. My RSC March blocks. I forgot to post these so thought I'd better do that before I start the April ones. Lime/yellow green are the colors for March:

I'm using scraps for most of the blocks but was just a few short so cut on some fat quarters. Guess I don't use green much. Then, I'm using a charm pack of solids which were cut into mini's for the center HST's.   The colors for April are yellow/gold so I have them cut and ready to start.

3.  My New Cookbook.  I don't cook as much as I did years ago, but for the last 2 years (almost 3) , I have been trying to use the Crock Pot instead of the oven.  That's because the oven is old, not sealed shut very well and heats up the whole house which is not good here in the hot desert.  I also love watching cooking shows: The Kitchen, Cook's Country, Pioneer Woman, Trisha Yearwood, Jacques Pepon, etc.
America's Test Kitchen is one of my favorites which I also record.  So, when I saw their Slow Cooker cookbook at the book store, I was thrilled. I usually don't purchase cookbooks (or any real books for myself) but this was an exception.

ATK not only tries many new ways of cooking as well as recipes , they also test products used in the kitchen.  Sometimes, that is tools, appliances, spices (from various countries), storing containers, and condiments. It feels like a scientific or analytical approach to cooking.  But, I have found their recipes to be easy and inspiring.

One of my goals was to make a GOOD pot roast in the crock pot. Mine had not been tender or juicy.  The few I've made turned out gray, dry and tough.
 This is a photo from the book and I swear to you mine came out as delicious, moist and tender as this photo.  I forgot to take a photo of mine!  We were busy eating.  It cooked for 9 hours on low and we had to smell it in the house ALL DAY LONG! That may seem like a long time (and it is) but, for those of you working out of the home during the day or cooking overnight, that might be a good idea. My crock pot keeps food warm for 2 hours after the scheduled timer.

With this cookbook, I've learned to prepare stuff for the crock pot instead of just throwing ingredients in there and hoping for the best.  For instance, combining the  spices with a little oil and cooking a few minutes in the microwave before adding to the crock pot enhances the aroma and taste of  the spices.  Browning the roast is a must.
As you can see, I am a convert to this way of cooking thanks to ATK!

It's been a good week and I look forward to the week end. Hope ya'll are enjoying spring!
Thanks for stopping by and please join us at:Not Afraid of Color for more "likes". !
mary

Happy Easter

                                                    HAPPY    EASTER