good eating

I've been doing some on-line research on the topic of once-a-month-cooking and today I have been busy in or near my kitchen all day long! This is not the norm for me! I do like to do some cooking, but what I still struggle with is thinking of what to cook. Bob is much better at that than I am. Even after raising up those kids and living the good life in the empty nest, I still can't seem to get my act together 9 times out of 10! So even though these monthly cooking binges are more aimed at younger families with kids at home, I am applying some of those principles for the 2 of us. This is what I came up with--

Oh, that's just the detritus of my day of slaving over a hot stove! The good stuff is mostly already in the freezer: 2 pans of tater tot hotdish, 3 pans of porcupine meatballs, 2 containers of chicken pot pie filling with accompanying frozen crusts, 2 pans of apple & sausage pancakes, 2 bags of bean & ham soup, and soon 2 bags of beef stew. Whew! And a roast with potatoes and carrots in the oven for supper! It has been kind of fun, except for the dirty dishes part, and this will get me off the hook for many nights to come! A wonderful autumnal day here and I found this when I went out to the mailbox--

I love the feel of that milkweed fluff, it is like nothing else on earth. Some of the plush minkee-type fabrics do come close, I think that's why I always see people fondling those bolts in the shop!

I finished up a quilt for Donna, a friend and member of the Ham Lake Piecemakers. It is a collection of blocks with a sunflower and birdhouse theme. Very cute, and now ready for binding!

Remember back in August I told you about the closet? Well, the makeover is nearly done, and this is what it's looking like now--

I think I'm ready to put the doors back on and call it done. I feel so good about the sorting and cleaning that this involved, with quite a few things heading elsewhere to new homes. I found an alarming number of bags of all shapes and sizes, that many bags can't be healthy! So 3 bags full of bags went to my mom for a church bazaar and I have one bag of bags to give to Brita, but I am still left with 4 big bags of bags! So I will be considering what to do about that. Bob did a fabulous job putting up all those shelves with good support so my heavy boxes don't make them saggy.

Sooo--that's what I've been up to lately. And finished the Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, a spellbinder to the very end. It's the end of the stories about Lisbeth Salander, and I would love to continue reading more mysteries about her, so it's bittersweet to be done. She's the grownup version of Pippi Longstocking, one of my favorite storybook characters. I wanted to be just like Pippi! But that was the 60's, and anything seemed possible! But every now and then I think I need to get in touch with my inner Pippi, don't you?

what I'm working on...

Here's some things I have been working on lately...

When I went on vacation in Colorado, I packed a bag of handwork projects and I usually had some time in the evenings to relax with some good fiber fun.

First, the knitting:

Maybe not Brita's most flattering pose, sorry Bubba, but you are beautiful in my eyes! Pattern by Brooklyn Tweed, yarn is washable wool.

And another littler hat in basically the same pattern but smaller:

yarn is CottonEase by Lion Brand

Some more blocks for the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt class at Bear Patch Quilting Co.

Then I spent a little time learning to use this funky little ruler that I had an idea might be kind of fun to try out. And it really is! It is called the Double Diamond 3.5 ruler from Bright Quilting Notions. It creates a dimensional design that kind of reminds me of some Seminole piecing that I did long long ago.

This shows a closeup so you can see the cut and folded triangles a little better--

I plan to teach this as a future class at the shop because I think it is a fun technique, but easier to learn with some step-by-step demonstration.

Also, I've obtained the recording of The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest, and it is SO GOOD! Very intriguing. My only regret is that I know it is the end of the series about my new heroine, Lisbeth Salander. I've read the rumors about the supposed 4th partially written book, but since the author, Steig Larsson, died it is doubtful that I will get to read about any more of Lisbeth's exciting life. I can still look forward to the movie of this book next year.