Family Today!

We had a great time! Friday afternoon Isabel arrived with her chauffeur. Grandpa on a walk with Brook and Isabel...Isabel fell asleep about 2 seconds later.

For supper we had shrimp pasta salad and Irish soda Bread.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Traditional%20Irish%20Soda%20Bread

Before...


...after...

After Isabel's night bedtime Friday, Colt showed up with his entourage. After some visiting, Colt got fussy. Granny (that would be ME) took him out to the screen porch and we sat in one of the rocking patio chairs. He fell asleep in about 2 seconds.

Saturday morning...HELLO COUSIN. Unfortunately, Colt had a bit of a stuffy nose and they weren't permitted to get too close to each other.

We visited and played and I held babies ...although from the photos you would never guess it!

I baked a ham and cooked pinto beans, roasted sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with a bit of grated nutmeg and a very light sprinkle of cayenne pepper, roasted asparagus drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt, mixed green salad with homemade honey mustard salad dressing... http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/honey%20mustard%20salad%20dressing ..., homemade peppercorn salad dressing, and a bottled jar of raspberry vinaigrette. And a loaf of bread machine white bread...with butter!

For dessert...a strawberry pie. http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Strawberry%20Pie

Before... ...after.

I'm going to have to do something different with the strawberry pie. The juice is too juicy. I don't want it set up like pudding...but I don't want it like water. I've always used flour for thickening in my fruit pies. Next time I bake a strawberry pie I am going to use cornstarch. If that doesn't work, I'll try tapioca.

We also had a chocolate pudding cake.

http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/search/label/Chocolate%20Pudding%20Cake

I did not get a photo of it. And now...there's only one slice left. Hmmm...See you later!

French Braid Quilt Revisited

My friend Bea/Holee used my tutorial and made this quilt top.

http://beashive-bea.blogspot.com/2011/04/french-braid-quilt-top-finished.html

Didn't she do a great job?!

They're Baaa-ack!

I kept hearing something bumping late yesterday. No tennis shoes in the dryer. The dishwasher was correctly loaded. Hmmmm. The TANAGERS are back! This darlin' couple normally starts up at 5 a.m.

(See her (yellow) top left? He's (red) sitting in the second bottom frame from the right.)

Every spring since 2005, we have to shut my sewing room door just so we can sleep. He is sitting so sweetly and makes cooing noises about that good looking hen over there. She just swallows it hook, line, and sinker and goes to battle. While he sits and winks. WHAT'S THAT?! Over there?! Making eyes at my woman? er...hen! I'll go ruffle his feathers for a change!

I Ironed. Blech!!

This was definitely a working weekend. The only thing left to do (in the house) is to bring the step ladder in so that I can put some quilts on the top shelf of the closet and clean the top shelves in the two open shelving areas in the master bath. I also need to dust the livingroom furniture and my breakfront china cabinet. Then...the spring cleaning...will be through!!! (Except for my sewing room and that's a different on-going project.) In other words...I worked my butt off. Oh...just turned around and it's still there. RATS! My floors are so clean! I ran around barefooted before having to put on shoes to go to work. Sam and I ate pizza for dinner Sunday. We were sitting there minding our own business when a young couple with two small children sat right behind me. Sigh. But the kids were cute and well mannered. Dad corrected the little boy when he grabbed a handful of ham cubes. Dad said, "No. Not a handful, only a few." Older sister replied, "A few means 'two'." While Mom was at the buffet filling her plate, the little girl started crying. Very obviously SOMETHING was wrong. I turned around and she was holding her hand out with one finger extended. She had BITTEN her own finger. I just about fell out of my chair laughing.