Exciting!

I can't tell you how giddy being able to post this badge on my blog makes me!

Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt - week 3

Hello again! I took last week off from blogging about the mystery quilt, but I'm back this week. Last week's block really had me frustrated because my printer wouldn't print out the correct size, and quite truthfully, the instructions left me baffled. Different designers have different methods, and I'm not used to this designer yet. Thankfully, this week was more clear for me. Piecing strips I can do. I'm afraid that the green I have is too dark, and doesn't read well next to the black. Not sure if I should rummage through my stash for something else to use. I really don't want to  have to rip out seams and swap out greens. I haven't done many strips yet, so I may switch things out for the rest. I already had these greens leftover from batik strips sets I bought several years ago.  Since they were in 2.5 inch strips, I stitched and then trimmed down to the correct width. Speaking of trimming, anyone else going through lots of rotary cutter blades? I swear, batik fabrics must dull the blades more quickly than other fabrics.

This is my first block completed from week 3. I am half done with my week 2 blocks. I have to cut out more black squares to finish up the rest of the double diamond blocks. I have a bunch more of week 1 blocks to finish, too, but I'd say I am 3/4s done with those.

Blocks 1 and 2 were giving me a hard time because my machine didn't want to feed the multiple layers with seams. I had been hand turning the wheel for several stitches, until over the hump caused by the HST seam. That got old, really fast. So, speaking of old, I went out and got myself a "new" machine. Isn't she pretty?? She's a 328k from 1961. She sews like a champ! She's quite powerful, and I am getting to know her, so my seams aren't perfect. I don't expect the quilt police to show up and my house (or in my comments), so I will say I am happy with how I have been piecing with her. I will need to replace the bobbin tire, but right out of the proverbial box, she has been great. I am amazed at all of the accessories that came with her, and in pristine condition. I'm guessing that she wasn't used a whole lot. And get a load of the price on the package of needles. When was the last time you bought a package of needles for thirty cents?

Axis Of Ineptitude - Celebrity Crush

In true inept fashion, I have barely posted this month. In good faith, however, I cannot, simply cannot let today's prompt pass without posting. CELEBRITY CRUSH. Oh, yes. I will try not to think about how much younger these fine gentlemen are than me. And yes, I am happily married. As a wise woman once told me, "just because you've already ordered, doesn't mean you can't look at the menu."

Yum.

I don't care how old I am, I'm still going to

How appropriate that today's prompt falls on my birthday. One of my favorite birthday traditions from when I worked in NYC was to head to Central Park on my birthday and ride the carousel. This picture was taken the last time I was in New York. My mom, my sister and I all met up, did fun things, and while it wasn't on my birthday, it was close enough to it to count. I miss that carousel.
So, I don't care how old I am, I'm still going to ride on carousels.

Come Play In May - Inside My Purse

It's hard to believe that it's just about the end of the month. I've blogged just about every day of May. Pretty much a record, for me. So, today's prompt is what's in my purse. Apparently, I am a hoarder of eye drops.

The contents: one wallet, one checkbook, 31 Gifts wristlet with a lanyard from Home Depot so I can wear it around my neck, garage door opener, glasses case with cleaning cloth, keys, nail clippers, lip gloss, one tube of lip balm, one EOS lip sphere, loose change, pocket knife with black canvas cover (pink camo. My husband *gets* me), two lottery tickets, my shopper card to Quilt Country, a packet of Taco Bell fire sauce, receipts, Bear's new rabies tag still in envelope, one cortaid dabber, hand cream, a bottle of Zyrtec, two pens, a Larabar, mini flashlight from Walgreens that I got at the last 5k I did, a puffy mint and an empty puffy mint wrapper, and last but not least, FIVE bottles of eye drops.

Come Play In May - Art: Create Something Beautiful

While it's a little flippant, my bio for Pinterest reads "Reader. Runner. Gardener. Quilter. Hoarder of Cookbooks. Dog Mom. Geek." While I may dabble in a few other things, and I'm not terribly accomplished at any one of these things, this pretty much sums me up. (My husband would REALLY agree with the whole 'Hoarder of Cookbooks' title, but he hoards his own crap, so he really can't bust my chops on that one.)

So what, you may ask, does this have to do with creating something beautiful? I am a hoarder of really expensive batik fabrics, too. When they get sewn together in a pleasing manner, they become a quilt. I've really got to get back to working on this one. The right strip has been removed, ahem, "un-sewed" because I put the wrong shade of purple batik on there. Would anyone but me notice? Maybe not, but it really irked me. Now that I look at it, the bottom one needs to come off, too.

I need to work on this one because I haven't ever made a quilt for me and my husband. I've contributed a lot of blocks to church quilts, which is how I started quilting in the first place, I've made several quilts for friends, and last Christmas, I gave my sister the quilt below.

Since I have so much pretty stuff to play with, I'd best get a move on.

Come Play In May - Day 3: Cook a Thing. Do or Do Not... there is no Try

 

Woo Hoo! Now this I know how to do. I can cook things. Not always successfully, but I can cook all of the things.

This morning I did a 5k, and I wanted something quick to eat before the race. I'm trying to cut out wheat again, so I needed to make something gluten free. The new Runner's World cookbook has some great ideas. I call them ideas, not recipes, because I rarely follow a recipe. They're jumping off points. The recipe for Sweet and Savory Corn Cakes sounded interesting. I'm more a savory girl myself, but the sweet or savory comes from the toppings. Eh. Butter is topping enough for me.

Here's our cast of characters. I added the garlic powder and the McCormick's Fiesta Citrus Seasoning. Hey, it's almost Cinco De Mayo, so why not add a little extra.

1 can creamed corn
1 c cornmeal (I almost rebelled and used white cornmeal instead of the yellow their recipe calls for)
1 egg, whisked
2 T olive oil
1/2 c flour (I used gluten free blend)
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t McCormick's Seasoning
1 T garlic powder
1/2 c water

In a pan, heat up the creamed corn. When it's warm, stir in half of the corn meal. When combined, add in the whisked egg, water, and the olive oil. 

In separate bowl, mix together the remaining half cup of cornmeal, flour, and baking powder.

Stir the creamed corn mixture in to the flour mixture until combined.

Heat up a frying pan over medium high heat. Drizzle a bit of olive oil or spray with cooking spray. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter on to the pan, smoothing with the back of the spoon. Cook for about 4 minutes per side, or until they are golden brown.

The batter makes about 12 corn cakes. I bet these would be tasty, if you didn't use garlic powder and fiesta citrus seasoning, that is, with maple syrup. I know for a fact that they're really good with butter. My test kitchen companions, Mitzi, Sparkie, Bear, and Tessa, all approve of this recipe.

You know I burned my fingers eating one of these bad boys, straight out of the frying pan, don't you?

Come Play In May - Day 2: Define Yourself

 

Your mission, Kyra, should you choose to accept it, is to define yourself in an uncommon way. I'd say the picture below does just that. I am a virtual running geek. These are some of my really cool race medals. There's Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Half Marathon, the Firefly 14 k and (hidden behind it) the Firefly 14 mile, my Jedi Challenge 10k (Han Solo, frozen in stuff) and my Cyberman Delete Delete Half Marathon. Coming soon will be my Sherlock 22 mile medal.

What this picture doesn't show is that I am a total mush when it comes to dogs. The Doctor Who race raised money for Boston service dogs, The Firefly race raised, and the Sherlock race is currently raising, money for Galgos (Spanish Greyhounds. If you have a heart, look in to their plight.) The Cyberman race raised money for the AMAA Youth Fund, and the Jedi Challenge race raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

So, there you have it. I am a geek. And I am awesome. At least that's what I am telling myself right now.

Want to come play with us?

Fortune Cookie Friday

One of my food "addictions" is take-out Chinese food. Before The Aussie and I moved down from the NYC area, I told friends that I was going to miss our local Chinese food place. "Oh, but there's such good barbeque in Texas." Yeah, like that's a good comparison. (I rarely eat barbeque) For the first few years, the only Chinese restaurants we found were buffet style, with not many menu options. Occasionally we would stumble upon a halfway decent Chinese restaurant, but nothing very close. Fast forward to about a year and a half ago, and viola! A take-out Chinese restaurant opens up about a mile away from us. Yay for me! As much as I like cooking, some nights I really don't want to or have the time to. And to let you in on a little secret of mine, I collect fortune cookie fortunes.

This is a vase that's almost half full of fortunes. I tell you, I've been saving them for a looonnng time. I was throwing crap out cleaning up in my office the other day and I came across some fortunes that I brought with me from my last office in NYC. Wow. They've been hanging out, collecting dust, not socializing with the other fortunes. So I popped them in the the vase with the others. Then I realized, why don't I make the fortunes earn their keep? So, I decided that Fridays will now be "Fortune Cookie Friday." I will pull a fortune out at random and write a blog post about it.

Here goes....

Ooh. This is a good one for the inaugural FCF.

True friends. These may be friends that you've known for years and years. They may be people you haven't met in person yet.  They may be friends that you've gotten to know online through the Fitbloggin FB group. True friends will have lend you a shoulder to lean on when you're going through difficult times. True friends will have your back when you are struggling to get back on track, but won't hesitate to give you a kick in the ass when you need it. True friends will yell your name across a crowded room before they rush over to give you a hug. True friends are people who "get you." They're your Tribe. True friends can be you, too. So give yourself a hug and go be awesome. 'Cause there's no off switch on Awesome.