Valentine's dinner...and flowers

As I previously mentioned, Mike made dinner on Valentine's Day. Here he is, looking a little grumpy, probably because of my comments...

...on how he is so messy when he cooks. He only had 4 of the 5 burners going here.

I broke out one of the tablecloths we bought in India.

And the flowers? Not for Valentine's Day. I got 3 books, one about the Wizard of Oz (one of my favorite movies) and two about Istanbul, where we hope to go later this year. The flowers to which I refer are the camellias blooming in my front yard. Although we have had record setting cold this winter, these lovelies are a sure sign of spring.



Unfortunately, after spring comes summer...

Happy Valentine's Day

I made dinner last year on Valentine's Day, but since it is on Sunday this year, Mike is cooking. Since it is also Chinese New Year, he is making a Chinese inspired dish that was in the Houston Chronicle last Wednesday, Sesame Salmon with Bok Choy. No photos yet...

Always a Northerner: Le Creuset Giveaway (or, I may as well use this blog for something!)

Jackie is having a Le Creuset giveaway, and by blogging about it, I get another chance to win. And since I don't appear to be doing anything else with this blog of mine...of course if you enter, you have a chance too!

Always a Northerner: Le Creuset Giveaway

Just like Seinfeld...a post about nothing

I know it has been a month since my last post, I just don't know where the month has gone! I keep thinking that I should post something, but haven't really had anything to post about. We had the kids here for Christmas, which was great. I must admit that the only Christmas gifts I made this year were a hat and scarf out of Green Bay Packer fleece that I found on clearance at my local Hancock Fabrics. I still haven't figured our why they even had Green Bay Packer fleece! I haven't been very productive as of late. I have 3 unmade blocks of the month, still working on blind stitching the binding on my last quilt and have started another quilt as wedding gift for my nephew, who is getting married in March.

We cooked a delicious free range turkey for Christmas dinner, but I failed to take pictures...I was just enjoying having everyone here! My daughter, Kate, did take some pictures in my kitchen. I do have some pictures in my camera that I need upload. I know that a blog post without any pictures is even more boring than a blog post about nothing, so here is a shot of Mike and me at the Amber Fort in Jaipur.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas!

Earlier this year my dear Aunt June passed away at the age of 92. My cousin (her daughter) sent me a box of photographs from her, including this one of me and my father, circa 1955 or so. I had never seen it before and just fell in love with it. Look at the tinsel on that tree!

Just in case anyone still reads this...

We have been back from India for a week now and I am still fighting the jet lag. I'm trying to get into the holiday spirit and get stuff done, but wanted to let you know that I did find some "cloth" in India. I bought three saris (read 6 meters of fabric each!) and some cotton yardage as well. Hopefully I will get around to taking some pictures to share, but in the meantime have a look at the 558 I have uploaded to Flickr...India 11/09

Just realized that my toolbar has the added option of Type in Hindi...सतरंगे!

Greetings from India

I am such a bad blogger that I didn't even tell you I was going to India. Things were pretty hectic preparing for the trip. We left on Tuesday 11/17 and I worked 12 hours the previous Sunday and Monday...what WAS I thinking? Mike is giving several presentations at the AMPICON meeting here in Hyderabad and I am spending today in the hotel room catching up on my Google reader with some very sketchy Wi-Fi. I have taken LOTS of pictures but can't upload them because we are using an MDACC laptop...also I didn't bring the camera cord! I am trying to upload a photo from my iPhone but am not sure that is going to work.

We flew into Delhi through Amsterdam and spent a few days there before flying on to Hyderabad. Yesterday we hired a car & driver to see the sights around the city. We went to some historical sites and then stopped a couple of places to shop. The first was a pearl shop (Hyderabad is the pearl capitol of India) and the second was a handicraft shop where I purchased a lovely pashmina wrap (for myself :-) and several silk scarves to give as gifts. I was pleasantly surprised when the driver asked if we would like to visit a "cloth" shop. I, of course, responded an enthusiastic "Yes!" and told Mike he could wait in the car with the driver while I shopped for fabric. Imagine my disappointment when we pulled up in front of a clothing store. I profusely apologized to the driver for misunderstanding him. Mike just smiled.

"What's for dinner?"

"Food."
"What kind of food?"
"Good food!"
If my children read this, they will recognize this conversation.

Well, we were in Chicago earlier this week and had better than just good food...we had FANTASTIC food at Topolobampo. I had the Adventurer's Tasting Menu. The pictures are from my iPhone, so they are not that great, but trust me, dinner and wine were fabulous!

*"Tostadas" de Atun y Erizo: Hawaiian ahi tuna carpaccio and fresh Maine sea urchin with crispy tortillas, fresh lime and roasted garlic mojo. Fried leeks, avocado, sungold tomato. (Wine pairing: 2008 Sitios De Bodega "Con Class" Verdejo, Rueda, Spain) *Mollejas de Ternera, Mole Verde: "Popcorn" sweetbreads with green pumpkinseed mole. Roasted local turnip, fried plantain, Bayless Garden microgreens. (Wine pairing: 2008 Brander "Cuvee Natalie" Santa Ynez Valley, California) Cachetes de Halibut con Flores de Calabaza: Pan-seared halibut cheeks with creamy squash blossom sauce. Fresh shell black beans, garlicky "wilted" spinach, Oaxacan string cheese, tortilla crunch. (Wine pairing: 2006 Vincent Giradin Mersault "Les Narvaux" Cote D'Or, France) *Mole de Olla: Rich, red chile-and-epazote broth with 72-hour-braised Tallgrass short rib. Corn masa dumplings (chochoyotes), xoconostle (sour prickly pear) green peas, chayote. (Wine pairing: 1997 Terreno Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany, Italy) Mesquite, Peras, Manzana, Chocolate: Warm, nutty mesquite-bean cake with cajeta (goats milk caramel). Negra Modelo-poached Klug Farm pears and apples, dark beer chocolate. (Wine pairing: NV Campbells Rutherglen Tokay, Victoria, Australia)

The restaurant was very busy, crowded and noisy and the server was very scripted, but we still enjoyed our evening very much.

Everybody loves a giveaway...

...especially when fabric is involved! Check out the fabric giveaway at Everyday Beautiful...maybe one of us will win :-)

Did I say bi-weekly? I must have meant bi-monthly!

I have really thought about blogging a few times in the last two weeks, but just haven't gotten around to it. I have been working a bit more, my sister and niece were here last weekend for the Quilt Festival and we were in Milwaukee this past weekend for a wedding. Enough with the excuses, though. I have a few things to show you.

Here is my latest block of the month:

And here is a little (12"x 34") table runner I made from some of these fabrics. Not bad for two bucks.

I bought this chair as a birthday gift for Mike to go with our new couch.

We have had this chair for at least 15 years. We bought it at an antique store with no seat. We cut a piece of plywood to fit, had a piece of foam cut and I covered it with this 90s green fabric.

When I ordered the new chair, I also ordered a yard of matching fabric and recovered the cushion. Not a great picture, but you get the idea.

We decided that we needed a different coffee table to go with our new look. We considered buying a new one, but decided to take this route instead. Mike has had this trunk since his mother died. She used it when she moved from Chicago to San Francisco in 1939.


This is the shipping tag that was still attached. People misspelled Gillin even back then!

We had glass top made for it and are very pleased with the result.

As previously mentioned, I have the binding machine sewn onto this quilt, and have started the laborious process of blind-stitching. Wish me luck!

I LOVE the internet!!!

I know, I know... I have been a very bad blogger. It just seems that I have been very busy lately, working a fair amount and getting organized for some upcoming travel. We are going on a trip to India (yes, INDIA) next month and have been trying to get that all in order. We have our tickets from Houston to New Dehli, but still have lots to do in preparation for the trip. Our ultimate destination in Hyderbad, where Mike will be giving several presentations at AMPICON. Today we got online to fill out our visa applications, which I will take to Travisa Outsourcing on Tuesday with our passports and, oh yes, the obligatory passport pictures. Now we could just drive over to Walgreen's and spend the $12 to have some high school student take some really bad pictures of us, but I thought "There must be a better way." And there is. I Googled "passport photos" and the second hit was http://www.epassportphoto.com/. Five minutes later I had this:



Probably the best passport pictures he has ever had taken, for only the cost of photo paper and ink. Now I just have to get him to take one of me. I'm sure I will be more critical of mine.

Outstanding in the Field, again

Last Sunday (which just happened to be Mike's birthday), we went to another Outstanding in the Field event. If you recall, we went to one in Minnesota on July 31. This one was held at Jolie Vue Farm, which is where we get our monthly meat delivery from. This truck is part of the the Grass Fed Express, but I doubt that it actually makes 60+ mile trek into town.

It was HOT outside, so you can see why everyone was trying to huddle in the shade while Jim Denevan gave his talk.

This is the herd of cows whose off-spring make their way into our freezer.

After eight months with their mothers, these guys have it made in the shade while they fatten themselves up native grasses.

And here is where the pigs live, out in the forested areas.

One of the two heritage breeds, Berkshires and Durocs, that are raised here.


Some of the prep work being done to serve dinner to 150 out in the middle of the farm field.




The menu...

Roasted pig noses (they tasted better than they looked!)


Chilled cushaw squash soup with arugula pesto & purple hull pea crostini


Goat tamales in banana leaves


Grilled Gulf whole snapper with chile glaze, squash, radishes & field peas


Crispy roasted pork belly, apples & red cabbage


Toasted, herbed cornmeal poundcake, goat cheese mousse, blueberry compote and butternut squash, spicy walnut & sage macaroons.


Quite a different menu from the event in Minnesota, but that's what locavorism is all about! The food was all great, even the pig noses and tails, but hopefully next year they will hold this event in late October instead of September, when the chance of cooler weather is more likely.

Les Petites Images: Better than Christmas: A Give Away

I know how much everyone loves give-aways, so thought I would post a link to one. This is my daughter's blog and she is giving away some great stuff from Marx Foods!

Les Petites Images: Better than Christmas: A Give Away

Finally, some pictures!

I still only have the binding machine-sewn on this quilt, but thought it would look prettier photographed on a bed than on the clothesline. Now to begin the blind stitching...



As I mentioned earlier, Marjorie and I hit 9 of the 14 shops in the North Texas Shop Hop. At each shop we got a free fat quarter...these are mine. A couple of the shops let you choose any one in the shop, but most had a limited selection to choose from.


I bought these at Cabbage Rose to make a table runner, figgy pudding by basicgrey from Moda.

This was the last they had of this Tulip Nouveau by Ro Gregg for Northcott at Quilt Among Friends but it was so pretty I had to take it. They had shown a black skirt and jacket trimmed in it. Maybe I will get the urge to take up garment making again.


And at Common Threads they had a bin of "scraps" that you could fill a bag with for $2, and fill it I did!


Can you believe all this was in there? I especially love the orange and brown vintage cowboy print.

In total, I don't think I spent more than $30 (excluding gas :-), but we sure had fun!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth...I was just in Fort Worth

Mike and I went up to Mansfield for Labor Day. We spent the weekend at my mom's and got to visit with my brother and his kids and our kid (who lives in Plano). Mike flew home on Monday afternoon (so he could fly to SFO on Thursday) and I stayed the rest of the week. My BFF Marjorie was in the metroplex for a company meeting and we got to spend the weekend together. Her timing was perfect, because it was the North Texas Shop Hop. In a day and a half we managed to hit nine of the fourteen shops, which was especially impressive because it was pouring rain all weekend (including a good portion of my drive back to Houston Sunday morning.) We saw LOTS of pretty things, got some great ideas, a free fat quarter at each shop and did buy a bit of fabric and a few patterns. When I finish the laundry, maybe I will get around to taking a few pictures. I also got my last quilt back from the quilter and have the binding machine-sewn on. Now for the blind stitching...

The road to hell...

I always have good intentions about posting. But then something always comes up...work, house guests, Facebook Scrabble,etc. And, oh yes, quilting! These are the last two blocks from the Cabbage Rose Kaffee Fassett mystery block of the month. Next month the finishing kit will be available and we will finally get to see how these all go together.



And this is the third block in their new 3rd Saturday mystery block of the month. Kind of boring after the previous ones, but it will be pretty with the first two.

And while I didn't win the Marx Foods giveaway, the nice folks there did send me 25 of their palm leaf plates for posting about it. I don't usually use disposable plates, but these are pretty nice. Maybe we'll have to have a party...

Eco-friendly disposable plates

Marx Foods is having another giveaway. If you use disposable plates, you should check these out. "These biodegradable plates are a natural and renewable resource. Naturally discarded sheaths of the leaves of the Adaka palm tree are collected from the forest floor. No trees are cut down. The plates and the disposable cutlery are even compostable!" Definitely better than styrofoam (which doesn't biodegrade) or paper (which require killing a tree). I also think they are much nicer looking, don't you?

And then a miracle happened...(my 200th post!)

So, this morning our DSL was still not working. I went to a meeting at work, then out to lunch with some friends from the F2O, then stopped at the AT&T store to buy a new modem, hoping that would solve the problem. I got home, hooked up the new modem, but still had the solid green power light, solid green ethernet light and flashing red DSL light configuration. Since AT&T is scheduled to come out on Friday morning, I disconnected the new modem, carefully repackaged it to take back to the AT&T store for a $54.95 refund, and reconnected the old modem. That is when the miracle occurred...solid green lights all the way across! And working internet access! Mike said that the old modem must have just needed a rest (never mind that it had been turned off since Monday afternoon) but that doesn't explain why the new one didn't work. Oh well, I am just happy to be reconnected!

But you're not here to hear about my technology trials and tribulations, you're here to see my latest quilt! I didn't post anything about it when it was a work-in-progress because it was a surprise for my sister's 50th birthday. She and her kids came down last weekend, so I was able to give it to her in person. It was made out of a layer cake of Tula Pink's Nest fabric.

For the label I scanned a picture of her and me taken in one of those four for 25¢ booths in 1961 or so.


I also had the opportunity to give my niece Emma a quick sewing lesson, and she made this cute pillowcase out of Amy Butler fabric. It was her first sewing project, but hopefully not her last. She comes from a long line of seamstresses and I hope she grows to love the craft as much as I do!