Let Me Entertain You

Or not. I'll be the first to admit it. I enjoy odd movies and television. Never let me handle the remote or choose what movie were watching. Rich college boy pays for NetFlix here at the casa and I take advantage of the television series, movies and documentaries available. I've "Jimmy Rigged" my studio television to play NetFlix while I work sew, so I'm always in search of entertainment.

By the way, Jimmy is my younger cousin. As a child, he dismantled every appliance in my aunt's house. When auntie needed her hand mixer back, Jimmy had to rig it because invariably there were missing pieces and parts. This is further proof that my son got his genes fair and square. I can't tell you how many destroyed items we've found in his room over the years. When he was a little guy and our toaster broke, I gave it to him to take apart. I know, mother of the year. I told him he could play with it as long as he didn't plug it in or drip crumbs everywhere. Come to think of it, this is probably how bomb makers get their start. Sorry world. Jimmy turned out splendidly so maybe there's hope.

Okay, so back to entertainment. Have you ever seen A Clockwork Orange? Oh. my. goodness. I have to admit, I was only half catching it, but man, what an odd movie. I think I'm ready to tackle The Wizard of Oz in it's entirety after that little jewel. I'm still looking away when those flying monkeys come on screen. Those guys are just frightening. The wicked witch is bad enough. Still, I should see this classic. I also need to put Gone with the Wind on my list. If anyone wants to explain A Clockwork Orange to me, I'm all ears.

I can recommend Jim Gaffigan: Beyond the Pale. Mr. Gaffigan is a wonderful comedian and pretty clean as comedians go. He pokes fun at every day topics. I guarantee you'll laugh.

Here's a little funny for us quilters. And I'm going to freak you out again, but I've never seen a Star Wars movie. Not even the first one. Wasn't I sheltered? Someone let me watch Hitchcock's The Birds when I was about five. I'm still afraid of birds.

Sunday Stash #31

We had our monthly guild sew day yesterday at the library. Here are the gals opening boxes and boxes of donated fabric and patterns. Sara, who lost her mother to cancer, contacted us to see if we could use her mom's fabric to make something pretty. Naomi's fun stash is in very good hands. We all plan on making charity quilts and a quilt for the daughter with her mom's fabric. I bet Naomi would have gotten a kick seeing how much fun we had crawling around on the floor and oohing and aahing over her lovely stash. Plus, we get to play with all that lovely fabric! It will be nice to see a quilter's legacy live on with a little help from her fellow quilters. Thank you Sara and Naomi! This fabric stash will wrap plenty of people in quilty love.

1930's Repros

Interesting texture and cacti.

Loved the joke bubbles and crabs.

Coolest purples I've ever seen.

The holidays are right around the corner.

Gorgeous spring floral.

Batiks

Colorful rainbow

As you can see, I snagged some beauties. Happy Sunday ya'll!

All Dolled Up

Look at this beauty I received from my July Doll Quilt Swap partner! Love the colors and the quilting is so fun. My partner did the quilting on a circa 1950s Husqvarna Viking machine.

Here's the doll quilt I'm working on for August. I sorta drafted a sewing machine. I wish the spool of thread would have been a bit more contrasty, but maybe the quilting will help. I've begun the quilting process, but that step always stumps me. Wish I could quilt like the gal above.

The weekend was such fun. Pool day on Sunday and lots of barbecuing and cooking all weekend long. I didn't fit in enough laundry, but I'll get to it. I made this tomato sauce last week and flavored it with a bit of lamb. Gigantic meatballs baked in my filthy oven was dinner the first night. The leftovers made awesome calzones another night and I smushed the last bit of sauce and meatballs for spaghetti bolognese for a quickie dinner. I think I've conquered my red sauce fix for the time being.

I've tried this chicken roasting recipe several times and it's always delicious. I could drink the sauce and I'm usually a Southern gravy girl. The leftover chicken is great for sandwiches, soups, quesadillas, and salad. Then I use the carcass to make stock. The lemon addition is wonderful in the stock.

Bon Appetit!

Sunday Stash #30

Really? $72.50 a yard? Starting bid? It didn't sell, but I saw a yard go for $50. Crazytown. It's adorable, but way too rich for my blood.

Our guild meeting is held at a fabric shop once a month. I know, it's a real hardship. ;) I always check the sale rack and I found some real cuties this month. Look at these lovely Kite Tails from Kaffe Fassett.

The guitar fat quarter wasn't on sale, but I needed it. The pink grapefruit and black and white print I think I already have, but they were on sale!

There was a whole line of these graphic veggies. I wish I had bought some of the other prints, but I stuck with a ratatouille theme. Now I want ratatouille. This recipe in particular. The produce market is on the errand list. My mom and I were laughing at all the fruit we've been buying this summer. It's all so good and plentiful. The veggies have been good too, but my fridge is filled with seven different kinds of fruit. I'm going to dust off the ice cream maker and make some sorbet this weekend. It's got to be a little less caloric than the peach cobbler I whipped up yesterday.

And last but not least, this cute little ladybug print. Love those selvage dots! Happy Sunday everyone!

Reading is FUNdamental.

I've been reading. My cousin blew into town and gave me two books.   I was curious about The Help, but I knew nothing about The Hunger Games. They're both very good if you need a good summer read.

College boy was reading a book his girlfriend gave him and it made my heart soar. My kids didn't get the reading bug I caught early on, so it makes me so happy to see them read and enjoy a book. They both loved books as babies and toddlers and I read them novels later on. Their elementary school practically shoved books down the kids' throats and made reading more of a chore than entertainment. I've never forgiven them for that.

Dog Days of Randomness

Not a whole lot of sewing going on around here. I haven't been baking pies either, but I did stitch a slice. Those are some big blueberries. I can't seem to find the paper pieced pattern at the moment, but if you want it, I'll search further for the link. And speaking of pies, go here to see the cutest pie pincushion you could ever make.

Class of 81 flimsy finished. Thank goodness for photo layouts since I had to pull the 81 blocks off my design floor so I could walk. And maybe vacuum. Did I tell you my prized vacuum went to appliance heaven? That silly thing sucked up Legos and Barbie shoes by the gallons back in the day. The motor sounded like it was going to lift off. Luckily, I had a spare vacuum, but it needed work. So I bought some parts and I'm back in business. Oh goodie.

Bones has been working on his tan.

A bookmark I made for a swap. Check out my hand embroidered hedgehog. Or toy poodle. You decide.

Pretzels and wine anyone? This is what happens when Inspector Gadget goes to Wally World. I guess you could call it hurricane preparedness. That man is always thinking.

In my 'hood, neighbor kid's car. I know. She's just fine thank goodness. The car, not so much. Having teenagers, I hear all kinds of awful car wreck stories. It's no wonder that insurance is so expensive for them. And it's no wonder why I want to put every kid I know in bubble wrap. My kids didn't take driver's education in high school (neither did I). Do they even offer it now?

Our kids did receive plenty of practice and often repeated advice before they were let loose on their own. As an added bonus, Inspector Gadget made them go through Smith Driving System Training. Those five keys above are good tips for anyone who drives. Stay safe everyone, but I'm still going to worry...Now if I could get every driver to stop using their phones on the road, I would be a happier camper.

Summer is Rolling Along

After a busy weekend, I stole away to the sewing studio during our rainstorm yesterday. Two more wonky star blocks for the Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's monthly block lotto. I made the red version earlier. I can't wait to see what everyone made. Our color direction was black and white with a primary color. Someone is going to be lucky to win all these wonky stars.

Vietnamese Summer Rolls are one of my very favorite things to eat. The peanut dipping sauce is why I love these so much. Making summer rolls is pretty easy. My rolling technique could use work. Mine aren't as pretty as they serve at my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, but they taste just as good. You can fill these with anything, but this time I used roast pork, shrimp, noodles, scallion, grated carrot, cilantro and cucumber. Yum! I want more. Or maybe just a vat of that killer peanut sauce, which is really easy to make.

To go along with our Vietnamese appetizers, I made some pork and noodle pho which is always good. I love the balance of the flavorful broth and crunchy raw vegetables and fresh herbs. And don't forget the Rooster hot sauce.