so here is the quilt

Now I can show off the quilt I have been keeping secret.
It was a gift for my older brother and I gave it to him over the holidays...even though it's for his 60th birthday which isn't until early February.

I knew it was the quilt I wanted to make for Dennis when I first saw the pattern (called Dogs in Sweaters).

 When we were growing up we had a daschund mix dog named Wilbur.   He was loved by all the family members but he had a special relationship with my brother, Dennis, who gave him lots of attention.
Much of the time this attention consisted of play-fighting... in which Dennis would wrestle with the dog over a toy or a sock. Wilbur would end up showing his teeth and growling like he was ready to rip someone's throat out. Dennis would spin him in a circle in the floor, flip him on his back and pretend to choke him.
It all sounds horrible and violent but neither one would dream of hurting the other, and Wilbur was always ready for more.

Later on in life, Dennis even created a small robot and named it "Wilby Walker" in memory of his old friend Wilbur.

You can see a photo of the robot here, although the robot doesn't actually look like the dog.

So that is the story behind this quilt. Happy Birthday, Dennis!

I enjoyed making this quilt.  The pattern called for flannels for the sweaters, but I just picked out some prints and plaids from my stash - ones that I thought would make good shirts.

I cut the pieces for the entire quilt before I started sewing so I could concentrate on following the directions carefully.

I put them together in assembly line fashion but it was a bit tricky since some dogs face left and some face right. 

It was fun seeing all the parts coming together...turning into dogs.

This one is wearing fabric from a shirt that belonged to Chopper. 

This one is wearing a shirt that is printed with circuit boards.  I got that fabric with a kit one time and I wondered how I would ever use  up what was left over.  Perfect for this - keeping the Wilby Walker robot in mind. 

The pattern included a template for adding glasses so I chose this dog to wear a pair.

I added an extra border along with the checkerboard corners. The original pattern stopped with the gray borders but I wanted it a bit larger and more colorful. Final size - about 83"wide x 87" long.

I machine quilted in my usual meandering style...

I do wish the gray background was a little darker.

The pattern maker, Elizabeth Hartman, did such a nice job writing the pattern and including helpful tips, that I am now a big fan of hers. I bought another of her patterns (Lamas !) to add to my "some day" list.

 But first...finishing up things I have started on!

how is our new kitty?

When I last mentioned the little black kitty who just showed up in our yard one day, I had just finished making a sleeping shelter for cold weather for her...which she refused to use.

Lonnie and I discussed bringing her in to the basement on freezing nights if she could learn to use a litter box.
But before that we knew we had to get her to the vet to be spayed.

That went fine, but guess what?  After the surgery she had to be kept from being too active and kept away from male cats for 2 weeks!  So we had no choice but to start keeping her inside.

She did really well and used the litter box just fine so we ended up letting her have the run of the house. Now she also goes outside for a good part of the day if she chooses.


Our floors are a bit drafty so I put her bed near a heat vent.  Doesn't she look like she is enjoying it?

We tried out a lot of names trying to figure out a good one, but nothing seemed right.  In the mean time I started calling her "Puss", and that's the name I wrote down at the vet's office so I guess she is stuck with it.

You can still see the patch where they had shaved her belly for the surgery.  She was a good girl and didn't lick or bite the stitches too much before she had to go back and get them removed.

She likes to keep me company while I'm at my desk.  Seems like she could do a little dusting while she's up there though!

Puss says "Don't even think about closing the door when you go in to use the bathroom. NOT allowed!"

She must investigate every room in the house. High and low.

                                                 

 She does her part around here by bringing a contribution for our next meal...and leaves it right on the door step!
 

 She likes the Christmas tree and especially the tree skirt - which she must remove daily and try to bite off those pesky pom poms.

All in all a well behaved and affectionate little kitty.  We are glad she chose our house when she was lost and scared.

finished one - started another

I finished up the quilt I've been working on but I still can't show photos.  Here is a corner again after the quilting and binding.
The lighting is not great here so it looks like the main fabric is dirty white but actually it's a light gray chambray.  Wishing now that I had went a couple of shades darker on the gray.

 The backing is perfect for a man quilt. It looks kind of like mattress ticking.  I ordered it online from "Connecting Threads" during a clearance sale.

At the same time I ordered this little flannel quilt kit, also marked down, and I started on it immediately after finishing the above quilt.   

Because, I (ahem) temporarily forgot that I was supposed to be finishing up old projects before starting any new ones.  Can you believe that?

I made a goofy mistake when cutting the blue and green plaid.  I accidentally cut several of the squares too short on one side.

Well, you can trim down but you can't trim up so I had to sew a strip to that side.  It's visible but it won't show up very much when the quilt is finished.

I've decided I am not going to sew with flannel after this quilt is finished.  Not only does it leave a lot of fluff in the machine...my nose starts tickling and my eyes feel scratchy when I start sewing with it.

Maybe I need goggles and a dust mask!

a couple of low carb recipes

We have been eating lots of cauliflower since it's one of the lower carbohydrate vegetables.

I am always looking for different ways to prepare it so we won't get burned out on it.  I can't remember where I found this recipe but we like it.  The texture is sort of close to cornbread - which we haven't been eating.

Cauliflower Fritters

1 pound riced cauliflower

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar

1 egg, beaten

salt to taste (or Lawry's seasoned salt is better)

I have used store bought fresh riced cauliflower and the frozen riced cauliflower from Costco.

I think the frozen works better but you have to let it thaw first and drain it on paper towels.

Anyway, mix the cauliflower with the beaten egg. Add salt and shredded cheddar and toss until well mixed.

Place a biscuit cutter on a greased cookie sheet and spoon a layer of the cauliflower inside, tamping it down gently.

lift the cutter - easy does it - and repeat until you have used up the cauliflower mixture.

Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes until firm and golden brown. 

Good as-is or with a dollop of sour cream on top.

This next one is not cauliflower...it's a crustless pizza - or a "meat-za".

Lay thin sliced pepperoni or salami in an overlapping circular pattern on a silicone baking mat (supported by a pan underneath).  You could put the meat directly on pizza pan or baking sheet, but the silicone is easy clean up.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for around 10 minutes or until the pepperoni drys and crisps up just a bit.

Remove from oven and blot with paper towels to remove extra grease. (leave the oven on)

Cover the meat with a nice layer of shredded mozzarella, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and a bit of garlic powder.  Add a few teaspoons of pizza sauce on top.

Return to the hot oven and bake another 10 or 12 minutes or until cheese is melted and begins to burn, I mean brown.

Allow the meat-za to cool a bit before slicing.

I haven't tried adding veggies or other toppings. It's good just like this and with a salad on the side.

what I'm working on

Well, sorry, I really can't show you.  I have been working on a quilt for someone and I want it to be a surprise.

The quilt pattern was designed to have no borders, but I wanted it to be a bit larger and also thought it could use an extra bit of color.

I will show you one corner of the border I worked out for it.

I saw this type of corner on a different quilt in a magazine and had torn it out and put it in a stack of other scraps of paper with quilt ideas on them.

I like it because it's not so busy that it takes attention away from the center of the quilt...but it does add some interest.

Of course I procrastined on it since I had to do some measuring and figuring and swearing under my breath to make it come out the right size.

Now to get it layered and quilted...and labeled....and put the binding on.

Gosh, I'd better get busy!

And here is a project that I won't be working on.

This is one of my unfinished projects. (you know how I made a vow to finish them all up).

 A couple of years ago, a lot of ladies in the Quilting Bees group were making this bee themed quilt in different sizes.  I started on this small one but never finished.

It probably would have been cute but I'd rather be working on something else and I wasn't that far along with it anyway.

So, I put the cut pieces in the scrap bin, tossed the pattern and turned around and dusted off my hands.  That's one thing off my list!

what's in a name

If someone has been President of the United States, there will often be cities, bridges, buildings and sections of expressways named after them.

Or if one has been a popular local government official, perhaps a highway might be named after them. Same with a local sports hero who becomes famous.

We sometimes see a library, school, or hospital named for an activist or social reformer...but more often, those might be named for their most generous benefactor.

I am feeling fairly insignificant, though.  It looks like I'm sharing a name with these furniture slipcovers...

Sheesh!  I never really noticed slipcovers having a name.  Why do suppose they would need one?  No one will be talking to them.  They won't be answering roll call anywhere or applying for a driver's license or credit card.

I remember back in the 70's...in the ads for wigs in the ladies magazines - the wigs all had names...like "Connie" or "Blair" or "Lola".

That makes more sense. They were trying to associate a personality type with the style of the wigs.

But slipcovers?  Do they need a personality?

Does this mean I have the personality of a slipcover?

ice coated morning

The overnight forecast one day last week was for a "wintery mix".

The next morning all the trees and shrubs were coated with a thick layer of ice.
Pretty to look at but too heavy for the poor plants.

That's the lilac bush at the bottom left in the photo below...the branch tips are touching the ground.

Our big Oak tree (below) was still hanging on to most of it's leaves...all coated with ice making the branches bow over with the weight.

The same thing with our Japanese Red Maple out front. It was all sprawled out.

Not quite as much of a problem for the trees with bare branches, like this Dogwood.

Fortunately, we didn't have many broken branches. Just a few small ones in the Magnolia tree.

Lonnie had to go out of town early that morning but he said the roads were fine - not slick, but he did see limbs down and branches split in the trees along the road.

The ice caused an electric outage in the area where the Sasquatch lives...for about 36 hours!  He said he didn't mind being without the heat so much as he missed having internet.

aerial photos

 I came across this website called Vintage Aerial.

They have a collection of old aerial photos you can browse through.  You can search by address to see if they have any old photos of your home, or a place you used to live...or maybe your old family homestead.

The site claims to have photos from 5 decades.  Even if you can't find the property you were searching for, it's fun to see how your town or community looked back then.
If you can identify any buildings, there is a section to write comments, maybe to tell who lived there or the history of the building or if the place is still standing.

Their goal is to sell you a photo but looking is free.

In my area the oldest photos they had were from 1982. Only about 4 years before we moved here.
I found our house!

I see in the back yard they had not yet built the outbuilding we call "the pool house".

I would like to go back in time and tell them "No!  Don't put the building there and block off that lovely shady area under the trees."

I am glad to have the building, it has the pool filter and pump stuff in there, but it does block off the view of our back fields.

I guess we have plenty of shade anyway.  Here is an aerial photo from around 2002-2004?...about 20 years later.   It's amazing how the trees have grown!  There are a few I wish we would have moved or removed while they were still small.

That photo above was taken by a company that would come around door-to-door selling photos they had taken from a small plane or helicopter.   

I have two of them from seperate years but can only find this one right now. I think the other one is centered better.

That company hasn't been around in awhile. I guess people can get their own photos with drones or by just looking them up on Google Earth and so forth.

horseradish sauce

For years I have been buying bottled Woeber's Horseradish Sauce.  It was a favorite of my sons'  to have with Honey Baked Ham at Easter...that sweet/hot combination is addicting.

I would generally buy just one bottle per year, though. Their label lists mostly unhealthy ingredients, like soybean oil, corn syrup, chemicals and preservatives.

It never occurred to me to try to make horseradish sauce from scratch...until I came across a recipe on another blog.

Horseradish Sauce
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 T yellow mustard
1 heaping T horseradish
1/2 t lemon juice
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t seasoned salt
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper

oops...forgot to show lemon juice too

I wasn't sure if the recipe needed  fresh horseradish or if I could use the kind in a small jar in the refrigerated section at the grocery.

But, since I have never used fresh horseradish, it seemed like a good time to give it a try...especially since I didn't need that much.

First you wash and peel the horseradish root...

Then finely grate it...

 

If you really, really like horseradish you can use more, of course.

I read online, after peeling, let the grated horseradish rest for about 15 minutes before mixing any other ingredients in with it.  That lets it develop flavor and heat.

Meanwhile, whip the whipping cream until stiff, then fold in the remaining ingredients.

Add the grated horseradish and refrigerate.

This recipe makes about 1 cup.    I make a double batch.

On this day we had it with Parmesan Pork Chops...accompanied by cheesy cauliflower, broccoli nut slaw and deviled eggs.

My family really likes it and found it's good on ham and roast beef and can also be used as a sandwich spread.  My husband even finished up one batch by using it as a dip for Ritz crackers.

It holds up well for at least 2 weeks in the fridge.

The first time I made this sauce - this strange looking piece of horseradish root was all they had at the grocery.   I didn't know any better, but these pieces are the top of the root, the part that the leaves sprout out of.

That darn thing was so woody and tough, I could hardly peel it!   Instead, look for the slim tapered sections of the root...the part that grows deep in the ground.

I think I will try potting this up in some dirt to see if it will grow into a plant.  If it does, I will have my own horseradish patch.

we have been adopted

This little black kitty turned up at our house.  I suppose someone dropped her off nearby and left her to fend for herself.

We weren't exactly wanting a cat but I couldn't just let her starve...so I began setting food out for her.
At first she was shy and skittish but within a couple of weeks we could pet her and in a short time she began to trust us.

We have mostly been a family without pets...well...just horses and parakeets. Then, we had an outdoor cat a few years ago that the Sasquatch had to give up when he lived in an apartment.

I still had this house that I built for the previous cat.  For him, I had kept it by the back door and had a heating pad inside on "warm" for the coldest part of winter.  He loved it and used it every night.

I set it up the same way for this new cat since we planned for her to be an outdoor cat too, but she wouldn't use it.  One day I was trying to get her in there and was reaching in to fluff up the pillow.

I stuck my hand right in cat poo!

Some cat had used it as a litter box.  Maybe a big yellow male cat that has been hanging around the edges of the yard trying to get friendly with our little cat.

But after that, I knew she would never sleep in there.

Meanwhile we started having some colder nights and rainy nights. I wasn't sure where she was sleeping, so I decided to try a different shelter idea for her.

I looked on Amazon for cat houses...sheesh!... anywhere from $58 to $149.  Hmmm...nope.

Instead I found this idea online to make a cat house from a cheap plastic cooler... and we had 3 of them in the basement.  

I drew a door shape on the side, then drilled some holes close together so I could slip in the blade of my reciprocating saw.

Not perfect but easy enough.

I covered the raw edges with duct tape.

Fortunately, I had not yet placed the old heating pad in the house that got pooped in.  It fit perfectly in this new one.

I had an old feather pillow to cut in half...first sewing two rows of stitching down the center to hold all the fluff inside.

All set up and she is curious!

I placed it underneath the table on our screen porch...where I keep her food and water bowls.  

I added a couple of cat treats inside to tempt her in there. 

Unfortunately she was... Not Impressed.

No...she won't sleep here either.  We'll give it some time to see if she changes her mind.