settlers peace

Labor of sweet love

The last two weeks we have been in recovery mode, from a major labor of love.

When we were expecting the birth of our children, there was a lot of prep work and some anxiousness over the labor and delivery which can last upwards of a day. Luckily, I was done in under 5 hours both times. It is a time of joy and anticipation.

In this season of our life, we have been blessed with the addition of another to the family, but let me tell you, the labor lasted more than a day!

In the time that it took to get from the last blog post to this kiss

The garden has gone from an explosion of weeds, (where are the pathways?)

To the manicured garden that it was intended to be

The barn went from storage of the unimagined, unwanted, and the cherished (though it was hard to tell),

To dance hall and reception venue

It was a rather great day and I am so excited to see the photos from the photographer, I was there and still couldn't take it all in. Having the wedding at home was pure joy and excitement, even though the labor was long and hard. We are still reaping the rewards, enjoying the yard, the barn, the trimmed trees, the pastures and the new swing next to the fire pit. Ultimately, enjoying the blessing of getting to watch them build a life together, it is a beautiful thing. I am certain that we'd do it all over again, the only thing I'd change? Delegate, delegate, delegate, we did way too much right up unto the last moment. The rain in the midst of a drought only added to the intensity of the day and the sweetness of what brought us all together. While not what we planned on, I cannot imagine it being any more perfect.

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A Good Time Was Had

I've been home for over two weeks, and am still smiling. I have long admired the work of DJ Pettitt and was quick to sign up for a workshop that Cindy happened to discover. Oh my, the inspiration, creativity and laughter was at a level so far beyond what I had hoped for.

This is DJ Pettitt, myself, Cindy and Donna Downey

My book cover

Inside cover and a signature wrap

And a few pages

The whole gang, twenty three other amazing artists and women. So many stories shared, and you know how I love a good story.

And then an awesome story, after I returned home, my daughters boyfriend proposed at a Ranger's baseball game! So fun and exciting, and wedding plans are in full swing :)

Life is good!

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Reloaded

I've been giving lots of thought to my blog, and wondering what it means to me. I'm certain that in the beginning it was something else, and then somewhere along the way something happened, things changed. I've come to realize that the sooner I make peace with where I am now, and what I want for my blog, the easier it will be to accomplish a blog post. I can't say for certain where this is headed, but I can say what my thoughts have been.

• Who is my target audience? Seriously? I have read entirely too much information on marketing, branding and social media, trying to get the 'blog thing' to mean something to me and I am sick of the idea that my authentic self is 'not enough', or should be presented in a certain manner to insure financial or status success. Reminder to self: I have NO business to promote! Write from the heart!
• Pinterest. Hmm, that one got me quiet for awhile. The whole idea of my photos being shared in a way that I cannot control had me uneasy, so I shut down. And you know what? I was miserable. I don't think that I was meant to hoard ideas and inspiration or my creativity. That creativity is a God given gift and I certainly don't think that it was awarded to me to be selfish with. My heart has longed to inspire others, to motivate them and challenge their ideas and abilities, a blank screen is hardly gonna make that happen. Pin on!
• Plenty of other garbage recorded in this:

This has been an awesome tool, to allow me to see the absurdities of some of the 'rules' I seem to make for myself, and allow me to move beyond. It truly is a dangerous book and yet so liberating, too!

I think I'll break another 'rule' and go get crafty even though the weather is amazing outside!

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Tray of Happiness

TGIF

I have high hopes that this tray contains much of my weekend activities!

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Keep Going

The clutter in my brain is clearing, unlike today's fog.

It made for a beautiful walk, so peaceful and with limited distractions. The birdsong sounded pure and delightful. But before my walk, my day started with this:

Years ago, I started writing 'morning pages' - three long hand written pages of brain dump first thing in the morning. It was introduced to me by Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. I've recently been going through another of her books, Walking In This World. I have a separate journal for the many lists that one must make, such wondrous things are recovered and discovered through this. It isn't very often that I ever go back and read my pages, but something has been off for me lately, and like a detective, I went searching. And there it was, in my own handwriting, the action that I needed to take: a walk, some time in prayer, and a more disciplined use of time. It's time for a Pinterest diet and some actual time behind the sewing machine. "I'm off to the sewing room" she says, with a smile on her face and peace in her heart!

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It's February, really?

I'm sitting on the porch and listening to music drift through the screen door, amazed at the blue skies, fluffy clouds and mild temperatures.

It is a soothing balm to my day. The corners of my brain have been cluttered just like this corner of the yard.

I'm thinking of taking a leaf blower to both of them.

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For The Love of Texas

A friend asked me to make a denim quilt with the Texas flag on the front and old jeans for the backing. This was the only excuse I needed to go fabric shopping in my husbands closet and rid it of the jeans that were not fit to wear in public. Mind you, I did have to patch some of the pieces to use in the quilt, and had, for some reason, been resistant to patching them for his continued use ;) I was really thankful for his long legs and the lengths of fabric I could get from each pant leg, something to definitely consider, should I ever need to purchase used jeans for future projects.

I did not use any batting, as the 'quilt' is already heavy due to fabrics, and I can't imagine trying to wash it with the added bulk of batting.

Another recent finish is this wedding quilt for my niece Cady and her new husband, Matt. The fabrics are an older collection of reproduction sugar sacks, sure wish I could recall the maker as I loved this bundle of fabrics. I also included a few pieces of a fabric that Cady shared with me years ago.

We just got back from the Round Top Antiques Fair. I was in great hopes of discovering a quilted treasure or two, but had never found one that really spoke to me. D's allergies gave him fits, as most of the vendors are in pastures under tents. Thousands of dealers from all over the states and what bothered me the most, was the lack of interaction the dealers had with shoppers, and even other dealers. For some of the dealers, it was day 2, others, day 7, and I didn't notice any difference in their behavior. They had their eyes glued to their laptop or phone passing the time away, and unfortunately sales, too. I LOVE to go to art and antique shows/fairs/sales as it is a time to get to interact with the dealers/artists on a personal level. Their story and/or the 'pieces' back story is often what will make me open my wallet, much like they say in an Etsy shop. It's really sad to say, but there may be more human contact via the web than in person. What the heck is society coming too? The other downside of the dealers on the web, it was eating up so much of the bandwidth that dealers that were trying to process credit card sales could not get a good signal to do so. And even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 days with my man as we oohed and ahhed over the displays and antique treasures that wouldn't fit in the car to bring home, and we discussed a re-visit in the spring with a truck.

 

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Winds of Change

You wouldn't know by the weather here, as it seems to be unchanging, but the seasons of life seem to be shifting for me. My job as mom will never end, but it has certainly taken on new light with one out of the house and another that simply uses it as a rest stop. Fortunately, O. is only an hour away and we get to see her a bit, but the goodbyes are always the same, never quick.

As she was gathering things to set up her apartment, I was quick to get a first aid kit together. Her very first comment when she started talking of moving out, was her fear of being ill and not having me there. I couldn't resist the opportunity to leave her a note or two, for when she is in need of some sympathy :)

In the midst of all of the changes, it seemed the perfect time to gather with friends and enjoy a retreat. I needed the escape, as I was in danger of setting up my very own pity party for one. This is my slice of design wall, and what I worked on. It was so surprising to see the projects together and how it reflected my style.

A simple table runner in neutrals, a wonky log cabin in solids and a modern-mini done in reproductions. Yep, that pretty much sums me up, even though I do lots of other things, these really represent my heart in quilting, well, and life.

This little piece measures 13" x 16 3/4" and started from scraps way back here.

Here's to hoping that the winds of change bring that cold front this weekend, I'm so done with 100 degree days!

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Magic Carpet Ride

Trying to get a good photo in the bright Texas sun and whipping winds is crazy.

 

This is my top from the Round Robin project through the Dallas Modern Quilt Guild. I made the center block and it was then passed each month to another member to add a border, for 5 months. I am over the moon happy with it, and am now feeling the pressure to get it finished. The creativity and talent amongst the members was so inspiring. You can see all of the quilts here.

This is another recent project that I made from a Petit Four of the new Moda line 'Sew Stitchy' by Aneela Hoey.

Such a sweet line of fabric and so fun to fussy cut for the 1/2" hexagons. I can't wait to get my hands on some yardage.

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Celebration Food

We had a milestone birthday this week, and there was NO interest in a big party or celebration drawing attention to it.  So a quiet dinner at home with the girls in his life was the request, along with my Pecan Chicken and an attempt to recreate a dessert from his childhood memories of the Cape May boardwalk.  

First up, the Pecan Chicken.  This recipe came to be as an assemblage of ideas from various recipes and hugely influenced by my mom's oven fried chicken that I grew up on.  Super simple, tender, juicy, and a buttery crust that will have you chipping away at every morsel left in the pan so that you can devour it.

I don't really measure anything in it, the key is to keep the portions somewhat equal between the rice krispies, pecans, and baking mix.  

For 4 chicken breasts, your will need about

1/2 cup Rice Krispie cereal

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup baking mix - I use Pamela's baking mix as it is gluten free, for those without that concern, use Bisquick

1/4 butter, melted

Lawry's Seasoned salt

Trim the chicken as desired.  Okay, so I always thought that dipping the 'meat' in milk or egg was simply to help the coating stick, turns out that there is some science to it.  If you let the meat-be it chicken or beef- soak in milk, half & half, or such, the lactic acid in the milk product begins to break down the tissue of the meat and causes it to be fork tender and juicy!  This is the big secret to 'old school cafe' chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken.  For beef, I'd let it marinate for an hour or more, but for this recipe, I simply soak the chicken in milk or cream, whatever is handy, while I am assembling the coating mix.

First, put the rice krispie cereal in a baggie and crush by hand.  It's kinda like bubble wrap therapy, with the reward of a delicious meal to follow.  But don't go so far as to create dust, you want the cereal to still have some puffs left.  

Add the finely chopped pecans and the baking mix to the cereal and mix.  Dredge the chicken breasts in coating mix, it's fun to hear the snap, crackle, pop of the cereal as it encounters the moist chicken, and place in a butter baking dish.  Pile the remaining coating mix atop the breasts.  Season with the Lawry's seasoned salt and drizzle each breast with the melted butter, use it all.  Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, or until the coating is nicely browned and chicken is done.

We served it along with roasted asparagus spears and a broccoli salad.  Yummy-licious!

For dessert, D. has often talked about an ice cream sandwich that he had as a kid.  A hot Belgian waffle with a slice of Neapolitan ice cream, dusted with powdered sugar.  He was so excited that he couldn't wait for the sugar dusting and gobbled it up.  The girls were both converts, too, we have a new ice cream sandwich in the house.

Such an enjoyable evening, favorite recipes, new creations, and the best dinner company ever.