Monday, May 12, 2014

Mother’s Day Treats, A new project, & Comforting Food


It was so nice to have both our daughters  at our house on Sunday to share Mother’s Day with me.
Second daughter, Bonnie and DH gave me a big, beautiful bunch of flowers and Bonnie also gave me a relaxing massage.
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Isn’t this flower a beautiful colour???
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 Our other daughter Rebecca (a mummy herself) cooked my favourite breakfast, eggs benedict and she spoiled me with a new pair of flanny pj’s and a puzzle book to take on our trips.
xxx Love you girls to bits. Red heart
Why is it when the colder weather hits, our minds immediately turn to warm comforting food, food and more food.
We noticed recently how much sugar the canned baked beans have in them, so I decided to find a recipe for homemade baked beans.
The one I chose was this one from taste.com.au, leaving out the cloves and molasses.  
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They were so delicious and definitely something I will be making over and over.  Lovely to have on toast on a lazy Sunday evening. I used a ham hock for the smoky bacon taste because Coles’ didn’t have any bacon bones – I would use bacon bones next time.  The ham hock didn’t go to waste though, it was used to make a pea and ham soup.
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Early in the year I had some chicken carcasses in the freezer and made up my own chicken stock and froze it.  So, last week I made some chicken noodle soup when the temps turned really chilly.  It warms the body and soul.
Now for some brayer love.  Do you have a brayer?  I find them so useful, and last week at quilting someone had the little wooden one for sale.  It is meant to be for seam pressing as you patchwork, but I thought it would make a lovely little brayer to use in mixed media adventures.  Dear Lilian has since painted the roller red one day while I had my back turned.  Perhaps she thought it should match the other rubber one.

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Speaking of which, I used Methylated spirits to clean it.  It worked well, so Shirley, when you read this, we now have another use for the ‘metho’. Shirley told me how good it was to remove nikko pen from plastic and it really works!  Thank you Shirley. Everyone probably knew that except me?
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Before & After
A NEW PROJECT? – am I insane??
Our daughter would love a quilt for her friend for her 30th birthday.  “When is it, I asked?” 
“September” she replied.  Yikes, can I go away for the whole month of June and meet that deadline?  Of course, I said yes and immediately started searching for something using strips and something easy peasy. 
I ended up purchasing this Ferris Wheel pattern by Karen Griska.  She has the blog :       selvageblog.blogspot.com and she designs and makes the most wonderful quilts.  I bought the pattern HERE
It takes a few blocks to get it, but it is quite fast and easy.  Be sure to check her version out – it is smashing!!!011
This is a start, and I am trying to do at least one block a day. (PS the yellow one has been discarded now, too ‘in your face’)
There are also ‘secret’ projects being worked on, and one of them is nearly ready for the big reveal – after some 10 or 11 years!!
An early morning is planned tomorrow to go to Brisbane on the bus to the Quilter’s Picnic which is being held by Queensland Quilters Inc. this year.  One will have to be up and out of bed by 5.30!!!  HELP!!!
Until next time………………………………….Dianne.

6 comments:

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello DI, what lovely flowers you got for Mother's Day. I see your very busy in the Kitchen cooking that great breakfast. Neat quilt pattern, it looks like it will be very colorful and lovely. I hope you had a super wonderful day at the quilters picnic. I look forward to hearing about it. Hugs Judy

Stitching Lady said...

The baked beens just come right for our weather - 8°C in the morning. Huuuuu!
In Germany we call them the "holy ice saints" - TILL MAY 15, Then we can start planting out geraniums.
I love your newly started blocks. The colours are smashing.

shirley said...

Id you put metho in the water for washing your floors it helps them to dry faster. If you get moisture in your petrol and your car conks out pour a bottle of metho in the letrol tank and it will absorb the moisture and you are up and away again.....no i have tried this and the car did not explode like i expected.

Your flowers are lovely and Bec is a good cook that brekky looked yum, as did the baked beans.
Love love love the new quilt.

Marilyn said...

lovely flowers you received, the blocks for the new quilt are really nice. How many are you making, the yellow one might fit in better when you have more of them. It will add some interest to the quilt.

Vicki Miller said...

All very yummy. Love the flowers and the new quilt. Good luck!

Julie said...

What a beautiful quilt pattern and fabrics!!!!! i found you through Shirley, who I correspond with via blog, email and, at times, snail mail too! She is such a talented embroiderer, and a sweetheart of a gal! that Quilting picnic sounds so neat! i am not a quilter, but more of a crafter. (i got excited when i saw your brayer)! LOL. Love your blog. Will continue to read backwards a bit this morning. Just having my coffee and oatmeal.
Julie in Florida