Short and Sweet but No Pictures

Once again, it has been a dull and uneventful week around the ol' homestead! But as I like to say, Dull Is Good!  We did have several days of excitement! It snowed but still no accumulation! It was nice to have at least one snow this season. Of course, it never snows unless I need to make a trip to the store then everyone else has the same idea! LOL

I put Quaker Bluebirds aside after 10 hours of stitching with the intention of pulling out  A Virtuous Woman to work on. It was her turn for 10 hours of attention. Well you know what they say about good intentions! I had an allergic reaction to some new medicine the dr. gave me and I was broken out in a nasty red and very itchy rash! I put that medicine away and got out the Benadryl but I still could not stitch because I was still itching so badly! Hopefully this will be gone soon and I can give A Virtuous Woman some me time!

I did sign up for Scattered Seeds Little Wren club. I loved her sneak peeks and Tammy designs such beautiful pieces. What really won me over tho was the fact that I have a soft spot in my heart for wrens.

How are you liking the new designs for Market? Seeing anything you can't wait to get? I have only seen a couple of smalls that may end up in my basket so I spent most of my Market money on The Little Wren club instead!

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

MoJo in the House!

Hello again! I hope everyone had a good week. I can't say that anything super exciting happened around here. We had some more snow showers but no accumulation. One thing that has been a constant is rain!! Everyone around here is so tired of muddy yards along with up and down temperatures!

Infusions are over for a while, anyway. I can't say that I will miss getting up extra early and dragging myself over to the center.

I have been working on A Virtuous Woman and Quaker Bluebirds (using red). Here is an update on Quaker Bluebirds.

Last time I mentioned rotations and have thought hard on it since then. I know myself. If I have too many in the works at once, I get overwhelmed and stop all of them. If I only work on one at a time, I get bored, want a new stitch and put it aside! Right now I am working on two. I have been working on one for 10 hours then I switch over to the other and do the same. So far it has been working fine for me. No less than 2, no more than 3.  I may have found my rotation mojo! I am hoping to have at least one finished or close to a finish by the end of the month! I have even picked out the next several pieces that will be worked on!

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Stitching Along

Last week we had weather temps in the mid 60s but we also had a tornado touch down. Luckily it missed us. Two day later the weather was 33 and snowing again!! Talk about some wonky southern weather!

One more infusion this round then I am finished until July unless somethng happens. Fingers crossed!

I promised an update on Virtuous Woman this time and here it is! I have been taking her to infusions when I go. Sometimes I get a good bit stitched and other days I only manage a small amount of stitching along side of a good nap. Unfortunately the frogs followed me to infusion! All taken care of now! I have been working on her at home some too. I am planning to frame her so I am not sure if I will tweek her any,

I also have another update on Quaker Bluebirds aka Redbirds. This piece is really hard to put down but it does seem to ge going slow

I have struggled for years with the way I stitch. I like to do one piece and get it finished before moving on but I have always envied stitchers with rotations. Vonna aka the twisted stitcher mentioned on Fiber Talk about a new rotation method that she is going to try. It sounded very interesting and not so overwhelming.I may give it a try but nothing major

How many WIPs do you have? Do you dream of starting a new start while workng on an current piece? Be honest!

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Sort of Long and Lots of Pictures

We had some snow several days ago! It was coming down so hard and big flakes but it stopped not long after it started and turned to just cold rain! I would love one good snow before the end of the season.

It won't be long before the weather is nice enough that we can drive up to the mountains and see family again! I always love the mountains no matter what season!

Two infusions down and two left to go for this round! Last infusion was a bad day. The infusion went fine with no problems but one of gals brought me a cup of coffee (very much appreciated) with creamer that I am allergic to! I should have asked but it slipped my mind! From now on, I will take my OWN creamer so that does not happen again!

I have an update on Quaker Bluebirds aka Redbirds by Willow Hill Sampling. Unfortunately, I am not as far along as I had hoped to be by now but I am really enjoying this stitch! I had to stop and take care of some frogs but it will be worth it in the long run. I have an update on Virtuous Woman as well but I am going to save it for next time! I am taking my time on both of these. No worry. No hurry.

Can you believe that I am already itching for another new start?? I am usually a one project at a time type of gal.  I made an exception this time with Quaker Bluebirds and Virtuous Woman but I will fight those new start urges until at least one of these is finished!

I made a run to our LNS for some threads I was out of and while I was there, this sassy fellow by PSS caught my eye. I had to bring him home!

I don't buy much jewlery but once in a while I see something that just sets my heart spinning. I have had my eye on these two necklaces over at Etsy for quite some time. I finally gave in and bought them!

The recipe of the week is An Old Fashioned Skillet Meatloaf. The picture and recipe are from Pinterest. This was a new meatloaf recipe for me and it was a BIG hit!  Everyone really enjoyed it! I substituted BBQ sauce for the ketchup and it worked great.

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs. Ground Beef  (80/20 or 85/15)

1 1/2 cups Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup Ketchup

2 eggs

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

TOPPING

1/3 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons brown sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl whisk the eggs. Add the onion, salt, pepper, 1 cup ketchup and the Worcestershire sauce to the eggs stir until blended. Add the ground beef and the oats mix well using a wooden spoon or your hands ( I used my hands).

3. Dump mixture into a 10in. cast iron skillet, press to shape. If you don't have a cast iron skillet, you can follow the same instructions for a bread pan.  Bake for one hour, remove from oven, spread on the topping and bake for 25 more minutes or until the center reaches 160 degrees.

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Trying to Catch Up

I was able to get in some stitching this week but not as much as I would have liked because of doctor appointments and other errands. Virtuous Woman is coming along though no matter how slow.

My infusions are in full swing. I am at a new infusion center so it will take me a while to learn the layout of the place. I thought about a special start for this but I already have several things going so I decided to just take Virtuous Woman in and work on her during the infusion hours afterall, she is the same inspirational theme stitch that I like to work on during infusions.

I even made a start on Quaker Bluebirds. I think I will re-name it Quaker Redbirds hence the color change. I am using 18 count Aida Irish Cream by My Vintage Needlearts over at Etsy. The threads are Gentle Art Sampler in Mulberry. It's a small start but it gives you an idea of how the thread color will look on the fabric.

I also pulled out Pomegranate Santa by Plum Street Samplers over the weekend and started on it. I am using the called for threads and I am using Evergreen by Fiberlicious fabrics. Maybe I should get the nasties more often! After I feel better, I seem to get a good bit done! LOL

I fought the urge but I just could not contain myself! I ordered another BBD design with threads. Oh Joyous Day is just too drool worthy to pass up! Like Little Birds by BBD, it is out of stock at the moment but they will send it as soon as more arrive. I am fine with that!

Who doesn't love a pan of steaming hot cornbread? While it is still good and hot, I like to slice a piece, slather it with butter and drizzle some honey over it. After it cools off, I have my beloved glass of cornbread with cold milk! Something I have enjoyed since I was a child. It makes a great side or an even better snack!

Ingredients

• 2 cups self rising cornmeal mix not just plain cornmeal
• 2 eggs or 1 extra large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil for the skillet if using cast iron
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk or regular milk Start with 1 cup of liquid if you are using regular milk and add the rest as necessary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• If you are using cast iron, place the 1/4 cup oil in the bottom of a 9″ skillet and place over high heat on your stovetop while you make the batter.
• Pour the cornmeal into a bowl and add the oil, egg, and buttermilk.
• Mix until combined and drop a small amount into your skillet.
• If it sizzles immediately, go ahead and pour in your batter to within 1 inch of the top. If you want a thinner cornbread, just don’t pour in as much.
• Transfer the skillet from the stove top to the hot oven.
• Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden and set.

Notes

If you are not using cast iron, grease your pan with nonstick cooking spray and do not preheat the pan. Bake as directed.

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.

Shame on Me

I had another post written and ready to put up but things change. I am still working on Virtuous Woman. Just not as fast as I would like. It has been a busy week with doctors, errands and just feeling icky so I did not get as much stitching done as I had hoped.

I am still waiting on Little Birds by BBD to arrive with the thread pack. Oh, and the fabric. But I have everything set up to store it all in when it arrives.

Another new stitch will be Quaker Bluebirds by Willow House Samplings. I am not a big fan of Quaker designs but the birds on this piece won me over. Also, I have been wanting to do a solid red sampler for a while but was waiting to find the right one. This is it.

I seldom work on more than one piece at a time but for some reason, I changed it around this year. Several (or more) projects on rotation but in no particular order. Just whatever strikes my fancy to work on. I am playing around with the idea of making weekends, Christmas stitching. Nothing is written in stone so no pressure. It should be interesting to see what happens!

The recipe of the week is Shepard Pie. This is a quick fix but very filling! No need to make any sides other than some bread because all the veggies are in the pie! I use instant mashed potatoes because peeling the potatoes causes hand cramps!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion chopped (roughly 1/2 cup)
• 1 garlic clove crushed or minced
• 3/4 cup tomato paste one 6-ounce can
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables or about two 10 oz. packages frozen vegetable medley, thawed (carrots, peas, corn, and green beans)
• 1 pound white or russet potatoes peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 350°F and coat a 1.5 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Peel and cut the potatoes into about 1 inch cubes, and place the potatoes and a pinch of salt into a pot of cold water.
• Cover, and bring to boil. Remove cover and boil for 10-12 minutes, until fork tender.
• While the potatoes are cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat.
• Add the ground beef, onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet and cook, breaking up the meat, until it is browned. Drain any excess grease.
• Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Add vegetables, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• While the meat mixture is simmering, drain the potatoes and return to the pot.
• Add ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt or sour cream, milk, and 1 teaspoon salt to the potatoes. With a potato masher or hand mixer, mash to desired consistency.
• Add the meat mixture to the prepared casserole dish, then top with the mashed potatoes and remaining cheese.
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through, and cheese and potatoes are slightly browned.

Until next time may you have simple days and an uncluttered heart.