Weekending

 

 

 

 

Well I have survived my first week of training, commuting and fitting it all together in my life. On Friday I was actually working in my local library, putting some of what I have learned into practice.  It was nice seeing some familiar faces and knowing where everything was located.

This weekend I have:

• enjoyed the chance to relax with a cup of my current  favourite tea and a new magazine
• hoped that we would get rain - there are so many cracks appearing in my lawn
• been especially pleased that my Paint Brush Lily is starting to flower
• baked Passionfruit and Coconut Slice - enjoyed by all except Mr J.
• started cutting 2.5" x 6.5" strips for the shirt quilt I am making Mr J, after realising the year is already going far to quickly.  So many more strips to cut though, he also wants some blocks constructed from the pockets too.

Other suggestions for using up excess passionfruit will be gratefully received.
Also can anyone recommend any good thriller/adventure/mystery books for me - nothing that will scare when I'm home alone though.

Weekending

I have felt a bit out of sorts this weekend.  I think it is because tomorrow I start work, after 12 years out of the work force it will be a big adjustment.  That rush in the mornings to get children off to school, to get washing hung out, remembering to get meat out of the freezer to defrost, that time spent sitting in the car waiting for the traffic to move. So this weekend has been largely spent catching up on housework, meal planning and baking for the week ahead.   There has also been:

• the making of  lemon and passionfruit curd, using up more of those lemons and now the passionfruit which are dropping of their vines.
• a little time out for me - finishing off Anna Quindlen's, Still Life with Breadcrumbs and starting The Gravity of Birds, by Tracey Guzeman.  These  books would be two of my best reads this year.
• some playing on my sewing machine - a couple more envelopes for my swap partners.  I really should look at assembling my Jacob's Ladder quilt top, but it is too hot to be wrestling with all that fabric at present.

I may not blog as frequently over the next month, but hopefully once all my training is completed, I will be able to get back to cooking, sewing, getting my vegetable garden started for winter, reading and commenting on all your blogs.

Have a fabulous week everyone.

Sew Sweet Swap

Recently I took part in the Sew Sweet Swap.  I was paired up with Linda from Razzle Dazzle Quilter.  Her pouch was yellow and pink, two of her favourite colours.  I also made her a little pincushion with pansy fabric - one of her favourite flowers.  Whittakers dark chocolate,  coffee sticks, and a card  made to match her pouch were sent..

Yesterday I received my package - needless to say I was absolutely blown away by her generosity.  Beautiful flavoured teas, jaffas, chocolates, washi tape and a some gorgeous sewing.  My pouch features a snap top opening rather than a zip - something I will have to try out.  There was also a mug rug and a lovely little pouch for tea bags, great for putting in your handbag.

Thank you so much Linda and thanks Cat for organising this swap.

When life gives you lemons....

 

 

... you make

• lemon  juice cubes to freeze away for later use or to drop into a G & T
• lemon poppy seed cake with lemon icing

and

•  plan to make lemon curd  over the weekend

What do you do with excess lemons?
Have a fabulous weekend where-ever you are.

Reading and Dreaming

Currently on my bedside table, there is a lovely pile of reading. I have just started Mrs Lincoln's Rival, the latest from Jennifer Chiaverini. Set just before and during the time Mrs Lincoln's Dressmaker, it is an interesting read about the election of President Lincoln, the  Civil War, and the rivalry between Mrs Lincoln and Kate Chase Sprague, whom the Washington Star declared "the most brilliant woman of her day. None outshone her".

And in the dreaming pile is the Mr and Mrs Smith Hotel Collection.  This book reviews luxurious boutique hotels around the world.  The one I am reading is for South-East Asia, and I tell you, if I had the means I would be packing my bag and heading off to some of these  hidden away places in Cambodia, Bali or Vietnam. Most rooms/villas seem to have private infinity pools and personal butlers.  There are luxurious spa treatments and lavish complementary toiletries.  Luckily I have discovered that my library has a few more of these books for various other parts of the world, so I shall be requesting them too, and vicariously experiencing how the rich and famous holiday at these fabulous places.

What are you reading at present?
Where are you dreaming of escaping too?

Summer is..

 

• a cloudless blue sky
• barefeet, painted toenails and a drying out lawn
• a bowl of freshly picked cherry tomatoes
• the hot pink blooms of  a flowering salvia
• the cicada choir that sings through the day, only to be replaced at night by  a choir of crickets

Weekending

 

 

Lots of sewing again this weekend.

• Two more envelopes for my SWAK envelope Swap.  I am now about three months ahead, so that is one less thing to have to worry about keeping up to date with, when I start work.
• This pile of fabric and cord, got turned into a lined Drawstring backpack for one of my nieces in Australia.  Modeled by Miss B. Tutorial from here, though I made mine a little bit bigger and cut my pieces 15"x18". I have one more to make for my youngest niece,  who is starting ballet lessons this year.

Some late summer blooms from my garden:

• my favourite tropical Vireya
• a geranium/pelargonium - that is almost a velvety maroon in colour and texture.  Unfortunately my photo doesn't really show that.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend .

Making Chutney

Yesterday  I made Beetroot and Lemon Chutney, which apart from Chocolate beetroot cake, is my other favourite way of using them.  My house smells delicious while this is cooking.  I have the scent of lemons simmering till soft, then they get added to the beetroot, along with fresh ginger, cinnamon and coriander.  It sort of has a middle eastern spiciness to it.  I love it on cheese and homemade burgers.

I still have a few more to harvest?  How to you cook/use up beetroot?

Weekending

 

Beautiful hot fine weather all weekend, and I spent a lot of it inside, in my sewing room.

• I have finished all the blocks of my Jacob's Ladder quilt so had a little play around with some layout ideas.  The top design is the same as the quilt that inspired me, however I am quite liking the second option.  No doubt there will be more layouts trialled yet. There are still borders to go on, including a scrappy square one - lots more 2.5" squares to cut.

• Some fabric stamps were made to go with the envelopes for the SWAK swap.

• A birthday card for Mr J.

Both Miss B and Mr J went happily off to school today, I now have two weeks to catch up on some long neglected housework, gardening and a couple of sewing projects before I start my training for my library job.

What did you do this weekend?