On the quilting front ....

I finally got around to sewing the binding on the Feed Sack: True Blue quilt.

I quickly got to work on hand stitching the binding ...

And Voila .... 

The quilt is all done .... 

Gosh I love those blues .... Another one on my list of favourite quilts.

As a reward for completing a project, I bought this lovely FQ tower ... At Home by Bonnie & Camille.

Look at all those delicious colours ....

I haven't cut into it yet ... but I do have it out and pet it every now and again .... lol

What have you been up to?

When life gives you soon to expire cream ...

Make butter!

I've always wanted to make my own butter. I don't know, there's something about being self sufficient that entices me, peaks my curiosity.

I had a container of Organic heavy cream in my fridge that did not have a purpose within the near future.

Hum .... what do I have to lose? If it doesn't work out, I get to throw it out and if it does, I have delicious butter. 

I pulled out my stand mixer and started whipping. Make sure you have a splash guard ... it does get messy towards the end.

What an experience! 

It is so strange to see it going from a thick whipping cream to something that looks like cottage cheese ...

And as you keep going, it liquifies and then you have this ... 

Empty out the buttermilk in a different container and reserve for your favourite recipe ...

The fresh buttermilk will keep in your fridge for approximately two (2) weeks. 

Using your mixer, rinse your butter with cold/ice water by whipping it. It is important to continue mixing it with fresh cold water, discarding the water and adding fresh water until the water is fairly clear. If you skip this step, you butter will not have a long shelf life, and will sour.

Once you're done, mix in a pinch of salt. I used a fine sea salt. I shaped it using wax paper ...

Voila!

The butter is delicious .... I will most definitely make more!

Thanks for stopping by ... Catch you all later!

Sew it is ...!

Due to various personal circumstances in my life, I have not been able to quilt much. It might explain why I have been feeling so much out of sort. Quilting is my sanity ... my creative outlet. And although I have other creative outlets, quilting is my number one.

As I was vacuuming the cat hairs off a bed quilt ....

I realized how much I miss quilting in my life. It's really not the same. I don't feel the same.

I read on blogs about relatives and friends being unable to comprehend a quilter's need to create and would ask, "how many more quilts do you need? Don't you think you have enough ... You can't even use them all ... Oh, and ... You have way too much fabric. You can't possibly use it all in this life time" etc ....

In my mind, does it really matter how many quilts you have? Does it really matter that you have a gazillion more quilt projects you want to make? Who cares? And ... why don't you mind your own bees wax!

All that matters is that you are doing something that you love and that love is expressed via a quilt that will not only keep someone warm but also serve as a reminder that they are loved ... that someone cared enough to make them a quilt.

I have told my little Pumpkin, when I am no longer on this earth, keep the quilts you want and stand on a street corner and give the rest away!

What's your take on the subject? Have you had people express their lack of understanding regarding your hobbies?

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyber space. Catch you all later!

A chapter in my book of life comes to a close ....

I remember Pumpkin's first day of school. Difficult to comprehend where time has gone. From Kindergarten

To graduating from College ....

I am so proud of this kid ... she has turned into a such a beautiful caring and compassionate person ... I love how she decorated her graduation cap .... truly her calling in life

You see, my little Pumpkin has a passion for the environment ... she cares about this beautiful earth that we all live on and has devoted her studies to Environmental Management. Can anyone guess where she got her inspiration?

I'll give you a hint ... those are truffula trees.

More importantly .....

Congratulations Pumpkin ... I love you so much. I wish you all the best as you continue on your life's journey.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyber space. Oh ... I would encourage you to watch the movie The Lorax. A fun and wonderful movie. Catch you all later!

hoppin' ...!

Every Easter my dear friend Cheryl from down under sends me a box of Aussie chocolates. OMG, they are so yummy.

The box consists of your standard treats ... bunnies ... and of course, lots of unique things, one of which is a bilby, an Aussie Easter tradition.

Have you ever seen a bilby? They are so cute with their long ears. This year's bilby ....

Personally, I think they should have placed the chocolate eggs in the back and not the front! lol

So, wishing everyone a happy Easter from way up northeast New York, I can see Canada from my house, to all the way from down under.

Cheers!

What's up ....?

It's been a while since  my last post. I must admit, nothing much in my quilting world has been happening.

What I have been doing is being a cat rest ....

And then there's this one ....

You try getting anything done! lol

I'm hoping to have something to show you soon. Until then .... I'm just enjoying the love from Princess Stella.

Catch you all later!

I have a wedding to attend ....!

One of my nieces, Michelle, is getting married on March 9. I decided that I needed to go shopping for a new outfit. Yea, I'm cutting it close!

For the record, I do not like to shop. I am one of those people that is on a mission when she enters a shopping mall. Get in and get out in record time ... Oh and sometimes, I make an attempt to beat the previous record! lol

Since I live in small town America, I went into Montreal ... At the suggestion of my niece, Stephanie, I headed for the Carrefour Laval. This place is huge! One can easily get lost ... so remember which door you came in ... for me is was Sport Expert.

Stopped at a couple of boutiques to check out the dresses and found nothing. I did notice that there was a Lego store! Bonus ... my shopping experience just improved.

But first, the dress ... Keep focus Carole ... I went to La Baie and tried on this dress ...

Winner on first try ... now for a jacket ....

Bonus ... I'm done! Oh, and yea! By the way, I plan on wearing the same socks ... or perhaps, at the suggestion of my friend Cheryl, I'll wear gumboots! Naw, ankle army boots would be much better! lol

With my purchase in a tow I sought out the Lego store. Around and around I went. Did come across this gorgeous display ...

After I decided I had had enough of going around and around in circles walking exercise, I stopped at the info kiosks and ask for directions .... Yea, the mall is that big that it has info booths with actual people and not just a maps!

Once I arrived at the Lego store ... OMG, I was in heaven .... I love Legos.

I found the perfect fun wedding gift .... don't tell Michelle, it's suppose to be a surprise .... She doesn't read my blog ... hum, I don't think she does! lol

The clerk told me a story about this couple who a bought this set as a wedding favors for their guests ... what a fun idea.

My gift to myself .... drum roll please ....

Nasa Apollo Saturn V rocket ... Did you notice that it has 1969 pieces ... The year of the first moon landing! Oh yea ... I'm excited to build this baby!

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace.

Catch you all later ....

Out of site ... Out of mind!

I've been decluttering, getting rid of stuff. It's amazing how much "stuff" we accumulate when we have a place to store it. Out of site ... out of mind!

I've been quilting for over 11 years (the number of years have been changed to protect the age of the blogger ;), and let me tell you ... you accumulate a lot of stuff ... projects you've started ... put aside ... that you may or may not want to finish.

Fabric scraps ... OMG!

At what point/size is a fabric scrap considered a discard ... trash? Seriously, I have stuff that is less than an inch big!!!

In my defense, my plan was to create an English Paper Piecing quilt using 3/8" hexes .... CRAZY ... by the way the fabric saving has been going on for years, however I cannot say the same for the project ... it hasn't even been started!!!

Time to get rid of stuff!

I cleared out numerous UFO projects that I have no intentions of completing and gave them, along with the pattern, to a charitable organization. You know what they say ... One person's discard is another person's treasure!

As I was organizing stuff, I came across a box of various fabric scraps.

Some were sewn "left over" from various completed projects ... like the wings of a flying geese that you used as leaders and enders, hoping to include them in your next quilt. Not sure that's ever going to happen ....

Time to continue with the purge.

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Did you hear me yelling?

Here I was, minding my own business, getting dressed for work and out of no where this bottle fell on my foot ... FRIGGEN FRAGGEN $%^&*@

OMG, did that ever hurt ... luckily I had an appointment with my GP the next day. He was certain it was broken ... I mean check out the bruising? His concern ... bone fragments.

After some X-Rays, I am happy to announce that it is not broken ... and no loose bone fragments. Just lots of colors and pain.

The culprit ....

A $30.00 bottle of body cream ... intact ... despite falling on a ceramic floor ... thank you foot for acting as a buffer ... yea right ... Sigh!

I'll be nursing my wound for a while .... Catch you all later!

Vanilla Cranberry Scones ...!

I just love cranberry scones ... So I've been working on perfecting a recipe to give me a delicious Vanilla cranberry scone. It's been challenging, but I think I've got it!

THE RECIPE:

VANILLA CRANBERRY SCONES

2-3/4 cups Flour (I use King Arthur all purpose)

1/2 cup of Sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt (non iodized)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 cup cold butter (one stick)

1/2 cup Cranberries (I use frozen)

2 large Eggs

2 Teaspoon Vanilla extract (I use Nielsen Massey)

1/2 cup of cream or milk

TOPPING

2 teaspoon of milk

Demerara sugar (crystal sugar)

Preheat the over at 425F - bake 20-25 minutes

TRICKS AND TOOLS:

I like to work with a "mise en place" which means to put everything in place. It is a technique I learned when I started baking bread from scratch. By having all of my ingredients in place, I don't have to worry about missing anything ... did I add the salt?

"Mise en place" simplifies things ... yea some of you might say ... but that just creates more dishes to wash. Yes, but well worth it. Besides, I have come to enjoy doing the dishes. My mom never asked any of us kids to help wash the dishes ... we were free to play. I asked her recently about this and she said "doing the dishes was my quiet time, a time for reflection" I get it!

A great tool to have for any recipe that requires cutting in fat is a pastry cutter.

Because we will be working with cold butter, you want a sturdy one. There are two types of pastry cutter, the one that looks like a whisk is actually used for cutting in soft fats. Never use that one with hard butter, you'll trash it.

After you've mixed your dry ingredients together (I use a whisk),  add the cold butter.

Once the butter is cut into small chunks, the fun part starts! lol

With your bare (clean) hands, find the chunks and smash/flatten each chunk of butter. They should all look like this:

This will create layers in your scone ... flakier scones.

Add the cranberries. I tend to purchase cranberries in season, wash and freeze them. By using frozen cranberries, they will not break down and colour your dough while you are mixing.

Now add the liquids ... mix. Do not over mix. The goal is NOT to develop the gluten strands.

On a lightly flour surface, work the batter lightly and create the desired shape. In my case, I use a scone dish so I shape my dough into a scone circle.

I use the underside of my scone dish to mark the size of my pieces.

Place the Scone Circle on the dough and gently press to create an indentation

Cut on the lines

Place the wedges in the scone dish. Baste the scones with milk and sprinkle with a form of sugar crystal.

Voila! Delicious scones!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Drop me a note and let me know!

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Baby ... It's cold outside!

We had a wonderful snow storm this weekend that lasted well into Sunday. Not sure how many inches of snow we received. It was so windy, all I know is that I shoveled three (3) feet of snow ...

Today, is quite windy and brrrr!

A perfect day to sit with a latte and read the new cookbook I recently bought .... The Red Truck Bakery Cookbook

Interesting read with lots of wonderful recipes. I myself love a cookbook filled with pictures and stories related to the recipes.

Given how cold it is today, it was a perfect day to try the Howdy Neighbor Muffin recipe. It did not disappoint.

OMG ... they were delish!

Catch you all later! Cheers!

Happy New Years!

Here's to a healthy, prosperous and joyful new years!

It's a magical time ...!

Wishing you all a joyous, magical and peaceful Christmas!

Cheers!

Santa's comin' to my town ...!

I just love Santa. As a matter of fact, I'm one of his biggest fan!

Are you ready for Santa's visit?

I sure am!

Oops, I need some carrots for the reindeers! Be right back! lol

I sit a lot .... quietly!

As I've mentioned in a past post ... I haven't been up to much these past few months. I mainly sit quietly .... solitude and silence has been my constant companion as of late. Not complaining, it's what is at the moment .... what I need. As Sara, a friend, would say, "hanging on to my peace!"

Last Sunday, I went into Montreal to celebrate my mother's 82nd birthday. There is this wonderful book store on the West Island that I just love getting lost in it's many aisles of books. Chapter's is a must to visit when you're in the city. I'm all for supporting local bookstores ....

I picked up this wonderful book ... The Subtle art of not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson.

A potty mouth book with wisdom. If you are easily offended, I would not recommend it. Like I said, potty mouth ... but it does make valid points! It's NOT a book about being indifferent ... au contraire! Choose wisely what you are going to care about and care deeply ... FULLY give a Hoot! Using clean language here! lol It all makes sense to me.

A passage that caused me to reflect ... regarding the positive thinking movement ...

A wise book to cuddle with on a cold winter day ....

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace!

Catch you all later!

Festival of lights ... !

May the light of love and peace always shine brightly in your heart now and forever more.

Shalom - Peace

Getting in the spirit .... !

Attempting to get in the spirit of the season! I just love celebrating the holidays in December. So much to be grateful ... so much to celebrate!

I decided this year that I was going to get a tree. I took off to shop for lights and ended up in Whoville! Have you ever been? It's a marvelous town! lol

I fell in love with a gorgeous tree and I just had to have it! It's so moi!

Voici a Seuss Spruce!

No sooner did I have the Seuss Spruce up .... A guest showed up!

He's been hanging out ever since! lol

I love my little tree! It's perfect!

Hope you are getting into the holiday spirit! It's truly a wonderful time of the year!

Catch you all later!

Life challenges .... !

Sometimes ... cheesecake is all I need to get me out of a funk!

Spent the day in Albany ... wondering aimlessly in Barnes & Nobles bookstore ... I love books!

Now, I just wish I could focus and read the books I've bought!

Catch you all later!