It's been way toooooo lonnnnng.....!

Life continues to be busy. I must admit, I love my work schedule. Five (5) days on (with a 2 (two) day break in there) and seven (7) days off! Couldn't ask for a better work week!

What have I been up too you might ask? Lots of quilting that's for sure. I did play some more on Penelope, practicing my feathers. They're coming along nicely! Not ready to put them on a quilt yet... soon with more practice.

I did finish a top that's presently on Penelope. I used some reproduction fabrics! I want to have it machine quilted before I blog about it. I'm presently waiting for some thread! That order should get here in a couple of days!

I did finish block 9 (nine) of Hocuspocousville! I love that pattern.

Meg from Crabapple Hill did come out with a new Halloween pattern called Vintage Trick or Treat. That's another one on my list of to dos! I love her work!

So many patterns so little time! ;o)

A couple of weeks ago, Libby and I were corresponding regarding our Kitchenaid mixer. We both love our friend. ;o)

We were talking/writing about making pasta. I was telling her about the special adapter that attaches to the mixer. Anyway, by the end of our discussion, I knew what I wanted for dinner!

I had to make some pasta! LOL

I just love fresh pasta and this special gadget makes it so much easier. Both hands are free to play with the dough.

I make my pasta dough using semolina flour that I purchase in Montreal. Nothing like that around small town USA. You can make it with flour, but I prefer to use semolina.

I knead my dough using setting 1 and then 2.

After I feel it is properly kneaded, I go through the various numerical settings to thin it out.

Once the dough is thin enough for my liking, in this case number 5, I pass it through the fettuccine cutter.

(PS. the dough should be extended as it goes through the cutter - I needed to get my hand out of the way for the picture and quickly extend the dough before it passed through). We're talking action shot! lol

There's also a spaghetti noodle adapter that comes with the set.

That night, you guessed it, we were having Fettuccine Alfredo! Yummy!

That was dinner!

Fresh pasta, fresh artisan whole grain loaf and a glass of red wine!

Yes, I took the time to bake a loaf of bread. Libby gave me the bug! There was a time, prior to my going to graduate school, that I would often make bread. I fell out of the habit! Now, I'm back on the habit! lol

Cheers!

Thanks for stopping by!

What's going on.....!

What a busy week it's been! I haven't been home all week. Darn.... when will it slow down a bit?

Since school has been out, there were 2 things I wanted to work on, EQ6 and more play dates with Penelope. Well, tonight I did both!

I wanted to practice my feathers, you know, so I'm no longer a chicken! lol

They are not perfect but at least I'm getting some practice time.

In my MQX classes with Dawn Cavanaugh, we learned different ways to do a feather. So, I've been practicing all of them. For me, some techniques are much easier than others.

I would really like to be able to create those gorgeous feather designs that you see on quilts. Anyway, the more I practice, the better I'll get!

The weather here hasn't been that great, so my new bike has been sitting in the garage. I was going to take it to the shop today but the wind was unbelievable. Besides, I am so tired, just looking at the wind took any ounce of motivation I had.

Thanks for stopping by! Cheers!

That's just how it's been as of late....!

It hasn't been a very good week for me. I discovered these amazing sandwiches from a coffee shop down the street from Fibre called Lakeside Coffee shop.

Firstly, do not and I repeat DO NOT ever order a toasted bagel with their veggie cream cheese, you're sure to get addicted! Gosh is that ever good! That's been my breakfast! For lunch it's been a Caprese, fresh mozzarella, sun-dried tomato and pesto grilled sandwich! Another one to stay away! Sigh! Add a latte with that and their amazing crumb cake for dessert and you have my diet for the past few days! Thank goodness it's my day off today! ;o) Time for me to get back on track.

Since I work only 5 (five) miles from home, I bought myself one of these:

I specifically took the picture angled so that you could look at my new wheels as if going up hill.... you know.... burn more calories. ;o)

Yep, I do live on a hill so it will be challenging going to work and coming back from work.

I've been wanting a new bike for a while and I thought yesterday was the perfect day to buy one! They sure don't make them like they used to when I was a kid. I've got shock absorbers on this baby! Oh and about a gazillion gears to make going up those hills easier.

I did take a spin on it yesterday to get used to those brakes. Yea, another improvement from when I was a kid. They're surely not ABS brakes! Better not brake quickly or I'll find myself over the handle bar, face first on the pavement. They work alright! Good thing I have a bike helmet!

So that's been my week on the new South Beach diet! In all fairness, I did well until Friday, the day the shop opened. But, today is a new day!

Keep well everyone!

A balancing act....!

This year, as a whole, my life has been a balancing act. I cannot say that I've stayed centred most of the time, but I managed to make it this far with still some hair left on my head! lol

As you know, school is finished for me. Convocation takes place early June. It will be nice to put a closure to that chapter in my life. Now, I begin a new Chapter, another dream come true for me.

Welcome to the chapter entitled Fibre Junction - A Quilt Shoppe

Stephen has been hard at work, building our furniture for the shoppe.  Pictures do not do justice to the beauty of these fixtures!

Our opening day is tomorrow, May 1! It will be a "soft opening" as we await the deliveries of future lines of fabric, filling our empty shelves.

Tonight, I left the shoppe full of excitement, thinking about tomorrow. As I stood back and looked at my dream, I became overwhelmed with tears of joy. I am truly thankful!

This blog will now also include my quilting adventures as owner of Fibre Junction.

I want to thank you for being a part of my book of life, accompanying me on a new chapter. I have met some truly wonderful people. You have been an inspiration to me. Thank you for your support.

Diet Monday ... Humbug...!

Well, it's that time of the week again. I think I'm ready to get back on track. I cannot say that I've been a good girl when it came to eating healthy, but today is a new day.

I went to Sam's Club today and picked up this book


It has different recipes from his previous version, so why not! I do like this program. It just makes it easier for me to keep track of what I'm doing. I have such a difficult time keeping points.

I cannot say that I've finished or started any quilts to blog about. I've been working on projects I started a while back.

I still haven't slapped on some fabric to play with Penelope. My time has been spent getting the shop, Fibre Junction, ready for our opening day May 1. I've also been travelling a lot. April has been a busy month travelling here and there and every where. This coming weekend will be the first weekend in a while that I stay home. I am sooooooo looking forward to it!

Keep well!