Tall Tales from Kansas

Ginger says it's time

Once upon a time I shared an office with my friend Barb.  And Barb's mom, Ginger, would always call her in the Spring (and fall) when it was time to plant pansies.   When Barb hung up the phone she would turn to me and say "Ginger say's it's time".  And just like that, we knew it was safe to plant.  Ginger was never wrong. 

Barb's mom died earlier this month, so I have to try and figure this out on my own now.  In her honor I will do my very best to carry on the tradition by alerting any of you who live in zone 6a (according to the Plant Hardiness Zone Map) when it is time.  Which it is, right now.

Boy oh boy do I love that first trip of the spring to the gardening store.  It is filled with so much possibility.  Things you have been dreaming about and ideas for things you hadn't even conceived of.   I'll just be here this weekend, rain or shine, raising my spade and gardening gloves to you, filled with BIG ideas, and always thinking back to the gardeners who have gone before me, thankful for all their lessons. 

we gave ourselves high marks for ingenuity

Mary Joan and I did not let a little thing like the weather keep us from our appointed rounds today.

We had plans.  Springlike plans.  Plans to fill our eyes with bunnies and flowers and all things green and sprouting or blooming.   

For the record, I did not buy a bunny with lily of the valley coming out of his ear.  But I kind of wanted to. 

Then it was back in the car, down the ramp, onto the highway (by mistake), off the highway, up and down the one way streets of the downtown area of KC.  Refusing to use a phone for directions because "we need to be able to figure this stuff out on our own - like in the old days!" 

And of course, find it we did.  Brown and Loe.  The designated lunch spot. 

After a bit of deliberation I settled on the Roasted Butternut Squash sandwich with feta, peppadew jam, and arugula on whole grain toasted bread - with a side of cream of mushroom soup.  OH! but it was good.  The perfect lunch for a rainy spring day.  Warm soup, bright arugula, sweet and smoky butternut squash - I think that sums it up.  Joan would completely disagree and tell you to get the buttermilk chicken sandwich that was dressed with smoked gouda, apple fennel slaw, sweet pickles and ancho tomato jam - and some darn good crispy, salty, fries on the side.  I only know the fries were good because Joan insisted I try them. 

The restaurant is in an old bank building from the 1920's with cool architectural details.  Worth a trip for sure. 

When we each got back to your respective homes we did some serious "home-making" and sent each other photos of our work. 

We gave ourselves high marks for ingenuity, using items we already owned with just a few new purchases to freshen things up. 

I spotted these pillows and have added "make free motion circle quilted pillows" to the to-do list.  There are simply not enough hours in the day for all the things I need to try my hand at.  

it's not too heavy and will hold your interest

One of you told me about this little book.  The story of a lady who is left a home in Sag Harbor by a lady whose home she used to clean, and who became her friend.  There is a lot more to it than that, but you get the gist.  A nice little read.  Something to help pass the time on a plane, or to listen to on a 6 or 7 hour car ride.  It's not too heavy and will hold your interest.   

If that sounds like something you might like - I can recommend it for you.   

the appropriate number of soul satisfying moments

Saturday night we had friends over for dinner.   We needed to discuss potential vacation plans, drink wine, and most importantly... eat colcannon.

There are likely at least 8 other people who read this blog that can relate to the need to center a dinner party around a dish that consists of potatoes, cabbage, and butter.

Did I say lots and lots of butter?  I meant to.  Oh, and Chris added some bacon to the top.  Because he thought it sounded like a good idea.  Which it was.  There was also pork, salad, green beans, wine, key lime pie, and coffee.  And we used the china and crystal from great Aunt Alice, raising a glass to her at the beginning of the festivities. 

This morning I got up and lit the Easter egg candles because it felt like the right thing to do. 

Then I read about this book on Brain Pickings weekly.  It's about Arthur trying to find out what a poem is.  My favorite definition was from Lolo, who runs the bicycle shop and tells Arthur that a poem "is when you are in love and have the sky in your mouth."

Then it was time for overnight oats with dates and apples and bananas.

Followed by "Cindy's Lemon Delight" pound cake baking for work this week.

Next on the Sunday agenda was foraging in the garden for signs of Spring.   Vinca and grape hyacinths are shooting up. 

Foraging was followed by a trip to the library during which I spotted a blue cow.

And that friends is how I spent the last 24 hours.  I think I have just enough time to fit in a nap, dinner, and an episode of Designated Survivor before hanging up my hat for the weekend and heading back to work Monday am.    It's important to fit the appropriate number of soul satisfying moments into each weekend.  This weekend, I met my quota.  

 

Adding this recipe since several of you have asked.

my finds from an afternoon last week

Spring is the best time for driving around and collecting all sorts of beautiful things.  For free.   Here are my finds from an afternoon last week.

Just as I was about to call it good and head for home, I spotted this patch of creeping phlox.  One of Angie's favorites.  I must find a spot for some in my garden this year.   

 

one of the shoes I am thinking about ordering

Back in the day (exactly what time frame that refers to, I'm not sure, but in this case I am meaning when we were in our late 30's or early 40's), my sister and I used to make mail art for each other.  Quite frequently I would say.   

I was reminded of how much fun it was, when I received this in the post from Mary Ann last week. 

I called her to ask if she said anything important inside, because I didn't want to open it and chance disturbing a single element.  It's my new bookmark and I delight in admiring every aspect of it over and over again each night when I am reading.

I took my sewing machine in for "routine maintenance" today and since I am unable to work on my new quilt, I find myself with time on my hands.  I am trying to decide if I should attempt to draw my house with my car and recycling bins out front.  Like she did. 

Or maybe a self portrait, or a drawing of Chris, or one of the shoes I am thinking about ordering. 

 A car with 3 tires appeals to me the most right now for some reason. 

they go with anything

When you are buying your spring daffodils in the coming days it's important to remember to get some that are blooming now and some that will bloom in a few days.  This means you will need to "root around" through all the bunches at the store which may cause the flower lady to ask if you are sure you don't need help.  To which you will of course reply "no thank you". 

Then you are going to want to look through all your containers at home and find the one that your adopted sister Jennifer gave you last year on your birthday filled with zinnias and adorned with a green gauzy bow that you also kept, knowing it would come in handy in the coming year. 

If you have a green striped kitchen towel that you bought in Bergen, Norway and a couple of anemic strawberries to throw in the background for photos that's okay too.   But feel free to pull out whatever vases, bows, towels, and fruits you want to.   Any, and all ,will look good with a couple of bunches of daffodils. 

I am pretty they are the universal flower.  In other words, they go with anything. 

And boy howdy, do they smell good!

which has me almost as excited as making this one

Kaffe Fasset and Brandon Mably were in Lawrence a few months back as part of their 2016 USA tour.   While they were here they got together with the folks at Sarah's and put together a selection of fabrics and "designed" a quilt.  When I saw it hanging up in the store, I died.  Then came back to life and stared in wonderment at how amazing it was. 

Then I left the store.  Because I was in the middle of my other quilt project. 

Then I went back a week later.  Still in the middle of another quilt project, but recognizing the need to have the next quilt project lined up and waiting in the wings. 

The pattern and fabrics were all packaged up.  Like a work of art.  I almost hated to undo it.  But I did. 

Now I am in the midst of cutting. 

Lots and lots of cutting.  I have never really followed a pattern for a quilt before.  There is lots to learn.  Stuff like WOF means width of fabric, and that you can change the blade in your rotary cutter (!), and how to cut a bias square.

And all the while, as the cutting continues, I look at all these pieces and wonder just what I will make from all the scraps. 

Which has me almost excited as making this one. 

we said hello to frogs, ducks, and birds

Saturday we ventured out to the Baker Wetlands to see what we could see.  In addition to getting to pet a 12 week old chocolate lab, who was taking his new mama for a walk, we said hello to frogs, ducks, and birds.   We did not pet them. 

This is a great place to walk when there is a nice cool breeze and it's sunny.   Maybe not so great in the heat of summer, although as we made our way around the place we did find some areas that were shaded. 

Spring time burning is happening in Kansas right now.  You don't need binoculars to see that, but if you do have a pair - bring them.  We wished that we had brought ours so we could see some of the birds better. 

There are 45 acres of native wetlands, as well as many acres of restored meadows and marshes.  The Oregon/Calilfornia trail runs through the middle of it.  If you come, stop at the visitors center if it's open.  You can get a map there of all the different trails and parking areas.  

it's never too early to start concocting spring cocktails

 If, on a weekend, you have a few strawberries left over from breakfast, cut them up, pour a few ounces of vodka over them, and leave them alone.

Then, run upstairs and look at all the scraps from your Sew Together Bag, and think about what you can make out of them that will only take an hour or so.  Like maybe one of these.

Then go back downstairs and throw your strawberries and vodka over ice, add some citrus, a splash of St. Germaine and some club soda, and smile.  It's Saturday!

And you can't have too many coffee cozy's, it's never too early to start concocting spring cocktails for sipping out back in the sun, and all those things that seem like chores can wait for another day. 

so you go ahead and dive headfirst into the whole leprechaun spirit thing

When your last name is Mulvenon you take your St. Patrick's day "stuff" seriously.  

You buy the shamrock cookie embosser, you make the dough, you roll the dough, you press the dough, and of course you bake the cookies.

Then you make the special frosting, and color it, and apply it using frosting brushes.  In an artistic manner, that is pleasing to the eye.

Then when you are not looking your wife (who is Irish in name only) takes over icing duties, liberally applying sprinkes so you can't even see the shamrocks. 

So you go ahead and dive headfirst into the whole leprechaun spirit thing and make a "green and white".

And before you know it, things are out of control.   

Which matters not one little bit, because I can tell you I have already sampled, and am happy to report they all eat the same.  By that I mean good.  Real good.    

Happiest of St. Patrick's Days to you and yours!

 

ten was the perfect number

 A healthy dose of yellow, in the form of some tulips from the grocery store, seemed like the perfect balance to the snow this week. 

Let me qualify that by saying if I was living up in the northeast, where the snow fell in feet not inches, it would have taken a truckload of tulips.  But right here where I am,  ten was the perfect number.  Just the right amount for my old, aqua blue, Atlas Strong Shoulders Mason jar. 

something to cover my eyes with at the scary parts

If you aren't watching this, you are missing out.   Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon are sublime in their portrayals of Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. 

It makes me want to watch old movies in a dark theatre.  With popcorn.  And something to cover my eyes with at the scary parts. 

 

especially on your birthday Dottie...

This was what it looked like this past Saturday in Lawrence.  It was glorious.  There was no gardening to be done.  Too wet out for a walk.  The perfect opportunity for a sit in front of the fireplace. 

Just as important as seizing the day when the weather is fine, is the opportunity for gazing out the windows, drinking coffee, touching fabrics, dreaming about all the things you could make and planning dinner party menus, when the weather is not so fine.  

Later in the day we got out in our flannel lined jeans to explore.  The ground is not frozen here and all this cottony fluff was gone by Sunday.  No plants were harmed by a momentary covering of white. 

It's not everyday you get to see the Bradford pear and Forsythia blossoms covered in white. 

Quirky weather.   Just one more reason to visit Kansas.  Especially on your birthday Dottie.  hint hint hint....

my hands do not like to be cold

Because it snowed on Saturday, and because this yarn is pretty, and because everyone needs another pair of fingerless mitts, I made these over the weekend.

The "lightening fast mittens" are indeed a quick knit.  I just adapted the pattern slightly to make mitts instead of mittens.  

They are knit on size 13 needles, which is the reason they go so fast. 

Before you know it you will be doing the thumb and after that it's just working in the ends. 

Colorway of my mitts is "piedras" and I got it and the free pattern at The Yarn Barn in downtown Lawrence.   This pattern actually calls for malabrigo Rasta yarn and boy are they pretty with that too. 

You don't need to block mitts, but I think everything looks better after blocking. 

These are the kind of mitts that I will wear a lot - they are a loose enough knit not to be too hot, go great with a couple of my coats/jackets, and when I don't need a jacket will be perfect with a scarf.  My hands do not like to be cold.  At all.  

thanks Pam, for all the inspiration

This has all happened.  And yes, there are some imperfections in the attachment of the binding but nothing I can't live with. 

All the different colors and patterns of orange/yellow came together very nicely into a whole. 

It works for the front and maybe even better with the back. 

There are some sweet spots that I really like, and especially that one square that Pam had pieced together and tucked in the scrap bag for me. 

Everytime I walk by and look at it, it makes me very happy.  Which is what creating is all about, right?

Thanks Pam!  For the bag of scraps, for bringing your quilts to the last several art retreats so I could see them, and for all the inspiration to try my hand at quilting. 

some good stuff

The older I get, the more I appreciate good experiences.  Simple parts of everyday life.  Things like getting up early in the morning and taking a walk at a time when you would normally already be at work.  Watching it get light while the birds are chirping away, then noticing as you arrive back home that your little weeping cherry is blooming.

That right there, that is some good stuff. 

 

the one about how to survive being swallowed alive

If you think you might want to know why Arctic nomads eat organ meats and why they can be classified as both "meat" and "fruit and vegetables" , or that aroma and taste matter in a ratio of 50/50 to cats but 70/30 to dogs, you might want to go to the library and check out Gulp by Mary Roach. 

Only 2 chapters in, I am finding it quite interesting, and I haven't even gotten to the chapter on flatus (gas) yet, or the one about how to survive being swallowed alive.  I am not even kidding one bit about this.  Mary Roach is a great science writer.   Her approach is to take an ordinary topic and tell us the answers to the questions we have always wondered about but didn't know who to ask.  In Gulp she covers the digestive tract.  From beginning to end. 

The plan was to wait until I was completely finished to tell you about this book but I couldn't.   Perfect weekend reading.  Packed with tons of well researched interesting tid-bits the person you live with is going to want to know too.  

haunted, fixated, and troubled

Chris opened a can of salted cashews the other day and since that moment I have been obsessing about these.  Haunted, fixated, and troubled would also be proper descriptors.

The extreme close up of the buttery, brown, crispy, melt in your mouth, salty, sweet, chewy, goodness is just to show you what a good idea it is not to skip the part of the recipe that instructs you to line the pan with heavy foil.  It's not at all to make you want a bite. 

That's what this picture is for. 

I took them to work, where they were well received.  And where I could not eat more than 2 without embarrassing myself.  The recipe is below.  This time when I made them I used about 3/4 cup of the white chocolate chips and about a cup and a half of the cashews.  I liked them even better that way.  OH - and use quick cooking oats, not the old fashioned kind if you can - the old fashioned ones will work, but those rougher fibers tend to get stuck in teeth.  Which may interfere with the total enjoyment factor. 

1(11 oz) pkg caramels
½ cup evaporated milk
2 cups quick-cooking oats
2 cups all-purpose flour
1cup firmly packed brown sugar
¾ tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1¼cups butter, softened
1½cups white chocolate morsels
1 cup chopped salted cashews

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9-inch baking pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Lightly grease foil. In a microwave-safe medium bowl, microwave caramel bits and evaporated milk on high in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until caramel is melted and smooth (about 2 1/2 minutes total). Set aside. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly (I used food processor to mix in the butter and after that added in the oats and mixed by hand). Press half of the oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle white chocolate morsels and cashews evenly over baked crust. Drizzle with caramel mixture. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture evenly over caramel. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely in pan before removing and cutting into bars.

almost throwing my shoulder out of joint as I pat myself on the back

In the event that something unforeseen happens while the binding is being attached, and this scrap/experimentation quilt never see's the light of day again, here is what it looked like when the quilting phase was completed. 

Gosh I love what adding all those quilting lines did to the total effect. 

And of course you will need to see the back.   

Report on the gripper gloves = A+!    They really helped move the bulk of the quilt along easier.   

On to that binding now.   Then I may or may not do a little bit of hand-stitching, followed by attaching a label, and throwing it in the washer.  All the while almost throwing my shoulder out of joint as I pat myself on the back.   I am shameless like that.  When it comes to a project that is a labor of love.   

so the Harvey boys can get a fix

Sunday, while on a mission to fill 7 bags of yard waste for the 6am Monday morning pick-up, I discovered the bare-root poppies that I planted last year, that never bloomed, have emerged! 

While I was out there I did some serious whacking on the rose bush, that has a case of witches broom, but continues to produce lovely fragrant blooms, so I just keep cut off the bad parts and baby it along. 

The red sunset maple is starting to do it's thing.  A glorious thing. 

The lavender decided to stick around for another season.  It's been hard establishing a good lavender in my garden for some reason.  I have had great plants in previous gardens.  Fingers crossed for this one. 

Last but not least are the garlic chives Nancy Walrafen gave me 10 years ago that faithfully return each and every year. 

Now I am off to liberate the cat mint from the spiky dead growth of last year so the Harvey boys can get a fix, and maybe chop down a few ornamental grasses, if I am feeling energetic, and I can talk Chris into helping. 

Just like that, gardening season has begun. 

my idea of a darn fine weekend

 Saturday started with a fresh bag of Sumatra beans and ended with slices of cara-cara orange floating in a perfect cosmo.

In between those things was the discovery of the self-cleaning button on my iron.

Which I used (after googling a video) for the first time - ever!  They recommend every two weeks.  Say what?

There was also some quilt washing while the sun shown and the wind blew.

A flash back to 1974 and the Howard Air Force Base Catholic church folk choir.  I am happy to report I still remember the lyrics to each and every song. 

Important mailings were attended to.

I figured out how to change the sole on my walking foot AND attach a seam guide.  Marilyn, have I told you how GLAD I am that you told me to get a Bernina?  In my mind I think I can do anything with this machine. 

And, last but not least, went through 2 full bobbins as progress continues with the quilting. 

Oh and we also watched Manchester by the Sea (loved it) and Hell or High Water (liked it). 

My idea of a darn fine weekend. 

taking your presents and you don't care

Dear Brother:  Happy Birthday.  I won't say how many years because we both already know.   I hope you get lots of presents just like in this picture that was taken circa 1957 or '58 at our house on Wilder Avenue in Hawaii. 

I have no idea who that blonde girl is with you, but she is either taking your presents and you don't care because mom is showing you your birthday cake, OR you were as sweet and generous then as you are now and encouraged her to select one to open and keep.   Chris is making a brisket in your honor along with some corn on the cob and I am going to throw together some cole slaw with apples, cilantro, and celery that I saw on the Pioneer Woman this morning.  There may or may not be some kind of caramel-cashew-white chocolate-oat squares to go with as well.  Because even if you are not here, we are celebrating like you are.  I mailed your present to you today.  Be watching for it.  It's extremely special.

go forth and read

How could I have missed that yesterday (March 2, 2017) was World Book Day?  Did I even know there was such a thing as World Book Day?  I don't think I did, but happily Oliver Jeffers rectified the situation with this lovely little video on Instagram.  

Not being one to let a little thing like being a day late stop me, I pulled down a selection of favorites from my bookshelves this morning.

Books that started me on the path of loving books, books that have shaped my guiding principles, books that have taught me lessons. 

One of, if not THE, favorite of all the books I have read.  To date. 

And all these books that continue to inspire, guide, transform, and of course entertain me. 

Franz Kafka said it best, "books are the axe for the frozen sea within us".   Happy belated World Book Day.  Go forth and read.

how we Moss girls are wired

Friday I have a date with my walking foot.  The one that attaches to my sewing machine.  The one that I am going to use to finish quilting my quilt.  Because it's just time.  It has not a single thing to do with the two new top patterns I want to get started on.  Or the next "Sew Together" bag that wants to get made. 

I have reviewed books, discussed techniques with friends, watched a class on creative bug, and am still not certain exactly how I should quilt this quilt.  So I am going to approach it the same way I approach all other things I am uncertain about in life.  I am jumping in.  With both feet.  Accepting that this is a learning quilt and I am going to experiment on it.  I'm pretty sure it will be fun.  When I look back on it all. 

I did buy myself a pair of these.  Who has used them to quilt with?  I figure they have to help move the bulk through the machine a bit easier.  It sure looks like it on the videos I watched anyway.  Let me know if you have used them what you thought.  

Have you guys been as inspired by all the images coming out of Quiltcon 2017 as I have been?  Lordy Moses.  So much talent.  I joined the Modern Quilt Guild and have reserved a room at Moss Cottage for Quiltcon 2018 in Pasadena.  Go BIG or go home.  That's always been my motto.  I'm not saying it's good, and I'm not saying it's bad.  It's just the way we Moss girls are wired.