Um . . . oops August already

Well, I won't start with the excuses. Just let me share what we've been up to all month while I haven't been blogging.

I look forward to this market all year, but unfortunately due to the extreme heat and lack of sufficient shade at the venue - it was a bit of a bust. I have vowed to go next year early in the morning and without children. Yes, July in Santa Fe has been hot as well . . and I've loved every sweaty minute of it. Not a huge fan of cold weather. We went two days with a broken swamp cooler and I think there may have been a small amount of complaining, but other than that we're golden. One way to cool off: a dip in Cochiti Lake.
Our new neighbors finally moved in next door. There are now 5 little boys and one girl living on our cul-de-sac and what a brood they are. Most of the time it's great and of course our boys love it, but very little peace and quiet around here anymore (not that there was much to begin with.)


I finally finished the Old Red Barn quilt along quilt. It's ok - not my favorite, but I had fun doing it and seeing other's quilts in the group. I was able to make a second quilt out the scraps and some of Aunt Ginny's fabric she gave me a while back. I ended up liking this one alot actually, especially with the chenille and rickrack.

I've yet to quilt this one because I needed to move onto to other things - my eyes got tired of looking at the same fabrics. Also, making a quilt start to finish - although a wonderful process - takes a long time. I needed a little instant gratification to get my creative juices flowing again. So I started making pillows . . .

and more pillows . . .
I'm far from done - my plan is to have that nice green couch smothered in pillows. I like being able to start a finish a project in less than a day and it's giving me good practice on my machine. I highly suggest a smallish something for when you are feeling burnt out or uninspired. It gave me the boost I needed to finish all my other projects dangling around out there and on shelves in my craft/laundry room.

Hmmm, what else . . .

Finn taught himself how to ride his bike without training wheels. Go Finn!

It was such a trip. I was in the kitchen getting dinner ready and I see Finn through the kitchen window getting on Orion's (neighbor) bike and just taking off! I love everyone clapping and cheering in the background.

Andy picked a monster 15 oz porcini mushroom on a recent hike of his. For real.

I attempted to make homemade essential oils from yummy things in our garden - rose, lavender, lemon verbena. Yeah - not so great. Pretty sure they're headed for the garbage can. If anyone knows of the right way to do this, I'd love some pointers. I'd like to eventually use the oils to make some soap or candles or something. Well, it seemed like a good idea anyway.



I've started collecting recipes for strange/quirky/funny sounding pies from some old cookbooks I've found and borrowed. The best two so far are Funeral Pie and Reconciliation Pie. The recipes themselves don't sound very appealing, but really it's the names of the pies I'm most interested in. Please send along any you might know of; I'm thinking of making an art quilt with each square depicting the name of the pie and an illustration.

And speaking of pie . . . what in the heck happened to July's Pie of the Month? So here it is - but without a photo, but it looks similar to the pie of the same name in my previous post.

Peach Creme Fraiche Pie

1 unbaked pie crust
6 peaches, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup creme fraiche
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
pinch salt

To make creme fraiche: place 1 cup heavy cream and 1 TBS buttermilk
in glass jar with a lid. Shake well and let sit at room temperature for at
least two days, depending on the climate of your kitchen, until it has thickened
and smells mildly tangy and sour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all of the above ingredients
together and pile into unbaked pie crust and top with the streusel (recipe
follows.) Bake for about 45 -60 minutes until the bottom crust has
browned. If the top is getting too dark, cover with foil.

Streusel Topping:

2 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
5 oz unsalted butter, cold and diced
2 eggs, whisked

Mix everything except the eggs together until it is crumbly and resembles a
course meal. Add the eggs and mix until it starts lumping together
loosely. Sprinkle over top of filling.

I actually make this as individual crostadas using small tart rings, but I'm sure it will be just as good in a pie shell. And it goes without saying that you must have very ripe, fragrant peaches to make this worth your while - not to mention a gallon of vanilla ice cream (or caramel would be yummy too).

And Chaco's getting big (and a little less perfect). He's lucky I'm already in love with him because he's turning out to be quite the hand full. I'll be Netflixing the Dog Whisperer DVD very soon. But really, to me, he's fantastic and he gets me out walking - and still sleeping on pillow by my bed every night . . . aaaaaaaw.

Relish Summer

Andy made a pact with himself at the beginning of June to cook our dinners on the grill for the rest of the summer. So on Tuesday and Wednesday nights (his days off) we've been luxuriating in the pristine Santa Fe weather all evening - listening to some rockin tunes (you should see Gram dance), working on our yard, drinking wine, playing with Chaco, and basically just kickin it while Andy waits for the coals to cool down to start cooking. I know, I'm a lucky woman.

I'm usually responsible for salad, but sometimes he does that too. Last week we had some friends over which was a great opportunity for me to try out a peach dessert for the summer menu. People ask me all the time if I make goodies for my family all the time and the answer is a definite "no." A point of contention in my household. But when there are guests, it's time to bust out the rolling pin. I tried a recipe for Peach Creme Fraiche Crostada. Here's the final product.

It was not entirely what I expected - not to say it wasn't good. So I started from there and adapted the recipe for my own purposes and am quite happy with the results. At work, we serve it with a housemade peach ice cream and a some honey macerated blackberries.

Neighbor Rob informed me yesterday that his peach tree is heavy with fruit so it's pie time again!! So in a week or so I can make the new and improved version for our July Pie of the Month - check back for that recipe.

Haven't mentioned quilting in a while mostly because I've been too tired after the boys go to bed to do much of anything but read, which, by the way, has finally re-entered my daily life. My neighbor gave me a huge stack of books at the start of the summer that she was going to take to Good Will and I've nearly read them all. Some good, some not so good. The best so far is The Master Butcher's Singing Club by Louise Erdrich. The worst probably Homebody by Orson Scott Card - he should stick with the fantasy genre.

Anyway, I'm on the binding process of my Old Red Barn quilt-along quilt which may take weeks since it's done by hand. I also made a smaller, lap sized quilt with the scraps and some pieces of white chenille - very cute. I'll include photos when they're done.

The kids are great - we took Chaco to show and tell today at school which made Finn very proud I think. Funny how egalitarian children can be . . . they showed about the same excitement for a Betty Boop swimsuit as they did for the puppy! Also no wonder they do it right before nap because by the time the entire circle had showed us their rocks, stuffed animals, Transformers, and so on - Andy and I were about ready for nap and Chaco was fast asleep.

A Lovely Monday

Gosh it's been a week already - so why did it seem so long and slow? Boys were back in school today. Hurray! Oops, did I say that out loud? You know I love them rascals silly but, um yea, I need some time alone . . . sabes?

Many things accomplished today: hike with Chaco . . .

Wait a minute . . . have I not properly introduced our newest family member - the most adorable, perfect puppy on the planet . . .

CHACO !!! 15 weeks and already 30 lbs!Look at that face - who does that remind you of? I know, right?I am one happy mama. This pup is so amazing! He followed me right along the trail today; right at my right heel without the leash. He sleeps on a blanket next to my bed all night. He does his thing outside no problem. We've got some work to do with the begging for food and listening in general, but really I feel like I can't complain. Isn't it great when you have a good gut feeling about something or someone and it turns out you're right? I love it when that happens.

Smooches for our New Pooches

Just kidding - we're only gettin one. Our new four-legged friend will be moving in on Wednesday!! And life as I know it will once again be completely and utterly altered. I can't wait!! Check back to find out which lucky pooch we're adopting.

Damn Fine Cherry Pie

For June's pie of the month I wanted to make a cherry pie Agent Dale Cooper would be proud of. What did he say? This is where pies go when they die? So I think I did it - but only because I was lucky enough to have just picked sour cherries from my neighbor Rob.

I don't even like cherry pie normally because I usually just think of that goopy, sweet, sticky filling of the store bought variety. Well, this one is all together different. But I must emphasize that you've got to use sour cherries to make it rock your world.

Damn Fine Sour Cherry Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Crust:

2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 TBS sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cute into cubes
5-7 TBS ice water


Filling:

1 cup sugar
3 TBS cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
5 cups pitted cherries (I used about 2/3 sour and 1/3 Bing cherries)
2 TBS fresh lemon juice
1 vanilla bean, scraped (or 2 tsp vanilla extract)
1/4 stick unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 TBS milk
sugar for sprinkling

For Crust:

Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and
pulse until the largest bits are pea-sized. Add the chilled water, by the
tablespoon until the dough holds together if pressed. Divide dough in two pieces
and form into a flat disk shape and wrap in plastic. Chill for about 10-15
minutes or overnight. Let soften some before rolling.

Roll out dough #1 and transfer to a pie plate and trim the overhang to 1/2
inch. Roll out dough #2 and using a pastry wheel or knife cut 3/4 inch wide
strips. Reserve while making filling.



For Filling:

Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl. Rub vanilla
bean seeds into sugar mixture. Sir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla extract
(if using). Let macerate for about 5 minutes or so. Strain out cherries and pour
into bottom crust. Spoon out some of the syrup from the bowl over the cherries
if you want your filling more loose. I prefer it a little tighter so my crust
doesn't get too soggy. Arrange the pie dough strips on top forming a lattice and
fold the bottom crust edge up over the strips and crimp to seal. Brush the
lattice (not edges) with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temp. to
375 bake until top is browned and filling is bubbling - about 1 hour. Let it
cool some to set before cutting. I served it with Vanilla Ice Cream.

These kids were made to clean my house while they waited for this pie. I guess it was worth it.

who do you love?

I am absolutely heart-sick right now (more on that in a minute).

One revelation I did not mention that I had while hiking is that in spite of what I've been telling everyone for the last couple of months . . . I now want to adopt a dog. That trail I went on was one that Lu and I used walk all the time when she was a young gal - and I just couldn't stop thinking about her and then all of a sudden I just knew we needed another four legged friend in our home. And then I was completely filled with joy and excitement - amazing when something just clicks and feels so darned right.

Anyhoo, I'm heart-sick because today I visited two dogs I may be able to adopt and I want them BOTH! One is a 3 yr old lab/husky mix named Lucy

and the other is a 14 week old mostly black lab named Chowder.

They are both total sweethearts and such beautiful dogs. I thought for sure once I looked into each dog's eyes I would know which was meant for us, but they both melted my heart to pure sap!

So here are the stats:

Lucy -gorgeous coat, very loving, somewhat high energy but also well behaved
when she settles down, house trained, leash trained, licks alot (kids were not
real fond of that), does not bark hardly at all just does a little "talking"
when she wants your attention, Graham was pretty scared of her but I think that
would quickly change once he got familiar w/her, female - which was my
preference initially, seems like she would be an extremely loyal companion,
really needs a home (she's had several trial runs without much luck, some
concern as to whether she could dig under the coyote fence and get lost,
apparently gets anxiety first few nights and won't sleep but I think that
subsides, likes to sleep in the bed (not gonna happen at our house)

Chowder - cute as can be, kids loved him and felt comfortable with him,
extremely well behaved, house broken with doggie door (so that will have to
change), dietary issues that require special dog food and more$$, seems more
mellow and independent than Lucy, has had obedience training and knows basic
commands already, classes for us included in adoption fee, likes to chew shoes,
will end up being a pretty big dog I think (bigger than Lucy it seems), he's
male which means he's more likely to run off, sleeps through the night next to
bed on his own bed or in a kennel.

Wow - this is impossible. Lucy is supposed to come on Sat for a week trial with us so that's already in the works. Chowder's adoption requires someone visiting our house to make sure it's suitable. Tough to adopt a pet around here. Andy likes to point out that anyone can have a baby, but a dog? . . . gotta pass the test first. I really don't mind; I'm sure there's plenty of lousy pet owners out there and I'm glad somebody is looking out for these animals. Jeez, maybe you should be required to pass a test or take classes before having children.

Well, I think I have to sleep on this, that is if my quandary doesn't give me insomnia. I still have not gotten Andy's opinion since he's been at work all day. Sure wish he could've come with us. The boys of course want the puppy - no brainer. I have a strange feeling Andy will prefer one and I'll prefer the other - then what?

Cherry Limeade

Ok I'm back.

My friend Julie from the quilting store invited me to a lecture/presentation at the SF Quilting Guild meeting today. The speaker was renowned quilt artist, author, and teacher Frieda Anderson ( yeah, I'd never heard of her either.) Anyway, it was pretty inspiring. She dyes her own fabrics, which are the best part of it, and she does a lot of fusible applique and tiny itty bitty quilting. She passed some of her work around the room - one of which was the size of a postcard and priced at a whopping $50 buckeroos. So maybe there is money to be made someday. You can check out her quilts at www.friestyle.com/ .

I was easily the youngest woman in the room by about 15+ years - no surprise. I've really chosen a hip and happening hobby, huh? Oh well, you do what you love I suppose. I find it to be rather cool myself. It helps to a part of the quilt-along I mentioned because I've discovered how not alone I am as a thirty something mom addicted to fabric, crafts, and sewing.

Speakin a wich . . . here is my completed quilt top for Dana's quilt-along.

I think I'm calling it "Cherry Limeade" - my neighbor went to Sonic the other day to get one and it made me think of my quilt. I've finished free motion quilting the center and will be doing the border tonite. Now I'm on the prowl for my binding fabric which I want to be in the same family as the darker blue, tile-like fabric in the quilt. Strange, but I think every quilt I have made so far has a significant blue aspect to them. I think my blue bedroom walls are affecting me on some subconscious level. So anxious to paint that room!

I also had a breakthrough today because I finally took Andy's advice and went for a hike even though I felt exhausted this morning. It turned my world around! I haven't done that much since Lu-dog became unable to hike ( and since having babies). I forgot how cleansing it can be - just being out there breathing in the mountain air and feeling the warm sun on my shoulders. Truth be told, we went for an amazing hike with the kids last week at Kasha - Katuwe National Park, aka "Tent Rocks". I forgot how stunning that place is - the last time Andy and I had been there we had only been dating less than a year.

We were very proud of Finn because he hiked the three mile hike up to the top all by himself. Graham is still not entirely fond of hiking - except for the narrow canyon parts and climbing over big boulders. But we're proud of him too because it turned out that I was with him at urgent care that same night - poor guy had a raging ear infection all along. (FYI mom, he's fine)

Back in the Saddle

I don't know why it's so hard for me to get back into the blogosphere after vacation. I've been a bit under the radar since we returned from the beach, trying to catch up on various projects and brainstorming the next several. Now that the teaching job is out of the picture, I've been a little unsure what my next step will be - other than planning for the summer dessert menu change and keeping up with my rascal children.

Our vacation, by the way, was amazing. We all had such a good time with Andy's family and friends. The beach was beautiful and the boys were endlessly entertained. Finn conquered his fear of crabs this year and learned to love the ocean.

Graham, however, not so much. Surprisingly, my water-loving little fish refused to go within six feet of the waves. Impossible to predict a toddler's preferences. He was much more interested in the little pool we had back at the house, but hopefully next year that will change. And while we were still in Greenville, Andy took Finn and Graham "fishing" at his buddy's friend's pond. Apparently it was somewhat futile, but this photo had to make it all worth it.

Be back later tonite when the boys are (hopefully) asleep.

Pack it up Pack it in

Thank you to everyone who was pulling for me this morning. I think the good vibes really made a difference because I felt the interview was a success - even if I don't end up getting the job. Apparently there were 58 resumes sent for this position and only 10 of us were asked to interview, so that in itself makes me feel pretty darned fantastic.

We leave painfully early tomorrow for the airport. No DVD player this time - yikes! So what did I do? What any decent mother would do: carted myself over to Walmart and bought tons of junk food and small toys. Will it be 5 hours worth of entertainment? Doubt it - but a girl's gotta try.

May the force be with you (and us)!!

Look Good Enough to Eat?

Voila! It's a wrap! Man, am I glad that's done and with actually very little stress. The Bells of Ireland looked beautiful with the rich chocolate brown. Decorating with fresh flowers is the best - not only because it makes it super easy as opposed to piped doo-dads, but because it just looks so fresh and alive. Hope the bride and groom really enjoy their special day. I, for some inane reason, decided to make my own wedding cake. That was possibly the worst decision I've ever made, but apparently I was adamant about it. I remember trying to frost the buttercream in our very chilly house the morning of the wedding and it kept freezing up on me . . . ugh . . . talk about stress.

And while I'm on the topic of stress, we're feeling a bit more at ease now because we've decided to stay put in our house for at least another year. The thought of walking away from the house and neighborhood that we adore just to break even was pretty depressing. So now it feels good to be planting and fixing up the place for us - not just to lure potential buyers. And now I'm able to look into some jobs here that I've taken an interest in; namely, a postion teaching English at Desert Academy. My interview is this Tuesday at 8:45 am so please send out the positive energy my way - I need it.

Easy Peasy

Part two : fill and and crumb coat with chocolate frosting. Complete! As you can see I've delayed grocery shopping until next week so we can empty out our fridge to make room for the cake. If you're wondering, I made an extra 10" cake to make sure they wouldn't run out - second helpings of this cake are always likely. Tomorrow I load up and pray - transport is definitely the most nerve racking part.
I'm back on track now with the quilt-along ; all fabrics cut into nice neat 2 1/2 " strips. Hopefully I can get next week's task done before we leave on our trip - but hey, not that it really matters. I'm feeling all warm and cozy inside because when I checked my flickr account a lot of people had some very nice comments about my fabric choices.


Andy went on an amazing hike the other day and took some killer photos. Wish I could've been there - the trail descends from White Rock down to the Rio Grande. Gorgeous.

Andy is very into petraglyphs. This is just a sampling of the several incredible ones he was able to photograph (despite the rain).

We're headed to the circus tonite - hopefully it won't give my kids clown nightmares - or me for that matter.

Be Here Now

What a day we had today. Knock on wood, but it seems like the kiddos have finally gotten to the point where they can play for extended amounts of time with each other so that I can get a few things done around here. It sure helps that the weather is beautiful and they can be outside most of the day digging in the dirt, collecting earthworms, and generally having some good, clean, TV-less time.

I usually dread Thursdays - somehow the energy around here seems to get a little off and we all tend to suffer. But today was different! It all started when I got my fabric in the mail that I ordered to start my first online "quilt-along" - the bright idea of Dana who writes one of the blogs I check out frequently, Old Red Barn. I was worried about choosing coordinating fabrics online, but it actually turned out quite well I thought.

The one on the far left is a Paula Prass design that I used as my "feature fabric" -- so now I get like 50 extra chances to win the Janome 6600, which I guess is the finale of this whole deal. So me and about 2,000 other people are making a quilt together! Cool. If you want the details, check out her blog.

. . . hmmmmmm . . . what else did I do today? Oh yeah, wedding cake madness has officially begun!

It all started two days ago and now I have all the cakes baked and piled in my freezer. Tomorrow I start the filling and frosting process. Cake delivery is this Sunday 1:30 pm. The countdown continues. It's an all chocolate wedding cake - I like this bride.

What else -- oh, I've been awakening the seamstress in me lately, making a couple of new halter tops just in time for our trip to the BEACH. That's right, only one more week until we set off for South Carolina. I can't wait to feel some real heat baby. Anyway, the tops are turning out really cute - thank you Amy Butler!

Although I must say, I made some significant adjustments to the sun surf halter so it wouldn't look so maternity-ish (Andy's suggestion). As soon as I can get somebody to take a photo of me wearing them, I'll be sure to show them off.

Okay, It's now several hours later and I am pooped. I'm off to bed to finish reading A New Earth. Not that I think Mr. Eckhart Tolle is really saying anything new, but something about it is working for me. I've been trying to focus more on the present moment unsuccessfully for years, but now, reading his book, it's actually beginning to happen. It's starting to get a little esoteric for me at the end, but I think I'll be able to glean the useful nuggets that apply to my life. I mean, heck, Oprah likes it and she's never wrong - right?

Looking forward to waking up with a swirl on my face. Nighty night.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's . . . !

Nice to have a couple of super heroes around.