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Friday, October 21, 2011

It's Cider Time

Yes it's that time of year when my hubby and I get to make cider.  Last year we had no apples due to a late frost so we were looking forward to the cider this year.  We usually pick all the apples at once and then do our marathon cider making project but it's kind of early this year and all the apples aren't ready.  They have not been keeping very well in the garage either.  We thought now that we're retired we don't have to do it all in one day, so yesterday was the first.  I started saving the half-gal milk jugs in the spring but I wasn't drinking a lot of milk then, so we don't have an unlimited supply of jugs.  My hubby has been working for a few days on preparing the chipper/shredder for the the chopping process and getting the press ready.  I made more muslin bags the other day to use in our small press.  The apples were picked the other day with a variety of apples then yesterday they were washed and bad parts cut out.  I had my usual job of holding the bucket coming out of the chipper which makes me be covered in apple mush so I don a rain poncho with the hood up.  This time I even had to put gloves on because it was too cold for my bare hands in all that mush.  Things progressed smoothly to bottle about 9 gallons of cider in whole and half jugs.  I tasted it last night and we made a very sweet cider.  It's very good but I still prefer a little more tang to it.  It was nice to do a smaller batch instead of the marathons we did in the past.  I still recall the Sunday nights out in the garage making cider so we could have it all done that day.  I'm not as sore as I thought I would be but this is still hard on our backs.  At one point I looked at my hubby and asked "What are we doing?  We could take them all to Fuhrman's and have it done for us."  I know that's not going to happen because down deep we love this and we get to spend some quality time together  -  ha, ha.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

More Table Runners

I'm on a roll with these table runners.  I've just finished 2 more, have one that needs to be hand-sewn and another for down the road a bit.  I've tried to use what I say in these blogs and come up with a project that I enjoy doing and I think I've succeeded.  The 2 that I finished are for my daughters and I made them to their specifications.  One wanted something a little narrower to fit on her counter and the other one wanted a square one.  Voila, done.  Remember I said I'd use bigger squares, did that and it was a lot quicker to sew together.  For those I used a Halloween material to back it so it was reversible.  I've been trying to use that stuff up forever.   I went back to the single-fold binding and that's been working pretty well except I made it a little too wide on those ones.  It still looks good though. This new one I have to finish created a new problem.  I bought a certain charm pack which is 5" squares of a certain theme so I don't have to cut them.  My problem is whether to wash or not.  I can't imagine washing a bunch of 5" squares and coming out with a size I can use so what I did was sew them together and then wash.  Worked perfectly!  Some people don't wash their material first because they like how it gets shriveled up once it's all done.  Sorry, not me!  Now, because my runner size has been altered, I put another small edging around the runner.  Then I used a slightly smaller binding on the edge.  The next one I have planned is for my Aunt Mary Jane.  I have some stuff in blue that I think she would like.  I'll tell you more about that later.  One thing I can say is that I'm enjoying making these and I'm tickled about that.  I put another presser foot on my machine to do the stitch in the ditch and it's working very well.  In fact, it is hardly visible from the front which is what I want.  It's funny how one little thing can make such a difference.  It seems to work so much better when I stitch to the right of the seam  -  go figure!  Anyway, just wanted to keep you all posted.  I think I'm ready to work on my next season and maybe a star pattern. 

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Baby Blanket

Here is the blanket I made for Steve and Kristina's baby.  I used fleece for the center and flannel for the edge and backing.  The things I would do differently are:
  1. Use the polka dot material for the backing.  It was very soft and I wish now it would have been on the other side, too.  It was also my favorite fabric.
  2. I would have made the outside strips in different sizes.  It was difficult trying to get the fleece and flannels the right size for what I wanted the overall size to be.  The blue could have been a smaller width and maybe even another pattern mixed in. 
  3. It wasn't until I was almost done that I wish I would have put a batting inside.  I was worried it might be too heavy with fleece and flannel.  I was also concerned that if I put batting in, it would involve more quilting which I didn't want to do.  Next time I will use fleece as a batting which will give it more weight but not require added quilting. 
All in all I like the blanket, it was soft and cuddly and easy and quick to finish.  Kristina got a ton of stuff at the shower so she should be all set.  I forgot the rosamarina salad I made so we're trying to eat that up.  It was a miserable day for traveling but nice to see everyone. 

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Smokey Sweet Potato Soup

I recently found a couple recipes for Sweet Potato Soup and wanted to try it sometime.  One was a creamy soup and the other chunky with broth so I combined the best of each and made it this afternoon.  I decided to make the creamy version which used no milk or thickeners, just the potatoes.  I used leeks, celery, garlic, an apple, ginger and a chipotle pepper from one recipe and from the other I added spices (smoked paprika, cumin and cinnamon).  After using my immersion blender to puree it, I added a little salt and pepper but it didn't need much since the smokiness made it taste good.  I liked it but I might be the only one eating it.  That's ok with me now that I'm getting into having soup almost every day for lunch.  I'm also feeling more like cooking now that the weather is cooling off a little.  Of course, we're still having leftovers from the party on Sat. but we'll finish those up soon. 

Fall Table Runner

I've been accumulating a lot of fall material for quite awhile and thought it was time to make something seasonal for the cabin.  Here it is  -  my fall table runner.  It's nothing all that complicated, just squares of material sewn together and then backed with a non-seasonal fabric that I can use at some other time.  My questions after I complete a project are:
  1. What did I learn from this project?
  2. How would I make it different?
  3. Did I have fun doing it?
Well, I learned that the walking foot I bought and put on my machine to help with the quilting isn't working like it should.  It wasn't until the next project that I figured out exactly what the problem is.  The next runner I do will have bigger squares  -  no, that isn't a joke!  I used up some of my fall stash (a good thing) and I can get the same effect with fewer squares and save me a lot of hassle.  I'm still not having fun but this was such a small project that it didn't matter that I wasn't jumping for joy at every step.  Don't get me wrong  -  I still love piecing things together, it's just the quilting that snags me up.  I still have to learn what I can do and what my machine will let me do, before I reach that point. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Leaves

So, what can I say about leaves?  At this time of year  -  a lot!  The last couple of weekends going to the cabin I've noticed the change in the leaves.  This past weekend was spectacular!  What struck me as odd was that one side of the road was more colorful than the other.  Coincidence or fact of nature and the weather?  With the changing of the leaves comes the falling of the leaves.  This year I will not be able to use the leaf blower/vacuum which I am disappointed about.  It was relaxing for me to go outside and just suck up the leaves  -  a good time to think.  I've decided I will rake instead and the hubby can suck up the leaves.  At the cabin he is putting the chopped up leaves by the new concrete steps to fill in a little.  At home he puts them in the garden for mulch, however, in the past he's gotten quite a few and they haven't been decomposing like he had wanted.  You see, he's even got the neighbor to put her leaves in the garden too.  In fact, later yesterday evening (it was getting dark) I heard the sound of the rake outside as she was gathering her leaves.  They have two big trees in their front yard and they get a ton of leaves.  Of course, I heard the girls over there in the yard, too, and I hope they were getting a good pile made to jump in first.  It wouldn't be fall without that rustle in the leaves.

Monday, October 3, 2011

First Snowfall of the Season

We had our first snow of the season at the cabin this past weekend.  We knew it was going to be cold and rainy with a chance of some snow but it came down pretty good there.  It was a wet snow but stuck to the ground and deck.  It was a beautiful site  -  too nice for a mere still picture so I got the camcorder out and took a movie of that snow falling.  I was hoping for a deer in the picture too but no such luck.   I was planning on staying until today but had nothing to keep me busy (hubby was sanding steps) so I headed home yesterday.  On my way out I saw the road between the ponds on Crystal Springs Road was becoming flooded with all the rain and snow.  That's what winter is like in that neck of the woods.  When the news says "in the higher elevations", it doesn't get much higher than us.  But with the leaves changing colors and the cool crisp air, it is certainly a lovely site.  I'm not sure if this snow constitutes a frost or not.  By the time I got up it was about 37 and possibly a tad lower.  I realize it can still snow in the 40's.  I'm wondering only because of having an Indian summer when the temperatures go up after we've had a frost.  It's kind of funny how this snow looked so pretty and in another month or so when we really get hit, we'll be cursing the stuff.  I guess it's all relative.