The Chair

Although the process was longer than I planned, refinishing this chair has been both a lot of work and a lovely trip down memory lane.

The chair originally belonged to my grandma, Mabel Jenkins Clow.  It was part of a bedroom set that she had longer than I knew her.  For much of my life, the set was painted a buttery yellow.  I do have a few vague memories of the pale rose color that it was before that.  As I sanded the chair down to make it ready for new paint, I found that it had originally been blue.  A clearer, bluer blue than the ocean blue that I repainted it, but blue all the same.  With newly puffed padding, the chair is quite comfy and will serve me nicely in the sewing room (shown in the above pic.)

I purchased the fabric for the seat first...

When the fabric and I arrived at Lowes to choose paint, I learned that chair paint comes in two colors:  black and white.  Nope.  That's not going to work.  Fortunately, the paint specialist on duty that day knew her stuff and was able to help me figure out an alternate plan.  I used custom-tinted satin wall paint with an acrylic top coat.  After three coats of paint and three of acrylic, the finish is just right...not too shiny, smooth and slick enough to be durable.

Next project (I hope):  I want to paint the chair that I've been using in the sewing room up 'til now.  I have both fabric and paint left, so I think I'll make it a companion to this one.  A lovely pair of chairs to make me smile every time I sew.

Thanks, Grandma, for the chair and for the lovely memories.

Happy Solstice!

The Druids had it right.  Celebrating the beginning of longer days is a great idea.  I probably won't dance naked in the moonlight (Mike suggested that the cover of the smog we've had lately might help with that), but I will be celebrating in my heart.  Here's to longer days!

2011 Garden Review

Earlier this week, I received this in the mail...

*happy dance* Pinetree is my all-time favorite seed company. I've ordered from them every year for about 15 years...always with great results. Reasonably priced, quick to deliver, great customer service, what's not to like?!? I'll be spending the next couple of weeks planning next year's garden and putting an order together for the seeds. Which reminds me...

I haven't posted my 2011 garden plan.

Some of this worked really well:
     pumpkins produced best crop ever
     tomatoes nearly overwhelmed me
     plenty of beans for pickling

Some things didn't work so well at all:
     most of the peppers' production was lackluster
     second crops of beets and peas were disappointing
     not enough tomatillos, onions or carrots

So, in addition to drooling over my seed catalog, I need to come up with a plan to increase production of all our favorite vegs.  One big change that we've already put in place is to remove the row of butterfly bushes along the fence and put that bed into veg production this year (thanks for providing the hard labor to make that happen, Mike!)  Not only do we love our fresh fruits and veg during the growing season, we've been so pleased with the quality of the home canned produce that we want to add to our stash.  2012, here we come!

Quilt Mania

During the last few weeks of gardening and canning season, I was spending everyday either picking produce, weeding garden beds or bottling the goodies up. While it is really satisfying to see all the finished bottles on the shelf, the process is exhausting and time-consuming. So, to distract myself while I was working, I was planning quilts and promising myself some serious quilt-making time when frost hit.

Frost came. I've been quilting. And quilting. And quilting....

A special, quick quilt for our newest family member, Aynslee. These fabrics were so lovely that I knew they'd be perfect for our little princess. I used a simple pattern, the disappearing nine-patch. Used lime green fleece on the back to make it extra cuddly.

I've done a post about this quilt, but wanted to include it here to show the order of operations. Used my 'Twister' ruler and backed it with off-white fleece.

Made from the fabric line 'Cookie Jar Treats', this quilt is an addition to my Christmas quilt stash that I share every year. This one brings the number up to just enough for everyone to have one...except me. Gonna have to get at least one more made this year!

Although this one is primarily red and green, it's not a Christmas quilt. Those are apples and apple pies! I thought I'd use this one in September to celebrate the harvest and be cozy while watching tv downstairs. I purchased these fabrics and the pattern from Quilts Etc last year planning to make a lap size quilt. It turned out more twin sized so I really had to work to get it quilted. Pretty happy with the finished product, all said and done.

Most recent project, just finished this morning. Again, fabrics and free pattern from Quilts Etc last year. This one is just the right size to keep Peri and I warm on the sofa.

This group of quilts represents nearly the end of my stack of quilt UFOs. With that in mind, I splurged on some cute snowman flannels at last month's quilt class so between that quilt and some Christmas projects, I'll be pretty busy through the end of the year. No time for the winter blues in my sewing room!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

Our pumpkin crop this year is pretty darn good.  We have 36 pumpkins of two varieties...'Rouge Vif d'Etampes' and 'Sugar Pie'.  Both varieties produced pumpkins of pretty good size; no giants, thank goodness.  As you can see, a few have yet to ripen.  We actually composted quite a few smaller pumpkins that have no chance of ripening.

Next year, I need to start cutting the new pumpkins off in September.  We also need to figure out a way to give the pumpkins more space.  Some of these vines were over 15 feet long.  They wove their way through the pepper patch and the tomato patch and up into the compost.  I would also like to try the white 'Lumina' pumpkins again.

We're looking not only for attractive pumpkins for decorating, but, of course, really great eating quality.  So far, the 'Rouge Vif d'Etampes' is the best by far for eating, but I'm open to trying others if anyone has a great recommendation!

Salsa Verde - ish

I think I've finally finished the canning for 2011!

This is a batch of salsa verde, made with tomatillos and peppers grown in our garden.  Yes, I realize that salsa verde is supposed to be all green.  I tried. I really tried.  But while I was waiting for the tomatillos to finally ripen a large enough crop to make the salsa, the jalapenos and serranos turned red.  So my salsa is 'verde-ish'.  lol  It's also pretty dang hot as most hot peppers get hotter as they ripen.  Gonna need some help eating all of this as the gringos around here aren't going to want much of it!

Hugs and Kisses

I've been working on this quilt for a few months.  It hasn't really taken all that long to sew, but it took some doing to find just the right border and binding fabric.

The lovely prints are 'Hugs and Kisses' from Moda.  I was able to snatch up a layer cake at the February sale at Quilts, Etc.  I also grabbed a 'Twister' ruler from CS Designs.  I really like the technique.  First, I sewed most all the squares from the layer cake together and added the pale pink first border.

Lots of pressing to make the whole piece smooth!  Then the scary next step...

I had to cut into the squares I has just sewed together!  Don't know why it was so daunting, but I really did have to take a couple of deep breaths before the first cut.  I sewed each row together as I cut it from the big section.  It was so much fun watching the pinwheels appear.  The ruler is really well made and even included non-slip feet to make the job easier.

The finished quilt is just about 60 inches square.  A nice size for snuggling under on the sofa, but a little too big to be comfortably quilted on my regular sewing machine.  I managed it, but had to resort to some 'bad sewing words'.  lol.

One of my next projects will be trying out the new 'L'il Twister' ruler that I bought at the fall festival at Quilts, Etc.  Carin and I had thought a tiny version of this quilt would be awesome and lo, and behold, now there's a ruler for that!

A 'Welcome' Gift

I'm a bit behind in posting this, but I was absolutely thrilled to be present at the birth of my newest granddaughter, Aynslee.  She is a total doll, doomed to being shamelessly spoiled by her Granny and Papa. 

She's also already developing her own style.  She's definitely not a pale pink kinda princess.  Oh no.  More like hot pink, chocolate, and lime green kinda princess!  When I found these fabrics (Endless Summer by Riley Blake), I knew what I had to do.  Quick!  Make a quilt!

So, welcome to the clan, Aynslee.  You're gonna fit in just fine around here.

Not Done Yet

Snow notwithstanding, the garden is still really going to town.  We didn't lose any plants to frost, so the vegetable garden is still pretty much doin' its thing.  I'm so hoping that those last green tomatoes get far enough along to ripen.  I'd love to make one last batch of salsa!

The cooler weather, though, has been just the ticket for the flower beds.  The late hot spell made most flowers look pretty worn out.  Cooler temps have brought out the best of a lot of our colorful friends.

 'Double Delight' Rose

Another 'Double Delight'

'Betty Boop' Rose

Verbena x hybrida - love this color!

I spent a large chunk of this afternoon repotting the geraniums and succulents that I put out into my big decorative pots every spring.  Drives me nuts to have to shell out $2.99 each for geraniums that I can easily overwinter in the garage and replant each year.

I also repotted some special plants that live in the garage all year.  A few years ago, I received a start from my mom's asparagus fern (Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri').  That fern has been in my family for at least four generations.  My great-grandmother, Lolah Holmes, took a start of the fern with her in a covered wagon from Missouri to Puyallup, Washington.  I would like to get a nice large plant growing so that I can take starts off of it to share with the next generation. 

Already?!?

First snow of the year.  It was 90 degrees last week.  *sighs*

Healthy Confetti

Still working hard to process all the goodies in the garden.  Current project...

This is 10 carrots.  Yes, there really are five colors of carrot there:  dark orange, light orange, light yellow, bright yellow and white.  I scrubbed them, shredded them in the food processor and spread them on a cookie sheet.  They're going into the freezer to flash freeze, then I'll bag them up.  I fully intend to get at least one carrot cake out of the deal.  The rest will probably end up as mirepoix in my spaghetti sauce recipe.  Mmmmmm.

Whew!

Finished.  And with about 15 hours to spare.  lol.

This is my 'Free Block of the Month Club' quilt for this year.  The class is generally the first Saturday of the month at Quilts Etc.  If I have the block for the previous month finished by class day, I can get the new block materials and pattern for free.  The BIG exception to the rule is the last block each year.  In order to get the September block for free, I have to have assembled the previous year's block into some sort of quilt top by class day.  Fortunately, this year's September class has been pushed to September 17 due to other exciting activities at the quilt store. 

Since the first day of this quilt's class, I've wanted to use the class blocks to put together an island-themed quilt for Ben.  Not only is he serving in the South Pacific, but the Pineapple quilt block has always been his favorite.  I used a row of those around the class blocks to make the quilt big enough for a twin-sized bed.  His old quilt (with Pineapple blocks, natch) is just about worn out.  He insisted on taking it to college with him anyway, but it has definitely seen better days.  Hopefully, he'll be pleased when he comes home to find this one on his bed waiting for him. 

Now, I need a long nap. 

I Will Never Forget

After ten years, the memory of September 11th is still too fresh, too painful to talk much about.  I do want to thank all the responders for their heroic example.  And I also want to thank the military members and their families who have made such great sacrifices since to make us safer in our homes.

I will never forget.  I promise.

Playing Catch Up

Or catsup.  Or ketchup.  Whatever you call it, my biggest canning project ever.

I began this morning with 24 pounds of ripe tomatoes.  Yes, I really weighed them as that was required by the recipe.  Add 3 pounds of onions, a big handful of spices, about a pint of vinegar, six hours of my time and Voila! 

I am the proud owner of seven pints of catsup.  Or ketchup.  Or whatever.

Have to admit, I'm not sure that this is going to be an every canning season project.  Probably only the years when I lose my mind and plant 12 tomato plants.  I am glad, however, that I've done it once.  Now I will be properly appreciative when friends tell me that they've made catsup. 

As to the way it tastes, I've so far been limited to licking the spoon after I finished filling the jars as the recipe made exactly seven pints.  It was pretty darn yummy.  The real test will be when I use it to top a meatloaf.  I have a dark, secret addiction to the caramelized loveliness that is catsup baked into meatloaf topping.  Mmmmm.

Up On The House Top

After a long wait and what seemed like endless discussion, we finally have a new roof! The 25-year-old 12-year-warranty shingles were failing badly in some places, but looked okay in others. 'Some' members of the family felt that we could wait a while longer. The 'obsessively worrying' members thought that we needed to get it fixed before there was drywall and structural damage.

This was taken during tear off...

We looked into several roofing companies.  After checking licensing, references and getting bids, we chose Jess Wilkerson's company, Advantage Roofing.  They have been awesome to work with in every way.  It's difficult to see in the above picture, but the crew took every precaution to avoid damaging my flower beds, just one of their great customer services.

The first day, the crew stripped the old shingles off and added ice dam protection and drip edges, something we'd never had before.  They left for the day in mid-afternoon.  Soon after, the rooftop delivery company brought the shingle and other parts and parked them on the ridges (there are some on the upper roof, too.)

The crew was back the next morning to add the shingles.  They also added new flanges to the vents and new attic vents on the back the house.  This should help with the energy bills particularly in the summer.  They were fast!  The whole roof was finished by lunchtime.

 
The finished roof!  The shingles are very nearly the same color as before, but the new 'architectural' style looks quite a bit different.  They also have a higher R value and a longer warranty which sounds really good to me.

I'm so happy to have this done!  It sounds a bit silly to get so excited over shingles, but I've been worried for quite a while about water damage (yes, I'm the obsessively worried sort).  Isn't it lovely?!?

In The Garden - September 5

So many things going on in the garden at the moment, but most of them are continuations of what I've posted before.  Those tomatoes are starting to scare me!   Anyway, a couple of new things to celebrate...

Although this bears more than a passing resemblance to 'Cousin It', it is actually 'Clematis paniculata' or Sweet Autumn Clematis.  And sweet it is!  The fragrance is light, but very lovely.  I can't imagine how wonderful it's going to be with the whole pergola covered with it and blooming.  One of these days.  Here's a close up of the flowers...

Tiny and yet magnificent in their multitude. 

And here's some close-ups of my future.  I'll be bottling 'Niagara' grape juice by the end of the week.

New Girl On The Block

Meet Hibiscus moscheutos 'Pink'.  She's about eight inches across and covered with lovely ruffles.  *sighs*  I've wanted a pink hibiscus for years.  I have red and white and white with pink trim, but this is the first time I've had a pink one.  What a great way to start the day!

In A Pickle

Made a batch of my absolute favorite pickles.  The recipe is 'Tri-Colored Pickles', but this year, they're just 'Green Pickles'.  I normally use red and yellow peppers in the mix, but due to near crop failure of my own peppers this year, I had to supplement at the farmer's market.  The best looking peppers were big, blocky green ones this week.  I'm hoping that they'll still be delish!

Message To Myself

I picked tomatoes for salsa today.  I realized that no one needs ten 'Celebrity' tomato plants.  Nobody.

harvest from one plant

Remember this next year when you plan the garden.  Thank you.

Agastache Obsession

It appears that I have developed a full-blown agastache obsession.  Five years ago, I purchased this variety and the rest, as they say, is history...

Silvery, soft foliage, licorice scent, bi-colored flowers, ability to attract hordes of bees and hummingbirds -  what's not to like!  This was my only agastache resident for a few years and then, I discovered Deseret Nursery in Salt Lake City.  He apparently has an agastache obsession, too, as every time I visit, he's got a new variety.  So I began collecting.

Actually has periwinkle blue flowers

I have three more plants but they aren't blooming at the moment.

So far, I've learned that all agastache have that fantastical hummingbird attracting quality.  And they're all quite drought tolerant once established.  Also, I haven't lost one yet over the winter (knock on wood.)

Last, but not least, there is some debate about the pronunciation of 'agastache'.  Some seem to prefer a version that rhymes with 'mustache'.  I personally prefer 'a-gas-tacky' mostly because I love the look in salespeople's eyes at nursery's when I say that.  lol.

Presto Change-o

I've blogged before about the pleasures of having a garden.  In spite of the fact that I complain A LOT about the amount of work a garden entails, the pleasures are many and often delightful.  Take today, for instance.  I went from this...

...to this...

...to this...

 
in less than an hour. Yummmmm, apple crisp.  I did have to wait another hour for it to cool off to get a taste.  It was worth the wait. 

The Experiment or...

...what do you do with half a bushel of tomatoes?

I picked these this morning about 7.  There was a man walking around on my roof the whole time I was picking.  That was both weird and kinda cool (he was doing a re-roofing estimate for my husband.)  This is about 1/10th of the tomatoes on the vines and about 1/2 as many as will be ripe next week about this time (about 20 pounds total).  Just for the record, they are mostly 'Celebrity' hybrids with a few 'Early Girl' thrown in.

After a few hours of research done over the last few days, I finally decided to try the Crushed Tomatoes recipe for bottling from my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.  I had originally wanted to raw pack them, but from all the recipe research as well as the opinions of some of my canning friends, the crushed tomato recipe is supposed to yield a superior product in terms of texture and taste.  My plan is to use a bottle of these soon so I can conduct my own taste test before I bottle many more.

The process was lengthy but easy.  I peeled, seeded and roughly cut the tomatoes then brought them to a boil in the new, heavy-bottom stock pot that Mike bought me last year.  Thanks Mike!  It turned out to be a life-saver as the tomatoes were determined to get themselves scorched, but that awesome stock pot fended them off.

After pouring boiling hot squished tomatoes into the quart jars, I added salt (for taste) and lemon juice (for safe canning).  The jars process for nearly an hour, way longer than the simpler recipes, but necessary since the mixture was quite thick.  After I removed them from the canner, I hovered, waiting for the delightful pinging that signals a good seal.  One of those rascals made me wait an hour before it sealed!  The finished product...

Total time in the kitchen:  a bit over three hours. 

ETA:  I tried the leftover few spoonfuls of tomato after they'd chilled in the fridge.  They were absolutely delicious, way better than the canned ones I've been eating lately.  I'm going to need to make some more of these!

Loves Me, Loves Me Not

Last summer, I planted some Rudbekia 'Goldsturm'...brown-eyed susan daisies.  They were small plants, but bloomed quite a bit considering it was their rookie year.  Early in the summer, I taught the grandkids how to pluck the petals one at a time to see if their daddy or papa loved them.  Always finished with 'loves me' so we knew that we were all well-loved.

There were several times that the kids picked every single daisy in their quest for confirmation.  No problem.  I love sharing and what good are daisies that you can't pick?  But, apparently, there's some magic in having my daisies dead-headed by little helpers....

The plants are huge.  The daisies are huge.  And, as you can see, there are way more than a 'few' flowers this year.  Although I've been known to tinker with my photos in Photoshop, this photo is completely unretouched.  The daisies really glow like that at 7 am.

Now, if I could just get my garden helpers to help me with the roses....

I'm Done

Planting, that is.  It'll be quite a while before it's all harvested, but the garden is as planted as it's going to get this year.  We planted the last crops of beets, carrots, lettuce and next year's garlic yesterday.

Coffey Garden 2011

It's quite a sight.  Overwhelming a bit, when I realize that I have to eat and/or process all that food.  The light-colored rows are plantings that I covered with sand to prevent the native soil from crusting.  Also helps to know 'exactly' where I put those carrot and beet seeds.  The sunflower on the right is about ten feet tall.  It's a volunteer and, apparently, a mutant.  I'm looking forward to seeing it bloom.

The only real disappointment this year, garden-wise, is the pepper crop.  I planted bells and hot peppers and all of them have been, well, wimpy.  I think it's probably due to the cooler than usual weather that we've had this summer.  I may end up having to purchase peppers at my favorite Mexican market to bring the salsa up to its anticipated hotness.  Oh, and, ignore any weeds that you see.  I weed every *&$@ day, but they are relentless.  *sighs*  Adam's curse is fully evident in my garden.

A row of butterfly bushes (Buddleia davidii) forms a hedge of sorts along the back of the garden.  They have been great at attracting pollinators into the garden to increase the vegetable pollination rates.  The flowers are particularly lovely this year: