Quilting progress in the crazy quilt department . . .

 

In spite of a late start to the day, I actually got to the piecing stage in my current quilt creation. My daughter said it was dangerous to look at it too long! It is a more 'planned' crazy quilt pattern but, except for the backing, it comprised entirely of scrap fabric. No yardage was hurt in the making of this quilt top!

What is it?

 
So, what have I photographed this time in my kitchen? Perhaps, I need to do more cooking and less picture taking?

Just 'picked' out some work for myself . . .

 
My husband and I just 'picked out' some work for me, today. Between the range of warm to hot weather, the tomato plants are doing well this year. I thought I was going to head into the day with my sewing machine overheating in creative endeavors but two bowls of tomatoes tell me otherwise. Since I already put several containers of spaghetti sauce in the freezer, I think it is time to just peel, slice, and freeze this bunch.

So many tomatoes . . . It is reminding me of that crazy movie made years ago called Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Very silly but funny movie with no rhyme or reason other than to make you either groan or laugh.

Interesting note to anyone who doesn't already know this: The easiest way to peel a tomato is to dip it into boiling water for a minute or two and then dump it into ice water. The skin will come right off. Same thing works with cling-free peaches.

Tanks for the Memories . . .!

 

On our recent trip to the World War II sights, my favorite memories dealt with the scenary, the places where things of history actually happened, etc. One guess what stands out in my son's memory? I know, what teen wouldn't thrill at the thought of not only seeing tanks and weapons from World War II but actually being able to climb on them? Yes, he is quite conversant in matters of history but to be so close to items that saw the action of history was quite fascinating to him. Here are just a few of the tanks and weapons my son got to meet 'in person'.

Personally, I liked seeing all these sights but, as a mother, I was so thankful my son was just looking at this stuff and not a part of any war effort right now. We live in a scary world and the older our children get, the more mothers tend to worry about their future.

Acne wars and a product that worked for us . . .

Having four teens to young adults, we have had our share of acne breakouts. When my older son first started, his went crazy and within weeks of the onset, his complexion was in bad shape. Being the brain that he is, he started doing research on the Internet and found this site which gave him amazing results within a week. I got the full impact as he was attending a boarding school, at the time. I dropped off a teen with bad acne on a Sunday evening and was amazed at the improvement when he came home the following Friday. It's not a miracle cure and it takes dedication and following directions but it works. The owner of the site/treatment says you can probably put together products from the store that are like what he has developed and sells but the combination he has come up with really works more productively.

Just thought I'd share. I thought of it today as my younger son has been fighting the same teen plague and my older son reminded me about the product. You can check it out at https://www.danielkern.com/.

Not selling or getting a commission on this acne medication. Just sharing what we found to work for a tough case of it. I just put in an order for my younger son and he seemed happy to be getting a prepared routine for his battle with the acne.

"We are none of us infallible--not even the youngest of us."
       -- W. H. Thompson

 

"Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory."
       -- Albert Schweitzer

 

"I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones."
       -- John Cage

 

"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it."
       -- Dwight D. Eisenhower

Sure seems like history repeats itself a lot given how much this quote relates to our current government problems in the United States!

Chicken Marsala

 
Several years ago, we were treated out to dinner at an Italian restaurant. I ordered something new to me - Chicken Marsala. It was excellent but expensive and there wasn't sufficient of the delicious sauce for the pasta. I was up to the challenge and spent a few weeks researching before coming up with my own version that suited everyone in the family AND provided adequate amounts of my own delicious sauce.

My younger son has develope an odd sleeping and waking schedule. I thought I was over that when he got past the baby stage and at age, sixteen, thought it was a thing of the past. He hasn't been eating as well as my motherly side would dictate. I've learned, however, to let nature and teen sensibilities take their course. Seems that dinner, yesterday, was part of the cure because he ate every bite on his plate. We didn't dare to breathe lest it break the spell but he happily cleaned his plate and he had smiling parents.

Happily, for me, I cooked a large beef roast on Sunday so have plenty of leftovers for this evening's dinner which means I have an extra hour of sewing today! I'm big at using up leftovers even down to saving half a cup of beef or chicken broth from a meal. My husband's favorite remark when enjoying his dinner is, "So, how many former dinners did you cannabalize to make this one?"