Quilting Day!

I got my chores done, a cake baked, and time to start on a quilt for my daughter's birthday. My art major, older daughter helped me decide on the fabrics. I wish the camera would show the colors up better, however. I am using a log cabin pattern and am fascinated at how many different designs you can come up with using the same squares. I only got 12 squares started but am getting excited at how it is turning out, so far. It was nice to get back to work on my sewing machine after the long 'vacation' over Christmas.

College starts for my son the following week. He was only able to get one class with the cutbacks and all but he is happy it is history and glad to quit the homeschool classroom for the outside world! :-) Age does that to a kid. My daughter is taking a class, too. She is finished with her four-year college but wants to pick up a class or two before heading to grad school. It is kind of amusing to have my youngest and second oldest going to the same college right now. My daughter doesn't find it quite as funny. No sense of humor!

Our little visitor . . .

Our visiting cat is getting a bit braver this evening. The flash of the camera or the fact that there was a person behind the camera didn't seem to phase him/her as she dug into her dinner kibble. My daughter and I were admiring the little cat when I turned around to find our dog, Chick, standing behind me. She didn't tear off after the cat but is now in the backyard. Chasing down a dog in the dark of the evening didn't sound all that appealing to me. Chick is at the sliding door, upset now that she has verified there is a cat on her property!

Makes you think about attitude . . .

When unhappy, one doubts everything; when happy, one doubts nothing.

- Joseph Roux

Blending into the next liturgical season . . .

Christmas isn't even technically over and the Valentine's items are already on the shelves. At one grocery store, they had Easter candy on a small display . . . next to the discounted Christmas treats. I did note, however, that Lent begins early this year . . . in February. One of our family sacrifices is giving up meat on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. Fridays is obligatory during Lent, Wednesdays are our personal choice. Now, you wouldn't think it would be that much of a sacrifice but every Lent, I suddenly draw a blank on meatless meals. Another thought I have to keep in mind is that my husband takes leftovers for his lunch at work and I now have to make sure he has two of them for Wednesday as he works through meals on his ten-hour day.

One of the meatless meals my family really enjoys (and go figure on this!) is lentils. I simmer dry lentils in seasoned water or vegetable broth along with lots of onions, garlic and spices until they are tender. I serve it over rice with shredded cheddar cheese. As picky as my children can be, they will eat this happily. In fact, my college daughter made this for her friends at college. They had never had it before but after weeks of cafeteria food, they said, "I don't know what this is but it makes my stomach happy and healthy!"

A quick search on-line will produce any number of ways to cook lentils but this is my basic take on the subject:

10-16 ounces of dry lentils
1 large onion, diced
10 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Place the onion and garlic in a large pot with a bit of butter or oil and cook until almost tender and starting to brown a bit. Rinse and then add the lentils to the pot. Add about six to eight cups of water. Bring to a boil, turn down, and simmer for approximately an hour in a covered pot. When the lentils are tender and getting a bit mushy, add salt and pepper to taste. We like to add some chili flakes but just about any herb or spice you like, would probably go well here. Spoon over bowls of hot rice, set out the cheese, and serve.

Truth, Facts, and Grins . . .

"The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
-- Jeff Foxworthy

"He attacked everything in life with a mix of extraordinary genius and naive incompetence, and it was often difficult to tell which was which."
-- Douglas Adams

"Science is facts; just as houses are made of stones, so is science made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house and a collection of facts is not necessarily science."
-- Henri Poincare

So . . . Then there were four . . .

Our most frequent cat visitor is the little Siamese mix that seems to need a home. Other cats stop by to check out the situation but this little cat has got us on a schedule to put food out for her. Last night, I had some leftover scrambled eggs so I mixed a bit of them into the dry food and put it out for the cat. My daughter peeks out to see how the eggs are accepted. Suddenly, she calls out to me, "Mom! I think you had better come look." Thinking the kitten is acting cute or something, I head over to our window to the world of cats . . . and discover there are now four cats taking advantage of our hospitality! Besides the Siamese mix, which my daughter named Howl Jenkins, there are two, big, shiny black cats and a tiny fluffy cat with brown fur and short legs. All I can think is that word quickly got around that I make fantastic scrambled eggs!

My husband said that we were to bring in the bowls of food when we went to bed and could only put it out once a day. Just before we turned in for the night, my husband glanced out and there was the tiny brown cat staring up to the window. The cat looked at us intently then pointed looked over at the empty food dish . . . several times. My husband put the food back out!

Only Howl Jenkins looks in need of a home. The black cats are way too fat and shiny to be homeless. The brown kitten is still an unknown. I like cats but you almost have to have an indoor cat these days and I'm not sure I'm ready for that. No matter how much one's child promises that they will take care of everything, you have a history of fulfilled doubts about that.