4/5/17

Dregs of the Day

It was kind of a dull day. There wasn't enough time either before or after my dermatologist appointment to accomplish much. I needed to pick up eggs, and it didn't make a lot of sense to come home in between, and so I considered ways to kill time between the two.

For one thing, I could have the pattern created for the scrub jay quilt enlarged. I've been going to FedEx-Kinkos for this. My experience with those folks has always been good. I walk in with my graying hair and glasses and say, "I'm kind of helpless with these machines, and so I was hoping you'd help me with this." They're always so kind...treating me like the little old lady that I am, and they do the whole job. All I have to do is pull out my debit card, and the thing is done. So, I had two regular-sized copies made of my pattern and one that was enlarged by 250%. Now, I have it pinned to a foam core board, mainly just to flatten it out, and to remind myself that I'm just dying to make this into a quilt. The enlargement (and the finished quilt) is about 35 x 28 inches.


There are some very small pieces, which could have been bigger if I'd enlarged it more. I wanted a good wall-hanging size. As Ann Shaw said in our class, "Sometimes you just have to suck it up." That's good advice. I've worked with smaller pieces than this.


The doctor didn't find anything on my skin...always a happy day...and then I drove home. The traffic wasn't even very bad, but it was still harrowing. I rarely drive to downtown Portland any more, but when I do, I'm only good for a nap when I get home. Fortunately, this was on Sadie's agenda too.


On the way home, I picked up some stuff to make a Chicken Caesar salad. Remember my pancake loaf of bread from last week?


Chicken Caesar seemed like a good time to make croutons from the flattest of the two loaves. (The other one has long since been devoured.) My friend Wendy shared with me that Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle makes good croutons, and I just happened to already have a bottle. I think it might have come as a free sample with a previous Penzey's order. They tell you how to make croutons right on their website.


I did them the suggested "low fat" way...mainly because it seemed the easiest. First, I sprayed them with olive oil spray, and then sprinkled the sandwich sprinkle over them and mixed them up a bit. Then I baked them in my toaster oven at 375°F for 10 minutes, stirring them halfway through. They were so nice and crunchy and tasty.


Mike loved them, but made the suggestion of a little more garlic. Next time I might shake a little garlic powder over them in addition to the sandwich spread. This only used about 1/3 of my loaf, and so I cut up the rest and froze them for future use.

So that was pretty much my low-key day...harrowing, though it was. The croutons topped it off nicely. Ha! Get it? "Topped it off?" Sometimes I'm so funny I can barely stand myself.

Finally, it's time to announce this month's winner of the needle threader for the

Cat Patches

Spinning the Random Number Generator wheel, I've come up with:

#4--Judy

Congratulations, Judy! I've sent you an email, so check your inbox. Keep on stitching, Bag Ladies. With just a few participants, everybody is destined to win a needle threader sooner or later.

There's no rain in the forecast today, and so I'll probably get out and do a little more weeding in the garden. Then I'm determined to get those eight 9-patch blocks done for the Welcome Home small quilt mystery. And then...(cue scary music) I'll start sewing together the Quiltmaker's Garden. I'm shivering in my shoes at the thought of it.

10 comments:

claudia said...

I'm with you on the harrowing part of driving in a "big city". I'm about two hours worth of travel from Seattle, so I rarely go. In fact, the last time I went was only at the request of my daughter when she came to visit. She's coming at the end of the month (YAY!!!), and guess what is on her agenda? She loved Pike Place Market, so that's where we are headed. Plus we will do some sea glass hunting on various beaches around us. (She's obsessed with the stuff)

I cannot wait to see the bird wall hanging progression. I know it will be beautiful. I don't envy you those tiny pieces though, but those are the details that make the whole thing shine.

I love that Sadie face. She is adorable! Please don't tell Smitty I complemented her, I don't want to upset him.

Dorothy said...

I'm with you about driving in Portland----You have so many bridges, I feel like I get lost every time I'm down there. And I seem to get caught up in your "rush hour" traffic WHEW !!! And I thought Seattle's was bad !!!

Jen said...

I avoid going downtown as much as I can too. Or I find someone else to drive. :)
Those croutons look delicious! What a great idea.
There are some TINY TINY pieces on there. Phew! Way smaller than I have dealt with...or maybe close to the witches boot buckles i did once. Still, it looks like it will be pretty amazing.

gpc said...

I love Penzeys. And croutons. And you've convinced me, the bag ladies are just too darn cute, and I ordered one today. With luck, I will get that one finished during your next two years of stitch-alongs. I am a snail compared to the rest of you jack rabbits. :)

Kate said...

Glad the doctor gave you a clean bill of health. I hate driving in big cities too. I have to go to Los Angeles for a business trip later this month. I really hate driving there.

Dana Gaffney said...

I'm adding my name to that list of people who don't like driving in the city, I dread it. I would just add those tiny pieces to one of the other pieces, their so tiny I don't think it would make a difference in the overall quilt.

piecefulwendy said...

If we all keep sharing how much we dislike driving in the city, we'll have enough to rent a bus -- heehee. I used to work downtown, so you'd think it would be a piece of cake for me, but nope. I just don't like it anymore. Glad you enjoyed the croutons; sometimes I have to mix the Sandwich Sprinkle a bit before I shake it on to get a little more garlic. Or you could add some of Penzey's Roasted Garlic. The sandwich sprinkle makes dandy garlic toast too (I suspect you know that). I cannot wait to see the bird quilt; have a glass of wine handy when you get to those tiny pieces! Yikes. Sweet Sadie -- love her face!

Brown Family said...

Your croutons look good. Congratulations to the winner!

quiltzyx said...

Teeny tiny birdie pieces...oh my! But you've done so well with that technique, you'll have it done in no time at all.

Mmmm the croutons do look very salad worthy. There used to be a coffee shop in Pasadena called Benjie's that had delicious split pea soup with the most awesome croutons on it. Crunchy, but not hard at all if you know what I mean.



Lyndsey said...

I don't mind driving in London but then I live here. Take me to Birmingham or another big city and I may change my mind. I love August for driving as there are no school runs to contend with so the driving at rush hour is a lot easier.

The jay quilt will be fun and look fabulous but I'll leave that for you to play with as some of the pieces are just too tiny for me brain at present.