Busy Day

We had such a nice visit with the family yesterday evening. For birthdays back in May, there was a question whether I could get a prime rib roast for our birthday feast. Erik and Mae scored a big one at Costco. It was practically the whole side of beef, and we ended up cutting it into four pieces, as I recall. Then, my own local grocery store came through with the one I'd ordered up, and so we had prime rib coming out of our ears. I'd frozen all the ones we didn't use, and so we pulled those out for last night's dinner. Each one was too small for the five of us, and so we ended up doing two. As you might expect, there are lots of leftovers, but they won't go to waste. Here's the menu from last night:

There's a story behind that little chalkboard. When I was forced into earlier-than-expected retirement some years back (over health concerns), I was kind of at loose ends about how to spend my days. One evening, I told Mike I'd lost any sense of purpose I once had. He was still working, and so he said something along the lines of my work in keeping food on the table (via grocery shopping and cooking) and, in general, keeping the household organized. I'd become a Food Network devotee by then, and so I got it in my head to turn the household into my little "restaurant." Later, I found this little chalkboard at a local farm market, and I started writing up the evening's menu there for when he got home from work. Also, I sent him emails with flowery descriptions of what was on the menu that night, as a server might do while describing the evening's specials in a nice restaurant. It was kind of fun, and it did re-ignite my sense of purpose. And then came quilting. The rest is history.

So anyway, I spent the biggest part of the kitchen doings yesterday baking this lemon meringue pie. It was yummy. There are still two pieces left. I wonder who (who, I ask) will eat them?

When I'd done all the advance preparation I could, I made it into the sewing room around 3:30 to sew the binding on the Snow Globes quilt. Of course, the inspection crew showed up to offer their advice and their opinions.

Smitty, I thought you claimed this quilt. Do you think you will like that pink candy-stripe binding?

Sadie, being a handsome, virile, swashbuckling, rugged Mancat gets tiresome sometimes. There are days when it's good to set aside one's courageous and valorous activities to get in touch with one's feminine side.

I can hardly believe I'm hearing this, Smitty. How long have you harbored these feelings? And besides, we girl cats can be courageous too. Pink is not our color. If pressed, however, we would certainly wear Ruth Bader Ginsburg's lace collar.

And that conversation was all very interesting, but I was determined to get the binding sewn onto my quilt. And there it is.

The binding is made from a scrap of fabric I used in the border of the Yard Art quilt several years back.

I cut the strips for the binding when I finished sewing the Snow Globes into a flimsy. They've been sitting waiting for this finish for around a year. For whatever reason, they frayed badly when I sewed them to the quilt. I don't remember the fabric fraying so badly when I used it before, but whatever. I think I spent as much time dealing with loose threads as I did sewing the binding to the quilt. But now it's ready for hand-sewing. The rest of the day is going to be a day to relax, and hand stitching that binding will fit right in with my plans for the day. 

If I get in a mood for some machine sewing, I'll make the next row of blocks for the City Bank quilt.

It's looking foggy outside, and we're expecting rain for the next few days. It's a good day to stay in and sew.