Keeping it Small

Good morning, my friends. I'm hoping you're all keeping warm and dry and safe out there. We're getting reports of some really terrible weather on both the east coast and the west coast. Meanwhile, our weather has taken a decided turn for the better. We actually had sunshine yesterday. Had I not been so involved with my list of to-do's, I might have gotten out for a walk. We're expecting reasonable weather today too. If it truly comes to pass, I won't miss today's opportunity in the sun.

So just what the heck was I doing that I missed a rare sunny day in March? Well, I took the first stitches on May's block for the Joyful Journey quilt. It takes a long time to stitch those leaves. The bees take a bit of time as well. This one won't be retired quickly.

And, well, you didn't actually think I could let Pi Day go by without baking a Dutch Apple Pie for Two did you? Of course not. Perish the thought. It was very tasty with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Pies for two are super easy. I use Pillsbury pie crust, although you could use whatever pie crust you like. Then, I use one jar of my homemade apple pie filling. If you're not making your own, then one store-bought can is all you need. And then, I use the topping from this recipe, but I use just half. I like that it includes oatmeal. Fruit and oatmeal. Healthy, right? Oh yes, and you can't make a pie for two without a 6-inch pie plate. You can find them on Amazon.

And then, I baked some Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries and Pecans for the two of us. We had those with our afternoon cup of espresso. Life is short. Two desserts are always better than one. And besides, using my previous logic, these contain oatmeal, dried fruit, and nuts. Fiber, fruit, and protein. What could be more healthy? The cookies were supposed to go along on our camping trip. Just because we were too sensible to go camping in the snow doesn't mean we can't have the cookies anyway.

Generally, I don't keep cookies in the house because I'd be happy to eat the whole bag all by myself if I did. Having them in limited quantities is a good strategy.

Okay, and then it was time for sewing. That newest Tiny House wasn't going to make itself. Fortunately, Captain Smitty reported for duty with alacrity.

He brought along his pointer tail to help me stay organized while I made the different sections.

This one had the most sections yet, labeled with letters "C" through "M." Smitty grew weary at about Section "J," and so Sadie took over. Her stubby tail is fairly useless for pointing purposes, but that one white whisker gives her super powers.

With her tiny cat assistance, Tiny House #9 was completed.

I'd given her a quilt to lie on when she needed a rest, and it made a purrfect spot to attend to her purrsonal hygiene. I don't know about you, but I always like a shower after an intense workout. Cats are no different.

And that effort took me to the end of my sewing day. Here are the nine Tiny Houses I have so far. 

Nine down, 27 to go. So far, I haven't wished I'd never started this project, but I expect that feeling will come before I've finished all of them. They are surprisingly time consuming.

Okay, so this morning I'm making some frozen breakfast burritos. We'll each have one for breakfast, and the rest will go in the freezer for another day. It's more camping food we were supposed to take with us. I think that will be the end of my no-camping-trip food preparation. After that, I'll get to work on the Barn Quilt Sampler. 

If there's still time left in the day, I'm going to make the first blocks for a new project called Painted Ladies from Eye Candy Quilts.

I mentioned this project in a previous post, and my friend Jenny accurately identified the inspiration for the name. As it turns out, there are streets of homes in San Francisco known as the "Painted Ladies." You can read about them right here. Since my last post, I've spent some time looking at the pattern. As it turns out, it's sewn together in vertical rows, and that's how I'll organize mine...one vertical row at a time. Of course, I have some ribbons, rick rack, and other gewgaws to use for trim, but I'm thinking I'll also use some of my grandmother's hand-crocheted "lace" from some of her dresser scarves as trim.

Okay, so there's plenty to do, and it is looking like a good day for a walk. Time to get going on those breakfast burritos. Take good care out there. Be wise with the bad weather.