Eureka! We have Sourdough!

Just before I left for Minnesota in late September I saw a post on Facebook about making your own Sourdough Starter.  I had a wonderful starter my good friend, Cathy Pierson had given to me but while I was away for more than a month it grew some very disgusting black, hairy mold on the top.  It didn't smell yeasty any more...it smelled, well....spoiled.  It was hard to throw it out, but I did.  I knew at the time that Cathy would give me another start (she's so generous) but I never got around to it.

Then I saw the post and it sent me to this blog.   The recipe is there so I won't repeat it here.

First you mix pineapple juice with whole wheat flour in a jar and leave it on the counter.  After a couple of days it looks like this!

You follow the directions, feeding the starter, dividing, feeding some more. Finally at the end of a week or so it will rise up and fill your entire jar....sometimes overflowing the jar!  It was warm in MN the first part of October so our starter was ready in just 5 days but it could take up to 8 or 9 days to be perfect.

Once your starter is ready you just need to use it (or feed it) at least once every two weeks and that isn't hard at all.  The Internet is full of recipes for Sourdough bread, rolls, pancakes, English muffins, pizza dough and more.

 The longer you let your bread "sponge" sit, the more sour it will be!

This morning I made the grands pancakes.  Yum!  When I get home I'm going to make myself another starter.

I Missed the Retreat (but here are some pictures!)

I'm loving my time in MN with daughter Beka and the grands....little Anastacia is 11 days old now. She is a cuddly little bundle who hardly cries. She seems to be alert more and more each day. But this year, in order to be at her birth, I missed the Scottie Dog Quilts Fall Mystery Quilting Retreat. I haven't missed one of our retreats in the past 11 years or so. Liz and Crystal hosted this one. I know they did a fine job without me and I was quite gratified to hear that at one point on Saturday afternoon Sydney wandered into the sewing room and loudly queried, "Raise your hand if you miss Gamma!" And I'm told every hand went up. Thanks, gals, you made me feel great!
Liz posted a few photos on Facebook and I copied them for this blog. The pattern was from Clothworks called Tulips by Barb Tourtilloette. Here is the pattern. It is quick and yet displays large prints well. Here's Suzanne's quilt.


I think this one is Shari's (with our new Block of the month in the background).
I like the lime background in this one.Crystal used 1930's prints (no surprise there!) and it is wonderful.

And Marie's is a beauty too! Don't you love to see one quilt done so differently and every one of them a winner!Two of the gals brought their "Juicy Fruit" quilts from a couple of years back. Here's Marie's:
I think this next one is Lindsay's. Just the difference the fabric makes.

I missed the retreat...the fun, the laughter, renewing old friendships and meeting new quilters, dinner at Rita's Mexican Cantina and The Banana Hut (Hawaiian!)....I did get to see the quilts and I Skyped a bit. See you next Spring!

She's Here!

I came to Minnesota on September 29 to help my baby daughter Beka in the last days of her pregnancy. I got to go along on the very busy lives of a young family with three active children. Jakob is 5 1/2. He is all boy, running, jumping, reading everything he can get his hands on, learning Latin verbs, bones and muscular systems of the body and the capitals of the Eastern Seaboard States. Mercedes is 3 1/2 with sparkling eyes, a ready smile, a love for song and dance and curiosity about everything. Shiloh is 20 months old with a smile that is contagious. She shares a joy with everyone she meets. The were happy to see Grammy and spend time with me.

Yesterday Beka labored hard. She danced a labor-of-love dance on her feet, swaying with the forces within her body to birth her child. Jason, my son-in-law danced and supported Beka with tenderness and a depth of love throughout the afternoon and into the early evening. It is a most beautiful dance, lyrical and spiritual. In most labors there is a time when it seems as if it will never end, the pains will continue to crest like waves on a rugged coastal beach. That is a good sign...when you want to give up, labor (actually Labor with a capital L) is nearly over. The end is near, the prize nearly there. The midwives were pleased with how it was all going. After several gut-wrenching pushes my baby girl gave birth to her newest baby girl. Anastacia Hope Hache was born Thursday, October 6, 6:50 pm. 8 lbs. 13 oz and 21" long.Anastacia is a beautiful, snugly bundle of joy. She entered the world with a lusty cry and snorts and sniffles due to all the vernix on her body. She was covered with the stuff. A few splotches on her face, an ear plastered to her head and limbs that wouldn't straighten out right away due to her previous cramped quarters. After weighing, the nurse handed her to Daddy. He snuggled her, kissed her head and then handled her over to me....Grammy. Oh, how sweet she smelled. She molded right to my arms, opened an eye, sighed and went back to sleep. Delightful little lips, a tiny nose (the same nose I have, my mother had and my grandma Pontious had) and dark hair with an undertone of sandy blond. Reminds me of her brother Jakob's hair at birth.

I came back home so I could take care of the grands asleep at home with a sitter. In the morning I told them of the new baby sister and we ate breakfast, dressed and took off for the hospital. Lots of photos taken, big brother and big sisters all had a turn holding Anastacia and then were kept busy with snacks and a movie Mom had brought from home. Beka fed the baby and then Grammy got another snuggle. Today her color was smoothly perfectly pink, her head had come back to normal (it's a tight squeeze coming down the birth canal!) and she was, of course, the most beautiful baby in the world. We're keeping her....she's ours. I wish my mom had lived to see her great-grandchildren. My dad passed the evening Shiloh was born. The generations are marching on. As they should. I'm happy to be here for another few weeks. Thanks to my sweet hubby, Mr. Scottie Dog for allowing me this time and thanks to my daughter Liz who is keeping our store open while I am away.

Hanging with the Grands.

It's Saturday night and the grand kids are watching a VeggieTales movie and Beka & Jason have gone to a movie...Courageous. It has gotten fantastic reviews. I'm glad they can get out for a last chance date night before baby #4 (a new granddaughter) arrives next Thursday (or before).
What have I done since I arrived late Wed. night? Gone to school with Jakob (he's home schooled with a once-a-week gathering/teaching day on Thursdays), taken a long, long nap on Thursday afternoon! Gone shopping and found a new purse for a song (40% off reg. price and then 35% off entire purchase), I do love a bargain! I've red stories, put together jigsaw puzzles, cooked dinners, told bedtime stories and so much more. Today we went to a baby shower. It's all been wonderful. Just what I needed. Catch you up later.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't know when I'll be back again..." Well, that's not entirely true as I do know when I'll be back again. In an hour I'm leaving for the Eureka/Arcata Airport.The airport has two gates: Gate 1 is for departures and Gate 2 is for arrivals. Pretty Simple. You can still park 100 feet from the front entrance (pictured above). And this is the "NEW" (and newly remodeled) terminal. When I first came to Humboldt County they threw your luggage on the grass for you to pick-up....and remember it rains for 8 months out of the year here.
I'm on my way to Minnesota to visit these delightful grandchildren:

Shiloh is 20 months old, Mercedes (Sadies) is 3 1/2 and Jakob is 5 1/2. There will be a new baby in a week to ten days and Grammy gets to be there to play, cook and generally help out. I'm looking forward to seeing the Fall Colors and maybe even a first snow as I'm staying until November 9. Mr. Scottie Dog will only have the cats to keep him company, but we'll talk on the phone every day and skype some, I'm sure. Last night he fixed me a romantic dinner served in the dining room: Grilled Prawns & Wild Salmon. Ummm, ummm!

Sydney had a tea party yesterday afternoon. Just a couple of her "lady" friends, Mom & Grandma. I confess...after tea sandwiches (have you ever tried cucumber on raisin bread? Divine!), chocolate dipped strawberries, deviled eggs, sweet pickles, cream puffs and mini chocolate eclair's.....I ate well yesterday! I'm going to miss everyone in Eureka and Liz will take wonderful care of the store, but at this moment I'm anxious to get going. I want to meed this new member of our family. I'll try to keep in touch some. The end of October I'll meet Liz in Houston for Quilt Market, go back to Beka's house for another week and finally home. I'm sure to have lots of adventures!

The Farmer's Wife

There's been much buzz around the Internet about The Farmer's Wife. It's a book by Laurie Hird which contains 'letters from 1920's farm women and the 111 six inch blocks they inspired. Liz and I had the privilege of meeting Laurie at Quilt Market in Minneapolis about a year and a half ago and getting signed copies hot off the press.
I've bogged before about my quilt group (The Grateful Threads) and our block swap of another book, The Civil War Diary Quilt. We make 8 identical blocks in Civil War reproduction blocks each round and trade or swap our blocks with each person, thus getting 8 different blocks each round. We've not been very good about our swapping calendar and are only halfway done. But we've been energized with a new swap! Now each month we are on the spot with Civil War blocks and our Farmer's Wife 1930's swap. I don't know why Laurie made her quilt with Civil War fabrics but then tied it together with the 1920's. But we are having fun.

Liz took this picture for me today...the book, HER book (notice that we have had our books spiral bound so they lay flat) and the blocks from Round 1. That's my basket block in the foreground. It's going to be so much fun! I'll be missing two rounds while I'm in Minnesota (I leave on Wednesday) so I've made blocks ahead for both swaps.
Here at Redwood Sewing Center we are going to start a year-long class on The Farmer's Wife. It's going to start in January. If you are in the neighborhood join us!