The Food and the Company Were Top Notch

I was on my feet all day, but the food was incredible. I don't have a single photo to prove it though.  By the time everyone left I was ready for the next meal and a foot massage! 

Lavender jelly went over huge and I tweaked the next batch to be a bit different.  I added a white wine and doubled the lavender.  Much stronger lavender taste.  I also added some pansies for great effect in the cooling jelly!  Hopefully they will crystallize.

When I was kid, we had violets growing wild in our yard in Metairie just outside of New Orleans.  I would gather them and crystallize
them in sugar and egg whites.  They actually  tasted.....well.....purple!

I might have to try that with the pansies.

The cheesecake was incredible with the Caramel Macchiato I prepared for everyone.  The ham had a apricot glaze, which made it edible.  I don't like ham so I have to "cover" the flavor with some interesting glazes.  I can come up with a few.

And I made a slaw that was sweet, with raisins and cashews.  It was a change from my usual cabbage, cooked down with ham seasoning, carrots and bell peppers and onions.

It was a busy day, and I didn't watch a single foodball play!  That is how busy I was!

I will  continue working on the Quilt Room Clean Up and the Quilt Challenge piece.  Hopefully I will make some nice  progress on both!

Moving the Old Out

Yesterday we spent a lot of time working on moving the old stuff out and readying for the new stuff.  You know what I mean!  LOL.  The garden needed an overhaul and summer flowers moved ot and the pansies and snaps moved in.  I still have begonias and caladiums!  the weather has been summery up till this morning, like it was waiting for me to get the winter plants in!

Here is the new look!  I bought the Kale for $1.00 at Lowe's
on their clearance table.  Best of all, while  I was renting the carpet cleaner (for the CAAWS Santa Rug), I scored 9 six-packs of pansies for 25 cents each!  Why 9 and not 10?  I have no idea.  Two were for Carrie's office and the rest were mine!  Now they will help me remember my  sweet Pepsi, who loved to lay in my  pansies every weekend when we would work in the yard.


Now, I had to take down the Inspira Frame and the Mega Quilter.  So we headed to the storage

building to find the boxes.  We found 2 of the 3 it came in.  We disassembled the frame, piece by piece.  I documented it so if someone wants it they can see how it goes back together.

It really is not hard, but I am totally comfortable with working with tools and building things.  That said, I really believe anyone can put this together without much trouble.

I got a call from HandiQuilter yesterday saying the new Avante wold ship on Friday and arrive on Wednesday.  I walk by the empty space in the dining room and my heart just flutters.  It is truly like bringing a new baby home!

And yes, I have spent the last few nights looking at Quilting Motifs on Pinterest.