I would have to disagree

I follow Bon Appetit on facebook.  They post some interesting articles and recipes.  Recently, the best easiest cocoa recipe came across my feed.

I would have to say not the best.  Fairly easy.  But I bake so much I am not a good judge.  I work on laminations most weekend.  I realized what these reminded me of was boxed brownie mix brownies.  If that is what you wish, the best.  If not, not.  But the batter tastes right if that is what you grew up with!  Oh well.  It was an interesting experiment.

Today was a long day.  Work is starting earlier due to a required meeting I am going to.  Then, I got called on the carpet for telling the truth.  Doing the right thing and striving for excellence.  My response to being told off was I am sorry but if it is that big of a deal just fire me, I am tired.  

That is never the response people expect.  It is the second time I have made that statement which is why I say people.  My industry has this attitude that if you have a job you must be desperate to keep it.  Not a good time in the industry to go looking but being fired is much better then the other options.  Life is always interesting.

I am so ready for autumn

While I was making the last quilt, I bought myself some black and chocolate brown linen.

I put the brown linen together in a sheath dress in very little time.  It has become my go to dress around the house.

Dark colours.  Solids.  It is what I want to wear right now.  Like I said, I know it will change but right now it makes me happy.

After this week, black may be the only colour.  My cold is still not better.  And I have not had enough time on my sewing machine to let me feel sane.  The spinning wheel yes, not the sewing machine.  I am making yarn for a shawl I am working on.  It should be very pretty.

taking care of business

This has been a week of taking care of business.  I got through the work week which is the was an accomplishment in itself.  I said some home truths today which may be a good thing or may be looking at new ways to create wealth and a lovely life next week.  Work life is interesting.

Home life has been a lot of catch up.  Time was spent at my machine mending instead of creating.  Koda Bear had to help so there were times that I had to take out stitching through pockets.  Four hands on a piece of work makes it very hard to control what is happening.  But I have to admit that it makes me laugh and I would not miss it for the world.

The boyos have been living on bread.  And bread goes on adventures.  Which means that I am baking every other day.  Basic every day bread.  I would like to make a batch of sugar brioche just for myself.  Maybe next weekend.  While I try to clean some of the weeds out of my garden.

But I am headed back to Utah tomorrow.  The automobile is no longer broken.  I will go there tomorrow and fly back.  I am thinking about stopping to eat in Albuquerque.  I like stuffed sopapillas.  I have a recipe!  The funniest thing about all that is I will come back from driving half way across the country more relaxed then staying in town.  I like gallivanting.

Maybe creativity will happen next week.  I do get to go through my new stash of fabric.  Postive things to be looking forward to.

and where am I sleeping this weekend?

I admit to never having a summer like this before in my life.  I have not been home for a weekend except once since the first of May.  This last weekend was New Orleans.  Another home.  It rained.  I walked.  It was lovely.

I had gotten a text on my way back from Estes Park asking when New Orleans could happen.  Business needed to be done.  Knives shown.  Rolled into New Orleans Friday when it was hot.  Business finished and beverages and food were needed.  Just a bit of rest and shade.

A few more miles, and a tent was set up.  Across the lake cooled down at night so that was lovely.  There was rain which also cooled things down a bit.

How do I do New Orleans?  I find a place to park, usually in the Marigny.  Then, I walk.  I sometimes use the street car or a bus but it is really about how far you can walk, what you wish to eat, and how much can you drink.  Going to grad school in a geology department in New Orleans has that tendency.

I did a lot of window shopping and got ideas for Christmas.  I bought a few pictures and a silver tea ball.  I have been looking at antique tea things online and I know where to go to find a brick and mortar (truly) store in the Quarter that carry such things.  Makes tea even more lovely.  I will haunt them next for crystal glasses.  They need to be just right.

I tell people who come to New Orleans with me it is:  how far can you walk and how much you can drink.  Elevenish miles later, windows looked in, food eaten, a new bar tried that I really liked, and my day was close to being finished.  The Pride parade did stop forward momentum for awhile but it just gave me another chance to eat.  I need to do elevenish mile type mile days more often.  My joints liked me for it.

New Orleans will happen again in autumn if not before.  I need to do some stocking shopping.

trapezoids

When we were at the mountain, I found a quilt store in Bellingham that I liked.  I really liked it.  What I was seeing just felt very creative and I liked their stock.  Now, most of what I bought there is still in Utah but I brought back some scrappy bits.

The store cuts 5 inch squares in multiple different prints.  They package 21 prints together for 42 squares.  It means I could get one of my normal nine squares from it or two not normal.  It would add a difference to my quilts since I really did not pick my fabrics.  But I decided to do something totally different.

I cut trapezoids.

Small trapezoids that I am stitching together.  This may be a center of a quilt.  Or it may be a bit on the back.  Or I may be asked to make it into a quilt for Spikey or Bruce Banner, Koda Bear's soft friends.  But I know I am having fun.  I have messed it up a bit but that is not surprising.  This is the first time I have tried anything like this.

Quilts at my sewing machine.  Lovely times at my wheel.  More time in a tent with tea over a fire this weekend.  Life is good.