Nothing says summer's here like a big drink of fresh lemonade. Although I add a slice of lemon to my water every day, it suddenly occurred to me that I hadn't had real, fresh squeezed lemonade in years! Since I rarely drink my calories (other than wine!), I guess I got in the habit of only choosing water. I always have a bag of lemons in the fridge so I searched out a recipe and started squeezing.
I started with THIS RECIPE from the food network and then simply adjusted the mix until I had the perfect balance of tart and sweet for our tastes. It took me 4 lemons to get enough juice squeezed (using my awesome Bodum electric juicer) since I like a good, tart, lemony flavour. I made a simple syrup by boiling equal parts water and sugar and added it to taste. I found at first that the lemonade was too watery so I kept adding the lemon juice and sugar until it was just as I wanted. Since most commercially prepared lemonade is too sweet for me, making it at home is the best way to control the sugar content. It was a lovely refreshing drink (garnished with sliced lemon) and ideal for our Sunday afternoon.
Look at this pretty sewing needle display box I ordered. I thought it was the perfect decoration for a small shelf in my workshop and I was delighted when it arrived full of beautiful original vintage needles. It also arrived with cobwebs and lint bunnies...but fortunately, no spiders or bugs! It obviously spent some time in a basement or old barn but the lovely needles and wood-divided sections were worth the brief vacuuming time.
I just adore the tiny packets of perfectly preserved needles and they are so charmingly presented. There is an excellent assortment of brands, sizes and styles, (even some with GOLD eyes!!!) and even though they are 100% usable, I am going to keep them as they are...rowed up for easy viewing. The 'Made in England' packages are my favourite and I was happy there were some actual Dorothy Frances ones remaining in the set. I think the little messages, artwork, and design of the labels and sleeves are such a wonderful representation of the era (e.g. the 'War Economy Pack") and I'm excited to show off my collection to all who'll take a peek.
I picked up this notebook/journal to keep track of my cycling efforts and improvement. It also serves as a record of hours and kilometres ridden for maintenance reference. Really, it was just pretty and I love the quote by Walt Whitman on the cover...it suited the theme perfectly.
Every nice weather weekday I'm trying to get in a ride, with longer, more varied ones on the weekend. Cycling is an amazing workout for sure and I have really noticed a difference in my fitness - even with the small amount of riding I do. In fact, I achieved a Wii Fit goal (remember Wii Fit???) I have been working towards for a year and a half (an optimum BMI) and it feels great to accomplish that benchmark. I credit cycling for getting me over that last plateau.
Last week I learned a few new things. 1. I do not like gravel roads or steep, rocky, narrow gully trails with no turnaround. 2. Do not follow the garbage truck route. 3. Early morning country rides are beautiful. 4. You really can smell wildflowers when riding by. 5. Most cars do not slow down for riders.
I picked up a taillight for my bike and I feel much better having it aboard. It is the SERFAS TL-200. It attaches so easily with a rubber strap (so you can quickly take it with you when you lock up the bike), has 3 modes (steady, flashing like a strobe, and alternating flash like a police vehicle), and can be seen up to a mile away. I knew this would be an important safety feature when clouds or fog roll in or when you end up riding home later than expected with dusk coming. A gentleman cycled past us one day and once I saw how bright and visible he was with the taillight attached, I bought the SERFAS the next day.
I am having so much fun riding and I know that once winter comes, I'm going to be in withdrawal. I can see a stationary bike in our near future as well as maybe some bike rentals while on vacation! If you have a bicycle I highly recommend getting back in the saddle if you aren't already. I don't think I could list any negatives about this form of recreation and there are so many positives (just don't follow the garbage truck)...
It has been a while since I stitched up a hexie for my hand-pieced Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt project...so long in fact, when I picked it up the other night while baseball was on, I couldn't quite remember what order I used to join those darn shapes in the most efficient manner. I got the flower done but it really bugged me that I had become that rusty in such a short amount of time! I've been waiting to cut more fabric for the petals AND I need more paper templates (on order) so once I get those two tasks checked off, I'll be able to get back to my daily hand-sewing.
That frustration led me to pull out my two new English Paper Piecing books. The first is Happy Hexies which is a fine little book of 12 hand pieced hexagon projects. There are some "basics" on tools, hexie sewing, and finishing techniques. The projects include a tote, tea cozy and mats, table topper, mini quilt and a couple of pillows (you can see a few on the cover). They are all really cute and fast ways to incorporate a taste of hexies into sewing and certainly less intensive than a full-size hand sewn quilt! I might just pick one or two of them to do while plugging away at my 175 florets and I can use up some of my practice flowers from last year. I had originally started with a sort of 1930s vibe stash of fabric so they just might be really cute in a tea cozy or placemat.
When I placed the order I added in Mollie Makes Patchwork. While the reviews weren't stellar with this one, it was so inexpensive I figured it would get me free shipping while costing less than a magazine at the drug store. When it arrived I was actually quite pleased! It is a hardcover book with 158 pages of sweet projects and techniques instruction. Many different quilt blocks are featured, like a nine-patch, rail fence, dresden, pinwheels, log cabin, etc. so there is a lot to experiment with. I could envision using this book with my grandchildren (when that day might come???) as the diagrams are good and the designs aren't too complicated. There are indeed a couple of hexagon items including a quilt (on the cover!) and a fun apron. For a few dollars, I think this book was a great deal (and it just may remind me in what order I need to sew!).
I think I have watched almost every cycling video the guys at the Global Cycling Network have posted regarding bike care and cycling skills. They are great presenters, pretty funny, and very knowledgable about all things cycling. I was excited to see a couple videos about cooking, since that is one of my areas of demonstration and the How to Make Energy Bars really caught my eye.
Of course, I had to make the recipe myself since it comes across as irresistible. One of the ingredients is Lyle's Golden Syrup (a thick British sweetener like corn syrup) and since that particular product is a throwback to my childhood, and I had a jar in the cupboard, I was good to go. Unfortunately, while the energy bars/granola bars are perfect for lanky pro cyclists after a long haul ride, they contain way too much sugar and calories for my diet-conscious self. I made a few modifications to lighten things up like reducing the oil, sugar, and quantity of raisins (by half) as well as removing the dates altogether (basically because I didn't have any on hand and also because they added a ton of Weight Watcher points to the recipe.)
I further reduced the 'points' by cutting the serving size in half, which is always an option when trying to lose or maintain weight but wanting to eat a calorie-rich food. The bars do contain beneficial oatmeal and nuts, as well as natural peanut butter and seeds, so they certainly have wholesome nutrients hidden within the sugary binding. The bars are delicious although even with my alterations I found them VERY sweet. If I make them again I will lessen the sugar and syrup quantities further. Luckily, my kids (who are grown, maintain healthy weights, and have no cavities!) loved the bars and are taking them to work in their lunches.
Obviously, during or after a serious workout (biking, running, or other intense activity), these bars supply a big blast of quick energy, as is their intention. They taste yummy, are very portable and easy to eat, and a treat to look forward to when the exercising is over. Watch the video to see how easy the Energy Bars are to prepare and if you're interested in cycling, check out the Global Cycling Network channel for many great instructional videos about the sport.
I love the new Celebrate Canada album cover from Creative Memories and I knew it would be perfect for this year's '150' celebrations and summer vacation pics. It came in a wonderful special offer bundle complete with a maple leaf punch and matching paper pack (also called Celebrate Canada). Once it all arrived I was delighted with the beautiful foil decoration on the front cover and it's been a long time since I indulged in a new paper punch. The detail on the leaf is really nice and I'm sure I can use it on many layouts (thinking about gorgeous autumn pictures).
Of course I added a few extra goodies to my order since there were some super sweet 8'x8" coversets released too. The Teal Dots album is so, so pretty and since I love that format, it will make a great quick 'getaway' album for a future trip. I always make sure to add refill pages so it's ready to go when I am eager to scrapbook.
It has literally been years and years, ever since I started cropping with Creative Memories, that I have purchased any Custom cutting system patterns. I decided to get the new rectangle set because, although I don't really cut up my photos often any more, I thought this shape was particularly versatile and useful. They just give an interesting softness to the page and allow for co-ordinating decorative paper mats with an even border (versus using a corner rounder punch).
Finally, I included a couple packs of Baby Boy Woodland Whimsy refill pages and a matching variety pack of journaling/matting papers. Although the design is intended for juvenile male pages, many of the prints are perfect for nature photos, camping, hiking, etc. so I thought they'd be great for the Canada album. I've been so spoiled with the pre-designed pages that I don't think I could go back to facing a blank white page! The artwork and photo boxes give me just the right jumping off point for my creativity and I love them.
So now it's just a matter of finding the time to get scrapbooking! We have been so busy that by the evening, we just collapse and catch up on Game of Thrones. The weather has been lovely lately and we are not spending much time indoors, let alone down in the workshop. Plenty of time for that later and now I have the supplies and am keeping up with my once-a-month photo printing schedule, I'm good to go when the time is right.
I've tried to make homemade granola a couple of times, with mixed results. Sometimes it burns, sometimes the flavour is dull...still okay but not exactly what I was looking for. Store-bought granola is typically very high in fat and sugar and because my husband is allergic to nuts, it's very difficult to find one that doesn't contain any. I usually buy a raisin granola that is nut-free but the flavour is still super sweet and we pick out the raisins anyway because they are like rocks!
I tried the recipe in the Blue Zones book for a granola made by the Adventists and it is perfect for us! I left out the nuts and nut oils, of course, (substituting olive oil and sunflower seeds), but the basic base recipe is wonderful. The balance of sweet and salty and the mixture of spices is ideal. It did not burn when I baked it and while it seemed like it was still very moist and sticky, it did dry out as it cooled. I'm storing it in mason jars at the moment but I need to pick up one more rubber-sealed glass cereal jar from the bulk store.
While hubby enjoyed adding berries and dried fruit, I piled my bowl with a mixture of nuts, fruit, and shredded unsweetened coconut. The cereal is already sweetened with honey (I used a gorgeous melon-flower honey from the farmer's market - full of flavour!) so nothing else needs to be added other than yogurt or a bit of milk of choice (almond, soy, dairy, coconut, etc.). Next to steel-cut oats, this is my favourite breakfast. It makes a wonderful snack after a workout too!
I used the recipe from the book and highly recommend it but there is a similar one for free on the Blue Zones website HERE. I'm going to give it a try myself when this batch is finished (which won't take long!).
I made a batch of tomato sauce from the Blue Zone cookbook. It's a fairly plain, yet full-of-flavour, sauce made with Italian tomatoes, garlic, and fresh basil, halved carrot & celery (which are removed after cooking), a bay leaf...and of course, lots of good quality olive oil. I served it with spaghetti as one of our vegetarian-night meals and then made a wonderful barley-rice casserole with some of the leftovers (and still had enough to freeze a container full).
Between all this cooking, cycling, and eating there hasn't been much time for quilting or scrapbooking. It's pretty hard to resist being outside on beautiful summer days so I guess there will be time in the winter months to catch up with stuff in the workshop. Luckily I still have my hand-piecing to keep me in the stitching mood although I need to get more fabric cut and basted!