Sandra Betzina - Couture Cuisine!

Here's a blast from the past, circa 1989. If you want to try and find it, the ISBN is 0-9615614-3-2. It's a collection of favorite recipes and sewing tips from Sandra, co-author David Hill, and the likes of Shermane Fouche...Marcy Tilton...Naomi Baker...Clotilde...Mary Roehr...June Tailor...Eunice Farmer...Robbie Fanning...Donna Salyers...Kathy Ruddy...Margaret Islander...Tammy Young...Lois Ericson...Jan Saunders..Linda Griepentrog... A true 80's flashback to sewing's leading ladies!

This is one of the pages. It says "author unknown" You can click it to make it easier to read. Pretty good instructions, don't you think?

Time for another garden tour

A couple cooler nights last week didn't help these guys any. Fare-thee-well pink primrose. the photo actually makes it look better.

And you, heliotrope! This isn't a vanity shot. I've had to almost physically stop my husband from yanking you out. You better prove everyone wrong and come back. Please?!

These guys have adjusted well -- New leaves and buds!

The pink jasmine is getting closer to opening, bet next week!

The milkweed/buddelia -- means the monarchs will soon be here, too.

Our Bradford Pear tree. It's a male, so it will get a few blossoms, but with mostly leaves soon. The female trees are the ones that are totally white floral - gorgeous!

The beginnings of Club Fig, our Celeste Fig tree. We call it Club Fig because sometimes those figs over-ripen and ferment before we get a chance to pick them. Then the fun begins with drunk squirrels and birds!

Even from 10 feet away, you can smell the sweet fragrance! Which is about how far you need to be, because of all the bees! Look closely by the lower right flowers. Those are bees inside! Bzzzzz!

Chocolate Cheesecake Bars - Do I have your attention?!

CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE BARS

¾ cup water
1/3 cup butter (no substitutes)
1 ½ squares Baker’s UNSWEETENED chocolate
2 cups flour
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking SODA
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white
½ cup reduced fat/low fat sour cream

Cream Cheese Mixture:
1 package reduced fat/Neufachel cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz) milk chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips (if you are a true chocoholic and buy in bulk, a couple handfuls should do it)

In small saucepan, combine the water, butter and chocolate. Cook and stir over LOW heat until melted. Stir until smooth and let cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add egg, egg white and sour cream. Beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in chocolate mixture until smooth.

In another mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, egg white and vanilla. Set aside.

Spread chocolate batter into a 15”x10” pan, coated with nonstick cooking spray or Smart Balance or Crisco Trans Fat Free shortening. Drop the cream cheese mixture by tablespoonfuls (I use a teaspoon and plop all over, and spreading a little bit, not swirling. I want that cream cheese on top!). Sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. But they taste great slightly warm. Yield about 4 dozen (yeah, right. Cut yourself a 2”x2” piece and just be done with it.). You can also wrap and freeze these, too.

Source: Taste of Home Best Light Recipes, 2006, page 128

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Songs

Bob Welch, "Ebony Eyes' 3:32
Absolutely the Best of Classic Rock

I should call this "Allergy Eyes" today. When the weatherman says "Tree Pollen Extremely Heavy" believe him and don't believe that any amount of protective nose spray and eye drops can defend that pollen onslaught! I cross my index fingers in an X when I drive by those *$#@^& Redbud trees...

Thompson Twins, "Lay Your Hands on Me" 4:04
Thompson Twins: Greatest Hits
Good beat for a "keep on going!" song around a lagging Lap 10...

Cool down:
Fleetwood Mac, "Everywhere" 3:41
The Very Best of Fleetwood Mac
Pollen...pollen...pollen...

Today's stats: Looky! -- 55 minutes, 3.25 miles, 364 calories
Perhaps there is something to be said for the drops and spray.

Hey Quilt Girl!

I've been getting emails -- "Peggy, you talk the talk, but have you actually ever made a quilt?" Yes, I have, but I gave them away. "Ha!," you say. But seriously, they went to St. Jude's in Memphis, Tennessee and to Houston for the Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

To the above left are the St. Jude quilts our ASG Neighborhood Group made. Mine is out of camera range (true!), I was standing in the street to take the photo as it was. But on the right is one of my Katrina quilts. I was hoping it would go to a child, hence the 'Scooby Doo" and "Lion King" prints. Note the Texas flag print in the center. (If you like, you can read my quilting stories for PatternReview.com by clicking here for St. Jude's and here for Katrina)

Since I was and still am a quilting beginner's beginner, I used Kaye Wood's 6 Hour Quilt book-let. People, if I can do this, anyone can! Several years ago at the Houston International Quilt Festival, Kaye had an area where people could take a break, sit and serge strips for the Love Connection charity quilts, using her method. Even if you had never quilted, or sewed for that matter, this was easy and simple enough to do. When I originally bought the book, I thought it would make a nice Christmas gift in holiday fabrics or out of denim (the legs). I still do...! ;-)

Quilts for Soldiers - Part 2

Yet another for making quilts for our soldiers -- Read this from the Washington Post National Weekly Edition - February 12/18, 2007.

Here is Catherine Roberts' website which has information on making these comfort quilts --
http://www.qovf.org

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Songs

Billy Squier, "Rock Me Tonight " 4:56
iTunes, Absolute Hits

Beyonce', "Crazy in Love" 3:55
iTunes

Cool down:

James Taylor, "Sweet Baby James" 2:53
The Best of James Taylor

Today's stats: 50 minutes, 3.03 miles, 334 calories (still atoning for that birthday cake!)

Quilts for Soldiers - Part 1

Did you see last night's CBS Evening News and Cynthia Bowers' report about a woman making jeans quilts for the wounded soldiers? If not, here's the link -- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/03/07/eveningnews/main2545059.shtml?source=search_story

In a gist, she now has plenty of donated blue jeans to make the quilts, but could sure use quilting supplies (low loft crib size, machine quilting thread in blue or any color) and money for postage. A quilt out of denim/jeans can be heavy so I'm sure postage is $$$. I mailed a check to her today.

Andrea Holldorf
P.O. Box 258
408 Jefferson
Grant, IA 50847

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Songs

A good beat to keep you going for late middle laps --(hey, almost flower theme!)

Roxette, "Fading Like a Flower" 3:53
iTunes, A Collection of Roxette Hits

The Foundations, "Build Me Up Buttercup" 3:00
iTunes, The Very Best of the Foundations

Cool down song:
REO Speedwagon, "In My Dreams" 4:30
iTunes, REO Speedwagon, The Hits

Today's stats: 50 minutes, 3.03 miles, 334 calories

Poser!

Sometimes even reading about yoga can do a body good.

And I know my twice weekly attempts, er, classes, can do a body good, too. Yesterday's class was another "It's fun to be me!" episode as I fell out of poses and lost my balance several times with reverse triangles and one armed/one legged Downward Dogs. Oh well, I did feel great afterwards (the class was over!). No, seriously though. Yoga is a powerful workout. And even if it is an "All Levels" class, you just do the best you can and keep trying.

Ranking these yoga mags -- 1) Yoga Life by Rodale. I like their fun style, a la their snarky Women's Health magazine....2) Fit Yoga. Easy to flip and read...3) Yoga Journal - this is like the Martha Stewart Living/Oprah of the yoga magazines. Lots of information, lots of pages, but lots of ads, too. Takes time to digest and read, just like MSL and O.

Have a heart, Walter Reed

Here's hoping the Heart-2-Heart postcard project brightened some of those poor soldiers' rooms and lives. This is terrible!

More Follow-up/Fall-Out re Wal-Mart Fabric Departments

From the Houston Chronicle - http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/4607764.html

Do you think all this publicity will make a difference? Or will Wal-Mart pull back only to strike again later?

Cat's Back - Part 2!

Pre happy birthday to me --

Found today at Costco. A boxed set of 6 Cat Stevens remastered CD's -- Tea for the Tillerman...Teaser and the Firecat...Mona Bone Jakon...Catch Bull at Four...Buddha and the Chocolate Box...Foreigner. By the time I could even find, more or less buy these, it would be way more than $49.99. I know, ouch, but it's CAT! (Pre Yusuf) And where can you find a CD for $8.33?

I also saw collections of Eric Clapton and others, too. But I only had eyes for this and him!

Fabric Rant

I gave up on the raincoat. Not because I couldn't get the fit or style down...it was the fabric! The trial and stash fabrics were just wrong - too limp, too stiff, too --- whatever. And if we found something close enough at the fabric stores, it would cost more than buying one. And honestly, I was getting a little tired and discouraged by Raincoat Round 4.

We went to Target and were ready to buy a raincoat for $35. But then clever L found a Gilligan & O'Malley bathrobe! But doesn't look bathrobe-y at all, it's above-the-knee length, has a tie belt with a rectangular belt loop in the back instead of the typical thread ones on the side. It looks just like a stylish raincoat you'd see in the magazines. I'll sew some buttons on the back like a martingale thereby securing the belt, and add some to the front to look like a double-breasted closure! For a "costume" that will only be worn for 10 minutes for the dance and since she'll be in the back (she's not a premier dancer, they get put in the front), we got out for less than $20! I spent that much plus on the patterns and cheapy fabric, with nothing to show for it, sad to say. This is probably why quilters, scrapbookers and knitters/crocheters are taking over the hobby world. There's always plenty of supplies available for them!

Fashionable sewing fabrics that make sewing worthwhile are like needles in the haystack. Something like this should have been so easy to make and turn out -- with the right fabric it would have! Sigh.

Brace yourself!

2:45 PM
3:45 PM

Wal-Mart Fabric

Wal-Mart has been threatening to close their fabric department for years. But maybe now they mean it? (click to read this article)

I used to find some really cool $1/yard fabrics. But that was in years past, not recently. These are from last year. . .

Check out that Marilyn Monroe fabric - it's a poly knit! I always thought the regular and rural Wal-Marts had the better and bigger fabric departments than the Super Wal-Marts. And there were even those therein which were better than the others, depending upon the department manager and sheer luck. The neighborhood went really, really downhill at the most successful hunting ground one I used to go to. My husband didn't want me going there; even in the daylight there were parking lot altercations. Though stupidly I did chance it a few months ago by myself and found nothing. It's off of my list now for good, don't worry! No $1/yard fabric is worth it.

Perhaps Hobby-Lobby will step up to the plate? Every once in awhile you can find fashion fabrics there. But WM had it over HL because they were open 24/7, and in more -some better than others- locations.

This is such a pretty song!

It doesn't quite fit into the Workout playlists, it's too slow for even the cool downs. But it is under "Winter Songs," which is right before "Workout" on the Playlist listing. (Sometimes that clicker moves faster or slower than you expect.) Kismet that it started playing today.

Sarah McLachlan, "Song for a Winter's Night" from her Wintersong CD. You may have heard this while Christmas shopping. Or remember the original by Gordon Lightfoot, "Gord's Gold," (CD or album, back in the day!) which I like, too. She has such a pretty voice and this song hauntingly showcases it well.

Today's Favorite iPod Workout Songs

Mary Chapin Carpenter, "Let Me Into Your Heart", 2:54

A Place in the World

Belinda Carlisle, "Summer Rain", 5:27

Greatest Hits

Now you almost thought I had a theme going! But this song is so catchy, you can't help but start singing the refrain. Which will certainly clear out the people on the treadmills next to you. Like today. Maybe they were almost done?!

Cool down song:

Guiffria, "Call To The Heart" 4:39

iTunes, Heart of Metal, Vol. 2

(METAL?! Such a pretty song, I'm not responsible for/nor have any idea what their other songs may have been. Or maybe this was their only hit, so they packed up their stuff and went home, changed their name...)

Today's stats: 50 minutes, 3.01 miles, 321 calories

Winter Wonderland

...and Halloween!

Jo-Ann's clearancing out their White 3300/4400 embroidery cards. I snagged these two for 60% off (with my 10% ASG card).

I already had "Fall," "Christmas" and "Rudolph," but these seem to go-with nicely. Fall is more generic while Halloween has some Great Pumpkin designs. And Winter Wonderland is more seasonal than Christmassy. Some of the designs would even be appropriate for Valentine's Day or a sweetheart any time of the year.

Netflix Stars - Stranger Than Fiction

"Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Ferrell, Emma Thompson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Queen Latifah, and those Sonic guys -- DH actually gave this 5 stars! Robust plots woven with skillful acting from both the principals and support characters...great ending tying it all together! Applause!

In the wings -- "Girl with the Pearl Earring" (still here)...along with "Man of the Year" with Robin Williams