Thrift Shop Finds

Hello! It got hot here again. Is this what we used to call Indian Summer?
Yesterday was beautiful, hot and sunny, perfect for a visit from my  thrifting friend B [Bea]. My first big adventure since my hip issues began last spring. I was excited to get out and have fun. We got an early [for us] start and we're getting used to the new route, made good time, did not get lost. The drive out through the bridges and beaches was gorgeous, the dunes are showing a hint of red leaves. Okay, it's poison ivy, but it's pretty. And look at this blue sky.

Our favorite thrift shop was jam packed with stuff. Wow. I could have bought three times what I finally decided on. B too had great success, throw pillows and fun old Coca Cola glasses.

My finds~
Baskets.

These large wicker trays aren't fabulous but I need something like this to organize my quilty works in progress. Mostly I ve been using UGGs boot boxes but these baskets are nicer, clean and never used, and were 2.99 for the pair, far less than canvas bins from BB&B.

A faux but beautiful Nantucket basket. I love the deep color.

 So pretty with fall leaves and berries, or for holding small knitting projects....

Then when I was almost done, three trips around the store, I found this in the rack of old CDs and videos. A beautiful split wood market basket.

Really large, about 16 x 24" .

It will get a good washing and drying, then I hope to use it to display all my doll quilts someday.

Small painted wooden box, below. I got this thinking I would repaint it in a primitive folkart style inspired by [not copied from!] the work of Lori of  Notforgotten Farm here. But it's so pretty, great colors, it is growing on me as is. I will use it to store my large scissors, I think. As with the wicker trays for fabrics, I am constantly fighting my tendency to be very messy. If I have nice storage pieces, I am more likely to put things back in their places. Or so I say to myself.

A very pretty pillow sham, soft lilacs or violets on one side, good stripe on the back. For lavender sachets next spring [or sooner? non-Christmassy Christmas gifts?]

The home and kitchen racks are always rewarding.

Nice bowl, not old. But you know I never met a big bowl I didn't love and bring home.

Love the Easter egg stripes / colors. I plan to use it as a mixing bowl, it's lighter in weight than my spongeware bowl, but it also looked pretty cute just stacked with my other pastel bowls.

 It's Pfaltzgraff. I thought their pottery was made in...Ohio. Not Thailand. A surprise.

Stray cobalt soup or chili bowl, to match one I have. Maybe modern Fiesta, or Cambridge, if older. Unmarked.

A modern Ball canning jar in lovely deep aqua/ turquoise. 1 Pint.

I think it's great that a hundred years or so later the old zinc lids still fit the new jars. The zinc lids are readily available on eBay and etsy. Gives the new jars instant antique-look.

Then the best part--- I really lucked out in the plaid shirt department. Lots of men's shirts, many XL or XXL. Not cheap, they start at 5.99 and go up to 14.99 for a Ralph Lauren plaid. But then there's sales and discounts daily, so somewhat affordable in the end. Certainly no bargain, even if cotton fabric is over ten dollars a yard now. But, you know, the mixed shirt plaids give that special look, of thrifty/ make-do-ness.

I chose blue shades to finish Where/ When The Wild Geese Fly quilt, and to replenish my much depleted collection. I am considering using the shirts' bodies to piece a backing for that quilt too. (Or should it be cozy pumpkin colored flannel?). The rest will be cut up for strings for my planned String Baskets quilt.

With that in mind I branched out and added a few plaids that, while they have blue, were also brown or tomato soup colored.

The greens are for my always meagre green stash and also for the green pumpkins in my Jan Patek Pumpkins and Pinwheels quilt [next year, but planning ahead. quiltpattern is here]

I was pretty thrilled with all my treasures, even though I found NO sweaters or woolen garments for felting, no tartans or kilts, and no candle stick bases for my make-do pincushions. Next time? 

We ended our day with afternoon ice tea on the deck, a plate of fall apples, cheeses and sweet potato Triscuits to go with. Time to visit and relax. B lives way up in Upstate NY and I don't see her so often. We then went off to Pancho's for the best Mexican food anywhere. Fajitas, yum! They  have a new dessert menu, free with a meal. Tiny double shot glasses filled with things like chocolate mousse pie, Key Lime pie, pumpkin cheesecake. Free? Oh yes. Four sweet bites, perfect.

Hope your week is going well and you're enjoying the surprise of summery weather again!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Home alone with a bully stick! Mo did well.

Mo and the Terrible Twos

Hi! Oh boy, did Mo ever have me fooled! Over the summer he was so calm, so good, sitting patiently for hours when I could barely move from the bed to a chair. Here he is in the bin of recycled shirts, in my sewing room.  He brought his blankies and built a nest by my side.

At age 2 and a half, I figured his puppy days were over!

That he had settled into classic pug indolence.

Ha ha ha. The cooler weather arrived and Mo perked right up! For the past month or so he has reverted to his over-active, excited, naughty state of puppydom.

Where do I start? Well the first incident was maybe the worst. On the day I had to get myself to the IV clinic, driving myself for the first time since May, just as I was leaving the house, I realized Mo had found my large pain relief/ icepack which I had been using while sitting at the computer. It was wrapped in a fleece throw and I forgot it. Mo found it, and proceeded to eat the damn thing! The item is a large flat piece of frozen plastic, like bubble wrap, but filled with something that freezes. It's wonderful for soothing large areas, like hips or lower back. Mo had chewed open many of the bubbles and spilled the freeze substance all over the floor. He was licking it greedily when I caught him.
OMG, is this stuff poison!? I thought frantically. Then I stupidly proceeded to stick my finger in the stuff to taste it. [Looked like rock salt.]. So now we're both poisoned? I couldn't stay, the IV treatments cost thousands of non refundable dollars. [Covered by insurance, but if you don't use it, it's gone til next time. And it was crucial to  my healing.]

I finally decided that the bubble sheets are really meant for food storage, and therefore are not probably poisonous. I called Mo's dog walker who said she'd come and monitor Mo, take him to vet if needed.
So we survived.

Next is the barking! Mo never barked. Hardly ever. But nearby is some reno construction and Mo finds the men and their trucks deeply fascinating. The guys haven't helped by seeing and hearing Mo, and calling to him in return. It's really obnoxious. Here he is, lying in wait.

Mo has also found out that if he climbs up on my desk he can see out the window, where birds and squirrels are, in the ugly locust tree and the pines. And on the desk ''mom'' keeps yummy items, like hair rubber bands, cheap but delicious Bic pens, and the oh so tasty hand cream. Mo has eaten a LOT of hand cream tubes, sigh.

Then this past week, Mo decided something is living in the wall unit and/ or corner cupboard. A cat, a rat, a man, a bug? I don't know!

I got up one day and found this.

! All my best books!

Another day, he got the corner cupboard open.

I picked up my books for now and have created a chair barricade until Mo loses interest.

But this makes it easy for him to jump up on the dining table...

And here is Mo on what used to be one of my favorite winter throw rugs. Hand woven wool, vegetable dye colors.

Mo peed on it so much even the dry cleaner couldn't save it. It's out on the deck getting rain washed till I throw it away. I get that throw rugs kinda look like weewee pads, but still. He's been house trained for two years.

Then, today, the final straw. "Back to California for you, little man! One way ticket to Cali!" I yelled. Why? This morning I was doing a few mindless chores and suddenly realized Mo was nowhere to be found. Not in his bed[s], not out on the deck, not locked in the bathroom, where he enjoys peeing on any towel or throw rug left on the floor, [see above about the wee wee pad issue], and eating the contents of the wastepaper basket, licking shampoo he has spilled, and the always delicious chewing on used razors.

I was panic-stricken. Finally I found him. In the most forbidden spot. He was Up On My Bed! Sleeping happily, ignoring my calls. Absolutely forbidden! He knows better, and frankly I thought by now he was too chubby to jump up on my rather high bed.

Now here he is in his own bed, where he belongs. Looks guilty, doesn't he!

But he always makes me laugh. Though that wadded up black scrunchy on the bed gave me a few moments' distress, it sure looked like he'd left me a pile of poop.
The good news is he has not escaped from the dog walkers, and run away. Yet. Though it seems he does often expect them to carry him home.

Here's Mo enjoying the return of the sun in the windows, in the mornings.

Pets are just so fun, aren't they!

............

Nature notes:

The skies are very filled with flocks of small birds. And Mr Mockingbird has returned to the ugly locust tree.

The full moon is Sunday! The October Harvest Moon. Be sure to go out to look. Tonight it is gibbous, more than 3/4s.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

******

PS sneak peek of recent P2 block. Show & Tell in a week or so?

Let's Try This Again ~ Cooking, Quilting

Hello! One of my favorite sayings from an old sampler [supposedly] is "I DONE MY BEST jane smith aged 11 years". It makes me laugh, in  sympathy for the child of long ago. I know just how she felt, the urge to just say, this is good enough.
The crucial question is, did I really do my best or am I just getting by?  I know nothing can be perfect, but some things are worth trying again. And again. As Tom Gunn says, Make it work! [My other fave saying.]
So first we have the Log Cabin / Schoolhouse block from When the Wild Geese Fly.
Version One. Awful. I blamed poor Jan Patek's pattern.

Version Two. I drafted my own pattern. Okay, harder than it looks. And really ugly, below. In our defense I will say this quilt block is usually pieced, and I have done so with no issues. Even made a miniature one once with 2" blocks. But this applique version is not good.

My friend Mel said something about how she never liked that block anyway. Which I don't agree with, I love it!---but that made me think : Yes I want a cabin/ cottage/ house in that spot; No, it need not be an [ugly] Schoolhouse.
This is Version Three. It's, well, okay. A Cape Cod cottage, maybe on the marsh where the geese are huddled, preparing for their autumn flight.

Geese here migrate to the golf course and the soccer fields. But the big Vs of honking geese are beautiful and evocative and wild, in my imagination.
Does it work? Maybe

.........

Now with cooking, do-overs are easier and more fun. You'll maybe recall my bland and boring cauliflower ''pilaf'' from a few weeks ago. It was edible, but disappointing. Not a hint of rice's nutty goodness and why I expected that is a mystery. Cauliflower tastes like, uh, cauliflower. This didn't stop me from buying another bag of the grated cauli and---again listening to Mel---I made her delicious version of faux twice baked cauli.

Here is her description, edited a little,because she kept adding info:

 Mel's Twice Baked Cauli Casserole

It's like twice-baked potatoes. 

Cook cauliflower lightly and break up. 

Mix in melted butter, sour cream, some green onion, bacon bits, and shredded cheddar. 

Mix well, and put in baking dish. 

Top with a bit of cheese and bake (or microwave) until hot through and cheese is melted.

    ****

I used the pre-grated cauli  crumbles  microwaved in the bag 3 minutes.

Added cheddar [reserve some for topping] , green onions*, sour cream, butter. Salt and pepper to taste.
* I didn't have green onions, used regular minced. But I think green onions / scallions would be extra tasty plus adding a bit of pretty green.

Don't forget the bacon bits!

I  baked the casserole for 20 minutes at 350*, then added some reserved cheddar . Baked it 3 minutes more til the cheese melted.

This was delicious! We gobbled up the whole thing. I served it with a green salad and lemon/ thyme grilled chicken breasts, though I personally don't eat chicken and the cauli casserole and salad was a delightfully hot savory and filling, though not lo-cal, meal. Easy to make too.
I picture this being really wonderful with steaks, too, just like regular twice baked potatoes are. Yum!
.................
Sky note: the air is suddenly chilly now, the wind is blustery at times. And sunsets are coming ever earlier these on these October days. Too early but so beautiful---an amber orange glow fills the cloudless sky.

Have a great week!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach......