You reap what you sew.

Thank you to Ginny for having such a lovely sewing day at her house!

For her birthday she stocked up on fabric for all of us to sew a pillowcase; such an easy and rewarding project. The few of us who were there made for a delightful & relaxing party.

There was a beautiful assortment of blues & yellows to mix & match. The original pattern was structured such that the main body was one color with a strip of a contrasting color on the edge. Annie decided to add some pizazz by adding extra stripes to the border. Her meticulous care for details resulted in the flawless pillowcase seen above.

I chose a more subtle marigold print & a simple golden border. It is a pleasing pillowcase with a countrified air to it; the sort of thing that must have been made in the days of flour sacks & hand stitching.


I had so much fun. Thank you so much. & HAPPY EIGHTEENTH BIRTHDAY!

Sauted Zucchini Dish with Egg & Almond

This creation I made a while back stemmed from my discovering the yumminess of zucchini. Yes, my mom was always right and I was always wrong about the merits of this vegetable. It is smooth and sweet with an almost creamy texture when cooked.


This particular occasion left me on my own as far as dinner was concerned, so I was free to exercise my creativity on a few zucchini sitting forlornly in the fridge. This is a loosely what I did.

To serve one:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion,
2 medium sized fresh zucchini
2 hard boiled eggs
aprox. 1/2 cup of almonds.

Chop onion and begin to saute in olive oil. Add zucchini, sliced into disks, and cook until both are slightly browned.Cut eggs into small pieces, (most easily done using an egg slicer). Add these to the zucchini and onions. Finally, coarsely chop the almonds and add to ingredients. Season to taste with salt and/or pepper and whatever other spices you enjoy.

Serve with plain yogurt as a cool, creamy, contrasting side.

The proportions are all approximate; feel free to adjust and expand to accommodate different numbers and preferences.

Fresh Eyes

Today brought a visit from a girl of eighteen, here to practice her English & experience a new culture. She is from northern Europe, & so I took the opportunity to ask her,

"What do you notice most about American culture; is there something here that strikes you as different & odd?"

After quietly thinking a moment, she responded thus.

"One thing that makes me wonder, is why do restaurants give so much food?"

She was right, of course. What makes restaurants think that we could possibly eat everything they give us? Or a more pertinent question might be, how have they made us think that we (in our right minds) would want to eat such enormous portions? For clearly we are convinced more often than not, & end up staggering back to our cars with regret for each final bite.

"The other thing I have noticed," she continued. "Another thing, is why do Americans all have such big cars when they do not have such big families? Where I live we drive much smaller cars."

I began to think of feasible answers.

"Well, sometimes people fill up the cars; perhaps we tend to have bigger families here."

This led to the average family productivity: our 2.09 children hardly exceeds their 1.8 enough to warrant such drastic vehicle sizing differences.

"Perhaps many of the cars are intended for driving other kids places, like sports & music."

But let's be honest. Even I don't understand those massive trucks that fit a mere 5 people but have enough room for a living room sofa set.

"For another example, I went and bought shampoo and shower gel, & I thought why do they have to be so big?"

It seems as though we all have a bit of a super-size-me syndrome. We are so immersed in opulence that extraordinary quantities do not phase us in the least.

My belief in doggie-bags is now official.
&
(although we do fill it up)
I'm extremely tired of our mammoth car.

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Modern Bird Studios Guest Giveaway

Hello all, I just came across this fabulous artist who paints using YOUR photo as a springboard. Grosgrain is doing a giveaway for one of this striking and personal art pieces as well as offering a 15% discount on a purchase. If nothing else, take a peek and enjoy looking at these unique and beautiful creations.