Countdown to Christmas

My Christmas gift to myself (okay, one of my Christmas gifts to myself) was the Midwinter Reds fabric that I bought so that I could participate in the Temecula Quilt Co.'s Countdown to Christmas sew along.  It was a mystery quilt but it gave me a reason for buying this lovely fabric.  I had forgotten that Temecula Quilt Co. likes to work small.

Each of those tiny star blocks measure at 2 inches finished!  So do the four patches.

I think this little quilt goes so well with my Provo family room red sofa and the lovely red work pillows that my sister Lynette made for me years ago.  This year she gifted me with the darling Santa made from a red and white antique quilt.  So cute!  I also have a teddy bear made from an old red and white quilt. 

 Lynette always does such nice work.

If she had made this quilt, the stars on the edges of the quilt would still have their points!

And why is the quilt called Countdown to Christmas?  There are 24 of those 2 inch stars.

I completed sewing my last Christmas gift this morning.  Isn't she cute?  I found an old Riley Blake fabric panel on clearance while shopping with Lynette.  She is just waiting for be wrapped along with those boxes.  I think Glen must help for those boxes represent his Amazon shopping spree.

A good week

Here are some pictures from my last week.  The retired teacher got to go to school.  Grandson Raymond and his class were sharing their traditions.

I can not tell you how happy I was to be hanging out with 2nd graders again.  They are truly amazing little people.  Raymond shared how each member of his family gets a new tree ornament each year. He also told how both of his grandmothers started this tradition when they had young families.  Each 2nd grader shared what their family does this time of year and it was delightful.  They were so literate and comfortable in their own skin.  I loved it.

I also traveled to Daybreak with my sister and her son to attend the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.  This beautiful nativity was out front.

It was so beautiful and monochromatic on a cold, frosty morning.

I loved Lynette's visit.  We sewed together, went and saw "The Book Thief," prepared Sunday dinner for the BYU student niece and nephew,  visited the "traditional" 2nd graders, had lunch at fun places like The Blue Lemon and Station 22 Cafe, quilt shop hopped, went to my book club, and braved the snow to attend the first Christmas Market in downtown Provo.  There was also lots of talking, knitting, hand sewing, and we each managed to get a small quilt machine quilted on "Big Bertha."  I have to say that after a year with my new Bernina 750, I am so happy to have this machine in my life.  It has enabled me to be a better quilt maker.  I also think that she has outlived "Big Bertha."  I overheard Lynette telling her husband via phone that she had been using the "Dream Machine."  So there you have it, "Dream Machine" it is!

Since Lynette flew home, I have been sewing secret projects (did you know that my grandchildren now check my blog) and these cocoa cups for my Quilty Fun Sew Along.  So appropriate for cold Utah.  I've been drinking an abundance of hot chocolate.

Quilty Fun Sew Along update

Back in Utah, it has been snowy outside which meant I had some time to catch up on my weekly Quilty Fun Sew Along blocks.

Colorful flying geese.

Sweet flower baskets.

And finally, chubby chevrons.  The chevrons were finished on schedule and I just learned this morning the I was one of three winners for last week's give away.  So excited!  In fact I am excited enough that I am starting this week's cocoa cup blocks right now!  It you think you might enjoy jumping into this sew along click here.

Meyer lemon pie

This is the last piece of the Meyer lemon pie that I made for Sunday dinner.  I'm sorry that I didn't take a photograph when it was brand new just out of the oven to brown that meringue lemon pie.  However, I just ate that piece of pie and it still tastes pretty good.  I am sharing the recipe that I used partly because then it will easily accessible to me no matter where I might be.

I brought the lemons with me from my tree in Arizona.  It is Meyer lemon season.  The Meyers are the orange tinted ones in the foreground.  They are sweeter, thin skinned, and aromatic.  I love them.  The tree with lemons turning from green to yellow just behind the Meyers are Lisbons.  They come on later in the season and are more acidic.  I will love them as well.  Next in line is the Navel orange, just barely starting to turn orange, and last in line, the Clementine tree just full of seed filled goodness.  You just have to take it slow while eating them.  Glen and I planted this little supposedly dwarf citrus orchard in containers several years ago. We have determined that the Lisbon is decidedly not a dwarf but no one has taken up our offer to plant it in a well irrigated spot so it soldiers on in its fake half barrel.  The tree over the gate is our pomegranate tree.  Word from the south that it has turned golden during this cold spell.  Enough about my trees.  Here is the pie recipe.

Meyer Lemon Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice (about 3 nice sized lemons)

1/2 cup cold water

5 egg yolks well beaten

2 Tbls. butter

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 tsp. lemon zest (about 1 lemon zested)

Combine sugar, corn starch, and salt in medium large pan.  Blend in lemon juice, cold water and egg yolks until smooth.  Add the butter and gradually stir in boiling water. (I bring water to boil in heat resistant measuring cup in microwave.)  Bring all to rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, and boil for 2 to 3 minutes.  Stir in lemon zest.

Partially cool while preparing meringue.

Meringue Topping

5 egg whites

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

1/2 cup sugar

In a clean medium size glass mixing bowl, beat egg whites with hand mixer on high speed.  Slowly add cream of tartar and sugar while continuing to beat mixture.  It will slowly thicken.  It is finished when peaks form on lifting beaters.

Pour partially cooled filling into a prepared 9 inch baked pie crust.  Add meringue to top of pie making sure to smooth meringue all the way to the pie crust edge.  Place in 375 degree oven until meringue is browned.  Watch carefully.  Cool several hours before eating.

I am not good at making pie crust so often use prepared ones from freezer section at grocery store or the rolled circles in the refrigerated cookie dough section of the store.  On Sunday, when I decided to make this pie, I did not have a prepared crust.  I used this recipe.  It wasn't great but it looked good.  I think I needed to combine the butter into the flour mixture more thoroughly.  Here is the recipe but I can't guarantee it.  However, I can make really good rolls.

Butter Pie Crust  (makes one 9 inch single crust)

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 stick very cold butter (1/2 cup cut in small cubes)

Combine flour, sugar, and salt. (It is important to keep the ingredients cold.  I placed the bowl with dry ingredients in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.)  Add the cold cubed butter to flour mixture and mix in with a pastry blender by hand until butter is size of small peas.  Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup cold water and ice cubes.  Slowly had about 1/2 cup of the water the the flour mixture mixing in with as little mixing as possible.  Form the dough into a ball and roll into a 12 inch diameter circle on floured counter top.  Fold in half, then fourths, and move to center of pie plate.  Carefully unfold dough evenly in plate and crimp edges.  Bake in 375 degree oven until browned, 15 to 20 minutes.

Arizona garden

Since there is snow and ice across this great nation, I thought I would share some pictures from my Arizona garden taken a week ago.

Yes, it flirted with freezing in Arizona after we left and Sam who watches our garden for us moved Glen's hanging coleus to the greenhouse.

Sam also told us today that the pomegranate tree has turned bright yellow with red pomegranates for contrast.

Don't you just love all of the texture?

The bougainvillea was in full bloom.

I often show pictures of my window views in Utah.  Well these are the views from my windows in Arizona.

It may not be mountain vistas, but it is still beautiful.

It is lovely.

Great color.

The Meyer lemon tree was crowded.

As was the Clementine tree.

Christmas decor in front of Glen's cherry blossom bougainvillea.

Another view of the backyard bougainvillea.

A wall of color.

I love how the late afternoon winter sun shines through trees making magic.

And the view out the front bedroom window.  I am sure that the Virginia creeper and ash tree are changing colors as well after the cool temperatures.

We planted lots of  Icelandic poppies and ranunculas.

Next trip home and the Lisbon lemons and navel oranges should be ripe.  Utah winter has it own beauty but I am grateful for my Arizona garden get away as well, especially when the temperatures are in the teens or lower both night and day.

Susan's Apple Quilt

Sometimes you see a quilt and you immediately know who should have one just like it.

This apple quilt was that quilt.

My DIL, Susan, needed this quilt so I made one for her birthday.  This is how it looked before quilting and binding.

I included a special label on the scrappy back.

The apples are a variety of reds with a green a several yellow ones thrown in for interest. The backgrounds and sashing are a variety of shirting prints.

The backing is red . . .

with a green stripe  down the center.

This is a cozy quilt.  Once again, I machine quilted it as I continue to practice.  It's not perfect but it is okay.

It has a scrappy green binding including the left over fabric from the leaves.  All the leaves and stems were hand appliqued onto the apples.  I really like the half square outer border which is a mix of apple fabrics and background and sashing fabrics.

I think she liked it.  Doesn't it just look like it belongs to her in her home?  This was a very fun and satisfying project.

Thanksgiving means family time

We were in Arizona for Thanksgiving week.  It was warm and beautiful and cozy.  My oldest granddaughter, Heather, came on Wednesday evening to spend the night and to be my kitchen helper.  She was a great kitchen helper.  (Notice the dog show in the background on TV?  We had been watching the Macey's Thanksgiving Day parade and cheering on the Mountain View High marching band previously.)

She helped beat out the pomegranate seeds with a wooden spoon for our fruit salad.  She helped me with the Meyer lemon meringue pies and helped shape and form two kinds of rolls.  We made our usual crescent rolls but also made orange rolls.  She also helped in a million other ways from table setting to helping grandpa outside.  I couldn't have done it without her.

I love November in Arizona because of our ripe pomegranates, Meyer lemons, and Arizona oranges.  It is so fun to cook local.  I even put a cut lemon in the inside of the turkey with my fresh rosemary and a quartered onion.  I also make a lemon butter to put on the outside of the turkey.  This year for the first time I tried something different.  I put the dressing in the crock pot on low about the same time I put the turkey in the oven and then turned it to warm about 3 hours in.  It freed up oven space and I loved how moist it was.  It will be my new way to cook the dressing.

Heather's family joined us for dinner and brought the yams and mashed potatoes. We had a lovely meal and grandpa put a new twist on the traditional "what I am thankful for."  He challenged us to do it in rhyme!

Later in the week, after the leftovers were gone, we traveled south for lunch.  Joe's Farm Grill is one of our favorite Arizona spots for a great lunch.  I am in love with their hand breaded fried shrimp.  It is the best I have ever tasted and the side sauce is over the top.  Honestly, I dream about this shrimp and look forward to another visit.  Most the seating is outside at Joe's and it was a beautiful Saturday.

Emilia and our son, Ryan, joined us on this outing.  It was so good to have them with us from New Mexico.  We talked and talked in the beautiful outdoors.

Sunday night, December 1st, began our month of family Christmas FHEs (Family Home Evenings.)  Eric's family returned and we presented this year's Christmas book, tree ornaments with a scripture chase, and s'mores in the backyard. "Christmas from Heaven" came with a DVD of Tom Brokaw telling the story which we watched and then talked about.

The star ornaments that I found each had a different title or name for Jesus Christ.  We used our ipads to look up scriptures which included those names and talked about what each title meant.

Grandpa lit a wood fire in the outdoor fireplace for marshmallow roasting.  Toby demonstrates how to make a super sized s'more.

We roasted and ate and talked and laughed.

I have a small plaque on a wall in Arizona which reads, "I have learned that being with those I love is enough."

And that is exactly how I feel.

Monday night we had a repeat.  Middle son, David, and his family had returned home from a Thanksgiving week in Utah with his wife's family as well as with his sister and youngest brother.

Once again we presented the book and story, looked up scriptures, and then moved on to a s'more treat but this time we also celebrated birthdays.  David and his wife Sally would both have birthdays before we would see them again.  I made dinner as well.  David loves my homemade noodles cooked in chicken broth with chicken over mashed potatoes.  My neighbor had brought over a bag of Idaho potatoes straight from the farm, so we enjoyed a meal just like I was served as a girl in Idaho.  Yum!

I was organized so was able to send both families home with this year's wrapped Christmas gifts.  While in Utah we will have similar nights with our Utah grands, but it won't include s'mores outside.

I am so blessed to have family to love and to serve and to enjoy.  It is truly enough.