Comforter Cover

A while back, we upgraded our bed to a queen-sized mattress... which, of course, meant that we had to get all new linens and things to fit the new bed.  :(   However, Mom had an extra down comforter at her house that she did not use, and she brought it to us over the holidays.  (Thanks, Mom!)  Unfortunately, Mom had no cover that matched our color scheme, which meant that we went shopping for sheets and /or fabric to make a cover that matched our room.  I couldn't find any sheets that were exactly what I wanted, so I came up with the idea of getting two prints and making it reversible!  We got a printed sheet and then several yards of quilting cotton to finally make me happy.

I knew that making the cover would only be "hard" because of the size.  Blankets and such have to be laid out on the floor and constantly tweaked to make sure that all the layers are straight.  It's not like a garment that you can grab both sides and tug to make smooth; blankets involved one contortionist or two people to arrange!  Needless to say, the kitties LOVED the new toy I put on the floor for them.

Sliding into Home Plate.  "Am I safe?"

Leap! and Pounce!

Kitty on top vs. Kitty underneath

We finally ended up putting the kitties in "Kitty Jail"  (i.e., the bathroom behind a shut door) so that I could finish the stupid blanket!  Though it took me all afternoon (but really, what sewing project does not?), I am very happy with the outcome.  I think the cover looks great!  Even John was impressed when he saw the finished product.  :)

 

Quiche!

A long time ago, (not far far away, just here in my house) I was browsing recipes and found a "crustless quiche" that looked interesting.  Sadly, cooking fell by the wayside as Life attacked me vigorously in 2010. But! I rediscovered the recipe and tried it out this weekend.  Overall, for my first quiche, it was delicious!  Even John loved it, and he says, "Real men don't eat quiche!"

CRUSTLESS SPINACH QUICHE
(Thanks, Cooks.com!)

1 onion
1  (10 oz) package frozen spinach, thawed & drained
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp. baking powder
1 lb. shredded cheese (I know, I know, that's a lot of cheese.  Alter this to suit your dietary needs)
salt & pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

1.  Chop and saute onion in pan until brown and soft.  Thaw and drain spinach while this is cooking.

2.  Whisk eggs and milk together.  Add flour, baking powder, and pinch of salt to egg mixture.  Add cheese, spinach, onion (and any additional ingredients you selected); mix until evenly distributed.

3.  Pour into greased 13x9 pan (also can use 2 pie pans or brownie pans for the same cook time).  Sprinkle top liberally with Parmesan.  Bake 30-35min at 350 degrees.  (The original recipe says cool 30min afterward, but I was not able to wait that long!)

 

I don't know if I can convey our reaction in written form.  It may have gone something like this:

(Cautious nibble )... Mmmmm ... (more confident bite) ... Oooh! .... (snarf snarf snarf!!) .... Oh my gowd! This is so good!!  (runs back into the kitchen to get more)

Kitchen Updates!

Our old microwave finally bit the big weenie the other week.  It was slowly falling apart in various ways, but when I tried to open the door one day and the handle came off in my hand.... Yeah, it was time. We lived with the "stumpy" handle for a while until I finally picked out the new model -- i.e., opened up Consumer Reports and bought the recommended brand.  :)

I worked late today and when I called home, John's dad answered and said that they were installing the new microwave right then.  "Yay!" I thought to myself.  "I still have to go to the grocery store, maybe I will have a new microwave installed by the time I come back.  How long can it really take them?"  Well... when I came home around dinner time, the kitchen was totally taken apart and John's mom informed me that they hadn't even made the obligatory trip to Lowe's yet!  (Haven't you noticed that all home repair projects need at least one trips to Lowe's?)  Ugh!  I was so discouraged! 

I shouldn't be too hard on the menfolk, though, because they did all the work and made my kitchen look fabulous again!  I am excited about the new microwave; it's a serious upgrade from the one that came with our house, so I hope I won't make too many things explode before I get the hang of it.  :)

Hello, 2011!

Wow, it seems like every-other post recently has been about me wandering off, only to eventually find my way back again. But this time it was a little more serious. I had a pretty emotionally rough fall (don't ask me about October), but I think it was rather cathartic. Cathartic - isn't that a great word? It makes me sound educated and intelligent when I say I purged the evil out of me while I was being viscously attacked by bad-bad-very-bad things. But! True to the nature of catharsis, I feel like I have been through the wringer, made some mistakes, but am now prepared to keep on going with a new mindset.

My new mindset happens to coincide with the New Year. Now, I am not normally one for "life-changing" New Year's Resolutions (because really, how many people are still at the gym after April?), but I think that the Great Year of 2011 should be called my Year of Patience & Acceptance. I need to be calm, rational, and let things flow at their natural rate. Will the Hot Pocket microwave ANY faster just because I am starving? No. I need to be calm and patient and know that the Hot Pocket will happen, even though it might not be ready right now. ... Hey, I like that. This spur-of-the-moment Hot Pocket metaphor may be my new mantra; it definitely applies to numerous aspects of my life. :)

As a side note, someone told me that according to the Chinese zodiac, 2010 was the Year of the Tiger. I know a bunch of people will agree with me on the viscious and predatory nature of the events of 2010! Thankfully, 2011 will be the Year of the Rabbit... 'Nuff said. I am so exhausted after 2010 that I am looking forward to a cute little bunny!


Songs for my New Year:
"Let it Be"
- The Wise Beatles

"There for the Grace of God"
- Flogging Molly

...and for something a bit more peppy, but still with a message:
"If you're going through Hell,
Keep on going, don't slow down.
If you're scared don't show it.
You might get out
Before the Devil even know you're there"
- Rodney Atkins



.... Oh, partly because I feel I need to make a concrete New Year's Resolution and partly because I need to use up my yarn stash and finally FINISH some projects, I am trying to go for "12 Projects in 12 Months" again. Failed miserably last year when the craziness started, but in my Year of Patience and Acceptance, I am going to make more time to knit! Lara and I already have an awesome knit-a-long planned for March-ish after we get a project or two finished. :)