Thursday, May 28, 2015

Beginnings!

Every life passage is a new beginning!
These three beautiful women grew up together ... friends for life!  The one in the center is the bride ... about to enter the next chapter of her life with the support of friends!  They organized a wonderful bridal shower ... we had such fun!
There was a miniature, frosted, two layer wedding cake for each guest to decorate!  Yep ... it became a bit competitive as everyone worked on their individual masterpiece! ;-)
It was so entertaining ... lots of giggles!
Just like the participants, each cake was different and full of fun!  What a collection of cake and personalities!
The bride picked her favorite ... a winner was chosen!  We all had such a good time ... showering the bride with gifts, encouragement and love.

I am reminded ... it is such a privilege to watch and participate in the lives of others ... our instructions are very clear ... "love one another"!

Do what you love.  Celebrate beginnings!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Canning & Chasing Chickens!

Farm Girl Vintage - Week 4
It is hard to believe that we're already four weeks in to Lori Holt's Farm Girl Vintage sew-a-long!  I love each of these little 6 inch blocks ... they have stirred up memories of my childhood on the farm!  Such fun!  Last Friday Lori had us canning and chasing chickens with blocks 6 and 7!

Canning Season Block
Looking back, I marvel at the garden my mother kept.  She grew enough vegetables to feed our family of six for a year or more.  As a child, it was my task to retrieve from the cellar the vegetables that would be used that day.
I giggle when I think about the little half pint jars of jelly and jam I can every summer.  Am sure my mother never owned that size jar!  Most everything was quart size ... pint size was reserved for relish, jam and jelly!  We must have had hundreds of jars ... I know ... I helped hand wash them! ;-)
The piecing techniques for this block are simple, but the pieces are small!  When creating half inch right triangles ... accuracy is everything!
Mrs. DillyDally fun fact ... I hate dislike canned peas ... both as a child and now!
So ... of course I had to make one jar represent a jar of peas.  I could never understand how something that tasted so good when fresh, could taste absolutely awful after being canned!  Here's another fun fact ... as an adult, I have never used canned peas in any of my cooking!  ;-)

Chicken Foot Block
My mother had a bad experience with chickens as a child, so we only had chickens once on the farm.  She made that exception during my little sister's first year of 4-H.  Between the wildlife, barn cats and other animals on the farm, it was difficult to keep them alive.  The few that did survive ...  they became pets ... well ... you can imagine the rest.  My sister still loves chickens!
This block only involved right triangles and squares.  It took longer to choose the fabrics and cut them out than to piece the block!
I love using Pam Bono's Angler 2 when piecing!  It really assists with accuracy and allows me to piece without having to mark most piecing lines.  If you haven't used one, I highly recommend it!
Have I mentioned ... I love patchwork!
Traditional blocks like this make me happy ... and they have so many possibilities!
I made Friday afternoon my private little patchwork party here in DillyDallydom!  I watched the second Frankie and Annette movie, Bikini Beach, while piecing!  Too fun!  It was released in 1964 ... I was seven years old ... like opening a time capsule!  A very young Stevie Wonder performed ... such talent!
By the time the movie ended, both blocks were done!
In all honesty, it is hard not to work ahead!  But I want to savor the process ... this is the first time I've done a group sew-a-long online ... and I am really enjoying the collective process!  Plus ... as you all know ... I have multiple projects in progress to work on between Farm Girl Fridays!

Do what you love!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally


Monday, May 25, 2015

Because We Can!

http://www.queenofyourownlife.com/
Let us honor and never forget those who have served and sacrificed.  Because of them, we have freedoms we often take for granted.

google images
May we be forever grateful ... and show our appreciation by living productive and fulfilling lives.

Happy Memorial Day!

Do what you love.  Because you can!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Bake with Butter!

The last post was about my life on spin cycle ... just so you know ... this entire community is marching to the same whirlwind rhythm.  The commercial salmon season opened last week on May 14th!
That means that the population in our remote corner of the planet has doubled ... it is hard to find a parking space down town ... and if you don't time your grocery shopping around the fishing openers, you'll find the shelves empty!
Many businesses that close in the off season reopen!  That includes several restaurants!  On Tuesday, QBee Terry and I enjoyed lunch together as we watched boats return to the harbor!  Do you see that crow lurking about 10 feet from the table?  He was waiting to see if we were going to abandon the food for a brief moment!  Crows are expert thieves ... had I hesitated to take this picture for even a few seconds, lunch would have been his!  Yep ... they are that fast ... clever too!
We had a terrific time catching up with one another.  But as I headed home, I knew it was time to get cooking ... Farm Girl Vintage style!
Minnesota is "Betty Crocker" country!  While I was growing up ... she was a super hero ... our version of Wonder Woman!  The original cooking "celebrity" ... long before The Food Network!
She didn't wear a red cape, but in her portraits, she was always dressed in red.  I vividly remember finding out during my first year in 4-H (age 9) that she was a fictional character ... I was heart-broken at the time, but then remembered that Superman didn't really exist either ... so there you have it.  ;-)  I love looking at the vintage versions of Betty ... too fun!
As a young farm girl, I dreamed of a career working in the Betty Crocker test kitchens!  While in college, I found that many young women my age had the same ambitions ... love when things like that happen!  A google search in images produced many versions of the company's test kitchens over time ... a enjoyable trip down memory lane!
This cookbook was published in 1950 and was the most used book in my childhood home!  In the mid 90's while visiting an antique store, I came across a copy that was used very little!  Talk about a score!  I was thrilled ... and use it often!  In 1998, they republished it, in its original form!  I have gifted it to many friends and family members since.  It has taught and continues to teach generations practical cooking skills.  Wonderful!
This is the cookbook I used as a child.  It was published in 1957, the year of my birth.  It too was reprinted in 2003.  I am still on the hunt for an original one, as the new one was edited and changed.  Great memories!
Most of us grew up with at least one set of Pyrex mixing bowls in the kitchen ... and received a version as a wedding gift!  Pyrex is currently celebrating their 100th birthday!  My Farm Wife Grandmother had the exact set that is in this vintage advertisement ... I think of all the goodies that she mixed with those bowls!  Many lovely memories ... all brought to the surface ...
... by this little 6.5 inch quilt block!  It is called "Baking Day"!  Yep ... it had to have a red Betty Crocker spoon and both the large and small pyrex bowls!  I'm tempted to embroider Betty Crocker on the spoon ... what do you think?
Block 5 is named "Butter Churn" ... doing 6.5 inch blocks can be challenging.  This little Bloc-Loc ruler is money well spent when dealing with pieces this small!
We didn't churn our own butter, but my grandparents would share stories about that daily chore.  And of course ... we always baked with butter!  I am a Farm Girl ... I grew up on a dairy farm ... I still bake with butter!
Even though I now live nowhere near the dairy farm of my childhood ... I travel there through my memories ... and I use the skills and values I learned as a farm girl daily!  I am so grateful ... and very blessed!

Do what you love.  Bake with butter.  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally 

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Life on Spin Cycle!

It has been crazy busy ... living on spin cycle ... just the way we like it here in DillyDallydom!  We enjoyed a fun packed weekend!

Friday
I made and delivered a pan of caramel rolls to thank the Welding Class for building the river skiff for Mr. DD.  All five boys are seniors and Friday was their last day of school!  I had them in class when I was teaching, so know them well.
It was fun to visit with them once more before they begin their adult lives.  A great group of guys ... led by a terrific teacher and personal friend!
Next I was off to the garden supply store to get plants for my deck containers!
Pansies and Daisies ... such happy faces that will smile for us all summer long!
This graduate's family hosted her celebration Friday evening!  I had all three of their children in my classroom over the years, and Chandelle is their youngest!  Such an honor to watch children develop into the individuals they are meant to be!  I look forward to the next chapter in this young woman's life!
About 10:00 pm, I finally had a chance to think about my blocks for Farm Girl Friday!  While cutting them out, I decided to cut out the next 8 blocks as well!  My thinking was that then I wouldn't have to bring out all the fabrics for the next few weeks!  Yep ... call me lazy ... ;-) ... or maybe efficient!
I pulled out more paper plates and got it done.  Each plate is labeled with the block number and the book page the directions are found on!  I hope to find time to piece last week's blocks before this coming Friday ... wish me luck! ;-)

Saturday 
These cheerful tulips greeted a friend and I as we enjoyed a latte'!  Tulips are such happy flowers, they always make me smile!
A large portion of Saturday was spent at a paper crafting event!  I am working on a heirloom recipe book!  I am so inexperienced at this, but our organizer/instructor is very talented!  What a blessing!
Marianne was paper crafting too!  She also brought a recently finished quilt in so that we could see it before it was gifted to a very lucky little girl!  Adorable quilt that was lovingly made!
Came home that afternoon to find the the leaves on the deciduous trees are uncurling themselves!  Finally ... it's getting greener by the minute!
Spent more time working on design ideas for Brother's sweater ... will share details as I get closer to the Gansey event!
The graduation ceremony took place early in the evening!  This new graduate was in my classroom every year ... she is the daughter of a former student ... and she is exceptional in many ways.  We attended several receptions that evening ... such a privilege to celebrate with families as they enter this new chapter!  I love beginnings!

Sunday
Our local quilt guild hosted their monthly Quilter's Anonymous meeting Sunday.  Girlfriend DD was busy working on her blocks ... those are my Orca Bay blocks on the ironing board with her!  It was fun to see her and catch up a bit ... she and Brother are living on "spin cycle" as well!  Fortunately our spinning went in the same direction for a few hours! Hee-hee!
Sunday evening we had three couples over for a potluck dinner!  I must have been spinning as I neglected to take any photos ... finally remembered when we began to serve dessert.  A wonderful evening filled with friendship ... potlucks make it so stress free!  We all agreed that we should do this more often!
After everyone left, a young eagle decided to perch near our deck.  We did a quick check to make sure Flicka was indoors!  Such drama!
Sunday proved to be greener than Saturday ...
... and many summer residents have moved back into the neighborhood.

I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning
Like a whirlpool, it never ends.
And its you world making it spin
You're making me dizzy! 

Do what you love ... while spinning!  Do dillydally!
Mrs. DillyDally