Allie Jo

My niece, Amber, and her husband, Marc, welcomed Allie Jo on July 30th. Levi, their one year old was there to help. I had the oppurtunity to visit them this past Saturday & take a few photos. Allie Jo mostly slept . . .

red pepper sauce

When Don & Harald returned from their motorcycle trip last month, Harald cooked for us again. Daniel proclaimed the last meal Harald cooked as the best one he'd every had. This time Harald took slices of tenderized turkey breast & layered proscuitto & red pepper on top then rolled it up. Don cooked it on the grill. Harald then made a sauce where he sauteed red peppers, onion & garlic; added white wine which he let simmer then added cream & let it simmer some more. Then he flavored it all with the assortment of seasonings I keep on the counter. Finally he pureed the sauce. We used that on our turkey & it was wonderful. It was a treat to let him cook for us again. And I intend to try my hand at that sauce sometime.

grocery bags

I found this quick pattern for making "grocery bags". It's completely reversible. The pattern comes in three sizes. I made the large size & right away put a crochet project in it. The medium is also perfect for throwing some groceries into. The medium size is shown in the photos. I sewed up several of the medium size for a recent project. One thing I appreciate about sewing is that it often challenges me mentally. When she explained how to sew the bottom I reread the instructions several times. I finally decided to sew it just as she instructed & it turned out great. A simple pattern you can have fun playing with fabric patterns & colors. If you follow her blog here she has patterns on sale on Fridays for $5.

Fairmont, Nebraska

Sunday morning.

Sunday afternoon.

I love grain elevators. Every time I visit Dad I pass several driving down highway 6. They're big & imposing. Small town landmarks.

Nebraska

This is so cool! Somebody had a lot of fun making this.

pink blouse

I spent a few days visiting family in KC last week. My aunt, Elaine, helped me sew this shirt in 24 hours. But we were both always busy working! While I sewed she was busy pressing & pinning. I used McCalls 6436. We shortened the length by four inches & the sleeves by two inches. And it fits me perfectly. The front of the pattern claims it is "easy". There are a lot of pattern pieces though. Elaine's mentoring & short cuts made it go smoothly for me. She is such a treasure trove of skill & knowledge about sewing I just know I'll have to go back for another session. Connie gave me some wool out of her fabric stash so I already have another project in mind. I sewed this shirt with some gingham I bought at Walmart. I hope to make myself more of these. I learned some great tips & tricks from Elaine. If I could name the most important it would be to press frequently. Then press some more! Thanks, Elaine!!

88 years

Dad turned 88 today. He's been celebrating with family since Friday. I was able to help with that today along with other family members.