Cauliflower Rice

 I am in love with my new Vitamix blender. 2 horsepower of serious business.
While out to dinner with friends last week, we had Cauliflower Rice. So, so, easy to make.
Especially with the Vitamix. Bob - our cook - no - our chef,  served it as a side dish with fresh pineapple.

I'll write my 'recipe' at the bottom of this post if you are interested.

 I had this last week off and my little sis came out from Minnesota to sort out some family interventions. I'd love to write well about depression and aging parents but cannot come up with words that would describe the problems without getting too much into family politics.

My older sister has sunk into a deep depression and our daily visits seemed to help but she would not leave her house. Her son who lives with her is very worried. An unintended success was finding out the nephew needed a business casual suit for interviews he is involved in. So the aunties took him suit shopping.

This sister gets to her doctors appointments and grocery shopping but does nothing non-essential.

My mom and dad are in their 80's and downsized 2 1/2 years ago to a single story home in the same town. With my older sister and brother not available (they live local), I feel this burden on my shoulders. They are about 35 minutes away from me with good traffic. With my long work hours, we feel they are increasingly isolated.

Our third and recent snowstorm brought this home when my little sister and I arrived to find no one had come over to shovel off their driveway or check that they were okay (seven days). They had plenty of food (old school preparedness) but still... one of their new neighbors has boys in their 20's... This wouldn't happen in my neighborhood.

The plow blade came down their street and left ice boulders blocking their driveway. If they had needed to get out, they couldn't.

I cleared their drive and  created a walkway that melted off in the sun. It was a pretty thick layer of ice covered by snow.

My sis and I came up with some suggestions to finalize the week and thoroughly piss off those family members.
At least we can rely on our Oregon weather to be finished with snow for the winter. (knock on wood)

We spent eight days working these family problems.
That's when I discovered the amazing fluffy ice the vitamix makes. OMG - best Margarita's ever.
The vitamix didn't even change sounds fluffing up that ice.

If you look again at the photo of my sis above, she fell while out running in the snow & ice in Minnesota three days before she came. It's a broken ankle. She came out with a knee scooter, an immobilizing boot and we also had crutches.

In our Oregon snow & ice.

You really can't kick her to the curb for trying to get stubborn family members to improve their lot. We played the sympathy card for all  it was worth.

 I did manage one fun morning that week meeting up with Pencil Girl at Fabric Depot. We had tried to meet up a few days previously but Portland was pretty bad with ice compared to where we live. On one day, meeting a nephew for lunch, we turned off the bare interstate onto five lanes of rutted ice. Pencil Girl and I met up later once the ice had melted.

She was looking to improve her niece's prom dress which was already awesome, so we solved the world's problems in the lace and bridal section.

Cuddle airplanes and look at the red chevron cuddle. Very soft.

After dropping my sister off at the airport, I decided to drive to a couple of estate sales south of my town and found some treasures. Garage sale therapy.

My Creative Friend went to one of them before me. It was the estate of one of the Keil's. Their ancestors founded the Aurora Colony.

She bought a large box of old photographs and found some that she will need to donate to the Aurora Museum. Including a child's handwritten history in a composition book from the 20's.

This magazine page fell out and she almost gave it to me - look at the silly airplane. This is just the right-hand corner of the illustration. "Drawn, ever so Roughly by Michelson Hollywood" is inscribed at the bottom corner. Looks like vintage satire magazine advertising from the 40's.  It gave me a huge smile to read all the little captions.


Cauliflower Rice

1 head of Cauliflower
Small can of Coconut Milk (1/2 cup)
Seasoning
Walnut Oil or Olive oil
Fresh Pineapple, diced fine.
Sausages

Chop cauliflower up roughly, discarding the leaves and stem areas. 

Toss into vitamix and Pulse until like grains of rice.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in skillet. Transfer 'rice' to pan and cook on Medium high for 5 - 8 minutes with lid over rice to help steam it.

Add seasonings (I used a cajun seasoning and a seasoned salt shaker)

Add Coconut milk and heat through.

I added chopped sausages and topped it with the pineapple for a main dish.

I will have leftovers for a few days too. Yum.

Marimekko Pattern

I've had this red & white striped Marimekko make-up bag forever.
I've only had the bicycle oilcloth for a few years.

I've been wanting to make this zipped bag with gussets for a while. My last bag gave me an idea to fuse the lining to the outer fabric.
With this small gusseted bag, you finish the raw edges with twill tape/bias tape/whatever tape.
I made a pattern off my marimekko - basically a large rectangle and a tiny rectangle x2 for the gussets.
I used adhesive spray to bond the lining to the outer fabric and I love that it stays put.








This was a fairly easy zipped pouch to make. It opens wide enough to dig around - I usually travel with my Marimekko filled with toiletries. It would be easier with two bags.

The narrow gussets created several moments of hand-sewing which involved a thimble to get my needle through the oilcloth easier.

A sneak peak at some HST (half-square-triangles) that I am sewing.
Have 45 out of 81 done. (What was I thinking?)

I'm using a layer cake of Road 15 by Sweetwater that I bought with last years Christmas gift card to Fabric Depot.  I usually buy yardage to make my little doodads - this is my first foray into quilty-type fabric buying. Maybe I'll get some charm squares next time....

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I have exciting news - the Lucky Lindy quilt I found at an estate sale yesterday for $65 - which I didn't have?  My Creative Friend went back today and it was still there!!! She talked them down to $50!!!

She's the best friend ever.
Then she brought me some RetroClean and the whole quilt is soaking in my bathtub right now!

Update On Sewing Room

Picture heavy post. My posts usually are but this one had 30 - I tried to edit some out....
So much to see...

As many of you know, my hubby and I re-did the house floors in real wood(hickory) nearly three years ago. We were going to put in carpet in the bedrooms but thankfully(!) my paycheck was cut way back and we waited until this spring to do carpet in the master and real wood in the two small bedrooms.
It is such a joy to just sweep up the threads and dust.

My sewing room is still in progress but is usable and almost decorated so it must be time to show it off. I could use some ruthlessness to get rid of the remaining five boxes in the garage but then I wouldn't have anything to 'organize' this winter. lol

Welcome to my sewing room.

Today's project** has been dumped in the middle of the (clean!) floor.
You can see all the hickory variegations. We finished it with a natural Swedish finish.

From the doorway, you can see my Ikea kitchen island that is my cutting table. It's got a butcher block top and 12 drawers that keep me organized! (Janine- I can no longer find this on the web site or the catalog.)
The closet - with doors that thankfully close.
Creative friend made the bunting.

The ironing board sticking out, -cuz that's where it needed to be.

 Many of you know I collect fabric and airplanes. I also collect japanese textiles.
 Just love 'em.
This one hangs above my cutting table.

Oregon is a jump off place to get to Japan and many people visit and bring back souvenirs which end up years later at the garage sales I visit.
(A bit like the Rie Munoz art I brought back from Alaska - doesn't quite fit into Oregon decorating. Ahem.)

 Self explanatory jumble.

Boxes of Japanese textiles, knits, decor-weight, OSU fleece, embroidery floss, buttons(now somewhere else), pillow forms(UP), etc.
This is where I need to ruthlessly delete five boxes so the five boxes still in the garage can come inside.

Believe or not, my most difficult job is to get rid of my cute storage containers that held sewing treasures. That red coffee can had buttons in it -- but the can came from grandma....
The hat boxes have also been emptied but another home (they have airplanes on them!) has not been found.

Maybe tomorrow...we'll just close those doors again.

 Notions totally rearranged - still have stickies on them as I am consolidating similar notions (Can you say extra?)

The pink bag is for usable scraps.
Underneath is ribbon/trim storage as well as those extras I add to my etsy orders.

To the left are my machines but we'll turn right instead.

 Both small bedrooms have a window seat with drawers underneath for storage.

Daughter tie-dyed the curtains and I stole acquired the hanging glass baubles from her.

Eventually, I want just Goldie and the green basket on the windowseat.
The basket holds current ideas/patterns/magazines.
Ignore the stuff in front, please.

A peak at drawer number one which holds an astonishing
2.5 boxes of patterns and magazines!
The second drawer holds  my UFO's. a.k.a. works in progress. Really.

 This is a display thing I painted at the same time as my other display (later). I don't know if I will use it, or not. Definitely ditch the glass.

This is my fabric bookcase I bought many years ago. I thought about putting in another but two things are holding me back.

1. These are my quilting cottons. Much smaller stacks than OSU polar fleece. The smaller stacks stay upright much better. Even my garment fabric yardage is big.

2. I can't find another this narrow (25"). The available ones are over 30" wide and I'm afraid my stacks (I'm trying!) will fall over - all the time.

 It's so much easier to matchymatch with everything out on display.


 One of my bizarre friends crocheted Mr. Frog.
The crewel work on the left is from an estate sale.
The art on the right is from my daughter who bought it in Portland.

An old singer sewing machine etching,  and the note from my daughter which might be worth even more.

 Here's my other display piece. It was 70's wood color before ($5 find) but a little red and turquise spray paint helps it belong better.

 Treasures.

 Temari balls, Moomin (little Myy) purse, airplane small things. (Janine! I should have entered the airplane pincushion you made for me into the fair.)

 Here is my latest garage sale find this summer.
I had been to two sales in Molalla and Canby advertising fabrics (duds) and this was my fourth sale - on the way home.
She had some Indian textiles for sale. I liked the napkins and at 50 cents apiece was already imagining re-purposing the turquoise patterned fabric into.......when she said the tablecloths were only $2. Each.

I might have bought all of them.

Then I turned and saw this jewelry chest.
Made in India, it stands thigh high and is made of burled wood. It's lined with that 'lovely' red fake velvet which almost deterred me but I could see putting my rick rack inside, and my zippers, and all the buttons.

The lid opens up and when Janine was visiting, she suggested putting the buttons on top. I had to dream about it as all I could see was a flat surface which would always have stuff on top of it and never being able to access the buttons.
The chest also has four drawers which come out for easier viewing.

Can you imagine pulling up a stool and sifting through the buttons???

 The top two drawers contain most of my buttons (Can you say extra?)
The third has the rickrack.
And the fifth - zippers.
Undecided about the fourth as of today.

 DO NOT FORGET that I like airplanes too.

That's two rows of rick rack, side-to-side. (no extra's here).



And, FINALLY.......

My new pfaff on the right. My serger on the left.
On the stool is my coverstitch, which will reside on the India chest because it takes up space and is much easier to take off the flat surface than piles of other things.

The thread racks have not been hung. I need to look into making or finding one for my serger cones. So there will be three of them.

 So - that's  my new sewing room.

I have five boxes in the garage that need to come inside.
Also my Singer stylist in it's cabinet.



Here's a look of Before:

and AFTERWARDS:

** Shorts. finally.

It Became A Really Good Day.

Friday.
The day of the garage sales. Work too - but we don't count that as part of really good.
This morning after finishing my am shift, I headed over to the next town to do a little garage saling. Along the way, I passed the field with the little lambs out frolicking - but as usual - no camera with me.
At the sale, I found 3 painted dressers that would be perfect for Lavender Hill Cottage , my creative friend's shop. Frantic texting back & forth - neither one of us owns a smart phone yet - produced an offer which was accepted. Before I even saw the dressers, I found a metal bathroom shelf which when queried, was only a dollar. Good vibes. No prices on anything but the prices continued to be fantastic.
My car would only hold two of the dressers so I will have to come back this afternoon to pick up the third dresser prior to going back to work.
What did I buy? A leather valise in great condition - perfect for storing some of my fabric - one of the smaller collections. I also got as a bonus, fabrics in the lower two drawers of one of the dressers which I split with creative friend.
Feeling smug about my good deal, I dropped off the dressers and headed home to bake a gluten-free white cake that bakery girl dreamed up. That's for my daughter's birthday cake.
I had time to check my etsy order page and pack up an order when I noticed an email from Best buy.
GIVING me a $125 coupon towards anything. Which means I am getting the IPAD for my birthday. Apparently part of my laptop deal from last fall.
Skip around the house. giggle.
I starting laying out the ingredients for the cake when I heard the unmistakable rumble of trucks outside. Running out to see  -- this--.

And this.

{{the shack}} wing parts

And this.

more wing parts

I picked up dog poop so no one would step in any but someone still managed to do so while pushing the fuselage back towards the hangar.
Then I ran back into the house to get that cake going so it would have time to cool and get it out of the pans before I needed to leave.

Meanwhile the guys unloaded all this.

Someday, it will turn out to look something like this.

One final pic.
Wait - I want you to know, bakery girl - your gluten-free cake recipe turned out stunning.
Out of the oven and it smells de-lish.
I'll post the recipe another time cause this day ain't over yet.

I get dibs on being PAT.

First Flight 2012

I never thought to take a photo of the mailboxes before. It turned out kinda funky. The hill behind (across the main road) appears to be the roof to this mailbox row. Not sure what the farmer is growing. He tends to plant something in the winter for the Canadian Geese. It has been so wet here in the Willamette Valley that no planting has occurred and it is almost the end of April. Too mucky in the fields. If you turn the soil too early - it will turn into baked clay later on. Lots of rainfall this Spring.

{We have around 36 homeowners on our private airstrip. Taxi-way, aka, Skylane Dr. is an half-mile long - hence, the long row of mailboxes out by the main road. My mailbox is behind the front spar of the airplane (hidden - at right)}

After all the rain and cold, the foliage has unfurled  this last week. St. Paul, Minnesota has been about 20' warmer this winter and I believe, we - here in the Willamette Valley, Oregon might have gotten more snow than they got. Our Spring has been around freezing since January with grey, dreary days. The nights too - as no one could see the stars or moon because of the grey dreary cloud cover.

Through my pergola you can see the shack next door. I am still working on my living fence. Last year, much too late, I hit upon the bright idea of planting a l-o-n-g patch of sunflowers between us and them so we can sit outside and not have to see dry rot, crap siding, - basically not the best view.

Several trees still need to go in this bordering bed. View is much better at this angle- towards the runway.

 

 After napping for six months in the hangar, it's a relief to have the airplane engine rumble and catch.
The smoke coming out is the residual oil that collects at the bottom of the cylinders when at rest.
Our plane does not have a canopy - it's an open cockpit - so it's a mite cold up at altitude until late April. We can fly until early October when it starts getting cold again.
Just right yesterday.

I was trying to take photos of small towns around us as we flew over and less than 24 hrs later, I'm not sure if this is Aurora. Can't see any identifying markers.
I think this is Aurora. . .

 I think this is Hubbard. Squinting doesn't help. I got them out of order from the camera and now. . .

I'll have to do this again (and concentrate!)

Well, for certain, this is the North Marion Schools. The high school in front with athletic fields to the left. Then the middle school and the grade school with another grade school/administration bldg on  the opposite side of the road.

My creative friend's house backs onto the soccer fields at top right.
At least, I got one out of three right!


This morning, guess who was attempting to get a bird's eye view?
With an eye on the sky?
Flying high?


Today, we will hit 80' - not quite ready for actual HOT but the sun is shining. I planted my garden peas today. The bit by the fence (pole peas) turned over pretty easy but I could tell when I used my finger to push the seeds into the dirt that it was a tad mucky.
The other side of the garden where I was going to plant my sweet peas was too mucky. I turned it over roughly and hope today's sun will dry it out somewhat. Tomorrow, I can turn it over again and maybe plant the sweet peas.
Usually, I can plant my peas in February or March but it was too darn cold and really wet this Spring.

Now, I am going to hide out in the cool house and sew.