Keeping Cozy in the Heat

The skies today are such a brilliant blue! And the temperature is hot! 111 degrees!

On days like this, it is much better to stay comfy and cozy indoors because it is just way too hot to do anything outside.

Speaking of comfy and cozy ... the parents of this little guy tell me that he loves the blanket I made just for him.

Guess I need to get back to work on this one I'm making for a baby girl who is due June 6th.

I hope you are having a great day wherever you are, whatever you are doing. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Wonderful Friday

We need time to dream, time to remember, and time to reach the infinite. Time to be. ~ Gladys Taber

This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy. Susan Polis Schutz

Always remember to slow down in life; live, breathe, and learn; take a look around you whenever you have time and never forget everything and every person that has the least place within your heart.

It is the weekend here; hubby is away on a business trip; kids are studying for next week's final exams. Quiet time. The whole day before me. Joyful, blissful, peaceful Friday! Wishing the same for you and yours. Friendship blessings, Tammy

A Much Needed Time Out

Taking time out from the hustle and bustle of life.

To have a late lunch with a friend. Chilled carrot soup with fresh cilantro and a dollop of sour cream; sandwiches of cream cheese and cucumber and jalapeno wrap filled with seasoned kidney beans.

Green tea, grapes and figs for dessert,

along with the moistest, most delicious date cake ever. The frosting was out of this world!

"Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." ~Annie Dillard

I hope you are having a wonderful Wednesday. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Tea on Tuesday

I recently came a across a lemon bar recipe I had jotted down on a piece of paper and stuffed in a drawer. I love desserts with lemon so figured it was time to give it a try.

The crust is like shortbread and goes great with my ginger & mandarin organic tea.

Lemon bars
Combine 1 cup flour, 1 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Press into a 8 or 9 inch pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Combine 2 beaten eggs, 1 cup of sugar (I used 1/2 a cup), juice of one lemon and 1 tsp of grated lemon rind. Mix well and pour over partially baked crust then return to oven for 25 minutes. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.

Please take a moment to say a prayer for all those affected by the tornado that ripped through Joplin, MO. More storms are predicted for that area today.

Kimmie hosts Tea on Tuesday so hop on over to Art in Red Wagons for more tea. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Feathered Friends, No Matter the Weather

This sweet little guy is making use of the ceramic bowl I put out filled with water.

108 degrees today so I am sure my feathered friends need a little refreshment every now and then.

No matter the weather, I love making soup -- simple, easy, nutritious. In fact, I heard the other day if you eat vege soup before a meal, you are guaranteed to lose weight. For me, soup is the meal! One of my favorites is spicy corn & lentil soup.

Boil 1 cup of orange lentils then reduce heat and simmer til tender (about 15 minutes); drain and set aside. Drizzle pot with olive oil and saute one chopped onion, 4 cloves of garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 tsp each of ground cardamom and ground cumin for a few minutes. Add lentils back to pot along with 2 cups of vege stock, 1-1/2 cups of coconut milk and one can of creamed corn. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Before serving, stir in a handful of chopped cilantro.

I don't know where all the hours in each and every day go. Before I know it, it's time to hit the hay and then start all over again.

Hope your week is off to a great start. Friendship blessings, Tammy

Not Just Quilts

I love the look of crazy quilts (even though I never finished the block I started months ago).

But quilts were not the only items to be found at the Textile Exhibition.

Sadu weavings were on display.

Along with knitted and crocheted pieces. The prayer shawl on the right was knitted by my friend, Kathy, and won her a second place ribbon.

A first place ribbon was found on this embroidered stitchwork piece and rightly so. It was absolutely amazing!

Since Tuesday's electrical storm, we've had mostly hazy days with high dust.

The sun isn't able to do its thing but it's still hot, hot, hot. But hey, it cools down to 90 at night. Ha! Hope you are having a cool and relaxing day! Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Finding Time at the Textiles Exhibition

Time and internet traffic have not allowed me to post since Tuesday. Last week was a total blur -- even Zack said it went by really fast. We are now into the second half of our weekend. Where does the time go? Yesterday afternoon, hubby and I made it over to the Textiles Exhibition.




I love the mini quilts and wallhangings that display a scene or tell a story. This farm scene was inspired by a picture.

And this quilt was made from the fronts of t-shirts.

After viewing all the wonderful entries, we were to make our choice of best in show. Hubby really liked this abstract scene of a couple with umbrella.

And I chose this one depicting women in the souk with bread baskets on their heads. It looks like it was done with free motion stitching and applique. I voted on this same woman's work last year as I find her mini art quilts quite amazing.

Each piece was so inspiring! I was asked to exhibit something for the yarn and fiber part of the show but never could quite get my act together. Maybe next year! Right now, I need to find time to work on this baby afghan and get it finished before the end of the school year.

Hope you have a creative day in your corner of the world! Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Thunderous Tuesday

Early this evening I heard thunder which is very unusual for May ... and then the electrical storm began. Loud claps of thunder and a light show that lasted about 15 minutes. Afterwards a short, but hard rain. Since the storm happened to sweep through from the side where we have all the leaky windows, a watery mess was created.

Jingles wondered what the heck was going on with all the noise and flashing lights.

Certainly not the evening I had planned. I could really use a drink right about now.

How many people do you know are drinking milk from a Pat O'Brien's glass? (Pat O's is a French Quarter mainstay and home of the Hurricane drink.) Milk will have to do. Along with my homemade oatmeal cookies with cranberries and chocolate chips -- it's just what the doctor ordered! Hope your Tuesday is a good one! Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Meatless Monday and Moonlight

Hello everyone! What's happening outside your window?

I'm not very fond of days when all I feel like I am doing is trying to keep up and this was that kinda day. A quick, simple meal was necessary this evening and since I had a squash that needed to be cooked, curried butternut squash soup was on the menu.

Drizzle olive oil in a pot and saute 2 chopped onions and 4 cloves of minced garlic til softened; add 1 TBS of curry powder and stir until fragrant; add 3-1/2 cups of water and your favorite vege extract powder (or 2 cans of chicken broth and 2-1/4 cups of water), along with a chopped 3-1/2 lb butternut squash. Boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes. Blend in batches and return to pot to heat through and enjoy!

I can't believe how this day has just flown by. It is already bedtime on my side of the world.

I hope your week is off to a great start! Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Sunday Salutations

Jingles is pretending she lives in a jungle rather than a desert environment. I'm guessing it is cooler in the pot than on the cement ground.

We had a hazy day so the temperature wasn't quite as bad as it has been. I know for some, 99 degrees would still be considered hot, but anything below a 100 feels pretty good to us. The sun was hidden most of the day by haze but as it began to set this evening, a pretty pink glow could be seen on the clouds that had been drifting by all day.

Yesterday's cleaning spree resulted in rearranging the living room so I could clean around and behind everything. That meant hours of extra work that I had not intended.

So today I decided to take it easy after school. Of course, taking it easy doesn't mean doing nothing. There is always the daily stuff like cooking, washing dishes, washing and folding clothes, preparing uniforms, general tidying, watering plants on both balconies, brushing Jingles ... all that stuff that just eats away at your time. But I did make time for a batch of oatmeal cookies.

And now just a bit of crocheting before bedtime. Tomorrow is another day! Hope your Sunday is a good one. Best wishes and blessings, Tammy

Days of Busyness

Good morning everyone! My how times flies! We had a busy end of the week around here and blogger had some serious issues of its own.

Our temps this past week have reached up to 115 degrees and everyone is feeling it. These little guys have been coming to my balcony with beaks open as if they are parched. I've now set out a big bowl of water for them so hopefully they can find some relief.

Hubby started walking about a week ago without me so I decided it was time I hit the trail again too. We go after 5 pm so that it won't be as hot. Of course, we walked together once and then life got in the way.

The kids had their final Spring Concert at school on Wednesday evening. Zack on sax ...

and Yusef on trombone.

The finale was written by their band director with all the 8th, 9th and 10th grade band members playing together; 3/4's of the way through the song, the 10th graders (Yusef is one of them) headed to the back of the stage for a drumming piece that garnered them a standing ovation.

Thursday I met with a few friends for nibbles and drinks.

Friday found us at one of our favorite places for lunch.

For our favorite kinda food.

And in the evening we had a coffee break with friends.

Which brings us to today, our last day of the weekend. Cleaning is a must and hopefully a bit of crocheting as I've started another baby blanket for a little one due around June 6th.

Hope you have a great weekend in your little corner of the world. Friendship blessings, Tammy