Oso quilts

I feel blessed everyday when an email comes in saying someone is donating a quilt. Thank all of you who are doing this. I know you feel as I do. Helpless, wanting to do something. Knowing a good bunch of humans are hurting right now. Catastrophic is a word we don't hear very often. Thank goodness. It represents things are are incomprehensible. At least to me.
I looked at my daughter today. I am blessed she is here, healthy, great mother to her sons. She's here. My friend lost her daughter and parents in this horrible mud slide. This makes you think what is important in your life.
Today I put my hands over a quilt top I made for my mother. I was going to deliver it when I planned to visit her. She died before I could wrap it around her. She would have loved it. I put a special color as the inner border on the quilt just to make her smile. Now, I think it would make her happy that someone in need will get the pleasure of this gift. She taught me to give. If having a roof over your head, food in the cupboard, family that loves you were God's gifts. If we met someone in need, my Mom always gave whatever she had to help them.  Sometimes it meant we had beans and rice for dinner that night. I didn't know at the time that was "poor folks dinner." We gladly ate it. She would have given away the chicken or roast we would have had. I grew up watching her do that and when I got my driver's license, I delivered many things to people in need. It's what we did.
Finding people in this world my Mom would have called "friends" is quite a pleasure. It does make me happy.
I bid you all a good night and sweet dreams. Tomorrow, if it comes your way, treasure it. Use it up!

Quilts for a Tragedy

I've never asked this before, but someone I know has probably lost her daughter, daughter's fiancee, and her mother and father in the landslide near Oso, Washington. Many lives are presumed gone. I know that quilts provide comfort in so many ways. Nicole is a longarm quilter and has been living her life in Texas the last few years. She grew up in Darrington, WA. Talented and lovely lady. It breaks my heart that she's dealing with this. Obviously not alone. Trying to rescue or find the missing ones is treacherous work for the fireman and other rescue workers. They all need some comfort. What I'm asking is can anyone provide a quilt? Any size? Any batting? I'll get it to that community. The people who have lost their homes have lost everything.
I own a longarm quilting machine and will be doing some quilt tops which I'll finish and get them to Oso. I'll be making the trip up mid-April.
Let me know if you can help. I'd really appreciate it.

Boiled Egg Adventure

I love to read other blogs. Thank goodness I do! One lovely person shared how she makes boiled eggs. She doesn't boil them, she steams the little buggers! I had to try it.
Found my stainless steel steaming pot, put about an inch and a half of water, it's about a 2 quart pot. Put 9 eggs in the steamer basket. Covered it and allowed it to steam for 20 minutes. I'm using large organic eggs.
Voila! The eggs were completely cooked, soft and the yolks a pure yellow. No grey ring, nothing but that beautiful color. They taste very creamy. I am now so sold on this method. Find your favorite pot, make it a steamer, buy a steamer. Do whatever! She used a bamboo wooden steamer. Didn't have one of those. My small metal pot did perfect.

Pressure Canner revived!

Thanks to a wonderful company called Cooking & Canning, they helped me find a model number and parts for an ancient pressure canner made by Presto, sold by Sears. Sears was no help. Without a model number, you get nowhere. I can understand that but why not help a customer do some research. I've been weeks trying to figure out my canner. I took some digital photos with a measuring tape and sent them off this afternoon. Not hardly an hour went by and I received the info I needed. So I'll be using this big darling later this spring and all summer. Here's what it looks like now with it's old pressure regulator. I'm replacing that along with a new vent pipe.

I'm having the pressure gauge checked but I'm installing a weighted gauge system to replace the jiggler you see in the back. This part isn't made anymore as they have better ones. My hole that this jiggler fits into will take a new vent pipe and then on top will be a pressure regulator. We'll be modern! A new sealing ring and we're all set. I don't often get excited by such parts but I love to bring old things back to life and this canner will be fully functional.

To Be Or Not To Be--new garden raised bed

The hubster wants to keep grass in the back yard. He won't say why. I have a very naughty Doxie who steals green tomatoes, green pumpkins, jalapenos, etc. out of the other raised beds because they aren't high enough. We've raised them to 18" high. The little monster eats to his delight along the perimeter of these beds. I would like to make this bed about 22" high, 10 feet long and 4 feet wide.  Hubster wants grass, the very grass he complains about taking care of. He went to take a nap instead of coming with me to the hardware store where the lumber awaits.
It's OK because I have an adult son who will do whatever his mother asks him to do. Never argues, always smiles. Love that kid.
It's just that today it is 59º here in the Seattle area with bright blue skies and sun, lots of sun. It just makes you want to run out and play outside!! Winter may be finally over---oh, wait, this is the northwest--it rains a lot here, usual grey skies. I'm going outside and soak up some sunshine. Grandkids are on their way so soon Gramma needs to bake something special. I heard it's needed. Our house is the center of family hugs and kisses. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Some Hot Stuff

The name along got me interested. I read the recipe and knew this was first on the list for canning. It's called CowGirl Relish.
You need:
2 pounds of jalapenos
1 pound carrots
1 medium red onion
1-1/3 cup cider or white vinegar
4 cups sugar
( I'm using cider vinegar and organic raw sugar--tastes better and cans beautifully)
Prepare 7 - 8 half-pint canning jars, or 3 pints, lids and rings. Sterilize and keep in hot water until ready.
Remove stems and de-seed the peppers. Clean and peel the carrots (you can wash the carrots thoroughly and leave the peel on). Use a food processor on pulse mode, add jalapenos. Pulse until they resemble a small dice. Then add the carrots. Pulse the same, then the red onion.
In a large stainless steel pot, combine the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer until the sugar is dissolved. Add the diced vggies and simmer uncovered for about 2 minutes. Fill jars with the solids first, then add the juice. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rims, seal. Once the water bath canner comes to a boil, set timer for 15 minutes.
Can you just taste this now??? Are you rushing to the supermarket?

Seattle Seahawks

No words can describe this football victory in my house. Hubster is a former college football player. He loves, eats, breathes and probably will die in his football gear. He wears his college football stuff all the time. He loves the Seahawks. We follow football. We've followed the Hawks forever. To see them stun and beat the Broncos in the manner they did, all I can say is, "WOW" I knew they had a chance because our defense is so domineering, but the Broncos were stunned.  It was as if they had no idea how the Hawks played. So here's my salute: