Sister's Choice Quilts

Archie Got a New Dog Bed

No sewing yesterday. The high point of the day was that Archie got a new dog bed. We fluffed it up, plopped it on the kitchen floor and waited for his reaction. There he is in the photo above, checking it out. He's thinking about it....


And then he lost his mind.


I think he likes it.

 

Pinetree Block, Archie Gets a Haircut, and Eva Makes Snickerdoodles

This is the Pinetree block from the Mercantile sew-along. See how I got my hour of sewing in? I've been keeping up with this project pretty well I think. The last few blocks will be stitched up in the next week or so, and I will have to trim them all down to the same size before I sew them together. They range in size from 13 1/4" to 14 inches. I hope it won't look odd to have the borders different widths.

Archie got his first proper haircut yesterday. I think he looks quite sharp. Except his tail is so skinny!  His fluffy tail was definitely one of his best features I think. But I guess the groomer thought it would look weird for this shaved down dog to have a big plume of a tail! He also has a bit of a pencil neck, but I won't let him know I said that.

Eva made Snickerdoodles for Baking Day yesterday and Archie was paying rapt attention.

I have a question for my well-traveled readers. For part of our upcoming trip to visit Ahren in Dublin, we plan a side trip first to Edinburgh, then London. We've been to London many times and always know where we want to go and do, but Edinburgh is new to us. I understand they have more bookstores per capita there than anywhere else on the planet. Do any of you have suggestions of cool things to do in Edinburgh? My husband and son will rebel if all I can think of to do is visit bookshops! Let me know in the comments if you have any ideas for me.

Archie Update

Just a quick update on Archie and the new inflatable collar. Carolyn suggested we give the inflatable collar a try, as they seem as if they would be so much more comfortable than the traditional hard plastic "cone of shame" that they give you after a dog has surgery.

It reminded me a lot of the travel neck pillows you can get to wear on an airplane. I tried it on and thought it was very comfortable. Which is good, because Archie didn't care for it at all, so I might be wearing it on our next flight to Ireland.

Go figure. He didn't care a bit that it was superior to the plastic cone. He bucked and thrashed like a wild horse when we put it on him. So much for resting and keeping quiet. There was no talking him into it, so we put him out of his misery and put the clunky cone collar back on him.

As it turns out, he's not going to need the cone collar much longer. He has shown no interest whatsoever in investigating, licking, or otherwise noticing his surgical site. He is completely unfazed by the whole event and is back to his normal bouncy self.  

Sad Archie and Three More Blockheads Blocks

Archie got through his alteration procedure very well according to the veterinarian. Clearly, he has another opinion and is feeling rather pathetic. As I write this, he's only been home for a half an hour. He promptly went to his squishy dog bed and is now asleep. He is taking pain medication and had a bit of water, but seems down for the count.

With no doggie responsibilities yesterday I had plenty of time to sew. I made three Blockheads blocks in the 6-inch size. The top two blocks are actual Blockheads patterns, but the lower one is one I found on the internet. The block on the top left is Block 12 designed by Heather Briggs. The block on the top right is Block 13 designed by Debbie Maddy. 

The lower block is part of Jessica Dayon's latest sew-along, Scrappy Sampler Block 41.  

The worst part of Archie's surgery is him having to wear that uncomfortable cone collar. Reader Carolyn suggested an inflatable collar her daughter got when her dog was spayed. I immediately ordered one and think it's going to be a lot better than the clunky plastic one.

Keeping things short here today, gotta go check on Archie.

Christmas Craft Projects and Dinner Shortcuts

Who can resist this face? Archie seems kind of chilly since his haircut Monday, so we put a sweater on him. At first, he wanted to eat it but has thankfully given up that notion. I laugh every time I look at him with those fuzzy floppy ears. He is adorable. You can probably tell he is wishing I'd let him in the house.

Eva's ornament gifts have turned out super cute. All I did was glue the felt backing on each one, and frankly, I made kind of a mess of it. My glue gun is absolutely worthless and is going in the trash as soon as it cools down. The glue doesn't even feed through it. I have to push the glue stick through with a spare finger while also pressing the trigger and guiding it around what I am trying to glue. It is so frustrating to use it.

Seriously, that is just a mess. There was no control at all. Does anyone have a link or the name of a glue gun that actually works reliably? I'd love to know.

My Instant Pot and cookbooks by Jeffrey Eisner are keeping me sane these days. If you use your Instant Pot regularly, you must try his cookbooks. Aside from a tendency to put a package of Boursin cheese in every dish (optional), his recipes are delicious. The Boursin is good in some of them too, you just need to use your judgment. I'm writing this on Tuesday afternoon and plan to make his Tortellini Soup for dinner. With no Boursin.

In other news, I am on a new diet. It is called the Chardonnay and Christmas Cookie Diet. Every time I pass by the tin of cookies my sister Kate gave me I have one. Or two. We shall see how that serves me.

Archie's First Haircut, Eva's Ornaments, and the Best Cookies Ever

Archie got his first haircut Monday. He did pretty well. He didn't like his head messed with much, so the groomer couldn't do much with his ears, which look super floppy and furry. I kind of like it. He was a good boy during the experience, so that's a plus. The groomer tells us we need to brush him more regularly so he doesn't have so many knots and snaggles. Oh my gosh, that is one cute dog. 

Every Christmas Eva likes to make a homemade gift for her loved ones. Last year we made soap, which was an experience I hope not to repeat. This year we found a YouTube video (several actually) showing how to make these ornaments using tiny embroidery hoops, five-inch fabric squares, festive ribbons, and various adornments. They are turning out super cute. We are experimenting. You can use a glue gun or tacky glue to affix the decorations. The trickiest aspect turned out to be attaching some kind of backing to hide the raw edges of the fabric. We opted to use black felt, and it is going ok. Trimming the raw edges with super good sharp scissors after the glue dries is the secret to having it look good I think.

Speaking of holiday traditions, my sister Kate makes everyone in the family a tin of cookies each and every year. Receiving this selection of cookies is truly a magical experience. There are macadamia bars, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate-dipped bites, chocolate Krinkles, Mexican wedding cookies, some kind of coffee-flavored chocolate drizzle cookies, and more. She has been doing this every year for more than a decade and we are all so blessed to be the recipient of such amazing cookies. I swear she must go through 100 pounds of butter.  There are a LOT of us. My personal favorites are the macadamia bars, but honestly, there isn't a bad bite in the bunch. Now that is a commitment she is never going to be able to get out of.

As you can tell, we are in the midst of our Christmas preparations. Lots of house cleaning going on, and menu planning for all the meals we want to cook when Ahren is here. I am counting down the hours until I can wrap my arms around him in a great big hug. 

I did get an update on my nephew's condition. He is recovering from his cardiac arrest very well. He has a new pacemaker with a defibrillator and is now well enough to return to work on a reduced schedule/capacity. This is an outcome that is so much better than what we all feared in the early stages of his situation. We have much to be grateful for this year for sure. Thank you all again for your prayers and good thoughts.

 

Cooking Success and Failure, Cute Archie Picture

This is Archie in his dog bed at naptime. He likes to sleep on his back, and he has a favorite stuffed toy, a puppy, that he positions next to him. Notice he has placed the puppy on its back, just like he himself is relaxing. Sometimes he uses Puppy as a pillow, but typically he just has it in his bed with him to snuggle up with. He has loved this toy since Day One with us and sleeps with it always.

Eva is staying with us this week, and requested enchiladas when asked what dinners she might enjoy. I made chicken enchiladas with green sauce, which actually were quite good, if not somewhat labor intensive. I also made basmati rice, flavored with lime juice and cilantro, which I thought was very tasty and refreshing. It was a great accompaniment to a Mexican-themed meal.

My failure was the refried beans, which I made in my instant pot. My mistake was making them way too spicy. Too much chile powder I think. I used chile adobe powder, which was way hotter than the usual plain chili powder I typically use. I am going to try to make pinto beans in the instant pot again though. I soaked the beans for 8 hours ahead of time, drained them and cooked them for 20 minutes in 3 cups of seasoned water. Once they vented for 10-15 minutes, I mashed them and added chile powder and cilantro. Whew, it was way hotter than Eva's comfort zone. 

Using the instant pot to cook beans is easy and effective, and I will give it another try soon.

How about you? Do you make beans in your instant pot?

Back in the Saddle

I actually had a fairly productive day yesterday. Still blowing my nose a lot, but I feel like I have some energy again. I did some easy sewing. I made 14 more square in a square units for the border of my Apple Sauce quilt. I've got a good-sized pile completed so far. I must recover my ironing table with some fabric that makes a better background for photos!

I also made another Moda Blockheads block 3 block, which is the paper pieced one. I am making a table topper for my son from the first nine blocks in that project. 

I have a ridiculous photo to share with you that is sure to start your day off with a smile.

My husband heard that we are getting a lot of rain this winter, so he bought Archie a raincoat. Honestly, that dog is so good-natured he let us put it on him without much fuss. Can you imagine taking him out in that get up? He's going to get a lot of attention that is for sure. 

Seriously, Dad?

End of October Activities

Eva's school has been having some special Halloween-themed events, and this past Friday was a big one for 7th graders. They had a Halloween dance and dinner which seemed to be well attended. Eva and her friend Riley were Power Puff Girls, a thing that was popular in the 80's or 90's. I can't keep up. Anyway, I have no clue if anyone "got" their costumes, but Eva was representing a character called "Bubbles" from a cartoon popular back in the day. Whether or not anyone else knew what the heck she was, she was pleased with her interpretation.

Eva hung out with us for most of the weekend, and we made some epic cookies. Honestly, the next time you have a tea party, or just want to serve some stellar cookies, give these Earl Grey Tea Cakes a try. This recipe was a keeper for sure. They were excellent. My favorite was the lemon-glazed version.

And this boy...What can I say? Archie is the cutest for sure. We are trying to give him a bit more free time to roam about the main floor of the house, and he is definitely finding his way around. He gets into trouble if he isn't supervised every moment, but is learning the rules. It's a process.

I sure do hope you all had a marvelous weekend.

Archie Went to the Groomer

Archie went to the groomer on Tuesday. No hair cut, but he did get a bath, a brushing, and a nail trim. According to the groomer, he was a good boy. He is super fluffy right now and looks like a stuffed toy.

He is full of mischief, mostly jumping up on things and not listening to us. He is nowhere near as destructive as Ozzie was, but that is because we don't allow him much freedom in the house. As the weather becomes more inclement, that will have to change. He is a picky eater, and only barks when he hears the dog next door yapping. We've been going to puppy training classes once a week and he has learned a lot of commands. He does great with "sit" and "stay", and "wait". He still pulls on the leash, and when we are on our walks, he often will just stop in his tracks to stare at gardeners, people passing by, or anything else he is curious about. He is very high-energy and often goes crazy without much reason, running around the yard with the "zoomies". Everything is a game to him. The main behaviour I'd like to work on is his jumping up. Sometimes he comes at me like a wrecking ball and it takes me by surprise. 

I've been sewing my block quadrants for Sampler Spree together and now have 15 done. 10 more to go. Sewing four blocks together with lattice goes pretty quickly. The next step is to make another lattice in brown and cream that will separate the block quadrants and give them more separation. A lot of effort has gone into making this quilt!

Eva has had minimum days all week so we've seen a bit more of her. She goes back to her regular schedule next week with her after-school sports activities keeping her busy until 4:30 each day!

Hope your week got off to a good start.