It's Fall!

 I was at the grocery store a few days ago, walked around the corner in produce and  Lo, and Behold --- there were fresh cranberries!!!  Seems early but maybe I don't usually start looking until November.

I know there is canned cranberries and I like them,  BUT there's nothing like fresh cranberry chutney!  Add apples and oranges - delish!

Here's how a Nebraska Girl makes cranberry salad -  don't judge me until you try it!!

                                 

Mom's Cranberry Salad

1 small bag of cranberries.  Washed and picked thru - dispose of the mushy ones! 

When washing I put handle a dozen at a time, put the washed fruit into a small mixing bowl with pouring spout.  Ready for the Cuisinart - pour any excess water out before adding berries to Cuisinart.  Cupping my hands around the mixing bowl helps cranberries to funnel into the Cuisinart.

2 apples.  Washed and sectioned (to drop into Cuisinart) Put each fruit into a large mixing bowl after food processor. If you want bigger pieces, pour in little batches and use Pulse button. Stop when they are the right size.

                          

2 oranges.  I peel them and cut them up manually - they tend to 'juice' when put thru the Cuisinart.

                       

1/4 of one orange rind.  Put thru the Cuisinart

After all the fruit is ready in large mixing bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar, blend, cover and set in fridge for about 1 hour.

Now here comes the "midwestern" part.  Prepare a family box of Raspberry or Cranberry Jello with 1 1/2 cups of boiling water.  Stir well.  Pour into glass casserole dish.   Cool by adding 3 ice cubes.  (fish out the unmelted cubes)

Add in chutney, blend together gently and add 1/4 bag of mini-marshmallows!! Let jell for a few hours.

I know it sounds over sweet and not wonderful - but it isn't!!  We eat small portions and I keep making it until I can't find fresh cranberries.

I was all ready to brag about being in the 'Western Cranberry State" and then I looked at my Ocean Spray cranberry bag and it said "Washington"  I wanted to say the cranberries came from Bandon Oregon - just up the road for us. But apparently not!  Well, Washington State is just a little farther up the road!

Hmm, Hmm, Good!!

Headed to the Bayshore retreat this weekend.  I'm so mentally ready to get away with like-minded friends.  Physically, still sorting thru projects to take!  

Have a good fall, try fresh cranberries!  I'll be back!

A friend came to visit last week ... no time to post

 C is one of those friends where there is no awkward silences, we simply start where we left off.  And she is my favorite project consultant, we reviewed many projects and mapped out the way to continue.  There is hope for my (I want to change the pattern) Wool around the Garden languishing project.  Now to get to it!

 

We immediately took down the September 'gallery' and put up the Halloween display.  I found out I have two fall quilts that have the same plaid border ... guess they've never been hung this close together before.  Oh well!  One will come down after Halloween, the other will stay up for Thanksgiving.

We laughed and giggled, attended a "Woolies" meeting (group giggling!), watched TV while we sewed, gathered rocks on the beach, Stacked them, walked thru the Redwood groves, and ate fairly healthy if you don't count the ice cream breaks! (We never count those!)

The weather started out so well, an 80 degree day for our beach walk, 70s for the Woolies meeting.  Then Fall Fog rolled in and, well, we got a lot of consulting done!  Can't complain about that.

Here's 'my' stack of rocks and my surprise 'sewing is cheaper than therapy ... I think' present.  Both sitting in front of my sampler corner!

A married couple that I know is moving out of our area.  They know I quilt (everyone who knows me knows that!!) and asked me to help re-home some antique table linens and 50s quilts.  C and I consulted on those.  I'm happy to report that Latimer Textile Museum will except any donated textiles.  If they don't incorporate the items into their archives, they share with their members or sell / auction them off keeping the proceeds for the museum.  Sounds like a win/win!  I see some Newport quilters next week and hope to hand these off to be taken to Tillamook.  

Our new Guild year has started.  P and I are in charge of the BOM program and we decided we're doing 9patches - all the different figurations of 9 patch.  September - the year's 1st meeting - we showed a traditional 9patch made with fabric squares.  Easy peasey!  In October we're presenting Double 9patch using strip sets.  

So many guild members have 'written off' 9p because it's so elementary.  We hope to show interesting possibilities.  A 'new' member posted her 'first 9p' on IG.  She pieced fabrics to construct the dark squares - EXACTLY what we hoped for!!  Someone trying something new and making it their own!  Happy Dances all around!

The new President introduced a new EPP project exchange.  Halloween fabric coffins!  A Dresden Plate pattern with the points cut off.  AND she commissioned a local shop with a 3D printer to make us a 2 piece template.  And it is GREAT!  Taken apart you have a window template to line up your motifs for cutting (the green cats) 

Warning:  It is addictive!  C cut out the card stock papers and then started gluing the fabric onto it with my new Glue Pen!  We were a team!  I cut out 10 piece sets out of 6 fabrics now bagged and ready to exchange!  It's going to be cute!!

                        

The Whimsical Griffin, he made the template, is willing to sell it to anyone wanting one from his Etsy shop.  Here's the link.  Whimsical Griffin   He's charging the same he charged us to walk in and buy it.  He thinks postage will be $3.  

I'll keep you informed of our progress.  We hand in sets this month, but don't get the exchanged shapes back until next month.