The Sewing Mom

It’s Friday! This week seemed to go by very quickly for me. Perhaps it is because I have so many things I’m trying to get done and I’ve stayed very busy this week. One thing I love about Friday is doing this meme sponsored by Valmg at Fun, Crafts and Recipes. If you’d like to play along, head on over to her site for the rules and questions and leave her a comment to let her know you’ve participated.

So, here are this week’s questions and my answers.

#1. Name one cookbook, cooking website or food blog that you frequently use. I actually use 2 cookbooks on a regular basis, one is for crockpot cooking, the other Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, is an old standard. I’m not even sure how long I’ve had this one, I may have received it as a wedding present, but it’s got the most basic recipes and uses the most basic ingredients. I wouldn’t want to be without it.

#2. Do you watch any cooking shows on tv? Which ones? I watch a couple of shows where they cook, Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen, but I’m not learning how to cook from them. I do learn how to scream, yell and cuss in the kitchen though!

#3. Are you in a cooking rut? Name a food or dish that you’d like to find a recipe for. I’m not really in a rut lately, although I’ve been there in the past! I see them cooking this dish on t.v. a lot and wonder how it’s done, so I’ll say Beef Wellington.

#4. Share a recipe created by somebody else that you haven’t tried but would like to. This is a recipe from my mom and I’m really not sure why I’ve never tried it. Maybe I’ll get my daughter in the kitchen today and we’ll make it together.

Lemon Pudding Cake for 2

1 egg (separated)
2 T flour
1/2 c. sugar
2 T lemon juice
1/3 c. milk
1/2 tsp. salt

In mixing bowl, beat egg yolks. Add sugar, milk, flour, lemon juice, and salt; beat until smooth. Beat egg white until stiff peaks form; gently fold into lemon mixture. Pour into 2 ungreased 6 oz. custard cups. Place cups in baking pan and pour boiling water into pan up to 1 inch. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Recipe may be doubled for 4.

Less than a month now and I will be heading to Tennessee. I’m really wanting to go a little bit farther and go to my sister’s in Kentucky, but with the cost of gasoline, I may not be able to do it. That would probably add at least another tank of gas to my expenditures. That doesn’t sound like much, but at $4.00 a gallon, that’s $100 to fill up the tank in our van.

We have been somewhat kidding around lately about ways to cut back on our gas consumption. My daughter and I all ready own electric scooters that we ride around the neighborhood, but they’re not street legal, so we can’t go out of our subdivision. I think that conversation led me to start dreaming of motorcycles. I’ve heard that sales of motorcycles has increased lately and that’s really no surprise.

Truthfully, if I didn’t have so much stuff to take with me on this trip, I think I would look into rentals or sales with Motorcycle Tours. I can just imagine myself being an Eaglerider! My sister all ready owns a Harley, and so does her husband, so I’d fit right in with them! Maybe we could all rent a motorcycle while we’re in Tennessee to save on gas while we’re there. There are some beautiful winding roads to motor on in the Great Smokey Mountains. Of course, I’m not sure what my husband would think of the idea though, I haven’t shared this particular dream with him. Maybe he’d feel better if I just rented something smaller, like a scooter!

One of two purses I finished recently. It is 9″h x 12″w with one exterior pocket and 2 interior pockets. It has a metal tubular closure mechanism that pulls open and then “snaps” closed when you apply pressure. It is fully lined and the handles are reinforced for comfort and security. This bag sells for $40.

People are often surprised to find out my husband is over 50 and I am quickly coming up on the big 5-0. I don’t think either one of us look our age and, having a 12 year old daughter definitely helps keep us young. We have to keep up our energy in order to keep up with her!

For me personally, I try to do a lot of things to keep my mind sharp. I’ve always heard that keeping your mind active helps with your health and keeps you younger. There really are so many things to do, but having a hobby is a huge part of this. My sewing works wonders for me. Not only do I have to do planning, using numbers to calculate fabric quantity and reading of patterns, but I do occasionally take classes to learn new sewing techniques and methods. I even bought a complicated sewing machine that also has computer software. When I use that software to create embroidery designs, I am really working to keep my mind sharp!

I also like to play word games which I do a lot with my daughter. One of our favorite games to play together is Brain Age Academy. She usually is much better at it then me, but I’m always just happy to be successful at the game, even if I’m not the winner.

Physically, now that it’s summer, we work out a lot outside in the yard as well as in the swimming pool. I do have a treadmill too, and it hasn’t collected too much dust lately. My daughter also got me hooked on Dance Dance Revolution which is a fantastic way to keep in shape. I’ve burned a lot of calories, even if I’m laughing the entire time due to my lack of coordination!

Eating healthy also plays a large part in keeping our minds sharp and bodies healthy. I try to make sure that most of our meals are well rounded and balanced with plenty of vitamins. Fruit is pretty prevalent in our house too, there are too many health benefits to mention with fruit, but the natural vitamins you get from eating it are a huge part of why I eat it.

Vitamins such as B12,B6 and Folic acid are known to help keep the mind sharp, and promote energy and stamina. B12 isn’t the easiest vitamin to get and I hate shots, so the thought of receiving vitamin B12 shots is not a pleasant one. Sublingual B12 though, is designed to go under the tongue and directly into the blood stream. A much better, and safe alternative to B-12 shots.

Having a 12 year old means wanting to be around for a very long time. We need to do what we can to stay healthy and energetic. How about you? You can Try Sublingual B-12 from Trivita today.

I have been attempting to push myself to tackle this project for almost a week. I continue to find reasons and excuses as to why I don’t have time to do it, but I really need to get it done. You see, my current project is a tote bag. Now, I love to sew, I love to create and I love seeing and sharing the finished product. So, what’s my problem? Well, this particular tote is wanting to be quilted. I am not a quilter. I don’t enjoy quilting, probably because I’m not so good at it. Therein lies the problem.

You see, I’m a perfectionist when it comes to the projects I sew. I try very hard to do things right the first time around, but I certainly and not afraid to rip out a seam if I don’t like the way it turned out (probably why I own 3 different seam rippers). My machine, although it is quite capable of quilting, doesn’t seem to cooperate very well when sewing through thick layers that include batting. I’ve attempted several different machine adjustments and have yet to get it right.

I’ve spent the last few days reading through various sewing manuals that came with my machine, trying to figure out the best settings for this particular project. I’ve attached the machines “walking” foot and now have to figure out how the heck I attach the guide. The guide allows me to not have to mark the fabric with all of those quilting lines. If I can get the gide attached, I only have to mark the first line and then the guide helps me with all of the rest.

So, my tackle for today is to stop making excuses. Stop being afraid of the task at hand. Get in there and Just Do It!