The Real Memorial Day

This is the day that I remember as Memorial Day. Growing up in Lehigh (Iowa), I can remember going along with my grandma Goldie when she took flowers to the cemetary to mark family graves. The cemetary (and church, too) was called McQuire Bend and it sits on an old gravel road, just "around the bend" and nestled in the trees. It's a beautiful place and so peaceful. Somebody knew what they were doing when they settled there and built the church. Last October, I drove out along that gravel road and walked through the cemetary. Even in the fall with leaves blowing around it was still a peaceful place. Good thoughts go your way this night. I'll write more tomorrow as our friends Ilse and Thomas left this morning and I have been busy running errands, etc. through the day and then watching storms go through starting late afternoon and into the evening. Quiet now except for the noise of the critters in the marsh/pond area across the way.

Rhubarb Cobbler coming up!

What a treat!! My good friend, Audrey, just brought me a big bag of superior rhubarb. Looks like I'll be making rhubarb cobbler later today, too. I have a good recipe from my Grandma Goldie that I'll share later on. It is "thee" best cobbler recipe ever as some of you know that have already tried it. Makes a great picnic/potluck dish. Off to the kitchen to take care of the rhubarb!

Here's the recipe.......

Grandma Goldie's Rhubarb Cobbler
In medium bowl mix:4 cups cut-up rhubarb
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Mix together and spread in 9 x 13 " pan
Next mix:1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
Add 2 tablespoons melted butter to this dry mixture, then blend in one beaten egg. Mix all til crumbly and then sprinkle over top of rhubarb mixture. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes at 350 or until crust is golden.
Recipe is given for a rhubarb cobbler although cherries, blueberries, peaches, and apples all work well with this cobbler crust. I think it must be the egg that makes this crust so crunchy. The cobbler is best when warm from the oven with a big scoop of ice cream on top!

Awaiting our guests..........

The house is clean and shiny and there's a big batch of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on the counter. Later this afternoon, I'll make some sandwiches and snacks for the late evening arrival of our guests, good friends Thomas and Ilse and their grandson. All my quilting and stitchery projects are on the "back burner" for a couple of days. I did put the finishing touches on drapes for the guest bedroom and decided I will share a photo. It's not quilting but I had fun creating the window treatment that will look really nice with whatever old quilt I put on the bed. More on my quilts later. One of my favorite things is happening right now - light rain. It's watering the garden and our grass (which is only a year old and still trying to grow). I love the sound of rain on the roof. Someday that line will wind up in a poem but no time now to be inspired. Have a good day!
Sandi

Figuring it all out!

This is the second day for my blog. I am still figuring out how to add photos and text where I want it to be but think I will be limited by the basics of the blog template. That's okay. The purpose here is to journal and to stay connected with my family, friends, quilters, etc. You have to start somewhere and this is it.
Very cool here today in southern Minnesota. Sunday afternoon was so hot and humid (I was upstairs sewing) that one knew there would be storms. Fortunately, we were not affected here but the same cannot be said for the folks in Hugo and surrounding areas. We lived through Hurricane Camille and I wouldn't want to go through that again in my lifetime.
Today I'm cleaning and decorating our upstairs guest bedrooms in anticipation of a visit from friends, Ilse and Thomas, from Denmark. And so, I better get to it! Can't promise that I'll write every day. We'll just see what develops, one day at a time!

Memorial Day, 2008

It's Memorial Day and I am remembering my dad. It was just four weeks ago today that he passed away. He was 81 and, yes, lived a long and full life. He's at peace now. Served his country in time of need and now is at rest. I miss him but have wonderful memories of him and especially of the last few years when I really got back to quilting. He would go to auctions and pick up old quilts and boxes of quilting stuff. Sometimes my mom went along and we would have fun seeing what he brought home. My brother also found lots of fun fabric stuff at estate sales, auctions and flea markets. Quilting and crafting, anything creative, kept us all "stitched together."
For a long time I have wanted to set up a blog and share some of the stories of the quilts my dad and mother bought, those I've made, and the friends I've met along the way. My son encouraged me that I could set up my own blog and so here I am. The technical side is always a challenge for me but once that is accomplished, the rest is easy. Hope you'll enjoy my posts as you read about "the legacy of stitches" that is my quilting story.
Sandi Andersen