Summer Sandwiches

I made these great sandwiches a few weeks ago. They were simple and tasty, perfect for a hot summer day. I got the idea from looking through a cookbook by Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa but I made a few changes.

Roasted Pepper and Goat Cheese Sandwiches

3-4 Roasted peppers

vinaigrette dressing

goat cheese

chopped red onion

basil leaves

party rye bread or baguette

Roast the peppers in a hot oven (500 degrees) for about 30-40 minutes. You can also use a jar of roasted peppers. Whip up your favorite vinaigrette or use a good bottled dressing like Newman's Own and marinate the peppers for a few hours. Spread the goat cheese on the bread, top with peppers, red onion and basil.

These were especially good with a nice glass of dry, fruity white wine like a sauvignon blanc or pinto grigio (my favorite wines) Enjoy!

Nest

This weeks Every Inchie Monday theme is nest. That feels like such a perfect word for me today because over the weekend I attended my 35th high school class reunion which meant I was social for about 72 hours straight. Although I've had a great deal of fun I am truly ready for some nesting. So here is my quiet little nest as well as a photo of the folks I had a lot of fun with this weekend!

Love and Rememberance

I haven't been here to write for awhile and it seems that Every Inchie Monday's theme of love is a good place to begin again. Here is my little heart that goes out to all of you.

As many of you know my mom has not been well and sadly she passed away peacefully on June 29th. It is a very sad time yet we know she no longer has to contend with her diminished body and mind. I wrote a funny memory about my mom which I would like to share with you.

As I've reflected on my mom's life these last few days what keeps appearing is how much fun my mom liked to have. She was such a good person to play jokes on that it happened a lot.

Quite a few years ago my dad's family would hold gatherings in Las Vegas. They came from many corners of the country to see each other, laugh, play cards, gamble and the women would shop for matching polyester pantsuits.

One time they stayed at a hotel with particularly nice towels and my mom slipped a few in her suitcase and brought them home. A few days after they arrived back home the phone rang. A man on the other end of the line identified himself as the manager of the hotel. He asked if they had stayed in a certain room and my mom said yes. He then said the television was missing in that room and he thought she had stolen it.

My mom yelled into the phone "I might have taken a few towels but I didn't steal your TV!"

At the other end of the phone my Great Uncle Bob roared with laughter!

I shared this at the funeral and although I wasn't planning on sharing anything this story came to me that morning and it was as if my mom was saying, "Go on, write it. I want to make them laugh one more time."

Give Away Winners

I'm guessing you all thought I'd flown the coop, but no I am still here but had to take a bit of an absence last week. My mom continues to need more care and so we had to admit her to a nursing home. It was a sad day but we are all trying to adjust in our own ways.

But onto more fun things! Denise was the winner of the giveaway! The kit to make Anya will be winging it's way to her soon. Congratulations Denise!

Sew Mama Sew Give Away Day!

Bettina

Today is Sew Mama Sew's Give Away Day and I am participating. I will be giving away a pattern and kit for one of my matryoshka dolls. There are three to choose from and you get to decide which one you prefer! The kit includes the pattern, instructions, felt and embroidery floss, enough to complete one doll.
To enter, leave a comment after this post (if you would like to follow me I will enter your name twice!) and let me know which kit you would like. Also leave a way for me to contact you if you are the lucky winner. You must enter anytime between now and midnight central time Wednesday May 25th. The winner will be chosen randomly. To see more blogs participating go to Sew Mama Sew. Good luck and have fun!




Anya (above) Sasha (below)

Easy Embroidery Sampler

This is my first post on my new computer. Everything faster and the screen is shinier...much more fun!

I've been working on a design to use when teaching a beginning embroidery class and this is what I have come up with. The stitches are easy...stem stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch and french knots. I tested it out and really like the colors but would also like to try a set of colors that are either much brighter or in a green and blue palette. Right now folks are getting geared up for summer plans so that gives me time to test out some other colorways before teaching. I think this design would make a nice little pillow, gift bag or even a pocket on an apron.

Don't forget to come back on May 23 because I will be participating in Sew Mama Sew's spring Give Away Day! Remember those Matryoshka dolls from a few posts ago......

Pink and Fancy

This weeks Every Inchie Monday theme is fancy. Now, you might be wondering why I did an inchie with two dogs on it. Well, when we got our dog as a puppy she was really energetic and wanted to constantly play. On a walk we met one of our neighbors who understood how warn out we were. She invited Tia, our puppy, to come and play with her dog Fancy. That began a great friendship between the two and when we even said Fancy's name, Tia became excited. The beads are on the inchie because Fancy's mom gave Tia a collar with rhinestones to match one Fancy had. These two dogs were so far from being frou-frou that the collars were a joke. Unfortunately we have moved away from Fancy but if for some reason we have to say that word in front of Tia we say f-a-n-c-y so she doesn't get excited and think her friend is back to play. Here is a picture of the real Fancy (white) and Tia (black).

If you read my previous post you know why I missed last Monday's inchie. The theme was pink and here is my version. Not only are the materials pink but I used my pinking scissors to "pink" the edges! To see more inchies go to Every Inchie Monday!