There's a prize involved?

I have that don't use it up, because then I won't have it mentality with the added bonus of , if I throw it away I'll need it, seasoning. What a curse! Sears never had as much inventory as I do!
I hoard everything, kidding myself into thinking I am thinning things down. I am a great rationalizer. I tell myself, "I may need the kids' old bobby socks to make snow babies someday." (In reality, I don't even like snowmen made out of socks... never have....)
I just read an article on how to minimize your sewing clutter by using up what you have & then refraining from stockpiling. The author is either a start-one-project-then-finish-it-before-even-thinking-about-another kind of gal, a vacuum while wearing grandmother's pearls girl, a person who does not form attachments easily, or a fake-sewer.... you know, a woman who says she sews, but in truth, only made a set of throw pillows for a flowered couch 2 years ago & then put the scraps in her yearly garage sale. (I don't dislike any of these types of women, but I just don't let them in my house to see stashes sticking out of every nook & cranny!) Yes, if you want to eat at my house, you must have at least 3 bulging closets to qualify.
You might think with all of this surplus, I would never cross the threshold of another retail shop for the next 10 years. Apparently, that is not the case, because I am drawn to quilt shops with an animal magnetism! Will this vicious circle never end?
If it was really as simple as start project... finish project.... plan project.... buy only what is needed... start project... finish project... you can see where this in going. I would have no clutter issue in the first place to resolve. I have always heard that the one who dies with the most fabric wins... wins what? If it's not more then count me out!

Dorothy was right on track when she said, "There's no place like home." I must add to this that there is nothing like a 3000-mile road trip to make you appreciate your space. Just as I felt a desperate need to get away from home, I felt a greater tug to get back. I missed you friends in cyberspace!
So here I am to "blah, blah, blah" once again.Always remember that listening is optional. HAaaaaaaaaaa!
My poor girls have always had to listen to The World According to Mom show. Though they have learned to tune me down over the years, they could never quite tune me out. I managed to somewhat brainwash them with my opinions much like dust seeps through a cracked window. They never saw it coming.... one day, they woke up & swoosh, they were me.... well not quite, but........................ I can sometimes hear myself as they talk..................... not all the time, but my insights are definitely in their brains & pop out on occasion! (They just cannot keep my wisdom contained though they try & try....lol!)

Anyway, here's hoping that as I compute my thoughts to you once again, that you can be convinced to have more fun, eat dessert first, & live life always on the sunny side.

Country Cooking Recipe

Last Friday, I cooked 18 quarts of chili for my younger daughter's Christian Legal Society at the University of Tulsa. The Law School hosted its annual chili competition. The Tulsa law firms & campus organizations enter as contestants. There were 31 entries this year. We didn't win, but our chili was great!

CLS Chili (Small Batch)

2 lbs. ground chuck, salt as desired

1 onion, 1 small can jalapeño peppers

2 Tbls. chili powder, 2 Tbls. cumin

tomato sauce & water for desired consistency

The theme for the booth was The Ten Condiments of Chili!

Watermelon YoYos

These are fun to stitch!
Use red & green fabric. These were made with the Clover Extra-large & Large-size Circle YoYo Makers. Tack a red-large yoyo on top of a green extra-large yoyo. Add black seed beads for the perfect touch. Use these to embellish totes, shirts, canvas shoes or whatever.

YoYo Makers by Clover can be purchased at quilt shops, fabric stores or various sewing supply stores online... https://www.shopatron.com/index/181.0.4815.22025.0.0.0

Orphan Placemat Project

What a great make-up bag!

Keep your eyes open for orphan placemats on $ale for little of nothing... plastic placemats work well as water resistant bags... cloth placemats can be quite elegant.

If you would like to embellish or embroider this project, do that before step 1.

1. Fold the placemat in half & apply a zipper, joining the 2 short ends together. (If you have never used a zipper to join pieces together in a straight-line opening, you will find this to be a piece of cake!)
2. Open the zipper & turn the bag-to-be, inside-out.

3. Sew each end to the bag closed, catching the zipper ends neatly.

4. Miter the corners to give your bag a definite bottom or do not miter the corners to leave the bag flat. (Miter means to flatten each bottom corner & sew the corners off straight leaving the appearance of 2 triangles inside the bag.)

5. Now, turn the bag outside-in, & the project is finished.

These make super gifts!

Writers' Block

I have found myself at a loss for words.....probably that feared Writers' Block that plaques all opinionated people at one time or another. I dare not ask dh for help as he would never let me hear the end of it. No doubt he would mark this auspicious day on his calendar... I get mad even thinking about it.
It is definitely time for a break ... so with that, I will turn tail on April 8, grab my new swimsuit & head for Arizona... please, please revisit my blog after April 18th for much-stuff-needed-to-know topics & lots of laughs.

The Real Recipe

The Chemist's Recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies

The following recipie for chocolate chip cookies appeared in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN, Jun 19, 1995, p. 100). It was attributed to Jeannene Ackerman of Witco Corp.
Ingredients:
532.35 cm3 gluten
4.9 cm3 NaHCO3
4.9 cm3 refined halite
236.6 cm3 partially hydrogenated tallow triglyceride
177.45 cm3 crystalline C12H22O11
177.45 cm3 unrefined C12H22O11
4.9 cm3 methyl ether of protocatechuic aldehyde
Two calcium carbonate-encapsulated avian albumen-coated protein
473.2 cm3 theobroma cacao
236.6 cm3 de-encapsulated legume meats (sieve size #10) To a 2-L jacketed round reactor vessel (reactor #1) with an overall heat-transfer coefficient of about 100 Btu/F-ft2-hr add one, two, and three with constant agitation.
In a second 2-L reactor vessel with a radial flow impeller operating at 100 rpm add four, five, six, and seven until the mixture is homogeneous.
To reactor #2 add eight followed by three equal portions of the homogeneous mixture in reactor #1. Additionally, add nine and ten slowly with constant agitation. Care must be taken at this point in the reaction to control any temperature rise that may be the result of an exothermic reaction.
Using a screw extrude attached to a #4 nodulizer place the mixture piece-meal on a 316SS sheet (300 x 600 mm). Heat in a 460K oven for a period of time that is in agreement with Frank & Johnston's first order rate expression (see JACOS, 21, 55), or until golden brown.
Once the reaction is complete, place the sheet on a 25 deg. C heat-transfer table allowing the product to come to equilibrium.

Spring into Machine Embroidery

Machine embroidery & spring work together well. There are so many great flower designs that can be put on dish towels to brighten up the kitchen. These make inexpensive gifts & party favors as well. The simplest item can become an inspiring treasure!