Grab Your Camera

 Montezuma Wildlife Refuge

This fine morning, my dear friend Tracy and I hopped 

into the car for a photo-shoot road-trip primarily to see 

gaggles upon gaggles of geese before they leave us for the winter.

 Photographer and writer extraordinaire, 

Tracy has an entertaining and visually stimulating 

blog she calls My Retiring Life.   

Once her post is up, I hope you'll enjoy 

experiencing the refuge through her eyes. 

You'll be glad you did.

Until then, here are a few of my photos:

 Sun dried curls.

 Dancing light.

 Shimmering seeds take flight.

And not one goose.

(Saving them all for Tracy's blog!)

A sparkling day in the wind and sun,

among rustling grasses, rippling water 

and even a soaring falcon. 

Here's to the power of girl friends & road trips.

Open Studio Sunday

 Oh, the joy of one extra hour!

Thanks to that hour, today is shaping up to be 

a productive day spinning, baking and finishing 

a couple of sewing and knitting projects.

 Another great bag is finished, and  

here's a warm congratulations to 

the bag's designer herself, Rebeka Lambert

and her new baby girl, Cecilia!

 After several previously auditioned options, 

it turns out that a hand made button worked best.

This fabric reminds me of a quiet winter day.

 Three cheers for mug mats, tea pot mats, 

and French press mats!

Call them what you want, 

make them any size you want,

I love them all. 

Who wouldn't want to rest a mug 

on one of these?!

These and more will soon be in my Etsy shop!

 This "Nicole" jacket, designed by Jane Ellison 

(Queensland Collection), 

has patiently waited 2 years to be seamed. 

Yes, I am embarrassed about that, 

but it's done, it's cozy and it's all mine. 

Stanley used the extra hour wisely, too.

Soul Satisfied

To avoid pauses in the above video, 

go directly to YouTube here: Mumford & Sons

Album: Sigh No More

Song: Awake My Soul

Need more soul-full goodness? 

Here's a tasty soup that will warm you from the inside: 

T's Cuban Black Bean Soup

Dice 1/2 yellow onion

Slice a carrot

Mince 2 cloves garlic

Saute in 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 6-7 minutes, medium heat.

Add 1 teaspoon cinnamon (OR 1 teaspoon cumin)

Add 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder

Cook for 1 minute, stirring often being careful not to burn.

Add 1-15 oz can rinsed black beans

Add 1-15 oz can diced tomatoes

Add 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook for 30 minutes.

You can use an immersion blender before serving, or not.

Either way you have a heart-warming, soul-satisfying soup.

Serve with sour cream & grated cheddar cheese. 

What satisfies your soul?

Open Studio Sunday

Satisfying, hearty, delicious.

 If you love pumpkin pie and oatmeal, 

you have to try this easy recipe!

May your kitchen smell amazing and your belly be full.

 That hearty breakfast was essential 

for tackling this pile.

Taking a break from bags & quilts, I gave myself 

permission to cut loose today and make mug mats. 

Are you in on the craze?! 

I've wanted to make them for months, and today was the day. 

Facing that pile of scraps was a little daunting,

but I eventually found my groove and was cranking out 

mug mats as only a sewer and mug lover could.

  Rebecca Ringquist's printed butterfly looks great next to

a piece of cotton that I dyed using the snow melt process.

Rebecca's printed fabrics are lighthearted and unique,

making them great fun to mix and match.

Unlimited potential, I tell ya! 

 I don't think I've posted pictures of my work table 

mid stream, but this is fairly tame. Those scraps  

grew to a full-fledged mound by dinner time. 

My favorites from today's session

(and they're not even finished yet!) 

Count me in on the mug mat craze because 

these are fun, addicting and useful.

Mug mats will soon be for sale in my shop 

just in time for holiday giving! College students, 

co-workers, hostess gifts, best friends...

who wouldn't love such a thoughtful gift?

A Little Seedy

 Arriving at the tail end of this year's gardening cycle,

 I've just gone out and collected all kinds of seeds.
I bring out a stack of small brown paper bags and simply
fill each with seed heads. One kind of seed per bag.
I let the seed heads dry in the bags
before shaking them for easy release.
Then I pour the seeds into pre-made, 
pre-labeled paper envelopes and line them up in 
an airtight container placed in the pantry for the winter. 

 Drying seeds holds the promise 

of exciting color & texture for next year.
Enduring long winters, this kind of promise 
goes a long way.

  

While I've collected plenty of seeds for flowering plants,  

here's my favorite source for veggie seeds & supplies:

Johnny's

Do you collect seeds, too?

Open Studio Sunday

Each October, I hope for a perfectly warm day 

to hunt through the local pumpkin patch, 

drink hot cider and savor homemade donuts 

before heading home to carve a scary face 
and roast pumpkin seeds.

 

This year, today is that perfectly warm day, 

so I'm taking you with me to a local farm, Reeds Seeds.

While they don't have hot cider and fresh donuts, 

they do have lots of charm,

richly hued corn, 

and white pumpkins!

On the way home, we're stopping to capture a final 

moment of Fall splendor. Can you believe snow is 

due to arrive in Upstate New York in just a few days?

Safe at home, this beauty basks in

the final hours of daylight.

My favorite girl just sent me the yummiest looking recipe!

Let's try this together:

pumpkin pie oatmeal

If you carved pumpkins, I'd love to see your faces,

scary or silly!

Cozy Cake

Good bye boring coffee cake.

Hello heavenly Spiced Sour Cream Coffee Cake!

Today is blustery, dark, damp and cold.

That's about right for this time of year in Upstate NY. 

So, after a morning of last minute (literally) garden 

clean-up, I came indoors, fired up the oven and

baked this cozy, comforting coffee cake. 

Not only does my house smell great,

but the cake was easy to put together, and 

I can't wait to share it with my nephews!

Give yourself a treat and check out 

Abby Dodge's "Baketogethers" on her blog.

A few months ago, she came up with this neat way 

to bake together even though we're all miles apart. 

You can join in!

Her wisdom alone is worth the read, but baking 

her personal recipes and reading how other bakers 

change things up are just as rewarding. 

Fire up your oven.