NationalDayOf

Stickers and/or Labels

It’s National Sticker Day. I immediately pictured my four-year old grand-daughter with a booklet of pretty stickers from the movie Frozen, peeling one off a page to place in the appointed spot on another page. I also thought of my grandson when he was about five, coming in the house and showing me his “tattoo”, not permanent, made with a purple sticker his Mom had put in water for a second or two.

When I read the history of sticker day, it was originated to recognize the use of any label, price tag, or information tag that was stuck on with glue. Now that takes us to a whole new vision. You know, that coffee mug you buy for a friend that has a tag glued on that says “made in China”. It’s interesting where something is made, but they should use a glue you can get off without using lighter fluid, or these days, Goo Gone! I was dusting yesterday and found glue residue on some of my bird figurines. I left it there.

We know only two other couples owned the house we live in before we bought it. According to the neighbor no children ever lived in it, yet, one of the bedroom doors has noticeable sticker shaped residue marks; big rectangles, bumper sticker size. There’s another thought. If you had a bumper sticker on your car, what would it say? Mine would announce to everyone that my car stops at all quilt shops.

So think a little about stickers today. Where does your visionary trip go? Maybe to the pharmacy for your own individual label on your medication, maybe to the meat market for the weight and cost of a roast, or back to your childhood days when we could peel and stick paper doll outfits on cardboard so they wouldn’t get ruined quickly.

So many different types of labels and stickers. One could make a list a mile long of all the different types. You know those stick on address labels we all get for donating money to certain organizations, meant for snail mail that isn’t used much anymore; my sister carries them with her to put on raffle tickets she buys. Gotta use them for something!

01/13/2017 1

Splashing is Fun

The National Day of Calendar doesn’t explain when Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day was started, by whom, or what for, but admit it, if you see a child splashing in a puddle it makes you smile. There is something fun and freeing when you see or do it.

Way back when, my best girl chum was a classmate named Barb. We must have been seven or eight. She would come home on the school bus with me on occasion. Our favorite pastime was making “secret” mud holes in the defunct garden, so it must have been late October when we did it. Our goal was to have one of my older sisters step in it. I don’t remember that ever happening. One time we didn’t mark the booby trap and Barb stepped in it with her school sneakers on. My mother was not very happy with us and did her best to clean the sneaks. I am still laughing that it was one of us that stepped in the mud.

I picked my grandson up from school yesterday. There was sloppy snow near the exit door of the school. I can’t tell you how many fifth grade boys had to stomp in that slop. They looked at the student next to them to see if they had splashed them, then laughed if they were successful. I smiled inwardly.

When I first started dating my husband we were at a summer picnic. The weather was as warm as could be but it was pouring. We decided we might as well dance in the rain. Our friends thought we were acting like children. Oh well. It’s a great memory and we had fun doing it.

I’m sure most of you have seen the video of the toddler “walking” the dog. The one where the dog is standing there, the leash lies on the ground, and the child is stomping in puddles. It’s a good thing some parts of us never grow old no matter how many birthdays we celebrate.

It’s supposed to rain today in my neck of the woods in New York state. I’m glad there will be some puddles to splash in.

01/11/2017 0

OMG! I Need Chocolate

I’m celebrating National Bittersweet Chocolate Day by telling you about my day yesterday. It started when I went out to fill the bird feeder. Sometimes, you have to admit your own foibles and laugh at yourself, just to carry on. Without really thinking ahead, I got my little bucket of seed, carefully stepped outside the sliding glass door onto the step, then onto the snow-covered ground, in flat soled moccasins…..of course I slipped and fell. My right butt cheek hit the corner of the step and lets just say it’s a bit sore this morning. I’m certainly glad there was no camera around. The squirrels and birds thought a patio size dinner table was quite the treat, nothing went to waste but my dignity.

I then went to my sewing studio and played with my new free-motion quilting machine, fabric, and organization. I was satisfied with the outcome, especially how nicely the machine works.

Monday afternoons I have the privilege of picking my grandson up from school and taking him to his private Karate lesson. It’s amazing how much he improves on a weekly basis. If we have time to kill between school and class we often stop at the local quilt shop, his choice over getting hot chocolate. (An empty stomach for class is a good thing.) He has a grand eye for color and helps with my selections. The street he lives on is one of those city streets that doesn’t get a lot of visits from the snow plow. By the time I got back on the expressway to come home, the underside of my car was snow-covered. It was 23 degrees and nothing was melting. When I got to my exit ramp, for whatever reason, everyone in front of me stopped….I hit the brakes, but they locked. They was no screeching of tires, swearing, or swerving; it was more like a big box sliding across the flat kitchen floor! I hit the back of the car in front of me with a big thump. Oh Crap! Long story short, there was no visible damage on either of our cars, we exchanged insurance card photos just in case and went on our way. I considered not even mentioning it to my hubby, but just in case the phone rings, I decided if I whined about what a bad day I had, I might get sympathy instead of disgust. It worked great!

So this morning I sit telling you of my immense need for chocolate yesterday to calm my nerves while trying not to put pressure on my right butt cheek. It hurts! Now it is snowing again, and we are supposed to get freezing rain about noon. I’m staying in the house! I wonder if there is any chocolate left in the cupboard.

01/10/2017 1

A CleanBeginning

It’s National Clean Off Your Desk Day. The calendar says it is so you can start the new year with a clean slate and a sense of serenity. Huh? I’m one of those messy desk people that if I clean everything off and put it away, I can’t find the safe place I put everything. I’m also one that doesn’t remember what I have if I can’t see it. And, I’ve read that a messy desk is a sing of a higher IQ. (I like that concept. I’ll hold on to that one!)

My sewing room tends to be really messy too. The scraps of the last two quilting projects will be pushed to one side, so I can get on with the next. Why clean when you can be creating. My husband surprised me the day after Christmas by taking me shopping at a long established sewing machine store. We came home with a desk-style, 20 inch bed, free motion quilting machine.

Only one problem; I had to clean my studio in order for it to have a permanent home. Guess what. I love my clean space. I am looking forward to having my sewing buddies over to see my new toy. And yes; I have that feeling of serenity the calendar post for today mentioned.

I guess I have to admit and old lady can learn new tricks. Now my sewing studio has been cleaned, maybe I’ll attack my desk, it’s much smaller and wouldn’t take so long. But then would I be able to find my list of ideas that I plan to share with you. On second thought, I’ll go play with fabric, and leave the desk for another day. Fabric is my first love and I’m itching to try my new machine.

01/09/2017 6

Pastry; Which is Your Favorite?

There are many different types of pastry, most of which would fall into one of the following categories:

Shortcrust pastry – simplest and most common.
Sweetcrust pastry – similar to the shortcrust but sweeter.
Flaky pastry – simple pastry that expands when cooked.
Puff pastry – has many layers that cause it to puff when baked.
Choux pastry – very light pastry that is often filled with cream or other fillings.
Phyllo pastry – paper-thin pastry dough that is used in many layers.

I didn’t know there were so many types of pastry so I included the above from the National Day of Calendar.

I think we all know the first two types of pastry are your typical pie shell pastries. When making a pie, once you put the crust in the pan, trim the edges even. Those trimmings can be rolled flat, slathered with room temperature butter, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon and baked all by themselves. A nice treat when you have to wait for the pie until after dinner.

Flaky pastry would be a biscuit or croissant. You can actually peel away layers. While the biscuit is still warm, carefully separate the layers, butter and consume with a satisfied sigh. Yum.

Puff pastry is used to make turnovers, among other things. You can actually see the layers of dough when you cut into it. Cherry turnovers are my favorite.

Choux pastry is used when making an éclair, or cream puff. Don’t forget the chocolate frosting. My mouth is now watering…..

Phyllo pastry is used when making Baklava or appetizers such as fresh creamed mushrooms. Years ago I had an older lady friend that taught me how to make Baklava. The secret to working with the Phyllo and not having it tear, is to thaw it slowly. I miss my friend Leta, and being able to eat Baklava without worrying about calories.

If you aren’t the baking type I’m sure you have a favorite place to go to get your pastry fix. Remember, the fresher it is, the better it will be!

12/09/2016 6

Brownies To Go

Brownies were created when there was a request for a desert for a group of ladies that would be attending a fair in the late 1800s. They wanted a small cake-like dessert that could be eaten from a boxed lunch. A Chicago chef, working at the Palmer House Hotel, created the first brownie for the ladies, which featured an apricot glaze and walnuts. The Palmer House Hotel still serves their original recipe for brownies on their menu.

Which are your favorite brownies: blondies, with no chocolate or the normal chocolate? When I was a kid, my older sister started making congo squares. They were blond brownies with both chocolate and butterscotch chips in them, plus walnuts. A pan of these could disappear in a couple of days when all four of us girls were still home. They were best when still warm and the chips gooey.

Brownies are one desert I buy a package mix for. Betty Crocker makes them just as good as any recipe I have ever tried and with no mess. Currently, they are one of the go-to gluten-free deserts that taste so close to regular you can’t tell the difference.

I think brownies became really popular among college students in the ’60’s when they were laced with a certain weed. I can honestly say I have never had one of those kind. I don’t think I missed anything. I’ve also heard of adding ex-lax to them when angry at a particular person. Thankfully I’ve never had the honor of eating any of them either. I guess I’ve been lucky.

In the baking aisle of any complete grocery store you can get a good brownie mix and multiple flavors of chips. If you add chocolate mint chips they would fit right in with the rest of your holiday treats.

12/08/2016 1

Sue Spitulnik

Writing, Sewing, Travel, and Thoughts

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