Cool enough for the slow cooker?

Following a couple of very hot Autumn days, it seems the days are now cooling down.    I was thinking it is probably cool enough for the slow cooker to come out from it's summer hiding place.   Why is it when summer comes to an end we crave soup and casseroles?     With some chicken thighs in the freezer and still  lots of tomatoes from the garden I decided on and Italian style dinner.    I  just used the leftover vegetables, carrot, celery, zucchini, chopped tomatoes, half a glass of wine, some chicken stock, garlic, basil and oregano.   I then cooked a handful of pasta to have on the side and it was a yummy meal, with enough leftovers to put into the freezer.

I didn't mention in my last post while I was in Sydney I had the opportunity to attend the Stitches and Craft show.    While there I met a few  women from quilt shops in Melbourne, it was nice to see familiar faces and I was able to chat with them for a short time.   I also found a book that I have been wanting to buy " Japanese Taupe Colour Theory" by Yoko Saito.    The price of this book in the local shops was too expensive for me to consider buying it,  but I was very pleased to be able to purchase it at a much lower price while there.   I have looked through it with much envy, I have also viewed a You tube demonstration by Yoko Saito and am astounded by how quickly she can hand piece.   I have a small collection of  beautiful muted Japanese
fabrics, and I'm looking out for more, but this is something I will be putting away until I have finished what I am currently doing.

Here I am!

Over the past couple of weeks, there have been several times that I have sat in front of the computer ready to write another blog, to get you up to scratch with what has been happening,  but nothing has come to me, I have sat, walked away, sat and then walked away again, what to write, I just didn't know what to say.  Well,
 I am going to start with, "here I am", back from just over a month away, and as usual so much has happened and the time has flown by so quickly.   Darren had his surgery, he recovered well, although the wound took longer to heal this time round, he is feeling fine.  He is currently on two forms of chemotherapy, Procarbizine and Temozolmide which he is is taking every day for two weeks with one week off, in other words he is having a three week turn around.   He has returned to work today, something he needs to do and though he still cannot drive this is no problem because he usually uses public transport to get to work anyway.    It is just a case of take it as it comes from now on.    I have found that I have been more emotional this time around, I was thinking of speaking to a counsellor but I have to wait for an appointment and I'm not sure whether to bother now.
There has been a serious drama withing my quilting group, so much so that a large group of women have left the group and will be forming another quilt group.  This has upset me a lot and I am currently torn, but I have decided to join the newly formed group.  I still have some friends in the original group but the reason for the split is still within the old group and I do not want to be part of this.   I think this has added to my emotional state, I need the support of my friends, but I also need a calm environment.        
 Over the past couple of weeks I have been collecting fabrics to make "Mist" the pattern by Pat Wys that I purchased a few months ago.    I have enough fabric to make a start on cutting this,  but have been busy finding other things to do.       Yesterday I made a start on cleaning up what remains of my summer vegetable garden, picking the green tomatoes and what was left of the cucumbers, I have a few pumpkins on the vine that I have decided to leave and hope they will be ready before it gets too cold.    Today I made green tomato and vegetable pickles and bread and butter cucumber pickle.  In the meantime I have been embroidering block six of Butterfly Garden by Leanne Beasley, there is so much applique and embroidery in these blocks they are taking forever to finish.

Away for awhile

The blog I wrote last week on how tough it can be to raise children seems so profound this week.   Many of  you are aware through my blog, that my eldest son has cancer.     This time last year Darren  had surgery to remove a grade four Glioblastoma tumor from his brain, this is an aggressive tumor so, following the removal of this tumor he then endured six weeks of radiation therapy followed by chemotherapy.     While receiving chemotherapy all year,  there were also MRI scans every three months,  all of which were clear until this last one, which has shown  the tumor has re grown to almost the original size.    He will be having another surgery Monday of next week,   I  have decided to take some leave from my blog, I will be away, and I'm not sure how long.    I hope you will join me again when I am able to return.      Being a parent can be so hard, but I wouldn't have it any other way, as I have said,   I have five amazing children, as a whole we are an amazing family who will stick together through whatever life has to throw at us.   We will all be together to help him during this fight, one that my amazing, talented, caring and loving son, husband and father of two small boys now has to endure.

The toughest job

I think the toughest job on this earth is raising children, anyone can be a parent but to raise healthy, caring,  respectful and loving children you have to put in the hard yards.  I have five adult children who I raised almost single handed, it has been hard work.  On many occasions I have doubted the decisions I have made, as a matter of  fact if I could go back in time, there are certainly a few that I would change, but overall I am sure I have raised wonderful adults.  Being a mother is hard work physically and emotionally and I wish there was a way for young girls to know this before they decided they wanted to become a mum.    While I have watched each one of my kids have difficult times in their lives, on the most part I have stood back to let them work through their problem,  while also telling each of them I am here if you need me.  I have been the shoulder to cry on many times, the ear to listen to their problems and the arms to hug each of them when needed.     On the other hand,  I have received flowers and notes of gratitude and thanks from each of them after these occasions.  When unwell recently my youngest made some chicken soup for me with the comment that I always make soup for her when she is sick.     I received a postcard in the mail this week which had me in tears, my eldest daughter has had a traumatic time over the past two years. Her relationship with Deacon's father broke down and they parted ways, it has been hard for her, working through all this while working full time outside the house and raising Deacon.  We always want the best for our children and it has made me sad to see her go through this, I have supported her when I can, but have not interfered with any decisions she has made.  This is why this little postcard has made me cry.

Quilts for guys

I am always on the look out for patterns of quilts that I can make for the guys in my family.    A couple of months ago I came across this book on Martingale and realised it was perfect for what I wanted.    I ordered the book,  but,  the wait for this to arrive seemed endless, everything from overseas seems to take forever, but, of course it adds to the excitement when it does finally arrive.    I am really pleased with this book, out of the twelve quilts in the book it gives me at least five patterns that I can use for the guys in my life.     The name of the book "Knockout Neutrals" by Pat Wys.    I have seen the quilt on the cover, "Road Trip" made up, and this looks amazing,  the one I have fallen in love is called Mist, this quilt consists of mainly blacks, greys and white neutrals and I love it.     I'm sure my guys will as well, they are Collingwood AFL football supporters and this quilt and another named "Day and Night" will suit all of them.
I have just been  to my local quilt shop to spend the voucher I received  from the challenge before Christmas, they have cotton batting on sale, which is great because I have only spent fifteen dollars over what the voucher was worth.    Happy days.....I love it when I can save some money.     I will be collecting black and white fabrics this year and hope to make a start  on this later in the year.   How much quilting have I done over the last week, well, not much at all.      The motivation bug has left the building, I wish it would come back, I am blaming this very hot summer we are having, that is my excuse and I am sticking to it.

Mmm, Seafood Marinara pasta

Today while out shopping with the son who does everything,  we both decided to have seafood for dinner tonight.    He has made garlic calamari and prawns on rice for his family and I decided on seafood marinara mix with a tomatoe sauce on wholemeal pasta.    Mmmm, this is so yummy, although I could have halved the amount of garlic in this recipe I  really enjoyed  it.       The marinara mix has a bit of everything, prawns, mussels, calamari, white fish and salmon,   I made enough for two meals, lets hope I can leave it for tomorrow.
I've done very little quilting or embroidery since my last post, it has been far too hot here. Saturday and Sunday were horror days, wild hot North winds, I'm always nervous on these days because, of course, this usually means bush fires.     Our emergency crews, Country Fire Authority and State Emergency Services deserve medals for what they were faced with over the weekend.     The conditions were as bad as those on Black Saturday, although thanks to their work no lives have been lost this time.

Marina Sauce for two:
200-250 gms mixed seafood
1/2 brown onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic,
Can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup of dry white wine  ( if you don't have wine use fish or chicken stock)
1 cup of stock (If using chicken stock add 1tbl fish sauce)
1 tbl lemon rind finely grated, plus 1 tbl of juice
1tbl parsley
1tbl basil  (optional)
1tbl tomato paste
Lightly fry onion and garlic, add white wine and cook till evaporating.(if you are using wine) Then add tomatoes,  stock, fish sauce, lemon rind, juice,  parsley,  basil and tomato paste.   Simmer for 5 minutes till it thickens a little,  then add the seafood being careful not to overcook,  simmer for a few minutes.    Ladle over pasta, in my case wholemeal pasta, top with parsley.  Yummy

Wrapping some gifts

I am well and truly over this summer, the heat seems never ending, another really hot weekend coming up with forty plus forcaste again.     The son who does everything believes it is because they do not have air-conditioning in this new house, something they will not be able to install until later this year, needless to say     there are some grumpy people at their house this summer.      I have found a wonderful cafe in the new shopping centre that does amazing breakfasts, I asked my eldest daughter to meet me there for breakfast this morning after she dropped Deacon at Kindergarten.   I ordered poached egg and mushrooms with sour dough toast and coffee, it was yummy and was a great way to start the day.    My daughter then left to collect Deacon from Kinder, because it is his first week he is only there for a couple of hours at a time,  he has been so excited to start and has told my daughter he has made a new friend.        I have come home to wrap some gifts for my quilt group,  every year we have a fabric club for birthdays, either a fat quarter or a twenty five centimetre piece of fabric, usually a colour of their choosing.   I decided to buy the fabric for everyone on my list, wrap them and have them ready when I need to take one.  Seems I am so organised, at least with this anyway.  I am going to sit and watch Miss Marple and do some sewing in the cool of the air-conditioner, heaven knows what my power bill is going to be when it comes in..