Halloween-a-Go-Go

October begins tomorrow! I can’t believe how fast September has flown. I’ve heard people say, “The days were long, and the month was short” before, but never quite knew what they meant until now. Tomorrow I’ll begin decorating the house for Halloween. I have a little stuffed witch who watches over the music studio from the tea table. There’s a mechanical spider who drops from the chandelier when it hears a loud noise. (The spider and the dog both set each other off. It’s hilarious.) I’ll drape this quilt over the sofa or the upstairs railing. I’ll hang my Pumpkin Blossom quilt (https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2014/09/pumpkin-blossom-quilt.html) on the wall behind my piano. I may coerce my son to build an upside-down scarecrow (we call it Legs on the Lawn) in the front yard. I’d do it myself, of course, but I only have one good arm. That excuse will probably be good for another month or two.

Amy's Turning Twenty

Here’s another spicy chicken soup, tailor made for nasty weather and nastier headcolds. It has fewer than ten carbs per serving, if that matters to you. If it doesn’t, serve it with tortilla chips, hot buttered biscuits or corn bread.

Enchilada Soup

3 stalks celery, diced

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced tomatoes

2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

4 cups chicken broth

8 ounces cream cheese

1 pound chicken breast, cooked and shredded

Juice from 1 lime

Gently saute celery, peppers, and garlic in oil. Add tomatoes, broth and spices. Simmer about half an hour. Stir in cream cheese until melted, then add chicken and lime juice. Serve piping hot. Makes about four servings.

Four Hourglass Blocks

“I just saw these jeans at Nordstrom for some $400 with fake mud on them. That doesn’t make sense to people who’ve actually worked in the dirt. Look – I wear jeans. I like jeans. Some of my jeans actually have holes in them. Those holes happened as a result of wearing the jeans and doing some work. It’s like a scar. You get a scar, you get a story. There’s this sort of parallel between an overpriced pair of fake muddy jeans with an overpriced diploma from an institution that was happy to take borrowed money but not so happy to give you skills that would make you hirable. As much fun as it would be to go back in time with a pair of $400 fake muddy jeans from Nordstrom and show them to the guys on Dirty Jobs, I realize it would be a terrible thing to do because their heads would explode.” – Mike Rowe

Autograph Wedding Quilt

Choose to love each other even in those moments when you struggle to like each other. Love is a commitment, not a feeling.

Make time together a priority. Budget for a consistent date night. Time is the currency of relationships.

Don’t put your marriage on hold while you’re raising your kids or you’ll end up with an empty nest and an empty marriage.

When you’ve made a mistake, admit it and humbly seek forgiveness. You should be quick to say, “I’m sorry.”

Pray together. Every marriage is stronger with God in the middle of it.

Marriage isn’t 50-50, divorce is 50-50. Marriage has to be 100-100. It’s not splitting everything in half, but both partners giving everything they’ve got.

Model the kind of marriage that will make your sons want to grow up to be good husbands and your daughters want to grow up to be good wives. – Dave Willis, author of The Seven Laws of Love

Hourglass Block

If I feel a little low, all I need to do is reread Marjorie Pay Hinckley quotes: “The trick is to enjoy life. Don't wish away your days, waiting for better ones ahead.”

“Thank you is a wonderful phrase. Use it. It will add stature to your soul.”

“No bit of knowledge goes wasted. Everything you are learning now is preparing you for something else.”

“Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

“Each of us can ask ourselves each morning. 'What can I do to make life happier for someone today?’”

“Choose carefully each day that which you will do and that which you will not do, and the Lord will bless you to accomplish the important things that have eternal consequences.”

And my personal favorite: “The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.”

Four Squares Within Squares

“From the family proclamation we learn, ‘In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father.’ In that realm, we learned about our eternal female identity. We knew that we were each a beloved daughter of heavenly parents. Our mortal journey to earth did not change those truths. We each belong to and are needed in the family of God. Earthly families all look different. And while we do the best we can to create strong traditional families, membership in the family of God is not contingent upon any kind of status—marital status, parental status, financial status, social status, or even the kind of status we post on social media. We belong. We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.” - Carole M. Stephens

DeAnn's Bento Box

The cooler autumn weather has me thinking of soup. This one is my favorite, especially when I’m dealing with autumn headcolds, allergies or flu:

Tom Ka Gai

3/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken meat

3 tablespoons vegetable oil  

2 14-ounce cans coconut milk

2 cups water

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

4 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Cut chicken into thin strips and saute in oil for to 2 to 3 minutes until the chicken turns white. In a stockpot, bring coconut milk and water to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, cayenne powder and turmeric. Simmer until the chicken is done, about 10 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and cilantro (if desired) and serve hot. Makes about six servings.

Squares Within Squares

It’s been three weeks since my accident. Here’s what I’ve learned so far as a (temporarily) one-armed woman. Some foods are easy to eat single-handed, like soups or salads. Others are hilariously difficult, like big sloppy sandwiches, beef steak and buttered ears of corn. I’m craving spaghetti, but don’t know how to get it to my mouth without a spoon and fork. Loading and unloading the washer and dryer is a breeze with one hand. Folding clothes, not so much. With a little effort and patience, I can shampoo my hair, brush my teeth and pull on pajamas. I’m completely inept at styling hair, flossing teeth or managing anything with zippers, laces, buttons, hooks or Spandex – basically my whole wardrobe excluding sleepwear. I laugh when I remember how many times I’ve wished I could spend my days in PJ’s. There’s a moral here, of course: be careful what you wish for.

Little Red School Houses

I used to serve this for breakfast once or twice a month when my kids were little. I introduced it to my grandkids last Sunday. Maybe I should have saved it for tomorrow: the first day of autumn.

German Puffed Apple Pancakes

4 tablespoons butter

4 eggs, lightly beaten

 1 cup flour

 1 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 21-ounce can apple pie filling

Whipped cream 

Heat oven to 400F. Divide butter between two 9” pie plates. Stick pie plates in oven to melt butter. Whisk together eggs, flour, milk and salt just until combined. (If you overbeat, the pancakes won’t rise well.) Remove pie plates from oven; swirl to coat with melted butter. Pour half the batter into each pie plate; return to oven. Bake half an hour, until fluffy and golden brown. Top with pie filling and whipped cream; serve immediately. Makes 8 servings. Also delicious with blueberry or cherry fillings, or with fresh fruit. 

Winter Wonderland

I hired a plumber to help restore an old farmhouse. It was a rough first day on the job: his drill quit and his truck refused to start. I drove him home and he invited me in to meet his family. On the way to the front door, he paused and touched a small tree. After introducing me to his wife and kids he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier. “That's my trouble tree. I can't help having troubles on the job, but those troubles don't belong in the house with my family. I hang them on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. In the morning I pick them up again. Funny thing is, there are never as many as I hung up the night before.” – Source Unknown

Catalina Log Cabin Top

When Sharon Eubank was called to the Relief Society General Presidency, she was overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy. How could she do her job, care for her family, and fill this new calling? She was already REALLY tired. She found her answer in notes she’d scribbled as Julie Beck spoke: “When you are with people, remember they are each filled with troubles. Lift them to a higher plane. People come to be lifted. Build. Bring comfort from the Spirit. Don’t bring new programs or duties. People need lifting. Remember to keep your own kingdom intact. This is your first stewardship—mother and father, brothers and sisters, children, husband, friends. These are eternal and they are given to you first. When you can’t give more, when you’ve gone beyond your ability to give, then sit still. Call on the Holy Ghost and angels to come to you. Be still and get full.” 

Hugs and Kisses for Melody

“The Holy Ghost is a sanctifier. We can have it as our companion because the Lord restored the Melchizedek Priesthood through the Prophet Joseph Smith. The keys of that priesthood are on the earth today. By its power we can make covenants which allow us to have the Holy Ghost constantly. Where people have that Spirit with them, we may expect harmony. The Spirit puts the testimony of truth in our hearts, which unifies those who share that testimony. The Spirit of God never generates contention. It never generates the feelings of distinctions between people which lead to strife It leads to personal peace and a feeling of union with others. It unifies souls. A unified family, a unified Church, and a world at peace depend on unified souls.” - President Henry B. Eyring

Catalina Table Runner

Several times in the past couple of weeks I’ve caught myself feeling a bit lost. Here are a few thoughts that have helped:

Your present situation isn’t your final destination; the best is yet to come.

Sometimes the bad things that happen put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen.

If you don’t like where you are, move. You’re not a tree.

You can’t start the next chapter if you keep rereading the last.

If it doesn’t open, it’s not your door.

From time to time step outside, get some air and remind yourself of who you are.

Sometimes you need to talk to a three-year-old just so you can understand life again.

Listen and silent are spelled with the same letters.

Sometimes you have to stop thinking and just go where your heart takes you.

You don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.

Never stop believing; miracles happen every day.

Welcome Home

Crust-free Pizza

1 (8-oz) package cream cheese at room temperature

2 eggs

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

Pepperoni, ham, sausage, mushrooms, peppers – whatever you like on your pizza

Lightly spay a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Blend together cream cheese, eggs, pepper, garlic and Parmesan. Spread in bottom of baking dish. Bake at 350F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes. Spread pizza sauce on crust. Top with mozzarella and toppings. Bake an extra 8 to 10 minutes, until cheese is melts and begins to bubble. Makes 12 servings.

Union Variation

Chances are you’ve seen the quote on a greeting card, T-shirt, mug or bumper sticker: “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” The sentiment resonates with women from all walks of life. Most of us don’t like to be told what to do. We prefer making our own choices over doing what’s expected of us. Have you even given a thought to the woman who coined the phrase? Laurel Thatcher Ulrich was born in Sugar City, Idaho in 1938; a school teacher’s daughter. An active Mormon and mother of five, she somehow found time to graduate from the University of Utah (giving the valedictory speech) in English and journalism. She earned a master’s degree in English at Simmons College and a doctorate in history at the University of New Hampshire. Her books (seven so far) explore the connection between public events and private experience. I don’t know if that makes her well-behaved or not, but Laurel has certainly made history.

Lemon Apple Bread

I saw this on a poster in a nursing home last week: "Everything I need to know about life I learned from a cow: The cream always rises to the top. Don’t stoop to a barnyard mentality. Don’t be bossy. It’s better to have milked and churned than to have never milked at all. If you need to get somewhere, hoof it. Some days can be udder frustration. If you’re feeling low, moo yourself a little song. Chew your food fifty times before swallowing. Don’t let others corral you. Munch hay while the sun shines. He who lives with the herd learns to watch his step. Following your heart will always steer you in the right direction. Party ’till the cows come home. Live for-heifer young. Here a moo, there a moo, everywhere a moo-moo!"

Symphony Table Runner

Eighty-four-year-old Canadian Mary Grams remembers working in her garden when her engagement ring suddenly went missing. She and her son did a thorough search, but it didn’t turn up. “I cried so many times,” she said. She bought a cheap replacement, which her husband never noticed. That was thirteen years ago. Five years ago Mary and her husband celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary, and shortly afterward he passed away. Then last month Mary’s daughter-in-law was harvesting carrots on the family farm and found one wearing Mary’s lost ring. I feel a sense of déjà vu writing this, because this spring I shared the story of a Swedish woman who pulled a carrot wearing HER lost wedding ring http://mombowe.blogspot.com/2017/04/magic-stars.html . I did a bit more digging (See what I did there?) and discovered an 82-year-old German man who found a carrot wearing HIS lost wedding ring last November. Lesson learned: if I ever misplace my wedding ring, I’m planting carrots. 

Cat's Cradle

“In today’s world, a person’s importance is often judged by the size of the audience before which he or she performs. That’s how sports programs are rated, how corporate prominence is determined, and how governmental rank is obtained. That may be why roles such as father, mother, and missionary seldom receive standing ovations. Fathers, mothers, and missionaries play before very small audiences. Yet in the eyes of the Lord there may be only one size of audience that is of lasting importance—and that is just one, each one, you and me, and each one of the children of God. The irony of the Atonement is that it is infinite and eternal, yet it is applied individually, one person at a time. We are children of God. Each one of us is precious to the point of bringing the Lord God Almighty to a fullness of joy if we are faithful, or to tears if we are not.” – Elder M. Russell Ballard

Four Rail Fence Blocks

I didn’t appreciate George Carlin while he was alive. I never understood his fascination for drugs or swear words. I’ve always believed he didn’t really understand about religion. He certainly knew how to make people laugh. Even better than that; he knew how to make them think. In case you find yourself in need of a good laugh (or a good think), here are a few of my favorite Carlinisms: “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?” “Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough not to quit.” “I’m always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I’m listening to it.” “When Thomas Edison worked late into the night on the electric light, he had to do it by gas light or candle. I’m sure it made the work seem that much more urgent.”

2017 Utah State Fair Quilt Challenge

A week ago today I was in an accident – my first. I lost a car I loved, and it may be some time before it’s replaced. Even longer before I feel like getting behind a wheel again. They had to cut my wedding ring off my hand in the ER. My left arm is shattered and my brain is bruised. It’s only temporary, but I can’t do much of anything without help. Even reading a page or two of my library book is taxing. (Memo to me: renew the book before it’s overdue.) I couldn’t make it to the fair yesterday to enter next year’s quilt challenge or to see how this year’s quilt fared. So my sweet husband did it for me. He called with good news: A BLUE RIBBON! I know it’s silly, but it means a lot to me. The takeaway from this week? Life is good, and  even when it isn’t great, it sure beats the alternative.

Twice the Friendship

More than a decade ago, when I was working two part-time jobs, I had housekeepers come in once a month. My home was never really spotless (at least not for more than an hour every thirty days) but it kept the dust and grime from becoming completely overwhelming. I kept them on even after I was down to one part-time job. Then one month they raised their prices and didn’t let me know until AFTER they’d cleaned my house. I paid the new amount and the next day cancelled my contract. Since then I’ve been cleaning the house on my own, until a month ago. They’re coming later today, and I can hardly wait. Sure, I could do just as good a job, if I had six uninterrupted hours in the day. But if I had that, I wouldn’t be mopping, dusting or vacuuming. I’d be sitting at my sewing machine. 

Slanted Star

I love making Kim Deihl’s Simple Whatnots quilts, but somehow there always seems to be twice as much fabric as I need in every quilt kit. If I don’t do something about it – soon – I’m likely to be buried alive in brown, teal, blue, gold and rust prints. I was browsing through some old photos and stumbled on this one: a patriotic top that became a Wounded Warrior quilt donation. With a 4” border, it would have come to 60x68”. The pattern called for thirty 4.5” neutral squares, twenty-one 4.5” blue squares with two 2.5” red triangles, twenty-one 4.5” red squares with two 2.5” blue triangles, ninety-seven 4.5” neutral squares with one red and one blue triangle each, and twenty-six 4.5” neutral squares with one 2.5” yellow triangle each. I could repeat this quilt in Kim Deihl scraps, and maybe make a small dent in my stash. 

Corn, No Beans

By its very design, the table saw is one of the world’s most dangerous woodworking tools. Because the user holds the wood and pushes it into the blade instead of the other way around, a simple slip means fingers are sliced. Steve Gass – an amateur wood worker with a doctorate in physics – dreamed up a way to end table saw accidents for good. In 1999 he invented SawStop, a braking mechanism that senses when hands near the blade (fingers are conductive and wood isn’t) and stops it in milliseconds. Dr. Gass tested it on his own hand. The blade stopped as designed, and though it "hurt like the dickens and bled a lot," his finger remained intact. Since then he’s been trying unsuccessfully to get the Consumer Product Safety Commission to insist that finger detection technology be part of every table saw sold. Meanwhile, table saws are responsible for roughly 4,000 accidents every year.

Labor Day Madness

When we knew her, Althea was the oldest member of our congregation. She and her husband had moved here to be closer to family, but by the time we met she was a widow. She never missed an opportunity to share her testimony of the gospel, though her steps, her voice and sometimes her memory would fail her. She attended church whenever her health permitted. She always made a point of greeting my daughter and me. She would ask Heather how she was and listen patiently to the answer, though I’m convinced she never understood a word. Althea passed away a few months ago, and her service took place too far away for us to attend. Then last month one of her daughters spoke in stake conference. She talked about her mother and how much our little ward meant to her. Until that moment, I never realized how much I’d missed the closure of a funeral.

Cloud Nine

There are only thirteen days left to enjoy summer! If you’re planning one last barbecue or picnic, here’s the perfect side dish to accompany bratwurst, pulled pork or a sizzling steak. Even with half a teaspoon of sugar, it’s a lot lower in carbs than potato or macaroni salad.

Creamy Cucumber Salad

2 long English cucumbers

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/2 teaspoon sugar

salt to taste

1/3 cup sliced white or yellow onion

Peel the cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds with a spoon and cut into 1/2″ slices. Combine remaining ingredients and toss with cucumbers. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.

Winneconne Star

Mia Min-Jing Stowe was an eight-year-old visiting her grandmother’s home when she stumbled upon the retired culinary arts teacher’s stash – of fabric. (Well, what were YOU thinking?) Grandma had a lot of scraps left over from when she used to make clothing for her daughter, Mia’s mom. Neither Mia nor her grandmother had ever quilted before (piecing a quilt top and stitching an article of clothing are NOT the same thing) but they decided to give it a try. Their first attempt, a jumble of plaids, florals and solids with three blue borders, was more than a little skiwampus. Mia’s second quilt was much more dramatic: a series of batik squares set in diagonal lines across a bright orange background. It won first place in the Junior Beta Club statewide competition in the fabric arts category. Mia, now twelve, is already starting to make the quilt she means to enter in next year’s competition.