Spinning Squares Block

Slow Cooker Taco Casserole

1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1/2 large red onion, chopped

2 cups corn

1 can black beans (drained)

2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis

1 package taco seasoning

2 cups of cooked bown rice

8 ounces shredded cheddar

3 green onions, thinly sliced

Brown the ground beef over medium heat. Add red onion and reduce heat; cook until onion is tender. Transfer to casserole slow cooker. (If you don’t have one, this recipe will probably work in a traditional slow cooker. The casserole shape just makes it easier to serve.) Add corn, beans, tomatoes, seasoning and rice. Gently toss to combine. Top with cheese and cook on low 4 hours or on high 2 hours. Serve hot with tortilla chips, sour cream, and more shredded cheddar.

Peace and Plenty

Kate McClure was on her way from New Jersey to visit a friend when she ran out of gas. She found herself stranded in the dodgy end of Philadelphia. A homeless man saw her pull over to the side of the road. He told her to lock her doors, and then he disappeared. Johnny Bobbit, a former Marine who’d fallen on hard times, returned with a can of gasoline that he’d just bought with his last $20. Kate didn’t have any cash to repay him, and he didn’t ask for anything. In the following weeks Kate and her boyfriend Mark stopped by his corner several times to bring warm clothing, cereal bars and bottled water, but they wanted to do so much more. Kate set up a GoFundMe account for Johnny, hoping it would raise enough for him to get back on his feet. As of Thanksgiving, the donations came to more than $160,000. 

Four This and That Blocks

When my children were young, I thought I had the picky eater thing sorted. No one in my family was thrilled to see broccoli, zucchini, Brussels sprouts or carrots at the dinner table, but they happily devoured spaghetti sauce, soups and casseroles with those same vegetables minced or grated into them. But there’s a four-year-old at my house now who has me stumped. He’ll eat bread, rolls, biscuits, pancakes, waffles, fries and precious little else. For instance, if I butter his roll, I’ve ruined it and he won’t touch it. So I checked the Mayo Clinic website to see if they had any suggestions. They said offering dessert as a bribe will give kids the idea that dessert is somehow better than broccoli. (News flash: he already knows this.) They recommended removing mealtime distractions, like TV, toys or tablets. Great. His siblings are a bigger distraction than either of these. Should I remove them, too?

Rising Star

“The symbolism of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is beautiful to contemplate. The bread and water represent the flesh and blood of Him who is the Bread of Life and the Living Water, poignantly reminding us of the price He paid to redeem us. As the bread is broken, we remember the Savior’s torn flesh. Elder Dallin H. Oaks once observed that ‘because it is broken and torn, each piece of bread is unique, just as the individuals who partake of it are unique. We all have different needs to be strengthened through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.’ As we drink the water, we think of the blood He shed and on the cross and its sanctifying power. Knowing no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom, we resolve to be among those who have washed their garments in the Savior’s blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.” - Elder D. Todd Christofferson

This and That

Eliahu Pietruszka was 24 when he fled Warsaw at the beginning of World War II. He left behind his parents and his fifteen-year-old twin brothers, Volf and Zelig. Eliahu’s parents and Zelig were deported from the Warsaw Ghetto and killed in a Nazi death camp, but Volf managed to escape. The brothers briefly corresponded before Volf was sent to a Siberian work camp; then Eliahu lost track of him and assumed he had died. Two weeks ago, Eliahu’s grandson received an email from a cousin in Canada who was working on her family tree. She’s found a form filled out in 2005 by Volf for his brother Eliahu, whom he thought had died. Volf had survived the work camp and passed away in Russia in 2012. Volf’s only child, Alexandre, was able to travel to Israel to visit the 102-year-old uncle he never knew he had. 

Sixteen Pineapple Blossoms

Krystal Tukuafu was running errands in her minivan with her 3-year-old son when she noticed an American Fork police officer running after a suspected shoplifter. Thinking her 1,000 Instagram followers might find this interesting, she whipped out her cell phone and began livestreaming the chase. She followed the running men for a short while, and then pulled up next to the officer. “I was like, ‘Hey, you want a ride?’ He yanked my door open and got in. He was like, ‘Follow this guy,’” She got within 5 feet of the suspect before slamming on her brakes so the officer could jump out and arrest him. "I was excited that I was with my son because he was like, in heaven,” she said. “He kept saying, ‘So cool, so cool!’ Like, seriously, you just can't underestimate us moms with minivans, You never know.”

Four Dutch Tile Blocks

A week ago it snowed here for the first time this season. My grandson saw the flakes falling outside the window and came running to me. “Nana! Your arm is almost all better!” He’d remembered me repeating what they’d told me in the emergency room in September; that my broken wrist could be back to normal by Christmas. Snow = Christmas is coming. Christmas = back to normal. Normal is a relative term, especially when improvement comes so gradually. But I am getting better. I can pick up a pencil, a sock or my car keys with my left hand. I can open a medicine bottle and I can scratch my right arm. (Trust me, this is huge.) Maybe next month I can wring out a washcloth, carry two grocery bags or hold the railing as I go down the stairs. I think it’s more important to remember how close I came to missing this holiday season altogether, and to be very, very grateful. 

Curved Log Cabin Table Runner

The easiest thing for most quilt top piecers is to execute straight seams and 90-degree angles. 45-degree angles are slightly more difficult, but not impossible. If our design calls for any other angle, we usually resort to paper piecing to achieve accuracy. The holy grail in piecing is a curved line. If we’re not comfortable with applique (and most of us aren’t) curves can be a real challenge. I’ve only attempted curved piecing a handful of times. Some of them were relatively successful: like https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2016/09/embrace-your-inner-orange.html and https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2012/05/winding-ways.html . Some, like https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2011/01/wild-turkey.html , were completely hopeless and ended up in the bin. I have much better luck with designs that use straight lines and simple angles to simulate curves, like  https://mombowe.blogspot.com/2016/04/emilys-wedding-quilt.html or like today’s sparkly little quilt top. 

Dutch Tile Block

The end of one year and the beginning of another one is a good time for reflection – for taking stock of the past and for making plans for the future. On New Year’s Eve 1968, Master Sgt. William H. Cox and First Sgt. James T. Hollingsworth were huddled inside the bunker in the Marble Mountains of Vietnam. The two comrades made a pact: if both of them survived the war, they’d contact each other every year on New Year’s Eve. It’s a promise they kept the following year, and every year for nearly five decades.  When Cox learned his friend was terminally ill, he went to visit. Hollingsworth asked him to give the eulogy at his funeral and Cox reluctantly agreed. Earlier this year he made good on his last promise. “There’s a bond between Marines that’s different from any other branch of service,” he said. “We’re like brothers.”

Double Delight Star

“The District of Columbia police auctioned off about 100 unclaimed bicycles Friday. ‘One dollar,’ said an 11-year-old boy as the bidding opened on the first bike. The bidding, however, went much higher. “One dollar,” the boy repeated hopefully each time another bike came up. Then there was just one bike left. The bidding went to eight dollars. ‘Sold to that boy over there for nine dollars!’ said the auctioneer. He took eight dollars from his own pocket and asked the boy for his dollar. The youngster turned it over in pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters—took his bike, and started to leave. But he went only a few feet. Carefully parking his new possession, he went back, gratefully threw his arms around the auctioneer’s neck, and cried. When was the last time we felt gratitude as deeply? The deeds others perform in our behalf might not be as poignant, but certainly there are kind acts that warrant our gratitude.” – President Thomas S. Monson

Nine Curved Log Cabins

Early in 1928 Walt Disney traveled to New York to negotiate with his distributor only to find he’d lost the rights to his character “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.” Walt said he came up with his cartoon mouse on the train ride back to California. Walt’s small studio quickly whipped up two shorts, “Plane Crazy” and “The Gallopin’ Gaucho.” Walt tried desperately to find a new distributor for a series based on those two silent cartoons, but was unsuccessful. Taking a hint from Al Jolson’s  “The Jazz Singer” (1927), Walt added synchronous sound to his third Mickey Mouse cartoon and was finally able to sell the idea. “Steamboat Willie” premiered November 18, 1928. The title and the little tune Mickey whistles are both from the 1928 Buster Keaton silent film, “Steamboat Bill, Jr.” It may come as a surprise, but “silent” films were almost never experienced in silence. They usually came with music to be played with each scene.

Nine Pineapple Blossoms

I took a bit of flak about what I posted this past Tuesday, primarily from cat lovers. I don’t hate cats; really, I don’t. But I also don’t romanticize or anthropomorphize them. I honestly can’t picture myself comfortably sipping chamomile in a room chock full of them. I think I’d be constantly watching my cup for signs of stray hairs. If that’s your thing, it’s okay. It just isn’t mine. Last weekend we accepted an invitation to the local dog park. Our schnauzer had a blast. He got to romp with a Welsh corgi, a Yorkie, an English bulldog, a chihuahua and an enthusiastic collie pup. The sun was shining, but it was a very brisk morning. I kept thinking how nice it would have been if I’d thought to bring a Thermos of hot chocolate. That’s when it dawned on me: it’s not that I’m a cat hater. I’d just rather spend my time in the company of dogs.

Four Curved Log Cabins

Thanksgiving seems to be all about the carbs. Sure, the turkey is the star of the meal, but it’s always surrounded by gravy, dinner rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and pie. Here’s something yummy you can bring to the table that won’t make your blood sugar skyrocket.

Roasted Green Beans with Bacon

2 generous tablespoons olive oil

1 pound fresh green beans, the longer and thinner the better

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

4 thick slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/2 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350F. Toss all ingredients in a large bowl, then spread evenly in an oven safe casserole dish. Bake for 20 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until tender. Serve while still warm.

Patchwork Diversion

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day was cooked up by the home economists at Whirlpool Home Appliances in 1999.  They created the holiday – which always falls on November 15 – to encourage their customers to clean out their refrigerators in advance of the upcoming holidays. Celebrating it is simple and very rewarding. First, take EVERYTHING out of your fridge and discard anything suspicious. Wipe the interior surfaces with a baking soda/water solution. Remove and wash drawers. Vacuum the condenser coils, the floor beneath your fridge and the wall behind it. If your fridge has an ice/water dispenser, now is a good time to replace the filter. Restock your fridge with the food you didn’t toss. Be sure to wipe the bottoms of catsup bottles, milk cartons, etc. so you don’t soil your freshly cleaned shelves. Place an open box of baking soda in the back of your fridge to eliminate unpleasant odors. Enjoy your freshly cleaned, organized refrigerator!

Curved Log Cabin Block

A few weeks ago, when the autumn colors on the valley floor were at a peak, we spent a glorious Saturday afternoon with our grandkids and their parents in Liberty Park. On the way there we passed a new business with an interesting name: Tinker’s Cat Cafe. We couldn’t help wondering – is this a place you take your tabby to be fed? Or a place to be fed tabbies? As it turns out, it’s neither. It’s a place to enjoy coffee, tea or hot cocoa in a room full of kitties. All the felines there are adoptable, so you can even take a furry friend home with you. It’s an interesting idea, but I don’t think it will catch on. Cats may keep themselves clean, but they all trash the places where they live. They shed, cough up hair balls, claw furniture and toss kitty litter. None of that makes for a relaxing spot to enjoy a cuppa.

Shoo Dat

“Brothers and sisters, except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call ‘toxic perfectionism.’ Every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the Church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection.” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Four Window Blocks

145,000 people die in Japan every year of smoking-related diseases and conditions. Twenty percent of the adults in that country are smokers, compared with fewer than fifteen percent in the US. Smoking is declining here primarily because of anti-smoking TV ads, a reduction in retailers willing to sell tobacco products, and laws restricting places where people can legally smoke. In the Land of the Rising Sun, there’s very little to discourage people from smoking or to encourage smokers to quit. One Japanese marketing firm is taking steps to change that. Recognizing that those little breaks throughout the day all add up, Piala Inc. is offering an extra six days of paid vacation time every year to its non-smoking employees. So far four of their 45 workers have quit smoking to take advantage of the new policy. One of them, a 25-year-old who used to smoke half a pack a day, plans to use his extra vacation to play tennis.

Four Robbing Peter Blocks

Sian-Pierre Regis was in Paris when he got his mom’s voicemail: “I just got fired. I wanted you to know that.” His 75-year-old mother, Rebecca, had worked as a housekeeper for as long as he could remember. She’d raised two boys alone in Boston over the hotel where she worked. She’d cashed out her 401K so her sons could go to college; put her dreams on hold so they could live theirs. Then Rebecca lost her job. Regis decided it was time to give back.  He knew his mom had been working on a list of things she’s always wanted to do. “When she got fired,” he said, “all these bucket list items took on so much more weight.” Since then they’ve been checking off items together: take a hip-hop lesson, milk a cow, join Instagram. As of May they still had a few items left, including skydiving. But there’s plenty of time. After all, she’s only 75.

Windows and Windmills

Thanksgiving is two weeks away, and so is the time when it’s politically correct (who makes these rules?) to play Christmas music. Our studio’s recital is nine days later, so we’ve had holiday tunes daily here since early October. According to ASCAP, nearly all our favorite Christmas songs all seem to come from the 40’s and 50’s. It's true, but I have no idea why.

White Christmas (1941)

Happy Holidays (1942)

I’ll Be Home for Christmas (1943)

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944)

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! (1945)

The Christmas Song (1946)

Here Comes Santa Claus (1947)

Sleigh Ride (1948)

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949)

Blue Christmas (1949)

Silver Bells (1950)

Frosty the Snowman (1950)

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (1951)

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (1952)

Home for the Holidays (1954)

Jingle Bell Rock (1958)

Little Drummer Boy (1958)

Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree (1958)

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul

John Lee Cronin is a 21-year-old with Down Syndrome and a passion for socks. Together, John and his dad Mark launched John’s Crazy Socks in December 2016. Since then they’ve sold thousands of pairs of ankle socks, crew socks, and knee highs. If you visit their website, https://johnscrazysocks.com/ you can buy taco socks, shark socks, alien socks, and socks with Albert Einstein’s face on them. You can pick up socks for men, women, teens, children and toddlers. Because John is a Special Olympian, 5% of the company’s profits are donated to Special Olympics. John also lends his support for autism awareness and breast cancer research. John and Mark make in-person deliveries to houses in the Long Island area. For anyone living farther, John says, “In every box I put a handwritten note, some candy, and two discount cards for 10% off. One for customers and one to give to a friend.”

Four Pineapple Blossom Blocks

This is a great recipe for using up lots of leftover cheese, milk past its “best if used by” date, or any day you find yourself in serious need of comfort food. I have a HUGE slow cooker. If you don’t, you can always cut this recipe in half.

Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

17 ounces uncooked macaroni

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3 cups whole milk

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) melted butter

2 cans evaporated milk

At least 8 cups shredded cheese (Almost any will do: cheddar, Jack, parmesan, mozzarella, Swiss, even ricotta or cream cheese.)

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Dash of fresh ground nutmeg or paprika 

Butter slow cooker insert or lightly spray with oil; pour in uncooked pasta. Stir together milks, butter, seasonings and half of the cheese. Stir into pasta in slow cooker. Top with remaining cheese and cook on low for three to four hours. 

Four Cornwall Castle Blocks

“A long time ago there lived three sisters. The first sister was sad. When someone criticized her or ‘forgot’ to invite her to something, she would walk away, let out a sad sigh and wonder why life was so bleak and cheerless. The second sister was mad. She considered herself smart, funny, and fascinating. But there always seemed to be someone smarter, funnier, or more fascinating. Sometimes she clenched her teeth and thought, ‘Life is so unfair!’ Then there was the third sister. This sister loved to sing. She didn’t have great pitch, but that didn’t stop her. The very fact that she kept singing made her first sister sad and her second sister mad. Many years passed, and each sister reached the end of her time on earth. The first sister eventually died sad. The second died mad. The third sister, who spent her life singing her song with a confident smile on her face, died glad.” – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Pineapple Blossom

If you’re living in the US (and not in Arizona, Guam, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, etc.) tonight’s the night you should set your clocks back an hour. It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of Daylight Saving Time. When we set our clocks forward in the spring, the resulting lack of sleep causes an increase in heart attacks, car accidents, workplace injuries, suicide, and even miscarriages. To be completely fair, I’ve read that the extra hour of sleep we get in the fall has been linked to a decrease in heart attacks. So maybe we should all ditch DST and make a point of sleeping in. Of course, if there are small children living in your house, that’s easier said than done. The wee ones in my house are wide awake and loud at 7:00 every morning. I’m guessing the only thing that will change about that is the wide awake and loud will happen an hour earlier.

Snail's Trail

If you’ve seen Homeward Bound (1963 or 1993) you might be under the impression lost dog stories always have happy endings. Sadly, they quite often don’t. Even when the dog is found, nothing is really the same. When dog rescuer Cheri Glankler took in an elderly Chesapeake Bay Retriever in Idaho last June, she could tell the dog had been living on her own some time. A Facebook posting reunited Mo with the family she’d lost on a hunting trip nine months before. Mo and the Camerons are happy to be back together again, but a winter of living in the wild has left a mark. In many ways, Mo is still in survival mode. Cindy Cameron feeds Mo homemade stew to help her regain weight, but Mo rations it – in case she goes hungry again. She’s taken to hiding under the deck and snacking on sparrows. “We don’t go through as much birdseed now,” Cindy reports.

Cornwall Castle

About a week ago I served corn chowder for supper: bacon, potatoes, onions, sweet corn, chicken broth and cream.  As I ladled it into bowls, my grandson expressed dismay that it was “so white.” I asked him what color soup should be, and he said, “Orange. Like cheese.” Like this one:

Wisconsin Cauliflower

2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup flour

2 cups milk

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup shredded pepperjack

2 cups shredded cheddar

Melt butter in large pot. Add garlic and onion and sauté until tender. Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly. Gradually whisk in milk. Add broth, salt, and cauliflower. Simmer 15 minutes or until cauliflower is tender. Transfer to a blender and pulse until smooth. Return soup to pot. Add cheeses and stir until melted and combined with soup. Serve with bacon crumbles and extra cheese.

Four Bonnie Scotsman Blocks

Henry King was with his son outside his South Buffalo home in June when a few of his neighbors began to heckle him. They told Henry in pretty offensive terms that he didn’t belong in their neighborhood. They used the dreaded N word. The following morning Henry woke to find the same sentiments expressed in orange spray paint all over his silver Chevy truck. Henry took the truck to Collision Masters to see what could be done. “As soon as he pulled in, the shop completely came to a halt,” said the shop’s owner, Frank Todaro. “I looked at it and I says you’re not leaving until we get rid of that for you.” Eight of his employees went straight to work. Within half an hour all the orange was gone. Henry offered to pay, but Frank wouldn’t hear of it. “I was concerned about the image of Buffalo itself. I don't think there’s any place for that.”