Fall Pumpkins

 

Trees in my neighborhood are just beginning to change into their autumn colors. A few neighbors have already decorated for Halloween. And the mornings have become decidedly brisk. It might be time for pumpkin spice to reappear.

 

Pumpkin Dump Cake

 

 1 (29-oz.) can pumpkin purée

1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk

1 cup packed brown sugar

3 large eggs

3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup butter, thinly sliced

 

Preheat oven to 350F; coat 9x13” cake pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, milk, sugar, eggs, and spice. Pour into prepared pan. In a medium bowl, stir cake mix and pecans together, then sprinkle evenly over pumpkin mixture. Place pats of butter evenly on top. Bake about 65 minutes, or until cake is set and edges are crisp. Cool completely before serving with whipped cream. Makes 12 servings.

Turkey in the Straw

 

Wherever I go these days, I’m continually reminded of D&C 58:26. And of this message, from 48 days ago:

“Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.

To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.

We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.”

The First Presidency

Russell M. Nelson

Dallin H. Oaks

Henry B. Eyring

Four Apples

"A 16.09-ounce bottle of water in the supermarket will cost you about fifty cents. Buy a case of them at a warehouse store, and you might pay about a quarter per bottle. That same bottle in a bar is likely to cost about two dollars. In a nice restaurant or a hotel, it can be worth up to three dollars. At an airport or on the plane, you may be charged five dollars or even more. The bottle and the brand are still the same; the only thing that has changed is the location. Each place gives a different value to the same product. Whenever you feel like you are worth nothing and everyone around you belittles you, change places, do not stay there. Have the courage to move to a place where you are given the value you deserve. Surround yourself with people who really appreciate your worth. Never settle for less!" – Borrowed from a friend of a friend

Aunt Sukey's Choice

 

Someone asked me yesterday if my family has any traditions involving general conference. I know a lot of families do. Some gather with all their cousins for homemade cinnamon rolls and sausage-and-egg breakfast casserole. Others do a big family picnic between the morning and afternoon sessions on Sunday. I’m told restaurants that sell ice cream or pie get swamped after the Saturday evening session lets out. When I was very young and we watched conference on TV, every time the tabernacle choir sang, we looked for our family doctor’s white hair in the baritone section. More recently, we’ve gone for a scenic drive while listening the Saturday morning session, and hit a drive-through window for lunch before heading home. This weekend, though, I’ll probably stream conference while mopping floors, doing laundry, and binding a few small quilts. I’m a much better listener when my hands have something to keep them busy.

Granny's Oven

 

Endorphins are chemicals produced by your body to help relieve stress and pain. Their name comes from two words: endogenous (which means coming from the body) and morphine (a powerful pain killer). It’s called that because endorphins are your body's natural pain relievers. Besides alleviating pain, endorphins can improve your feelings of self-esteem. They can help to regulate your appetite. They reduce anxiety and depression, and they can enhance your immune system. You can increase your body’s production of endorphins by having a good laugh with a friend, or by watching a very funny movie. Exercise can boost your endorphins, and so can eating chocolate (the darker, the better). Using euphoric essential oils like lavender, rosemary, orange, grapefruit, bergamot, ylang-ylang or frankincense can also improve your endorphin levels.

Gold/Red Sawtooth Star

 

In Sevenoaks, Kent, there’s a small establishment called Otto’s Coffee Shop and Kitchen. It’s near the top of High Street, between St. Nicholas Church and Waitrose supermarket. Otto’s caught my attention when they recently made the decision to only serve coffee to customers who bring their own cups. I’m suddenly reminded me of when I was in my teens, working at Burger King. A great deal of backroom space was devoted to storing new disposable cups, lids, straws, stirrers, etc. And the used ones took up the lion’s share of space in the trash as well. My manager explained that what goes IN the cup always costs a lot less than the cup itself. So, by insisting customers bring their own cups, Otto’s is freeing up a ton of shelf space and seriously reducing their rubbish load and their overhead. The best part? They can tell customers they’re doing it strictly for the environment. Who’d complain about that?

Five Leaves

 

Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, our feelings of well-being, and our happiness. It’s mostly produced in the digestive tract, but this hormone impacts your entire body. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin helps to regulate sleeping, eating, and digestion. If you wish to increase your production of serotonin, you might try setting aside some time each day for prayer or meditation. Running or swimming regularly can improve your serotonin level, as can riding a bicycle or simply taking a walk through a park, a forest or a garden. It’s important to get enough sunlight, especially now that the days are getting shorter. Your body needs tryptophan to make serotonin, so you might want to incorporate more items high in tryptophan, such as: poultry, eggs, soy products, salmon, spinach or nuts into your diet. 

Green/Brown Sawtooth Star

 

Margret Waldstein’s father was a German Jew and a member of the Reichstag. When the Nazis came into power, she and her family escaped to Rio de Janeiro. There, she met Hans Reyersbach, a Jewish salesman from Hamburg. They married in 1935 and moved to Paris. June 14, 1940, Parisians woke to the sound of tanks and loudspeakers. Paris was now occupied by Germany. Only a few hours before the city fell, the young couple fled on bicycles Hans had built from spare parts. They pedaled to Spain, where they bought tickets to Lisbon. From there they returned to Brazil and finally settled in New York City. They’d escaped with little more than the clothes on their backs, a manuscript Margret had written, and Hans’ drawings of a cheeky monkey and a man with a yellow hat. Curious George was first published by Houghton Mifflin in 1941. Eighty years later, the mischievous monkey is as popular as ever.

Apple

 

Oxytocin is a neuropeptide produced in the hypothalamus and released by the posterior pituitary. It’s sometimes called the Love Hormone, because it plays a significant role in social bonding and in childbirth. Production of oxytocin is controlled by a feedback mechanism, which means the initial release will produce and release more. Oxytocin is involved in making love, in the birth process, and in recovery after childbirth. It can even reduce symptoms of withdrawal in drug addicts. To encourage a healthy level of oxytocin, take a walk with someone you love: your children, your grandchildren or your sweetheart. Hold hands while you do. Make a point of hugging your loved ones more often, and for more than just a second or two. Pet your dog or your cat. Give honest compliments whenever you get the chance. And when someone says something nice to you, stifle the urge to respond with something self-deprecating. Instead, just tell them, “Thank you.”

Windblown Square

 

“When Joseph Smith was imprisoned in Liberty Jail, he wrote letters of instruction to Church members and leaders and reminded them that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves. A helm is a wheel or tiller and the associated equipment used to steer a ship or a boat. And ‘workways with the wind and the waves’ denotes turning a ship so that it maintains its balance and does not capsize during a storm. Gospel principles are for me and you what a helm is to a ship. Correct principles enable us to find our way and to stand firm, steadfast, and immovable so we do not lose our balance and fall in the raging latter-day storms of darkness and confusion.” - Elder David A. Bednar

Be My Neighbor

 

Dopamine is a type of neurotransmitter. Your body produces it, and your nervous system uses it to send messages between nerve cells. Dopamine plays a big role in how we feel pleasure, and it’s a key part of our thinking and planning. You can improve your body’s ability to create dopamine by eating foods high in protein, like poultry, fish, beef, eggs, dairy, nuts and beans. Avoid saturated fat, as it interferes with the way dopamine functions. Another way to boost dopamine production is to make to-do lists and check items off as you complete them. Notice the little steps you take on the way to achieving bigger goals and celebrate your victories, large and small. Focus on self-care, especially if this is something you tend to put off. Make an appointment with your dentist or eye doctor. Get your hair trimmed. Take a power nap. Give yourself a facial or a mani-pedi. Make time to enjoy the results!

Prosperity Block

 

I’m starting to worry about this quilt. Today’s block will be 6”x6” once it’s stitched into the top. And there are 49 tiny pieces of fabric in it! Much of the fabric I used has become seam allowance – the part you can’t see, folded and pressed in carefully planned directions in the back. So, this block weighs almost twice as much most quilt blocks its size. It’s a minor miracle that the seams (most of them, anyway) line up where they should. But an entire king-sized quilt full of blocks this densely packed will weigh a ton. Its own weight might pull it out of square, even before it’s been quilted and bound. I thoroughly enjoy piecing these intricate, challenging blocks. But I’m growing more and more convinced that they belong in miniature quilts – doll quilts, table toppers and wall hangings – and not in a quilt that will cover a king-sized bed.

Five Pumpkins

 

“A friend asked why I pay so much for my kids to do sports. I have a confession: I don't pay for my kids to do sports. I pay for my kids to learn discipline, focus and dedication. I pay for them to learn to work with others and be good team mates; gracious in defeat and humble in success. I pay for my kids to learn to make and accomplish goals. I pay for them to respect themselves, other athletes, officials and coaches. I pay for my kids to learn it takes hard work and practice to create a champion; success doesn’t happen overnight. I pay for the opportunity to make lifelong friendships, create memories, and be as proud of their achievements as I am. I pay so my kids can be on the field or in the gym instead of in front of a screen. From what I’ve seen so far, it’s been a great investment.” – Anonymous 

Carpenter's Wheel

 

Today’s block is the last from Eleanor Burns’ book, “Underground Railroad Sampler.” Most of these blocks are “easy,” but Carpenter’s Wheel is “intermediate.” Its construction doesn’t require special skills like Y-seams, curved piecing or applique. But it does require a bit more time and attention. It’s easy to get the placement of the red and blue triangles in the center wrong, so they won’t line up with the red and blue triangles on all four sides. But that’s not the mistake I made. Until I was completely done piecing this block, I failed to see the blue I used in the center was too similar to the blue in the outer stars. It isn’t “wrong” really, but it’s not what I’d hoped for. I thought about tossing it and starting over. After all, I’m only making this quilt because of all the mistakes in the last one. If only I’d caught this before the whole block was finished!

Whirling Leaves

 

John Lennon told his fellow Beatles he was ready to quit the group in 1969. Paul McCartney went public with the news the band was breaking up in 1970. But a divorce of this magnitude takes time. Just sorting out who got what percent of royalties from which songs must have been a logistical nightmare. It wasn’t until 1974 that the band officially signed papers to end the most famous rock group in the world. When it came time to sign, Ringo was in England. (Today, at age 81, he still lives in Liverpool.) George and Paul were in New York (Paul, 79, now lives in London, near the Abbey Road zebra crossing). John, on Christmas holiday with his family at Walt Disney World, was the last to sign. So, the Beatles officially ended December 24, 1974 at the Polynesian Resort with the Seven Seas Lagoon and the Cinderella Castle in the background.

Bear's Claws

 

“We know that sunlight is vital to all life on earth. Equally vital to our spiritual life is the light that emanates from our Savior. In His perfect love, God grants the Light of Christ to every person ‘that cometh into the world’ that they may ‘know good from evil’ and be prompted ‘to do good continually.’ That light, revealing itself through what we often call our conscience, beckons us ever to act and be better, to be our best self. As we intensify our faith in Christ, we receive light in intensifying measure until it dispels all darkness that might gather around us. ‘That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day.’” - Elder Timothy J. Dyches

2020/2021 State Fair Challenge Quilt

 A week ago today, I was browsing the Internet and discovered, quite by accident, the Utah State Fair was accepting home arts entries 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., September 2, 3 and 4. As it was already September 4, we dropped everything to run to the fair park with the quilt I’d finished a year ago. I’d received no notice about the quilt challenge – no news article, e-mail, call, text or letter – but I hoped my wall hanging could at least compete with the other needlework offerings. What a pleasant surprise to find a table set up to receive the 2020 challenge quilts! I wasn’t the only one hoping it would be there, because there were already at least a dozen entries hanging behind it. I told myself it really didn’t matter what the judges decide. I’m just so thrilled, after a long year-and-a-half, to do something that feels so NORMAL. But a blue ribbon feels nice, too!

Drunkard's Path

 

I was in my teens when Nixon made his famous “I am not a crook” speech. I wanted to believe him. I was disturbed by the very idea someone holding the highest office in the land could be a thief and a liar. Most of my friends and teachers were ready to hang him in effigy – several for the simple act of being republican. Though the “smoking gun” linking Nixon to the Watergate break-in was never found, it became more and more obvious in the ensuing months he’d orchestrated many events just as damning. What I didn’t know about this speech until very recently was WHERE it happened. Nixon’s resignation took place at the White House, but when he claimed not to be a crook, he was at a press conference in the Ballroom of the Americas at Disney’s Contemporary Resort – with guests boarding the Monorail to the Magic Kingdom just yards away.

Alison's Pumpkin

 

We had a non-traditional Labor Day this year. Instead of a backyard barbecue, we shared pot roast and a movie. We watched Disney’s Tomorrowland. If you haven’t seen it, you’re not alone. It tanked at the box office. Its tagline was, “What would happen if all the great thinkers came together to change the world for the better?” I like the movie, but I think that premise is flawed. Great thinkers won’t make the world a better place. We all will. The world’s a better place when we all treat each other decently. Things improve when we discuss differences productively; when we listen to HEAR instead of just to answer. Everyone benefits when we stop hoarding stuff we don’t use, and donate to those in need. We should all clean up our own messes, then look around to see if anyone else can use our help. What can you do today to make the world a better place?

North Star

 

If you walk through the center of Salt Lake’s Liberty Park, you’ll find an old mill between the pond and Tracy Aviary; the oldest standing industrial building in Utah. It was a grist mill and a saw mill, meaning logs were made into boards here, and grain into meal. It was built by Isaac Chase in 1852. Four years earlier, while digging the millrace (the channel that delivers water to turn the mill wheel), his pick struck a buried coin. Isaac believed himself to be one of the first white men in the area, and he also believed all the Native Americans to be descendants of Book of Mormon peoples (he was wrong on both counts), so he called it a “Nephite copper coin.” The coin’s size and markings show it was minted in India in 1817. How it came to be 10 feet underground in Salt Lake 31 years later is a mystery. If only coins could talk!

12 Yankee Puzzle Blocks

 

I’ve been clearing a bit more room in my closet, and you’re looking at the result. It started out as 42 7-inch squares of fabric, all from Minnick and Simpson’s way-out-of-print Polka Dots and Paisley line. They’ve been sitting in my closet for at least six years, waiting for me to decide what to do with them. I think what had me stalled is there were equal numbers of blue and beige prints, but fewer of the red. I could have easily added to the blue or beige, but this is a very unusual red. It isn’t lipstick; it isn’t cherry. It isn’t crimson or scarlet or candy apple. In the end, I added two brighter, bolder reds from my stash. They’re both paisleys, but they’re not a perfect fit. I’m thinking of adding a border or two before I quilt and bind this. If I’m still not happy with it, I can always give it to someone I never visit.

Sail Boat

 

“Peter, the Savior’s chief Apostle, was in a ship on the sea when he saw Jesus walking on the water. He wanted to join Him, and the Savior said, ‘Come.’ Courageously and miraculously, Peter left the safety of the boat and began walking toward the Savior. But when Peter focused on the boisterous wind, his faith faltered. He was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, ‘Lord, save me.’ And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him. When winds blow in our lives, where is our focus? Remember, there is always one reliable source of strength and courage. The arms of Jesus extend to us, just as they extended to Peter. As we reach for Him, He will lovingly rescue us. We are His. He said, ‘Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.’ He will prevail in your life if you let Him. The choice is yours." - Elder S. Gifford Nielsen

Maple Leaf

 

You can find cauliflower in the grocery store pretty much all year, but it’s really only “in season” in September, October and November. It’s usually white, but every now and then you’ll run across one that’s bright yellow or purple. If you do, buy it. Life is too short to only eat white cauliflower.

 

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

 

1 head cauliflower, cut into large florets

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tablespoon cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Steam cauliflower until tender; about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in small saucepan; add garlic. Stir until garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain excess water from cauliflower and add to garlic, oil and remaining ingredients into large bowl. Crush with potato masher until uniform. Serve while still warm.

Fool's Square

 

I’ve never made a Tumbling Blocks quilt, but I understand a bit about their construction. First, it requires a rhombus template (four equal sides). Two opposing angles must be 60 degrees, and the other two are 120 degrees. Second, before you begin, the scraps to be used must be separated into three piles: darks, lights and mediums. Careful placement of these three values is what makes the blocks “tumble.” Third – and this is the chief reason why I’m not likely to ever make one – Tumbling Blocks quilts are generally pieced and quilted by hand. In Plymouth, Vermont, in the childhood home of our 30^th president, there is a Tumbling Block quilt pieced from hundreds of diamond-shaped scraps of plaids, stripes and floral prints of all colors; a quilt made by Calvin Coolidge WHEN HE WAS TEN YEARS OLD. If I ever begin thinking too much of myself, you have my permission to remind me of this.

Meeting House

 

Until a few weeks ago, there was a tiny house about half a mile south of mine. Built in 1929, it had two small bedrooms and a bathroom. It stood on a one-acre lot where ponies, goats, pigs, and chickens were raised. At only 785 square feet, it was up for sale last month for $641,000. I don’t know what it actually sold for, but as soon as the deal closed the lot was cleared. The house, fences, trees and outbuildings were gone in no time. I’m curious to see what happens there next. In the interim, I’ve seen metal detector hobbyists scouring the place. Who knows what they might find after 90+ years? I read last week about a Florida postal worker who found a lost class ring in the sand at Ponce Inlet. The man who’d lost it was a high school senior ditching class at the beach, back in 1987. I really should get a metal detector.

Double Shoo-Fly

 

David Jacob Eisenhower and Ida Elizabeth Stover were married in 1885. They had seven sons. Paul, their fifth, died from diphtheria at ten months. All the rest were called “Ike” as they were growing up. Edgar became an attorney. Earl was an electrical engineer, Arthur was a banker, Roy was a pharmacist, and Milton was a college president. Dwight, the only one to keep his nickname as an adult, became 34^th president of the United States.  Their mother was an avid quilt maker. Ida wasn’t overly fond of hand quilting, but she enjoyed making new and beautiful covers with scraps that might otherwise be tossed. Ida loved doing what she called “fancy work,” including the elaborate embroidery on crazy quilts. Ida Eisenhower taught all her surviving sons to piece quilt blocks, and they fondly remembered stitching alongside their mother. So, yes, that means at least one of our presidents was a quilter.