OMG! for November and early winter thoughts...

Here we are heading towards the last week of November - how did this happen? Can I get off at the next stop...the days are moving too fast. The decision to join in again with Patty’s OMG for this month has been a good one and I can’t really explain why this is working, but for the 2nd month in a row, I have met my goal. All those redwork blocks and nine patch blocks have been joined together and a simple border of the solid red has been added. Right now, my “finishes” are all about emptying old UFO bins and creating tops. Any quilting will come later as budget permits. On this particular quilt, I am thinking perhaps a scalloped border and then bind everything with the red and cream shirting fabric. The redwork blocks were chosen mostly for the significance to our family or traditional redwork history. The horse shoe is a symbol of good fortune, of course, but it must be placed upside down so it stays with you and does not fall out. My Mom’s favorite flower was lily of the valley and the anchor within the star is for my Dad who was career Navy.

Here is the link so that you can check out everyone’s progress.
https://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2018/11/one-monthly-goal-november-finish-link-up.html

At Taylorsoutback, we are pretty much settled in for the long Wisconsin winter...The kitchen is busy with heartier meals and my love of baking makes it hard to stay focused on those daily WW points. Mr. Outback’s plum pudding is in the frig wrapped in rum soaked cheesecloth and I made foccacia the other night to go with soup...

With the return of our David and Jena from Italy, where they took a cooking class in Tuscany, the menu has come to include homemade pasta...I had previously made pasta using my KitchenAid attachment and had moderate success. But who knew this could be accomplished much easier with only your own 2 hands. Mixing the egg and flour, rolling out the dough thinly, cutting the prepared dough into what size we wanted, a quick cooking in boiling water and then...topping off the finished pasta with homemade ragu...and oh yes, accompanied by glasses of Chianti Classico...yum! These images are of our 2 cooks showing me the process and when I tried it on my own, it was so much fun!

And lastly, since there was leftover chalk paint from my behind-the-sofa cupboard, I decided to follow through and redo my little desk and display shelf area also. Good to check off yet one more chore on the to do list before beginning holiday preparations. (Better look quick - the desk top won’t stay this uncluttered very long!)

A little quiet handquilting in the evenings by the fire helps to wind down from busy days and gives me time to think about what December’s OMG might be...

All for now - wishing you a productive week as November comes to a close.

Pat