Sunday 28 February 2021

Stone Soup, Flosstube Favourites, Hexagon Hand Stitching, Outliers

 Very early morning kitchen window view...
Yesterday I started out thinking I would like to make a broccoli soup. With the snow drifting down, it seemed like something hot and especially nourishing would be in order. Of course, with no in-store shopping, I didn't have broccoli but had an assortment of vegetables so figured I would use what I had.  The result reminded me of the famous Story of the Stone Soup. By the time I'd sauted onions, carrots, and celery, added potatoes, chicken broth, half a bag of clam meats and a can of coconut milk, I had a fine tasting soup- out of what seemed like bits and pieces.

There are loads of recipes online for so called Kitchen Sink Soup. I'm pretty sure this would be the way soup would have been made in the "old days". In the Kitchen With Mom Mondays has one such recipe.


I am so very happy with my progress on Quilting Bee. I wish that gold was showing true to life as it is much yelllower and brighter than here.

 She is a delight to stitch early in the morning after the fire is set, Murphy is fed and I can sit with my coffee.  That is also when I check in with Flosstube and watch a couple of favourites including Brenda and the Serial Starter. What beautiful cross stitching and such an array of projects; they are inspiring.
I am reading this book by the wonderful Malcolm Gladwell.  Outliers. Bits are familiar to me so I must have read it before.  Lots of interviews with Malcolm available on YouTube so maybe that is where I ran across his theories of success. (Some having to do with birth month, a most interesting notion). In fact, I've just discovered the entire book is available as an audiobook on YouTube if you care to check it out.

I made an order to the Fat Quarter Shop last month. They are slow shipping out to Canada due to the special circumstances so I still haven't received it. It was for special fabric I'd had to research to find. I have two quilting projects in mind and need that cloth, one a heritage red from French General and the other a special yellow, Confetti Yellow from Riley for them.  I thought for sure it would be here this week to show you but soon I'm sure. Fun to look forward to stitchy mail, isn't it?

Meanwhile, I'm making headway on my Hexagon table topper project. 

Here it is on the coffee table I'm making it for so quite a ways to go yet.  But that's fine...lots of great hand stitching in front of the t.v. And getting to use up my card/cardboard collection, LOL. I'll show a photo of the back soon.

I'll leave you today with a photo of one of my constant visitors to the feeders, a nuthatch, against a backdrop of snow. Love to see his pretty compact, yet sleek shape, as he scoots up and down tree trunks.

Hope your Sunday is wonderful.

Sharing this post at Kathy's QuiltsAlycia QuiltsSugarlane DesignsSmall Quilts and Doll QuiltsLove Laugh Quilt and Paying Ready Attention








28 comments :

Gretchen Weaver said...

You've had plenty of hand work to keep you busy. Hope your package comes this week and happy stitching!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I love the nuthatch. I like soups but hubby is so picky to please that I rarely seem to cook much of a variety of anything - if I make a soup that I like he will more often then not make himself a peanut butter sandwich - it gets frustrating always having to cook the same stuff over and over - I would be satisfied with a bowl of soup and he wants a full meat and potatoes meal.
Fat Quarter shop is behind schedule due to the winter storm I believe - hope they didn't have water damage due to pipes breaking.
I love your winter scene out of the window

Little Penpen said...

Oh my goodness, that quilting bee is gorgeous!! Pretty hexagons and pretty snow!

Deb A said...

I love the stone soups.... or kitchen sink soups where you clear out the fridge! Such pretty stitching on your stitchery. Stay warm.

Sarah said...

You have some beautiful projects on the go! I love your quilting bee, the colours are gorgeous. Your soup sounds delicious!

Jenn Jilks said...

That's funny. I'm sitting here reading this and hubby just walked into the room with a mug of soup! I could smell soup as I read.
You are so crafty.
Well done with the soup. I have no motivation. I'm flat out tired and trying to calm down, what with the busy week.
My late client (96) told me about her mother always having a pot of soup on the go. She had 10 kids and farm hands to feed!

Brian's Home Blog said...

The view out your window is so pretty and that soup sure sounds good. The Quilting Bee is really special.

Nancy J said...

I love the stone soup story, this is similar to the way I freeze left over veges from now on, and whizz them up and add to winter soup. Without them it might be a bit bland, that stone was literally a life saver. The table runner looks wonderful, and hand stitching by the fire in the early morning is a special time.

Karrin Hurd said...

Love your hexies and your stitching! When I used to work, my supervisor would make stone soup right after Thanksgiving break and would have everyone bring something in and we would have it for lunch. Happy stitching, and hope you stay warm!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Such a pretty snow covered view out your window, Jocelyn! That does make it a good day for soup, and what you came up with sounds delicious. I have some beef stew with lots of veggies in it in my crockpot today. Your hexagon tabletopper looks like fun to sew on - one of those projects that grows slowly as you get around to working on it. I haven't ever looked at Flosstube - do you find it on YouTube or is it separate?

Kim said...

And....still it snows there. I must say it is always lovely to visit your wintry wonderland. The soup you cooked does sound delicious and would certainly warm one up on a chilly day. Your cross stitch bee is very sweet and your hexie table topper is coming along nicely. You have lots of delightful hand stitching to enjoy whilst you sit and watch the TV....and the view. Hope that fabric arrives at your doorstep soon.

Carla A Few Of My Favorite Things said...

Oh what a beautiful wintery scene! When I lived in Wisconsin the snow was so beautiful especially from the inside looking out! I enjoy watching Floss tube too. Jean Farish episode 31 was about antique samplers who stitched them where did the patterns come from. It was so interesting! Hope your fabric comes soon but it looks like you have plenty of pretty things to work on.

PaintedThread said...

I enjoyed the story of Stone Soup as a kid. Yours looks good! Your bee looks lovely. Such tiny stitches! We haven't had many nuthatches at our feeders, but they're always a delight to watch.

Jenny said...

Home made soup is always delicious, whatever the variety. I made broccoli and cheese soup here in the winter, so yummy. Such a pretty bird photo.

Jackie said...

This may be a second comment from me saying pretty much the same thing as I got an error message.

Your cross stitch and hexies are coming along nicely. We are getting snow today which makes me glad that we came home yesterday.

God bless.

Rosa said...

That “quilting bee” is something else! What a lovely bit of stitching.

I often lurk around your blog and love your photos. Just realized that I have never commented tho so I thought I’d rectify that!

Stewart M said...

I love the view out into the snow (and the nuthatch!). One day I'm going to spend a winter in a landscape that has lots of snow!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Linda said...

Love your header! The photo of outside with the snow looks like a painting, and that soup is the perfect accompaniment. I used to work at a church that had a Stone Soup day every year with the Mother's Day Out program. We all looked forward to the results. Your pretty project reminds me I need to get started back on my cross stitching.

Granny said...

FYI I had an order for Fat Quarter Shop too, and got a msg. it would be finally shipped on Feb. 10 and I actually got it Feb. 25, and I'm here in the states in Montana. I know they had some really ugly weather, so I hope you get your pkg. soon. We all love getting our new quilting stuff to play with.

MissPat said...

The winds are blowing furiously outside tonight. The temperature has dropped from 39F this morning down to 20F and going into the lower teens. Our snow cover is almost completely gone. You have a lot of hand work projects going. I bet that soup was warm and filling.
Pat

David M. Gascoigne, said...

We have been very fortunate this year to have had both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches visiting our feeders daily. Lovely visitors, huh?

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Pretty much all of our soups are of the 'kitchen sink' variety. Resident Chef might start out with a recipe but most often wanders off in all directions from the original. Hope your fabric arrives soon (and btw - love your new header!).

Dave said...

Great idea to put on a recipe.
I have recently got into making soups.

I will give this one a go during the weekend

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Your cross stitch is beautiful and that soup looks so yummy! Hugs

Angie said...

Jocelyn - I never met a soup I didn't like!!! Your Quilting Bee is so pretty - isn't it funny how our phones pick up different colors than our eyes? Enjoy the rest of your week!

Chopin - A Passionate Quilter said...

Soups looks like is was very good! Creativity in the Kitchen. SNOW again? The Quilting Bee is pretty! Funny how our expensive camera on the phones do not do some of our projects justice!

Fat Quarter really has been hit by COVID. I used to get things in 2-3 days, now it does take a little longer and we are about 125 miles from them! But they are on-line only.

Love your Hexagons and when you get the French General you will be happy camper! How is Ned? Doing OK? Isn't that the puppy's name? Hugs

QuiltGranma said...

There you are with snow, and we had over 100 degrees yesterday in N Central Oregon State! I could sure use some of your coolness since our A/C does not work I am a very not very prepared person when it comes to food prep: We had the grandkids over and no clue what I was going to fix them, years ago. So i opened the cupboard adn there was a can of tomato soup, one of refried beans, one of canned corn, and one of diced tomatoes. Aha, I'll just mix them all together and we'll have soup! Did not drain the corn. They loved it with my home made whole wheat biscuits. We had that often from then on!

K Reeves said...

That book explained so much if what I’ve observed over the years, confirming many of my own thoughts! My girls are both “outliers” and keeping up with them has been mind boggling! I love that cross stitch!