Tuesday 19 September 2023

Cheesecake, EPP Hexie Love, Gold in the Garden

 Cooler temperatures, 5C on my walk this morning but warming to 15 the weather forecast has promised, and just like that I'm thinking of heartier fare. But first I need to catch up on the cakes...recently Beth made the birthday folk here a beautiful New York style Cheesecake with Strawberry Compote.  The cake had 5 ! packages of cream cheese in it and was the most sumptuous cake I've ever eaten. It was silky and so delicious. And Tony finished off the compote over a little ice cream. 

I loved the colours here below...the wild Goldenrod which grew in massive  bunches like I've never seen before and one of the different kinds of Sedum, now in bloom. Late summer/ autumn when both these plants appear here. I read that Goldenrod supports more than 100 kinds of butterflies and moths and around 35 species of bees. 

My aqua hexies...I had one slab (is there a name for a group of hexies sewn together? Slab does not sound professional, :D) and then started a second one. At some point the slabs will be joined. I'm working towards a basic large rectangle shape big enough to cover one of the coffee tables. 

And the two slabs on the table I intend them for...looking a little more turquoise than they really are.
All in their cardboard templates still and my goal is to have the slabs large enough to cover the tabletop this week.
Gotta love paper piecing hexies...grows fast especially using this size. The aqua love continues at the  So Scrappy Saturday linky party.

I recently purchased a needlework motif book for embroidery. Sarah Watson's Pen to Thread which features 750+ designs. So many cute motifs in all kinds of categories...easy to trace and stitch. I think I already shared the Ultimate Sampler Motifs Source Book by Brenda Keyes; that one is for cross stitching and also a wonderful resource. 
And most of us stitchers do not need reminding of this but I read an article about working on old projects and simply not enjoying them anymore. In the end the stitcher decided life's too short, bundled them all up and took them to Goodwill. And who knows, someone like me just might come along,  rescue them and give them a good home. 
Next time I have to tell you about two things brand new to me...one to eat and one that's stitchy!


24 comments :

Cheree @ The Morning Latte said...

It can be hard to let go of something we're invested in but for sure! And I think we'll likely forget about them sooner than we think! Loving the cooler weather down here--it's not that cool but at least it's cooler!

Nancy J said...

I agree with doing what you love. Those hexies are so pretty, and the stitchery book, the cover is a delight all by itself.

Carol R. said...

that cheesecake looks yummy!! I recently had a slice of some of the best cheesecake I've had in awhile. It was just a small wedge that I wished had been double in size because it was so good.
Maybe instead of calling them slabs, you could call them sets or groupings?

Jenn Jilks said...

You have the most amazing projects!
The goldenrod is lovely.

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

love cheesecake!! it looks divine. love your hexies I've been working on mine too. The flowers looks beautiful - I wish I had some cool mornings :)

Jenny said...

No wonder that birthday cheesecake was so delicious with 5 lots of cream cheese! Yes, do what you love is a good thing, but some of us might have a hard time disposing of half made unwanted projects. But then again, they can be rescued and resurrected.

Brian's Home Blog said...

You are so talented with the quilts, they're so beautiful. Oh my, cheesecake, yum. Sadly I have a dairy protein allergy and can no longer have lots of the good stuff!

PaintedThread said...

Mmmm.. cheesecake. That is happy looking goldenrod! Those hexies are looking good.

MissPat said...

Oh my, that cheesecake sounds divine. Goldenrod gets a bad rap and blamed for allergies, when it is ragweed that causes the reaction. Goldenrod attacts many pollinators.
Pat

Home Sewn By Us said...

Hi Jocelyn! Oh gosh, I love that image that says, Do what you love. Life is way too short to work on projects that you no longer love. I plan to go through all of my partially started projects and even fabric and clear them out. I can list them on my blog and ask if anyone wants to give them a good home, or I can just drop them off at Goodwill. Either way, them landing in the right hands is the key. Your daughter has so much talent! I love it when you share her wonderful delights although they do make me hungry. {{Hugs}} ~smile~ Roseanne

Rosa said...

I'm so in awe of how much you accomplish with your handiwork projects. (And I'm a bit envious of that cheesecake. Yum!)

I like the idea of donating those projects that we know will never get finished. I think those half finished projects must have taught us what they were meant to teach us (that we don't like certain crafts or certain colors or certain patterns, etc) and both we and the project are ready to move on! Plus by donating, others can benefit from having them, even if just to refuse the materials. Win- win for everyone!

Susie H said...

Yum! I love cheesecake, especially the ones that have several bricks of cream cheese. I usually serve mine with a blueberry compote. Either way, slice me a big slab. Now that's an appropriate use of the word "slab". Hahaha! I didn't know that about goldenrod. All I associate them with is allergies but hey! good for Nature is a winner! Keep going on those hexies. I love EPP too!

Jackie said...

Yum, that cheesecake looks really good. Love how your hexi's are growing. I see more and more yellow and gold every morning that I go for my walk.

God bless.

Rosemary Dickinson said...

Love cheesecake and yours looks so good! Love the hexies! I was always taught to finish what you start and it drives me crazy! I would find it so freeing to just admit something isn't working and move on. Let's see if I'm brave enough to actually do it!

Angela said...

I didn't know that about golden rod. I always thought of it as a weed but it sure looks pretty in your photo.

Rosa said...

Yes! Thank you for saying this! It's not the goldenrod but the ragweed (which is wind pollinated so it releases lots of pollen into the air) causing allergic reactions. People generally won't develop allergic reactions to flowers like goldenrod that require insect pollinators like bees because the pollen doesn't get released into our surroundings. But they bloom at roughly the same time and we notice the yellow flowers (versus the drab ragweed) so we blame the goldenrod for our allergies.

grammajudyb said...

A fun post today! I have never made a cheesecake with 5 block of cream cheese! I must have been decadent! Those aqua Hexies will soon be a table topper, won’t it be pretty!it’s cool here this morning too. They are predicting a cooler weekend with snow in the higher elevations! And so it begins!

Babajeza said...

I've had a quilt for more than 20 years in my drawer. I started it in a different life. I may finish it some day .... but today I am not ready to give it away. :-)


Linda said...

I would gladly have helped you eat that cheesecake - one of my favorite desserts. Yay for Goldenrod and Sedum! Love "slab" as a name for the hexies. :) Goodwill has been the recipient of a few of my old projects/fabrics/books, and I always label the package and hope they find a new, appreciative home.

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

mmmm Cheesecake!!! that sound divine!!!
Love your slab of hexies!! I do not know what you would call it either - but I get slab!!
Gosh your fall colors are amazing!

Andree G. Faubert said...

Hi Jocelyn, your large aqua hexies are coming along nicely. Have fun!

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Yummy cheesecake, Jocelyn! Your daughter is an amazing baker. That's a beautiful photo of the goldenrod, too - it's always wonderful to see plants that attract the pollinators! Looks like you're enjoying your hexie project. Those books look like very handy resources!

The Joyful Quilter said...

Sweet AQUA hexies for the RSC, Jocelyn!!

Michelle said...

I don't much care for a regular cake, but cheesecake is my favorite dessert! I like your hexies. My grandmother used to quilt and I have some of her work with these on it. Thanks for linking up.