Friday, 26 April 2024

Quilting Updates, Rucking, This Weeks' This and That

A frozen mystery meat is thawing on the counter. It must be meat as it's really heavy. Time will reveal what it is and what I can make for supper with it. Any frozen mystery gems at your house?

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt this week is bed and breakfast or luxury hotel? I don't have a preference but I don't think I've ever stayed in a luxury hotel. I'll stay anywhere that looks nice and safe. I spent two March holidays in a condo on a Florida beach and found that to be wonderful. All the amenities, beach almost at the door, surrounded by fellow Canadians also in a holiday mood, but didn't have to talk to anyone unless you wanted to, of course.  When I get my blood pressure checked, I visualize the pelicans (which I'd never seen before and was fascinated with) diving and rising from the sea that I watched while knitting on the beach. The word Bliss comes to mind. Probably some of the most relaxed holiday moments for me ever. What about you? 

I've slow stitched more scrappy Applique Pieced Hourglass blocks. So easy with the 5 inch squares pack all ready to go. This is the first time I've used such precuts. Just realized this is a great RSC super scrappy project too. 

In the sewing room, more work on the Bramble Blooms with three sides sewn on. And two more rows of the Panama Pyramids have been added. One row gave me such grief but I managed to get it done. 
I was disappointed to read that Quiltmania has suddenly, it seems, closed down. As you know I took part in several of their free SAL's and had subscriptions to their magazines at various times over the years. I have a lovely stack of them. They brought a unique world wide perspective to the quilting world that will be missed. 

You are going to shake your head when you hear the latest thing I'm trying out exercise wise. I didn't know it had a name but of course it does. It's called rucking and you can read about it HERE. I've put clothes in the bottom of my backpack and then bar bells to wear on my walks. I'd started light with just 10 pounds which really I hardly feel so I'm going to add more weight. The overall goal is to get back into the shape I achieved during my 69-70 year. That was when I wanted to face age 70 in the best physical shape I could muster. Since then I've experienced stress which can certainly side track personal goals. All is calm presently- well calm-ish- and also, knowing my heart is in good shape means there won't be a better time to resume this goal- fingers crossed. 

I heard from many of you about the Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls recipe I shared in the last post. They are called Buckeyes-such a fun name, in some states and there are slight variations in the ingredients. 

And wow to the news that many folks already knew about that use for castor oil! Thank you, J, for pointing me to THIS SITE that has 6 pages of moisturizing products that contain castor oil! 

Meanwhile, I'm on the hunt for a chocolate bar that is low in gluten. I'm sure some of you will have ideas about this. I've tried several health bar types but they don't taste all that great to me.  I wonder how Kit Kats fare in that department because I like them for a treat now and then. I just found out Cheerios are gluten free (mostly), something I never knew. I guess if you live long enough, you know it all. The tricky part would be what gets remembered. 

Hope your weekend is wonderful and your stitching fingers will be flying!

Happily linking with A QuilteryQuilting is More Fun Than HouseworkSmall Quilts and Doll Quilts and Kathy's Quilts.

18 comments :

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

do you need to be low gluten for health reasons - I hear many talk of wanting to go gluten free but really don't need to.
Your Panama Pyramids quilt is so nice.

Quilting Babcia said...

If you like dark chocolate, Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate bars are gluten free. They're my favorite, we each have one square after dinner nearly every night. Your Panama Pyramids quilt top is looking great, and I'm looking forward to seeing your next set of borders on BB1. I just read this morning about Quiltmania stopping production, so very sad as it was a uniquely beautiful magazine.

Gretchen Weaver said...

No mystery meat here, I make sure I label what I package for the freezer. A nice safe B & B is fine with me, just some place that is nice and quiet. Happy walking!

PaintedThread said...

LOL. I'm usually pretty good at labeling my frozen meat, but I did have one mystery freezer-paper wrapped package that carefully noted date and weight, but not what was in it. Good luck with your rucking!

lmno said...

For a while I sauteed chicken breasts ending with lemon juice and froze serving sizes to eat a moment. We keep white rice on hand. Now I buy roasted chickens and debone them which takes just a little less time. Same concept. I sautee a good amount of asparagus or brocolli and make homemade broth for a regular serving of a chicken soup for a quick and easy lunch. Five pounds of chicken wings, 3-4 quarts of broth frozen to store as chicken broth ice cubes is about 30-70 servings.

lmno said...

Gluten free here also. Unfortunately, allergic to potatoes. Sorry to tell you this but Ghirardelli Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Squares are divine and I tolerate them well in spite of having a bit of reaction to nuts. That little bit of chocolate is my treat. Hope you get a chance to try one. We buy the individually packaged squares, not the chocolate bars. I really like the Dark Chocolate Krispies if you can tolerate them. It is my only indulgence.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I think you talked about the construction of your hourglass blocks in another post, but are you appliqueing the triangles onto a background square? That looks like an enjoyable handwork project. And the Panama Pyramids quilt top looks wonderful, too - it looks bigger than I was thinking! That's so interesting that castor oil is in so many skin products. I've never heard of that!

lmno said...

The rucking link did not resolve but please be careful about walking with weights. It can be hard on joints. Our ligament are not what they used to be. I am 70 also and rely on walking, many squats, and walking the stairs frequently on breaks. Keep moving, they say.

Jackie said...

Good for you on adding weights to the backpack. I want to get some ankle weights to use when on my walks.

Love, love, love the Panama Pyramids. They are coming along beautifully.

God bless.

Rosemary Dickinson said...

I've never heard of rucking but I can see how it can be healthy. I use my Fitbit and walk 5 miles a day. That's the best I can do. Your projects are all coming together nicely. I missed I Like Thursday this week. I went shopping for my Mother of the Groom dress and I actually bought one!

loulee said...

Wow! Panama triangles is looking great.

thatfabricfeeling.wordpress.com said...

Who doesn't love a little freezer mystery?? I do enjoy finding a ready-made meal in the frozen department of my basement. We just cleaned it out and sadly, there's just a lot of frozen vegetables left and some loaf cakes that I made. Oh...and soup!! I always have to have some soup in the freezer for a rainy day. I wish you luck on your exercise kick and eating healthy journey. I wish I could get motivated but alas, still not in my plans. I am working on a scrappy quilt and have hit a roadblock as it's not symmetrical. The design probably needs to be even all around. I'll let it simmer and see what to do. I adore that yellow Panama Pyramid quilt you're making. It's so lovely, scrappy and looks vintage at the same time as being modern. I do hope you'll keep us posted as it gets closer to being done.

Linda said...

Haha sometimes I forget to label our frozen meat - that one looks chicken-ish. Your hourglass blocks are so pretty. Having 5-inch squares ready makes it fun! Here is a page from Hershey's website showing their GF candies:
https://www.hersheyland.com/products?dietaryNeeds=Gluten%20free

Libby in TN said...

Your mystery meat looks like a chicken breast. My secret indulgence is Payday. Alex found the mini-bars in a package and they are the perfect amount to satisfy my craving which began while I was hospitalized.

Robin said...

Yes, Quiltmania has stopped producing their regular magazines and it's no longer available at stores. But, they've gone to a quarterly magazine that is more in depth, larger, and a little more expensive. You can get it by subscription.
I love your Panama Pyramids quilt. The soft yellow is such lovely neutral. I always enjoy reading your blog

Magpie's Mumblings said...

Sounds like Quiltmania is yet another of the magazines that have folded - so many of them lately. It's sad to see. The magazines that have stayed are the grossly overpriced ones that cost just about as much as a book.
Sorry I can't help you on the chocolate question - I have pretty much broken myself of the habit of eating Kit Kat's and Coffee Crisps and now stick to the occasional chocolate that Resident Chef makes and keeps in the freezer. At least I know what goes in those.
And to answer the question re B&B or luxury hotel, I would have to say B&B. I don't think I'd know how to act in a luxury place. Mind you, I've only ever been in a B&B twice.

Pam said...

I fall for the freezer mystery meal so many times, I am just sure that I will remember what is in the container. The latest one that I was sure was butter chicken turned out to be Pumpkin soup. 😂

Denise said...

Love your quilt, those pesky triangles. Castor oil is great, I use it in my cold process soap recipes. Thank you for linking up to Put your foot down.