Pretty Things

I have been wanting to share this quilt since August but I never got it to Jeanne until today. It's her birthday quilt. I made it similar to one I saw on Purl and Bee or whatever it is called. I didn't have a spot to lay it out so I didn't get a good picture, perhaps Jeanne will send me one. But I love the colors and some of the prints in it and I tossed in gingham - too pretty. Anyhow happy belated birthday Jeanne


And I also made a bunch of these for various different things. Aren't they pretty? Can I just tell you very berry is so yummy almost as good as the blue place.

Pepper Soup

So today here I am again blogging for lunch. Actually I have a bowl of chicken and stars soup of the campbell variety which I'm eating because you can never have enough soup, but it's a bit warm at the moment. I'm not altogether wild about chicken and stars especially because I didn't have any crackers to toss in but oh well it cost all of $0.50 and it warms me up. I feel like that snowman already melted away - oh wait that's a commercial not real life. Anyhow back to this blog before it was hijacked by my ramblilng...
Two weeks ago jono made us Pepper Soup which I have been meaning to blog so we can toss the printout of the recipe into the recycling bin because once it's blogged we don't have to worry where we put it. -I'm sure you all are thinking do they eat anything other than soup at the Jones Compound - and in truth while almost all good things can be eaten in a bowl we really do cook other things like last night we had hot dog sandwiches and last week we had turkey burgers and aspargus and the worlds spicest red beans and rice - not the same night though. We aren't big fans of cooking things in the oven for unknown reasons, it's been rainy so no grilling and with the crockpot you have to plan in advance - although we have a fast cook crockpot that we have been known to make soup in. So that leaves us with things cooked on the stovetop and soup for the most part can be left along once you toss everything in so we love it! Anyhow I digress again here is our the recipe which was modified from one on Allrecipes because we didn't even know what Marjoram was and I detest celery, and I'm sure there were other things changed too.
Pepper Soup
1 lb stew meat
5 slices of bacon
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup parsley chopped
2 green peppers chopped
2 boxes of beef broth - we always think we need extra broth so we buy the big boxes of broth
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp ground cloves (you need these this makes the soup)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 lg potato peeled and chopped
2 large carrots diced
4 tblsp butter
4 tblsp flour

1. Cook meat in a large skillet by covering it with water and bringing it to boil. Allow to cool then drain water. Put aside.
2. In soup pot or dutch oven saute bacon until clear.
3. Add onion, parsley and green peppers to the bacon and saute until onion is clear.
4. Add beef stock, meat, and spices to the soup pot. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer. Cook for about two hours on low I'm guessing we really cooked ours about an hour because that's how we roll.
5. Add the potato and carrots and cook for 20 more minutes.
6. Create a roux with flour, butter and 1/2 cup of the soup broth mixed in a bowl. Stir in roux to the soup pot when potatoes and carrots are soft. Roux will thicken the soup.
7. Add any additional spice needed and eat.

It was especially yummy however if you are not a fan of spice then perhaps this is not the soup for you - it was the best soup tasted all week. I did not photograph this soup although I will make a special point in the future to photograph soups.

Tuesday 10 - Awesomeness Seen This Week

It's my 5th favorite day of the week again- sorry Tuesday I love Th-Fri-Sat-Sun better, but being #5 can't be that bad. It's rainy and cold today and the rain and wind are taking all the leaves from the trees. But I will not let that stop me from enjoying or loving some Tuesday - instead I made tea and drug out my Ford Motor Company Fleece - anyone know why I even have this? I don't recall ever owning a Ford? I think perhaps someone "regifted" it to me - well anyway it's good and warm and it has a weird breast pocket that is perfect for the iPod although I am certain that Ford had intended for it to be for something like a MPG calculator or perhaps tire patches. Anyhow I ramble far too much let's get on with the Tuesday 10 shall we?
1. I do so love this journal idea and I have started my very own. Despite what Jono said I did not buy the book I'm actually logging all my entries on my google calendar - I could twitter them but some things are not really for everyone to see I think. I also will be bringing back the photo of the day soon I have been taking them but I have lost track of all of them with 4 different cameras it's hard to log so watch for that.
2. Schreve did the dishes!
3. Banksy Art - I know I have mentioned him before but isn't it lovely (no worries I'm not planning to graffitti anything soon).




4. Old School Charles Schultz books - I saw Happiness is a Warm Puppy at a thrift store recently but it was in bad shape. But what is not to love with books like...
or this one (I know I still have my childhood blanket).
or this one..
and I think we all need this one...
5. Hot Tea
6. Super cool places like the Bluffs (also photographed in the last post). Jodie sometime when you photograph the Joneses we'll have to you liberty and oxford - I think Logan and the rest of the crew would enjoy it perhaps next summer and you can bring the boat and we'll go to the lake.


7. Scarf Time. I need to dig mine out of the back of the closet.
Who wants one like pac man? I do!

8. Covered Bridges - the midwest is so rich in history and have preserved places like this. Makes me want to visit the other covered bridges.


9. Kramer School - I tell you I visit all these places that are special to me and I want them all to be on Tuesday 10s! Mom has been working at Kramer since before I can remember and I went to grades K-3 there so regardless to say I spent a lot of days there. We accompanied her there this weekend... Snaps from her class which I'm sad to say is not one of the rooms ever had class in... Don't you love her writing so perfect on each line?
And look they still have chalk boards.
pumpkins lining the lockers (which are new only 3rd grade had lockers when I was there - I never even got one because I spent 3rd grade in an Annex classroom - which is really a trailer next to the playground - but it came with air conditioning!)
All our old favorite playground equipment is gone almost replaced by new things that seem cookie cutter and plastic except for perhaps this guy, does remind of us of days at the Stewart Playground where we spent a many of days. For anyone who knows Oxford Stewart is now a shopping center there is no playground or basketball courts left.
They did salvage these guys I'm sorry to report no tetherball however.
And they still have this one
10. Terribly Funny Phone Calls with Virgin Wireless - for the record I should NOT be responsible for anyones including my own cell phone plans I am completely clueless I hope you enjoyed talking to me Honey and Brian.

Do you remember this place?

I certainly do.
Aside from a little erosion on the cliff and plaques and benches along the trail it's seems the same. I don't know if you can tell from the photos but the trees are still hanging over the edge. The spot where you slide down cliff is way to steep now for sliding.





Isn't it lovely?

He will kick your teeth in!

Tonight we went out to dinner at an English Pub here in Indy (yes we have pubs). Rugby was on TV and it trapped me up. It was the South African Blue Bulls vs some Province or something. I was so amused by this game that I didn't have the foggiest idea what was going on it was confusing and at the same time enchanting. So of course as we were sitting there I decided I must blog about it, and I think I need to go see some rugby myself. Anyhow here are some pictures of Rugby for you if you want to learn about it you can read up on it here and here. This "huddle" which is really a scrum cracks me up. Seems that you can move the ball while in a Scrum? Who would have thought.

Another Scrum
Here we have a rugby tackle or the start of one.
Oh and my newest favorite Rugby player who is a fly-half Morne Steyn.

He will Kick your teeth in. That should be his new slogan or so I decided at the restaurant.

Corita Kent

I first became aware of Corita Kent when I was working in Boston and I asked someone at my hotel about the mural on the water tower - who had to ask someone else, who asked someone else who looked it up on the net. It turned out it was a gas tank and it was a mural and not just some random rainbow on a water tower. At the time I put her name in my blackberry to google and moved on to whatever I was really doing. Today when I was looking for something else on my Blackberry I found the sticky I put in my phone...
"Google Corita Kent"
So I did - it turns out she was a pretty fun artist and serigraph printer (I want to do screen printing) - oh and she was also a nun. Anyhow this turned out to be a longer than necessary break from work, which included requesting some of her books on hold at the library, but I can't leave without a few images...





I love this expression - "Damn Everything but the Circus!"

Tuesday 10 - Fall Lovelies

1. Vintage playground equipment located. You forget how awesome merry-go-rounds are until you ride one too lovely


2. Sidewalk Chalk Messages


3. Jack-O-Lanterns
4. Sleeve face seen around Indy. Look here's Roberta Flack
And there's JFK and the skyline
Jim Nabors and the old stadium
And this guy seen in lockerbie
5. Grandma's watercolors hanging in the studio

6. Creating my own paintings with Lita
Mine incomplete.
and her's
7. Swings
8. Heartland Film Festival - I saw Bright Star and I hope to see a few more.
9. Broccoli
10. Hooded Sweatshirt weather!