Market Shots and PIF Participants

GR&DF the weather finally broke yesterday and it was like the air-conditioning had been turned back on. We are so blessed to live in this perpetually cool city. I shouldn't complain about a couple of days here and there of heat - I know there are places that are still in triple digit heat. In the comments yesterday Maggie O mentioned a really great movie - " Mr Blandings Builds His dream House" - 1948 - a post war film if there ever was one!! Starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy and Melvin Douglas. This super film has the NYC living Blandings moving to the quiet of the country to build a house - easier said than done. I can not recommend this film highly enough - great performances and a super story!! great choice Maggie!! Here is one of my favorite Myrna Loy scenes from the film....




Yesterday was my mid week Farmers Market visit - and the bounty was everywhere with Fall harvest pouring in for sale. Of course I got a few snaps.....


I usually don't see green tomatoes - but I was in luck and found this box full of them - I picked up some for delicious fried green tomatoes - yummy!!


These beautiful grapes are from the Valley - juicy and sweet!!

This mushroom stand always has some great variates. Along with my green tomatoes, I picked up some mushrooms, heirloom tomato, red grapes, plums and onions. It was a nice day at the market.

I had 9 wonderful stitchers want to take part in my PIF - and I would love to include them all, but I know that would be a a bite I would not be able to chew...... so I had a mini drawing to narrow the field down to 3. My PIF participants whom I will create each a piece to receive and who will set up their own PIF on their blogs are..... Deborah - over at "Cranberry Samplings" - Kielrain - over at "Kielrain's Stitches" - and, Maggie - over at "Stitching Devotee." I will get out follow up emails this morning - thank you all for wanting to participate. I really enjoy PIF's. These three ladies will be setting up PIF's so that opens up 9 more places to get involved.

I think that about wraps it up for today. A reminder for HOE and HOE II members - today is the last day to sign up for the Fall Exchange, partners will be assigned tomorrow. Also we are coming up on my Birthday Hobbit Gift-a-way Drawing - to throw your name into the BOD for this drawing you will need to post a comment on this POST only.

Thanks again for stopping by, do come again!!
Take care,
edgar

Blacksheep's PIF and some Cookies

GR&DF thank you for stopping by and I am very happy that you enjoyed the snaps on yesterdays posting. It was a different kind of Saturday from the usual Estate Sale/Thrift Shopping and we really enjoyed it immensely.

I also wanted to announce a PIF - Lana over at "It Seams to be Snow" started the PIF, then Patti join hers. Patti listed the PIF over at "Tapestry of Dreams" - that's where I joined - now here is my call for people to take part in a PIF....


Blacksheep's PIF

Here's how it works - the idea is that 3 of you join my "Pay if Forward" and then I will send a hand made gift (made with love!!!) to each one of my THREE participants within the next 365 days! Then, those 3 people must also agree to host a PIF on their Blogs and ask for 3 people to join their PIF's - To Pay it Forward! So this is me, asking for 3 people to join my PIF - just leave a comment on this post only! That's it... no Catches!! If I have more than 3 stitchers interested then I will take those interested and have a little BOD drawing of 3 to take part in my PIF. Now.... I only need three - who wants to be my Three??

That's basically what Lana wrote and as with Patti I think that it explains it very well so I lifted it from Patti who lifted it from Lana. I was part of a PIF a year or so ago and really enjoyed taking part.

________________


The cookie recipe is very easy - I got the original from All Recipes - but of course I tweaked it a bit - so here is my version.......

7 Layer Cookies

Ingredients:
3/4 c unsalted butter
2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 c semisweet chocolate chips
1 c butterscotch chips
1 c chopped walnuts
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut


1 - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 - Line a 13x9x2 pan with foil. Butter the foil
3 - Melt the 3/4c butter and mix with cracker crumbs. Evenly press the buttered crumbs into the bottom of the greased pan. Put the pan in the preheated oven for about 5 mins to set the crumb base.
4 - On top of the prebaked crust sprinkle evenly the chocolate chips, then the butterscotch chips, then the walnuts. Pour the can of condensed milk over the nut layer as evenly as possible. Then evenly sprinkle the coconut over the milk layer.
5 - Place the pan in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown - about 25 or so minutes. Let cool.


It was a warm day and I let the cookies cool in the pan about a 1/2 hour - then took the entire thing by the foil out of the pan and cooled it for a couple of hours in the fridge before cutting.
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These tweaks came from the comments attached to the recipe and worked for me quite well. I think this recipe could take many adaptions, white chips, dried fruit, whatever - Enjoy!!

There you go sports fans. Thanks again for stopping by, do come again.

Take care,
edgar

Comments and Flickers

Thank you all for nice things you wrote about the PIF that Su sent. She is the bestest!! To borrow a word. Cathy asked about the meaning of PIF and I am glad to explain. Basically it means Pass It Forward. It is works very easy... a stitcher either joins on or begins their own PIF. If a stitcher is starting a PIF then they will post on their blog that you are having a PIF and other stitchers comment that they want to join. The original stitcher will set up the parameters of the PIF - such as how many PIF they are going to and the length of time that those joining will have to stitch up their PIF's. Say the stitcher setting it up indicates that they are taking 3 stitchers to PIF and gets more that that commenting they would like to join, then there may be a drawing or random picking of the three PIF participants. Those three then run a PIF's on their Blogs and it goes on and on - Passing forward wonderfully stitched pieces to others - again a sharing of ourselves with others.

I am so ready to see the new HP Movie and an just green about Mary and Michele already seeing this newest installment!!! Colleen- how did your Peanut Butter cookies turn out???

Stitching last night was still focused on exchanges. The flicker was "The Girl Can't Help it" - 1956 - starring Jayne Mansfield and Tom Ewell. A great movie with some super early Rock and Roll musical numbers!! I wasn't expecting much from this flick and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the whole thing. One of the best numbers is a ghostly apparition of Julie London signing her signature song "Cry me a River."

I did want to clear up about the flicker from yesterday - "Heaven Can Wait" - from 1943 - wasn't remade in 1978 by Warren Beatty - they only reused the title from the 43 movie. The 78 remake was a remake of a really good flick "Here Comes Mr. Jordon" 1941 - starring Robert Montgomery, Evelyn keyes and Claude Rains. It is very confusing all around and very misleading. Although the 78 remake is kind of cute, in its own way - once again there was no need to remake what was a very excellent movie from 1943.

Thanks for stopping by!! Today is the Farmers Market - so I am trotting on over there around lunch time!!! Stop in tomorrow for some snaps of that adventure in shopping with the masses!!

Take care,
edgar

PIF arrives, Cookies and a Flick

Yesterday the mail brought a gorgeous PIF from Su. I joined her PIF last fall - it was my first ever PIF and it was just great. You get a year to stitch and mail the PIF's and you get a PIF. What could be better than sharing your stitching with others. One of the real pleasures of all this stuff is making something nice, decorative or just fun for another stitcher. We rarely meet in person and these little things are just nice hugs across the miles!! Well, I wont go on any longer - her is a snap of my PIF...

Su sent a beautifully stitched and finished pin cushion I love the blanket stitching around the edges - and it looks super with my other stitchity treasures!! Thank you so much Su for doing the PIF and letting me take part.

On the way home we stopped at the store and I picked up some small canning jars. I am determined to put up some cherry jam and even some peach preserves. Two of my favorite bread-spreads!! I also love Damson Plum and may try my hand at that after I try the cherry. My Granny put Damson Plum up every year and I always remember when we would visit them in Holly Hill, FL, there would be her preserves on the table. The things you remember...... we will see how this turns out - :)

Last night after getting home I made a batch of peanut butter cookies....

They are Rico's favorite cookie - I like them also and these turned out pretty good. I have a few for lunch today, yummy!

Stitching last night was once again focused in gifts/exchanges so there are no snaps of any of that, yet.

The flicker last night was "Heaven Can Wait" - 1943 - starring Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, Majorie Main, Charles Coburn and Spring Byington. A really very good movie - basic story is of an old playboy type review his life with Satan to see if he is eligible to enter Hell. A beautiful print by Criterion. If you have the chance I would recommend the flick as it is really very good and directed by Ernest Lubitsch.

I also finished re-reading "Half Blood Prince" - such a great series, I totally enjoyed it once again. I have read that there will be changes from the story in the movie, well that always happens - I can't wait to see the newest HP Flicker - "Half Blood Prince." I have heard both good a bad things about this movie - but I like to make up my own mind.

Thank you all for the comments - I always enjoy them!!! Have a great day!!

Take care,
edgar

PIF's arrive

The other two PIF's have arrived safe and sound - Here are some snaps ....

for Karen.......


...and for Lisa.

Do you see a theme here?? All the charts where parts of Alphabet Zoo - such a great stitch. I will need to do this whole alphabet piece at some point.

I do thank you all for the kind comments about the ABC piece. I also think we all agree that baby Pidges are less than beautiful!! Don't we learn lots from each other Mary gave a name to the pidgelettes - Squabs - now who would have guessed. I have had squab on a plate and it was way more delicious and better looking than either pidgelette in my window box!!

Berit wanted to know about the stuffed shells - yes - it is a la Florentine - I actually sort of made up this recipe as I couldn't find a single one that I liked but I could find parts of recipes that appealed to me - so I just combined them together for the final product. The basic recipe is one from the Frugal Gourmet I got a long time ago. I have changed it up quite a bit since then with other additions to its present form.

A little Mystery Stitching and more Christmas Stitching last night. We have a three day weekend coming up so I hope to finish up the mystery Sampler to show it off next Monday. Now that I have put that in writing it probably wont happen!! :)

There have been quiet a few flickers but nothing remarkable and lots of repeats. I do love watching a good movie again and again. I know it makes Rico insane and I have heard more than once "Haven't you seen that before???" He gets the raspberry and I re-watch the flick!!

Thanks for stopping by and commenting!! I really appreciate the time you spend here!!

Take care,
edgar

PIF's and other things

Everything is ready for the post - all wrapped up and boxed - which is great except that I left my "BSB" book with the address' and the labels I made yesterday sitting on the dinning room table at home!!!! Jeez could I be more of a ding!!!! Now they will have to sit ready but label less until next Tuesday when I get to the post!! Part of what I had gotten ready where my 3 PIF's - Last September I joined Su in a PIF and since I had 365 days to get it together I of course waited and now that I have them ready to go they are held up a few more days.


Here is a snap of them last night wrapped up!!

Oh well - these three and two exchanges will have to wait a couple of more days - I am not out of time yet, but one of the exchanges has quite a way to go and I didn't want to get to close to the mailing time before I got it in the mail.

The stitching last night was focused on Christmas prezzies - sorry no snaps of that - yet. I did want to thank you all for the nice things you had to say about the mystery sampler - It is a great stitch and some really wonderful floss colour choices. I do agree about the most current LF - I think it is the colour that is not working for me - we'll just have to see when it arrives - I got to thinking about that and it might look better in some off blue or brown shade - or maybe one of the new "BE" colours that Vicki over at HDF has been working on might be nice.

The flicker from last night was "Hildegard" - 1994 - starring Patricia Routledge - the film is not listed on her page in IMBD, nor is it listed for any of the actresses in the film and I do not know why as it was good film that I enjoyed. It is short at just under an hour. Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th century abbess, visionary, naturalist, playwright and composer, just a remarkable woman of the Middle Ages. The film deals with her legacy comprising some of the most radiant accounts of religious experience ever. Yet, despite her faith, Hildegard's visions were questioned, and she was put on trial by the Church in 1148. This dramatization of the nun's life paints an inspiring picture of a courageous woman touched by God.

Thank you again for stopping by and your comments!! Have a great weekend -

Take care,
edgar

Super mail.....

Lets start off with the personal exchange that I did with Sylviane - mine has already arrived in Belgium and hers got to me yesterday - Here is a snap of the entire exchange -

She stitched a beautiful pyn keepe in a gorgeous green colour using a Belgian design. Included in the exchange was some really lovely floss', a Quaker chart and some really yummy chocolates - that got scarfed up- rather quickly!! I had never done a one on one exchange and it was lots of fun!!! Thank you again Sylviane.

I also received a PIF from Vee. Here is a snap fo the lovely package -

So beautifully wrapped and here it is opened....

Vee used part of a design by BBD and I just love it - I am such a sucker for birds!!!

I also got some linens that I ordered - some of it was on sale from Only One Ewe Needleworks

I am really liking that Dill......and the Purely primitive colours.....

I did have a couple of questions about the pieces from yesterday -

My conversion for the "Lo Rose" Sampler is the WDW suggested conversion - except for two which are - for the Sweetheart Rose I change that three times and finally settled on Chrysanthemum, and for Chablis I switched that to Williamsburg Red. I also know I consciously picked a darker dye lot if I one or more skeins in my stash - this holds for both Amber and Cinnabar as I had three skeins of each of these colours and the dye lots where each very different - I went darker each time.

Also - the charts I used for the pieces where...
Mail Art - was from Little by Little - "Counting Book Samplar" I used the designs but rearranged them to fit an envelope. The floss' used were various over dyed ones.
Jill's Ornament - came from the Christmas Booklet from Hearstring Primitives - the chart is called "O Christmas Tree" - I used the recommended DMC except for the flames on the candles - I used a golden metallic thread so they would sparkle a bit.
Pyn Keepe - I used a Barbara Anna Design called "Quaker Sampler" - I started off stitching the entire piece but it was really getting too big so this piece is the top half. I used over dyed floss'.

I need to keep better notes on what I stitch - maybe a journal is what I need to start - on my another thing to do, just what I need!! :)

The flicker last night was "The Duchess" - 2008 - starring Keira Knightley and Ralph Fiennes. A beautiful well crafted movie - that skims through the life of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire. It is beautiful, it is interesting and it does hit some high points in her life, but it what it shows is a tip of the iceberg that was the life of this Duchess. I enjoyed it and can recommend Keira's performance as very good.

Thank you for the very kind comments, I do appreciate them!!
Thank you all for stopping by!!

Take care,
edgar

PIF Participants, and that outgoing mail....

Well - we have some "winners" for the PIF's - I was really very touched that so many wanted to join my PIF and that the response's warranted a drawing of names - Thank you all so much!!! Once again I am very blessed with such nice folks reading this here blog! -

Setting the stage - In a secret a nameless cavern on the brink of an abyss with cauldron and elixir in hand a drawing was held that has no snaps .........woooo - hoooo - squeak..squeak.. squeak.. (sound effects for mystery)....... plus and the hound-a-liciousesss wouldn't sit still - they ran away from me - the paparazzi - so what am I to do??? The stitchers that are now in my web of PIF are:

Karen, Lisa and Deborah

Ladies my email is edgarmatt @ g mail . com (remove spaces) so please if you wouldn't mind contacting me with your details (as I'm unsure how to get hold of you to tell you that your name was drawn) so I have the lables ready when I've completed your PIF's.
I'll need your name and snail mail details.
Don't forget to post on your blogs the PIF details - you can stitch for as many as you like but a minimum of 2. Once again thank you all for your great interest!!

I am toting to the mail today a pile of stuff - The HOE Halloween Exchange, The SBEBB Fall House Exchange, The SBEBB Halloween Exchange, The Christmas Ornament Exchange, The Sampler Kit Lisa Won Yesterday and a Birthday present that should have gone out last week - I will look like some sort of camel dragging this stuff down Market Street, but I am glad to get it all out as some of it has quite a way to travel!!

Last night I only worked on Gabby's MAW exchange piece and am almost there still on track to have it in the mail on Thursday -
you see if I keep saying it will go out on Thursday it is bound to happen!!!

Once again dear friends - Thank you for stopping by!!!

Take Care,
edgar

I'm a winner - !!!!!

Over at Su's Blog - she was doing a PIF - and I had never done one so I thought it was time to - since I have absolutely nothing else to occupy my time!! HA-HA-HA!! I have seen these PIF's often and thought what a super idea - so I tossed my name in the kitty and I was a winner and now you can be one also - PIF's are very easy - sooooooo

Do you want to join my PIF?

The rules are as follows: * If you would like to receive stitchy gift made by me within 365 days please leave comment on this post to say that you are interested, the first 3 people I draw the names for on Monday, September 22nd (Presuming I get more than 3 people interested that is) will be my PIF members* In return you post the same offer on your own blog. And the chain goes on... :) So easy and so fun -

I am sending out the first of my Fall exchanges today - it has quite a way to go - so it will probably take a week to get there - I will post a snap as soon as I know it has arrived.

On the stitchy front last night I was a'working on the MAW Exchange for Gaby - she wanted a Flat-Fold with a LHN-CCN design - I really like them so I jumped at this MAW - I will probably have this in the mail on Tuesday along with a couple of other exchanges. I always seem to mail things out so early - just a spaz I guess - since I am hyper sensitive to my being late I think this trait carries through my whole life. I know exactly where this comes from - growing up my parents as wonderful as they were to us where habitually late to everything!! Now the pendulum has swung the other way and I am habitually early to everything!! Go figure!

Thanks you all for the suggestions as to how to wrangle up my stash into a workable system - right now I sort of have it organized by designer and when that fails theme. My flosses I have either in Floss-a-way bags or on large floss rings by company.

The flicks last night were Netflix selections - short stories to be precise - I am a great lover of the short story - the stories last night where "The Revolt of Mother" - 1986 starring Amy Madigan - the original story was written by the wonderful 19th century author - Mary Wilkins Freeman - it is about a barn, a wife and some cows in rural New England. She is a wonderful author and I would highly recommend her stories. This production was good and I enjoyed it but the story is so much richer. The second selection was "The Jilting of Granny Weatherall" -1980 - starring Geraldine Fitzgerald. The story is by Katherine Ann Porter - not the best version of a great story - pass on this adaptation and read the original!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Take care,
edgar

PS - ONLY - 8 more days until the SBBC-2009 sign ups close.