A Distance Too Grand

A Distance Too Grand by Regina Scott is a captivating story. Based on an 1871 exploration of the Grand Canyon and the adventure of finding a path across the expanse.

Meg Pero is following in her father's footsteps of photography. Having assisted her father on many expeditions, she is fulfilling a contract that her father had signed before his death to travel the Grand Canyon. Being a woman has the Army survey team resisting her traveling with them. But with time running out, and with no one else to take the pictures they so desperately need, she is allowed to go.

Captain Ben Coleridge finds himself facing the woman who rejected him years ago while he was still in military school. Ben is charged with a secret mission, as well as being in charge of the surveying crew.

The story is full of adventure, and romance, as Ben and Meg find themselves facing questions that plagued them years before. The secondary characters also lend interest to the overall story.

Well written with many historical  and geological facts.And I loved the dialogue as the plot moves along nicely.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Let's decorate

Ok Fall is making it's way.  And even though we don't have the change of color in Florida, 

I like to ad-lib and make my own.

I made this table runner several years ago. It's one of my favorites. I still enjoy the warmth it brings to my home.

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties

Clean Sewing Machine

Are you good about keeping your sewing machine clean? I know I have been a little lax in that area, so I thought I would post some sites where you can find information about keeping your machine clean. Each brand of sewing machine would likely have a source for you to find how to clean your machine. But here is what I found for you today.

Diane Gaudyniski's blog -
http://dianegaudynski.blogspot.com/2010/01/lean-mean-clean-machine.html

Blueberry Buckle Quilt Studio -
http://blueberrybuckle.typepad.com/blog/2009/11/tuesday-tutorial-clean-your-machine.html

Bernina blog site -
http://www.berninausablog.com/read/keep-a-clean-machine

Janome
 https://janome.com.au/cleaning-your-sewing-machine/

Sewing machine care -
https://sew4home.com/tips-resources/sewing-tips-tricks/how-clean-your-sewing-machine-get-smoother-sewing-fewer-repairs

And for  you rlong or mid arm

Handi Quilter
 https://handiquilter.com/the-care-and-feeding-of-a-longarm/

Long Arm
 https://www.themakerspot.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Long-Arm-Quilting-Manual.pdf

Keep those machine clean and running.

Wedding quilt

Bound and quilted. This wedding gift is ready for the bride and groom.

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties

Blueberry Lemon Cake recipe

I've always loved blueberries. And when they are in season, they are the best. So recently I made this cake and we all loved it.

Original Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Servings: 10 people (9" blueberry cake)

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream (8oz)
• 1/2 cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour*
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 medium lemon zest and juice, divided
• 1/2 Tbsp corn starch
• 16 oz fresh blueberries **
• Powdered sugar to dust the top optional

Instructions

Prep:

1. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment. Preheat Oven to 375˚F.

How to Make Blueberry Lemon Cake:

1. Beat 2 eggs and 1 cup sugar with whisk attachment on high speed 5 min, or until light in color and thick.
2. Add 1 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup oil, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp salt and whisk on low speed until well combined.
3. Whisk together the 2 cups flour with 2 tsp baking powder then add to batter 1/3 at a time, whisking to incorporate with each addition (DO NOT OVERMIX). Finally, add 1 Tbsp lemon juice and 1/2 Tbsp zest.
4. Rinse blueberries and drain well. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with 1/2 Tbsp corn starch and 1 tsp lemon juice, stirring until well combined and no dry white cornstarch remains.
5. Pour half of batter into prepared springform pan and spread evenly. Top with half of the blueberries. Spread with remaining batter then sprinkle the rest of the blueberries evenly over the top, pushing them slightly into the batter (about halfway). Bake at 375˚F for 45 to 55 min (mine was perfect at 55 min), or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cake rest in the pan 15-20 min then remove ring and cool until room temp or just warm. Serve dusted with powdered sugar.

Recipe Notes

**If using frozen blueberries, thaw and drain then in step #4: toss with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and omit lemon juice. Do not add more than 16 oz blueberries
or they weigh down the cake.
*measure flour by spooning into measuring cup then scraping off the top.

Enjoy!

Inspire Me Tuesday

Little Cottage Link Party 
All About Home 
Tuesdays At Our Home 
Home and Garden Thursday
Grace At Home
Saturday Sparks Link Party

Thanks Eleanor!

A lot of things have changed in 36 years. Especially in the quilting world. I recently found the folder from my very first quilting class.

Looks pretty vintage and worn.

And amazingly I had dated the page from the first class. July 6, 1983! Wow, look at my list of what was needed for the class.

Between needles
Thimble
Pins - T pins
Quilting thread
Batting
Cloth
Quilting frame
Transfer paper
Plastic for templates
TWO pair of scissors - cloth and paper.......

Okay you get the picture.

It was a fun and interesting, and at times intensive, class. We were to work on blocks for a sampler quilt. The teacher was patient and very knowledgeable. On the day we were learning about creating and cutting out templates, she brought out a package and showed us a tool that would make cutting much more accurate and easier then using scissors. Yeah, right, we all said. Well of course that tool was the rotary cutter, and the rest is history.

I never did finish my 15 1/2" blocks. As a matter of fact I do not even know whatever happened to those blocks. But a wonderful thing did happen. My sister in law went to a different quilt class in a new quilt shop that had recently opened. She not only learned HOW to use this amazing new tool, she was introduced to the queen of stripping, Eleanor Burns and her Quilt in a Day method. She of course shared the information with me, and helping me pick out fabric, we both made a Log Cabin quilt.

This is the one that I made.

Yes that was my first completed quilt. And I've been hooked on Quilt in a Day ever since.

Over the years I've made many different quilts, and they mostly stem from the method I learned from Eleanor Burns. I loved her process and enjoyed making.this Christmas one.


I am not a fancy quilter. I love to make geometric designs and highlight beautiful fabrics. It's been fun to use Eleanor's techniques to make quilts that look harder then they really are. Yep, we've come a long way baby.

Have a great quilting day!

 

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties

May We Never Forget

In the United States, Sept. 11 has become a day that haunts the nation of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the attacks, the day has been called Patriot Day and serves as a day to remember those who lost their lives. The day was passed by Congress on Oct. 25, 2001 and was signed into law by then President George. W. Bush. 

 "Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others. It’s a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning. But not only of loss and mourning. It’s also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend–even a friend whose name it never knew." -- President George W. Bush

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  John 15:13

You Belong With Me

 

You Belong With Me by Tari Faris is a most delightful novel. Ms. Faris wove a sweet romance, with many layers of challenges and secrets that blossoms into reconciliations on many levels.

Luke Johnson is a foster kid who grew up living next to his best friend Hannah Thornton. Never feeling like he deserves her or that he fits in, Luke kindles his love by being the best friend he can be. He tries to find out about his past, thinking it would be a pathway to her heart. But more surprises await with deep secrets that shake him to the core.

Hannah loves her town of Heritage and is trying to save it's historical value from being wiped away in the name of modern progress. She has such a big heart, and falling for Luke sometimes has complicated things.

I loved the secondary characters. They were flawed, in a good way, but taking life as it is handed to them. Finding their way back to God instead of trying to fix it themselves.

Tari Faris is a new author, and she has certainly won me over. Her writing style is easy to read and yet deep enough to keep your interest. I had a hard time putting this one down.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The last

Everyone seems to get all excited about the coming of Fall. We live in an area where there's no color change in leaves. The only thing that happens is cooler weather and darker days. We haven't yet felt the effects of cooler weather, but I'm really not looking forward to winter! Until then I'll enjoy the last of our seasonal color.

I guess I will just have to keep the needle going up and down.

In the works

OSO in progress.

Can I get a Whoop Whoop! 

 Finished or Not Friday 
Brag About your Beauties

Finding Lady Enderly

Finding Lady Enderly by Joanna Davidson Politano was a wonderfully refreshing tale. A cross between Cinderella and Pygmalion.

Raina Bretton is a rag woman in London's East End, who finds herself going from rags to riches. When a stranger offers her an opportunity on an adventure like no other,  she finds herself on a train to Rothburne Abbey. Taking the place of Lady Enderly while the original recuperates, Raina is given the opportunity to help others like herself. But as the story unfolds, Raina starts to wonder what had happened to the real Lady Enderly.

When her lost love Sully shows up at the Abbey, Raina is challenged to reveal her true identity. Yet she is determined to find the real Lady and find out what truth lies within the walls of the Abbey.

This is a beautifully written novel. Great characters play out each scene, with mystery, romance, and a very original plot. Loved it.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.