Weekends Are Made For Re-Creation

I sew on my extended weekends, and the MLK holiday was no exception. Along with some crafting, I did some winter cleaning like turning leftover flank steak into Tacos Thursday. 

And using a can of garbanzo beans and dolmas inside my cupboard and chicken gyros in my freezer to make a Mediterranean Mezze.

And using up leftover jasmine rice to turn into garlic fried rice as a vehicle for Tocino sausage, chopped tomato, a fried egg, Pinakurat or spicy coconut vinegar and passion fruit juice for what I call my Palawan Pilipino Sunday breakfast.

I also jazzed up my monochromatic purple Alstroemeria bouquet with some orange Gerbera daisies.

It was also a long weekend for drinking my latest favorite Chardonnay. But alas I imbibe way too much. Up until the age of 32, I was pretty much a teetotaler. Sure I would attend a party and get drunk and hung over and then not drink for years. Or discover a recipe for sangria and then drink it with friends and again not drink for months. I used to be an herbal tea and water drinker. What had happened was I had a date with a man I was madly crushing on, and he took me to the London Wine Bar and gave me a lesson on Merlot. He was so sexy, and I felt like such a grownup, sipping wine and engaging in flirtatious banter--a lethal combination thereafter for using alcohol as a crutch. 

And so I'm getting more and more sober curious. I've been stocking my fridge with other beverages, which is not to say I won't continue to sip cocktails, nor enjoy pairing wine with a really great dinner. But I would like to be more selective about when I drink.

And I forgot about this quilt.

The wall quilt is bound. I just need to construct its hanging rod. But I did return to the mermaid quilt.

The partial border took me forever because making all the half triangles for the ocean wave blocks is tedious AF. However, I am pleased with how it's turning out. And I am taking my time on it because I really want to think through it's execution. I know I'm going to make lots more ocean wave blocks for the left and right sides of this quilt, and there's enough mermaid fabrics to make a second quilt. A-okay with me.

I helped my friend Donna harvest a bunch of Meyer lemons, and our neighbor, Tracy also gave us 3 pounds of butter that she didn't use for her holiday baking. I made a 2021 resolution to cook a dish I've never ever made before at least once a month. For January, that resolution also included baking: lemon poppy seed bread.

And I happen to have had poppy seeds in my fridge.

The recipe makes a pretty big loaf, and so I cut it into thirds.

One part for me to eat with tea. Another third I gave to Meral and the other third for Cecilia. But it's time for me to check on Donna, and so I'll be baking another loaf to split between her and Julie and Tracy.