Kindle me, baby!

I am an avid reader and book lover.  I have shelves and cabinets full of books.  I always travel with several books, and usually have a book under my pillow, in my car, in my purse or tote bag, and desk at work.  I love the way books feel and smell.  In my opinion, a crisp, brand new book just waiting to be opened and enjoyed is one of life's purest pleasures. I savor the time spent happily lost in the pages of a good book.

So... I debated long and hard before I bought a Kindle.  I wondered... would I really USE it?  Would I really ENJOY it??  Would it be the same pleasant, enjoyable experience as reading a REAL book?  Well, I've had my Kindle for a few months now and let me assure you that the answers are yes, yes and YES!

I knew my little Kindle was a winner when I tucked it into my back pack and took it on vacation recently... and happily read 6 books in 2 weeks.   I could never have carried 6 (heavy!) books with me; it's just not possible!  But my li'l Kindle made it so easy and convenient!

And (this surprised me)  I am even reading more since I got my Kindle.  Why?  Well, I have identified 3 main reasons.  (1) My [*cough*] over-40 eyes really like the adjustable font feature!!! No reading glasses needed.  YAY!  (2) I have the lighted cover from Amazon and it makes reading in bed (with all room lights off) so easy and enjoyable! (3) I can slip my Kindle into a heavy-duty ziplock bag and read happily in the tub!  (I have always loved to read in the tub but HATE how a regular book's pages get all wrinkly and crinkly when they get wet! Gah!) 

I got the smaller Kindle, with Wi-Fi only, no 3G... wanted to spend as little as possible since I wasn't sure how I would truly like reading on it.  Now honestly, although there have been a handful of times when WiFi was not available and having 3G capability would have been a nice perk, it's really not been much of an issue!   I don't regret my choice.

I love cruising around Amazon's Kindle Store and seeing what's new, what's on sale, and what's FREE.  If you don't already know this, check the Free Book list OFTEN, because prices can change daily, and I have found and read lots of great books that were free one day, $9.99 (or more!) the next. Really!  Amazon also offers a list of 100 different books ("hand selected by our editors") that are discounted to $3.99 or less.  The list changes monthly, and there are some great bargains to be had. Here's the LINK.  There is also an ever-changing list of .99 and $1.99 books all over the site -- but you gotta keep your eyes open!

Yep, Amazon has certainly made "Kindling" easy and FUN!  With one click, you can download a free sample of any book that interests you (and they are very generous samples!)  Or, "Click to Look Inside" at the top of almost every books info page lets you actually "open the book" and read the beginning, right here, right now.  AND, once purchased, every book is returnable within 7 days of purchase with Amazon's excellent no-questions-asked return policy. All samples and books are sent right to your Kindle over the air, no cables or wires required. I mean, really, what's NOT to love?!

And NO! I assure you I am not affiliated with Amazon in any way.  Although I sure wouldn't MIND being!!!  ;o)  

Kindle Photo Credit: here

Bentley (aka "Squeak") Update

"WHAT?!  You lookin' at ME?!"

So my kitty-loving followers have told me it's time for an update on my adorable Raggies.  I am pleased and honored to oblige!

First up, Bentley (aka "Squeak").  Born on 12/1/09, Bentley (a blue lynx mitted) is from Megailee Ragdolls near Raleigh, NC.  He came home at 3 months old, and he was 14 months old in these pictures and the video.

He is 100% gorgeous, and one of the two Raggie lights of our lives!  (His older brother Boo is the other one, and I'll do an update on him soon.  Getting good pictures of Boo is little trickier, though, because he HATES the camera, and runs away whenever he sees it.  And if I do a video of Boo, it will probably have to be of him sleeping!!!  Really!)

Anyway, Squeak is 11 pounds, 4 ounces, according to the vet's scale.  (But he looks much larger because of that soft, plush fur coat he wears!)  He is healthy, bright-eyed, quiet and sweet; and rarely meows.  The name of his game is PLAY*PLAY*PLAY, and he is an excellent "fetcher".  (Don't miss a short video clip of that HERE.)  Even people who are not cat-lovers (I can hardly even imagine!) comment on what a striking, stunning animal he is.

And a short video clip (less than a minute long) of my beautiful boy :

 

Other blog posts about Bentley can be found below.  

Enjoy, and thank you for looking!  

Welcome Home, Bentley!
Oct. 2010 Update
Bentley - one CRAZY Raggie!

Posole con Tequila

We love posole.  My husband loves it because it's delicious; I love it because it's so easy and fun to make!  Typically made with pork and hominy, posole (prounounced puh-so-lay, and alternatively spelled pozole) is a rich, deeply flavored Latin American soup.  Other ingredients vary by locale and personal preference, but one thing is always the same: a hot bowl of well-made posole is a delightful thing indeed!

I typically think of posole as a winter meal, but we've had some chilly, rainy weather here recently in PA and it just sounded oh-so-good!  Always on the lookout for new recipes, this one intrigued me with the surprise addition of tequila.   So here's the recipe (from the following cookbook), along with my own notes.  (And even if you're not a Sandra Lee fan, you gotta try this recipe!  I'm tellin' you, it's DELICIOUS!)

POSOLE CON TEQUILA
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into bite size pieces
2 cans hominy (I used one can white and one can yellow hominy)
1 packet (1.25 oz.) McCormick White Chicken Chili Seasoning (I really don't use these kinds of seasoning packets; so instead, I eyeballed chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano and added a bay leaf)
1 can (7 oz) diced green chilis
1/2 cup sliced jalapenos (I used fresh)
1 cup chopped onions (I also added fresh minced garlic)
1/2 cup silver tequila, Jose Cuervo
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (I used LOTS more!)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 4-quart slow cooker, combine all ingredients except cilantro and salt and pepper; mix thoroughly.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.  Stir in cilantro and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.  Serve hot, garnished with additional fresh chopped cilantro and lime wedges.  (Really, could this BE any easier?!)

NOTE:  I also added a can of red beans to my posole, and a few generous splashes of fresh lime juice right before serving.  (The tequila just seemed to be begging for it!)  I served it with warm homemade cornbread and cold beer, and it was a simple and delicious meal.

PS  If you don't have a slow cooker, a heavy soup pot simmering on top of the stove for a few hours would work just fine!

LOL!

Table-Topper Quilt; Step-by-Step

Looking for some fairly instant gratification (and to satisfy a bee that was buzzing around in my bonnet), I decided to make a "mini" quilt; actually a table-topper.  I had an idea in my head, so I figured out the style and finished size I would need and planned it out on graph paper:

First the squares of  fabric (100% cotton only, of course!) need to be cut, using a rotary cutter and clear quilting ruler.   Each square would have to be exactly 3" x 3" (for a finished block size of 2.5" x 2.5") and I knew that I'd need to cut 162 of the little buggers!  (28 "dark" value, 40 "medium", and 94 "light".)  So I went to my fabric stash and started rooting around.

Once  the fabrics were chosen and all the squares cut, I laid them out on the sewing table, arranging and rearranging until it was *juuuuust right*!  The general idea was darker squares through the center of the topper gradually fading out to medium and then light squares; with medium and dark colors at the outer edge as a "frame".

This type of quilt is called "on point", and that means that the squares are positioned on their points, diamond shaped.

Once I had all the blocks arranged (this is where my OCD kicks in big time!) and after my hubby gave it an objective second opinion (all squares pleasingly placed, color "even" throughout, no two colors accidentally placed side-by-side... etc!) -- I stacked, pinned and numbered the individual rows in preparation for sewing.  That's a bit time-consuming, but I've never been able to figure out an easier (but still idiot-proof!) way to successfully do that!
 













Now, using only 100% cotton thread, the fun (sewing!) started.  Each "packet" of pinned-together squares represents a specific row of the quilt.   I keep the rows carefully numbered, so I know the order to sew the rows together, when that time comes.  BTW, quilts are always sewn with one-quarter-inch seam allowance, and seams are always pressed to one side, never pressed open.

Now the individual rows are all done (sewn and pressed), and ready to be sewn together.  

Now the rows are sewn together.  It's not pressed yet, but it's starting to look like a quilt!

After I press the front, I carefully press the back.  (Yeah, I'm as OCD about the BACK as I am the front!)  But srsly  ;o)  careful pressing is as important as careful sewing, and if the seams aren't nice and flat and smooth, it WILL be noticeable when the quilt is finished!

Now the top is finished!  But the quilt is still far from being done.

Next I cut a piece of fabric for the back, and a piece of batting for the "middle" layer of the quilt, (I prefer "Warm and Natural", a thin 100% cotton batting).  Both the batting and the backing need to be cut a little larger than the quilt top.  Then I fold all 3 pieces lovingly, kiss them goodbye ;o)  and take the whole kit 'n' kaboodle to a professional machine quilter for her to do her magic.  Twenty five dollars and a few weeks later, this is what I get back:

Here are some close-ups of the stitching... isn't it beautiful?  This is called a "stipple" design, and it is my all-time favorite.  Nice and tight, with lots of thread.  *YUM!*

The quilt now needs "squared up" and the excess fabric and batting (carefully!) trimmed away.  A 15" clear, square Omni-Grid quilter's ruler works great for getting this right.

All 4 sides trimmed; quilt nice and "square":

The quilt is almost done.  It just needs the binding made and sewn along the edge to finish.

I chose the fabric for the binding and then figured out how much I needed to make:  (Basically, the outer perimeter of the quilt plus 10" added for the mitered corners, which in this case equals 138")   See how high-tech my cipherin' is?!













For 1/2"  finished binding, four strips of (40" wide) fabric are cut 3" wide, then sewn together into one long piece of fabric.  This is then folded in half lengthwise, pressed, and sewn with a 1/2" seam allowance to the front edge of the quilt (by machine), folded over and sewn to the back by hand.

The binding is now all sewn on.

Once the binding is pressed and folded to the back, and the corners neatly mitered, it's hand-sewn all around. A thimble and a good movie (and a kitty or two nearby!) makes this part pretty fast and enjoyable!

Here's what the finished back looks like:

*TA DA!*  Mission Accomplished!    Project Mini-Quilt complete and placed on the table!   I love it!

Really, how CUTE is that?!  And it was pretty darn quick 'n' easy, too -- especially with the help and company of my two quilt-lovin' trusty side-kicks!

*  For more quilt posts, please look here, here, and here!    Thank you!