Necessary Chocolate

And still more blue

That blue of the cake formed part of a motif this weekend. Just as I try to only make food-colored food, I also try to embroider flower-colored flowers. But this fabric seemed to cry out for blue roses.

The first year that I moved to Albany from NYC, I attended Larkfest, which includes (supposedly) a juried craft fair. I walked down one block, saw a tent filled with blue leather roses (exactly the shade of those embroidered roses), and went home. I was such a snob.

I like the subtlety of the blues and greens against the fabric. Smocking is a little like knitting, in that once you have the pattern down you can just smock away and feel justified watching hour-long crime dramas. This example represents multiple guilt-free episodes of Lie to Me (available online), one or two of the Mentalist (not available online - grrr), and two hours of Eureka.

I'm not blue, but my kitchen is

One of the girls from my class asked me to make a cake for her sister's birthday. The sister doesn't like cake, as a matter of fact, but she does like light blue. So, here's a chocolate cake

with chocolate filling (you're just seeing the blue frosting dam in that photo) and lots of blue frosting.

I've cleaned since that photo. Honest.

I still haven't mastered billowy frosting. It started beautifully billowy. Then, I second-guessed myself and smoothed it all out, only to re-decide on swirly and billowy. But by then, the frosting had hit the chilled cake and crumb coat, and so the swirls are less voluminous than they were. Remind me of that, next time.

It was kinda fun to ignore my usual rule of "food must be the color of food" and play with food coloring.

My favorite mystery novel(s), in case you were wondering

Last Tuesday, the book club from my church's women's group met and discussed their favorite mysteries. I couldn't go, and I've spent a little too much time thinking about my favorites, especially after a few books from a recent series left me with a bad taste in my mouth. Why do I read some mysteries over and over, but skim through others before throwing them away?

I don't expect anyone else to read by my criteria; they're mine and mine alone. But it might explain why I like some books so much and dislike most series mysteries written today.

1. All of the characters that I'm expected to like must behave like adults and be sensible. No Big Misunderstandings or failures to communicate.

2. I'm a romantic, and drawn to characters who are fully developed but better, perhaps more heroic, than anyone in real life could be. As long as they follow rule #1.

3. Multiple murders in cosy mysteries are usually just silly, and all too often a result of ignoring rule #1.

4. Words have power, and swearing is only effective if used rarely. Why use up good words with overuse? Again, I'm a romantic, and want to read of worlds where characters are literate and witty - more so than in real life.

5. In my favorite mysteries, even the villains can find some redemption.

6. If they're set in the 1930s and 1940s and the heroines wear smart little suits, it doesn't hurt.

7. No cynicism. Ever. Flippant murders, where the overly obnoxious or silly 2D victim is murdered in a slightly comic way are just too cynical for me.

8. The novel Must Be Well-Written.

And here are my finalists:

All Time Favorites

Daughter of Time and Brat Farrar, by Josephine Tey. She died too young, and left only a few books and a couple of plays. My love for Daughter of Time led me to buy the illustrated boxed version, even though the illustration of Inspector Grant made him look like he haunts cocktail lounges for a living, sponging off wealthy women.

One Corpse Too Many, by Ellis Peters. I treasure all of her books; this one introduces the best characters in the Brother Cadfael Series. I also love Death and the Joyful Woman and The Grass-Widow's Tale from her Inspector Felse books.

To Say Nothing of the Dog, by Connie Willis. Does this qualify as a mystery? It's heavily influenced by Dorothy Sayers, and one of my favorite books ever. I think that I've mentioned it fifty times on this blog. Maybe only two times. But often enough.

Honorable Mentions

The Documents in the Case, by Dorothy Sayers. I'm drawn to novels written as letters/documents.

The Fear Sign, by Margery Allingham. Ridiculously romantic, in the classic sense of romance. Lost heirs of small kingdoms; treasure hunting; village witchcraft; brave, witty, well-connected young men; and a sensible teenage girl who's good at mechanics.

My Brother Michael, by Mary Stewart. A little more violent than I usually like, but the main characters are so kind and compassionate that I can take it.

The Unfinished Clue, by Georgette Heyer, if only for the most sensible hero and heroine ever. Bonus: the heroine wears smart little suits.

One of the Inspector Alleyn mysteries by Ngaio Marsh. Maybe Death of a Peer? Or Death in a White Tie.

The early Amelia Peabody books (when everyone behaved relatively sensibly. For them, anyway).

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Another spring, another set of office daffodils

It's Spring! Here in upstate NY, it's about 40 degrees, but at least it's sunny. I am determined not to feel guilty or depressed in any way today, because it's Friday and it's Spring. Even if those model buildings on my desk are the same ones that have needed repairs in the last three years of my ACS daffodil desk photos. Or even if I've still not hung anything on my office walls.

The viewmaster is a new touch - a souvenir from a building opening at RPI.

I'd have photographed the other office sign of spring - the Girl Scout Cookies - but I already ate them. Samoas can't wait for photographs.

Still more happy weekends

 

A year ago, Saturdays were hard. The mornings started well. I would get up, go to the farmer's market, run the errands, and look forward to the rest of the day. By evening, I felt unworthy and lazy, because I hadn't done most of the things I'd dreamed that I'd do.

Do you do that? Dream of the homemaking stuff while at work? I dream of the recipes I'll try, and the projects I"ll start, and the yardwork that I'll do in daylight. I'll dream of reading in daylight, and of sewing in daylight, and of sorting through my ribbon in daylight. I dream of visiting friends in daylight.

One year later, I still dream, but I don't feel so disappointed when Saturdays are lazy. Maybe I'm wiser; maybe it's one of the many blessings of teaching my morning class; maybe I'm just too tired to care so much.

The last few Saturdays lived up to my expectations. One in Utah, where I visited with family and friends (in daylight! at Cafe Rio!!!). Julie's book signing was a big success, and I had, under one bookstore roof, friends from New York and California AND my family. What's more heavenly than that? Oh, and my cousin Christy introduced me to cake bites.

This past Saturday, I didn't work in the yard (despite the good weather). But I did go watch the kids play basketball at the church. Friends dropped by the house to visit, in daylight. I sewed a little, in daylight. I started organizing the ribbon, in daylight. I read a little, in daylight. I started some sourdough bread and designed some shower invitations. I even worked on my class in the evening, and didn't feel guilty until Sunday afternoon, when I could just eat sourdough bread and work through the guilt.

And that all makes for a much happier weekend.

Allison's apron

One of the Saturday projects is complete! Allison's apron is finished and off to Arizona. As I told her sister, there is a slight chance that birthday gifts will arrive on time this week. I have family and friends trained to expect my gifts up to three weeks late; now I could be setting up unrealistic expectations for the future.

This project has been on the boards since last March or so, and it's great to finally finish it! In fact, all of the Saturday projects are made from stash, some as old as 15 years or so.

Fabric is Swell, by Moda. I have enough of the prints to make an ironing board cover, but I'm not sure that I want large red roses showing through when I'm laying out/tracing on white fabric. What do you think?

Happy weekends

Since I had to be at the church most of Friday night, I decided that it was time I focused on friends and family. To do that, I needed a Saturday spent sewing. On three different projects at once.

Two baby dresses and an apron! None were done by Saturday night, but that's because I ditched the sewing and went to see the 3D version of Coraline (see the glasses?). The movie is magic, and much less scarier than the book (in my opinion).

Now I have a nice batch of hand sewing to take with me to Utah. More good times!