Olive Cheese Loaf

Recently, John's nephew, Joel, was here from Pennsylvania -- with his wife, Tran, and their two little boys, Dominic and Marcus. They stayed with Elliott and Emily -- but ate their meals with us. On their last day, we were making steaks, rebaked potatoes, etc. I wanted the meal to be special -- so I made this OLIVE CHEESE BREAD from Pioneer Woman. It was a HUGE HIT...!!




Ingredients:

1 loaf French Bread
 6 ounces, weight Pimiento-stuffed Green Olives
 6 ounces, weight Black Olives
 2 stalks Green Onions (scallions)
1 stick Butter, Room Temperature
 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
3/4 pounds Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated

Roughly chop both black olives and pimiento-stuffed green olives. Slice green onions into thin pieces. Combine butter, mayonnaise, cheese, olives and green onions in a mixing bowl. Stir together until thoroughly combined. Spread mixture onto French bread that has been sliced lengthwise. Bake at 325ºF for 25 to 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning. (I finished it off with a few minutes under the broiler) Mixture can also be refrigerated (up to two days) and used as a dip. Great with crackers.


I am telling you -- there wasn't a crumb left!! This is something you WILL get hungry for -- and it's a tasty, unique side dish to have in your -go-to-recipe box. THANK YOU, Ree Drummond and the Food Network!! This is a new family favorite...

The VOICE

If television shows were food -- The Voice is filet mignon and American Idol is a stale Big Mac.

The Voice is a WAY BETTER show. For one thing -- it is completely missing the "try-out shows" where a bunch of people who cannot sing at all audition -- all in search of their fifteen minutes of fame. EVERY single contestant on the Voice could SING. The blind auditions are purely about the VOICE -- because the judges have their chairs turned away.

And this year, the third season of this show had some AMAZING SINGERS. I've said from the beginning that Judith Hill and Sarah Simmons would be in the finale. So imagine my surprise when, on Monday night -- THEY BOTH WENT HOME....



HOLY COW....ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN??? They are both such awesome singers. Incredible talent...unbelievable voices...and I will miss them...

But -- Hey -- is I'm still a big fan of the show and this is the nature of the beast. I'm pretty both Judith and Sarah will have singing careers. But if you haven't been watching the show -- you missed moments like this. Sarah Simmons blind audition....

The Power of Pink

Awhile back, I wrote about Lillian saying, "You "can never go wrong with pink, Grandma." Here's a picture of Lilly and Memphis...living and wearing the dream...



AND -- if you were at the Midwest Ya Ya show at Sewing Weekend last month -- you know that became our credo during the presentation. Both Mary and I were surprised with HOW MANY GREAT PINK SAMPLES we had...






THEN -- on a recent shopping trip -- I found THIS AWESOME PINK T-SHIRT -- with this important message..


WHAT ARE THE CHANCES?? Some days, I have to pinch myself because of this thing called Ritaluck...But on MOST days -- I just try to pay it forward...

Cambridge, Illinois Auction

Cambridge, Illinois is a one-hour drive from Princeton,Iowa. It's a beautiful part of the world -- rolling hills, corn fields, now the occasional gigantic windmill. Anyway -- the big claim to fame is a WONDERFUL, classy auction house -- Stenzel's. They have an auction two or three times a month. Usually on Sunday. They get a good crowd, they set everything up in a very organized way -- and they usually run two sale rings at a time.

On this particular beautiful summer morning -- Bert and I started off with breakfast at Brother's. A family-owned restaurant in Port Byron, Illinois. YOU WILL NEVER SEE A BETTER BREAKFAST!! OMG. The most extraordinary thing is the giant plate of thick, juicy, bone-in ham. I AM IN HEAVEN. What a delicious way to start our day...


Bert and I were WAY OVERDUE for a catch-up visit. The last two months been so crazy -- Bert started a new job...I worked on a fabulous fund-raiser...Mary and I were in Beaver Dam...it's BEEN A VERY BUSY SPRING HERE. So we NEEDED a big breakfast on this day...


By the time we arrived at the auction, the sale had been going on for several hours. So who knows what we missed...

The outside area had row after row of outdoor stuff -- garage items. Gardening tools and equipment...tractors, lawn mowers, snow blowers, ladders, a pick-up truck. Well, you get the idea...

Inside the auction house, there was the usual assortment of FURNITURE. Lots of furniture. Sofas, bedroom sets, desks, flat screen televisions...Boxes and boxes of kitchen stuff, linens, sewing stuff, fabric, etc.




The unusual thing about this sale was that every single appliance had the original BOOK to go with it. Really? Imagine -- a 30 year old blender with the original instruction booklet!! Very impressive, eh? There were five or six sewing machines -- and my friend Linda P. is looking for THIS model...so I sent her a picture from my phone...and she told me I could bid up to $50.

However -- it sold for $65. Bummer, Linda...maybe next time! AND then I saw this box full of fabric. Look at that print!! A cotton duck, I think. Or maybe one of those old barkcloths...

THAT IS MY FAVORITE COLOR YELLOW...my signature yellow....HOLY COW....it was sold by the time I saw it. And I never did find out how much it went for...


The way I look at it -- I was saved. ANOTHER BOX OF FABRIC, RITA?? really?? I can hardly move in my basement the way it is now -- even after paying over $100 to have my cleaning lady bag up FIVE BAGS OF t-shirts and FABRIC to go (back) to the Goodwill store...

But that's okay. The way I look at it, it's a simple matter of re-prioritizing. And it's okay to change my mind. And sometimes, things just don't work out. And -- I LOVE THE COLLECTING. And my cleaning lady has to make a living, too.

SO IT'S ALL GOOD.

Yeah Spring!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE everything about Spring. The change of weather. The fresh air. Time to open the windows and clean the house. Go through all those piles that have developed over the long cold winter. In both my business and my personal life -- spring is always that time for REBIRTH. It's good to sit down and reassess where you're at and what you're doing...

So -- can you guess where I am on THIS spring day With my zebra totes and my laptop??

I'll give you a clue....

Last year, Rhonda Pierce (Schmetz Needles) and I discovered the Dixon, Illinois Historical Center.  We got so much accomplished -- we decided to do it again. Does that make it a tradition?

We do some of our best work in quiet spaces -- away from the hustle bustle of the busy SEWING INDUSTRY world. And we both loved this HUGE, SUNNY, high-ceiling room.  Without all the distractions -- it's much easier to focus, and concentrate, and brainstorm...


Because we worked hard, and there was a lot of concentration, and focus...WE DESERVE A REWARD...

THAT'S RIGHT...dessert!! All work makes for a dull girl -- remember? It's a risk we are not willing to take...

Orange Couches

The summer of 1967 was the Age of Aquarius (in more ways than one).  My cousin Jackie and I shared an apartment in Davenport, Iowa.  We both worked two jobs, often not getting home until after midnight.  We smoked cigarettes, and stay up late talking about all the IMPORTANT ISSUES of the day.  Often, we'd end up at the only 24-hour restaurant in the area -- Ross's...where we'd smoke some more...

GOD -- WE WERE SO SMART WAY BACK THEN...WE HAD ALL THE ANSWERS. 

The other day, I was on the street where we shared that first apartment -- and I suddenly remembered the orange couch we had....

It looked something like this...AND I ONLY WISH I COULD FIND ONE JUST LIKE IT.


I need a bigger house...YES -- THERE WILL BE A COUCH STORY COMING SOON...

A Good Team

You all know what a lucky girl I am. One of the great things in my life is living in Iowa. A land of quiet cornfields with a complete lack of traffic jams...and I appreciate all that. But I also appreciate the fact that when I DO FEEL LIKE getting out into the world -- there is always a LOT HAPPENING around here.

One of the business groups I enjoy is the PR Network -- and they have kick-ass monthly programs. Where I ALWAYS learn something...My niece, Kelcy, is also a member...

Recently, they had a half-day workshop....and it always strikes me HOW MUCH TIME WE ALL SPEND ON OUR DAMN PHONES...(these between session times used to be when we CHATTED WITH THE OTHER ACTUAL PEOPLE...)


Kelcy and I with the speaker -- she was amazing. The topics on this day were all about social networks, marketing, etc.  LINKING IT ALL TOGETHER....

But, sometimes, even with the NEW TOPICS -- the advice goes back to Confucius...


Kelcy is expecting baby #3 -- and I am always SO DELIGHTED to spend time with the younger generation. She put up the Facebook page for the Sawyer Benefit -- and we tag-teamed the posting.  We make a pretty good team. Here's how it goes. I think up an idea -- say -- a beautiful FARM cake -- to be auctioned off. Kelcy recognizes a great idea when she hears it. So -- she has her Mom (my sister DEENA) -- bake the actual cake.

Sooner or later -- somebody's gotta EXECUTE....

Project Runway vs. Fashion Star

Yes, it is SHOCKING how much television I watch. I am unapologetic about knowing all the housewives from every season in every city...(except for Washington D.C. -- even Andy Cohen knows that was a big miss)...I can hardly wait for the return of the NEW JERSEY crew...

I've watched every season of Project Runway -- even the recent snooze fest. Ugh. One of my problems this season was that they acted like having the contestants work in TEAMS was a shocking twist. Really? Every season had many team challenges -- so what was the big deal?  It was like trying to create drama out of eating Cheerios for breakfast...

Truthfully, the poor quality of the contestants was the really big twist this year. Week after week, these "designers" were completely befuddled by how to make a pair of pants or hem a skirt. I honestly do not remember EVEN A SINGLE GARMENT from this season. (Unless you count the nightmares I had after the horrible Chippendale's episode.)

The WAY, WAY, WAY better design show was NBC's Fashion Star. Last year, I wasn't expecting much. I mean -- Jessica Simpson and Nicole Richie? It seemed like a recipe for vapid.

BUT I WAS WRONG. The concept of the show was exciting. Each week, the designers made their garments -- and there were actual BUYERS from stores (Macy's, Sak's Fifth Avenue, and Express) who would decide to buy or not to buy. THEN -- the next day -- the purchased designs were available online.


OF COURSE, THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE is that Fashion Star provided the contestants with a fully equipped and staffed sewing factory.

On Fashion Star, every week the contestants made garments that could ACTUALLY BE MANUFACTURED AND SOLD. And I found that exciting...


Project Runway has hit the end of the road. And I think it's a good thing that Heidi has found a new job with America's Got Talent...

Scavenger Hunt

Can you tell what's happening here??  Of course, Lilly is wearing her ALWAYS FASHIONABLE PINK boots...


Yes, that's her Easter Dress -- and it's time for the EASTER SCAVENGER HUNT..!!

When they were growing up -- this is how I delivered Ross and Elliott's Easter Baskets. And I am delighted that it has become a Farro Family tradition! With every clue, Lilly finds a little present -- and the NEXT clue. Something like, "go find you toothbrush, but no need to rush..the paper is pink and it will make you think..." (it is not about the actual poetry!)...

The scavenger hunt started in her bedroom -- then to the living room, into the bathroom, then back to her bedroom...

The FINAL clue said, "Happy Easter, Lillian...it's time to open the front door. Look for the wagon to find your final prize that WILL ROAR."

OH MY GOD...little kids are so much fun!!

Aunt Adda's Luncheon

My Aunt Adda is 80-something -- and her sister Mary Caroline is 92....(YES -- time flies when you're having fun!)

Aunt Adda recently invited the clubbers to her house for a luncheon..(you can see Sandy, Linda K., Linda P. and me).

Mary Caroline is Sandy's mother...

We had a SPECIAL GUEST that day -- Jackie was in town for a visit.

A better picture of our two Lindas...

AND -- another very special guest -- the youngest at the table BY FAR -- yes, it is Lillian Claire...

When Aunt Adda heard Lilly would be coming, she thought she would need a high chair or a booster seat. Because it does seem like JUST YESTERDAY when Lillian was born. But, at 4 years old, she is big enough to sit in a regular chair. And she helped set the table...then carry in plates of food. She was being a model citizen -- clearly delighted to be Aunt Adda's special helper that day...

There was this quiet moment, as we all sat down around the table, we were looking at Lilly...more or less with smiles on our faces. She seemed to be soaking it all in, thinking...like she often does. Then she reached out both arms and said, "let's hold hands and pray."

The Story People

My Pinterest Life

This is actually how I feel about art...AND my life...

AND for me -- you know my art is all about the SEWING. I sew something every single day. Mostly out of recycled t-shirts.  And lately, a lot of long skirts...

I am trying -- STILL -- to organize my chaos. But with the SHEER NUMBER OF T-SHIRTS in my basement, it is a pretty tall order...BUT I WILL DO IT. And a girl does better if she has a mission...

This poster goes along with Lilly's credo, "you can never go wrong with pink..."

I am happy any time I can justify the mess in my room....

The one thing all these posters seem to prove is that I see life through the eyes of a 14-year old girl.  That's my choice -- and it ain't always easy!!