A bit o' update

If you have requested to see pictures of our new place, know you are not alone! Also know you can thank our landlord for the delay. He said those magic words... "by the way, it's cool if you want to paint." If you know me and how much I love color, you can imagine the can of worms this opened. But, believe it or not, we have decided to paint only the kitchen, dining room, and bathroom. 

It may be awhile before even those rooms are done though. Somehow between playing tourist on Saturday and filling a Zipvan at IKEA (in under two hours), I managed to strain a muscle in my foot. My last few evenings have consisted of sitting on the floor, "reading" directions, and directing the assembly of our furniture. Now that we have done all the furniture for the rooms not receiving paint, we can empty out those that are and get started! Once I can walk again, that is. And once my trip for work next week is over... But that's another post!

We had a great time walking around the city on Saturday. It would be so fun to live downtown, but I am thankful for my tiny commute (which is a long walk). I think I will be even more thankful in the winter...but I'm afraid we won't go out much in the winter because it will take so long in the cold to get anywhere. But, each problem to its own month. Right now we are just figuring out how not to go mad with the sound of cicadas... And I am determined to find some fireflies for Ryan to see. 

My job is going so well. I still have a ton to learn, but things are settled enough that I have been able to work from home a lot this week to avoid walking to work on my foot. What a blessing! 

This isn't much of an update, but I have to start somewhere. There is so much to share! 

yes I did just move across the country...

I think I've teared up at least once every day at work so far. My new job is just that awesome! Every day, a picture, a number, a sentence, a story... something brings it home to me - again - what I'm doing and who I'm serving, and I realize that I'm just so overwhelmedly blessed. 

"What ARE you doing?" you ask? That is a good question, considering I up and left for Chicago very abruptly two weeks ago and didn't bother to explain!

Well, I got a new job. And it's pretty awesome. Awesome enough to move to Chicago for. Awesome enough to ask Ryan to move across the country (again!) for. I am the Communications and Resource Development Manager for Paul Carlson Partnership - which means I run marketing/communications and general office management for this really cool organization you've maybe never heard but will hear about constantly from now on.

Paul Carlson Partnership is named after Dr. Paul Carlson. He was a medical missionary to Congo and was kidnapped and killed by rebels in 1964. Not long after, the "Paul Carlson Program" began. In the beginning they had one hospital and a lot of passion for medical care in Congo. Now we support 5 hospitals and over 100 clinics, and some micro-financing/economic development. Our work is in the Equateur province, which is the poorest province of the poorest country in the world. We're talking about 8 cents a day for many of the families. 

Where do I come in? Well, this job uses my bachelors in media/communications, my masters in theology, and my years of administrative experience. I wasn't even looking for a job that would use all three, I couldn't even imagine what it would look like! Now I'm here - still not really sure what it is going to look like, but really excited and blessed to be figuring that out. If only I could figure out a way to add in quilting... ;) nah, I'll keep that for my down time. 

Not going to lie though, this month has been pretty stressful. I was offered the job and had two weeks to pack up and get to Chicago. I spent my first week here working 9-5 (with jetlag) and apartment searching. I'm about to sign a lease on a perfect little place by my office, and close to public transportation so we can explore the city! My dad is going to bless us by flying down to Pasadena and driving over with Ryan. They are bringing just a van - it's hard to imagine starting over in a household with just a few boxes! But, stuff is just stuff. Though it would have been great to have more than two weeks to decide what to keep. In all of this, lots of little things have been going wrong. Lots of details have gone awry, sicknesses have gone around, and I didn't even get to say goodbye to everybody. On the other hand, I've been blessed with a beautiful place to stay and car to drive for these few weeks of transition. Not to mention, everyone here is so nice! Kind, welcoming, thoughtful... just plain nice. 

Right now I'm mostly looking forward to living in the same house (and time zone!) as Ryan again. Once that happens, we'll be able to think about refurnishing a home and discovering our new city. I'm excited to share more with you in the future! 

Empty Nesters

Well, we've been empty nesters for about two weeks now! The little guys flew off on the 29th, about two seconds after I snapped a photo. That one didn't really turn out, but this one is from the 27th.

Aren't they sweet? They were 22 days old when they took off. It startled me so bad! I was standing there, a few inches away, taking photos. They didn't show any signs of distress or fear, and then they suddenly just flew right up and landed out of arm's reach. I only saw them fly that one time, but they looked like pros. They hung around our courtyard for a few hours - I could tell they were practicing because they'd be in a different spot every time I went out. I got a few blurry photos but mom was feeling especially protective that day, so I could only stay outside for a few seconds at a time.

We really miss them, they were such a treat to see every day. In watching their progress around the courtyard that day I discovered an old nest we'd never noticed before. Mostly likely the same mother's nest from last year. So we can only hope that she'll be back in the future!

Kale Feta Cannellini Burgers

Fries in the oven, pallet prepared for burgers for dinner, and... no black beans in the cupboard. Oops. Plan B? Invent something! We love these Sweet Potato Burgers, so, while I didn't have any sweet potatoes I knew that cannellini beans can made some great burgers. A quick look through the fridge and "Kale Feta Cannellini Burgers" were born. These are vegetarian but not vegan. You could probably use a flax egg and skip the cheese, but in that case I'd just recommend the burgers above, which are already vegan and spectacular.


Ingredients: 
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 leaf kale, chopped fine
2 oz feta cheese, chopped/crumbled fine
1 egg
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp salt
2-6 TBL whole wheat flour (or substitute for gluten free flour/breadcrumbs)
Generous Panko crumbs for coating (optional, or substitute)

4-6 TBL olive oil

Serve with avocado, sriracha, any regular burger fixin's.

Directions:
Combine beans, kale, feta, egg, garlic, and salt in a medium bowl and smash together. You could probably use a food processor for this, I like to use my handheld pastry blender (which is also the perfect tool for guacamole, by the way). If you don't have either of these tools, a fork and some elbow grease, will do the trick.

Slowly stir in the flour until you've reached a wet-but-stiff consistency. It should feel pretty gloopy, but still hold together.

Form the mixture into patties. I find 6 small sliders easier to handle, but you could go for 4 bigger burgers. Coat generously in Panko.

In a nonstick skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. You know it's hot enough when a piece of mixture put into the oil sizzles. (If you don't have/use a nonstick skillet, you'll need to use a lot more oil and basically fry them. Or try baking. Let me know how it works!)

Cook the patties for 4-8 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy. I like to add the second half of the oil when I flip the patties.

Enjoy, and let me know how they are!

The verdict here? Two "clean" plates.

Hummingbirds day 14 and day 20!

I left town for a few days, and missed a lot of the birds' development. But now you get to see side-by-side pictures of them to see how much they have grown in one week! It's pretty amazing.

Here they are on day 14

And here they are today, day 20!

They look like they are just about ready to take off and fly, don't they?

They don't seem to be scared of us at all. As you can see from the picture, I was only a few inches away from them and they just blinked calmly at me during their photo shoot.

What a week!

I'm a little delinquent in posting, but I have managed to squeeze some crafting in amidst the hubbub. I'm finally working on the second Christmas stocking for me and Ryan, using this adorable pattern. I had to take a break after the first one, but since Thursday I've gotten the second one all the way to setting up for the heel. I have no idea how it's going so much faster than the first.

Yesterday was the first day of a long weekend jammed packed with events. We are celebrating the 20 years of service our retiring president has given the Fuller community, starting with this ~1000-person picnic! Fun times. I was the assistant to the search committee that selected the new president, so I was well-positioned to help the president's executive assistant with some of the event preparations over the last couple of weeks. I did that basically full time last week, hence the lack of crafting photos.

Last night was also a wonderful dinner with the search committee. It was a time to reflect on this incredible year and to celebrate the outcome together. I was personally so blessed to see how many of the individuals on the committee are personally interested in where I will go next, and I was a bit overwhelmed (in the very best way) by all the help and advice I was offered. It feels so good to have been offered some concrete steps to take to help me figure out exactly what it is I want to do!

Today I will help set up for the board meeting, which is also this weekend, as well as attend a committee meeting. Tomorrow, I have the privilege of attending the board meeting as a member of the student government. I have learned so much at these meetings over the past two years. It is truly an honor to be able to see such strong and passionate leadership at work.

I definitely have some reflections to share on what I've learned so far this weekend, but for those who are reading and wondering where I've gotten off to... time flies when you're having fun (and/or organizing events for hundreds of people)!

Stay tuned for another baby bird post too! They are growing unbelievably fast, I think they've doubled in size again over the last few days.

Hummingbirds Day 7

I've spent my blog-improvement time this last week figuring out how to get pictures from my phone to my computer at a decent quality. Unfortunately, Picasa Tool on my phone was downsizing everything. The path from phone to blog still seems a bit convoluted right now, but at least I've figured out how to get you a better picture of the babies! Here they are today, on day 7. I am absolutely sure they are bigger now than they were when I left for work this morning. Their mama was even spotted sitting next to them - instead of on top of them - today. Though, I don't know that's because of that growing little beak you can see in this photo, or if it's because it was about 100 degrees again today (maybe she just needs some space!). 

The wee ones have definitely filled the nest now. They are about three times bigger than they were a week ago, I'd guess. The one in the top of the photo had her head laying on top of the other one's head this morning. Now they've figured out how to wiggle apart a little bit. I have to admit, I'm pretty excited to see how well the nest holds up as they grow. Hummingbirds are apparently quite the little engineers. I read that they repair the nest around the babies as they grow up, and that the nest stretches to accomodate them. The mama uses spider silk to bind the nest together, so I imagine it is a bit stretchy. 

I've been taking pictures of them every day or two! I'll post more often now that there are some discernable features in there. 

Baby hummingbirds! Day 1

They are here! 24 days after they were laid, the hummingbird eggs have hatched! Aren't they... cute?

Better photos to come!

The blessing of anxiety...

I woke up this morning in a foul mood. Actually, I should say, I woke up for the 8th time this morning in a foul mood. My neighbors were, I don't know, building furniture? until the wee hours of this morning and our alarm goes off around 5:30. We didn't know which neighbor was hammering away, so we couldn't ask them to stop. Anyway, I stumbled and grumbled around all morning, tired, anxious, tense, upset, just plain grumpy.

Because of this attitude, I knew I had to make prayer/quiet time a priority before I head off to work this afternoon. I'm temporarily helping in another office on campus and would like to get asked back to work tomorrow. Sitting down and finding my place in "The Story" I first thought, "oh great, I'm in Isaiah... that's sure to cheer me up." But as I started to read, I did calm down. I got lost in the story and actually forgot I was so grumpy. I jotted down some thoughts in my journal and then started to pray.

An amazing thing happened next.

All the reasons I legitimately have to be tired, anxious, sad, tense... these came to mind. All at once, I thought of the many friends who have recently experienced deep and tragic loss - deaths of children, pastors, soldiers. I thought of the horrors likely faced by the three remarkable young women in Ohio who were recently rescued from ten years of captivity. I thought of Boston bombs, Waco explosions, Bangladesh factories, and even the fires here in LA county. On and on these images of our broken and hurting world filled my mind. And then, I felt the offer of peace. Peace was suddenly something I could reach out and grasp, something to be poured over my head like water.

Peace doesn't diminish the pain and the loss, but peace does motivate and equip me to set aside my foul mood, stand up, and walk alongside those who I can help. Peace reminds me to advocate for those who are oppressed, calm down about my own small struggles, and look to the ultimate source of strength and endurance.

Anxiety became a blessing for me today because it motivated me to reach out for peace, and the results were astounding.

And now, because it makes me happy and symbolizes some hope growing right on my doorstep, a picture of "my" hummingbird eggs that are soon to hatch!

Tidbits

I've only been able to snatch bits of sewing time here and there this week. Yet I've managed to finish my first Boston block and flag, mend two pairs of pajamas, figure out how to line my husband's new knitted bag (my "oh so easy" WIP that was 75% done in two weeks and has taken another four to get to 90%), and start the applique for a set of baby quilts for some new twins.

Here's the block and flag for the Boston projects. The block is out of this lovely book, and the flag is just a double-sided applique, following the assembly instructions on the Vancouver MQG website.

Here is a sneak peak of the new bag! It's almost done...

Baby Art Quilt

Today I'd like to share a little art quilt I made for baby Elliot. Elliot's mama, my dear friend Corinne, made him a beautiful pinwheel quilt before he was born. I'll have to write a post later on that quilt - it was Corinne's first adventure into quilt making and we had a great time with it!

I inherited the scraps from Elliot's quilt, including two extra blocks. From the scraps I made this cute little wall hanging.

Yes, he is quickly approaching four months old now, but I've been learning how to do free-motion quilting in that time. I don't think this would be the same without the little "wiggle wiggle spiral" quilting in the pinwheels. Plus, the big letters were all free-motioned on. Other than discovering a brand of thread I hate and will never buy again, this was a fun and easy project! Even hand-stitching the rest of his name and his birth stats into the bottom was simple.

Introductions!

Hello! Welcome to the very first post of Pinwheels and Pancakes. I’d love for this to be mostly about quilts and food, but really consider it to be a lifestyle blog. 

What is a lifestyle blog? The idea started a couple of years ago, really, when a new friend asked "how do you do things?" It was such a funny question, I first thought she was joking. But she'd heard a little about how I cleaned with natural products, cooked my own food mostly from scratch, fixed and upcycled old items, and created beautiful new items for fun, and she wanted to know more. We chatted for awhile and she finally said "you should teach this stuff!" I should have listened then because blogs like this one have exploded in popularity over the last few years. Oh well, better late than never. 

Honestly, I have felt a little guilty thinking about teaching it, because I've fallen off the bandwagon a little. I haven't yet replaced paper napkins with cloth like I meant to, I went back to buying a little bit more processed foods, I moved to an apartment that has a porch with less sunlight for homegrown tomatoes... but as much as I try to use these excuses to wimp out, I realize there are things I've figured out over the years that I can share with others. And really, isn't conversation so much better when we honestly discuss the things we struggle with? I am a little bit of a germophobe, and can't quite muster the courage to use cloth rags to clean the bathroom. It doesn't mean I never will, it just means there are other steps to a healthy lifestyle that I have focused on first. 

So here's to conversations about sustainable healthy food, homemade quilts, personal choices in all areas of life, and the successes and triumphs that come with all these beautiful pieces of what it means to be human. 

-Nicole

Quilts for Boston

Thanks so much to Faith at Fresh Lemons Quilts for her post on quilts for Boston. There are two projects going on that I want to contribute to.

Boston Modern Quilt Guild is collecting quilt blocks to assemble quilts for people directly affected by the bombings. This is an opportunity to give warmth, beauty, and comfort to those who have had to face the very worst in humanity. They've requested blocks that are yellow, blue, gray, and white... I've already started pulling fabric!

Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild is collecting small flags to put together a bunting to hang in Boston later this year. I *love* public installation art projects like this and am excited to finally be able to participate in one. It's sometimes hard to immediately see the value in a project like this, but I think it is a beautiful way to show some love. Down the road I'll start some conversations here about the nature of art and why a thing can be valuable simply for being pretty and not holding a specific useful "function."

There are more details, guidelines, and instructions on each page. If you're one of my local friends and would like to make a flag or a block, I'd love to collect your contributions and ship them off all together. Please have any blocks to me by May 19 and any flags to me by May 26 so that we can meet the respective deadlines.