Round and round we go!
Things have been a bit crazy around here lately… first the damage to the RV, then last week Jim was informed his contract had run out of funding and as of this Friday, he was jobless. If that wasn’t enough excitement, with all the rain we sprung a leak in the roof.
We made arrangements to haul the RV to our dealer in Missouri next week, figuring we were likely going to need it if we had to hit the road for work, and Jim temporarily patched the roof, planning on redoing it next week (or whenever the rain stops) when he was off work.
Yesterday, the plant in New Orleans came up with funding for Jim, and insisted he leave Monday for their outage. Can you see my plans (oh how that word mocks me at every step in life!) going out the window? There’s no time to haul the RV to Missouri before Monday, so it will have to wait until the end of November when Jim gets back… no time to finish the roof… or paint all the window and door trim on the house as we planned… no time for Jim to finish all the maintenance projects on the RV…
But mostly, no time for us to relax together!
If that weren’t quite enough, look at my presser foot position on my 830, after bringing it back from having it serviced. Aaaaaagggghhhh!!!
While it doesn’t effect general sewing or embroidery (at least, I don’t think it will) I certainly can’t do any piecing on it like this. Thank heavens for my 630!
I have the most wonderful pot of pumpkin soup simmering on the stove, made with curry and rum and oh my is it delicious!
Would you share your pumpkin soup recipe? Sounds so yummy!!
I don’t have a recipe, I just dumped. Let’s see if I can get it down.
1 large onion diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Saute both in 4 tablespoons of butter. Add 6 cups of pureed pumpkin and about 4 cups of chicken broth (my broth is smoked as always). I added about 3 teaspoons of hot curry powder, 3 teaspoons of cilantro, 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 3 whole cayenne peppers.
Salt to taste, I added quite a bit as I wanted this more on the savory side. I added about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and a healthy dollop of dark rum. I cooked it down for a bit and added about 1 cup of heavy cream.
Sometimes plans are made in Jello, as the full-time RVers say. But, I guess Jim better grab the work while he can, what with this crazy economy the way it is. What you don’t get done this fall will wait and hopefully the temporary roof repairs will hold. Maybe lots of Duct Tape for the RV??? Won’t look the greatest but might keep the moisture out.
Okay – have to make you giggle a little here, CJ, in the midst of chaos.
Someone can read your comment back to Polly “just dumped” and LOL.
Okay – onto serious stuff – Is the contract in New Orleans for a long period of time? If so, will he commute every few weeks back to see you?
830 foot – Looks like the sewing carriage (the part where the needle goes left to right) is off. This happened to me several times on my 200/730. After rebooting “too many times”, it took care of itself.
Ummerbay about your 830. I will try your soup next week when I get back from FL. DH will still be golfing so I can try it along with some REAL bread.
Hope all goes well with both of you in the coming weeks.
Linda, we have duct tape on the RV now, haha!
Cindy, no Jim will just be in LA through November. By then, they should have funded his contract here again, same company owns both nuclear plants.
Kim, yeah bummer indeed
. My foot was off to begin with, has been since I got the machine, and I had asked them to fix it. Unfortunately, the fix is worse than before. The needle just barely clears the #57 foot now.
Yum, your pumpkin soup sounds like a delicious comfort food. I think you’re entitled to seconds tonight.
Sounds like your days have been similar to ours. While selliing our house in New York, no easy task, the town can come up with more and more stupid hoops to jump through. The process is in it’s third month! Meanwhile we’ve already moved to North Carolina. So much for plans coming together.
As for your soup, it sounds sooooo good. Love the part about the rum. Some for the cook and some for the soup. Works for me.
Hopefully things will straighten out now and things will get back to “normal” for you, whatever that is.
Thanks Valarie, by golly I think you’re right!
Marsha, eep! I bet selling a house in NY right now was a challenge indeed!
Things are never “normal” around the Tinkles. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Good luck with your new plans and I am glad that Jim found funding and a job. I know it is far away in New Orleans but better have a job than not. Things will work out I am sure in the face of adversity. Just keep smiling and making your delish recipes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and he will soon be back home and things will get better again. This world gets stranger and stranger, something is definitely out of kilter and not sure where the blame lies. Lets hope it all gets better soon.
xx
Oh CJ, for a picture of that soup! Yum!! By the way, I just got back from a trip to the Ozarks and stopped by Mansfield for a look at the Laura Ingalls Museum and thought of you. What a beautiful area. I hadn’t been there for about 20 years so really enjoyed it. Was your property on the highway too or was it behind their property? I was able to see her rock house too this time as I understand the association bought it back and renovated it to look like it originally did.
Thinkin’ of you.
Marla, cool! Our farm was about a mile behind the Ingalls place as the crow flies (south).
The land we have now is about 40 minutes south of there, it gets much prettier and hillier closer to the AR border.
CJ, I feel for you. I was out of the country for 3 weeks and my husband was in the ER twice during that time. He is ok now, but it is hard sitting in a hotel room thousand of miles away not knowing, not being able to look into his eyes. Then I came home and went on a quilt retreat, and since I was in the midst of a major project, I took my 830… mistake. It jammed on Sunday and I was without a sewing machine for the rest of the retreat… total bummer. Luckily, it took the shop 15 minutes to fix, but it was still a bummer.
I say this, because live throws us curves and the world keeps spinning… sometimes out of control, but we get thru it… and I know you guys will too.
My thoughts are with you…. oh and yes… I am trying your soup next week… love the cilantro, curry and rum mix, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Chris, and Renee ouch! That must have been scary!
I have lived a very “curvy” life.
That made me smile. Hehe
Jim LOVED the soup!
After looking at the picture I noticed something—could your needle bar be bent? It looks like you have the straight stitch plate on the machine and the needle is not centered in the hole but to one side. It might be the angle of the picture that makes it look so.
It must be the picture Cathy. The needle is centered but the presser foot is not, it’s off quite a bit as you can see. The needle may be off just a hair, but barely. I’m working on getting an appointment with the dealer in Benton AR to fix it, since they’re “only” an hour and half away, instead of the 3 hours of my dealer.
Have you gone there before, CJ? Do you think they’ll charge you? I know some dealers can be “sticklers” if you didn’t purchase your machine at their shop.
Oh yes I’ll have to pay labor Cindy, but anything that is warranty work can be taken to any Bernina dealer. This of course won’t be warranty work, but I’d rather pay to have it done than make that god awful drive again. Even though the dealer in Benton is still 93 miles aways, it’s all interstate driving.