Imagine you had a sister, and you liked to talk to your sister about quilts, because you really love quilts, and she makes quilts, and you're pretty sure that as much as you love quilts you're lacking whatever gene it is that would enable you to make one yourself, but you love to look at them and dream about them and talk about them and she understands.

Ok, so you've got this sister, and you email her a picture of a quilt you like, and she emails back saying that it'd be a great quilt for a beginner, so simple!

Flash forward. You've pieced the top. Yay! Your sister comes over so you can lay the quilt out together. She eats her words.



Then she goes home. And you're slightly terrified but simultaneously thrilled with the potential prettiness.

(As I look at the picture I immediately see some squares that can't stay where they are. That's ok. I'm going to make a couple of squares out of the fabric we chose for the borders, binding, and back,



so I'll be swapping out a few.)

Just for Danette, here's yesterday's soup:

Sweet Potato, Corn, and Jalapeno Bisque

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
5 cups vegetable stock
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch ground cinnamon

In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic in the oil.
Add the sweet potatoes and stock.
Bring to a boil.
Simmer til potatoes are soft. (10-15 minutes)
Puree til smooth.
Add remaining ingredients.

I think next time I'll puree most of the potato mixture, but not all. A few chunks of potato and onion seem like a good idea. It was very good as is, though. The cayenne and jalapeno give it lots of flavor, but it wasn't too spicy for Rowan, who's not a fan of spiciness.