Stitch in the Ditch and Steel Cut Oats for Breakfast

If you compare the two blocks below you will see a clear difference as far as definition of the piecing.

My first process for a quilt which is getting 'custom' work is to do the stitch in the ditch and get all the parts stabilized, then do the decorative work inside the borders, sashing, and blocks.  If you want the piecing to be enhanced, s.i.d. is a necessary evil.  I say evil because it is backbreaking work which requires a high degree of accuracy, and it is certainly not glamorous.  So, for Longarm quilters:  put on your big girl panties, um, I mean your big BASE, and go for it.
Stay tuned and you'll see a finished pic of this quilt in a few days.

BREAKFAST
Steel Cut Oats are a staple in  my pantry now.  I make a large pot and heat up a daily portion every morning.  Poor dh learned how to cook these while I was dealing with my broken arm (which is recovering just fine, thank you for asking!).
My recipe is 3 cups water, 1 cup oats, 1 cup raisins.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Just like rice, after the 20 minutes of cooking time, give it a stir then let it sit for another 10 minutes.  I add liberal quantities of cinnamon and scoop a serving into my bowl.  I find the raisins add enough sweetness to the mix that I don't need sugar.  The remainder goes into the fridge for the rest of the week.  This gives me 5 servings total, leaving one day for zucchini loaf with almond butter and one day for pancakes.

First bouquet of the year. 

I'm a little worried about myself.  I've gotten into on-line shopping.  In the past couple of weeks I've bought a bunch of wheelchair clothes for Mom, a stack of patterns for the IQ, underwear from Jockey, and this morning I spent $100 on WagJag vouchers from a garden centre.  (wagjag is like Groupon, for those of you outside of the southern Ontario area)  It's too darned easy to whip that VISA card out, sitting in the comfort of your own home.