Tying the Knot (22 page)

“I'm so glad to hear that,” said Beatrice. She glanced at her watch and saw that it was getting close to noon.

“I'm sorry. Did you need to go somewhere?” asked Wyatt, quickly making to stand up.

“Oh, it's no big deal. Eleanor Garber asked if I could run by this morning and take her cat, Maisie, over to Miss Sissy. She and Meadow are clearing out the house so that Eleanor can move,” said Beatrice. She saw Wyatt's eyebrows fly up and laughed. “Miss Sissy will be sharing the cat with Posy—never fear.”

“Why don't we run that errand on the way to our picnic?” he asked. “Miss Sissy will be delighted, I'm
sure. While I'm at it, I meant to ask if you'd be free tomorrow night for supper. I thought that maybe we could eat with Daniel and Harper.” He stood up and fished his car keys out of his pocket.

“That would be great!” said Beatrice. She hesitated. “You know, Posy will probably be just as delighted as Miss Sissy to receive Maisie. She's bound to be pretty sad over Lyla's arrest—they were such good friends.” She stood up and collected her pocketbook from a nearby table.

“Why don't we invite Cork and Posy, too?” suggested Wyatt, holding the back door open for Beatrice to walk out.

“Even better!” But then a thought occurred to Beatrice, and she frowned. “Except then Meadow will feel left out. And Meadow is
already
feeling left out because you and I are spending more time together.”

Wyatt chuckled. “All right, so Meadow and Ramsay, too. The more, the merrier. In fact, let's make it a barbecue over at my house. It can be a celebration.”

“A celebration?” asked Beatrice.

“Of friendships—old, new, and changing.” And hand in hand, they walked to Wyatt's car.

Harper's Wedding Day Cucumber Spread

6 ounces whipped cream cheese

1 medium cucumber, seeded, grated, peeled, and drained on paper towels

1 tablespoon grated sweet onion

Toast points

Mix together the cream cheese, cucumber, and onion. Allow to sit, covered, in the refrigerator for one day. Serve chilled on toast points.

1 block low-fat cream cheese

1 small can of mushroom bits and pieces, drained

½ teaspoon grated sweet onion

1 tablespoon milk

Toast points

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together the cream cheese, mushrooms, onion, and milk. Pour into a small casserole dish. Bake fifteen minutes or until bubbling. Serve warm with toast points.

1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup water

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon dried chopped onion

Add one tablespoon oil to a skillet and brown the beef over medium heat; drain off excess fat. Add the water, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the ground-beef mixture to a boil. Add the onion, and reduce to a simmer. Cover the skillet and simmer for 25 minutes.

3 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk

²
⁄
₃
cup grated sharp cheese

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon paprika

2 cans green asparagus, drained

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Crushed buttery round crackers

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk, and stir over medium heat until thickened. Blend in the cheese, stirring until melted. Season with the salt and paprika. Layer the cheese sauce, asparagus, egg slices, and more sauce in a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with the crushed crackers. Cover with foil and bake for one hour.

Rubber shelf liners under a sewing machine will help keep the machine from moving while you're working.

CD holders make handy holders for fat quarters.

Instead of dampening thread to thread a needle, dampen the eye of the needle instead.

Use scrap pieces of batting to easily pick up loose threads from your floor.

When traveling, instead of taking shears on the plane with you (which are likely to not be allowed), bring along a container of dental floss, and use the floss container to cut your thread.

Empty over-the-counter medicine bottles make a handy and safe repository for used sewing
needles.

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