Apron Valley Road

Super Spanish Rice

2012-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

I've made this recipe for Spanish Rice twice now, and it is just soooooo good! I even ate some for breakfast this morning!

The only change I made to the recipe is that I used a red pepper because I didn't have a green one. I paired it with beef chimichangas (which I just kinda sorta made up), and my friend Aunt Pitty Pat's refried beans (more on this below). I heartily recommend this Spanish Rice recipe that can be found on Our Best Bites, which is a WONderful recipe site! I've also made their Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos which are incredibly good, made with Taco Chicken, and served with Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing.

Spanish Rice is a dish that can be incredibly flavorful OR incredibly flavorless when eaten in a restaurant. This recipe is definitely full of flavor and it's now my go-to recipe to pair with other hispanic foods in the dinnertime rotation.

Oh yes, about the beans...apparently I have been just dumping beans out of the can and heating them up...and not particularly loving it...for years...until one night some months ago when I was talking to Aunt Pitty Pat and she casually mentioned how SHE prepares canned refries. So simple, but I never would have come up with this myself, duh! Put some oil in a pan and let it get hot. Dump the beans in, along with about 1/4 cup water (for the large-size can), and 1/2 cup salsa. Stir it up and cook until heated through and the consistency you want. Ummm, I guess this would be the "refried" part of "refried beans" hello????? Sometimes, I am just so dense....thank goodness I have friends who can put me back on the right path :-)

No Juice for You!

2012-01-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a challenge here in the PNW, first with a cold front dumping 20" of the white, fluffy stuff on us - we were without power for 129 hours before it was restored. Just as I got the fridge emptied into the garbage can, and SOME of our clothes washed, a rain-and-windstorm came along and plunged us into darkness again.

So today, I was hap-hap-happy when I saw a power truck heading down our driveway. Crews were out checking poles and lines before turning the power back on...AGAIN. I ran out to greet the guys and find out whatever I could. I also told them how VERY much we appreciated all the hard work they had been doing to get the power on to tens of thousands of us. One guy asked me "So what time yesterday did you lose your power again?" I told him around 3:00 p.m. He said "Yes well we noticed that you were not using your power wisely after we turned it back on yesterday, so we took it away from you and gave it to others who really needed it." I said "Ahhhh...it was the Facebook, wasn't it?" He nodded and said "Yep, and we are going to turn it back on real soon but we'll be watching, and if you don't do better, we'll just have to turn it off again."

Of course, I was standing on the porch, giggling...and amazed that they could possibly still have a sense of humor after the freezing cold, wind, rain, and lack of sleep they have been enduring to make sure we got power back as quickly as possible. A smile and a wave and they were off...sure enough, 20 minutes later, There Was Light! I have to admit, I was back on Facebook in only 10 minutes, tempting fate...

Weather and Other Stuff

2012-01-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

Phew! We have been hit with an epic snowstorm! Some places near me have two feet of the fluffy white stuff...I went out a few hours ago and measured 15" but it's snowed heavily since then so I have no idea what's out there now. Here's a shot from the front porch. The Jeep in the background made it into town at 6:30 this morning, but didn't manage to lose all the snow on the roof during the drive. My car in the foreground hasn't moved for days and is almost completely buried.

The puppies still wanna go jump around in it, although Ben had to shovel a path for Diesel because he's short and old. Watch out for the "yellow snow" not only because of the dogs, but because Ben has been fixated on writing words in the snow...like "Ben," "Jeep," and I don't know what else. Men! Boys! They got that equipment and they just wanna use it!

UPDATE: It's now at 20" - took the good ole' Omnigrid out on the deck...

Wow! That's 20 inches now! Yikes!

The angle makes it look only 19 1/2" but it really IS a full 20"!

Meanwhile, Adam had to get the back-blade on the tractor last night to plow the LLH (last long hill) on Apron Valley Road so he could get Katie's car towed home. And the snow snapped some poles on the Hippie Chicks enclosure, but they are safe and warm inside the van.

Adam came down to the house this morning and dug his knee-high rubber boots out of the closet. He hadn't worn them for YEARS, and he found rice in one boot, and gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins in the other boot! Adam said "Maybe they went to a mouse wedding..." WTF? So, like, I provided all the food...and they didn't even invite me to the wedding, LOL! I can see the rice, but where did those mice get the coins? I usually keep some in the freezer...maybe they swiped them when they were in there getting ice for their Mousetinis? ;-)

Miss Piggy was quite interested in the "booty"

And here's what One Eye, the cat, thinks about the whole mess...

Pffftttttt! Just give me some more catnip...

In the meantime, I made YET ANOTHER of those Scrappy Daisies table runners! I really need to start some other projects!

Front

Back

I really AM working on some other things and will post those soon. Hopefully, we won't lose power (crossing fingers and toes here!).

Block & Roll

2012-01-09T15:16:00.000-08:00

It seems, with the New Year, I wanna be a "joiner." Not just in swaps - and I've already signed up for one of those. But also for sew-alongs and BOMs. Although, I am NOT going to bee signing up for bees, LOL! Well, at least not yet ;-)

I found the Craftsy Block of the Month, bookmarked it, pondered, lurked, and pondered some more. Then a friend on Facebook put herself out there and asked if anyone else was going to participate. That's all it took. I signed up and committed myself (not to be confused with commitING myself, which may be NEXT!).

So I dove right in and last night I whipped up the first two blocks - Asterisk and Wonky Pound Sign. I sat through the video even though it was a bit slow for me, but yet, I learned a few things, so I'm glad I did! I had a FQ bundle handy, so I chose 3 FQs. They used Kona Snow for all the background - about 2 yards, they said. I didn't have 2 yards of Kona anything handy, but there were 2 FQs of white-on-white in the FQ bundle, so rather than wait, I used one of those. I'm going to have to fill in with other background fabrics as I go, but that may just make it more interesting. As least that's what I'm telling myself.

Here are the first two blocks. Of course that's Asterisk on the left and Wonky Pound Sign on the right. My Wonky is not quite as wonky as it should be but I'm happy with it.

Then I noticed there was a video for February. Oh goodee! I was really in the mood and thought well, I could just whip that one out too and I'd be ahead of the game! No matter that the video was only 19 seconds long - that should have been my first clue. I tried to ignore that and clicked on Play. Here's what I got:

Har Dee Har Har, I say...well, Crafsy, ya got me, and I deserved that. Tail between my legs, I'll slink away and wait til February. At least they LOVE me :-) It's nice to be LOVED :-)

Now that the two January blocks were done...oh and let me explain that, well I'm guessing anyways...~~two in January and then one each the rest of the year through November, leaving December~~ Ok I sat through the first few minutes again and it's TWO BLOCKS per month for a total of 20 and then sashing, binding, quilting, etc. So now, I "know" me...and I "know" I'd be lucky to remember the first of each month to go find the block, let alone remember where I stashed the previous blocks! One might be on my cutting table...and another in that tub-o-fabric in the dining room...another mixed in with the new shipment I got from Burgundy Buttons or Fat Quarter Shop. So I pondered how can I make sure I wind up with a pile of blocks come December....hmmm....so I decided to make a "block roll." I had eyed another block I wanted to make, so I grabbed a few chunks of fabric and went for it. I made a 12" block, then added some frames and scraps to it to measure about 15" x 18" - making it a couple inches wider, and several inches longer than the 12 1/2" Craftsy blocks. I added a layer of cotton batting and backed it with flannel, then added ties to one end.

The idea is to stack the blocks as they are finished in the roll...

roll it up...

and tie closed.

Until the next month. I'm being patient. Really I am. Ok, maybe not so patient. But apparently I have no choice because Craftsy SAYS I have no choice :-) So now don't YOU want to join in the Craftsy BOM?

Swaps, Gifts, and Wraps

2011-12-30T10:19:00.000-08:00

I got a little behind (not to be confused with having a small rear end!) on posting a lot of my Christmas activities. First up: swaps. I was in a couple of swaps and posted some of the things I made in the previous post, but here are the lovely packages I received in turn! I somehow got signed up twice in Aunt Pitty Pat's stocking swap (I think the fact that she can talk me into almost anything played a factor...). Here's what I got from the fabulous Regena:

I love this linen stocking with the fussy-cut patches from Sweetwater's Countdown to Christmas by Moda Fabrics. This line is one of my favorites and I used it in a table runner I made for another swap. And look at that Mug Rug! It's shaped like a tag! I love that idea and WILL be stealing it in the future :-) Thanks so much, Regena!

I love how she used the Moda twill tape for the stocking hanger. And among all the goodies she sent, she included some baker's twine - of course, it's all the rage but I didn't have any, so now I do! Wheeeee!

And my sweet Canadian partner, Eleanor, sent me these wonderful things!

I love this stocking with the wide bias tape and what a good job Eleanor did applying all the tape! Among the goodies is a cookbook that has lots of Scandanavian recipes (I'm norwegian) including some of my favorites like Swedish Pancakes, although I make mine a bit different, and my brother's favorite, Lefse. She also included a sweet snowman pin - I collect Christmas pins! I had to laugh when I opened her little sack of personal care items - there was a tube of lip balm, and I had just read an article about people who are, apparently, ADDICTED to lip balm! They actually call it "Chapstick Addiction!" I hope I don't succomb....LOL!

And look at the gorgeous card she made just for me! Soooo pretty and sparkley! I'm going to put this with all my rubberstamping supplies so I can steal the idea next year ;-) Thanks, Eleanor!

Next, I made five Scrappy Daisies quilted table runners (from Gudrun Erla's fabulous book Table Talk) for a group of friends I call my "Lunch Buddies" - we meet every Wednesday for lunch at The Mason Jar in Tumwater. Don't know where I'd be without my Lunch Buddies :-) so I decided I wanted to surprise them with these fun gifts. Ok, maybe the REAL reason is that after making one for a swap, I simply couldn't stop making them! They are soooo fun, fast, and fabulous! Here they are:

Traditional reds/greens/golds

I love these golds and blacks

Reds/greens/creams

These blues and silvers were my fave

I like how the solids made this one pop

Rolled and Ribboned and Ready to Gift!

Shirley was very happy with her table runner! And she just HAD to "get back at me" the following week by stealing my lunch bill and paying it herself :-)

After all the swaps were sent, and the table runners finished, it was time to "wrap" the gifts for my family. The girls always get pretty wrappings and Autumn saves hers to use to wrap gifts for her sisters and mom the following year BUT she makes them give the wraps back so she can reuse them again! This year, her sister, Stephanie, didn't even have to be told - she just handed the fabric bags back after unwrapping the gifts. Here's how I wrapped some gifts for Autumn:

I made a 60" scarf from a Jelly Roll of Flurry and backed it with Sew Comfy and tied it around a pacakge. I added a pin made of felt flowers for a festive look.

And here's a bag I made to match, along with a small pouch that contained jewelry.

I made a yarn angel to top one package. I plan on doing a tutorial next week for these, using Valentine's Day fabrics.

I liked this snowman fabric - I think it made cute bags to hold some Bath & Body Works goodies for the girls.

All in all, it was a very good Christmas! Now to start all over again and NOT wait until the last minute! (Famous last words...)

Blocks and Stockings

2011-12-03T08:57:00.001-08:00

I've been up to some mischief :-) I won't say who gets what, but these are some Christmas quilt blocks and stocking packages I've been working on. Happy to say they have either already gone out the door or will be today or Monday! Then I can work on "wrapping" my family's and friends' gifts! Oh...and FINISH my shopping!

I just wish I could keep THESE and make a quilt for myself...but I'm sure I'll be getting some lovely blocks back from Aunt Pitty Pat's Christmas Block Swap.

It took a lot of looking before I found this cardinal fabric that was perfect for an applique to spruce up the Log Cabin block.

Some stockings I made, and each has its own special Christmas Gift Receipt bag - just tuck it in your purse or bag and it's THE place for all your Christmas shopping receipts so that if something needs to be exchanged or returned after Christmas, you'll know EXACTLY where to find that pesky receipt!

Of course, there are LOTS of goodies that will go into each stocking!

Groovy Gravy

2011-11-23T18:43:00.001-08:00

My son, Adam's, girlfriend (Katie) is a vegetarian...and he's had other vegetarian girlfriends, so I'm used to this. Actually, I am quite excited because I LOVE making vegetarian meals! My other guys are definitely carnivores and think that MEAT HAS TO BE part of every meal. But I do love the occasional meatless fare. I would eat 2-3 meatless meals a week if I were truly in charge. But I'm not. So I have to content myself with sharing meatless meals with Katie. Now, Katie doesn't ask for Tofurkey for Thanksgiving - thank goodness - because I'm not quite sure how I would do that. So I make extra veggies, I use vegetable broth in the dressing (but don't tell the others!), and I do make her some vegetarian gravy to pour over the mashed potatoes.

How do you make vegetarian gravy? Well, it's easy-peasy!

While I definitely make gravy from the turkey drippings, for the carnivores, I've kinda made up this recipe for NON-TURKEY gravy over the past few years...and I think it's delicious! Here's what I do!

Vegetarian Gravy

1/2 cup finely diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced mushrooms (I usually use the white button, but you can experiment)
2-3 Tablespoons butter
2 cups (or 1 can) vegetable broth
1 cube vegetarian boullion (available at any grocery store!)
1/2 Teaspoon onion powder
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 Teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Approximately 3 Tablespoons lightly-browned flour *

* First, make the browned flour: put 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour into a small heavy skillet on medium-low heat. Stir constantly. Note - no oil, butter or anything - this is a DRY skillet. You will find it starts to turn after several minutes. You want a nice LIGHT caramel color - if you get past light caramel, it will turn bitter so err on the side of too light. It will continue to brown after you turn the burner off. Set aside.

In a medium skillet, melt the butter and add the onions and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are opaque. Add the browned flour, stirring constantly. SLOWLY add the vegetable broth, a little at a time, until each addition is incorporated. Add the vegetarian boullion, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Continue to stir about 5 minutes until the gravy is nice and thick.

This gravy is delicious whether you are a vegetarian or not. Give it a try!

Crockpot Thanksgiving Dressing

2011-11-13T10:10:00.001-08:00

Want a fuss-free Thanksgiving Dressing recipe? This makes a moist, fluffy dressing that is neither baked in the turkey nor in a casserole in the oven. Using a crockpot means freeing up precious oven space as well as not having to scoop dressing out of the turkey after dinner (and is also safer than putting the dressing in the turkey). This recipe was in the little booklet that came with my Rival 5-qt. crockpot many years ago. Since trying it, it's the only dressing I've made ever since - my family won't let me try anything else on the theory that if the dressing ain't broke, don't mess with the dressing :-)

I wish I had a photo for you - I'll try to remember to take some pics this year and add them later.

This recipe fits in either a 3-4 qt. or 5 qt. crockpot - I always use the 5 qt. If I make it for a "regular" family dinner, I use the amounts listed below; if I make it for Thanksgiving or a potluck, or want leftovers, I double the recipe HOWEVER I use the same amount of butter and broth (not double it).

I do have one caveat: I've given this recipe to many people, particularly where I used to work. They all loved my dressing and recognized that "the green crockpot" at our work Thanksgiving potluck was THE dressing to aim for, and get in line early! But most of the people I gave the recipe to have not been able to successfully replicate it. I think I've troubleshooted most of their problems and included them in the recipe.

Crockpot Dressing

Double this recipe to completely fill a 5 qt. crockpot, but note the instructions for the butter and broth.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margaine (but really...butter....I don't even have margarine in my house! IF YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPE, DO NOT DOUBLE THE BUTTER - use just 1 cup)
2 cups chopped celery (about 1/4" dice)
2 cups chopped onion (about 1/4" dice)
1/4 cup chopped parsley (I have used dried in a pinch, but fresh is best)
2 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms, drained (I wasn't sure I would like this the first time, but it's delicious!)
12-13 cups bread cubes (I use a combination of breads depending on what I have on hand. Cheap bread is ok, but I always use a combination of white and wheat. Stack 2-3 slices and cut with a serrated bread knife OR use an electric knife. Try not to squish/crush the bread. DO NOT USE BAGGED, DRIED BREAD CUBES! And do not dry the bread first, although "old" bread can be used as long as it's not all dried out)
1 slightly heaping teaspoon pountry seasoning
1/2 level teaspoon each salt and pepper (If I double the recipe, I use 1 teaspoon pepper but only about 3/4 teaspoon salt)
1 1/2 slightly heaping teaspoons dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 slightly heaping teaspoon dried marjoram
2 eggs, beaten
About 2 cups chicken or turkey broth (IF YOU DOUBLE THE RECIPE, DO NOT DOUBLE THE BROTH)

Note: if you want to get some of the preparation out of the way ahead of time, you can cube the bread and store in a plastic bag, and chop the onion and celery and store in the fridge.

Melt butter in skillet and saute onion, celery, and parsley until onions are opaque. Add the mushrooms and seasonings and stir well. Put the bread cubes in a very large bowl. Pour the sauteed mixture over the bread cubes. Pour the beaten eggs over. Add about 1 cup broth. Stir GENTLY - sliding a large spoon or rubber scraper down the sides of the bowl and lifting (folding) the ingredients just until mixed. Add more broth if it seems dry. Carefully turn the mixture into the crockpot and sprinkle any remaining broth over the top - DO NOT PACK DOWN - DO NOT STIR. Cover and cook on High for 45 minutes; then turn to Low and cook 4-6 hours. The dressing will rise up (the eggs act as a leavening agent). DO NOT STIR while it's cooking! If you go the full 6 hours, it may develop a crust on the sides, but some people like the crusty part.

I think the problems people I've given the recipe to have had are mostly because they tried to shortcut by using bagged, dried bread (even though I told them NOT to!), they mixed it too much, and/or they stirred it while it cooked. Made according to my instructions, this dressing is beautiful - you can identify all the separate ingredients (in other words, it's not just a brown mush). And it's fluffy, moist, and yummy!

I've also made this dressing for roast beef dinners by using beef broth and changing up the seasonings a bit to better go with beef. Happy Thanksgiving!

Flirty Apron Swap - Reversible Table Runner

2011-10-29T14:57:00.000-07:00

Flirty Apron Swap Mistress Shawnee stepped out of the "apron mode" for a Table Runner Swap, and I'm sure glad she did! Not that I don't like aprons - I LOVE them! But it was fun to make a table runner for a change. I found this lovely book at one of my local LQSs: Table Talk - Runners, Toppers and Family Treats by Gudrun Erla for Kansas City Star Quilts. I found several patterns I want to make, but decided on Scrappy Daisies, designed to use up leftover scraps of Jelly Rolls. When I got down to making the runner top, I wound up using FQs rather than a Jelly Roll.

One thing I've been doing differently for awhile - long ago, I learned to press my seams to one side when doing patchwork. But I've noticed a trend on some blogs to press seams open. Sometimes when I'm making up my own designs and don't have the luxury of always knowing beforehand whether it's going to work to have the seams pressed one way or another, pressing them open would just work better, so I jumped on the "press open" bandwagon. I found with this project that it was so much easier to get all my pieces lined up nicely with the seams pressed open, so I guess I'm a convert!

Here's the top - it went together soooo fast and easy! I used September Light by In The Beginning (plus a few other stray fabrics to fill in). This is the "fall" side of the runner, which my partner wanted.

But I had soooo much fun piecing this pattern that I decided to continue it on the flip side. I used Countdown to Christmas by Sweetwater for Moda for the reverse, so my partner would have a "two-fer" runner. This time, I did use a Jelly Roll I had just gotten in the mail. Now, I had no illusions that I would be able to successfully machine-quilt both sides at once and keep the quilting lines absolutely the same, so I chose to quilt each side to its own batting and then put the sides together.

Also, I knew I was "quilting myself into a corner" by using such vastly different fabrics on the two sides, but forged ahead anyways. So I had to search for a fabric for the binding that would look good with both fabric lines. My son, Ben, helped me narrow it down to Masterworks by Kathy Hall for Andover Fabrics - a fabulous, rich pattern that blended well with both sides. Thanks, Ben!

I also made two potholders, one to match each side. I tucked in a magazine, some candy, Starbuck's Toasted Coconut cocoa, and some smelly potpourri. And a Shoop-Shoop Bag I made from the Countdown to Christmas fabric, with the suggestion to my partner that she consider using it for all her Christmas shopping receipts, like I do - I hope she'll be pleased with this idea.

Off in the mail it went today - thanks, Shawnee for another great swap! Now I just have to wait patiently for MY package to come in the mail :-)

Swaps and Stuff

2011-10-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Boy, I'm way behind on posting some of the swaps I've been in lately. First up, here's what I sent in Country Pleasure's Apron Swap:

I used the Four Corners apron pattern (again!) in fall colors. When I make this apron, I usually add ruffles to the foldover at the apron top and the pocket - I think this makes it more "girlie."

I added sweet vintage buttons to both flaps - hard to see in this pic, but they are a grape color with a rhinestone in the center. They were the only two of those style in my vintage button collection, so it worked out perfectly.

I added two ruffled potholders...

...and an embellished dishtowel.

Also, this sweet little basket that I thought my partner could use for tea packets or other small goodies.

Some yummy Seattle Chocolates completed the swap!

Next, here's what I sent in Aunt Pitty Pat's Halloween Tote Bag and Mug Rug Swap:

Here's one side of the tote bag. I added a floofy flower just for fun. I used a small panel cut from Scribble Monsters II, and in addition to more of that line, I threw in some Eerie Alley and other fabrics - whatever I had on hand in my Halloween stash.

Here's the other side of the tote. I also put some little ties on both sides to cinch the bag in just a bit at the top. I think it added a cute detail.

I put a cute pumpkin pocket on the inside!

Here's the front of the Mug Rug. I love this potato monster (well, that's what I've dubbed him), and I added a "flat" ruffle to the bottom - it's pressed quite flat so it won't upset the coffee cup.

I strip-pieced the back just for fun.

I found this adorable Candy Can Scissor Holder in the latest issue of Simple Quilts, just in time to whip one up for the swap!

I added the required three FQs and some thread, and I also created a 12-strip Mini-Jelly Roll of the fabrics I'd used. My partner said she is going to use it right now!

I also made a Halloween paper wreath.

A rubber scraper, cookie cutter, some candy, and a fun little scuttlebug spider rounded out the goodies.

I added one of my Shoop-Shoop Bags so she could start using it for all her Christmas gift receipts. And then.....

I stuffed everything into a black witches' cauldron, topped it with some eerie green tissue, tied it onto a magic broom, and sent it winging its way to my partner...Bwwahhhhh!

Here's what I received from that same swap, from my partner, Donna! She really spoiled me!

Look at this cute tote! I love the little ghostie she appliqued on the front!

And here's the back...I just love the fabrics she used.

The Mug Rug is adorable, with the same little ghosie, and one of the FQs she included was Scribble Monsters - like minds or what!

She fabulously altered a notebook, and her card was "Priceless." She also included some stickers, and the absolutly cutest candy corn buttons I've ever seen, along with a witches' hat hair clip with floofy purple trim. I used the tote bag and wore the hair clip yesterday! Thank you sooo much, Donna! And thanks to both the swap mommas for more fun swaps!

A Fungus Amungus

2011-10-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

I love this time of year here in the Pacific Northwest! Yes, the leaves are always beautiful, but there are also some incredible fungi that pop up at this time. These appear on the same old dead tree each year.

I love this shot, with the dew drops clinging in suspension...looks like syrup running off a pancake!

This 'shroom popped up next to our driveway overnight - nature certainly has some beautiful designs!

Country Pleasures Apron Swap

2011-10-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

I was in Sue's Country Pleasures Fall Apron Swap, and my partner was Sue, herself! Here's what she sent me. First, a picture of all the loot! How exciting to get such a wonderful swap package!

I've never received a "clothespin apron" so I was excited that Sue chose that particular style to make for me. Makes me wanna put up a clothesline :-)

I think maybe my favorite item she sent is this package of pumpkin-shaped doilies - I've never seen doilies like these! How cute are they! I have a recipe for some yummy pumpkin cookies that would look perfect on these!

But I don't know...I really, really love this clipboard, too! Maybe they are BOTH my favorites :-)

Oh wait! I love love love this package of embroidery transfers! I could SO use a couple of these in the quilt I'm making for Ben and Autumn, since they are all coffee motifs! Yup, THIS is my favorite item. Ah, heck...EVERYthing is my favorite, I guess ;-)

And look at the pretty card she sent with the swap - how adorable! She also included a little framed fall saying, a potholder and dishtowel, and some packets of delicious tea. Thank you soooo much, Sue - for having the swap AND for being my wonderful partner!

WIP Wednesday

2011-10-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

Working on a quilt I'm going to name "Coffee Dreams" for Ben and Autumn. Now, I'll drink brewed dirty socks, but Ben and Autumn TRULY LOVE good coffee! I think they would bathe in it if it weren't so expensive. They have practically developed a personal relationship with Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters, and Ben has even taken their coffee course as part of his new job working for a food service company, ARAMARK, at The Evergreen State College. So it was fate that we discovered some great coffee-themed fabrics for this quilt! I have to admit they picked out some of the fabrics at least a year ago, but I'm just now getting going on it. In my defense, I have been able to find some more terrific fabrics for it in that time. Yeah. That's my excuse for procrastinating. More fabric. Uh huh. You understand, don't you? :-) Yes, I thought so!

I am using primarly the coffee motif fabrics I was able to find, but a few blocks will just be various coffee prints. I really don't have a plan, other than I'm thinking I'll need 30 blocks. I cut a bunch of different width strips and just jumped in. Here are a few of the blocks I've completed. So grabba cuppa and see what I've done :-)

Recently, I asked everyone to start working on their Christmas lists...all Ben seems to want is an espresso machine. Boy, am I sorry I asked! Those suckers are expensive! I'm thinking just getting the quilt done in time for Christmas *should* be enough ;-)

"Apple Dodge"

2011-10-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

When you reside in the Big City, you have your theater events, art gallery openings, celebrity cocktail parties, etc. When ya live in the country, ya gotta make your own fun. Every year, we eagerly look forward to a few weeks of what we call "Apple Dodge" on Apple Valley Road.

There's an apple tree that hangs over the road. Most of the apples had fallen off by the time I remembered to bring the camera, but you get the idea.

So...here's how the game is played: The apples fall off the tree and some fall onto the road.

Car comes up or down the road. Car tries to squash the apple. The "dodge" part of the game is where the apple is supposed to dodge the car. Ok, maybe it's not exactly sporting, but a lot of the apples DO wind up in the ditch, unsquashed, so at least they have a fighting chance :-)

Success! Adam's GF, Katie, scored a point - her third this week, I think!

I'm quite sure some of these older "hits" are mine :-)

Here are the clever little apples who managed to dodge the cars - unharmed in the ditch!

So there you have it - New York City's got nothin' on us! Sadly, "Apple Dodge" is almost over for this year. The next exciting activity is "Leaf Scatter," followed by "Can We Make It Up the Last Part of the Long, Steep Hill?" during snow season - extra points for drive-by laughing at the cars who didn't.

Disclaimer: Apples WERE harmed in the making of this blog post however, these apples are sour and wormy and only the crows eat them, so it's not like actual food was wasted.

"Concentration" Game

2011-09-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to make a set of these for awhile. My DIL's dad has been hospitalized, and her niece and nephews are often at the hospital with their parents for long stretches at a time. I noticed they were playing Dominoes the other day, and thought maybe they'd like some variety while "camping out" in the waiting room. These are based on that old TV game show "Concentration." I remember watching this show, hosted by Hugh Downs, when I was young.

I cut 3 1/2" squares using my rotary cutter/ruler/mat, although I did make a clear plastic template to fussy-cut some of the squares to get the best look. I cut 20 squares of one fabric for the backs, and 10 pair of different fabrics for the fronts. I used a layer of Warm & Natural inside. I used quarter-inch seams and after turning, I topstiched all around.

I needed to make these quickly so my son could take them to the hospital on Sunday and so I had to choose the fabrics from the stacks I had readily accessible. You could vary both the size and number of blocks based on the age of the child and situation where they would be used. I chose to make small-ish blocks so they would fit on the small tables in the hospital waiting room, but larger blocks might be fun for little kids. Sixteen would have probably been enough, with a 4x4 configuration, but I kept finding more fun fabric, so I finally decided they needed 20, with a 4x5 configuration. Here's a picture with the blocks facing down to start the game.

The first move is to turn over any two blocks.

If they don't match, the blocks get turned back and the players try to remember what they were and where. The next move is to turn over two more blocks, and if one of them matches one of the first two, then they can try to remember where that first one was to make a match.

If they get a match, the player removes those two blocks and makes a pile of their matches.

Anytime a player makes a match, they get an additional turn; if they don't make a match, then the next player gets a turn. The game continues until all the blocks are matched and the one with the most matches wins. Here's a pic of all the blocks facing up.

My favorites are the pickles and the popcorn - no, I'm not pregnant, haha. I also used crabs, apples, pirates, skeletons, spiderwebs, hearts, sundaes, and the white rabbit.

Of course, I needed a bag to put them in. Fortunately, I had this one laying around. I think my DIL's niece, Nessa, will like the bag as much or more than the game, LOL! I've made a TON of these bags over the years - they are fun and practical for all kinds of uses - I use one for makeup and another for my camera and gear. They have two zip pockets, and an interesting way the zips are applied to form the pockets. And of course, I can make more bias tape, which I adore! Anyways, I hope the kids enjoy the game, and that DIL's dad gets better real soon.

Walker Bag for a Friend

2011-09-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

I made this awhile ago, but just didn't seem to get it posted. I was asked to make a "walker bag" for Aunt Pitty Pat's Aunt in California. Since I had several patterns for walker bags already, I said I could make one. Well, the pattern we settled on called for pre-quilted fabric and I didn't have anything suitable, so I had to do the quilting myself, and that added considerably to the time it took to complete this project. At least you can get whatever look/combination you want that way. The pattern is Simplicity 2300. I didn't think very much of the instructions - I've been sewing since I was 5, and usually give a cursory glance, if any, to pattern instructions unless I run into trouble. I had to reread parts of these instructions over and over. I just think they could have been WAY more clear. But it all came together in the end, thank goodness! This is a wrap-around style, with tabs and Velcro. Here's a picture of the "inside" or back side, showing the tabs that wrap over the handles.

This is the "outside" or front. The pockets are gusseted, which provides a lot of room for all the stuff her Aunt needs to pack around :-) I used an assortment of Lakeside coordinates for the bag.

Here it is, kinda wadded/folded up.

APP requested a special holder for Auntie's water glass, so I fashioned one and put a removable, Duck Tape-covered inset of foam core board to give it stability. When I took this pic, I tried to "faux wrap" it around whatever was handy, to make it look like it would if it were on a walker - if you look closely, you'll see that I used my large storage container that I keep all my selvages in...am I the only one who folds each selvage up neatly?

There are pockets all the way around, although I'm wondering if the largest, front pocket would have been more functional if it had been divided. I got to makes LOTS of bias tape, which is always fun - love making my own :-)

I also included a second bag that I'd made years ago for someone but then decided it was not sturdy enough for their purposes. But APP said to send it along, since her Aunt has 2 different styles of walkers (for inside and outside) and the smaller one would be great for her outside walker where she doesn't need to haul around as much stuff. I love the pink elephant fabric!

APP said her Aunt LOVED her new bags and got straight to work, filling them up with her necessities!

Pickles? Pickles? Warning: Not for the Faint-at-Heart!

2011-09-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we (Ben, Autumn, and myself) made pickles - dill and refrigerator. It was Autumn's idea since she's never canned anything. I had previously helped her make freezer jam, but I haven't canned anything in more than 13 years and it took me awhile to round up the canner and the rest of the apparatus, but I found everything but the canning funnel - it's on my grocery list now. We did 7 quarts of dills and we are soooo proud of ourselves! Autumn did a great job of packing those cukes into the jars.

Ben wanted to make some Refrigerator Pickle Medley. He'd made these when he and Adam were in 4-H and although we couldn't locate his recipe card for these, we were able to find them quickly on the Internet - don't we love the Internet!!! You chill the veggies for 3 hours on ice before packing them in a container and adding brine.

The cukes for these pickles needed to be slicely thinly. I got out the Zyliss Mandoline, installed the 1.5mm blade and started slicing, but using the tube that guards important digits from the very sharp blade wasn't working very well, so I just slid the cukes across the blade with my fingers, knowing how sharp it was and how low I could go. Ben said he wanted to slice. He was going way too fast and I said "This is the kind of thing a mother just doesn't want to watch..." and didn't even get the words out of my mouth when he sliced a big chunk right out of his thumb! The chunk was clinging to the underside of the slicer! I didn't think to take a picture of it, and yes, we washed the slicer:-)

Then Autumn said "I'm really good at cutting myself" and took his place. One cuke, and HER fingertip was clinging to the bottom of the slicer! Even bigger chunk than Ben's! This time, I DID take a pic - and aren't you glad I did? YES THAT WHITE OVAL IS A RATHER LARGE CHUNK OF AUTUMN'S INDEX FINGER!!! Ugh.

Bandaids were procured. Ben wanted a SpongeBob Squarepants.

But those finger cuts (machete whacks?) tend to bleed a LOT, and Autumn's just woudn't quit.

After about a half hour, Ben said "Where's the Super Glue?" Autumn said "Does it burn? You first!" But finally after 2.5 hours of Autumn's finger bleeding, Ben made her use the Super Glue and it worked.

Needless to say, mom finished the slicing, and my fingers are fine, thank you very much. We also discussed whether to compost the fingertips. Or perhaps, feed them to the dogs. We finally decided to just put them down the garbage disposal ;-) It's just never dull at our house...

Birthday Cake for Me

2011-08-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Adam and his girlfriend, Katie, came down the other night with a birthday cake for me. Oh, it was 10 days AFTER my birthday, but I am the QUEEN of Late Gifts myself, LOL! It took me by surprise to the point that I "puddled up" a bit...aren't I the one who's supposed to be doing stuff like that for others? What's with this "somebody doing stuff for ME" thing?

Umm, here's the cake. Umm...ok, so it's a HALF a cake. No, Katie didn't just bring me a half a cake...some peeps have been munching on the cake (who would that be?). But when they brought it down, I was so stunned, I didn't think to take a picture right away.

SO out-of-the-blue it was...it rocked me to my core! It also made me think that the old saw "It's better to give than to receive" goes both ways - sometimes you've just got to receive so that someone ELSE can give ;-) But, having said that...I immediately pondered how I could get back at Katie, LOL! I decided she needed some reusable grocery bags. Her favorite color is green, and I'd recently tried Keyka Lou's Grocery Bag pattern, so decided to make her a couple of those. I love this pattern, and the only change I made was to add a hanging loop in the middle of one side at the top. This was Ben's idea so that it would fit over that little pokey-outey peg on the grocery store bag holder thingie at the checkstands (technical terms, I'm sure).

Of course I didn't have anything suitable in my stash (IS MY NOSE POKING RIGHT OUT OF THE COMPUTER SCREEN INTO YOUR EYE?), so I zipped off to one of my LQSs, Bayside Quilting, and got these lovely green batiks and a green dot. Since they are lined, these bags take a LOT of fabric, so they are definitely in the GIFT category, rather than the money-making category (unless you have some fabric that was on sale to the point it was almost free). About $15-$17 apiece if using LQS cotton quilting fabrics since it takes 1 1/2 yards per bag at the going rate of $9.49 to $11.49-ish per yard (of course it would be less using JoAnn's or similar fabric). But since I don't sell my stuff, that's ok with me. Also, the fact that the pattern is an instant download pdf is a real bonus - no waiting for the mail!

The colors aren't quite so garrish in person - believe me!

A couple people have commented that the fabric below looks like The Matrix movie!

Thank you Katie for the wonderful cake! You are such a sweetie :-) And I hope you enjoy your bags :-)

Hot & Spicy Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

2011-07-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

I know most of my mid-west bloggie friends just wanna keep cool...but this Hot & Spicy recipe can either be broiled OR grilled, so a nice, chilly marinate in the fridge and then get some burly guy to toss it on the grill - no hot kitchen to deal with! I usually use flank steak for this recipe, but it's great for other cuts as well and you can keep it in the fridge for up to three days. We can never wait more than a few hours though ;-)

Hot & Spicy Marinated Grilled Flank Steak

1/4 cup olive or vegetable oil (I use olive oil)
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons dry Sherry
2 Tablespoons soy sauce (I use the less sodium kind)
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 Teaspoons seasoned salt (Lowry's, Johnny's Dock, etc.)
2 Teaspoons dried red pepper flakes (or to your taste)
1 Teaspoon worcestershire sauce
1 Teaspoon paprika
1 Teaspoon chili powder
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder with parsley
Steaks - flank steak, ribeyes, New Yorks, etc. (I've used all of these at some time)

In a one gallon zip-loc bag, combine all ingredients except steaks. Moosh & slosh around (kitchen technical terms) to mix well. Add steak and seal bag, squeezing out excess air. I usually use a flank steak pack from Costco which has two fairly large steaks, or three smaller ones. If you have a LOT of meat, you may need to increase the amount of marinade, but as long as all the meat gets "wet," you can make the marinade go a long ways. Flop the bag around to ensure the marinade completely covers all sides of the meat. Refrigerate several hours, or up to three days. Remove meat from bag and discard marinade. Grill or broil to desired doneness. If using flank steak, cut crosswise into thin strips. Enjoy!!!

A Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Let Wander...Or Is It?

2011-07-17T14:39:00.000-07:00

Warning: Slightly X-Rated Post

Do we know really know what happens when we let our minds out to wander? Where do they go? And more importantly, why do they come back full of such weird stuff?

It happened to me yesterday. I mentally nodded off for just a split second and my mind grabbed the opportunity and rocketed out the doggie door for parts unknown. About 20 minutes later, it swaggered back, smug and sassy and barking orders: "Go ask the kids for condoms!" Yep...I said CONDOMS. Unable to muster the wit and wherewithal to ask why, I crept down the hall and knocked on their door. This would be my son and daughter-in-law, Ben and Autumn, who moved in with us about five months ago.

Ben and Autumn at The Farmer's Market

I try to be a considerate parental unit and always knock if their door is shut. Well, and quite frankly I don't want to see what might be going on behind that closed door. When no one shrieked "Aaaack! We're naked!!!" I opened the door and without preamble or pretext I blurted out "Do you have any condoms?"

They had that deer-in-the-headlights look goin' on. Quickly, I added "Uh...I'll give them back..." Now they were MOOSE-in-the-headlights. "I'm not going to USE them." I don't know what's bigger than a moose...let's switch species and go with wooly-mammoth-in-the-headlights. Clearly, they were having trouble processing so to add to the confusion I said "And do you have that tea wallet I made you handy?" I think they were numb at this point. Autumn reached into the night stand and threw a handful of condoms in my general direction and mumbled something about a basket on the dresser, where I found the tea wallet. I think they just wanted me OUT of the room so they could discuss assisted living options for me.

Safely back in the "sewing area" (which is most of the rest of the house), I slipped the tea out of the tea wallet pockets and replaced them with condoms. Ta Da!

With Tea Paraphenalia

Well, almost Ta Da...condom packets are a teensy bit smaller than tea packets, so I mentally calculated about a half-inch difference in the final measurements I would need.

Tea Packets vs. er...uh...CONDOMS!

I always use this tea wallet tutorial with a few of my own modifications. For my new creation, I shortened the four 5" x 7" pieces to 5" x 6 1/2". I chose a few pieces of fabric, started cutting, and barely 30 minutes later, I had two "Condom Wallets" for two friends who had July birthdays. I was going to see them both later in the day, and since they are very fun-loving ladies, I knew they would appreciate my slightly off-color gifts.

By this time, the kids had somewhat recovered from their mom/condom shock and were heading into town for some grocery shopping. I tempted fate and asked if they would mind picking me up a box or so of condoms. Oh, and PRETTY condoms would be a real bonus, please and thank you! I showed them my empty but finished wallets and handed over twenty bucks as I shooed them out the door. While they were gone, I fancied the wallets up a bit with some charms and beads.

Those kids really got into the sprit of the task and came back with three boxes of assorted colors AND flavors! Banana, Cherry, and Lime, Oh My!

Plus a couple of "surprises" listed on the box below...we won't discuss those in polite company but they fit nicely in the wallets as well.

I loaded up the wallets and admired my handiwork. Later that evening, my fun-loving lady friends were absolutely thrilled with their quite useful gifties. I guess next time my mind wants to wander, I should send it off with my blessings and a no-limit mental credit card and wait to see what it brings back.

Raspberry Ketchup Luggage Tags

2011-06-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are wondering what Raspberry Ketchup Luggage Tags could be about? I know it's a strange name, but bear with me - I do have a reason why I'm calling them that. But first, let's talk about food! I'm sure you've all seen sites like allrecipes.com where you can find not only recipes, but ratings and reviews of those recipes. I love these sites and take advantage of the reviews to determine whether or not I might like to invest my time making the dish, and to see what pitfalls or improvements I can glean from the reviewers' experiences. BUT...invariably, there are those who give a recipe a half-star and say something like this:

"I thought this was just awful! My dog wouldn't even eat it! A waste of ingredients - I threw it in the garbage!" And THEN they say: "And I followed the recipe exactly, except that..."

"I added mushrooms instead of pecans."
"Instead of French bread, I used onion rolls, I left out the cilantro, omitted the mustard, and added feta cheese."
"I didn't have any heavy whipping cream, so I used non-fat yogurt."
"I used non-fat cheese, not-fat sour cream, substituted olive oil for the butter, and cut the sugar down from 1 cup to 1 tablespoon."
"I was out of raspberries, so I used ketchup instead." (on the theory that they are both red?????)

Ok, Ok...I admit it. I made up that last one...chuckle...but some of them just leave me scratching my head! If you leave out or substitute half the ingredients, you can't say the recipe stunk BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T ACTUALLY MAKE the friggin' thing!

Having said that...it's far easier to "do as I say, not as I do." I found a cute idea for luggage tags in the Summer 2011 issue of BH&G's Quilts and More (love that magazine).

I decided to make it "exactly as shown" except that...

I used pieced jelly roll strips instead of one solid piece of fabric.
I substituted a regular, large snap for the magnetic snap.
I printed my own personal info on ink jet printer fabric sheets instead of iron-on transfer paper using their template.
I used non-fusible batting instead of fusible, and skipped the interfacing.

Uh...just a FEW little changes...and here's what I produced:

Closed

Open

Cute! But, as I fondled and played with it a bit, I observed that with only the one snap (and it would have been the same with the magnetic snap as well), the corners tended to flop down and I wondered how that would work in the airport baggage-handling craziness of rolling belts and burly baggage tossers. So I grabbed my seam ripper and snipped off the snap pieces, replacing it with a strip of Velcro all the way across. MUCH better, and much more secure!

Then I looked at my new masterpiece some more, and thought about where I would actually PUT the tag on my luggage. The swivel hook would need somelthing to hook onto and the business end of my hook was a bit FAT (maybe it needed some of those non-fat substitutions those reviewers mentioned above!). I grabbed my large "checked baggage" bag, as well as my smaller carry-on, and examined them both. One had a somewhat suitable orifice for the swivel hook, but the other would have flopped around too much and seemed likely to get caught on something. Hmmm...then I thought...the airlines use long, sticky strips of plasticy-papery stuff to put the 3-letter IATA (International Air Transport Association) airport code on each piece of checked baggage to they know which airport the bags are going to, such as SEA, LAX, etc. Of course, for the VERY FIRST TIME IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, I had actually REMOVED the sticky strips from my bags when I got home from my last trip, so I can't show you a picture, but I think you know what I'm talking about.

Anyways, I decided to use that model to fashion a different type of tag. Here's a "before" picture of my largest bag. Hot pink ribbon, so I can spot it easily, and my info tag was hastily conjured up using an old French Laundry clothing tag - hey, it's "green" isn't it?

And "after" - my oh-so-pretty, secure-from prying-eyes new luggage tag - a long, skinny tag with a couple of strips of Velcro. Again, I used homemade 2 1/2" strips, but this time I used two lines of Velcro - one at the very ends, and another closer to where it wraps around the handle - with the personal info label in between.

Open, I used two sets of Velcro

I like them both, but neither is all that much like the Quilts and More pattern I originally set out to make. So I dubbed them "Raspberry Ketchup Luggage Tags," in honor of my made-up review above :-)

I guess you could say it's much ado about nothing...you can get those free labels right at the airline counters. But of course, if a sewist can fashion something - ANYthing! - out of cloth, we will! And if it's pretty, so much the better! Hmmmmm...I wonder if I should make one with ruffles? Ball fringe? Prairie Points? Yo-Yo's, anyone?

Hippie Chicks Chicken Coupe!

2011-06-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

After I retired last fall, I made some squawking noises about wanting some chickens. I even found a pattern for a cool movable chicken coop that hubby could build. Everyone here thought I was nuts, so I kinda-sorta gave up the idea for the time being. However, younger son, Adam, must have had chickens on the brain all winter because a few weeks ago he decided to convert an old "hippie" van to a chicken coop and got 10 chicks from a friend. I know our neighbors are trying to sell their house, which is a 2.2 acre chunk of our now 37 acre property. Fortunately you can't quite see the "Hippie Chicks Chicken Coupe" (coupe - pun intended) from their house to ours. Here's Adam using his "new" dozer to pull the old van out of the bushes where it's lived for the past 20 years or so after it quit running.

My...doesn't it look nice? See the decorative moss? And doesn't Adam look proud of himself?

Can you believe we were able to buy this van that included this fabulous artwork for no extra cost? The art alone was worth what we paid for it way back when - a couple hundred dollars, I think ;-) It used to have phsychedelic mushrooms painted on the outside too, but I guess they all faded or washed off over the years :-(

Building the nexting boxes

Cute little chicken ramp

A nice chicken "blind" on one side - open for sunny days and closed for dismal ones - gotta keep those Hippie Chicks Happy!

I'm not so much feelin' the free love here on the back end - looks too much like a prison van!

And a couple days later, here come da Hippie Chicks! All hap-hap-happy in their new Hippie Chicks Chicken Coupe!

And Adam's GF, Katie, did some awesome art work on the chicken blind...

Ohhh...it's bringing the 60s back to me...Sky River Rock Festivals and all...sorry, new prospective neighbors, but when you move to the country, it ain't gonna be like the city...PEEP PEEP!

Baby Quilt + Extras

2011-06-11T12:03:00.000-07:00

Even though I do a lot of "quilting," this is actually the first QUILT I've made in quite awhile. I much prefer smaller (can we say instant gratification!) pieces like tote bags, wall hangings, or piecework incorporated into aprons, potholders, pouches, etc. But a baby needs a quilt :-) so here's what I came up with. (Thanks, Ben, for being my quilt mannequin!)

Front

Back

I decided on the three dot fabrics I'd used in the quilt (purple, green, pink) for the binding, mostly because I was too lazy to find some other fabric that might have made it pop more, but the dots do look nice, I think. Of course wouldn't you know, I ended up with a seam in TWO of the FOUR corners! Oh well...

I used scraps to make this matching bib, which I think turned out really cute.

I used a smaller version of the quilt block for the bib.

Bib Back

All washed/dried/crinkled and wrapped up ready to go to the lucky (in my opinion!) baby. Since those Fabric Sheets for Ink Jet Printers are my new BFF, of course I had to make one!

I combined a poem with some appropriate baby clip art. I also inserted a Text Box in my Word doc so that I could make the background a pale pink, instead of the plain white fabric of the fabric sheet.

"Tiny Fingers, Tiny Toes, Rosebud Cheeks, Cute Button Nose"

Card Wallet Tutorial

2011-06-10T08:18:00.000-07:00

I included my vesion of a card wallet in my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway package, so I decided to do a tutorial on it. I've been using this version for many, many years to store my debit and credit cards, loyalty and punch cards, driver's license, and a book of stamps. You probably use yours for different things or maybe just the loyalty cards, but I like to keep the contents of my purse in several different "containers" on the theory that if someone thinks they are going to swipe my "wallet," they won't get my I.D., cards, checks, AND cash all in one attempt.

Yes, lots of people have tutes for these. Here's why mine is a little different, AND why it works (at least for me!). All others I've seen have some sort of button-and-loop closure. Mine uses Velcro. And here's why I like the Velcro better.

When I'm at the checkout counter at Safeway, I'm almost always juggling several reusable grocery bags, my grocery list and pen, any coupons I might have, my car keys, my Starbuck's Venti-Black-Ice-Tea-No-Syrup-No-Water, and my purse (which has my cell phone sanely tucked in a pocket - I don't do cell phone in the checkout line)...all while I'm trying to offload my groceries onto the roll-ey belt thingie and not hold up progress like the white-haired lady who waits until the the very end to even START writing her check which she does at the speed of a snail (or slug, which is what we have more of here in Washington).

Getting my debit and loyalty cards out at the same time doesn't need to add another jiggle in the juggle! I can pop my card wallet open with one hand, instead of trying to unloop the loop off the button. Ok - it's just a tiny thang...but even ONE less teeny bit of stress is a good thang, especially when the electronic display shouts $186.53 - how on earth did that tiny basket of groceries wind up being that much!!!! :-)

Anyhoo...this is how I make my card wallet. The supplies you'll need are:

3 - 10 1/2" x 5" fabric - one quilters cotton for outer fabric, one coordinating quilters cotton for lining, and one cotton flannel (you can also use cotton batting, but I prefer the thinner flannel for this project)
1 - 2" piece of 3/4" sew-in hook-and-loop fastener (Velcro)

If you want to add decorative details like I did on this one, you'll need:

1 - 1 3/4" x 10 1/2" strip for ruffle
1 - piece of decorative twill tape about 5 1/2" long - or you could use a 1 3/4" x 5 1/2" strip of coordinating fabric
3 - 3" squares for prairie points

I add different decorative details depending on my mood, including beads, charms, small pieced bits, etc. Use your imagination! Just be careful about placement.

Begin by making your prairie points, if desired. Fold and press as shown below - I folded mine point-to-point, but you can fold them edge-to-edge as well. Arrange them however you like, making sure the total length doesn't exceed a scant 4 1/2", and baste across the bottom using a scant 1/4" seam. Set aside.

Create the ruffle, if using: Make a narrow hem on one long side. Stitch two rows of basting stitches on the opposite long side.

Gather the ruffle strip, leaving about 1/2" on each end ungathered (this makes it easier to layer your decorative elements). Using a marking pencil, make a line about 4" from one short end of your outer 10 1/2" x 5" fabric piece.

Layer the decorative elements: Align the raw edge of ruffle to the left, along the marked line (let the ungathered ends spill off the fabric edge). Pin or baste in place.

Butt the raw edge of the prairie points up the the edge of the ruffle. Pin or baste in place.

Center the twill tape over the ruffle/prairie points. Stitch along both long edges, through all layers.

(If you are using a fabric band instead of the tape, fold the band WST, matching long edges; press. Lay the band along the ruffle, matching raw edges. Stitch. Fold the band to the right, covering all raw edges. Stitch along the folded edge. You could also use a fabric tube for this, jumbo ric-rac, etc.)

Layer your outer fabric and lining fabric, RST. Layer the flannel on the bottom. Make sure all edges are even.

Pin all the way around.

Stitch, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Leave a 2" opening on one long side, avoiding the decorative elements. I left my opening where the lavendar pin is in the picture below.

Trim off any decorative element edges, and then clip the corners. Cut across the corners, close to the stitching, then again at an angle, as shown in the picture below - this helps to avoid bulk when turning right side out.

Turn right side out through the opening. Push the corners out using a Bamboo Point Turner/Creaser or your favorite tool. If I had my way, every sewist would have one of these! Press well.

To create the pockets, flip the fabric sandwich over and fold the short ends in towards the inside center, leaving about a 1/2" gap; press.

Pin the Velcro in place, about 1/4" from each folded edge (be careful not to catch the back inside of the pocket). Open the wallet out flat, and stitch around each piece of Velcro. Fold the wallet back together and stitch along each long side, very close to the edge.

That's it! You're done!

Load 'er up, and go shopping!

As I said earlier, get creative and add your own favorite features. Here's the one I'm currently using in my purse - I added a fabric band, a charm and some beads.

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway - We Have a Winner!

2011-05-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

I was sooo amazed to have 271 people leave Comments to enter my SMS giveaway! I read and treasured every single one of them! Such nice things you all had to say! This was my first time doing the SMS giveaway, but I had so much fun and I shall be sure to jump in next time as well.

I used Random.org to choose the winner, which was #3 - Hannah from New Zealand! I will be contacting Hannah today, and get her parcel in the post tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for leaving such nice Comments, and thanks to SMS for sponsoring this fun event!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway - It's A Hoot!

2011-05-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway! Just leave your Comment with your email addy, if your contact doesn't autmatically show it! It's easy! I shall choose by random choice.

Four items: A Tea Wallet, My Own Rewards Card Wallet, My Own Shoop-Shoop Bag, and a Kool Tote Bag. All It's A Hoot! If you are the random winner, you will receive all four items! International shipping ok. Thanks for stopping by!

She's Nuts!

2011-05-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

One day during my visit with my bloggie friend Aunt Pitty Pat in Kansas last fall, she said "Come on! I'm taking you to the nut house!" I was scared - I figured she might try to leave me there! Or maybe they'd just keep both of us! Well, the nut house turned out to be the Nifty Nut House :-) Once inside, I definitely went NUTS! I bought copious amounts of Jordan Almonds, Hazelnuts, Butter Cream Mints, and Dried Cherries - yummm! Since my visit was 24 days (how in the world did she put up with me that long???), we managed to make a second trip so I could load up and bring some goodies home with me. Since then, APP has sent me Nifty Nut House care packages - isn't she sweet! Or would that be...sweet and salty? LOL! Anyways, yesterday when I reached into the mail box, there was a Small Flat Rate Box. Upon opening it, I found all these Jordan Almonds! That's it! Nothing else in the box! Just chock full o' Jordan Almonds! I'm in Nifty Nut House Heaven right now...thank you so much, my nutty friend!

Princess Abby Bag

2011-05-19T10:20:00.000-07:00

I needed to wrap a gift for a sweet baby's first birthday. Wrapping paper? Gift bag? Naw....I almost never use 'em! I like to wrap my gifts in some sort of tote, pouch, small quilt, or table runner that I've created. So much more fun and hopefully something the receiver can enjoy, or regift as a wrapping for something else. I had previously used a bit of the Mendocino "swimming fish" fabric in a burp cloth I made baby Abby, and her mom told me she is fascinated by the fishies. So I knew that would need to have a starring role in the bag for sure, along with some "goldfish in a bag" I had. I also had some Far, Far Away Princess & The Pea fabric and since Abby is quite often referred to as "Princess," that had to be in the mix as well. Actually, I just pulled out what I call my "$100 Fabric Baggie" which is a gallon ziploc bag of special fabrics, some of which are bits and pieces I paid quite a "Princessly Sum" for in Etsy shops ;-) I won't tell you how long it took me to choose the fabrics for this bag, but it was DAYS..... I really had no plan, other than to use some of the special fabrics and to further personalize the tote using printable fabric sheets.

Here's the other side.

Princess Abby's grandma and I usually call her "Missy" so I used the printable fabric to add "Princess Abby (also known as Missy)" to the Princess & The Pea block. Remember I said I had no plan? That's probably why I wound up putting the word strip running up and down the bag instead of across, but it works ;-) Heck, the kid can't read yet anyways!

I used both types of fishies on one side: "Fishies!" Oops! The goldfish-in-a-bag is covered up by the handles, but trust me, it's there!

And "More Fishies!" on the other. Her dad is an avid fisher, so fish and fishing features prominently in their household.

I decided Princess Abby "hearts" camping - mostly because I had some of the cute Camper Van fabric, but also because her grandma HATES camping - I'm just a little evil that way ;-) (But really, her grandma is my very, very good friend and I love her dearly.)

Some puppy dog fabric had to go in there too, because Princess Abby loves her BIG puppy dog, Ruby, and her great-grandma's little puppy dog, Monty. Abby and Monty chase each other around til they both pretty much fall asleep in their tracks.

I wish I had thought to take a picture of Princess Abby WITH the bag, but I didn't. Here's a picture of the Birthday Girl. Happy Birthday, Princess Abby! Oh and don't look now, but you have cake on your face ;-)

Sewing Accessories Swap

2011-05-17T07:36:00.000-07:00

I was in Aunt Pitty Pat's Sewing Accessories Swap - we worked with our assigned partners to create each other a sewing machine cover, a sewing machine apron with pockets (goes under the sewing machine), and a pinkeep with scrap-catcher bag. My wonderful partner was Amy from Domesticity and Other Ponderous Things. Here's what Amy sent me! This pic is from Amy's blog, because I've been having some camera problems, but I do have a few pics I took as well. She used some "measuring tape" twill tape as an accent - it's so darned cute! What a perfect touch!

Here's a somewhat murky picture I snapped. Comparing it to Amy's pic above, you can see it was a bit smooshed from being stuffed in the shipping box, but it does fit my machine perfectly!

A close-up of the cover...

The pinkeep is awesomely huge! And you can see the measuring twill tape up close and personal in this pic. Amy also included these nifty snips - they will definitely come in handy!

Here's a shot of the machine apron - so handy for stashing those tools I use all the time....ahem...including that "reverse sewing" one, LOL!

Amy also sent some of the scraps so I can make whatever else I might want to coordinate, a yummy smelling candle, and two handmade pins she crafted - they have apple heads - she's VERY talented!!! Thanks so much Amy - you were a wonderful swap partner and I love everything!

This pic's a bit blurry, but I couldn't resist - I was trying to get a better pic of the scrap-catcher, and apparently Diesel wanted to be in the shot:-)

MOPS (My Own Potato Salad)

2011-04-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter, everyone!

We're having rib roast today, but last night we BBQd hamburgers and pineapple slices, and ate lots of watermelon and potato salad. Potato salad is one of those really "personal" dishes - everyone has their own recipe, or at least "type," of potato salad that they like. Some people like mayo and others swear by Miracle Whip (I use both!). Some people just have to have pickles and others don't want onions. I usually shy away from OPPS (Other People's Potato Salad) because to ME, most OPPS is just too bland. SOME people don't even put eggs in their potato salad and that's just WRONG, as far as I'm concerned ;-)

I do have to admit that once in awhile, I come across a bowl of OPPS that I can tolerate, or even like a bit. But mostly, I like MOPS (My Own Potato Salad ;-) Here's how I make mine...

6 cups peeled, diced potatoes (1/2-inch cubes) (I use russet potatoes, but have been known to use red or yellow if that's all I have)
6-8 eggs, hard-cooked, peeled and egg-cuttered (I don't think that's really a word, LOL!)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup Miracle Whip
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons white vinegar
2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup very finely minced onion
3-4 thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely diced celery
1/2 Teaspoon celery seed
1 Teaspoon seasoned salt such as Johnny's Dock or Lawry's
1/4 Teaspoon black pepper

Start the cubed potatoes in salted water in a saucepan on high. When it boils, turn to simmer and cook, covered, for 10 minutes (depending on if the potatoes are starting to get a bit soft/old, I might reduce the cooking time to 9 minutes). Remove from heat and immediately drain in a colander. Let cool slightly while you make the dressing. Update: a friend asked me why I cook the potatoes peeled and cubed, as opposed to whole, unpeeled like "her mom does." Any way you want to cook the potatoes is fine - this is just the way it works best for me - the pieces are uniform and I've tweeked the cooking time so they really do come out perfect every time - done, but not mushy. You could cook the potatoes in a cave in the mountains if you wish, if that's the way you've always done it, OR if that's the way "your mom does it" ;-)

Dressing: Combine all the other ingredients - save out 1-2 eggs to decorate the top, if desired. I like to use an egg cutter to dice the eggs - set the egg in the holder, slice, then remove carefully and position the sliced egg the opposite direction to dice the egg.

Combine the dressing with the potatoes that have cooled somewhat while you made the dressing - adding the still-warm potatoes helps the dressing to soak in and be more flavorful. But make sure your bowl or container is more "wide" than "tall," and refrigerate the finished salad quickly so it cools properly. Decorate with the reserved sliced eggs if you wish. I also sprinkle a bit of paprika on top to look pretty :-) Serve with love, and enjoy!

And A Partidge In A Pear Tree...

2011-04-13T10:21:00.000-07:00

Soooooo....on the 11th day of April...my "Brown guy" brought to me.....

I still love Dale even tho he's not racing anymore...

Three Skeins of Yarn....

Two Jelly Rolls....

And an Amy Butler Box of Pretty Thread.....

Huh? I didn't order any thread...

I'm always excited when I see ~~Dale~~ the UPS truck come down the driveway. So today, when ~~Dale~~ the UPS truck delivered my latest order from fabric.com, I snatched the box off the porch. I ripped it open. I found the three skeins of Peaches & Creme yarn...I found two Jelly Rolls. And then....I found a box of thread. Hmmmm, I hadn't ordered thread. Was it a "free gift with order"??? I didn't remember a "free gift with order." I checked the invoice and I checked my online order. Nada. Nothing. Zip. Why did ~~Dale~~ the UPS guy bring me thread?

Dale! I'd "spool" with you anytime!!!

So...I called the toll-free number. Some mechanical voice tells me I'm #782 in the queue. Ok, I'm exagerrating a little. Actually I couldn't tell WHAT number I was because the auto-person apparently had marbles in their mouth. So I got online at fabric.com (where I was #1 in the queue - yay!) and chatted with "Janelle." I explained what happened. She said she would check and see if it "may be able to be a gift." About an hour later (I'm exaggerating again, but only a little) she came back on and said "we can actually retrieve it back from you" and instructed me to put it in the box it came in and leave it outside for ~~Dale~~ UPS to pick back up.

Sigh...it was sooooo pretty - like a box of funny-shaped Easter Eggs...but if I didn't pay for them, I really couldn't enjoy them, and would have most likely stuffed them under that huge pile of UFOs in the corner, never to see the light of day because I would have felt too guilty to use them. So back in the box they went, with a little note to ~~Dale~~ the UPS guy to send them back home. The box is sitting on my porch.

This whole time, I was thinking that thread was probably $14.99 or maybe even $19.99...so out of curiosity, I zipped back out to fabric.com and found this:

Holey-Spooley-Moley! No WONDER they wanted it back, LOL! Well, at least I can console myself that I'll get to see ~~Dale~~ the UPS guy one more time.

I've Got Mad Crochet Skills ;-)

2011-04-06T10:30:00.000-07:00

I'm "pretty darned good" at quite a few things, and "satisfactory" at lots of others. But apparently one thing I truly EXCEL at is...LAUGHING AT MYSELF...otherwise, I'd never be able to post (for the two or three people who actually read my blog) THIS:

Go ahead. Laugh. I know you want to. I can see that quiver/smirk starting at the corner of your mouth. And that "WTF is THAT!?!" look on your face. It's all right...I give you permission...

See, it all started here...Val, my partner in Aunt Pitty Pat's Easter Mug Rug Swap, sent this tuck-in with her swap package to me.

Now, I've used knitted or crocheted cotton dishcloths before. I have always found them to be heavy, bulky, and "hard." But something about this one that Val sent seemed different. It was so soft and light! So I decided to give it a go! Well, I've been using it every day to wash dishes and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! I finally emailed Val to ask why it was so special. She said she used a "special yarn." I emailed back asking if it was something other than Sugar & Cream, which was the only cotton yarn I was familiar with. She said it was Peaches & Creme, which I had never heard of. A Google of "What's the difference between Sugar & Cream and Peaches & Creme" produced a number of reviews that said Peaches & Creme was softer. I checked Wal-Mart and JoAnn's, but neither had it, so I ordered a few skeins from fabric.com. While I'm waiting for my order, I picked up one skein of Sugar & Cream at Wal-Mart and decided to "practice" for when I got the "good" stuff. Val had included in her email the instructions she used (which she said were on the back of the Peaches & Creme label). Uhhh...I have to admit it was a foreign language, since I really don't crochet...full of things like "ss," "sc," "hdc," and phrases like "3 hdc at corner, hdc across, ss in top of 1st hdc."

Well, never mind - I have never been one to let ignorance stand in the way of creativity. I grabbed a crochet hook - any one will do! - from the stash of crochet hooks I inherited from my mom. I like the blue one - I don't care what size it is - yes, let's use the blue one, because it's pretty, and it kinda sorta matches the yarn, and isn't that what's important???!!!

So let's begin: Knit one, purl two...no, I guess that's knitting. I'm almost as good at knitting as I am crocheting! Well, let's just start doing SOMEthing and see how it goes. I'm really good at making that first loop thing and then a bunch more after that. In fact, I could make those single loop things all day long. It's when I have to turn around and go back down that chain of single loop things that I run into problems. So I just "made it up" and started sticking the hook indiscrimately in whatever loop I could find...obviously, that's what I did...yes..

After awhile, I decided that it was kinda sorta square-ish, but needed to be bigger, so I just started going around the edges, adding an extra loop thing here and there for good measure. When I felt it was big enough to wash a dish, I stopped.

Ta da!

I'm sure you've noticed by now that there are holes big enough to drive a truck through, and that it's not exactly square. Pish-tosh, I say! I'm only going to use it to wash dishes, after all!

That was yesterday. This morning, I was looking around for the remains of the skein of yarn and couldn't find it. I looked in the living room and the dining room and on the sewing table. I looked in the kitchen. I asked my hubby, and he said it had "probably run away to prevent me from making anything else with it." Harrumph! Then I found it - in the kitchen, under the big pull-out cutting board, hiding in the electric roaster, next to a pan of extra kitchen utensils (we are remodeling and purging and these items hadn't found a new home yet). It was obviously hoping that the spatulas and wooden spoons would disguise it if I came close, but I found it and snatched it up before the pancake flipper could give me the "Aunt Jemima Treatment"!

"Oh nooooo, she's coming! Hide me!!!!"

I'm quite sure those skeins of Peaches & Creme are shaking in their knitted booties in the UPS truck on the way to Apron Valley Road.... Now, what shall I make next?

JBLM Casserole

2011-04-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Here's what we had for dinner last night...and how it got its name...

JBLM Casserole *

(Uh, I couldn't snap a pic fast enough before the vultures dug into it, so here's a half-eaten pic...)

1 ¼ cups chopped onions (about 1 medium)

1 ½ cups sliced celery

1 pound ground beef (my package was 1.37 pounds and I used it all – hard to find an actual 1-pound package of ground beef these days)

1 pound Italian Sausage (I used Safeway brand in the tube)

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked al dente and drained

2 11-ounce cans mexi corn

3 14 ½-ounce cans stewed tomatoes (note these are STEWED)

1 14 ounce can tomato sauce

8 ounces longhorn cheese, grated

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Velveeta cheese – a 1” piece cut from a 2-pound block

1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Johnny’s or Lawry’s, etc.)

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Brown ground beef and sausage until it starts to lose its pink color, then add onions and celery and cook until veggies are opaque and somewhat soft. Drain fat, if necessary (we just kinda boil it dry because there’s always so much WATER in the ground beef these days!). Stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, mexi corn, and seasonings and cook, stirring, until heated through. Combine in a large bowl with cheeses and cooked, drained pasta (if you want, you could save some of the cheese to sprinkle on top after you load the whole mess into a casserole).

Place in greased or sprayed casserole. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Now this is the tricky part – having a casserole large enough. I use a 4.5 litre Corning French White casserole dish that is larger than a 9x13 – but you could use two smaller ones, or a large aluminum disposable. *This is the reason I call it “JBLM Casserole” – JBLM = Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is the joint basing of Fort Lewis and McChord Air Base here in Washington (just up the road about 20 minutes from where I live).

Why do I call it that? Because the first time I made this dish, the next morning, my husband casually mentioned “So…you’re going up to Fort Lewis today?” I had no clue what he was talking about and just looked at him funny. He asked me again. I looked at him even funnier. Finally, I said “Why would I be going up to Fort Lewis?” He said “Well, you made enough food last night for an army!” LOL! So now we call it the JBLM Casserole for that reason.

So, ok…I could cut down the ingredients so it would more properly fit into a 9x13 pan…but what fun is that? We eat up every last drop (over a couple of days), and I’ve worked this recipe out over time and we think it’s perfect. Yes, you could do your own fiddling with the proportions if you want, but we will keep making it and calling it the JBLM Casserole here in my family, thank-you-very-much ;-)

"Come and git it!!!"

Serves: An Army, Doh!

Some Bunny Loves Me!

2011-03-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

So, below I have posted what I sent and what I received in Aunt Pitty Pat's Easter Mug Rug Swap. But APP herself sent me a *surprise* Mug Rug package! Aren't I the mostest luckiest girl??? Here's what she sent. The Mug Rug is sooooo cute! See the shadow quilting around it? And, APP is the Queen of Applique :-)

And she tucked in one of my favorite candies which is coconut cream eggs. The cup and little saucer/plate is so very cute, too. And she included teas and cider and cuppy-cake liners! There were some cookie cutters too, but they somehow grew legs and walked off when it was picture-taking time. I found them hiding under some fat quarters afterwards.

Thank you APP - I feel sooooo loved!!!

More Mug Rug Madness

2011-03-27T07:28:00.000-07:00

And here's the Mug Rug goodies I sent to my partner, Val, for Aunt Pitty Pat's Easter Mug Rug Swap!

I created a landscape for the Mug Rug front, complete with some yummy carrots for that rascially Easter Bunny...

Here's the back of the Mug Rug...

A tea wallet...

I love making wraps for the mugs...and they really DO keep your tasty beverage warm a bit longer!

Thanks APP for another great swap!

Easter Mug Rug Swap

2011-03-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

I was in Aunt Pitty Pat's Easter Mug Rug Swap, and here's what I got from my partner, Val! First of all, when I got the box in the mail, and opened the flaps, I was greeted by what struck me as "An Easter Egg Hunt!" because there were all these pretty foil-wrapped chocolate Easter egg candies hiding and rolling around the other items in the box. I thought it was so cute, I had to snap a pic:

And look at the goodies I got! In addition to the Mug Rug, which sported some awesome embroidered eggs, Val sent me a really cute mug. She also added a beautiful metal tag, and we BOTH sent each other a Reese's Carrot Cone - we both thought that was pretty funny! And she very thoughtfully made a hand-stamped card with such a nice note in it. Look at the fabulous crocheted dishcloth she made just for me - I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Here's a closeup of the Mug Rug. Thank you soooo much, Val!

Now here's the really funny part - Val used plastic grocery bags to cushion the swap items. Good re-use of grocery bags, right? Well, when I spotted all those plastic bags, I literally yelled "Woo Hoo!!!" You see, I RELIGIOUSLY use my homemade cloth bags when shopping - not only for groceries, but at the fabric store, Target, the hardware shop...pretty much everywhere I go! All well and good...however then I never have any plastic bags to put "icky" stuff in, like puppy pads (even though the puppies aren't puppies any more - let's not go there...), fishy wrappers/trays, oily stuff - you get the picture. So I was REAL excited about getting all those plastic bags!

Also, if you've been reading my blog for awhile, you probably already know our family is weird (we take pictures of dead coyotes, have a Redneck Newspaper Holder, and there is an incident about a dead rabbit in the middle of the road that I haven't actually blogged about yet...). So you may understand the fascination that abounded when I found not ONE, but TWO receipts still in the bags. One was somewhat boring in that it was for a saladwith LITE dressing (ugh). But the other one had no store name nor did it say what the items were. So we, as a family, sat around the kitchen for WAY too long, conversing about what that receipt MIGHT have been for. Most of the guesses aren't fit for blog-land. Sorry, but that's just our family. Take it or leave it. At any rate, it entertained us for awhile but then again we are easily entertained. So thank you, Val - for the gifts that were "intended" and also for the ones that weren't, LOL!

And, Here's the Swap Package I Sent for Hot Mamas

2011-03-10T19:41:00.000-08:00

Here's the package I sent to Madelyn for the Hot Mamas Chicken Lovin' Apron Swap! I thought Madelyn would like some vibrant fabric, so I came up with this for the apron:

I included a potholder and a tea wallet:

And...a chicken pattern and some chocolate!

Also...I wrapped it up in a matching tote bag:

Thanks, Val, for another wonderful swap!

Chicken Lovin' Apron Swap!

2011-03-10T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm such a lucky chick :-) Here's the apron package I got from Madelyn in Yarni Gras' Hot Mama Chicken Lovin' Apron Swap! Madelyn spoiled me by letting ME pick out the fabric - is that cool or what! I picked the blue chickens fabric and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! Here's the apron - it's full sized, has roomy pockets, and is reversible, too!

She made a fabulously useful oven mitt to match...and included a wooden spaghetti fork, pretty nail file, and BEADS!!! I LOVE BEADS!!! And the BEADS!!! are BLUE!!!

Ok...I think I've calmed down now from my BEADS!!! euphoria ;-) Madelyn also embroidered these fine chickens on some dishtowels! Too pretty to use? Probably...but I'm going to try to make myself use them anyways. She also included a chicken cookbook and some very yummy mints. When I saw the mints, I thought "Hmmm...mints..." but when I put the first one in my mouth, I thought "WOW...mints!" because they are sweet little pillows of heaven that melt in my mouth! Ummm, I don't have a picture, because, ummm, well, they are all gone! Thank you, Madelyn, for a wonderful swap package! The apron and mitt are hanging on my fridge right now, and maybe I'll convince myself to use the towels real soon ;-)

"Ummmmm...Help Me! I'm Buried!"

2011-02-26T09:50:00.000-08:00

We've been having a bit of "weather" here in the Pacific Northwest. It's really perty, but many of us just wish it would go away. Living at a higher elevation than the end of our short county road, we get from 2-5 additional inches at our house when it snows. I was taking these pics yesterday and when I imported them, I just had to laugh at this one. My poor car (notice the license plate) seems to be saying...

"Ummmmm....Help Me! I'm Buried!!!"

How pretty are these icicles hanging off the eaves...

And the trees are decorated with "Fir Frosting" ;-)

This is the "front pasture" view from the deck. Now, that's just what we've always called it. There IS no "back pasture." And, truth be told, since we don't actually have any farm animals, I'm thinking it isn't really a pasture anyways, LOL!

Wonderful Swap Package from CJ

2011-02-24T07:49:00.000-08:00

Boy, it's been a busy week! Finally finding the time this morning to post about the terrific swap package I got from my good friend, CJ, in Oklahoma! Well, I guess I have some time on my hands this morning, because we have about 4" of that white stuff on the ground and more coming down as I'm typing this. So I'm thinking dinner will be whatever I can scrounge from the fridge and pantry! (I'm sure we won't starve.)

I can truly say CJ is a friend, because Aunt Pitty Pat and I got to spend time with her and her hubby, Ken, when I visited APP in Kansas last fall. She was such a gracious hostess-with-the-mostess, and Ken even took us all down to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building to view the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial - both breathtaking and solemn, especially at night.

But, back to the aprons! For Country Pleasurer's Valentine Apron Swap, CJ sent me this most fabulous apron package! Here's the VERY cute apron - I just love it! It even has heart-shaped pockets!

But if that cute apron wasn't enough, CJ sent me.....

Not ONE...

...not TWO...

...but THREE!

Three of her most sought-after pincushions! I have been lusting after these pincushions since visiting APP and getting to use the ones that CJ sent her! And now I have THREE of my very own! They are soooo cute and soooo wonderful to use! I love love love them, CJ! And I have already loaded them up with pins! Thank you, Thank you!

But that's not all....here's the cutest ever little needle book. She says she made up the pattern herself - I love the little triangle flap on the left side and look - she machine-emroidered the felt pad with little hearts - such a sweet touch :-)

Here's the front:

But wait! That STILL wasn't all! She also sent me another beautiful Mug Rug! Probably because I've told her that I am using the one she sent me for Christmas as a candle mat, year-round, in my kitchen ;-) Ain't it pertty?

Thank you, CJ! You spoiled me but I'm so glad you did!

Flirty Apron Swap - My Package from Shareen

2011-02-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

I got a lovely swap package from Shareen in Shawnee's latest Flirty Apron Swap. Here's a link to the post on the FAS blog. Thanks so much, Shareen for a great swap package full of goodies and a beautiful apron!

Tiny Beads - Big Impact!

2011-02-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

My hubby "mall walks" every weekday morning, and he has made a lot of friends since he started seven years ago. They do get lots of healthy exercise...but after about four trips 'round the mall, they sit at tables in the food court and drink coffee, "critique" the shoppers passing by, and tell each other really bad jokes. They know the details about every store moving in or out, and even help the mall staff by pointing out hazards observed while on their morning trek. They even have "assigned seating" - they've been occupying the same places at the tables for so long that no one better sit in someone else's usual spot, or there'll be heck to pay, LOL! On Wednesday, one of his mall-walking friends, June, brought in these earrings she made for him to bring home to ME! How lucky am I!!!

Now, it's hard to tell from the picture, but June uses the TEENIEST, TINIEST beads to make these earrings! I can barely see them, let alone imagine how hard it would be to make something with them! My hat's off to her and what must be her Superman-like vision! They are just so adorable, and when hubby brought them home, I immediately put them on and trotted out the door to have lunch with friends and got several really nice comments on them! Thanks so much, June - for the earrings AND for putting up with hubby's bad jokes. Ok...I guess I do have to admit that SOME of the bad jokes are ones that I find on the Internet and print out for him to bring to the mall and share :-)

Move Over, Malibu Barbie..."Post-It Note Ken" is Here!

2011-02-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

Some Spring cleaning in February rooted out some mysterious finds, the most bizarre of which was a small blue plastic tub in the bottom of a closet. It held miscellaneous small toys that my mom (gone 13 years now) “collected” (think: treasures dropped by crying children in the Safeway parking lot) for those odd times when she was visited by guests with small children needing to be occupied in hopes they wouldn’t prey upon her coveted Lenox figurines while the adults drank tea out of Royal Albert china cups and saucers and ate frozen Christmas cookies in July, pulled from the freezer for just such occasions.

We went through the tub, pulling out a mish-mash of Legos and Duplos, My Pretty Pony and Polly Pocket accessories, a gaudy plastic necklace, and two wild-haired, naked Barbies. Ok, one of them wasn’t quite naked, but scantily-clad (or entangled) in an iridescent, floofy boa – where’s a stripper pole when you need one? And then….at the very bottom...was what we instantly dubbed “Post-It Note Ken.”

Ken's (non-existent) man parts were swathed in bright green 3x3s, his left arm raised in what must be "The Post-It Note Salute." One can only wonder who felt compelled to dress him - armpit-to-crotch - in sticky notes, and more importantly, WHY?

One final word, Ken - Stay outta those tanning booths!

Flirty Apron Swap - Here's What I Sent!

2011-02-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

I was in Shawnee's "Be My Cutie Pie" Flirty Apron Swap. I must say, I had a hard time finding suitable fabric. We have two quilt shops, and NO Valentines fabric in one, and just last week the other got ONE bolt, which I didn't care much for. JoAnn's had a bit more, but still a small and unsuitable selection. I did find this 60s retro fabric which I thought was very cute and seemed appropriate to the theme - I'm using 60s here as "vintage" ;-) I paired it with some Michael Miller dot and some white-on-white from my stash. I used the Vanilla House Four Corners Apron pattern, but added a white ruffle to the front point and pocket to "girlie" it up a bit.

Here's a closeup of the pocket ruffle:

I added a matching potholder and tea wallet including the same ruffle trim, plus a Seattle Chocolates Rainer Cherry Chocolate Bar and a Valentines rubber scraper. The pink "paint" can is empty in this picture, but you'll see it filled with cookies in a minute...

Here's a closeup of the tea wallet outside:

And inside:

I made a cute fabric tag for the paint can - I'm loving using the ink jet printable fabric sheets!

Here's the can with cookies, and a retro tea towel I tucked in to satisfy the vintage item requirement.

Adam's GF, Katie, modeling the apron. The pic didn't turn out too well - bad lighting, I guess, but she's a REAL Cutie Pie :-)

Giveaway - Two Frog Home

2011-02-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Two Frog Home has a giveaway for what looks like a great companion planting book. I hope I win! Run on over there and check it out:
Soil Mates: A Review and Giveaway

Pie.....It's What's for Dinner...

2011-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

I wish the Internet had a Scratch-N-Sniff, or better yet, a Scratch-N-TASTE feature! I just pulled my "Nadine's Secret Recipe Apple Pie" out of the oven! OMG! I almost can't stand the delicious smell.....but it's too hot to cut :-( Recipe will be forthcoming (but then, of course, because it's a secret, I'll hafta kill ya, LOL!)

Chocolate Heart Cookies

2011-01-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Just in time for Valentines Day cooking, these Chocolate Heart Cookies are scrumptious and look fabulous! The beautiful decorations might seem daunting, but they are easy to achieve! I took this pic of a batch I made a couple of years ago, but you can bet I'll be making oodles of these a little closer to V-Day. Might even have to tuck a few in my V-Day swaps ;-)

Chocolate Heart Cookies

1 Cup Butter, softened
½ Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Baking Cocoa
1 Cup Vanilla Chips (White Chocolate Chips or candy coating discs)
½ Cup Milk Chocolate Chips
2 Tablespoons Shortening (I used Butter Flavor Crisco), divided

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour and cocoa; gradually add to creamed mixture. On a lightly floured/sugared surface**, roll out dough to ¼” thickness. Cut with medium heart-shaped cookie cutter. Place 2” apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until firm. Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat vanilla chips and 1 tablespoon shortening until melted, stirring frequently. Dip both side edges of each cooled cookie in melted chips, dipping them into the chips about ½”, place on waxed paper-lined trays to firm up. In another microwave-safe bowl, heat the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon shortening until melted, stirring frequently. Using disposable parchment icing bag, with a very small opening left at the tip, drizzle melted chocolate over cookies. Yield: about 2 dozen.

**Sprinkle about a tablespoon each of flour and granulated sugar on your rolling surface; stir with your fingers to mix slightly – this prevents the cookies from sticking and they don’t wind up with as much of an unslightly “coating” of flour as they would if ONLY flour had been used.

These are beautiful cookies!

Requiem for a Cookie Scoop

2011-01-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

I gather today (can one person be considered a "gathering"?) to pay tribute to my cookie scoop. Hamilton Beach Model 67 Stainless. Unsure as to its exact birthdate, it nontheless performed tirelessly, scooping perfect balls of Chocolate Chip, Oatmeal, Molasses, Butterscotch and many other batches of cookies over the years.

Scoop. Scrape. Click. RETRACT!

This morning, halfway through a batch of Big Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies, I Scooped. I Scraped. I Clicked......and.....nothing. No RETRACT! I actually had to use my thumb to RETRACT! I finished the batch of cookies with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. Had my Cookie Scoop "expired"? After the last pan went in the oven, a post-mortem was performed. And then I saw it - the spring that RETRACTS after Scooping, Scraping, and Clicking had snapped. I guess all those faithful years of toil had finally taken their toll (as in Toll House). Nevertheless, I carefully washed and dried it so I could take a picture before interring it (that is, if I can actually make myself toss it in the trash!).

Then I mosied over to my computer and entered "Hamilton Beach Model 67 Stainless Cookie Scoop" into Google. Holy Cookies! My revered cookie scoop is considered "vintage" and commands upwards to $35 on ebay and other sites! Now, that sinking feeling in my stomach is growing worse, as I consider my options for replacement. While the world has made strides in all kinds of technology in many fields, there are just some things that "aren't made like they used to be." I'm hoping cookie scoops have improved with technology, but the fact that MY cookie scoop goes for $35 USED tells me that today's cookie scoops might NOT be in the "new and improved" category!

So, you may wonder WHY I'm so upset about my cookie scoop's demise? Well, being a 4-H member for 11 years and a 4-H leader for 25 years, it's so ingrained in me that my cookies have to be uniform that I don't think I could haphazardly plop cookie dough onto a cookie sheet and let them turn out small, medium, AND large! At the county fair, our cookies were judged on both taste AND uniformity and we agonized over which 4 cookies to present to the judges. And after I was too old to be a member myself, I became a judge and had to size up the entries, just like mine were scrutinized. I guess I just can't help myself - they must be all the same size and shape ;-)

I did a quick search of cookie scoop reviews and the winner appears to be OXO Good Grips so maybe I'll stop by Macy's and check them out after delivering cookies to the Olympia Fire Department today where my younger son works. Yesterday, Taco Bell received a batch, and I admonished my older son to "Be a Share-Bear" because he doesn't always want to part with any to share with the troops when I bring them in. Wish me luck in my cookie scoop quest!

And oh - the Big Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies I mentioned earlier? Here's the recipe:

Big Super-Nutty Peanut Butter Cookies

(from Cook's Illustrated)

2 ½ Cups All-PurposeFlour

½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ Teaspoon Salt
½ Pound (2 sticks) Butter
1 Cup Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 Cup Jiff Extra-Crunchy Peanut Butter
2 Large Eggs
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Roasted Salted Peanuts, ground to breadcrumbs in a food processor (about 14 pulses)

Adjust oven rack to low center; heat to 350 degrees. Cream butter til fluffy, then add sugars and beat again until fluffy. Beat in peanut better, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Measure dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a whisk (or sift all together). Stir dry ingredients into butter/sugar/egg mixture. Add ground peanuts.

Drop by medium cookie scoop onto ungreased cookies sheets. Press down slightly with fork (criss-cross) or decorative glass bottom; dust with granulated sugar.

Bake 10-12 minutes (do not overbake – they will not be browned). Let cool on pans for 3-4 minutes, then move to cooling rack. Makes about 5 dozen.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

2011-01-12T07:41:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite comfort foods is good old-fashioned Tuna Noodle Casserole. I'm a fan of my own cooking, but once in awhile I find something that someone else has made that is so wonderful, I get just plain giddy. I eat lunch with *Lunch Buddies* weekly, usually on Wednesdays. We meet at a small, home-style restaurant in Tumwater called the Mason Jar. They serve homey entrees which change each day. My favorite by far is their Tuna Noodle Casserole - I just refer to it as TNC for short ;-) While my old TNC was passable, I was inspired to try to recreate the Mason Jar's TNC at home. I think I've succeeded pretty well. When I visited my good friend, Aunt Pitty Pat, in Kansas a few months ago, I made my TNC for her. She thought it was so yummy that she coerced me into making a second pan the day before I left so she could put some in the freezer for later. Of course, I obliged! Here's my rendition of TNC (although I do add crushed potato chips and they don't) - and definitely not a "diet" food!

Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole

1 cup frozen peas
1 10 3/4-ounce can Cheddar Cheese Soup
2 10 3/4 –ounce cans Cream of Mushroom Soup (I usually use low salt or low sodium)
2 12-ounce cans chunk white Albacore tuna, well-drained (yes, 2 big 12-ounce cans! You won’t say “Where’s the tuna?” in this recipe!)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (Johnny’s, Lowry’s, etc.)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 large onion, minced
4 ounces sharp or extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated
8 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated (Yup, more cheese!)
1 inch piece cut from a 2-pound block of Velveeta Cheese, chopped (Yup, even more cheese!)
12- or 16-ounce bag of egg noodles or sprials, cooked al dente and drained
1 Ziploc sandwich bag of crushed potato chips (keep adding chips to a sandwich-size Ziploc bag and crushing them until the bag is mostly filled)

Combine all ingredients except crushed chips in a large bowl and mix well. Spread in a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle evenly with the crushed chips. Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Yummmm-O!!!!!

The Most Beautiful Cup Cozy in the World

2011-01-11T14:35:00.000-08:00

I was head-over-heels in L-O-V-E when I spotted this ruffled cup cozy on Sew For Home's blog. I knew I had to make it right away! Well ok, it took me a couple days to get to it, but it turned out gorgeous! I did change up the Velcro closure for a button-and-hair-tie loop though...because the cozy wound up being a bit short for my Venti Starbuck's-size cups from which I consume incredible amounts of Ice-Tea-No-Lemon (as I'm known at certain restaurants, or ITNL for short). I want ICE and I want TEA in my Ice Tea - no lemon, no sugar, no sugar substitute...just ICE and TEA, thank you very much ;-) The next one I make, I'll add extra width to the pattern. It probably was meant to fit the smaller coffee cups, but I didn't have one around to verify that.

I used the same fabric to make a skinny scarf to match - I made the scarf first, and then thought I'd just use the same fabric to try out the cozy. If I had done it the other way around, I probably would have thought to add a ruffle of the raspberry fabric to each end of the scarf - I think that would have been adorable. But I'm not going to take out all my stopstitching on the scarf to add it at this point. However, I'll keep it in mind for my next scarf.

And there WILL be a next scarf, because I've made at least 15 of them since before Christmas! What, or should I say "Who" got me started on this scarf kick was Monique, my partner in a swap...she sent me a scarf made from a charm pack. It got my brain kick-started because they are such an easy, quick gift to make! And once I got started, I just couldn't stop! I've used mostly 2 1/2" strips - I bought ALL the new Bali Pops that just came out...I smiled at the quilt shop lady and said "Merry Christmas To Me" as I picked up the whole armfull of them and handed over my Mastercard. I used faux Minky (the JoAnn's version) or ultra cuddle for the backing. They are so soft and cozy! And cute! I cut thirty-two 6" chunks of the 2 1/2" strips, pieced them, then trimmed both sides to measure 5" wide before adding the backing, clipping, turning, and topstitching. I included matching Shoop-Shoop Bags with these.

So now...with the ruffled cup cozy to go along with them, I see SETS in the future. So if you are my friend or acquaintance, you might just get a set for the next gift-giving or swapping occasion!

Fat Quarter Swap

2011-01-05T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here's what I got in Aunt Pitty Pat's Fat Quarter Swap last month from Manuela from Portugal! I love the fabrics! I can't read the writing on the spool of thread - but it's very special and I will probably just "keep" it rather than using it, just because it's from another part of the world ;-) How did Manuela know I don't have (and have never made) a tissue cover? The fabric is a cute home dec - I love it! And the little felt candy cane and mini clothespin ornaments are sooo adorable! And she sent 4 pices of ric-rac - the green is unlike any I've seen before - it has a "rounder" and tighter ric-rackie thing goin' on...I will have to use it on something very special. Thanks so much, Manuela - it's wonderful to get a package from the other side of the world!

And here's what I sent Manuela. This was the first swap where I've had an international partner, other than Canada, but I'm up for more now that I know filling out the customs form isn't hard, and it really doesn't cost an arm and a leg for shipping ;-)

I had found some Christmas batik fabrics at one of our local quilt shops and just couldn't decide on which ones to include, so I sent two prints each of both blue and purple batiks, plus two coordinating solids.

I found this FQ folding tutorial and it worked really well, and I tied the batik/solid stacks up with pretty ribbon.

I also included a cute snow penguin print that I found and just had to toss in. It reminded me of the old Chilly Willy comic book character (I think I have some in the basement!).

I included 2 spools of matching thread, 2 packages of ric-rac, some chocolates, and a yarn doll ornie I made.

I'll be putting up a tutorial for the yarn doll in the near future so stay tuned - I'll be making some to tuck in my Valentines swaps! Thanks, APP, for coordinating this fun swap!

Cupcakes for the New Year

2011-01-03T08:47:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for Sparkling Cider Cupcakes on a guest post on Tatertots and Jello and decided they sounded too yummy not to try! Basically, you just replace the water in a yellow cake mix with Sparkling Cider, as well as the milk in the frosting, however I did double the amount of butter called for in the frosting recipe provided by Julie and Tara of Crae's Creations (I used 2 pounds of powdered sugar and 2 sticks of butter, plus a little more than half a cup of cider). They turned out very tasty! A spoonful of apple pie filling in a scooped-out hollow in the top of the cupcake adds a tantalizing taste and texture. I didn't use the printable cupcake toppers supplied with the post because I had more of a blue theme going, but found some by searching for cupcake toppers on One Pretty Thing. I used a large star tip to pipe the frosting, and added some blue and white sprinkles.

I also brought one to a lunch for my good friend, Robin, and wrapped it up in a cute blue snowflake cello bag with some glitzy blue ribbon (I added a 3 1/4" square cardboard insert in the bottom of the bag so the cupcake wouldn't get smooshed). There was a 25-minute wait for a table at Olive Garden, and quite a few of the servers stopped to gush over the pretty cupcake - some of them wanted the recipe and others just wanted to take that cupcake home with them :-)

Yummy, Yummy Lasagna

2010-12-31T06:32:00.000-08:00

Thought I would share my lasagna recipe. We've had lasagna for Christmas Eve dinner for several years. At a time when I'm still frantically wrapping presents (and even MAKING some!), having an "easy" dinner is a lifesaver! Team it with a nice "Olive Garden" style salad and some garlic bread, and everyone's happy! Can't remember where I got the "base" recipe from, but after several tweakings, it's not much like the original anyways.

Lasagna

½ pound dry lasagna noodles

½ pound Italian sausage

1 pound ground beef, extra lean

½ cup shopped onion

½ teaspoon salt

¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning

¼ teaspoon pepper

½ teaspoon anise seed

2 tablespoons tomato paste (hint: store remainder in a baggie in the freezer for next time!)

½ teaspoon oregano

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 pound cottage cheese

¾ pound Mozzarella cheese, grated

½ cup Parmesan cheese (divided)

Cook lasagna according to pkg directions and drain. Brown ground beef with onions. Drain, if necessary. Add spices, tomatoes, tomato paste, sauce and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (this helps the sauce thicken). Simmer 20 minutes.

In a large casserole, layer the ingredients in 3 layers. Bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes (uncovered).

Salad and Garlic Bread:

Chowing down...out of the many pics I took that evening, most of them showed Adam's "finger-extension syndrome." Poor Adam. Must be tough to have to live life with that middle finger always sticking straight out. Har har.....

Again....with the Meatless Manicotti I made for his girlfriend, who is a vegetarian. Sigh...I guess all I can do is pray that someday, someone will discover a cure for his disfiguring ailment...

Making Dishwashing (Almost) Fun!

2010-12-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

Our dishwasher hasn't worked in almost 12 years...and since the Dishwashing Elves don't come in the night (damn then!), I wind up doing all the dishes by hand. But since I made my first dish-drying mat awhile ago, I haven't minded so much. But I really needed a spare, so I could leisurely wash the first one. So after all the Christmas sewing, my first project was to make another. And here it is! (Pay no attention to the "avacado green" sink - at least it's the only remaining fixture/appliance that color - we've replaced all the others!)

I used 2 1/2" strips that I cut from 5 different yardages, but could have used a Jelly Roll. I added 1 1/4" sashing, just to give it some punch. I used a hand towel backing for the first one, but settled on a remnant of terry toweling for this one. I added 2 1/4" binding. Overall, it measures 17" x 27". Seriously - when you have something this pretty to look at while you're washing dishes, the task doesn't seem so bad :-)

Next on the list: kitchen floor mats, and then bath mats!

APPs A Crumbcatcher's Christmas Mug Rug Swap!

2010-12-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

Lookee, lookee what I got from Cathy in Aunt Pitty Pat's A Crumbcatcher's Christmas Mug Rug Swap! CJ sent me this wonderful Mug Rug and I love-love-love the mug too! (Heehee - the cookies I "staged" on the Mug Rug are actually my own Sinfully Soft Gingerbread Cookies...I sent some to CJ with the swap package I sent her.)

The back of the Rug sports one of her signature labels - how cute is that! Not that I would anyways, but now I'll be sure not to forget from whom and when I got this Rug!

Candy and candycanes abound! And a snowman cookie cutter! And if that wasn't enough, she included her recipe for turtle bars - I think these are the same ones she served us when APP and I went to visit her in Oklahoma when I was on vacation in Kansas! Yumm-O!

Right now, the Mug Rug is working dual duty and OT as a candle mat for a yummy-smelling cinnamon-spice candle in the kitchen. I hope the Mug Rug Union doesn't find out or I'll owe back wages in cocoa and marshmallows :-) Thanks again, CJ - it's a wonderful package!

Lookee What I got! Post #1

2010-12-18T08:42:00.000-08:00

Oh my...I've been Jonesing for one of Yarni Gras' Neck Hugger Scarves forever! I recently sent her a silly surprise and she sent me back a Neck Hugger! It's soooo soft and warm and comfy - I lovs it! Thanks so much Val!

And here's the silly surprise I sent her. A Shoop-Shoop bag and a fat quarter of fabric with mushrooms. When I saw the fabric, I thought of Val because 1) she likes mushrooms, and 2) well....uh....I knew she would laugh her lips off when she saw "what I saw." Now, you know the saying "You can't unring a bell." Well, that works for fabric too, when you "see" something in a fabric...you can't "unsee" it. Ever. Think: Little Mermaid original VHS box when it was released. If you missed that "oops," you can Google it, wink, wink ;-)

Country Pleasures Christmas Apron Swap - What I Sent!

2010-12-12T14:40:00.000-08:00

And here's the apron and swap package I sent to Ashley of this dixie girls delights! Ashley was so fun to sew for. She's due to have a baby girl in March, so I thought an apron that she could wear right up to her due date would be a great idea. And it doesn't HAVE to be a maternity apron - I'm going to make one for an 80-year old lady and I know for a fact that SHE's not pregnant, LOL!

It's got a pocket all the way across the front. I made my own bias tape so I could use both solid and print fabrics for it. Of course, this pattern has very roundy straps, and applying the bias tape around those tight corners is not easy. I basted and steamed and patted until it laid smoothly, then machine-stitched.

Here's the back - it has two buttons. This apron makes a really nice cover-up for messy cooks like me :-)

I added a removable matching pin flower on the front to dress it up. I appliqued one of the flowers onto wool felt then added ribbon flowers and beads.

I wrapped it up in my *signature* fabric gift bag, which Ashley can use to store treasures in OR wrap a gift to give to a special friend! It has a ribbon flower on it, too.

Besides the baby she's expecting, Ashley has three children, so I made a little something for all four. Here are two crayon rolls I made for two of her children.

I also made a burp cloth for the new baby, but fogot to take a pic. But my favorite thing to make was this Color Book for her one-year old. I had so much fun making this! Here's the front.

And the inside pages...Green and Violet...

Orange and Red...

Black and Blue...

And finally...Yellow....

I sent other things as well, but I think I've used up my allotment of pics for one post, LOL! Ashley said she loved everything and the kids were enchanted with their new toys. I'm going to make another Color book for a friend's grandaughter this week! Thanks to Sue from Country Pleasures for this fun swap!

Country Pleasures Christmas Apron Swap - Received!

2010-12-12T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here's what the mail carrier brought me from the very sweet Ashley from this dixie girls delights! She made me a darling denim apron - I'm pretty sure she fashioned it from the leg of a pair of jeans - way to upcycle, Ashley! It's very sturdy and will get worn a lot - it's hanging on a hook in the kitchen right now :-) And all the tuck-ins! Coffee mug and cocoa, cookie cutters and pottholder mitt. It's hard to see, but there's an adorable blue ornie that Ashley hand puffy-painted and she did a remarkable job - must have a very steady hand. She included the sweetest tags with rhymes on them for everything - how special is that!

Look at the sweet fabric she adorned it with!

She really spoiled me! But the thing I loved the most (well, other than the apron!) was this clever jar filled with potpourri and Christmas lights! Plug it in, and Instant Christmas, complete with a wonderful cinnamon smell! We enjoyed it for hours last night. P.S. I'm sure you noticed my glue gun in the pic below - my heat gun for rubber-stamping is on ANOTHER counter...we sewers/crafters sure do wind up with a lot of "equipment" everywhere this time of year! Thanks so much, Ashley - I'm sure we'll be friends forever :)

Frosted Flurries Apron Swap - What I Got!

2010-12-12T07:12:00.000-08:00

I got the most wonderful apron package from Tammy for the Flirty Apron Frosted Flurries Apron Swap! I had seen this apron on the blog and thought "Hmmmm, I'd really love to have that apron!" So you can imagine my surprise when I opened the box I'd gotten in the mail and found the apron I'd been Jonesing over :-) Tammy says she's been sewing only 5 years, but you'd never know it - it's a VERY well-made apron! And I just love the colors! She put a picture on the FAS blog of her daughter wearing the apron - I told her it's not gonna look as good on me, LOL! So here's a pic of it on a table instead.

And the tuck-ins were terrific! She spelled N-O-E-L, and had some very cute little tags to identify the items - I'm definitely looking to reuse those tags on something! Look at the beautiful napkins (N=Napkins), and the Santa Cookie Plate (O=Ornament-Shaped Plate). And how did she know I did NOT have the Elf movie (E=Elf) and I'm so grateful because we don't have any TV access, so we are very DVD/VHS dependent for our entertainment! There was also an elf crafty project. My feeties are always cold here in the Pacific NW, so I'm lovin' the socks (L=Lavendar Socks). And I didn't get them in the pic (ripped the bag open quickly) but she also sent some Werther's Caramels, which are my favorite! Thank you, Tammy, for the wonderful, beautifully-sewn apron and goodies! (Sorry - fuzzy pic!)

One More Stocking Stuffer Received!

2010-12-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

And here's the last item received from Two Frog Home's awesomely fun Stocking Stuffer Swap. I tell you, this was one of the best swaps I've been in! We made so many new friends, got a lot of ideas, and had such fun doing it! The idea was to help each other stuff our Christmas stockings and/or gift baskets by mailing a single item or set of "something stocking-worthy" to each of 10 people. What a wonderful variety of fun things I got back! If the Swap Momma, Kathie, does this again next year, I'll be first to sign up :-) Without further ado, here's what I got from Carrie. Both the dishcloth and the little red bell ornie were especially special to me, since my mom, who's been gone 12 years now, used to make both. Thanks again to Kathie, and to all my new friends for a wonderful, successful, and fun swap! And Merry Christmas to you all!

Little Miss Shabby Swap

2010-12-09T16:08:00.000-08:00

I am so tardy in posting this, but I have an excuse :-) I got this package from my wonderful partner, Monique, in the Little Miss Shabby Swap. Now don't tell Santa, but we weren't supposed to open these til Christmas, according to the swap mamma. So when the box came, I hemmed and hawed and thought "Well, MAYBE..PROBABLY...what's inside is wrapped, so it would be ok to open it." So I went ahead and opened it. What! I thought that was a reasonable assumption! LOL! Ok, so it wasn't wrapped, but I'm so glad I opened it because Monique had sent these beautiful items using Christmas fabric and they are so pretty and deserve to be used BEFORE Christmas, so it all worked out perfectly! She sent a snuggly scarf, which I wore immediately and got several nice comments from total strangers. But then it slipped off my neck and fell in the mud! I hadn't taken pics yet, so I had to wash and dry it (it came clean, phew!) before I could snap some shots. She also sent me some caramels (my fave!), a beautifully-embellished kitchen towel, a selvege ornie (I LOVE selveges!), a cool fabric-embellished Christmas card, and the remainder of the charm pack she had used to create these fabulous items! Always love it when I get a bit o' fabric in a swap :-) My package to Monique went out today and should arrive Saturday, then I'll post what I sent her. Thanks sooooo much, Monique! And check out her blog - she has such lovely things there...

More Stocking Stuffer Goodies

2010-12-09T15:43:00.000-08:00

A couple more cool things I got in Two Frog Home's Stocking Stuffer Swap. Annette sent this fabulous set including a washcloth and two makeup/polish removers. I love the colors and she does a wonderful job of crochet (something I can just barely accomplish myself). Do I really have to put this in someone's stocking? I wanna keep it myself (she lays on the floor, kicking and screaming)! Thanks, Annette!

And Rachel sent this lovely set of four criss-cross coasters. And she tied them up with some pretty green chenille yarn. I know ANYone would love to have these! Thanks sooo much, Rachel!

Frosted Flurries Apron Swap - Just A Little Peek!

2010-12-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Rudolph and the other reindeer swooped up my Flirty Apron Swap "Frosted Flurries" package and flew off to deliver it to my "fabulous partner!" But because my partner is "in cahoots" with Santa and has the "inside track," I won't be able to post all my pics for a couple days. But here's a sneak peek. In addition to a holiday apron with at least one snowflake on it somewhere, we were to put together a word's worth of tuck-ins. The word I chose was "Snowflake" so I had nine tuck-ins! I cheated a bit on one and went for some slang spelling, but I'm sure my partner won't mind. I'll post the rest of the pics soon.

Stocking Stuffer Swap - Next Batch Received

2010-12-01T14:39:00.000-08:00

Here are more lovely items I received in Two Frog Home's Stocking Stuffer Swap! First, Janet sent this lovely black, gray, and yellow zip bag with a felt flower accent. It's just great!

And look at the little birdie lining! Peep peep!

Tammie sent this adorable red felt bird, with a cute tag attached for gift-giving! More peep peeps!

Jil sent a navy blue coffee cup sleeve, and look at her beautiful tag! I ordered a gizmo to make those paper pleats and just received it yesterday!

Anke sent the cutest package of stamped tags, a magnetic bookmark, and a Santa-painted dried okra pod. I told her that I'd never really tried okra since living in the Pacific Northwest with all these slugs kinda spoiled my appetitie for okra, which I'm told is slimey if not cooked correctly. Maybe some day I'll get brave...

And Swap Mama, Kathie, sent this stupendous assortment of goodies: Lower Salmon River squash seeds, organically grown celery leaf powder, sugar and spice bath powder, and two wooden magnets. I was fascinated by the celery leaf powder, but she told me what a simiple process it was to dry produce and then grind in a blender! I'll remember that next year when harvesting from my garden :-)

What a great assortment of stocking stuffers I have now!

Ribbon Salad

2010-11-27T17:40:00.000-08:00

I've been making this salad for Thanksgiving, and sometimes Christmas, for many years. If I don't make it, I hear about it, LOL! I thought I would share this recipe which I think originally came from Royal Gelatin (I know I have the original booklet squirreled away somewhere), but I couldn't find the recipe on the Royal website. Oh well, it's pretty old! Kinda like me! Anyways, we all love it, so here's the recipe!

Ribbon Salad

6 serving size lime gelatin

6 serving size cherry (or any red) gelatin

4 serving size lemon gelatin

1 cup miniature marshmallows

1 cup pineapple juice (from can of crushed pineapple)

1 one-pound, 4 ounce can crushed pineapple (save juice)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup heavy cream, whipped; or 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

Prepare lime gelatin according to box directions. Pour into 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until set.

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; stir to dissolve.

In glass bowl (or double boiler) melt marshmallows with lemon gelatin.

Remove from heat and add pineapple juice and cream cheese.

Beat until small chunks of cream cheese remain.

Stir in crushed pineapple.

Cool about an hour, then fold in mayonnaise and whipped cream or topping.

Pour over gelled lime gelatin.

Chill until set.

Prepare cherry gelatin according to box directions.

Carefully spoon over cream cheese layer.

Chill until set.

Cut in squares and serve!

Thanksgiving - Puppy "Stamp of Approval"

2010-11-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe that should say "Tongue of Approval"! Miss Piggy just couldn't wait for scraps - she had to check the situation out for herself. Her curly tongue says it alll - "YUMM-O! Now give me some!"

A bit earlier, we started the feast with Shrimp Cocktail. This is a tradition and if I skip it, I catch heck. Many years ago, I added a base layer of chopped celery and green onions because that's the way Anthony's Homeport serves theirs and I liked it. Everyone complained: "What's this crap in the Shrimp Cocktail!" But since I'M the one doing the shopping, cooking, baking, serving, and cleaning I decided the crap stays. However, 2 years ago, I forgot to buy enough of the crap, so I left it out. Yup, you guessed it! They all complained "Where's the crap in the Shrimp Cocktail!" And that's exactly what we call it - "the crap in the Shrimp Cocktail." Here we are, enjoying Shrimp Cocktail, complete with crap.

We're all chowing down. I hadn't filled my plate yet, but the rest had all dug in already.

And what would Thanksgiving dinner be without a laptop on the table? After we'd stuffed ourselves, we sat there watching funny (and some naughty) clips on Adam's laptop, and emailing funny (and some naughty) pics to each other on our cell phones...all at the dinner table. Not exactly how things went when my mom was in charge of Thanksgiving, but I guess things do change over time :-) Also note the takehome bowl of Ribbon Salad, another family tradition - Ben and Autumn always get their own bowl to haul away - it's the yummiest stuff!

Diesel mostly just hung out, staying under the radar...and hoping someone would drop something.

Hope your Thanksgiving was a wonderful one!

Another Stocking Stuffer Received!

2010-11-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

Here's another Stocking Stuffer from the Two Frog Home Stocking Stuffer Swap. I rececived in the mail! And for those of you who have already shipped, and I'm not posting it here yet, that's because the mailbox is a long way from the house and we have lots of snow right now...so please be patient and I'll get them posted when I can get to the mailbox :-) Here's what I received from Maria M. I lurvs me some hot chocolate! And she made the tag and her daughter did the beading on the bookmark! Thanks so much - this swap is more fun than being tickled by monkeys!

Snow and Compost :-)

2010-11-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

We had a wild and wacky winter storm over the last couple of days. Dumped 4-5 inches of snow (at our house) and temperatures have been down in the teens. I retired August 31 and Monday was the first day that I've been SOOOoooo happy I didn't have to go to work! I could just look outside at the snow and know I didn't have to try to drive in it!

It's very beautiful.....

Very, VERY beautiful...

I love the way the sun shines through the trees in this one...

But while I didn't have to drive, I DID need to take out the compost because the "house bucket" was overflowing and I didn't want to have to dump those precious banana peelings, egg shells, and dog hair from the dryer lint trap (LOL! I think my son washed some dog blankies), down the disposal! Now, living here in the Pacific Northwest...I SHOULD have lots of A) warm jackets/coats, and B) boots. But I'm constantly running around in just a light sweater, and most of the time I wear flip-flops. Heck, I don't even OWN any boots! So....I got brave, because the 'post just needed to go out! So out I went, to dump the coffee grounds and carrot peelings...you might even be able to see an errant sweet potato in the bin that somehow got "lost" and was sprouting long shoots...

Boy, were my toes cold!

Of course, Miss Piggy just thought it was GREAT fun to run around in the snow!

Ok, Mr. Frosty - it's been pretty...but I'm ready for rain or something...I need to get to town and buy my turkey or we gonna have PANCAKES for Thanksgiving!

Maria B. - A Very Generous Swapper

2010-11-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit late in posting on this, since it's about a Halloween Swap, but being the disorganzied person I am, I had trouble getting all three blocks that I'm going to show you in the same room, at the same time! Some of you know that I spent 24 days in Kansas in October, visiting my dear friend, Aunt Pitty Pat, and the lovely Pitty Pat. During that time, we not only sewed, shopped, and cooked (OK, I did most of the cooking)...but we also organized various swaps that came in. I even got to "pinch-hit" for one of the block swaps (and I'll try to post pics of those later). I never knew that sorting and distributing all the blocks for a swap was such a time-consuming (and sometimes confusing) process! Phew! APP and I cut, sewed, and appliqued her blocks - I love to "square-up" blocks, so I did a lot of that, in addition to almost all the pressing, while she appliqued her heart away :-)

But, I digress....what THIS post is about is a VERY sweet lady. Maria B. from Canada knew I was visiting APP. And what did she do? When she sent her blocks for the swap, she included...not ONE...not TWO...but THREE blocks just for me! Now, I wasn't in this particular swap because I had far too much to do, getting ready for vacation! So, these beautiful blocks were pure "gravy" for me!

I absolutely LURV this Frankie block! Her colors are soooo modern and pretty together. The picture doesn't begin to do justice...

And this one has such a nice applique on it, and I love the block fabric:

This Wonky Block is terrific - please excuse the fuzzy pic:

Thank you SO MUCH, Maria! That was extremely thoughtful to include me! I was drooling over all the blocks that kept coming in and wishing I had joined the swap - your precious gifts made me feel like I was part of the swap anyways :-)

Cranberry-Pear Chutney

2010-11-21T13:16:00.000-08:00

I first posted this a couple years ago, but I think it bears re-posting. Especially since the house is right now filled with the wonderful smells of this *perfect* cranberry sauce that I just made! I make this every year, and we never tire of it. It makes a generous amount and keeps well in the fridge between Thanksgiving and Christmas. A bit more work than just opening a can, but well worth the effort, and it's sooooo beautiful, too!

Cranberry-Pear Chutney

This ruby-colored chutney can be made up to 3 weeks ahead and stored in airtight jars in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. It also makes a great hostess gift when packed in small, decorative glass jars. Serve with turkey, pork, ham.

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 3-inch cinnamon sticks

1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries

2 cups peeled, chopped Bosc pear (about 3 medium)

1 cup peeled, chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 medium)

3/4 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger (I buy this at an Asian store - it's much cheaper)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I've used the bottled kind in a pinch)

Combine first six ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until cranberries begin to pop. Stir in pear, apple, raisins, onion and ginger; cook 20 minutes or until fruit is tender. Remove from heat; stir in juice. Cool to room temperature, and discard cinnamon. Cover and chill.

Yield: 4 ¾ cups (serving size: ¼ cup)

I love the ruby-red color!