That is not the only thing that I have been working on, I managed to finish up that signature block I needed to do and mailed it out today.
Life - the second half of a Century
This will be the place where I chat about my life. Most of the time it will be about my crafts like quilting or cross stitch but it will also be about my gaming and family life.
Monday, March 18, 2024
Whew! Time for a break!
That is not the only thing that I have been working on, I managed to finish up that signature block I needed to do and mailed it out today.
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Once Upon a Time - there were dragons -Update - 3.13.24
Today is an exciting day. My test dragon turned out cute enough that I am going to start on the real blocks.
First up, of course, is choosing the colors.
Wednesday, March 6, 2024
What has been happening
I am so happy that I made progress on couple of things today. Not only did I get to change up what is hanging on my walls, I am all caught up on my blackwork. THAT includes this weeks pattern. YAY! That is basically al I wanted to say. But here are some of the pictures of the wall changes.
It was such a nice day today that some of the other cats made their way into the yard. I had forgotten how many oranges there were. The one is almost white but still goes in orange category. I call these three the ringtail family.
The oranges weren't the only cats that were enjoying the weather. Tigger also stretched out on the porch and napped.
Sorry for the filtered look. Tigger was to comfy to move so I couldn't open up the door for a better picture.
I hope you all have a great day!.
Sunday, March 3, 2024
It is a blah day...or week
Have you ever felt that your inspiration has declined or gone? Or that there is a disconnect between your brain and hands? The latter is what I have been experiencing the last couple of weeks. So hopefully, by doing this post, it will kick me out of my doldrums and I can get back on track.
First up is a picture that I had saved just because it was interesting and used buttons. I wouldn't want them on my jeans but would look cute as a pillow or on the wall I thought.
I am still working on the redwork Words to Live By blocks but haven't enough done to share a pix. So I will be working on that in the near future. I also need to work on the blackwork SAL. I am behind because this simple pattern, yeah right, is kicking my butt. I think it is because it isn't the straight squares but rather different shapes. I just have to concentrate on it more than I have been.
Now on to some cooking news. I was given 15 pounds of potatoes and as I went through them, I found these three potatoes in a heart shape. I thought it was appropriate to finding it in February and it reminds me of the shape of a heart. LOL.
I used one of the jars to make Lasagna Soup which turned out to be a bit spicier than I expected. Not too spicy but just spicier. I will let you know how it is on day two. I am thinking of making a potato and sausage recipe. Pretty simple ingredients. 1 package of smoked sausage sliced thin, 4 large potatoes-diced, 1 large onion sliced, and 1 can of cream of mushroom soup. Just dump everything in a crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I guess that means I had better stop now and get it ready to start. I think that I will have it for dinner tonight.
I hope everybody has a great day.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
SQUIRREL!!!!!!
Good morning.
Today has already turned into a squirrel day. I woke up (always a good thing) and got up and fed the cats by 7:1`5 a.m. Mind you, that is around 5 minutes later than I normally do and boy, did the cats let me know it. They were meowing at me, hissing at a couple of others who got too close to BC (Big Cat) who is loveable towards me and most of the cats unless they cross his line of vision and try to get to the feed bowl before he does. Then I went inside and put Slow Cooker Barn Raising Soup in the crockpot to be ready for later.
That led me down the rabbit hole of recipes. I found a chicken drumstick BBQ recipe that will be making sometime soon. I have all the ingredients already. I don't know about anybody else, but once I start looking at recipes, I can't stop at one (dang, now I'm hungry for Pringles even though I don't like them that much any more). So I pulled out my bread machine recipe book and thought about making some bread but squirreled in a totally opposite direction and found myself watching a quick little vid about Mexican Pizza. Not too bad. only takes two tortillas, enchilada sauce, refried beans, tomato, cheese and a green onion. So off to the pantry to pull the ingredients. Tortillas - check. Refried beans - check. cheese - check. Green Onion - already cut up so check. Oops red enchilada sauce? Nowhere to be found but that's ok. I have a delish recipe for it. My kitchen squirrel led me to my recipes and quickly found it. Hmmm. The recipe only calls for 2 1/2 tablespoons of it. Do I really want to make a whole batch for just 2 1/2 Tablespoons. No worries my uncaffeinated brain informs me. Just add some of the spices to some tomato sauce and you'll be fine. After caffeine I realize that if I just add some spices to the tomato sauce...it is basically the same as me making up the whole recipe. So I will do that later and make the pizza tomorrow. THEN I realized I didn't have fresh tomatoes but remembered I had opened up a can of diced tomatoes fore my salads and since I ate up all my lettuce the tomatoes are clear and free to be used elsewhere. Whew! Get me out of the kitchen before I do something sensible like dishes!!!!
I sought the sanctuary of my living room where I proudly look on my FINISHED second block of Words to Live By.
I shall indeed celebrate and print up the 3rd block which is entitled laughter. ....oh wait...there is another rabbit hole in my living room. I wonder what is down it? Isn't that...oh wait...again...Is that my shamrock pattern peeking out from underneath those patterns? Why yes I squirreled yet another time and went down the road of shamrocks. I pulled out my pattern and, obviously, THEN had to search for my fabric. The March block for the exchange will be a shamrock on a white background. I won't even get my partners name for probably 3 weeks yet so why am I down THIS rabbit hole? I blame it on my childhood. We raised rabbits on the turkey farm (does that look as weird to you as it does to me when it is typed out?) and I know...I mean I KNOW what kind of escape artists they are. Where was I? Oh yes, down the rabbit hole. I pulled out the pattern and some green fabric and decided I could wait to make the final decision on which fabric to use. Hmm. I wonder what this little side tunnel is...Oh yes I am now back to the Words to Live By road. Print out the pattern while I still have some ink in the printer. Done! Now I can sit down at my computer and read emails.
Oops. More holes. Before I knew it, I had signed up for Sew Much More's Churn Chain QAL which runs from March 7 - April 25th. Has anybody else signed up for that? You can find info on it at:
https://www.sewmuchmoore.com/join-the-churn-chain-qal/
Ding? Yep, you guessed it...another squirrel just rang my doorbell. This one said Missouri Star Quilt Company sent an email. Oh look they want me to order my rectangle template before it is no longer available. Of course I know that is a marketing ploy...but what if it is true? I'd better go and order it...so I did. Then my brain decided I had better write down what elements I want to include in the quilt...so I did. THEN my brain said why don't you start to look for some of those fabrics so you know what you will need to buy...so I..
STOP!!!!!!!!!
I must turn off my brain so that I don't talk to any more squirrels today or nothing will get done. Perhaps I need to watch Emperor's New Grove and take lessons from Kronk on how to talk to squirrels <chuckling>. On that note of laughter, I have come full circle and will pull out the printed block three pattern for Words to Live By. I think laughter is a good place to dwell for a bit. :)
I hope everybody has a great day and if you see any squirrels, tell them to shut up for the rest of the day, ok?
Monday, February 12, 2024
What is on the Wall
It is almost the mid month so I thought I would do an update on what I have on the wall. It is a mix of quilting and cross stitch. I have also added in a new recipe or two. Let me start with an overall pix of my wall and then I'll show more close ups.
Doesn't that look like a colorful mess? Now let me break it down better for you.
First up is hexies and my new templates. You can see the hexies in the picture posted above. These were made using the Missouri Star Quilt Company Quilt As You Go template. I really like using it because when I attach them together. I thought I was getting more when I ordered more of off Amazon. I picked the wrong thing and this is what came.
Don't get me wrong, they are useful templates but not what I as expecting. I did find it, eventually, on MSQC's website. This is what I wanted.
I also did some new recipes. This week I made snickerdoodles for 1. It made around 6 cookies and I think I sill make it again. It was a little weird to make a recipe with only 1 tablespoon of egg. I used the rest of the egg in my breakfast scramble this morning. LOL.
Snickerdoodles for 1
3 TBSP butter
1/4 cup sugar
6 TBSP Flour
1 TBSP egg
1/8 teas baking soda
1/4 teas salt
1/4 teas vanilla extract
Coating:
1 TBSP sugar
1/2 teas cinnamon
for Coating, mix all together and set aside
- Mix everything together except for coating.
- Form into one inch balls
-Roll in coating
-Place on parchment paper on baking sheet
-Bake 12 minutes or until edges are golden brown
In closing, I'd like to leave you with some pix that I thought were particularly cute. I hope you enjoy them too.
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Broccoli Rice Casserole
As promised, I am posting the broccoli rice casserole that I mad. I found this easy to make especially with a couple of short cuts. I normally keep cooked rice in the freezer that I portion out into 1 cup servings. I normally make the rice in the broth when I boil chicken. Then it is seasoned also. I also usually portion out shredded cheese and some vegetables. It does speed up the cooking process. Now on to the recipe.
Broccoli Rice Casserole
Preheat oven to 350F
- 3 cups cooked rice
Monday, February 5, 2024
English Paper Piecing
Today’s topic: English Paper Piecing (EPP)
Today's topic was inspired by the Our Time To Quilt video from Sunday. I didn't catch all of it but I did manage to come in towards the end ands Deb was talking about English Paper Piecing. Then I remembered that I had started to work on an EPP project but never finished. That makes it an UFO so it qualified to be able to work on it this month.
Do you know how to do EPP? If not, then this link might help you out.
https://mypoppet.com.au/makes/how-to-paper-pieced-hexies-template/
There are many ways to do your templates. One way is to trace your shape on cardboard, heavy paper, or posterboard. You can make multiple images on one page and cut out when you need them. A simple Google search will give you plenty to choose from.
Another option is to buy a template. I have done all of those options but finally settled on the quilt as you go template as my favorite. I got mine from Missouri Star Quilt Company and it is a quilt as you go template. This one is for 2 1/2" hexagons. When you try to buy a template like this, the 2 1/2" measure is the sides of the inner template. In the picture, that would be the sides of the inside piece which has the writing on it. I chose that size for a couple of reasons. First is was a quilt as you go; second was the fact that the inner template fits a 5" square so I could use a charm pack.
Here are some of my hexies that I have made.
Thursday, January 25, 2024
What a Day!
Today is a Hurkle-Durkle day. It is raining on and off and the kind of damp that puts a chill in your bones. Still not sure what it is? Maybe this will help.
Isn't that such a great phrase? Besides that, I was pretty busy the other day. I was busy enough that I had to write it down to remind me of everything. So here goes.
- Did dishes. Ok. Not that great of an accomplishment but it was a start. I do dishes in the morning or when my hands gets cold because the hot water warms them up. Of course it isn't too bad right now since our temperatures are in the mid 50s.
- Printed up this weeks pattern for Free Peppermint Purple Stitch a Long. That is my blackwork Stitch a long. I did finish this weeks pattern which is the fourth for the new one. Where did the time go? It has been four weeks already?
I have my second one that I am doing but unfortunately it is the third time I am having to unstitch it. I will get it eventually straightened out. I just need to sit down and concentrate on it.
- With all of that, it was time to drink coffee with my vanilla caramel coffee creamer in it. YUMMMM! That might not seem like something to celebrate (besides getting caffeine in the system) but sometimes we have to remind ourselves to sit and take a break sometimes.
- Looked at new/old recipes. That is something I am always happy to do and it was good to look for while drinking coffee. This is the recipe that I decided to make.
Ham and Cheese Pasta Casserole
Ingredients
• 1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
• 1 (8 ounce) package Cheddar cheese, cubed
• 1 cup cubed, cooked ham
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes; drain.
3. Combine macaroni, Cheddar cheese, ham, and mayonnaise in a 9x13 baking dish until well mixed.
4. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the macaroni casserole.
5. Bake casserole in the preheated oven until bread crumbs are lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
- Stitched on February 2014 Block Swap. I now only have the green leaves and vines to do and it will be done with. I will probably finish it by Monday.
- Brought back garbage container to porch in between rain – so far no leaks (shhh. You didn’t hear me say that – don’t want to tempt fate). Another thing that isn't a big deal but it did take up time. Have you realized that sometimes it is the multiple little things that take up your time.
- Made out two shopping lists – what I want to get and what I NEED to get – and go back to planning meals. Dan will take me to Walmart for some cat food and caffeine in the next day or two. I need to get my list ready.
- Worked on Words of Wisdom redwork. I have one of the birds stitched and about 75% of the second bird done. After that it will go quickly. This is one of the UFOs that was drawn to work on in January. I won't get it all finished but it will have at least 2 of the blocks done. PROGRESS!
- Try to work on Battle HAED Cross stitch. Ok. Progress on this means that I too it out and looked at it. That counts doesn't it? I will get to it again soon. It is very bulky and think that is what is putting me off on it. I will work on it again.
- Stitched up socks (not darned). I just hand stitched some small holes in them. That will hold them for quite awhile.
- Get my YouTube list set up – I always set up my YouTube playlist (all free vids, etc.) before stitching so that it is playing in the background and that I can watch what I want to, save the ones I want to rewatch, etc. I cannot do stitching in quiet. All the years of noise from the office, noise at home, etc. says I need it even if it is only in the background. Sometimes (more than I would normally admit) I have my favorite movies or vids on because when they get to a part I like, I look up and watch it and know exactly where they are at in it.
That was all yesterday. Today hasn't been as productive BUT I did manage to start the day off in a good place. My milestone today was getting into a pair of jeans that I was wearing when I first moved to Arkansas. THEN I gained weight. I am still overweight, and probably will always be overweight, but today I decided to try on the smaller size pair and they fit. Not only did they fit...but they fit while I was wearing my thermals. That made my day. So remember...
Whew! Time for a break!
I have been busy these last few days. I even got out my sewing machine and did some 9 patch blocks so I could continue on with Fleur. Do y...
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Merry Christmas everybody. I hope that you are having a great Christmas. I thought I'd share with you what I bought myself this ye...
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This going to be a short post. I'm caught up in doing the blackwork but now I don't want to stop quite yet. LOL. Soooo, here is ...