Turkeys, Butter Turkeys

Butter Turkeys?
Inquisitive minds want to know... 
Butter Turkeys were referenced in one of my recent posts, in a comment from a follower, when I was having a give-away: 
So here's the scoop:
One year for Thanksgiving dinner I made molded-butter turkeys.
I let 3 pounds of butter come to room temperature.
I got out some old chocolate molds and dug through them.
After a few minutes of hard thinking, I decided on the turkey mold.
A three-dimensional standing turkey with tail feathers spread in full glory.
I carefully spread and packed the soft butter into each half of the turkey mold, checking carefully for air bubbles against the surface of the clear plastic mold.
I put the two mold halves together and clipped them with large paper clips.
I put the butter-filled mold onto a plate and set it into the fridge.
I removed the plate and turkey mold after about a half hour.
I then removed the paper clips and popped off the back half of the plastic turkey mold.
Then I popped off the front half of the plastic turkey mold.
WaLaa!!  Beautiful turkey butter! 
I carefully repeated the process for the next few hours. 
I then plated each of the six inch turkeys on a very nice china plate and put little sprigs of herbs around the base of each. 
They were beautiful-butter turkeys in all their butter glory.
I then put these beautifully plated and decorated standing butter turkeys on all the pre-set tables: linen table clothes, napkins, the works.
My dear family arrived...
My dear family.
My dear family just cracked up when they saw the butter turkeys lined down the middles of the beautiful tables.
My dear family just laughed and laughed.
Laughed until they had tears in their eyes.
And with each group of arrivals, it started all over again!
These butter turkeys just struck them as funny...
looking at them while they were eating,
which body part of the butter turkey would go on whose dinner roll,
still laughing uncontrollably.
So every year, the first thing asked as my dear family comes in the door is "where are the butter turkeys?"

Some people just don't appreciate culinary effort!!

So, today is another family Thanksgiving dinner...my dear family...let's see what I can do this year to keep them smiling!  More supreme culinary effort!!
Happy Thanksgiving and smiles to all.

brined, sliced, diced,

brined, sliced, diced, carved, chopped, juilenned, shredded, minced, peeled, pared, cored, pureed,  basted, clarified, creamed, kneaded, raised, buttered, blanched, cooked, dredged, baked, boiled, broiled, roasted, simmered, sauted, browned, fried, glazed, deglazed, caramelized, measured, melted, warmed, steamed, drained, strained, skimmed, whipped, mashed, smashed, mixed, stuffed, thickened, folded, rouxed, chilled, sauced, dressed, seasoned, garnished, prayed, plated, served, ate, ate, ate,  WHEW!
We are blessed, aren't we?

Serve, forgive, be kind, succeed, be sincere, create, be happy, do good, give your best

Is that just a whole lot of adjectives?...words to live by?...make people wonder what you are up to?...
I have heard this before, but Mark, from Sparkspace, ran it recently.
http://www.sparknewthinking.com/

It is attributed to Mother Teresa:
People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

These thoughts and words are ones I TRY to live by everyday. 
But especially during this season of Thanksgiving.
We are truly blessed.....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

I'm COOKIN': more meanderings in thread and food

Apron OFF:

Still working towards finishing up all of the quilty commissions here at home and then working at the LQS on black Friday.  (She, Mary, offers 40% off from 8-10, 30% off from 10-11, and 20% off from 11-12, so, basically, it's a "feeding" frenzy---"feeding" in a quilty way, but in the spirit of the season - turkey, etc.!).  And since I am not a black Friday shopper, it's fun to work the other end of the craziness!  Last year, at the end of my shift,  I had rotary-cutting elbow, I'm sure!!!

Anyway, I have a goal of finishing up all the waiting-list quilts to be quilted and have them at the shop for customer pickup at the latest by next Thursday the 3rd of December.  Then I take a week off from commission quilting to get my own seasonal stuff done and no promises are given for anything dropped off after the the first weekend of December!  After that weekend, my answer to new commission quilting requests is: "possible, no promises to be finished before Christmas".  Unless you are a really, really good friend or family member, AND there are dark chocolate bribes!!! 

So, busy around here I think... anyway, it seems to me that I have been productive.  I have meandered with loops, loops and stars, windy circles, puzzle pieces, in and out floral, feathers, OSU sayings and logos, and more that I can't remember.  They are all starting to "meander" together in my mind!!!!  Here are a few quilty pics:

Pink/green/purple:  Penny's first ever quilt! And it's a king!

This lovely purple is again by Billie.

I told you she is prolific!

Imagine this in blues also.  I accidently deleated the blue pic, sorry, Billie!

This brown/blue/cream is by Susan.  I haven't met her, only spoken on the phone, but I think I really like her.  And I know I really love her quilt and color choices.  Now THAT is a whole lotta' half-square triangles!!!

This lovely red/cream/blue is by Joell.  Another fav.  Don't you love the piano key border?

Apron ON:

Today, the day before Thanksgiving, I started early and made mashed potatoes to make my "mashed-potato dinner rolls" which are now mixed,  kneaded and rising in front of the wood stove.  I have pre-cleaned veggies, brined poultry, cut up and seasoned bread for making dressing, and baked a pumpkin pie cake.   I have to wait until the last few possible hours to bake this scrumptious pie/cake so I don't try to sneak a piece.  Like you can sneak a piece from a 9x13 pan...you can tell right away that I have had a piece, or three!  I even have it covered and hidden in my fridge! (It is my new weakness.) (oh, and I may have to re-copy my recipe card - this looks really bad - sorry!)

Apron OFF:

While the rolls are rising, I can quilt another top that I loaded last night!

Apron ON:
For the curious:  mashed-potato dinner rolls is an old, old family recipe that uses actual mashed potatoes in the dough mixture.  So, in our families, no one will take the last couple of servings of mashed potatoes whenever they are served.  This to insure the making of potato rolls!  More often than not, it works!  I am not particularly a bread fan, but these are really good! 
I roll out the dough and cut them into round circles, then slather them with melted butter and fold over so they come out kind of half moon shaped.  They rise for the second time, then bake.  That way, the buttery, pre-folding/baking step allows them to open perfectly for making turkey sandwiches!   I mixed up a triple batch - that makes about 100 dinner rolls. 

In the last third, I added a great organic whole grain cereal mix:  cracked wheat, steel cut oats, barley grits, buckwheat grits, wheat bran, corn grits and millet.  It is good cooked up as a hot cereal, it's great in mashed-potato rolls!
 That triple batch should be enough for my family dinner and a couple of orders, but not many left-overs though.  I may mix up some more on Saturday for Sunday's dinner.  We'll see.

And, as you can see from this picture:
The dough has risen, so time to get back to work and make up some rolls!  (7-grain on left, regular on right)

Back to work!  Did you just hear that whip crack?  I am such a slave driver!!! 
Apron ON:

You can tell from this pic that it might be time to wash the apron!!!  

Happy Wednesday!!!

Turkeys*

*Turkeys:  poultry, not human!!! 
It's turkey week, already! Are you ready?? 

Do you have lists of things you have to make, bake, cook, clean, like I do? 
My brother brought over one of his home-grown turkeys for me to cook.  It's frozen now and it weighs about 40-ish pounds. 
Thawing is guestimated at approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds. 
I am half afraid to get on the scale with it!  It's scary-big! 
(I am also half afraid that when I try to lift it to weigh it it will throw out my back!!). 
 I have decided I will enlist help in the picking up part! 

But, (probably like you) we do thank all the turkeys who give their lives in the name of stuffing ourselves.  Stuffing ourselves to the almost edge of explosion (never seen the explosion, but there are urban legends!).

I really am looking forward to the day, though.  It's a day of family, fun , great food, reminiscing and, of course, little kids running through the house on sugar highs (I can laugh about this now, as my children are grown and don't usually still run through the house on sugar highs - usually, no promises).  
I will have my camera, capturing all the moments on film digitally. 
The only thing better would be Norman Rockwell there to capture the moment!  (OK, maybe not, since we are all on sugar highs, we probably wouldn't have the patience for sitting still that long anyway.)

Then, guess what?  I will repeat the whole process again on Sunday for the other side of the family!! 
Doesn't that sound like fun?
I am excited!

And then there's Maxine:

Happy Thanksgiving week!

Anticipation...of snow

Snowball Challenge, of course!!!
I have finally taken the time to open all my envelopes from my swap partners in the the Snowball Quilt Challenge!  They had been sitting around here for at least a week, staring at me from the stand beside my stitching chair.  I could hear them calling and calling.  So I gave in...what a glorious time!  So many nice fabrics, so much inspiration!  Even a few little surprises! 
I told myself that I was saving them all to open at one time to build anticipation.  And it most certainly did build anticipation! 
But, in all honesty?  I wanted to tear into them like the Coyote tore into the Acme Packages when he was after the Road Runner.   It was torture, and all because I  really have no self-control when it comes to starting another project when I have a bazillion other projects already in the works!!!
I should have known better. 
I DID know better! 
So, guess what I did today? 
Yep, you guessed it:  I made some snowballs. 
The temperature was dropping, and the flakes started falling,
and pretty soon, I was sitting in the middle of a snow flurry. 
And what do you do when you have all that fabric snow around? 
Well, of course, you make snowballs!!! 
And I am ashamed to admit all the other projects that I have going on at the same time.  I'm afraid to count, so I really don't know the true number myself!
It's like the time at guild that they started an UFO challenge for the year.  To participate, you had to make a list *in writing* of all of your UFOs and give the list to the leader of the challenge.  I figured this would be a good incentive.  Make the list of UFOs, turn it in, and every month bring in a finished UFO or two and get credit for marking something off your written list.  There were even prizes involved!  So I started my list.  Started with the UFOs that were the most complete.  That was THREE.  They just needed binding and or labels.  Then there were the TWO on the design wall, kind of overlapping each other: one was a wedding gift, one was a memory quilt.  Then there was the list of baby quilts for babies already born.  At the time that number was FIVE.  Then count the babies still coming: TWO.  Then I pulled out the project boxes.  You know, those plastic square organizers that snap shut and help keep you thinking you have some semblance of order in your life?  That was FOUR.  Then there were some stacks of fabric gathered together that had patterns or book with them. One was the new quilt for my bed, one had a sketch for my daughters' under-grad quilt....that's were I stopped counting...that's where I started to get the feeling that this UFO challenge thingy was maybe NOT such a good idea for my personal morale.  In fact, this could be down right depressing if I let it!  And I didn't EVEN add to the count the hand-stitching projects in various stages of completeness.  Yep, enough of THAT.  Didn't need to do the UFO challenge.  Didn't even need to keep the written list that I started.
And, I think that's why I am putting off giving the studio a good cleaning...too scary! Might have to start counting again!
Anyway, so here I am, sitting in the middle of a pile of snow balls....and lovin' it.  And I just want to say a Great Big Thanks to all the gals who sent me wonderful fabrics to add to this project:  Katy, Julie, Jennifer, Chris, Esther, and Kathy.  And an even  Bigger Thank You to Allyson and Nicole for putting this challenge together.  I am loving it every l-i-t-t-l-e bit.  All the cutting and sewing and pressing and trimming.  All of the little half-square triangles (I'm not going to tell you how many that I need).  And, I am not feeling even a little bit quilty-guilty that I am working on a new something when I have I don't know how many other old-somethings that I could be doing!

Enjoying the weather, and anticipation of snow!!!
Did you stitch a little today??

meanderings

Not even Thanksgiving yet, but the count-down to Christmas has begun: in the grocery, in the mall with decor, on the radio and on the television.  So that brings meanderings through the stores, and the advertisements and the cookbooks.    Meandering through the holidays - finishing up shopping, cleaning, cooking, decorating, visiting. 
The count-down to Christmas is also in the minds of folks who want quilts quilted for Christmas....a whole lot of quilts.  That means meanderings in thread, too...finding patterns to stitch that go along with the fabric chosen.  Stitches that look like little puzzle pieces, butterflies, flowers, little loops and curls, wind, flames, paw prints and bones, feathers - elegant and traditional, feathers - loopy and free. 

I like the word meanderings. It means random, indirect, twisty, winding and roundabout.   It sounds...enjoyable.  The word meanderings sounds much more relaxed and calm than others that I could choose to describe this time of year.  Other words like hectic, frenzied, frantic, chaotic,  and wild.   We won't go there, though, will we???  At any time we start to even think those negative words during this merry season, we will immediately calm ourselves by saying out loud:  "meanderings... calming, soothing meanderings.  Meandering with a purpose". 

Meandering on cloth is calming and soothing and relaxing to me.  Meandering through the stores, cookbooks, shopping, wrapping, parties, and anything else that needs to be done can be calm and relaxed also - it's in the attitude.   And I think it would be a  good way to go through the whole holiday season -- just meandering - meandering with a purpose!

Sewing machine parts and projects

A little set back recently...my pfaff sewing machine decided it wouldn't sew very fast.  And, it acted like it had bad gasoline in it - stopping and starting and sputtering.  What to do.  It seems like I always have the pedal to the metal, so to speak.  This was really slowing me down!  So, I wiggled the cord. That didn't work...it sewed, just not fast.  Not very productive.  And still sputtering.  Soooo, when sweetie came home, he checked the wiring of the foot pedal with his handy dandy ohm meter.  All clear on the electrical front, so he took it apart and there was a little connection that slide up and down the metal spoke and it had broken off.  (These are very technical terms, and I know what I'm talking about here.)  A VERY small piece of plastic with a smaller round metal connection centered in it had broken off.  This piece was the size of a large piece of pepper out of a grinder!  So I got out the super glue and hemostats so I wouldn't glue my finger to the little plastic thingy (again, technical terminology).  We let it dry over night, and lo and behold, the next day it still just sewed very slowly and still sputtered!  So I called a couple of Pfaff dealers, I checked online for a new foot pedal.  I even took my old foot pedal out shopping and tried it in a new machine.  Didn't work there any better than it did at home!  After all that, this is what I found:

That if you want a new foot pedal for your sewing machine be prepared to cough up some moolah to the tune of $135.  Do you suppose they know they have you over the barrel and will charge what they want to because they can?  Or do you think they really have figured out the cost of the foot pedal & passed along the true cost to me/us as a consumer?  I am not blaming my local Pfaff dealer for the cost -I know they just did their usual mark-up before selling me the piece that I needed.  And, I want to help keep my local dealer in business. It just seems steep.  It's a foot pedal!

But, now that I have gotten that off my chest (thank you very much) and I am back to sewing full speed ahead, here's a glimpse of the project I am doing now.  Can't show much as it is a gifty-gift for Christmas. From the book Frosted Memories:  it does have snowmen in it, and pinwheels.  I really like snowmen, and I really like pinwheels.  Maybe it won't go find a new home!  We'll see. 

And:  MORE QUILTING done.

The first THREE are more of Billie's. 

She sure is prolific, isn't she?

These are more of her block of the month projects.  Very large, too.  And, no, I didn't duplicate the pics, there really are two of them!   Both Steelers' black and gold.

This one is also a block of the month that
she did a while back.  Love the brights, don't you?

(above left) Annette's beautiful batik

Louise's (above right) bright and cheery quilt

She makes up her own patterns for these, and pieces her backs and puts in family members' photos.  I will have to get a pic of the back of the next one!

And finally, Helen's red and white, also one of the block of the month choices from the lqs.  I really like  love the setting stars in this one.  I told Helen I will use this design layout at some point. 

That's enough quilting for now, so moving on to rainbows:

Today while I was out doing my turkey-day grocery shopping and errands the sky was dark and cloudy and a little rain was sputtering (like my old foot pedal!).  The sun looked like it wanted to break through and it did just a little.  Just a little enough to have a rainbow. 

It was much more

beautiful than the pics show. 

I should learn more

about filters.

The one on the left was just taken with my plain ol' camera.  The one on the right was also taken with my plain ol' camera, but I put my sunglasses in front of the lens.  (I told you I should learn more about filters!)  I always think that my sun glasses make me see the world in a little more rosey light, so I thought they might help the rainbow, too.  Can you tell the difference between the two?
Rainbows make me smile.
Hope your day is a rainbow smilin' day.

Christmas packages already???

Today is my day "off" work from the LQS.  So, today when I should be quiltin' up a storm....what do you think I am doing???  Well, I do have a quilt loaded and ready to go.  But I have been having CHRISTMAS!!!

Look:  I opened all my envelopes from the gals participating in the fabric swap within the Snowball Quilt Challenge!!!  See, I told you ..... Christmas!!!
Cute packages, cute ric rac, cute little charms and a bonus cute silky fabric (in red and gold with a little blue shot through - I think this will make a great table mat with a little embroidery and applique') and not a single duplication of fabrics from all across this nation!  Thank you all so much to my swap partners!!!

So then, I had to get MY snowball fabrics out and play with them and let them play with the new pieces:

Aren't they all great?!
This is why I had to wait to open the swap fabrics all at once.  I would have had to have stalled every time I opened ONE.  So, every day or two....open a package, fold it and hold it and take pictures of it and then play with the fabrics I already have, then put the new with the old and move them around and, and, and.  You get the picture.  I call it Fabric-itis.  It's in the medical dictionary, I'm sure.  So I waited and only stalled once, for a very long time!!
Then.... in yesterday's mail, I also received this:

When I first saw these boxes I was surprised that I had boxes waiting for me.  I had momentarily forgotten what they might be.      The first was Lakehouse Dots in white!  Three yards!  When out shopping this past weekend at the not-local quilt shop, I mentioned that I was still looking for the Lakehouse dots in white, and the gal that was cutting my fabric said she had a whole bolt.  She could send me some!  So, THANKS, Roberta, you are a sweetheart!  That is going in a couple of projects, including snowballs!  Then the other box made me drool... again:  I ordered more of that

 line of fabric that is going to be my downfall!!!

Drat that Rouenneries French General Moda line!
But thank you quilt-this.com !!!  Now I can make my "Irish Birds" even bigger and better!!!

OK, Really, off to make the HQ hum! 
Another beautiful day in neighborhood!

WINNER, learn something new every year promise, prairie points/rick rack

"What new thing have you learned this year???  That was the question that I asked you to leave a comment about. This is in regards to my out loud promise to my GGB.  There are soooo many things that you and I have learned this year - hand-stitching blackwork, machine applique two different ways (yes, that counts as two!), quilting outside the "box", being a grandma, trusting your own instincts, that blogging can be hard but exciting, teaching driving to a 16 year old, delivering kid goats, and pivoting a horse. 


For inquiring minds:  the thing that I learned that I couldn't learn, no matter how hard I tried, was playing the harmonica.  But...I will keep trying.  It might not be pretty, but I will continue to try!  he he he, sorry sweetie!
Thanks for all of your comments.  It was nice to see all the different things that we are learning!

And the WINNER is:  drumroll please.....

Jennifer!!!

Jennifer said... Hi Debra, great post! This year, I have learned to do machine applique in two ways (does that count as two things?) and also to trust my instincts when it comes to online friends...in many ways, you are what you blog...happy people usually blog happy things and the opposite is probably also true!
So, congratulations, Jennifer - email me your mailing address and I'll get this in the mail a.s.a.p.
 And now a new product review:
I played with a new gadget recently:  http://quickpointsruler.blogspot.com/  The prairie point/ric rac cutter.  When I first heard of it at market, "they" were calling it a "ric rac cutter".  And I thought - "why would I ever need to cut fabric in the shape of ric rac and then finish all those edges????"


So, a gadget-y friend and I tried it out.  We used the one that is about 35 inched long and 8 inches wide and makes prairie points that are 2 inches long.   Result?:  pretty easy to use, kind of weird cutting into the fabric strip with the rotary cutter.  You still have to cut into the fabric a little more with scissors, but easy to fold the points and iron.  And seems to make prairie point making go pretty fast!  

I am now thinking about putting prairie points around my Crazy Patch Pumpkin to finish it off.

 What do you think?  Orange or green prairie points?  Maybe alternating orange and green?
I am leaning on putting them on as an outside border, facing out.  Let me know what you think.

Now, back to quilting!
Thanks again for all the blog love.
Hope your day is going quiltingly! Or grandma-ly, or pivot-ly, or appliqueing-ly.  Oh, you understand - all the new things you have learned-ly! 

50th post already? That means a giveaway!!!

**giveaway closed**

EDIT:  I received two more fabric swap envelopes in the mail on Saturday!!!
Thanks Katy and Esther!!!  I think that's all 6!!! (If the mystery one was Jennifer.)  Maybe I will open them TOMORROW?!  Thanks, all!
Five-zero.  The big five-O.  5 and ought!
I can't believe that I am up to 50 blogging posts! (And under 50 days before Christmas!--eeek)
Back in August, when I started this little thingy, and I really didn't know what I was doing, (like I really know what I'm doing here now!) I just decided it was going to be my "thing to learn this year".   Way back in the 60's, yes I said the 60's!, when I was just a little girly, my great-grandma made me promise her, an Out-Loud Promise, that I would learn something new every year.  She said that women were under-rated and under-appreciated, and WE could do something about that. 
I grew up and married and started my own household; I learned something new every year...most years it was done unconsciously.  At some point I looked back and realized that I WAS LEARNING SOMETHING NEW EVERY YEAR! 
And as my children grew, and my life became a little less hectic, I began to sometimes consciously chose new things to learn every year.   
Sometimes the new thing I learned chose me.    And, one time, in particular, what I learned was that the new thing I learned was something I couldn't do, no matter how hard I tried!!  But, I WAS keeping my Out Loud Promise to Great-Grandma. 
So, I have learned something new every year. And this was the year that I took my journaling to electronic heights!  Just for me.  And for the Out Loud promise I made to my Great-Grandma B.
So In honor of my 50th post and in honor of Great-Grandma B, and the season - a giveaway!!!  And because of my Great-Grandma B, there are so many different things that I have learned, that I like to do and create, that would be a good give-away gift!  After pondering this for awhile, I have chosen a few things that I think know came about because of my out loud promise to Great-Grandma B:

One person will win all of the following:

One of my stitchery patterns, one of my pincushions & pattern and an inspiring book: 
First: My punkin' orange-work pattern called the "Pumpkin Tree" with fabric kit, floss, needle & hoop.
Second: one of my pincushions & my pattern Pumpkin Pincushions (in case you want to make a whole pumpkin patch of pincushions).  This little cutie does double duty as a pincushion or as table decor through Thanksgiving!
And third:  An autographed copy of "Out of the Box" by Mary Lou Weidman.  (This was a book that I picked up at Quilt Market.  I spoke with the author as she signed my copy and found in her a kindred spirit in creativity.  My creativity comes out in a more folky style than hers though!)

So, if you'd like to try for a chance to win this give-away, just leave a comment here before midnight , EST, Sunday, November 15th, and I will do a random draw on Monday, November 16th! 
Just tell me "What two new things* that you think I have learned to do over the years because of my out loud promise to my Great-Grandma B." *no fair picking quilting or blogging!  Or, tell me two new things that you have learned this year!

Thanks for stopping by!

humming along and The Snowball Challenge and Fabric Swap

It is said that a picture can say a thousand words:

This picture may be screaming thousands and thousands of words.

This is a "waiting list" of quilts in anticipation of Christmas gifting.
I know, not really a "list" but me and my list-making, so a pictoral list!
The dark green bags in this "list line" have multiple quilt tops and backs in them.  So count each of them as three!!
Daunting, I say, daunting.
So "DD", the HQ machine has been "humming along".
Not only has DD been humming along, but so are the days on the calendar.
ONLY SIX AND A HALF WEEKS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!! What happened to the months of October and most of November? 
Here are a few more pics of tops recently quilted:

^ Sharon's

Joell's>

< Judy's

DD is humming along, AND the calendar is humming along.  So I suppose that means I am humming along, too!

NEXT:

The Snowball Challenge and Fabric Swap:

I received two more fabric swap packages today!!!!
Thanks to Julie and a mystery person! (The second envelope today had no return address and I couldn't read the city cancellation mark or Zip, so a true surprise!  But it sure feels like squishy fabric!).
I am having a great time with this and it has just barely started.  I also have been told that I am easily amused, and I have to agree.  Really, each envelope contains just three,  five-inch strips of fabric, so no big deal, but still......look at these little packages.  I'm smiling big right now just holding them and in anticipation of which fabrics my swap-mates chose.  And just thinking about opening them when I have all six in my possession...that will be a great day!
I am still trying to not open them until I receive all 6, so two more to come! 
Thanks ladies!  You are making my days!

Another reason to hum along! 

More flimsies not flimsies anymore

MORE QUILTS QUILTED!

Isn't this a great one?  She asked for little butterfly stitching.  I really like it.


This was a row of the month club.  I really like it too.  The colors are perfect.


This one is a cutie - sorry I couldn't get the picture top side up!  And the one after that is by the same gal.  She is almost ready for gifting now!

 

This one is great; I tried to talk her into gifting it to me. She didn't go for it! Imagine!!






Now some of my stuff: 

"Over the River and Through the Woods", a pattern by Crabapple Hill.  I did all the hand stitching, red-work (black-work?) early this year.  It's awaiting it's turn very patiently for it's time with "DD", the quilting machine.

And, finally, progress on the Kathy Schmitz:  "Ring in the New": 

A few more things off my lists, commissioned and personal.  (I am trying to get things sort of caught up so I can start my Snowball Challenge quilt!!!!!)     Also, I picked up something for my mama's birthday, so that's in the mail for tomorrow.
Happy Birthday, Mom!

All around a good weekend!

"Kookie, Kookie, lend me your....

....lend me your......".  Forget that part, just the second line, as the old song would say:         I "have smog in my noggin'".  I have been told "I have smog in my noggin'", because I'm a little out of control when I bake sometimes (I won't name names here!)             I     L O V E  to bake.  These are cut-out cookies made with my favorite sugar cookie recipe.  The recipe has sour cream in it, so it's a little sticky to work with while you are cutting out the cookies.  But sooooo worth it because the cookies stay nice and soft and moist.  They are so good it's hard to keep people out of them and hard to get them to last through the week.  I used an air brush to spray the color on  after they were iced.  The color is food grade and I like it because it's not a saturated color that has a funny taste from way to much food coloring in the icing.

But I will warn you, these cookies are temptingly delicious, so.......


I bake quite a few:

and then I package them on colorful fall paper plates and wrap them in pretty cello bags and freeze them to pull out as needed.  About a dozen to a plate.  Aren't they pretty all lined up and waiting to be wrapped.  The freezing is good in that it helps you be able to bake ahead and getting the mess cleaned up and out of the way before a party or holiday gathering.  It also is a major help in portion control! (Ha, who needs portion control?  No, not me!)  You know, out of sight, out of mind, right?  Back to these cookies...I just counted the plates of cookies.  17.  A dozen cookies on each plate.  17 dozen.  Ok, I do have smog in my noggin'!  Way too many cookies, even for a smog-noggin'ed Kookie!

Maybe I'll share...............

conundrum

The puzzle.  The mystery.  The riddle.  The problem.  Conundrum.....
I am not a worrier.  I don't stew over things, usually.  I think I must be just the right amount "naive".  I just don't let "things" bother me. 
So......many tasks probably should come first, but if they don't, the world won't stop spinning. 
Examples:  laundry & dishes & dusting & vacuuming, you know, fun stuff. 
I will tell you in confidence...I did not dust this week.  Nor did I dust last week.  Not even the week before I think.  And cobwebs?  They are around.  Yeah,  if it's a really big cobweb I'll take it down instead of walking through it.  I figure, if it really bothers someone else, I can show them where the duster is! 

I think, from personal experience, that life is too short to be all about worries and making sure things are spotless.
Now, I don't don't want to give the wrong impression.  I am not living in a pig sty.  I always almost always know where things are.  There are socks to wear, and spoons for soup, and I love to cook, so most of the time the shelves in the fridge are full. 
After all of that:  MY CONUNDRUM?
Which quilting project to start/finish first in no particular order: 
A:  I signed up for the "Snowball quilt challenge" (thanks Nicole!) ( http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/sisters_choice_quilts/ ) so fabric washed, pressed, cut and ready to send on to fellow swappers & start making my snowballs.
B:  I have the new line of Rouenneries/French General fabric in my sweaty little paws. I swear it's callin':  "Start me, start me!"
C:  13 quilt tops awaiting my hand-guided meandering -I am keeping close to the two week turn-around :)
D:  "Crazy Christmas" (by Lynette Anderson) quilt applique and piecing
E:  LQS shop sample: Ring in the New" (by Kathy Schmitz)" for sit & stitch this Thursday p.m. (which I am leading)

There, that's not really too many, is it?  I am, of course, leaving off many things that could be on that list, but, hey, not important.
 So.....do you recognize this?

I washed up some fabric. These are color catchers. See all the color caught? Lots of red fabrics!

Then, see the the stuff in the next picture?

These are special  packages for special people.  Ready to stuff into envelopes and drop in the mail tomorrow a.m.

See the note listed above as item A?  Yep, you're right...fabric packages all ready for my exchange group for the snowball quilt challenge!  Here they come: Katy, Julie, Jennifer, Kathy, Christine, & Esther!

Then comes the picture on the right:

EXCITEMENT!!!  These came in the mail today!!!

I received my first two packages from my Snowball Quilt Challenge and fabric exchange!!!  Thanks Kathy and Christine!!! 

I am going to try going to keep them unopened until I receive the packages from all six of my peeps!  Really, I can.  It will be like Christmas if when I save them and open them all at once!!!

Then On To "Item C" on the above list:

This is Mary H's - a Jo Morton pattern.  See the pic on the right, yes, that is cross-hatch stitching every 5/8 inch. 
And yes, it took a while !!

This one was made by Mary M. for a raffle to raise money for Christmas for People In Need in Delaware, Ohio. 
And on the right, a close-up of the "flame' stitching.

This quilt is Bev C's and is about 60" x 70", I love all the colors in the batiks!  And on the right the close-up of the stitching.

And, finally, another block of the month in scarlet and gray.  Don't know how many of these I have quilted so far this fall, but I think I'm getting pretty good at stitching OSU things in the gray "on point" setting squares .

So, I am working on some of  my conundrums......November has started, daylight savings has come, and, and, oh yeah, I like the word Conundrum!

Life is too short, so stitch a little every day!