OK, I know this is randomness, but, here goes:

It's a small world after all,

it's a small world after all, 

it's a small world after all,

it's a small, small, world.

The Disney ride by that name was designed to showcase different cultures and promote world peace.  In a perfect world, world peace.
I was sad when I heard Disney World in Orlando, Florida was renovating the area.  Sad, very, very, sad.  (I have heard there is also a Small World ride in California, but I have not experienced that one.)  I hope that they are just updating this attraction.  And, I hope it is not a goner.  How will we go on if it is no longer the same?
If you have ever been to Disney World and gone through the ride "Small World", you will understand.  Maybe it is just an urban legend...the tune really does not stay with you forever... just a few weeks... 


No where else could you go and have that song stick in your head for the next week or month like it would after going through  "Small World" just one time. 

And if you were really tired toward the end of the park day, you could ride through that air conditioned, gentle boat ride, get back in the queue and right back on the ride again with hardly any break in the music! 

Ask my children or my nieces and nephew:  you sing it over and over the first day, day and a half.  As you are about to drift off to sleep, the song just springs from your tired little lips.  The rest of that week you hum or sing it over and over with really no provocation at all.  After the second week you only hum it in the shower or when driving. 
My children are grown and on their own, and I promise you they will still tell you the same thing:  "It's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small world after all, it's a small, small, world".

Really.  Sing it along with me. 
Sing it out loud.
I know you know it...
Ready?
Go:

It's a small world after all,

it's a small world after all,

it's a small world after all,

it's a small, small, world.

I was going to put a link here, but I decided that would have been mean. 
You really would be singing it all week along with me.

'smiling, and humming' - hope you have a great day in your small, small world! 
Life is good!

mashed potato memories

A Great-Grandma B thought for this time of year....

Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls...

 

Especially

since I've just checked the calendar

where I have written

my orders

for dinner rolls for Thanksgiving...

THE 

Mashed Potato Dinner Rolls...

the recipe from Great Grandma B.

(I know that other families have this same recipe,

and I'd like to hear from you about your mashed potato memories!)

Yes, they really have mashed potatoes in them...

Yes, the are really scrumptious...

I still make them just like Great Grandma B did.

Some flour and butter.  A little sugar, salt and yeast.  A few eggs.

And the mashed potatoes.

Mix, knead, let them rise.

(a single batch of seven grain on the left & a double batch of regular on the right)

About an hour and a half later, roll out and cut into circles. 

Brush on some melted butter, fold in half, and let them rise again, then bake.

It's always amazing to see

family, friends, and neighbors

stop by

just as I am pulling rolls from the oven. 

I have accused Sweetie

of calling around and telling folks

that the rolls are coming out of the oven at a certain time. 

He promises he doesn't. 

(I make him promise on a fresh, hot, out-of-the-oven roll.)

But the peeps still come just at the right time to have a fresh roll!

(these folks might just know my habits

and come the same time every year,

I will have to pay attention to this!

I may just have to make rolls on two days this year

and see if they come both times!!!)

Yep, it's about that time of year - Thanksgiving time!

Another family gathering and all the food that that entails.

A very thankful time of year.

A time to reminisce about family.

Blessings to you and your families...

fall harvest

Last week I finished up the last of the canning and freezing. 

This is the last of my tomatoes for the year:

My weird tomatoes. 

Remember the ones that I told you about?

The ones with the pointy ends... 

that I thought maybe crossed with something... 

something habanero pepper-like?

Well, truth be told,

they really didn't TASTE like they crossed with ANYTHING. 

Not even another tomato. 

They really didn't even have that tomato-y acidic bite.

But they were great for starting a conversation! 

One week before Thanksgiving

Yep, it's official...

The countdown has begun...

The countdown until the h-o-l-i-d-a-y-s.

(I'm not ready to SAY "it", so I will only spell "it"!)

The media is the worst culprit, I think...

Or maybe the big box stores.

But in my little part of the world,

this:

is what I see out my back door.

Not remotely related to the h-o-l-i-d-a-y-s.

Not even Winter!

My climbing rose decided the weather has been a little screwy,

so let's bloom like it's not  late November.

Let's bloom like it's July!

What a great welcome to winter and the h-o-l-i-d-a-y-s, don't you think?

Happy, rosey day to you!

I'm back to meandering!

sloooowww

Well, the clocks are pushed back.
The sun is now setting here at about 5:30 p.m.
We are enjoying our "Indian summer", so the weather is great for mid November.
And, I don't know why,
but I have a feeling of SLOW.
Yes, slow.
Part of it is, I think, that it is getting dark early.
But, I think the main reason for my feeling of SLOW is the fact that
my quilting machine is having "communication failure".
Pour D.D. 
I can turn on the machine and stitch,
but eventually both screens are covered by an error message.
"communication failure".  And then I have to turn the machine off and let it re-set and then turn it back on and start stitching again.  And then repeat about every 10 minutes or so...


So, this means that my commission quilts are lining backing up.
My cut-off for taking on new commissions this year is Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is way earlier than usual. 
Earlier than usual because of the quantity that are awaiting meandering.
(I think I have mentioned the fact that peeps are finishing up gifts ahead of schedule this year.)

Well, everyone except me, that is...

And now, the "error" message.
I have spoken with my local rep.
I have spoken with the manufacturer's rep. 
I have down-loaded and up-loaded updates.
Now it's the weekend and I can't talk with anyone about this on-going problem.

Maybe this is a good thing,
this "error message, 'cause
I dug a tunnel into my sewing room/studio
and un-buried my sewing machine
and a couple of WIPs.
You know - Works In Progress...
Yep, definitely a Good Thing!
Not a good thing for the commissions, but a good thing for my WIPs and sewing room.

Not sure how that happens with my sewing area....
Anyway,
Progress, but sloooowww progress.

And I can talk to the reps about the error message again on Monday...

Happy Stitching!
Even if it's slow...

Did you know?

That you

Can

Sew

through

your

finger???

Remember when?...
you were taught to sew?...
And you were warned over and over
that you needed to keep your finger
away from the needle up and down area?

"Keep your fingers away from the presser foot area."

"The machine will sew right through your finger."

Yep, you really can!
The denim weight needle makes a good sized hole right through your nail and out the other side.
And your first instinct is to jerk your finger back away from the pain of the puncture.
And this jerking motion bends the needle as it is rising back up from the journey through your finger. 
Even a heavy needle that is meant for denim blends bends with this jerking motion.

Then you look at both sides of your finger and say to yourself...
"you really can sew through your finger!"

Then you go wash it and bandage it.
Then you look in your purse to find your last tetanus shot card.

Then,
for the next week or so,
you find different fingers on which to put your thimble
and to pull your needle and thread, 
and bind your commission quilts...

(Sorry the pic is a little out of focus)

Lesson learned:

"Keep your fingers away from the presser foot area.
"No matter if you are in your first half century
or second half century of life.
"The machine will still sew right through your finger."

meanderings again

Well,

folks are still getting their

pre-holiday-gifty-quilty-stuff done.

I know this because I have been doing some

meanderings in thread

for the last couple of months,

and many of these early-done quilts are going to be gifts. 

Way before me and my quilty things

that I have only THOUGHT about...

What's up with that? 

I don't have

ANYTHING

worked ahead for this Christmas.

Well,

I do have something worked ahead...

IDEAS.

Yep, that's it.

Just ideas...

But,

I guess that an idea is better than not having a single thing!

Right?

(Yeah, that was me. 

Trying to excuse my lacking. 

Did you buy it?)

Anyway,

back to the quilty things

 that are close to being finished.

You know, the stuff that isn't mine...

The first meandering was hand-pieced by Pat. 

Her "first" hand-pieced project.

It's great, isn't it?

 And the next one is ANOTHER one of Virginia's.

Great color placement choices and she does a great job piecing. 

She might be a machine, I'm not sure...

Here's a close up of the meandering:

I tried to talk her out of this one,

but it was a no-go.

OK,

here's me...

getting back to my ideas...

Happy Day to you!

meandering the end of October

Can't believe that October is already gone!
I finished up the end of the month working on a couple more quilts for folks.

First, here's Virginia's great 30's fabric one:

And another stringy-star by my Great-Aunt Mary:

She would like me

to do the trimming and binding on this one.

The last one took her quite a while to do the binding,

and

she says her hands aren't quite as "young" as they used to be.

It will be my pleasure!

I love the tactile pleasure of binding.

For me, it's relaxing to sit and stitch in the evening.

So, while my hands are still "young"

I will gladly take needle and thread to fabric

to finish off a quilt!

there's a cool shop hop coming

Click here to go check out all of the designers in the hop!

There are a whole lot of cool designers in this thingy! 

I follow most of them in their blogging,

and I can't wait to see what they come up with!

A whole month of stuff on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Stuff that I know I won't have the time to do,

but will definitely think about trying to do!

Check them out, too!!!

It's going to be a whole lot of fun!!!

p.s.  I am not posting this  because I get something for doing it,

I'm just sharing 'cause I like their "stuff"!

Happy November!