It's Sunday!

Parents, PLEASE! Look at your kids' clothing before leaving the house! Her two sizes too small thong is cutting her hips in half. Then her too tight dress magnifies all the bumps and humps including the fat dimples! And she's really not too big...the clothes are just too tight. (For those of you who remember - looks like she has on a sanitary napkin doesn't it!!)

Cain loves chocolate chip cookies - just further proof that he is my grandson. :D

I made King Cup Cakes for our monthly birthday cake at work. Neither the judge nor I could find purple sugar crystals anywhere (without ordering which we waited too late to do) so she purchased purple cupcake papers. The recipe is on King Arthur Flour's website.

Yippee!!! After 21 hours of hand quilting, I completed the first pass on my applique quilt! The border is 10" x 94"...crosshatched and outlining the vine on both sides.

Next roll on the frame - starting on the blocks. I originally planned on calling this Rose of Sharon variation "Sherry's Rose." But since the death of Mama nearly a year ago now, this will be "Shirley's Rose."

On to Grander Things

Isabel's second birthday cake! She enjoyed eating the frogs...except for the legs. She gave them to me, I handed them to Colt and told him if he ate them that he would turn into a frog. He ate them, turned to his mommy and said, "Me frog." LOL

Daddy feeding Isabel some cake...see the lily pad in her hand? (LOL That lily pad has legs! Must be a frog on a lily pad.)

Isabel in Granny's arms.

The first gift she opened. She saw the netting sticking out of the top of the gift bag and wanted it. Great Aunt Carol helped her pull it out. She grinned from ear to ear while Carol tied it on her. Throughout the afternoon, every so often she would stop, kick out a leg, and watch the netting flutter. Brought a smile to my face every time I saw it.

Colt and Isabel playing kitchen.

Cain got in on the action too!

The tutu above was just "icing on the cake" so to speak. My former sister-in-law told me she still had MY baby doll bed that I had given to my niece, Lacee...did I want it back. WELL YEAH! Sam repainted it for me. I made the soft-sculpture doll, "mattress," and doll quilt. As the gift opening wound down, I pulled the goodies from a trash bag, placed the mattress in the bed, laid the doll down, and covered completely with the doll quilt. The quilt is made from scraps of Isabel's baby quilt. Isabel pulled the quilt off the doll...looked at the doll...put the quilt over her head and walked off. :D

As an aside: Christmas week, Cody and Brook sold their old home and purchased this new home. John gave or loaned them the bed Sam made for the A-frame John did live in. When he and Erin purchased their new home, the bedroom had 9-foot ceilings. The bed just did not work in there so they purchased another. Brook is very excited about the bed.

 I made the quilt for Brook and Cody when they married. It all looks pretty good together, doesn't it?!

Just Stuff...and a New Pie Recipe!

This hawk is sitting on a high-line pole nearly every evening. One day I'm going to be prepared and catch him on that pole!

I made one placemat at the COF 2012 retreat in Branson - well I started it there. I finally completed all eight and made the tablerunner to match from a PJ party on the HGTV quilting forum. :D I'm happy!

A couple of weeks ago we spent Sunday with Isabel and her parents. She was starved for barbeque at lunch...

Ah...sated!

This is what 15 mph looks like at 7:40 a.m on the way to work via a country road. He got up to 20 and hit his breaks to slow down. LOL I leave early enough that I don't always go straight to work, sometimes I take an alternate route. This guy may have thought he was "getting to" me...but I was behind him laughing. neener neener He turned right at the farm-to-market road and looked over his shoulder - I guess to judge my degree of frustration. He was a young guy. Go figure...

Remember that Ozark Mountain Pie I had at the Rainbow Cafe in Mt. View Arkansas?

Here's my version.

I sorta held a naming contest with some quilter friends: To Die for Pie, Sherry's Sinful Indulgence, Sherry is a Big Tease (LOL), No Name Pie...but the winner is ...

Big Butt Pie

1/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup light Karo
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coconut
1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Add Karo and vanilla, mix in. Then add eggs and beat until all is blended in. Stir in chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts. Pour into a prepared pie shell. Bake 40-45 minutes.

Note: I used dark chocolate chips, but you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer.
 

This is my "Does this hat make my butt look big?" gift from Sue - aka Florida Farm Girl. Yes...there's a story. ;)

My new crust recipe. 
When I got my new KitchenAide food processor last year I searched for a pastry crust recipe. So flaky it melts in your mouth!

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pulse a couple of times to mix.

8 tablespoons of lard (I weigh it - 4 ounces)
Cut into chunks and spread on top of flour. Pulse 3 times counting to 3 each time.

Run and sprinkle in three tablespoons of ice cold water. This comes together real quick. Turn off. Gather up into a bundle. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least an hour.

Note:
You can use shortening instead of lard. Some of the fat can be butter, but butter tends to toughen the crust.

Projects

Colt was two years old this week. We will go to his party on Sunday. Sam made a kid-size picnic table out of cypress.

Isn't it just gorgeous wood?! ...with a simple oil finish... This should be around for a long time.

Short-stuff Erin will be getting a red oak step stool for her kitchen.

 

Colt's and Cain's ABC quilts are complete with a polka dot backing on both.

Isabel's is finished too!

I have some 'rescued' quilt blocks and hope to get three snuggle quilts made in time for Christmas. I also need to make more Christmas stockings.

We've got to start staying home on weekend so I can get some things done around here!

Colt's Quilt and His Baby Brother

I completed Colt's ABC quilt! AND...entered it in the quilt section of the craft fair where it won...FIRST PLACE. :D

In all honesty, it was a small show. However, the coordinator said that the two out-of-town quilters who judged the quilts used the word "meticulous" when describing my work. :) I'm happy!

Polka dot backing.

Cain is really a little monkey!

I can only post what I'm sent right now.  Seems to be all Cain at the moment. Itching to get my hands on all three of them again!

C*H*O*C*O*L*A*T*E and Other Less Important Stuff

Sam won a bag of goodies at the last HOG (Harley Owner's Group) meeting. The bag contained HD straws, napkins, beer bottle opener, coasters, and a HD ice cube tray. Of course the tray was not in the shape of cubes, but the HD emblem.

I have an ice maker so wasn't too enthused about the ice tray.  That is until I thought CHOCOLATE!  I melted a bag of dark chocolate chips, spooned it into the compartments, jiggled the spoon around hoping to fill all the crooks and crannies. I tried to unmold one at room temperature...that didn't work so I popped the tray in the refrigerator. That worked! They popped out perfectly! 

I told Sam that I'd make some for the next meeting he attended for a door prize.

WHAT? Someone had to take care of the QC department! 

Yes. It is a sacrifice but somebody's gotta do it. :D

I made English muffins this afternoon.

And finished my COF table topper by adding some decorative machine stitching to some select rows.

COF Quilting Retreat in Branson MO

 I had a blast in Branson MO at the 2012 COF (Circle of Friends) quilt retreat. We met, visited, talked, played games, learned new techniques, attended the Springfield MO quilt show, won door prizes...so much in just 3-4 days. 

I finished my Prairie Points...but that's it.

I did learn the basics of the Chevron Placemats, but finished sewing them together (quilt-as-you-go) this evening after I got home. Just need to make seven more and bind them...and hope I have enough fabric for a table runner.

I got the Table Topper sewn half together...finished it when I got home too...except for the backing and batting.




How about some Missouri clouds?

 

Dehydrating and Quilting

 That dehydrator full of pears yielded this much:

Last night's supper - pork tenderloin marinated in Italian dressing.  Perfectly cooked.  Deliciously juicy!

Isabel's curtains...

Isabel's quilt top for her Christmas quilt. I still have to machine embroider her name in the bottom square on the left - in red of course.

Yep. I think it will look just fine with her curtains. Rather proud of myself. :D