Mid Weekend!

I've had to pinch myself a few times today....and also remind my tightening neck muscles that it's only the middle of my weekend now! This could take some getting used to!

It's been a grand weekend so far. I've been working with fun color! I finished up my Round Robin assignment, since our Round Robin group meets in a couple weeks! I didn't want to wait til last minute...and I had a plan!

This is the center block of the quilt I had this time around....



Isn't it gorgeous? Silks....so colorful and fun! Sorry...I can't show you the first round that was put on it...nor can I show you what I did to it...the owner of the center block may pop on my blog from time to time....but I can tell this one will be one of my favorites out of the group!

And I cast on another pair of socks with that glorious Fiberphile yarn in ENVY....



That's what I'm working on tonight.....k2p2 ribbing...but this yarn is such a joy to hold...I'm going to love making these socks!

I still haven't made a final decision on the next quilt...though I am leaning heavily toward these...



I may start cutting tomorrow if I stick with my decision! I do love the color in those Asian fabrics, but I think I have the wrong book for the quilt I was going to make and so need to order the book in that goes with the templates I have and that can be my NEXT quilt!

Don't forget to leave a comment on my Thrifty Thursday post (you can click here) if you want to win this great Donna White prim plate!



I'll be drawing the winner this coming Thursday, so there's plenty of time!

Time to refill the coffee cup...because even though it's after 8PM on a Sunday night...I can drink coffee and stay up all * night * long if I want because it's ONLY SUNDAY!!! :o)) Woooohooo!!

Thanks so much for the congrats and well wishes from you all on my good fortune of going part-time. I truly am excited about it all and look forward to sharing more of my days with you!

*Peace!

An Extra Day!!! Do you know what this MEANS??!!

Wow...what an interesting week it's been! It's been no secret that I was not happy going in to the office every day.....stressed out...burned out....and just put out with it all...that's what I've been! And we all know how I dream of just being done and being a Stay At Home Mom. Well..I took steps this week toward that and came out in the end with part-time status! It's only one day....I now have perpetual 3 day weekends......and work Tuesday thru Friday. Of course my initial intent was to work ZERO days...which would also mean ZERO pay and ZERO benefits...a drastic step...so this works.......for now! I get all my benefits....and an EXTRA DAY!!! Do you KNOW what this MEANS????

Threadheads will get some attention....



I can catch up on my reading and start designing!



I can hone my hooking skills!



Grannies can be crocheted!



Samplers will get stitched!

Yarn will get more attention....



and fun garments will be knit!



Intricate quilts will be pieced!



Socks will be knit!! Oh the SOCKS that will be KNIT!



Ridiculous handwork projects will finally be started and Liberty of London will finally get used!



Quilt tops will turn in to quilts!



and that artsy fartsy side of me can be tapped!



I know...it's just an extra day.....but I see so many possibilities! I'm hopeful this will translate in to less stress.....which will mean more creative progress throughout the week, AND on that one extra day!

What would YOU do with one extra day?

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday & A Giveaway!

Hello and welcome to another edition of Thrifty Thursday!!! Again just one brief stop on Monday this week....but I picked up a couple finds!



To join all the other silver and silverplate......these do have some age to them.



And no..I probably won't polish them. I love the tarnished patina!

I also found this little Southern Living at Home piece for a buck!



I can't remember what this little cone was called when it was sold thru their catalogs, but I was pleased to bring it home.

See...nothing much this week. I need to get my thriftin' mojo back and get out there more often! The weeks have been rather hectic lately, but am hopeful that will ease up a bit.

This week we'll start the Thrifty Thursday Giveaway! I believe I have some readers that like the prim style, and so I found this great signed Donna White square plate, and would like to send along to a new home!



Forgive the glare...this is a great prim painted plate! From her Hearthside Collection I do believe! City on a Hill! It's 10" square and I got it for a steal!! But am hopeful it will be a treasure to someone out there!

If you'd like to be in the drawing for this prim plate, please just mention that in your comment. I don't want to shove my 'treasures' off on someone that would really rather not receive them! ;o) That said, feel free to link to this blog post and share the giveaway info with your friends. The winner will be announced on next Thursday's Thrifty Thursday post!!

I welcome all of your comments and read each and every one of them! Thanks for taking the time to leave one!

*Peace!

Not Quite Like Martha

I awoke with the best of intentions! I was going to take a stab at being like Martha. In bed around 1:00 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning, I was up before 6:30...ready to welcome the day and be so uber productive! I read one time that Martha Stewart says she operates on 5 hours of sleep. Period. That's all she needs. So I thought heck...I'll be like MARTHA today! I can do this...5 hours....I got this!

Ha! I did get a little stitching done....but otherwise...there was much of this...



Dinner was prepared in the crockpot.....and there was much of this....



Laundry was caught up on.....and...there was much of this....



I did get down to the sewing room to pull for the next project. But I can't decide what to work on next! AAAACK! I know without a doubt that I need not purchase one more itty bitty charm square of fabric, let alone yardage....though we all know I will continue to do so anyway. But seriously....it's like the quilt project world was my oyster and so it makes it difficult to pare down. But I've pulled for 2 projects. Just have to decide which one is first.

I pulled a wide array of repros for one.......



Nice and scrappy! Like I love 'em!!

And I also pulled lovely Asian prints for another....



Neither project is quick. Both are somewhat time consuming, which I am looking forward to, I do believe! Now the question is which one......

Which would you choose?

I think I need more practice at this 'being like Martha' business and this 5 hour sleep schedule! Today was a rude awakening! But hey...I bet Martha takes naps from time to time to! Don't you think?



Yeah...probably not!

*Peace!

The Road To Atlantis

This morning I finished piecing daughter's quilt....all 90 by 90 inches of it. I'm fondly calling it Road To Atlantis.



It uses the Odyssea fabric line (thus the Atlantis reference)...and is a take on the Yellow Brick Road pattern (yeah..that's the Road part). It was truly supposed to be a Yellow Brick Road quilt....but inattentive me....sewing banshee...just tooling along sewing strips...and not paying attention to the INSTRUCTIONS and so rather than rip stuff out, I just improvised and really...Yellow Brick Road...Road To Atlantis...it's pretty much the same look.

And it's done! Just what the daughter wanted...and now it's ready to go off to longarm quilter.

I'm not really a 'make a quilt from just one fabric line' kinda quilter...so it's always somewhat of a struggle piecing a quilt that's made up of just one fabric line. I love mixing stuff up and going way scrappy! So I'm excited to get started on something new! Tomorrow I'll play around in the sewing room and see what's next! I'm thinking it's going to be something civil war related! Go figure!

It's been a busy Saturday! I've just brewed a pot of coffee, and poured a cup. Going to pick up a needle now and work on some stitching while I watch the Olympics! Go Team USA!!

Have a wonderful Saturday evening, and as always, thanks so much for stopping by!

*Peace!

Finally Friday!!!

Boy what a week! Am I ever glad it's over and nothing but a fun weekend ahead!!

Thanks so much for your comments on my Thrifty Thursday finds. Here I thought I was letting you all down with only a few colorful pieces of pyrex to show! :o)

I'm pondering having some Thrifty Thursday giveaways from time to time. Good idea? Weird? Interested? I see so many cool things out there...but can't possibly bring them all home to live permanently....but would love to pass them along!

Whatdya think?

I'm gonna go stand under a stream of hot water to try and untense my tense muscles! Did I mention I'm glad the work week is over?

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday

Meager finds this week, my friends....colorful, yes....exciting...not really!



Someone cleaned out some kitchen cupboards.



and dropped off some colorful Pyrex. So I shelled out $5.83...



and brought it all home with me. Four pieces..including the elusive red! It's a red 2 1/2 qt oval. I likey! No lids...so I suppose I could be on the lookout now for the lids...or not. If they materialize during my treasure hunting, that's fine! I'm not going to be on a mission or anything though!

Do you like colorful 'vintage' Pyrex?

*Peace!

Scones For Your Afternoon Tea?

Yesterday I baked one of my most favorite little treats....Cranberry-Orange Scones....



oh yeah...with a buttermilk glaze. These are quite scrumptious! I am all about full disclosure and giving credit where credit is due...I got this recipe years ago from Cleo...owner of a local quilt shop here in town. She fixed these for a sewing bash...and I was in love! Have you ever noticed that quilt shops are great places to get yummy recipes?

So I thought I would share the recipe this morning so you can run out and get the things you might need to whip these up to enjoy with your afternoon tea!

Here's what you'll need:

1 3/4 C flour
1/4 C sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 C butter
1/2 C dried cranberries (I use Craisins)
1/2 C vanilla chips
1 tsp dried orange peel
1/2 C vanilla yogurt
1/3 C buttermilk

and the glaze:

2 T buttermilk
1 T sugar
1/2 tsp dried orange peel

Heat oven to 375F. Grease cookie sheet (I use a round Pampered Chef stone, so I don't grease anything)

In large bowl..combine first five ingredients. Then cut in the butter with a pastry blender or a fork until it resembles coarse crumbs.



Stir in the cranberries, vanilla chips and 1 tsp dried orange peel. Add yogurt and the 1/3 C buttermilk and stir just until moistened.

Shape into a ball and place on the cookie sheet/baking stone. Pat into an 8 to 10" round. If it's sticky, just dust a little flour over the surface to make it easy to pat out.

Now...with a pizza cutter or knife, cut into squares, but don't separate. Just make the cuts. It'll look something like this...



Okay..take the 2 T of buttermilk and brush the top of this dough...use all of it! It's so worth it! Then combine the 1 T of sugar and the 1/2 tsp of orange peel and sprinkle over the top.



Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until the edges begin to turn a golden brown.

Now here's the hard part...let them cool. For 5 minutes. It's just 5 minutes...you can do this! LOL

Then run your pizza cutter or knife back over the cuts you made previously and you're good to go!



They're not biscuit-y like what you might think scones would be. These are light and moist and chewy and oh my GOSH I hope you like them!

They're always a hit around here..as evidenced by the Jakester and his buddy...



Hope you enjoy them if you give them a try!

*Peace!

A Sweet, Spicy & Lazy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!! I hope you've had a wonderful day with the one you love! It's been a pleasantly lazy day around here today.

My morning started out with coffee in bed...and then I got up and came out to the living room...only to be greeted with this...



The hubs had chocolate at every turn near my stitching/knitting corner! Whattaguy!!

Then he made breakfast for me....oh so spoiled was I!

This afternoon, I decided to bake.......scones.



Cranberry-Orange scones with a buttermilk glaze, to be precise! Oooh yum...one of my fav' things! I'll post the recipe tomorrow, so stay tuned!

And then...before I knew it, it was evening and time for dinner. So I decided to treat the hubby to one of his favorites...



Doesn't that lemon just look so sunny?

Hubby was in the mood to sop up some good sauce with some crusty french bread...so I obliged with that good ol' standby favorite of ours...



Paula Deen's Fiery Cajun Shrimp. Sauce was sopped....fingers were messy.....there was some licking (ahem...of our OWN fingers, thank you very much)....and it was good.

And now I'm going to knit a bit and continue veggin' out. Seems to be the course for the day, and I'm not complaining! Must have something to do with the fact that I have tomorrow off, so it's easy to relish in a lazy Sunday afternoon without doom and gloom setting in!

I hope you've had a wonderful day!

*Peace!

O' Canada!

What an amazing opening ceremony!! Did you watch? What was your favorite part? I think the whales were my favorite part. Followed very very closely by the colorful artsy funky fiddle and dance number! Loved that!!

Looking forward to watching over the next 16 days!

*Peace!

Thrifty Thursday!

Wanna see what came home with me this week? Not much! But of course I found at least a little treasure! A Monday evening stop off garnered these sweet bowls!



A set of four for $6. I thought they were worth it.



I just love the star on the bottom.



And I thought they would marry well with the other set of little white bowls I found on a previous jaunt!



Perfect little dessert dishes! They're larger than berry bowls, but smaller than cereal bowls. I imagine ice cream and colorful fruit against that milky white goodness and it makes me smile!

This makes me smile too...



A little yarn dessert! That's the Fiberphile ENVY all wound into a little cake and ready to be turned in to socks! No rush...I'm just enjoying the depth of color...and the cashmere. Oh so soft!

Hope you're having a great week! Thanks so much for the well wishes. I am on the mend. A lingering hacking cough....but otherwise I'm just about good to go! Can't keep me down long! ;o)

*Peace!

Working In The Red

I've been working in the red...and no, I don't think I'm talking about the balance in my checkbook, though I maybe should check after some of the recent stash acquisitions! EEEEK!

I've been slowly making progress on the Ann Rayner sampler.



I've been 'painting' her house. Red. I made a decision to put at least one length in on the house each evening, which of course led to me continuing on with her. The house is done...I'm trimming out the windows and steps and then ready to move on! I think once I get past that halfway point, she might move quicker!

And speaking of red...



I did restart my Mossy Mossy scarf. But this time decided to change from size 3 needles to size 7. I'm liking the looser knit, and expect that it will be moving along at a nice pace too!

Today is a sick day for me...nothing major...just a pain in the butt cold...sore throat (which I'm sure is also red!)...cough...sniffles...the works. So I decided to stay home..pamper myself. I tried to stitch for a bit, but I must be exuding sickly oils because my needle dulled right up, so enough of that! Perhaps I'll knit...and/or spend some time at the sewing machine working on the daughter's quilt.

Or maybe a nap!

*Peace!

Got My Work Cut Out For Me

The next quilt is cut out and waiting for me.



Nothing fancy. A queen size Yellow Brick Road using Odyssea by MoMo fabrics. All at the request of the dear daughter. So...for her....I will struggle thru the mundane and get this top put together!

But not today. Today I shall knit and stitch. After I cook. I know..today is the Super Bowl....but for me...this year...it's just about the food. As far as I'm concerned, football season ended with the Cowboys loss a few weeks ago. :o( *SIGH* But...today it can be all about the food and the needle time!

I've got the El Chico Relish marinating in the frig....crockpot meatballs are on the ready...will also be once again making Pioneer Woman's bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos...hubs wants to try his hand at potato skins...we'll have queso...and who knows what else.

And for dessert.

Birthday cake.

It's Jake's 16th Birthday today!!



I love this pic of him. It's true to his personality. He's singing....with abandon. I love it! A very fun kid indeed!

And so for today...I definitely have my work cut out for me!

*Peace!