Me again.

I have a couple finishes to show.  As promised, I finished my 13th January Challenge piece... Pumpkin Patch Quilts by Gail Bussi from the September 2010 issue of Cross Stitch & Needlework.


It matches this pillow I made a couple years ago.  I'd have to dig up the details but I'm pretty sure it came from the same magazine but maybe the 2006 or 2007 edition. 
 

That leaves me with 2 more to complete.  I'm pretty sure that's going to happen, although the urge to stitch some ornaments has hit. 

Today I finished the first block in a year long block of the month....The Great Pumpkin.  Just in the nick of time since the 5th installment of Little Red Barns arrived today.  It's a doozie, too.  (Oh, shoot.  The bird is supposed to have an eye.) 

I will be doing some gift sewing so I'll either have to work it in or just give in to the fact that I'm going to fall behind at the very end. 
 
Finding any good Cyber deals?  ABC Stitch is having a black Friday sale.  Treat yourself to a peak and order something.  Does anyone buy you stash for the holidays?  If the answer is 'no' go order something! 

Bring on the food.

I can say that because this is how we spent our morning.....

What a beautiful morning for an outing. 

Tons of people showed up, classic Christmas music was piped in, and we walked off our dinner before eating it.

This is the first year I could go.  I'm usually the one left behind with the kitchen work.  This time I planned ahead.  I am cooking a small turkey and a full breast so it will take much less time. 

Hope everyone has eaten their fill and is contemplaing their game plan for tomorrow.  I'm hitting a few local stores.  Not at any crazy early hour or anything but one can always use something from Joann's at rock bottom prices and while I'm out... I might as well visit a few stores in the same plaza. 

Let the work begin

It's all about the food on Thanksgiving.  First we pour over the cookbooks.  Is there something we'd like to try?  A new pie?  New stuffing?  I just love Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. 

However, I still fall back on Betty.  All my turkey cooking instructions come from her.  Need a great mac & cheese recipe... page 167.  How about apple crisp?  Page 124.  You still just can't get away from those basics.  See how well loved my book is?

The first 2 pies were the standard Thanksgiving pies... pumpkin and mincemeat.  There is an apple crumb in the oven.  What spices to mix with the apples came from Gooseberry but I chose to make the apple crisp topping to put on the pie half way through baking.  I pinched a little and put it in the fridge to use on the sweet potatoes tomorrow. 

A holiday staple?  Strawberry jello with marshmallows.  Some long ago altered recipe that is a must on our table.  Not putting marshmallows on one end is a concession to my husband who eats it but removes the marshmallows first. 

Hope every one's kitchen is a-buzz with day before cooking.

I am pretty sure one more evening of stitching (one where I'm not half dead tired) and I'll have a finish to show. 

Will I? Won't I?

Can I?  Can't I?  That's the question and the answer is YES.... I'm going to finish the Crazy January Challenge one way or another by the end of the year.  I have 45 days to do it.  Here are some progress pictures.  They're B.A.D. I know.  I had a super late night at work last night, an extra early morning wake up call, and am not in the mood for pressing and fussing.  The idea is there....

First up from day 8: Tournicoton's 'Père Noël Charmant'.  This piece is full of specialty stitches.  It was killing me and making me not want to pick it up.  After many rounds of stitching and un-stitching I decided to use mostly regular ol' cross stitches.  I'm much happier working on it and am pleased with how it looks. 

Here is Pumpkin Patch Quilts from the September 2010 issue of Cross Stitch and Needlwork.  This was project #13.  I looked forward to this one all year and finally picked it up in September.  It's fun and whimsical and easy.  There is a lot of back stitching but it goes quickly.  I still have the border to do and a few stars.  I saved those incase the back stitching wore me down. 

No photo necessary for this last one.  I just uploaded the same one I posted on January 6th.  You know what that means, right?  It hasn't seen the light of day since January 6th.  Guess it will be the last of my 15.  Bent Creek's Photobooth Snowmen.

So, my shopping trip.  This is all that came home.  I was really trying. 

2 yard cuts of fabric for my quilt guild exchange and lots of thread. 

One final thing.... the real reason for today's post.  The Boy Wonder turns 19 today.  I hate being away from my kids on their birthday.  Somehow it seems like a day I should get to share with them.  We visited him on Saturday, took presents, a cake and went out to supper.  Probably that's more then I'd see of him if he was home so it's all good. 

Don't tell but

I've been doing a little costume sewing.  I don't want to be sucked into sewing for the drama club...that's a job beyond my abilities.

Buttercup needed a kilt so I read some online instructions, found the appropriate fabric, and whipped this up last Friday afternoon. 

Not bad for someone who doesn't garment sew.  I always liked doing Halloween costumes and since we're well past that stage a little costume sewing is actually fun.  There is just no way I could pull off the creative costumes I see on stage.  Velcro and elastic, that's what I can do.

The play, Macbeth, is happening this coming weekend.  Buttercup plays Lady McDuff.  I think she gets murdered but....shhhh.....don't tell me.  She plays some other minor rolls, too, but I'm not sure what all.  I like the element of surprise.

We're feeding the cast and crew tonight.  I have 2 crock pots full of sloppy joe's ready to go.  Yum. 

I am off to a little quilt store nearby.  Thread is on sale.  Want to take bets on whether or not I come home with more then thread??  Yea, I thought not. 

Sewing for a cause.

Again, with the charity sewing. 

 While I belong to my quilt guild for selfish reasons.... the fun and friendship.... I love doing whatever charity sewing we think up.  I made these 4 pillowcases for the local VA hospital's hospice care unit.  It's fun to use some fabrics I would admire from afar and never find a way to work into a quilt.  I'm also on the committee for our next opportunity quilt.  That's where we sew a quilt  as a group then raffle it off with the money going to a worthy cause.  This time it's to a local food pantry... the founder of which was just honored by President O'Bama with the Citizen's Medal.  Seriously.... I hope that news link stays available for a while.  That women puts the rest of us to shame.  She's 94 and her energy is beyond our imagination. 

Anyway, back to sewing for me....  I finished the 4th block of the Red Barn BOM.  (The top right barn....)

 And, Anna sent me my prize for coming in second in her challenge.  I got the pretty primitive pin cushion and a little bitty Wild Rose 2" square charm pack from the BBD folks who kicked in prizes for the challenge.  I'm sure Anna made the lovely card, too.  Thank you, Anna. 

Busy, busy fall happenings continue around my house.  One kid is just done with swim season and the college season begins.  We will make a trip this weekend to watch a meet and celebrate the Boy Wonder's 19th birthday.  How do they get that old so fast?  Just a few months ago he was 3 and staying close by my side.

Crazy Legs

If The Hat Fits by Buggy Barn will forever be known as The Crazy Legs Quilt. 

Ok, so maybe putting all those legs on my Halloween table runner was a bad idea.  (And while we're being critical, let's not discuss the one odd pair of shoes, ok?  Things happen.  They're witches.  One can be different, right?) 

The legs are 3D and dangle off the quilt.  To date, all I have are the legs, and alas,  I have to set it aside and work on some holiday projects.  I'll be happy the legs are done some dark and snowy winter day when I drag this back out. 

The silent treatment

& simple pleasures. 

I have laryngitis.  I get laryngitis more then the average person.  This time it's hanging on a good long time.  Took real team work to get thru my work day yesterday.  I'm alone in my office so I needed to rely on the kindness of the people in another department to make a few phone calls.  My bailiff pitched in with a few once he was in.  I sure wished I could text people but that hasn't seemed to have caught on in the working world.  Sure kept our court session short and sweet. 

I've been driving a friend to her physical therapy sessions once a week for the last month or so.  Well, today she asked for an extra little favor.  Her daughter had given birth to a baby boy this morning and she asked if we could take some time to visit.  You don't EVER have to ask me twice to visit a baby!  A 10 hour old baby, no less.  The baby's mom used to baby sit for my kids.... a lifetime ago it seems. 

Is there anything sweeter?  I kept back and tried to keep my germs to myself.  This little guy has 2 older school age brothers.  Probably I was the least of his worries!