It's Been So Long!!

It feels like forever since I posted here! Did you miss me? :P School is starting back next week and things have been a bit hectic here getting things ready for that, and just spending time together as the summer winds down.

The kids and I went on a fantastic nature walk a few days ago. I'll be posting some photo's either later today or sometime in the next few days. I have a bunch of them that need to be taken off my camera card and reworked so I can post them. My computer isn't working all that great for some reason, it's very, very slow, so it's taking longer than usual to do anything at all.

I've set aside my 9 patch quilt for a little while. My cutting wasn't all that great apparently, and I have a lot, and I do mean a lot of strips that just don't match up. So, I set it aside and maybe later I'll either find uses for the strips or figure out a way to make them work the way I want to. Either way, it was a fantastic learning experience for me.

So, that moved me forward to a new project. Exciting, yes? LOL! I don't have a lot of matching fabrics, so I decided to just cut up my scraps into 3 1/2 inch squares and sew them together in a crazy quilt, which quite honestly is something I love. I don't know why, but mismatched colours sewn together into a quilt is gorgeous. To me it speaks of a different time where people quilted because they needed to, for warmth, rather than for pretty designs. It's very homey to me.

So, I've started cutting my fabric to get ready to sew. I have a long way to go yet, since I haven't had a chance to cut anything since Saturday. That's three days! I'm seriously going into withdrawl here. LOL!

But, and here's the really exciting part. My mom and I may be purchasing an Acuquilt GO! Cutter today!! We were going to go buy it yesterday, but the quilt store is closed Sunday's and Monday's. I'm pretty sure if the cutter is still there, we'll be going to get it this afternoon. Which means that I will be setting aside the squares I've already cut and using the 4 1/2 inch die that comes with the cutter for my crazy quilt. Either way, I'm going to love this one.

Today's Update

I haven't been doing anything at all with cleaning and decluttering. I decided that the kids go back to school next Tuesday, everything can wait until then. I'll be home all day, by myself, I'll have plenty of time to get right into cleaning, why spend the precious time I have left with the kids, up to my elbows in decluttering? I'd much rather enjoy the small amount of time we have left of summer together as a family. :)

Today's Supper

Tonight, if I get home in time to prepare everything, we will be having

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp pepper
4 small chicken breasts, bone in, skin removed (I'll be using boneless)
1/4 cup italian dressing
2 cups carrots
1 medium onion, wedged
1 can chicken broth
1 1/2 cups minute rice, uncooked
1/4 cup cream cheese

Mix flour and pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken, toss lightly to evenly coat both sides. Shake off excess flour. Heat dressing in a large, nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, meat side down and cook 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn chicken, add carrots, onions and 1 cup of the broth. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through.

Prepare rice as directed. Spoon onto serving platter. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken and vegetables from stew. Place over rice. Cover to keep warm.

Add cream cheese spread and remaining broth to skillet. Increase heat to high, cook until cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to med-low. Simmer 3-5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken and vegetables. Serve.

This recipe doesn't take long to prepare, really only the 20 minutes to simmer the chicken as you can prepare the sauce at the same time, so we should be eating this tonight. If not, I have a ton of leftovers that need to be used up.

Have a fantastic day!

Another GO! Cutter Giveaway!

I am entering as many of these as I can in the hopes that I can win one of these amazing little tools.

I just entered a giveaway over at Freckled Whimsy. The contest closes Friday, August 27, so be sure get over there and put your name in!

Guess what? I finished hand quilting my very first quilt! I'm so excited!! Mind you, it's a miniature quilt, but I'm ok with that, really. I'm so proud of myself right now. This is something I've always wanted to do and never had the time or I guess the gumption to attempt. But, now it's done and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Here is a closeup of my stitching

Now, I know, the stitching isn't great and the sewing is even worse. But, in my defense, this was the very first time I had ever sewn a quilt top. Ever. So, regardless of how uneven everything is, I'm extremely proud. :)


Today's Update

I think we're going to go on a nature walk today. It's supposed to be a nice day, not too hot, but sunshiney and warm. Hubby needs to sleep too, since he worked nights last night, so that makes today a perfect day to get out and enjoy nature in all it's glory.

Of course, I'm taking my camera with me so I'll be sure to have some fantastic photo's to share with all of you tomorrow.

Tonight for supper we're having (and please, don't let the name of this dinner turn you off, this is just what we call it. I'm sure it has an actual "name" but I don't know what it is)

Boiled Chicken (gross, I know, but it tastes amazing!)

4 pieces of chicken thighs (I use the cheapest chicken I can buy)
1 onion, chopped
1 can tomatoes
1 tsp worchestershire sauce

Saute onion until tender. Add remaining  ingredients and simmer until chicken is fully cooked.

Simple, delicious and frugal too!

Have a fantastic day!

Friday Night Sew In

I participated in my very first Friday Night Sew In last night. Ok, well, I cheated just a little bit and sewed in the late afternoon, not the night, but I think that still counts. :) It was a mommy and son night since daddy was working and sis was at a sleepover. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the entire evening in the sewing room.

I did manage to get quite a bit done, though. I cut 1/2 of the strips into their 1 1/2 inch strips and got 21 squares all put together. I used a technique I learned at my quilting class called chaining, I believe so I was able to do more than one square at a time. I'm not sure if I can explain it correctly, but basically what you do, is start with a scap piece of fabric that you sew through and then a bit beyond that, making a chain of thread. You then slip your next piece of what you're working on under the foot, and sew that together. Again, you sew beyond the end of the piece, creating another chain between the pieces. This technique joins all the pieces together in one long strip which you can make as long as you like. I stopped at 6 each time, so I didn't get too far ahead of myself if/when I made a mistake.

After you're done chaining together the pieces, you cut the thread and press it open. Then back to the sewing machine to add the next strip. Once all the strips are added, you have a completed square!

As you can see, I'm still working on getting everything straight. My edges don't always meet. But that's what practice is for, right? This quilt is really challenging my measuring preciseness (is that even a word?) and my 1/4 inch seam, which is what I was looking to do.


Today's Update

We're going shopping today! Hubby is working, so the kids and I are going to the mall to get a first day of school outfit for both of them. We don't spend a ton of money on back to school clothes. It's still warm straight through September, so going out and buying them a bunch of sweaters and jeans just doesn't make any sense to me. We'll buy those when we need to. They each get a new outfit for the first day and then whatever supplies they actually need; paper, pencils, binders, that sort of thing.

Tonight, if we're home in time, we're having

Stove Top One Dish Chicken Bake With Vegetables

1 cup hot water
1 pkg Stuffing Mix
1 chicken breast, cut into squares
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 cups frozen mixed veggies, thawed and drained

Preheat oven to 400. Add hot water to stuffing mix, stir until moistened. Set aside. Place chicken in baking dish. Mix soup, sour cream, cheese and vegetables. Spoon over chicken. Top with prepared stuffing. Bake 30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

I'll prepare everything this morning before we go. If we're back in time to cook this, which I'm sure we will be, I'll finish it up when we get home. If not, there are lots of leftovers and we can have this for tomorrow's supper.

I'd love to get the rest of the strips cut today, but I'm not sure if I will or not. But, there's always tomorrow, right? :)

Have a fantastic day!