As Promised....

Well, as promised yesterday, here are the photo's of the quilted hearts I've made so far. Keep in mind that I'm still learning, ok? :P

Here is the one I did in class

Obviously, it's a little lopsided. I didn't get the ribbon on quite right. :)

And here is the one I made up yesterday

I much prefer the colour combination in this one and I'm really happy with the contrast of the stitching over the first one. I did mess up the hand sewing along the side a bit, but other than that, I'm very pleased with the results of this one. I just need a bit of ribbon and it will be all done.

I'm planning on making up a bunch of these for throw in Christmas gifts. I'm going to fill them with potpourri, I think. I like the idea of having little things like that that I can add to gifts, or have on hand for a last minute Oh my goodness I forgot someone! gifts. :)

Right now, I have a new banana muffin recipe in the oven. I'm not sure how it will turn out, it was very thick. If nothing else, it should have a fantastic banana flavouring. If it works, I'll share the recipe tomorrow. If not, I'll try a different one and let you know how it turns out.

The Season Is Almost Over. Where Did The Summer Go?

It's just about time for the boy's last baseball game of the season. I cannot believe how fast the summer went. He plays tonight then the tournament is on Saturday.

He does love playing ball. He's been playing since he was 3. He's never really been all that good, but lets face it, he's not going to the major leagues, this is just kids playing ball. :) Last year, though, his coach gave him the opportunity to try pitching. Well, holy crow, who knew my son had such a great arm on him! His first time on the mound he pitched three up three down. He doesn't do that good every time, but he's a good sight better than anyone else on his team.

This year though, they're more playing just for fun than to win. Which works well for us. We're not overly competitive people, and we were sure to raise our kids the same way. Make no mistake, they do like to win, but if they don't it's not the end of the world.

Two weeks ago I went to my first quilting class. We made a really cute quilted heart decoration. I'll post photo's tomorrow. We were able to get the templates for the heart pieces, so guess what I did today? I made another one! It took a bit of figuring to remember how all the pieces fit together, but once I did, it went together perfectly! I'm so excited, really. :) I really want to be able to make some nice quilted items for Christmas presents, so the better I get the better chance I have of that happening. But then, I'm a bit pigheaded, so chances are I'll get it figured out.

Tomorrow, I'll post photo's of both hearts and links to two new patterns I found today for possible Christmas patterns.

Summertime Fun

Last night we had the biggest rainstorm of the season. It was fantastic!! It rained so hard we could barely see the end of our yard. Water was literally gushing out of our eavestrough. Rivers were running down our road. It was incredible!!

So, when the rain started to ease off a bit, the kids went outside. I only wish I'd been able to get pictures of all this to show you, but the rain was still fairly heavy so there was no way I was taking my camera out. Besides, it was too dark.

They were outside for an hour. Running and playing, screaming and cheering. My son was literally rolling in puddles. Yes, rolling. There was a huge puddle at the end of our yard, and there was the boy, in his pj's, rolling in the water and mud. They used a bucket to catch water and threw it on each other, they even turned the hose on, although why they needed the extra water, I'll never know!

They hunted toads and leopard frogs in the puddles. They danced and they sang, and they the time of their lives.

My kids are very far apart in age. The girl is 16 and the boy is 10. Seeing them playing together, hearing them have fun with each other was the most enjoyable thing I've witnessed in a very long time. I was happier than they were, I think!

After at least an hour of playing in the rain, I got them a couple of towels and they came back in, fun time over, but the memories of the fun they had will last a lifetime for them.

Do you remember what it was like to be so carefree? To be able to throw off all your inhibitions and roll in  puddle or dance in the rain? What a freeing experience that must be. I think I just might join them next time.

Today's Update:

The patchwork quilt I mentioned yesterday is coming along very nicely. I'm almost finished all the solid squares (except for the 30 solid white that I will have to finish when I get more white yarn).  The really fantastic thing is that my daughter has no idea it's actually for her. She thinks I'm making it for myself.

I was showing her the quilting patterns I found yesterday and she really liked the butterfly wall quilt, so guess who's getting one of those this year? :)

Tonight's supper will be a one pan sausage bake. It's so simple and the kids just love it.

Sausage (I use 4, but you can use more or less  depending on how many you have to feed) sliced
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 carrots peeled and sliced
1 onion chopped

Put everything in a casserole dish and bake for approximately 1 hour at 350.

It's delicious and so very simple to make.

Tonight the boy has a baseball game, so it's a bit rushed which makes this dinner absolutely perfect. I can throw it together this morning and there is no rush at all.

Have a fantastic day!

Creative Critters

Oh my gosh what a cute shop! I found Creative Critters on Artfire.com and I love everything there!

Look at this sweet little teddy bear

And this amazingly well crafted Pixie Tree!

See what I mean? So cute! Be sure to stop by Creative Critters Artfire studio. You're sure to fall in love too. :)

August 10, 2010

This year is going to be a handmade Christmas. Not only are we short on money, but it's also a great way to show people that we're thinking of them, long before Christmas.

So far, I'm crocheting an afghan for both of my children, my mom and my MIL. For my daughter, I'm crocheting a quilt-look afghan in white, hot pink, lime green, and purple, some of her favourite colours. For my mom, I'm crocheting a lacy afghan in either sage green or burgundy to match her new living room. For my MIL, I'm not sure yet, but it will have a cottagy look, since that is where they live. :)

I also have a really gorgeous pattern I purchased for white lace scarves that my mom will love. There are three in the set. I'm not sure if I'll be doing all three or just one. 

I'm also going to be trying my hand at some quilting. I have the pieces for a really cute hanging heart that I will make up for everyone, including my son's teacher. I'm also going to be trying my hand at this really cute Sunbonnet Sue Kitchen Decoration. It's a beginner pattern which is just perfect for me! LOL!

Someone will be getting this cute little Bagdelena Bear bag catcher (most likely my mom, but I haven't decided yet)

This Holiday Runner (last one of the three on this page), and this Butterfly Wallhanging will be gracing someone's home as well.

I'm still looking for patterns that might work for loved ones. I do have a lot of work ahead of me though! LOL!

Today's dinner will be homemade spaghetti and meatballs. It's a great recipe I found in a Family Favourites cookbook I purchased last Christmas. It's a fantastic cookbook with great downhome style recipes.

Sauce:

3/4 cup onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3tbsp olivve oil
1 lb canned tomatoes, drained
2 6oz cans tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
1 1-2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp crushed oregano
1 bay leaf

Cook onion and garlic in oil until tender. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf , add meatballs and continue cooking for 30 minutes over low heat.

Meatballs:

4 slices slightly dry bread
1 lb ground chuck
2 eggs
1/2 cup romano cheese, grated
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp crushed oregano
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 tsp corn oil

Soak bread in water for 2-3 minutes and squeeze  moisture out. Combine bread with remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into small balls and brown slowly in oil. Add to sauce.

It's delicious and really quite easy to make. You should try it! I serve it with garlic bread and a nice side salad. Enjoy!