Things I like Sept 28

Greetings!

Hello to all!  Hope you are enjoying fall. We have cooler temps in the mornings which is a treat, but still in top 90's in afternoon.

Here's a list of my likes for this week:

1. A Walk in the Park. Sunday I drove 10 miles so we could walk in a green park.  I know many of you from different parts of the planet have parks with grass and trees but in my area we have brown desert and rocks. UGH. I like trees.

Isn't this a beautiful spot? Brother and I walked about mile and a half which was so nice.

2.  Butternut Squash soup. I'm not a lover of vegetables or soup really, but I have been wanting to try this cause it just sounded good.  So, I did. In the Crock Pot! I'm really pushing fall, cooler temps, etc so I like the smell of this cooking for a few hours in the kitchen.  Another reason I finally made this soup is cause Safeway sells (and had on sale) already cut up cubes of the squash.  I'm hesitant to try to cut the hard squash.

It was sooo good! And, pretty easy to make. The recipe is at gimmesomeoven.com.  I just used half and half, a gala apple and chicken broth  instead of what's in the recipe cause that's what I had. I cooked mine 3.5 hours

3.   My new cake pan cover. I had this fabric for awhile waiting for the time to try this project.

 I have a favorite 9 inch cake pan (that I've had at least 10 years and it's still like new) which is not circular-it has two handles on the edge so it's oval.  Several times I've needed a cover.  It's my favorite cake pan so I just traced the edge and added 3 inches for folding over, a hem, and elastic. Love it. As I was storing it in the kitchen I realized I also  needed a cover for my favorite glass mixing bowl.  I attached this cover to the bowl to determine dimensions and realized it fits the bowl also! SCORE and done. My brother has difficulty handling aluminum foil  as covers on dishes, so this will be much easier. AND IT'S SO CUTE!

4.  A finished White Goose Christmas table topper. 

I don't have very much gold or yellow in my stash but I placed these fabrics together and thought someone might like these.  I think I have enough of the print to make another table topper in white, so we'll see if I can squeeze in another one.  This is 14 inches square. Very cheery.

5. A piece of heaven:

Yes. This speaks for itself.
 Mini individual cheesecakes.
 No cooking, no dishes, no soy.
No crust, so gluten free (ish).
Thank you.

Well, that's a glimpse in my life this week. At least the good stuff.  I've had some health issues for weeks and saw the doctor on Monday who ordered blood work again, so hope we can find the cause. Never a dull moment.
Just keep moving.

Please join us at LeeAnna's post: Not Afraid of Color for more "likes".  it's so fun and interesting.
Have a great week.
mary

FINALLY!

Greetings!

Finally!  I get to go outside in the morning! It's still too hot in the afternoons but lovely cool breeze in the mornings.

So, of course, I went to a  Farmer's Market a mile from my home.  It was so nice to walk around and see all the lovelies. Everyone was so nice and in a good mood.  Unless you live here, you can't realize what a treat this was after hibernating for 5 months.  And the food choices were unbelievable- 2 women had a food truck making heavenly crepes,plus  homemade enchilada trucks, specialty locally grown olive oil.  And, my favorite- gluten free/soy free breads and sweets.  The only disappointment were the prices!!! $5.50 for a mini loaf of bread.  Yes I paid that and it is really good but what an extravagance.  That was my big day yesterday!

I hope everyone is enjoying the season changes this weekend.
Thanks so much for dropping by!
mary

Things I like Sept 21

Greetings!

I hope everyone is safe, healthy and happy! It's hard to be upbeat after all these hurricanes and earthquakes!  But, in the spirit of our little "likes" group, I want to encourage ya'll to look for the good if at all possible. Here are my "likes" for this week:

1. Free flu shots at Cigna! Yes, I like free.  I take care of 2 people with special needs, so I get my shot each year to ward off that nastiness and not pass it on to them.

2. Watching my daughter having fun with Indoor Skydiving. Yep. It's a thing.

The glass was pretty beat up but you can see her smiling. We drove about 65 miles to Eloy, Az in the desert and there were quite a few regular skydivers but thankfully, she will not be doing that.  This was her second time indoor skydiving cause she liked the feeling! Not for me.  I went along to accompany my grandson who was out of his mind happy watching his mom and dad flying.  It was fun.

3.  Adding more fall colors to the front landscape in case the weather cools off this weekend.  I am so excited but will believe it when I see it.

Thank goodness for the dollar store- they had some pretty fall flowers and a bucket. The rest of the plants are real-2 lavenders, 2 Vincas. And, some yard art.  I would do more real plants, but the sun is moving already away from this area, so I have to watch which plants can thrive in the shade.  Soon, I will move the plants either to the back yard or along the driveway so I don't lose them all together.

4. Looking at the design wall.!

These are 6 inch blocks from another Recipe Book via Miss Rosie's Co for Moda. There are 408   pieces already!  I just used scrap layer cakes to get a fall vibe. I needed a small runner for the back of the sofa where my brother "resides watching tv all day" when he's home. I usually have a big quilt there over the sofa, but wanted something different.  Hopefully, I can finish this runner this weekend.

Thanks for stopping by and please join us at LeeAnna's blog:Not Afraid of Color for more "likes".

Things I like Sept 14

Greetings!

Wow-where did this week go?  I have been so busy but yet constantly watching the Irma storm batter so many lands.  Unbelievable.  But, so far, it seems many lives were spared which is remarkable and wonderful. But, of course the nursing home tragedy breaks my heart and I pray the people in the Caribbean get more help very soon.   We still have many prayers for all  survivors of our nation's dramatic events!

Here is a list of my likes for this week:

1. Pumpkin bread! I couldn't wait even tho today is going to be 105 degrees and I did turn the oven on! It's gluten free so I can gorge have some.

I love to have these type of breads with my coffee and electronics first thing in the morning!

2.  A pumpkin pillow for my daughter. I went to her home for dinner Sunday and she had all her fall decos out (with quilts and runners I made).  She said she had 2 placemats she wanted to give away but wondered if I could  make a pillow cover out of them and I said I could try.

I just love how it turned out! The placemats were made of a weird stretchy linen but I think it will last.  I just made a pumpkin from scraps, added a small border then appliqued it to the placemat.  I then split the other placemat in half and added a 4 inch rust border so I could make an envelope closing for the back, sewed the 2 pieces together and done.

3. Quilts for Houston. I finished 3 quilts for Houston and my daughter shipped them for me to save me money! Win for all.

The first 2 photos are the Lady Bug Quilt:

The top is layer cakes and the back is all lady bugs. It's a good sized throw-about 60 inches square.

The second is "Snow Fun" strips throw.

It was a panel that I cut up into strips, attached them together and added 2 borders.

The third was a scrap quilt I randomly pieced together called "Topsy Turvy":

I love making random scrap strip blocks. They are so easy and quick.  Plus, I barely made a dent in my scraps! This one was a little small so I added a pink/white checkered border which took longer to make than the top. I also added a light gray border to that.
I know people are struggling in Houston so I wanted to get these done and shipped quickly.  I may have 2 other tops half done which could be sent later. I have way too many WIPS right now and still need to make flannel pj's for winter! Not to mention Christmas gift quilts which are half done.

Please join us at Lee Anna's likes post for Thursdays:Not Afraid of Color.  Even tho she is in the process of moving which is not fun, she has kept her blog going!  Yay!


Thanks so much for stopping by.  I love to hear from ya'll.
Have a safe and happy day
mary

I'm done with Summer

REALLY???

NEVER FORGET

Things I Like Sep 7

Greetings!

Wow-We 're barely through Hurricane Harvey now here comes Irma.  I feel so bad for people living with these threats then dealing with the aftermath. My thoughts and prayers for everyone in these hurricane prone areas!

But, I have had some fun this past week, so here is a list of my "likes":

1. French Toast in a cup. Yes, that's what it says. I've been experimenting with this so here's a shot of the ingredients:

Vanilla creamer, cinnamon, egg, piece of bread. Grease cup first (I used Pam spray).  I cut up the bread in small pieces (no crust). In the cup-mix well the egg, 2 Tablespoons creamer and cinnamon. I didn't use the sugar but you could.  Drop in the bread chunks and mix well. Microwave 1.5 minutes. When done, add a little syrup.
Microwaves vary . Mine is 1100 watts.  So quick, easy and tasty.

I almost forgot to photo the result! Yummy.

2. Free gardening classes at my local Nursery.  My favorite nursery is Summerwinds. If they are in your state, I recommend checking them out.  The service is so helpful! My daughter and I went to one of their free fall planting classes and I actually took notes for a one hour class! Very informative on accurate soil, fertilizers etc for organic planting special to our area.

Aren't these beautiful? No, they are not mine. I wish.  Here in Az, the fall is our best gardening time of the year.  I cannot wait to get started again.

3. Starting to decorate our home for fall.  I have placed all new quilts around but only have the decos out as I need to dust first. UGH. I do not like to dust but I must because of our allergies, so that will be the project this week. Aren't the pumpkins cute?

Thar's my log cabin quilt on the wall.
Here is a metal pumpkin I purchased 2 years ago for the front yard:

It has weathered well.  I just need to wipe it off and find a spot outside. I use florist wire and tie it down underneath to a metal stand so we don't lose it in a storm.

4.  I LIKE GOOGLE.  For the third time in 9 years of ownership, a window "broke" (fell in the track) of my Ford Escape and I tried to tape it up till I can get to a dealership for repair of the motor inside that runs the window.  The tape does not work so I googled a solution.  Some quilters will recognize the "Gripper" used on rulers to cut fabric!  I purchased this one

at the bath department of Home Depot. It's a suction cup handle with release buttons. Exactly like my "Gripper"!   This has kept the window from moving for days so far.  I am so happy.

5. Dinosaur Bones at Home Depot.  You can't make this stuff up, people. This just semed so funny to me. I guess they were a Halloween display.

 Only for rich folks.

6. Finishing one project this week.  I have so many WIPS right now it's crazy. Here is my B&G table topper for Christmas:

It is 14 x 14 and the blocks are from the Moda Recipe book. The colors are more vibrant than what this photo shows. But it's cute and so so easy.

Well, I hope you enjoyed these looks and likes of my life and had a good week yourselves!  Please join us at Not Afraid of Color for more "likes".

Have a great day! Stay Safe!
mary

Happy American Workers Day!

Greetings!

I cannot believe it's Labor Day already!  But, I am so happy because that means in another month we will start to cool off!

 Since retiring, holidays are enjoyed more for what they are than just an extra day off from work. Many people may not know the reason this holiday came about. It came about after battles for worker's rights in this country. This day  honors the American workers movement.


I have a list of things to accomplish today after a fun weekend with my grandson and then a bbq last night at his home. Grocery shopping, then get out the fall decorations!  Yay!

For my  sewist friends: Craftsy has a great Aurifil thread sale which I believe ends tonite.  I took advantage of that already.  Craftsy also has a few of their classes free today for you to watch. just go to craftsy.com


I hope everyone has a safe and sweet day!
mary