Things I like Thursdays Dec 27

Greetings

Hope everyone who celebrates had a nice Christmas. Happy Holidays to everyone.  Of course, I have Christmas gifts to share for my likes this week, so bear with me. No sewing this last week -maybe next week.

Here is my list of likes for this week:

1. The Flawless Hair Remover.   As many women of a certain age (translate to OLD) have unwanted facial hair, this is a great gift.

It really works and is pretty, isn't it? My daughter gave me one, purchased one for herself and disappointed her husband because he got her one for Christmas!  We're keeping the company going.  LOL


2. I PAD!  My son and family  gave me one for  Christmas. What a treat.  I was very surprised.

It is so very cool. I spent most of the next day setting it up and figuring out how it works! I would try something then do chores or cook . Then I would go back and try something else!

3. Christmas candy.  Actually, Christmas chocolates.  no--just chocolates

I've been careful to not indulge as much as usual due to the weird blood sugar issues earlier in the year.  These are my favorite.  One a day. So far so good.

4. Home baked cookies.

These are not them.  They were supposed to be meringue cookies! I made two trays which were ok and I forgot to take photos. Then I burned a whole batch because I was doing too many things at once. What a mess and stood for 2 hours making them.  This is why I don't bake anymore. oh well.  Thank God my daughter bakes a lot.


5. Christmas Go Fish game.  My grandson just learned how to play Go Fish so I made a Christmas set and we played last week.

I just cut up card stock and wrote Merry Christmas on all of them then printed Christmas symbols and glued them on the other side- made it in one afternoon.

Yes-he beat me.

Since he can only use one arm, the card holder Dad got him has made all the difference in his enjoyment of playing games.



And then, there is this:

I just think this is fun.



Hope everyone is healthy and happy.  Please join us at Lee Anna's post:Not Afraid of Color
for more fun "likes".

Have a great day.
mary🔔

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE


Thank you for sharing your life with us.

Things i like Thursdays Dec 20

Greetings!

Ok, now we're getting serious about the to-do list for Christmas. Plus, life is interrupting my plans- doctor appointments, cleaning, real meals (not snacks) laundry and child care (translation-fun with Thomas). Decorations are done, new Christmas quilt is done and being used by me(Yay). Presents all wrapped and under the tree. The only thing I haven't done and probably won't have time for is any baking.  I went to Cost Plus instead. Hee hee. I like baking but don't like the clean up.

In the meantime, here's a short list of my likes for this week:

1. Cost Plus store.  As mentioned above , I picked up a few eats and other things there.  It's such a festive, inexpensive environment!  I got fruit cake from Germany because my brother and I like it and haven't had it for years. I also got some Danish butter cookies (not Gluten Free but I'll be careful). The stocking stuffers for kids or adults are expansive. It's fun to see the different items from around the world and ,of course, the holiday treats.

2.  Red bowl from Cost Plus:

I fell in love with the red dishes there and splurged on a soup bow l(about 6 inches wide).  I do not need any dishes but soup bowls were in short supply.  Now, I need to go back and get another one.  I have no idea why I bought only one.  Oh-they were 50% off too-- this was $2.50. Sturdy, micro and dishwasher safe, and cute.  I'm cute!  I'm cute! (Rudolph reference,)

3. Slipper socks.  At least, that's what we call them. Socks with non-skid bottom

If I'm not standing for a period of time, I wear these around the house to keep my feet warm.  My daughter got these for me last Christmas. Of course, I also find out how clean the floor tile is.  Just sayin.

4.  My tea options:

This is not all of them. Sometimes, I just want something hot and caffeine free. I couldn't figure out why 2 days in a row I was sleepy at noon- guess I won't use the "calming" or "stress relief" ones during the day. The "sleep" one is pretty obvious.  Ha ha


5.  Camper Gingerbread house from Joanne's.

This is for my DIL. They go camping (with a beautiful big 5th wheel). So, I thought she might have fun putting this together.  She is a very successful IT person at a bank and works many hours so I hope this gives her some fun down time.


Last, but certainly not least, I like Lee Anna from Not Afraid of Color.  With comedic genius, she has provided a vehicle for us to focus on positive thoughts to carry us through the week.  Her blog is just so much fun with a crazy amount of subjects! I usually read it twice to make sure I haven't missed anything.  I set aside time just to enjoy her "likes" day.

Please join us for more fun at Lee Anna's site: Not Afraid of Color and hope you are enjoying the holidays.

mary🎄
BREATHE.......

I like Thursdays Dec 13

Greetings!

I feel like I'm on hyper speed to get things done! Life is invading on my sewing time but I have managed to get a few projects done.  So, here's my "likes" list for this week:

1. Pillowcases for Thomas to match the lap quilt I made earlier:

The navy blue is matched with the monster trucks and of course the purple/orange are the Phoenix Suns colors.  I didn't put the usual extra flange  trim to the print border as I was in a hurry. I used Moda Grunge for the solids.
I use the MSQC tutorial for my pillowcases- so easy and maybe 30 minutes to make.

2." Welcome Winter" is almost done:

This one is for me since I used a blue/white Christmas theme in the living room. It's sandwiched and hope to have it tied soon. The snowmen make me smile.

3. Christmas crafts at my daughter's house.  I don't know how, but my daughter (with her busy schedule) makes sure there is time for at least one day of Christmas Crafts with my grandson:

 We made these Saturday night.  The Grinch jars contain green M&M's and the Santa jars contain red M&M's. We cut out the face parts from colored felt sheets  and glued them to the jar. The Santa hats were from Walmart, I think.
The hats  are stuffed a little with paper then glued to the lids. Thomas was able to separate the candy by color and help attach the felt so it worked out pretty well. The jars are just too cute. Thomas loves the Grinch ones, of course.

Well, I hope you are enjoying this week. Gotta get chores done then hopefully work on my quilt!
Please join us at Lee Anna's site:Not Afraid of Color for more fun.

mary🎄

I like Thursdays Dec 6

Greetings!
Welcome to December.  EEEK! I can't believe it.  Anyway, we are moving along towards the holidays so here are my likes for this week:

1. MARS-the tv show.  I found it by mistake and love it:

Evidently, the program started last year but I'm now watching this season. As you can see, it's a documentary and fiction series.  The documentary shows what is currently  happening on earth regarding discoveries of our own planet while scientists and astronauts are also planning the trip to Mars. The science fiction aspect is pretty cool depicting  private and government colonies building and living on Mars.

2  Adult kids who takeover family gatherings.  Can I just say a big thank you?  I entertained our family for over 20 years and gave up Thanksgiving family meals about 5 years ago.  I kept the small Christmas family gift lunch the weekend before Christmas so my son and daughter could meet other in law obligations and there own Christmas family time at Christmas Day.. But, this year I turned that over to them as well.  I am blessed that both my kids are good cooks and hosts. My house is too small  for 10 people and I'm exhausted just thinking about it.

3. Extra quilts on hand for emergency gifts:

This was my Lulu  quilt made  earlier in the year. Last week,  I sent it to my daughter's best friend who lost her 33 year old special -needs son who passed away last week.  We are all devastated for her loss.
My daughter called me and asked if I had a quilt to wrap her in love.  Isn't that sweet?


4. The FLAG hanging quilt. 

I made this for my son who was a Marine for 13 years and his two sons who are in the Army.  It is a panel so it was pretty quick to quilt.  I made holders in the back corners to hold a half inch dowel for hanging.

5. Crock pot baked potatoes

Just wash and prick potatoes, rub with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and wrap in foil. Cook on high 4 1/2  hours.
I just threw them in there with no meal in mind and keep them refrigerated either for breakfast or dinner during the week.  SOOO easy.  Just don't forget about them-just sayin.

That's all for now, still have errands to run before taking care of my grandson.  Hope you are all enjoying your day!  Please join us for more" likes" at Lee Anna's site:Not Afraid of Color.

Enjoy!
mary

Things I like Thursday Nov 29

Greetings!

Where did this last week go to??  I got a small amount of sewing done, but spent a lot of time cleaning. Here is my list of likes for this week:

1. A clean slate.   Each year on Thanksgiving weekend,  I clean the living room top to bottom before I set out Christmas decorations.  Each year it takes more out of me physically!  But, I like feeling like I got it done. So I did that Friday.  I put a few small touches of Christmas  out and crashed to watch movies with cocoa and cookies.

2. My new blue and white themed Christmas tree.  Saturday,  I spent the day putting up a new taller Christmas  tree with a  blue and white theme:

I normally don't spend that much time on the tree but I have always wanted a blue and white tree with no other color or mementos on the tree. It was a prelit 5 ft tree with 150 lights but I added another 100 lights.  What a difference.  I saw the owner of Balsam Trees on "Home and Family" who talked about ways to decorate the tree and he mentioned having 100 lights for each 1 foot section. This photo doesn't do it justice but you get the idea.  (It was a little difficult not to put mementos from the kids and grand kids, photo ornaments, etc. But, I can do that next year).

3. My daughter's Grinch tree topper.:

She took a green tennis ball and made it into The Grinch for my grandson. Hysterical.
(And, pretty smart.)


4. Lap quilt Christmas gift for Thomas.

I've got one gift done!  It's a whole cloth lap quilt at 41 by 45 inches  with monster trucks on one side and Phoenix Suns on the other.  I purchased 2 yds each but cut off 11 inches each to make pillowcases for his bed later.  The monster truck fabric was by  Elizabeth's Studio and the Suns fabric by Camelot was from Joann's . Both purchased online.  I pre -washed them twice with color catchers and they both turned out perfect with very bright colors.

5. Thanksgiving with my daughter's family:

It was nice and they put on quite a spread as usual.

6. Gluten Free dressing from Sprouts:

Excuse me, Stuffing. LOL It's very good.  I made half a batch with apples and took it with me to Thanksgiving dinner.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving (in U.S.) and a great week. Please join us at Lee Anna's post for more great "likes":Not Afraid of Color

Stay safe.😍
mary

Things I like Thursday Nov 22

Greetings!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the U.S!

My pillow from last year- it just makes me smile.
" Gobble till you wobble". 

Here are my "likes" for this week:


1.  Blooming Lavender plants in November.

This is what happens when you forget to water for over a week. Interesting but very pretty.  I have 3 pots like this that are 2 years old.

2. My new Oster 10 cup food processor

I have been looking at all sorts of food processors for months. The one I had was small and very old-it was a hand- me- down from my youngest brother at least 10 years ago and I hardly ever used it. I didn't want to spend much money on one cause I was afraid I wouldn't  use it enough to justify the purchase, but my thumbs hurt so much lately when doing food prep.  Plus, where would I store (conveniently) in my very small kitchen?  This was $44 at Target and a great purchase.  It can also  knead dough if I ever need to do that.  All the pieces store inside the cup. (thank you)

 I sliced 5 peeled potatoes in less than a minute!!! It actually scared me it was so fast and loud!

When I was done, I set it on a pretty, small table in the corner of the dining room and hopefully will make a pretty cover for it after the first of the year. My kitchen will no longer be acceptable for HGTV.  Ha ha

3.  Hallmark's new movie "Christmas Everlasting" on Nov 24th. (Check your local listing)  This is from Marie Bostwick's novel The Second Sister. I'll record it for when I'm totally wiped out, need a rest and have hot chocolate. What a gift. I record all their new movies.

I did sew, but the projects are not quite done, so I'll share next week after I take photos. Obviously, this is a crazy week plus I'm fighting allergies again. Ugh.


Please join us at Lee Anna's sight for more "likes": Not Afraid of Color.
Have a blessed day.
mary

Things I like Thursday Nov 15

Greetings!

Our prayers go out to the many residents of California who are living with those terrible fires. I can't even imagine what is happening there. I am in awe of the firefighters and volunteers who are giving themselves to help others. Very scary stuff but loving human beings.


In keeping with positive jibes for the week, please join us at Lee Anna's sight: Not Afraid of Color for more "likes" .

Here are just a few of mine;

1. Kyrsten Sinema, the first female senator for Az.  I may not agree with all her policies, but I am pleased she won the long awaited female Democrat seat for the senate. It took a week for all the votes to be counted. I think they were delivered by Pony Express.

2.My  Moon and Back finished book.

This was such an easy and fun project. It only took a couple of hours to complete.

Too cute. It's for my great granddaughter, Kynslee who will be 1 in January.

3. Funny Christmas Trees at the At Home store.

I especially liked the dress form ones. My daughter thought they were outrageous.

4. My Grinch shirt.

I finally went for a little Christmas shopping at Kohl's, saw this shirt and had to have it for the next day as we took Thomas to see the new Grinch movie.

The movie was great but the 25 MINUTES of trailers beforehand were loud, violent and inappropriate for small children. We almost walked out because they were so bad. Thomas screamed a few times but didn't want to leave.  Theater management should think about that before adding those trailers to the Grinch movie. A 3 year old behind us was screaming, also.

5.  Organizing my quilt patterns. I didn't count them but they fill (4) 2 inch binders. I get so many online for free. Unfortunately, I had several duplicates.  Haha- guess I really like them. I have many tutorials saved on my PC but it's so much easier to follow on paper when I'm actually cutting or sewing the blocks.

6. Cooler weather:

I cannot believe I get to wear a sweater!
 It's the little things.

Thanks for letting me share a small glimpse into my world. I  pray you all have a safe and fun week.
mary☺

Things I like Thursday Nov 8

Greetings!

I hope everyone has had a great week.  mine was busy as usual with life events so I only have a few" likes" to post but please join us at Lee Anna's sight for much more:Not Afraid of Color.

1.  2018 RSC COLOR QUILT TOP:

This is a 3/4 year's worth of making blocks and I'm glad to have it off the design wall.  It's an unusual layout and a great use of color as well as scraps. But, I'm not sure if I'll make another.  I haven't started sewing Christmas gifts yet, so I'll have to wait till after the first of the year to find a backing and finish it.

2. End of the midterm election.  I'm pleased the Democrats changed the House of Representatives but wish the Senate had been changed as well.  We have been bombarded with election mail and television commercials and will not miss that at all. SMH

3. Answers to prayers. Of course, that's a no- brainer, but we did receive some good news yesterday on my brother's health which I had fervently prayed for, so I am really grateful.  Sometimes, we take things for granted.

4. Homemade chicken soup in 10 minutes. I used canned chicken (chopped) , chicken broth, lemon pepper seasoning, a little s and p ,  frozen mirepoix and sliced sweet peppers (chopped), 1/2 c macaroni and several dashes of the faux soy (amino acids) and poof= chicken soup in 10 minutes.  It was so easy and good. It's nice to have comfort food with our cooler weather.

Have a wonderful week!
mary

Nov 6 Election Day

Greetings!


If you have not done so already, please vote in U.S.

Things I like Nov 1

Greetings!

Hello everyone. This has been such a difficult week for our country but I must tell you my "likes" or I'll just be an upset lady everyday. We need to focus on the good in our lives and do what we can to provide good vibes to others..  Please join us at Lee Anna's post Not Afraid of Color for more positive vibes.

Here we go:

1. Journalists and reporters who forge on to report the news of the day.  This cannot be easy when they and their families are being threatened.  If not for them we would not be aware of all that is happening. Granted, it has not been all happy news but we can't live in darkness, either.

2. The amount of love expressed from the survivors, families and friends of the victims of those shootings and bomb threats. I am in awe of their faith and love.

3. The right and responsibility to vote here in the U.S. (Sometimes we need a reminder).

4. My newest "squirrel"  I found a group (16) of QAYG blocks in a drawer that were leftover from a quilt I made my son years ago. It's the only QAYG I've made as I did not like making a quilt that way. I had cut the blocks to the wrong measurement and then just stashed  them away. I took them out and put them on the design wall:

Some of the blocks needed batting attached so I completed them. I knew I could use them all as a center of a quilt and just add borders.  Don't call the quilt police, but that's exactly what I did -without batting.

This made the quilt much lighter which is great for our warm climate.  I just sewed a gray backing to the top -right sides together- and stitched it together. No binding. I turned right sides out and top stitched the edge and quilted righted down the center blocks in a "T". Done and done. I don't think I spent but 3 hours on the whole thing. My grandson will be thrilled as it is on his bed here in my home. And, I cleaned out some stash.

5. "Moon and Back" blocks for a Christmas gift.  I found the panel at my local quilt shop.

 I'm making a book for my great granddaughter who is 10 months old. I've not made a book before but it looks easy. This is my first handmade Christmas present for the season! I'm way behind. That darn cooking and cleaning keeps getting in the way.

6. Donating quilts to the Disaster Relief Team for those affected by Hurricane Florence.  I finally mailed 3 quilts off  after adding labels and washing them.  That felt really good.

As you can see, most of my "likes" this week involved sewing- what a great stress reliever. And, we're providing joy to others.

Best wishes to everyone and stay safe.
mary

Things i like Thursdays Oct 25

Greetings!

I apologize for not posting last week, but I've been sick for 2 weeks with intestinal issues. I  know, TMI. I'm finally feeling better so I have some "likes" to share with you:

1.  A good chiropractor. I have had the same chiro for about 20 years.  The bad part is he does not take medicare insurance.  So, unless I get really bad, I can't afford to see him.  I have tried others over the years who didn't even come close to his knowledge and care.  So, I finally bit the bullet and have seen him 3 times in a week because my back was really messed up.  I cannot tell you how much better I am now that my bones are where they should be!

2. Dairy Free products.  I was already gluten and soy free with my food choices and then had to go dairy free for 3 weeks.  At first, I was so sick, I didn't care- I mostly had a liquid diet for 3 days.  I've used lactose free milk for many years so that helped.  Then I wanted to eat food. I was surprised how many choices there are for dairy free food!

Granted, you are going to pay a lot more, but at least you have choices. The Almond Milk yogurt is even better tasting then regular yogurt, in my opinion.  Since I'm also watching sugar and carbs, I only eat half a container. The cheese slices are palatable.  The mac and cheese was very good.
I have been obsessed with food choices for weeks now.  Hopefully, things will calm down and I can get back to quilting.

3. Specialty yoga on You Tube.  My daughter practices yoga every morning for about 45 minutes and ,trust me, with a special needs teenager she has a very busy morning. But, yoga has transformed her health.  I have dabbled in yoga over the last few years but have been trying more the last few weeks to relieve tension and pain. I got lazy over the summer due to breathing problems but my balance and strength suffered because I wasn't stretching out enough with yoga.  The one site we both like and has a reputable history is
Do Yoga With Me on You Tube.
There are several instructors and many different classes geared to particular issues of the body. I highly recommend this yoga sight.

4. Crock Pot Beef Stew.  Of course, since I started feeling well and doctor advised to get back on to  real food, I craved a comfort meal.  I purchased some beef stew meat and was surprised to see a pretty easy recipe right on the package. The meat said it was "blade tenderized".  I've not seen this before but it works:

This is a photo taken before I added the sauce from the pot.  I dredged the meat but didn't have to brown it. Yay- one less step. I just put vegetables on the bottom of the crock pot, added spices and 1 cup water plus 1 cup beef broth, then the meat on top. Cooked on high 4 hours. Done and good.


5.  AAA auto road service and repair.  I'm a single woman who does not like to ask the men (son and son in law) in my family to bail me out with vehicle trouble plus, neither one are technicians).  I joined AAA about 3 years ago ($100 a year!).  I've used the road service I think 3 times for various issues and have been thrilled with their service.  Last week, when I left the chiropractor at 1 in the afternoon, my passenger window made a loud noise and fell to the bottom of the door.  Scared the crap out of me-I thought I'd been shot at. (We have bad road rage here). This is not the first time with power windows trouble with my Ford! I've lost the power mechanism for the windows in all 4 of them, now.
I digress. I was only 2 miles from the nearest AAA repair shop so I turned around and dropped my vehicle off.  I couldn't believe they had it fixed by the next morning. I was lost without my vehicle even for a few hours and had to change my schedule but they had it fixed in less than 24 hours.  I have not had such good results with the dealerships and other repair shops here. Those places  didn't even look at my vehicle the first day.   I am so relieved to have it done and can now tool around in my vehicle. I recommend AAA very highly.  It's the little things, people.

Well, after all this food, I'm hungry.  I hope everyone is having a good day.  Please join us at Lee Anna's post Not Afraid of Color to see everyone's positives for this week!
Thanks for stopping by.
mary

Updated at the last minute:  I am very upset about the bombs  mailed to all those people and organizations  on Wednesday as I'm sure many of you are. These were assassination attempts on 2 presidents, an attack on our free press, attacks on public servants!  What is wrong with people?  I hope they catch the deranged person(s) responsible soon .  I fear for our country if this is our new normal in this divisive, hateful  climate of politics and so- called "governing".  I pray we will be able to change things with the midterm elections.

When it rains it pours

Hi everyone. I've been sick so no posts this week. I'll be back next week.
thanks. mary

I Like Thursdays Oct 11

Greetings!

 This will be a short post as I will be gone all week. Here are just a few of my likes this past week:

1. The Durells in Corfu on PBS:

 Thanks to Lee Anna for suggesting this series since I am already watching other PBS series so much.  This family is quirky and fun.

2.  Creating fabric. 

This is my favorite type of all sewing/quilting.  I just take scraps and start sewing them together to "make fabric'.  In this case, I had saved fabric with an autumn color in one scrap bucket (first photo).  It was overflowing-evidently I like to make autumn quilts, table tops and place mats. My scraps are all rectangles or squares and at least an inch wide.  I just press the scraps, lay them out in piles next to the sewing machine and start sewing them together. I press after joining every piece with an iron on a tv tray next to me. This keeps everything flat and straight. I make blocks at least 10 inch square.  I'll make as many as I can and either store them as squares or use them with other scrap squares for a quilt at a later time.

Unless I'm finishing a different project,  I just leave these scraps out next to the machine for a week or 2 so I can sit any free time I have and throw a block together. I really enjoy that little sew time as it is very creative.

3. Homemade crock pot applesauce.

I just peeled and chopped 6 Gala apples into the crock pot. Added 1/2 c water, 1T lemon juice, 1T cinnamon and a little salt. I cooked it on high for 2 hours and mashed it with a potato masher.  To serve, I added a splash of maple syrup.  Really good and  there's no added sugar while cooking.

Obviously, I had more likes for this week (especially our cooler weather) but I'm in a rush to post this for ya'll's enjoyment.
Have a great week.
mary

Things I like Thursdays Oct 4

Greetings!

Hi all. We're finally drying off after Hurricane Rosa gave us almost 3 inches of rain here in the desert.    That much rain has no where to go with our rock soil so streets were flooding. Our annual rain is 9 inches.  Hopefully by this weekend, we will be back to normal. Other than that, here's a list of my "likes" for this week:

1. "Abbey Charms" quilt almost done.  It just needs a binding.  I hope to join it with others for the Florence relief project. It measures 49 x 48 and is made from the MSQC Charms on Point pattern with 2 charm packs of Lady Sybil Downton Abbey fabric by Andover.  I love this pattern but it finishes into a small quilt:

The backing is a lily pond piece I got at Joann"s many years ago:

I added a 5 inch border to the front from a large piece of beautiful extra wide fabric I had on stash from years ago but I don't know what's wrong with it. It stretched all out of shape. I've never had that happen with cotton before. There was no name on the selvage. weird.

2. My new issue of Quiltfolk.

This one is all about the state of Michigan and all the lovely talented people making quilts there.

3. My 3 new Diabetes books:

I'm borderline diabetic and want to control my blood sugar readings with diet and exercise.  I got a little carried away on my trip to Barnes and Noble. I'm a big Betty Crocker fan so I was really pleased to find that book even  I have other cookbooks from there as well as emails everyday from Betty Crocker on ideas for cooking.

Well- people, gotta run. Hope you are enjoying fall. Please join us at Lee Anna's weekly "likes" post:Not Afraid of Color.

Thanks for stopping by!
mary