Good and Sad

Good news.  I saw a red and blue star quilt hanging at Quilter's Corner here in Sacramento.  If you are there, go to the 1800 reproduction fabric section to check it out.  I won't be back there until the 28th and I hope to remember my camera to take a picture.  I found a background fabric that is similar to the one used (some one's stash, and therefore unavailable to me or you) that is a cream with red flowers and a blue dot.  That will bring in the reds and the blues.  I didn't like the instructions and have some better ways (okay, according to me) to make the star points behave.  The pattern calls for 3 1/2 yards of fabric and I bought the entire bolt of 4 yards and 3 inches.  You always have to count on mistakes.....

Sad news is that I will be at a funeral this afternoon.  A friend's father died and I will be sitting at Our Lady of Assumption at 1pm.

With the rain came restless children, but I am happy to report that the students weren't too restless to be borne

Pop Up Books

I had planned to make this day count.  While I didn't do exactly what I had planned, I did do something for someone else.  I moved and picked up a bit in my messy dining room and then I made a pop up book about the life of Muhammad and the rise of Islam.  Our 7th graders are studying the impact of Islam in world history.  All the other classes made books that were the usual thing.  The teacher I work with thought a pop up book would be fun.  Three hours later......okay, my book is done.  The cover title is Muhammad in Arabic.  I made the 16 words the kids have pop up.  I think there is not enough time and I am concerned that the ability to use scissors and tape won't be enough.  I began by using a glue stick and it didn't work at all.  White glue is really messy.  Maybe it is me who doesn't like a mess.  I used double sided tape.  Kind of expensive to get that much double sided tape. 

I did some more work on my farm stand quilt, looked up stuff on the Internet and made my husband breakfast.  He is a big breakfast fan.  I wanted to start a quilt with 12 embroidered pieces in my Thimbleberries book.  I had a fabric to use, but I really liked the background for this years kits.  It is a very pale yellow with a cream dot.  I am thinking I won't be able to get that fabric until April or later.  Darn.

Have a great week.  I am having coffee at Maribel's tomorrow, lunch at Mimi's on Thursday, stopping in at Fabric Garden after lunch and meeting friends for some serious stitching time.  Saturday I will be meeting other guild members to work on future Christmas gifts at St. Mark's Lutheran Church.  I know I will sneak in a trip or two to JoAnn's taking the darling daughter to and from work.

Quilt, quilt, quilt!!!!!

Such a wonderful day

I had a great day with a group of friends.  I go and laugh, talk and have such a wonderful time.  I made a crock pot Beef Bourguignon for the family.  It was so delicious that I have to share the recipe with you.

Beef Bourguignon

6 strips of bacon
3 pounds rump roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef broth
2 cups red wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon whole thyme
1 bay leaf
1 cup pearl onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms

Saute' bacon in large skillet until crisp.  Set aside and crumble when cooled.  Add beef cubes to the skillet and brown. Remove and transfer to crock pot with bacon.  Brown carrots and sliced onions.  Season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to crock pot. Stir in flour and broth, mixing well.  Add in tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, onions and mushrooms.  Transfer all to crock pot with thyme and pour wine over all.  Cover and cook on low for 10-12 hours or high for 5-6 hours.

Serve with white rice or noodles.

This was loved by EVERYONE in my family!  So unusual.  99% of the time, I have one child tell me that he doesn't like this or that.  He likes to tell me that he already ate; he is full.  Then I have the one who says "I am limiting my carbs.  Do you really need garlic bread with the noodles?" Yes!  I need the garlic bread.  What else is there in life??????

So, I spent the entire day at Shirley's house and had a fabulous time of course.  Later I went for my free cup of coffee from Starbucks.  I bought this great cup for $19.00 that gets me a grande coffee for free every day in the month of January.  I am loving this so much. 

Finished one more square for the farmstand quilt.  Finished the snowman embroidery and will be making the pillow part tomorrow.  Spent the day with Sandy and helped her get her top done for Thimbleberries.  Talked to my friend Tricia who spent Saturday learning how to make toffee and peanut brittle.  She is going to share with me.  What a friend!!!!!  Allowed the lovely daughter to bring home In&Out Burger for dinner.
A good day.

If you have a good crock pot recipe that you would like to share with me, here I am!  Send it along.
Have a wonderful day tomorrow.......

My new obsession

I am a bad girl.  I have a new obsession.  A fabric obsession!  There is a pattern made with the Cocheco Mills Collection by Judie Rothermel.  It isn't something complicated.  Just an 8-pointed star.  I saw it made up and that is what got me--a cream background with alternating red and blue stars.  Here is the bad part.  I want to buy a piece of fabric for it.  I have so much fabric that I have no business buying even more until I use some of what I have.  What to do, what to do????

So many quilts.....

I spent the weekend working hard on what should have been so simple.  If you read the post just before this one, I made a comment about making up one of the Thimbleberries quilts in time to bring to my Thimbleberries meeting on Wednesday, Jan 11th.  The idea stuck in my head and I started the project--as if I didn't have enough projects started.....  I don't know exactly where I went wrong or if the instructions are not good, but my middle piece did not fit with my borders.  I had to rip and cut down and rip out some more.  It has been a nightmare all weekend.  I did this quilt in red and pink.  I was thinking that if my pregnant friend finds out she is having a girl, then it would be a darling quilt to give her.  If it is a boy, then I have something almost finished.  Never hurts to have the "future grandchildren" quilt tops around.  I had to stop at the heart border and give thought.  Since I don't have the kit, I have to come up with appropriate fabric.  I want to look for a good last border fabric that would go well with the colors I have already chosen.

Yesterday I took my in-laws and the aunt and uncle to the airport.  Off to Las Vegas for four days.  It was pretty deserted there at 9am in the morning on a Sunday.  Pretty easy to drop off.  I haven't yet had to pick anyone up, so it could be the nightmare I have heard about.  The airport here was recently remodeled.  Small hick town with an international airport....hmmmm.   On the way to the airport my father-in-law suggested I stop at our favorite Denny's for breakfast.  He was sure our favorite waitress (and friend) Katherine would be lonely with them away.  It was such an excellent suggestion.  I had my usual--biscuits and gravy with an egg and hash browns and coffee.  Got to have that coffee.  At one point I was sitting in my booth and reading while another woman was also doing the same.  Katherine said they should run a library.  The guy in the next booth was reading off his I-phone.  Not many libraries serve food....

Good Morning

Back at work and missing my sewing machine.

I spent yesterday with my scrapbooks.  Tonight I am going to either begin my Garden quilt or make a Thimbleberries quilt before next Wednesday.  I am so competitive.  I declined to purchase the kits because you had to take all four or none.  I have the book and am considering making  the one easy one I did want, only in reds and pinks.  Wouldn't it be great if I could get it totally done and quilted by the 11th???  The Garden quilt is looking better and better by the minute.

Do we always get what we wish for?  I was just wishing that I knew someone who was having a baby.  I have a cute yellow blanket and I wanted to give it away.   Brand new of course.  Then today, my friend said she was pregnant.  I was so happy for her.  I adore her.  I am bringing the yellow blanket as a surprise on Thursday.  I was a tiny bit concerned since she was pregnant last year and she miscarried, but no problems since she is 5 months along.   Such happy news.

The First Day of 2012

I wrote a post about something that happened to me today.  As I was spell checking, the connection to the Internet was lost.  I tried again.  I got lost again.  I am giving up and leaving the story in my drafts to try tomorrow.  Nothing will  have changed and we shall see if there is some strange thing with the Internet going on.

I brought out my scrapbooks and am making a serious effort to catch up.  I was almost caught up, but then I let it slide.  Now I am literally six years behind.  Gosh my kids looked darn cute six years ago......still are cute.  I am planning on giving at least one day a month to get myself up to date and then keeping up.  Now that the children are not children anymore, I take less pictures.  That should help quite a bit.  Wish me luck.

This months quote:
      Taking joy in life is a woman's best cosmetic.
                          --Rosalind Russell

Goals for 2012:
      work on applique--it is new to me and I want to be able to do a decent job
      walk more
      keep up my date book
      be a good friend
      to catch up and keep up with my scrapbooks
      to organize more (me, my house, but not others)

Be safe and happy this year.