Baby Quilt Finish

A few weeks ago I shared the beginnings of a baby quilt....well, between ripping up carpet and repainting the living room, I've managed to get this cute little number hand quilted and the binding sewn on.  While I am pleased with the outcome, I do need to work on the evenness of my quilting stitches. 

Practice makes perfect so now on to the next one....this one is all sandwiched together and ready to quilt.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie Cake

I found this recipe on pinterest some time back and I've made it a couple of times now.  This time I changed it up a bit...just in the frosting part...I've included the pinterest link below the recipe.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE CAKE

1 box chocolate cake mix

1 box fudge brownie mix (9"x13" size mix)

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups water

1 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare a bundt pan by spraying with a non-stick cooking spray...I like *Baker's Joy.

Combine all ingredients in mixer bowl and mix well to combine thoroughly.  

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 50-55 minutes.

Allow to cool for a bit before turning out of pan.

Melt 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate plus 4 tablespoons whipping cream, stir to smooth consistency.

Pour over cake.  As you can see, I topped with a handful of chopped pecans.

Enjoy!

*** https://www.pinterest.com/pin/177258935311431014/

Taco Soup.....

I know.  Who eats soup in the middle of a Missouri summer? 

I do.

 The older I get the more  my taste buds change.  Over the past several years I've come to like a number of foods.  Peas are still not a favorite and I probably will never like mixed vegetables or vegetable soup.  For years, I've heard people talk about taco soup and one day I decided to gather recipes.  The first time I made it I used the ground beef as the recipe called.  After making it a couple times and making a few changes to a combination of recipes, I think I have arrived at a recipe that I can kinda claim as my own......

TACO SOUP

2 boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded/chopped

2 cans black beans (do not drain)

1 can corn, drained

1 large onion, chopped

1 can ro-tel tomatoes with green chilies 

1 pkg taco seasoning mix

1 pkg ranch dressing mix

1-1/2 cups broth from the chicken

Combine all ingredients in the crock pot....you see that I have mine lined with a *Reynolds Slow Cooker liner. (These can be found at Wal-Mart with the wax paper, saran, etc...)

Let cook on low 4-6 hours.....or all day....

Precook your chicken as you prepare supper, just remember to reserve a bit of your chicken broth.....chop your onion.....toss it all in the crock pot the next morning....let it cook all day and supper is ready when you get home!

A few things on the side.....shredded cheese, sour cream!

ENJOY!

Something New.....

Remember these?  The fat quarter bundle that I just couldn't resist buying while waiting for interfacing to be cut.  And as it turned out, once I got started with a plan, I had to go back and buy another bundle to have enough...

I pressed them all out and cut them into 3 1/2" strips and sewed them together....

Then cut those sections into 3 1/2" strips......

Sewed them into strips to form blocks....

......then stitching blocks together and adding more strips as I went to make the finished size top that I decided I wanted to go with.....

So here we have the quilt sandwich ready to be quilted.

  I don't know whether I will hand quilt it, machine quilt it myself or send it out to be machine quilted by someone with alot more experience than me!

I will post more photo's once it's complete.  

An Unfinished Project.....

I recently went through an old dresser that was taking up space in the garage. It held an assortment of things.....from old papers to apparently, unfinished counted cross-stitch projects. This is from *Homestead Classics Cross Stitch Collectibles*....the November 1989 issue! I stitched one for my mother-in-law then decided I wanted one for myself.  As you can see I got a great start on it...actually closer to being finished than just beginning... then for whatever reason it got set aside, packed away, moved and misplaced. I was so glad to find it once again.  I have had some unexpected time off from work this week so I've gotten caught up on some alterations work so I won't feel guilty that if today I stitch away and continue with my 'Downton Abbey' marathon.....at least for a little while.

Enjoy your day!

Death by Chocolate Zucchini Bread

So this is one of those recipes that popped up in my facebook newsfeed .  I really like zucchini and I love chocolate so I thought I'd try this for a little something different.  Just a couple of things I did differently was to use *Splenda for baking rather than real sugar and rather than brushing the pan with butter and cocoa, I sprayed it with *Baker's Joy.  The recipe and web-site are shared below! 

ENJOY!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c. melted butter, plus more for brushing pan

1/2 c. cocoa powder, plus more for dusting pan

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1 c. sugar

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. grated zucchini (from 1 large or 2-3 small)

2/3 c. chocolate chips

Flaky sea salt, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and dust a loaf pan with cocoa powder.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.

In another large bowl, stir together sugar and egg and egg yolk until smooth, 1 minute. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Add zucchini, then add flour mixture in 3 additions. Fold in chocolate chips.

Transfer batter to prepared dish and bake 50 minutes.

Let cool slightly in pan, then transfer to a cooling rack. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and serve.

http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a48378/death-by-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipe/

Let's Get Scrappy.....

I recently participated in a mini-quilt swap through www.scrappygirlsclub.com . 

This is the awesome mini that I received from Claudia B. LOVE it! So many techniques! For the trees, she used a confetti technique that I had not seen before....SO cool! Little snippets of fabric placed beneath a piece of tulle then  stitched and quilted into place. I will have to try this sometime.

I do not consider myself a quilter but I do enjoy sewing smaller quilted projects.

When I do a project as such, I usually turn to the traditional piecing method.

Below is the finished piece that I sent to Claudia.....along with a few other little goodies!  It is called 'Hidden Star' done in Americana prints. I could really see this being done in a whole quilt!  Love the prints and the block pattern.

I hope that she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

These are the black & white fat quarters (fq's) that Claudia sent to me, as well.  I can't wait to work them into a mini-quilt of some sort....hmm....table runner, placemat....or simply a mini-quilt to hang on my sewing room wall.

And I spotted this little bundle of fq's while waiting for the girl to cut interfacing for me at Wal-Mart.  Too cute.....I couldn't resist!  

After participating in that little swap I've been inspired!  Of course, I will share as I go along or as they are finished!

'Sew'......that's what I wanted to share with you today......

Enjoy your day, my friends.........

A Work in Progress.....

Since moving to this house, I've wanted to make this area at the front a flower bed.  So finally, after 10+ years, last summer I finally got started on it. 

My son hauled in some more dirt.....

An old concrete bench was set into place....This bench came from my Grandma and Grandpa Summer's place in Salisbury.  I don't know if there is a story to it or not....I just remember it always being there. Their place sold many years ago after their passing but knowing the family that lives there now, they let me have it. I will forever be grateful!

 I also set in an old wringer washer and old wash tub that were used by my mother and grandmother.  The section of picket fence is from my high school home economics teacher and then I added the old water pump that I brought with me from our old place.

The plant to the left of the bench is a hydrangea that I bought last year but didn't get planted.  It sat out back in the container that I purchased it in.......all winter! I was SO pleased (and surprised) to see that it survived!

And you can see it is doing well....full of flowers!
I've added a few more plants....pussy willow, russian sage,  coneflower, spirea and jewel of desert ice plants and a butterfly bush.  I also painted the water pump....hoping that it shows up better as red than black.

 I have a ways to go....lots more to go in the ground and in the old washer and wash tub.  Lay out more landscape canvas, mulch and edging also need to be added.  I'll share more as I get things set  and as things fill out.  As I've been writing this post, I've come to realize that this is becoming more of a memory garden then just a flower garden.  I hope it comes out as nice and pretty as I see it pictured in my mind! 

What better way to.....

.....to say I'm back to the blogging world than with pics of this sweet girl! 

We recently celebrated her 5th....yes, that's right.....her 5th birthday!  Where has the time gone?! 

For months, when asked what she wanted for her birthday, she would say with excitement "I hope I get a sewing machine!!" So....what is a sewing momo to do than to get her a sewing machine. 

Yes, it's a toy machine but it tickled her to pieces.....

And seeing her "sew" excited about it tickled me to pieces!