Leftovers?!?!?!

 Had the best weekend...our daughter & her family, our son & a friend all came for Saturday night supper.  I grilled some steaks, had corn on the cob, green beans, baked potatoes, salad, home made rolls AND sopapilla cheesecake for dessert.  We had so much fun, visiting, laughing, playing with the grandkids and just enjoying everyone.
 BUT....what do you  serve for lunch the next day to the two big guys that spent the night.  Here is what I had left:  two steaks, four cobs of corn, one baked potatoe.....hmmmmm??? what to do:  well here is what I came up with and they all seemed to like it a lot.
   I cut up the steak into to small pieces, heated it in a pot with a can of beef broth & of course some Uncle Chris' seasoning...after the broth cooked down a bit, I added two cans of ranch style beans....instant chunky chili & beans (barely enough to feed three men)
   Next:  dice the potatoe into small pcs., removed corn from the cob.  In bowl I mixed  an egg,  about 1/4 cup milk, UC seasoning (from now on, Uncle Chris' Gourmet steak seasoning shall be know as UC seasoning) and about a half cup of cottage cheese , using the immersion blender (couldn't have the son seeing chunks of cottage cheese...cause there is noooo way I could explain that into something he would eat)  next I mixed the liquid mixture with the veggies and a heaping cup of shredded cheddar and can of green chilies.   Placed this in a baking dish, sprinkled the top with bread crumbs and baked for about 40 minutes at 375-400 until golden brown.  Everyone LOVED it!!!  some had seconds!
  BY THE WAY,  I had leftover cottage cheese from making ranch dressing/dip using only blended cottage cheese, ranch dressing mix and water.  That was well received too, but I did NOT tell 'anyone' what it was made from,...they liked it and that is all that matters!!!

February is almost over....grrrrr!!!

  Well, here it is almost the end of February and I am still struggling to find my "word" for the year.  I have a friend that picks a "word" to live by each year.  Ya know things like, 'simplify','purge', 'experiment', or 'organize'.  Those are just a few.  Because I don't really make 'new years resolutions', I thought I would try the "word thang".  (yes I did just spell 'thing' with an "a"..because that's how I say it).  Anyway...I am still tossing around some words, but nothing has really felt right yet.....hope I figure it out soon, I mean really...two months of the year are almost gone already.
  I belong to the local art guild, which met this morning.  We had a guest speaker, Lane Bond.  He did a great lecture about photography.  It was very interesting,...I think I might have really learned some things.  
   I was ask by this art guild to chair a local quilt show, so during todays meeting I updated the art guild on my progress in regards to the quilt show.   I am very excited about it and I am so looking forward to seeing some of our locals enter their quilts.   I took some handmade awards to show some possibilities to use for our show.  One design was particularly appealing to most of the guild members, so I will be working on refining and tweeking that one into something that will work for our show.
   I will be going to the Dallas quilt show on March 9th.....so excited.  Several of the Midland Quilters Guild members (me included) will be flying to the show early that morning, then back to Midland that evening.  I hope I can see everything in one day....oh, and did I mention there will be venders.  Yep, venders, so that means I need to see all the quilts and visit the venders booths too....ALL IN ONE DAY....ARRRRGGGGG!  I am already stressing, but I will be with seasoned "one day trippers" so I am sure they will give me hints on how to see it all in one day. 
   I also have reservations for two others quilt shows this year.  This will be my first time to attend and enter a quilt in the Ogallala Quilters Society annual quilt show in Dimmitt, Tex. in April.  Also have reservations for a few days at the International Quilt Festival in Houston in November.  Have been to this one several times and I just love it.  To describe this one to my family, I tell them this is like the Super Bowl of the quilting word.....and just FYI, it is the 2nd largest event in terms of attendance held in Houston each year.  Thats BIG!   So many quilts, so many venders....I  get tingley just thinking about it. 
   Now to warn the neighborhood that Michel will be 'home alone' on those days.  He does like to do a lot a visiting while I'm away...haha! 
   I don't have any quilts to post this time but I do have some I am working on, so stay tuned and maybe I will have something to show you soon.  I haven't posted any recipes lately either...not because I haven't been cooking, but I seldom think to take pictures, until most of the food is gone...LOL.  I will try to do better. 
   Oh, one more thing...do you Pinterest?   If not it is very addicting.  If you do, you know it is very addicting.   I signed up for it several long months ago...and thought..."I don't get it".  Then decided to go back and see what all the hoopla was about.   Now I think it is 'the bomb'.  It is like hoarding, without really having the stuff in your house.  You can hoard online...LOL!!!  This is just my own little public service announcement...haha.  Until next time...HAPPY THREADS TO YOU!!!

2012

   Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas activities.  Our family had a great time and we did get to spend a little time with some extended family members.  So much food, fun & family.  We spent New Year's Eve down the street at some of our very best friends.  They hosted a party with more great food, fun & games.....:-(  I didn't win the dart tournament or the pinball tournament..but it was tons of fun.
   Yesterday someone make the comment:  "Whatever you do on the first day of the year, you will do all year"... soooo I made sure that I did some work on a quilt.  I also 'finally' finished a book I have been struggling to finish "forever" it seems like.  I  was anxious to start a new book I got several months ago, but forced myself to finish the one I was already reading first.  I started the new one as soon as I finished the other one.
  Then I did tons of laundry......now that is nothing new, so if I do laundry all this year, it will be just like every other year..haha....how DO two people have so much laundry?
  I don't necessarily make resolutions, but I do have several "goals" I am working on:
1.  Finish the Grandmothers Flower Garden that I have been hand piecing for a really long time.
2.  Find someone to hand quilt the Grandmothers Flower Garden when it is finished (I would like to have it finished in my lifetime)
3.  Finish more UFOs...there are so many, I hardly know where to start.  But I sold my longarm and I won't get my new one until February, so that should give me plenty of time to clean out, sort and decide what UFO I will work on first. (other than the GMG..which is mostly evening work while a watch TV or my travel project)
4.   Improve my freemotion quilting...I don't use pantos ever...just doesn't appeal to me.  I have however just started to do some ruler work and I think I am going to like that alot.
5.   Make more donation quilts.
6.   Be more active in my quilt guild.
7.   Learn new quilting skills or technics.  We are never to old to learn....I realized that when I took a class hosted by our guild and was pleasantly surprised to be in a class with "non other than the lady that started our guild".  She is one of the most accomplished quilters I know personally, having her work published in magazine & on calenders.  Oh and did I mention she is well into her 80's, but still learning new things all the time.  What an inspiration she is to me.
8.   I am a little OCD,  so one of my secret goals is to improve enough to make a "major show worthy quilt".......I think I can, I think I can!!!
9.   Stop procrastinating so much.....just get er done!!!  (think I will start Christmas shopping & sewing tomorrow..haha)
10.  ENJOY AND BE THANKFUL FOR MY MANY BLESSINGS EVERY DAY!!!

I hope you all are blessed during this year.  I wish you all many quilty accomplishments and fewer "unquiltings". (but on the flip side, I did receive the coolest seam ripper for Christmas that has a magnifying glass and a light...so those 'unquiltings' will be easier)  and as always...Happy threads to you!!!

Quilt Awards

I just realized that I never got around to posting pictures of the quilts that I entered in the Midland Quilters Guild Quilt Show this past October.

This quilt I named "WOW-Worries of War".  It is made with Civil War Reproduction fabrics.  It is 102X103 inches.  I am soooo proud to announce this one received 1st place in large pieced catagory and (drum roll please)  BEST OF SHOW!  Woooohooooo, "high five, fist bump, cartwheels"!!!!!

This was such a fun quilt.  My first 'round robin' quilt.  The name of this quilt is "Texas Whirlwind"  I made the center pinwheel section, then passed it my friend Charlotte who did the double saw tooth border, then she passed to my friend Teri who did the leaf applique border.  Back to me for quilting and binding.  This one is 48X48 inches and received the JUDGES CHOICE award. So excited to get that award and this is truly one of my favorite quilts.

This is a favorite of lots of people.  I changed several things up from the original pattern and customized the embroidery panels to 'fit me'.  The embroidery was a great 'take along' project for traveling, sitting in waiting rooms etc. I changed the words to say "Over Morgan Creek, through cotton fields, to Maisy's House we go."  I called this one "Maisy's House".  I also added the cotton field to the design and made little french knots for the cotton but it doesn't show well in the photo.  This quilt received a 3rd Place award which I am so proud of.  It is 52X58 inches.

Now this little quilt was made for the "theme challenge" catagory of the quilt show.  The theme was "West Texas: Sunsets, Wind & Black Gold".  This was lots of fun to create.  It received 2nd Place in the Theme Challenge.  I named this quilt "God Blessed Texas" and it is 34X21.

So now the wheels are turning already, thinking about what I will make next.





Oh, and while I am in 'quilt mode'....I belong to the West Texas Art Guild and at our last meeting I was ask to produce a 'quilt show' for the Art Guild.  The Art Guild will be the sponsor, but I will pretty much have to produce, coordinate and delegate everything.  I was both honored and terrified to be ask to do this.   I have entered lots of quilt shows, but I have never  been involved in putting one on.   Thank goodness my friend Charlotte has graciously volunteered to assist me with this adventure and she does have lots of experience with quilt shows.  THANK YOU, CHARLOTTE!  This show will be in May, so I think I have plenty of time to put this together...so wish me luck, folks...cause I am going to need it.   Until next time,....Happy threads to you! :-)



The year has flown by!!!

Wow, the old folks used to say that "the older you get, the faster time flys".  I didn't really "get it" back then.......but I do now!!!  Taking a vacation for more the a month in Sept. & Oct. didn't help with the feeling of time passing quickly.  By the time we got home, it was too late to decorate for Halloween, then Thanksgiving just came and went in a blink of the eye.  Now Christmas is upon us and I am "so not prepared".  I hate shopping in December (don't like the crowds).  I swear, next year I must try to have my shopping and decorating done earlier.  Now on the flip side, decorating so far this year has been easier, because I am able to store most of my things in the room where I display them.  Of course Michel might disagree with that as I think he said he carried 20something plastic tubs down from the attic, plus the 'big' tree and some little trees and wreaths.   I really have scaled down my decorating, but I do still have 17 or so trees.  The one in my studio is decorated with sewing & quilty things and the skirt is a vintage quilt top.....isn't it cute?  Now it is off to 'hopefully' finish up my decorating.  Then I can play in my studio.