Picking Dandelions

String Quilt Fun!

2011-02-25T11:00:00.000-06:00

Krista Robbins

New Quilts

2010-12-23T10:54:00.000-06:00

Happily back at my sewing machine after a long break. Finished a couple quilts that were hanging around as well as starting a new one. Have a look!

Happy Holidays!

Krista

My First Attempt at Scotch Meat Pies

2010-12-23T09:10:00.001-06:00

Thinking of my Dad and my Grandma & Grandpa Ritchie who always served these...... and too far away from Ackroyd's Bakery, thought I'd give these a try! Yummmm!

I used beef, not lamb, as listed on the Ackroyd's menu. I think I got the meat seasoning just right and the crust was good - but I rolled it a little to thick. The taste was great though! How exciting!

Homemade Stockings

2010-11-25T14:39:00.000-06:00

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Our Christmas Card Tree

2010-11-23T15:13:00.000-06:00

Well, compliments of an idea from Family Fun Christmas, we made a Christmas Card tree. Tho theirs used the tomato cage as is and wraping paper, we stepped ours up with some red spray paint and Christmas fabric. The cards currently hanging are ones I made to be sent out. On to more Christmas craft prep!

Have a great day! Enjoy!
Krista
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How cute is that?

2010-11-15T15:03:00.000-06:00

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IMG00178.jpg

2010-10-19T12:42:00.000-05:00

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Finally!

2010-10-19T11:52:00.000-05:00

Ok - I FINALLY grouted this table! It's drying now! Yipee!
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Finally!!!! Perfect Hashbrowns

2010-09-30T13:55:00.001-05:00

I have tried and tried to make hashbrowns with disastrous results. Finally I have figured it out! Yipee!
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Lately.....

2010-09-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

We took a trip down to the Health Museum over the weekend for Museum District Day. It was a fun time - but VERY BUSY!

Other than that - we've been busy on the house and with life. Things seem to be moving along nicely.

Here are some updates on my projects.

I finished Sam's scarf

another scarf in progress

a baby afghan almost done

a knit throw in progress

That's all for now. Time to get moving on the house!

Have a great day!
Krista

Cheddar Beer Bread

2010-09-27T17:09:00.001-05:00

Recipe to follow!
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Wow!

2010-09-10T15:17:00.000-05:00

Look what my mom made for my birthday! Its my Sammy Cat and won a blue and red ribbon!
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What I am Upto This Week

2010-09-09T12:12:00.000-05:00

Just checking in real quick.

We started school this week (homeschool) and that adjustment is always fun-not! It's going pretty good I think though I am seriously fighting the attitude of doing the minimum possible effort to get by.

Tom is learning the electric guitar and I've gone back to knitting. I'm making a scarf now that Sam has claimed for himself.

Now I had better get moving because I am also trying to get finished with packing and cleaning so we can get our house on the market.

Have a good day!
Krista.

I am getting busy trying to finish up our house so we can get it on the market.
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Fun with Knitting

2010-09-07T17:40:00.000-05:00

Back to knitting again. I seem to cycle from quilting to crochet to knitting to rug making. I'm having fun using up some leftover yarn. Here's one of 3 projects I've got going.

Have a nice day!
Krista
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Some more

2010-09-05T18:30:00.000-05:00

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Space Center

2010-09-05T17:29:00.001-05:00

Space Center Fun

2010-09-05T17:26:00.000-05:00

Lunch...yummm

2010-09-05T16:02:00.000-05:00

Rocket Park

2010-09-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

Rocket Park

2010-09-05T15:40:00.000-05:00

Rocket Park

2010-09-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

Johnson Space Center

2010-09-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

Tom Robbins
Dynamic Health Strategies
832-405-2608

IMG00048-20100905-1417.jpg

2010-09-05T14:17:00.001-05:00

Tom Robbins
Dynamic Health Strategies
832-405-2608

A Trip to Space Center Houston...Whoo Hoo

2010-09-05T13:55:00.001-05:00

Check back throughout the day to visit Space Center with us!

Tom Robbins
Dynamic Health Strategies
832-405-2608

The Finished Product

2010-08-29T10:21:00.000-05:00

All I can say is......WOW! And we have leftovers today!

Today is my DH's birthday!

Have a wonderful day!
Krista
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Birthday Weekend

2010-08-28T18:33:00.001-05:00

This is birthday weekend for us. Tom turns 45 tomorrow and on Monday I hit 43. Yikes! How'd we get so old?!

This morning we headed out to Best Buy and got Tom his RUSH Beyond The Lighted Stage. We hung out at Best Buy for a while day dreaming.

We then headed over to Kohl's to look for my gift-earrings. The prices were so good I ended up with 4 pair!

Next was HEB for our Birthday dinner. Tom is cooking ribs and we are also grilling hot dogs and having potato salad and bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers. These could double as dessert as they are so incredibly good...but no! We got the kids each a fancy gourmet cupcake (Sammy got chocolate with mini m-n-m's and sprinkles and Andrew is into red velvet right now.) Tom picked out a mini gourmet triple chocolate cake and I got my favorite, white chocolate raspberry.

We've been hanging out watching a movie since we got home thought it seems to take us hours lately as we end up stopping and talking and then starting it up again!

A good day so far and I cannot wait for our wonderful feast! I'll post pictures tomorrow of the finished items!

Happy birthday to us......and hope you have a great night!

Krista
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Fun @ La Centerra

2010-08-27T21:04:00.001-05:00

We decided to get out tonight as the weather is so nice. Its warm and not really humid and there is a slight breeze. We are hanging out in the center at the fountain.
Also...Andrew decided to go short with his hair. We are so happy...but we are glad we let him figure it out for himself.

Well, back to my guys! Have a nice night and a good day tomorrow!

Krista
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Best of the Beach

2010-08-23T08:36:00.000-05:00

We had a great day down in Galveston playing in the waves. Here was our day!

These are earlier pictures from the pool:

Have a great day!
Krista

A Day at the Beach - Galveston

2010-08-22T11:57:00.000-05:00

Yea! We are at the beach! Rented an umbrella and a couple of chairs, packed a lunch and some snacks, and had a nice drive down here to Galveston. Not too bad a drive...it's about an hour from our house.

Looking forward to having some great family fun! I brought my waterproof camera so I will post pictures tomorrow of.our fun!

Time to get in the ocean!

Have a great day!
Krista
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9 Years Old

2010-08-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

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Homemade Pizza for Lunch

2010-08-21T13:46:00.000-05:00

I love my bread machine. I got it for Christmas from my husband years ago and have gotten WAY more than our moneys worth out of it!

Today I made a garlic pizza crust. Add 6 oz. Water, 2 tbsp. Olive oil, 2 cups flour, 2 tbsp. Garlic powder, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and 2 tsp. of yeast and run your dough cycle. When it's done, roll out and put on your cookie sheet or pizza stone and roll crust. You can sprinkle some cornmeal on the pan first if you like. Let rise a bit, top with your favorite toppings and bake at 450 for approx 10 minutes. Today I topped with some left over spaghetti sauce with meat I had in the freezer.

Yum! It's time to eat!
Have a good day!

Krista

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Yikes!

2010-08-20T15:53:00.000-05:00

Trying to clean up the kids desktop. There have been SO many things downloaded I think it may take forever. We might be better off just reformatting the whole thing and starting over!

Other than that, things are good! About to hit the kitchen and make something yummy for dinner and some peanut butter oatmeal cookies for dessert!

Have a great day!

Krista
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Fw: My Honey

2010-08-19T19:36:00.001-05:00

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-----Original Message-----
From: "krista" <krista.robbins@live.com>
Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 00:31:19
To: <pickingdandelons.andysammy@blogspot.com>
Reply-To: krista.robbins@live.com
Subject: My Honey

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Yes I Am Still Alive and Kicking!

2010-08-19T13:59:00.001-05:00

Rough few months but things are good once again! Very good. Will post more and add pictures tomorrow!

:Have a great day!
Krista
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2010-08-19T13:55:00.001-05:00

Test post from my blackberry!

Who Are You?

2010-06-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

Who am I? Well - to some I'm Krista, to my mom and sister and aunts, I am Kris. To my Nana and Pappy - Krissy. My whole life I tried to be Christie or Kristy. Krista Kista to my Aunt Gaye. I used to be "Q" for quality. Honey, Baby, Sweetheart. Mommy, Mom.

And today? Today I'm a girl who had a really rough year and a half. Who holed up in my house, and in my mind, and with my family and got ~~lost~~ depressed.

And now..... I am moving on - getting motivated again! Or at least moving! Today was good in that regard. Got up and did some work this morning so I can get paid. Then I got the kids up and in swim clothes, got them fed and we went to the pool. The big pool we like to go to was closed today because of a pump so we went to the pool with the big slides again. Sammy likes them but Andrew is bored of them. It was nice, though, and Andrew and I played catch. Ran into an old friend I hadn't seen since the kids were really little. She was there with her boys. It was nice to see her and chat for a little bit. I really enjoyed it.

When we got home, I hit the treadmill and ran. It was good but my left foot is hurting again and I think I need to go back and get another shot of cortisone. Each step brings some pain so I'm going to try to take it easy and not go bear foot until I can get into the podiatrist.

The kids and I had lunch and watched "Old Dogs". It was a cute movie and I think they liked it. Though while we were all hanging on my bed watching the movie together, Andrew was reading his Science of Dr. Who book, Sammy was playing his DSI, and I was studying HTML.

Well, that's about it. I've got dinner all done and in the oven. Fajita tacos with homemade salsa and guacamole and homemade tortilla chips. Yum Yum Yum.

Until next time!
Krista

Rush Beyond the Lighted Stage

2010-06-11T09:03:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to Alamo Draft House and saw the new DVD that is coming out the end of the month called Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage.

Wow! What a great film. Knowing how private they have always been, it was really generous of them to allow us all a glimpse behind the scenes. We really enjoyed it. And Jack Black is funny as ever.

Check it out here!

Around and about

2010-06-11T07:56:00.000-05:00

Andrew being a brooding pre-teen.

Dinner @ Fishtales after a long, fun, hot day at the beach.

Sammy & Krista

Andrew & Tom

Galveston Island East Beach June 5, 2010

One of our neighborhood pools we just discovered.

Today.

2010-04-21T05:53:00.000-05:00

Ok... Enough thoughtful reflection for the week. I'm ready to come out of my hibernation and join the world again!

Actually, I've been working hard trying to pack up our house. I have been working in the office/craft room/junk collection room and hope to have it finished today and lots of stuff given away on freecycle. I will be so happy when I have completed this momentus task! I just want to get relocated and get on with life.

Ah well...... I have a few chores to take care of and then back to it.

Have a good one!
Krista

Up too early!

2010-04-20T11:04:00.002-05:00

A Thoughtful Week

2010-04-20T09:25:00.002-05:00

My thoughts today as I clean and pack.....

Me @ Buckingham Palace

Me with My Grandma & Grandpa Ritchie

Me @ the Alamo

Baby Blues Clues

Beginnings

At the Birmingham Botanical Gardens

the crew

Running and Dancing

2010-04-19T08:36:00.004-05:00

I ran today. Early. It's the first time in a long time it felt really good instead of more like a chore.

I'm listening to my I-Pod and cleaning and dancing this morning. Everything from Gettin Jiggy With It to Nickelback to 311 to Norah Jones to U2. I'm a bit emotional today but mostly feel good. So I'm about to get back to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmL5bunkLnM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEL_AHIy6e8&feature=related

I missed the 17th.... Emily Day, so I'll leave you with this......

Emily, Christmas 1995

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d9pg5ZcVS8

my dad

Making Progress

2010-04-18T13:51:00.000-05:00

We did some work around the house Friday and made some progress in the kids area. I've been working on my projects in progress and here's a little update.

Here's a little of my zig zaggy quilt. It's using 2 different charm packs from Moda whose colors coordinate and the brown circle fabric is Brother Sister Design from Hobby Lobby.

Here's another charm pack quilt using one Moda charm pack and the other 2 fabrics are Brother Sister Design from Hobby Lobby.

I've been piecing the back for my polka dot and pinwheel quilt and here is a preview of that.

That's about it for now. Made some Broccoli Cheese Soup and watching a movie with the hubby and hanging out on a gloomy and rainy Sunday.

Hope you have a good day!

Potholder Pass Round 2

2010-04-15T09:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my Potholder Pass partner for all her hard work on these cute potholders.

And, better late than never... these are the potholders I made and FINALLY finished. Getting them in the mail today.

Writing Assignments & Charm Packs

2010-04-14T09:08:00.001-05:00

I haven't been posting much.

We've been working on different types of writing and that's been a bit of a struggle!

Sammy wrote his first book report. Writing has always been difficult for him and was a big worry in promoting him to the next grade. In 3rd grade they write so much and they knew he would never be able to keep up. He is doing so much better now but it is still something I have to push him on. We are still working on forming letters and leaving spaces and random capital letters and punctuation. Anyway, it took us 4 rewrites but he did his first real book report. It's so exciting!

Andrew wrote a personal narrative. He kept procrastinating and finally wrote a paper on the "The Time I Had to Write a Personal Narrative." It's pretty funny.

This week we are writing "How-To" papers. Yesterday went through how to write it and went through a sample paper. Then the kids used an organizer to outline what they are going to write about. Sammy's writing about how to go through a black hole glitch in Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Andrew wanted to write a 50 page How to play Pokemon Heart of Gold but we finally simplified it to a one page paper and he chose How to Get a Glass of Water.

Anyway..... I've been playing with some charm packs. Here's a peak at 3 quilts I'm working on.

Pinwheels & Polka Dots

2010-04-12T12:21:00.000-05:00

Here's a new quilt I've been working on. An original design I'm calling Pinwheels and Polka Dots. I have the top done now and I'm pieceing the back with the polka dot fabrics. What do you think?

Today's My 14th Wedding Anniversary!

2010-04-06T14:11:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T19:24:00.008-05:00

I've been in a fog. Hiding in my house. I don't really know why. Everything has been fine at home. Actually, the last two weeks have been great with Tom and my kiddos. Just felt like it took everything I had to get through the day! I'm feeling much better now and think I am on my way up the circle. What I mean is - I think life kind of moves in a circular fashion. Sometimes you are on top and sometimes on the bottom and the amount of time on the bottom depends on the momentum you gain when you're on top. So I'm moving up the circle right now and planning to get some major momentum going!

So.... what's going on here....

I've been cooking up a storm but trying to watch my carbs so my diet has been modified radically. I've been grilling like crazy and that's been fun. Tom thinks I should open a restaurant. That I've become an incredible cook. That has been nice to hear! I've just decided that the only way to eat healthy is to learn to cook yummy healthy food.

For lunch today I made up this great recipe....

Chicken Fajita Stir Fry

1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 onion, sliced thin
3 large mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small summer squash, sliced
1 large jalapeno, sliced
1 chicken breast, grilled and diced
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup monterrey jack cheese, shredded
2 cups salsa
1 avocado
2 cups fresh spinach
2 corn tortillas
oil

Heat oil in deep pan over medium high heat to 375 degrees or deep fryer.  Cut 2 corn tortillas into strips. Cook in oil until crispy. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Peel and mash avocado.   Add 1 cup salsa to avocado and mix well to make guacamole.

Heat pan to medium heat. Add olive oil to pan and add all vegetables except avocado and spinach.   Saute until soft. Add chicken and continue to cook until chicken is heated through. Add spinach and cook until it just wilts. Drain liquid. Top with cheese and place in the oven under broiler. Cook until cheese is just melted.

Top with salsa, guacamole, and crispy corn tortilla strips.

On a Non-Healthy Note........

Dear Pioneer Woman,

I love you and maybe hate you just a little! This is why:

And yes.... we ate them on our mesquite grilled cheeseburgers..... We couldn't help it and now we are hooked! For better or worse... Til death do us part.......

Forget the Easter ham..... we had the bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos!

Seriously, I've been reading The Pioneer Woman Cooks and love it. What a beautiful and enjoyable book. If you haven't read it, you should. It is absolutely lovely. And yummy. I really haven't enjoyed a book like this in such a long time - especially a cookbook! I'm so glad she has shared her food and a glimpse into the life of her family.

These are my guys...... They are awesome!

Well..... I hope you have a wonderful Easter! Talk to you soon.

Krista

March Giveaway Winner

2010-03-23T05:57:00.000-05:00

Hello. Sorry I've been absent..... life happens.

However - using random.org to randomize my list and choose a random number.... the winner of the yard of cute owl fabric is ....... (drumroll).......

Robin - rsislandcrafts!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated and come back in April for next months giveaway!

Been Busy....

2010-03-19T11:03:00.001-05:00

I've been going through things, getting rid of things, packing things that are not being used, and cleaning. So - no fun sewing or crafts going on around here right now. I'm trying to get through every room of the house by the end of this month so we can get some repairs done and get painters in.

And, I'd better get back to it!

Here's the Fiesta Friday recipe for this week. Hope you enjoy! Click on the title for a printable pdf.

Deep Fried Jalapenos

12 large jalapeno peppers; sliced

2 cup flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
Salt
pepper

Mix salt, pepper, and flour in a deep bowl. Put buttermilk an a sealable, shakeable container. Drop jalapeno slices in flour and shake or stir around until coated with flour. Using a slotted spoon, transfer jalapeno slices to buttermilk, seal container and shake until coated. Remove from buttermilk using a slotted spoon and return to flour mixture. Stir around again until completely coated with flour. Use your slotted spoon to remove from flour and transfer to deep fryer basket. Cook in 350°F oil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel. Serve with ranch dressing.

Yield: 4 servings

If you want them milder, remove the seeds.

Emily Day......

2010-03-17T09:50:00.000-05:00

Some Fun New Fabric

2010-03-13T14:21:00.000-06:00

I'm so excited. I got some fun new fabric that I can't wait to use. Unfortunately, it won't be today as I have to get some housework caught up..... but maybe tomorrow!

First I got this really cute charm pack, Moda Love U. Here are a few of the fabrics. Ther are also some really cute dotty fabrics, among a few others.

I also got A Breath of Avignon. Here are the fabrics I love the most. I ordered some extra yards of these fabrics as well. We have nice wooden table and chairs in our kitchen and a couple of stools. I really want to do chair cushions, curtains, potholders, etc., using these fabrics.

Last night I made homemade tortilla chips - corn & flour, fresh salsa, and homemade queso using cheddar and monterrey jack and fresh pico. They were all so yummy! I'll post the recipes later in the week.

I forgot to take a picture after I mixed everything together! You mix this cheese mixture with the sauteed pico below!

I also finished this bath mat. It still needs blocking (wash, reshape and dry.) But I love it. It's made with recycled t-shirt strips from stained or outgrown t-shirts from my kiddos.

It's thick and comfy on your feet as well as absorbant.

Better run for now. See ya later.

Fiesta Friday

2010-03-12T06:00:00.002-06:00

These are some REALLY yummy recipes. They are very similar to the ones that used to be served at Chi Chi's. For a printable pdf, click on the recipe title.

TWICE BARBEQUED BURRITOS

1/3 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoon oil
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
s1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 dash onion powder
1 medium onion; sliced
1 lb. sirloin steak; 1/2 inch thick
1 medium pepper, bell, green
1 medium pepper, bell, red
1 package 10 inch tortillas
3 tablespoon Bullseye bbq sauce

Set aside 1/4 cup marinade. Marinate steak for several hours. Grill meat until done. Meanwhile, saute peppers and onion until soft. Add 1/4 cup marinade and cook until brown. Slice steak. Put steak and 1/2 the pepper mixture into tortillas and fold like burritos. Seal and rub with oil. Grill 1-2 minutes on each side. Put on plate and cover with bbq sauce. Top with remaining peppers.

SWEET CORN CAKE

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup masa harina
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup corn, frozen
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon cream, heavy

Blend butter, masa harina and water. Coarsley chop corn on low in food processer. Add to mixture. Add cornmeal. In another bowl mix remaining ingredients. Stir together all ingredients and put in an ungreased 8 x 8 baking pan. Cover with foil. Cook in a 13 x 9 inch pan with water 1/3 way up. Bake 50-60 minutes. Cool 10 minutes.

The Birds are Singing Outside

2010-03-10T10:31:00.000-06:00

After a few rainy, yucky days, the sun is NOT out but I hear some sweet little birdies singing away outside. My kids are still asleep and I really need to wake them but they were so tired when I went up at 8 I thought they needed a little more sleep. (Sammy was up at 5 am yesterday!) That's one great thing about homeschool!

Anyway, my house is quiet and the birds are singing. I'm working on packing things up and throwing things away. It will be so nice when I've finished and we are ready to paint our house. In the meantime, when I began packing up some of my yarn I discovered a number of UFO's (unfinished objects to those of you who don't know!) and within a couple of hours had them all finished up and listed on Etsy for sale. THAT felt great! I threw away any partially finished and partially started projects that were terrible and managed to fit all my yarn & current projects into one plastic tote box.

I then cut up all the t-shirts I plan to use for t-shirt quilts for the boys - and cut the other parts into strips for rugs. I then seperated my scrap fabric into 2 totes - one for scraps to quilt with and the other strips to make rugs with.

The scary thing is that that is the tip of the iceberg as far as my craft items are concerned. But, on the upside - at least I have tons of stuff to do!

Here are the projects I finished last night.

Baby Afghan

Toddler Scarf

Women's Chenille Scarf

Kid's Camouflage Scarf

Beret Style Hat

My next stop - Quilting UFO's.

This one needs to be quilted and bound.

I need to finish piecing this one.

I've got these Japanese Block to finish up into a quilt top.

I also have some potholders to finish sewing the binding on and two sports pillowcases to finish quilting.

Well - I'd better get moving! Have a great day!

Sunday ........................

2010-03-07T12:48:00.001-06:00

Ok.... sorry to be so late on my Fiesta Friday post! I made the tamales but didn't finish them until Saturday night. They were SO good! It's a very long process and I made them in 2 days, which I definately recommend doing. It's worth it, though, because not only did we have them for dinner and we have them for lunch today, but I have 30 tamales in my freezer, in packs of 10, for meals later on!

Want to make the for yourself? Here's the recipe!

I've been making some progress on some crochet. Here's what I've got going on right now.

Giveaway

2010-03-07T10:16:00.002-06:00

March Giveaway

A yard of this adorable owl cotton fabric

For one entry, leave a comment.

For a second entry, become a follower.

For a third entry, let people know about my giveaway on your blog

and in your comment, post the link back to your mention.

For a fourth entry, follow me on twitter, pickingdndlions and let me know in your comment!

Winner will be drawn on 3/21

Giveaway on the Blueberrymoon.blogspot.com

2010-03-07T10:01:00.000-06:00

http://theblueberrymoon.blogspot.com/2010/03/without-further-ado.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fblueberry+%28blueberrymoon%29

Good News and Fiesta Friday

2010-03-05T16:21:00.000-06:00

I got great news. My biopsy came back normal! Yipee! I guess I was pretty stressed. As soon as I found out I crashed and took a nap!

So... no time for tamales this afternoon. Check back tomorrow for my Fiesta Friday recipe.... homemade tamale. Yum!

Finished Rug.....

2010-03-04T08:12:00.000-06:00

I finished my first "toothbrush method" rug. Made from upcycled kids shirts.

Measures 22"

Not too much going on today. I'm feeling better - still a little sore. My doctor said to call her 3 days after so she could see if my results are in. I'll be glad when that is over and she tells me everything is

fine. :)

It's beautiful outside and we are going to go walking at the lake today and I'll let the kids play on the playground for a bit and I'll read.

I started sewing the strips for my quilt. Here's a sample....

Well, that's it for now. I'd better get busy. I'll be posting this month's giveaway this afternoon!

Not Feeling it today.......

2010-03-03T10:44:00.001-06:00

I'm sleepy today and not feeling very motivated. I worked out. I'm working on laundry. Cleaning the house. Got the kids up and they'll be getting their school work done by 1pm today. But all I want to do right now is lay down on the couch under my comfy quilt, in my pj's, and watch a movie and maybe take a nap. I have too much to get done, today, though, so I'm drinking some more coffee and hoping to get my butt moving!

Last night we had homemade pizza using some of our leftovers. Sorry - no pictures but here is a great bread machine recipe for garlic parmesan pizza crust. I made one pizza with ground beef and leftover fajita beef. That was the kids favorite. The other pizza I made half spinach alfredo and half cheese steak. For the cheese steak, use a thin coating of olive oil instead of sauce. Top with sauted peppers, onions, mushrooms, and ground beef or thin steak pieces, and top with shredded mozzerella or provolone.

I also got 6 inch squares cut to make a new quilt for my bed. We have a king size bed and my husband is a cover hog in his sleep so I want a quilt that is REALLY big. I measured it to hang past the box spring on 3 sides and I am using upcycled denim, dockers, and a lightweight courderoy that used to be our duvet cover until our dog (when she was a pup) chewed part of it up. Just a basic patchwork....

I'm making 22 rows of 18 squares. I thinnk it will be nice when it's all done.

That's it for now. Better get moving before I give in to a nap! Have a great day.

Prairie Moon Quilts Giveaway

2010-03-02T11:57:00.000-06:00

http://prairiemoonquilts.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/prairie-moons-and-stars/

Head on over to Prairie Moon Quilts to see her great new pattern and your chance to win it!

Catching Up!

2010-03-02T07:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been gone! I had my biopsy yesterday and leading up to that I was pretty stressed out.

This was the spot they saw. It looks like a cyst but up close and in color you can see it's not completely a cyst. They took quite a few pieces of it during the biopsy. The doctor said he would be VERY surprised if it was not benign. So that made me feel alot better. I'm pretty sore today and bruised but I'm so glad it's over with. Now to wait for the results - probably Thursday or Friday.

In the meantime, I was busy!

Blue Baby Afghan is done and I'll be listing on Etsy today.

Yellow Baby Afghan in progress.

Pink Baby Afghan in progress.

long skinny scarf completed and will be listed on Etsy today.

Watermelon Rug is complete and listing on Etsy today.

Blue Rag Rug completed and listing on Etsy today.

Quick Pound Cake Yum.

My house is picked up, laundry is going, school is all ready for the boys........ So now ..... it's time to quilt and sew. Yipee!!!!!

Good Trade Friday

2010-02-26T17:41:00.002-06:00

Don't forget to check out Good Trade Farm Friday on Life with Piggyletta!

Fiesta Friday and the Quilt Shop

2010-02-26T17:38:00.000-06:00

We went by the Quilt shop today. I had to get some green batiks to finish my watermelon rug. I also got 3 charm packs that I am so excited about! This is what I got!

For Fiesta Friday I made some yummy salsa. I'll post the recipe tomorrow. This one I made on my own and it's really good! I'm making fajitas, too, but I cheated. HEB has some really great already marinated fajita meat and I got that. I grilled it over mesquite coals and it is SO good. Mouthwatering.

I'm about to chop up some onion, red & green bell pepper, and a little chipotle pepper and saute it to go along with the meat and heat up some refried beans. I have to say, if I had to pick a last meal it would be a toss up between some really good fajitas or a t-bone steak.

And for dessert.... I picked up ice cream!

Chinese Food

2010-02-26T07:44:00.001-06:00

My PF Changs and Fried Rice turned out good. (See yesterday for the recipes). After making this - I would do alot of this ahead and heat up for dinner. I would deep fry the chicken, put on paper lunch bags to soak up the grease, and set aside for a while. I would also make the honey sauce ahead and I wouldn't use the sesame oil because it gave a slight aftertaste. It was still delicious - but would be better without it.

I didn't have regular flour - but whole wheat worked great.
I only had brown rice and that worked great, too.

It was REALLY good. Really, really good.

I made a strawberry and peach crisp for dessert. It was delicious! I just mixed frozen strawberries & peaches and defrosted them in the micro. Then mixed in 1/4 cup sugar and topped it with a mixture of 2 pcks. apple/cinnamon instant oatmeal, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup butter cut in until the topping is crumbly. It was really good.

Tom was pretty sleepy last night from moving boxes and stuff at work so we (I) watched tv in bed after dinner and I continued to work on my baby afghan. Getting there!

PF Changs

2010-02-25T13:01:00.000-06:00

We have been trying to REALLY trim down our grocery budget and it is getting to the end of the month. I am trying to be creative and use up everything we have and try not to go to the store except for milk, toilet paper..... emergencies! The pantry and fridge are getting bare! So, tonight, I'm going to try some Chinese cooking. I have everything I need (except I had to substitute whole wheat flour and I'm really hoping it works!) to make P.F. Chang's Crispy Honey Chicken and some fried rice.

I'll post some pictures this evening and let you know how it goes!

And the Winner Is.......

2010-02-25T07:15:00.000-06:00

First - Thanks, so much everyone who followed my site or left comments about your scraps!

And, the winner of the Moda American Primer Charm Pack is Kim # 22.

Be sure to check back on March 5th for my next Monthly Giveaway!

Progress, Not Perfection!

2010-02-24T07:36:00.000-06:00

Definately made some progress yesterday on the house. I still have so much to do.... but focusing on what I got done is getting me moving to make more progress today! The sun is out and looks to be a lovely day starting, so I'm in a good mood today!

Just about done with my Watermelon Rug but I need to find some more scraps of my batik greens to finish the final ring. What do you think of it?

I also started a baby afghan while we were watching Lost last night. Here it is so far.

I love this yarn. It is the Simply Soft acrylic and is SO nice and soft to crochet with.

We also had Art yesterday afternoon.

We were playing with Mixed Media Lines in the style of Joseph Stella.

Time to get moving! Talk to you later.

From Rock Candy to French Bread

2010-02-23T13:41:00.001-06:00

We are currently working on Matter in science. Today we are working with changing liquids to solids. Experiment one is Rock Candy. We found these fun experiments on Matter at How Stuff Works. http://home.howstuffworks.com/science-projects-for-kids-states-of-matter.htm/printable

This is Andrew's. He was very diligent in making sure his tablespoon of sugar dissolved before adding the next tablespoon. We will see if that makes any difference.

This one is Sammy's. He was more interested in dumping sugar in the water and tasting it than in making sure it dissolved!

This is day one - so we will mark our progress online each day to see what happens!

In other news...... I'm trying to get some housework done. I hate it. But only because I am behind. When I'm on top of everything, I really don't mind doing housework and laundry. I even enjoy it. But with the house a wreck, it is kind of a drag. I've been procrastinating this morning but I'm about to suck it up and get it done. Especially because I want to sew and I don't feel like I can when everything is a mess around me!

I did organize my fabric this weekend which REALLY makes me want to sew.... but I'm committed to using up my scraps right now until they are gone before I touch my nice organized fabric!

I went and got my mammogram a few weeks ago. My last one was in 2006. And, like my last one, they called me back in for a more detailed mammogram of my right side as well as an ultrasound. I went yesterday for that. Now they want me to come in and get a biopsy. The report said LOW RISK and my doctor told me not to worry about it. It is just one small spot, but it is not a cyst and they have no idea what it is. I don't know about you, but the whole thing really freaks me out a little. On a positive note, I had a physical and blood work about 2 months ago and all of my blood work came back completely normal, so that makes me feel better. But, until I get this done and get the results, it is definately stressing me out a bit! So say a prayer for me, please! I'll keep you posted!

Tonight I making good old spaghetti but I'm also making homemade french bread and some garlic and olive oil dip to go with it. This is a great bread machine recipe for french bread.

Lapbooking Rome

2010-02-23T07:56:00.000-06:00

We've been studying Rome. Thanks to http://dynamic2moms.webs.com/ for this great lapbook. We tied up our Rome study with this great lapbook.

Snickerdoodle Coffee Cake

2010-02-21T11:48:00.001-06:00

Thanks to a post this morning by Jodi at Pleasant Home

(http://www.pleasant-home.com/2010/02/snickerdoodle-cupcakes.html)

Here's the adapted recipe for coffee cake.

I just tossed my regular cupcake pan so I decided to use my springform pan. I also didn't have cream of tartar so I substituted baking powder for the cream of tartar. I increased the cooking time to 50-60 minutes - until my knife came out clean in the center of the coffee cake. The results were delicious!

Here is my Watermelon Rug in progress. I've almost finished it. It's amazing how cute really ugly fabric can be when you crochet it into a rug! I love this!

Giveaway at Alamode Fabrics

2010-02-21T09:59:00.001-06:00

Check out this great giveaway at alamode fabric

http://alamodefabric.blogspot.com/

Fiesta Friday and Friday Night Sew-In

2010-02-20T10:40:00.000-06:00

Friday Night Fiesta turned into La Festa Italiana this Friday with home made pizza and cinnamon rolls. You will find the recipes for the pizza dough and cinnamon rolls here.

The kids helped me make a supreme, a half cheese/half meat, and a spinach alfredo pizza.

Then I participated it the Friday Night Sew-In. I've been trying to use up my scraps. So, I made a rug and started on a second.

Don't forget to check out this weeks Good Trade Farm entry on Piggyletta!

A Fun Afternoon

2010-02-19T08:12:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we went for a walk by the lake again. It was SO nice out. We are going to try to get out there every other day. After our walk we went to the playground and the kids played for a while. Andrew is really into reading and is reading an old fantasy series of his dad's.

We had fun learning about Pointillism and George Seurat for Art.

I started a new crochet rug using all reclaimed fabrics.

I made a fantastic tilapia yesterday. It was so good. Here's the recipe!

The Doodles of My Mind Givewaway

2010-02-19T06:01:00.000-06:00

http://browndogprims.blogspot.com/2010/02/today.html

Check out Jacque's giveaway!

100th Entry Giveaway at Millie's Mats

2010-02-19T06:00:00.000-06:00

http://milliesmats.blogspot.com/2010/02/100th-post-giveaway.html

Go on over to Millie's Mats and check out her great blog.

Science

2010-02-18T15:10:00.001-06:00

Today we worked on a fun science experiment. We took a sauce of skim milk and a saucer of 1% buttermilk. We placed a drop of different colored ink at each of the compass points to see what the reaction would be.

First was the buttermilk. The ink spread out but did not mix with the other colors.

Next was the skim milk. The ink immediately ran across the saucer.

Next we dipped in a stick with a drop of soap on it.

With the skim milk the ink all moved to the edge of the saucer and then began to appear in the center.

With the buttermilk, we added multiple drops. Everywhere the soap went, the ink disappeared.

I am not sure exactly what we learned from this except that ink had different reactions based on the fat content and ink & soap don't mix!

Thursday........

2010-02-18T07:46:00.000-06:00

Good morning! I'm up early this morning and the kiddos are still asleep. Thought I'd get prepared for the day for once!

I finished my rug! I love it! It measures 17 1/2 x 24 and is 100% cotton recycle fabric. It was fun to make but my hands and wrists are a little tired so I'm going to take a break from rugs for a couple days and go back to sewing.

Last night I made Chicken Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes and cream gravy. It was really, really good.

Hope you have a great day!

Friday Night Sew-In

2010-02-18T06:59:00.000-06:00

I'm going to do the Friday Night Sew In.

"Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is a way of setting some time aside to work on those projects on your to do list. And remember - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe you have a knitting project.. or some scrapbooking.. it could be anything."

Emily Day

2010-02-17T11:55:00.002-06:00

When you lose a child or, in my case, stepchild that you have loved for 14 of her 17 years of life, all of the obvious things happen. Your heart breaks into a million pieces you don’t think you’ll ever fit back together. Everything seems stupid and meaningless. Life becomes this blur that you function through – sleeping, eating, working – almost like a robot. Even if you become absorbed in work – your brain really doesn’t take much in. You can’t remember most things later – except the minute details of the moment your heart broke, the funeral, and, with suicide, the pain they must have been in deep inside – those things play over and over and over in your head like a broken record…..

Then time moves on. Life becomes a little bit of a maze. You find yourself wondering if you should mention memories of your beloved child or will they bring pain to who you are talking to? What do you do on their birthday? Do you hang their stocking at Christmas?

Friendships are strange. You REALLY appreciate those who call and tell you they care and you know they really do. And, you can understand why some people don’t call because they can’t even imagine what you might be going through or what to say – and you don’t want them to know. It’s not knowledge you would wish on anyone. Meeting new people becomes strange when the inevitable question comes, “Do you have kids?” or more specifically, “How many kids do you have?” Sometimes you just say 3 instead of 4, because you don’t know them or just really don’t want to have to explain it all. But you feel a little dirty every time you deny their existence. Sometimes you say 4 but you don’t elaborate because you will cause the other person discomfort. You pick and choose how much to reveal and to whom.

But Emily was our daughter. Even though she didn’t live with us all of the time, we spoke almost every weekend of her life. We moved around the country so we could be close and, especially when the girls (Emily and Angela) were little, we drove to visit them every few months – even when they were 12 hours away. Every vacation we ever took was to see the girls. When our boys came, we did everything to include the girls and make them as much a part of the boys lives as they were in ours.

Emily left us a week before her 17th birthday a little more than a year ago. We don’t talk about her like we used to as an active part of our lives. But I want to. I want to remember her and celebrate the time that we had with her and what she brought into our lives. It is too easy to get busy with life and forget things or not make time for things that are important.

So…. The 17th of each month is going to be Emily day in our family. We will light a candle in memory of her, bring out an old photo, talk about a favorite memory. She was so important to us and our lives will never be the same now that she is gone.

My Week So Far

2010-02-17T08:43:00.006-06:00

Yesterday we went walking by the lake. It's a man- made lake but it is really pretty. It was nice and cool - but we didn't need jackets. Trying to get back in shape as we all gained weight over the last year after loosing Emily. Apparently we are all emotional eaters.

This is Emily. She was an incredible, wonderful girl.

Stopped at the playground afterward and they played for a bit. Sammy was scared to cross the balance beam but he faced his fear and was victorious!

I started working on a crochet rug. This is it so far. I really like it and will be listing it for sale when it's done.

These are the potholders I got from the potholder pass. My partner did such a great job. I love them!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T08:54:00.005-06:00

Valentine's Day once again. We don't go out or make a huge deal out of it but we do a few little things. We always do romantic cards and this year I got Tom some really yummy candy bars. I also got some beautiful steaks to make for dinner, baked potatoes and asparagus. For dessert, cheesecake with blackberry topping. I'll post my cheesecake recipe this week.

We took the kids out yesterday. They opted out of a candy treat this year for something else.

Andrew picked a 78 album called My Heart is a Hobo and an older role playing ds game.

Sammy picked out a ds role playing game as well - as he put it "an epic adventure." (Yes, he is in a box! Silly as usual!)

We watched the movie Love Happens with Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston. It was good. While we watched that I worked on my rug and made some progress. I plan to put rug backing on it and put it in our entryway. I really like it so far.

Most of my scraps came from reclaimed old shirts and the inner strips have been from an old sheet. I really love being able to put them to use rather than just throwing them away.

Anyway, I guess that's about enough for now! I have to do a little work this morning. We are planning to relocate to Missouri later this year and I am starting to get packing. Today I'm working on the kids rooms and putting Sammy in with Andrew at night and using Sammy's room to store all our packed boxes. Not like he ever spends any time in there because he doesn't like to be alone. So, maybe with Andrew in the room, he will not feel so scared at night.

Rag Rug Revisited

2010-02-13T04:59:00.003-06:00

Ok..... Learning something new is certainly a process! I pulled apart my first rag rug and then did this....

Round 2

This was still not right so I called my sister and she set me straight!

Here's my 3rd try - so far. I'm going to use the same colors as above.

Fiesta Fridays

2010-02-13T04:50:00.001-06:00

I love Mexican food. Living here in Houston, we have some of the best Mexican food around, Tex Mex. So, I have decided to start cooking my way through Mexican & Tex Mex recipes each week to find the best of the best and I'll be posting them on Fridays.

Tonight I made homemade roasted salsa - two kinds. One was a medium salsa made with jalapenos and the other was a very spice habanero salsa. I didn't try the habanero but I have it on good authority (my husband, Tom) that it was awesome and it didn't last long!

Here are the recipes. I hope you enjoy them!

Medium Roasted Salsa

Hot Roasted Habanero Salsa

Purple Charm Quilt Tree

2010-02-10T13:07:00.002-06:00

I entered a purple charm quilt tree and need 3 other people to join to keep the chain going. There is no money involved, just 2 - 100 % cotton 6 " squares of purple fabric sent to four of your quilting friends. If the chain works, then you should have 72 purple squares in return to complete a charm quilt. It sounded fun .

If you're interested drop me an email with your home address ( the address will be shared with all for the chain to work) and I'll send you a copy of the letter and my 2 squares for you and then you can continue the chain to receive your fabric. I received mine and am ready to send out the rest to those interested. Take care,

Krista

Fun with Scraps and Charm Pack Giveaway

2010-02-10T07:17:00.002-06:00

Ok - time to get some kind of control over my scraps! I've decided to do a scrappy block quilt and a string star table cloth for my coffee table.

Here are my completed blocks so far!

Also, I'd like to present another

giveaway!

The winner will receive

a Moda American Primer Charm Pack

40 5" Squares!

Three ways to participate - or do all three for 3 entries!

1. Become a new member of my blog and receive an entry.

2. Grab the Giveaway button on my sidebar and post on your blog and receive an entry.

3. Leave a comment telling me how you handle your scraps and receive an entry. Do you save them in a big unsorted pile? Do you sort them by size or color? Do you sort them immediately? My so-called system is NOT working and I'd really love some advice on how to handle my future scraps!

I'll keep the giveaway open until midnight on February 24th and draw on the 25th using the list randomizer & random number generator on random.org. Good luck!

Catching Up.....

2010-02-08T09:04:00.001-06:00

Good morning. Happy Monday.

I spent the weekend working on potholders for the Potholder Pass. I tried to do string stars but am still struggling with these. Ugh. I ended up doing some others that I love - and made some for myself, too! These were fun. I think I might use the technique to do a whole quilt. Check them out on my website under tutorials: http://www.pickingdandelions.com/.

We also had a really fun time playing Quelf. What a blast! If you haven't played it - you should!

Now it's time to get back to the real world and get my house put back together! Laundry and dishes and clutter, oh my......

Groundhog Day

2010-02-02T10:30:00.001-06:00

My mom and dad got married on Groundhog's Day way back in 1967. It didn't last long but they were a cute couple - and they got my sister and me. :)

Yipee!! The Top is Done

2010-02-01T17:04:00.002-06:00

Ok... I've got the top done. I love it - though my camera doesn't seem to do it justice. What do YOU think? Now, since I'm on a mission to only use what I have, time to dig out my leftovers to piece the back. Let's see what I can come up with for that!

Winner of the "Name the Quilt" Giveaway

2010-02-01T08:43:00.001-06:00

Good Morning! We have a winner. I made a list of comments as I got them and assigned a number to them. Then with my mom, I used the random number generator and it came up with the number 21. So Dresden Quilter with "Young Love" is the winner of 6 fat quarters. Thank you so much EVERYONE for participating and for the great suggestions!

Don't forget I have another giveaway going on right now..... Become a member of my new website, http://www.pickingdandelions.com/ or my blog and be entered into a Valentine's drawing for your choice of 4 fat quarters, a yard of fabric, or a valentine treat!

Another Giveaway!!!

2010-01-30T09:50:00.001-06:00

Become a member of my website by February 7th and be entered into a drawing for either a yard of fabric, 4 fat quarters or a Valentine's Day Treat!

Check Out The Good Trade Farm

2010-01-30T09:02:00.001-06:00

Please check out the Good Trade Farm on my sister, Kendra's site. This paradise could be yours!

REPOST: New Quilt & Give Away

2010-01-29T17:45:00.000-06:00

Here is my latest creation - a baby quilt. I really love it and have listed it for sale on Etsy.com. In honor of my first quilt for sale I want to do a giveaway. Name this quilt and get a prize..... a 6 pack of beautiful fat quarters or a lovely box of chocolates if you are not a quilter. I'll wait until February 1st and we will draw names.

NAME ME TO WIN!

Hopefully you can see the quilting below. I really love how it turned out.

New Web & Blog Design

2010-01-29T16:35:00.002-06:00

I decided I needed an update on my blog and my website. I am in love with them. What do you think?

http://www.pickingdandelions.com/

Tomato Quiche Tutorial

2010-01-28T18:08:00.074-06:00

This is one of my favorite recipes. You can make it with swiss cheese or cheddar depending on your mood or what's in your fridge - and they are both fantastic. I hope you enjoy it! Tonight we had it with some vegetable soup and a salad. Mmmmm!

Pie Crust

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cold butter

1 tbsp. crisco

4-6 tbsp ice water

Cut butter and crisco into flour thoroughly with a pastry cutter or 2 knives.

Add water and stir with wooden spoon until it forms a ball.

Roll out on floured surface.

Place in pie plate and form edges with thumb and first 2 fingers - or put in place and press with fork tines.

Set aside.

Tomato Quiche

2-3 large tomatos, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tbsp butter

pinch thyme

1 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup swiss + 1/2 cup parmesan OR 1 1/2 cups cheddar

Add tomatos, butter, and onions to pan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until all the moisture is gone.

Mix eggs, milk, and pinch of thyme. Whisk together.

Add cheese and salt to mixture and mix.

Add tomato mixture.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until knife comes out clean.

Progress

2010-01-28T08:09:00.001-06:00

Woo Hoo! I got all my stars finished. Here are 2 of them. They just need to be pressed. I really love them. Next I'll be putting on the borders. What do you think?

Monday.......

2010-01-25T16:30:00.001-06:00

The title says it all! Talk to you tomorrow! Until then.... here are some goodies I've made.

Scrapbook Pages

A greeting card

a crochet hook roll

babydoll afghan

Sneak Peak New Quilt

2010-01-24T10:05:00.004-06:00

Good Morning! My house is a bit of a wreck and my laundry needs done. There are scraps of fabric all over my dining room table where I currently like to sew. I have papers to grade and lessons to gather for the coming week. But the sun is shining and my family is all happy and healthy today and I'm feeling pretty good!

Yesterday we hung out and watched some movies, took turns on the treadmill, and just relaxed. We watched Walk the Line which we both enjoyed, and then The Hunted.

While we were hanging out, I got out my paper & colored pencils and finished 2 quilt designs I am pretty excited about. I pulled out my leftover fabrics and started cutting! Here is a sneak peak to Quilt Design #1.

I really love these fabrics and I plan to use every single scrap of them!

On a homeschooling note...... I now have 2 at home. My fourth grader, who swore he would NEVER want to be homeschooled, decided he wanted to start homeschooling after Christmas. He is very smart and a few times he has laughed as he has done some of his work stating how easy it is. Yikes! It can certainly be intimidating at times. I think I've planned plenty for him to do now that he won't be laughing at!

Any tips or advise you might have about homeschooling would certainly be appreciated! We are new to homeschooling this year. I do have our year planned out and have begun planning by week now. We are not using a purchased curriculum, though. What do you use?

Well, I think that's it for now. I need to get moving on my house! We're going to try to get out for a bit today.... maybe swing by the record shop and the used book store. Tom is also going to help me build my pvc design wall today. Yea! I'll post a tutorial soon for that!

See you later!

Krista

Back to Sewing Fun

2010-01-16T14:24:00.001-06:00

I've been putting off my sewing, just not feeling motivated. I plan to get back to it this evening! I have the remaining strips cut and ready to sew. I also picked up some pretty fabric for the first of 2 outer borders. It's a dark brown with pink & green flowers and I plan to make it approx 1" wide.

I've also picked up pvc parts to make up a design wall. I'll post a step by step tutorial as soon as we work our way through it!

I also plan to add some more tutorials, swaps, and giveaways in the near very near future, so please check back!

It's a cold, rainy, gloomy day today. A good day to stay in and play. I think we will also be checking out our crazy new board game, Quelf, tonight. It looks like some crazy, laugh out-loud, silly fun. I'm looking forward to it!

Hope you have a wonderful Saturday!

My cuties...

2010-01-14T10:31:00.001-06:00

My mini orange tree in my kitchen is blossoming! My kitchen smells so good!

My strip quilt so far! I love these fabrics!

And..... my delicious, homemade trifle.

Homemade Berry Trifle

Make 2 layers of the following. Homemade recipes below.

1/2 angel food cake torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 vanilla pudding mixture
1/2 berry mixture
1/2 container of cool whip
repeat all layers.

Cover and chill until serving.

Homemade Vanilla Pudding

3 cups milk
3/4 cup white sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter

In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until bubbles form at edges. In a bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Pour into hot milk, a little at a time, stirring to dissolve. Continue to cook and stir until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and butter. Chill.

Berry Mix

3-4 cups frozen strawberries, thawed.
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
1 (3 ounce) package raspberry flavored gelatin

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and corn starch; make sure to blend corn starch in completely. Add boiling water, and cook over medium heat until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Add gelatin mix, and stir until smooth. Add strawberries. Let mixture cool to room temperature.

Angel Food Cake

1 cup cake flour
1 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons sugar
12 large egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

NOTE: Be sure to NOT get any yoke in your whites or it will not turn out!
NOTE: Do NOT grease pan and make sure all items you use to make are oil free.
NOTE: Do not use a plastic bowl or spatula. Use a metal whisk or slotted spoon when folding the flour mixture into the egg whites.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Blend sugar to make finer. Sift the cake flour with the 3/4 sugar + 2 tbsp. sugar. Set aside.

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt until peaks begin to form. Add remaining 3/4 cup sugar and beat on high 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks form.

Slowly add extract and flour mixture, folding in by hand while turning the bowl until flour disappears.
Spoon into an angel food cake pan. Move a knife through batter to remove air pockets.

Bake on the lowest shelf in oven for 30-35 minutes or until top springs back when touched lightly with finger. Cool completely.

To remove the cake from your pan run a knife around the rim of the cake pan to loosen away from pan. Tap around the sides of your pan. Invert onto your serving plate the firmly hit the sides of your pan.