Cupcake Love Apron

Let's start with the tasty stuff first.
Doesn't this look just delicious?
It is from The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen.

My friend Kathie came over to sew and I made this for lunch.
Kathie's made it several times and knew the perfect topping.
Nope, not maple syrup or powdered sugar but
vanilla ice cream!
Oh my goodness, with a cup of coffee it was heaven.
Mine did not turn out as beautiful as the photo above,
which was taken from the book.

It's CUPCAKES with Choc trim
for the Apron Give Away this week.
Just leave a comment and I'll draw a (your) name
next Wednesday.
If you haven't a blog, don't forget to leave your email addy
so I can contact you.

I finally finished all the embroidery work for the
"Walking In A Winter Wonderland" quilt.
I'm not sure how I want to piece it together.

We went to Tomah over the weekend to see our grandson play
in a basketball tournament.
It's hard to believe my oldest son is "pushing 40".
How can that be when I'm only 39??

And look how cute my granddaughters are! Here are my 2 youngest grandsons.
Quiet.
Trust me, that didn't last for long.

I have a few tests at the hospital in the morning.
Just routine. But I still hate to go.
If I never see another Dr again
I wouldn't miss it.

I'm quilting a little each day.
And sewing with a friend one day a week.
Wonder how long it will take me to find my "old self" again?

Stay warm.
It's suppose to get down to 20 below this weekend.
Yep, below.

And The Winner Is.......

Vivian Lee email me your address and I'll send it off!

I'm going to post the next FREE apron on Wednesday.
Stop back and stay warm!

Sewing on a Cold Winter's Day

Look at this weather!
It's raining. We're expecting an ice storm tonight.
Egads!
Makes a girl just want to stay inside and sew-sew-sew.

Which is exactly what I'm doing.
My neighbor, Kelli, came over and we "played' all day.

I used my Singer Feather Weight.
Talk about love a machine.
I forgot how much I enjoy sewing on it.
Did you know the Feather Weight only sews a straight stitch?
Nothing fancy here, but a real workhorse.

The purple, blue, yellow and green 2 1/2" strips are from an exchange
with my Las Vegas Quilting Queens group.
Let's see, that was 4 years ago.
Thank goodness fabric has no expiration date!

The pattern is in the February issue of American Patchwork & Quilting.
It is called "sew scrappy" by Darlene Zimmerman.
In the magazine it is done in 1930 reproduction prints.
While I do have a zillion 1930 fat quarters,
I happened upon the Vegas bag of cut strips and thought
"BINGO".
It will definitely have a different look.
So "Springy" on this cold day.

Of course, I had to bake a treat for our coffee break.
I only had the basics on hand.
No running to the grocery store in this weather.

Looks pretty good huh?
The recipe is from my Goose Berry Patch cookbook.
Next time, I think I will use brown sugar in place of white.
The sour cream makes it very moist and
the house smells so good!

I hope you have a cup of coffee or tea.
And a little chocolate maybe.
Because there's MORE.

Don't you just love the apron print?
And the aqua polka dots?
It could be yours!
Just leave a comment.

On Monday morning I will draw a name
and get it in the mail to you.
In fact,
I am going to give an apron away
every week.

Ohhhh, I just can't leave you without a couple pictures of my grandbabies.
It was their Daddy's birthday on Monday and
they are enjoying the cake Grandma baked.

Stay warm.
More on Monday.

A Little of This & That

Let me introduce you to a fellow "Sew Whats" sister.
Her name is Pam and she is truly a Fiber Artist.
Pam thinks "outside of the box" as they say.
Each meeting she brings her latest pin cushion creation.
My personal favorite was the chicken
(which, when raffled off, I didn't win).

Pam hunts everywhere for treasures to use in her art.
This vase, found at the local GW store, turned into a lovely
bowl of felted fruit.

The Multi-Miracle "TOOL" is a handmade (one of a kind)
usable Work of Art by Pam.
The pointed end aids in guiding fabric
thru the sewing machine like a stiletto!
It also works as a corner turning tool and aids in turning curves.
The flat end is a wood iron.
Great for putting seams in there place!
Thank you Pam for the perfect gift!!!
I'll think of you each time I use it.

And this is another favorite-can't live-without tool.
Perfect for turning fabric tubes.
Example, apron ties.
In the old days, I used a large safety pin just like my grandma taught me.
And it took forever.
Using this Dritz "Quick Turn" makes it so fast and easy.

Below is a new recipe I tried.
I happen to catch an episode of Sanda Lee's Semi Homemade.
I thought her basic concept was good
but I tweaked the recipe to my liking.
Mike & I both thought it was delicious!
Perfect for a freezing, snow falling night.
The aroma from the crock pot all day was heavenly!

Stay warm and happy sewing!

CHEERS!

Did you think I won the lottery and ran away?
Not yet.
As soon as we returned from our family get together
you guessed it.......I got sick.
I kept thinking it had to "run it's course" as they say.
Not.
I ended up in the Urgent Care and
on antibiotics again.
Feeling much better now.
I so wanted to start the New Year out right, HEALTHY!

On to the fun things.......

Thank you so much Brenda for the wonderful cook book!!
I love it!
As you can see from the picture I already have recipes
marked to give a try.
I love community cook books, don't you?
The tried & true recipes of hometown cooks.
Don't you wish you could peek into their kitchens?

This next book was a Christmas gift.
Over 500 Gooseberry Patch recipes & decorating ideas.
Beautiful photos in an over sized book.
So many ideas, so little time!

Check out my latest WINE Santa.
Our California friend, Peggy Sue, sent this
adorable fellow.

The details on Santa are amazing!

He's dressed in brown tapestry.
I think I may leave him out all year!

Look who came to spend a few days with Grandma & Papa.

Our sweet baby girl & her Daddy came on Saturday
to spend the night and take brother home.
She's walking and likes to explore everything.

Grandma bought her a new hat and mittens for Christmas.
She's such a cutie, it's hard to put her down.

I'm actually going to have 2 customer quilts to show you!
I'm back doing what I love (part time).

I'm also listening to the book
"Change of Heart" by Jodi Picoult.
It is about a convicted murderer who
wants to donate his heart to the sister of one of his victims.
I promise it will shake you up,
and make you think about some really tough issues that face our country.
You may have seen the movie"My Sister's Keeper"
based on her novel.

Well, I best get back to work.
Duty calls.
Just love to hear the hummmmmmm of my machine.