Sunday, December 29, 2013

Sunday BIG Winners

I did the final drawing this morning and the winners are:

Week 4 Winners, the fabric panel and a yard of navy snow flake fabric- 

Carol L. in MO
Betty L. in LA


The BIG drawing for the whole line

Sandy A. in MO

Second drawing for a colorful collection

 Ginger M. from OR

Congratulations to everyone!


Monday, December 23, 2013

A Special End of the Year Drawing

I was under the weather yesterday and apologize for not finishing the post.  I could not bring myself to go back to the computer and literally slept all day!  We all need those days at times.  There was ice covering everything outside, including each blade of grass. Church was cancelled due to icy roads so there was no place to rush off to. The Christmas tree was lit all day and when I wasn't sleeping, I was in the big green recliner next to it reading a book.  I keep telling myself one day I will take a reading vacation- you know, when you do nothing but read for a few days.

Anyway, I did the drawing and the winners were Lynn from NC and Vicki from MN.  Each will receive a little bundle of the blue fabrics from the Snowfolk fabric line.

I have been listing Instant Download patterns on Craftsy a little at a time.  If you want a pattern NOW, that's the way to go!  You can see my store here-
I have more to add this morning so keep checking back.  I am thinking about adding cross stitch and punchneedle on there at some point.  

Have you ever purchased Instant downloads?  If so, do you like it better? or not?


This last drawing coming up is for the Snowfolk fabric panel...
and a yard of the navy snowflake fabric to finish it up.

To Enter:
Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday night, December 28, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 4 SNOWFOLK.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric TO YOU.
If you don't put your name and address BOTH in there, we will make a big ~~sigh~~ and draw another name.

I will post the winners next week.


ONE MORE THING- I will have a SPECIAL DRAWING at the end of the four weeks, after New Years, for each person that enters accordingly.  If you enter all 4 weeks, you get 4 chances.  If you enter 3 weeks, you get 3 chances, and so on, and so on. 



Sunday, December 22, 2013

Week 3 WINNERS

Yes, we have two winners this week.  They are:

Lynn from NC
and
Vicki from MN

Congratulations ladies!
Check out my last few posts- I have auctions ending today for lots of finished stuff and there are no bids to compete with on a lot of them.  I also just listed a few more PDF quilt patterns on Craftsy.  Instant downloads.

I have to run right now but I will post more later today with next weeks drawing info.

Friday, December 20, 2013

Craftsy

I opened a store in Craftsy for downloadable patterns.....



I'll add a few quilting patterns a little later.  Have you been to Craftsy?

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Week 2 WINNERS! Yes, there are TWO!

Well, you did it.  The number of entries for Week 2 actually went up almost 50%  from Week 1 so I drew 2 names.   It's great but I'm still trying to reply to everyone and I hadn't thought about how long that would take!  I got a lot of notes though and want to personally reply to each entry.  I'm not half done but I thought I better get the winners posted.
They are:
Donna G. from TN
and Kathleen B. from MT

Congratulations to Nora N.in Week 1 for winning the red bundle. 

Congratulations to Donna and Kathleen for winning Week 2. I will be sending you both a little bundle of green fabrics from the Snowfolk line this week.  I love doing these drawings!

This next week will be drawing number three for the bundle of blue fabrics from the Snowfolk fabric line. If we get the same number of entries, I will again draw two names.  If we get double, I will draw three winners.

This week #3 we have a drawing for the blue bundle from the Snowfolk line.

So, here's what you do for the Week 3:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday night, December 21, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 3 BLUES.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric TO YOU.
If you don't put your name and address BOTH in there, we will make a big ~~sigh~~ and draw another name.

ONE MORE THING- I will have a SPECIAL DRAWING at the end of the four weeks for each person that enters accordingly.  If you enter all 4 weeks, you get 4 chances.  If you enter 3 weeks, you get 3 chances, and so on.  


Week 4-


I have the Snowfolk fabric in stock on Etsy if you want to see the whole line.
 https://www.etsy.com/shop/prairiegrovepeddler

Sunday, December 8, 2013

The Snowfolk Week 1 WINNER is....

I got my Christmas tree put up and Grace, my 6 year old granddaughter, came to help me decorate with the ornaments last night. She did a great job distributing the ornaments all over and not just in one spot like last year!  She even pointed out where each one was hanging last year.  It's a kid thing I guess!  We listened to Christmas music and she sang songs for me while we worked.
It was one of those special bonding times.  Her PaPa fed her ice cream and chocolate syrup afterwards for being such a good helper.  Now it's on to decorations around the house.

I got a new Kindle Fire last week and boy, I can't seem to set it down.  All I want to do is read.  I had the original Kindle and I loved it but the Fire is lit so I can read in bed without the lights on.  It also alerts me as to how many hours I have left to finish each book.  Great for deciding- go to sleep?  or just finish? I love it.

I did the Week #1 drawing first thing this morning, sifting through all of the emails and tossing the few who failed to add their address (~~sigh~~).  I pulled a winner, lucky number 37 this time, going by the order the emails come in.  The winner is Nora from NC.  Congratulations Nora, I will be sending you a little bundle of red fabrics from the Snowfolk line this week.  I love doing these drawings!

In fact, if I get 25% more entries this week,  I will draw TWO names this next weekend. Keep entering and tell your friends.  You just never know.

This week we have a drawing for the green bundle from the Snowfolk line.

So, here's what you do for the Week 2:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before next Saturday night, December 14, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 2 GREENS.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric TO YOU.
If you don't put your name and address in there, we will make a big sigh and draw another name.

ONE MORE THING- I will have a SPECIAL DRAWING at the end of the four weeks for each person that enters accordingly.  If you enter all 4 weeks, you get 4 chances.  If you enter 3 weeks, you get 3 chances, and so on.  

I have put some of the bundles in my Etsy Store if you want to see the whole line.  It's full of reds, greens and navy blues.  Perfect for snowmen and frosty ideas.

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/prairiegrovepeddler


I just listed a bunch of finished things on Ebay.   If you still need some gifts, check this out...




Sunday, December 1, 2013

Such a Wonderful Time of the Year!

Well, the weather outside is frightful
 but the fire is so delightful.
and since I've no place to go, 
let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

OK, so it's not really snowing.  It's not even THAT cold.  But a person can dream right?
I love snowy nights when I have no place to go.  I did spend yesterday cutting up snowman fabric.  It's from my line called Snowfolk by Benartex.  The line has lots of navy blues, greens and reds.
Here's the panel that goes with the line.  



I've decided to do a DRAWING each of the next four weekends on THIS BLOG for a small collection of the fabric line. 

Week 1- seven fat quarters of red and tan fabrics

Week 2- seven fat quarters of green and tan fabrics

Week 3- seven fat quarters of navy and blue fabrics


Week 4- the panel pictured above and a yard of navy snowflake fabric to finish it.


So, here's what you do for the first drawing,  Week 1:

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com before Saturday night, December 7, at midnight central time. If you are not sure of this time zone, make sure you email before Saturday.

In the Subject LINE of the email put WEEK 1 REDS.
This is very important.  ALL emails without this exact wording are not considered for the drawing.

In the BODY of the email- put your name and mailing address.
WE do not share this info with anyone, in fact, we delete them after the drawing.  This just makes it faster to ship the fabric.
If you don't put your name and address in there, we will draw another name.

It's pretty simple. 

If you live overseas, enter.  It's not just for the U. S. We will send it to you if you win.  I promise.

This week, here is what's NEW on ETSY.



Sunday, October 6, 2013

Fabrics on Ebay and finished cross stitch on Etsy

I just listed some finished cross stitch designs for sale on Etsy.  Check them out here-  MY Etsy
I am selling a lot of my Little candle mats, my framed pictures and soon some my Christmas  ornaments.  I am in design mode and need to remove the old to make room for the new!

Here is one listed for sale...
Finished and Framed Cross Stitch Autumn Fall Scarecrow Sampler and Finished Little Candle Mat Pumpkins and Crows for use with a Votive Cup

I just listed some fabric collections on Ebay also- my seller name is craftrgrl
Some collections have been a real bargain so far.  This week I have

 Ebay Collections

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Time For Pumpkins Again!

This is from my Pumpkin Patch pattern from 1996.  There have been many out there similar but here is the directions for original painted pumpkin!



1. Cut a rectangle from batting, say 9" x 18" wide. Too big? try 6" x 14".
2. Fold in half and sew the two short ends together, one seam in the back.
3. Hand-gather one open end with string, floss, pearl cotton or linen thread, pull tight and knot several times.
4. Turn inside out and stuff with poly-fil until firm, but not too firm.
5. Hand-gather the top and knot several times.
6. Using a long doll needle ( say 8") and a long piece of the thread you used in #3, go in and out from the center top to the center bottom to pull the center in tight. Knot again.
7. Then proceed to go top to bottom around the outside of the pumpkin to create the veins, pulling tight each time.
8. Knot the thread each time on the center top which will be covered by the stem later.
9. Mix orange paint with water, coffee or tea and slop it on using your hands (pre-manicure not post). It washes off your hands eventually and I would remove your rings first!

*** Using coffee or tea makes the colors separate once dried and gives a wonderful aged look.

Make different sized pumpkins from cotton batting, muslin, or chenille and paint each one a different shade of orange. Mix colors- it's fun!My husband went int the woods and cut old gnarly grapevine for me to use as stems. He cut them about 2"-3" and I hot glued them to the center top, covering the knots.It makes a wonderful fall decoration and costs so little for so many, a small package of batting, a bottle of paint, some stuffing.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Another Hot Day

 I put up more pickles, hot peppers and salsa this week and as we speak, I have another counter full of ripening tomatoes.  I've got my pork roast in the crock pot and I have to say it's a great recipe with 2 cans of  Dr. Pepper added.

The recipe includes an onion, 2 cloves of garlic, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. It is absolutely the best bar-b-q.

I got a few more of the digital designs done this week and listed them on Etsy.  I have had so much fun doing these and printed a lot of them just for myself.  Last week I listed instant downloads of the apples, bluebirds, cows, flower pots, pineapple, roses, patriotic stars, and watermelon designs.   I just listed pumpkins, bees, pigs and cats today.


There are twelve different paper designs on there so far.  See them all on the Etsy site HERE.

I figured I'd better get the pumpkins up here, after all, it's almost pumpkin time!  I'm in the mood to decorate for fall even though it's 95 degrees out there today.   It won't be long and we'll all be cutting back the gardens to prepare for winter.  Sad.


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Summer is Almost Over!




It is almost the middle of August and the days are flying by.  I have been so busy this summer with garden, canning and watercolors.  Yep, that's right- I've been working for many months to get watercolors of my quilts and I have had so much fun.
I designed paper note pads, To-do lists, quilt labels, greeting cards and stationary for instant download.  I have a few more things going but for now, these are the ones I have finished and ready to list.  Some of these will be on my website in the next few days.  I actually started them last year and it's been a labor of love. So far I have well over 100 different designs.

  

My garden is in full swing and we are enjoying fresh vegetables each day.
The deer trimmed my peppers back for me but they are finally recovering and producing.
I am drying herbs- here is a few peppermint plants planted in a small area by the A/C.  There is no wasted space around here anymore- I claim it for herbs! It works out well to keep them trimmed so they stay contained.  These are Peppermint and Lemon Thyme.  I have a lot more tucked into different spots.  I'm going to try to make homemade peppermint extract with these.  Sounds fun!


My impatiens are doing wonderful - it must be the Miracle Gro soil I used. We put nine planter boxes along the outside deck railing and I just love my little sanctuary on the deck.  I have a bunch of bird feeders hanging in my big tree that overhangs the deck so the birds visit all day.  I have a little squirrel who frequents my tree and entertains me and taunts my Yorkie as well.



Thursday, July 18, 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Steam-A-Seam 2 Regular Back in Stock!

Just a quick note- we have Steam-A-Seam 2 again!  It's been out of production since December due to paper issues.  We are so excited to receive our shipment today.  We have 24" Steam-A-Seam 2 Regular  by the yard and 9" x 12" packages of Steam-A-Seam 2  Light available on the website.  24" Steam-A-Seam 2 Light by the yard is on the way and will be available soon.

Thursday, July 11, 2013

More Summer Blues

The 90 degree days are here but my garden is doing great!  I just made a huge bowl of cucumber salad tonight and it is fantastic- I'll add the recipe at the end.  We have zucchini and onions so far but no ripe tomatoes yet.  We have 50 tomato plants and they have big green tomatoes on them so it's just a matter of time.  I'm stocking up on vinegar and canning jars!

The beets are growing, so are the melons and spaghetti squash.  Peppers have suffered- I think the deer are eating the tops off of both the green peppers and the pepperocini.  ~~sigh~~
The rabbits are eating the beet leaves but I think all will survive.  Pretty soon the squirrels will be carrying off the ripe tomatoes across the top of the fence.

I got two of the flexible hoses (on TV) last spring and both of them got a bubble and blew out within a few times of being used- no guarantee either.  I didn't notice that when I got them.  I got two pocket hoses (from Walmart) and they blew out too but Walmart took them back.  Buyer beware!  I loved the hoses but they need a better design.  They can't handle the pressure I guess.

I've been watering every evening and today we were blessed with 1-1/2" of rain followed by a cold front. My herbs are being cut weekly and dried.  My flowers are filling theirs beds nicely.  I planted two new clematis this year and have a single bloom on one of them that's about 3' tall.  They are just babies!

I have been working on new fabric in between gardening and playing.  I have company coming this weekend so it will be a relaxed time for all.  I'm almost done painting and papering my house.  I guess I needed a fresh look.

I just got in some of the new line called Snowfolk.  I will get it cut and on the website really soon.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

It's HOT!

Well, Mother's day, then Father's Day have both come and gone.  4th of July will be here in a couple weeks.  Next thing you know it will be fall.  Life just goes too fast for me!

I have spent the last month sanding, painting, papering, cleaning, sorting, tossing, also digging, planting, cultivating, pruning, staking, well, you get the idea.  I'm pretty much done with the hard stuff.  One of the coolest things I did was the simplest in a way.  I changed the handles on my kitchen cabinets.  I had gold ones and now they are bronze.  Beautiful.  Amazing how it changed the look.  It was no small feat actually as I had to remove the doors, and spray paint the hinges to match because they showed and they were gold.  Then I cleaned the cabinets with orange oil and while the doors were off I cleaned out the cabinets.  It actually took a few days to get it all done but it looks great!

One of the things I found in cleaning is my old Kenmore receiver.  It was packed away in a box for years.  I purchased it in 1977 for about $300 and it still works today. It was a really good one and I made payments for a long time to pay it off. I'm glad I've kept it all these years.  I always liked how cool it looks in the dark- with all those red, blue and green lights.

All I have to do now until canning season is maintain and relax.  It was worth the effort.  I haven't taken pictures recently but I will in the next few days and add them.  I have a lot of herbs in pots this year and even though we keep getting rained on, everything is doing fine.  We got about 11" of rain in June at my house.  Last year drought, this year excess.  You just never know!

One of my new plants I purchased is a citronella plant.  I've never seen one before this year so I had to buy it.  It smells like lemon and looks really pretty.  I got some chocolate mint also and you guessed it- it smells like chocolate. The pineapple sage smells like pineapple.  I'm loving this deck!  I made little plant sticks so I could remember which plant is which.  Besides those, I also have peppermint, sage, lemon thyme, oregano, chives, cilantro, lemon balm, parsley, basil and lemon grass.

I was able to finish the latest line of fabric during the month so it should be showing next year.  I am ready to finish a few new decorating projects for my living room, you know, table runners and pillows,  in my leisure time.  I have also been drawing up new ideas for future patterns.  I have new deck furniture and plan to spend a lot of time out there as I have a boat load of books on my kindle that need my attention.

Awe, summer, don't you love it?

OK, now back to winter.... here's a picture I grabbed of the new Snowfolk fabric panel I designed for Benartex.  The entire fabric line is found by clicking here:  Snowfolk



Wednesday, May 8, 2013

It's Just a Busy Time of the Year!

Happy Mother's Day coming up.  The weather has finally turned around in the mid-west.

Flowers, veggies, house cleaning, oh my!  It has been so busy around here.  I am repainting half of the house and spring cleaning the other half.  It's such a good feeling and I am on a roll so I don't want to slow down now.  I can also see the light at the end of the tunnel and I'm just about done.  I guess I won't have anything else to do then but go back to work afterwards, imagine that?

My grandson is in T-ball and had his first game tonight.  It was quite entertaining!  Nathan was the first baseman and every time the other team hit the ball, he took off running to second base.  He just couldn't get it that he had to stay at first!  He wanted to run.  Three year old Patrick took a spill into the only mud puddle around.  He was screaming, covered in cold, wet mud.  His mommy was covered also after a big hug to calm him.

 My grand daughter Grace just took me to a Mother's Day Tea last week.  They preformed and we all had tea and cookies!  Grace plays t-ball also but I haven't been to her game yet.  I hopped down to Memphis for the weekend to see my mom.  I endured the driving rains all the way home.  The Memphis area is just as flooded this year as it was two years ago with the big flood.

My 18-year old just graduated from high school.  It's a relief on one hand, but a sad thought on the other.  I am not looking forward to being an empty-nester.  Life just goes too fast!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Snow is Replaced with Lots of Green

Our snow finally melted and good riddance!  I am so longing for a garden this year.  This winter seemed to go on forever.  It's probably the fact that it was so mild for months and then the snow started in February.  I am more ready than ever  for my garden.  I started tomatoes, cucs, zuchini, butternut squash, green peppers, hot peppers, lettuce, romaine, and brussel sprouts in flats spread across my living room windows.  I added a few more flats of herbs and flowers and now there's a regular greenhouse in there.  It'd be nice to get them in the garden but there's another frost expected tomorrow night.  I bought some pink clematis and a couple of trellis'.  We are going to power wash the deck and put a finish on it then I'll be ready to attach the planters along the rails.

The gold finch are back and I guess it's time for the hummingbirds so I need to get those feeders out and filled.  It's hard to get into designing as there's so much to do around the house.  It's a spring cleaning kind of thing I guess.  Last week we took all of the screens off and washed them and the windows.  I love it when the house is really clean!

I'm planning to paint the kitchen and the master bedroom in a few weeks.  I just can't seem to get out of the spring cleaning mode.  I am not going to quilt market in Portland- I just didn't get anything finished.  Maybe it's my old age but I am enjoying playing (and cleaning) a bit more these days.

I got some new planters and I am wanting to paint them so they all look similar.  I found glow in the dark paint which I'm thinking about using.  It goes on white(ish) but looks green at night after it soaks up the sun.  Sounds fun, huh?  I don't know if it will actually glow but my patio furniture is green so it should fit in.  Anyone used it?

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Another Week, Another Snow!

Well, I spoke too soon.  No sooner than the second snow melted, we got a whopper 10" snow that stuck to everything.  It's still out there ~~ sigh~~

It's pretty though!  Funny, we've had the best weather all winter until mid-February.  Then the snow started.  
My seeds are all up and growing.  I know it won't be long now.

I went to the Genealogy Conference in Kansas City with my sister and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We learned quite a bit about the search.  Ancestry.com has a lot of search bases that make searching for loved ones easy.  Not only can you search census, birth and death records, but you can search things like court records, land records, deeds, probate records, passenger lists, military & pension records,and the list goes on and on.  
We lost another uncle last week and our opportunities are running out for first hand accounts.

If you haven't already started searching your history, I encourage you to speak with older members of your family and write down family history & memories while you still have them around.  
Those are priceless memories!


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Spring is in the Air!

The weather has finally turned around I think.  The snow is almost gone.  You know, I bought a bunch of seeds a month ago since the weather was so nice all winter and THEN we got 2 whopper snow storms.  Figures, huh?  I jinxed myself.  I did start a bunch of seeds in flats and they are positioned in front of my living room windows.  No sprouts yet but they should be there any day.  I am so ready for a garden.

I'm being really lazy these days or shall I say domestic, and the designs are on the back burner again.  Maybe it's my old age or maybe just the winter blahs - I must be ready to get outside.  I decided to go through my recipes.  I have piles and piles of paper printouts with great recipes on them, some from Martha Stewart, some from food.com- you know the routine - before you make something, you search it and print out what you find.  Most have been tested and the pages are no longer clean anymore, if you know what I mean.  So, I decided to retype them and put them in page protectors in a binder.  It's a huge undertaking but moving right along.  Someday I will have a great, organized binder full of favorite recipes.

Here s a favorite for Chicken Taquitos (from Chevy's Tex Mex)-

Chevy’s Salsa Chicken 

5 tomatoes, cored & halved
1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled & quartered
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp Fuego Spice Mix (see below)
3-4lb cooked chicken, skinned & chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro

Broiler: half an onion, tomatoes & jalapenos cut side down, roast 8-10 min or until almost blackened.  Transfer with liquid to blender, pulse until thick & chunky.
Dice remaining onion, garlic & sauté for 5 min. Add spices mix & sauté 4 min longer.  Add chicken & sauté until chicken is heated.  Add tomato mixture & cook. Add cilantro & simmer 10 min.

To make the Chicken Taquitos
16 corn tortillas                      Make the Salsa Chicken above
*** Preheat oven to 375°.  Heat tortillas for 3-4 min.  Put ¼ cup of chicken mix down center in a line.  Roll up into tight cylinders and line up parallel.  Cut skewers in half and use to attach four cylinders together.  Do not let them touch each other.   Heavy skillet: heat 3” oil to 350°, place one set of skewered cylinders in pan,  deep fry 2-3 min until crisp.  Remove, drain on paper towel.  Serve with jalapeno jelly.  YUM!

Chevy’s  Fuego Dry Spice Mix/ Rub
¼ cup paprika
2 tsp cayenne
2 tsp ground white pepper
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp black pepper
2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp chile powder
2 tbsp oregano
**Combine, mix well. Stores airtight for 6 months

This weekend I'm hanging out with my sister in KC.  We are visiting the Ancestry Days Conference and taking a few classes on genealogy.  It should be a fun time.  This is her birthday gift from her husband so I get to go and enjoy also!

I've had trouble getting Steam-A-Seam light- Warm Company is completely out and don't have a date for receiving more.  I have a few of the regular 4 yard cuts left but I'm completely out of the light.  The fabrics are just about gone now also.  Thanks to our regular customers, we are moving out a lot of quilts and runners.  

It's like spring cleaning around here.  I actually wake up thinking about what to clean! Next I'll want to paint the house.  Actually, I'm thinking about those kitchen walls.  Hmmm.  Any suggestions?

Monday, February 18, 2013

More Winter Blues

 We have a nasty flu strain running through our town and my son got it a week ago.  I've been waiting to get it myself but so far, so good.  We all had flu shots but the shots only cover a few strains and not this nasty stomach flu going around right now.  Spring- where are you?

I ordered a bunch of seeds, just couldn't contain myself.  They are all here spread out on the table and I'm deciding where to plant them all.  I think we have to enlarge the garden to fit everything in.  It will be another drought season I'm sure but I'm craving home grown veggies right now and I'll risk the watering.  I'm starting a few new flower beds also.  My husband doesn't know it yet but he will!

We scrapped the trip to Houston to visit Memphis instead.  I took my daughter and two granddaughters down to see my mom.  It was a cold and windy trip but my mom enjoyed it!  It was the first time she got to meet Miss Lily, who just turned a year old.  The trip was actually a great one considering we had a 6 year old and one year old on a nine hour drive.  The girls were great and no one made a fuss at all.  We would have gone sooner had we known!  We stopped at Lambert's Restaurant in Sikeston, Missouri to have lunch.  They are famous for "throwed rolls" and I caught a few myself.  The only problem is that they are hot when they throw them and the rolls kind of mush in your hands if you catch them too tightly!  It was fun though.

We are expecting measurable snow this week, though not like the whopper the northeast got last week, it will be sufficient for us Mid-Missourians to count it as winter.  My husband is excited as he has a snow plow! 

I finished converting all the quilt patterns finally and have a few craft patterns to go.  It's been a long job, taking about nine months actually.  That's what I get for having so many I guess.  They will all go on the website soon.

I have actually been working on a some new designs and ready to start pulling fabric to get started.  I have new fabric line coming out the spring.  I'll post pictures when it's ready.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Return of Winter

Well, winter has returned here in mid- Missouri with -1 wind chills tonight.  Brrr.  Good excuse for a warm blanket, a good book and a cup of hot chocolate.  While I still go through the seed catalogs at a slower pace, my focus is moving towards making pots of home-made soups and chili to freeze.  It's still soup weather and time for my 20 quart stock pot.  I made a pot of Fagioli (similar to Olive Garden) and it was great!  I didn't add the noodles since I was freezing it but they can be added once I make individual pots.  Chicken noodle soup works out great too- just cook the chicken, carrots, celery and onions and freeze it in 2 quart containers.  When you are ready to eat it, heat it up and add a package of pre-cooked noodles.  Its fast! 

I am thinking about a winter trip to Houston to visit warmer weather but the gas prices recently shot up again.  That could put a damper on things. I haven't been down there in a while and I'm itchin' to go see my sister! 

I am still playing with the new computer but I have found there are issues with the new programs (64 bit) and older files.  Seems I am still spending time upgrading all of the old-old pattern files but it's a labor of love.  I'm updating the graphics also and they all look much better.  I have had a lot of requests for PDF's and hope to offer them on the website soon. 

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Winter Blues

It's winter, I know, but it was 65 degrees here in mid-Missouri yesterday.  At  11:00 p.m. last night, it was still 58 degrees.  This is crazy!  Today, however, it will snow.  That's usually the way it goes.  We do need winter to move on to spring.  I am already looking at seed catalogs and planning my garden this year.  We are expecting another drought so I will have to keep that in mind.

Christmas came and went way too fast this year.  I must be getting old but I am not ready to be done with it.  It was one of the best Christmases I can remember.  Very laid back and drawn out.  We still have our Christmas tree up, in fact.  It's not that I'm so lazy that I didn't take it down but we have all been sick since Christmas and just haven't felt up to it.  The stomach flu and influenza B, among other illnesses, have been running through our town like a wild fire.  So much for those flu shots we got since we all got sick anyway!  I'm feeling like today we might tackle the tree.  After all, January is almost half over.

I got a new computer last month and just love it.  I normally get them through our local computer place but  their quote was so high this time that I decided to check around.  I found some bargains on Amazon.  The first one I purchased was an HP and it was a beauty- about as big and loaded as they come. When it was on, it had a red light inside that made it look alive.   The only problem was, every time I tried to load a program onto it, it crashed.  I had to send it back.  The next time I ordered a Dell and I have to say, for my first Dell, it's pretty nice!  My son calls it a "bear" as it has about everything in the world on it.  I'm still adding programs and setting it up.  Such fun!

I guess it's time to get back to work.  Ever since I finished school, I have been playing and I have no more excuses.  I will update the website and add some quilts and runners for sale.