New Trip Around the World

While I was in Florida over the holidays I went fabric shopping at the LQS (I know, shock, right?).  At first nothing grabbed my eye, but then I saw this:

Gold and yellow are totally outside of my comfort zone, so I walked away from it a couple of times,  But I kept coming back to it.  It spoke to me.  So I picked it up.  It spoke to me some more.  It said it had some friends that wanted to go, too.  I just had to find them.  So after much searching and adding and subtracting, here are the friends that wanted to come, too.

Originally, just the green and yellow friends came home to play.  But there was some yelling and screaming and crying that they needed some of their purple friends.  So a couple of days later, we went back to the LQS and found the purple friends.

No, the original inspiration fabric is NOT in the rainbow of colors.  He said that because he's so special, he needed a special place.  We negotiated and decided that he could be the main border.

See how well he plays with others?

I'm using the tube method and am ready for the tube seam on the first quarter panel.  When I have that together, I'll take a picture and post it for you.

On a totally different front, I am keeping an eye on something I'm trying in the oven.  DD and I are going to a Super Bowl party next weekend, so I'm testing an appetizer recipe.  Its not too hard:  bacon wrapped water chestnuts.  They're in the oven and will be ready in about 15 minutes.  I'll take a picture, but you'll have to wait until the next post to see it and find out how they turn out.

Have a great evening!

Midnight Snow



Midnight Snow


I saw the sample of this quilt at my LQS and for the FIRST TIME EVER, wanted to make a quilt like the sample.  They didn't have any kits or patterns, so I made notes, bought the fabric that they still had, came home and ordered the rest off the internet, and started this quilt between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I added the pieced border and I think its the first time I ever put a block on point. Earlier this week I finished it.  Instead of taking it to my longarmer, I quilted it myself on my DSM.  Not extremely happy with the quilting job, but happy enough not to tear it out.  I'm keeping it and going to use it as a throw on the couch for the winter, even though its big enough for a queen sized bed (sigh). 


Tomorrow I take the big Christmas Irish Chain top to my longarmer along with our church raffle quilt top which is going to be raffled off next September.  I need to iron both backs tonight.   I'll show you those as they come back home.

Next... I started cutting out strips for a new Trip Around the World from new fabric that I bought when I was in FL over the holidays.

Today the temperature was -8 degrees when DD and I went out this morning (me to work and she to day care since it was a no school day).  Tonight when we got home it was -2.  We're not expecting it to warm up any tonight or tomorrow.  But a heat wave of 18 degrees is expected for the Bears/Packer game on Sunday.

Hope you all are staying warm!  Go Bears!

Update from WI

Not much going on.  We're back to school and back to work.  It's snowed a few times, and it's cold.  It's 10 degrees F.   That's Wisconsin in winter.  We get used to it.

I guess the big news (at least at work) is the upcoming game of the Chicago Bears against the Green Bay Packers.  Now, I've been a Bears fan for 25+ years.  So I take some ribbing, but this week it has gone to a whole new level.  Let's just say that we've all agreed to disagree.  And that who ever wins this weekend, it will be the best team.

Last Saturday, while Green Bay was winning, I made a pot of stew.  I know, I know.  Not too exciting.  But the last time I made stew (about 10 years ago), it didn't turn out well and I was very disappointed.  This time, everything worked and fell into place (see what happens when you follow the directions?).



Stew right after I added the veggies - everything still bright green



Stew Done and Ready to Eat 

The stew was so delicious.  Of course, I didn't follow the receipe exactly. Nowhere did it say add 1 1/2 cups of red wine.  But you know, if it's good enough for Beef Burgundy, it's good enough for stew.
Of course, I didn't really measure 1 1/2 cups of wine.  I just uncorked the bottle, took a sniff to make sure it was still good, took a swig, and poured until I felt like stopping.  But it was about 1 - 2 cups.

I'll have a quilt to show you later this week.  I'm busy burying all the loose threads and hope to have a picture taken at my quilting meeting at church on Thursday. 

Hope your winter is going well.

Happy New Year!

Ok, so I'm a day late.  DD and I drove back to WI from FL over the past two days and I didn't have access to my computer while on the road. 

We had a marvelous time in Florida this year, even though the weather was a bit cooler than we would have liked.  I even had frost (gasp!) on my windshield one morning.  But it beats what we returned to last night.  While unloading the car is was a brisk 16 degrees and a windchill of about -20.  Well, that's what it felt like, at least.

So you want to see more pictures, huh?  Well, okay, twist my arm. 

Late Christmas night a storm blew through.  So on Sunday (the day after Christmas), we went down to the beach to see if we could take some pictures of storm surf or storm spray. 

Stump Pass State Park, FL

4-5 foot waves coming in from Gulf of Mexico

I was looking for a break water for the spray to blow up against, but didn't find one.


The next day (our last full day in beach territory), I went down to Boca Grand to take pictures.  Boca Grand is an island that sticks out into Charlotte Harbor and its where a lot of rich people live.  In fact, the day before, George H Bush and son Jeb and their families arrived on the island.  They stay pretty secluded and I never saw them, but I might have seen some Secret Service people hanging out. 

Boca Grand Beach 2 days after Storm

Entry Way to a House

 The Boca Grand community is very interesting in that many people on the island get around on golf carts.  You can see teenagers driving, elderly grandparents driving, all over the island.  They even have their own roads to drive the golf carts on, parelle to the regular roads.  Some of the other residents get around on bikes.  So you have to be really aware while driving, looking out for the golf carts and bikes.

A Family of Bicycles

On Tuesday, we drove from my Dad's to my Mom's house.  She lives about an hour north of Tampa.  One of her Christmas presents was a big lap sized quilt that I made for her.  I couldn't post about it earlier because she reads this blog (hi, Mom!).  Its a Christmas color quilt that I even machine quilted myself.  I made myself one, too, but in a double bed size.  Its going to my long armer since I won't need it until 11 months from now!

On Wednesday afternoon DD, mom, and I went to the Homosassa Wildlife Park.  Its part nature preserve, part zoo.  Zoos generally bother me because I don't like seeing the animals caged up.  But this park has many of the birds and water fowl in a non-cage area, so I don't feel so bad.

Two Swans A-Swimming

"And then Mabel said ......"



Sleepy Brown Bear



Wild Squirrel

Mom and DD

So we're home again.  I'm sitting here in my heavy robe and slippers, sipping some hot chocolate, dreaming of the warmth of Florida (relatively speaking, of course).  DD is still in bed (my bed, she had a bad dream) and I need to get going and start the rest of my day/year off.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a happy New Year!