Miss you, Buzz ...

In memory of my little brother Brian --- Feb. 25/64 to Dec. 31/98. Thats him with his son Dylan (Christmas '98) - proud daddy or what!! Miss you Buzz XXXXXOOOOO.

We always spend New Years Eve quietly at home with our friends Paul and Louise - I worked with Paul way back in '86, and we've been friends since then. We like to do a "Mexican Fiesta" - tonight's menu is nachos (2 kinds - one with and one without refried beans) - tacos (soft and hard), Layered Enchilada Bake from this site ... http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/recipes/recipedetail.htm?recipe_id=107317
and Spanish rice (aka Mexican rice, lol). Not sure what dessert will be, as Louise is bringing it :) She's also bringing snackies - cabbage rolls and eggrolls - we're going to DINE FINE tonight, thats for sure!!



Last night I finished another crumb quilt top - 54" X 72" --- thats 7 tops done (and blocks finished for 3 more) -- I'll start birthing these with fleece next year (aka tomorrow). These will be donation quilts.




Now I'm off to chop lettuce and tomatoes and to make some taco stuffing - I hope everyone has a happy - and SAFE!!! - New Years - please don't drink and drive, and if you see a train - STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM IT!!! *glances upwards and toasts Buzz with a diet pepsi *

Sandra :)

Happy Birthday Heather :)

It was my sister-in-law's birthday today (well, actually, yesterday, since it's now past 1:00 a.m.) - HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!

The tablerunner I posted about earlier was for her - she liked it - here it is on her dining room table :)

Here's a picture of one of her goldens --- this is Miss Sunni - all ready for Christmas, awwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!
Here's some eye candy --- http://www.flickr.com/groups/527823@N24/pool/--- a Flickr "pool" of handmade Christmas gifts - lots of the pictures link to tutorials or blog posts for further information - have a peek - maybe you'll find ideas for next year - I did!!

Sandra :)

Pigs in a blanket :D

Had a bit of a Christmas burn-out - poor hubby didn't know what the hell to do with a sobbing wailing wife, LOL. Christmas is over and things are calmer - one of these years I'll be organized enough to be ready for Christmas BEFORE Christmas! That should reduce the stress level somewhat ;)

Here's today's lunch, compliments of a tube of crescent rolls:


Haven't done much sewing lately - just recharging after Christmas. When everything is put away and back to normal, I'm sure I'll get my butt back down there. My first order of business will be to birth some crumb quilt tops that I've finished - I have 6 tops finished, and microfleece bought for 3 of them, so hopefully they'll be my first finishes of 2008 :)

Sandra :)

It's the home stretch ...

One more day to get everything finished - I suspect most people are pretty much tuckered out by this point - I know I am!! We had company for dinner tonight - I spent a lot of time cooking, ran out of time to make a couple of dishes I wanted to make, but when our company arrived they were so exhausted from their previous evening, that they could barely keep their eyes open, lol. So our evening was very abbreviated! I made a pot of chili, a cheese loaf, fudge, a cranberry orange pound cake ... ummmmm something else, but I'm having CRS and I can't think of it, lol. I was going to make kahlua cheesecake but ran out of time. I also cooked up a batch of chicken cacciatore but thats for supper tomorrow - I had the chicken breasts defrosting in the fridge and I didn't want to leave them another day, so I made the cacciatore. Won't have to cook tomorrow, hehe.

Yesterday I made another shelter quilt - my
local dollar store has fleecy type pet blankets for a buck, and I thought they would make a cute quilt backing - bought one and washed/dried it - it came out fine so I used it to back some scrap flannel I had from a previous project. Will be buying more of those blankets - it worked great!! And - could it be any cuter???!?!?


Too tired to think of what all needs to be done tomorrow ... a few gifts left to wrap, Christmas dinner to shop for ... tired ... must sleep ... LOL.

Cheesy Chili Lime Gold Potato Wedges ...

sans the chili, as I had none in the cupboard, nobody was home to drive me to the store, and they had to go in the oven cos we were HUNGRY! I'll pick up some up tonight, and will be trying the recipe again with the proper seasonings ;) The lime juice and peel gave the potatoes a nice zing - great recipe! Next time we'll try them with a bit of sour cream - I didn't have any this time around. Well - at least I had the limes and the cheese!!! ;)

http://homecooking.about.com/od/vegetablerecipes/r/blv228.htm

My youngest son rolled his eyes when I took a picture of the potatoes - he can't believe I post this kind of thing :D

Shelter Quilts - a good thing :)

I had an urge today, to make something, and to finish it. And it had to be something that wasn't a Christmas present, cos I'm getting just a little bit tired o the season ;)

I reached into my magic sack - aka a bag of flannel scraps - and whipped up a shelter quilt (28" X 29") for my favorite shelter ... http://www.lanarkanimals.ca/index.asp. I love making these wee quilts - they use up scraps, they don't have to be perfect, and imagine how much softer it would make a cage for one of our 4 legged friends. This little quilt I made is nothing fancy, nothing special - but it does have a bit of a story: the backing was a freecycle donation of upholstery type fabric (thanks Grace!), and the front is pieced with scraps I had in the bag. The blue plaid in one corner is the backing of my own bed quilt :D The burgundy in the middle is from an ebay seller near my hometown, and was the backing for a quilt I made my sister :) The other blue flannel is left over from a quilt I made and donated to a local people shelter. I sewed small scraps together to make a big enough piece - and I'm sure the animals won't mind a bit.

Thats the story of my little shelter quilt, and I hope some sweet doggy will be comfy laying on it :)

Sandra :)
P.S. For more information on shelter quilts, click here --- http://www.snugglesproject.org/ ... and for a list of shelters in your area, try here ... http://www.h4ha.org/shelter-directory/index.php
Sandra :)

Parcels are mailed ....

Last night I mailed the last of my Christmas packages - Canada Post empl0yees will be able to have a drink or two on what they charged me for the boxes. Unbelievable. The recipients should get the boxes by Friday, so thats pretty good.

Today I finished a couple of gift bags for wrapping our gifts - I had to use wrapping paper for the gifts being mailed, but I'm trying to come up with enough gift bags for us, so that I won't have to use paper.

I also made a set of pillowcases for DS2 - I got the fabric in Joanns when we were in New York 2 weeks ago. They're perfect, and very cute :) He found my blog a few days ago - I hope he doesn't check up in it again before Christmas!












I still have some shopping to do, but everything is pretty much under control. Have to ask the kids what they want for Christmas dinner so I can make a list and get groceries - our usual Christmas dinner is very non-traditional, and usually consists of things like tacos and chicken wraps ;)

Sandra :)

It's a Kahlua Christmas :D

My spicy friend Jujubee (aka Judy) recently posted a link on a Yahoo quilt list, to a recipe for Kahlua .... mmmmmmmmmmmm!!! That seems like a damn good thing to make, especially in a household where homemade tiramisu has become a weekly treat! Hubby and I picked up a bottle of Smirnoff on the weekend, and today I cooked up a batch of coffee flavored liqueur ;)

It looks pretty good, and I didn't die after a quick taste test, so I'm calling the recipe a success, even tho I only ended up with 5 cups and the recipe said I would get 7 cups ;) Recipe available at http://www.recipeland.com/recipe/11608/
I need to find a nice bottle to store it in - right now it's in water bottles on my counter, lol.

Got a few more projects sewn today, but I didn't have the right size boxes around, so I couldn't mail anything. Will get boxes at the grocery store tomorrow, and mail the presents - ON TIME!!!!

I need to finish shopping for my kids and the nieces/nephews on hubby's side of the family, and then I'm done, and can spend the day relaxing instead of fretting over deadlines!

Sandra :)

The malls are alive ...

with the sound of cash registers ............. HAHA. The malls are crazy. The stores are crazy. But do you know - I was at Pier 1 today (in Newmarket, Ontario) - and no less than five people offered me assistance - it was as if they actually had enough staff on hand, and the staff were WELL TRAINED!!! I felt like I was in an alternative universe, because that certainly isn't the norm for stores in general!! WELL DONE PIER 1 NEWMARKET!!

I've been working on a tablerunner for a few days now, and have finally gotten the top finished. The block is from Quilters Cache (Wheeling Triangles), and the initial block (which will be inserted into the backing) is from Wendy Vosters site. Thanks Marcia, and thanks Wendy! I'm hoping to get this project finished tonight so I can wrap it up tomorrow. I hope the recipient likes it!! She should - she picked out the fabric from my stash, lol.

There's a big storm headed our way - southwestern Ontario - tomorrow will be a "stay home and sew and wrap" day. DS2 has to work so I might have a chance to do some running around in the morning, but hopefully can spend the rest of the day clearing up outstanding projects ;)

Sandra :)

The ultimate compliment ...

DS1 (18) asked me to make a big batch of tiramisu to take to work to share with his crew on the last day of work before the Christmas break. What a nice compliment! I can just picture it - a bunch of electricians and apprentices dining on tiramisu on the 30th floor of a building under construction at Yonge/Eglinton in Toronto, lol!!! Rest assured that the night before, I'll be whipping up a double batch for him to take to work!

I've been making gift bags for my Christmas gifts this year - I'm running out of time and getting stressed so I probably won't make many more, but I did get quite a few done - I'll try to get even MORE done for next year - less wrapping paper = a good thing!! Great stash buster too ;)




Sandra :)

Tiramisu and Shelter Quilts :)

I found a recipe for Tiramisu that looked pretty easy, so I whipped up a batch for supper for tonite. It's my oldest son's favorite dessert, so this should put a smile on his face :) The recipe is at http://tinyurl.com/256xww - I used a package of Dream Whip instead of whipping cream, tho. [[[Edited to add - the tiramisu was DIVINE! The recipe tastes as good as it looks - this would be a GREAT dish for company, or to take to somebody's house! Simple to make, and looks and tastes great!]]]

More problems with my sewing machine - last night I couldn't even get a proper row of straight stitching. Will take it to the shop tomorrow night so they can look at it. I'm about ready to pitch it in to the lake, lol. I finished up a couple more shelter quilts for my niece, so now I can cross that off my To Do list. Not sure what else I can get done with such a problem machine, lol. If I can't get things finished - thats just the way it is! Today I finished up some reusable gift bags - they just needed the drawstrings on them - now I can start packaging up some of the Christmas presents I've already made :)

Sandra :)

Ouchies slow down the sewing process ...

My psoriasis has been acting up - particularly on my hands, so I've not been able to do a lot of sewing/typing the last few days. I quilted a baby quilt (just SITD), made some bibs and some tote bags (the totes are made from freecycle fabric!), and this past weekend we went down to Buffalo, NY to do some shopping - didn't buy a lot, but had fun - I wish we had Joanns Fabrics here in Canada, lol.

I mailed 8 packages from USPS - Williamsville N.Y. P.O. - your clerk #32 was a DELIGHT!! I checked the price via Canada Post before we went down - the savings were substantial mailing from south of the border - it cost LESS than half of what CP would have charged me. AARRGH!!

I machine stitched the binding onto the baby quilt (the purple one pictured in this blog post) today but when I went to hand stitch it down, I could only do a few inches because it hurt. I'll have to finish this up a bit at a time - it's still 2 weeks until Christmas - LOTS of time!! NOT!!! *biting my nails and making lists of what still needs to be done* :D

Sandra :)

Bibs 'n Chili :D

Mmmmmmmmmm supper tonight = chili con carne served on toasted buns, cheddar and dill biscuits, and homemade strawberry cheese "danishes" :) I packaged up a couple of containers of the chili and the biscuits for DS1 for his lunch for next week - he can pull 'em out of the freezer and pop 'em in his lunch :)

I sewed up a couple of bibs today to go with the baby quilt in the previous post - discovered I only had the stick-on hook & loop tape. I stuck a piece on the bib, then tried to reinforce it by sewing it. It gummed up my needle immediately, and broke the thread, lol. The worst part is that I'm sure I did the same thing a year or so ago, and forgot the outcome!! Note to self: sew-in hook & loop tape ONLY!!! *doh* :)

Went to Fabricland tonight and picked up some different flannels - 5 metres for a quilt backing, a metre for some gift bags, and half a metre for a couple more baby bibs. I also got some mauve thread to do the topstitching on the baby quilt. I'd like to get that gift (quilt and bibs) finished by the end of the weekend.

I hope I can get everything done that needs to get done ... this is always nail-biting time for me!

Sandra :)

Pixie Fluffernutter

My elf name is ...Pixie Fluffernutter , hehe. What's yours? http://www.blogthings.com/elfnamegenerator/ -- I sound like something that should be spread on toast!!

I got some work done last night - I finished 6 crumb blocks and worked on another dozen, and assembled a baby quilt top (one patch) from some blocks I had already cut.

Today I finished the blocks for one quilt top, pieced and cut the flannel backing, and cut the batting. The batting is in the dryer right now, getting dewrinkled. I should be able to get this quilt spray basted today, but won't be able to start quilting it until I get the decorative stitches fixed on my Babylock - hopefully this week. If I have time tonight I'd like to sandwich the baby quilt so it's ready for decorative stitching when my machine is working properly. I'd like to whip up a couple of bibs tonight to go with the baby quilt, so I can cross them off of my "To Do" list.

And now I'm off to make supper and do some housework - don't envy me! ;)

Sandra :)

Everybody else's blogs look so inviting and fun - mine is probably going to seem pretty pathetic in comparison - eeeep!!! Don't laugh!!


Lets see - for supper tonight I made a pork roast, rice pilaf, steamed carrots, coleslaw and apple crumble. I finished two quilt blocks and got a quilt top almost finished, but I can't post a picture of it because it's a Christmas present :D My husband and oldest son are outside shovelling snow right now, the youngest is at work, and I'm on the computer pretending I know what I'm doing :)


Had to see if I could easily upload a picture, so here's Zoomer sitting on a quilt top, keeping me company in my studio. Cute, eh? HA!!!


OK thats it for now - I hear the guys shovelling the front porch so they'll be in soon, and I think some hot chocolate would be a good idea --- for them, not for me ;)


Sandra :)
P.S. Go elf yourself - I did! ;) http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9636317456