Year-End Stuff -

Like I said on Monday -

Before the New Year begins -

I have a bunch of year-end cleaning up to do -

Business stuff -

And blog stuff -

Some posts that I never got around to posting -

So I probably should post this one -

And get on with it -

So I can PLAY some more - ;))

I still have the Business Stuff to do -

But that will have to wait until January - ;))

Here are the posts that I never got around to posting - ;))

===

1. BRUCE & SPRUCE -

I don’t remember whether or not -
I told you guys that BRUCE died -
But I got a new fish -

And I was going to tell you all about him -
But he only lasted a week - ;((

Poor thing died before I had a chance to tell you -
That I had named him SPRUCE -
Because it rhymed with BRUCE -
And because he was BLUE - ;))

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2. MATCHING THE STITCH -

I like the “blind-hem stitch” on my Husvarna Lily 555 -

But I have that sewing machine all set up with the walking foot -

And I REALLY don’t like switching out feet -

Every time I want to stitch something -

And because I have all of my sewing machines already set up -

It’s easier for me to just switch to a different sewing machine - ;))

So anyway -

I was trying to find a “match” on SuzieQ -

And I think that I found it - ;))

Hopefully that will make it easier to stitch down -

The letters on my Turkey Day wall hanging -

And the O Happy Christmas one - ;))

But you all know how S-L-O-W I am -

So don’t hold your breath - ;))

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3. “WRAPPING” THE SCARVES -

I forgot to tell you my “plan” for “wrapping” the scarves - ;))

I had wanted to stuff them inside Mason Jars -
And give them out that way -
But I didn’t get to Walmart until AFTER -
I had given them away -
So that didn’t work - ;))

But it would have been really cool -
Because they FIT really well - ;))

Maybe next year -
If I make some more - ;))

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4. HOLIDAY BAKING -

And I was going to tell you about my Christmas baking - ;))

Would you believe that -

My pumpkin loaves didn’t stick to the pan -

The PAN stuck to the loaves?!?!? -

Needless to say -
That batch hit the trash -
Along with the pan -
But not before I showed family and friends - ;))

NONE of us had EVER seen this happen before -
And we have been baking for a LONG time - ;))

I’m thinking that the pan just got old and tired -
I have had it for MANY years -
So it was/is time to replace it anyway -
No big deal - ;))

The next batch I made was pumpkin muffins -
Made in my muffin tins -
With PAPER liners - ;))
(Sorry - no photo)

And the next batch was pumpkin cookies - ;))

And then I made a Cherry Cream Cheese Pie -
Just because it’s pretty -
And it’s RED - ;))

And then I found a new recipe for -

Overnight Blueberry French Toast Casserole - HERE - ;))

I made it for company -
And they loved it - ;))

Then I had left-over bread and blueberries -
So I made it again last night -
To sit in the refrigerator overnight -

And I tweaked it a bit -

I used a larger casserole dish - 8 x 13 -

I only used one loaf of French Bread -

I doubled the cream cheese/powdered sugar mixture -
And made it “spreadable” with 6 tablespoons of milk -

And I added an extra egg to the egg/milk mixture -
Because I like my French Toast a little “eggier” -

And I was out of blueberries by that time -
So I used store-bought Boysenberry syrup -
To top it off when it was done baking -
YUMMMY!! - ;))

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And LAST -

But NOT LEAST -

5. 2015 RESOLUTIONS/WORDS/PHRASE/MOTTO -

Some bloggers have posted their New Year Resolutions -

Or Words -

Or Phrase -

Or Motto -

Or whatever you want to call it - ;))

I’m not very good at keeping Resolutions -

Good intentions and all of that -

So I don’t bother to make them -

But I think my WORDS for 2015 are going to be -

LIGHTEN UP - ;))

It’s on one of my favorite Christmas t-shirts -

The lighting makes It look like the shirt is orange -
But it really is a very nice CHRISTMAS RED - ;))

And as long as I’m showing you my favorite Christmas t-shirt -
I may as well show you BOB’s favorite as well -

She wore it to Walmart once -
And got some dirty looks -
So now she only wears it around the house - ;))

If you can’t read it -
It says -

Yeah.
Ho.
Whatever.

===

OK - so that’s it -

I’m all caught up for the year -

Except for some Business stuff -

And some Quilt Journal entries -

That will have to wait until next year -

Because right now it’s time to post this one -

So I can PLAY some more - ;))



HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE!!



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Design Wall Monday - 12/29/14

DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

This is STILL on my wall today - ;))

With the holiday last week -

Mostly I worked on some more scarves - ;))

They were “extras” -

And they aren’t done yet -

So no photos - sorry - ;))

I don’t know why -

But I just haven’t had much Quilting Mojo lately -

So I switched to knitting for a while -

And then yesterday -

I decided to pull out some of my scrap triangles -

And press and sort them - ;))

I used the Easy Angle ruler -
To measure them -
Because they are ALL different sizes -
And sorted them by size - ;))
3” - 2-1/2” - 2” - 1-1/2” -

I just PLAYED - ;))

Some probably think it a CHORE -

But I thought it was VERY relaxing -

Pulling out a little stack -

Pressing it -

Sorting them -

Measuring them -

And making little piles of the different colors - ;))

After I sort the rest of them -

I’ll sew them together in light/dark combos - ;))

Then I’ll trim them -

To whatever size -

And they will be ready to go - ;))

But first -

I have a bunch of year-end cleaning up to do -

Business stuff -

And blog stuff -

Some posts that I never got around to posting -

So I probably should post this one -

And get on with it -

So I can PLAY some more - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Merry Christmas - 2014 -

For the past couple of years -

I have shared a beautiful Christmas Card -

That I received one year from a dear friend - ;))

It is one of the most beautiful Christmas Cards -

That I have ever seen -

So I wanted to share it with you -

Again this year - ;))

Please click - HERE -

And -

Have a Very Merry Christmas!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Merry Christmas Eve - 2014

Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Jingle Bell -

Rock - ;))

===

I would like to wish everyone -

A VERY Merry Christmas Eve!! - ;))

And as a special Thank You -

To the inventor of "Glitter" -

BOB would like to invite him/her -

Over to my house after the holidays -

To clean it up - :))

They should plan to stay for a while -

Because -

That crap sticks to EVERYTHING!! -

UUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!! - ;((

I made the mistake of buying some gift bags -

In a sealed package -

And dang it -

When I opened the package -

The gift bags had "Glitter" -

ALL over them!! -

On the "Inside" where I couldn't see -

And then before I could get them all back IN the package -

Some of the "Glitter" escaped -

And decided to stick to the table -

And the floor -

And the wall -

And I'm sure that I'll probably be finding specs of it -

EVERYWHERE!! -

For years to come -

AAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!!! - ;((

So here's to a "Glitter-free" holiday -

Unless you actually LIKE the stuff - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - Santa's coming -

TUSAL - 12/22/14 - A day late -

Once again I have joined a bunch of other stitchers -

In Daffycat’s TUSAL - HERE -

It's a Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long - ;))

To play the game -

I have to fill my glass container -

With saved thread clippings -

Or ORTS - Old Ratty Threads -

Fabric trimmings -

Stitching cast-offs -

And then -

On (or about) the New Moon -

Take a picture of the ORTS in my jar -

Post it to my blog -

With a link back to her TUSAL post - HERE -

Label the Totally Useless posts with “TUSAL” -

And then visit her blog and comment on her ORT report for that month's TUSAL - ;))

It's EASY -

It's TOTALLY USELESS -

And -

It's FUN!! - ;))

This year I decided NOT to empty my jar each time -

Maybe a year-to-date accumulation of ORTs -

Will make it look like actually DID something - ;))

===

OK - so that's the "Template" version of my usual TUSAL posts -

And what follows is the rest of it -

For this time - ;))

===

I had to use that bit about -

On (or about) the New Moon -

This time because yesterday was Design Wall Monday -

AND -

TUSAL - New Moon -

And I thought that each post deserved its own day - ;))

I think that I mentioned once before -

That even though this is supposed to be a TOTALLY USELESS STITCH-A-LONG -

That I had an intended use for this year's ORTS - ;))

Well - this is it -

I found an empty plastic Christmas tree ornament -
Who knows where?!?! -
And thought that I would stuff it with the ORTS -
And hang it on the tree - ;))

Then the question was -
Whether or not ALL of the ORTS would fit inside - ;))

And YES - most of them did - ;))

All I had left was two lengths of yarn -
And I had a representative sample of each in the bulb -
So I used the left-overs -
To make a hanger for the ornament - ;))

That tree was decorated SO many years ago -
That I have NO idea where the little hanger thingys are -

And the yarn worked VERY well - ;))

So now the 2014 - TUSAL bulb is hung on the Christmas Tree -

As PROOF that I actually DID do something this year!! - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Design Wall Monday - 12/22/14

DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

This is on my wall today - ;))

I made it a while ago -

And had it fuse-basted to a batt and backing -

And in the stack to be quilted -

When I realized that the letters had been FUSED on -

But hadn't been SEWN down -

So guess what's on the menu for this coming week??? -

Besides waiting for Santa, of course - ;))

===

This past week I finished up this one -

And only used half of the ball of yarn -

So I decided to make another one just like it -
Only it came out a bit longer -
Because I had a bit MORE than half a ball left -
And I just kept going until I ran out of yarn - ;))

Then I made a rust-colored one -

And a fuzzy one with "Fun-Fur" and a purple 4-ply worsted weight -

And then another fuzzy one with "Fun-Fur" and a turquoise 4-ply worsted weight -
"Simply Soft" - and it REALLY IS SOFT!! - ;))

And then I made a variegated brown one -

And then a plain Royal Blue one - ;))

I have a couple more to make -

But they go SO fast -

That I should be able to get them done -

Before Christmas - ;))

===

By the way -

Today is ALSO TUSAL - New Moon -

But I've written up that post -

To "go live" tomorrow - ;))

Come back tomorrow to see what I did with this year's ORTS - ;))

I KNOW that it's supposed to be -

A TOTALLY USEESS STITCH-A-LONG -

But a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do -

Because it seems like such a waste -

To just put them in a baggie -

For SOMEDAY - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Design Wall Monday - 12/15/14

DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

So I got it together - ;))

You may not be able to tell from the photos -
And the fabrics kinda blend together -
But the corners and center square are framed with a star -

And the middles are framed in red -

It is REALLY pretty in “real life” - ;))

But I spent most of my time -

Making these -

I finished this one -

And then made this one - the gray version -

And then this one - the blue version -

And an empty waste basket -
With a plastic bag inside -
Serves as my “yarn holder - ;))

Next up is this one -

They are for family - friends - and neighbors -

Who have been SO helpful -

These past few months - ;))

===

Last week I showed you -

The plaque that BOB wants/needs - ;))

This week I’ll show you -

The one that I want/need -

If you can’t read it -

It says -

NO
SOLICITING
=
We are too broke to
buy anything.
=
We already know
who we are voting for
=
WE HAVE
FOUND JESUS
=
Seriously,
Unless you are selling
THIN MINTS
=
PLEASE
GO AWAY!!

===

The little blurb in the catalog says -

"We think our plaque covers ALL the bases!" -

I agree - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

12-13-14

TWELVE - THIRTEEN - FOURTEEN


What a TOTALLY COOL DATE!!

I LOVE NUMBERS  –

Even more than I LOVE FABRIC!!

The beginning of any new century always has some really cool dates -

01/01/01 - The FIRST day of ANY century - contrary to popular belief - ;))
02/02/02
03/03/03
04/04/04
05/05/05
06/06/06
07/07/07
08/08/08
09/09/09
10/10/10 – Monk’s favorite, I’m sure  ;))
11/11/11
12/12/12

and then there’s -

01/02/03
02/03/04
03/04/05
04/05/06
05/06/07
06/07/08
07/08/09
08/09/10
09/10/11
10/11/12
11/12/13
12/13/14 - TODAY!!

So I guess that's it for another hundred years - ;))

===

EDIT UPDATE - I NEED TO ADD ONE MORE!! -

Pi DAY -

The mathematical constant pi is -

3.141592653 -

And I almost missed it -

ME - the math nerd -

Almost missed Pi DAY -

3.141592653 - ;))

3/14/15 - at 9:26 and 53 seconds - AM or PM -

===

And I wonder if future generations will celebrate -

The turn of the century -

A year early -

Like we did -

On 12/31/99 -

Or get it right -

And wait until -

New Year's Eve - 12/31/00 -

The LAST DAY of the OLD CENTURY -

And -

New Year's Day - 01/01/01 -

The FIRST DAY of the NEW CENTURY - ;))

===

If you don't believe me -

Try this little exercise - ;))

===

A century is 100 years -

Right? -

So -

Start counting to 100 -

Right now -

Out loud - ;))

===

Now -

I'm willing to bet -

That when you started counting -

You began with "1" -

And NOT "0" -

And if you did start with "1" -

You just proved my point - ;))



Talk to you later – gotta go – gotta sew -

Design Wall Monday - 12/8/14

DESIGN WALL MONDAY -
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. -
At Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===


It’s CHRISTMAS!! - ;))

My FAVORITE time of year!! - ;))

On my design wall today is -

I found it with my Christmas stuff from last year - ;))

It has some embroidered blocks -

That my bloggy buddy - Katie M - did for me a while back - ;))

It’s already pre-sashed -

The way I like to do it -

And just needs to be sewn into a GIANT 9-patch -

Easy - peasy - ;))

Why didn’t I finish it up last year?? -

Who knows?? -

Probably saw another Squirrel -

And figured that it wouldn’t take long -

To sew it together -

And then just forgot about it - ;))

I also found the matching three-block table runner - ;))

So those two are in the queue for this month -

Along with some knitting - ;))

I found some “Fun Fur” balls of yarn -

And thought I could use them to make some -

Of what I like to call - One-Ball Scarves - ;))

No pattern -

Just cast on some stitches -

And knit each row until I use up the One-Ball of yarn - ;))

Tried some stitches on one needle -

And then some on a larger needle -

And chose the larger needle - ;))

LARGER needle - FLUFFIER - FASTER - ;))

And I see no point in knitting one row -

And purling the next one -

If the yarn is so fuzzy that you can’t see the pattern -

So I don’t bother -

I just keep knitting -

Until I get to within about a foot or so of yarn left -

And then I cast off -

And weave in the ends - ;))

SIMPLE -

And the yarn does all of the work!! - ;))

Red version -

Turquoise version -

===

Then I found some “Eyelash” yarn -

And added a ball of Sport-weight variegated -
Figuring that one strand of each -
At the same time -
Would give me something that I could SEE - ;))

Can’t knit it if I can’t SEE it - ;))

And it’s coming out REALLY soft - ;))

===

Also - during the last couple of weeks -

I spent some time messing with my scraps - ;))

I found a bunch of triangle pieces -

That I thought I could use for some Foundation Paper Piecing -

But the waste was incredible -

To get this -

So I’m going to have to rethink that - ;))

===

AND THEN -

I found the PERFECT gift for BOB this year - ;))

If you can't read it -
It says -

Dear Lord,

So far today I am doing alright. I have not
whined, bitched, been grumpy, nasty or selfish.
I haven’t eaten any chocolate....
But
I am going to get out of bed in a minute
and I might need a lot more help.
===

PERFECT!! - Right?? - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -