Merry Christmas!

 

I love this picture.

It reminds us what the true meaning is.

May your heart be full of faith, happiness and love today and every day.

May you share that abundance with everyone around you.

And never forget what this day is about.

I'm linking a beautiful post I read this morning.

I hope you'll take time to click here to read it.

Very simple, but very powerful.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Thank you so much for being in my life!

"Waiting for Spring" - A Blogger's Quilt Along

Winter greetings!!

So I was reading some of the blogs I follow this morning and Ryan from I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts has a posting about a first ever Bloggers Block-a-palooza.  There are 18 bloggers participating in this and you'll make two blocks a week.  You can get all the information they have so far here.  I just might do this!

They are using the new Sunkissed line by Sweetwater for Moda (fabric line below).  What a bright, cheery way to get through winter!  So, go to Ryan's blog, grab a button, and let me know if you're going to join.  I think it would be fun to do this together!!

Have a day full of blessings!!
Cindy

Today Is My Lucky Day!

You know...I have met so many nice people through the short time I've been blogging and my Flickr account.  It's been such a wonderful experience.  The world of quilting just brings out great people.  I think that's what I love most about it.  The comfort of the finished quilt, with stitches made out of love, wrapped around you in warmth and safety.  The great friends you meet through quilt retreats.  The togetherness we all feel when working on a gift from the heart for our loved ones.  And seriously, who would have thought I would have found great friends, though never meeting face to face.  It's amazing!

So...during lunch I was on the phone with my husband.  I was actually working at my desk during lunch because it was just 'one of those days'.  So while he's telling me about his day (which I swear I was listening to him...really...), I thought I would hop on the internet and check my email.  Lo and behold...I WON A GIVEAWAY!!!  I got so excited!!  I WON FABRIC!!!!!!!  If you are a quilter, you KNOW that is JUST like winning the lottery!!  He started laughing at me because I was so excited, so he let me hang up so I could scream around the office that I won.

I had mentioned about the Holly Jolly Blog Bingo in an earlier post.  Well, they have so very graciously been doing daily giveaways.  Yesterday when I left my post I was secretly hoping I would win because I really liked the fabric.  And I did!!  So THANK YOU everyone from The Quilt Shoppe! You made this little Iowa gal's day!!!

AND...if you have a chance, hop on over to The Quilt Shoppe because they are having one nice sale!!
Enjoy!

It's Done!!

Here it is!!  The hardest quilt I've ever done.  Would I do this one again? Absolutely!  I learned a LOT....especially about planning your color scheme when it comes to the stars.  If I would have known what I was doing, I would have planned it out a little better.  But it's all about learning and trying and moving forward.  Though I would have done some things differently on this, I'm still really proud of myself for completing the top! 

I hope you all were able to get a little creativity in this weekend!!

Holly Jolly Blog Bingo!

Holy Cow!  I can't believe I haven't blogged since Oct 23rd!  Where has the time gone??  Well...I came across something fun you might want to participate in.  The Quilt Shoppe is sponsoring a Holly Jolly Blog Bingo.  How fun is that?  If you want to play, just click here and have your information turned in by December 9th.  It will be a lot of fun! 



Let me know if you do!  Coming soon will be a blog about the latest quilt I'm working on.  Yes, it's true, I will have the quilt top finished. **fainting**  I have to in order to get 40% off my next shopping spree at Common Threads.  :o)  What an incentive, right?  Peg, the shop owner, hosted this awesome block of the month and that's our prize for completing everything on time.  How sweet is that?? But I will tell you this quilt had challenged me.  I'm all about the easy stuff, so I'm pretty darn proud of myself  for doing this quilt! I PROMISE it will be blogged by next Sunday. 

And just because she's one of my absolute favorites, I read on KarrieLyne's blog today that she's going to have another tutorial coming up.  I can't wait!!  She just makes me smile!!

So...until next weekend (of if I  have a chance before then) I hope you all are finding many things to be grateful for this past year.  My list is long!!  I hope yours is too. 

Merry Christmas!!

A Beautiful Fall Drive

I had a few minutes this morning, so I wanted to share some pictures I took from a day trip my husband and I went on last week.  For October, the weather has been absolutely beautiful!  I'm not going to write a lot, because I want the pictures to tell the story.  Enjoy!

 This house is one of our favorites.  We love older homes and the stories they have.  Our home was built in 1875.  Ooooooo...if these walls could talk!  LOL  Wait...isn't that a show?  :o)

 We couldn't believe the amount of turkey buzzards that were around.  Those things are scary AND ugly!

 So we found this little mom & pop gas station around lunch time.  We were getting hungry after all the hiking.  Their special was spiral ham, scalloped potatoes and cake.  Skeet said, "Now this is a real farmers meal.  Meat, potatoes and no vegetables!".  He's a dork.  But he's my dork.  :o)

This was a beautiful day.

Great day with my hubby.

Beautiful scenery.

Life is good.

Surprise!

I'm still here!  Oh my goodness...I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! Life has been so busy lately.  I'm now a college student!  Just part time, because I still work full time, but a student none-the-less!  :o)  That has been a challenge as I haven't been in school for 30 years (no lie).  So, with that said, I haven't had much sewing time, which is rather depressing.  I am giving up one of my other activities - being on our local Fine Arts board.  After our dinner theatre in March, I have resigned.  I  had to choose something to give up since being back in school, so regretfully, I chose to give up the Fine Arts. 

So here's what I've been working on:

This is the most challenging quilt I've done.  It's a block of the month I'm doing at a local quilt shop, so I HAVE to get this done each month, because when we're done, you get a shopping spree of 40% off your entire purchase!!  Now THAT is motivation!

I hope  you all have a great day and I PROMISE to start blogging more.  I'm having a sewing weekend at my house with my cousin, so look for a big post on Sunday!!

xoxoxo to you all!

Fabric Giveaway!!!

 

Isn't it gorgeous!!!!  If you would like a chance to win, just click here. I wish you all lots of luck!!
xoxo
Cindy

Taking Time To Remember

My wish for you is to wake up each day and be grateful.  No matter how bad you think your day is, please remember....you get to wake up and live your life however you choose.  Each day is a choice...a gift.  All these people on 9/11/01 woke up, thought they were going to work....or flying home to see their families, or on their way to a business trip....only to find out that would be their last adventure on this earth.  Though they are now in a much better place than we are, we can choose to make Heaven on earth.  We can still choose to make things better.  God Bless.

Fabric Giveaway!

A Note From Miss Sadie

Now how can you honestly resist this sweet face?  I am so in love with my little girl!

Anyway...Sadie knows how much I love to sew.

She wanted me to share this little giveaway with you.

http://fabricfascination.blogspot.com/2010/09/win-batik-fat-quarter-bundle-or-sugar.html

And if you would like to purchase any fabric:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/fabricfascination

I buy from her shop as much as I can.  Kym's customer service is outstanding and her fabric is wonderful!!!  Plus you get $10.00 off an order once

you've spent $100.00 AND her yardage & shipping rates are 

extremely reasonable.

AND, as a gift, she sends you these little gifts called

Thread Tamers, which hold the thread nicely on your

spools.  No more loose thread hanging out!

LOVE them!

Now go enter the giveaway!!

Enjoy!

PS...Julie L...Sadie wanted me to tell you, "Hello" and would like

to thank you for making me put her picture on here.

LOL! 

Just Too Pretty...

Tonight was just gorgeous....it was a cool evening and I love going outside to watch the sunset.  Living in the country is just so incredibly peaceful.  I love coming home after a stressful day of work and just sit and listen....at dusk it's so quiet...OK....so my little puppy princess Sadie is a bit of an adventure in herself, but she does like walking around with me while I take pictures.  Stubby, my little king (he's 11, so he deserves to be the 'king' dog) is just happy to sit and rest while Sadie leaves him alone.  :o)  So, with that said, I will share my pictures of country life around my house that I took tonight.  Enjoy the peace & quiet and even a rainbow! 

Peppers! Peppers! Peppers!

So my sister and I planted a garden together this year.  We have had so much rain here that it hasn't had a banner year.  The one thing that did produce really well are the bell pepper plants.  But that's OK!!  We love peppers!

So I bet you're wondering what I did with them!  Wellllllllll...........

I cooked 2 lbs of 90% hamburger.

Added 12 oz of light cream cheese

About a cup of parmesan cheese

A family size box of chicken Rice-O-Roni (prepared)

A packet of dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing

I cleaned 6 peppers, removing all the seeds and 'stuff', then stuffed them with the filling.  I sprinkled them with cheddar/jack cheese and baked them at 350 for about an hour (I put a little bit of water in the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan and covered with foil ).  And....surprise!!!  Here's what I got!

Oh my goodness was it ever yummy!!!  Jesse girlfriend made these for us once.  She's an AMAZING cook.  Though I didn't make them exactly as she did, they still came out so yummy!!  But I still had some extra peppers & filling.  I took three more peppers - cleaned them and cut them in half and wrapped each one individually and put them in a gallon freezer bag, so I could freeze them for a quick supper on a night I was busy.  I just cleaned the rest of the peppers, cut them in half, and put them in bags 'unstuffed' for pepper steak, stuffed pepper casserole, etc...

Let me know if you try this recipe!!  Enjoy!!

Giveaway at Freckled Whimsy!!!

If I'm really, really lucky I could win a GO!Cutter!!  Want a chance to win?  Here ya go!!

http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/2010/08/its-giveaway-time.html

Hurry!!  The drawing is tomorrow at 9:00 PM CST!

Good luck!!

Where Does The Time Go?

Wow...I can't believe it's been so long since I've had a chance to blog.  I've kind of missed it.  :o)  AND I see I have new followers!!  THANK YOU SO MUCH!!  Christine!!!!  I hope you've been getting some sewing done! I'm sure it's hard with your little guys.  One day you'll be like me and sending you're youngest one off to college and sit back and wonder...."Where has the time gone?"  They are so not kidding when they say kids grow within the blink of an eye.  And Julie S!!!!  I'm glad you like the fabric on the Halloween quilt.  Hhhmm....I wonder who that one is going too?  LOL

This weekend was pretty emotional.  Our youngest son, Justin, has moved off to college for the next two years.  We are so proud of him.  Saturday we took a drive an met him.  We had to get all of his groceries, cleaning supplies, dishes and household items he didn't have...all that good stuff.  Then we took him out to eat.  His apartment is very nice and I feel much better after seeing where he will be.  On the way home he sent me a text.  It said, "Thank you for coming up here today.  I couldn't ask for any better parents.  I love you guys".  And boy...did that open up the flood gates!!  He's been a bit of a stinker these past few weeks, but it's a 'guy' thing....his way of dealing with the fact that he 'thinks' he doesn't need his parents anymore...little did he know....lol.  But I am so glad he is an independent young man.

So...since it's been a while since I've been on here, I thought I would share a recipe that is really yummy!  If you have some jalapeno's from your garden, along with some red bell peppers, this is a great recipe.  I LOVE it on cream cheese and then spread on crackers.  I got it from www.allrecipes.com.

Red and Green Christmas Jalapeno Jelly

Ingredients

• 1 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno pepper
• 5 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 1 (6 fluid ounce) container liquid pectin

Directions

1. Remove stems, veins and most of the seeds of the bell and jalapeno peppers. Mince peppers in a food processor.
2. In a 5-quart pot over high heat, combine bell peppers, jalapenos, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a rolling boil; boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.
3. Stirring constantly, add the pectin and let mixture continue to cool for 2 minutes more. Now stir for 1 minute.
4. Pour into hot, sterilized jars and top with sterilized lids. Secure lids with bands and allow jars to cool slowly, creating a vacuum seal.

And all my jars popped!  I love that sound!  I read some of the reviews and got some good ideas for this, like use it for glazed  ham, ribs, pork chops and chicken.  I'll have to give it a try!

So...that's the moon peaking through the trees.  I think it's telling me it's time to go to bed.  Until the next adventure...keep looking up and thinking positive!!

The Amazing Concert

Okay...as I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to a concert, but I didn't tell you who....I'll fill you in on the first two acts.  The first was Justin Moore.  If you like country music then you know he sings Backwoods.  He was crazy full of energy!  What a way to start the show!  But I have to tell you...my friend purchased floor tickets.  Now mind you, I don't normally get a seat on the floor because I like to see, but did we ever end up being the lucky winners!!  We were supposed to be in section D, which was a little way back from the stage.  Well, they had to use that area to set up their sound system, so they moved us.  Where did they move us to, you ask?  RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE  CENTER STAGE!!!  The center stage protruded out from the main stage.  But to get a glimpse of what I'm talking about, look at this picture:

Um...yeah...that's my head.  I think my excitement scared the camera! (I was a bit of a sneak and brought my son's camera because his fits in my pocket...mine doesn't!)  LOL  But yeah...we had it going on!  "Did you touch the stars?" you ask?  Heck ya we did!!  Cowboy boots never felt so good!  :o)

Justin did a GREAT opening act.  He definitely didn't disappoint!  Then...after the crowd was all warmed up, the next act came on.  We were all 'hootin' when he came on stage (yep...that was a hint)

The one and only Darius Rucker (formerly known as Hootie)!!!  OH YEAH!!!

And then....after the crowd was all crazy...the main attraction came out of 'the water'............................

For this concert, our seats just couldn't have been better.  How else was I going to get this sweet picture of Mr. Brad Paisley????

YEAH BABY!!!!  It was a GREAT night!!  Good friends, good music and a memory of a lifetime!!!  Until the next Adventures of the Singing Quilter..............lol
xoxoxo

Very Pretty Tag Giveaway!!

Hello!

I know this isn't the post about the concert event I attended, but I wanted to share a giveaway with you.  These tags are so cute, so you should hop on over to this and sign up!!  I love stuff this sort of thing!!!  Good luck!

Happy Sunday!!
Cindy

Fun Things To Do!

Hello World!!  So I've been busy doing more sewing.  I just can't get enough of it!  I am participating in another quiltalong (as I mentioned in an earlier post that there was more to come on the third project I was starting).  I'm doing a Charm Pack Quiltalong by Karrie Lyne.  She is a sweatheart!!  Plus she just had her first Moda Bakeshop Tutorial posted.  I highly suggest you check it out.  I can't wait to have a free moment to make that quilt.  It's so cute!  Below are the fabrics I'm using (Thimbleberries Pumpkin Hill along with Kona Crush Natural).  I thought I would be fun to make a Halloween quilt since I haven't done one yet.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of year!  So...125 HST later, this is what I have...

I just finished squaring them all up last night, so these were obviously taken before the squaring was done.  :o)  I am sure glad she gave us two weeks to get that part done. :o)  Thanks, Karrie Lyne!  But if you're interested, it's still not too late to join the fun!  Just click on the charm pack link about and get busy!!

Another fun thing I did was make this CUTE notebook holder from one of my blogger friends, Melissa. This was so easy to make and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out!!  I was so excited to make it that I forgot to do the top stitch on it!! LOL  You can find this pattern in her Etsy store.  I just love her creativity and kindness.  I HIGHLY recommend  her stuff!!

Let me know if you make one. I'm going to make more because I think that are a great little item to have around...plus I have lots of fabric that needs something done with it, and this is the perfect project!  Thanks, Melissa!!

Well...I'm off to go pull weeds.  The heat is not too bad this morning, so I thought I should get that done before I start doing housework.  The fun just never ends in the Smith house!  :o)  I will try to blog again as soon as I can because I have a GREAT concert review for you!  Wait until you see my pics from that night!!  WOW!

Hugs to you all!!!!!
Cindy

My Latest Projects

Just thought I would update  you on the quilting projects I've been doing.  Way back when (of course, when I say, "way back when", I do mean AFTER the dinosaurs.) I posted the fabrics I'd be using (Kansas Troubles Winter line) for the online quiltalong at p.s. I quilt.  Well, I'm working on putting the sashing and border on now.  But I thought I would go ahead and show you the lay out:

Now keep in mind, as I said, I am adding the sashing strips and border, so this is just a rough draft of what's to come.  :o)  I'm thinkin this pretty rad!

My new project is the Summer Star Sampler 2010.  The instructions are given every Tuesday for two blocks.  I just completed week two...BEFORE next Tuesday!  LOL  I'm pretty proud of myself for that one!  But this gives me time over the weekend to finish my pinwheel quilt, so I need to stay on top of my game.  :o)  I think juggling two quilt projects (soon to be three!...more to come on that one) has to be WAY worse then trying to juggle two men at the same time.  Just sayin...  Here's the new quilt:

This fabric line is Holiday Happy by Happy Zombie (with additions of other fabric lines if needed for contrast).  If you've never viewed  her blog, you really should.  OMG....LOVE this gal!!  She totally cracks my stuff up!!  My dream is to meet her in person some day.  I think we would be the life of the party.  :o)  Gosh...to me that would be like meeting the Barbra Streisand of the quilt world.  **sigh**  I got to meet Patrick Lose whose my other hero and he now calls me his friend....~~swoon~~.  So dreams do come true!  :o)  I'm incorporating his fabric into this quilt as well.  His blue Fizz is in the blue block on the bottom right corner.  I just love the quilting world!

Until the next adventure of the Singing Quilter...I wish y'all best stitches from my needle to yours!  (you guessed it...I LOVE Paula Deen too...you know...when she says, "I wish y'all best dishes from my kitchen to yours"! LOL)
xoxo

Flying into Vegas

So I just had to share these pictures I took when flying to Vegas.  I can't wait to get a new computer so I can put my Photoshop Elements 8 on it.  Ooooooo....the things I will be able to do with that!!  I love dabbling in photography.  Not that I need another thing to dabble in...I'm busy enough...but it's just so much fun!  So, enjoy the view!