Hi. Remember me?

No excuses.  Life sometimes gets in the way of blogging.  That being said, here's my latest creation.

I like it.  A lot. 

It's a little, fox pillow.

A girl fox, as my Youngest would insist you notice. 

Because, clearly girls are better than boys. 

I machine appliqued it, using black thread to help it stand out from the bold turquoise back.

Threw on some fabric from my favorite new design house, Cotton And Steel (they're some pretty cool chicks over there).  And called it good.

Hope you like it, too.  My daughters are both fighting over who gets it.  Luckily their mama is a genius and is planning on making #2 tonight.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Sunday, the day of rest...for Me

Just guess how much fun it is to fix a busted up fence.

If you're eight years old...LOTS!

If you're slightly older than eight and are actually responsible for the fixing of the fence...a lot less.

Like this, Dad?

No, hold it like this and you have to use the claw-y bit.  (He may or may not have called the claw-y bit, the claw-y bit.)

Put your back into it, kid.

Fixing fences is so much fun, huh, Daddy?

So much.  Less talk, more work.

Glad to see you wore appropriate footwear for hammering and nails and stuff. 

Thanks, Daddy!  I love to help.  And I love you, SO MUCH!

Aha!  I got you, you dirty...so and so.

(As a side note, this cute little thing has asked me many times to explain to her what swears are so she can not say them.  snicker.  I told her not to worry about it and if she ever says something that's a bad word, I'll be sure to let her know so she can avoid it in the future.)

Don't worry Daddy, I can knock this whole fence down BY MYSELF!  Just watch.

Uhhh, give me the hammer back.

This is the best day EVER!  When I grow up I want to be somebody who digs ditches for a living.

That's my girl.  I really teach my kids to reach for the stars.

If you're wondering what I am doing all this time?  Don't you worry your pretty little head a bit.  I was probably doing the most important work of all.

Here's a cool beverage for you, darling.  Stay hydrated out here, working in the hot sun while I enjoy my stories in the air conditioned house.

And I observed the work that was going on.  

And I offered, what I like to call "support". 

Are you suurrre you're supposed to take that bit down. 

Ummm....why's the fence looking so wonky?

Did you ask our neighbors, who I am sure are experts, if they're doing what you're doing.

Ummm, Heather?

Yes, snookums?

I have a most important job for you.  And I mean, THE most important job of the day.

Oh goody! Anything for you, dear.

Coke run.

My final thoughts on the day...

Well, the good news is, thanks to all this hard work, our neighbors big, mean dog will probably no longer be able to get half in my yard, scare my children and chickens half to death and try and romance Ginger.

Good work Husband and Daughter.  Good work.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Shiver me Timbers

Ahoy me hearties!

Avast ye, weigh anchor, and hoist the mizzens.

Yo-ho-yo-ho a pirates life fer...

There is more, trust me.  Just type how to talk like a pirate and more info and pirate phrases than you ever wanted to know is at your finger tips.  I will try and restrain myself as much as possible.

But blow me down, this is my oldest's pirate quilt and I'm pleased as punch with it.  The colors are girly but the prints are not overly so.   Mostly just geometric or batiks.  The fabric is joyful and striking and I love the old timey atlas panels.  Plus, how fun are narwhals, mermaids and girl pirates?

This is one of the most balanced quilts I have made.  See, I am learning as I go and getting better (I hope) with every quilt I make.  There's quite a lot of white space to guide the eyes from image to image and an equal amount of prints to solids.  Every square on square block has a print and a solid, but the solids are always on the bottom to keep the eye moving in the right direction.  I used 3 different shades of solid purple to border the ship prints.  It makes it a little more interesting.  And, just look how cute it looks in her room with the lavender walls and wrought iron bed.  Gasp.  Love.

I designed this to have the three atlas panels going straight down the middle with fun blocks surrounding them.  The atlas panels are my favorite part of this quilt and it's perfect because My Oldest loves maps.  She will play with Google map and go all over the world, exploring.  We even tried the African Sahara....didn't work so well.

I was able to use a bunch of my gorgeous scraps for the half square triangles in the square in square blocks which I found to be tons of fun and a ginormous mess because I had to practically rip all my fabric off the shelves to look at it and then leave it in a heap while I sewed.  No time to tidy,  I'm crafting here.  The Mister practically died every time he looked in my room.

Then just don't look in when you're down here.

But, I have to walk past your dang blasted, pig sty of a craft room to get to my office.

Pshaw!  You can work at the kitchen table.  Let's be reasonable,  I cannot work like this!!!  I need to be free to create in chaos.  You have to love me for who I am.  Messy craft rooms/sweat pants and all.

Sigh.  Can you at least close the door?

Deal!

I loved mixing and matching my scrap prints to the solids I was using: pink, light blue and purple.  The dimensions for this quilt were actually designed around the square in square blocks.  Once I got the dimensions worked out for those, I figured everything else out from there.

This quilt took quite a long time to make.  1- Because the square in square blocks were quite time consuming because of all the bitty half square triangles and lots of cutting was involved.  2- I took my sweet time about it.  I had other things going on and so would get back to this one WHEN I GET TO IT!  (I may have gotten pestered a time or two about getting a move on)  3-  It's BIG with a lot of blocks.  Things like this take time.  4-  I hand quilted it, which I really enjoyed.  The fabric is so soft and pretty that I was glad I really got to play with it a lot.

I used the fabric collection: Out to Sea by Michael Miller

It's still available and if you are interested in how to make this quilt, shoot me a comment and I'll get back to you with destructions.

Thanks for stopping by ye bilge rats.  Sorry.  I don't really think you're bilge rats.  Love ya.

Heather

Winter Salad and Zombies

My family enjoys a good salad for dinner.  They're light and tasty and the whole family gets to help in its preparation.  The girls love to help me tear the lettuce and...gulp...chop the veggies.

faint

Teaching proper cutting skills is not my favorite part of mothering.  I watch the knife as it clumsily slices a cucumber and lurches closer and closer to dainty thumbs.

Tuck those thumbs in!!!!  

Aaaarrggghh!

Cutting lesson over.  Give Mommy that knife.  We'll revisit this in a year or so.

I am a tomato snob.  So you will never see a tomato in my salads during the months of...oh, we'll say November through June.  I refuse to eat anything less than a perfectly vine ripened tomato.  Preferably straight off my own personal tomato plants.  As a result, I have to try different  things with my salads during the 2/3 of the year that I shun fresh tomatoes.

This salad was excellent!  The sweet  and savory oven roasted golden beets and Yukon Gold potatoes.  The tang of red onion and the succulent pan fried turkey tenderloin.  Here's how you do it!

Winter Salad
4 medium sized golden beets (you could use red just as easily)
6 smallish Yukon Gold potatoes (you could use another variety of potato)
1 head red leaf lettuce (you can use...okay, you get it.  This salad is versatile.  I won't hold you to anything!)
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 cucumber, chopped
Cheese, diced  (if you want)
1/2 to 3/4 lb turkey loin
Salad dressing of choice
salt and pepper
Cooking Oil (I used olive oil)
Bit of butter
Johnny's seasoning salt (optional, but I think it helps turkey's inherent blandness)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

As oven is heating up, chop the stems off your beets and run a vegetable peeler over them.  Chop into quarters.  Toss onto cookie sheet.

Wash potatoes.  Quarter these and toss alongside the beets.  Douse with a goodly amount of oil and salt and pepper.  Stir around and cook for 35 to 40 minutes until tender.  Toss occasionally to avoid sticking.

While your root veg's are cooking, take your turkey loin, I had two smallish ones that came to about 3/4 lb. and pound in a plastic baggie to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Season liberally with salt and pepper and seasoning salt if you are using.  A word about turkey, it's bland as heck!  So, make sure you season it well on both sides.

Place skillet over medium heat.  Pour in a few tablespoons oil and a dab of butter. Once this is nice and warm, cook your turkey loin until golden brown and delicious.  Make sure to cook completely!

Let the meat rest while your root veg's finish cooking.  Begin tearing up lettuce and chopping cucumber and any other items you want to put in your salad.

Slice the turkey and arrange everything artfully on plates.

Add a dash or two of salad dressing.  Tragic day, I thought I had a nice vinaigrette in the fridge, I did.  It had expired.  sigh  I figured I could whip up a quick dressing myself...I didn't have Dijon mustard.  sigh  I got to enjoy Ranch dressing on my salad along with the kiddoes.  It was yummy!
 

 As a fun bonus, today I am reviewing a new product.

Oh my goodness, I didn't think I was going to like these.  Cookie Dough Oreo's though, are yummy!  They have a light brown sugar taste to the cream filling which gives it a nice complexity.  Dunked in some milk...oh baby.  After we had them last night, I asked my kids if we should give the rest to my sister Jullee over at The Grubery and it was unanimous NOOOOOs all around.

In fact, both girls turned into cookie zombies after I had put them away.  It was quite fun to watch them roam the house moaning: cookies.  cookies.  cookies!  And bump repeatedly into the pantry door pretending to try and get in, but not know how to turn the knob.

It was especially effective with this little zombie and her cookie crumble mouth.  Very zombie-esque.  This is the best shot I could get as she was too wiggly.  Just imagine blackened teeth and lips, foaming at the mouth and crashing into doors.  Too much fun on a Monday night.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Winter Adventuring

The Great Salt Lake, which is often derided as being a nasty, smelly, inhospitable piece of work can also have snippets of beauty, if you look closely and go on a winter adventure with the family.

In late January/Early February the wetlands become a sanctuary for Bald Eagles.  So, gather up the crew, put on some warm clothes and boots and don't forget your binoculars. Winter adventuring can be lots of fun.  We saw several eagles in the distance and only one close up, it flew straight over us and it's wing span was HUGE! 

Tucked in, nice and cozy.

 We see you!!

Oh, hello there.  If you look closely, I know, my camera skills leave much to be desired, you can see this little fella's bright feathers.

Nice, drab feathers to keep the predators away.

Binoculars up!

Or...periscopes.  Whatever.

Happy wintering.

Heather

Thank you, Summer Raspberries

Winter.  January.  Blah.  Sorry to be such a downer, but I can't wait for February.  January is the month that seems to drag and be the smoggiest and yuckiest and coldiest...coldest.  Luckily I have a trick or two up my sleeves to make it through unscathed.  It's like I'm being chased by lions or something. :)

Exhibit A:

An ordinary, January breakfast.

Exhibit B:

A January breakfast that kills!  Oh yes.  Thank you, flat of raspberries I bought last August and turned into freezer jam.  A little taste of sun-ripened berries always makes the gloom and doom of January feel just a little better.

The smiles don't lie.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

Homemade Christmas Ornament...Thanksgiving Fun

What kid (cough, cough, Mom) doesn't love fluffy stuff and crafting with feathers?  I am telling you, Ornament 2013 is going to be a hit Thanksgiving afternoon.

Oh, I just want to squish them and squeal at their cuteness...don't you?  And of course I had to go with a chicken design this year.  2013 is the year of the chicken for my family.

Here's how to make them, easy and quick...a bit feather-y...but so much fun!  This post is a bit picture heavy, but trust me, this project is so easy to make and the kids love em!

Supplies needed:

Craft Glue. Styrofoam balls, mine are 3" or 76 mm, white feather boa and red feather boa to be cut up and any add'l feathers if you so choose.

Scissors, tiny craft pins, small black buttons, ribbon for beak and feet, embroidery floss to make a loop to hang on the tree and a curved needle, often used for tying quilts and/or suturing festering wounds....

Thread curved needle with floss, insert into what will now be the top of the chicken, curve it around and back out...so easy, and no styrofoam balls were broken during this procedure...which is what I thought a straight needle might do.

Pull thread through, remove needle and proceed to tie in double knot.

1.  Cut cute chicken cheeks out of fabric.  Be creative.  Have fun.  My cheek circles are just a touch bigger than a quarter.

2.  Thanksgiving day, you could have several cheeks pre-cut and let the kidlettes choose their favorites.  I am also going to have all my balls pre-strung with the floss.

3. Cut a length of ribbon for the beak, approximately 3 to 4 inches.  Be generous because you can trim it later if too long.  In the middle of the ribbon, you are going to bend it like in the picture.  This is so you can pin the beak on.  I can't describe this move in words....Just look at picture. 

4.  Pin beak on.  One pin in the top loop, and one in the bottom loop.  Arrange beak so it is open wide.

5.  Position cheeks in a way that is pleasing to you.  for me, this is slightly below the top of the beak.  Glue in place.

6.  Glue on eye buttons.  Position them so they are in the top corner of the cheek, with the edge of the button slightly hanging over the cheek.  This is for optimal cuteness.

7.  Take another 3 inch length of ribbon, fold it in half in the shape of a V.

8.  Pin feet ribbon on in 3 spots.  One at the top and one on each foot.   This is so your feet stick out at the appropriate angle.

9.  Cut off a bit of red boa...glue to top of head, be careful of thread.  The reason I have you glue on the comb before the white feathers is so you know where the top is.  Be careful and hold the comb up when you're putting the white feathers around it, or you will glue the comb down.   Enjoy the adorableness you have made thus far.  Ohhhhh I just want to squish you! 

10.  Time to start on the feathers.  If you choose to use some colored feathers, put them on first so you can overlap them with the white ones.

11.  Cut a bit of the white boa off...separate into feather and fluff...chunks.  The face needs smaller bits of feather and fluff, but you can cover wide swaths of backside with larger pieces.

12.  Start gluing.  I just glue a small section and stick on feathers.  I start around the face first.  After the entire ball is covered in feathers and fluff, I trim around the eyes if they are being obscured like in this picture.

13.  Be prepared for feather fluff to go....everywhere.  Up the nose, in your hair...use this extra fluff to cover any glue-y spots that aren't covered in feathers.

Using a small piece of muslin, put the year and name of whoever made the chicken.  Glue it on.  I just wrote in pencil.  I find markers bleed, and it's not going to be washed, so I figured pencil is just fine.

While feasting, let these little fluff-balls dry.

 Who's pretty?

 Yes you are!

 Gotta love the green cheeks.  Not my kids, of course, but some child who likes green.

This chicken, was sprayed with glitter spray paint.  Hard to see, I know.  This is a fun idea to add a little shimmer but I found that it matted down the feathers a bit...which I didn't like the most.  So I decided against spraying them all with it.

Thanks for reading!!

Heather

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Pre-Feast Activities for kids part deux...Thanksgiving fun

This project is for when dinner is almost ready.  You've rounded up the kids so they are close at hand, but you want to keep them occupied just a bit longer.  Daddy's carving the turkey, Auntie is tossing the salad and Grandma is piling warm, buttery rolls into a basket.

Pretend this is your table setting, notice the canning jar in the corner.  You are going to make one of these for each of the kids in your family.  Here's the supplies you'll need:

You will need a pint size canning jar for each child.  You will need 16 crayons per each jar, and you will need an assortment of construction paper.

Cut several pieces of construction paper in half length-wise.  Whatever colors you like.  I put in 4 pieces of paper per jar.

Write a note for each of your children, letting them know all the reasons you are thankful for them.  This is a nice thing to read during your Thanksgiving meal. I always like to emphasize being thankful on Thanksgiving.

Put 16 crayons on the perimeter of each jar.  Roll up the 4 pieces of construction paper and put them inside the crayons.  Take your list and roll it up even tinier than the construction paper, and place it in the middle of the construction paper.

Decorate it!  Tie a piece of burlap and a bit of gold ribbon around each jar...you know...to make it festive.  You can't have ugly crafts at the table.  It is a feast, after all.

While you're waiting for the feast to being, have the kids draw pictures of what they are thankful for.  If they are old enough, they can write what they are thankful for as well.  But nothing keeps my kids occupied like drawing pictures.

My Oldest...

...is thankful for the turkey. 

My Youngest said she is thankful for me.  Aaawww

...so she drew a sunflower.

Thanks for reading!

Heather

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