Blankie Time

Did your children have a favorite blankie? My son had a yellow and white receiving blanket he carried with him everywhere when he was little. I kept that blanket even though it is pretty ratty looking, but it holds many fond memories. I’m thinking of trying to make a couple of stuffed animals or toys from it.

When my granddaughter was born I made her a flannel blanket and she uses it all the time, so when my son ask if I could make another one for her that was a little longer I went in search of the perfect material. Hers is the green one. The other side is the same print in pink. I also made a pillowcase for her travel size pillow. 

My new grandson is due to arrive in two weeks, so I also made him a flannel blanket. His room is decorated with a transportation theme. I hope that each of these two special little ones feel a little of grandma’s love everytime they are wrapped up in these blankets.

Cute as a Bug

….a ladybug that is. Holidays are more fun when children are involved. Addison wouldn’t wear her ladybug hat and preferred passing out candy and seeing the other kids. But isn’t she the cutest ladybug you ever saw?  (Grandma is a little biased.)

No Guilt Here

I hate clutter, but when one is preparing for a move and also trying to get some crafting done, the piles seem to accumulate overnight. I've spent the last two days trying to restore order to the house. It's now presentable and the layers of dust have been removed. So, when I went to the mailbox this afternoon and found this.....

I didn’t feel a bit guilty about sitting down to look through it.  The photos are amazing. If you like primitive decor then you must head on over to A Primitive Place and order this magazine.

So after preparing a quick pot of chili and wrapping up the dinner clutter, I’m ready to settle in and read the articles. This is the best magazine around. It’s filled with great articles and tips on primitive decorating.

Enjoying Fall

The weather this past week has been absolutely wonderful. We took advantage of these final days of good weather to do some exploring of the area where our new home is being built. When we decided to make this move, a lot of time and thought went into where we would relocate to. Not only did we want the cultural and shopping experiences a large city could offer us, but we also wanted to be close to outdoor activities. Our home is located close to several large metroparks with plenty of hiking trails.

We also will be about 20 minutes from a major zoo. This will be a perfect outing for the grandchildren. On our last visit we saw the polar bears.

Addison enjoyed petting zoo.

Hmmm… I wonder where the country shops and fabric stores are?  I can’t wait to get the move completed so I can explore more of the area.

Applesauce Raisin Cookies

Cooler weather gets me in the mood to do a little baking, so I went to one of my favorite cookbook, Favorite Recipes From Quilters, and picked this cookie recipe. Nothing is better than a hot cup of apple cider and a good cookie!

8 Tablespoons margarine
1 egg
1 cup white sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.  baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup raisins
1 cup oats
1 cup applesauce

1. Cream together margarine, egg, and sugar. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
2. Drop by teaspoonsful onto greased cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Beware.. Yard Sales can be Hazardous

This weekend I helped my mom with her yard sale.  This is her second sale in the last couple of weeks. I was suppose to be selling things, but I ended up bringing home several items. Since we will be moving soon, I should be concentrating on getting rid of things and downsizing. Mom said take whatever I wanted, so I took some crocks and baskets.  This past weekend I brought home a rocker and a little rustic bench.  The rocker (no picture yet) was the one my mom rocked me in when I was born. Sentimentality won out, and I decided I couldn't see it going to someone else.  I will have to find a place in the new house for it so I can rock my grandbabies.

The little bench found a place here...

The watering can also came from the yard sale. I purchased the wooden pumpkin this weekend.  I'm loving these fall temperatures. It looks like it's going to be a beautiful week here in central Ohio. You will probably find me in the yard doing a little fall clean up.

I’m in love…

with my new walking foot.  My quilting experience is very limited. I have a friend who helped me get started. Most of my learning comes from reading your blogs and quilting magazines. Terry from Terry’s Treasures mentioned she used a walking foot. I emailed her and she explained how it worked and how it had made her quilting experience so much easier.

I ordered my quilting foot and it arrived last week. I have been so busy that today was the first time I had to do some practicing. There were no instructions included, so I watched a couple of videos on You Tube.  Then I took one of my string blocks and did a little practicing. Wow! I’m impressed with how easy this was. Now maybe some of those UFO’s will get finished. For now I will just do some straight line quilting. I can’t wait to get started.

New House Update

The building of our new house is moving along rapidly. Last week the cabinets and tile in the bathrooms were installed. It looks like things will be completed by the end of November.

This is the view from the kitchen into the dining room. The dining room is located at the front of the house. The door on the right is to a pantry. I’ve never had a pantry before. I think this storage will be quite handy.

This is the kitchen area. It looks out onto the great room. There will be a counter installed on the wall at the front of this picture. No more being stuck in the kitchen alone while everyone else is having a great time in the living room.

This is a view of the great room. The kitchen eating area will be in front of the sliders. To the right of the windows is a corner fireplace.

This is a the back of the house. A patio will be installed. Can’t wait to do some relaxing there next spring.

All that’s left to do on the outside is the installation of the porch railings, having the driveway installed, and landscaping. 

I’ve been decorating in my head and trying to finalize a few decorating choices. I dread the packing up, but I’m getting excited for the actual move.

You've Got Mail

Don't  you just love the sound of the doorbell and the UPS truck driving away? While doing my dusting today, I heard these two sounds and knew the book I'd ordered had arrived. Without hesitation, I put the dustrag down and went to the porch to retrieve my purchase.  (Afterall, what's more important? The dusting could wait.)  I've been following Camille Roskelley's blog Simplify for quite a while. I just love her quilt patterns and fabric. I knew I just had to have a copy of her book, Simplify, Quilts for a Modern Home. I'm a newbie at quilting and this book is just perfect. The first chapter of her book is on quiltmaking basics. Since I'm mainly self taught the information Camille provides should be of immense help. Her books is chock full of cute quilt patterns and the photos are beautiful. And the best thing is they are all made with jelly rolls, charm packs, and fat quarters. I love using precuts.

So, instead of finishing my housewhole chores, I spent some time enjoying this new book.  Afterall what's a few wrong with a few dust bunnies?

Want a Kiss?

The picture speaks for itself.

Fall is in the Air

Fall is my favorite season. I love the cooler temperatures and the beauty the season provides. Here's a peak at a few fall decorations you can find around my house.

Cute Little Punkin

Today was cold and overcast day in central Ohio, but we still had fun in the Pumpkin patch.

Pumpkin Roll

Fall is in the air. A perfect time to do a little baking. This recipe was given to me by a fellow co-worker. Oh so yummy!!!

Grease and flour cookie sheet.

Mix together the following ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. Baking Soda

3/4 cup flour

2/3 cup pumpkin

1 tsp. Cinnamon

Pour onto cookie sheet.  Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Put a dish towel out and sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Let roll cool on pan for 5 minutes.  Then put on dish towel with powdered sugar.  When warm roll up like a jellyroll.  Leave rolled until cool.  Then unroll and spread the filling on top and reroll and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Store in refrigerator.

Filling

1 package 8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Check out Colleen’s blog, And Baby Makes Five, for more yummy recipes.

Where in the World is Mrs. B?

I wish I could tell you I’ve been vacationing somewhere exotic, but truth is I’ve just been extremely busy at home. I’ve made time to read blogs I follow, but have done little writing or commenting. Hope to get back to this soon.

The construction of the new house is moving along quite rapidly. Drywall is now installed and painting will probably begin next week. The siding is almost finished. The front of the house is a combination of brick and siding. That will be going up next week. We also have been making lots of trips to check things out. The new house is located in a community about an hour away. If I could put my car on autopilot it could drive itself since we have been making this trip at least twice a week. We have also had to make decisions on landscaping, the deck, and closets.

Packing things up for a move can be quite a daunting task. I decided to get started packing up things that aren’t being used. I’ve been working in the attic, the upstairs bedrooms and the basement. I’m trying to pack carefully and label precisely, so that things will go smoothly with the actual move and unpacking. Lots of this is helping.

I’ve also been babysitting my granddaughter. If you have a little one then you know trying to get anything done while they are around is almost impossible. I’m not complaining though. I’m loving the time we spend together and am enjoying watching Addison explore and learn new things. She’s such a joy!