Ooooops!

Sorry Lazy Hearts fans. I failed to post the final link on my sidebar. It is now posted there and on this post as well.
LAZY HEARTS link.

Lazy Hearts December BOM

WOW!
I can't believe that this year is almost over. Happy Pre-December everyone and thank you for participating in
Lazy Hearts. This was my first BOM endeavor and I had a blast. I hope you did too. I learned a lot thanks to your Kind Comments and suggestions.
I would love it if you all would send me a photo or link to your finished project whenever you have time to get them finished... even if it's only the quilt top. I'd love to see what you've come up with.

Thanksgiving Trivia

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• Thanksgiving dinners take about 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half time takes 12 minutes. This is not a coincidence. ~Erma Bombeck 
• Minnesota is the top turkey raising state followed by North Carolina and Arkansas.
• The typical person (that's me) consumes 7 pounds of turkey over the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Wisconsin grown the most cranberries in the U.S. and I for one, am very grateful because love cranberry sauce.
• By the way, turkey has amino acids that makes us sleepy. So don't bother fighting to stay awake.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, family and all that great food!

Thanksgiving Dressing Recipe

I wanted to my fairly quick but very moist and tasty dressing recipe. Some call it stuffing but since I don't actually cook it inside the turkey, I call it dressing.
If you are having 10 to 20 people over or a small group, this recipe works great either way and you just might have enough left over for Christmas. It freezes well.

• Cook a pan or two of cornbread or purchase 3 to 6 bags of your favorite stuffing mix and prepare.
• Chop 2 medium onions, 3 to 5 stalks of celery and 6 yellow squash. Boil in 2 large cans of chicken broth until very tender. Set aside to cool.
• Crumble the cooled cornbread in large mixing bowl.
• Add cubed white, wheat or rye bread (3 to 6 slices cubed should do it) and mix with crumbled cornbread.
• Add cooled vegetables to bread mixture and stir well.
• Add 3 Tablespoons poultry seasons, 1 Tablespoon white pepper (use black if preferred), 3 Tablespoons Accent  
• Add 2 to 4 slightly beaten eggs along with another can or two of chicken broth. (The important thing to remember is that liquid makes the dressings come out moist. I learned that the hard way.)
• At this point, you can actually taste the mixture to see if it's to your liking. This is the time to add more seasoning. I promise that no one will get hurt from tasting a half teaspoon full.
• Pour into greased pan and cook for an hour on 325 degrees. The dressing will be set, meaning very firm.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, family and all the great fixin'!

3 Snaps Up!

in Athen, Texas
 This quilt shop is a great one with lots of displays and wonderful fabrics. If you're in the area, stop by.

Retreat In Full Swing

The "Wackies" are really enjoying this get-away. Oh and yes, we are doing a little sewing.

Check List

I'm about to go on retreat and as always I pack at the last possible minute so I've developed a check list to make sure that I don't forget anything.

1. sewing machine
2. cord to sewing machine
3. hoops to sewing machine
4. extension cords
5. threads
6. needles
7. scissors
8. extra fabric
9. rotary cutter
10. cutting mat
11. canned air
12. display sheet (usually a plastic tablecloth - use the back)
13. sewing comfortable chair
14. computer and cord
15. earplugs
16. camera and battery charger or extra batteries
17. change of clothing.... LOL..... I almost forgot my suitcase once
18. extra pillow
19. Kindle

That should do it..... oh and food.

Family History

Mom had this photo stashed away but pulled it out to show me my great grandparents on my granddad's side.
I was so excited to see it and even posted it on my sidebar for all eternity..... LOL
I've mentioned that both my parents are only children so I have great aunts and uncles. In the photo standing are: great aunt Ettelene, Edwin (granddad), great aunt Ollie, cousin Oddie, great aunt Peachie and great uncle Will (Great uncle Will was not originally in the photo but was placed in by the photographer... wasn't he clever way back then).  Seated are: great grandfather Daniel, great grandmother Delia, cousin Vinnie and great uncle A.D.
Great-granddad Daniel worked for a railroad in south Texas while Great-grandma Delia raised the children and kept house.

Mockingbird

 This is the next block that will go along with my Texas seal.  It's my version of a Mockingbird.  I made four log cabins using 1 1/2" strips and 2 1/2" strips. This gives the log cabins that rounded look you see in the photo.  All fabrics are from my stash which I'm determined to use as much as possible.

Seal Part 2

I'm making slow progress on the seal..... had to do a lot of thread changes to get the look I wanted.

 I hand stitched a circle around the leaves.

 I love the 3D look on a quilt so I used 2 spools of thread. In the photo above you can see I have threaded them through the tensions at the same time. This is to prevent fraying.

 Here you see the two thread through the eye of the needle. You will probably need to use a needle threader if you want to try this method.

 Above, hopefully, you can see the slightly raised stitching on the veins.

And finally, I handed stitched the second circle.  I'm now ready to do some sort of round robin to enlarge the quilt block.

When Nature Calls - BOM - Block #4

Block #4 is a fun and quick block. This outhouse has plenty of surface area to show off the great fabrics you choose.  Just in case I forget to place a link on my sidebar (happens more often than you'd think), I've placed one on this post!
One of my favorite fabrics was used in the second photo. Notice the sections of logs..... I just love that fabric. I don't remember where I bought it but I've used it a lot and only have about a quarter of a yard left.....
I'm sure that I'll fall in love with another fabric very soon..... LOL
Remember, these blocks are fun and easy and parts can be left off if you prefer. In the second photo, I didn't use the shovels and it looks just fine. So make the blocks your own.
Enjoy!!!