Squealing with Delight

As my husband headed out to check the mail this afternoon I told him to bring back a package with an apron in it. He came back from the mailbox with just a JoAnn Fabrics flyer. I was disappointed but thought maybe my apron from the summer fun apron swap would come tomorrow instead. Tonight my husband went to get the lawn mower out of the garage and came back with a package. The mail carrier left it by the garage. It was addressed to Nature Girl & I. We opened it to find two aprons. One for Nature Girl and one for me. Eeeeeeeeeeeeee! (This is me squealing with delight!) Afton sent the most beautiful aprons for us! Nature Girl was thrilled to have one of her own and I'm totally in love with mine! Yes, I'm wearing it right now even though I'm not in the kitchen and it's after 9:30 pm. I can't help it, I love it!!! Thank you Afton!

My apron is reversible. It's the stripe pattern on the back. It has the cutest U shaped pocket that ties in the center and has rick rack trim around it. My hand is covering the pocket in the picture so you'll have to trust me that it's cute.
I didn't plan the matching shirts but I did pick out our clothes today. I wasn't even aware that we matched until we were at the garden shop and the cashier pointed it out. We really match with our tee shirts and matching aprons.
I had my quilt guild meeting tonight. The potluck was delicious and the block swap was lots of fun. I used one of the pastel log cabin blocks I had sewn yesterday for the swap. This is the new block I got in the swap. Next month's block is a nine patch.

The fabric wrapped gift was this chocolate can filled with Lindt chocolates. The guild does a raffle each month. Tickets are a dollar each and the winner gets that month's prize. Then the next month the winner brings a new prize and the raffle is held again. It's lots of fun and the guild makes a little money. Since I won, I have to decide what to bring for the prize next month. Of course I also have to decide what to make with the blue fabric that was wrapped around the can.

Sewing Blocks & Gifts

I've been finishing up the end of the year gifts for Nature Girl's teacher. Each family has two scrapbook pages to decorate with their child's pictures. I worked on Nature Girl's last night. I wanted her to help decorate the pages but time is running short so I started it. I have room on the second page for her to write her name and do a drawing. I still need to finish putting everyone's pages back into the book then finish decorating the cover with the kid's hand prints.

This bag is the another end of the year Gift for Nature Girl's teacher. We met at the local park to get the kids hand prints on the fabric. I took the squares home and sewed them together to make the bag. I hope the Nature Girl's teacher will like it. I know when I was teaching I would have loved something like this and the scrapbook!

This is the last week of school for Nature Girl. So I have to enjoy my last two mornings of uninterrupted sewing while I can! After dropping her off at school, I spent the morning sewing blocks. These are my attempts at a log cabin block.
My quilt guild is having a potluck tomorrow night. We're also launching a monthly quilt block swap. Each month we'll be given a pattern for a block. If you want to participate you sew a block then bring it to the meeting. The blocks will be swapped and everyone who participates will go home with a new block. This month's block is log cabin. I think the block on the left will be my swap block for this month. I'm looking forward to the meeting.

These two blocks are for my guild's summer raffle quilt. I'm not sure if there is a name for this pattern but everyone makes two of these squares to add to the quilt. The requirements were to use batiks and fall colors. I volunteered to help sew all the blocks together before the July meeting so I'll keep you posted on what the top will look like. I'm curious to see everyone's blocks and how they'll look together.

Yard Sale Goodies

Saturday was our town wide yard sale. My friend MB and I headed out together to see what treasures we could find. Going to yard sales is a lot more fun when you have a friend to share your treasures with! Besides our husbands don't understand the appeal of yard sales or thrifting. At our first stop I found this great sled for $5. I'm planning to put it outside as a winter decoration.

I hit the kid craft jackpot at one sale. I found a flower press, 2 kid sewing kit/books, a pipe cleaner creation how to book, a string game book and a kids weaving loom. I even found a kid craft cube to store it all in. Nature Girl was happy with these finds. I knew she would be! I paid a total of $8 for all the craft goodies.

We spent 30 minutes last night weaving together. The loom had a weaving started so we added on from the black line. Nature Girl attended for about 30 minutes before deciding I could finish the rest. I've been wanting to try weaving. I enjoyed it and found it relaxing but of course I didn't finish it. We can work on it together another day. I think it will be fun to gather some natural items to weave in. Feathers, grass sticks, ect. I bet that would hold Nature Girl's interest!
Here are some of the goodies I brought home. The green glass platter is for me. MB and I are splitting the two gallon size ziplocks of old buttons. Can you believe it was only $3 for all of those buttons? We decided this was our favorite find of the day. I also found a new iron, two wooden chairs that match Nature Girl's play table, a few books for me and some wire baskets for a peg board. I thought they would be perfect for either my craft area or Nature Girls play area. Don't you just love yard sales and thrift stores?!!!

Fabric Fun

I received a little brown paper package yesterday. I was excited since brown paper packages tied up with string are among my favorite things!
Really I was excited! Who knew getting a package of surprise fabrics would be so much fun?! Inside I found this fabric packet from Sarah. It was beautifully tied together with the cutest tag. Sarah included a note on the tag saying she hoped we could make something with the fabrics she sent if not it could always be used for making a bird's nest. I had to laugh! She's read about Nature Girl!
I could barely contain my curiosity long enough to get a photo. Sarah included many lovely fabrics. I have several favorites. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to make with all the wonderful pieces but there is one large piece that is calling out to be made into an apron! I think that the quilters in my mini quilt trading swap group might be seeing some of these fabric pieces in their mini quilts in the coming months! Sadly, the birds won't be using any of the fabric to line their nests!!!
Thank you Sarah! The package was so wonderful that it took a while for me to realize that my poor partners aren't getting a neatly tied packet in a brown paper package. My apologies to both partners! I jammed all the fabric in a large flat rate box so there will be nothing neat about it when it arrives! Hopefully the amount of fabric makes up for the lack of tidiness and pretty packaging!


I signed Nature Girl up for the Little People On the Road Swap. The swap is still open if anyone is interested in joining. This is a summer swap for kids. You buy or create a softie, take it on vacation with you and take photos. You create a scrapbook with photos then mail the scrapbook and the softie to your partner. I think we'll have to make two of the softie since it will be sad to send it away. Nature Girl is excited about her swap. She can take some of the photos and help with the scrapbook.
She's been experimenting with photo taking again. We had lunch with a friend today and she took these pictures in the restaurant. I also ended up with several close ups of a large zit on my chin and 5 semi blurry pictures of my driver's license. My license photo is terrible so I don't want extra copies of that! When she's not looking I'll be deleting those photos!

June Recipe Box Swap

It's time for the June Recipe Box Swap. This month there wasn't a theme. The task was to post your favorite recipe. Okay that's just too hard! I have so many favorites how can I even begin to choose. I don't know about you but I'm much more likely too try a recipe when I see a picture of the dish. Since I don't regularly take photos of my food that limited my choices. I snapped a few pictures of last night's side dish, Cheesy Thyme Potatoes. These are a favorite around here. Before you start to wonder if I overcooked them let me tell you that these are perfect! Those dark crunchy bits on the sides of the dish are the best part. It's worth scrapping the sides and fighting over the last bits. Trust me!

Cheesy Thyme Potatoes

Ingredients:
Peeled & sliced potatoes
Thyme
Extra sharp cheddar cheese
Butter - approx. 1/2 stick

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425. In a casserole dish layer the ingredients. Place some of your peeled and sliced potatoes in the dish. Cut butter into smaller tabs and add to the top of the potatoes. Sprinkle with extra sharp cheddar cheese and thyme. Continue to layer the ingredients till your dish is filled. Cover and place in oven for one hour or until potatoes are tender. Enjoy!



For a favorite dessert my husband suggested Tuxedo Brownies. This is a Pampered Chef recipe. Instead of strawberries we use fresh red raspberries. They are super yummy! Sorry no picture of these. We haven't made them in a while, but I'm drooling just thinking about them!

Tuxedo Brownie Cups

1 package (19-21 oz) fudge brownie mix (plus ingredients to make mix)
2 squares (1 oz each) white chocolate for baking
2 tablespoons milk
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup thawed, frozen whipped topping
1 pint small strawberries, sliced (or raspberries)
orange zest, mint leaves, melted semi-sweet chocolate for baking (optional - we don't use these)

1. Preheat oven to 325. Spray cups of mini-muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Prepare brownie mix according to directions for cake-like brownies. Using small scoop, fill each cup 2/3 full. Bake 14 minutes or until edges are set (do not overbake).

2. Remove pan to cooling rack. Immediately press tops of brownie with tart shaper to make indentations. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Loosen edges and gentle remove the brownies from pan. Cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter.

3. Microwave white chocolate and milk, uncovered on high 1 minute; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; mix well. Gradually stir in white chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.

4. Pipe mixture into cooled brownie cups. Arrange strawberry slices(or raspberries) on top. Garnish as desired. Place in airtight container and refrigerate 1-3 hours before serving.

The Wonders of a Dandelion

1. Pick it, 2. Start to blow, 3. Watch the fluff fly, 4. Pick some more, smile and start again

Today I spent hours sorting through a couple thousand photos searching for photos of Nature Girl for the end of the year class scrapbook we're making. While searching I found some great photos that I had forgotten about. The mosaic above was made with a few of those forgotten photos. I took them in May and thought they would be perfect for a mosaic. This was my first try at using Mosaic Maker. I think these photos of Nature Girl make a cute mosaic.

So this is a tribute to the wonders of a dandelion. Isn't it amazing how a little weed can be such a wonder to someone small? Children love dandelions especially in the fluffy stage. No wonder dandelions spread like crazy! Children all over the world help spread the seeds just like my daughter.

More Fun Mail

Last night Nature Girl went to her Aunt BB's overnight while my husband and I had a date night. Nature Girl was a little mopey about us going on a date out without her. In the end she had a great time spending the night with her aunt & cousins. We also had a fabulous time seeing a movie then going to dinner. It was very nice!
This afternoon I went to pick up Nature Girl. We stayed for lunch and completed two art projects which my nephew requested I bring. He loves to do craft projects! We used some of my fabric scraps to create a tree with a beehive. Nature Girl drew her own bee on her picture. Then we created a bumblebee paper bag puppet.

After the craft projects were done we ran errands. When we got home we had a nice surprise . . . swap mail! My partner Kristie from the Miniature Booty Quilt Swap sent a package for Nature Girl. She was thrilled with the crocheted baby doll sweater set Kristie sent. We immediately dressed her doll in the set. She looks so sweet! Thank you Kristie!!! Nature Girl was so happy, she kept hugging her doll saying "She's a cutie!"



I also got swap mail today! My mini quilt from the Mini Quilt Trading Swap arrived today. My partner Katie did a fabulous job!!! I love the brown polka dot fabric! Funny we both did polka dots on our mini quilts for each other. I did the red polka dot bird for Katie and I got this bit of polka dot fun in return. Thank you Katie!!! I love it!