Sunbonnet Sues

This past Sunday afternoon, Grace and I stopped at an estate sale. I have always loved Sunbonnet Sues so when I saw this pair of embroidered linens I picked them up right away. I'm not sure if they are meant to be draped over the arms or back of a chair or if they are unfinished, meant to be turned into mini pillows. Any ideas??



Here is a close-up of the pink embroidered flowers.



If you peek under her bonnet you will see a sweet face and even little eyelashes.



I thought I would introduce you to the rest of my Sues...

Some of you may have already seen my vintage Sunbonnet "Days of the Week" towels. Sue is busy ironing.



Sunbonnet Sue going to church...



This is a Sunbonnet Sue and Suspender Sam baby quilt that I made when I was expecting Grace. We didn't know if she would be a boy or a girl so I tried to make it gender neutral but it ended up more for a girl. Good thing that's what she was! :0)



This is the first Sue quilt that I bought. We were visiting Phillip's aunt in Tennesee and she took me to an antique store. I told the lady at the store that I wanted a Sunbonnet Sue quilt and I had $40.00. This is what she found for me!



I found this "bonnet" quilt a couple of years ago when I went home to Ontario, Canada to visit my family. It was in a little antique shop near the town I grew up in. It is very soft and perfect for snuggling under.



The backing is made from old sugar sacks.



The last quilt I want to show you is a Sunbonnet Sue and Suspender Sam quilt. I was told it was found in the bottom of a trunk, inside an old barn.



I keep my quilts under the coffee table in the livingroom. Anyone is welcome to use them if they are cold.

Thank you for looking at all of my special Sunbonnet Sues!

We have a winner!

Hello everyone! Grace cut up the strips of paper for me and I wrote down all the names. She closed her eyes and picked one out...


What does it say??


The winner is Corin!!!! Congratulations Corin!! Email me at kwinn @ hotmail . com (no spaces) with your address and I will get your prizes out right away!!


Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments! I was so impressed by all your amazing Valentine plans....so many creative ideas!! I've enjoyed reading all the ways you make Valentine's Day special for your family.


We had a interesting day. We got our piano tuned which took from 9:00am-noon. Not the nicest sound in the world! We took our school books into the kitchen but we couldn't work with all the noise. We all had headaches!

While we waited, I thought I would work on a little project. My friend, Susan has the neatest way of making every day special for her family. She has a plate that she writes down important events or an encouraging word on. You can read her wonderful post here.

I took an inexpensive chalkboard, painted the frame and added some decorative dots.


Did you know that today is National Happy Puzzle Day? We have a cute children's Calendar that lists all kinds of interesting holidays. Here are some upcoming ones:

February is National Cherry Month

February 7-Wave at your neighbors Day.

February 12-National Pancake Day.

February 14-Along with Valentine's Day it is Ferris Wheel Day. I'm not sure who wants to ride a ferris wheel in the middle of winter!

Last weekend we found this puzzle ice cube tray at IKEA, even before we knew it was Happy Puzzle Day!


The kids enjoyed some puzzle lemonade.


We always have a puzzle going on the office desk. I can put all the edge pieces together but after that I give up! Not enough patience I guess.


Thank you again for the comments and playing along!

One Year Ago....

Today is my 1 year blogging anniversary!! I knew it was coming up but didn't realize the exact date until this afternoon!

I started this blog for my Dad, as a place to put up pictures of the grandkids. It has changed quite a bit over the past year. Sorry about all the talk of lace tablecloths and how to cook chicken, Dad! ;0)

I wasn't expecting all the wonderful friends I have made through blogging. As Anne would say, I have met many kindred spirits! Thank you for coming to visit me here and leaving me such sweet comments. I appreciate them so much!!



In celebration and thanks to you all, I thought it would be fun to have another giveaway....A Valentine Giveaway!!




The first prize is a pretty berry double heart wreath.



A magnetic heart notepad and package of Victorian heart stickers.



Last but not least, mini heart doilies, heart cupcake holders, Valentine cookie sprinkles and a mini Mary Engelbreit box full of heart candies. It has a sweet saying on the top of the box...

To the world you may be only one person,
But to one person, you may be the world.



All you have to do to be entered into the drawing is tell me how you plan on celebrating Valentine's Day, your favorite thing about the holiday, your best Valentine's Day ever, a craft idea, anything really!

Grace will draw a name out of a hat Monday evening. I'm looking foward to hearing from you, especially any lurkers! :0)

Friday, January 25, 07

Hello everyone, it's Friday! I hope you all had a good week. Mine was busy and seemed to fly by.

Have you heard about the new Beatrix Potter movie? Unfortunately, it isn't playing at a theatre near me, but I checked out some books about her life and artwork at the library this past weekend.

The story of Peter Rabbit was actually a letter to her former governess' young daughter. She wrote many letters to children and they have been compiled in this wonderful book, "Letters to Children from Beatrix Potter" Collected and introduced by Judy Taylor

I have also been enjoying "Beatrix Potter's Art" by Anne Stevenson Hobbs. It is full of her wonderful paintings...



She was very fond of drawing and painting mushrooms. Friends would even mail her different varieties to paint!



She loved animals (of course!) and had many pets. A mouse, a hedgehog, a pig, and rabbits, just to name a few. Did you know that Peter and Benjamin Rabbit were based on her real life pet rabbits?!



We also watched a documentary on her life yesterday and afterwards, got out our watercolor pencils and did a little drawing and painting ourselves.

I drew an American Goldfinch and a nest of eggs. Spring will eventually arrive!



Emily painted a duck and even wrote a poem to go along with it...

Little fishes deep in the sea,
don't swim too fast,
you can't catch me.




Grace painted some Autumn trees, a rabbit and a pretty blue butterfly.



Benjamin painted a nice summer day complete with a little boy flying a kite.



Tonight, we are having some friends over for "movie night." This afternoon I'm hoping to work on my UFO's. I haven't made much progress yet! The girls also want to have tea.



I'll talk to you all soon!

Cleaning and More Baking

Mrs. Wilt is doing an Anti-Procrastination Challenge this week and I thought I would join in the fun! I decided to tackle the cupboards in our livingroom.

Here is the "before" picture. I'm not even going to explain what all that stuff is in there! ;0)



I'm most happy about getting my candles all in one place. I put them on a tray and now it's easy to slide the whole thing out and get what I need.



Here it is tidied up and organized. I put the beading, felt board and rubber stamp supplies all on the left. Candles and phone books on the right.



Even Fern likes the new look!



Now the way I see it, no work should go unrewarded. Anna's Schoolhouse Quick Sweet Rolls are the perfect reward and they make a yummy breakfast too!



Here are Anna's notes:

I simply took a double batch of biscuit dough and rolled it into a large flat rectangle, spread it with softened butter, sprinkled it heavily with brown sugar and cinnamon, before rolling it up into a log and slicing it in half-inch slices (just like cinnamon rolls) to bake in a greased pan. The whole process took less than half an hour, and they were perfect for a cold wet work day.

These would also take kindly to the addition of raisins, dried cherries, chopped dried apricots, walnuts, or pecans, I think. Or all of the above. And in case you don't have a good biscuit recipe, here's the one I use from the back of the baking powder can:

*Dependable Biscuits*

Mix:

2 1/4 c. white flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt

Fluff together with pastry blender. Then cut in:

1/2 c. shortening

Pour:

1 .c milk (can use rice or soy to keep dairy-free)

over mixture. With hands or rubber spatula, gently mix until it holds together as a dough. I never roll mine out, just grab off chunks and roughly shape into biscuit shapes by hand. Lay on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 10 minutes.

I baked my cinnamon rolls at 400F for about 30 minutes.



I made a simple glaze from icing sugar and milk for drizzling over the top.



Does anyone else have a project they have been putting off?

~Comfort Food~

After so much baking during the month of December, I seemed to need a little break. This afternoon we were craving a treat of some sort, so I started to look through my cookbooks when I remembered these very quick and easy Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars. In less than five mintues they are ready to pop into the oven!



Fruit Filled Oatmeal Bars

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup brown sugr
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1 cup of your favorite jam

In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats, brown sugar and baking soda. Cut in butter till mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Reserve 1 cup of the flour mixture. Press remaining flour mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 8x8 pan. Spread with desired jam. Sprinkle with reserved flour mixture. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until the top is golden. Cut into bars.

We'll have to see how long they last!


Also on the menu tonight was Chicken Potpie. I have been craving one since early January! Several weeks ago I was feeling lazy and went to check out the ones at Costco. I was shocked by the price...$17.00+! Yes, they were large potpies, but still! When I was sick two weeks ago, I bought the Marie Callender's Frozen Potpies but they weren't as good as I had hoped.

I made a homemade one tonight and everyone loved it.


Chicken Potpie

3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 (15 ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 can (6 ounces) evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 cup dry sherry or white wine
Salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups frozen peas and carrots, not thawed

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place pie crust on bottom of pie pan.

2. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; saute until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl along with the cooked chicken; set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat chicken broth and milk in a saucepan until steamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Heat butter over medium heat in the empty dutch oven. When foaming subsides, whisk in flour and thyme; cook until golden, about 1 minute. Whisk in hot milk mixture. Bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Turn off heat, stir in sherry or wine, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir chicken mixture, frozen vegetables into the sauce. Pour into prepared pie crust. Top with remaining pie dough, and flute crust by pinching with your fingers. Set on a baking sheet and bake until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 45 mintues. Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting.



Thanks for looking!

Sunday, January 21, 2007

I enjoyed reading all of your weekend plans! I am especially envious of Mrs. Staggs going to see the movie "Miss Potter." :0)

It was a very rainy and dreary day yesterday but we didn't let that stop us from going out. We went to a couple of resale stores, IKEA and a piano store. I found the sheet music for Pride and Prejudice, now I just have to figure out which song to learn first!

Today is nice and sunny and Grace went to an American Girl birthday party this afternoon. She was told to dress like a "girl from the 1930's." It was hard to find an exact 1930's outfit but we used our imaginations while looking around various resale stores. We found a purple skirt, white shirt and cardigan sweater. She is also wearing a gold heart locket necklace and a small bow in her hair.

Her doll Molly, went with her. She is wearing her party dress. :0)




We are all going to another birthday party this evening. You can never have too much birthday cake right?! Talk to you all soon!

House Plants

Last May, I decided to try my luck with house plants. I'm happy to report that *most* of them are still alive! This past week I moved some of them to larger pots and freshened up the dirt. I also picked up a couple of new plants.

Here is the "before" picture of my kitchen window.


My new ivy plant.


Pretty violets to cheer things up in winter.


This plant is called "Angel Tears."


It has the tiniest purple flowers.


My 3 year old nephew gave me this fairy for Christmas. He knows how much I love fairies. :0)


I moved my spider plant to the top of my piesafe.


Here is the "after" picture. I also added 3 candles to the middle shelf.


All lit up at night...


Thanks for looking! We have two birthday parties to go to on Sunday and maybe a little resale shopping tomorrow. :0) Do you have any fun weekend plans?

Wednesday, January 17, 07

It was a snow day here in Texas! I heard freezing rain in the middle of the night and then by morning it had changed to snow. The girls and Benjamin were playing outside by 7:30am.

Emily's prize winning snowball! Now she just needs a coat. ;0)



Grace is catching snowflakes on her piece of black velvet.



Benjamin lost a top tooth this week!



There was just enough snow for Grace to build a mini snowman.



Even Phillip had a snow day today and worked from home. I'm starting to get my energy back so for dinner I made Jenny's Grandma's Chicken, along with biscuits and gravy.





Jenny's Grandma’s Chicken

1 whole chicken, cut up
1 large sliced onion
5 carrots, in large chunks
5 potatoes, in large chunks
Oregano
Thyme
Garlic
1 large bouillon cube

Brown chicken. Add vegetables, and just enough water to cover. Cover and cook 45-60 minutes.

Jenny’s notes: I bake it instead of simmering it on the stove. Brown the chicken and just put in a casserole with a little bit of water. Cook for about an hour at 350.

Jenny, it was delicious, thank you for the recipe!!





Buttermilk Biscuits

These biscuits are sweet, crisp and tender.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 to 5 tablespoons butter (depends on how healthy you feel!)
1 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces and either incorporate into the flour using a pastry blender or rub the butter between your fingers, until thoroughly blended.

3. Use a large spoon to stir in the buttermilk, just until mixture forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead it 10 times, no more. If it is very sticky, add a little flour, but don't worry if it sticks a bit to your hands.

4. Press into a 3/4 inch-thick rectangle and cut rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Gently reshape leftover dough and cut again. This recipe will produce about 10 biscuits.

5. Bake 7 to 9 minutes, or until the biscuits are a beautiful golden brown. Serve within 15 minutes for them to be at their best.

I hope you all are doing well and keeping warm!

I'm Weird!

I've been tagged by Copperswife for the Six Weird Things About Me meme! If you haven't met Copperswife yet, you should go visit her after reading this. She is so wonderful that I'm thinking about asking her to adopt me. :0)

Ok, here they are: Six Weird Things About Me! Actually, before I begin I should tell you that they are known as "issues" around my house. Let's begin with my "Raisin Issues."

1. I don't like raisins. Don't like looking at them or even thinking about them. My dad likes to throw them at me which leads to screaming, hiding under pillows and even locking him out of my house. ;0) And if that isn't weird enough, I love currants. And no, they are not "little raisins" as Phillip likes to call them. They are completely different! And yummy. :0)

2. "Leftover Issues." I don't want to be a wasteful person so I'm getting better with leftovers, but there are some rules. No tupperware. No storing soft foods like mashed potatoes or cooked noodles in ziplocks. Refrigerated leftovers must be put in glass dishes and covered with tin foil or saran wrap.

3. "Bridge Issues." I don't like driving over bridges with water underneath them. You never know if its on it's last leg and my van is the one that finally does it in.

4. "Pumping Gas Issues." I know gas pumps have this nifty way of clasping the handle down so you don't have to stand there holding it the entire time, but I don't trust it. How does it know when your gas tank is full anyways? Does it have eyes? I can see it now...Gas pouring out, all over the van, my shoes and me not being able to get the handle unclasped or find the emergency stop button!

So, I just "guess" when it's full. I stop pumping somewhere around $28.00 or $29.00. When gas prices change this really messes me up! Of course, it drives Phillip crazy when I don't fill it up all the way, so I try to trick him by stopping at a random number like $28. 67 or $29. 34. I make it different every time..hehe. He is much too clever for this though, but he is sweet and doesn't say anything.

5. "Repetitive Noise Issues." And by repetitive I mean more than two times in a row. Clicking, thumping, humming, banging, etc. As you know with three children this happens a lot, all day long. :0) So I just grin and bear it (most of the time!) and repeat to myself, "It's almost over, there, there, deep breaths."

6. Oh, please don't make me embarrass myself any longer! Last one. "Balloon Issues." Actually, it's more of a latex issue. I can't stand the smell. When I paint, I get non-latex gloves. I dread birthday parties because of the balloons. Festivals, store openings. Please don't offer my children a balloon! Plus they make that awful squeaking noise and you know someone will show them the "rub it on your hair and stick it to the wall" trick. Ahhhh......

Is anyone still here? I promise not to be scary anymore!! Thanks for tagging me Copperwife! I'll email you about the adoption thing. ;0)

Winter Storm

*Sniffle* *Sneeze* *Snort* My weekend didn't go quite as planned. Saturday, I woke up with a full blown cold and today my ears are all plugged up. I was able to sleep most of the afternoon and Grace even made me toast in bed. :0) I think I will be feeling much better tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures Phillip took this weekend...

These trees are behind my mother-in-law's house.



Frozen droplets on pretty red leaves.



It was a good day for bird watching. Our feeders were busy with our feathered friends, trying to keep warm.



A Mourning Dove all fluffed up.



There were 5 male cardinals in the trees behind my MIL's house!



A female cardinal.



The girls and Benjamin have named this Blue Jay, "Jay-Jay." He keeps everyone on their toes!



Sparrows are always hungry.



January

A shrill wind blew about the house
And through the pines all night:
The snowflakes whirled across the fields
And hid the fence from sight.

By dawn the drifts had blown so deep
No horse nor sleigh could go:
The dog-house and the chicken-coops
Were buried in the snow.

There was no thought of school that day;
We worked with shovels all,
And cleared a path from horse to barn;
The snow was like a wall.

I wished our house was covered up,
Like that one in the book
My Grandma showed to me one day
Beside the chimney-nook.

The story said the chimney-pot
Just showed above the snow,
And all day long the lamps were lit
Down in the house below.
~K. Pyle.

I hope you all are staying warm!

~The Winter Kitchen~

Today, I was going through my cookbooks, looking for new recipes to try out. I came across one that I had forgotten about. "Through the Kitchen Window" is written by English author, Susan Hill. She takes us through the seasons in her kitchen, creating a magical world of mouth-watering aromas and traditional dishes.



The Winter Kitchen

In winter, the kitchen is the heart of the house. It is a living place. Kettles sing, pots simmer, pans bubble.

There is a chair for quiet reading, and waiting for this or that to be put in or taken out of the oven, to be ready, to be kneaded or turned or stirred.

Beside the stove, cats purr with half-closed eyes.

In winter, the kitchen is always warm, and, always, there are smells: of roasting meat and stewing soups, frying onions and baking bread.

Outside, early dark, rain like a whip lash, gale and hail, rattling the latch, or ice, sealing it tight.

But inside all is bright, warm, savoury, companionable.



Susan also shares some pleasures of the Winter Kitchen...

~The bubble-bubble of soups and broths, the simmer of the stock-pot.

~A dish of citrus fruits, oranges, tangerines, clementines, grapefruit, dozens of lemons, skins all aglow.

~Root vegetables freshly pulled, earth still clinging to them and crumbling on to the table. Turnip and parsnip, carrot and celery.

~The rise and fall of the singing kettle as it boils for hot drinks on bitter days.

With that in mind, I will make Chicken Pot Pie, Shepherd's Pie and Vegetable Stew with Homemade Bread for our meals this coming week.

How do you make your kitchen cozy for winter? Do you like to cook or bake anything special?

Wednesday, January 10, 07

Thank you so much for all your prayers and well-wishes! After lots of rest, hot tea, and Tylenol cough syrup I think we are over the worst. The arguing over toys this morning was another good indicator things were getting back to normal. ;0)

Yesterday, I dusted the bedrooms and gave them a good airing out. Luckily, it was warm outside.



The beds got fresh, clean sheets.



As requested, here is the recipe for the Chocolate Chip Cookies I made the other day. It's from Nestle Tollhouse and the other thing I do differently is take the cookies out before they are completely done, and let them finish cooking on the cookie sheet.




Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated [white] sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) NESTLE TOLL HOUSE Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla in large mixer bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE in preheated 375F oven for 9 to 11 minutes (6-7 in my oven) or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.


We have been spending alot of time in the livingroom these last few days. Last night I sorted my scrapbooking supplies and made a few cards.








These last two are for Valentine's Day.





I put a dozen of those cookies in the freezer the other day, I think I'll go bake them for a little snack. :0)

Sick Days

Grace, Emily and Benjamin have colds and awful coughs. Their eyes are watery and their noses are red. Today, they camped out in the livingroom and we watched "The Secret Garden" and "Little Women."

This afternoon, I bribed talked them into taking naps and then I got busy in the kitchen. I made two loaves of my very favorite bread.



Amish White Bread

2 cups warm water (110F)
2/3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 cups white flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in the warm water, add yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Work in 6 cups of flour. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in well oiled bowl, and turn once to coat the entire surface of the dough with oil. Cover with a clean damp cotton cloth. Allow dough to rise until double in size. (Mine took about an hour).

3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves and place into well oiled 9x5 loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

4. Bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes. When you thump the top of the bread it should sound hollow.

For a buttery crust, brush hot loaves with butter. Cool on a rack and enjoy!




Chocolate chip cookies help anyone feel better right? :0)



I also made a pot of chicken noodle soup for dinner. I added onion, fresh garlic and parsley.



They have been sleeping since 7:30 p.m so I'm praying after a good night's rest they will feel better. Please say a prayer for them tonight.

Decorations for Winter

After all the Christmas decorations had been put away I had a few bare spots around the house. I did some re-arranging of candles, knick-knacks, etc. but I also bought a few new things for my entryway.

I was all set to get some kind of floral arrangment for the table when I saw these pretty stacking boxes. Grace and Emily talked me into getting them. ;0)



I also found a metal envelope holder that I'm going to use for out going mail. The little plate holds antique Victorian calling cards that my friend, Kimberly sent me.



Last fall, I moved my ficus tree to the other side of my hutch. I had an Autumn and Christmas picture for that spot but now that the holidays were over I needed a new picture of some kind.

I got an herb calendar last week but I'm not sure if I like it there or not. What do you think?



Here is a closeup of January's picture.



I use these candles year round and just change out the decorative rings. For Christmas I had made tiny wreaths for the backs of my dining chairs from this white and gold bead garland. I re-used two of them for these candles.



My fireplace is back to normal but I did add my cinnamon stick candles from Christmas and a simple basket of pinecones on the hearth.




The windowsills on both sides of the fireplace have small amber candles that make the room cozy at night.



Winter is a time for comfort-it is the time for home. ~Edith Sitwell

Thanks for looking at my wintertime decorations!

Saturday, January 6, 2007

This photo was not staged! Yesterday, Grace wasn't feeling well so I suggested she take a nap in my bed. About 20 minutes later, I walked into my bedroom and found her propped up, reading the Gurney's Seed Catalog. Sigh. A girl after my own heart!



I got to sleep in a little this morning. Phillip took the girls and Benjamin to Home Depot for their monthly woodworking class. They each made a box for holding plastic grocery bags but they have been turned into homes for stuffed animal friends and a food chopper. Benjamin has sucessfully chopped up pretzils and peanuts so far. :0)

Did you know that January is National Hot Tea Month? My mom called this morning to tell me. I just had a cup of delicious Snickerdoodle Coffee but I will have to have a cup of my current favorite, Bigelow's Vanilla Caramel soon! Do you have a favorite tea? (or coffee!) Have a great weekend!

Projects for the New Year

I am the master of UFO's. Now you are probably thinking that is pretty neat, but I'm not talking about extra-terrestrials. ;0) I'm talking about "Un-Finished Objects!"

My afternoon began innocently enough. I decided to start a small sewing project. My mother-in-law gave me these pretty "everyday" dishes for Christmas. The bottom plate is a charger, used mainly for decoration. You can get metal ones that you heat up to help keep your food warm, but these ones are plastic. It shows up dark in the above picture but it is actually a deep ruby red.



I knew I had some fabric that would be perfect for napkins. This is where the trouble started. My sewing supplies were in a big mess and it was hard to find anything. (I finally found the fabric, you can see it in the first picture.) I kept pulling out projects that I had started but never finished, and that's when I thought of a great New Year's Resolution. Finish all of my UFO's!!



They say admitting you have a problem is the first step so let me show you my oldest unfinished project. It is a Christmas tree skirt that I started in 1994, the summer Phillip and I got married. Can you see the appliqued horse? I need to add a sleigh and several pine trees all along the bottom. And not on just that one side either, on all four sides! What was I thinking?!



Here are some aprons I started last year. Benjamin's "city streets" apron only needs the string added so that will be easy. Grace's vintage "days of the week" apron has been cut out and Emily's "princess tea time" fabric has the pattern traced on the back.



This horse/cowboy fabric will be perfect for a little apron for my nephew. I saved a pair of Phillip's old jeans so I could use on of the pockets for the front of the apron. I need to finish this in time for a summer birthday!



My bad habit has even rubbed off on Grace. She has 4 projects in the works and we will be working together to get them finished! Do you notice a theme with her UFO's? :0)



In addition to these smaller projects, I have several quilts to work on. I took two quilting classes a few years ago and listen to this...I signed up for the second class without even finishing the first quilt! *blush*

This is a lap size quilt is teal and green. I actually fell in love with the backing fabric first and then the helpful ladies at the quilt store helped me with fabric for the front. This quilt top is 75% finished.



The next class quilt is a queen size. I have made alot of "flying geese" squares but that is it so far. I just hope I can still make sense of the instructions!



Last but not least, is a Winnie-the-Pooh baby quilt for my sister. I am hand quilting it and it is 25% finished. I tried to finish it up last fall but I got so hot with it resting on my lap. January is the perfect month to start working on it again!



Feel free to "bug" me in the future about how my UFO's are coming along. I need all the help I can get! :0) Do you have any un-finished objects hiding in the dark corners of your closet?!

New Year This and That

Did everyone have a nice time welcoming in the New Year? We had some friends over from church and my little house was bursting at the seams! There was lots of visiting, laughing, good food and punch. Several of the families went home early but there were 17 of us to ring in the New Year.



New Years Day was spent cleaning up and taking down Christmas decorations. Later that evening, we went over to my inlaws where Phillip's Dad made a wonderful Southern New Year's Dinner for us. Chicken and Dumplings, Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas, Fried Okra *and* Fried Green Tomatoes, Cornbread and Banana Pudding for dessert. Everything was delicious!!!

I have been doing a little organizing, mainly in the kitchen. There was alot of wasted space in my china hutch so...



I added a metal shelf all along the back of it.



Now I have room for my punch bowl and other things I use only a few times a year.



Phillip took the kids to the park yesterday and they had lots of fun. It was too chilly for me though...48 degrees!





Today, I boxed up all the Christmas decorations and they are back up in the attic. I also vacuumed up 1 billion (or around there!) pine needles! My vacuum doesn't like me right now. ;0) We are back to our school work tomorrow and I am looking foward to getting back on schedule, eating more healthy, and all that other New Year's resolution stuff.

I picked out a few books to re-read, one of them being "Living Simply with Children" by Marie Sherlock. I also bought my first ever Farmer's Almanac this past weekend. It is full of interesting weather information, trivia tidbits and even poetry. Here is what it says the weather will be like this month....

"It's teasing: mild and moist, then fine but freezing! Sunny spells turn cold and sleety; January is a two-faced deity. Brrr! It's bitter, with snow spitters. Mush and slush, by gush!"




It sounds like a perfect time to light some candles and cozy up with a good book and a cup of tea. Winter is here to stay for awhile!