School Open House

Mom, "Did going to the open house make you feel any better about starting school?"

Nathan, "No."

Assumption cake

Here it is. They boys had a blast (and only fought a little) while making it. They did it all. I just took it out of the oven. The recipe (Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake) is from this kids cookbook that I got at Ollies. The kids love this book and read through it all the time. You can see how they've bookmarked their favorites. For the Assumption we also read the gospel for today and said a rosary while coloring in this mosaic of the Assumption. Now it's time to head off for church.

Quilt for Colorado

We had the most wonderful vacation this summer to Estes Park Colorado. The only way we were able to take such a luxurious vacation was due to the kindness of Mike's Aunt and Uncle who own a house is Estes Park. I have wanted to make them a thank you quilt since we returned but just couldn't find the right pattern. Their home in Colorado is very southwest themed with lots of earth tones, greens and reds. I searched the Internet and through most of my books without finding what I was looking for. I was beginning to despair of ever finding anything that would fit their decor. Yesterday I was looking through one of my quilting books and there was a whole section of perfect quilts.
Here's a picture of what I'm going to make. They used felted wool but I chose to use cotton. The cottons were on sale at JoAnne for $1.99/yd. so I was able to buy all I needed for $10. I was thrilled as our budget is limited at the moment. I have a ton of batting so the only other thing I need to purchase will be the backing. I'm saving my coupon for that. The fabric is in the washer so I hope to be able to start cutting tomorrow.

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, which is also the name of our church. The kids and I will be baking for the social after Mass this evening. Traditionally fruit is used on this day but since my kids are not a fan of fruit desserts I let them choose the dessert: Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. When I went to the learning conference, Alice Gunther, who spoke about the liturgical year, was so wise in saying that we must make celebrations fit our families and be joyful. So, since chocolate brings us great joy, chocolate it is. Hope you like it, Mary.

Comfort

I finally got around to making some pillows to go with the cushion on my blanket chest. I wanted a spot for Mike and the kids to sit when I was sewing, to read, do homework or just chat with me. When we decided to move, I wanted to be closer to everyone by not having a separate sewing room. That didn't quite work out with the way our house was arranged. So I thought I'd make the room more inviting.I'm fairly pleased with the way these turned out. I'd like to make a few smaller pillows with contrasting fabrics to offset the bold prints. I don't quite know if I'll ever get around to it. Mostly, I have found the cats sleeping on the cushion so it is of course covered in cat hair, which means whoever sits on it is also covered in cat hair. Darn cats. Why do we love you so much?

Now, looking at this picture, I want to paint the room. It really doesn't take much to paint the rooms in this house since they are so small. I must paint the bathroom first since I am going to use the same paint as the dining room. I'm hoping to work on that project tomorrow. I'll let you know if I have the gumption.

I volunteered to make two blocks for KidsQuilts. Here are the finished product. My husband went to the fabric store with me last night to find a second bug fabric. I told him to look for boy type fabric and he pointed me toward the skull fabric. The idea of skulls in a jar was really appealing and I may decide to make a fun throw quilt with the idea (having all boys at my house and all). It wasn't exactly what was asked for this quilt so I kept with the ladybug theme.

And the Winner Is...

Heather! I picked Heather, because she told me she would use the fabric to help her daughter learn how to sew. The fact that I know Heather and her daughter may have swayed me a little, if I am honest. I learned to sew about the time I was 7 or 8 and loved hanging out in my mom's sewing room with her little scraps of fabric. Knowing that my fabric could help the next generation continue a craft that I love was just too much for me. And since Heather's daughter is such a lovely person to boot, my mind was made up.

Everyone had great responses to my questions and I smiled every time I got a new email on these posts. Thank you for making my day. I have also had a great time checking out some of your blogs. I haven't gotten to them all yet but will keep plugging away.

Thanks especially for the book recommendations. I plan on making a list and taking to the local library.

And thanks for visiting. Come back again soon. Now stop reading my blog and go to Church.

Last chance

Today is your last chance to comment for the Big Box Give Away. I'll be picking someone late this evening and posting tomorrow about the winner. Above is another stack of fabrics you will receive in the box. The blue stars fabric above was actually a little decorative valance in our old house so it is sewn into a tube. The fabric is so lively that I wanted to include it and hope you don't mind ripping a seam. I almost want to pull it out for myself to make a wristlet after seeing the patterns on the Oh, Fransson! blog. I want to know how she gets her zippers looking so perfect and may just spend the $10 for the pattern to find out. I'm still debating. I am working on two more pillows and went to the Fabric Outlet near my house for zippers. All the zippers and hardware and trim is so inexpensive there. I bought four zippers (17 inch and 6 inch), four small D rings and a clasp hook. My bill was $3.35. I think I'd pay that for one item at JoAnn Fabric.

My coffee pot is calling my name as is my sewing room. I hope you all have a fun filled Saturday. If you live in my neck of the woods and want a music filled evening, check out this site. My hubby is playing there tonight and the kids and I are going to take a picnic supper.

A few more peeks

Here are a few more peeks at the fabric in the box. I will pick someone late tomorrow evening so the comments will be open until 8pm my time (Eastern Standard). This first shot is of some fabric that I have had laying around for eons. The top two I used to make a fish costume for Nathan years and years ago. It was pre-digital camera so I don't have a picture for you at this moment. It was a great costume and maybe I'll scan the picture in and show it to you if I have time later. Anyway....I don't have a whole lot of call for sequins anymore but I'm sure someone could make something fabulous with it.This cowboy print is one of my favorites. I have made lots of coasters out of it and a mini quilt. I've wanted to use it in a larger boy quilt but never got around to it and probably never will. This is a fairly large piece. Click here to see the coasters. I don't think I ever took a picture of the mini quilt. At least I can't find a picture. I made it when we were moving and that explains the lack of pictures.And finally, some Japanese inspired fabric. I bought it to make this quilt which is 7/8 finished and sitting in my cedar chest. Now that I think of it, maybe I'll add it to the box with the pattern. I love the little Japanese kimono but am not totally fond of the pattern overall. So, there is one more goody for the box.