Share the Love

 This past year had me thinking about making quilts to give away. When we made the quilts for the nursing home residents, it was a fun easy way to use up fabric and bring a little bit of sunshine into a lonely heart. When Christmas time came, I thought about the many residents who have no family or memory loss where they don't recognize family members. What would it take to make a small lap quilt or two a month, and then deliver them to a facility that could share them with the residents.

I am going to try to make at least one quilt a month (maybe more if I am able). I started with this one.

I know it isn't fancy, but I had orphan 10" squares that worked nicely. 

What about you? Is there some charity, nursing home, widows, lonely friend that would love to have a quilt for Christmas? It is 11 months away, so I think it would give us enough time to share. I know I have way too much fabric sitting in my closet that will go to charity eventually. So let's share the love.

                                      Sew and Tell

                                       NTT

                                      Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

                                      Finished or not Friday

                                      Peacock Party

If the Boot Fits

 

If the Boot Fits by Karen Witemeyer is a delightful twist of a fairy tale. 

Samantha Dearing is put in a situation where her father tries to marry her off to a cattle rancher. She is having none of it. Asher Ellis is determined to find out why Mr. Eli Dearing has evicted his step mother and his brothers. But in the process, he loses one of his boots when he rescues Samantha's brother from drowning.

When Asher comes face to face with Samantha, he is sure his days are numbered. But she doesn't recognize him. And so begins our tale, when Samantha falls for the handsome heroic Asher, before she learns that he was the one who trespassed in her home.

I loved this story. It was delightful, full of adventure, and a sweet love story. Karen Witemeyer knows how to play her characters to their best side. Mama Bess, Fergus, and Jake were great second players.  Clint was such a sweet younger brother to Samantha. Always looking out for her. As secrets unfold, there is suspense that you cannot guess the outcome. 

The second novel in the Texas Ever After series, this is definitely a must read if you enjoy a good story. I love how Witemeyer weaves how God is working in their lives. All in all it's a beautiful well written story. What we have come to expect from Ms. Witemeyer.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

String Quilts

This one was made when we moved into our new house.

And then a couple of years later, I found my self with a lot of pink scraps.

It's kind of my favorite.

So I thought I would look to see if I had enough blue scraps to make a companion string quilt. I know there are lots of string quilt tutorials but I found the one that was free on Craftsy by Amy Gibson from her Block of the Month, to be the one that I liked the best.

Lots of different blue fabrics have gone into this little quilt.

My plan being a kind of a Where's Waldo" quilt.

Animals, trains, cars, basketball players, dinosaurs.... Hoping the little guy who gets it will be able to find the somewhat hidden pictures.

How about you? Have you ever made a string quilt before?

Sew and Tell

NTT

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop

A surprise

 Christmas has come and gone, but I neglected to share what my sweet hubby gave me. I have always admired the antique thread boxes. We have seen them throughout our travels. And last year, when we were in Texas, we found a small one.

I was quite pleased to bring it home.

But THIS Christmas hubby surprised me yet again. This one made it's way to my sewing room.

Woo-hoo! Isn't it a beauty? It was a total surprise. 

Hope you are staying warm and having a happy quilting day :-)

Do you snowboard?

 It has been bitterly cold here in the south. But this is the only snow we have had here at our house.

I made this landscape quilt several years ago, when our family went on a trip to West Virginia.  My kids love to snowboard.

Happy Quilting!

Baby it's cold outside

 It's been cold here in the south. 

So if you want to warm your tummy with a fast and delicious bowl of soup, try this quick and easy recipe.

I found it on the back of a package of Swanson Chicken Broth.

Sensational Chicken Noodle Soup

4 cups Swanson Chicken Broth
Ground black pepper
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1/2 cup uncooked egg noodles
1 cup shredded cooked chicken or turkey (I use a rotisserie chicken)

Heat broth, black pepper, carrot and celery in 2 quart saucepan over medium-high heat to a boil

Stir noodles and chicken into saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 10 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring often.

3-4 servings

That's it! For my family we increase all the ingredients and add some crushed garlic. It sure makes a great bowl of Chicken Noodle soup on a cold day.

The Zoo

 Last week while my grandchildren were off of school I took them to the zoo. It reminded me of a fun quilt I saw once at a quilt show. 

Sorry I don't know who made it, but it was a fun depiction of a zoo.

And here we are at the Zoo!

Bird watching.

We had a lot of fun!

Happy machine

As we start a new year, it is very important to care for our machine. 

I have mentioned this before but thought it was worth a mention again. I bought this many years ago. It is so easy to use and clean out all the fuzz and dust that accumulates in the inner parts of my machine.

It attaches to  your vacuum cleaner and sucks out all the bad stuff. 

Take the throat plate out, remove the bobbin, bobbin case and hook race. Clean under the feed dogs and around the bobbin area with a small brush. Then vacuum out the accumulated lint.

Easy to follow directions. With different attachments to reach the unreachable places. 

I used it on my serger just to be sure as I know a lot of lint can build up. It is such a simple thing, but very worthwhile. And you might find your machine humming after a good clean.

Happy machine makes for a happy quilter!

Goals for 2024

 I haven't set quilting goals in a long time. But I'm hoping to accomplish more in this new year.

There are several quilts in process that I want to finish and gift. And then there are the new projects that are swirling around in my head.

I have several Layer Cakes that have been sitting in my stash. So I decided to try this Perfect 10 Quilts book to use them up. Each pattern is named after a yummy food, so it will be a fun project to complete. 

Have you set any quilty goals for 2024>

The Divine Proverb of Streusel

I love the way Sara Brunsvold weaves faith in her books. After reading the award winning The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs Kip, I was looking forward to seeing what she would give us next. Well, she did not disappoint. 

As summer embarks on the beginning of school break, Nikki Werner finds herself in deep disappointment when she learns of her fathers recent marriage to a woman no one knows. On top of that she finds herself at a crossroad with her long time boyfriend, Isaac. She needs to be rescued. So she starts driving, not really knowing where she will go. She ends up at her family's farm, and decides to stay with her Uncle Wes for a while. With school out for the summer, she starts helping her uncle clean out and remodel the old farmhouse. She finds herself reconnecting with the past as she unearths treasures among the many boxes that have been stored over the years. When she finds an old notebook, filled with her grandmothers German recipes and sage advice, she finds healing of her wounds as she invites people over to taste the many recipes she tries. Her Aunt Emma helps Nikki find her way through her unforgiveness and deep hurts. Uncle Wes, a long time bachelor, is a patient loving person in Nikki's life. With his help, she discovers hope. And the forgiveness through the proverbs and wisdom spread throughout the recipe book.

This is a heartfelt story surrounded by faith, brokenness, family and most of all forgiveness. A clean Christian read that is beautifully written and faith filled. 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Happy New Year

 

As we embark on yet another New Year, there are uncertainties that lie ahead. The Lord does not send out a calendar of events that will happen in life. We are more likely to be taken by surprise as the story unfolds. God, in His great goodness, knew that we could not handle knowing what each day would bring. So we step out in faith, facing each day as a new adventure. However, our loving Father is not ignorant of each step. Even when we cannot feel His presence, He is with us.

 "And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you, He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. 

Deuteronomy 31:8