To Win A Crown

 

Scottie O'Shay has her life laid out for her. She will take over the family business. But when she is called to visit her ill mother, Queen Catherine of Lauchtenland she leaves with the promise she will return to Tennessee. 

Scottie finds herself torn between her business world and the royal world. She didn't know she had royal blood until a few years before. She is awestruck with the beauty of royal life and the dangers it presents. 

Michael Cross has been given the task of protecting the Lady Royal, Scottie. Romance blooms slowly but Rachel Hauck gives this fairy tale story wings. Characters are well written, giving them depth. As are the encounters with Emmanuel.

This is the third and final book of True Blue series. A faith filled story that I think it is the best one yet. 

 

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary advanced e-copy of this book. All views expressed are my honest opinion.

Valentines love

 Don't you just love Valentines Day? I love decorating with all the hearts. Last year (or was it the year before) I made this quilt. 

The center was a free pattern from the Fat Quarter shop. I added more borders to expand the size.

This year I am working on a quilt, pattern by Diary of a Quilter.

My sister love gave me two charm packs and this pattern is perfect for it.

I found this on Instagram and wished that I had known to do this when my kids were little. But maybe someone can pick it up and glean from it.

Isn't it the sweetest thing to do for your kids. 

Valentines Day is only three weeks away :-)

An open letter to No Reply Comment

 I am sorry to say that many of my readers are no reply comments. And unfortunately when you ask a question, I have no way to respond. So I would ask if you see that your comment is no reply or anonymous, and you would like me to respond, can you please leave your email or some way for me to answer your questions. I don't want you to think that I am not responding. It would be very helpful.

Thank you.

Declutter

 This bin was filled to the brim.

For the last few days I have been going through the bin with all the left over pieces of fabric. The goal is to see if there is any usable fabric. And there was. Plenty! So I am ironing them and packing them up to send to someone who can use all of these scraps.

Yay!

Little Red Schoolhouse

 In all the years that I have been quilting, I have only made one Red and White Quilt.  It was a commissioned quilt in 1997 and the only one I ever sold.  

The pattern originated from Eleanor Burns, but I designed the checkered border.  

I can't remember how large it ended up, as the original pattern only gave directions as a wall hanging, using 6 Schoolhouses. I saved all the directions and hand drawings in hopes that I would make another one.  

Happy Quilting!

Snow with a forecast of quilts

It's been cold here in the south, but this is the only snow we have at our house :-)  

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

Happy Quilting!

A clean plate

 Keeping the plate clean on your iron can be troublesome at times.

My biggest problem appears to be the plate seems scorched in places. 

I recently found something that works not only on the scorch marks but on gunk that may accumulate on my iron.

Using a damp Magic Eraser (that I use to wipe away marks on my painted walls) I found that it also works on removing every mark on the iron faceplate. I had to use a little more pressure on the indention's as they were well baked onto the faceplate. 

YAY!!!

Clean iron!! 

Pillowcases and cookies

 Not much sewing going on over the holidays. But when I need a creative boost, I always start making pillowcases for Ryans Case for Smiles. 

 A good way to work down my stash.

You remember yummy Girl Scout cookies? Its that time again. If you have any interest in purchasing Girl Scout cookies, please leave a comment and I will send you the Girl Scout link. They can be shipped anywhere in the continental US. This helps my little granddaughter reach her goal.

Thanks! And Happy Quilting.

A Virtuous woman

 

She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 

~Proverbs 31:13 

Soup on a cold day

 Taking a little break from sewing, I thought I would share a simple soup recipe to warm us up during these cold days.

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

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.

If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.

Favorite Books from 2025

 This will not be easy to compile. I had so many to choose from.

But I figured the best way was to just list them all.

The Christmas Ring -  Karen Kingsbury

Without a Clue - Mellisa Ferguson

Hearts in Circulation - Sarah Monzon

Not Exactly Mr. Darcy - Carolyn Miller

The Lighthouse at the Cove - Amy Cliptson

It's a Wonderful Life - Jimmy Hawkins

The Bitter End Society - Amanda Cox

Second Chance at Sunshine Inn - Amy Clipston

Once Upon a Christmas Carol - Melody Carlson

The Atlas of Untold Stories - SaraBrunsvold

The Sands of Sea Blue Beach - Rachel Hauck

The Light on Horn Island 

The Voice We Find - Nicole Deese

Of Silver and Secrets - Michele Greip

Everything is coming up Rosie - Courtney Walsh 

Rescue on the Farm - Allie Plieter

Welcome to the Honey B&B - Melody Carlson

Discovering Dahlia - Jennifer Moore

To Light the Way Forward - Nancy Naigle

Uneasy Street - Becky Wade

When you click on the title it should take you to my review pages.

Words of advice

 

I'm so glad there are no Quilt police!! But I am glad there are many friendly voices to offer advice.  "Don't over think it".  Boy is that ever true.  How many times have I done that to the point of stagnation.  Hopefully I can move forward this year in completing UFO's. How about you?

Another 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