What I Did Last Weekend

I didn't know if it would ever happen, but I FINALLY finished my Thimbleberries Village quilt top on Saturday. The small guild to which I belong had a sewing day that started at 9:00 a.m. (I got there around 11:30) and finished...well, I left at 9:30 p.m. and there were a few gals that were still in full swing.

I wanted to take a project that was already in the works so that I didn't have to do a lot of cutting or take a lot of tools. I happened to have all the the blocks for this quilt already assembled, just needed to get them all put together in a top. That was the easy part. I was surprised at how long it took me to get those four simple borders on...it was an all day affair. I probably would have thrown in the towel and taken the project home to finish on another day, but my guild members all but bolted the door and wouldn't allow me to leave until it was finished. That was just the encouragement that I needed and I'm glad that it's finally done!

Playing in the Mud

We interrupt this quilt blog to bring you a new recipe... I used to make these cookies all the time when Soccer Boy and College Girl were much younger. They loved them and so did all of the neighborhood children. I never quite knew what to call them. "You Know...The Peanut Butter Cookies That You Bake In a Mini Muffin Tin and Then Stick a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup in the Center" just seemed like too long of a name for these kid friendly delights. One day when my friend, Laurel, was making these cookies for her boys, they came up with the perfect name and it stuck...Mud Puddles.

Mud Puddles seemed so appropriate. Especially since they have a brown ooey gooey center. And boys know all about mud puddles, don't they?
College Girl came home over the weekend to visit her friend whose mother passed away from cancer last Monday. When I talked with her in the middle of last week she asked if I would please make her some Mud Puddles when she came home. I knew it had been a long time since I had made them, but I didn't realize just how long it had been until I mentioned them to the Ballerina (a.k.a. the Chef) and she had no idea what I was talking about. Now, not only does she know what they are, but she also knows how to make them!!! And so will you...

MUD PUDDLES
(Approx. 4 dozen cookies)

Cream:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. peanut butter (creamy or chunky)
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar

Add:
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Then add:
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. soda
1 1/4 c. flour

Roll dough into a small ball and put into a mini muffin tin. Ball should fill up 3/4 of each cup. Bake at 375 deg. F. for 8-9 minutes, until they just begin to turn brown on top. Remove from oven and press a mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cup into each cookie. Allow to cool for 5 minutes and gently remove from the tin with the edge of a knife.
Just a note: Laurel and I used to scour the markets after the major holidays when the seasonal candy went on sale. One market would sell the candy for a $1.00 a bag. We'd stash away the peanut butter cups and pull them out when we were ready to make cookies. A cheaper way to make cookies when you're on a budget!

Name That Dish

My husband's nephew is getting married in a couple of weeks and yesterday I attended a bridal shower for his soon-to-be wife. Lately I've been making personalized Pyrex baking dishes for my nieces and nephews and they seem to be a big hit. I don't know what it is about seeing your name etched in glass, but it makes brides-to-be very happy! So, here's a little tutorial if you would like to give it a try.
First, gather your supplies. You'll need to purchase some glass etching cream and clear contact paper. If you don't have an Xacto knife, an el cheap-o paint brush, rubbing alcohol and cotton balls, you'd better pick those up while you're out. You'll also need to print out the name onto a piece of paper, using a large, cute font. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, keep the font simple.
Of course, you'll also need a glass dish. Lately, I've been buying a double pack of covered Pyrex dishes at Walmart for under $15.
Tape the paper to the window (or a light box, if you have one). Make sure that it is placed so that the back of the paper is facing you. You're going to trace the letters so that they are reversed or backward. I'm sure you get the idea from the picture. Use a Sharpie to trace the letters onto the clear side of the contact paper. I'll admit that I've made the mistake of writing on the paper side of the conact paper. Take it from me, that doesn't work very well. LOL!
Clean the backside of the dish using the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. Once dry, peel and apply the contact paper to the back of the dish. Rub well, making sure that there are no air bubbles. Use extra care in those areas where there is raised lettering on the back of the dish.
Use the Xacto knife to cut and remove the lettering, making your stencil. On a sunny day I do this outside on my porch, making it easier to see where I have cut. Yesterday I did it under the light in my kitchen.
Shake the jar of etching cream well and use the brush to paint the cream onto the stencil. Be generous...this stuff goes a long way. Be careful to not get any of the etching cream on your skin or clothing and make sure that your work surface is covered with paper.

Allow the etching cream to remain on the stencil for 20 minutes or so. I'm kind of the impatient type and don't really enjoy watching etching cream dry, so I "help it along" by continually moving the cream around with the paint brush during the 20 minutes.
Now rinse the etching cream from the dish using lots of warm water. Remove the stencil then wash and dry the dish.
Ta dumm! Wasn't that easy?! But wait...you're not finished yet.
I also included the recipe and most of the ingredients for Grandma's lemon cake. This is a great way to pass down a favorite family recipe!
Put it all together, add a bow and tag and your gift is ready to give!

Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to putting names on your dishes. I've seen them done with simple flowers and other designs, too. I'm thinking about doing a quilt block...maybe an Ohio Star. Be creative and have some FUN!!!

Note: You can pick up the etching cream at most craft stores. If you live near a store that gives 40% coupons, make sure you take one. A large jar costs around $20, but unless you're considering going into business, a small jar will do. I bought a large jar and have made well over two dozen dishes. I've probably only used half the of etching cream.

Here's another note: Xina said that her etching didn't show up very well and was wondering why. I honestly don't know, but my friend used my etching cream one time and had the same problem. When I asked her if she shook the contents of the bottle first she said that she had not. I always do and have always had pretty good success. Hope this helps!

Xina...I hope you come back to read this because I could not reply to your email. To get replies to your questions you need to change your profile and check the box that says "show email address" or something like that.

More Fun in the Snow

Today was a great day. The weather is finally starting to shape up, but of course, this is just "the warm before the storm."

Last night my husband and I attended a work related retreat at a nearby resort, Daniels Summit Lodge. I always enjoy these types of events because we really like the people with whom he works. This morning we all got up, ate breakfast and headed for the hills on snowmobiles. Here we are taking a break at the top of the mountain.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more of my "food blog." College Girl is home for the weekend and I have all of the ingredients for the special cookie that she requested! :-)

Food Blog --- NOT!

Eileen recently commented that my quilt blog was turning into a food blog. And my sister suggested that I stop posting unflattering childhood pictures of her and stick to quilting. Sooooo.....here's a picture of a little quilt that I finished yesterday.

Now, had I done a little less baking and refrained from posting damaging picture of my sister, I might have had this quilt finished in time to enjoy BEFORE Valentine's Day was past. I like to think "better late than never" and we all know that it's ready for next year!

Wii've been duped!

"Buy us a Wii," they said.
"We can get exercise while playing games," they said.

Wii were deceived!!!

My Cabana Boy

This is Cabana Boy. He works from home on Friday's. Most of the time I really like that, especially when he buys me lunch. :-)

Yesterday Cabana Boy was going out to run a couple of errands and to make a stop at the post office. On his way out, Cabana Boy asked me if there was anything that I needed him to pick up. Isn't he a good Cabana Boy? Concerned about my every need.

"Why, of course there's something you could pick up. We have no chocolate in this house!"

Oh, my! Look what Cabana Boy brought home!!! Cadbury Mini Eggs! I love Cadbury Mini Eggs!!! I love this time of year...I love Cadbury Mini Eggs! Wait, did I already say that? Well, I do! I love them! I love their crunchy, chocolately goodness! I love Cabana Boy, too! And look...Cabana Boy keeps my mini fridge stocked with good love. Okay, that may not look "stocked", but you should see the six 12 packs of diet Coke in the walk in fridge (a.k.a. the garage). Maybe I need to tell Cabana Boy that it's time to restock. Heaven forbid that I should have to walk out to the garage to get my own diet Coke! LOL!

Chocolate, diet Coke, and Cabana Boy! Oh, my life is good!!!

Note: I came home from doing some shopping today and guess what? My mini fridge was completely stocked with diet Coke! I think I'm gonna keep that Cabana Boy!!!

Let Them Eat Cupcakes!

Today is the birthday of the Ballerina's 5th grade teacher. Being the good room mother that I am (hahaha) I made cupcakes for the celebration. I'm really into making cupcakes lately. Have you noticed? lol! I love the idea of a handheld dessert and their compact size is enough to satisfy a sweet tooth without overdoing it.

Here are a couple of my favorite cupcake blogs...

Cupcake Bake Shop by Chockylit

and

52 Cupcakes

Although the second link is my favorite...more realistic, considering my abilities...the link sometimes (okay, usually) locks up my computer.

I also love the ideas and recipes in this cupcake book by the Cake Mix Doctor.

Sliding Down a Slippery Slope

Soldier Hollow

Yesterday the kids were out of school for Presidents' Day so we got a bunch of friends and family members together and headed for the tubing hill at Soldier Hollow.

Soldier Hollow was the venue for the cross country skiing and biathlon events during the 2002 Winter Olympics. I had the fortunate opportunity to serve as an Olympic volunteer at Soldier Hollow and drove the athletes to and from their training sessions and competitions six year ago. Today, the resort continues to host cross country events and is also open for public use.

For those of us who choose not to exert themselves cross country skiing, there is also a tubing hill extraodinaire. The instructions are simple:
1. grab a tube
2. hook up to the tow rope
3. cruise to the top of the hill
4. speed down the groomed hill
5. repeat!

Although it's fun to race one on one, the most fun that we had was getting a huge group together and bouncing off each others' tubes as we slid down the hill.

You can see from the pictures that the weather was perfect...lots of snow and plenty of sun. You can also tell from the smiles that a great time was had by all!

Who can resist a sale?

Remember those Thimbleberries FQs that I WON from Julia over at Scrap Happy Quilter? Well they arrived in yesterday's mail. The coolest thing about these FQs is that I don't have any of them in my stash. These will work into something wonderful for spring. I haven't quite made a decision yet, but I've got some ideas floating around in my head. She also included a sweet note and a bookmark that I'm assuming she made on an embroidery machine. Thanks so much Julia. This was the perfect treat for me!!!

And speaking of things that came in the mail (watch out, I'm gonna rant!)...
Yesterday I was sitting in my family room when I heard the mail truck come bumping along our road until it stopped at our mailbox. I immediately got up and went out to the mailbox. I'm always certain that there's going to be an envelope with a $1,000,000 check from Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes. To my disappointment, there was no check, but there was a tag from the USPS informing me that "they had missed me" and that there was a certified envelope that I needed to go pick up at the post office. WHAT?! I was home and I certainly didn't hear a knock on my door.

Fortunately, the mail carrier still had to go down the other side of my street so I walked across and waited for her. Without going into all the details, she pretty much told me a bold face lie about how she had probably just knocked too softly for me to hear. I think the truth is something more like she was a temporary carrier in our area, she was sick and not feeling well and didn't want to get out of the truck, run up to the door and wait for someone to answer and sign for the envelope.

As much as I was bugged about the lie, I know that there's a lot of crud going around right now and I truly hope she gets felling better. I was really feeling sorry for her when I passed her in another part of town several hours later and she was still delivering mail. It'll sure be nice when the weather starts to warm up and we can quit recycling all these germs!
Here's some GOOD NEWS! One of my favorite quilt shops, Quilt, Etc., is having a big sale today and Monday. All fabrics are 30% off and all FQs are $1.50. I picked up the six FQs above. No plans for them yet, but I really like the colors.
I've been eyeing this Mother Goose fabric for a while and figured this would be the perfect time to buy. We've raised each of our children on nursery rhymes, starting when our infant son was given a book of Mother Goose poetry by DH's aunt who was a childrens librarian.
I've kind of got a quilt design in mind, but nothing set in stone. I realized when I got home that there was one or two pieces that I didn't get enough of. You know what that means...back to the quilt shop on Monday. Ah, shucks!!!

I <3 U! *

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my blog friends!

This picture is brought to you by the Ballerina (soon to be renamed 'the Chef'). Last night I made the ooey gooey cherry chocolate chip cupcakes and she put on the frosting swirls and sprinkles. We took these to her 5th grade class party this morning. Nothing like a sugar rush before lunch! lol!

I saw these made yesterday on a local TV show. They looked so yummy that I decided to give them a try. If you'd like the super easy recipe, click HERE. (Call me lazy, but I didn't make the roses made from Fruit by the Foot to top our cupcakes...lol!)

My husband and I decided that we'd stay home tonight and avoid the crowded restaurants. I think we'll grab a couple of Philly steak sandwhiches from the shop down the hill. I bought some stuff to make fondue to share with the girls. Nothing says "I Love You" like chocolate fondue!

I hope that you day is filled with lots of love! Hugs to you all!!!

* For those of you who aren't texting savvy, my title says, "I HEART YOU!" One of those important things that you learn from a 14 year old! LOL!

Sappy Birthday, Susan!

Today is my sister, Susan's, birthday. Isn't she a cutie?! She's the younger, skinny sister in the family. Susan is about 3 1/2 years younger than I am, so that would make her....ummm....26!
Here's Susan and her daugther last summer when we were camping. Suz was making homemade ice cream. Ever the popular aunt!

When I was looking for pictures of my sister, I realized that I didn't have very many recent pictures of her...or of the two of us together...so I took a vow to take pictures of US when we're together this summer.
Okay...being the evil sister that I am, I couldn't resist posting this picture. Do you get the feeling that Susan was unhappy? I don't look too thrilled either (but at least I wasn't bawling...lol!). This pictures was taken in our living room just before our ballet recital. I think it was shortly after that that Susan quit taking ballet lessons. LOL!

You can see some adorable pictures of her when she was younger on her blog.

Happy birthday, Suz!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Zion National Park

Zion National Park

Okay...I'm going to subject you to one more day of vacation slides. LOL!

After the pageant on Saturday evening, we snagged College Girl and her best friend and headed back to my aunt's home were we were staying in St. George. It's amazing how many people you can cram into a small, two bedroom vacation home. Eight of us in all. Lots of kids sleeping on couches and on the floor, but everyone had a great time.

On Sunday morning we located a chapel and we all went to church together. Afterward we returned to my aunt's home, loaded up the van and Jeep and headed out. Our plan was to make a trip out to Zion National Park "on our way home." Zion is actually an hour out of the way, which added more than two hours to our drive home. It's been many years since we have been to Zion NP, so we figured it would be a great experience for our kids...and it was!

You'll notice a lot of snow in the pictures. The canyon walls are so high that very little sun hits the canyon floor. With all the snow, we felt like we were right back in Happy Valley...not southern Utah. Good thing I threw a couple of quilts for those who didn't bring coats. LOL!!!

We had a wonderful trip, but it sure was nice to get home. Although our children love each other and love being together, sometimes that much "togetherness" can start to wear on a mother, if you know what I mean. LOL!!! The picture of all of the kids smooshed into the back of the van speaks volumes. We actually had two vehicles, but left College Girl's Jeep outside the park so that we only had to pay one admission fee. lol!

That's it for the vacation photos. Yippee, you say? LOL! Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have some quilt related pictures. :-)

Snow Canyon State Park

Snow Canyon, UT

On Saturday, between the pageant's family brunch and the actual pageant, we had some free time. My husband and Soccer Guy already had plans to hit the links. There's certainly no golfing going on here in northern Utah, but it's a whole different story in St. George. While the guys were off chasing little white balls, I took Blondie, the Ballerina and Soccer Guy's Girlfriend out to one of my favorite spots in southern Utah...Snow Canyon State Park.

Snow Canyon (named after Lorenzo and Erastus Snow...not the white stuff) is a beautiful mixture of jagged volanic rock and vibrant red and white sandstone mountains. The weather was perfect for hiking and the girls and I enjoyed climbing in and out of volcanic caverns and up and down the petrified sand dunes. Typically we've been there during the spring or summer when the temperatures are quite high, but on Saturday we enjoyed cool temperatures and wore long sleeves and jackets. By the end of the two hours spent there, we had worked up a sweat and were ready for lunch.

It was a wonderful afternoon that we will not soon forget. I'm so grateful to live in a place with such diverse beauty.

Pageant Girl

This past weekend our family took a quick get away to southern Utah. College Girl has been preparing to compete in the Miss SUU pageant and last Saturday was the big event.

College Girl was amazing and did extremely well. For her talent, CG, a black belt, performed an unforgetable Tae Kwon Do form set to music. She answered her on stage questions completely and without hesitation and looked stunning in her evening wear. Unfortunately, the judges did not take our unbiased opinions into consideration and College Girl did not walk away with the crown. Of course, her brother, Soccer Guy, is certain that the pageant was rigged. LOL!!!

All in all, CG said it was a great experience and is considering taking the things that she learned in her first pageant and applying them to compete again next year.

Way to go, College Girl...we're SO proud of you!!!

Oh, Happy Day!

I'm a winner! Yes, I am!!!

Julia, over at Scrap Happy Quilter, picked me as the WINNER of her Thimbleberries FQ give away that she was doing in Sharon's honor.

I just gotta say...blogging friends are AWESOME!!!

Thanks so much, Julia!!!

Happy Birthday, Ballerina!

Sunday was the Ballerina's 11th birthday! You know she's quite the baker, so she insisted on helping make her own cake...AND light the candles!!!

Ironically, when I asked the little chef what she wanted for her birthday dinner she chose chili cheese dogs. Go figure. LOL! I'll admit, though, that they were pretty darn good! :-)Look! She blew out all 11 candles with one large breath.
In our family we have a birthday party with friends every other year...and this wasn't they year! But we did invite a few of her closest friends over for some cake and ice cream. Aren't they a bunch of cuties?!

Odd and Ends

Yesterday I finished this little Vanetine's Day quilt that I pieced two years ago. I have been a part of a 'quilt of the month' class at one of my local quilt shops and this is from one of the classes. It's nice to have it finished and it fills a blank wall in my living room. I have a two or three more little quilts that I hope to have finished up in the next few days.

Love Is In The Air

Just a quick shot of my fireplace. This is the focal point of our living room and is generally decorated for each holiday or season.
This hurricane lamp sits on our piano. I'm pretty sure that the bottom half had more conversation hearts than that, but whenever I ask Blondie about it she just smiles and says she doesn't know what I'm talking about. For some reason I don't believe her!

A little tip...I actually have a small clear glass bowl that is situated upside down in the bottom of the hurricane lamp so that I don't have to put in so much candy.

The Love Affair Continues

I took these pictures after dropping the girls off at school. There's something magical about watching the sun creep across Mount Timpanogos each morning.