Sorry for the interuption

Due to uncontrollable circumstances with our internet provider (long story but thank goodness we are FINALLY back online) we have not had internet connection since January 5th.

I have lots to show and will do some updates this week, just not today as I have a stomach virus.

Five & Dime

E-10 Five & Dime
Originally uploaded by wyndesnow

I finished up the girls' quilts this weekend and mailed them off today. Pics of them to come later. I also completed another Dear Baby Jane block this weekend. This one is E-10 Five & Dime. My hand appliqueing is getting better with more practice. This block took me maybe 40 minutes from start to finish, only because I kept getting interrupted by the kids.

The rush of school is back in session and the day to day rush will be settling back in. But I'm still going to move forward with my projects, even if it's only in 15 minute increments!!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! My motto for the last week has been "All will be fine in 2009." And I truly believe that. For the first time in many months (maybe even a few years), I feel at peace. A positive outlook is in store for this year. Between now and May I will be working on my List. I'm very close to crossing a few items off. Maybe before Monday!!!

The project I worked on today...was completing a Dear Baby Jane block. This is a huge project for me and it may take me a while to complete. But it is something that I want to complete.

Here's the block I completed today. The picture is not very good, the color in the block is actually a pale pink. This is block A-1 Pinwheels Gone Awry. I did not foundation piece the block was recommended, but did cut out the individual blocks and stitched that way. I have not attempted foundation piecing or paper piecing and will attempt them as soon as I get freezer paper. It was not a difficult block to piece, I did have to refigure my measurements once but I think it turned out well.

A-1 Pinwheels gone Awry 002
Originally uploaded by wyndesnow

And on a side note...A dear friend of mine sent me a shelf that is a quilt hanger. I'm so excited to be able to use this. S asked where I wanted him to hang it and I said I hadn't really thought about it and he said how about above the couch (in the basement) and I said that would be fine but only if I get to hang a quilt on it. He said that would be fine, are you going to make a White Sox quilt. Well, it wasn't on my list of quilts to make but it may become one.

Menu Planning

I don't think this is my first Menu Plan Monday, but it has been quite awhile. Menu Planning is something that I used to do all of the time and have become a little (a lot) relaxed on lately. I based my menu this week on what we have in the house and that I can easily make this week with out purchasing a lot from the store. I do have to get a few items, but this will be a very frugal week. I hope that I can pull a menu together next week with the same concept.

Monday - Baked Mostaccioli with Sausage (leftover from Sunday)

Tuesday - Oven Fried Chicken with sweet potatoes and broccoli edit: Really good and we ended up having a salad instead of broccoli

Wednesday - Beef Roast with potatoes and carrots edit" we ended up having hamburgers and tater tots, I forgot to take the roast out of the oven in time and it was not thawed.

Thursday - Hoppin John Soup with Rice and Sweet Corn Muffins

Friday - Pizza

Saturday - Baked Potato Soup with Bread Bowls

Sunday - Kathy's Delicious Whole Slow Cooker Chicken served with Rice


Want to see more menu ideas head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie and check out Menu Plan Monday.

16.5 things to do before I turn 34...

The new year is fast approaching us I am not a resolution person, well, let me say that I am the typical resolution making person, make them on January 1st and by January 15th they have gone by the wayside. This year, I’m not making any resolutions but I am going to make a list of 16-1/2 things I want to do before I turn 34. That gives me 5 months from today. My 34th birthday is May 23rd.

There are many people out there that make lists of things that they want to do or need to do. I am a list maker (not necessarily a list completer) but feel that I need to do this to feel better about myself.

The year 2008 has been a pretty tough year on me and my family. From the flooding of our basement to the most recent of my diamond popping out of my engagement ring and all the stuff that happened in between. I have been pretty hard on myself, my husband, my friends and my kids. I really don’t blame anyone, there is really no one to blame, life happens and it really happens for a reason, what that reason is I’m not sure but I do know that it will be shown to me at a later date.

Here is a list of the 16.5 things I want to complete before I turn 34.

1. Write a list of all the bad things that happened to us in 2008 and burn them in the fireplace. Let’s forget about them and start anew.
2. Pay off 2 credit cards.
3. Make plans to spend some time with my close friends (Kristi & Nancy we need to work on this).
4. Complete 2 of my quilt projects that are started.
5. Read at least 1 book a month for 5 months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May)
6. Send a care package of baked goods once a month (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May) to an unsuspecting recipient.
7. Make a craft once a month with the boys (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May)
8. Read 5 times per week with the boys ‘
9. Send birthday cards (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May)
10. Make weekly meal plans (and stick to it) for 6 weeks.
11. Set up a savings account with automatic transfers from our checking accounts for Christmas next year.
12. Organize my storage closet, the one that houses all of my fabrics.
13. Plan a family outing once a month to someplace fun (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May)
14. Do something creative every week.
15. Make a minimum of 1 block a week on my Baby Jane® scrappy quilt. (This one will be a challenge I’m sure!)
16. Hang my coffee cups under my counter. (They have been sitting there waiting to be hung since I received them for Mother’s Day)
16.5 Participate in the Cookie Carnival each month (Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May)

Some of these will be easy for me…some of them will be a challenge. I’m also going to try to be better about posting pics and pieces of our everyday. As I said above, 2008 turned out to be a really hard year for us, not necessarily bad we learned a lot from what happened to us, but definitely hard to handle. Of course, once this ambitious list is complete, I’ll have to come up with 34 things to do in my 34th year….hmmmm, maybe I should start thinking about that!!

My mantra for the last week (besides the prayer to St. Anthony) has been “All will be fine in 2009” and I truly believe that!

This That and the Other....

Is hosting a GIVEAWAY! And all you have to do is leave a comment on her blog voting for which Name you like for her weekly Quilt/Sewing Blog Feature. Isn't this adorable! This cute little table runner is what you can WIN!!!

My personal choice is "Press Her Foot Friday". But she has a lot of cute names to choose from. That's just the one that caught my attention.

Holiday time

I have been working on my gifts lists for the upcoming season and am going to be cutting into some fabric today for a few gifts for some girls on my list. I am going to try to make as many gifts as I can this year and must get a head start.

Here is my list so far:

2-3 Ragged Squares Quilt
Several sets of Patchwork Towels
2 Rocket Ships
a few crayon rolls that I gave a few Christmas' ago and have decided to do again
Silhoutte pictures of the boys for the grandmas
Tree pencil toppers for the boys' classmates at Christmas (on need to do 50)
And a few of these bags as gifts as well.

That's just the start of my list. Along with some other projects I'm working on. I think it will feel good to make as many gifts as I can this year. I need some ideas for teacher gifts, I definitely need for and perhaps 2 more for the girls in the office at pre-school. Any ideas??