Boo Baskets!

Are you tired of looking at fabric baskets yet? I made these up this week using Halloween prints. Won't they be great for holding trick-or-treat candy?

As Promised...

As I mentioned in another post, I've been taking some grief from my friends who are dieting about all of the cookie recipes that I have been posting, so as promised here is a more diet friendly main dish recipe.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin
Salt and black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, cut into bite-size dice
3 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into bite-size dice
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon basil
1 quart chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounces)
1 cup orzo pasta
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to pass at table

In a medium sized skillet over medium-high heat brown ground beef and season with salt, black pepper and allspice. Transfer browned ground beef to slow cooker and add garlic, onion, peppers, basil and bay leaf. Stir in chicken stock and tomatoes and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add pasta and turn crockpot to high 30 minutes before serving. This soup gets very thick, so watch it very carefully the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, stirring often. Serve in shallow bowls with grated cheese.

Addicted To Yarn!

Hello. My name is Susan and I am addicted to yarn! I just went into the yarn shop for a small skein of something pink and fuzzy to use in the cuffs of the baby girls socks that I am knitting next. I found that easily enough, but I had to look around the store and before I knew it, my arms were full of yarn! A wonderful beige cotton with flecks of red, green, gold and blue through it, the softest variegated blue bamboo yarn, a self-striping acrylic wool blend called "party time", and a wonderful shade of blue merino superwash wool...I couldn't stop myself! Does anyone know of a 12 step program for yarn addiction?

World Alzheimer’s Day

Today is World Alzheimer’s Day. It is a day to remember the millions of people worldwide who suffer from this horrible disease. Ami Simms, an advocate for all those with Alzheimer's, has designed the virtual quilt patch to help raise awareness and honor all of the people who have/had Alzheimer's disease.

My purple patch is in honor of my mother-in-law who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's several years ago. She is getting to the point where she no longer recognizes most of her family members, doesn't remember ever being married or having children, grandchildren or great grandchildren. She is still able to live on her own with some assistance, but the day is fast approaching when we are going to have to make the decision to move her to a more supervised environment. I dread that day...

Ami is also the founder of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) which is a volunteer effort to raise awareness and fund Alzheimer's research through art quilts. Find out how you can help by visiting http://www.alzquilts.org/giftsthathelp.html.

Another way to help Ami in her efforts is to join in the Priority Hope Challenge that Tonya at Lazy Gal Quilting recently posted about. The deadline for this challenge is November 20th (which is right around the corner), so don't delay!

It doesn't take a great deal of effort from any one person to help and together maybe we can help the researchers and doctors find a cure for this horrible disease.

One Down...One To Go

Here is the baby blue hat and socks all finished...finally! Obviously, I don't spend as much time knitting as I do quilting or sewing! I'm going to have to spend more time at it though because I still have a pink set to make and time is getting shorter...the results of the last ultrasound moved Miss Four's due date up to November 27th!

8 Going on 18

Not long ago Miss One asked me if I could make a purse for her...it seems that our little grandgirl is growing up whether we like it or not. Today Miss One turns 8 years old and she's getting her big girl purse. I used the Handy Bags pattern by Designs to Share and am very pleased with how easily it went together and how it turned out. I also made a matching tissue holder and change purse to go along with it and once I add a little spending money she should be all set for a special birthday shopping trip!

Feathers

Here is a closer look at just a few of the quilts in the MLQG exhibit that are quilted with one of my favorite quilting motifs...feathers!

Easy Lemon Cookies

Last week one of my friends complained that I was sabotaging her diet by posting all of these cookie recipes. I promised her that I would post some diet friendly recipes, but I stumbled across this recipe the other day and it was just too good not to share!

Easy Lemon Cookies

1 package lemon cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Pour cake mix into a large bowl. Stir in eggs, oil, and lemon extract until well blended. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into a bowl of confectioners' sugar. Roll them around until they're lightly covered. Once sugared, put them on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes in the preheated oven. The bottoms will be light brown, and the insides chewy.

*I didn't have any lemon extract on hand, so I used a tablespoon of lemon juice instead. I also chilled the dough for about an hour before baking to make the dough easier to handle.

Look At What I Won!

A few weeks ago I stumbled across Piper's Girls weblog while searching for ideas for things to make for the new grandbabies that are due in December. I found a treasure of ideas there as well as a contest and all that was required to enter was to tell what gift you like to give at baby showers. I was reading through the comments and decided to leave a comment as well...never expecting to win. Was I ever surprised when I found out that I had won this wonderful bundle of 19 Heather Bailey fat quarters! The line is Pop Garden and they are just beautiful! I'm not quite sure what I'm going to make with them just yet...for now I think I'm just going to enjoy the pretty package until the right pattern comes along!

Piper's Quilts & Comforts is a wonderful quilt shop located in Salt Lake City, Utah. I wish I lived closer to Utah, so I could visit in person, but they also offer online shopping...that could mean trouble for my Visa card! Piper's Girls blog features many items from their store as well as tutorials and free patterns, be sure to give it a look!