Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is late this year so Christmas is closer than we might think. I hope everyone is having a good day with lots and lots of good food and people you love to share it with. This is a relaxing holiday (except maybe for the cook) with not weeks of preparation to enjoy the day. Below is part of my contribution to our dinner this afternoon - the Crazy Orange Salad. I posted the recipe earlier and it is mighty good.

And this is the recipe for my pumpkin pie. Have been using this one since the mid-70's and it has never failed. Click to enlarge the picture and you can read it well. In the late 90's after we bought our computer, I did a cookbook with lots and lots of recipes from over the years. I gave them to all the girls in my life and several of them are using it on a regular basis. I love to do things like that.

I digress - I want to wish you a lovely day - and to the rest of my family, Bill and Ann, Norah and Chad and Molly and Doug - I love you and wish we were all together but know you will be with someone else you love! And Christmas is coming! xxxxxxxxxx000000000xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Smart Bag

Isn't this pretty? I had an e-mail from Barbara the other day with this picture attached. She was one of the girls on the last road trip and one who also bought the pattern and fabric for the smart bag I told you about in an earlier post. Great job, Barbara - it's beautiful. (Click to enlarge)

Here's an Awesome Blog

Aren't these things neat? I have found such a great website with tons and tons of wonderful graphic designs in the form of wallpaper, cards, etc. What great ideas can come from those things. How cute are these? The blog is called print & pattern and it's awesome if you like lots of pretty designs. Lots of retro patterns, also.

What a great fusible wallhanging could be adapted from something like this.

So pretty! You can't imagine how much there is on that site! Better yet, you can click on

http://www.printpattern.blogspot.com/

and go see for yourself. The archives go back to 2006 so there's lots to see. Enjoy!!

It's Snowing!

Not our first snow - we had a little bit a few days ago - but this is the wet, sticky kind that makes everything look so beautiful. Here is the tree the birds were in a couple of weeks ago. Now leafless but still with all the berries, the snow sits on top of the pretty red fruit. Before the berries came on, the branches were upright - now they weep. The photo looks blue - rather like an evening picture - but I used no flash as I took it through the window and that would have been nothing but a big reflection. Regardless, it's kind of pretty.

Earlier I made a quick trip to Kroger to get the things I need to make my part of our Thanksgiving feast! There will just be Sherry, Barclay, Hannah and I - and Gracie, of course - but I can tell you that is good company!! And we will have a great dinner, some wine, maybe Scrabble or Rummykube. My contribution will be Hannah's favorite Crazy Orange Salad, some cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Here's the recipe for the orange salad - yummy!

Crazy Orange Salad
1 3 oz. pkg. dry orange jello
1 8 oz. tub cottage cheese - well, drained
1 11 oz. can mandarin oranges, drained
1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1 -4 1/2 oz. tub Cool Whip (or more if desired)
In a medium mixing bowl combine dry jello and cottage cheese. Stir in oranges and pineapple. Blend with Cool Whip until mixture starts to congeal. Chill until serving time.
Enjoy!!!!

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Two Down, Two to Go

These are finished. Very happy with the way they turned out. I have some blue marker to spritz out where I marked the center of the colored blocks so I knew how far to take the quilting motif.

This one is being appliqued right now. I will embroider a hook on each ornament. Tablerunners go together quickly and are a good way to practice machine quilting. Have laid out the start of another one on the table downstairs. Plenty of fabric left! Oh, well, as we all know - you can never be too thin, too rich or have too much fabric. Need to work on the first two things!

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Another Fun Road Trip

Yesterday I went on another road trip with three of the gals from Guild - Leslie, Barbara and Judy. I thoroughly enjoyed being with them and hitting some great shops (one not so great) along the way. We even went to the one in Saginaw twice - coming and going. All the Christmas fabric was 40% off - way great deal. At Common Threads in St. Louis - what a great shop - Leslie found some lovely wool for a hanging she wants to do. It was there that they showed us the Smart Bag - a darling bag made very easily with two fat quarters and a printed sheet of iron-on interfacing. I am going to give that a try and will show you the results when I do it. I also bought some more of the Moda Christmas Fabric to go with what I have already.Among other things, Barbara came away with a great kit for a navy blue and white toile quilt. Judy found lots and lots of good things and everyone was very pleased with their shopping!! Wow, the fabric is just gorgeous!

Thank you girls, for asking me to join you for a great day! (Click to enlarge)

Little Project

Working on a tablerunner with the fabrics I bought Saturday. Scarcely made a dent in them with this but have some others in mind.

My quilting on the back is looking pretty darned good - maybe there's hope for me yet.
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