Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner for us in the USA.  We give thanks for the many gifts from above, memories, family members, freedom, our Military and so much more. 

One of the things I am thankful for is the talents that I have that I can share with others.  I love the needle arts, be it, knitting, sewing, quilting, crochet, embroidery etc.  I just can't seem to get enough of them.  Which is why I always have something in the works.

I am currently working on a quilt for my youngest son.  I hope to have it finished in the next week.  Keep your fingers crossed that I accomplish this goal  :-)

Here is more pictures to inspire you this holiday season.....

Busy Busy Busy!

I got so busy that I forgot to attend Quilt-A-Fair in September, Mollie Magee's and the Quilt show put on by the local quilting group in October.  What a bummer!  Well at least Mollie Magee's will be back in Nov.  Hopefully another Quilt show will be then too.

I have been looking up Crockpot meals that I can make and put in the freezer to help save time and money.  I found some interesting ones out on Pinterest.  After looking at how to prepare the freezer bags for the meals and put in the freezer, I started thinking about the meals I make and how I can convert them into freezer crockpot meals too.  Sometimes I just put stuff in the crockpot and turn it on and walk away.  These are meals I would normally cook on the stove top when it was lunch or dinner time.  Soooo  here is one that I do in the crockpot.

Rolled Shredded Beef Tacos

2-3 lbs of Rump Roast or London Broil
1 - 24oz Jar of Pace Picante Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste.
24 - 36 Corn Tortillas
Toothpicks
Oil for cooking the tortillas
Cheddar Cheese (optional)

I put the Rump Roast into the crockpot, pour the Pace Picante Sauce over the roast, add a dash of salt and pepper.  Put the lid on, turn the crockpot to high. Cook 4 - 6 hours. 

Pull the roast out shred the meat and put back into the crockpot for 30 min. 

Microwave the corn torillas until they are warm but not too hot.  Take a tortilla, place shredded meat in and roll up.  Place a toothpick in it to hold the rolled tortilla while cooking in oil. Cook until the tortilla is slightly brown and crispy.  Serve with more Pace Picante Sauce and cheese.

I hope you enjoy this recipe. I think I will try putting the roast, sauce, salt and pepper together in a freezer bag and freeze.  We will see how this works :-) .  More to come after I do this.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

October!

Wow!  I can't believe it is October already.  I have been busy getting my sewing area organized so I can get ready to make Halloween costumes and planning Christmas gifts.

Bean Dip

1 - 14.5 oz. can of Refried Beans
1 - pkg Cream Cheese
1 Cup of Cheedar Cheese

Put ingredients in bowl as listed above.  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Cook for 25 min.  Serve with tortilla chips

The Fair!

The Fair came to town and we had fun......

Reflection

It is always time to reflect on what you can do better....... such as gardening, cooking, quilting, photo taking.......and the list goes on.  So, just to show you what I have been trying to improve on, take a look below.....

30-Minute Dough

Yield: approx. 1 pound

Ingredients

• 2 1/2-3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup warm water or milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl or glass, combine 1/2 cup warm water with yeast and sugar. Stir together and let rest 5-10 minutes, or until frothy.
   Note: if mixture is not bubbly, discard and start again.
2. Combine 2 cups flour with yeast mixture, remaining water, olive oil and salt, and mix together until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Gradually continue adding flour until dough is smooth, then let rest 10 minutes.
4. Use dough immediately, store in refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for later use.

 

4th of July is coming!

The 4th of July is coming!  For those of us in the USA and from the USA, it is a special day.  It is our Independance Day!  This is when all the BBQ's are going, parades are happening, fireworks are going off and just plain celebrating with family and friends.  Sooooooo have some fun ove the 4th of July weekend and help us CELEBRATE!!!!

Rain and More Rain!

We have had a lot of rain again.  May has left us soaked.  Now that it is June we are in Tornado time.  We already had our first June tornado alert.  Mother Nature sure has been busy!

Spoke Too Soon!

I spoke too soon.  We have snow in Colorado.  So the beautiful flowers will have to wait just a few more weeks before they can pop their colorful petals out.

In the meantime, how about a recipe to warm your soul.  I got this recipe from the Daily Chef Quick & Easy Recipes pamphlet.

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 Cans                    (13oz) Drained Daily Chef Chicken Breast
1 Large Jar/Can     White Beans (already cooked)
1/2 Jar                    (15 oz.) Salsa
2 Cans                    (12 oz.) Chicken Broth
2 Cups                    Colby Jack Cheese
1 Tbsp                    Cumin
2 Cups                    Crushed Tortilla chips

Directions:

1.  Place Chicken, beans, salsa, chicken broth, cumin and cheese in a large kettle
2.  Heat on meduim until mixture is hot and cheese is melted
3.  Add crushed tortilla chips as a topping

Enjoy!

Spring Is Here!

Spring is here!  This is the time to get inspired with all the colors of Spring.  Mother Nature has provided us with alot of beautiful flowers, trees, birds and colors to lighten up our path called life.
So, take the time to walk outside and notice what is happening.  Surround yourself with color and then try to express the beauty in your projects. 

Here are just a few colorful pictures to get you going......

Pinterest Anyone?

Have you check out Pinterest lately?  They have lots and lots of quilts, patterns and great ideas for your fabrics.  It doesn't cost anything to join and you will get emails with the latest items.

If your into cooking, jewelry, crochet, knitting, tatting, you name it, you can find it on Pinterest.  So, take a look at www.pinterest.com You can find free patterns, videos and such much more.

Happy Crafting!

Free Quilting Patterns from Quilting Treasures

Here is the link to the Free Quilting patterns from Quilting Treasures:

http://www.qtfabric.com/b2cprojectsheets/

Enjoy!

Free Quilt Patterns From Moda

In case you have lost the link to Moda's free Quilt Patterns, here it is again......

http://blog.modafabrics.com/funfree/free-patterns/

Also, here is a link to Moda's FunFree stuff....

http://blog.modafabrics.com/funfree/

Quilting is a stress reliever!

Yes, Quilting is a stress reliever. But some folks might disagree, especially when they are working with intricate shapes.  Everything can be overcome, even those pesky mistakes in your quilting.

Today, I was watching a quilting program where a quilter took a quilting mistake and cut it up, added more fabric and turned into something wonderful and modern looking.  It was refreshing to learn that you don't have mistakes in quilting just happy accidents (this is what Bob Ross always said about painting).

So I challenge you to take a mistake and turn it into something great and new.