Round Robin time again

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas.

It is time to start another Round Robin. (ok, so I haven't officially finished the first one...but isn't that a characteristic of a true quilter...having lots of UFO's??)
So this time the participants are my aunt crazyquiltlady, my cousin Amy (I hear through the grapevine, Amy will be starting her own blog soon....can't wait to see it), my mom and myself.
This time instead of doing a Round Robin in the traditional way where you add borders to a centre square, we are going to do rows. Each of us will start with 2 rows of 6 12 inch blocks (12 inch finished) and then pass it on to the next person who will add two more rows. I think for my quilt I'm going to do the nine patch. It is a pretty simple pattern and one that I can do pretty quickly. That way I will be able to help my mom (who is not a quilter...but will be by the time this round robin is finished...lol)

Grandma's recipe found

My Grandma McIntyre passed away a few years ago but even sadder was the fact that she was taken from us much earlier than that, she had Alzheimer's. My Grandma was the best cook and baker in the world. ( I know all people think that of their Grandmas and I am no different :-) ) I have countless wonderful memories of going north to visit my Grandma and Grandpa. Sometimes it was with my mom and dad, sometimes it was just with my mom, and sometimes it was just me. But each and every time I went north I could count on Grandma and Grandpa's house being full of wonderful goodies to eat. I am allergic to chocolate, nuts and peanuts, so it was no easy feat for my Grandma to have 3 or 4 wonderful homemade treats ready for me when I walked in the door. But she never let me down. I remember when my Grandma started to really show the signs of early Alzheimer's. My mom, dad and I went north to visit because my Grandma was in the hospital. My mom took me aside and gently explained to me that Grandma was in the hospital and there would not baked goodies waiting for all us when we got there. I was in my late teens early 20's and somewhat naive. I didn't understand what Alzheimer's was nor did I have any clue that my Grandma was not indestructible. I thought she could do everything and anything. Sadly my Grandma's health deteriorated and eventually she didn't know us anymore...and lost were the memories and knowledge that she had. Somewhere along the years many of Grandma's recipes were lost and my favourite recipe was lost with them.

I have searched for years thru recipe books, on-line, with friends to see if anyone had ever heard of my favourite treat that my grandma made for me. I never found it, and I had given up hope of ever finding it...I figured it was probably something my Grandma made up or had altered from it's original state so I could eat it (without nuts, chocolate or peanuts). I had resigned myself to the fact I would never again have a wonderful cherry ball.

This weekend I was at my mom and dad's looking thru a cookbook of dessert squares that my mom was using to do her Christmas baking. As I was thumbing thru the pages I came across a recipe called Snow Log. As I started to read the ingredients I felt my heart start to race and lump form in my throat. Could it be?? Could I have finally found the recipe. I jumped up and ran over to my mom yelling I found it....I found Grandma's recipe. So my mom and I whipped it up and while the recipe is for a rolled cookie and my grandma made little balls of goodness....I am ecstatic to report it is the same recipe. I took a bite of the cookie and I swear to God I was transported back in time to a kitchen filled with love in a little green house in Haileybury.

I miss my Grandma and Grandpa (both have passed away), I loved them very much. But this Christmas season if for just a second I had them both back in my life happy and healthy sitting in their kitchen in the little green house in Haileybury while I poked my head in the fridge to grab a little bite of heaven.

SNOW LOG

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1 1/4 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, well drained
vanilla wafer crumbs for coating.

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in icing sugar. Mix in first amount of wafer crumbs salt and cherries. You may have to add more icing sugar. You can safely add as much as you can work in. shape into a log 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Roll in wafer crumbs to coat. Store in waxed paper in a plastic bag. Keep in refrigerator. Cut in thin slices. Serve.

Sewing again.

I have finally gotten myself out of my sewing funk and did some sewing this weekend. I made some fabric cubes, they are going to be Christmas presents for some of my friends and family. (luckily or unluckily however you want to look at it) The people that these cubes are going to, don't read my blog. (Imagine that...what nerve..LOL)








Some turned out better than others. I must admit I almost had a nervous breakdown trying to get the cardboard in place...and for some reason the cardboard measurements I used were much too big. So if my fabric pieces were 6 inches than I cut my cardboard 5 inches. That measurement worked much better for me. I am probably not as exact a sewer as Crazy Mom Quilts. Who am I kidding I will never sew as beautifully as Crazy Mom. I used her tutorial

I am glad to be sewing again and hope to get the rest of my cubes made this week.

Oh ya, this is blog about quilting isn't it?!

I have been a very bad blogger. I have not really had anything to blog about lately...especially in the way of quilting. I do have my round robin quilt sandwhich done and pinned together. But that is as far as I got. It is sitting on my dining room table like a table cloth. I won't get any quilting done this weekend either as I'm off to Port Dover for the weekend to visit family. Maybe next weekend I'll have some time to finish off my round robin quilt.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!

Please take a moment and Remember.

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians are asked to pause and remember the thousands of men and women who sacrificed their lives fighting for freedom and democracy during the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, the Afghanistan conflict and during peacekeeping missions.

During the First World War (1914-1918), more than 600,000 Canadian soldiers volunteered to go overseas. As of November 2007, only one was still alive — John Babcock, 107, who was born on an Ontario farm and now lives in the United States.

The troops fought in a series of costly and bloody battles and by the end of the war, more than 66,000 Canadian soldiers had been killed and 172,000 wounded.

The 29th Battalion, part of the Second Canadian Division, advances into No Man's Land through German barbed wire and heavy fire in the right-centre of the Canadian advance on April 9, 1917. (Courtesy Veterans Affairs Canada)
They died fighting at Vimy Ridge, Hill 70, Bourlon Wood, Mons, Passchendaele and Ypres. In Ypres, Canadian soldiers were exposed to German gas attacks, yet continued to fight, showing amazing tenacity and courage in the face of danger.

During the Second World War, (1939-45) more than one million men and women from Canada and Newfoundland served in combat in the army, air force and navy. More than 47,000 men and women did not come home from that battle.

Canadians lost their lives fighting in Dieppe, Normandy, the North Atlantic, defending Hong Kong, during the liberation of Italy, and in many other important air, sea and land campaigns.

In Korea, 516 Canadian soldiers died during the 1950-53 conflict, in which 26,791 Canadians served. The battles of Hill 355 and Hill 187, among others, saw Canadians fighting in swamps and rice fields, through torrential rain and snow, in the air and at sea.

As of March 2007, there were 13,943 living veterans of the Korean War. Their average age is 76.

In 2004, Canada also remembered the 60th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, where Canadian troops suffered 18,444 casualties, including 5,021 killed. Of all the divisions that formed part of the 21 Army Group, none suffered more casualties than the 3rd and 2nd Canadian.

It was a huge sacrifice – and a huge factor in turning the tide of the war against Hitler's Germany.

The first Remembrance Day, held in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth, was called Armistice Day. The day commemorated the end of the First World War on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918, at 11 a.m. — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/11/07/f-remembrance-day.html

Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields
By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army

IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Corky's Quilt is Done.

Hmmmm....I seem to be falling down on my blogging duties. I have managed to finish S's quilt. I finished doing the stipple quilting and binding last weekend and I finally put on the label tonight. So I am happy to say it is done. I hope S likes it. She is coming over tomorrow to pick it up.



Finished Quilt



Label. Oh, and you can see my stippling as well in this picture...lol.