WOW, I got an award.

Thank you Tracey
for giving me this award. Tracey has a couple of blogs one is for crossstitch and one is for quilting and crafting. Drop by Tracey's blogs and say hello. Tracey was one of the first people to leave me a note on my blog when I first started, I was so excited when I had a comment from someone other than my family..lol. Thanks Tracey for making that first comment and helping build my confidence in blogland.

OK, so I guess I am suppose to list 5 things that I am addicted too and then hand out the award to 5 blogs that I think are fabulous.

1. blogging
2. Coca-cola
3. the internet
4. quilting
5. facebook

Please check out these 5 blogs that I think are fabulous.

32.5
quilting in cyberspace
scraps
the quilting bookworm
quilts and stuff

Of course there these are not the only blogs that I love to read everyday. Please check out my sidebar to see all the blogs I need to read daily.

3rd Row of Row Robin

Things are moving along nicely. Today I did the cutting for both quilts that Momma Newbie (thanks 32.5 for mom's new handle...she loves it...lol)


This is the fabric and the pattern that Momma Newbie will be working with tomorrow to add to my quilt.





And this is the fabric and the pattern that I will be working with to add to Momma Newbie's quilt.

Today was a great day. I spent some of the day working on the quilts and watching the Inauguration of Barack Obama. History in the making....one of those moments that years from now you say...I remember when......I was....... So often that sentence is said when it is something sad like 9/11. I remember I was walking into work when 32.5 met me in the hallway and said the Twin Towers have been hit by planes. It's wonderful to have a happy "I remember where I was when..." momment.

Row Robin Adventure Continues

Well, mom and I have finished our first two rows in record time.



Mom's rows all done...and they look great. Way to go mom...fantastic job. Now, that wasn't too stressful was it?


These are my two finished rows. Not bad for a newbie. The making of the squares was pretty easy...that had part it sewing them all together and getting all your seams to match...ugh!!! I think I did pretty good. I'm pleased with how it came out.




Now mom and I will switch and I will put one row on her's and she will put one row on mine.

Yet another excuse to go shopping for fabric.

2nd row of row robin

Mom and I are sewing maniacs. We have both started on our second row of our row robin. I didn't take pictures of mom's 2nd row...but I will.

Here are the pictures of 4 of 6 squares that will be my second row.






This one is a little wonky at the bottom...I'm hoping I can fix that when I sew them all together. I'm not sure what went wrong.



Mom and I are hoping to get the two rows finished and all sewn together this weekend. Then her and I will switch and put one row on each other's quilt. Hmmmm....I think we might have to make a little trip to my favourite fabric store...LOL

A tale of dueling sewing machines.

Well, it is a new year and time for a new project. I had mentioned in a previous post that I was about to start a new round robin with my aunt.

So today my mom and I ventured out to my favourite quilt store. and purchased our fabric.

Mom's fabric she is going to do a Rail Fence pattern.

My fabric. I'm doing a 9 patch.


The sewing room is ready and waiting for us to get at it.

Here are the pictures of mom's progress.







Now, take a close look at the seams. This is a square done by someone who has never quilted before and her comment was..."oh look, it is off a bit". Now I am no expert but I don't believe anyone could get this more perfect.


WAY TO GO MOM!!!! One down 11 more to go...LOL

Now pictures of my progress.







My finished square.

The only problem is I don't think we bought enough fabric(we will have enough for one row)..so off to my stash.

Here is picture of the fabric from my stash I have for my additional blocks.


I don't think I want to do a second row of 9 patch. Not sure what to do for my second row. Would love to hear your ideas. What should my second row be. Remember it has to be very very easy...LOL.

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.