Breezes of Hope

I have spoken about my sister on more than one blog post and today I want to go on a bit more about her.

My sister is a quilter. She makes quilts for Project Linus, and is a member of a quilting club. that also makes quilts to donate to this cause or that cause. She has made me a quilt before, and I love the last one she made for me, but this one is special.

When My sister found out that I was ill, she went right out and bought a bunch of purple fabric to make this special delivery Linus blanket just for me. She also recycled one of my Fathers dress shirts into it, a wonderful touch!

I have to say that i just love it! It is a pin wheel pattern, and my sisters first real attempt at sewing curves. (the quilting is curved "ribbons") I think she did a great job! I love the way the curves came out and to know that she tried something that I have been encouraging her to try, on my quilt is great!

I personally think that the ribbons look more like breezes of hope though a field of pin wheels. blowing Purple hope my way. Incidentally, purple is the color for Hodgkin's disease... (no wonder this is the one I have ~LOL!~)

I you like this quilt you should really check out he other great stuff she does on her blog. I gotta say shes been blogging longer than I have and shes better at it than I am. Blogging among lots of other things shes better at than I am. Her recipes are all fantastic too!

Pop on over and see what shes been doing BESIDES sewing a new quilt for me. WHERE DOES SHE GET THE TIME???

I love you Sue, thank you for the Quilt.

You can see my sisters blog here

Happy Birthday

Today is my 39th Birthday. This was when I was 10 months old

I am still working on it!

It has been a while since i dug this out. And I do mean dug! My sewing table had become over run with everything other than sewing. Many people have a sewing room... I do not at least not until my daughter goes off to college in a year! Then the sherbet room is mine! (it is painted yellow green and orange) and it will get re painted a beautiful shade of lilac!

Well so my sewing table sits in what was my dining area in my kitchen. and my kitchen table is just closer to the kitchen part.

Well as i was cleaning off the table (a much needed chore). I found this and went "oh, that's right. you don't have this done yet" well its all pinned now. and waiting to be sewn. maybe i will get this done by Christmas?

Shawl

This is NOT one of my projects. But a gift I have received. I posted about this on my Cancer blog today as well.

The reason I have posted it here today also is the uniqueness of the pattern.

This pattern is worked from the center. A simple 4 double crochet shell stitch on a center chain. Then you turn it around and do the same on the opposite side! I have never seen anything like this before.

The woman who made it for me said she didn't have a pattern she just sat down and did it.

I have been looking for just such a pattern for some time. and had finally given up on ever finding one. or the stick-to-it-ness to complete a shawl once i actually found the pattern.

fishing

I popped off this snap at yesterdays family reunion. I watched these two boys for quite sometime. Many days I spent just like they did with a pole and an afternoon to waste. Wasn't childhood a great time? It should have been longer.

Family Reunion

The blueberry Muffins were such a hit last week, I decided to make a double batch and take them for our family reunion today. But how do you carry 3 dozen blueberry muffins?

Easy! You look for that basket you had no use for!

Tear up a sheet to line it with (one I had bought as a table cloth that was stained), Fill with muffins, There you go! I think the bow was a nice added touch.

Blueberry Muffins

I have been keeping up with my friendship starter pretty well. But with my white count I am only able to eat cooked food. so a huge crop of fresh blueberries tend to make me cranky. (its only of the only purple foods!)

But Blueberry muffins to the rescue!

I thought i could use my starter to make these and they turned out really well!

Blueberry Muffins
1 cup starter
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar 3 eggs
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 Cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Fill muffin cups by using a 4 oz icecream scoop LEVELED! bake 30 mins

A day with my daughter

How often do you get to have a day of fooling around with your teenage daughter?

Well today i made a do-rag that the headband piece didn't quite come out right, ( I think i put it on upside down) but i felt why not just go a bit crazy with it? so on went part of a feather boa I was just given.

Its nuts, a bit eccentric... but fun just the same, and let the record show this is the first picture I have anywhere since the hair is gone.

Who knows I may even wear this to a treatment, but i will probably pack something else in case i freak out and get too embarrassed to wear it.

***In my defense of being a bit nuts... "Copacabana" was playing when I came up with this idea

Friendship bread

I normally have a thing of starter packed away deep in the back of my freezer, mainly because I can't GIVE this stuff away.

A good friend from Work named Jeanie gave me my starter that I am still using now. Must have been two years ago. I freeze my "friend" starters in small zippy bags and when I want to make friendship bread or cookies, I have my starter in 1 cup baggies defrost and there you go. You just can't use the last one or you have to start over and make starter. (not fun)

I gotta say though, it is nice to think of Jeanie every time I pull one out too.

Well here is my recipe for the main bread recipe.
it is very flexible, as you can eat it just as the recipe stands, or you can add stuff to it.

I have added choc chips, nuts, zucchini, yellow squash, apples, what ever sounds good. I was just thinking the cinnamon chips you can find at times would be awesome! oh with maybe grated apple too? YUMMY!

The loaf pictured above is yellow squash.

**tip**
make certain you bake it LONG enough!!! it is a heavy recipe and takes nearly that hour!

Amish Friendship Bread
1 cup starter
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar 3 eggs
1 1/2tsp baking powder
1-1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2tsp salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Your choice of raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, seeds, apples, dates etc.

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Place batter in well greased and sugared 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350*F for 45-50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Mince meat cookies

Last Year My tomatoes in my garden just did not get ripe. I had tons and tons of big green tomatoes. so i made green tomato mince meat.

I still have a few jars put up. for one of my favorite recipes. Mince meat cookies.

I will say right now I prefer meatless mincemeat.

Old Fashioned Mince Meat Cookies

1 c butter
2 c packed brown sugar
2 eggs
14 oz mince meat
1 tea lemon rind
4 c flour
1 tea baking soda
1 tea salt

Cream butter, add sugar, stir in eggs, add mince and lemon. add dry mix well.

bake 350 till golden brown

Afternoon ride

I have found there seems to be nothing i like more lately than a nice long car ride out in the middle of nowhere. I always take my camera, although I dont always have the luck that i had this day!

Here Locally we have a tourist area that I try to see once or twice a year. I normally can't get a shot of anything that i haven't already seen all blown up to a huge size in one of our local restaurants.

But this day, the sky was exceptional and i could not resist this shot.

Friendship Starter

When ever I seem to have time on my hands, or perhaps its just every so often. I get a wild hair to make friendship bread.

This has to be the biggest pain in the butt there is. You see, its sour dough. that means it sits on your counter for a week and spoils. You just keep dumping stuff into it to make it spoil more.

It is a sweet sour dough though, and it makes almost anything. Well i have made bread and cookies. there are lots of recipes on the net for it. I thought i would post mine as well.

Later I will post what to do with this mess!

*** TIP****

I do not use a bowl! I put my starter stuff in a gallon zippy bag, I have issues with getting stuff in my food like cat hair.....

Smush it daily, and let out the gasses so it don't blow up! (sometimes ask me about my experience with fermentation and orange juice)

Amish Friendship Starter
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour

Combine the ingredients in a large deep glass or plastic container. Cover lightly. If the container has a lid, leave it slightly ajar or place a piece of cheesecloth over the container and secure with a rubberband. Store at room temperature. Stir every day for 17 days. On day 18 do nothing. On days 19, 20 and 21 stir. On day 22, stir and add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Stir again. On days 23, 24, 25, and 26 stir. On day 27 add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of milk. Stir. You should now have about 4 cups of starter. Give 2 friends each 1 cup and keep 2 cups for yourself. Use 1 of the two cups in the Amish Friendship Bread recipe and use the other to keep the starter going. When you give the starter away include these instructions:

Keeping a starter going: Do not refrigerate and do not use a metal spoon when stirring the starter. On day 1 (the day you receive the starter), do nothing, On days 2, 3 and 4 stir. On day 5 stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and cup milk. Pour mixture into large glass mixing bowl; cover lightly. The mixture will rise. On days 6, 7, 8, and 9 stir. On day 10 stir in 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Stir. Give 2 friends each 1 cup. Keep for yourself 1 cup to make Friendship Bread and one cup to keep the starter going.

Some assembly required

This is my bag. Well, this is how far I have gotten. Now its just three pieces waiting to go together. I hope I can get this done soon. Maybe if I spent more time in the sewing room instead of the kitchen? no such luck, I have a few recipes that are calling my name. So I will be baking the next few days

The all american Color!

What is the all American color? I think that on today, the birthday of our nation we need to look into this!

The nationwide accepted colors of our nation are red, white and blue.

If we were to unite these three colors into one, what would the color of our nation be?

PURPLE!

No wonder I think this color is as great as the nation I live in!

Happy 4th everyone!

Shot Gun Anyone?

I got a call from my mother this morning telling me about a flock of turkeys out my back door.

I thought you might like to see them as well.

The full flock was seven turkeys.

If you look you can see the Gobblers beard nearly hangs to the ground.