This is all so exciting!!!  I love food!!   Here is what we received this week !!

We picked peas this week 😉

Scott & I picked 2 pounds!!  They were delicious. I made a proccuito-wrapped pork tenderloin on Saturday night & sauteed the snow peas very lightly in butter , salt & pepper. That was it… they didn’t need anything else. Just delicious.

Here is everything from week 2!!

xooxox

A friend of mine is also trying to learn to make the paper-pieced hexagons.  I have tried explaining it to her & decided that a short visual explanation might make more sense, since I really don;t know all of the proper terms & I have just started this myself.

From the research that I’ve done, there are many ways to do this; this is what I have found to work for me. If this doesn’t work for you, by all means try something different 😉

I purchased my paper hexagons  I’m using 1 inch hexagons.  Why? Just because 😉

I started by rough cutting my pre-washed & pressed fabric a seam- allowance bigger than my paper piece. It doesn’t have to be perfect,  the straight-edge of the paper will create a nice, even line.

Next I place the paper piece on the wrong side of the fabric & use a straight pin to hold in place

 Then I  fold two pieces of the fabric over one corner, sort of like wrapping a present

I then use my thread ( I’m using white hand quilting thread) to pick up both pieces of the fabric in the corner, without going  through the paper

I stitched twice over the same area, giving the thread a brief tug to make sure that it was secure.

Next I move to the next corner, same thing.. I just make sure that my thread is taught, but not pulling.

Again, 2 stitches through both pieces of fabric

When all corners are stitched, I do a final stay stitch then cut the thread.

Make another (or 50, they ARE addicting!!) hexagons.

To attach them together, place right sides together & with co-ordinating fabric whip stitch the edges together.

Continue whipstitching the edges together in desired pattern..

Here is a view of the back…

I have not finished this flower yet, but when I do, I will update the blog ( I promise, it won’t be long)

When flower is complete, then paper pieces can be removed & reused. I think that I will only remove the inner-most pieces so that I have ‘body’ to work with when I get to the point of actually assembling all of my flowers to be into my quilt.

I hope that I haven’t confused you too much.. I welcome feedback from anyone who has suggestions on how I could improve these…

xoxoxo

michelle

I have quilted the quilts for kids quilt.. although it was anything but easy.. learning a new machine was far more difficult than I thought…

For the last few years, I have, with thousands of other people,  have walked 39.3 miles in 2 days  in the hopes that we will someday find a cure for breast cancer.

Ok.. so I  attempted to make a matching gym tote to *tote* my sneakers & ipod to & from the gym in the winter weather…

MY problem, I’ve used it as my constant purse/ tote ever since…. I really love this cheery bag!

I even made a special pocket inside just for my Ipod……

but it also works perfectly to hold my lip gloss on the go…….. Maybe I need to make another tote JUST for the gym..

I finished the quilt top ( minus the borders) for the circle quilt…..

This quilt makes me smile!!!  I used a blank CD to cut out the circles form a charm pack!

and lastly, I got the Quilts for Kids quilt all ready to quilt and realized that I didn’t have navy thread for the bobbin…..so her she sits, awaiting ……

I am VERY excited to actually ‘quilt’  on my new machine…

after a busy birthday weekend for my daughter last weekend

her barbie cake that I made with WAY too much icing….

I look forward to a quiet weekend with hopefully a little one on one time with my  machine!!

oxoxo

About this bag right here….

I have been looking for a yoga mat bag that I liked and could not find one….. Why it took me so long to figure out that I could just make one, I’ll never know….

I used fabric from Amy Butler’s Modern midwest collection and fully lined it with a co-ordinating pink polka dot fabric

I also made 3 large pockets on the front to carry water bottles, gym membership cards.. etc..

I just love this bag 😉 I am going to try to make a matching small gym bag now……..

This stuff  makes me smile !!!

oxoxox

WOW! can you believe that it is Christmas already? It feels like just yesterday that I started this blog & baked my first cookie!

My final cookie was made not by me, but by 3 of my favorite  elves….

Alison, Colleen & Kelsey

The girls made
 Reeses’ Chewy Chocolate Cookies

They had a lot of fun baking together..

Their cookies came out great!!

Thanks girls!! Everyone needs some ‘elf help’ this time of year…

Thank you to all who have followed me through this blog. I had a blast doing it & it really reminded me of why I love Christmas so much.  I have had a laid-back attitude about Christmas this year & all of its’ craziness. I wouldn’t change that for the world.

Of course, this is about to bite me in the butt.. since I’m not nearly ready…

but hey, I have lots of cookies!!

I know I said that it was a month-long blog, but I think it was more of a Christmas blog. I am already thinking of recipes for next years’.

thanks again to everyone!!!
oxox
michelle.

now.. to finish my shopping & start my wrapping!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Many of you know that for many years I have been a HUGE Springsteen fan. ( sorry, Gina)….. I’ve seen him many times, each time better than the last….

Yesterday was my annual cookie exchange.. Mother Nature gave me my long- awaited wish  of snow.. in the form of a blizzard!!

I know that this post is being posted today, December 21. but this cookie was baked yesterday, the 20th.. and for  a very good reason…

When I was 7 months pregnant with Alison, Ryan (2 yrs old) & I  met my mom, sister and newborn niece, Alexis for lunch before  went I  to the doctor for a scheduled appointment.

The doc sent me to the hospital for some extra tests because I really wasn’t feeling well. My mom took Ryan back to her house to bake gingerbread cookies.

While waiting for my tests, I went into premature labor. They tried to stop it,  but could not. I was rushed my ambulance to a neonatal unit in Boston where they prepared us for the worst. It was the scariest night of my life.

36 hours later the contractions had stopped, but I was  in the hospital for a whole week… including Christmas…

Alison was born still early, in January, but very healthy … and she is worth every bit of what we went through…

My mom has always talked about how she & Ryan were making gingerbread men the afternoon that I called her to tell her I was being put in the ambulance… December 20, 1994…..

I’ve never made these cookies until this year..
Paula Deen’s Recipe for Gingerbread men

I did, however, use the royal icing recipe from Emeril’s sugar cookie recipe..

The gingerbread really came out nicely… really good flavor & just the perfect amount of chewiness….

That’s my baby!!!!!!

and as for the cookie exchange? It was wonderful… small, but great

 A few of my friends braved the almost 2 feet of snow, and Alison’s friends came and baked their own cookies!!!!.. My daughter- in- law, Amanda made an awesome recipe ( next post) … Altogether… a great evening!

 oxox
michelle

I have been very fortunate throughout the years to have had close Italian friends who every year * smile* gave me as a gift… the classic Italian cookie… Pizzelles!!!!!

I have wanted to make these on my own for awhile…. but did not have a pizzelle maker. At the end of last year, my friend, Cheryl, lent me hers;…. I finally got around to trying to make them today.. it was interesting…

I used this recipe Italian Pizzelles

yes… to attempt this recipe you need a pizzelle maker…

I was so excited to make this! the dough came together quite well.  Then, I heated up the pizzelle iron… and attempted to make these…

so I tried again….

I  *almost* gave up….. but  I kept on trying… as my meme  ( who passed away 19 years  go today.. *miss you meme..oxxo* ) would have told me … try, try  again…

ok…

from this WHOLE recipe… I have 7  cookies.. and I am so proud of them!! what I think is even cooler… I took a few of them & rolled them while they were warm & made home made ice-cram cones!!!!

the taste of these is amazing… and when *yeah, right* I get some free time.. I will play with the recipe a bit more…. I am French & Polish by descendant. but I have always wanted to make these cookies!!

Tomorrow is my annual  ‘cookie exchange’  we have, however a possible blizzard in the works… to exchange or not to exchange? that is the question….

xoxoxo

michelle