Quilts and snow

Well we had another snow day home from school, it has been snowing since early this morning and it doesn't show signs of stopping. We have done our fun in the snow (lots of shoveling when you are a grown up) and are now snuggled back inside.

 While Jack takes a much needed nap, Avery and I are trying hard to snuggle together under my first quilt (it is only a lap sized one person quilt but shes small :).

I bought some charm packs ages ago and finished the quilt top a few weeks ago and sandwiched it and then it sat....and sat....and sat....due to my fear of binding.  In my little 'how to' quilt book it said something about hand stitch the binding and I just stopped reading there and put everything away.  Hand stitch are they crazy?   I did a little you tube browsing and found this video it is very easy to follow and a little sewing machine time and my quilt was finished. Now don't be frightened from this next shot.  My sewing machine and I are still working on our communication skills.  It doesn't always let me know in a timely manner when the bobbin is out of thread and I can't seem to make it understand when I say 1/4" seam allowance I mean on the whole darn thing.  But I digress, here is a shot of the front and back. 

Thank you Larissa for all of your tutorials on hand stitching binding as well. I read everything on your blog about quilting (your tutorials were a huge help!)

I know the seam isn't straight but the machine and I are in counseling and I'm sure after a few more sessions we will be better able to communicate our needs to each other.

Don't my corners look good though?  Hey a girl who can't sew a straight line has to get her compliments where she can get them :)

And finally a little snuggling, gotta love socks that only a six year old can pull off.  Now we have a big weekend planned and I have lots to do.  Have a great weekend everyone!

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A wintry holiday weekend

We finally had some snow days complete with cancelled school.  So much fun.

We played in the snow, made hot chocolate, watched movies, played card games, played in the snow, made hot chocolate, ran around the house with walkie talkies playing spy, played hide and go seek, played in the snow, made chocolate chip cookies, did art crafts, and had a bit more hot chocolate.  I also finished one sweater and started another...can you believe it?

This is the sweater Maxim from Berroco #303 pattern pamphlet.  I already made arshile blogged here and I really want to make this and this and well I want to make knits for the whole family out of this one pattern book. 

I used some jaeger roma in pink for the sweater and a bit of the same in purple for the contrast on the sleeves and neck.

I think it is adorable on her!  The fit is perfect, the pattern was easy to memorize, and I really got to practice cabling without a cable needle (which is super easy once you get the hang of it).

I am hoping that she gets a lot of wear out of it.  The day was a bit grey for taking pictures but I have to strike when I can to get pics of these kiddos.

Finishing this pullover was exactly what I needed to get a little motivation to finish my other knits.  My mind is whirring with projects queued up.  Of course as we finished taking the pics there had to be some running because "it really isn't cold outside mommy and soccer is good exercise".  So we played a bit :)

I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday and start to your week!

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Happy Heart Day

There has been a lot of heart crafting going on over here.  We made boxes to collect Valentine's at school.

We did some ribbon barrettes for the class party.  Did anyone else make these growing up?  Well I already have requests from Avery to make some for St. Patrick's Day, 4th of July, & Halloween...just to name the few holidays she could think of that are coming up :)

I made some small heart shaped treats for breakfast Sunday morning.  Monday morning will be too rushed with school and work to do anything super special.  Thank you Larissa, I saw this on one of your posts awhile back and bookmarked the recipe.  Healthy and yummy and we added the chocolate chips like you did.

I made my Avery a messenger bag from Greetings from Knit Cafe.  I made it smaller and instead of a guitar I did a heart. 

I would have loved some better shots but the kids were collecting bug specimens that day and had no time for a photo shoot.

I did make both the kids pajama pants for a little something for Valentine's Day.  Spider man for Jack and princesses for Avery.  I am happy to say that they promptly put on their new cozy clothes Sunday morning and never took them off.  I really am not a fan of pattern sewing but these were made just using a pair they already had.  Soooo easy!!

 

Last but not least I won a giveaway over at Doodles in Strings.  Christ sent me the pattern for her Seeds hat and the yarn to knit it up with.  I can't wait!!

Wishing all of you a wonderful Valentine's Day and a fantastic week!

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Some wintertime brightness

With all the wips in the last post you would think I would have some finished knitting to show wouldn't you?  Well you would be mistaken.....not a bit has been touched :).  First I wanted to share some lunchtime goodness with you.  I saw this and thought maybe I should make it for myself for lunch. I'm not much of a citrus person  but I know it's full of vitamin goodness.  Since there seems to be a new strain of cold/flu going around my daughter's kindergarten class each week I thought it might be a good idea to do get some more B vitamins pumping through this body 'cause no one wants mommy to be sick.  It is non-fat cottage cheese with a clementine and half a grapefruit sliced up...with just a smidgen of agave nectar to cut the tartness.  Delicious!!

Next up a little baking because we can't have too much health food right?  Be sure to munch on some pecans while you are cooking to keep your energy up :)  Slice and bake shortbread yummy.

Beat 1 cup softened butter in mixer until creamy. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar and beat till smooth. Add 2 tsp vanilla extract and 1 cup of finely chopped toasted pecans. Gradually add flour mixture (2 cups flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/8 tsp salt) beat till blended. Shape dough into 2 7inch logs. Wrap each log in wax paper and chill 4 hours or freeze in ziploc for up to 1 month.  Preheat oven to 350, cut each log into 24 slices and place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden. Cool completely on wire rack. Enjoy!!



Now how to enjoy just one or two cookies?  Well after I saw these mugmats over at Lisa's blog I really wanted to make some for myself.  I am on the home stretch of finishing my quilt and when I pieced the top together I realized I had four little squares leftover.  So I made them into a double coaster perfect for an afternoon chai tea pick me up and a portion controlled snack of two cookies.

No binding on this little guy just top stitched all around.  But the colors are nice and springy and with the overcast sky outside it does help to brighten my afternoon.  Now I'm off to finish a few more projects for Valentine's Day...have a wonderful week!

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