Miss Elaneous!!!

 Here's the Anniversaries of the Heart Bonus XS block that I finished...........they are all being worked on 1 HUGE piece of XS fabric....I think it is Lugana which is my favorite to stitch in hand on....only 11 more blocks to go!

Here is the recipe for the Apple Cheese dessert.  I had it cold last night and I think it would be better heated up in the microwave.  The first time I had it warm right out of the oven and that was tastier.  This may not be for everyone but I like it.  I don't care for terribly sweet desserts so this fit the bill for me!

Apple Cheese Dessert:

2 large cans of apple pie filling

1 1/2 sticks of butter

2 cups grated cheddar plus 2 slices of Velveeta cheese

1/2 C sugar

1 C flour

Spread the pie filling in the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan (no greasing either!).  In a medium saucepan heat the remainder of the ingredients slowly until the cheese melts.  Spread the melted cheese mixture over the apples.  Bake at 350 degrees until crust begins to brown.  About 30 minutes.

If you make it let  me know what you think good or bad.

I'm back cleaning my bedroom..... can't believe all the dust!  I had to dust twice as the Swiffer was just pushing it around.  I did discover that if I take it outside and bang it on the railing I can get more use out of it.  But your house probably isn't as dirty as mine! LOL!  It takes me days to do a decent job because I always have other things to do.  Yesterday was laundry, today again, and I made Jello with fruit, and potato soup.

Yesterday I got my potholder loom so STOP THE PRESSES....don't you know I had to make one!

 

Here's my first one....I still have to take it off the loom which I will do tonight.......I tried to make a design but  you have to have LOTS of colors and loops to get fancy.  That may take awhile but so far I'm  okay with it.  I want to make rugs with them.....I need to make probably 24 potholders for a decent size rug, and the loops aren't cheap if you want to eventually make designs with specific colors to coordinate with your decor.  Thankfully, I am pretty eclectic...if I like it then it all goes together....

I have a cross stitch rotation where I rotate projects in and out for 5 days at a time and these are my morning stitches when I take a break....after lunch then I work on Anniversaries of the Heart when I take a break  Last week I worked on Sally Spencer for 5 days and here is what she looks like now........

The next 5 days I am working on a Susan Branch XS picture of a little blue bird....and it's pretty vintage looking...I love those little birds from back in the day.  They were on pillow cases and dresser scarves.  I do have an embroidery pattern for some but I haven't gotten the pillowcases yet.  So many projects, so little time!

Happy Trails!!!

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What a weekend!

 I spent Saturday night in the basement....well, not the whole night.  We had tornado warnings. I don't go down  there for anything else, but a warning will get me hustling to the basement!  We dodged a bullet but many did not this past week.  Nebraska, Iowa, and Saturday night it was Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Bless all those people who lost so much.

Yesterday, was a nice day and my lawn man came and mowed and it looks and smells so nice.  I think the cicadas are starting to wane....thank goodness!  We have so many they fly in your face....ick!  I got a little crafting done but not as much as I wanted to.  I had laundry to do, garbage to get out, and a kitchen to clean up.  But after that I started my Patriotic Chickens cross stitch designed by Melisa of Pinker and Punkin blog fame.  Her patterns are free on her blog and she has so many beautiful ones and quilting and embroidery too! I didn't get too far but it is a lovely little stitch........

Here's my progress..........

I worked some more on the carrots but still not finished............they're starting to look more like carrots though.....

I also prepped the March Anniversaries of the Heart that I will start today....I am so far behind!  Oh well, I also forgot to take a picture of the bonus block that I finished.  I will show you that tomorrow.

My sweet tooth was bugging me so I thought of making carrot cupcakes (I had carrots on the brain evidently) but then I was perusing one of my Blackbird Designs XS book and lo and behold they had a recipe for Apple Cheese Dessert....hmm...it sounded easy and interesting so I went uptown and got the ingredients and came home and threw that puppy together.  It was very easy and tasty!  I'll be making it again....it's not a "pretty" dessert but taste is what I care about.  I will share the recipe tomorrow as I have to get going right now. 

My daughter is always teasing me that I love my grands more than her....here is the comeback!  So true!

Have a wonderful day my friends!

Happy Trails!!!

Memorial Day

 

Happy Trails!!!

Craft Day!!!

 I finally got some work done on my Spring carrots.  Spring will be over with by the time I get them finished....but hopefully I'll get them done  this weekend........it's a free pattern at Shabby Fabrics... 

This past week I finished the bathroom by hanging pictures and putting down some new rugs.  I only need one more rug and then I will show you those.  Here are the pictures I hung......The cardinal and the botanical are decoupage pictures I did 40 or 50 years ago....the one of the squirrel was an embroidery from a friend of mine years ago.  The one on the right is decoupage but I bought it at a garage sale...again....years ago.  The metal vent in the middle is a heater.  I have heaters in both bathrooms for when you get out of the tub or shower. 

I've started on my bedroom and I'm about a 1/3 done with it.  

Colorado Cross Stitcher who has a podcast and a brick and mortar store has Cross Stitch Spring Camp 2024 starting in June and a free badge pattern for May to get ready.  You can read all about the challenges on her latest podcast.  There are prizes to win and an Instagram hashtag to post and also see what everyone else is doing.  I started on the badge but I am doing different colors and maybe making a few changes...........

I've picked out my June XS piece from a free pattern on Melisa's blog, Pinker and Punkin....she just posted gobs of patriotic pieces she has designed and she generously gives them away just be sure and credit her if you post something made from one of her designs.  The one I chose for Memorial Day is Patriotic Chickens...so cute.  I'll show you when I have it all kitted up.  Thank you, Melisa!!!

I hope I get more creating done tomorrow and then there's Monday, Memorial Day so there will be 3 days of making!  Stop back and see what I get done.

Happy Trails!!!
 

Paraphernalia!!!

 This week is not going so well or it is just a continuation of last week?  The expenses just keep adding up.  It was the lawyer and then she said I had to call the title company and they are charging me $350 and  then when I looked out the window the other morning some LARGE animal left 2 big piles of  poop on my back steps.  Then I went to go pick up my grocery order and I had a flat tire.  I called AAA and they showed up about 3 hours later.  At least I was at home and not stranded on the road somewhere.  My spare was flat so they pumped up my real flat tire with 42 psi as opposed to the 32 it usually takes.  He said to take it to my mechanic and they would patch it.  My mechanic is 45 minutes away but he said I would make it and I did.  2 hours after that and more money, my spare was fixed (BTW it was a farriers nail...what?  How did I get that?) and my tire.  So I picked up my groceries and got home about 4:00 p.m.!  I put away the perishables and crashed.  I hadn't eaten all day so I got my pj's on and heated up my supper and ate in bed while watching Virgin River.  It was the end of the series so now I'm watching Click Bait on Netflix.  Olivia from Pumpkin Hollow said they were addicted to it.

 The one really nice thing that happened was I got a surprise present from my BFF in Vermont.....look at all this!  She made the little basket with the intarsia heart on it and inside is the cutest needle felted dog! 

She sent me a woven potholder, a little wooden box with her Vermont mountains and a little pop up dragonfly.......all of it so precious and she always gets handmade things or makes them herself which means so much!  Thank you BFF!

She got me going with the potholder thing because I have wanted to make them and then sew them together into rugs....so, of course I ordered a loom and enough loops to make 2 potholders.  I also called the company and found out they are machine washable in cold water and you can dry them in the dryer.
Plus, she told me about a FB group, and Piglets which has free patterns and then I went on Pinterest.  I spent the entire afternoon going down that rabbit hole! LOL!  But it was fun.

 As for the paraphernalia.....I got these cleaning aids from Amazon.......These are crevice cleaners.  I got the colored ones as one will be for bathrooms, one for kitchen and the other one probably for floor corners.........I've used old toothbrushes in the past but these are much stifffer....

then I got The Pink Stuff....have any of you used this?  Clutterbug podcast recommended it for cleaning the oven..........but it can be used for lots of things plus it is 99% natural, non-toxic, non-hazardous and not tested on animals...thank goodness!

 That's all for now........

Happy Trails!!!

Books I've been reading.......

 I'm like 9 books behind in my Good Read's Challenge but I'll catch up.  I think I told you I read Barbara Kingsolver's book, The Poisonwood Bible...I did not like it at all 

Then I read this book which was really good...........

I was also reading this book and if you want to understand what the Palestinians have gone through for the last hundred years....this is the book to read.  It is very well-written and so sad what these people have had to go through for generations and now it is horrific.  Plus, our police are arresting and man-handling these peaceful student protesters.  You won't hear the truth from the mainstream media either.  Our government wants to ban TicTok because that's where you can actually see what is going on.  Netanyahu and the Israeli lobby tell Biden what to do and he does it!  From what I can see it is the United States of Israel.   We'll have a choice come November between 2 criminals running for president.  I won't be voting for the first time in my life.

I did find some cute cozy mysteries that take place on a farm...there are only 3 so far and I read all 3 but the author has other series that I'm going to try.  These were very good and hard to put down........

Sorry for the blurry photos....I copied them from Good Reads....never again.......the clear one was copied from Amazon.....live and learn!  Happy reading and ......

Happy Trails!!!

Finally a day at home....

 I went to the lawyer the day after the car place.  Both are 45 minutes away but it's done.  I went to the lawyer to make a new will as it has been 25 years since  the last one or more.  Things change.  I spent more money this month than I do all year above and beyond the normal monthly expenses.  Now, back to the Swedish Death Cleaning!

I forgot to show you rotation item #2 for my cross stitch....it was Grayson's Wolf.......I hope I am able to finish this before he graduates from high school!  He's in middle school now...  

The next 5 days was supposed to be Jim's memorial  piece but evidently I did not kit it up with all the floss so I had to order some.  I switched his to Coffee and Eggs for now until the floss comes in.

I did start some crochet circles after watching Lori Holt's You Tube tutorial....I'm going to make 7 for now and stitch them together for a little doily.........the one with the gray edging is the only one completely done.  I'm using cotton yarn but not Lori's.  I find her things so much more expensive than anyone elses. 

The other day I watched a You Tube podcast by Clutterbug on her favorite cleaning tools and hacks and it was very good.  There are several I am going to use!  Here's a link to  her podcast if you're interested and she has links to the products too.  I'm definitely going to use the cardboard tube extension on my vacuum cleaner and I'll be getting the window washing tool!  You'll have to cut and paste the link.

 
   https://youtu.be/gLNbjA0x5qQ?si=cvjUhsZkDSZXbGpy

Happy Trails!!!
       

Expensive month!

 I took my car in today for the system maintenance and for the work last week on the AC it was $568.   They wanted to do $2,000 worth of more work on the AC as he said when it gets really hot it's not going to be cool enough.....we'll see.  It felt pretty cool to me the other day when I went to Salem and it was 86 degrees.  

I had ordered some towels as most of mine are really old....I have some that are 40 years old!  I kid you not.  That was back in the day when they made things to last.  My stove, refrigerator and oven are over 50 years old.  My car is 22 years old and still doesn't have 100,000 miles yet...but close!  My neighbor thinks I should buy a new one....she also thinks I should get a new mail box....I told her if she wants to pay for it go ahead!  Nosey neighbors!

My new towels are a bit brighter green than I expected.....I was going for more of a vintage green...oh well....they seem very nice....that's the only thing about buying online....the colors aren't always like the photo...............maybe I could dye them to make them darker or more faded?

I told you I had figured out a rotation for my cross stitch and I think I have 6 that I am working on.  Anniversaries of the Heart gets worked on daily in the afternoon breaks and the morning break is a rotation piece which gets worked on for 5 days..........this week it was the Star XS.........after I finish this square I only have 4 more stars to go.........

Remember I told you I had some tests at the hospital and then a doctor appointment to discuss the results?  I was pretty confident all was well except my cholesterol as I had been imbibing in some ice cream.  Well, my cholesterol was great, blood pressure was great but lo and behold, I have an enlarged heart, low sodium, COPD, and a non-working brachial artery!  Whoa Nelly!  That all came as quite a shock but then nothing is serious at the moment and he said he will be keeping a close eye on me.....obviously somebody needs to! LOL!  I feel great...never better!  But then I look in the mirror and see how much I've aged so it makes sense that the insides are aging too.  It's sort of a trust issue you have with your body and it's disappointing when it lets you down...like a betrayal by your best friend.  I know that's a bit dramatic but I know I felt that way when my eyes were failing me but I trust them again now.  I feel great and I am in no pain so I am blessed for now.  All I have to do is think of the Palestinians and I have nothing to complain about.

That's all for today!

Happy Trails!!!

 

Mother's Day

 First of all I want to thank all of you for your sweet words of comfort regarding Grace....it really helped and I appreciate it.

I had a nice relaxing Mother's Day and I hope you all had a nice one too.  Amy called me twice which was really nice and she got me some lovely gifts.....some antique buttons.....

and a big stack  (112) 5" squares of Civil War Reproduction fabric........

I had a Mother's Day cross stitch start of Coffee and Eggs by the Artful Housewife...a fairly new cross stitch designer and I love her patterns.  She had a sale a while back so I picked up 2 of  her patterns.  The other one is a crow.

I didn't get too far but she's in my rotation so she'll be making another appearance down the road....it will be for my kitchen when it gets done......
 

Oh, I also finished the Susan Branch puzzle...it was fun but a toughy!  So cute....

Today was busy as  it was garbage day, laundry, soup making, bills, and more.  Tomorrow I take my car in again for the regular maintenance and then Wednesday I go to the lawyer and then I hope I can finally stay home for a few days! LOL!

Happy Trails!!!

Rough week............

 We lost Grace, the cat I gave to Amy when they lost their cat, and she and Miss Peeps didn't get along.  She was constantly hiding from Miss Peeps (the bully) and I knew she would be happier and get lots more attention at their house.  Miss Peeps was so jealous I could never pay much attention to Grace because Miss Peeps would chase her off.   Anyway, the past month Grace got sick, she was diabetic and so there was special food and BIG vet bills!  I had promised to pay all those bills and food when Amy took Grace.  So last week, it was $600 and then they wanted to hospitalize her for several days which they said would cost $3,000-$4,000 which I did not think I could do as I thought Grace was getting on in  years but the vet said they though she was about 7 or 8...... I was pretty sure she was older than that!  They taught Amy how to give her an IV for fluids since she was dehydrated, and how to give her insulin shots.  Sam helped her as he is very interested in that and loves Grace and he is her favorite!  Anyway, Monday she passed away and we were all pretty heartbroken because she was a sweetie.  I looked for photos of her to send the boys and I found this one from 2009 so she was 16 years old at least!  I felt better then about not spending the money to hospitalize her because it probably wouldn't have made a difference.

So, here's a picture of her in 2009 and she was probably 2  years or more then so who really knows how old she was.  She was a rescue so they never told me how old she was but she was full grown when I got her.   She will be missed by all!

We love you Grace!!!

Happy Trails!!!

P.S.  There was more to the "rough week" so I'll be back to tell you in the next blog.
    

The Prism blanket is finally done and it's a biggy!!!

 

This is all that is left of the big skein of the multi-colored yarn and there is no black yarn left at all.You could use a different main color instead of black.  I'd like to try yellow as a background color.

I bought the huge round of the multi-colored but if you wanted a smaller blanket then just get the smaller one.  If anyone wants the details or where to get the pattern just email me.  I've been working on it so long I don't remember! LOL!

I was having a hard time storing the blanket projects I work on so I bought this laundry bag which was only about $12 and it fit all my yarn and the Prism blanket and still wasn't halfway filled.  Plus Miss Peeps can't get into it.  I keep it in my closet and pull it out when I want to work on it.  Right now I have the yarn for my next project in it.

That's all for today! 

Happy Trails!!!

Strange and lovely birds are visiting!!!

 I had, of all things, a road runner in my back yard!  Thank goodness for my neighbor who called and told me about it.  She was asking me what it was and I recognized it as a road runner but I had no idea they were in Arkansas.  I've lived here 20 years and have never seen one.  On the web they said they are a southwest bird and as far east as Oklahoma but they didn't mention Arkansas.  They run fast too just like in the cartoons!  I had a hard time getting a picture.  Today I called Fish and Game and they connected me with their Biologist and bird specialist and she cleared it all up.  She said they have been in Arkansas for 20  years....they must have moved here when I did! LOL!  She said the web doesn't always keep up with the latest info.  They don't fly much which is why I wondered how they got here.  She said the warming temps up North from climate change have encouraged the birds to come  up here.  Also, she said they can only share so many resources and then go looking for more somewhere else.  She said they feast on snakes, frogs and lizards.  She said it's good to have them around your house.  I have not seen him again though.  They do not migrate either.  

 There was another bird that I never saw before and I'm hoping my good friend Connie, the bird whisperer, can help identify it.........we do get a lot of birds passing through on their way North....this one was a pretty coral color with a long curved beak.....

That's all for today...

Happy Trails!!!

Happy May!!!

I'm all set for the month of May.   This is my cross stitch and crafting journal where I document what I am working on and future projects.  I use stickers to dress it up.  

Last weekend I didn't blog at all.  I was exhausted and just laid around all weekend.  I did some reading but no crafting at all.  I don't usually get sick but every once in awhile I "crash".

I've been meaning to share some products with you that I really like and thought you might also...first....

Method products........I especially like their foaming hand soap (in the front), left in back is their pink grapefruit surface cleaner and then next to that in the blue/green is their foaming tub and tile cleaner and last but not least I adore their Peace body wash....yum!  I used to use Philosophy and I loved their clean fresh scent but they started diluting it and you could barely smell it and it's not just me...others were complaining in reviews so now I  have a new love....Peace body wash.  I know some of you don't care for scented anything but I am all about good smells where ever I can find them! 

Another product that I have not actually used yet but have in my possession are self-adhesive curtain brackets....genius!!!  They do  include screws if  you have heavy drapes or something and you can always use more to support whatever you are trying to hang.  I will definitely let you know how they work when I use them.  They're going to be perfect for hanging my quilts too!

 Last but not least is a product I have always steered clear of....instant mashed potatoes, but I saw these and thought I would give them a try.  I love mashed potatoes but it's just me, myself, and I, so I tried them and dang if they aren't tasty!  They have all different kinds too.  I highly recommend.  You just add boiling water and stir and they're ready in 5 minutes!  They have larger family packets too.  Delish!

BTW all these products are available on Amazon and/or Walmart.

Sorry about the photo quality....it's getting ready to storm and it's very dark out.  I love a good storm!

Happy Trails!!!