From Hectic to Smiles

There aren't enough days in the weekend. 
~Rod Schmidt

This weekend was a weekend of catch up.  Running errands took up most of Saturday.  To Kohls for four new tops for me; Walmart to pick up odds and ends; to Radio Shack for a 25 foot curly phone cord for DH's office phone (do you know how hard it is to find those cords anymore?); to Vons for diet 7-Up (couldn't pass up the four 12 packs for $10); to Bed, Bath and Beyond for a lazy susan (more on that at a later date) and new measuring cups; and to the library to pick up both a printed book and a book on CD.  Ahhhhh, finally home.  Next it was time to give Snickerdoodle a bath and put away everything we bought.  By 5:00 I was out of energy.  Sunday we were able to spend a somewhat leisurely morning with cups of coffee and the paper outside on our patio enjoying the cooler air and quietness.  Then time for wash and some light housekeeping.  Wow!  Where did the weekend go?  How was your weekend?  Did you get some sewing in?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Popcorn

 

 

Yummmmmm!  Nothing's better than a steamy bowl of freshly popped buttered popcorn.  Oh!  And don't forget the salt!  Are you hungry now?  I am.  If it's still too early to have a bowl full then satisfy your craving with these interesting little facts about popcorn:

* Americans consume some 16 billion quarts of this whole grain, good-for-you treat. That’s 51 quarts per man, woman, and child.

* Popcorn is a type of maize (or corn), a member of the grass family, and is scientifically known as Zea mays everta.

* Popcorn needs between 13.5-14% moisture to pop.

* Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble.

* Popping popcorn is one of the number one uses for microwave ovens. Most microwave ovens have a "popcorn" control button.

* There is no such thing as “hull-less” popcorn. All popcorn needs a hull in order to pop. Some varieties of popcorn have been bred so the hull shatters upon popping, making it appear to be hull-less.

* How high popcorn kernels can pop? Up to 3 feet in the air.

* The world’s largest popcorn ball was created by volunteers in Sac City, Iowa in February, 2009. It weighed 5,000 lbs., stood over 8 ft. tall, and measured 28.8 ft. in circumference.

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MAKES ME SMILE

Friday I was happy to find a squishy in my mailbox.  Thinking the mailman had brought one of my swap blocks, I was surprised to see the return address was not from a swap partner.  Mary sent me.....

Isn't it adorable?  I just love this Halloween mug rug!  Did you notice the witch's clothing on the right side?  Including her bra - lol!  Thank you so very much, Mary, for bringing a smile to my face on an otherwise hectic day :D

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BLOCK SWAP ADVENTURE

For the month of October, I was assigned two swap partners for Block Swap Adventure.

The colors in the block photographed so much brighter than they really were.  All of the colors were really muted but the camera almost made them glow.  Jamie had requested a Civil War type block and fabric.  This block is called A Dandy and I hope fits what a Civil War type block might look like.

I used the same block pattern to make Sandy's block.  And just the opposite happened in this photo.  The colors in the block are much more vivid than they appear here.  Sandy wanted fall colors and said she really likes Halloween.  I think I met both requirements with this block.

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FMQ

I didn't practice any free motion quilting on Thursday or Friday :(  I will be getting back into the routine today :)

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will be putting the binding on the Loving Hands challenge quilt - woohoo!

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GIVEAWAYS

Cat Patches is having her weekly FFFF.  You could win a fat quarter just for answering her question.  The winner will be announced on Friday, October 21.

Ellison Lane Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a $250 gift certificate from Fabricworm.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, October 26.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win a kit for what you need to make a yet unreleased pattern (?).  This giveaway ends Friday, October 21, at midnight.

Happy Quilting is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win 2 Ruby charm packs from Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends Thursday, October 20.

Green Fairy Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win Fiona's Fancy Fat Quarter Bundle.  This giveaway ends ?

Hawthorne Threads is having their weekly giveaway.  You could win a Fox Trails fat quarter bundle.  This giveaway ends  Wednesday, October 19.

It's the last day to enter my Fat Quarter Shop sponsored giveaway!!  You have until 8:00 pm PST to enter.  So go HERE to leave your comment.

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FINAL THOUGHT

I have decided that I will only give a final thought when I really have something to say.  Instead of boring you and my staring at the computer screen with absolute nothing running through my mind, I'll just close with a quote.  No ramblings of nothingness or nonsense.  Won't that be better for both of us?  LOL!  Okay, now that you are bored I'll just close for the day.

Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.
~Victor Hugo