Monday, October 17, 2011

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

17 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

OK - that mug rug is just too funny! I have never seen the witches 'wear' fabric before - just cleverly matched with the witch on the mug rug. Two great blocks - The Dandy looks so different with the fabric and color choice.

I did the Wal-Mart trip this weekend too - but non-food items (I don't buy food at MW) and only go half my list. They have dropped so many items from their store. And good thing I didn't want food - all their frozen/freezers were being emptied due to a malfunction(?) and the place was in chaos - I hate our WM.

Joanna said...

The mug rug is too funny; love the booby trap! Very nice blocks, too.

Denise :) said...

What a fun squishy! And I loved your popcorn fact of the day. Happy Monday!!! :)

sunny said...

LInda, I just love reading your blog posts. It is perfectly okay with me if you don't have any final thoughts. I'm just amazed at all that you DO have. YOu're so talented at putting this all together. I'd run screaming and never blog at all if I had to put this much thought and work into each post. You're amazing!!

Needled Mom said...

We grow popcorn in the garden for the grandchildren who get such a kick out of it. I'll tell you that you thumbs get awfully sore after shucking an ear or two!!! I'll take mine popped and loaded with salt and butter. lol

It is funny how some colors are so hard to photgraph. I always find purples to be the worst. I do love your little pumpkin fabric.

Glad you enjoyed a pleasant surprise after a very hectic trip. I'll be back Wednesday to see what you have done.

Staci said...

That mug rug cracks me up! I never wondered about a witch's unmentionables before! LOL

Loved the popcorn trivia. I'll be sharing that with my husband who thinks it should be it's own food group!

Raewyn said...

your swap blocks both look really good - an effective block pattern. Love your mug rug too! A funny memory from university days is someone trying to pop popcorn in a toasted sandwich maker - it exploded everywhere!!

Linda said...

Thanks, Linda ---now I'm hungry for popcorn and it's only lunch time! :-)
Love your squishies! What a great thing to find in the mailbox!

Becky said...

Your mug rug is adorable! Enjoyed the popcorn facts. Have a great week!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I don't think you've ever bored us yet. That mug rug is sew cute!

Snoodles said...

Linda, I am never bored when I visit with you at your blog! Love your blocks, and your final quote is (as the kids say) "da bomb"....they tell me that means it's good, so I thought I would show how "with it" I am! LOL :)

Gene Black said...

I love some popcorn, but I do wish it didn't have hulls that invariably get stuck in my gums.

Anonymous said...

Love those blocks. I think that works very well as a civil war block.

Congratulations on winning the pass-around box of goodies.

Barbara said...

I love the mug rug. That is so cute!

quiltzyx said...

I think I'm going to have to have popcorn for lunch now.

That mugrug is SOOOO cute! I hadn't seen the 'witchy wear' fabric before either - too fun!!!

Shannon said...

Your mug rug is so cute. I love the bra!! It is funny how the camera changes the color of things. Don't worry about trying to have a final thought, all of your other thoughts are great!!

Miss Hillbilly said...

That is a cute mug rug. I am with Snoodles. You never bore me. You know that your blog is one of my favorites. I read every word. Thank you for the time you put into it.

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