And The Winner Is.......

Thank you to all of you who took the time to enter my giveaway sponsored by Fat Quarter Shop!!!  I hope you enjoyed browsing through the fat quarter bundles and plan on making a purchase or two in the near future.  Unfortunately, I still ended up with seven No-Reply bloggers :( 

But now for the winner.  With the help of random.org

Congratulations to 

Sarah Craig

"I'm loving the colors in the Azure Pear Tree bundle!! "

I have already sent an email to Sarah to get her mailing info.

I'm Finished With November

Thanksgiving dinners take eighteen hours to prepare. They are consumed in twelve minutes. Half-times take twelve minutes. This is not coincidence.
 ~Erma Bombeck

It's the day before Thanksgiving.  I'm sure many of you are deep in meal prep for the big event.  Not me!  This year it will just be me, DH, DD#2 and her DH for the holiday.  My DH suggested that we try something different this year.  "How about going out for dinner on Thanksgiving?" he asked.  I couldn't say "YES!" fast enough.  No cooking and especially no cleaning up afterwards.  But, sadly, that also means no left overs.  But not to worry, DH will be smoking a turkey on Friday - YUMMMMMM!!  Are you have a big family get together or are you away from home and don't have to cook this year?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Cranberries

Cranberries are unlike any other fruit in the world. From Cape Cod to Washington State, the cranberry has played a role in holiday culture and family health & wellness for years. Its unique health benefits and refreshing, tart taste put it in a league of its own when it comes to healthy refreshment.  Cranberries in one form or another will be on many tables tomorrow.  How about some fun facts:

* The cranberry is one of only a handful of major fruits native to North America. Others include the blueberry and Concord grape.

* The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who called it "crane berry." When the vines bloom in the late spring and the flowers' light pink petals twist back, they have a resemblance to the head and bill of a crane. Over time, the name was shortened to cranberry
* Native Americans used cranberries to make a survival cake known as pemmican. They also used the fruit in poultices and dyes.
* Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. They are grown on sandy bogs or marshes. Because cranberries float, some bogs are flooded when the fruit is ready for harvesting.
* Cranberries are primarily grown in five states -- Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington. Another 5,500 acres are cultivated in Chile, Quebec, and British Columbia. There are nearly 1,000 cranberry growers in America.
* Americans consume some 400 million pounds of cranberries each year. About 80 million pounds -- or 20 percent -- are gobbled up during Thanksgiving week.

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BLOCKS FINISHED

I finally finished my last swap blocks and Bee block for November.  I can't believe how late I'm running this month.   For the 6 Inch Block Swaps Australia I made......

and this......

Susan requested a butterfly block made from batiks on white fabric.  This was the first time I have made the paper pieced butterfly block.  It was fun to make even if I did have to resew one of the blocks - lol!  I think the color combinations I used worked out fairly well.  I hope that Susan likes them.

The block I made for this month's Bee In Oz hostess, Anorina, has a little bit of story......

Anorina included very detailed instructions with her block but somewhere along the line I misread the size the blocks needed to be.  The instructions read "choose 2 different fabrics and cut these into 4 X 5" squares."  So I cut out pieces measuring 4" X 5" thinking the whole time that these aren't square, but oh well.  When I went to sew these together to make HST it dawned on me that I was supposed to cut four 5" squares.  OMG!  I felt so bad and even offered to buy some matching fabric.  Anorina was so nice and said to go ahead and make a smaller block and she would use it in the backing.  What was supposed to be a 16.5" block ended up measuring 12.5".   I'm such a dope sometimes.

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NON-HOLIDAY FLOWERS

I still was unable to find any more cute Thanksgiving fabric so instead of more Christmas hexie flowers, I decided to go non-holiday for One Flower Wednesday.....

This flower is almost blindingly bright.  This was made from some Laurel Burch fabric I won awhile back.  Aren't all of those cat faces fun?

I really have gotten a lot of use out of the Hoo's In The Forest fabric.  First a Loving Hands quilt and a baby quilt, and now a hexagon flower.  The tops of the trees made up into great flower petals.

Would you like to see more hexies created by others out in blogland?  Well, thanks to Karen, of Journey Of A Quilter, you can.  Just click here or above or on the sidebar to access the linky site Karen has provided.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I need to get some embroidery done.

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GIVEAWAYS

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter set of Free Spirit solids.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 26, at 11:59pm PST.

Amy's Creative Side is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Dyeing To Stitch.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25.

Lily Pad Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby cutter, you choice of three cutting dies and layer cake of Chemistry by Cosmo Cricket.  This giveaway ends Monday, November 28, at midnight.

A Quilting Life is having a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack and a jelly roll of the fun Chemistry line by Cosmo Cricket for Moda .  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25.

Kool Benz is having a giveaway.  You could win a jelly roll of Cape Ann from Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25, at midnight EST.

Home Sweet (Quilting) Home is having her first giveaway.  You could win MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 30.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her Monday Mystery giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 26, at midnight MT.

Tilda's Twisted Life is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of The Princess Bride.  This giveaway ends Sunday, November 27.

My Go-Go Life is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter set of the entire Daisy Mae line from Denyse Schmidt Quilts.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 26.

Quilty Habit is having a giveaway.  Jess is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way again.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25.

Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win  Pam’s Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundle.  This giveaway ends Monday, November 28.

Primitives By The Light Of The Moon is having a giveaway.  You could win a darling rug that Ginger hooked.  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 24.

Notions is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Easy Batik Landscape Quilts or a fat eighths sampler of Connecting Threads entire Batik Paradise collection.  This giveaway ends Sunday, November 27, at midnight.

Don't forget to enter my Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway II.  Just go HERE to enter.

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FINAL THOUGHT

I will be taking the next few days to spend with family so I will not be posting on Friday.  Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.
~Ray Stannard

My Weekend and A GIVEAWAY!

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Thank goodness for my sweet husband.  Because of him I was able to get a lot more done this weekend than I had hoped.  Saturday he dropped me off at my guild's quilting workshop (more below) and then did the Farmer's Market weekly run and ran errands to Smart and Final and to Petsmart.  In the evening we attended his boss's 70th birthday party.  Gorgeous house, lots of friends, and good food.  Sunday DH went grocery shopping for me freeing up my time to finish up the baby quilt and work on other necessary projects around the house.  I know I don't say "thank you" enough to him but I sure hope he knows how much I appreciate him and love him!!  How was your weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Turkey

With Thanksgiving just a few days away, I thought it would be fun to share some fun facts about the bird that will be gracing many of our tables on Thursday.

* Ben Franklin, in a letter to his daughter, proposed the turkey as the official United States bird

* Turkeys originated in North and Central America, and evidence indicates that they have been around for over 10 million years.

* Domesticated turkeys (farm raised) cannot fly. Wild turkeys can fly for short distances at up to 55 miles per hour. Wild turkeys are also fast on the ground, running at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.

* Only male turkeys (toms) gobble. Females (hens) make a clicking noise.
* The heaviest turkey ever raised weighed in at 86 pounds -- about the size of a large German Shepherd -- and was grown in England, according to Dr. Sarah Birkhold, poultry specialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service
* Mature turkeys have 3,500 or so feathers. The Apache Indians considered the turkey timid and wouldn't eat it or use its feathers on their arrows.
* The fleshy growth from the base of the beak, which is very long on male turkeys and hangs down over the beak, is called the snood

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QUILTING CLASS

Saturday my guild had a class taught by Sylvia Davis.  She was our program in September and was so much fun that we all wanted to take one of her workshops.  What a great day!  During this class I made......

an African Triad block.  This 10" block has lots of pieces to it but Sylvia provided a 'road map' that made it so much simpler than mere instructions would have.  Obviously I didn't take the time to give this block a good pressing before taking the photo (not too smart of me).  I have most of 3 more blocks made and will be making a wall hanging out of them.  But don't look for it to be completed any time soon as I have other projects that "have to" be completed first.  I hope to have it done maybe some time in January.

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BABY QUILT

I finally finished the baby quilt for my hair dresser on Sunday.  Good thing because I have a hair appointment with her this evening and this will be the last one before the baby's born.

The finished quilt measures  43" X 43".  It was made out of the Hoo's In the Forest fat quarters that I won a few months ago.  All I had to do was buy the matching backing.  The pattern is a smaller version of Connecting Threads' Thimble Blossoms - A Piece of Cake  downloadable pattern.  Unfortunately, yesterday was cloudy and rainy so I had to take the picture indoors.

Here's the backing.  I think you can see the quilting a little better.  I just did a simple stitch-in-the-ditch and then a little added straight stitching, nothing fancy.  I really like how this turned out for the little girl to be born next month.

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FAT QUARTER SHOP GIVEAWAY II

One of my 'go to' online shops is Fat Quarter Shop.  They have so many wonderful fabrics and notions, fantastic service, and great sales.  If you've never been there before, you definitely need to check them out.  Fat Quarter Shop has generously agreed to sponsor a giveaway.  What you may ask can you win?  How about........

OR

Don't you just love these Calico Caterwauling Tales Fat Quarter Bundles by Sue Marsh for RJR Fabrics?  Each bundle includes 11 fat quarters, one half-yard stripe and one 23" panel!  The winner will be able to select either the blue and purple colorway or the pink and green colorway.  I sure wish I was eligible to win! 

How can YOU win?  You have three chances to enter by doing the following.....

1.  Visit Fat Quarter Shop and leave me a comment telling me what your favorite NEW FAT QUARTER BUNDLE is.

2.  Sign up for Fat Quarter Shop's newsletter and then come back here and leave me another comment telling me you did.

3.  Blog about this giveaway and then come back and leave another comment with a link back to where you blogged about it. (I will be checking)

Rules and the Fine Print

This giveaway is open to absolutely everyone.  No matter where you live you could win!  This giveaway will end Monday, November 28, 2011, at 8:00 am PST and the winner will be announced Tuesday, November 29.  Only 3 comments per person.  If you are a no reply blogger, you must leave a way to reach you in your comment (like your email address).  If I can't reach you, you Can Not win.  If you are unsure if you are a no-reply blogger check out my right sidebar for a quick tutorial. 

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TODAY'S GOAL

To make a couple of swap blocks that I'm behind on.

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GIVEAWAYS

BJ...From The Heart is having a giveaway.  You could win a signed copy of Lost December by Richard Paul Evans.  This giveaway ends Sunday, December 11.

Sweet Bee Buzzings is having a giveaway.  You could win MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25, at 11:59 EST.

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win a jelly roll of Circa 1934 by Cosmo Cricket for Moda.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 22, at 11:59 pm PST.

Sew Cal Gal is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the new DVD "Dynamic Quilt Design: Paint Meets Stitch".  This giveaway ends Friday, November 25.

Blueberry Patch is having a giveaway.  You could win some samples of Basic Grey's line "Fruitcake".  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 24, around 6 pm PST.

Cut To Pieces is having a giveaway.  You could win a set of fat quarters from the girl collection of  Storyboek.  This giveaway ends ?

Woolie Mammoth is having a giveaway.  You could win a sweet wooden bowl painted with a snow family and a new Bunny Hill Pattern and the wool to make the most adorable holiday pillow.  This is another giveaway that I do not know the end date of.

Cat Patches is having her Fun Fact Friday Freebie.  You could win a fat quarter.  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 24.

Happy Quilting is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win some stunning Fat Quarters from Khristain A. Howell's new collection The Woodlands from Intrepid Thread.  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 24.

Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win one of Scott Hansen's Blogger’s Choice Fat Quarter Bundles.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 23.

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FINAL THOUGHT