Who Is The Winner?

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself. 
                                                                  ~Benjamin Franklin


Today is Tuesday and time to announce the winner of the giveaway.  So, thank you to  random.org, a number was selected. 

And that number is 89.  Congratulations to CRAFTY PUG!   I will be emailing Crafty Pug to get her snail mail address.

Photo Of The Day:

Succulents on my back porch

Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climate or soil conditions.  Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots.  The storage of water often gives succulent plants a more swollen or fleshy appearance than other plants, a characteristic known as succulence.  The best known succulents are cacti.  Virtually all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.  My succulents should be very happy today as our temperature is supposed to reach 102*.  I told you we weren't through with summer!

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I was able to get a little sewing in yesterday.  I finished the top for my Paganini. 

This is a sample of the some of the fabrics I used

Here is the top. 

The lighting wasn't very good for taking the picture so the different fabric prints didn't show up well, but you can at least get an idea of what it looks like.  I plan to get it sandwiched today and maybe even start quilting.

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I am sharing a recipe for chicken that can either be prepared in the oven or grilled on the barbecue.  As usual, this recipe comes from allrecipes.com.

Lemon Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients:

2/3 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 medium onion, chopped

1 (3 1/2 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up ..... I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Ingredients (minus the chicken)

Directions:

1.  Whisk together the first 10 ingredients. Add onion; set aside 1/4 cup if barbecuing. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Chicken marinating

2.  For barbecue:  Drain and discard marinade. Grill the chicken, covered, over indirect medium heat for 45 minutes or until juices run clear, turning and basting with reserved marinade every 8-10 minutes.

3.  To bake chicken:  After marinating, place chicken in a greased 15" X 10" X 1" baking pan. Pour all of the marinade over it. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours or until juices run clear, basting occasionally.

Ready to eat!

Personal Notes:

1.  I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2.  I put the chicken in a 9" X 13" baking dish. Then added the marinade, turning the chicken to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

3.  I used the same dish that I used for marinating to cook in - straight from the frig to the oven (plastic wrap removed, of course)

4.  We found the chicken to have more flavor when baked that when barbecued.

5.  Reheats very well!

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Reminders

Don't forget about the Fall-O-Ween Quilt Designer Blog Hop.   Today's host is Sandy Gervais!

Another reminder, Friday is the start of the Fall Into Fall Quilters Giveaway (the scarecrow link on the right hand side)!  If you would like your blog to be part of the giveaway, tomorrow (Wednesday) is the last day to enter.  You should see the list of blogs that are participating!!  The giveaway starts Friday, October 1!!!!!

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Final Thoughts

Even though there was only one winner today, we are all winners in the game of life.  As long as we are able to breathe, think, love, and feel we are all successful and should feel proud just to accomplish those four remarkable gifts.  Remember, the next winner could be you!!

Have a tenseless, tireless, tremendous Tuesday!!

Thankful It's Thursday

"The foliage has been losing its freshness through the month of August, and here and there a yellow leaf shows itself like the first gray hair amidst the locks of a beauty who has seen one season too many. "
                                                                ~Oliver Wendell Holmes


Thundering Thursday!  I can only wish we were having thunder.  That would probably mean rain!  Something we haven't seen here in over 3 months :(  Everything is looking dirty and tired as we are heading into fall, nothing a little rain couldn't help remedy.  I know it will come - think positive - I know it will come!!  I'm still looking for the first fall coloring in the leaves of the liquid ambers or in the mulberry trees.  I envy those who live back east with all of the fall color splendor.

Photo Of The Day:

Orange Trumpet Vine

The truth, as in many things, the Orange Trumpet Vine is somewhere between a plant thug and the garden answer for this millennium.  To begin with, the vine is aggressive and can reach thirty to forty feet, climbing and scrambling over any obstacle. It never met a trellis it didn’t like and it will cover a screen or trellis very quickly. When planting it, jump back quickly as it has been known to break gardener’s ankles ;) in its zeal to find growing space. It self sows and you’ll quickly have little trumpet vines (I wonder if the babies are called “coronet”  or "pocket trumpet" vines?) popping up.  You have to prune it heavily to keep it in bounds. And do not worry about whether you are pruning it properly or not. It grows back so quickly, you’ll have to wonder if you did it at all. Some people (never myself you understand) say that the proper way to prune this plant is with a chainsaw.  It is currently climbing a neighbors pine tree (that is mostly dead) adding odd orange blooms to an evergreen.  The hummingbirds really like to stick their beaks deep into these flowers, sometimes irritating a visiting bumblebee.
         
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Yesterday when I went out to collect the mail, there was a large envelope waiting with MY name on it!!  Last week I had won a giveaway from Char over at Cloth Stitched!  This was the first time I had won anything in blogland!!  I opened the envelope to find a nice note from Charmaine and pretty pink tissue paper sealed with a bright yellow happy face:

I almost forgot to take a picture before opening it :)

Inside I found the charm pack,  Park Avenue by 3 Sisters for Moda, I had won and a darling hand made scrap pincushion made by Char.

Here is a close up of the cute little Scrap Pincushion Char made.  I'm going to put it on my stitchery stand to hold all of the stray pins that seem to find their way there.

Thank you, Char, for having such a great giveaway and for the very special scrap pincushion!!

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Some of you may remember my posting about my friend, Leona, and her request for help in making her sister a comfort quilt.  Yesterday morning I spent some time making up two 9" blocks for the quilt.  She had requested either a nine patch or a 4 patch block in any type of fabric with white or off-white combinations in the block.  So I couldn't decide which to make to I made one of each (these are the first two blocks I have made without following a pattern):

Here's my four patch block

And here is my nine patch, sort of a nine patch inside of a nine patch

These will go out in today's mail to Leona.  I thought I would get them to her early so that maybe she can get a head start on piecing the blocks together.  If you are interested in helping Leona create a quilt for her sister, jump on over to Leona's Quilting Adventure for all of the information.

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Maybe some of you noticed a couple of new buttons on the right hand side.  Would you like to know what they are about?

Are you ready to Blog Hop.  Starting September 27th, Gudrun is hosting a Fall-O-Ween Quilt Designer Blog Hop.  Gudrun has 10 designers lined up and each day she will bring you a great project and 10 themed blog posts.  Sounds like loads of fun!  

The cute little scarecrow is announcing that Debi of Quilting With Debi is hosting Fall into Fall Quilters Giveaway beginning October 1.  She is hoping to get at least 200 quilters to participate in this blog giveaway.  What a great way to get your blog out there and noticed!  If you are interested in joining in the fun, just link over to Debi's site for all of the information.


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Today I received an email from AccuQuilt in response to my request to be considered to host a GO! Cutter giveaway.  They said I had to have 100 followers :(   Currently I have 82 followers, and a big thank you to all 82 of you!!!  Could you help me find 18 more followers?  Tell your friends, your fellow bloggers, your relatives, to come join my blog and then maybe, just maybe, I will be able to host a GO! giveaway!   Oh how I wish for a GO! Cutter to come into my life.

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Me dreaming of an AccuQuilt GO! Cutter

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Reminder - My 2nd giveaway is still happening. 

Enter today!  Just click HERE to enter - the winner will be announced Monday!
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Final Thoughts
We are almost to the end of the week and into the weekend - nope, shouldn't think that way.  Don't wish days away in anticipation of what may come in the future.  Enjoy today, enjoy tomorrow, enjoy every minute you have!  Thank goodness for Thursdays!