Flowers Galore

Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,
Beloved from pole to pole.
~Samuel Taylor Coleridge
 
Winter has definitely arrived here - at least in the mornings.  We have been down around or just below freezing every morning for almost a week now.  In the morning inside the house it gets down to 55 to 58 degrees.  Makes for great sleeping weather.  We are some of those strange people that turn off the heater and open the windows at night.  I love waking up during the night with a cold nose.  I just snuggle under the covers, turn up my side of the heated pad, pull a dog (a living, little heater) up next to me and sleep the night away.  The only drawback is it forces you to make very quick trips to the bathroom when nature calls during the middle of the night. LOL!  I can't sleep in a warm house so winter is the best.  Do you sleep with the windows open or do you run your heater all night?

================================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Cotton Candy

Today, November 7, is National Cotton Candy Day.  I can't remember the last time I ate some of the melt in your mouth spun sugar.  Here are a few fun facts about this sugary delight:

* Cotton Candy was originally called Fairy Floss

* There is only ONE ingredient in cotton candy - sugar

* There is not even enough sugar to provide the person eating it cavities

*  there is only just as much sugar because there is in a can of soda

* This sweet treat was introduced by four men named Thomas Patton, Josef Delarose Lascaux, John C. Wharton and William Morrison. Morris and Wharton could patent the very first cotton candy machine in 1899.

* Cotton Candy made its major debut at the 1904 World's Fair

================================

SENDING HEXIES

Today I will be sending out hexie flowers to my December swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.

Marie requested flowers in lilacs or dark red.  I think these two fit that request.  These flowers are headed for Denmark.

===============================

CUTE FLOWERS!

I was Melody's December swap partner for the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.  She must have received her swap information early because these arrived on the same day that I received the swap information.....

Aren't these flowers adorable?!?!  Both flowers will be wonderful additions to my Grandmother's Flower Garden/I Spy quilt.  Melody also included a piece of fabric that will definitely be made into hexies, some darling buttons, and a pretty handmade card.  Thank you so much, Melody, for everything!!!

==========================

WEDNESDAY'S FLOWERS

Over the weekend I created two more flowers of my own......

Since I love to cross stitch I decided to add this bright flower to my collection.  The fabric itself is rather thin but I like the look of the bright orange stitches on the bright pink background.  Can you see the shadow cross stitches in the center?

Do you recognize this fabric?  I made this flower from the fat quarter I won from Barbara.  There are so many I Spy characters all on one flower.  I think my favorite petal is the snake with the funny expression on his face.

To see more hexie flowers out there in blogland, Karen has graciously supplied us with a linky to make browsing so easy.  Just go HERE to look for more flowers.

===============================

FAT QUARTERS

Recently I was the lucky winner of Annie's Ruby Slipperz Mystery Monday giveaway where I won 5 fat quarters......

Aren't these gorgeous?  Annie asked what color(s) I would like and I told her I was sadly lacking in oranges and reds.  Each week Annie has a Mystery Monday where you can learn something new and enter her giveaway.  It's lots of fun, and who knows, you could be the next lucky winner of 5 fat quarters.  Thank you, Annie!

===============================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I plan to make a block for December's Bee In Oz hostess.

================================

GIVEAWAYS

Lily Pad Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win 12 fat quarters and a panel of darling penguins.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 8.

Kelbysews is having a giveaway.  Kelly is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way to a new home.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at 11:00 pm.

Jackie's Art Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a bundle of Jackie's hand dyed fabric - Pastel Petal collection.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9.

SewCalGal is having a giveaway.  You could win MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9.

Alderwood Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a Christmas Jewel pattern designed by Jacqueline de Jonge.  This giveaway ends Thursday, January 12, 2012. 

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win Petal Pushers fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at midnight.

World Of Charity Stitching is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a jelly roll of Moda's Chrysalis by Sanae generously donated by Quilting Lodge.  This giveaway ends Sunday, December 11.

Fairy Face Designs is having a giveaway.  You could win a bundle of 6 metric FQs of Circa 1934.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at 9pm Irish time.

KoolBenz is having a giveaway.  You could win  your choice of 10 Fat Quarters by Jane Sassaman's Early Birds from Cotton Blossom Farm.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at midnight EST.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her Mystery Monday giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 10, at midnight MT.

The Quilting Booklady is having a giveaway.  You could win 2 charm packs of Ruby.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 12, at 5:00 pm EST.


===========================

FINAL THOUGHT

Sharing Stitcheries and Stories

Automobiles are not ferocious.... it is man who is to be feared.
~Robbins B. Stoeckel

Wow!  I now know why I do most of my shopping online.  We had to do some actual in-store shopping on Saturday and I couldn't believe the crowds.  We ventured into Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I felt like a mouse in a maze.  Between the people and the crowded aisles, we constantly had to change direction to get where we wanted to be.  There definitely wasn't room for two carts going in opposite directions and people must have had blinders on not to see that they were blocking progress for other shoppers with their carts.  And the crazy December drivers were out in force too.  Why is it this time of year people are in such a hurry that they forget parking lot etiquette?  I really like to try to support the local shops but this time of year I will have to go back to shopping online.  Did you find the same thing happening in your area over the weekend?

=============================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Dice

Sunday, November 4, was National Dice Day.  I totally missed it.  Dice have been used to wager long before Vegas was a twinkle in a hotel magnate's eye. An archaeological dig yielded dice that were 5,000 years old, proving that even the ancients liked to gamble.  Here's a few more facts about dice:

* Traditional dies are cube-shaped, and have six sides. Each of the six sides is numbered from one to six

* The circular dots are called pips

* Early dice were made from the ankle bones of hoofed animals.  They were also referred to as "knucklebones". The statement "Roll the Bones" alludes to this.
* The Roman Goddess, Fortuna, was believed responsible for the outcome of a dice throw.  Fortuna was the god of luck in Roman Mythology. She was often referred to as "Lady Luck".

=============================

MORE STITCHERY

 My sewing machine has been sitting patiently waiting for me to return.  I have been busy trying to finish up the stitcheries for my Gardener's Journal quilt.  Here are some more stitcheries and their stories......

The stitchery on the left is called Birds In The Tree and will measure 3 1/2" X 7 1/2".  The stitchery on the right is called Lawn Mower and will measure 2 1/2" X 5 1/2".  Here is there story:

"Lawn Mower Man................Harold tells me he loves to mow the lawn (I've yet to see any evidence of this). He likes to get in touch with Mother -Nature and embrace the earth. He especially loves to mow a week before Christmas and the day before his mother-in-law turns up. He gets so excited it takes him six months to recover. Yet another reason why I married him."

The stitchery on the left is called Flower Basket and will measure 2 1/2" X 3 1/2".  The stitchery on the right is called weather vane and will measure the same as the Flower Basket.  The story also includes......

this stitchery called Dog House.  It will measure 3 1/2" X 4 1/2" when cut down to size.  Here is the story for these three blocks:

"The Dog House........I think we have a rabid greenie in the family. I have noticed 'Woof' has been relieving himself on every patch of flowers I have planted. I have no problems using natural organic products in my garden however I feel 'Woof' needs to have a few lessons in the correct dilution procedure in mixing his sprays. I have had to chain him up and I'm sure I saw him giving me the peace sign with his doggy paw."

The story will continue and hopefully I will have the last stitchery completed today!

=========================

FAT QUARTER WIN

A while back I won Cat Patches Fun Fact Friday Freebee.  Barbara sent me a darling fat quarter.....

Isn't it just too cute?  I foresee several hexie flowers being made from this fat quarter.  Thank you so very much, Barbara!!

==========================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to finish up at least one of the little, tiny mini quilts I'm making for a Christmas gift.

=========================

GIVEAWAYS

Lisnaweary Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Sunday, December 11, at midnight GMT.

Growing Stitches is having a giveaway.  Sara is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way again.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, December 13.

Hawthorne Threads is having a giveaway.  You could win an Echo fat quarter bundle.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, December 7.

Quilting By The River is having a giveaway.  You could win mini ruler/template board and an Easy Angle ruler.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, December 7, at midnight CST.

Cat Patches is having her weekly Fun Fact Friday Freebie giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, December 9.

From The Blue Chair is having a giveaway.  You could win an item of your choice from Story Snuggles.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, December 7, at 8:00 am MT.

Happy Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win an entire fat quarter bundle of Deb Strain's Coming Home from Green Fairy Quilts.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, December 7.

===============================

FINAL THOUGHT

This was shared by my friend, Karen, via email......

Well, the Church threw my cookies out of the bake sale again.

It's Time To Vote

It's time to go over to SewCalGal's 2011 Christmas Quilt Show and place your votes.  There are 104 Christmas and Winter entries - so many beautiful creations.  Votes need to be made by the end of Sunday. Winners will be announced on Tuesday December 6th. And if you vote you will be entered in the drawing of wonderful prizes.  Go HERE to place your vote.

My entry for the Christmas theme is #48. If you like my Christmas quilt I would certainly appreciate your vote :)

Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all on Monday.



A New Month

“How did it get so late so soon? Its night before its afternoon. December is here before its June. My goodness how the time has flewn. How did it get so late so soon?”
 – Dr. Seuss

Yesterday was the start of a new month.  A month that also marks the end of another year.  December certainly ushered in cooler weather here with its arrival.  We reached a high of only 49 degrees, which is more typical of late January here.  It was definitely a day for Toasty Toes, sweats, and to have a quilt on my lap all day.  I have spent so much time on the computer this week that I'm ready to give it a rest over the weekend.  The one good thing is I have just about all of my Christmas shopping done - woohoo!!  We don't have any big plans this weekend.  We will definitely be visiting the Farmer's Market and will probably run a couple of errands, but other than that, it's a stay at home weekend.  Do you have big plans for the weekend?

================================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

December

December.  Just what is interesting about this month?  Well, let's see....

* The name December comes from the Latin decem for “ten”, as it was the 10th month in the Roman Calendar

* The term Yuletide (’yule monath’) comes from a Norse tradition of cutting and burning a huge tree on December 21st. It was supposed to symbolize the winter solstice, bring good luck and burn throughout the 12 day winter festival, known later as the 12 days of Christmas

* Birthstones for the calendar month of December are turquoise, blue topaz, tanzanite, zircon, lapis, onyx, ruby, and chrysoprase.
* December’s birth flower is the Paper White Narcissus. The narcissus, which symbolizes self esteem

Hmmmmm.......not much to share about this new month.  Well, hopefully next time  I will have something a bit more interesting.

================================

BEE BLOCKS

Last month I made 3 blocks for Let's Bee Together hostesses.  One more than normal but then one was actually a late one for October.......

I just love the fabric that Toni sent for us to work on last month.  This Modified Irish Chain was the perfect block to set off the fussy cut center.

Lana sent out these warm colored fabrics to create a "Man Quilt".  This New Album block worked up quickly.

Staci sent out different Denise Schmidt fabrics for us to work with.  This Flyfoot block looks harder than it really is.  And to make it even simpler, Staci included Triangles On A Roll for for making all the HST.

===============================

BLOG HOP PARTY & GIVEAWAY DAY

Quilting Gallery is celebrating their 4th birthday with a Blog Hop Party.  It sounds like so much fun that I've decided to participate.  How can you join in the fun?  Host a give-away on your blog starting December 9th and lasting until December 17th. What you choose to give-away and how you wish to run the give-away, is totally up to you.  Use this as an opportunity to spread some Holiday Cheer, thank your regular blog readers and make some new quilting friends.   To participate just register your blog HERE.

It’s time for The Original, the big, the amazing… Giveaway Day! organized by Sew, Mama, Sew!   Mark your calendar for Monday, December 12th!  Giveaway Day is a HUGE event she coordinates where everyone with a shop or blog can give something away.  It will actually last all week instead of just one day as in the past.  To find out all the details, just click on the link above or on the button in the right sidebar.

This is another fun event I will be participating in.  There will be giveaways all over blogland that week.

=================================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I need to get started on a 6" applique block for a small display hanging gift.

=================================

GIVEAWAYS

Rsisland Crafts is having a giveaway.  You could win a Christmas stocking full of goodies.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 5.

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win a set of flannel from Fabric Shoppe.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 5, at 11:59 pm PST.

Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win an 8 yard Dessert Party bundle.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, December 6, at midnight PST.

Samelia's Mum is having a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack of Meadow Friends.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, December 7, at midday AEST.

FabricWorm is having their weekly giveaway.  You could win a custom bundle of 10 fat quarters in pink and yellow.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 5, at 8:30 am PST.

Kool Benz is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 shopping credit to Skye Reve Fabrics.  This giveaway ends tonight, Friday, December 2, at midnight EST.

One More Quilt is having a giveaway.  You could win 11-count throw size (45" x 66") afghan cloth with free cross stitch design.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 3 at 10:00 am.

==================================

FINAL THOUGHT

Flowers For Wednesday

When the bold branches
Bid farewell to rainbow leaves -
Welcome wool sweaters.
~B. Cybrill

Do you ever have days when it seems like everything you try to do turns out wrong?  That's how my morning was yesterday.  Luckily, it straightened itself out somehow while I was taking my lunch break and the rest of the day went much better.  I can't tell you how many times I had to retype, retape, remeasure, or recut yesterday.  Sooooooo very frustrating.  But that's behind me now and I'm ready to move on.  Can you believe this is the last day of November?  Our Tule fog has arrived bringing gray days, dampness, and much cooler weather.  I finally feel like the holiday season is upon us.

===========================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Today, November 30, is National Stay At Home Because You're Well Day.  Staying home because you're sick is the worst. Sure you get to bow out of the daily grind, but you have to spend the day piled under blankets, surrounded by used tissues, watching game shows and feeling sorry for yourself. So today take the mild fever and nausea out of the equation. Call in sick to work and have a blast. (And just hope everyone in your office doesn't try to celebrate this holiday or your boss will be suspicious.)

===========================

HEXAGONS

Hooray it's Wednesday.  That can only mean one thing......it's One Flower Wednesday.  Trying to get into the Christmas spirit, I made two flowers this week for the holidays.......

We used to hang a fresh pine wreath on our front every Christmas so this flower is to remember that little tradition.

Who doesn't like a dancing Santa?  These jolly little guys look like they are having a lot of fun.

I'm not really happy with either of these flowers.  To me they look rather blah - or maybe it's just the mood I'm in.  I think next week will be non-holiday flowers.

For fun and beautiful flowers, Karen has provided a linky where you can check out all of the other hexi flowers out there in blogland.  Click HERE to visit.

===========================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I need to find some cute 6" holiday squares.

===========================

GIVEAWAYS

Lavender Dreams is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift certificate to Sunshine Bliss Studios.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, December 6.

Housewife Eclectic is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Sunday, December 4, at midnight.

Hancock's of Paducah is having a giveaway.  You could win Farmers Market quilt kit featuring Moda Indian Summer by Laundry Basket Batiks fabric.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 15, at 6:00 am CST.

Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win 8 new patterns from Amanda Murphy.  This giveaway ends ?

Heirlooms By Ashton is having a giveaway.  You could win an i-top button maker and a selection of metal button sets.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 3, 10:00 pm CST.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her Mystery Monday giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 3, at midnight MST.

Hilachas is having an After Thanksgiving giveaway.  You could win a layer cake of your choice from Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 5.

Pings and Needles is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 1, at midnight UK time.

PhillysBlarney is having a giveaway.  You could win the Traveling Stash!  This giveaway ends Sunday, December 4.

Life On The Block is having a giveaway.  You could win an Christmas stocking full of goodies.  This giveaway ends Monday, December 5.

Sew We Quilt is having a giveaway.  You could win a box of Godiva chocolates.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 1.

Sewn With Grace is having a giveaway.  You could win thirty one 8x8 squares of novelty Christmas fabric,  five 20ish" x 45" pieces of additional novelty Christmas fabric, one "Get red, red, ready for Christmas" book by Natalie Ross, and some additional surprise goodies.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 1, at midnight.

==============================

FINAL THOUGHT

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.
~Edith Sitwell

The Christmas Quilt Show

It's time for Sew Cal Gal's 2011 Christmas Quilt Show and I've decided to make an entry.  This year I would like to share my Christmas quilt .......

This quilt was so fun to make!  It was the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery BOM quilt 2010/2011.  With only working on one block a month there was absolutely no pressure to get it done.  Many of you made the journey with me through the blocks each month trying to guess what would appear as the blocks were made.  DH gave me the finishing kit and backing for Christmas so it all matches front to back (not many of my quilts do - lol).  I didn't do the quilting on this but took it to my local long arm quilter and she did a beautiful job.  As of this last Saturday, it is out on the couch for everyone to cuddle under. 

Here are a few of my favorite blocks I made over several months:

I so enjoyed working with all of the Kate Spain fabrics.  It was especially fun to fussy cut the pieces like the windows in the house.  Fat Quarter Shop always sends more than enough fabric with each block and the instructions were so easy to follow.

Many thanks to Darlene for organizing yet another fun event and for getting so many wonderful sponsors.  Make sure to check out the Christmas Quilt Show for many more beautiful Christmas and Winter creations.

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.

Stitcheries With A Story

Only one shopping day left 'til tomorrow. 

~Author Unknown

After being away from blogland for four days, it's rather nice to be able to stop and say 'HI' to everyone.  I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Ours was so relaxed it seemed strange.  We were able to spend the day relaxing even though I did spend some time in the kitchen preparing a breakfast roll for Friday morning.  I even made my very first pumpkin pie.  Yes, I know that's hard to believe after being married for over 36 years but I'm just not a pie maker.  Thank goodness for Libby's pumpkin pie recipe - it was delicious!!!  Dinner out was different but very nice too.  It was especially nice not having to worry about the clean up afterwards.  I was quite surprised at how crowded the restaurant was.  The rest of the weekend we (me, DH, DD#2, and SIL#2) just spent the day at home watching a couple of movies and playing some Wii.  No rushing out to the stores at midnight or early in the morning.  There aren't enough good deals out there for me to fight the crowds and worry about getting pepper sprayed - lol!  I did get the majority of my shopping done on Saturday sitting on my behind using the computer.  Did you get any fantastic deals?

===========================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Coffee

Are you like me and this morning really needed your coffee after the four day weekend?  I definitely needed that little extra kick to get started this morning.  How about some little facts about that rich, dark brew.

* Coffee was first discovered by a goat! More specifically a young goat herder by the name of Kaldi in the 9th-century. He noticed his goats acting strange when they ate the cherries from the coffee tree so he tried it for himself. This story does not show up in writings until the 16th-century.

* Contrary to popular belief light roast coffee actually has more caffeine than dark roast coffee. The reason for this is that the longer coffee is roasted the more caffeine cooked out of the bean.

* Espresso is not referring to a particular type of bean, it is a drink. More specifically it is a type of coffee brewing method.

* Coffee comes from a tree or bush that bears cherry fruit. The coffee bean is the seed that resides within the cherry.

* Coffee was declared illegal 3 times by 3 different cultures. The first was in Mecca during the 16th century and the prohibition was lifted after 30 years of debate among scholars and jurists. The second was Charles the II in Europe banning coffee houses trying to quell the ongoing rebellion yet it backfired and was never enforced. (People need their coffee!) The third was Fredrick the Great who banned the beverage in Germany in 1677 because he were concerned with the economic implications of money leaving the country on this new popular beverage.

* There are over 50 species of coffee world wide. Though only 2, arabica and robusta, are commonly used in commercial coffee production.

* Coffee can actually be used to fuel a car. Though maybe not very efficiently at the moment it is nice to know that there is an alternative out there that can not only fuel our bodies but our vehicles too.

 ======================

STITCHERY

It's been awhile since I shared any of the stitcheries for Gardener's Journal that I've been working on....

These will be made up into four different blocks.  The smaller ones on the left will be 2 1/2" X 2 1/2".  The birdbath on the right will be 3 1/2" X 4 1/2".  There is a little story that goes along throughout the book that is very amusing.  The little bit for the above blocks is titled The Art of Harold and reads as follows:  "Harold has taken up the art of sculpting topiaries. He has been training the rose bushes to look like members of his family. They are hideous, although I can spot the resemblance to my mother-in-law.  He keeps complaining about the thorns so I have much fun of an evening digging them out with my blunt tapestry needle.  I get such joy out of life".  Annie Downs is such a hoot!

This stitchery is called Pulling Weeds and will be 5 1/2" X 5 1/2".  The story that goes with this is titled Weeding The Garden.  "Time to plant bulbs, jonquils this week I think. Before I do this though, I have to remove the weeds Harold has arranged. He took it upon himself to go and collect my horse manure for fertilising the garden. Unfortunately he took the fresh pile rather than the aged pile so I now have developed quite a good oats garden in need of weeding. Here I am with my royal posterior up in the air and Harold decides to take a photo of me. Talk about getting my good side."  I have more to share but will save that for another date.

======================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I plan to spend the entire day stitching.

======================

GIVEAWAYS

Quiltin' Grandma's Blog is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quilt Maker Small Quilts & Gifts Magazine.  This giveaway ends Thursday, December 1.

McCall's Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win one of their 2012 calendars and some fabric.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win a ten inch stacker of Sunny Happy Skies, a Cinderberry Stitches pattern, a pocket friend pattern with Echo to sew it up with, and two Thomas Knauer patterns to use your Pear Tree on.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

Leona's Quilting Adventure is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of The Wedding Quilt.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 9, at midnight.

Quilt n Queen is having a giveaway.  You could win a Moda Sherbet Pips Jelly Roll.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29.

Sew Kiki is having a giveaway.  You could win a kit for a wall hanging from Quilt Kit Market.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 30.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a  bundle of Pear Tree fabric.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 2.

Lovin' Life At The End Of The Dirt Road is having a giveaway.  You could win a new seam ripper from Mighty Bright.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 29, at midnight.

It's So Kiki is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Stash Happy Patchwork.  This giveaway ends Saturday, December 3.

Cat Patches is having her Fun Fact Friday Freebie giveaway.  You could win fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, December 2.

Sew Cal Gal is having a giveaway.  You could win a silk trio bundle from Sewing With Silks.  This giveaway ends Friday, December 2.

===============================

FINAL THOUGHT

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?

==============================

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.

==============================

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.

==============================

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.

==============================

TODAY'S GOAL

Today I need to get some embroidery done.

==============================

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.

=================================

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?

================================

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

================================

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.

=============================

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.

===============================

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. 

================================

TODAY'S GOAL

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

================================

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.

===============================

FINAL THOUGHT