One Creative Family

As I sit in my sewing room looking out the window I am seeing a sea of golds, browns, and reds. The Oak Tree in my front yard is over 30 feet tall and full of gold leaves. The wind is blowing from the south and I see the leaves falling and blowing. I am thinking by next week we will have to rake the leaves. In no time at all we will be looking at beds of white fluff. The Farmer’s Almanac is saying this is going to be a hard winter. I have my bird seeds ready for the winter.

For the first time in a few months all my “Must Do’s” from the sewing room are done. Now for some time to clean and organize some hand sewing on while on our travels.

This year I am going to try and make my own Christmas Cards. A first for me, but hopefully not the last. Now after lots of frustration I may be purchasing them this year. We will have to see. Do you make your Holiday Cards or do you mail out Christmas Cards?

Here is a little trip thru a Cemetery just about 1/2 mile from our home.

We have several things happening today. (1)Our Give A Way drawing, a (2)idea for Christmas, and (3)a photo of a vintage quilt I just finished quilting for a friend. I have only 18 days till we leave for our wonderful Thanksgiving with Family in Texas. So let’s get busy.

So starting our count down is #3.

#2 Is for the person who is always walking around with towels wrapped around the head and the towel slides off.

KATHY REEVES you are our winner of the Amazon Gift card.

I would like to thank everyone for following our Blog. Here is to 4 more years at least.

Hope everyone has a Beautiful day, if it isn’t turning out good find 1 thing good about it and think on this one thing,

Today the gift idea I’m going to share with you is for individualized potholders. I did this for the Granddaughters last year and was a big hit. I hand wrote a recipe for each girl of a dish they like me to make for them. I did this with a Sharpie on a piece of solid fabric and made the potholder for them.

I cut the solid fabric the size of 4×6 inches and them put a 2 inch border around the recipe. I used the same fabric for a back as I did for the border. Cut this 6×8 and cut a piece of insulated batting the same size as the backing piece. Sandwich and finish off with binding. I put a loop on a corner to hang them up with.

I cherish hand written recipes from my mother, mother in law and grandmother in law. I have them framed and hang around my kitchen. This would also make wonderful gifts to hand write recipes for the next generation. Not much is hand written anymore. It is so personal and filled with love to take that much time to do you are thinking of what that person would like.

I hope you like our ideas and I’m sorry I didn’t get this to Monday, our family was fighting the flu. All well now and back on track.

Are you getting ready for Christmas? So much to do and so little time. Only about 55 days till Christmas. I love the Hustle and Bustle of the season.

Stay warm if you are in a cold area. Missouri is getting rain and then snow today. Brrrrrrrrr.

Fall is officially here and that mean that Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner. So while hubby is thinking of all the gifts we still need to get and things we need to do I am thinking of all I have to do between now and then. Today I will start out making cookies and finishing up with some peanutbrittle.

We will leave Missouri to go to Port O’Conner, Texas. It is a good 16-18 hour drive and we usually drive straight thru. Not sure if we will this time or not. No matter I plan on taking about 15 pounds of Peanutbrittle and lots of cookies. I will then leave with a cooler full of shrimp, and maybe some flounder.

I did find the Gas Station/Fabric shop that I was looking for. It is just a little South East of Amarillo, Texas.

Hubby says it is too far out of the way and since I want to spend as much time with my family as possible I have to give up something. So this shop is marked for another time.

Today I am starting the cookies out with these Chocolate Salted Caramel Tarts, except instead of cupcake size I will make them tart sized, just bite size.

I got this from Facebook it is originally from Sugarapron.com

I just think too rich for a whole cupcake.

Then a batch of chocolate chip cookies and maybe coconut squares and Lemon Squares then the candy.

Guess I’d better get the lead out and start moving. What are your favorite things for the Holiday Season? For me Nov 1st thru Jan 1st.

Be safe and enjyou

We are planning on going to Texas for Thanksgiving and I think someone posted either here or on Facebook, which I’ve posted there, about a gas station they stopped at and on the inside was also a fabric shop. It was a cute shop and they also posted photos. We thought since we were going down to the southeast coastal part of Texas we would see where it was. Have you found unusual or unique shops, or even a shop that you just love. We aren’t sure if we will go from KC, MO thru Kansas, Oklahoma, then Dallas/Fort Worth on down or thru So. MO, Arkansas to Texas and on down. Going a little out of the way could even hit the tip of Louisiana.

Usually when we go on a road trip I check out the Row By Row and plan stops from that. We go to Texas about every other year and have gotten where we tend to take the scenery for granted or would travel at night because traveling with kids is best at night.

What do you like to do to plan your trips to break them up some? I have already gotten my hand sewing done for this.

Have a fun day and do something fun.

Sending a few fall photos from MO.

I hate to throw things away if I can help it. So when Hubby’s jeans would wear out it was time for me to cut them up. I used the legs for bags, granddaughter’s pants when she was smaller, or cut in squares for quilting.

For this apron I chose to use the front of the jeans. I cut them off just above the crotch seam and then serged around the sides and bottom. I then added a ruffle, with the same fabric as the ruffle I made ties.

Yes I also used the back of the jeans for an apron also.

Here is what you will need:

1 pair of old jeans.

1 yd of fabric for ruffle, ties, and rag.

Cut the jeans down the side seams and just above the crotch seam on the front and back.

Cut 4 3 inch strips the WOF. Ruffle

Cut 2 3 inch strips the WOF for tie(may need more or less your choice)

Cut 2 squares from the left over fabric the size you chose.

Sew the ruffle pieces together to make on long strip. Sew a roll hem on the bottom of the ruffle then gather the top for the ruffle.

Serge or zigzag around the jeans to limit the raveling of the fabric.

Sew the ruffle onto the jeans

Sew a rolled hem on the top and bottom of the ties and put it thru the loops on the jeans so it ties in the back.

Sew a rolled hem around the edges of the square.

Put the square in a pocket to wipe your hands if you want.

I hope this makes sense and enjoy.

I love aprons and use them all the time.

Don’t forget the Giveaway. Ends Nov 2nd. Leave a comment for a $25 Amazon Gift Card.

Today celebrates 4 yrs of Blogging. You have either been bored with us, interested with us, or laughed with us. We thank you so much for that. You have been such a wonderful addition to our lives. As a celebration we are having a give away. It is open to everyone. It is a $25 gift card to Amazon. I thought about a set or 2 of charm packs, but we do have some followers who don’t enjoy sewing like I do(My kids don’t) so this way you can choose what you like. This will be announced on November 3rd. All you have to do is leave a comment on the bottom of our posts. Enter as many days as you choose. Your name will be added to the jar and Destiny will draw a name on on Saturday, Nov. 2nd.

Today is a foggy fall day and I will be spending my day finishing up the machine sewing of my A Walk Along The Beach. Then I will add hand work to it.

What will you be working on?

Don’t forget to enter our Give A Way.

I am sorry I didn’t post this on Monday, but here I am with it. Christmas at our house starts early. I make something for each person in the family at least 1 gift. Then add to things as I go. On Monday I started making Cinnamon Apple Rings, These are canned in a syrup and we eat them with meals like pickles.

I had never heard of them till I Married Hubby and his Grandmother would have them for dinners on special occasions. I finally talked her out of her recipe. She has been gone for about 20 yrs, she passed away at the age of 103. She had her own garden and canned until she had a stroke at 99. She would make them with Cucumbers, Zucchini , and Apples. They all have the texture and similar tastes.

Here is the Recipe as she wrote it, if you are interested.

Cucumber Rings( Zucchini , or Apple)

Peel and slice enough apples to make 2 gallons. Clean out the center. Mix 2 cups lime with 8 1/2 quarts of water. Pour over apples and soak 24 hours. Drain and rinse them good then simmer in a mixture of 1 cup vinegar 1 small bottle of red food coloring 1 tsp alum and enough water to cover for 2 hours. Drain and place in large container. Make a syrup of 2 cups vinegar and 10 cups sugar, 8 broken cinnamon sticks, and a 6 oz bag of red hot candy and bring to a boil . Pour over apples and let stand over night. Next day put apples in jars. Reheat syrup and pour over apples. put lids on jars, and seal. Put in a large pot of water till the water reaches 3/4 of the way to the top of the jars. Boil for 10 min and set aside till lids seal making a popping sound. Let sit for about a week to allow apples to absorb the flavors.

I used 10 lbs of apples and got 8 quarts of apple rings. I will be working on more this week. Takes several days, but not all at once. It took me a total of about 4 hours total over 3 days.

AS far as the sewing going, I am working on quilting this table topper for Christmas. I started out cutting the strips and triangles for a table runner and it wasn’t what I thought it would be and so started playing and came up with this.

Enjoy what you are doing and do it often. Til tomorrow.

Good morning, today is picture perfect(just don’t open the door. feels like 32 degrees). Up at 6:30am with Jethro’s trip outside and then breakfast. Sounds good huh? It was. Then after my shower, we had issues keeping him out of the tub. He would go in and lick the inside of the tub, try and eat the soap, and if we close the door, he sits in front of it crying. Finally got him redirected. Now sleeping on the floor outside the sewing room and enjoying the day.

Yesterday evening I let him out and he sat on the patio barking at our neighbors. I went out to stop him and then he had to meet the neighbors. He won their hearts.

We learned that Jethro is a “people puppy”. It doesn’t matter who or what they are doing he just likes being in the room with you. He is happy laying on the floor where he can see you. I have learned that I keep a towel in every room to clean up the drool.

As bedtime came on he started getting his bed ready. He decided that last night his bed would be on the couch. Now our couch is a Queen size hide a bed. This unopened is just his size.

Dinner for him consisted of his dog food, 1/2 shredded chicken breast(boiled) and some broth. His bedtime snack was Greek yogurt with peanut butter. Then bedtime. I think Grandma and Grandpa will have him good and spoiled by time Jim and Ashley get home. We will see what today will bring.

In the sewing room I started on a table runner and didn’t like how the pattern was working so I am making changes and will see how it turns out. Will show it tomorrow.

Stay turned.

My 3 days of puppy sitting has started out well. We went for a short walk this morning and it is a lot like walking a Shetland Pony with a mind of it’s own, but one that minds. We have been spending time in the sewing room resting.

Now then after his rest he decided to play.

Now let me set this up… I am 5’1″ and hubby is 5’11”, Jethro is 130 lbs about 3-3.5′ standing. He took off down the hall and headbutted hubby as he came out of the computer room, turned around and ran straight at me and like an idiot I stood there till I wasn’t standing anymore. Knocked me over. I fell onto the couch and he sat down next to me giving me all kinds of attention. With playtime over for a while he started bringing his bone that you put peanut butter in and dropping it in my lap. I get the hint and fill it. Now I am listing to him whine because he wants more. I think we may need some more playing.

I am posting the finished Christening gown. It leaves here Friday.

Jethro and I will be back tomorrow so stay tuned. I’m putting the sewing machine away and get a pull toy for a while.