Somebody Stop Me!!!!

Crochet has its grip on me---BAD! But just look at this cute lion amigurumi

Who could resist whipping this up? Hope Baby Boy Great Nephew likes it. (I’ll be glad when BBGN has a name!)

And crocheted flowers? Oh, my—so quick and so fun.

But I must concentrate on the quilt!!! Squares are all stitched together and I am auditioning borders.

I was thinking of a calming small print but nah, let’s stay with “busy” LOL! This cute number print caught my eye and I hope there is enough there for borders and backing. I’m thinking maybe I’ll have to put an inner border to stop those red squares from flowing right on into the red border! Maybe a bluish? Help, please.

Baby Fun

DH’s niece is having her first baby in the fall.   Yippee!   I thought I had lots of time to make a quilt….BUT…the shower is in two weeks!!!  Due to scheduling conflicts among her friends and family, the shower had to be really early.   This may sound familiar.  The same thing happened to me two years ago (see this post) when I made a mad dash to whip up Kyle’s quilt.

So…yesterday I decided to make a quickie Eye Spy Match ‘Em Up type quilt for the new baby boy who is on the way.   I dug through my stash of novelty prints.   How much fun is that??  I have a tendency to buy those adorable fabrics with absolutely no idea in mind as to how I’ll use them.   Well, this should be perfect!   Most of the Eye Spy quilts I have seen have rather small blocks.   I decided to give Baby (and myself) a break and use 6” finished blocks.   And since I could, I cut two of each to make it a Match the Pairs game too.

Somehow I want to incorporate into the label what to find and what to match:  teddy bear, horses, butterflies, watermelon, farm, lunch boxes, crayons, chocolates, sheep, kids, cowboys, Dalmatian dogs, whales, baseball stuff, hen & chicks, frogs, monkeys, lemons & limes, flamingoes, cats and penguins.

This really looks busy but then, I’m sure Baby Boy will be busy one day too!   Here are a few of my favorite prints:

And on the I’ve-Gotta-Stay-Off-Attic24’s-Blog scene (it’s just too-o-o much fun over there) here is a cute way to spiffy up an old pickle jar.

Crocheted Jar Jackets!!!   Who’d a thunk?  I tell ya, that girl is a designing genius.  And what a great way to use up bits and bobs of yarn.  I just love all her colorful crochet goodies.   And now, she is into patchwork!   Give her a look.

Tomorrow is a day of remembrance.   Along with the barbecued brats, coleslaw, baked beans and strawberry pie, I hope to pause in reflection and think of all those brave ones who have served, are serving, and will serve in defense of our freedom.

Have a peaceful, safe and mindful Memorial Day!

Adrift In A Sea of Blogs

Not really accomplishing as much as I should…but that’s Spring for ya! What HAS been happening around these parts…

enjoying a lovely Mother’s Day

opening day movie watch of Angels & Demons (two thumbs up)

clucking over a dear friend who had a mild heart attack and subsequently a stent inserted

crocheting kitsch for friends coming to visit from Arizona

and the rose that ate Chicago for me

watching the rain gauge fill up (Friday we had 4.5” in a very short amount of time and lots of local flash flooding)

cooking up a storm (my yummy Rainbow Stuffed Peppers for one thing)

catching up on the Kansas City Star BOM Block 5

and picnicking and geocaching in our favorite state park, Watkins Mill.

Whew, how’s that for a run-on sentence??? And from a former teacher at that!

Edited to add the recipe for the stuffed peppers as requested by a commenter:

Rainbow Stuffed Peppers 

Wash 4 large bell peppers--red, orange, yellow, green or a combo of any.  

Cut off tops and clean out stems and seeds.   Parboil the pepper shells in 

boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.  Place on a towel to drain.   Cook 3/4 cup 

instant rice according to package directions.   Saute 1 med. chopped yellow 

onion in olive oil till soft.   Prepare the stuffing mix:   1 pound lean ground 

beef, the cooked rice, the sauteed onions, 1 clove chopped garlic (or 1 t 

jarred minced), 1 T chopped fresh parsley (or 1 t. dried), 1 T chopped fresh 

basil (or 1 t dried), 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, 1 t 

Kosher salt, dab of freshly ground black pepper.  Mix gently by hand.   

Sprinkle insides of the pepper shells with salt and pepper, then stuff them 

with the ground beef mixture.   In an oven baking dish pour a small amount 

of either tomato sauce or jarred marinara sauce.   I love to use Bertolliʼs 

Italian sausage garlic romano sauce but whatever tomato-based sauce is in 

your pantry will do!  Set the filled peppers in the dish and cover with more 

sauce.   Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 

an hour till ground beef is thoroughly cooked.   Serve a little warmed sauce 

on the side.   Add a loaf of warm Ciabatta bread and a salad and youʼre 

good to go!

Inch By Inch

Block 5 of A Tisket A Tasket (link in sidebar) was so much fun and is just as sweet as the first four. (And, yes, I put the upper wings on the butterfly upside down—doh!!)

I cannot believe how tickled I’ve been with this adorable BOM series. A huge thank you to Anne at Bunny Hill for providing this for us devotees – FREE!

Made a beginning on some baby gifts (see previous post). Here’s Rudy the Rectangle. Isn’t he a goofy guy?? He is an amigurumi (Japanese-style critter crocheted in single crochet stitches) and the pattern was FREE at Michael’s, compliments of Lion Brand Yarn. Are we seeing a trend here? Free? My favorite price?

And a few burp cloths…almost free as I pulled from my stash of 30s kids’ prints. Just stitch a rectangle to a pre-fold cloth diaper and embellish with some rickrack to make burping time just a little more colorful LOL! Can a new Mom ever have enough burp cloths?

Wrap a few up with some ribbon or netting and toss into the gift bag.

And a few more crocheted hexies join the group:

The hexie pattern is generously provided by Lucy at Attic24 (see side bar for link).

It seems as though I accomplish more when I have several projects going at once. I can flit from thing to thing as the mood strikes!

Hope all you moms out there in Blogland get to spend a little time with your sons and daughters on Mothers’ Day. And maybe there’ll be some chocolate involved.

Sympathy Berries

After the “Rocky Caper” involving DH’s ruined blueberry pie (see last post), pity was taken! Since California strawberries could be had for a ridiculous price this weekend at the supermarket (local berries not in yet), it seemed only nice to fix a little poundcake/strawberry/whipped cream delight for the sulking boy (DH—NOT Rocky!).

(DH tends to like a little cake, a lot of berries, and a truckload of whipped cream.)

And, wow, for THE BEST poundcake recipe—ever--

go here. A big thank-you to that blogger for the yummy recipe and a big thank-you to my 6-month-old KitchenAid mixer for the rather fiddly amount of mixing required (well worth it) to make this recipe so-o-o delish.

And the big bonus—the recipe makes TWO poundcakes, one for now and one for the freezer. This cake was so tasty, I even ate some plain!

Baby News: One of DH’s nieces is expecting her first baby in the fall. FUN! And a dear friend is gaining her second grandbaby this fall so….you know what that means. Baby sewing—always the most fun kind there is. Of course, there’ll be the “required” Snoopy dogs (see this post)

and burp cloths and bibs. Maybe a quilt or two?

Just look at this beauty in the newest issue of Quilts & More magazine. Waiting to learn of the sex of the babies to pick patterns.

Well, Monday ramblings will end with a salute to Mine That Bird

Thanks for the inspiration, Beautiful Horse.

CSI Kansas City

Yesterday was our first trip for the season to a local farmers market. Of course, not much in the way of veggies there (except some gorgeous asparagus) but hubby was well rewarded. One of our favorite Mennonite vendors brings delicious homebaked goodies. DH spotted a yummy blueberry pie and bought it on the spot. Well, back at home, after having a slice or two, he dutifully wrapped it with Saran. Hmmm…apparently a midnight marauder decided to have a taste too.

You probably can’t tell from the photo (click for big to see better) but the Saran was broken into, juice was licked clean, and (here’s where the CSI part comes in…) purple pawprints were left at the scene!!! It was pretty easy to determine the culprit. Natasha’s, ahem, girth prevents her from jumping onto the countertop. But this naughty boy

can fly right up there! Rocky, you’re so busted!!! Not the cleverest of criminals to leave your pawprints at the scene of a crime, but at least you managed to get the purple off your tongue before morning.

And just to keep things even, here’s Natasha hoarding the remote control

as if to say, “I will decide what we watch tonight!!!” Who rules THIS household?

On the cloth and yarn front, I am still slicing away at the pyramid pile. Since I have found that I cannot rotary cut sitting down, I have been working on some crocheted hexie love during TV time

because these hands have to keep busy. Rainy days in KC are keeping me indoors. Here’s hoping for a bit of sunshine and a terrific weekend for all us Blogpals!