I am the wife of a wonderful husband and the mom of three super adult kids and their spouses. I also proudly have five adorable grandsons. I happily taught preschool for 25 years. When I'm not with my grandsons I spend much of my time indulging in my "Quilty Pleasures."
The two quilts I am sharing today were both started in 2012 and finished in 2013.
STONEHENGE
They were made from free blocks offered by Pennington Quilt Works. Many of the blocks in these quilts are the same. Because of the size of the quilts, I had to make additional blocks to the twelve I received for free. DEAR STELLA
I think it is wonderful to see how different the two quilts are. I obviously used different fabrics, but I also set them differently.
1. Piece, quilt, bind and label at least one "Quilts for Kids" quilt. Attend the QFK workshop at Pennington Quilt Works.
Two quilts to donate this month.
2. Bonnie Hunter's 2017 Mystery Quilt : On Ringo Lake and Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt:
En Provence I am working on these two quilts as leader/ender projects so they will take a while. Current Block Totals: On Ringo Lake = 1/50 En Provence = 4/16 3. A baby quilt for Melissa's little boy. Unquilted...
Being quilted...
Being bound...
Quilt with label...
Sammi, Anna and Shea with the mama-to-be, Melissa at the baby shower.
4. A Shirt for Jace's first birthday T-Shirt inspiration...
Planning...
Applique...
Completed T-Shirt...
T-Shirt modeled by the Birthday Boy himself!
5. A wedding quilt for a very special friend This quilt has not been gifted yet so I can only share a sneak preview. Some of the fabrics that will be in this queen-sized quilt...
6. Quilts for M & S :)
I hope Mary & Shelby love their new quilts!
No progress on the following green highlighted projects: 7. Folk Stitches
8. The Children's Library - a mystery quilt by Pat Sloan
9. The Blazing Star - the Craftsy 2017 Block of the Month
10. Julie Herman's Toes in the Sand quilt
11. Just Takes 2
12. Dancing Stars
13. The Patchwork Quilt Along by The Fat Quarter Shop
14. A few blocks from Amy Gibson's The Quilt Block Cookbook
15. The 182 Day Solstice Challenge by Pat Sloan
16. Basketweave from Quilted Living
17. The not so True History of America Block of the Month by Texas Quiltworks
18. PQW 2014-15 Saturday Sampler
19. Quilt Square Quilt Along
20. Zippy Strippy Bags
21. Striped Table Runner
22. Double Twisted Wreath Fall/Christmas
23. Christmas Wall Hanging
24. Fall Quilt Panels
25. Chock Full O' Charms
26. Black Pouch
27. Folded Placemat
28. Kuddle Kwilts
29. Crazy Eights
30. Vacation Watermelon Quilt
March 2018
1. Piece, quilt, bind and label at least one "Quilts for Kids" quilt. Attend the QFK workshop at Pennington Quilt Works.
2. Bonnie Hunter's 2017 Mystery Quilt : On Ringo Lake and Bonnie Hunter's 2016 Mystery Quilt:
En Provence 3. A wedding quilt for a very special friend 4. A wedding quilt for a very special daughter :)
5. Folk Stitches
6. The Children's Library - a mystery quilt by Pat Sloan
7. The Blazing Star - the Craftsy 2017 Block of the Month
8. Julie Herman's Toes in the Sand quilt
9. Just Takes 2
10. Dancing Stars
11. The Patchwork Quilt Along by The Fat Quarter Shop
12. A few blocks from Amy Gibson's The Quilt Block Cookbook
13. The 182 Day Solstice Challenge by Pat Sloan
14. Basketweave from Quilted Living
15. The not so True History of America Block of the Month by Texas Quiltworks
1 Can (14.5 oz) Chicken Broth with Roasted Vegetables
1 1/2 C Half-and-Half
1 T Balsamic Vinegar
Oyster Crackers (optional)
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl combine tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, thyme and pepper. Spread onto a large rimmed baking sheet and roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring once.
2. Spoon tomato mixture and any accumulated liquid into a large soup pot. Add chicken broth and 1 Cup water. Bring to a simmer; cook 10 minutes. Transfer in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. (or use an immersion blender)
3. Return to pot and stir in half-and-half and balsamic vinegar. Cook 3 minutes until heated through. Do not boil. Serve with oyster crackers, if desired.
(Makes 4 servings)
The Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich
(from Taste of Home Magazine)
3 oz Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 C Mayonnaise
1 C Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 C Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1/8 t. Seasoned Salt
10 Slices Italian Bread, 1/2" thick
2 T Butter, softened
1. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Stir in the cheeses, garlic powder and seasoned salt. Spread 5 slices of bread with the cheese mixture, about 1/3 C on each. Top with remaining bread.
2. Butter the outside of sandwiches. In a skillet over medium heat, toast sandwiches for 4-5 minutes on each side or until bread in lightly browned and cheese is melted.
I made this pretty pink & white quilt in 2012. It was a Mystery Quilt for a Cause offered by Heather Spence Designs.
Black & White Table Runner
I don't really remember a lot about this table runner. I know it was self-designed and I completed it sometime in 2014. It's so funny to look back at this picture from before we redecorated our dining room. The furniture is the same but, thanks to a little Grandson Demolition, the wallpaper has been removed. The walls are now gray and white. It's almost as if they knew that wallpaper is so 1980's. HaHa! Both Jack of Hearts and the Black & White table runner are available for purchase in my Etsy shop QuiltyPleasuresNJ. I hope to have a Make-A-List Monday post soon. Shortly after that, I hope to have my February Awesome Adventures post.
The long, cold days of January forced a lot of indoor adventures this month - definitely not my favorite way to spend time with three very active little boys, but we made the most of our inside time.
The big boys love to play with hands-on activities as we secretly know they are developing their fine motor skills.
They also enjoyed a little BRODY TIME as they took in a movie on the couch.
Ryder is starting to find his creative side as he constructs some incredible structures from things that we would normally throw away.
Little Jace is getting bigger everyday.
He turned 11 months old in January.
He also decided that his crib makes a wonderful teething tool so Heather had to get creative with a little bit of fleece and a pair of scissors.
Ryder was named "Student of the Week" in his kindergarten class.
He got to enjoy all the perks that come with the title. :)
Our sweet Logan started a new preschool this month. He really makes friends quickly and LOVES his new school.
Happy-Go-Lucky Jace
On an exceptionally wet and warm day in January, Logan took a walk of our neighborhood, inspecting all the puddles.
Whoa, that's a BIG one Mr. Puddle Inspector!
The boys discovered an abandoned wasp nest in one of our bushes and curiosity got the best of them.
They begged Grandad to take it down so they could explore the inside.
All this took place during half time of a rowdy game of Broom Ball.
The boys love spending time with their daddy, Kyle.
They had a Boy's Night-Out as they took in a
Princeton University vs. Cornell basketball game.
GO TIGERS!!!
(Even though their Uncle JT is a PENN alum)
We celebrated GiGi's birthday in January.
We had a sleepover and I was served breakfast-in-bed by my little Logan.
Jace was very helpful with my laundry.
All that laundry duty made for a very tired baby.
Jace decided to take his nap during one of our snuggles.
These times are few and far between when they are almost one so I soak up every chance to snuggle this sweet baby.
Ryder was busy working on an activity while his two younger brothers napped.
A sure sign that a sleepover happened at Mimi and Grandad's house.
Jace tries so hard to keep up with his big brothers...
but he still loves some peaceful one-on-one time now and again.
Logan loves dress-up.
ELMO in the house!
Jace enjoying a little ELMO love...
If You're Happy and You know It
Logan, Jace & I attended a morning library time.
Lots of LOVE for Jace :)
With the long, cold days of January lingering on, we continued to find fun things to do indoors...
The month of January ended with a stomach virus running rampant through the house.
Little Jace was happy finding any soft place to crash as he wondered why these horrible things were happening to his little body.
The only family member not effected was Logan - not sure how he escaped but I'm glad he did.
Hopefully the stomach virus is behind us and we will all be healthy and happy in the month of February.
