Coffee...a yummy necessity

  

This morning Rick has gone golfing and I am puttering about the house, just planning what I want and what I need to do today. After checking on the peaches I bought yesterday, not quite ready for eating yet, I spied my espresso maker and decided I'd like to have a tall frozen mocha cappuccino!



The idea reminded me that I hadn't posted any pictures of my "mug rugs" that I have recently made. I joined a mug rug swap over on Flickr and my partner is getting two of these, but this first one is going to be mine. A couple of reasons why I'm keeping this one...first of all, I love it! Secondly, it's a tad larger than the maximum 8 x 10 inches that is stipulated in the rules of the swap. So..."Give me a coffee and no one gets hurt" will stay here with me!


This ultra-bright mug rug will be going to my partner.  She wrote that she liked orange, lime green and tan, so I came up with this.  The flowers have some 'raw edge applique', that is what makes them look all fuzzy and ruffly.  It's awfully bright, but I hope she likes it.








This last one is also going to my partner.  I bought a half-hexagon template and this is an idea I have for a quilt I plan to make in the not-too-distant future.  It's peach and turquoise and white-on-white fabrics.  I think she will like this one, even if it's not too "exciting

Now, I think I'm off to get "dolled up" for my day!

Starring Treva

See this cutie to the left?
It's Treva!  A pint-sized tornado!

This is a granny-square quilt I made for Treva.  She's the youngest of 6 grandchildren and somehow I got waaay behind in making quilts for the two youngest!  However, I got this done and given to my cutie.  I think the old adage is true...better late than never!







The backing is minkie...I love it for baby quilts as it gives such a cozy and silky cuddle.

A little close up photo of the label.





I sure hope this quilt reminds Treva how much Mimi loves her long after Mimi is gone.

Starring Vivian

This little girl?  Her name is Vivian, but her mom and

siblings (for some reason...) call her "Bad to the Bone"!!

She's one energetic 2 year old and she sure gives all

a run for our money!

I'm very late in making Vivian's quilt, but I

finally completed it and gave it to her yesterday.

She surprised me with her enthusiasm for it and

that made me feel just wonderful!

 This picture is a close up of the label.  It should be turned to the left...sorry, but I can't figure out how to do that right now.

I sure hope this quilt reminds Vivian how much Mimi loves her long after Mimi is gone.

Did someone say "cook" to me????

If you know me, you know I'm not much of a cook anymore.  When the kids were little, I made everything from scratch, but not anymore.

There have been some interesting things that happen while I'm in the kitchen -- or maybe I've stepped away from the kitchen when these "umm...events"  have occurred.  Remind me sometime and I'll post one or two...I don't want to tell all of them!!  :)

I have an easy recipe for "The Easiest Beef Tips Ever" that my uber-picky hubby enjoyed.  It takes a long while to bake (4 hours), but it's great cause you can stick it in your oven (or if you wish, your crock pot) and have your main part of the meal complete without any fuss.  Here's the recipe in the event you'd like to try it:

Easiest Beef Tips Ever

Preheat oven to 275F

Bake for 4 hours

2 lbs beef stew meat
2 cans french onion soup
2 cans cream of mushroom soup

In an ovenproof casserole dish sprayed with Pam, add all ingredients and stir. Salt and pepper well. Bake uncovered for 4 hours.  (Note…I didn’t use salt due to the amount of sodium in the canned soups.)

Serve over rice or noodles.  It's delicious!

Back from vacation...

These two lovebirds are standing aboard the Star Princess ship in front of the Sawyer Glacier in the great state of Alaska.  We had a fabulous trip and as a little bonus, we escaped the 100 degree temperatures at home!!  Woo hoo!  More details to come.

Look what came in the mail for me today!

I took part in a "July 4th Mug Rug Swap" on Flickr. My swap partner was Lisa, from Alabama and she does some pretty fantastic work. She tells me she's new at this, that this was her first applique and that she has never done free motion quilting before! Well, she surely has some talent, that's for sure.  Thanks SO much, Lisa!

To the left and to the right are the mug rugs that Lisa received from me.  They look a little "wonky" in the photos, but they aren't.  the one on the left was just an exercise in creativity.  The one on the right is made with the "convergence" design by Ricky Tims.  I made another quilt a while back with his guidance and I do love the way things turn out.  A lot depends on fabric choices, that's for sure.  I do hope Lisa likes what she received from me, too.  (She DID write to me and express her appreciation.)

We did it!

This morning, Akron Walks for Autism had an event.  My daughter Jennifer and I walked in support of the organization.  This photo was taken just after we registered, before the walk.  We had our McDonald's coffee in hand, still relaxing before our 1 mile.  We were going to do the 5K, but Jennifer has poison ivy and isn't feeling tip top.  Anyway, we walked, we enjoyed and we supported!