Sunbonnet Sue

With the snow last week and just generally feeling like I wanted to be working on a quilt, I decided to start one.  Occasionally I feel the need to sit in a chair and do a little applique work. So I pulled out the quilt scrap book that my Grandma started and gave to me and found the sunbonnet sue pattern that she had traced in it. I made a couple of copies and started pulling out my fabric scraps. There is just something very peaceful about creating a quilt with applique.

  What fun I have had this week!
Blessings ~ S

Happy St. Valentine's Day

Happy St. Valentine's Day! Do something special with your Sweetie today. It doesn't have to be extravagant or expensive. Whatever you do needs to be done with heart and thought.
  Have a wonderful Day!

Winter Wonderland

We have snow in the south! I love it. We had such fun playing in the snow yesterday. It's not often that we get the kind of snow that we had this year. It was soft and fluffy with big flakes falling at one point. Our back yard looked like a winter wonderland. It was beautiful and almost surreal.
 This morning there is still snow on the ground. Don't know if we will get out and play again today though. Seems like a good day for working on a quilt!
   Blessings ~ S

Play Dough

OK, well, I didn't get pictures of the process. However we did try the play dough that said most like the real stuff.(recipe below)  It was pretty good and really did remind you of the real stuff. Because of the vanilla, it even smelled better than the real stuff! Brodie said it was better because it was squishier than what they have at home.
   Alum doesn't cost that much if you buy the off brand. Not a product that I use a lot in this house. We split it into 4 pieces and colored one pink, one green, one purple, and one yellow.  I suggest you use a disposable glove to mix the color in or you'll have multi colored hands. :)
   You can use it just like the real stuff too. We have some old jello cut out forms that we've had for jigglers in the shape of letters and several  old cookie cutters that I no longer use for food prep. They used it to make all kinds of stuff and when they got tired of playing we put it in ziplock sandwich bags and stored it in the fridge.
    So my recommendation if you want pretty close without the cost try that recipe. The little ones here liked it.
 Have fun. Blessings ~ S

Just Like the Real Playdough (so they say)

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon powdered alum
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoons vanilla
food coloring

Mix all dry ingredients. Add oil and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until reaching the consistency of mashed potatoes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and food coloring. Divide into balls and work in color by kneading the playdough.

Baby Sitting?

We are baby sitting today. That sounds funny because the little fellow that we are keeping isn't a baby. He's 4 years old. But we are going to have fun today. We are making play dough and using cookie cutters and letter shapes to learn while we are having fun! We found a bunch of recipes for play dough on about.com
There are a couple of recipes that I think I might make. But first I have to run to the store because I don't keep 2 cups of baking soda in my home at one time. But since I have to make a library run today that shouldn't be a problem.
  I'll post pictures after the fun today.
 Blessings - S

My other blog

Check out my other blog.  The Quilted YaYa2
   Have a blessed Day - S

Brrrr! It's cold outside

    Brrrr! It's been cold here in the south. We aren't used to these cold temps around here.Now, I don't mind the cold as long as I don't have to go anywhere. But, our home seems to be hard to heat I  The biggest problem being is that our basement gets cold at night and since we don't have heat downstairs, it doesn't warm up during the day very much. Our basement is where my sewing room is (really a sewing corner) and the game area for the kids. It's not fancy or anything like that. I have a corner that is mine with my sewing machine set up and a table for cutting. We have a tv for the Wii and our deep freeze. I think we need to buy a space heater to put down there but with the fabric I am always afraid of fires. Maybe we will be able to find a safe one that isn't too expensive.
   Anyway, we recently found out that a dear friend who is expecting, is going to have a little girl. So I am wishing that it would warm up so that I can get started on her quilt. I am so excited for the parents! Hopefully, in the next couple of weeks the weather will warm up enough during the day that I will be able to get downstairs and work. If not, I may just have to brave the chilly temps down in my little sewing room. Maybe if I had one continuous hot flash it wouldn't be so bad! : ) Then the basement would feel quite good.
    In the mean time, I've been busy babysitting, cleaning houses and teaching my girls. Pride and Prejudice is such a wonderful book. It lends itself so well to a unit study. Especially for Bible, Literature and Grammar. Pre-algebra and Geometry are going well, but we struggle with biology. It's a wonderful subject and lots of fun but like most kids, mine like the hands on part the best. I have to admit, that it is my favorite part too. Soon the spring will be here though and we will be able to get back outside. Then we can study the bugs, and plants and other living things. I am also saving the dissecting for the spring so we can do that on the back deck. Preservatives just tend to smell yukky. : (
   When I do get started I will post pictures of the quilt and the biology.
  Blessings to all, S