Birthday

My beautiful daughter and very dear friend turned a year older this last week. I have decided not to reveal her age as I think that is a personal thing and lets face it. This is a time to be discreet, don't you think? She is a woman of many talents, a collector of vintage aprons, Christmas ornaments, china, vintage linens and more. So, when thinking of a wonderful gift, one thing came to mind at once. Why not another apron? I found this Kwik-Sew pattern and knew right away I would make this for her. I have to say it was easy to make with really good directions. I think she loves it, I know I do

Now my story is far from over. This pattern also included a pattern for a child apron. Bingo! Kelly has a sweet little granddaughter known as LucyLu. I have spoken of her before. She is the whiz at opening packages. She will sit in her high-chair in Nana's kitchen for a very long time supervising the construction of yummy cup cakes. So an apron of her own seemed a very good choice. They were so cute together! If you want to see the real deal, just click on the cute cup cake in the left hand column and find yourself in in Undeniably Domestic. You will not be sorry you looked. I hope to hear from you soon, Nadine

I Think You Will Like This

If you have not seen this book it is time you check it out. As you can see at the bottom this is published by the wonderful French publisher "Quilt Mania." For me this was a Christmas gift from my dear friend Kathleen J. I am so blessed with friends like her. This book is written both in French and English. There are thirty two featured red and green quilts and five of them are profiled with templates and and instructions. With little time to sew these days, I am so glad for books like this one. I hope you go to the Quilt mania web sight to view this in all it's glory. You can turn the pages and see many of the wonderful quilts. Come back and tell me what you think.

Aunty Green January 2012

I know it has been a long time but hope you like what you see so far. Don't forget I have to draft the patterns myself as we only received one corner of the medallion, the lower right. It is not easy for me to draw so I have to agonize for sometime before I get it right. In any case I was able to work things out and so here it is. I love working on this but have little time during the day and am often too tired in the evening.
I continue to rely on my fabrics for inspiration in this special class. I hope you have seen the original quilt. Full of flowers in every shape and size. I hope to have more time to work on this project as winter sets in here in the Ozarks. There is a little snow in the forecast tonight and perhaps that will mean time to stitch after therapy, laundry, cooking, well enough to give you an idea.

I do notice that a great many of you are also quilters. How about an online quilt show. I would so love to see what you are doing. There is something about a quilter, don't you think? I do appreciate all of your kindness and concern for my family and hope you continue to drop by. I will be watching for you.

Sometimes there is Joy

As many of you already know this last year and a half has been difficult for our family. Having said that there have been moments of real joy. A daughter and son-in-law who have stepped up and stepped forward to help in every way possible. Joy! A son who when he was convinced his dad was not going to die stepped up to care for the hero in his life. Joy! A grandchild by family who rarely gives a hug who always hugs her papa coming and going. Joy! Grand daughters by marriage who visit by choice and have conversations with papa that make him laugh. Joy! And then there is LuLu at the top of this story. It would take all day to tell you about LuLu so I will share a few highlights. She is a precious, smart little girl. She is the fifteen month old who walked down the hallway of the skilled nursing facility calling "papa, papa, where are you papa?" Upon entering the room she would head for the electronics which in this case meant the panel of buttons that operated the hospital bed! She is the little girl, who, when she sees you will run across the room and throw herself into your arms. Often she will tell you how happy she is to see you, her words not mine. Did I mention she is only two? There is also a rumor that she sings gospel. Oh Joy! As it turns out she is also a world class Christmas package opener as the photo above attests. I think the Hello Kitty on that gift bag really had a ride!! Such Joy. I am so grateful for my family. Even in the midst of chaos one still needs the Joy. Thank you for mine.

Remember Him?

You have seen this guy before. This is my youngest child, Daniel when in trouble, Dan when he is acting like a grown up and Danny when the sweetness of his nature comes to the surface. He is an adult with developmental disabilities and always struggling to be seen as an sdult with his act together. I have always worried about Dan and what would become of him as he grew older. I am the most fortunate of mom's as both my children have grown up to be good caring adults who often put others ahead of themselves. Danny will call to let me know there is an Amber alert for a lost child and continue to update me until the problem is resolved. When he was a little guy he began to look forward to the day when he would have a car of his own. Since I am always looking ahead I worried what might happen when the magical age of sixteen came around and he did not get that car he was dreaming about. That day came and went and he simply continued to speak of someday.......

His dad had several strokes over the last year and a half and it was quite awhile before Danny stopped asking me if his dad was going to die. Like his older sister he began to be one of the care givers in the family. He fetches for dad, wheels him in to dinner or to the bathroom, watches over him outside and endlessly uses dad's laptop to search out the web sight of his high school or any new news of his beloved "Dukes of Hazard"
I have not had as much time as I would have to attend to Danny's needs over the last year and counting, much to my sorrow. I often feel guilty about that. His sister and "brother" have been amazing. I don't know what I would have done without them. However, it seems that without even trying I have hit a home run with the boy in my dreams. The shoes above look a lot like the ones we bought for Dad to use during the months of therapy and beyond.

A friend of Dan's at the apartment complex shared with us a sweet little thing he had observed about Danny since the new shoes arrived. Danny does not walk on the grass because he doesn't want to get his new shoes dirty. Oh that makes me smile! Those of you in my situation will understand how I felt. As Danny grew up and older I remember hoping, perhaps praying that I could always see that little boy inside the man struggling to be a grown up. The little guy who could always make me smile. It has been a long year Danny but you did it.

Sometimes I cook

I do cook although these days I am not sure just why. I suspect that with so much going on in our lives it has had a real impact on my concentration and therefore on my success in the kitchen. My pot roast is not as tender as I remember. These days everything also seems a little off. But a girl has to eat. So when I received a really pretty red pie pan with a ruffled edge from two of my favorite nephews, I knew I had to try again. There was a recipe inside!



This recipe has quickly become a favorite around here so I am going to share. I think this is a first for me as I usually write about quilting with family and friends scattered in as well. However this is an easy and tasty dish and I have decided you need to try this for a quick, popular dish.

Easy Taco Pie

Ingredients:

One can of crescent rolls.
One pound lean ground beef.
One eight ounce container of sour cream.
One eight ounce package of finely shredded mild cheddar cheese.
One package taco seasoning (dry).
1/2 pkg water. Use taco seasoning package.
1/2 bag crushed tortilla chips. ( I used really thin chips)

Spray a pie plate with cooking spray.Line the pie plate with the crescent Rolls, making sure to overlap. Fill any gaps and bring up to the edge.sprinkle with half of the tortilla chips. Brown and drain beef. Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer for ten minutes. Top crescent rolls with the meat mixture. Top with sour cream, shredded cheese and remaining tortilla chips. bake in a 350* oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with extra sour cream, salsa, or salsa con queso or other toppings of your choice. It has a casual look and tasted really good.

Thanks for dropping by. I promise to get back to regular quilt related posts very soon. I will post progress on Aunty Green in a day or so.