Off to Asilomar-hope to use my laptop for stories from the road-thankful for my many blessings....

Above is my garden last summer. Lush and beautiful and peaceful.
Below is my garden today as I prepare to go to Asilomar to teach for two weeks.
Emptyspooslseminars.com
I know it won't be really warm there (in the 50's) but gee, there won't be any snow and they will have some flowers coming up too. :0) I hope to come home to my tulips coming out as they are up and shivering. Haha.
I hope you have a lovely two weeks and count your many blessings for the gifts that you have...a warm bed, food in the cupboard, people that love you, quilting friends,a roof over your head. Take time to think about all of the nice things we all take forgranted each day. We are so very lucky in so many ways and don't even know it.

I am almost packed and off on my plane to California. I will be taking lots of pictures and will have lots of new things to tell you when I get home. It will be fun to hear the stories of the people (50) who take these classes.

Anything Wonderful Can Inspire you- all you have to do is LOOK

I am always interested in people who do things interesting, art worthy and original. My cousin sent me these as she knew I would LOVE them. Can you imagine anything done in any medium with this as an example? Wonderful!

See this website for more outstanding art examples...this guy is fabulous.

Comments please, please, please.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.apple.com/ca/pro/profiles/tcherevkoff/images/image1_page1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.apple.com/ca/pro/profiles/tcherevkoff/index.html&h=269&w=286&sz=19&hl=en&start=6&sig2=PDse8RqdQO8JJvzJRqfWRA&tbnid=jcwlxogxQuNj2M:&tbnh=108&tbnw=115&ei=s7DpR6r4J43WpgS9y_yNCg&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwhimsical%2Bshoes%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26ie%3DUTF-8

Speaking of ICONIC -please comment-1 AND 1/2 BILLION SOLD FOR EASTER

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY Don't put all of your eggs in one basket Walk softly and carry a big carrotEveryone needs a friend who is all earsThere's no such thing as too much candy All work and no play can make you a basket case A cute little tail attracts a lot of attentionEveryone is entitled to a bad hare daySome body parts should be floppyKeep your paws off other people's jellybeans Good things come in small sugarcoated packages The grass is always greener in someone else's basketAn Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hareTo show your true colors you have to come out of your shell
(THANK YOU kATHY FOR SHARING THIS)


MMMMMMM, PEEPS SMORES......

Prayer Quilt is Sold- It has a Lovely Message for All Of Us This Weekend

"click on image to see this photo closer up)
"IF THE ONLY PRAYER YOU SAY IN LIFE IS "THANK YOU" THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH."
I have started to sell some of my quilts and this quilt is on it's way to California. I think it has a nice message for this weekend. Saying "thank you" for our many blessings is often missed.
You have the blessing of shelter, hot water, clean clothes in a closet and drawers, things in your cupboards or refrigerators, soap for clean hands and body, blankets, lovely friends, shoes, a warm coat and gloves, a grocery store filled with wonderful things to eat and enjoy, eyesite, hands to sew and hundreds of other things. If you haven't thought about saying "thank you" this is a great time to think of the many blessings right there.
Hope you are enjoying yourself this weekend with friends or family or even your favorite pet.
I am thankful for YOU. Thank you for stopping by my blog today.

Truth Be Told About Hot Cross Buns for Good Friday

For the Hot Cross Buns, I like candied fruit better than currants. It's up to you.

Family Traditions Live On...

When I was quite small my Grandmother who was from British Columbia made Hot Cross Buns on Holy week so we could have them for Good Friday. They were delicious. Now I am taking over that tradition so my family (Husband Mark, Kids, Grandkids) can enjoy delicious bread with great spices and fruit here and there in them as a traditional treat with either delicious hot tea or hot cocoa if you are a child. Maybe you would like to try these. They aren't hard and they are wonderful.

HOT CROSS BUNS FOR GOOD FRIDAY.
1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 (1/4 ounce) packages), 1/3 cup butter (MELT THIS) , plus as needed 1 large egg yolk

1 1/2 teaspoons REAL vanilla extract

3 cups all-purpose flour (13 ounces)

3/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 cup currants, plumped in the microwave and cooled

1/2 cup walnuts chopped fine
1 egg beaten, for brushing
For the icing/glaze: 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons milk 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
Combine the water and milk in a medium saucepan and warm over low heat until about 100 degrees F (but no more than 110 degrees). Remove from heat and sprinkle the yeast and a pinch of sugar and flour over the surface of the liquid. Set aside without stirring, until foamy and rising up the sides of the pan, about 30 minutes. Whisk the butter, egg yolk and vanilla into the yeast mixture. Whisk the flour, the remaining sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour and stir in the yeast mixture with a wooden spoon to make a thick, shaggy, and slightly sticky dough. Stir in currants and walnuts. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until soft and elastic, about 8 minutes. Shape into a ball. Brush the inside of a large bowl with butter. Put dough in bowl, turning to coat lightly with butter. Cover with towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 hour 30 minutes.

To shape the rolls: Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Turn the dough out of the bowl and pat into a rectangle about 16 by 8 inches. Divide the dough into 12 equal portions, about 2 ounces each, with a pizza wheel or bench scraper. (If you don't have a scale, divide the dough in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise. Cut each of those four sections into 3 equal-sized rolls.) Tuck the edges of the dough under to make round rolls and place them seam-side down in the prepared pan, leaving a little space in between each roll. Cover the pan with buttered plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until the rolls rise almost to the rim of the pan and have more than doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Remove the towel or plastic wrap and brush the tops of the buns with beaten egg. Bake rolls until golden brown and puffy, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of the rolls registers 190 degrees F, about 25 minutes. For the glaze: Stir together confectioners' sugar, milk, lemon zest and vanilla until smooth. Transfer icing to a zip bag or pastry bag, and make a small cut in the corner of the bag. Ice buns in a thick cross shape over the top of the warm buns.

Smiles for today, thanks to Mary Parks From Charlotte

I knew someone once that had a dog that looked just like this. He became deaf and blind and she had a short group of carpeted stairs by her studio. He used to fall off the edge and roll down the 5 or 6 stairs. She felt so bad that she would take him to McDonalds for french fries. I told her I thought he was tossing himself off on purpose. Haha.

The above photo looks just like one of my quilting friends...I am not kidding.

Raining at My House still....tulips and worms are happy

This quilt was made by a lady from Illinois. I taught at Salt Creek quilt guild and do not know her name. i would love to put this in a book if I can contact her. Do you know her?

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Many of you wrote and asked where I found the cherry boots featured in the next blog down. Here are four places for cherry boots!

http://www.amazon.com/Womens-Black-Cherry-Rubber-Boots/dp/B000FIBBXW

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http://www.target.com/Cherry-Print-Rain-Boots-Red-Blue/dp/B000HGL78G

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http://www.overstock.com/Clothing/On-Your-Feet-Satra-Womens-Cherry-Print-Rain-Boots/2488647/product.html?cid=123620&fp=F&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=10710969-000-001

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http://www.whatapair.com/wp~aspx~iid_MR-CHERRY~dim1_RUB~dim2_Black~pw~itemDetail.htm?utm_id=11

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and finally this, which is darned cute too!

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/thing?id=23810

Living on the dry side of Washington State-INTO EACH LIFE A LITTLE RAIN MUST FALL-DRIPDRIPDRIP

If you have to be wet you might as well be happy and stylish!

What could be better than cherry boots? Maybe a cherry hat and coat!

The road are wet

The sidewalks are wet!

Kids are getting wet

Couples are getting wet, and I am cold and tired of this liquid weather....
I live where the weather is supposed to be dry and arid. I always have Spring fever this time of year as I get to travel to places where the sun lives and where gardening starts early and the blossoms are out months before they are here. My husband went golfing today and it started out sunny for about an hour and has been overcast and raining since. It's a bummer. Chilly, cold, damp....I went to put my vehetable peeliongs in the compost out in the backyard and I sunk into the mud in the garden...yuck.

The upside is my garden. I am sure it will be lovely this summer. Soon we should have delecious rhubarb, asparagus and those delcious California strawberries to enjoy. Spring does have lovely perks...my tulips are up and looking healthy so soon there will be that color along with my crocus's. I cannot wait to get into the dirt for fun. The air smells fresh, the air is cleaner, the colors of the plants is prettier, it is a good excuse to put something great into the oven,

candles smell better, and a nice blanket is cozy if you are watching TV ir sharing hugs with Grandkids. :-) Hey Apple Crisp sounds pretty darn good....Does anyone else feel this way? I can smell it now....

FUN with PEEPS

Easter Hat of Peeps...silly but fun!


Can you believe these hats are made with Peeps? I bought three packages this week just for the colors! I wonder how tiaras done in Peeps would look?

FIRST RATE AND FIRST PLACE STORY QUILT

One of the biggest perks to teaching is the lifetime friends that one makes. years ago, Lois Podonly came to take a StoryQuilt class from me and she has ended up being a master story teller and creative quiltmaker. Now Lois has taken classes from nearly everyone and she does fabulous quilts in all styles and types but it is her Story Quilts that make her who she is as a quilter (in my opinion). This quilt took first place at the Tucson quilt show. It is about her husband Gary who is very fun, a Doctor and an avid bike rider and skier. When he used to date her he brought her pickled and he loves chocolate covered peanut m &m's. This quilt is full of color, happiness, creativity, story telling and loads of exciting and fun embellishments. If you click on the photo you can see these things up close. Lois can put together hoochy mama blocks like nobody's business. It is so much fun to see a quilt like this. I should also mention that Lois has a large beautiful house with wonderful artwork and her many Story quilts and other quilts she has collected pepper the walls along with the paintings, wood work, clay and other wonderful items she has. I hope you enjoy this. I thought it was a great quilt to share.

LAUGHING MAKES YOUR CELLS HAPPY

Some Benefits of Laughter
Improves Blood Circulation
Increases oxygen level in the body
Releases Endorphin (Feel good hormones) which are natural pain killers from brain cells.
Boosts normal immunity
Helps Controlling Asthma Bronchitis, High BP, Spondylitis and Tension.
Gives relief from spondylitis, insomnia, tension and depression.
Enhances Aesthetic value of Face.
Increases stamina and self confidence and makes one mentally balanced person.
In an easiest form of meditation since while laughing you do not think any other thing.

Researches over the world have approved that laughter is much easier form of stress busting.
Benefits of laughter have been mentioned in the next of Ancient India and many other civilization in the world.
It has been proved that laughter has a positive impact of various systems of human body

TN Quilts and Story Quilts and COLOR and FUN

Above is Linda's gypsy. She has a ways to go but is this wonderful or what? Linda works at TN quilts and knows more about color and fabric than most anyone. It is fun to see her work.

Here is Linda cutting for her blocks.

Linda is working on her borders and background for her gypsy.

The quilt above is Kristi's. She is doing a story of Daniel out of the Bible. The colors were lovely and sophisticated. She is really good with color and design...and drawing too.

Below is Kristi working hard on her project.

The workshop area at TN quilts is nice and open and good light and a great place to create.

Above is Sue and her daughter Beth. They were great fun, knew how to do any kind of jewelry, stained glass, woodwork, knitting, sewing, metal arts...pretty much anything you can name, they know how to do it. Amazing.


This is Sue's story quilt for her husband's birthday. By the end of class she had a pieced quilt behind the legs and stuffed toes on the feet. It is a story of her husband coming home and getting ready to get into bed but the floor was covered with pins because Sue sews in the bedroom. He stepped on a pin and hopped around until he got another one in his other foot. Who can't relate to this problem if you sew? Men's feet are like pin magnets. Isn't this great! Hope I can use the finished quilt in the book I am working on. :0)

Beth, Sue's daughter brought a photograph of her children with Super Hero outfits on that they made. The photo was darling and the quilt is going to look just like it! This will be a great lecgacy quilt for the kids when they get older and now, can you imagine how fun this will be for them?

This is Deb's quilt that she did for a gift for her husband who loves to camp out, use his chainsaw and loves his dogs. Great fun! Her border was wonderful too!

Here is the people who stayed until the very end and enjoyed every last minute of time together.


Here is Sue hard at work on her borders for her Story quilt.

This is Sandra with a large pile of border blocks for her Christmas quilt. She recalls when she first got married buying her husband a $1000. guitar that is worth alot more now. her picture is awesome and hopefully you will see this wonderful quilt when it is published.


Here are girls hard at work on their blocks. This is a lovely place to be able to sew and laugh.

I thought I would share a few photos of fabric I took. TennesseeQuilts.com sells everyone online that they carry. ALL 8000 bolts. Can you imagine loading all of this on a website?

They also sponsor a quilt conference called Quilt Fest that is tons of fun. I got to teach there and had a ball! Jonesborough is a wonderful old city with lots of history. Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket were both from that area. It is beautiful there.







If you look closely above you can spot a few fabrics I designed. They carry a nice array of my Grandmother's house line. This store is great fun for anyone who loves sewing and fabric.