A Few of my Favorites Things

Every Saturday morning, I usually get up very early and read, make my grocery list and just get started on my day. It makes my weekend last longer. This morning, I am feeling very thankful for who I am and all the blessings God has given me. Over the years I have grown, become a little wiser, seen my greatest hearts desire come true and continue each day to feel very blessed by his presence in my life. I really do enjoy the simple things and want to give you a quick peek of things that really make me smile!

 I have a thing for hot homemade bread pudding! The kind with a whole stick of butter in it. I have experiemented for about a year to get this just right!

 This is my favorite room in the my house. I love my kitchen! I put on some music, drag out my kitchenaid and get to work, baking and making all of the goodies I have in my mind for the weekend. Did you know that I collect old cookbooks? Love them! There are always such great recipes in an old church cookbook. Women only submitted the very best!

 I love my backyard when it snows! I love the white crisp look of a blanket of fresh snow coating everything in sight. This only lasts for just a bit, afterall I do live in Texas!

 I love it when I get a new Williams Sonoma pan, I just want to bake a cake everytime. This one is called Elvis Presley favorite pound cake. There is a gob of butter in this one. But very yummy!

 I also love my backyard in the spring, it is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time when we can really be outdoors, cook and eat outside before it gets too hot. After late June this is almost impossible due to the heat. The flowers start to look pretty bad about late July and that is when Im glad I planted lantana. It loves the heat and can grow in near desert conditions.

 I really love that my son in law came over from Ireland and made my daughter so happy! He is a musician and we love to have cookouts and listen to him sing and play! His parents are such great people and we cant wait for another visit. Allan's dad is a musician and even better than his son.

Oh, this is my favorite place in the world! Disneyworld is fantastic! Yep, I cant wait for another visit. I can just stand in the middle of main street and take it all in. Its the happiest place in the world.

 I love this little super guy! Logan has taught me that you can never and I do mean never turn your back on him for a second. My kitchen is his favorite room too! He has to drag out all of the pots and pans. Gets a spoon and pretends they are drums. I think he gets this from his Irish ancestors.

This is my favorite thing to just relax and spend the day with my best friend in the world. I never thought I would be a biker chic! Just goes to show you that we never know what life will bring us down the road!

Have a happy weekend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope you are having a great week. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day! I have many reasons to love this day. First of all, my youngest son was born on Feb 14th! He will be 18 years old tomorrow! I simply cannot believe that time has past so quickly. Phillip came into my life at 2 years old, he was found riding a trike late one night alone. Social services quickly came to the rescue and around 1 am, they called me to ask if we would take another foster child. He was quite the challenge, he couldnt talk..was starved.. and his parents were drug users. I will never forget how he looked when he arrived that night. Weighing about 17lbs, he looked like a refuge. Filthy and clothed only in a mens t-shirt, he was terrified and let us know it very loudly! After many months of working with him, he learned to talk, gained weight and became a normal little boy. 3 years later he was placed for adoption. There was no way he was going anywhere! He had such a hold on our hearts and we brought him home forever. He has been a wonderful child and it so very sweet and respectful! He has fears to this day, one of them that he might not make it to dinner on time, but everyday he improves and has grown into a wonderful young man. I cannot tell you how very proud of him that I am!

My second reason for loving Valentines day is that my daughter owns a florist and this is her busiest time of the year! Every mother wants her child to prosper and it is such a wonderful thing to know she does so well! I am also very glad I now have a full time job and cannot be there for the event. I used to go and help her out every year! It is just too stressful...LOL!!!

My third reason is that I have a wonderful husband! He took me out to dinner Saturday night and we enjoyed such a nice candlelit dinner, music and fun. Donnie is such a dear man and I am so lucky he came into my life. We are working on our 4th year of marriage and I couldnt be happier.

My 4th reason is that Downton Abbey is now on DVD!!!! If you havent seen this series run to your nearest Target and buy it!  My youngest daughter introduced me to this last year and what can I say we are seriously addicted! Right now it is on PBS on Sunday evenings, now into the second series it is a great Emmy award winning show. You will love it!!!!!


Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
Lorri

My First Dresden Plate!

This is my very first attempt at a Dresden plate and I am just loving it! I have been saving all of my scraps from previous projects with no idea what to do with them. After reading and admiring all of the beautiful plates that are being posted in blogland, I just decided to try it. The scraps I used were 2 1/2 inches and the finished projected is exactly 7 inches across .I know its not perfect, but just had to show you my first scrappy plate! Hope you have a great weekend and bundle up. We are in for some cold weather! Its supposed to be in the 30's here in Texas!...LOL..I know many of you experience those temps everyday. But we come from a place that shuts down schools with a snow flurry! You can just imagine how many wrecks we have with bad weather,no one knows how to drive in snow or ice! But this summer we will be melting with temps soaring into the triple digits!

Saturday Winner!

Hope you have had a great week! I have been very busy at work and happy to see the weekend here.

 Here are a couple of cute pictures of my little men. Logan is trying on his daddys irish cap.

 There is a story behind this photo. Logan rushed over to comfort baby brother when he was crying. He took his binky out of his mouth and put it in Jensens little mouth. Jensen stopped crying, started sucking on it, just about the time Logan realized he had just gave away his pacifer! He took it back and when the baby started to cry he patted him on the head and said "awwwww, awwwww" But he was not giving it away, no matter what. Some things are just not meant to be shared!

 Speaking of sharing, I am now at liberty to show you my new grandbaby on the way! We have no idea what it is yet, but could make out little arms and legs. Jennifer is so excited, this will be her first. She is hoping for a little girl and since this is the last shot so am I. With four grandsons we need a little girl to keep them in line around here. New baby will be due sometime in September. Unfortunantly, that is also the height of Jennifer's busy season at work, but we will figure it out. I always thought that June was the busiest Bride month. Seems that here in Texas September and October are the main choices.


And ........................NOW.....................................FOR ........................THE............................

                                                    WINNER!

Mr Random choice number 1! Sorry the photo so bad,I had to take it  with cell phone.
Congratulations to Mary at Neat and Tidy! You have won the Little Apple charm pack!
Please email me your address and I will ship it right out to you! Thanks to everyone who left a comment and followed my blog. I really loved reading all of the great ideas you left me.

There will be another giveaway soon!

Have a great weekend. Its raining here!

New Gadgets and a Giveaway!

 I spent the day Saturday at a quilt show in Jefferson, Texas. This was the very first show I have ever attended and the quilts were amazing! I am always in awe of the fabulous work that women can create. Each one was a work of art and very inspiring. My new grandaughter got a new sewing box, which we promptly used to make a new pillowcase!

  She was tickled about sewing her own case this weekend, but is still abit young to use my machine. I am currently searching EBay for a small one she can use.

 I picked up a few finds for myself from one of the vendors. The magic quilt wand, has a groove in the center and a perfect way to pencil your sewing lines when making half quarter triangles. I know it will help my finished project look better. I also got a tool called the Tucker Trimmer. This little item is amazing for a new quilter like myself. I was able to trim my completed blocks to a perfect 6 inches with just a few swipes of the rotary cutter. This tool comes with directions to use it when cutting out fabric to make perfect blocks. I haven't had time to try it out yet, but cant wait to use it next weekend.

  Many thanks for all of the wonderful tips and advise I have been getting from my blogger friends. I have a small giveaway this week. One charm pack of Little Apples by Moda. I am in love with all things Moda and just feel like the quality of the fabric is wonderful. All you have to do is become a follower of my blog and leave me a note telling me what you would make out of it. I will choose a winner next Saturday! Have a great week. I am heading back to the doctor tomorrow for my 3 month check up with my knee replacement. I am finally at the place where I can say that Im about 98% pain free and the flexion in my knee is so much better. I went back to work a few weeks ago and have not had very many problems. God is GOOD!!!

Sunday

Look for a giveaway later this week!

I've Learned Two New Things

I posted about starting a Farmer's Wife Quilt a few weeks ago and have completed a whopping 7 blocks! Through this experience I have determined 2 things. Number one, I hate working with itty bitty pieces of fabric. It makes me crazy and it's very frustrating to work with. Number two, I may not be cut out to be a Farmer's Wife. I love the patterns and I love the look of a sampler quilt. I just wish the blocks finished a bit larger! At this rate, the farm may be years in the making! In the meantime, Im going to cut out another quilt to work on today! Have a good Saturday.

Grandson is Here!

Jensen Nicholas Clark McEneaney has arrived from heaven. He weighs in at 7lbs 3 oz, has blonde hair, his mothers lips and daddys nose. He is a healthy little boy and looks just like his big brother! Congratulations to my beautiful daughter who did fantastic! My wonderful son in law who was right by her side. Pauline and Paddy in Ireland, we miss you! Wish you were here for this beautiful event.

Using some Stash!

I love working with charm packs! They are such a time saver for me and I love the fact I do not have to waste fabric. I finally decided to use some of my Ruby stash on this cute little baby quilt. A friend at work found out Friday she was having a little girl and I have been dying to make a sweet little quilt! I am using a pattern I found on Moda bakeshop, it was such a simple quilt to sew together and I love that!

This is the back of the quilt. The pattern I was using showed the flower on the front of the quilt, but I thought It would look better on the back. Ruby is such a great line of fabrics and have several more ideas in mind. I also started my Farmers Wife quilt Sunday and will be using some Ruby on it as well.

I planned to have this little jewel quilted Sunday afternoon, but I was so busy with other things I ran out of time. My new grandson will be making his arrival tomorrow, so not sure how much sewing time I will get in this weekend. His big brother will need looking after. School starts Monday and with 12 hours this semester, plus a full time job....my sewing time will be limited for a few months. Hoping to finish this and make some time for a few blocks each week to finish my Farmer quilt. I am also practicing free motion quilting on my new machine. Looks like I have a really busy year ahead!

What are you working on?

Farmer's Wife

As you can see we have several farmers in this family! Today, I recieved my copy of the Farmer's Wife quilt. I cant wait to get started on it. I have been following several blogs who are making this quilt and very inspired by the different color ways that have been chosen. I have alot of Ruby on hand, so think I will use that and then possibly a fall color scheme as well. I know this will be a year long project and plan to take my time. I also will be signing up for the Dear Jane BOM. This is at least a 2 year project, but such a work of art to create. Currently I am working on a really cute baby quilt for a co-worker, she is expecting a baby girl soon. Was so happy to make a girl quilt for a change. I have had a rash of boys lately! Have a great Sunday and enjoy the day!

Road Trip!

I am up early this morning ! My daughter and I are taking a little trip to Quitman,Texas today to visit Stitchen Heaven! I have been looking forward to this trip all week long. I didnt want to drive that far by myself, so daughter #1 said she would go with me. Cant wait to look at all the wonderful kits and BOM programs. And Moda!!! And any other little notion I can find that I need. I know I should stay home and practice on my free motion quilting, but this might be the only chance I have to travel for a while with a new baby on the way! Have a great Saturday, I have to put on my stitching boots!

Logans New Quilt!

I am a little behind on my New Year projects! My goal was to have this finished before today.

I got up early and started the binding this morning. I just love this little quilt. I made it with Moda Hometown fabric. The backing is the barbershop dots, I thought it needed the extra bit of color.

My applique is not the best since I am still in the learning process, but very happy with the results.

Hope you have had a great New Year day!