Thursday, December 8, 2011

Chocolate cake...in 5 minutes

The boys' were in the shop working...
My granddaughter was showing me how to make this monkey...
We both made a family of monkeys!
After lunch everyone made their own Chocolate Cake.

 Here's the recipe....thanks goes to my cousin!
(I sprayed the mugs before using)
 There was not much virtue around the table....
they all were able to eat the whole mug of cake...
even after a big lunch.... 
hubby was able to down his and half of mine!
Enjoy....




Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Christmas Gift to Make. . .

My basket of little gifts is ready. 
Every year I like to have a little something to give to my friends who visit or drop by during the Christmas Season. 
This year I made Christmas Coasters.
This is an easy little gift to make. 
If you're interested in making some keep reading and I will attempt to guide you through the process.
Gather the material you wish to use. You will need 3 co-ordinating fabrics.
Cut your fabric in 4 1/2" squares.
For 1 coaster you will need :
1 square for the base (call this the base fabric)
2 squares of your 2nd fabric
2 squares of your 3rd fabric
I made 12 sets of 4 coasters...here is my fabric after the squares had been cut.
Press your base square flat
Press the other 4 squares in half with the right side out.
Here I have my 4 coasters.
Green is the base.
The stripes and circles have been pressed in half.
Now the hardest part... lay the 2nd fabric that has been pressed in half along one edge of the base. 
Make sure the raw edges are all together!
Then take the 3rd fabric and lay it on top of the base and 2nd fabric, on the next edge of the base.
(Make sure raw edges are matching...believe me..it's easy to forget that!)
Then take fabric 2 and place on the 3rd edge of the base...note you have circles, stripes, circles.
Then you take your last pressed piece, lay it on the last edge of the base...you have to lift the edge of the first piece you laid, to put the right halve of this strip under it.
So then you have your coaster looking like the picture below.
You will have 4 squares showing -if you have laid your pieces correctly.
Lightly pin pieces together.
Below I have all 4 coasters pinned and ready to sew.
Sew a 1/4" seam.
When you come to the corner you want to do one angle stitch to make your corners 'square' when you turn it right side out.
 So you pivot...
Stitch one stitch and pivot again...then continue stitching down the next side
This is what the corners should look like.
Once you have all 4 sides sewed -  trim the corners as close to stitching as possible.
Turn the coaster right side out.
Poke out the corners
Press and you have your coaster finished!!
Hopefully you can make your own Christmas or whatever coasters!

 I am going to give away a set of these coasters.
If you would like to enter the draw all you have to do is: 

1.  Be a follower of my blog
2. Comment that you want to be in the Giveaway
3. Mention this giveaway in your blog (if you have one) with a link to my blog

I will make the draw on Saturday Dec. 10th, and have them in the mail the following Monday so hopefully you will get them in time for Christmas.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Funny Christmas Thoughts

 (anonymous)

How do you know that Santa has to be a man?
No woman is going to wear the same outfit year after year.

Who is never hungry at Christmas?
The turkey, he is always stuffed.

What did the big candle say to the little candle?
I'm going out tonight.

Friday, December 2, 2011

Home...and Christmas is on it's way....

It always takes awhile for me to settle in when I get home... The list of things to do seems to go on and on the first couple days!


AND....Christmas is coming so the first thing on my list after the laundry and cleaning 
is pulling out the Christmas decorations....

The Snowmen
Fun Things
The Dishes
Apron's for Christmas cooking...
I love the gingerbread buttons...which reminds me I have to get my Christmas baking done!

Aprons for serving...
Antique decorations..
Amidst all the busyness and 'stuff' at this time of year...
don't over look the true meaning of Christmas!



"Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, 
a wide open heart that thinks of others first. 
The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, 
because it has meant the pouring into a sick world the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... 
Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart."
-- George Matthew Adams (The Christmas Heart)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Last Stop...

Our last stop before entering Canada...
Since we had been driving for a day and a half...we only shared a cinnamon bun...
They are awfully good!!



Sunday, November 27, 2011

First Day on the Road . . .

It did cross our minds that the roads could be a bit busy...
because of Thanksgiving Weekend...
and it was busy...
Everyone one and the dogs were on the roads today!!
 They were even filling up at the pumps!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

A bit of This and That

Stone Cabin...on the road to Yuma. (You can get a date shake here...or one of the biggest hamburgers I have ever seen!)
One of the many canals we bike and walk around almost every day....
One thing I do not like to do....
But endured for two and a half hours...I think I hit the air as many times as I hit the ball...
On this note...

We are about to head home to be with all our children and grandchildren for the holidays.... 
It's a bitter sweet time...

Bitter to leave this wonderful weather and lifestyle!

but sweet to be with those who mean the most to us...



National Puppy Day

Miss Pepper…..she changed our life… But life wouldn’t be as full without her! She is a kind sweet puppy that always ‘try’s😳’ to please.