Puzzle Time

Kristin, Paul & Grandma working on a puzzle.

~Susan

It's Snowing!

When my husband got home from work today, he went out in the back yard and shoveled the snow from Sissy's bathroom ! ;-)

~ Susan

Merry Christmas !

Merry Christmas from my family to yours !
~ Susan

Another Windy City!

It sounds like we have another Windy City ! The lights flicker once in awhile. But so far we have power.

I have made Bourban Balls, and the dough for the Cookie Dough Truffles are in the fridge. They need to cool so I can handle them better. And tomorrow I’ll roll them in melted chocolate. A messy job.

  ~ Susan

He Skyped Us !

;-)

... Michael ( our son) just Skyped us from his apartment on the border of Iowa & Nebraska.... He just moved out there this weekend. ... But with Skype it's not so bad... He said he got snow earler today.

   I haven't felt like starting on Christmas cookies YET. It got up to 63 here!  But I'll have to start soon.

   The show Royal Pains is on tonight. It's a special where Evan gets married.

   I better go...

~ Susan

  

A Prayer For All

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

May the rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May the Lord hold you in the palm of His hand

-Irish Blessing

Baking Cookies

   I have been busy baking cookies. Tonight it was Oatmeal & Raisin. Next will come Christmas cookies to freeze….  The Oatmeal & Raisin are for our son.  He has some traveling to do, so I thought I would bake cookies for him to take along. At least it’s healthier then stopping for junk food.

    Has anyone else started on their Christmas baking?  It would be great if you shared you ideas / recipes on here !

   I make bourbon balls every year. If anyone has a better recipe, please share it!  The recipe I use is kind of mediocre.

    I’m still crocheting, but my hands need a rest. A storm front must be coming. ( achy)   So I have been listening to books on PLAYAWAY… I love those little things! Check out PLAY AWAY ! Just Google it. Our library has them.

Good Night for now…

~ Susan

Let It Snow :-)

Today we had our first snow fall of the year of the year.

~ Susan

ICE CREAM !!!

... I had a " Free Ice Cream " coupon when my son & I were in the car going home. I said, let's stop at UDF and get some ice cream. He picked up a new flavor. It's new to me. It is delicous! It's called " Sea Salt Caramel "... So good. If you like that Sweet & Salty combination, you'll love it! It's made by Homemade Brand.

~ Susan

Until…

Until I get the antique wooden quilt rack I want, I’ll be displaying  my Winter Quilt  on the sofa. Unless of course it manages to get cold enough to use it.

~ Susan

Temperature & What we Do...

    ... How does the temperature effect what you do ?  Yesterday was so warm, I opened windows and let the BREEZE in. It's breezy today too, but not as warm.

   ... It was warm enough that I didn't feel like baking the cookies I need to bake for Christmas. ( to put in the freezer.)

  ...  I used the crock pot so I didn't have to use the oven and heat up the kitchen

  ... How does the Temperature effect you ?

~ Susan

Good Late Afternoon!

   I have been crocheting a scarf for Kristin. (m my son's girlfriend)... I put a button hole in it for a large button. I haven't done that before. It looks great!

   The quilt I have been working on is almost finished. I just have to finish tying it.

In this picture, it's on our king size bed.

Our baby girl keeping warm :-)

~ Susan

Been Busy...

It's CHILLY out there! 

I have been busy Christmas Shopping... Working on my quilt.... Cooking some nedw recipes. This time of year always brings new recipes to my inbox!!! Love it!

Today we ate at The Cincinnatian Hotel downtown. I took this picture there.

Isn't that pretty! They have decorations up or another erea. It looks like Christmas in the late 1800's. or early 1900's.  Beautiful!

Look at my Sissy keeping warm... Her favorite spot in the house...:-)

  And for a good El Cajon friend of ours... Look at our Thanksgiving turkey!!!

Paul's special helper...

~ Susan

Happy Thanksgiving...:-)

   We have our turkey in the oven as I type. Yes, we fix the turkey the night before Thanksgiving day. Tomorrow it's sliced and put in large glass pans and put in the oven for heating! You would think it would get dried out. But it's not. It's great! Everyone loves it this way.

   Is everyone going shopping on Black Friday ? I don't know if I am yet. I need to see what is out there in the ads first. Good Luck if do!

   I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

~ Susan

Babies!

   Do you ever wonder what a baby thinks when looking in the mirror?

I just love this one !!!

~ Susan

I loved It !!!

   I just finished listening to my book on C.D.  “ Until We Reach Home “ by Lynn Austin “…  It’s about 3 sisters from Sweden who journey to America together.  They each have their own story but they do intertwine. It is the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. Very sweet.

~ Susan

It’s Chilly Out There !!!

   Good Morning!

      I got a cute e-mail from my son this morning. It is so cute I just have to share it with you.

      “ The First Day Of Deer Hunting “

Check List Complete;

I scouted the area all summer . . . . .
I searched out the best location for my tree-stand . . . . .
I set it all up a month ahead of time . . . . .
I trailed the herd . . . . .
I picked out a trophy buck . . . . .
Two days before opening day I rechecked every aspect of the hunt . . . .
Everything was in place . . . . .
Sunday morning, I woke up at 2 am . . . . .
I put on my camo, loaded my pack, set out for my stand . . . . .
This was destined to be an epic hunt . . . . .
As I approached my deer stand . . . . .
. . . . . I changed my mind; decided to go to church instead.

   I have to get to the Grocery Store, Library & then get Laundry done. So I better get going.

~ Susan

Bond, James Bond !

    I got to sit in the car that Sean Connery drove in his Bond Movies !

Before I forget to mention it, this is at Cincinnati Music Hall. This car is on the stage. 7 million dollar car !

It’s an Astin Martin. Silver in color ! ( Just like my Ford)

When I got in the car, I could tell it was well used and on the vintage side. The leather had some wear on it. I should have gotten a picture of the inside. Look at the license plate. I think it’s sharp.

~ Susan

Good Morning !

 Good Morning To All !

      I'm halfway done with my Winter Elegance Quilt... But now I am stumped about what color to make the backing. I do know I want to make it soild or just 2 colors that also co ordinate with the top. ( the colors in it are Red, Black, Dark Green, White with tiny touches of Cream & Baby Blue)  I'd love to hear your ideas on this. :-)

                                                          

   The weather man says today & tomorrow should be close to 70 degrees! But Monday we get a Thunderstorm and then the cold weather moves in again. That means more cooking & baking without heating up the house!

                                                               
   Hubby & Son are out playing golf.  I know next to nothing about that game.  So I'll be home listening to a Book on C.D. while typing. The book I'm listening to is titled " Until We Reach Home " by Lynn Austin . I love the story. It's about 3 sisters who move from Sweden to America in 1890"s... So far they are on Ellis Island. ... while they are there, they seem to be learning more & more about each other.

   That's about it for now... Enjoy the weekend !

~ Susan

Quilting Away…

     … As evening wears on I realize something. “ Our phone hasn’t been ringing off of the hook! " … Nice & Quiet. I got to quilt without getting up every 15 minutes to answer the phone.

      No big plans for tomorrow. Just cleaning  my work area AKA The dining Room.

      The news show I watch will be on in a few minutes. So I better go.

~ Susan

I Could, But I Won't...

Hi!

   I could Rant & Rave about how terrible the election went. But I won't.  At least we won'r be getting political ads in ther mail, robo calls and mean political ads on T.V. :-)

   I caught Sissy checking my squares for the quilt I'm working on.

   She's my shadow :-)

Right now she is sleeping in my lap. Almost bedtime for me also. So I better get going.

~ Susan

Voting Tomorrow & Silent Auction

Good Evening!

   Tomorrow is Election Day! After tomorrow we won't be hearing about who to vote for every on single commercial break.  :-)

   Our son came home from work and said they are having a Silent Auction for charity.  He asked me I would make an afghan for the auction. I asked when it would need it. He said Wednesday.. Um yeah. My hook doesn't fly THAT fast. So I gave him my latest one. I can always make another one.

~ Susan

Not Yet You Turkey ;-) Recipe Question ...

I saw this and HAD to share it...

   As I sit here typing, I'm listening to Marlyn Harris on the radio talking about cooking for Thanksgiving.  I like to stick with one recipe I ALWAYS use every year and one new one.  It seems safe that way. ;-)

   What do you fix every year that everyone just loves ? Besides the turkey .  We always fix Oyster Dressing.

~ Susan

Salmon Corn Chowder

Looky what I made this evening ! Salmon Corn Chowder...  It was so good, I almost ate all of it before I remembered to get a picture of it.

~ Susan

Good Windy Evening To All!

...I hope everyone is staying out of Hurricane Sandy's way. We're in Ohio, but it's still windy out. I just hope our relatives in Virgina are safe & sound. And also our friends in Baltimore.

I'm looking for the next pattern to make another quilt. I'm looking at one called " Splash Of Color".

I'm going to go and watch Hannity tonight.

This is first photo ever taken of Cincinnati, Ohio in 1848...

And here it is today...

~ Susan

Got A Question!

Has anyone here tried the Deoborah Norville yarn EVERYDAY ? I love it! It's so soft!  I made an afghan out of it. The color is called Antique Lavender.

   Here is a picture of it laying on our Blue Lazy Boy chair.

I used my favorite stitch on it. " The double Puff " :-)

~ Susan

My Little Rant...

I have a small rant...

   I can't stand those nosey & condescending political phone calls. "I" know whom I'm voting for. It's none of the " Caller's " business. And as for the junk mail ads... UGH... By the time Nov. 6 is here, we would have enough Romney & Obama ads to wall paper the house. That is if I actually kept those ads. They go straight into the garabge can.   O.K.  I think that's enough. ;-)

~ Susan

Been Awhile...

I have been reading lately and forgot all about posting. I read " The Silent Governess "... loved it !!!

  Also, I watched a documentary that I liked. John Adams. I enjoyed it. But then again, I like history.

I tried to watch that debate last night. But Candy ( moderator ) really messed it up.

   Not too much write about it at the moment.

~ Susan

  

Usher Party

Good Evening!

   The usher party went fine today. More people then I thought came. :-)

  Here is a picture of the decorations in front of the house.

My sister put that togather.

Here is the Table Runner I made before it got covered up with food.

Have a good night!


~ Susan

Just Finished It!

I just got finished with the tablerunner & hot pads I made for my Mom's party which is tomorrow.

Here is a close up at the fabric I chose. ( no pattern to it, I just made it up once I knew what I wanted.)

And here it is in full length.

What do you think? Good enough for a party of Music Lovers?

~ Susan

Chocolate Lovers!

Look what my son bought for me while he was in San Francisco !!!

And yes, I did share it... I gave my Mom a candy dish full..:-) She loves it too.

   Michael also brought me Sourdough Bread from Fisherman's Wharf. This is what I did with it. I prepared Beer Cheese Dip!

~ Susan

Metamora Canal Days!!!

My sister & I went to Metamora for " Canal Days " ..:-) It was fun! Mom & Dad use to take us there when we were little. But I sure don't remember it being so big.

   Here is my favorite find!

The colors are perfect !!!  I love the Country Blue with Brown under it. We bought Pumpkins a dollar a piece and gourds were 8 for 1.00.

The game will be on soon! So I'll get drink and watch it!  Go Reds!!!  

~ Susan

Look What Blew In ..:-)

Good Morning!

   It sure got COOL fast! This is what blew in a few days ago. Then the temperatures went down.. :-)

 ... On the crafting front... I have to put the Black Binding on my quilt. Thrn do some stitching to keep the batting from moving.

... I'm also making a table runner for a party. Here is the unfinshed top of it.

~ Susan