Making Pies

My job on Thanksgiving is the pies and yams. Pretty easy. I love to make pies. I remember as a teenager my Mom's Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book. I thought it was as old as the hills....she did get it as a wedding present after all. The pages were yellowing and worn from use.

When I got out my Better Homes Cook Book to make pies it dawned on me that my cookbook looks like my Mom's used to. I wonder if my kids think the same thing....it was after all one of my wedding presents almost 30 years ago. I love the recipe for pie shells from this book. They turn out good every time.
The apple pie was quite tasty this year.

We had all of our kids and their families this year for Thanksgiving. They wanted to come over for "Dad's cooking" because it is so good. I'm not offended that they love his cooking more than mine. Fact is, he is a better cook than me. I love his gravy and sausage stuffing. Mmmmm... Gary's parents came too, then had a second meal later at his brother's house. I should have taken more pictures, but I was a little busy helping Gary get the meal ready and tables set.

Eden and Jayda had fun playing with marbles after dinner.

Jack dancing in the kitchen with Poppa.

Jack loves his Aunt Jaycee.

It was nice to have dinner done and cleaned up so we could relax. It was a very enjoyable day!

Puffy quilt!

I bought a "honey bun" this summer of a fun fabric from Moda. Jelly rolls, layer cakes, turnovers......where do they come up with these names?? Makes me hungry! I thought the 1-1/2 inch strips would be cute around a white center. This baby quilt went together fast. I love how the white shows off the bright colors. I didn't have a pattern, just made it up as I went along....I do that a lot lately. I jot down what I did in a notebook for future reference.

I didn't have white cotton batting so I used a puffy polyester. I've never tried machine quilting on anything but the Warm and Natural cotton. The quilting was about the same,

but I'm not so sure I like the puffy look of the quilt.

I love to get new quilt magazines in the mail. This one came yesterday and I could hardly wait to get a minute to relax and look through the pages. There's something about looking at the pictures and reading the patterns -- it almost feels like I've made a quilt. Sigh.....some days that's all I have time for.

No.Not.Ready.

For snow yet.........
Eden brought over her newest toy. BendaRoos. They are 6-inch long strips of waxy stuff that you can make into shapes and animals, take apart and re-use. Jaycee made the mouse, so cute! I went to open my kitchen pantry cupboard and noticed the smiley face that Eden made.
Those two are such artists!This is my kids favorite dinner. Weenie Boats! My husband has been fixing these for them since they were young. You slice a hot dog in half lengthwise, top with mashed potatoes (instant works great) and then a couple slices of cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 about 20-25 minutes until warmed through and cheese is melted. (I had to call him at work and ask how to make these -- I'm not the primary cook in this household!)

A Chill in the Air

That's all it takes to get me in the mood for a fire. Gary put a fire log in the dining room fireplace tonight and it looks so good.....love this part of winter. I can't wait for a real wood fire downstairs in the family room.

I quilted up this top I pieced together 2 years ago. It's a full size, but for some reason I made it really long. Don't know what I was thinking. Oh well, there's plenty to tuck in over the pillows.

I cut out these blocks a few weeks ago from a quilt magazine. Then I cleaned my sewing room and put the magazine away....somewhere! I've been looking for over a week and finally found it! Hopefully I can get the top done this weekend.

Easy Binding Tutorial

I remember standing in a quilt store a couple of years ago and a customer asked them to cut her some binding for her quilt. The lady cut about 8 strips of fabric, 3 x width of fabric. I let out a gasp at the same time as another lady standing next to me. We looked at each other with wide, surprised eyes. She said "I've never seen binding straight cut....I always do mine on the bias!" I agreed completely. Then a few months later I tried straight binding and have done it ever since. It's easier all the way around...easier to cut, sew one and it lays flat and pretty on the quilt. Here's a little tutorial on binding.

I am in love with my 3-inch ruler. It is my binding tool. Cut as many 3-inch strips the width of fabric as you will need for the outside. I allow extra to join the strips. For example. If I am doing a 45 x45 inch quilt I would cut 5 strips of fabric.

Then on the both ends of the strips mark diagonal line with a 6 x6 ruler. I think this is a 45 degree angle. You don't have to mark all of them....if I have 5 strips I mark 3 of them. Then join them together in one long piece.

It makes a nice diagonal steam that lays better than a straight seam. Trim excess fabric about 1/4 inch from the drawn line. Press open the seams, then fold the binding in half and iron.

Sew the binding on your quilt. I cut off all excess binding/fabric on the quilt before I start. You have a nice, clean edge to work with. Start with an end that has a diagonal mark on it, you will need that marking to join the edges at the end. Leave a tail of 5-6 inches free at the start so you have room to join the edges.

Sew binding on.

At the corner stop about 1/2 inch from the corner edge, lift pressor foot and needle out of fabric and turn quilt.

While needle is still out of fabric fold corner up like picture.

Then fold strip back down straight along edge of quilt. I gently tug the fabric to the left a little ti get excess fold out of the way.. Then put presser foot down and start sewing down this side of the quilt.

It make a nice corner every time.

When you get to where the two edges of the binding almost meet, quit sewing about 5-6 inches before the edge of the first piece of binding. You will have about 10-12 inches of combined length of quilt without binding on it.

Now the easy, easy way to join the edges. Lay this part of the quilt flat on the sewing table. Lay the right side down flat on quilt. Lay the left side down and where it meets the right fold back on top of itself.

Next take you 3 inch ruler and on the left side mark a line 3 inches from the fold. (**Note this line is the width of your strip. If you cut 2-1/2 inch wide strips mark you line 2-1/2 inches,etc.)

Next, you cut a smidge to the right of the line, I'd say about 1/8 inch, making it a little less than 3 inches. For some reason this makes the fabric fit much better on your quilt. Little trick I learned after a few bindings.

Join the two edges. I pin them good and then sew on your previously marked line.

Trim seam 1/4 inch, finger press seam, and then you are ready to sew the rest of the binding in place. You have to stretch just a bit when sewing on.

It fits perfectly, is easy, and makes and pretty binding.

Moonlight Madness

My daughter, Jamie, called me yesterday to ask me if I wanted to go to the Moonlight Madness at American Quilting in Orem. Of course, who could pass up a fabric shopping trip. Our purchases were made in the clearance room....such bargain shoppers we are. I love the Moda Zippedy Doo Dah collection, but never bought any when it came out. I found these honey buns for half price and some yardage to match. I love paisleys and this pink paisley caught my eye. Good addition to the stash! Then a couple of black/white pieces. They gave out cute patterns as a door prize, a tape measures and the tastiest cinnamon rolls. It was kind of a madhouse for a bit, so many people there.

We took Jack with us and he slept through most of the shopping, thank goodness. He is such a good baby, so happy.

What I learned today!

Warm fall Provo morning = Cold winter canyon morning!

Left hand glove = Awkward but warm right hand glove!

(forgot our gloves but Gary found this one in his truck he let me have)

Cold arthritic "gas lever thumb" = PAIN!
Mud + 4-wheeler = FUN!!

Shade = brrrr cold.

Sun = a little bit of warmth.

It was sooo cold we almost turned around. Note to self -- buy Long Johns, gloves, and beanie hats before we go next time. We got an early start and we were surprised to see so much snow. On the way up there was a long, snowy stretch.

We saw these tracks in the snow. We thought, hmmmm, maybe a black bear. Okay, not so bad. We can outrun a bear on the wheelers. Jon said thank goodness they aren't cougar tracks, don't think we could outrun one of those.
We got home and I loaded the pictures and then searched on Google. NOT bear tracks. Definitely cougar tracks. By the time we went back down the canyon they had melted in the sun, so they were definitely fresh that morning. Kind of scared us a bit, okay a LOT.

Jon and Bekkah had to go slow across the river to break through the ice.

I was so afraid one of them was going to end up wet here (Bekkah for sure!)

The road up to the reservoir was snowy and muddy, way muddy! Some places it was slick, slimy, gooey mud. If you got a tire in a rut you just had to ride the rut -- no way to turn the tire out of it. I wanted to take pictures but I needed both hands to drive with. All 4 tires flipped mud up and it was like driving in raining mud. Big clumps would hit you. I was laughing...haven't had that much fun in mud since I was a kid. Here's a picture of some that hit my pack.

I was following Gary and all I could think of when I saw his tires was "Gas station chocolate glazed donuts!" Exactly what they looked like.

Bekkah's feet were wet and freezing when we got up to the lake. On the way down I had a good idea, Gary and I would give her our dry socks. When we got back across the river Jon was using a stick to scrape as much mud as he could off her her pants and shoes. Going to take more than dry socks. Plan B: Drive as fast as we could out to the truck!!

***************************

This is what ruins the outdoors for the rest of us. Makes me so mad to see

what some people leave behind. If you pack it in, pack it out.