A twist on something from my past

I've been working madly at my embroidery hoop this past week! This piece was part of the Geezer swap on Craftster. It's based off of something that I found on my partner's wishlist only I added my own twist with Sunbonnet Sue aka Little Dutch Girl.

When I was in elementary school, both of my parents worked and a wonderful elderly lady up the street named Mrs. Gott would watch me after school. I would get off of the bus at her house every day. She would have a snack waiting for me and then we would pass our time together every day working on quilting. Her quilts were so beautiful. She did pieced quilts as well as embroidered ones. The one quilt that I remember doing the most often with her was Sunbonnet Sue. I can recall spending time in her craft room choosing the fabrics for each square and then cutting the pieces out while chatting the afternoon away.

Mrs. Gott passed away some 15 yrs ago, but she never forgot the time that we spent together. One day, I received a call from mom to find out that Mrs. Gott had passed away and that she had left me something in her will. It was a Sunbonnet Sue quilt.

For the past couple of months, I have had a strong desire to make an art quilt. After a bit more consideration, I'm going to make my mom a Sunbonnet art quilt. I can't wait to get started on it!

Nom Nom Nom....cookies!

Last Friday, I asked my husband if he would like something sweet for Father's Day and his reply was peanut butter cookies.

There was one problem with this request. We both have very different opinions about these cookies. I like crispy firm cookies made with crunchy peanut butter. I have the perfect, super simple recipe for these from way back in my 4H days in elementary. However for Tim, they have to be soft, made with creamy peanut butter and not too sweet. I have tried several recipes over the years and haven't been able to find a recipe that made him happy....until yesterday.

I found the perfect recipe at http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/peanut_butter_cookies/.

Oh, and he likes just a pinch of salt sprinkled across the top to cut the sweetness just a bit more. I have come to like the salt on top.

Well Hello Kitty!

With my summer break in full swing, I have allowed myself to slow down and listen to my Muse again.I have my holiday crafting list along with a few decorating piece for parts of the house that I want to dig into.

Before I jump into those projects, I do have two swaps underway at Craftster. This is what I made for the One Tiny Embroidered Thing swap. My partner is into kawaii cutesy (not so much my thing) and wanted a Christmas ornament (very definitely up my alley!)

Once I started this piece, I fell in love with it! Not necessarily with the kawaii part, but how well it turned out. I'll have to make something similar for our tree. Maybe something for each of the kids. :)

mmm Pico de Gallo!

My husband and I always look forward to this time every summer. We are ready to start harvesting jalapenos from our plants!

It's our tradition to make a batch of Pico de Gallo to go with beef and bean burritos. This year, he added cheese dip and a tossed salad. Tonight's dinner ranked really high on the YUM! factor!

Here are the ingredients...



4 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped (I use whatever type is in the fridge.)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 jalapeno, deveined (i.e. remove white pith and seeds) and finely chopped

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp garlic, minced

salt to taste

Chop everything. Reserve about half of the jalapeno unless you know that you can handle the heat. Add everything to bowl and mix well. Allow to sit for at least a half hour. Taste to adjust salt and jalapeno if need be.


The finished Pico de Gallo dish

So it begins....summer!

To say that this past school year was eventful would be a huge understatement. Uncooperative coworkers, huge budget cuts, new administrators and (the ever constant) too much to do with not time to do it.

This is how I feel now that it's over.



Now, I begin what I call Summer Detox. Don't laugh! This is a yearly event only this year, it's a bit worse. My brain won't slow down. My back and shoulders are super tense. I can't sit still. Every year, I deal with these End of School symptoms. It normally takes me a full 2 weeks of making myself slow down to even begin to truly relax. As I type this, I'm also thinking of a dozen things that I could be doing, but the reality is...I don't have to do any of it. Such is the life of a teacher...

Pooh needed his friend!

After finishing the Tao of Pooh piece, I reread that book as well as Te of Piglet and realized that I had to have the matched set.




This is the cover of Te of Piglet which is the sister book to Tao of Pooh. Once again, the author takes you into the Hundred Acre Wood to explain Taoism, but this particular book really talks to me. The gist of the book is the virtue of Being Small, which is what dear Piglet is all about. Being 4'11" myself and living in a world in which my 9 yr old son is already as tall as I am, this story sings true in many ways. LOL!

This piece is worked in split, back and altered feather stitch (the "plates" in his gold armor) with crayon tinting.

I think I've become addicted to the tinting. It's so easy and I absolutely love the results!

Cheers to the Class of '10

Another year finished and another group of Seniors have just started the next phase of their lives. Over the years, I will say that every year, I normally have a couple within my special Senior crew that have me worried. I'm not so sure that Life will go easy on them or that they won't go to hard into Life itself once they've had a taste of the freedom that the university life brings. However, this is not the case this year. Each of my Seniors is unique and brilliant in their own way. I see a passion for life, an understanding of the importance in continuing their studies, and a wider understanding of the World around them. This year, I am pleased to say that they will all Carpe Diem to the best of their abilities.

It has been an honor getting to know every one of them and I do hope that I've managed to make a positive impact on the adults that they will soon become.

To the Class of '10, stay true to yourselves, believe in your dreams, live life to its fullest and most of all, I wish you peace.