Green Tea Anyone?

Hi all...I know this little 6 1/2" block doesn't look like much...

Wedding Chain Block

but it has me so excited!!  I have been wanting to start this quilt for a long time.  I know I am late to the party but is anyone else working on this right now? 
For anyone who somehow hasn't seen this before, it is an older BOM from Jen Kingwell called Green Tea and Sweet Beans.  The book can be purchased at that link or through several other sources.  The pattern calls for hand piecing but I plan to machine piece the blocks like this one that lend themselves to it.  I am so happy to finally break the ice and get a start on this.

Millie's Meatballs

So I have been sewing but they aren't projects I can share yet so I thought I'd share what's in my crockpot as it has been a family favorite with the cold temps and snow flying about...

This recipe came from a quilting friend years ago but it didn't strike me until this winter to make it myself...

Millie's Meatballs
(makes around 36)

2 lbs ground beef
3 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
salt + pepper
1 onion
1 carrot
1 stalk celery
1 clove garlic

Finely process the onion, carrot, celery and garlic and mix together with other meatball ingredients.  Make meatballs and place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.

Sauce
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 bottle Heinz chili sauce + water filled jar
3/4 cup brown sugar
small can sauerkraut (rinsed and drained)

Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.  Pour sauce over meatballs and bake 1- 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F covered...or, do as I do and put them in a crockpot on low for a few hours.

Now...I do not like sauerkraut and either does my son so please refrain from telling either one of us that it is in the sauce...what we don't know doesn't seem to hurt us as these are delish!

This Is the Day

that the Lord hath made...

So I made an unexpected journey to the post office this morning and the beauty surrounding me took my breath away...

I have been a bit depressed and annoyed with the sheer amount of falling and drifting snow along with all the negative temperatures...and several of our normal snow removal tools breaking...plow...shovels!! snow blower...then I found this morning that the washing machine doesn't seem to want to run...hmmm.  I received an attitude adjustment when I stepped outside this morning to -12 degrees F and all the freezing fog...just beautiful.

This is where I want to be

So here is my top finished for Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Mystery QAL...

 Notice my "dainty bootsteps" around as I tried to spread it out in the snow...

You can't really tell but I have lost count of how much snow has even fallen around here...we are on track to have the snowiest winter on record this year and the snow is much higher than my rear as I try to walk about in the yard.
The pictures don't show it unfortunately, but the snow is twinkly due to the negative temperatures and the ice crystals are quite beautiful.
This top is not really officially done as by the QAL instructions but I have decided to take a friendly blogger's advice and enjoy the process and not get bogged down by my own silly deadlines or rules...this is for fun!!  I am going to use the triangle blocks that I made for an outer border within the backing instead and move on...because I am itching to get back to some paper pieced blocks that I set aside :)

I think I can...I think I can...

So the cat told me I'm a slacker...


You can't see her face, but she is commenting on the mess in the corner on my sewing room floor of unfinished projects...such as the Bonnie Hunter Celtic Mystery quilt I last posted about here

 She is telling me to finish the last 6 blocks and get the top together already so she can lay on it!! (She has tried laying on the pieces and it is NOT comfortable...Yes, I speak cat...

On another note, this is the beautiful DQS14 mini I received from Emily at Mommy's Nap Time....thanks so much Emily for sewing such a wonderful quilt for me :)

She Who Sews Blog Hop My Day

So many thanks to Mdm Samm and Carla for hosting this sewing room show and tell...they are both wonderful to include me in this fun time!!  I have missed being in these hops as I was not able to participate in the last several due to other commitments...it is good to be back :)

For this Hop, we were asked to make something sewing room related from this wonderful line of fabric by Janet Wecker Frisch.

I somewhat predictably chose the gold ruler print.  And it was an easy decision to pick the Boxy Pouch tutorial found at Pink Stitches for my first project, I made another one in my favorite texty print earlier this year and I wanted to try a larger size for this one using the wonderful ruler print.  This was only my second time putting in a zipper and I am quite pleased that it came out so well!

 I used a cotton webbing for the handle and my favorite Sweetwater text print for the lining which makes it coordinate with my first texty small one.

I think they match well together and when combined with my second project, I am set for a sewing retreat.

 This a new pattern from Noodlehead which can be found here.  I love the details like extra roomy pockets and a see-through vinyl pocket.  This pattern was very easy to follow and I love the result!  If you are counting, this is my third zipper ever and involved sewing with vinyl...this pattern was good for me, it challenged me to try something outside my comfort zone...sewing with vinyl....as well as helping to work on my new skill of zippers :)

This is the inside and you can see I picked some fun coordinating prints from my stash to complete the interior.

 The pocket flaps are that fun Sweetwater texty print and the scissor print is an older RJR print from Dan Morris called Mrs. Sew & Sew.  The lining is  Moda's Basic Grey Sweet Serenade.  These prints all coordinate well with the She Who Sews Ruler print.

 There is lots of room for all sorts of goodies to take along...I have not properly filled mine yet, but I will!!

  Here are all my travel bags ready to go!!

I am remembering this time to included a pic of my library card catalog cabinet, where I took these photos.  I posted on it in another blog hop and have had several ask to see the whole thing.  So here you go, it is tucked in a nook in my kitchen.  I had visions of filling it with recipes but we use things like phones for that now, lol!!  It still houses many "useful kitcheny" things and I love it.

 Please make sure you visit the others that are presenting today and give them lots of comment-love:

Lixie Makes It

How ART you?

 Seams To Be Sew

threads on my socks

Quilted Delights

Life in the Scrapatch

krislovesfabric <--you are here!!

Sew We Quilt