Monday, Monday and Lots Going On!!

It's Monday and that means start day for me with the Diet Challenge and check in day. And if you don't think our fearless leader means business, well just check over at Redgeranium Cottage..... MAJOR BUSINESS and a very, very brave, fearless leader!!! So about my start...OK need to fess up, pancakes for breakfast (just couldn't help myself), my friend I had breakfast with forced me, OK not really.... but I buckled down after that!!! Had a chicken salad for lunch, and a light pasta dinner. And most importantly no CHOCOLATE all day, so I guess I will be going through withdrawals soon:-)!

Now the before and after of it all......Miss Geranium and myself quite a while back, and Annie and myself at quilt camp in November. When I decided to retire I had people warning me watch the poundage!!!! No problem.!!! Well I watched it, creep right back on. So this diet challenge is just what I needed. And I have to vent here a little. People like us peoples (yes I said peoples) who have gained weight......no need for those of you talking about our weight gain to whisper to others or give us the LOOK!!!! Here's a secret...we know we have gained weight, for one thing, our clothes don't fit that well anymore, and for another we also have mirrors!!!! OK, I feel better getting that off my chest :-)!!!!!

Here's a couple recipes from Weight Watchers that I really, really like.

Chicken Fiesta Soup - Serving size 1 cup. Points per serving 4. 1 can corn, rinsed; 1 can chicken broth; 1 can diced tomatoes & chilies; 1 can pinto beans, rinsed; 1 chicken bouillon cube; 1/2 can white chicken; 4 oz. Velveeta Lite. Bring ingredients to a boil (all but cheese), remove from heat, stir in chunks of cheese until melted. (the can sizes are the regular - I think 14 oz.)

Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff - 6 servings. 4 points. 1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, frozen;1 can 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup; 16 oz fat free sour cream; 1 pkg. onion soup mix.Place frozen chicken breasts on the bottom of crockpot. Mix other ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Cook on low setting for at least 7 hours. Stir sauce well before serving. If you serve this over rice or noodles add appropriate points per serving size.

Nanette has done a wonderful job of getting the list going for tons of handmade ideas. Here are a few more to add:

*from Janet a really cute tissue cover link

*from Bonnie my non blogging friend, a really cute tutorial on cookie mix in a jar... cute jar with some painting and a great label;

*a super easy ironing board cover tutorial

*from me really, really cute mini notebooks from Spoonful of Sugar. Actually just look for back posts on Lisa's blog. She has tons of wonderful ideas, great recipes, and beautiful pictures. A wonderful mother/daughter blog!

There are so many wonderful ideas out in blogland for getting motivated to get projects done. May Britt and Kris have a wonderful challenge going to tackle those WISPS we all have hanging around...yeah, you know you have em'!! Part of the challenge is to put a link on your sidebar listing all the months for the next year and as you go add the completed item to the list. What a great IDEA!!!!!!!
....and then I stumbled upon this great, wonderful

idea.....Calendar Quilt Challenge. I have the button on my sidebar that links to the challenge. In a nutshell, piece a quilt top from your stash, bit by bit, every day for the next year!! Rachel who is running the challenge, credits Pat Sloan with this idea and she sells a wonderful book over on her site, Favorite Techniques, that gives more info on Calendar Quilts. Rachel is taking sign ups for this challenge till the 7th... so why don't you come on and play with us!!! A no rules quilt, that will be so fun and so personal, and what a remembrance of 2009!!!

Well there has been way too much thinking, and signing up for challenges in Polka Dot world for any quilting to be happening. Oh, there has been a couple bindings and some time spent with Baby Luke.....and dare I mention I am still taking down Christmas decorations!!!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am definitely inspired by all I have been reading......now let the production begin :-)!!!!!

I've Got A New Attitude!!!

Look at me all spruced up thanks to Becky at The Cutest Blog On The Block!!! One very, very late night of me trying to change my blog on my own, only to have it disappear for a few hours, scared me enough to turn it over to a professional!!! I know there are a lot of you out there that seem to have this changing the blog thing down, but not me....and after almost hyperventilating over thinking I lost my blog I learned my lesson!! And Becky, I can't say enough good things about her. So patient with me and all my computer dumbness!!!

Christmas 2008 has passed, so hard to believe. But as usual I was left with some feelings if only I had done this and started early and got this other thing done. And then there were emails from some bloggy friends saying the same thing. Nanette and I had written each other, and she said that for quite a long time she had been thinking the same thing and was brewing up an idea to get us all motivated for 2009.....now I am excited, because Nanette is a great organizer!!! Some of us are thinkers and some of us are women of action, and boy Nanette sprung right in to action with a great plan for us all......for us to post gifts/ornaments that we made for this year that worked out, and also items we wished we could have made..and there are a ton of wonderful tutorials out in blogland to utilize here!! This gathering of ideas will go on for two weeks, and then we will have a wackadoddle list of items we can be making ahead for Xmas 2009. You can leave your ideas here or over at Nanettes and then we will both compile all the ideas in to one list that will link back to the Great Ideas for a Handmade Christmas 2009 button. That button is so wonderful and it was made by Terri at Purple and Paisley, another woman of action!! So let's get those ideas rolling in. No limit on the number you submit and you don't even have to have a blog to play along. Just make sure you email one of us all the particulars on your idea. And don't forget to add the button to your blog.
Here's a few ideas I will start with:

***Pat's ever so cute Christmas Bag tutorial

***Terry Atkinson's Best Press bottle cover tutorial..so quick, easy and cute

***Connecting Threads Seasonal Tissue Box Covers

and, I have a list here somewhere of other tutorials I have seen here and there and everywhere, so I will be adding to my list. Come on and play with us, this is going to be fun and think how ahead of the game we all will be. Thanks Nanette for getting the ball rolling on this!!!

Oh and then there's this subject of you know what. The what that I seem to have to deal with every January. Well Ophra and me anyway.... well and maybe a few others.... well may be a lot of others!!! Miss Redgeranium Cottage has a Diet Challenge going on. So if you are one of the others come and join in. There will be lots of sharing of recipes and tips and who knows what else Sharon will come up with!!! And no way Jose am I saying how much I weigh Miss Cottage girlie :-)!!! So come on in join in and look at that cute button you get to put on your blog!

There has been so much thinking going on in Polka Dot land that not much quilting has been happening. I do have block 6 & 7 cut out for The Designer Block Of The Month quilt and that will be on my list for tomorrow.

January is a time to start off fresh with new ideas, and a new attitude. Can't wait to read about all the ideas the rest of you are thinking of. Happy January everyone!!

Some Big Thanks!!

......to Kris, my SSCS, thanks for the wonderful polka dot and rick rack bag, filled with goodies---a sewing kit, mousecushion, sharpies, dotted ribbon, a bag of smell good a sweet little spoon with a goody on top, and note pad! What a great parcel and such a cute card!!! A big old thanks to Elf Donna for hosting the swap!!!

.....to Nan, for my sweet bag, stocking ornament and quilting angel that will hold a place of honor on my year round tree in my kitchen window to remind me of our friendship!!

......to my friend Gloria who is not only an amazing quilter, but painter/crafter!! I love the journal, and those star beads...too, too cute!!! I am working on her having a blog!!!

Most importantly thank you to my wonderful sweet family, and my "other" family of in laws, sisters, brother, nieces and nephews and the great nieces and nephews, for such a wonderful and fun Christmas, where so many new wonderful memories were made and with the wonderful addition of Baby Luke! Love you all bunches :-)!!

A couple more days of Merry, and then back to the real world!! Warmest thoughts to you all!

Merry, Merry

The big day is fast approaching, and all the gifts are being wrapped, cookies baked, and plans for a yummy meal coming together. Wishing all of you in blogland the Merriest of Merries wherever you are and much joy and happiness!! See you in a few!! ♥♥

I Have Gobs To Talk About.......and SNOW

Gobs and gobs....so sit back, pour yourself a warm cup of coffee, or hot chocolate and let the blabbing begin♥♥♥!

I just love those hearts and thanks to T over at Purple and Paisley, she posted a wonderful tutorial on December 12, and in her words "a tutorial for spicing up your text."♣♠♦•○..just a little sampling of some other fun symbols. T's blog is always so much fun and loaded with tons of eye candy, and oh those cute grand kids!!!! Then I discovered there was a online virtual cookie swap going on ...how in the world did I miss this one!!! Frannie of Cute Stuff Inside (love that name) hosted this swap and there is a list of some of the yummy recipes over on her blog. Here's a plate of cookies I took to my quilt group Xmas party this week and I thought I would share this easy recipe.

Cake Mix Bar Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

5 tablespoons water

1 egg

1 package yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9 X 13 baking pan. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in water and egg, then stir in cake mix, Finally mix in nuts and chips. This is a VERY stiff dough. Spread mixture into pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool completely before cutting. Very fast, easy and good!!!

Now to the SNOW part. Wednesday night was Nutcracker night for my girl and myself. The day started off really, reallly, realllly cold, wet and rainy with some sleet thrown in. Hey wasn't it 90 degrees here about a month ago?, brrrrrr, shiver, shiver. I was not expecting to be driving in snow on the freeway, but sure enough I was. The Nutcracker was wonderful, and if you are ever in need of some holiday spirit, I highly recommend you go. Anyway, driving home that evening I got a call saying I might have a bit of trouble getting up the driveway because of the SNOW!!!! Yipeeeee! We usually only get one or two snow days where we live so this is BIG NEWS!!!! I know, compared to our friends in the East and other parts of the world, this is laughable...but this is pretty much a blizzard for us!!! I love how the snow covered the mailbox, and my frog bird bath is a miniature ice rink!! Here's my Santa flag, frozen up tight!!! Well we enjoyed it, and all the neighbors were out snapping pictures and the kids were throwing miniature snowballs. So I suppose this will be our "snow day" for this year!!

My luck continued this week. I was one of the lucky winners at Fredas Hive. The prize I picked is a kit for the baby quilt that was featured in the new Fons and Porter Baby Quilt magazine! I am so excited. I had been emailing Nanette about it when I found out she was one of the winners in the contest, and woo hoo I now will be able to make the quilt! Thanks Nanette!!!!!

Did anyone say SALE?!!!!! Fat Quarter Shop has been having some amazing sales this month and then a friend emailed me information about another tremendous sale. Sew Unique Creations has ALL their fabric on sale till December 31st......$5.00 a yard or less. Tons of Civil War reproductions - woowzers!!!!

Tomorrow is our family Christmas party!! Such fun.... great food and great company! We do one of those present stealing games with the whole family and it gets pretty wild and crazy, so I better get to bed so I will be in my best present stealing form!! Have a great weekend everyone and spread some Christmas cheer!! ♥

Merry Quilting

Great little sign, and yep there has been some Merry Quilting going on around here, and some merry binding!! Christmas just seems to have snuck up on me this year. Funny, it does come the same time ever year!!!

First off, my mail person has been very, very good to me! Lissa, who is Director of Marketing for Moda, wrote me a while back that she had come across my blog and liked the name, and was wondering if she could send me some goodies. WOWIE......believe me I did a BIG old happy dance after finding a box marked MODA at my doorstep. Look at the wonderful moda polka dot fabrics tied up all pretty with rick rack!!! She said it was an random act of Moda! Her blog is really wonderful with lots of talk of all things Moda. What a wonderful job she has. Thank you, thank you Lissa!!!!! Then my goodies from the giveaway I won at Dandelion Quilts. Kris, again WOWIE!!! Aren't those towels wonderful and that apron book is amazing, a sweet bundle of fabrics and the best ever smellin' holiday soap you could ever imagine. If that all wasn't enough, my Secret Santa giftie arrived all tied up pretty in rick rack....be still my heart!! More mail than a girl deserves in a week!

There has been some Merry Quilting going on around here. I added a couple more rows to my Old Fashioned Charm quilt, made a couple quickie runners, finished up Luke's stocking, made a Ho, Ho, Ho that has been shipped out, and took this really fun, fast and easy curvy runner class. You do a quick turn finish and then stitch in the ditch to quilt (have to do this part still), so somebody will be finding this under the Christmas tree!

Ok, some proud bragging here!!! Nanette from Freda's Hive was one of the winners in Fons and Porters baby quilt contest. Her wonderful baby quilt is featured in their new Baby Quilts Magazine. That is one sweet baby quilt, and the magazine is just brimming with great baby quilts. Nanette is always a great source of inspiration!

Late one night I was doing a little blog hopping and I came across this really great tutorial on how to make this fantastic holiday bag. While I know I can't make it this year, it will go right to top of projects for next Christmas. I emailed Pat and with her permission I am using her photo, with a link to her wonderful tutorial. Visiting her blog I found a recipe for stuffed peppers using Corned Beef Hash ......yummmmmmy, already tried it!!! Thanks Pat.

Another great blog with great tutorials is Terry Atkinson's...and we all LOVE her patterns. This is her pattern for the Best Press bottle cover . I made this for Miss Red Geranium, and this is her picture that I stole from her blog!!! Oh no, I guess I should be expecting the blogging police at my door soon. For a quickie present for one of your quilting buds, I highly recommend this!! Fast, fun and CUTE!! Terry has so much wonderful info on her blog, along with the tutorial for the Best Press Bottle cover.

I just couldn't end my post without some baby Polka Dot goodness!!! Here's our boy playing Wii with granddad one night and here's our sweet family last night...they were picking out their Christams tree...so fun!!

Starting today we are heading in to a week of parties.....yipeee!!!! Christmas tea with a couple quilting friends today, Christmas parties Monday and Tuesday, the Nutcracker with my girl on Wednesday and our family party the following Saturday, our favorite.....to all be together:-)! I just love Christmas!!! Hope there is lots of Merry Quilting and Christmasing going on for everyone!!

Happy Fabric

This is such happy fabric, Old Fashioned Charm, love it, love it!! Two rows down and 9 more to go. It feels good to get something quilty started! The blocks go together so easy. The pattern is Sweet Alyssa by Bunny Hill. Their patterns are so wonderful and ALWAYS tempt me :-)! At quilt camp one of the ladies was working on this really cute Bunny Hill pattern, Postcard Cuties for Winter. I have a gift certificate from Fat Quarter Quilt Shop that has been burning a hole in my pocket, so I just had to order up the whole darn thing. It won't be made for this Christmas, but this will be a great way to start off the new year. Tammy loves this pattern also :-)!!!!

And whoo hoo ....look what the generosity truck brought me!! When Sharon went to Houston she snagged me a big old haul of quilty wonderfulness!!!!! A wonderful green cupcake Moda bag, the new Minick and Simpson fabric..Flag Day Farm--jellyroll/charm and cake layer combo, a cute little Swing Bag by Pink Sand Beach Designs, a sweet zippered quilt purse, a wonderful stack of Farmhouse Blues by Windham Fabrics - wowie, a ton of Hatched and Patched patterns and great scissors. I am one lucky quilter - thanks Mrs. Red Geranium :-)!!!! I think I have plenty to keep me busy with this big old pile of patterns! Now if all that wasn't enough I was the very lucky winner of a giveaway from Kris at Dandelion Quilts, some wonderful Christmas towels, soap, apron book and fabric..... again I am very lucky!!!

Have you heard the news? Lisa at Spoonful Of Sugar has some of her great recipes featured in a new cookbook, Du Jour, and will also be a regular contributor to a new Australian lifestyle magazine, Silver. The first issue will feature 12 of her fun and easy Christmas crafts. Her blog is just brimming with such creative ideas, and talk about eye candy. Way to go Lisa :-)!!!

And speaking of creative .....have you visited Monica at The Happy Zombie?? Her Pennie Pockets are so darn cute, and she has a free pattern so you too can have some hanging in your own home!!! And again, major eye candy over at Monica's!!!!!!

Our very own Elf Donna, someone we all hold near and dear, lost her whole harvest in a storm. Please know Donna that we are all thinking of you and keeping you and your family in our thoughts. In the midst of all that she is going through she is moving forward and is even celebrating her 400th post - amazing and as always you are an inspiration to us all.

So who are some bloggers that have you inspired? It's amazing all the talent that is out there, and all those that are so willing to share with the rest of us. Gratitude for one and all. Happy first week of December bloggers :-)!!

A Warm And Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Wishing all of you in blogland a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know in our family we have much to be grateful for. I am also grateful for the many, many new friends I have met through the blogs........amazing, wonderful, creative, supportive and kind!

So back to some cooking, some baking, and bringing out my mom's china that we used in my growing up years. Remembering some wonderful old memories and making some wonderful new ones.

My best to all of you and your loved ones. You have enriched my life so much!!

See you later alligators :-)!!!

What Did I Do At Camp?????

Got a very funny email from a friend saying nice that everyone else made some beautiful quilts at camp, what in the heck did you do??" Well lot's of my stuff was TOP SECRET....... Polka Dot Swap stuff and Secret Santa Swap stuff, and some for me...well here's a peek!!

A stocking for G baby, some secret polka dot stuff, a quilt I worked on for me out of Old Fashioned Charm (all the bits are done I just need to lay it out), and four of these top secret thingamajigs, two of which are quilted and on their way to their top secret locations!! I was very excited to get done what I did and especially my swap things..seems I have been running a bit behind!

Coming home it was so wonderful to have some great mail waiting...the Christmas Cottage swap blocks from Nanette. Each is so cute with such personality. I have a shopping trip planned next week and I can't wait to pick out some wonderful sashing to get these together! Bindings still continue to be the center of my world right now.

Why do I love doing bindings so much??? For the life of me I can't figure this out ....but I LOVE doing bindings. A finished stack on the left (I love the Hungry Caterpillar fabric on the back) and a pile of to do's. Today I have binding pickups at a Starbucks (oh boy), a bakery (that makes the most yummolicious cupcakes-oh no), and a place so secret I can't even mention!!!!!! Think I will start wearing disguises at these meetings.

Here's a few more tidbits from quilt camp. The blue and white quilt is a new pattern that Eleanor Burns is putting out in the Spring. Only thing I can say is WONDERFUL!!!! And she said it is very easy to put together. Loved this garden quilt one of the gals made. I believe it was a block of the month. Notice the cute flower pots all around the edge.

A happy time around Polka Dot Land. Our furry grandchild has been here visiting while his Dad, Mom and baby brother are in North Carolina visiting new cousin Caroline! We miss them all like crazy, but we did get a cute phone picture from them yesterday. Today our girl is home for a couple days so yippee for us, and time to spoil her also!!!

It's very hard to believe that Thanksgiving is peeking around the corner. Time to get out the trusty make ahead gravy recipe and get all the fix ins together. Hope that November has been a good one for everyone!

See you later alligators :-)!

I Am One Happy Camper!!

I am back from four wonderful, fun filled days at Eleanor Burns Quilt In A Day, quilt camp. Wonderful doesn't even begin to describe the great time that we all had. I met some of the nicest quilters from all over the US, and saw so many, many beautiful quilts. To spend four days with 65 women all working on so many wonderful projects is just so hard to describe!!! Eleanor Burns and her crew are some of the nicest people I think I have ever met! Always there to help and lend support and encouragement and make every aspect of our stay the best it could be.

Before arriving at Quilt Camp we first stopped off in the wonderful town of Julian and had a delicious lunch of Pumpkin Soup, sandwiches and tea at the Tea House....yummmy!!! This house was so cute in the inside, with tea cups, teapots and so many pretty things all about. Here we are all full after our wonderful lunch and where do you think we head to next........ we don't want to have low blood sugar while working on our projects!! What a great shop. All the old time candy under one roof. My Polka Dot and Rick Rack partner will be getting some goodies from this place.

....so here is a peek at our work space for our 4 day stay. We had such a nice big spacious work area with ironing and cutting stations, (and my personal little sewing area with M & M's) and not to mention two of the best teacher helpers you could ever want. They were so kind and helpful, and if anyone was in need of a little "reverse sewing", they were there johnny on the spot to get the job done. Anne and LuAnn, you guys were so AMAZING, and so much fun to be around!!! As I was sitting there sewing I overheard Anne talking about being a blogger -- oh boy here we go, a fellow BLOGGER!!! So we start chatting about the different blogs we like which really turns out to be a lot of the same blogs and then Anne says have you visited Red Geranium Cottage?? Oh dear..Sharon is everywhere!!! Turns out that Anne and Sharon have shared a few emails back and forth!! What are the odds! And Sharon, she would like to thank you for your kindness when her mom was ill and for the nice emails you sent her!!! She says she just loves your blog!

Each and every day we had the most DELICIOUS MEALS!!! Oh my word, I am going to have to go to detox to get myself back on track. It was so much fun to have everyone together eating and gabbing and talking quilts!!! Every meal ended with some wonderful tidbits from the crew and Eleanor sharing some tips on quilt making or showing quilts, talking about future projects and always some funny stories told by the girls. I think my cheeks will hurt for a few weeks from all the laughing. My writing just doesn't do the experience justice. I think you might need to go to see for yourself!!

And boy do I have pictures of quilts ......................................

and

And this is only a sampling of all the goodness. Coming home I am fully inspired and ready to charge in to full quilt production! Happy mid November to everyone. See you later alligators :-)!

Thanks To The Goat Gazette!!!

I have been a HUGE fan of Country Threads ever since I started quilting some 24 years ago! They have a great website and a wonderful newspaper that they publish called the Goat Gazette.Since my little bout of laryngitis a week ago, which then actually turned in to a nasty cough, then a nasty cold and back around to the nasty cough, I have been feeling much like a cat with a fur ball (I'm only guessing here) stuck in my throat!! While reading the recent issue of the Goat Gazette I noticed a home remedy for that very thing---1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon lemon juice in a glass of warm water - WOW it works!!!!!!! So check out the Gazette, besides all the tempting quilting related paraphernalia to buy, wonderful articles about animals, they can also fix what ales you!!

Today my final package arrived from my Secret Angel Stitcher who I now know is Jantine from the Netherlands. She made me the most wonderful bag in colors that couldn't be more perfect for me, and she has the most amazing handwork! Notice both sides of the bag. Also included were some very yummy sweets and quilt labels. She has spoiled me royally and I am so excited to have made a new friend in the Netherlands! Thanks Jantine, and thanks to Helen for hosting this wonderful swap.

Here's a sampling of the goings on in Polka Dot Land. I managed to make a Minkie ribbon comfy for our little guy. Since I obviously might have something I could pass on to him I needed a stand in for the picture!! All three other photos are bindings for customers! Have to brag about my friend Carol who made this wonderful pumpkin quilt!! Too cute for words in my opinion, and in fact the two quilts in the lower corner of the mosaic are both Carol's! Man can she quilt and quilt fast!!!

Monday I will be off for a four day quilt camp. I will have tons of pictures to share and hopefully I won't get kicked out for coughing!! Happy second week of November to everyone. See you later alligators :-)!

Make Your Choice

Here in the USA tomorrow is our day to step up and make our choice! How wonderful to live in a country where we have this right. So no matter what party you are for, or what you stand for, tomorrow is our day!! Get out and vote people :-)!!!