Maple Leaf Quilt Block

I'm in the middle of sewing a Farm Girl Vintage quilt using patterns from the Lori Holt quilt book called Farm Girl Vintage. 

I'm making the quilt blocks that relate to my own little farm, like a bee, black cat, chicken, strawberry,  pumpkin, and tractor. 

I have multiple sugar maple trees in my yard and in late winter I tap those trees to make real maple syrup. So, of course, I want a maple leaf block in my Farm Quilt.

DIY Costume Awards

We have a fall / Halloween party every year and everyone comes in costume although it's not mandatory.

Our Halloween parties started as a children's Halloween party when my kids were little but it has now evolved into a kids-adult-family party.

Back then I would give out prizes for the top-voted costumes but we haven't had a costume contest in years.

                                 

Well my daughter Alexis asked me to revive the costume awards tradition. So this year we had a costume contest, complete with voting jars for each category, and slips of paper and ink pens for everyone to pick their favorites.

Halloween Costume Ideas #4

Well, here we go again!
It's everything fall and pumpkin at our house this time of year and we're busy trying to get all the decorations set up for our annual Halloween Party. We encourage everyone to come in costume (but it's not mandatory) and surprisingly, many people create homemade costumes, which I love.

My kid's costumes have been DIY for years and even before the term DIY was invented. Now that they're grown, they're carrying on the homemade costume tradition.

Child's Batman Quilt

My recently finished quilt was a request for a one-year little boy's Batman quilt. 

I'm not really into Batman or any superhero fandom so after finding a batman print fabric, I used Google to come up with coordinating colors. 

The original request was just no blue colors.

There are actually a few Batman costumes, with the newest one clad in all black. I'm old school and I grew up with the vintage batman.

                  

Sausage Corn Chowder

I make this soup 3 or 4 times a year, but mostly around fall when the days are cooler and also during cold winter months.  

And it's usually always a requested food for our Annual Fall Party.

The original recipe came from a 1992 cookbook called Campbell's Simply Delicious Recipes I found at a second-hand store. 

Farm Quilt - My Newest Project

So here is what I have been working on for a few weeks.

Recently I discovered a blog called Bee in my Bonnet.  

I found the blog and blogger, Lori Holt while pinning away quilt ideas (and recipes, and DIY's, and fall decorations, and.....the list is endless) on My Pinterest and happened to see Lori's Hen Quilt Block.  I just looove it!  

And then, early this spring I stopped at a quilt shop in Indiana, and there in the shop was a completed Lori Holt Hen Quilt! 

Parmesan Chicken, A Old Favorite

I have about a gazillion chicken recipes, but this recipe for Parmesan Chicken seems to be requested again and again. 

I love collecting and trying old retro or vintage recipes like Chicken A La King, or this WWII Chocolate Mayo Cake, and the Johnny Marzetti recipe is a favorite. 

But this Parmesan Chicken is one of the best. 

It's quick and easy to make, the coating is light and very flavorful and the ingredients are items I usually already have on hand.

     

                 

How to Make a Quilt Label

I recently picked up the art of quilt making and I love it. 

I've been sewing and crafting for a long time but just never attempted a quilt.

In the last few months I've made quite a few quilts, like a Patchwork Quilt for our camper, a Large Block Quilt with sashing as a graduation gift for my granddaughter, quilts for two other grandchildren, a Hexagon Quilt (the hardest so far) for my daughter Alexis the beekeeper, and an ocean-themed quilt for my son Daniel. 

Vintage Display Shelves

My daughter Alexis and I decided to try a booth at our local farmer's market.  We decided to sell our fresh eggs, garden produce, and vintage kitchen gadgets, while also advertising our farm and showcase Alexis's beautiful Champagne D Argent rabbits she breeds.

We decorated the booth with a "Farm Vintage" look so packed up my DIY Chalkboard Signs, vintage tablecloths, burlap banner, vintage tags, baskets, and all the items we wanted to sell.  

Apple Pie Moonshine

Recently I read a popular book called "The Wettest County in the World," a 2008 historical novel by Matt Bondurant. He's an American writer who features his grandfather and two great-uncles as the main characters. The movie is titled “Lawless”. The book tells the story of the trio during the Depression and Prohibition in rural Virginia, who made a living bootlegging moonshine.

The book again renewed my interest in the “moonshine culture” and historical events and places surrounding moonshining and stills.

                                           

7-Up Biscuits

Someone sent me this recipe for 7-Up Biscuits and it was probably one of my kids. They're always asking me to try new recipes they found on-line or from some magazine.

It's hard to believe that these biscuits only have 4 ingredients, especially after tasting them! They come out light and fluffy and mix up easily so are great if you're in a hurry or short on time.

                          

Block Quilt with Sashing

 

I started making quilts for the first time in January 2016 and I love it.  I have been sewing for years and years, but never attempted a quilt. (Baby quilts not included).  

My first full-size quilt was a Patchwork Quilt for a Camper Remodel I was working on.  

And after making 5 or 6 quilts either for myself or family, my granddaughter Kelsey asked me to make a quilt for her as a high school graduation gift. She wanted purple and “hulk” green fabrics and NO floral prints.

Retro Recipe: Chicken A La King

I love old kitchen utensils, vintage aprons, and old recipes from family and friends. I fondly remember this dish from my young adult years but haven’t had it in ages.

I decided to track down a Chicken A La King recipe that would bring back the deliciousness of the dish and this one nailed it.

Many really good recipes have been ruined over the years by all sorts of shortcuts and substitutions and this dish is no exception.

Ohio Star Quilt Block

I am in the middle of making multiple quilts for family members and one for myself. 

I made my very first quilt, a Patchwork Quilt to go along with our Camper Remodel in January, and have since been asked by most of the kids and grandkids to make them all quilts! 

In between all those quilts, I am trying to make one for myself from the Ohio Star quilt pattern. And I just love how they are turning out.

Cherry Pie Filling

Growing up we had a large really old cherry tree.  I remember that every year my sisters and I would climb the tree to pick as many cherries as we could. We would rush the cherries into my mother who made the best Cherry Pie ever.

My mother's pie crust was and still is hands down my favorite crust and I really have never been able to duplicate it nor tasted one as good.  

That old cherry tree we had growing up finally split down the middle and died and that was a sad day indeed.