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.............. to my Dear Sister, Pam, pictured here with her Dear Friend, Viv :) Pam is on the right; and as you can see, she's the one who got the good looks in our family!!!! She's also the older of us girls, but you sure wouldn't know it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hopefully, after the long Holiday Weekend is over, this quilt will be on it's way to her, FINALLY!!!!! I just have to fix a few areas of the quilting that I'm not happy with and sew on the label; and it will be a done deal at last. 
Yes, she loves "horses," so they're on the back too :)
Have a wonderful day Pamela J and please know that Gene and I are down here in Davie wishing you the best that life has to offer today and always :) Love you bunches, even if you wouldn't let me borrow your clothes when we were growing up. You'll be happy to know that I would no longer fit into them :)Ohhhhhhhhh and Happy Birthday wishes being sent to my good friend Polly today too :)"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Ephesians 4:2-3)
............ to "change her mind;" and since it is, we do it all the time!!!!!!!!! I remember a few years back when we were redoing one of our bathrooms, I chose the flooring, which our guys installed; and I immediately hated it. Soooooooo, Gene let me choose another one, which our guys proceeded to install ............. and yes, I hated it!!!!!!!!!! Have I mentioned that my honey loves me (LOL). I say that cuz, yes, he let me make a 3rd choice; and fortunately, once it was down, I was finally satisfied :)Anyway, on Friday night, I was all set to start on the Noah's Ark Quilt on Saturday morning; but when I woke up, my mind had totally different plans, so I started this instead:
Gene couldn't figure out what it was! Can you??? (LOL) Quite "puzzling," don'tcha think! All I can say at this point is that although it's quite simple, it's gonna be a bit challenging to my somewhat dyslectic brain! Stay tuned :)"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." (1 Peter 3:15)
...............that it's a "done deal" with the Autism Blocks that is; and those kind, kind folks gave me all these goodies last night at their Awards Ceremony at the Signature Grand here in Davie :)
I went with my DSIL, Betsy, who was awarded this fancy smancy medallion for all of her hard work on raising money for their Annual Walk :)
All in all, it was a lovely evening.There are so many kids, who are quickly growing into adults, who suffer from Autism; and I'd love it if all you kind folks would send up prayers for them and their families who face the many challenges that come about from Autism every day, with a special one added for our Dear Nephew, A.J. He is a sweet, wonderful and incredibly intelligent child who quite quickly steals your heart for life :)
"For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." (Galatians 5:13)
WIP???? UFO being an "Unfinished Object" and a WIP being a "Work in Progress." Ahhhhhhh such decisions and so many takes on the matter. Personally, I like the thoughts of everything being a WIP; however, if truth were to be told, if something lays dormant in the drawer for more than a year, it is probably a daggone UFO; and I don't take kindly to them. Now having said all that, if it makes it out of a drawer, is it possibly a WIP again??? I hope so, cuz these just did exactly that :)
I wish I had taken the time to pull the book out too so I could have told you who designed these pretty blocks! I did look quickly, but at last, my morning duties beckoned. I've been thinking about these "dormant" blocks for several weeks now and I came up with a plan!!!! I think I'll use the 4 in a square, as I'm not overly fond of the one lone soldier on the top ... perhaps he could become a pillow??? Anyway, this is what I'm contemplating ............
Did I hear someone LOL at my drawing??? Ohhhhhhhhhh that was me, which makes it AOK for you to do the same :) I know it's obvious that I can't draw worth a hoot ... if I could, with all the things floating around in my brain, I'd be creating patterns instead of sitting in my office everyday pushing paper. Anyway, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the "drawing" really depicts :)"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." (1 Peter 3:8)
My mind has been pondering exactly that for about 3 weeks now .... so many choices a/k/a "stash;" but I think I've finally settled on this.
It's the Jim Shore Noah's Ark collection ... isn't it adorable!!!!! It's the one that struck my fancy this morning, so it'll be the one that I'll start cutting on this weekend; and speaking of which .............. "is it Friday yet??????????????"Oh and did you notice the cute little elephant??? It was part of a "Door Prize" from my Dear Friend Polly in MD. It's all silk and came from one of her many trips to China ... and it's the best pin cushion this side of the MS!!!!"You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. " (Genesis 6:19-20)
OMG, I was soooooo excited!!!! Last week on the Wishful Stitches Blog, I left a comment to get my name in the hat for Cyndi's fabulous giveaway, which was a beautiful quilt. Instead of your normal "random drawing," we had to comment about our biggest quilting mishap. Well, I've got oodles of 'em, but I chose the time I appliqued my block to my jammies while stitching away on the couch. That little blooper didn't get me the quilt; but since she had so many wonderful mishaps to choose from, she decided to add 2 prizes to the pot, and my "dingbat moment" got me this little beauty :)
For all my "non quilting" friends and family, this is what we call a "jelly roll;" and when you unroll it, you get this ........
Can you believe it cost $8.70 to mail this little guy to Davie!!!!!!! At the rate postage is increasing, we're gonna have to go back to the "Pony Express" soon. Anyway, I recently saw jelly roll strips sewn together just like I laid them out here and topped off w/a small and then a large border ... it made a beautiful quilt, so my mind is pondering doing the same with these little gems :) Thank you Cyndi!!!!!!!!!"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13)
Ohhhhhhhhhh, I'm so excited cuz I've now got pictures of Polly's "Five Day Quilt" to share :) Now remember, when I say "five days," I mean that literally!!!! From pulling the fabric, to deciding what to do with it, to cutting it out, to sewing it back together, to putting it on the frame, to quilting it, to binding it and to labeling it ... she did it ALL in just five days, which truly blows my mind.
Isn't it awesome!!!
OK, it wasn't until afterwards that I found out that she had a little help from her beloved Edwina................
.............. but still, from start to finish, in just "five days!" I'd still be looking at the fabric trying to decide what to do with it!!! I travel through the quilting journey on the Mayflower and Polly obviously caught that jet plane!!! I bow down before you Polly and thanks so much for letting me share it."Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mathew 6:19-21)
My friend Polly from MD came to Davie over the weekend, which is very exciting news in my worLd :) We spent a wonderfully relaxing afternoon together yesterday; and as you can see, Miss Molly fell in love :)
We drove over to Lauderdale by the Sea and had lunch at Aruba's, a wonderful little Seaside Restaurant that Gene and I have gone to many times through the years. 
Polly is a Quilter Extraordinarie, as she just last week finished a "Five Day Quilt," which I can't believe I didn't get a picture of!!!!!!! It is real beauty. I'd love for y'all to see it, so I'm gonna see if she can e-mail me a picture :)I had a wonderful time Polly and I'll be looking forward to the next one my dear :)
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
Just had to share this one with y'all cuz it is some good stuff!!!! My Dear Friend, Debbie in NC gave me the recipe several years ago; and I've made it quite a few times since. If you love "Pumpkin Pie" at Thanksgiving, I think you'll like this lower fat, lower calorie version throughout the year :) It's very WW friendly and you can whip it up in no time flat.
Debbie's Pumpkin PiePreheat Oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9" pie plate or 8" x 8" glass dish w/that wonderful Pam!1 - 15 oz can of pumpkin1 - 15 oz can of FF evaporated milk4 eggs1/2 cup Splenda1/4 cup SF maple syrup1 tsp vanilladash of salt2 tsps pumpkin pie spiceWhisk all the ingredients above together and poor into prepared pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and reduce heat to 325 degrees. Bake an additional 25 minutes or until middle is set. It takes a bit longer in my oven :) I normally have my first piece "hot" and my second piece "cold!" Gene really likes it too :)WW point wise = 8 servings /2 points or 6 servings/3 points.Don't forget to top if off w/some coolwhip :) "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (Isaiah 40:8)
I'm making a bit of progress on that passel of Quilt Blocks that found their way to Davie a few weeks ago and I'm happy to say that I've managed to finish piecing 1 of 3 sections.Aren't all those painted hand prints absolutely adorable!!! And God Bless the Teacher who painted ALL those pretty blue blocks and those flowers!!!!!!! I'll have to get you a close up shot of one next time :)
I'm not quite sure what's up w/all the blurriness cuz the photo looked good until I uploaded it??? Hopefully, in spite of the "what's wrong w/the woman holding the camera," you can get an idea of what it's gonna look like :)I'll have to admit that I've probably broken an awful lot of "quilting rules" putting these blocks together, so I'm currently dodging the "Quilting Police" on this one. I cut the blocks down to 11-1/2 inches cuz none of them matched in size and most of them had been cut with scissors. As I got further into the stack of cutting, I found that there were even some that wouldn't cut down to 11-1/2 inches cuz they were smaller than that to begin with, so I decided to add some fabric to those in a manner that had absolutely no rhyme nor reason!!!I'm currently working on the 2nd section, so I'm still hopeful to finish by the deadline of the 25th. I think a day or 2 off from work is gonna be required as we get closer to the finish line. When they're all done, you'll hear me shouting from the rooftop!!!!!"By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
....... and on a Monday no less ... the day that we simply "cannot trust!" Right now is when you need to be thankful that you can't hear "sound" on this site, otherwise you'd have to listen to me sing "Monday, Monday ............ :)"OK, back to the "Good, Good Day" stuff. Soooooooo what makes it so good??? Well, remember this?????
I'm happy to report that it's been transformed into this :)
(If you double click, you can enlarge the photos ... sending out apologies for them not being that clear!)
And it has some quilted feathers!!!!!!
And even better yet, this one is for my Mom :) All through the years she has said she didn't want a quilt. Then, out of no where, last December, when I was up in TN visiting with her, she said "when are you ever going to make me a quilt???" I almost fell out of my chair!!!!!! I'm hoping to get it washed, labeled and shipped out in time to arrive on her doorstep for her Wedding Anniversary this month :) Yes, it's a "Good, Good Day :)""You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13)
Time to dig way down deep into the Archives again. As I was digging, I ran across this little cutie. It's just one block all by it's lonesome. He doesn't have any friends cuz he was made for a contest ... a contest that I obviously lost!!!! I think it had to do with "exercise;" and everyone who knows me knows I didn't have a fat chance in you know where to win anything having to do with "exercise," soooooooooo the Rooster was mailed to my friend Barb in WI :)
I really enjoyed making this little guy and I have visions of a bunch of "him" in many different colors coming together in one quilt someday!!!!!!! There's no way I can live long enough to bring all the things floating around in my mind to life, but I'm quite hopeful that I'll land in that great Quilt Room in the sky someday :)
Ohhhhhhhhh before I get back to work on this "Finally Friday," I wanted to let you all know about 2 wonderful giveaways here in Blogville USA. Check out:Moonbeams in a Jar, where you just gotta leave a comment to get your name in the hat, and Wishful Stitches, where you gotta leave a comment about your most embarrassing quilting moment to be eligible to win a really pretty little quilt :) Goodness only knows that I've got waaaaayyyyy more of them than I can count!!!Happy weekend and Happy Quilting or Happy Whatever It Is You Love to Do :)"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Mathew 24:42-22)P.S. Thanks so much Jean for your "Lemonade Ice Box Pie" option!!!! And Eileen, that's why I'm sooooooooo pleasantly plump :)
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......... hanging???? remember???? Gene's desert choice last weekend??? Surely you've been sitting on the edge of your chair waiting to hear what it was, haven't you???? Or is this news only exciting in Davie???? (LOL).
Virginia's Lemon Ice Box Pie (Gene's Mama's Recipe)1 can Sweet 'n Condensed Milk (the ff option works, but doesn't set up as well)1/2 cup real lemon juice (about 4 lemons)1 to 2 tsps grated lemon peel2 egg yolks1 Graham Cracker Crust (store bought or homemade)Beat the first 4 ingredients together, pour into the fifth and refrigerate for several hours :) Don't forget to lick the bowl, cuz it's good stuff!!!!!!!!Gene woke up shortly after I made the pie and I told him he had a surprise in the frig. He said "Lemon Ice Box Pie???" I said "yeap :)" He said "how many did you make??????" The Big Nut!!!!! He was right to be worried about that quantity tho, cuz I ended up having to make 2 more. After making it, I realized the "2 egg yolks w/o cooking" is probably a "no no" in 2009! It's an old, old recipe, so I Googled it on Monday; and I found quite a few different variations to choose from. Gene survived many years of the raw egg yolks and I survived many years of the same w/my Mom's incredibly delicious eggnog, but I think I might eliminate that the next time he requests his Mama's Lemon Ice Box Pie."Rejoice in the LORD always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" (Phillippians 4:4)
Rats, rats and more rats!!!! As of yesterday, Hurricane Season 2009 has officially arrived; and it'll stay till the end of November. Boy, I really hate that; but considering the fact that we've been down here since '79, we've been pretty fortunate through the years where the Storms are concerned.
Many areas surrounding us have taken some terrible hits ... like South Miami back in '92 when Hurricane Andrew made his devastating debut. Gene's Mom, Virginia, went to Heaven the night before he hit; and in '99, our business took a terrible beating when Hurricane Irene made her appearance dropping oceans of water along her path. She was evil!!!! We had to get a new roof after the storms of '2004; but that was a good thing, cuz that new roof withstood the rath of Hurricane Wilma in October of 2005. I didn't like her one little bit!!!! I recently said we lost power for 10 days during that aftermath; but after further reflection, I realized it was actually 12 days ... and believe you me, those 2 extra days do make a difference (LOL).
Wilma obviously wasn't anything compared to the likes of such storms as Katrina, but she sure was a royal PITA!!!! Here's hoping that all named 2009 storms blow back out to where they belong ... SEA!!!!!On a brighter note, Happy, Happy Birthday to our beautiful niece, Mandy, pictured here w/her Nana ... my Mom. We love you sweetie!
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1)
P.S. Special thoughts to my friend Sue in New York, whose beloved Chocolate Lab, Ben, was hit and killed by a car last night. God's Speed my dear.
Hopefully, after the long Holiday Weekend is over, this quilt will be on it's way to her, FINALLY!!!!! I just have to fix a few areas of the quilting that I'm not happy with and sew on the label; and it will be a done deal at last. 
Yes, she loves "horses," so they're on the back too :)
Have a wonderful day Pamela J and please know that Gene and I are down here in Davie wishing you the best that life has to offer today and always :) Love you bunches, even if you wouldn't let me borrow your clothes when we were growing up. You'll be happy to know that I would no longer fit into them :)
