November Block of the Month...

This quilt is going to be gorgeous! Just finished my block for this month and class is tomorrow. I can't wait to see what the next block is going to look like. So far everyone of these blocks has been so eye-catching...

Tomato Pie Questions...

My quilting friend, Deb asked if I had ever used drained canned tomatoes in making my tomato pie (especially when the tomatoes don't look so hot in the stores) - and I have to confess that I have never tried...I am thinking that even though they would be drained that the baking would bring out more of the moisture in the canned tomatoes and it would get soggy...(which in my opinion would be Gross!!!)

Only 26 shopping days...

I am still not believing that November is almost gone...and I am no where near done with the gifts I am making...I keep wondering if it will all work out...but, I am going to bust-you-know-what today and see how well I do. So, I am off to chain myself to the sewing machine until further notice... :)

What's on your menu?...

This is one of my very favorite meals...it is called "Tomato Pie". I learned about it when we lived in Tennessee - Cattie's Corner,the little restaurant I frequented at lunch served this every week. It was like her signature dish - and you either had to get there early or call ahead and ask her to save you some. Since several people have been sharing their favorite foods, I thought I would share mine... Usually, one would make it in a pie pan...but we really enjoy it - so, I made it in a 13x9 pan. The following recipe is for the pie pan version - if you want to do the 13 x 9 pan - just double everything...

One starts with frozen Hash Browns (the shredded kind) or you could shred your own potatoes - but, it's easier with the frozen ones...about two cups. You add salt, finely minced onion (2 tablespoons) and two eggs. Mix and spread into pan to make a crust. Bake without any filling for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Once out of the oven, layer tomato slices, (2-3 large tomatoes) into two layers on top of the potato crust. Chop 4 or 5 green onions, mince 1 or 2 garlic cloves, and chop fresh herbs (oregano, parsley, basil) and sprinkle over the tomatoes...

The next step is to take 1 cup of mayonnaise and 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese. Mix together and spread over the tomatoes and mixture of herbs on top. (you can see I started one corner and realized after taking the picture that I had not put in my herbs, onions & garlic - so I did before I finished.)

This is what your dish will look like before you put it back in the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes...(check it at 20 and if it looks brown and pretty and the cheese is melted it is done.)

It should look like the above picture when done...
Cut and serve immediately. Enjoy...It is awesome....

Flowers on my mind...

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

Everything is RED...

Skateboarder's hat - well, that is what this is going to be...the stitching below that ridge will go inside the hat when I get up to 37 rows on the part above the ridge. Then it will be knit together - and create warmth. Scarlett really liked this hat pattern when she saw it...and I figured "RED" was a good color for someone to see her on her snowmobile...it will be finished soon.Speaking of RED...my Knit Unto Others has yielded another scarf for the Red Scarf Project...and I may get lucky enough to finish another one that I started last night...photos to come...

Lanterne Rouge Prize...

My Lanterne Rouge Prize arrived yesterday....Would you look at this!...Soft, gorgeous!!! These beautiful lace weight yarns were given to me by Debbie as one of the prizes when everyone was trying to finish up their Wing-o-the-Moth Shawl from over at Ann's blog. Seems my friend, Cheryl, was the last to finish...and my name was in pot to win a prize if she was last...

The dark green is: Kid Seta (70% Super Kid Mohair and 30% Seta/Silk) and made in Italy. She sent me 3 full skeins (230 yds each) and one that is almost full.

The light green is: Super Kid Mohair and there are five full skeins and part of another...I am so excited at the prospect of knitting a shawl with this...

Thank you to Ann for hosting the contest; Cheryl for being in the contest; and Debbie for sending me the lovely yarn...

Some things I'm thankful for...

I am thankful for:

My family...
My four-legged children...
My friends...both those who live close and those whose lives I share online...
My talents...that I am gifted with the abilty to knit and quilt and can share those gifts with others...
My health and the health of my family members...
My home...and that we have food and the necessities of life...along with some of the "extras"
My country...that I was born and live here in the United States in a gorgeous part of the country where I have freedoms that people in many other lands will never know...

I could list a lot more things...but I just wanted to express how thankful I am for this life that I live...

Quiet Day...

Thanksgiving Day turned out to be a great day! We spent the day quietly at home cooking a wonderful turkey dinner complete with dressing, baked sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and pecan pie. We fixed appetizers of smoked salmon sushi, cheese puffs, and deviled eggs.

My daughter and sister called. Scarlett's mom called. And, a few friends called.
We watched the Macy's Day Parade and the Dog Show (was totally disappointed that the adorable BPGV didn't win!)...and I spent time knitting on the Red Scarf Project scarf for the Knit Unto Others Challenge.

Hope your day was a nice as mine...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Wishing each of you a wonderful day filled with love, joy, and happiness. Happy Thanksgiving...

What's your element?...

Another quick post today...spent most of day at hospital with our friend, Tammy, who was having two wisdom teeth surgically removed...so, don't have much time right now to post anything longer...promise tomorrow will be better....

Seems this sort of matches what the last one I took on "what color purple I was" - not too different in what it says about me...

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world. And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly. Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life. You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful. You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person. With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

What's Your Element?

UFOs...WIP...

My Australian friend, Sandie, issued a challenge to get some of our Unfinished Objects finished during 2007. This is my first project...a quilt for my daughter, Tara. It is already sandwiched...so all I have to do is quilt it.

It is a king size quilt...and is a charm scrap quilt...meaning that no two pieces of scrap fabric are the same...the rectangular blocks are muslin as is the backing. I truly wanted for this quilt to have an "old" look.

Today I bought the thread to hand quilt this baby! So, as soon as the holidays are over...I will begin to quilt this one.

The sweater grows...

Just a little over an inch and a half and I will be at the armholes on the back...at this point I have already used a skein of Cascade 220 - I bought four...and there is one on hold at the yarn shop still...so, I need to get busy and see where I stand when I finish the back and front...I still like the yarn and love the sweater...it is the first time in probably eight to ten years that I have knit a sweater for myself.

Purple...

Today I am taking the easy way out...feel like someone rolled over me with a steamroller - my head hurts...and my nose won't quit and am sneezing every two minutes...going to crawl into my recliner and knit...(translates - sleep a little while)...

Saw this little quiz somewhere - and had to see what shade of purple I truly am...since it is my favorite color...

You Are Grape

You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that. People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts. You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you. People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.

What Color Purple Are You?

Knit Unto Others Begins...

Today begins Knit Unto Others - from now until December 2nd plans are that I will knit another red scarf for the Red Scarf Project 2007...the cause really touched me...I could not begin to imagine trying to go to college with no family to support you emotionally! Or to send you goodies packages just to say they were thinking of you...


Last night I cast on for the scarf...and I got this far:

The yarn: Bernat Softee Chunky (a full skein I had left over from the other scarf I made)

The color: Berry Red

The pattern: Cast on 20 stitches - did 6 rows of garter stitch... doing a border of three stitches on each side in garter stitch and the center is called Eyelets - and is January 11 in 365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar

Money, Money, Money...

Have no idea what the large cream colored building is - but, when the sun hit it looked like it was spun of pure gold. And, the lines and angles were just so cool...had to have a photo of it...

One of the majestic public buildings in Denver...decorated with pink Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbons...it was around the corner from the last place we took a tour...

The Denver Mint...No photos there - the security is extremely tight...all we were allowed to carry in was a wallet with id that could fit in your pocket...but it was an awesome tour! Denver Mint only makes coins...what looks to be a three-story building from the outside is actually five stories...with the most beautiful windows and chandeliers that I've ever seen. But, we learned how money is made, were given a penny and a penny blank which is what is used to make the penny, and learned that the average dollar bill only lasts in circulation for 22 months while pennies seem to last forever...it was a fun place to go...

Rocky Mountain High...

I had the opportunity while Scarlett was in the conference to spend a day in Phoenix with my daughter....flew out Tuesday morning and returned Wednesday afternoon. On the way back to Denver I must have taken a zillion photos of the Rocky Mountains from the plane window. Won't bore you with all of them - but here are a few...


I love this bottom one as you can actually see the end of the mountains as you approach flat land and Denver...isn't it cool???

A Day in Boulder...

Boulder, Colorado...an hour and $3.75 bus fare each way and there you are...Boulder is one of the most artsy-fartsy cities I have ever been in. We started our morning having breakfast in a delightful restaurant that served "real" beignets on the Pearl Street Mall. It's another one of those streets that allow no traffic...and has great shops, cute restaurants, and street performers...The Pearl Street Mall goes from "high end" to "the hippie generation". It was wonderful!!! It is also known for being the birthplace of Colorado's "natural foods" community. We totally enjoyed walking through the Farmer's Market and Arts and Crafts Market that was open that day.

Our main reason for going to Boulder was to go to Celestial Seasonings Tea. So we hopped a city bus and headed for the plant. Big mistake...the bus driver dropped us off here...does it look like there is much around... Nope...there is an Industrial Park down the road which is where we would eventually find Celestial Seasonings. But the view was wonderful of the mountains...

So we began our hike...I was a tad worried for Scarlett as she has asthma and the air there in Colorado made breathing sometimes difficult. As we walked along the sidewalk, I kept noticing these strange holes in the ground.
And, hearing this chirping kind of conversation going on...well, lo and behold, there they were - prairie dogs...hundreds of prairie dogs...everywhere! It seems that along the two mile hike that it took us to get to Celestial Seasonings - the company had establish a Prairie Dog Park...
They are soooo cute! Of course, one would not want them in their yard as they could and would tear up the lawn pretty quickly... As I took another shot of the beautiful mountains in the distance...my camera died...the batteries were gone...and no where in sight to buy more...

We had a wonderful tour at Celestial Seasonings and learned that they operate two shifts a day except in winter (the busy time) when they operate three. The Denver plant is it...there is no other Celestial Seasoning place in the world...I have no idea exactly how many teas they make but it is a lot...and they only employ 225 people! It was just amazing...they had a great tasting room where you could have as many cups of whatever tea you would like to try. They also had some of their flavors of the day made up...I'll tell you the Blueberry is really good cold (they made it with sugar - but you could use honey.) They also have a very nice gift shop...and we came home with Tea!!! (What a surprise!)

We strolled the mall in Boulder, found a wonderful "friendly" bookstore, bought organic treats for the four-legged children and headed back to Denver...for our last evening in town.

100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall...

Coors! The name says it all...Upon arriving at the plant, you are given a wrist band and your hand is stamped with the word "beer"! That wrist band and stamp allows the world to know that you get to enjoy 3 beverages of your choice at the end of the tour.Have no idea what they do in the above room...but it looked impressive. What I can tell you I remember the most was the smell of the hops! It was a very pungent smell. The bottom photo shows the kettles where the beer is brewed and where things are fermented to make the beer.
This would be at the entrance to the plant - and from what I saw it was "the place" to have one's photo taken...but that huge vat thing is what is in the photo above.

The one thing I really loved was that "Mrs. Coors" (like the original one) decided that the plant should be a beautiful place in which to work - so there are tons of gardens plus hot houses and each lobby or public place has gorgeous bouquets and floral arrangements of beautiful flowers...

Tada - the prize at the end of the tour! A chance to relax in the Lounge - now that is nice. Small tables in one huge room complete with a large bar at one end. So we were ready...We each began with a beer...well, I don't like beer! And, guess what, Coors didn't change my mind...still don't like beer...and this was good beer...don't get me wrong...and COLD...the only way I would ever drink beer if I liked it...
On my second trip up - I just asked for a Pepsi and the bartender asked if I wanted something else and I told him I wasn't wild about beer...so, being the nice guy that he was - he offered to give me a sample of his very favorite drink...also made at Coors...Zima Hard Orange... Next trip up - guess what I had!!!! Oh, yea...that stuff could be very addictive! Tastes just like Orange Crush Soda...Scarlett checked it out ... and she thought it was okay, too...
So, after a nice trip to Golden and Coors - we headed back to the bus stop and headed back to Denver! It was a nice way to spend a day! Oh, and by the way, the tour at Coors is free to the public...

Livin' in the Wild Wild West...

About a 45 minute bus ride and at the end of the line...is Golden, Colorado. Now, this is the wild, wild west...in case any one were to forget that at one time there were gunslingers and wild buffalo in Colorado...Golden will remind you. No big skyscrappers...just mountains and a pretty town.

This cast iron buffalo graced the front of the bar where we had lunch - and it was a stately bar...complete with a huge mahagony bar that ran the length of the building and beams and mirrors on the back wall (they didn't allow photography) and a great dance floor...


So, we each had our "tourist" photo next to the buffalo....then we looked down Main Street


As we crossed the bridge there was this lovely little park...with great art. I am a big fan of art in public places - and these fish were exceptional.

But, lest we forget - Golden is known for one other thing...Beer!!! Well, not just any beer - COORS beer...so off we went to visit the brewery...and learn the history of Coors.

Blackhawk, CO...

We heard about Blackhawk at the hotel...basically, it is the gambling area for Denver - not much there but Casinos...and restaurants. But, what makes the going there incredible is the ride up. We decided that we would take the bus - the deal was that you paid $13.00 a person (with a $5.00 voucher from the hotel) and if you got enough points while gambling you would get the $18.00 bus fare back.

So, our first Saturday we left early in the afternoon so that we could see the scenery - and it was awesome. Beautiful mountains, saw mountain goats and elk along the way, and even got to see several groups of rock climbers.
This is the beginning of Blackhawk - casinos just line the road...and some are even connected via walkways that go across the street.

That would be Scarlett standing in front of the casino we spent time in. At that point she was smiling...We had a great dinner and met some folks from Indiana and we enjoyed a nice meal together laughing and talking.

How did we do?...I think she lost $20.00 on the Nickel slots...while I spent $14.00 on the Penny slots and left with $22.00 + my original $14.00. We each got two tee-shirts from the two casinos we visited (first timers - you know).

Needless to say - we did not earn enough points to get our bus fare back...but it was a great trip up there and a nice evening...well worth the $18.00 bus fare per person.

Denver Trip...Part Two...

The area around the State Capitol, Library, and Museum has a lovely park that joins all of the buildings. My love of flowers shows up in the photos on my camera. I have no idea what the flowers are in the top photo - but, they were beautiful and the leaves were so very different.

The second photo shows the entry way to the Library and Museum that one reaches by walking through all the lovely flower beds. The third photo is of another lovely flower bed. I was surprised that the colors and flowers were so vivid especially since some days the weather was pretty cold - down in the 40s and 50s.

The State Capitol looks out over the city and there is a spot in the rotunda where one is actually a-mile-high. Offers a beautiful view of Denver.

From the Stacks...Winter Reading....

As I was reading Kat's blog today I ran across this Winter Reading Program. The way it works is that one needs to read five books from their to-be-read stack..and I don't think there is anyone around that loves to read who doesn't have a to-be-read stack... :) The challenge runs from November 1 through January 30...as usual you get to post a review of what you read. I think it will be fun...especially since I so enjoyed the Summer Reading Program.

My choices are:

The Audacity of Hope - Barack Obama
35 Cents - Matty Lee
Dispatches from the Edge - Anderson Cooper
The Kennedy Curse - Edward Klein
Blue Dahlia - Nora Roberts

Four are non-fiction...and two of those I ordered a while back from a book club and they just arrived in the last few weeks. One is fiction. So, at least I have a plan for those lovely snowy days - I can just curl up under a nice quilt with a good book....