Vanilla Icing

Early Shoppers, Early Crafters

I don't know how those people who shop or craft early for the holidays do it.   They get everything purchased and/or made and carefully stowed away until it's time to wrap it and give it away.  I'd love to know because I've got several things to knit up for holiday gifts and well, my first knitted gift didn't even make it two days.

I cast off at 12:30 am, finished the embroidery just a little after 1 and at 1:30 am I was shoving the Goomba Beanie Hat on to a sleeping boys head to make sure it fit before I gave it to him.  (It did)

Next morning, as the boy was blearily rubbing his eyes and trying to eat toast I presented it to him all smiles.  I tell you I'm not better than a child who says "Mama look!  Look, Mama!  Look!  LOOKIE!'  He immediately loved it; what Super Mario Brothers obsessed boy wouldn't like it at least a little?

If you are still wondering what on earth a Goomba is you can google it and you will see more than a few images of it.  If you are too lazy to google but have played any of the Super Mario Brothers--even the earliest on the first Nintendo--a Goomba is that brown mushroom-ish thing you stomp on to flatten.  If you are still clueless as to what a Goomba is, let it go.  You are better off not knowing.

Now I'm off to finish making some of these:

and I am going to sit in the tiny patch of sort of sunlight streaming in through the window and eat one.  Hope your week gets off to a wonderful start. 

Honest Banana Bread

.....meets Naughty Chocolate Ice Cream.

A chunky slice of Banana Bread topped with a scoop of creamy, smooth chocolate ice cream puts me in mind of these.  I used to eat a lot of those popsicles when I was a child; they were my favorite thing to get from the ice cream truck when it came through our neighborhood on summer nights.

Of course, it's the flavor combination I mean and not the texture!   I served this for dessert the other night and it was a much more grown up version than you would find in any old ice cream truck.  The chocolate ice cream is my standard homemade chocolate ice cream recipe with one exception.  I added a shot of Cask & Cream Chocolate Temptation Cream Liqueur.  It added a rich layer of taste to the velvety ice cream without overpowering it. 

Next time, I'm planning on drizzling a thread of hot caramel sauce all over the ice cream and banana bread.  That is what it needed to truly finish it off.

Missy's Socks

                                      They are finished!

                  

           Socks knitted in Cascade Yarns Heritage Paints----David's Eyes

Farewell Summer Quilt

Just over two years ago, I declared I was done with quilting.  In October, I decided to give it another try.

It came to me that it doesn't have to be perfect to be usable and to be loved.  I let go of my need to have the end result be perfect and simply enjoyed the process not-so-straight seams and all.  Once I let go of this unnecessary need for the quilt to be perfect it seemed I made less mistakes after all.  That part may or may not be my imagination, but do you know what?  It doesn't matter.   My mother-in-law and husband have admired the quilt.  My children have spent all weekend under this one (except while Trick or Treating!) keeping warm and playing.  Never once did anyone look at it and inform me that it was imperfect.  I am content with it. 

I even had fun given the quilt its own 'photo shoot' since I wasn't worrying about imperfections being displayed.

I got a few strange looks and even a few disapproving remarks about the colors I was choosing to use for this quilt at the fabric store.  A lot of older women telling me 'Oh, honey, that's going to be way to bright.  Are you sure?'

I love the way the bright colors look.  It will remind me of summer all through the cold months of the year.  And, I think, when it fades some day it will be even more beautiful.

The hardest part of making this quilt for me was trying to be random in my color placement.  It's in my nature to try to spread out the randomness perfectly--no greens touching other greens, no pinks touching other pinks and so on--but this time I made myself reach for a cut piece and use it no matter what color was already there.  You can see how pinks were touching pinks and greens were touching greens in this star and it doesn't bother me at all.  I like the look.

Do you see a four petal flower? 

One of my favorite things about quilts is how you can look at it and see different shapes emerge.  In this quilt, first you might see the stars sprinkled throughout the pattern but then look again and you'll see four petal flowers all over.

I'm ready to say farewell to summer now!

Happy Halloween