Giveaway time!

It's fall. It's cold here this morning. Winter is closer than I think and you know what that means. Well, if you lived here you'd know what that means, rain. And lots of it. About 6 feet of it every season. That also means a lot of time spent indoors- with plenty of time to quilt! :) So to ring in the changing of the seasons I'm hosting a little giveaway of patterns. These cuties should keep you busy this fall and winter. Since there are two patterns there will be 2 winners- double the fun!
The first is a fabulous pattern by Judi of Green Fairy Quilts. She is the one who was having that great sale on the honey buns! This pattern is absolutely gorgeous and super easy to do. Don't let the photo deceive you! It makes a 53x81 sized quilt.

The second is this little gem called Roobios. It's a Schnibbles pattern- which seem to be quite fun and quite popular right now. This one uses charm squares and the finished quilt measures 27x32.

Here's how you enter...simply leave a comment here on my blog (on this post.) If you'd like an extra entry you can blog about my giveaway and then let me know that you did by adding one more comment. And just for the fun of it, for a third entry you can stop by my quilt shop, Mountain Home Quilts, and let me know which quilt is your favorite. 3 entries, 2 or 1, whatever you'd prefer!
The giveaway will close on October 7th at midnight PST. Winners will be drawn at random (by using random.org) and the first one to come up will get the first pattern, the second one will get the second. That makes sense.
Good luck! :)

perfect for Christmas

One more new listing in the shop! Check it out and let me know what you think! :)

new listing.........mmmmmmmmm, pie

There's a new little listing in my shop. It is so adorable that I contemplated just giving it to Timber. But you know how that is, the poor child is going to end up with quilts coming out of her ears by the time she's an adult.

This quilt would be so perfect for a little girl to tote around! Anyone who loves Mary Engelbreit- come on, you know who you are- would love it too! :)

on it's way!

No, no, not the baby- not yet at least! ;) But I did just order these this morning from haveitconfections on Etsy. Autumn Spice Caramel!

I want to make those caramel apple muffins again......and again and again and again because they are soooooooo good and I'd much rather have some nice homemade caramel then the stuff I buy at the store. Can't wait for it to get here!

what a find!

Judi owns a little online quilt shop called Green Fairy Quilts. She is currently having a sale on all of her honey buns. For those of you who don't know what a honey bun is (what, do you live under a rock???? o.k., sorry, I realize that not everyone is a fabric freaks like myself) it's a roll of precut fabric that's put out by Moda. The fabric is in strips 1 1/2" wide. Great for easy quilting or any other sewing project! Anyway, her honey buns are on sale right now for $11.95 each! I know, I know- your mouth just dropped open when I said that price! But it's true. Check out her site to find out more.

the ups and downs

Applesauce. Fun to make, awful to clean up after. At least the way I do it. Which pretty much sums up all the things I do. I'm great at making messes- not so swift to clean them up. You could call it "messy," I like to call it "laid back."

I enlisted the help of my little man to help peel apples again.

And then we cooked them with some water.

Then we added raw honey to sweeten up the sour apple taste.

Then we blended a little to make it less chunky. I know that I could have just cooked it down more but the less cooking the better, I think.

Then as the jars canned, we cleaned this up. See, not so fun.

I'll be using the rest of the apples for pie. Yum!

more yumminess......i'm on a roll here!

I made these muffins this morning and the smell of sweet cinnamon and apples filled the house. Perfect for fall! Not only do they look scrumptious, they even taste it! I always bake from scratch (unless I'm just really craving brownies and need them in a hurry!) and these muffins are simple to whip up.

Wanna make some of your own this season? Remember to try and use organic ingredients if you can! Here's what you'll need:
2 c flour
3/4 c sugar
2 1/2 t cinnamon
2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c milk
1/4 c butter, melted
1 egg
1 1/2 t vanilla
1/2 c apple, diced
12 caramels, unwrapped and diced

Here's what I did this morning: I forgot to add the salt, I added more apple and less caramels. It's not how I would always do it, that's just how it went this morning. Actually, you could leave out the caramels all together if you wanted to. There would be less sugar in the muffins then and they would still taste yummy. :) And my cast iron muffin pan only has 11 slots instead of 12 so I just got slightly bigger muffins.

In a bowl, mix the first 5 ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine milk, egg, vanilla and butter. Slowly combine dry mix with wet mix, just until blended. Toss in diced apples and caramels. Pour into 12 lined muffin slots and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Pretty simple.

About 5 minutes after they came out of the oven this is what was left. And then a few minutes later there were even more gone. They were certainly a hit with my family. Hope yours enjoys them as well!

Now I have to wash all that melted caramel off of my cast iron!

Oh, and last Friday I made a cookie dough cheesecake that was out of this world! I'll certainly be making that again soon!

yumminess

We have a lot of green beans in the garden. I mean A LOT. And I do can them but we try, of course, to eat as many fresh ones as possible since they don't get any healthier than that. My husband has now set a limit on how often we can have them (2 x per week) since if I had my way, we'd eat them every night! Gavin actually gave me this recipe (if you even want to call it that) and it is sooooooo good. I thought I'd share.

Here's what you'll need;

Some fresh green beans, cut to a desired length- how many depends on how much you'll eat

Lots of garlic, chopped- when I make ours I use about 5 good sized cloves but more is always better!

Olive oil- maybe 1/8 of a cup or so

Sea Salt (optional)

A skillet or a wok

Heat the oil in the skillet but remember that you can't get it too hot- olive oil doesn't tolerate high temps very well.

Once the oil is hot, throw in the garlic and cut green beans and start stirring. This is similar to stir frying so you don't want the green beans to sit for a long time in one place, otherwise they tend to get kinda soggy. Stir fry for 5-10 minutes depending on how cooked you want your beans.

When they're done, they'll look like this:

Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and serve warm....... and be ready to get a second helping and a third and a fourth because they are so yummy!

opinions needed

I whipped this little cutie up this morning. I saw it in Mary Janes Farm this past spring. The apples were used as bowl fillers but I got the idea to use it as a pincushion. I added a few different touches to accommodate the idea and viola- a little apple pincushion. I personally love it and was wondering if I made a couple up for the quilt shop, if they'd sell? So here's where you come in- what do you think of it? Lay it on me folks. And be honest!! If you really feel like, "Um, it's cute and all but I surely wouldn't buy one." then just say it. My feelings will not be hurt- pinky swear!

I'm not looking to break into any new fields in Esty. I'm sticking with my quilts. And shops that have a bunch of miscellaneous stuff always have kinda thrown me for a loop anyway. I'm not big on the "jack of many trades and master of none" shops. I just thought if I made maybe 2, that I'd see how it went.

Also, any ideas on it or improving it would be appreciated. I've already thought of creating the next one with a fabric stem instead of the cinnamon stick.

soup and a mack truck

2 things that Layton always thinks he needs- soup and a Mack truck. If you ask him what he needs, that's what he'll say.

Every time we go into town he gets giddy over seeing semi's going down the road. So the other day when Gavin came home with this little toy for him he was overjoyed! Now, it never leaves his side- EVER. He sleeps, eats, and walks around with it. If he has to put it down for some reason he always says, "But Timber won't get it, right?" Yep. He's in love with it. And I'm in love with him. What a sweetheart!

new quilt- for Christmas!

Well, one more "done" quilt finally bound! Phew! I feel somewhat better with another UFO complete. Only a dozen more to go.

Here's the new quilt and the listing for it.

My favorite part is the binding. I debated on whether to use the candy cane fabric or just go with the green that was used for the last border. I'm so glad I went with the candy cane. I absolutely love the way it looks- so festive!

the harvest

This weekend we picked corn, corn and more corn. Then I canned it all. The garden is pretty much done for the year. We do still have green beans coming on and the second round of peas will be ready to pick in about a week or two. We still have tomatoes too. But it's raining here today as it did yesterday. The weather is turning cooler and as I sit now at the computer and look out the window, I can see the leaves falling off of our huge maple tree out front. Plus, I just built a fire. Yeah, summer is over. Welcome fall!

Here's a few shots from this weekend.

Layton is quite the little helper. Of course, he usually eats more green beans than he actually picks and tends to want to eat each ear of corn that he shucks but a little help is better than none at all right? :)

how could I have forgotten?

Somehow I forgot yesterday to post something very important!!! A huge Happy Anniversary to my husband! But, that's kind of the way life is for us right now. By the time Gavin got home from work it was 6pm. Wyatt was off to football and I was attempting to throw something together for dinner while watching the babies play outside. Then it was picking Wyatt up, scarfing down dinner, baths, bedtime stories, homework to be corrected, showers, etc. All in all, it doesn't make for a very romantic anniversary but it was one none the less.It's hard to believe that it's only been 4 years since we said "I do." Gavin always says with a grin, "Wow, it's felt like WAY longer than that." haha babe- nice one. But these past 4 years of marriage have been absolute bliss. (No, really, they have!) I'm married to the most wonderful husband and father in the whole wide world. I am so extremely thankful each and every day that God put him into my life and actually "brainwashed" him enough to fall in love with me! ;) He is more than I could have ever dreamed a husband could be. I love him more and more each passing day. Thank you Lord for everything that my husband is and everything that he gives. You have truly blessed me with one of the greatest gifts here on earth, a fantastic marriage to an even more fantastic man!!

Oh, and I have to add that I knew Gavin was the man for me on our first date. It was December and he came out to the ranch after work that evening and helped me clean 14 horse stalls and runs in the rain, bring all the horses in from the pastures, feed them and all in the dark. Then we ate KFC afterwards and talked until it was too late and time for him to go home. What a guy. Who does that on a first date??? :)

♥ how sweet it is ♥

I'm canning more raspberry jam today. Our fall harvest of raspberries has begun. I went outside to get some canning jars and as I walked back through the door I could smell the sweet aroma of sweet red raspberries on the stove top. It smelled heavenly!

There's also a special little guy who is oh so sweet.....

He wants to grow up to be just like his daddy.

wednesday randomness

1. Do you know that by baby #3, you don't keep up on "how pregnant" you are? I just looked at my little pregnancy ticker here on my blog and went, "No, way, I'm over 33wks pregnant?" Who knew? Which is totally different from baby #1 where anyone could ask you and you'd promptly respond, "I'm 22wks and 4 days pregnant."

2. The whole Kate and John thing is really getting aggravating to me. And we don't even have TV. What in the world makes these folks so special? I honestly am sick of seeing them all over the internet and in the magazines in the check out lines. I feel horrible for them that their marriage fell apart. But really, what do you expect after subjecting your family to reality TV? I don't side with one over the other because I don't personally know them but really, does he have to go bashing his wife on TV? What kind of father does that? IMO, a pretty lousy one.

3. I am tired of canning. Have I already said that? I know it will be such a benefit this winter when work is slow for Gavin so I press on but if I could, I'd just give it up, for this year, right now.

4. I don't think I've shared that we finally decided on a baby boy name!!! Mason Allen. We actually decided a while ago and I just forgot to share. Anyway, I can't wait for him to be here! :)

5. I am so excited about hunting season. Why? I'm not really sure. My hunting days are pretty much over for the next 8 years anyway. But I still get excited when Gavin goes and can't wait to see what he comes home with. Opening weekend is only 10 days away!!

6. I wish I could take a nap today.

7. I love my kids. ♥

8. I love my husband. ♥

9. I love my Jesus. ♥

10. I guess I'm done being random.

labor day

Apparently no one told Gavin and I that Labor Day is actually a holiday, not a day that you're supposed to "labor." Gavin worked today up in Big Flat and I worked at home. Housework, canning and be still my beating heart, QUILTING! Yes, I really did! I got a new quilt listed in the shop, finally. A quilt top 3/4 done for a Christmas gift and over the weekend I even got another sewing Christmas project done. My poor machine doesn't know what hit it! :)

It actually felt so good to be so productive today since I feel as though I've been anything but the past 3 weeks being sick.

I picked raspberries and corn today. Canned all the corn I picked. Added the binding to my fall quilt. Got it listed. Mopped the floor. Did the dishes. Did the laundry. Washed the cabinets. Fed the kids. Sewed on my Christmas gift quilt (which I wish I could show you, but I can't because the person who will be on the receiving end reads this blog.) Did more laundry- including our bed sheets........ah, I love getting into a fresh, clean bed. And so on and so on.

Anyway, here's the new quilt. I hope you like it!

how many is too many?

When it comes to pictures of my kids I really, honestly try not to bombard all of you with as many pictures as I actually take. But this afternoon was just too fun and really, my daughter is just loving the camera right now so I have to share.....

I really think that if she wasn't wearing a dress and her hair was shorter she could be mistaken for a little boy. Granted, she is my first and only girl but do all little girls get this messy? Gavin's comment was, "The picture would be cuter if her face wasn't so dirty!" But with 2 brothers to keep up with, you gotta give the gal a little room to be messy!

And yes, I know it's amazing.....another picture of me! Thankfully this was not too long after church so I'm a little more done up. Plus my cold seems to be subsiding- finally.Green beans. They're coming out my ears!! Tomorrow starts another week of canning. Corn, pears and more green beans!

Quilt of the Month- September

Thanks Karen for reminding me that it's um.....September 2nd!!! Hello? Earth to Heather! Time for a new Quilt of the Month! :) So, here ya go- September's quilt of the month is my Snippets Swirl Quilt. Check out the listing for all the details. Enjoy!

cough cough....snot snot

I am still sick. And it's really getting old. I finally broke down and went to the Dr. this last Friday. He gave me some antibiotics. I waited through the weekend to see if it would get better because I'm pretty much an anti-antibiotic person. But I broke down yesterday and got the Rx filled. I'm just so tired of being sick and it's moving down into my lungs now so hopefully the antibiotics will help all of this go away. 3 weeks of a cold is no fun.
In the mean time I've been so stinkin' busy with just trying to keep up with life that quilting has been non existent. I am sooooooooo behind. I still have 2 quilts for baby boys, whom are already born, that just need a binding. I also have my Christmas and Fall quilt for my Etsy shop that are done but still just need..............yep, you guessed it, the binding. 4 quilts that I have no motivation for. Canning has taken precedence over almost everything at this point because food just can't sit around and rot or spoil. It needs to be done. 100lbs of Tuna this weekend. I'm canning the last batch right now. And then I still have a ton of peaches to finish. Not to mention the green beans that keep coming on. And then there's the corn that should be ready by next week. But I think there may only be about 5 dozen ears there so I guess that's not so bad. Huh, yeah right. But I have just under 8 weeks left before our new baby is here so I'd better make hay while the sun is shining!
Anyway, I realize that I hadn't updated my blog in over a week so I thought I'd better give ya'll some clue as to what's going on and why I've been absent. When I finally get my head above water I'll let you know! :)