My Second Baby Shower Gift

This is the 2nd baby shower gift that I made. It is a baby's hat. My model is the only baby doll I have in my house. I used some really thick yarn that I got at Joann's Fabrics. It is really soft and colorful. I think that the hat may be a little large for a newborn so I may make another one with thinner yarn.

The pattern was fairly easy and here is the link Redheart Free Patterns.  Like I said the only model that I could use was a doll that I had for the grandchildren. Of course the doll is old and does not have any clothes. So here is the hat:

I turned the end up and am thinking of putting a flower on the top. I also added a border on the end. So what do you think?

Baby Shower Gifts

Hi! I have been busy making some baby shower gifts. The shower is this Sunday and I hopefully, will be done by then.

This is the first one:

At first, I thought that the mother and father were not going to find out what the baby's sex would be, so I bought some fabric that could be for a boy or a girl. I put a backing and batting on it and then proceeded to hand quilt some of the the lines going up & down and side to side. I didn't do them all because I just wanted it quilted enough to hold the batting in place. On the back, I put 2 fat quarters (1-yellow and 1-green) together and sewed it on with batting. Hope she likes it!

I will post the 2nd one in a seperate post
.

French Toast Dumplings…Simmered in Maple Syrup!

I saw this the recipe the other day and thought "I have Grands Biscuits and I love cinnamon. I have to try this. And I will try it after this post ;-). I like easy and I like a short list of everyday ingredients and I love sweets. So this was a no brainer. Here is the link where I got the recipe Oh Bite It just in case you want to go there. Enjoy!


What you’ll need:

1 can of Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers Biscuits

1.5 cups Maple Syrup..good quality if possible

1/3 cup Brown Sugar

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1 cup cinnamon Sugar (1 part Sugar to 1/2 part Cinnamon)

A dollop of Mascarpone..optional

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot add the Maple Syrup and the Brown Sugar..bring up to a simmer

Cut each raw biscuit into fourths and roll each section into a ball

Gently add them into the simmering syrup..leaving room for them to puff up..they get puffy!

Cover them and let them simmer until they are doubled in size..turning them once, to coat each side of the dumplings evenly in the thick and amazing reduced syrup sauce!

Let them cool. While they’re cooling, mix up the cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg in a bowl..set aside.

Gently toss each dumpling in the Cinnamon/Sugar/Nutmeg mix..for that French Toast crunch!

Pile a few dumplings into your bowl and top them with a scoop of Mascarpone or Sour Cream & a nice drizzle of the reduced Maple Syrup Crack Sauce!

O my!! Take a bite of the most soft, tender and incredible version of French Toast you’ll ever have! ~Enjoy!

I'm Not Necessarily a Ravens' Fan... but,

My daughter told me about the following article and I just had to post it. Ray Rice is a Ravens football player. There is a family in Littlestown, PA that had their house burned down last year. It was the house that they built. They lost everything including their pets. It was before Christmas and is so sad, they even lost the Christmas presents. Ray Rice stepped up to the plate and helped their school give to the family. I am a Steelers' fan and their is a lot of competition between the Steelers and the Ravens, but I must say...that I think I am becoming a Ray Rice Fan! Check out the video and the article below. Guess who I will be rooting for in the Superbowl?

This is from the local news station Fox 43:
Ravens mania is taking over the Annunciation BVM School in McSherrystown. But this isn’t your typical purple Friday. Although he couldn’t be there, Ray Rice sure knows how to throw a party.

8-year old Giana Hoddinott from Littlestown is a big Ravens fan. Her family lost their home, several pets, all of their possessions and Christmas presents in a fire two weeks after Christmas. “It’s just been absolutely devastating. That is a home that we built with our own hands and sorrow. Then on top of it, the community the school just came and rallied and that’s honestly what’s been getting us through,” says Giana’s mother Angela Hoddinott.

Her classmates surprised her with presents and also donated $1 to be able to dress in Purple Ravens gear at school on Fridays. ”They wanted to start doing purple Fridays in honor of me and my family, so that was huge. Because they’re not all Ravens fans in that auditorium right now. That right there is huge because they put their rivalries aside for us,” says Angela Hoddinott.

“I really miss our pets and I miss some of the things that my family got me. I miss my house and my room, and my clothes,” says Giana Hoddinott. “I’m really excited because I like how they are helping our family.”

Ravens Running Back Ray Rice caught onto the story and decided to throw the kids a Purple Friday Pizza Party. “It was shared with Ray Rice on his Facebook page. His publicist came out and contacted us immediately and he was touched by two things. He was touched by the kids kindness and the school because he is all about anti bullying, and about the pets, the loss of the pets,” says Angela Hoddinott.

The party included trivia, prizes, pizza and over 300 team shirts, one for every student. Ledo’s Pizza supplied 80 pizzas. ”He has no idea how he has made my family and the community feel and I just want to thank him very much,” says Angela Hoddinott.

Read more: http://fox43.com/2013/02/01/ravens-ray-rice-throws-party-for-local-girl/#ixzz2JlCiFiTY
Read more at http://fox43.com/2013/02/01/ravens-ray-rice-throws-party-for-local-girl/#DEuOdwHztXoYlfSu.99

Paying It Forward

I have been following the Pay It Forward page on Facebook and have found the stories so inspiring! Paying It Forward (PIF) sends uplifting true stories everyday and some of those beautiful says with great backgrounds. The stories are a Representative of the people who paid it forward and the people who have received the PIF. You don't have to be rich to do this. Look at this page and you will be uplifted each day and you will also be more aware of the ways that you can "pay it forward". The page is Pay It Forward Face Book Page or go to the their web site Pay It Forward Web Page . Here is just one of many examples:

McMuffin Casserole Recipe - Oh so good!

Yes! Another recipe that I saw on Pinterest (it took me to the Plain Chicken 
site) and thought I would try it. It looked easy and it looked good. Well,
it turned out delicious!! It is a light casserole.

It has all the flavors of an Egg McMuffin in casserole form. This casserole
is assembled in minutes the night before and baked when you are ready.

I used Thomas' English Muffins.

McMuffin Casserole
serves 4
(Printable Recipe)

4 English muffins, split (Bays)
6 oz Canadian bacon
1 cup cheddar cheese
4 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
salt
pepper

Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Cube English muffins and chop 

Canadian bacon. Add half of the cubed English muffins in a single layer. 

Top with half of the Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Layer 
the remaining English muffins and Canadian bacon and 1/2 cup more
cheese.

Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until 

combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the casserole. Wrap the 
baking dish with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 
1 hour, or up to 1 day.

Then take the plastic wrap off of the baking dish and bake it at 325 
degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Spicy Sausage Skillet

I saw this on Pinterest (it took me to the Plain Chicken site) and thought I would like to try it. It looked easy and it looked good. Well, it turned out great!! It was a little spicy but spicy is suppose to rev up your metabolism - right? So that is good!

It's done in a skillet - no transferring to another pot or bowl (less to wash). I did modify it a little. I used 1 cup of heavy cream because I might have put too much penne pasta in and the pasta seemed to absorb the cream. I could only find the Rotel tomatoes with chili peppers. So I used them. I also used one of those frying pans that everything slips out of (advertised on TV) and it can be placed in the oven. Anyway, my husband and I just loved it! I will be making this dish again!



Spicy Sausage Skillet
adapted from KevinAndAmanda.com
(Printable Recipe)

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" slices
2 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Rotel tomatoes
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz campanelle pasta (or penne)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

Heat olive oil over medium hight heat in a 12-inch oven safe skillet until hot. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned.

Add onion flakes, garlic powder, broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover skillet. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is tender.

Remove skillet from heat and stir in half of the cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.

New Grandbaby’s Blanket

This is a baby blanket I made for our new granddaughter, Norah. She was born on 1/14 and is just a cutie!

My wishes for 2013

These wishes are the first that came to my mind. Please add any of your wishes and maybe, some of them will come true...

DIY Embroidery Pattern Printing

Hi Everyone! I was on Pinterest and saw this. First thought was I have to share this. What a great idea! When I opened it up, I saw it was from the Homegrown Hospitality Blog . Check it out.

DIY Embroidery Pattern Printing

Thank you for all of your comments and compliments on my "scrapple" style stitching. I love to stitch and while I will be the first to admit that I do not "follow" any rules or techniques on the correct way to stitch I will also say that I LOVE the way it is coming out with all of the textures and stitches and I even added some pink in last night !!?!!whhhaatttt???, I know!



Anyways, I know you can Google "how to transfer an embroidery pattern" but this is how I do it :

Supplies
Muslin
Freezer Paper
Scissors
Iron
Printer

1. Measure and cut a piece of freezer paper to measure 8 1/2" x 11 (just trace a piece of computer paper onto the freezer paper)




2. Place the freezer paper SHINY SIDE OF PAPER DOWN and iron the freezer paper onto the muslin. It will pucker a little bit. MAKE SURE THAT ALL EDGES ARE IRONED DOWN COMPLETELY. Trim to measure the 8 1/2" x 11



3. Place your piece into your printer the way you would typically place paper in and print out your image.



4. Remove the freezer paper



5. Attach an embroidery hoop



6. Stitch away!..be careful..it is addicting, well and even a bit harmful if you poke yourself as much as I do!