Diet Challenge update

Drill sergant Geranium has asked us to post a dessert recipe this week. But before I post my recipe I will update on my weight loss journey. I started this challenge last week and my goal was to start watching what I was eating and to start drinking water. I did accomplish both of those goals and I even lost 3 pounds in the process!! I am very pleased with that! Now mind you I was not good every day and I did eat and drink some things I shouldn't have. I have also been checking out Weight Watchers, which DH and I have done before and I am going to start attending meetings this Weds morning. One thing I do know is I won't be perfect on this journey and at times I will totally and completely fall off the program. But I will pick myself up and start over and continue on the journey to become a healthier me. So without further ado here is my recipe:


Endless Possibilities Angel Food Cake

12 Servings if made in a 9x13 pan.
1 pkg. dry angel food cake mix (Betty Crocker 1 step)
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Mix the angel food cake and desired flavor combinations listed below. Beat by hand until blended. Pour into a ungreased 9x13 pan or into muffin tins. Cake: Bake 35-40 min. Muffins: Bake 10-12 min. COOL UPSIDE DOWN!
PINEAPPLE: 1 can(20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice.
PINA COLADA: 1 can crushed pineapple in juice, 1 T. coconut extract, 1 T. rum extract. LEMON: 1 c. + 3 T. water, 2 T. lemon juice and 2 t. lemon zest.
LEMON: 1 can lemon pie filling.
CHOCOLATE: 1/2 c. cocoa powder, 1 1/4 c. water.
CHERRY: 1 can Comstock light cherry pie filling.
BLACK FOREST: Add 1/2 c. cocoa powder to CHERRY version.
PUMPKIN: 1 can(15 oz.) Pure pumpkin, 3/4 c. water, 1 T. each vanilla and cinnamon.
ORANGE CITRUS: 1 1/4 c. water, 2 t. grated orange peel.
COTTON CANDY: 1 pkg. sf jello, any flavor, 1 1/4 c. water.
CARROT CAKE: 1/2 c. finely shredded carrot, 14 oz. can of pineapple, some cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

I typically make these using mini muffin pans and freeze most to use at a later date.

Stash Report # 4

Well this report isn't as good as I hoped for it to be. But I did bust some stash and only added a tiny little bit to it. I am hoping to get more busted this week...


Fabric added this week 1/2 yard
Total fabric added this year 4 7/8 yards

Fabric used this week 3/4 yards
Total fabric used this year 12 yards

Total fabric busted this year 7 1/8 yards

Hmmm....Am I still in FL?

Got up this morning to temps in the low 30's....cold enough for frost! Yikes and I thought I was far enough south to not get this! LOL Sure hope all the crops survived. One of the growers in Hendry County bought styrofoam cups to put over his newly planted tomato plants and then put dirt on top of them to hold them down over night. NBC-2 has a video up that you can watch of what some of the growers were doing to protect the crops. It starts out with the weather and then moves on to the preperations being made. It's on the middle right of the page and is titled: Growers go to great length to protect crops. Picture I posted is of the house behind us with frost on the roof....I took it at 7:45 this morning.

I bit the bullet and joined

Sharon over at Red Geranium Cottage in her 2009 Diet Challenge! I truely think I must have been brain dead the night I emailed her and asked if I could still get in on this. Looking back now I know I had truely lost my mind! LOL Sharon started this the beginning of January and somehow I missed it seeing it....I am going to give it my best shot and see if I can shed some of this extra weight. She had asked us to post a before picture...good lord what is that woman thinking??? Is she crazy to ask us to do that? Me thinks she is...however after cruising her blog I ran across her pictures and ok if she can do it so can I. Only one problem I only have 1 current pic of me, so that is what I will post tonight and before next Monday, which happens to be our report in day I will have DD take a couple pics and post next week. Yikes! I am crazy! This week my goal is to drink water, as that is something I have gotten away from. I have been drinking raspberry tea at work, so that is the first step for me. We have been trying to cook more at home and eat out less...I have tried Weight Watchers before and if you follow the program it does work, so I am thinking of trying it again....There are meetings that would work with my work schedule and I would be able to attend them on one of my days off. Just need to check out the times...am also thinking of doing it as an online member as well....not sure if that would work...need to make up my mind before Weds gets here. So without further ado...here is my current pic for now....now don't laugh....gotta love husbands never know when they are going to take a pic! Thanks to Sharon for doing this!

Stash Report # 3

Judy did you have to bring up that January is half over already? LOL This week I made Heather a totebag and started putting blocks from Gracie into a top. Pics of the bag are down a little further on the blog and here is a pic of the top so far. Hoping to get the top finished tomorrow after work.

My stash report so far:

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards

Fabric Added Year to Date: 4 1/3 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 2 1/4 yards

Fabric Used Year to Date: 11 1/4 yards

Net used Year to Date: 6 7/8 yards

My first finish of the New Year!

Eddie thought he should help me finish sewing Heather's totebag.

I was sewing along minding my own business when bam! I ran out of bobbin thread. No biggie, wind another bobbin...well crap! Ran out of thread....ok think...breath....wind some from one bobbin to another bobbin and pray it works and that I have enough to finish....This pic is how much thread was left when I got done! Yikes that was close!

This is the finished totebag and what we will call the front.


This pic is what we call the back of the totebag.

A new FREE Block of the Month for 2009!

If you haven't been over to Bunny Hill Designs and signed up for the free BOM they are having this year....you are missing out on something fabulous! I have signed up for it and have the January pattern printed off and will be pulling fabric to get it started. I also signed up for the newsletter so I will make sure and not miss when the new block is released each month. Click on the picture in this post and it will take you to all the info on the BOM.

Stash Report Week #2

Well this week wasn't the greatest but it wasn't the worst either. LOl I made more snowball blocks and worked on Heather's totebag. And then today I worked and ran out of energy to do anything.

So here goes my report:

Fabric Added this Week 2 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 4 1/3 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 4 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 9 yards

Net used Year to Date: 4 2/3 yards

Quiltathon Saturday progress

Well I didn't get as much accomplished as I wanted to but I did get about halfway done with the totebag I am making for Heather. And I finalized the layout for the blocks I got from Gracie a couple Christmas' ago. Tomorrow after work I hope to finish the totebag and start cutting sashing and setting triangles for the other top I want to start putting together. Here's a pic of the layout I am going to use and a pic of the actual blocks that will be in the quilt. Well tomorrow morning I will have to add the pics, as I'm on the laptop and the pics are on the desktop! LOL

Quiltathon weekend is here!

Once a month or so Judy over at Patchwork Times hosts a Quiltathon weekend and this weekend is it. I so plan on getting some sewing done today...have totebag to make for our daughter and then will be figuring out the layout for some blocks I got from Gracie and sewing them into a top. Will be back later with updates!

2009 Challenge

While reading Amy's blog tonight I read about this challenge to finish one project a month for 2009. So I clicked on the cute little box/link and read all the details over at May's blog and I'm signing up. I have been going through the various places I have all my UFO's and PIG's stashed and making a list and my oh my I have way too many!!! So I have jumped off yet another cliff and will be trying my best to get as many finishes this year that I possibly can. And all the while busting stash! So stay tuned to see what I have that needs finished and what I actually get finished! And I can always use a cheering section. So feel free to cheer me on!

Stash Report Week #1

I consider my first week Stashbusting a success. I was able to make 15 snowball blocks and 6 Jacob's Ladder blocks. These blocks are for online swaps I am involved in and they will hopefully make it into either quilts and/or wallhangings. The snowballs are made out of flannel. I did have to go purchase some flannel to have a better variety. So here goes my first report for 2009!

Fabric Added this Week 2 1/3 yards
Fabric Added Year to Date: 2 1/3 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 5 yards
Fabric Used Year to Date: 2 2/3 yards

Stashbusting in 2009

Awhile back Judy asked in her blog if we were going to participate in stashbusting again this year. I most definately am!! Last year I did pretty good for it being my first year keeping track of what came in and what went out. Was truely an eye opening experiance. So I have downloaded the pledge and am working on that tonight and getting my spreadsheets ready for this year. I have already busted some stash in the past couple days so woohoo I'm off to a good start!

Happy New Year!

Hard to believe that it is the New Year. Seems like we just rang in 2008 and now it is 2009! Remember that what you do on New Years Day you will do the rest of the year...so make sure and either sit at the sewing machine or sit and do some hand appique so that you will continue to sew all year! I plan on making snowball blocks today for an online swap I'm in and have a few Jacob's Ladder blocks to make as well. I wish everyone health and happiness for the new year.