Happy Thanksgiving!

It's not the best picture in the world, but when I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, this is what I saw, and I wanted to share it with you! All those colors, as if God was doing a bit of Thanksgiving decorating of His own! Perfect colors, don't you think?

In all the bustling around I'm doing, my heart is bustling right along, offering praises and thanks to God - for the good and the bad. I've been thinking about Job this week, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him," he said. Right in the center of his suffering. THAT IS HARD TO DO! But it's possible.  :)

And why?

Because this life is not all there is. We have an entire eternity of non-suffering. Think about that and give thanks. Even trials turn into blessings when we wait for God to unfold His plan and bring it into our sight. Till then - have FAITH, Bloggerinas. 

I said all that in case this holiday is not so joyous for you. Our joy is in our Savior. If your joy has gone AWOL, then let me encourage you to read the seventh chapter of Joshua. In that sad and shocking tale is the truth that while God hates sin and has to deal with it, for us today, since Jesus was born, died on the cross and rose again, we have complete and utter forgiveness, if we believe. Oh, do!!! It's too amazing and baffling that God would send His very own beloved Son to take the punishment for our sins. Such a gift of grace. We just don't want to waste His grace by not believing.

Anyhoo, blessings to you on this Thanksgiving!

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habbakuk 3:17-18

... this thing is from Me ...

1 Kings 12:24

Brining the Turkey

It was only two years ago that I learned about brining turkeys. This process really does make for a moist, tender, tasty gobbler. So... this Williams-Sonoma video is the most concise, easy 3-minute class, ever! I've never bought brine seasonings before, but the bag I have, and let me tell you, it does help because it doesn't leak. But I've used Reynold's turkey bags before, too, and they work fine. If you search the net, like I'm going to, I bet we can find some awesome brine seasoning recipes. In past, I've only used salt and water, but this year I'm ready to be adventurous! :)  Well, it's off to visit Martha....

Oh! Look what I found on the way to Martha's place.... 

It's not a brining recipe, but a unique way to cook a turkey. Again, adventure is the key word for this year's feast! If you've got a to-die-for family tradition or family recipe, please.... clue me in!!! (encouragingforyou@gmail.com)

Visit Elise if you want to learn her unique method, which she copied from her mom. Mom's know best!

To see this bigger, 

merely click on the picture and voila!
(Once you click on it and it takes you to the other page, you might have to click on that bigger pic one more time.)  :)

Healthy and Delish Nachos

One of my many favorite foods is NACHOS (and I always want to say, "Nacho Camacho" when I eat them.. So now it is out of my system. lol). But with the Holidays coming, we need to be a bit more careful on less-holiday-ish days with what we eat. 


During the next month I hope to be able to share quite a few low-cal recipes that still are yummy-lish-ous! Are you ready? Here's the first easy-peasy one...

 

This is very simple and healthy!


Serves 1 (but doubling is doable!)


Here's what you do:  1.Take two corn tortillas and lightly spritz them with Pam, both sides. Cut each one into six triangles. Place on baking sheet and scoot under the broiler on LO. Broil 2 minutes on each side (yes, you have to flip them, but don't frown, it's easy). Turn off broiler and leave in another minute if they are not crispy enough for you. 2.Place tortilla chips on microwavable plate and top with: 1/4 cup kidney beans, 1 ounce skim mozzarella, 1/4 cup salsa  3.Microwave a bit till cheese melts. Or, you could place the plate in the still-heated oven for a while. You choose!  :)  4.Remember that the toppings can be so many great and low-cal things. Like sliced jalapenos, a variety of beans or cheeses or chicken, diced tomatoes and green onions, etc. Use your imagination! Ole!

Yummy....

I thought this verse was yummy ~ "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe" (Proverbs 29:25).

Blessings...

 

Count your blessings!

1.You ~ my Bloggerinas!

2.Superman & my super kids

3. trials... they lead me to God and His Word (Psalm 119:71)

4. Friendships 

5. So many more things!

6. Your turn... 

   "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."

Ephesians 2:4-8

Yahoooo ~ our biggest blessing everrrrrrrr!!!

I'm Late, I'm Late.. For a Very Important Date!

But I must show these to you!!!

I made this for my daughter... (out of that L'Amour fabric that I got from a Secret Santa last December (hmmmm... who could I be one to this year???), and I also turned those fabulous pinks and reds into my daughter's wedding quilt. When it's finished, I'll be showing that, too.)

Anyhoo...

For Amy ~ 

 

 

And for moi ~ 

My friend Susan, after seeing this same bag come as my prize from the fall giveaway, said, "You have this pattern! You bought it in Minnesota this summer. " ~ moral of the story ~ fabric isn't the only thing I stash!!!  :)
 

Tons of pockets inside!

Pattern by P. S. ~ ps008 Bow Tuck Tote

Happy Hello to November...

So long, October!

The tips of my toes have already crossed over into November and December. As long as possible, I held off, but you know how it is --- commercials, magazines, blogs... life - we must move forward into the bustling joy of the upcoming holidays! 

This last day of October is, for me, the beginning of a new year of Le Petite Projects! (last year called Schnibbles) with Pinkpincushion and  AQuiltingLife. Hop over there November 1st or 2nd and see the parade of quilts! For mine, I opted to yank some bright scraps out of my overloaded drawer and make a Happy Birthday quilt. Sew fun! It will be used as a table topper on our birthdays. Yippeee! (The binding is not finished because I have to wait for Michael's to get more ribbon in. The spool I bought is not enough to make it all the way around my quilt....)

 

Early Merriment

 

I admit it - I collapsed under curiosity!

Williams-Sonoma sends me emails, 

and I allow them to flood my box because looking at their fabulous pictures inspires me. 

I can't usually afford their enticing products,

but I can mimic their table-setting ideas with items I already have in my home. 

Those emails are tasty treats, like mini decorating magazines! 

Delish to the brain!

So when their email came this morning,

I couldn't resist taking a very early peek at their CHRISTMAS selection. 

My son Noah's favorite holiday song when he was a kid was the Twelve Days of Christmas, so naturally, I liked looking at these plates. 

That's it. 

Back to their THANKSGIVING BOOKLET that has lots of tips, recipes, and techniques for THE BIG FEAST!

I Love Pumpkins!

The gals in my Bible study group tease me. They know that on my day to bring snack it will almost always be something pumpkinny -- whether it be scones, a pie, muffins, a deep-orange bundt cake, or whatever.

Do you love pumpkin, too?

Send me your favorite recipe, would you???  :)

For my birthday I got Williams-Sonoma the Pasta book that has a pumpkin ravioli recipe. On an anniversary dinner, eons ago, this dish was savored and remembered. I now have my own pasta maker (only tried it once, but am willing to try again) and will one day try again. {I need an Italian cook for a friend!}

Oh... and not all pumpkins are orange! 

Or perfect...  :)  

{Let this encourage your little heart! We don't have to be perfect, either, to be beautiful!}

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well." 

Psalm 139:14

So... if your recipe does not come out as perfectly as you wish... blame the pumpkin!  :)

Celebrate and Be Happy!

Snippets of Stuff

Good morning!

What a flurry of fun last week was! During that Fall Giveaway, two surprise emails greeted me - I had won two different giveaways. Happily shocked and surprised was I, as you can imagine, with soooooo many people trying to win them also.

So, twin THANK YOUs to Winona at Cat Love and Quilt Maker and Sue Susan's Scrappy Domain!!! 

I'm going to be the happiest mail-getter in the world! ~ It's just like getting a big bouquet of flowers!!!   :)

October 15th - Giveaway Day!!!

Oh Happy Day!

It's going to be a busy day in blogland, as we all hustle from one blog to the next, seeing if we won any of the giveaways!

Thank you to everyone who made this giveaway so fun. I wish I had a prize for every single one of you, because you are all so awesome! !!!

So, I won't keep you...

The winner of my fall giveaway is...

Kelli at 
 Small Town Stitcher.

Congratulations!

A Blogging We Have Gone

Hasn't it been fun 
(this fall giveaway extravaganza, I mean  ~HERE)?

I have felt like a contented frog, leaping from one blog giveaway to the other! So many wonderful blogs have been discovered along the way. 

How will I ever keep up? 

24hours just isn't enough time to visit and ooogle! When would I sew? or read? or ride my bike? or golf? or cook? or go to Bible study? or HOMEMAKE? 

Hmmmm???

How do you do it???

  

Looks Like a Party!

(Hurry HERE for the fall giveaway!)

You will not want to miss this fun!!!

Superman has told me before that I can make a party out of anything. This was said one day while I was paying bills and had myself surrounded by party things... happy music, a vintage aluminum tray with polka dot bows arrayed on each handle, topped with a cold drink packed with fun ice (store bought kind) and a cool & colorful straw, a few cookies looking like confetti on a plate, and a brightly decorated napkin.

So... is it any wonder that my sewing room trashcan would look like a party was going on in it?

Wednesdays are our trash days, but I just could not empty this thing; it was too happy! 

Since we have to pay bills, and there's always chores to do, why not step into the joy of it... even if we have to make our own party favors!

Even when life is throwing dirt balls, our hearts can party on in the Lord. His faithfulness is steadfast and unchanging. The party favors of praise & voicing thanks are great noise makers!

"The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. 

He will take great delight in you, 

he will quiet you with his love, 

he will rejoice over you with singing."

Zephaniah 3:17

Throw some partying into your day!

Go Go Giveaway... Go Go!

(Hurry HERE for the fall giveaway!)

You will not want to miss this fun!!!

New must-haves abound!

This morning, right after reading my Bible, I plopped in front of the computer and began visiting new blogs. But time was a'wastin', so I told myself, 

"One more blog and then... hit the gym!"

Boy, am I glad I allowed myself that one bitty more blog.

  I think you will be really glad my slothful side played a wee bit longer at the keyboard, too, because YOU and ME and LOTS OF OTHERS have a chance to win this latest quilting must-have (okay, not must have, but surely-would-love-to-have)!

AccuQuilt Go

For your chance to win one of these dreams, go to Alderwood Quilts. Go!

No-Sew Cute!

Traipsing across the vast Bloglands, I came across some very cute, no-sewing-involved pumpkins. 

(I got this idea from crazydomestic  and you can GO right HERE and see her very simple pictures and instructions.)

Oh... and the originator of these little darlings is from a daaarrrrlinnnng blog:

http://alisa-thesweetlife.blogspot.com/

They took me 10 minutes to make!

& they are completely recyclable!!! 

(I used fabric that will be used in next year's fall projects)

See? ... 

 

 As you can see, the weather was perfect for an autumn bike ride. So, I was sewing my November 1st project, wondering where I was going to get the twigs for my pumpkins. Right about then, I felt prompted by the Lord to go on my bike ride...

"Now? When I'm in the middle of this project?"

But, I arose and took off. Right around the corner from my house was this -- trees, trees, and more trees, just freshly pruned and ample for picking!

"Thank You, Lord! You care about everything! You even know the numbers of my hairs, which tells me that you are not only all-knowing, but also all-caring about every detail of our lives! Thank You, our Father!"

 

 

 

An Apple A Day...

(Hurry HERE for the fall giveaway!)

You will not want to miss this fun!!!

 

Look, if you want to keep the doctor away, then take heed to Johnny Appleseed's advice and eat one every single day!

Really!
(click on the underlined words for recipes)

You could have a CARAMEL APPLE today...

You could have APPLE FRITTERS tomorrow (click on each word for separate recipes) ...

You could have APPLE PIE the day after tomorrow...

Or...You could have THIS ~ because we also must heed this unknown author's great wisdom... 

"Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today.

  That way, at least you'll get one thing done."

I am quite sure that all of this fall eating will not only keep the doctor away, but depression as well, because who wouldn't be happy eating all those apples?! 

Eat your APPLE today!  :)

Snail Mail Rocks!!!

(Hurry HERE for the fall giveaway!)
You will not want to miss this fun!!!
  

Never, ever, ever think snail mail is a waste of time. Though it is not instantaneous, it slowly carries along many unexpected and marvelous surprises & blessings!

Like this...autumn packages from a friend who loves you and autumn's appealing darlings...

and this... anniversary date plans from someone who has loved you many years...

and this... a little birthday love from Starbucks (a free drink) because they'd love you to celebrate every birthday with them, this year... and mannnny more...

and this... A little love for me and mine, as I love to cook; a yummy cookbook all the way from Australia...

See? Never, ever, ever think snail mail is a waste of time!

 . . . who can you send some LOVE to this season? . . .

May mercy and peace and LOVE be multiplied to you.

 Jude 1:2

Sew Much Fall Fun@

This has been the funnest FALLest... 

Why?

1. The Fall Giveaway going on in blog world (click HERE to see my prize for you and to leave comment for chance to win it)! I'm meeting you all and seeing your wonderful blogs (and prizes), and it is just sooooo, sewwww much fun! And I love fun... and surprises... and my bloggerinas!!! Look what I discovered on my blog jumping.... a brown paper bag! Ahhhh.... but go look what SugarSpunQuilt is stuffing it with...  :) Tell her Liz sent you (not that she knows me, but if you say that, then she will!)  :)   
2. On October 1st, I was in my favorite spot (the beach) with my favorite person (Superman... couldn't always say that, so how fun is that?), then my Bakersfield BFF came over for pizza and came bearing an early BIRTHDAY GIFT! ~ yAHooooo   
3. Anticipating my annual  fun! with Shannon, my BFForever, when we cast our cares out the car windows and tootle over to the coast to celebrate our birthdays (two favorite things and persons in one little month! Oh my pumpkins!!!) A triple gift from God!!!! (Thank You, Lord!)  
4. Fun everywhere.... leaves swirling off the trees, sweeping them off the front porch ~ to leave a welcoming path for guests, Starbucks free Birthday drink (go sign up!!!), ditto with a Jack-in-the-Box free birthday dessert coupon, baking with pumpkin, letting in the cool autumn breezes as I clean.... so much fun!
5. Leaving comments and entering giveaways!

Giveaways Galore!!!

(Giveaway now closed.)

Hurry! It's giveaway time (again!)

Leave a comment here on my blog... and, ummmm, what do I want to know about you????

Okay, I've decided.

Share with me your ONE,
very most FAVORITE  FALL thing to do.

This way, I learn about you, and it also just might add to my list of favorite fall things!!!

Win-Win...oh, and WIN (when you leave a comment).

Then,

Hurry here  
for a chance to win 
over 150 prizes!
(Click on each of the links on the right for a chance to win great prizes. In my way of thinking, Christmas is just a few calender pages away, so you might win gifts to give!)

150+

a chance.... for Y-O-U!!!! 

But today, right here, right now
is my giveaway....  :)

Included are...

1. Mary Engelbreit Friends panel 
2. Two Schnibbles patterns ~ Madeline & Tagalong
3. Black & White Quilts book
4. Two patterns that were included in my Fig Tree Club projects (kept the fabrics; didn't use the patterns).                                  
5. Four thirties-fabric fat quarters 

Leave your comment on my blog, 

then Hurry here 
 for a chance to win over 150 prizes!
Hope you winnnnn! 
(All winners will be announced all on the same day - October 15th.)