Menu Plan Monday - VBS Week

It's Menu Plan Monday and the remaining children are volunteering at our church's Vacation Bible School once again. It's always a fun week, but they come home absolutely worn out and hungry. We're just getting used to the summer "schedule" and trying to find the right balance of activity.

• Sunday - Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini, Grilled Fries
• Monday - Sweet and Fiery Pork, oven roasted green beans, brown rice
• Tuesday - Steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, Caesar salad
• Wednesday - Risotto, Pea and Sausage Soup, homemade bread
• Thursday - Leftover Buffet
• Friday - out for pizza!
• Saturday - pulled pork, mac & cheese, cole slaw

What's on your menu?



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Going to Guild - Sue Nickels

Last Monday was guild night, and our speaker was the legendary Sue Nickels.

Sue and her sister, Pat Holly, have made some amazing, award winning quilts that are simply beyond belief. Possibly the best known is The Beatles Quilt, which won best of show in the 1998 AQS Show. That means it is hanging in the National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY.

I love that Sue has a smaller version that she brings, so we got to see some of the details up close and personal. Some of the detailed applique, including circles as small as 1/4" in diameter, is beyond what I even thought possible.

Sue is known for her beautiful machine applique and intricate machine quilting.

She and Pat also like to add interest with the binding and finishing, as in this quilt and the one below it.

I absolutely adore this one! Pat described how to do it, but I can't even wrap my brain around it, much less explain it to someone else!

This is a mini quilt in a series. These pictures do not even come close to doing it justice.

It was an amazing program that made me want to come home and FMQ like crazy. Thanks, Sue!




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#TBT - Throwback Thursday - Kaleidoscope Dreams

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It's Throwback Thursday here at Quiltin' Jenny, and I hope you'll link up and share your own creative adventures from your pre-blogging days.

Today's quilt was made in 2000 for my cousin's oldest child, a boy who is three weeks older than Grace. This is my cousin who is the same age as me. It is so much fun to watch history repeat itself as they see each other about once or twice a year, but fall immediately into the last conversation and game from last summer just like his dad and I used to do.

The big news around here, though, is that their family is moving to Atlanta next week just in time to celebrate their birthdays together! We could not be more excited.

This quilt, which I called Kaleidoscope Dreams back before I used that name for my true kaleidoscope quilt, was a kit from Calico Quilter, the long-gone quilt shop where I learned to quilt. I thought the colors were just fantastic, and it pieced together so quickly.

I hand quilted it in orange thread - the first time I can remember making a choice for my quilting to be more visible.

Now I want to see your blast from the past.  Link up and let us all see!

An InLinkz Link-up

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Mail from Australia! - Postcard Swap

Sandi over at Quilt Cabana Patterns has organized another postcard swap, this time to celebrate the beginning of summer.

Lucky me! My swap partner is the fabulous Philipa, aka OzzyPip who, as you might guess, is from the land down under.

She writes, "Dear Jenny, Australian summers where I live are very hot but it's also the wet season so things can be lush and green. Sunflowers are a commercial crop in my area and bloom over summer."

Pip sent me TWO postcards! 

 

She writes, "Dear Jenny, Australian summers can also be very hot and dry, especially during our all too often droughts. I've chosen yellows and browns plus some Aboriginal prints to illustrate this."

Pip mailed both postcards and a sweet note in an envelope, and it appears that it took about a week to arrive. She says this was her first time making postcards and she was nervous about getting them here on time. I'll bet hers are the first to show up!

Mine went in the mail today; I wanted to send it "naked" but chickened out at the last minute and put it in an envelope as well. I'll show you that one after it arrives in Australia so as not to spoil the surprise.



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Menu Plan Monday - #MDSI

It's Menu Plan Monday and I've been a very bad blogger. Chalk it up to Mother's Day (when I didn't make a menu plan or grocery list and, in fact, never even went to the store for the whole week!) or May-Hem or whatever. Sorry. Whatever it is, I'm ready for summer to be here.

It's already our last week to have Deuce home before he heads back to Tuscaloosa for his summer work. It's so hard to believe, especially since he will be moving into an apartment straight from his summer dorm residence. It feels like this is the last time we will all be truly living here together.

Regardless, I'm glad I have today off work and lots of family time scheduled this weekend. I had hoped to get some quilting done and participate in #MDSI, but I don't think that will happen much.

• Sunday - dinner with the in-laws
• Monday - dinner at my parents'
• Tuesday - Skinny Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy and mashed potatoes
• Wednesday - Healthy Tetrazzini with Chicken and Broccoli
• Thursday - Baked Pasta with Sausage and Spinach
• Friday -Almost Famous Broccoli Cheddar Soup
• Saturday -out to eat - farewell dinner for Deuce ~*sniff*~

What's on your menu?



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Going to Guild - Pat Wys

I have been such a lazy blogger! I just realized that I never even told you about our awesome May guild program by Pat Wys.

Pat is the designer behind Silver Thimble Quilt Company, and the author of two books on using neutrals: Knockout Neutrals and Spotlight on Neutrals.

Pat tells a great story and brings SO. MANY. QUILTS. You know how I like that. (Well, who doesn't?)

She swears she could even make me like applique. Now I'm stalking her a little bit to find out where she's teaching a class next.



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Menu Plan Monday - Cinco de Mayo and Comfort Food

It's Menu Plan Monday and all my chicks are in the roost. It was a stressful week last week with Deuce's finals and the storms rolling through Tuscaloosa. Instead of a Cinco de Mayo themed week of recipes I'm making a week of the least healthy recipes I could find old family favorites and comfort food. 

I did, however, make these Churro Truffles to bring to quilt guild tonight. I'm not such a huge fan of cinnamon and sugar, but my family inhaled the extras and assured me that they are awesome. 

I'm getting back into the routine of wearing my FitBit again, but have not been breaking any records. I don't have much in the way of excuses since the weather is gorgeous and I'm sleeping better now that my boy is home.

• Sunday - Country Fried Steak, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, fried corn
• Monday - out for pizza
• Tuesday - hamburgers on the grill, potato salad, cole slaw
• Wednesday -Pollo Sabroso, yellow rice, grilled mixed vegetables
• Thursday - Korean Ribs, brown rice, oven roasted asparagus
• Friday - fried pork chops, leftover yellow rice, caesar salad
• Saturday -leftover buffet

What's on your menu?



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