pick a pumpkin winner . . .

I PROMISE am almost sure that this will be the last post that begins with "pick a pumpkin" . . . at least for another year!! It was a nice solid run of seven. :)

I had the random number generator do my dirty work and it pulled number 36.  Congratulations to Karen of Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats!  Karen, I'll send you an email to get your particulars.  :)

So I did bake a batch of those Ginger Spice Cookies I blogged about yesterday. Oh they are SO good! 

I like the ones rolled in the chunky colored sugar best . . .

Isn't that pretty? It's perfect for both autumn and Christmas baking. And I have it on good authority from granddaughter Ellie, that it makes great 'prinkles' for popcorn.  I have it custom mixed for me by Sharon at Simply Baking Supplies on Etsy.

She's really great to work with and so pleasant! And when I emailed her today to say I'd used up all my supply and needed some more, she responded that she had saved my mix amounts and would send me out some more of the same right away.  That is customer service!

Anyway, once I'd finished baking, it was time to kick back upstairs with some handwork. And some cookies. (I mean, c'mon, right?!)

I've decided I'm going to stitch up each individual flower -- all of one color at a time -- then stitch the flowers together.  

There are a total of 45 flowers.  I finished three last night. Only 42 to go?!  Hahaha! 

This printout has served me so well at every stage of this project! You can see where I marked off the first flower. I'll X off each flower as I finish. Hopefully, by today's end, I'll have at least two or three more to go with yesterday's three.  That will make for some satisfying slow Sunday stitching. I'll be linking up to Kathy's Quilts for that!

Hey!  And don't forget to thank and hug a Veteran!  We have off on Monday in observance of the day, but today, November 11, is actually Veterans Day.  

If you've served our country in one of the armed forces, you have my gratitude.  Thank you for your service!

Have a great day -- and if you're off tomorrow, enjoy your Monday! 

:)

pick a pumpkin baking . . .

You'd think I'd be tired of if by now, but I'm not. Yesterday I closed my post talking about seasonal baking. I thought it might be fun to share the recipes of two of my very most favorite homemade autumn treats.  Cheesecake Brownies is the first -- a recipe that I found in Country Living magazine in 2007, and Ginger Spice Cookies -- a recipe I found compliments of Bon Appétit in 2000 (found on epicurious's site, link below) and is my absolute FAVE ginger cookie, perfect with a cup of tea.

Cheesecake Brownies (click to go to Country Living website/recipe)

1½ cups butter (3 sticks)

photo credit: Charles Schiller

¾ pound bittersweet chocolate, chopped
8 large eggs
1½ cups dark brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons salt
2¼ cups flour
¾ cup cocoa
1 pound cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup apricot jam
1 cup pumpkin butter (you're not surprised, are you?!)

Heat oven to 325°F. Line a baking pan with parchment paper and lightly butter. Melt the butter and chocolate. Whisk 6 eggs, brown sugar, and 1 ½ cups granulated sugar together. Stir in 3 teaspoons vanilla, salt, melted chocolate, flour, add cocoa. Pour into the prepared pan. Beat cream cheese using a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add the remaining 2 eggs, ½ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla and the cornstarch; beat until smooth and spread over the chocolate batter. Combine jam and pumpkin butter. Drop in spoonfuls onto cream cheese and draw swirls using a knife. Bake until center tests clean – about 40 minutes. Cool and cut. Makes 3 dozen.  (Blogger's note: it was fun to use a football cookie cutter and served these at 'tailgate parties'!!  Also -- these are SUPER rich!)

Ginger Spice Cookies
Makes about 30

2 c. flour

2 ½ t. ground ginger 

2 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
¾ t. salt
¾ c. chopped crystallized ginger
1 c. (packed) dark brown sugar
½ c. vegetable shortening, room temp.
¼ c. unsalted butter, room temp.
1 large egg
¼ c. mild-flavored (light [unsulfured]) molasses

Combine flour and spices. Whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger. Set aside. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour (overnight’s fine, too).

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, (damp? I *don't* do this), form dough into 1 ¼-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2” apart.  (Blogger's note:  I form the dough into 1" balls for a smaller--more tea like--cookie.  This ends up making more like 50 cookies. :)

Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. Store airtight at room temp.

I'm making the ginger cookies right now - they're in the fridge. The crystallized ginger really makes these so yummy and special! Let me know if you decide to try one (or both)! I'm off for now ... Roll Tide!! ♥

:)

pick a pumpkin outtakes . . .

Bet you didn't expect to see that in a blog post title today! But I thought it might be kinda fun.  I shared the final projects on my Pick a Pumpkin day (which included a giftaway!) . . .

But you didn't get to see the *process*. 

I shared that originally I was just going to do the valance and added the placemats on the spur. But that's not quite true.  Originally _first_ I'd thought to do a wall-hanging . . .

Designed it in EQ and everything. Not sure what changed my mind, but it was after I'd done the first two pumpkins . . .

I thought about the Five Little Pumpkins song.  Only in my head it was four. 

But wait, you might say, that's not the border you used on the final!

You'd be right.  Because I had the row of pumpkins stitched and ready to add the backing, and I decided the sashing/border fabric wasn't what I wanted. When I was looking for my batting, I opened a bag that had the gold leaf print, and I knew that would be perfect (plus I had enough to do both the valance *and* the placemats).  And it would fit in the RV's decor. And gosh, I actually thought, Oh well, let's just get on with it and be done. But I couldn't physically make myself go any further. I tried, really I did, but I just couldn't do it! So then there was this . . .

A lot of ripping. Good grief! 

But I was very pleased with the change. So then I was looking for an appropriate backing. Because this is what happens when you take on a project, flying by the seat of your pants, without a thought-out plan in place before you start working on it.  I had a piece of a fun print I'd used for some autumn mug rugs . . .

And it was the *perfect* size with a small exception. Yeah -- that tiny rectangle missing from the bottom corner.

What do you do when the perfect print falls short, literally? 

Throw a pumpkin label on it!  And they all lived happily ever after.

Almost. A quilter *was* harmed in the making of this Pick a Pumpkin project.

But I'll live to quilt another day. The Nook, however, needs some serious attention before I can go back in there and let the creative genius flow . . .

Yikes; it may be a while before I tackle anything else . . . !

And look . . . there was one more pumpkin cookbook Kindle freebie.  I know you desperately wanted one--you'll be rockin' the pumpkin recipes next season.  LOL!  This one is Pumpkin Cookbook: Seasonal Pumpkin Recipes by Martha Stone.  Pretty straightforward, non?  I just browsed through the pages really quick, so I can't do more than say it's pumpkins and and it's free! 

Q:  Why was the Jack-o-lantern afraid to cross the road?

A:  It had no guts!!

Okay...maybe I'm ready to retire pumpkins for the year.  Or maybe not?  I believe I've got some seasonal baking left to do . . . pumkin la vista, baby!

:)

pick a pumpkin; day four . . .

Did you see my Pick a Pumpkin post yesterday?  Have mercy, I sure hope so!  Click here if you missed it and the GIFTAWAY!  For that matter, if you missed my postings on Day 1 or Day 2, feel free to go back and check those out, too!

Today is the final day of the hop -- Day Four - and here's the lineup of blogs to check out today:

selina quilts

Seams To Be Sew

That Fabric Feeling

Just Sew Quilter

Home Sewn By Us

My Sewful Retirement

Creatin' in the Sticks

I'm going four for four on the Kindle freebie shares!  Today's offering is Pumpkin Desserts Value Pack III – 150 Recipes For Pumpkin Cheesecake, Pumpkin Torte, Muffins, Bread, Trifle, Scones and More (The Ultimate Pumpkin Desserts ... Desserts and Pumpkin Recipes Collection 12) another one by Pamela Kazmierczak.  Wow, that's a mouthful, isn't it??!  Still, the muffins on the cover looked yummy and it's free, right? Nothing ventured, nothing gained, and nothing lost if you don't like it. It's a pared down version of yesterdays, with a couple of new introductions.  :)

Today's pumpkin joke is again courtesy of funkidjokes.com . . .

Q: What do adventurous pumpkins do for fun? 

A: Go bungee gourd jumping!  Tee hee!  

Fun pumpkin fact:  Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and healing snake bites. I've never worried about freckles, but I believe I'd seek something more substantial for a snake bite!

And for the last time, a wrap-up of some of my favorite pumpkin projects from years past . . .

Another Stuffed Fabric Pumpkin - 2015

Twine/Yarn Pumpkins - 2015

Wool Crazy Pumpkin - 2015

Hexie Jack-O-Lantern Pins (flip it and you've got a plain pumpkin pin) - 2015

Pumpkin Cookies (these were a HUGE hit with the grands!) - 2015

Embroidered Pumpkin Tea Towel - 2016

Pumpkin Treat Favors - 2016

Hexie Pumpkin Mug Rug (I've made four of these and haven't gotten a finished photo yet!) - 2017

Hexie Pumpkins Mat - 2017

Well, that's a wrap!  I hope you've enjoyed the Pick a Pumpkin Blog Hop as much as I have!  And if you haven't visited today's (or past) participants, do make time; you won't be sorry!

:)

pick a pumpkin; day three . . .

This is it!  Today -- Day 3 --  is *my* day for the Pick a Pumpkin Blog Hop and a giftaway!

Of course, there is a whole lineup of bloggers participating today, so be sure to visit them all:

Just Let Me Quilt

Count it *all* JOY! (you are here!)

MaryMack's Blog

DesertSky Quilting

Melva Love Scraps

Hazel’s Daughter

Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Beaquilter

If you know me at all, you know that I absolutely adore pumpkins.  So when I saw the post announcing this hop, I jumped right on the pumpkin train!  That being said, many thanks to Carla at Creatin' in the Sticks for organizing this happy hop!!

Before I introduce my project, I wanted to keep up my runof the past few days and share another pumpkin-themed Kindle freebie.  Today's offering is Pumpkin Desserts Super Value Pack I – 450 Recipes For Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Cake, Pumpkin Bread, Muffins, Torte, Fudge and More (The Ultimate Pumpkin Desserts ... Desserts and Pumpkin Recipes Collection 1), by Pamela Kazmierczak.  This one is new to me, but I loved the cover, so I grabbed it. Oh my goodness -- there are TONS of wonderful pumpkin desserts, including cheesecakes, brownies, muffins and SCONES! Grab a hot pumpkin spice tea and bake a pumpkin scone! ♥ 

This book is NOT a freebie, but I have the hard copy of this pumpkin book, and my daughter and I have absolutely loved it!  The Pumpkin Cookbook, 2nd Edition: 139 Recipes Celebrating the Versatility of Pumpkin and Other Winter Squash by DeeDee Stovel.  Though it's not free, it's a pretty palatable $2.99 as a Kindle read, so I just thought I'd share it as a bonus, today. You're welcome!

Also, in keeping with my two prior Pick a Pumpkin posts, here's your pumpkin joke of the day (because I know you'd be sad without it, and laughter does good like medicine):

Q:     Why was Cinderella not very good at softball?

A:     Because her coach was a pumpkin.

Hahaha!  I think that one may be my favorite!

And today's fun pumpkin fact: Most pumpkin varieties take 85 to 125 days to mature and about 80% of the U.S. pumpkin supply is available in October. Hooray for October and pumpkins!

Whew ... got all that out of the way, now let's get down to PUMPKIN BUSINESS!

I wanted to do something fun and a little funky. I knew I had a pumpkin project in me--oh yeah, I knew--but I wasn't sure where I was going to land.  Then I happened to visit Carole at From My Carolina Home and saw the cute pumpkin blocks she featured in her Autumn Jubilee quilt along! I opened up my trusty EQ software, resized the blocks, and made something a little more in keeping with our RV home . . . 

EQ Rendition

The Actual Finish!

A window valance! I love changing up our decor (especially seasonally) and especially enjoy covering the RV 'window treatments' with quilted projects.  

This four-pumpkin valance was just the perfect size to hang over my window. I thought about doing the pumpkins Andy Warhol style, but decided I liked the ratio of one purple pumpkin to three oranges ones. I'm the purple pumpkin. LOL!

I even managed to label it with pumpkins ... many thanks to Janet for the prim pumpkin labels! It was a perfect fit. :)

But somehow, just a valance wasn't enough. (I'm a procrastinator, a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants crafter, *and* an over-achiever. Do you know what kind of storms that combination causes?!) Carole to the rescue again; she had also featured some maple leaf placemats in her Autumn Jubilee series.  So again, I opened up my trusty EQ and replaced the leaf with a . . .

EQ Rendering

Pumpkin, of course!

One purple and one orange ... one for me and one for Todd!  These placemats are really clever . . . 

They have built in silverware pockets!  Isn't that nifty?? So fun and easy! 

I finished both projects pillowcase style -- no binding -- which speeds things up a bit.  I also added ribbon ties to the valance -- that way if Todd and I are having dinner on the new deck, I can tie our valance to the rails and put out the placemats and we eat al fresco in pumpkin style! (It was too dark when I got in last night -- and again too dark when I left this morning -- to get a deck pic, sorry.)

So there you have it -- my picked pumpkin(s) -- color me done! Except for the giftaway -- interested?  Leave me a comment telling me your favorite thing about pumpkins, a pumpkin joke, or a tried and true pumpkin recipe, and I'll randomly pick a winner on Sunday (11/11) for this fun trio of Harvest teas from The Republic of Tea, including Pumpkin Spice! Please make sure you leave a way for me to contact you! ♥

So, be sure to comment and be sure you visit with the rest of today's participants and have a blast; tomorrow's the last day!

:)

pick a pumpkin; day two . . .

Were you able to check out all of yesterday's participants in the Pick a Pumpkin Blog Hop? Such creativity!

Today is Day Two and there's a whole new set of blogs to check out today:

Life in the Scrapatch

Clever Chameleon

Songbird Designs

Kathy's Kwilts and More

VroomansQuilts

Vicki's Crafts and Quilting

Super Mom No Cape

Quarter Inch Crafter

I found another Kindle freebie to share with y'all today, too.  (Aren't I nice?)  Simple & Easy Pumpkin Drink Recipes by Hannie P. Scott.  I've gotten a number of her cookbooks and they're fun. The book description reads, "Are you looking for delicious holiday drink recipes your party or family gathering? This simple pumpkin drink recipe cookbook has 20 step-by-step tasty pumpkin recipes, Thanksgiving treats and fall recipes for anyone looking delicious and nostalgic treats!"  There ya' go.  There were a couple of alcoholic drinks (which I don't bother with), but enough non-alcoholic drinks (lattes, smoothies, hot chocolates, etc.) to make it worth it for me. :)

Today's pumpkin joke is courtesy of Reader's Digest . . .

Q: How do you fix a damaged jack-o-lantern? 

A: You use a pumpkin patch!

Fun pumpkin fact:  Pumpkins have been grown in North America for about 5000 years. Wow! Really??

Finally, a couple more past pumpkin projects I've had the pleasure of creating in years past . . .

Wool Pumpkin Candle Mat (Ellie has her first stitch in this one) - 2013

My football-themed display was such fun to create.  Roll Tide! - 2013

Quilted Pumpkin for Mini-Stand - 2013

Pumpkin Pie!!! This is from 2014, but it's my fave and I make it EVERY year!

Monogrammed Pumpkin Door Hanger - 2014

White Pumpkin Wool Mat - 2014

Okay -- that's enough from me today.  Be sure to visit all of today's pick a pumpkin participants -- and have a pumpkin party!

:)