"Happy Holidays from the Weedon FurKids"
From left to right: Rigby (5 years old), Murphy (4 months old), Santa (Age unknown or admitted), Ibby (12 years old) and Fergus (a young 15 years old - almost 16).

Gram's Recipes - Janes Cheese Ball

two 8 oz packages cream cheese

Cream the cheese and add:
small finely chopped onion
medium size chopped green pepper
small can pinapple (crushed or chunks) but drained and dryed well
1/2 tsp salt or seasoning salt of choice
1/2 finely crushed pecans

Use the other half of the crushed pecans to roll the ball in. Chill over night, then let sit at room temp for 15 - 20 minutes before serving.

You could also add some finely chopped celery or chopped cherries.

Gram's Recipes - Shortbread Cookies

1 cup soft butter (real butter not margarine)
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups sifted flour

Mix the butter and sugar thoroughly. Stir in the flour. Mix with the hands. Chill this dough for up to an hour. It will be easier to handle.

Roll out on a floured board, about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into small shapes using a cookie cutter and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake in a preheated oven, 300 deg, for about 25 minutes, or until done. The cookies should not brown, or lose their shape during baking. Makes about 25-30 cookies.

Gram's Recipes - Drop Cookies

1 cup shortening (margarine)
2 cups brown sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1 cup sour milk (regular milk w/tsp vinegar added)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups flour

Mix in order, adding the sour milk after the egg. You can add chocolate chips, raisons, coconut, nuts ... just about anything to this recipe.

Gram's Recipes - Cherry Balls

1 1/2 cups desicated coconut (I use unsweetened)
1 1/2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup butter (melted)
1 tbsp cream
1 tsp almond flavor

1 bottle cherries

Place each cherry in a spoonful of the above mixture and roll into a ball. Then roll each ball in crushed graham wafer crumbs. Chill.

Gram's Recipes - Rice in Oven

1 1/2 cups rice (Uncle Ben's converted)
1 chopped onion
3 cups water
1-2 beef cubes
celery
dash sugar, pepper & salt
green pepper
1 can mushrooms

Saute onion, celery, green pepper and mushrooms. Mix all together in baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

Gram's Recipes - Banana Cake

4 small (or 3 large) ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sour milk

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and bananas. Beat until light. Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Dissolve soda in sour milk. Add flour alternating with milk. Pour into well greased pan. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

Gram's Recipes - Gingerbread

2 cups molasses
1 tsp soda (large)
4 tsps ginger
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening (melted)
1 cup hot water

A few more little projects done !

I'm trying to use up all my small pieces of batting that have been left over from larger projects so I'm making table runners and finishing up some small wall-hangings that have been pinned to my cork wall for ages.

I'm even working on a couple of Christmas gifts, but I can't post pictures of those here. Another project I just finished is a dresden raggy quilt that is a birthday gift from a friend of mine, Hazel, to her sister Heather. I love making raggy quilts as you really don't have to be accurate with anything and they are so soft and cuddly to work with.



I'm absolutely in love with stitchery right now and finished a little piece to hang on my sewing room wall. I think it says it all!

Gram's Recipes - Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Shortcake

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup margarine
1 egg (beaten)
1/3 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients & margarine. Texture will look like cornmeal. Mix in egg, then milk. Put in pan. Bake 20 minutes at 350 deg.

(This is about the same as bisquit dough - quite firm - has to be pressed in pan. Can be made in muffin tins also.)

I've discovered "Macro"

Having broke my right big toe last weekend, I've discovered there are things to do other than sewing on my sewing machine. I started playing around with my digital camera and discovered the macro setting. Here are a couple of pictures using it. I can't wait for the lilacs to bloom in the next couple of weeks, as I have so many different varieties, it will be great fun getting close-up pictures of all of them.

Getting Things done and two new sewing machines

I'm getting some things accomplished. My friend Pam was over today and we finished another quilt top that is going to be donated to Col Potter Cairn Rescue. A friend in the Col Potter group is going to donate the money to pay to have my three tops quilted so they can be used for fund raising. I can't wait to see what they look like finished.


I've also acquired two new sewing machines ... well, new to me. The Singer was made in Elizabeth, NJ in 1919 and the other Singer clone was made in Quebec around the same time. I need to do more digging on it to get more precise details about it. They are both in great shape and just need some minor work (like replacing a belt) to make them usable.

Gram's Recipes - Vinegar Pie

3 eggs well beaten
1 cup cold water
1 1/2 tbsps vinegar
1 cup white sugar
3 tbsps flour
2 tbsps butter

Mix in order given and pour into 2 unbaked pastry shells. Cover with top crust and bake 40 minutes at 350 deg.

Fergus turns 15 today!

Happy Birthday to my sweet old guy ... nope ... not Phil. My Fergus, and Yes I do mean "My Fergus". He turns 15 years old today. I say "My Fergus" because he's always been my baby. I picked him out from the litter when Phil was away at sea, and I brought him home while Phil was away at sea ... and spent many hours, just Fergus and I, while Phil was away at sea. I had Fergus home with me for a few weeks before Phil even met him, so Fergus has always been my special little pal.

Gram's Recipes - Supper Dish

(I remember eating this and its actually quite good.)

1 lb ground hamburg
1 small onion
salt & pepper
1 can vegtable soup
sliced raw potatoes

Mix hamburg, chopped onion, salt & pepper in casserole dish. Empty can of soup over meat. Fill remainder of dish with sliced potatoes, then pour 1 can of hot water over all. Bake at 350 for one hour.

I've been busy the past couple of weeks getting projects ready for Spring classes at work. I can't post pictures of these, as they are designs I make specifically for classes, but I will have some pictures on the weekend of some other things I am working on like some new purses, another stitchery project and some placemats and table topper I have started. While you're waiting ... enjoy the two new recipes.

Gram's Recipes - Cinnamon Loaf

1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking pwder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sour milk (Gram added 1 tbsp vinegar to 1 cup of milk)

Mix in order given. Layer part of batter in loaf pan adding a layer of sugar mixture in between. Bake at 350 deg.

Sugar Mixture: 1 tbsp cinnamon + 3 tbsps brown sugar, mixed well.

Gram's Recipes - Lemon Loaf

1/4 cup shortening (margarine)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
grated rind of 1 lemon

Mix and let stand for 20 minutes before baking.
Once baked, brush with juice of lemon and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Hmmmm, and the title today is .... More New Stuff

I have finished three full blocks for my "Journey of a Quilter" project. I am really enjoying this embroidery thing as you can see. Thanks Craig and Mom, as you got me the pattern! Only problem I'm having is that I am taking my glasses off to do the stitchery and then can't find the darn things to see to watch tv. I've never had to wear my glasses to read so I'll see what the eye doctor has to say next month.


Claim this runner ... Free to a good home. I just finished it as part of my participation in the "Stitch Olympics". I am entered into the binding category on the Canadian Team. I have two runners, 6 placemats and a quilt to bind while the olympics are on. The total of inches are added to our team total. Just a little fun and incentive to get some things finished.

I spent a lovely morning in my new bathtub with Jamie, Claire and the Clan. I'm almost finished the newest book in the Outlander series and will have to leave them behind to go to other things soon. Although I always love starting a new book ... I'll surely miss them in the tub with me.

Oh yeah ... its snowing here again ... or should I say "Still"! Jan

Gram's Recipes - Dot's Oatmeal Cookies

3 cups oatmeal (rolled oats)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup shortening
3 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tso salt
1 tsp nutmeg

Gram's Recipes - Lazy Daisy Squares

1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp shortening
Beat egg, add sugar gradually. Add vanilla, then flour, Baking powder and salt. Add milk and shortening last. Pour this mixture into a square pan and bake 20 minutes at 350 deg.

Mix the following and pour over the above:
3 tbsp melted butter
2 tbsp cream
5 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup coconut
Bake for 10 more minutes or until syrup boils.

***** Jan's Note: shortening can be replaced by margarine; cream can be replaced with canned milk.

This is one of my favorite square recipies and works every time!

Current Projects and a New Tub

No shower for me today ... Phil is working on the installation of the new tub. The old tub has officially been thrown out the front door and, although the new tub is still in the living room ... progress has been made. This is a "good thing"!

I'm posting a couple of pictures I took yesterday of a few currently completed projects ... a couple of modern christmas table runners, a fall table topper that I dearly love and one of the ten purses (pattern bali bags), I made for christmas gifts this past year. I'm really hoping that my friend Hazel will like the one in the picture as its being mailed to her tomorrow.

Gram's Recipes - Edith's Dream Cake

Last night while sitting here at the computer, I had something come to mind ... it actually hit me in the head as it fell from the shelf above my computer. Let me explain. I cook and I bake ... and I'm fairly good at it. I think who taught me was a tie between Mom and Grandmom Spares (here after known as "Gram"). I was always encouraged to bake and did my fair share. One of the things I inherited from Gram was her old recipe box. Thats what hit me on the head last night. I have always meant to make a book to share the recipes with the rest of the family. Most of my cousins were too young to bake with Gram but they do, for the most part, remember her. After going thru some of the recipe cards last night while picking them up off the floor, I discovered that they are fading fast. The old plastic typewriter that Gram had didn't have a very good ribbon in it, so it was pretty faded to start with. Grams writing is fairly easy to read but is also fading on some of the cards so I need to get these recipes copied. I'm going to post them here. I will post them exactly as they are written on the cards. Some do not have any baking instructions but if you bake at all, you should be able to figure it out.

The first recipe is Edith's Dream Cake (Edith was Gram's sister, married to Grandad's brother)

Edith's Dream Cake
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 tsp flavoring
2 eggs

Cream shortening: sift flour, baking powder, salt & sugar together. Add all dry ingredients to creamed shortening. Beat. Add milk & flavoring. Beat well. Add unbeaten eggs.

I'm working on a project called "Journey of a Quilter". It's an Australian design that combines stitchery and quilting. I was never interested in embroidery when I was younger although I did cross-stitch for years. I have now discovered my love for stitchery. Just like reading a good book, I can get completely lost in it. I'm posting pictures of the block sections here as I finish them. The four sections shown here make up one block. There are nine blocks in the project. I'm also planning to go thru old photos and start posting pictures of quilts and projects I have made.

I've finally done it ...

So many people have been after me to start a blog, I finally decided it was time. I need something to keep me accountable to all the promises I make, the lists of things to do I have in my head, unfinished projects I look at every day and wonder when will I ever get the time. Well, I have the time ... I just need to learn how to manage it better. Friends say to me "you get so much done ... I wish I could accomplish half what you do"! Guess what ... I waste so much time its disgusting. I waste it reading in the bathtub (Jamie and Claire keep calling to me). I waste it playing Sims3 on the computer or watching tv ... have you seen the new show "Ice Pilots"? I waste time sleeping ... you get my point. Anyway, I've finally decided that I need to be more accountable for the moments of time that drift away between the wasted time and the productive time. Hopefully, by making my time public ... I'll use it more to my advantage.

Over the next few days I plan on posting some pictures to keep you all amused (of course, I need to figure out how, first)!

I also plan on posting pictures of some of the progress I'm making on current projects. Hopefully, this will be incentive to actually finish the projects.

Have a great day ... Jan