I think it started with childhood...

I think my love for all things Halloween and spooky and weird started in childhood with one of my absolute favorite books The Witch in the Cherry Tree by Margaret Mahy.
I don't know what happened to my original hardback book over the years and every once and awhile, I would search for a used copy online. Well I finally scored one on alibris.com at a very cheap price and although it's paperback, I am overjoyed to have a copy again.

If you are unfamiliar with the book, here's the summary "one damp, dull day David's mother is baking cakes. Everything is fine until a naughty old witch comes to settle in the cherry tree in the garden. [The witch] tries to outwit David and persuade his mother to part with the cakes..." I think still think it's a fun story and am glad I haven't grown up that much.

I love this page with the witch dancing in the yard conjuring up a rainstorm of great big purple clouds and lightning. If I was a witch, I'd dance in the yard just like this.

I also love this page
The witch is sulking in the cherry tree because she has so far failed in her attempt to trick David out of some cupcakes. Look at those great red socks! And the shoes!! Pointy black shoes with heels and buckles. How cool!

Just so you are not in suspense, the story does have a happy ending and the witch does get some cupcakes. And she makes it stop raining so David can play outside. This is what I learned from the book and remembered all these years: everyone loves cupcakes and be nice to witches in red socks and cool shoes.

October Treats

I couldn't resist this recipe in the October issue of Everyday Food magazine. What is better than cookies with M&Ms? Cookies with Halloween M&Ms!!! The directions say "sort the chocolate candies by color and arrange them on top of the dough".
Seriously? If I had to sort M&Ms, it would be two for me, one for the sorting bowl, three for me, one for the sorting bowl...

And about this arranging on top of the dough. For one thing, who has time to arrange M&Ms neatly in rows, probably having to use math to determine how many M's per row and how much space to leave between M's. (Does anyone else call single M&Ms "M's" or is it just me????) I would have to dig out my calipers and a laser level (I'm sure Martha has hers neatly labeled in a special drawer for cross-purpose household tools). Probably would need paper and pencil and a logarithm or two also (math is not my strong suit). I don't think so.

For another thing, what's up with the equal-sized, each-cookie-having-the-same-amount-of-M&Ms cookies? Where is the giant piece cut out of the middle (no edges!) with the most M&Ms? (that would be mine....).

Here's my unsorted, helter-skelter, randomly placed, stirred-in-the-dough version of the cookies. Note the left-over M's for taste-testing purposes.

I seem to have forgotten to take a photo of the finished product. The recipe is good, needs a little tweaking though, and the cookies need to be eaten right away so share with friends....or not. I may need to try another batch...I need another bag of M's.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2009

A big thank you to Amy at Park City Girl for hosting another Quilt Festival! I think I'll set aside a couple of hours (!!!) to check out everyone's posts. It's hard to pick a one quilt for this post (mainly because I have a huge amount of finished tops but less finished quilted quilts....I'm sure I am alone in this problem right? ahem....).

Here is the quilt that lives on my bed in the fall and the quilt I picked for this festival. (the lump under this quilt is one of my four cats... quilt helpers all)
I love the deep, rich, fall-y colors in this fabric line called "Vintage Reserve" by Minick & Simpson for Moda fabrics. I adore Minick & Simpson fabrics, every line they have done.
A detail and the back with some leftover blocks
The pattern is by my dear friend, quilt teacher, and mentor Pat of Silver Thimble Quilt Co. and is called "Strawberry Pie". Pat is one of the most fun, caring, creative, kind people I know and she has helped me learn so much about quilting and life and friendship. I thought it was appropriate to highlight one of Pat's designs for this post because I was so lucky and got to be Pat's helper/go-fer/booth attendant/girl Friday at the 2007 fall quilt market in Houston. It was a great experience and I am so thankful for that opportunity.

Survived the busy week

Well I survived my busy week. I was so tired I had to take a nap before I could eat dinner or even think about going to bed. I just finished catching up on all the blogs I read and need to work on getting through emails. I'll be diving into my sewing room tomorrow, getting projects lined up, see what's going on, fun stuff. Since it's my birthday month, I'll be searching for some giveaway items too. Thanks to everyone who has commented recently. I need to get caught up on replying to comments too. Time for some October fun!!!

Busy Busy Week

I am in the middle of one of my busiest weeks of the year (I hope...). Here is my schedule: day job/Starbucks, day job/Starbucks, all day off-site meeting, all day off-site big presentation with audience of over 100 people, and all day off-site meeting.
Hopefully I will make it to the weekend and I can get some sewing time in and maybe a mid-day nap. Stella is an expert at this.

I need to be finishing up my speech for tomorrow but I am having more fun catching up on blog posts.

Haz Mat and Birthdays

Gomez insisted on being first in this post because too many of the previous posts have featured Morpheus. Gratuitous Gomez photo here:

Still no sewing going on here. I cleaned house yesterday, which was way overdue. I can now call the EPA and inform them that my shower is no longer a Superfund site.

We have been celebrating S.'s b-day weekend this weekend. He didn't want to go to a quilt shop--can you imagine???!!?? I don't know how you can celebrate a b-day without going to a quilt shop but apparently it can be done. He did have his favorite foods this weekend--grilled steak, potatoes and sauteed mushrooms last night. Brownies with walnuts (no frosting--what's up with that???!!!! The boy does not know how to live!). And tonight matzo ball soup.
Happy B-day S.!

October at last

I'm so glad it's October. Fall has arrived in Atlanta with cooler weather, less humidity, and clearer skies. October is my birthday month and my favorite holiday, Halloween, wraps up the month with fun and candy purchases, always with the pretense that I'll actually get a trick or treater or two this year.

I took a little blogging break because I was just tired and didn't have much to say. No sewing this past week or last weekend. Just a lot of vegging with the cats, taking naps, and reading books. Working more hours at Starbucks and my feet hurt all the time and the house is a mess.

But now it's October, it's three days into the month, and it's going to be a better month. It's time for apple cider and Halloween mugs.
I feel better already.

I read two great books this past week. I highly recommend both of them. The first is The Confederate General Rides North by Amanda C. Gable.


I loved the main character in this book, 11-year old Kat McConnell. The author so realistically captures the imagination and spirit of an intelligent, curious girl trying to understand and comprehend the world around her while dealing with the uncertainty of the moods and action of an apparently bi-polar mother. It's a tale told with truth and heart.

The second book is Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned about Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat by Gwen Cooper.
I liked Dewey, the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World better. But really, I'm a sucker for a good, touching cat story. And besides, Homer is the most awesome name for a blind cat ever. Readers who are owned by cats will not be astonished at the capability, love, and fearlessness of Homer. We know that if cats had thumbs, they would rule the world.

I'm off to catch up on catching up now. Happy Autumn!