the week so far

 How are you doing? I sure hope you are all doing well. We are finally having fall-like weather...I guess really it may be more spring like since it is the end of January. I guess this year was the winter that never really happened. If you like a mild winter West Texas may be the place for you. Last night we had the most wonderful thunder storm. It was nice to lay awake long after everyone else went to bed and listen to nature's fury. I think these swoon blocks look a bit stormy. I am using one of my very favorite fabric collections (Echo by Lotta Jansdotter). I go back and forth on if I like the scale or not. By itself the scale is wonderful, but I wasn't sure if I liked it cut up and put in half square triangle blocks. Now I think I am back to liking it. What I really want to do is make the quilt magically piece itself together so I can just get on to the quilting. I LOVE to quilt. I am loading up a quilt for LauraJ this afternoon and I know just what I want to do with it!.

I do need some more quilt tops to quilt. I have quilted all mine, all my moms and all the ones that were ready from the local antique shop....so if you have one lying around give me a thought. I am a pretty good quilter if I do say so myself.

 I am also back to the bags now that the holidays are well and truly over and my life has returned to a fine little routine. I will show some better pictures of this bag after I finish the diaper pad/ baby quilt.

 It is going to be a great set.

I have been tallying up my money from 2011 so I can get ready for taxes. In order to preform this math...I made a couple cappuccinos, and then I decided that some muffins would be really good too. Do you remember "Glorious Morning Muffins" from Starbucks? They made them years ago. I used to love them. Maybe they still do, all I know is that the Starbucks in town does not make them. Well, I found a recipe for them on the back of the flour bag! They are even more awesome than the Starbucks ones because I used dried cherries instead of gross raisins. And because I dig you, I have included the recipe below!

Glorious Morning Muffins (adapted from the Gold Medal Flour bag)

2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots (about 3 medium carrots)
1 cup peeled and shredded apple (one apple)
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup dried cherries
3/4 cup chopped almonds

• heat oven to 350F. line muffin tin with paper liners (you can also grease the muffin tin, but I like the paper cups. It makes me feel special to unwrap the muffins.) Use 18 muffin cups.
• beat up the eggs, oil, milk and vanilla in a large bowl.
• blend flour, soda, sugar, salt and spices together. Add them to the wet ingredients in the big bowl.
• Stir in shredded carrots, apples, coconuts, cherries, and 1/2 cup of the almonds. Divide the batter evenly between 18 muffin cups
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

Take some over to a friends house...or have your husband take some to work. It is hard for me not to have yet another. The kids will be home from school shortly, so I am sure they will make short work of what is left!