Orange Cranberry Almond and Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread

Hello to all!!  Back again after almost two years of doing nothing on the blog.  Kristy helped me revise the name and site today. It has been my goal to do this for a long, long time.  I find myself quite inadequate when it comes to setting up most of the "web-stuff".    If you are under 30 it is much easier to do than those of us who are above that threshold.  Anyway...Thank You Kris!! We are BACK!!I started this day baking bread.  My house has smelled incredible all day.  I am working on combining several of the "no Knead" recipes and coming up with some great flavors to add to the dough.  I promise by next week I will have " the MTN MAMA version of no knead bread" on the blog with pictures and instructions.  It is pretty incredible....easy to make, crusty, and DELICIOUS!!  Good thing I took these pictures  when the bread came right out of the oven or there would be no pictures to take.  A heal from one loaf is all that remains from the Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread.  We have cut in to the Orange Cranberry loaf too.  In our defense I have given tastes to everyone who has been in my house today including the yard guys who had to come to mow the grass!!  What can I say.....we LOVE Bread!!

 The most of my day was consumed with cutting, cutting and more cutting.  Looks like a bomb went off in my sewing room....right?   RIGHT!!!  After being forced to play with all the scraps I had in Dallas when I ran out of fabric I realized that SCRAPS are my true passion.  I love taking small pieces and making something beautiful.  I have become a big fan of Bonnie Hunter and am now trying to organize my scraps following some of her "system approach".  It is fun to dig into my big scrap box and pull out a handful of memories from the quilts I have made previously.  I am looking forward to Great things coming out of these little pieces.  I have also been introduced to "Crumb Quilting" and I am an addict!!!  I love the freedom of creating little blocks without reference to size or points just the will to create!  So you see I am head over heels into the next "phase" of my quilting.  Will keep you posted on the progress as I go.  Oh by the way..... Kris and I added "pins" to the title of the blog to include my love for sewing and quilting but as I am writing this I have to chuckle because I too have a "Pin In my Toe".    I tore a tendon in my toe sometime while we were in Dallas during Dec for the bone marrow transplant.  After coming home in Dec and rushing to Chicago to celebrate the birth of "Ella Lillian Kirkland".... our first granddaughter,  I finally got into my orthopod...who by the way has taken care of this same left foot for two previous stress fractures .  He looked at my toe and said, "Surgery...NOW!"  So within a week I had surgery and a pin sticking out the end of my second toe.  Does it hurt?   You figure that out but I will tell you that it has been nice to stay at home and read, cook and sew for two weeks.  Two more weeks to go till the pin is removed.  That will be a fun day.  I'll let you know!!!

Now gotta scoot and set up the "Pack n Play" for Miss Ella is coming to Nana's house for her very first visit tomorrow.  Can't wait!!!

Happy Trails!!

MTN MAMA