Catching You up on What I have been up to!!

Back on the Blogging Grid....Again!!

Seems like even with the best intentions I have not been able to keep up with everything  this year. I seem to have my hands full!!!  LOL!!  Those two precious grands keep this Nana busy!!!

MY BLOG has certainly been in the lagging...almost non-existent category.  Sorry!!  It must be because I am busy, happy, blessed and spending lots of time living life again.  That's true!!

I have missed writing my blog because I love sharing all my creative thoughts and projects.  I started blogging for fun and really that is my only intention.  It's fun to share all my favorite things, show my creativity to others and be able to help others by being transparent and real.  

Last month my college roommate from over 40 years ago came to Tulsa and we celebrated her 60th birthday.  Of course we had several days of Quilt Camp at the lake.  During that time I finished this Dresden Plate quilt that I have been "working" on for almost three years.  I made these precious blocks in 2012 while sitting by Jeffrey's bed as he fought the cancer that took his life that year. They have so much meaning for me.  It was quite a step finishing this quilt!!

The blocks were English Paper Pieced.  

My blog is the closest thing I will ever have that resembles a journal.  I have tried over the years to write but all I have to show for it is a stack of beautiful books with empty pages. I could never write about this very special quilt in a journal the way I can share it here with you on the blog.  Blogging somehow gets me past that creative writers block and I can share with great enthusiasm all that I am doing.

So what have I been doing????  Baking of course!  This is the Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake from Six Sister's which you can find here.   It is so easy to make and ALWAYS a hit.  There is never any left! 

This pretty little Lemon Poppyseed pound cake can be found on the Betty Crocker website  It uses a cake mix.  Easy, moist and can be baked in so many different shapes.
Here it is baked as a small (1/4 bundt) cake.  I LOVE this pan.  I filled the interior with fresh berries.  Beautiful and so tasty!!

Here I used a rosette pan.

 Mini-Bundts ...   All from the same recipe!!

These Brownie Bites are a quick, jiffy slice of chocolate heaven.

Use a brownie mix.  Make as directed.  Add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to the batter.  Fill mini-muffin tins and bake as directed.  Fill a piping bag with store-bought frosting and pipe swirls onto the brownies when cooled.  I topped them with some Royal Icing flowers I made the week before.  Next time I am going to bake them in the pan and then set them in the pretty cupcake liners.  If you bake them in the liners they are not as pretty.  Lesson learned!!

As the French would say....Viola!!  A beautiful dessert that you can make in no time!!  Everyone loves a bite of chocolate!!

Blogs these days CAN become complicated. Don't get me wrong.....I LOVE to read other peoples blogs, get ideas and use them for motivation. Many people use them as full time jobs which is wonderful for them but for now I am not willing to devote my life full time to cyberspace.  That takes the joy out of what I want to do.  There are lists of the do's and don'ts for blogging, blogging conferences....it all goes on and on.   I know I don't have the best photos....and really I don't want to take on another hobby so the pix I take will have to do for now.  People ask me all the time if I cater or quilt for money and the answer is NO!  My JOY comes from the creativity and freedom I have in each project.  I don't have to please anyone else when I am sewing or cooking if I am doing it for me or those I love and share with.  If I love you I will gladly give you the fruits of my labor but for now it's not for sale.  

I say all of this to let you know I am going to try again to share my quilting, cooking and creativity with you on a more regular basis.  With that in mind....I do have a milestone birthday in July and will be traveling three of the four weeks but hey----I am giving you a heads-up and a reason for my absence. 

See you again...soon.....I HOPE!

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama