{Sew} Modern Monday

Last weekend I got a couple bee blocks finished and I finally got around to photographing them yesterday.

Follow the Leader block by Ryan Walsh Quilts

This block was for the June block of the String Me Along bee. I know, it's July 31st, but as I mentioned before this fabric got hidden underneath my tabletop ironing board. She sent us some Hope Valley and asked for flying geese. I have been wanting to make this block for a while now so this was the perfect opportunity. I did (accidentally) place the geese in the wrong order, but I liked it this way, so I kept it. :)

Avignon Picnic block by Andrea Harris

Lee sent us some pieces of Central Park and asked us to make the above block for the July String Me Along bee. The pieces were already cut up, but it went together so quickly! I love this pattern & I've decided this is the one I will be using to make my sister's wedding quilt. I have a couple jelly rolls of Sunkissed and will be using navy as the solid. Can't wait to start working on it, but there are several projects that need to be done first. Luckily the wedding is still over a year away, so I have time! :)

I'm linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations. If you haven't been there already be sure to stop by for a visit & say Hi!

Sunday Brunch

Several weeks ago Jake decided that he wanted Huevos Rancheros for our Sunday morning meal. I've never had it before so I Googled it to find a recipe. All the recipes I found were very intricate & took about 45 minutes to make. I decided if I was going to make it we would have to simplify.

Plus Jake always remembered it being served with chili, & none of the recipes I found included that.

Since then I have made it several times since then and it is always fabulous!

Here is our version of Huevos Rancheros.

Brown your corn tortillas in a small layer of olive oil.

Heat your favorite chili.

Fry your eggs to your preferred done-ness.

Gather your fixin's. Those green onions & cilantro came from my garden. Yum!

Layer your eggs on your tortilla(s), add chili, and other delicious goodies. I also had some spanish rice in the fridge that I had made a few days ago so I added that as well. Top with salsa.

Enjoy!!!

Add some crafty eye candy...

More sketchbooks for some of my favorite peeps. The book on the right, I cut the corners too close so I had to add the grey polka dots to finish covering the padding & board.

I've been thinking of a selling some of my books & jewelry for quite a while now and decided I needed a brand. I thought of many more detailed brands, but then I thought I'd go simple. Living in ranching communities for many years now have helped me appreciate the simpler things & I love the look of the cattle brands. I also thought this would be very easy to stitch up in many different ways.

My one concern is that someone is already using a similar brand. I searched online, but did not find anything. What do you think of my A Prairie Sunrise brand? Have you seen similar ones out there? Thanks so much for your help!

Sunday Brunch

Today I'm going to share with you a "recipe" I created that is my version of a delicious meal I ate at Olive Garden a few months ago. I do not remember what is was called, but it's a fettuccine alfredo with balsamic steak so that's what I'm calling my recipe.*

Balsamic Steak Fettuccine Alfredo

Get your favorite cut of steak for grilling.

Spice it as you normally would. We use garlic powder, salt, pepper, and a little Lawry's seasoning. Then cover with a balsamic cream, like Emiliani Balsamic Cream. If you can't find a balsamic cream I'm sure balsamic vinegar would work just fine. Season both sides and grill.

While your steak is on the grill make your alfredo sauce. This is my go to recipe. Delicious! If you have not made sauces before it is very easy, thicken your sauce to a little thinner than you would like. The sauce will continue to thicken slightly once it has been taken off heat.

I like a little kick in my alfredo sauce so I added some cayenne and black pepper. I prefer white pepper because the black pepper looks like little bugs in the sauce, but we were out of white pepper and this is what we had.

Boil & drain your fettuccine noodles. Rinse with cold water to keep the noodles from sticking together. The alfredo sauce recipe I use is perfect for half a box (8 oz?) of noodles.

Pull your steak off the grill when it has reached your preferred done-ness.

Toss the sauce in with the noodles and reheat if your sauce sat for a few minutes.

Cut up your steak into bite size pieces. Add to the pasta. Drizzle with more balsamic cream & top with parmesan, or other italian cheeses.

Enjoy with a delicious salad!

We have made this meal twice now & both times it has come out so wonderful! If you try this recipe I'd love to hear how it goes for you. :)

*When I create my own recipes I do not measure. I use a little of this and a little of that. I taste often as I cook to make sure I have the right balance.

Fave 5 Friday

Today's Fave 5 Friday is dedicated to the Stagecoach Museum in Lusk, Wyoming. Last Saturday Jake actually had the day off so we decided to go into town and wander around a bit. Lusk only has a population of about 1500, but there are some fun things to look at in the downtown area. Our favorite stop for the day was the museum.

Cheyenne to Deadwood coach. Sat up to 16! people.

Would you wear a buffalo coat?...Or maybe a horse hair coat? :)

I am obsessed with this block right now & I love this antique quilt.

They have found many dinosaur bones in the area. This is a fossil/iron skeleton.

The old school house.

Does anyone know what this is? It did not have a label.

Or this? I found this thing in my house yesterday. I smashed it with a boot, but the thing was FAST! I was worried I wouldn't get it. The thing is creepy looking and I'd really like to know what was crawling around house so if anyone knows what it might be please let me know.

***UPDATE: Thanks for the comments about the creature above. I sent an email to the University of Wyoming Entomology department yesterday and it is, in fact, a Sun Spider/Wind Scorpion/Solpugid. It is technically neither a spider nor a scorpion, but a relative of both. It's not poisonous (phew!) & can have very fast bursts of speed (53 cm/sec!?!). Thanks again for your help!***

Finished Quilt Top

Yesterday I shared a quilt top that I was working on for work. Well, I finished it today. When I went through the blocks again I realized I didn't have as much unpicking as I had originally thought (which is always a good thing). :)

Today I finished it.

Isn't it pretty? :)

Hopefully we can get it on the longarm soon so I can bind it & we can put it on display in the shop. Can't wait to see what I get to make next!

Also, yesterday I went into town to help with the 4H activity day. They were making Little Dresses for Africa using Nancy's Notions pattern. It took longer than expected, but it went pretty well. They did a great job with the bias tape, good thing we got the extra wide kind! They'll all be on display at the Niobrara County Fair in a couple weeks, so I'll be sure to snap a picture to share all the lovely dresses these girls & boys made.

Little Dresses for Africa actually sends these dresses all over the world, including here in the US. So, if you have a little extra fabric or pillowcases & a few hours, I highly recommend sewing up a few dresses for needy girls around the globe. Nancy's Notions also has a shorts pattern that you can purchase to sew up for the boys.

Thanks for stopping by!

WIP Wednesday

Today, most of my WIP Wednesday post is over at my LQS' (Local Quilt Shop) new blog. The blog itself is a work in progress. And the sample quilt for the brick & mortar portion of the shop is a WIP, as well.

I will share one other (non-sewing) WIP I have:

My first radish harvest! This is only about 1/3 of the crop, the others are still growing.

I didn't plant much this year because my garden last year was pretty unsuccessful, but I did plant radishes, carrots (think the seeds were duds), onions, and zucchini. I was told not to plant until after Memorial Day weekend because there is always one last spring snow (May 19th, this year). I finally planted in the middle of June, but my crops seem to be doing pretty well & hopefully those zucchini will start flowering soon. :)

Please be sure to stop by Freshly Pieced to see the other WIP's for the week, as well.

Fave 5 Friday

Today's post is all about RAINBOWS! I have always loved rainbows. They always make me smile. I also love seeing things in every color of the rainbow. Enjoy!

OK, I know that's 6, but can you blame me? :)

Giveaway Winner

Yes, that is Terrain hiding in the upper corner. :)

And the winner of the Little Apples charm pack & Sherbet Pips scraps is...

#2 Selina Marie said...

I love all that you have been working on! I've been thinking of making a jelly roll race quilt. Maybe that will be my plans for the summer =)

*The winning number was chosen by the random number generator on random.org. If anyone knows how to copy the screenshot of the generator with the chosen number please share, because I've got no idea! Thanks!

Congratulations Selina! I will be sending you an email shortly.

Thank you everyone for entering and welcome to my new followers. I have now reached 200 followers so be on the lookout for another giveaway very soon!

Also, I have finally set up a blog for my LQS, Lickety Stitch Quilts. Right now, Amanda & I am the only followers. I'd love it if you'd follow along because we have some fun things planned for the near future. Things like coupon codes, giveaways, sew-alongs, & gifts with purchase. It is brand new & still a work in progress, but please stop by to see our new pretties and say hello!

WIP Wednesday

My Little Apples giveaway ends tomorrow. If you haven't entered yet be sure to do so here.

I realized this week that I have a LOT more WIPs than I realized. Here's my current ones....there are many more hanging around my sewing room that have been put on hold.

Terrain dish towel lining.

Redwork for a SwapBot swap. I wish I could say that I drew this freehand, but I traced it from an awesome wildlife coloring book I found when we were living in Montana.

First templates for the Farmer's Wife QAL. I've finally joined in on the fun! I'm going to stitch it by hand, and I'm still deciding how to piece them. I'm debating between marking & stitching along the quarter inch seam, or paper piece them (like hexies). Any suggestions?

More progress on my Arcadia quilt/tutorial.

I have a table top ironing board and I found this hiding underneath it. It's the fabric for the June block for the String Me Along bee. Oops! I know what I'm working on tomorrow. :}

This week I cut up these fun little bundles for this pattern. I loved the bright colors so much and told my boss so. She asked if I'd like to make a sample to display at the store. I jumped at the chance. Then today she showed me how to prep a quilt back for the longarm. Not super exciting, but it's one step in the direction of learning how to use that monstrous machine. :)

Be sure to visit Lee @ Freshly Pieced to see all the other WIPs for the week.

Fave 5 Friday

If you're looking for the giveaway go here. But be sure to come back once you have. :)

Yesterday Jake took me with him to check water in the pasture to the west of the house. Here's some of my favorite views from the drive.

The picture speaks for itself.

We've got some fabulous sand dunes on the property. But as the boss says, great place for a rattler den. Scary!

I love this water tank. So ingenious! And "green." :)

Some of the young bulls & heifers decided to come say hi. Such a tough guy, huh?

I finished my Misfit Doll Quilt! The battle is over and I have won! Bwahahaha! :)

I hope my partner likes it.

Thanks for stopping by!