Punkins' world....SUNSHINE, seeds and no more drought!

[keljonma]

That is wonderful, punkin! Quilts are great gifts! I like to machine piece and then hand quilt. Very time consuming. But I find the hand quilting very relaxing.

 

[punkin]

Kel, I want to get so many done before Christmas that I don't have time to hand quilt. I do have a lap quilt that I'm hand quilting, and I'm only half finished with it.

She did a wonderful job on the quilt. DH was really pleased with it. The other 3 will be ready Friday, and I will have at least 2 more tops to send to her. She said she could have them in time for Christmas if I get them to her by mid-December.

Quilts, soaps and canned goods will be the majority of my Christmas gifts this year.

Since DH's birthday was 10/31, alot of people have been taking us out to eat. We went Sunday, yesterday, going today and tomorrow. I enjoy the treat, but I will be ready to get back in the kitchen.

My Brussels Sprouts are doing wonderful. I froze 5 pints Monday, plus had some for supper. I am already enjoying my tomato sauce I put up this summer. I still have several gallons of frozen tomatoes to do.

This year as part of our Thanksgiving celebration, our family has decided to support a soldier listed on www.anysoldier.com. Everyone is going to bring items from that soldier's "wants and needs" list. We have picked a single mother from TN who is currently in Afghanistan and will be there until July next year. My BIL and his coworkers are also supporting a soldier. Alot of the items they ask for are just basic needs like toothpaste, body wash, hygeine products, etc. We are also sending alot of the snacks on the lists. Despite my opionions on the war, it just makes me feel pretty darn good to support my armed forces personnel.

 

[Dace]

Punkin that is a wonderful thing to do!

I am going to go check out that link!!

 

[punkin]

I am soooo ready to get back in the kitchen! DH's birthday was Saturday, and we have been taken out to eat every day except for Monday, and we are going again today. Of course we're not about to turn down any offers, but sometimes I just crave home cooked comfort food. I think the first thing I will fix tomorrow is a big ole' pot of pinto beans with fried potatoes and cornbread.

For the past week or so I have been trying to get alot of quilt tops done for gifts. I had let my soap making go for a few days. Really, I got discouraged because I couldn't get the coloring right. A few weeks ago, I read a recipe that called for a few slivers of melted crayons. Today, I tried it. I melted a little bitty bit of green crayon in almond oil in the microwave. I then added that to my heated oil mixture. After I added the lye mix, the soap turned a nice pasted green - perfect for the Jasmine scent I used. Now, I'm once more excited about making soap.

I know coloring isn't the most important thing, but I think it's the first attractant. If people like the color, they will then pick it up to smell it. If they like both, maybe they will buy it. (Or that's what I do.)

 

[punkin]

I soooo hate this new time!! I'm not a late sleeper, but I can't even sleep until 6am now.

 

[punkin]

Punkin that is a wonderful thing to do!

I am going to go check out that link!!

My BIL is going to do one, too with his coworkers.

 

[big brown horse]

Your cranberry swirl bread looks so wonderful!!!

 

[Farmfresh]

Cranberry BREAD!!!

Man I wish I did not have to eat gluten free.

 

[punkin]

I took a few soaps to our Thanksgiving celebration since a few family members had expressed some interest in them. This year, my cousin and his DW came in from Florida. She works in a high end home decor store.

She liked the soaps so much that she called her boss and emailed her a pic of them.

Her boss told her to buy 50 bars to bring back to display in her store. My cousin's DW said that they really have nothing inexpensive as stocking stuffers that customers can just pick up on a whim.

She is going to display them in baskets. She also said that people in her area really like homemade products. They own 5 stores, some are in Atlanta and she may want to put some in those stores also.

So . . . this may be a good opportunity for some extra pocket money for me. I guess I will just have to wait and see if they sell or not.

Just in case they do start selling, I have been working on new labels and researching popular scents. I'll also do some limited seasonal scents for year round holidays.

I only have about 30 bars left that will be ready before Christmas. I should know maybe within a week how they do. I figure I can start sending some for the first part of the year and do my first seasonal scents for Valentine's Day.

 

[lorihadams]

YAY!!!

That is wonderful Punkin! I hope it all works out for you and they do well!

I want to make my own soaps too but I am not going to dive into that until next year. Got too much on my plate now as it is. How expensive was it to get all the supplies, if you don't mind me asking?