Projects for the Holiday Auction

Every year, during our Appalachian Mountain MINIs Christmas party, we have a silent auction to raise money for charity and have some fun. This year, I decided to make some Christmas cards in addition to a quilted item. I found these clip art images online, and printed off several pages of them. I colored them …

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Sunday Chat – Cactus, Leftovers and Wildlife

Are you enjoying this Thanksgiving Weekend and beginning of the holiday season? I sure am! This weekend, my Thanksgiving cactus burst into bloom all over. I think these blooms are so interesting, with their shapes that make me think of little rockets. The plant has blooms all over, most are red. On the other side, …

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Sunday Chat – Home and Garden

So much to catch up on today! Get comfortable and enjoy a long and picture heavy post. Cooler weather is supposed to come in this week, and I am hoping for more seasonal temperatures, but where has the month gone?! It is turkey time around here, the wild kind. These guys have nothing to worry …

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Sunday Chat – Quilting, Food, and Fall Color

Glorious color adorns our driveway with the fall season reaching its peak. The reds and golds are brilliant even in this early dawn view. Fog settles into the valley sometimes, and I love that. This photo was taken two weeks ago, as the colors hit their peaks. When the sun came up over the east …

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Sunday Chat

It has been a minute since we had a Sunday chat. October was so jam packed with projects. November is a time to relax and enjoy the season. Autumn color is hitting its peak this past week or so, and the color is glorious. We did a wonderful drive on our mountain roads with a …

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More Fun at the Mountain State Fair

Tuesday night was the third cooking contest, this time with eggs. The rules specified a frittata, so I decided to make mine Mediterranean. It has Italian sausage, spinach, onion, garlic, mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. Tomatoes often add too much water to a recipe, so I had the idea of cutting cherry tomatoes in half …

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More Fair Fun and a Tomato Tian

Today, I will share my third place winning recipe for the Tricolor Tomato Tian. A tian is a French peasant dish consisting of sliced vegetables, overlapped in an earthenware dish, then baked. The vegetables are meant to be the stars of the dish, so no sauces or cheese are added. I thought a tomato tian …

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Garden and State Fair

Rain fell off and on last week, and one drizzly morning these boys came by for a visit. Both males, they strutted around and loudly gobble-gobbled. I threw some sunflower seed hearts out for them. They were happy as clams to do a bit of hunt and peck. The goldfinches and a woodpecker got their …

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End of Summer Drive and Happy Mail

We had a nice drive recently with some friends. We wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway when the weather cleared and cooled off, so we emailed our buddies and got a group to go. We met at a parking lot, then drove up to the parkway together. The scenery is lush and green everywhere, …

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Apple Festival Weekend

Labor Day weekend is Apple Festival time. This annual event celebrates our county's primary agricultural crop, with a downtown street festival that lasts four days. We usually try to get there for at least one day, often going for both the street festival and then coming back on Monday after they pick up all the …

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