Pack Rat with a Plan: May 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Tasty Tuesday - Biscuits

We had Breakfast for Dinner the other night. That made me think that I need to pass this recipe along to the girls for sure.

I have had this recipe since we lived in Russia - and it looks like it! I cut it out of a magazine and I have no idea which one. I am pretty sure this was from before College R was even born. (Ooops, I guess she is now Grown Up R!) I have used it so many times that it is nearly unreadable now. For a while I made biscuits so often I had it memorized. Since we moved to the USA I have used it less, because we have more food options overall. I've even tried other recipes. But this is still our favorite.

These are from patting it out thick - 9 biscuits from the recipe.

Baking Powder Biscuits

(Makes 16 regular biscuits or 9 thick biscuits. Easily doubled.)

Preheat oven to 450F.

In bowl, mix:
2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt

Cut in:
1/2 c unsalted butter until crumbly (if the girls want "extra buttery", I use 1 cup butter)

Stir in:
1/3 cup milk. Knead lightly.

Turn out dough only lightly floured surface.

With hands, pat to 1/2 inch thick rectangle or roll with lightly floured rolling pin. (Often I just pat it thick.)

Cut into 16 squares. (I get 9 biscuits, but thicker.)

Place on baking sheet.

Bake 12 minuted or until browned.

Monday, May 30, 2016

Ladybug from a Salad Bowl

I'm working in plastic and foamy this week!

Camp 1 is Billions of Bugs. Middle E is helping me with planning and prepping the Camps this year. A good experience for her since she wants to be a teacher and a fun source of income.

We are trying to make the hallway decorations over the top to really get the kids' imaginations going.

The giant butterflies were easy - butterfly dress up wings from the Dollar Tree and we added a foamy body and googly eyes.

Cute as a Bug!!!

The ladybug was pure imagination. We started with a large disposable take out salad bowl. Middle E described the wings as a "heart without the point" and I drew. Sure enough, that's just the right shape. We used foamy for the wings and spots. She calculated the placement on the bowl and we hot glued them down just where the wing went across the top of the body and then the leading edge of the wing to force it into position. So the rounded part of the wing is loose. The eyes were also foamy. A pipe cleaner hot glued into position finished it off. No nose - what looks like a nose is really just a reflection.

This turned out so darn cute I can hardly stand it. Next up is a spider and some ants.

Linking up with Judy over at Patchwork Times to show what's on our design walls, even though this is my design floor.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

More Fabric In

Stash Report 052916

My co-worker gave me a bag filled with fat quarters. This is the same co-worker for whom I made the Valor Vests for. We exchange crafty supplies and abilities all the time.

(Disclaimer: My fingernail is not dirty. It was smashed in a door 6 months ago and is almost grown out now.)

She had used them on the tables for her son's engagement party at a local Mexican restaurant. They certainly do have a FIESTA kind of look to them!

Not sure how I'll use them but they sure do liven things up on my shelves for now.

17 FQ!!! That's a lot. I am right on the brink of falling into the RED. Yikes!
But how can I say no to free fabric?

Fabric Used/Out This Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used/Out in 2016: 30.5 yards

Fabric In This Week: 4.25 yards

Fabric In 2016: 29 yards

Net Used 2016: 1.5 yards

Staying accountable with Judy over at Patchwork Times !

Friday, May 27, 2016

H2H Finished at Last

I am very pleased with this finish. The progress stretched out over a LOOONNNGG period of time but that's just the way life is sometimes.

The quilting was very intentionally done before we drove to Georgia for R's college graduation. Seven hours on the road was more than enough to get all the thread tails sewn in which was the plan.

I really wanted to get it completed so I can start quilting the Meet in the Middle wedding quilt, which has a fast approaching deadline. But I also needed to clean up the giant mess in the sewing/project room that had accumulated as life went on in other rooms. It's not a big room to start with, but when there is no room to stand something has to give.

I physically could not move around enough to get the quilt squared and a binding prepared so that delayed the finish even more. Last weekend I was determined and I am super pleased with my cleaning progress and my finish. Now I can move on in good conscience. I wish I had taken a before picture of the room.

The backing was from my mother's stash. Hate is a pretty strong word, but I just did not like this fabric. But when I started looking for backing for this quilt it was perfect. Pink, black, roses, extra wide, long enough. Perfect. I used it for the binding as well and I really, really like the way it came out.

Glad I took the H2H challenge. Glad I used the UFO units. Glad to find a home for a big chunk of fabric. Glad to now have a positive memory for this piece of my mother's stash. Glad this quilt will cover someone in LOVE!!

Linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict to show off not just any finish but that my H2H quilt is finished and ready to mail out to Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo!!!

Catching up on showing off a finish over at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Stash Report 052216

After weeks and weeks of commitments that kept me from sewing I was finally able to clear the mess and get something done. Happy to report that my quilt for Hands 2 Help is done. It came together in a round about way! You can read its story here.