We have WINNERS!!!

I realized that I never said in my Giveaway post when the deadline would be for entry. Sorry about that.

The winner of Prize #1 goes to "Ginny"

And Prize #2 goes to "Luv 2 Create"

Congratulations to you both. I hope you enjoy your prizes. Send me your mailing address at handmadebyheidi (at) cox.net and I will get them in the mail to you both.

Speaking of Giveaway winners - I won a Giveaway just before Christmas. It is from Pam and her blog is super cute.. go over there and check her out. And the pillow is absolutely gorgeous! Thank you Pam.

Happy New Year Everyone! Let's all commit to challenging ourselves in 2010.. maybe take a class (sewing of course) for something we haven't tried yet.. or just step out of our comfort zone and try something new! You never know.. it might be fun!

The Perfect Cheeseburger!

One benefit to living in the desert southwest is that we can grill year round (without shoveling snow to get to the grill). And trust me - we are a grilling family. My husband is a master on the grill. He makes steaks that melt in your mouth.. and chicken that you can cut with a fork. He has truly earned his title of Grill Master!

A few years ago - I came up with a fun burger recipe and we haven't strayed from it since. And people have said many times "Wow.. these are the best burgers ever!".

So I've decided to share them with you. But once again, I don't have exact measurements.. sorry.

Start with your raw hamburger.. Add soy sauce and pepper. Don't just squirt a lil soy sauce in there.. as you can see from the picture, it's quite a bit. For 2 lbs of meat I would use at least a 1/3 cup.

Then comes the "secret" ingredient.. shredded cheddar cheese.

Mix all together - and form into patties. Now you can also season the patties if you would like.. we sometimes coat with pepper (we like pepper).

Then place on the grill and cook. We also butter and grill our buns.. YUMMY!!

Top with all your favorite toppings.. pickles, mayo, ketchup, mustard... etc. These are the juiciest burgers you will have at home.. trust me! And as you can see, I served on a paper plate.. cuz I'm classy like that.

And if you are the neighborhood on New Years Eve.. stop over. We are grilling steak and crab legs!! Bring dessert!

100th POST!!! and a Giveaway

** The Giveaway has ended - winners can be found HERE. Thank you for all your kind words! And thank you for visiting my blog!

I can't beleive I'm already at 100 posts in this blog adventure. I actually had another post I was going to do today about the quilting bee that I'm in, but then I realized it was going to be #100 - so I'll do that post tomorrow.

Having this blog has been so much fun for me. I've met so many awesome and talented people along the way. I feel like I could just sit down and enjoy lunch with each of you.

In case you weren't with me for the first 50 posts.. you missed that one. It was a list of 50 things about me.

Anyway.. I'll stop babbling and get to the giveaway. I wasn't sure what I would giveaway - since I just realized this last night. After consulting with my sewing buddy (cousin/best friend) this is what I came up with - there will be TWO WINNERS!!!

Prize #1
This is a small re-usable gift bag made from "Authentic" canvas by Sweetwater for Moda. And a stack of 76 Amy Butler precut squares.


Prize #2

This lucky winner will get a panel (boy) and a charm pack from the new line "Love U" by Deb Strain for Moda.

Here is how you enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which prize would be your first pick for one entry.

2. Become a follower for another entry. If you already are a follower - I will give you a second entry automatically.

3. Post and link to this giveaway on your own blog for a third entry.

Good luck! And thanks for reading my Blog!

Giveaway..and Friday Night Sew-in for January!

Bobbi and I are hosting the first Friday Night Sew-In for the New Year and a Giveaway!! Let’s start out 2010 on top of all our projects!

Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is a way of setting some time aside to work on those projects on your to do list. And remember - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe you have a knitting project.. or some scrapbooking.. it could be anything.

So, join Bobbi and I Friday January 15th for our monthly Sew-In.

Here are the "rules".

1. Enter your blog info below.

2. Make a post on your blog - letting all your readers know about the sew-in. Spread the word.. we could all use the virtual sewing support and encouragement.

3. On Friday – 01/15/10 - Get your house settled, put on your comfy jammies.. maybe make a cup of tea.. and sit down to work on some of those projects (or anything else that you want to work on).

4. Then, sometime on Saturday - Make a post about what you worked on.. show us a picture or two.

5. Optional.. grab the "Friday Night Sew-In" Button on the right for your own blog!

And finally - on Sunday 1/17, we will enter all participants into a GIVEAWAY for something fun! Maybe some fabric.. or a sewing gadget or two.

Friday Night Sew-in Participants

1. Valerie 2. Alice Grace 3. Bobbi 4. Mary 5. Maria Wilson 6. Bev C 7. Sue 8. Patty 9. Sandy K 10. Jane 11. Shiree 12. Celine 13. Sue 14. Rene 15. Manuela Branco 16. Crystal 17. Jocelyn 18. cath Ü 19. Dresden Quilter 20. Colletta 21. Lisa at Sun Naturals 22. Polly 23. SheilaC 24. Thearica 25. kwiltmakr 26. Lisa Scarberry 27. Pat 28. Pat 29. MissMikol 30. Ann Flowers 31. Michele 32. Margie 33. Nichole Pyle 34. Kim P. 35. Gran 36. Wendy Koenig 37. Barb 38. Shelley 39. Kimberly 40. Jeanne 41. Quilter Going Bananas 42. Pat Deck 43. Stacy 44. Tammy 45. Lis in Lincolnshire 46. Dorothy 47. Kristie 48. Judy C 49. Carol L. 50. Beth in MD

51. Kimberly Mason 52. Lissa 53. Joy P 54. Leone 55. Leone 56. Helen Koenig 57. Bonnie S 58. Jill 59. Libby 60. Kris 61. Becky 62. Amanda 63. Rita in Kansas 64. Jana in Puyallup 65. Anne in Tennessee 66. SheilaC 67. Jonelle 68. Lydia 69. Michelle 70. Sue 71. Nancy's Life is a Stitch 72. Heather 73. Natima 74. Debbie S. 75. Kate Linde 76. Mrs. M 77. Linda Herrin 78. Angie 79. Mary 80. Kim 81. Narelle 82. Janey 83. Anne-Lise 84. Ros 85. Dee 86. Phyllis 87. Balinda 88. Stephanie 89. Sue H. 90. Stephanie 91. Micki 92. Lynne R&F 93. Linda 94. Mag 95. dianne 96. Amanda@Busy Little Quilter 97. Vickie 98. Janice 99. Dzintra 100. Dawn

101. anne 102. Beth 103. Lynda Green 104. Mary 105. Carlotta 106. Georgia 107. Erin 108. Angie 109. Pam 110. Jacque. 111. Mandy 112. Pokeytown Kim 113. Melissa 114. Abi & daughter 115. bettyp 116. San-Dee 117. Jamie 118. Ankie 119. Ashley 120. Susan 121. Robin 122. Solidia 123. Rebecca 124. Bonnie 125. Shelly 126. Jane B 127. Dagmar - Quiltmoose 128. Paula 129. Edna @ Needling Things 130. Christa 131. Hooked on Quilting 132. Major Thoughts 133. JenniferR 134. Abby 135. Lori 136. CJ 137. Tami 138. DeAnna S. 139. Vivian 140. Tracy in SW WA 141. Dora 142. Deanne 143. deborah 144. Patricia R. G.(Pat) 145. Kathy L 146. Dora 147. georgie 148. christa 149. Linda 150. Midlife Mom

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Oh the JOY!!!

Christmas was fun this year! Even though we didn't have any extended family with us.. we managed to have a lot of laughs.. singing carols.. time to relax... good food.. and all around Joy!!

Here is my oldest, Joe, opening gifts on Christmas Eve. I think the picture says how happy he was and still is.

And here was Mike - I laugh every time I look at this picture of him. Have you ever seen a happier face??!!! And his hair too.. he looks like Lloyd Christmas.

And in case there was any doubt.. they love their Goofy Dolls. The blue is now officially "Bob" and the green is officially "George". They've been at their sides all day and night since they opened the boxes. Joe even told me that it's his favorite gift of all.

And finally.. in my peace and relaxation these last few days.. I've managed to make a new bag. It was from a new pattern that I bought this month from "The Tiny Seamstress". I like it.. but there are a few modifications I'd make if I make another one. It's very big.. I'll warn you now. It would make a chic Diaper Bag.. it's that big.

I have another new pattern that I'm going to try. Maybe today if I can work it in between the loads of laundry that have piled up this week.

We did have one incident though, my oldest had been complaining for a few days of not feeling well, and he finally "lost it" right on the carpet next to my bed around midnight Friday night. So I spent a good portion of yesterday trying to get the smell of vomit out of my carpet and room. I think I've done it! But it took me quite a few tries. Although it may need one or two more treatments today just to be sure.

Happy Sewing!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Arizona!

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday with the people you love the most!

Move over UGLY.. here comes GOOFY!!

You may have heard of Ugly Dolls - they are so adorable and also, in my opinion, over priced!

So, with all my 'planned' holiday sewing done, I decided to make my own version for my two boys. I dug through my Minky scraps.. and this is what I came up with.

I have them all wrapped and under the tree already. Can't wait to see what they think when they open them up.

Here is the backside. I tried printing a label that actually said Handmade by Mom.. but it was too big. So I scrapped it and went with my regular labels.

I want to make more.. I want to make a pink one. No girls in my house though. But I do know a few little ones.. hmmm.. maybe I'll surprise someone. And can you imagine them with chenille? How cute that would be too!!!

Warm.. and heavenly

The warm is this flannel Christmas quilt that I made for my parents. It wasn't something I had planned - but I decided I had the time and wanted to make them a quilt for Christmas. I remembered this Jingle Flannel's that I had purchased a while back. It worked perfect.

One thing I learned making my first all flannel quilt - they are heavy. I was working up a sweat while quilting this bad boy.

I went with a simple pattern.. used the charm squares in the middle.. and Fat Quarters all around the outside. The back is all red.. so I didn't take a picture.. kinda boring.

And the binding is a little scrappy - I used some fat quarter scraps and some of the backing fabric too.

Now for the Heavenly.. I received our Christmas box from my parents today. The kids put all the gifts under the tree.. and also inside the box was candy for all of us.

My Mom made sure to put each of our favorite candies inside.. Kit Kats for my husband.. Rolo's and Snickers for the kids. And for me..

Chocolate Chippers!!! OMG.. I forgot how much I loved these lil slices of goodness! They are Chocolate covered potato chips in case you have never had them. These are from a family owned candy store in my home town. And my Mom knows they are my Kryptonite. The chocolate is so smooth and yummy.. and the salty potato chips are Red River Valley grown.. yummmmmm... I will be savoring these thru the holidays! Thank you MOM!!!

Recipe and a Giveaway Winner

Well, the Friday Night Sew-In was a success.. once again! I'm not quite ready to share what I was working on.. I'll post pictures of it tomorrow.

But in the mean time, I will share a recipe.. and the winner of our Sew-In Giveaway.

First, the recipe. This is something that we make on a regular basis.. and they are sooooooo good.
Hopefully you have a Trader Joe's by you.. cuz if you don't.. I'm so sorry!

This is Lemon Cilantro Chicken..

Honestly, I don't measure.. I just dump it all into the bag.

4 Chicken Breast (Cut into large chunks)
5 Garlic Cloves.. chopped
1 bunch of Cilantro (washed and chopped)
Salt / Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Rice Vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large ziploc bag and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Put all chicken on skewers and grill.
Then - if you have a Trader Joe's, you can get their Flatbread and Tzatziki sauce. I warm the Flatbread in a frypan (no oil or anything.. just heat).

Another variation would be to leave chicken breasts whole and grill. Then serve with your favorite side dish. Trust me.. it's GOOD!!

Now.. for the Giveaway Winner!!! Drum Roll please.... Bev C. Congratulations Bev.

Please send your address to my email - handmadebyheidi@cox.net and I will get your package in the mail!

Thanks to everyone who joined us on Friday night! I know a lot of us got quite a bit done.. and that's what Friday Night Sew-In's are all about.

Teacher Treats...

Well today is the last day of school before the Christmas break and luckily for the boys, it's only a half day of school. And while they were gearing up for a 2 week break, I was struggling trying to come up with a good idea for teacher gifts for Christmas. We had already contributed cash to the "class gift" so I didn't want to spend a lot.

So yesterday, in my state of desperation, I rememberd the kit that I had purchased from Sweetwater. It was perfect - I decided to make the cute gift bags with Authentic canvas and fill them with goodies.

We baked sugar cookies (well I baked, they frosted and decorated). I made more fudge and toffee. And then we added it all to the bags.

Problem solved!

P.S. If you are curious about my Santa - he and Mrs Claus sit on the floor in front of my Christmas Tree every year. My Mom made Santa in 1976 at a ceramics class. I can't beleive he's 33 years old. He was in front of our Christmas Tree when we were kids.. and when I was married and had kids she was kind enough to let me take him to my house. (Mrs Claus was made by her also.. but not sure of the year. It was later though)

Dear Santa

Ok.. I know I've been a bad girl in the past (and boy was it FUN!). But this year Santa, I know I've been good.. er.. um.. ok better!

I've sewn so many pretty things for myself and others. I've kept my family fed.. ok, I know it hasn't always been something healthy - but sometimes that sewing machine just won't let me go and quick meals are needed.

I've kept my house clean.. yeah, ok.. this is a lie. But come on Big Guy.. I've got two boys, a husband, a dog and a cat. There is only so much I can do and still get time to sew.

Sewing has become my therapy. When I know I have some time to sneak away from the family and hide in my sewing room.. I can feel the troubles slip away. I relax... turn on some good Christmas music.. and I am free to create.

So, Santa.. if you can find it in your heart to reward this hard working Mom.. I would really really love The Camping Under the Stars Quilt kit. I will even bake some extra special cookies for you on Christmas Eve!

Say "Hi" to Rudolf for me!!!

Merry Christmas!

Heidi (aka "The Worlds Best Mom")

(And if you don't believe me.. just ask my 10 yr old. Cuz he just told me that this morning. But hurry.. cuz he could change his mind at any moment)

The last Friday Night Sew-in of 2009

Bobbi and I are hosting the last Friday Night Sew-In for 2009. This is your chance to get those projects complete!

Joining the Friday Night Sew-in is the perfect way to set some time aside to work on those projects you need to get complete for Christmas. And remember - it doesn't have to be a sewing project.. maybe you have a knitting project.. or some scrapbooking for someone special.. it could be anything.

So, join Bobbi and I - this Friday - December 18th.

Here are the "rules".

1. Enter your blog info below.

2. Make a post on your blog - letting all your readers know about the sew-in. Spread the word.. we could all use the virtual sewing support and encouragement.

3. On Friday - 12/18/09 - Get your house settled, put on your comfy jammies.. maybe make a cup of tea.. and sit down to work on some of those holiday projects (or anything else that you want to work on).

4. Then, sometime on Saturday - Make a post about what you worked on.. show us a picture or two.

And finally - on Sunday 12/20, we will enter all participants into a GIVEAWAY for something fun! Maybe some fabric.. or a sewing gadget or two.

1. Maria Wilson 2. Bobbi 3. Sue

4. Bev C 5. Mary 6. cath Ü

7. Vivian 8. Sweet Jeanette

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The proof is in the pudding..

I have finally packaged up my material for the virtual quilting bee! I have the month of December and have known for some time what pattern I would be using.. but life kept getting in the way. And then there was the math.. argh.. I had to sit down and figure out how much of each fabric for each individual block. I hope I did the calculations correctly!

They will be going in the mail tomorrow... I'm taking them to the self service post office.

The fabrics are all so pretty.. but you'll have to wait for a better picture until it's done. It's going to be worth the wait.. trust me.

And here is the pile of packages.. get ready Quilter Bees... stalk your mailman.. warm up those sewing machines! It's time to SEW!!!

It's good to be....

My Neighbors! I know I've been a little absent from blogging lately, but I've been busy. I've been doing my next favorite thing.. baking.

I put together these packages for some of my neighbors.. the ones I like. LOL.

I made fudge, mexican wedding cakes and english toffee.. YUMMY!

Then.. in the bucket, I made chex mix. I have never made chex mix before and it was so very simple. I got the recipe here.

And in the small packages there are mini loafs of banana bread (my grandma's recipe) and pumpkin bread.

I made the super cute gift tags from a kit that I bought on Etsy from Sweetwater.

We will deliver when the boys get home from school today... can't wait.

Then - I will be doing some sewing tonight! I have barely been in the sewing room and I'm itching to get back in there!

Have a great weekend!

We have a WINNER!!!

We have a winner for the Friday Night Sew-in Giveaway! Go on over to Bobbi's blog to see if you are the lucky winner!

And if you want in on these giveaways.. all you have to do is participate in our next Friday Night Sew-in... the next one is coming December 18th. That will be the last one before Christmas - just in time to get those holiday projects finished.

And I have to say - I've met some awesome women thru these Friday Night Sew-in's. This world is full of sweet and crafty people!

After the New Year - we will be having them once a month. And we will also have a blog button coming soon!

Now go see who WON!!!!

Reindeer on the loose..

No not really. But we did make some reindeer t-shirts this weekend. First, we made one for Grandpa.. and then we made one for each of the boys to wear in our Christmas picture. The last time we made these was in 2006.. so we were due for some new hand/foot prints. The antlers are their hand prints.. and the face is their foot. So cute. I've been saving the old ones and hopefully when they are teens.. I will add them to a t-shirt memory quilt.

Below they are both wearing their individual shirts by the fire... Sunday morning. We were trying to get a good Christmas card shot.

Next I made these little pouches this weekend. My Mom was telling me about a Christmas lunch that she is going to with her friends on Friday. She wanted to bring a handmade gift for each person. She had been trying to crochet them all something, but her arthritis was giving her trouble. So I offered to make these for her - they hold a tea bag.. and they have a poem on each.

The poem says:

One Christmas Day

At half past three

Brew yourself a cup of tea

I'll think of you and you think of me

while sitting near

the Christmas Tree

Now I just need to get the package with Grandpa's shirt and the tea pouches to the post office.

Also - if you are still wondering who won the Friday Night Sew-in Giveaway.. we will announce tonight. Bobbi will actually do the drawing from her house this time.. and she is mailing out the goodies. So come back tonight and see who won!

Friday Night Results

I hope everyone who participated in our Friday Night Sew-In last night had a productive one. I did get a lot done - but not as much as I had wanted.

First I made this crayon bag for a friends little 4 year old. His b'day party was today.

Next - I had made the top and back of this quilt a while back. I had been waiting to quilt it and was having issues with my machine. Whenever I tried to do any type of free motion - the back looked horrible. So, I decided to pull my Mom's sewing machine out of the closet and give it a whirl.. it worked perfect. So I was able to finally get this lap size quilt done. I used "Authentic" by Moda.

I still need to do the binding - I'm hoping to do that tonight after dinner. I wanted to get it done this morning, but with my busy house I wasn't able to do it.

So for all of you who participated last night - don't forget to post about what you worked on last night. We will be drawing a winner for the giveaway tomorrow!