Favorite Halloween Treat

My Mom used to make these every Halloween. She even made them for all the Trick or Treaters that came to our house one year. We lived in a small town, but I'm sure it was still a lot of work to make enough! I have continued making them because it reminds me of her!

I give them to friends & will be mailing some off to Joanna later today. One of my friends, who I thought was sharing them with her family, confessed to hiding them for herself!

Chocolate Popcorn Balls

8 quarts popped popcorn

Combine in large pot & cook to very firm "soft ball" stage.

2 c sugar

1/2 c butter

1 c white corn syrup

2/3 c water

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbl cocoa powder

Add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla when done cooking.

Pour hot syrup over popcorn & mix well. Let it cool a little and with buttered hands(you don't want a ton stuck to your hands) form into balls & let cool. Wrap in wax paper to store.

I use my turkey roaster to mix it all together. If you don't have a candy thermometer you can drop a little of the cooked mixture into a small amount of very cold water(I use a 1/4 c measuring cup) & mush it around with your finger. It's done when the chocolate syrup sticks together & forms a ball.

Bet you can't eat just one...............Happy Halloween from Grandma Sharon

This is a quick one

Check out Sue Daley's blog for a chance to win one of her great patterns. It is called "Field of Flowers" & has applique & stitchery. All you have to do is leave a comment! In her words, "A quick give away is a good give away".

Okay here's a Dad story. Yesterday he asked me if I had any matches. I'm thinking, he lives in an assisted living apartment why does he need matches? Hmmmmm. Me-"What do you need those for?" Dad-"There's some cardboard out back I want to burn." Me-"Why don't you ask someone here if they have any matches & if they want you to be burning they can give you some?" I knew darn good & well why he wanted matches. When he went on an outing to the Dollar Store & came home with some incense! That's what he wants to light on fire! Now why is someone with asthma & emphysema thinking they need to burn incense in their room? I do not have the answer & hopefully never will!

Every day is an adventure, sometimes I'm not into the Adventure!

42 days until I'm in Grandmaland, but who's counting?...........Sharon

Quilt of the Week

Here we go with another quilt! This is another Buck-a-Block from the LQS. You could do red, blue or both as Sherrie did. She used both red & blue for the borders & sashings. I had fun dancing around with my little curlicue feather.

I also added some new links in my "Favorite Places". You'll find recipes, stitchery, quilting and just plain fun in them. Keep an eye out for pattern give-a-ways on Jolly Jabber & free stitchery patterns on Crabapple Hill/Meg Hawkey's Knot-y Girls Stitchery Club.

The weather has been nice here. We're making up for a cold & wet summer. Better get busy & enjoy it while I can!

44 days to go until I'm in Grandmaland.............Sharon

Hero Quilters

Here are the brave ones (brave enough to have our picture taken that is) with some of the finished American Hero Quilts from our October 18th sew day. From top to bottom are Linda, Karen, Gayle, Cindy-patriotic pants, & me. We have 10-20 people at our monthly sew days. There's always good food! I had missed a couple months because I was in California at a baby shower or I was waiting for "Little Mister". It was good to get together with everyone. All of the people involved with our Stanwood-Camano group are amazing. I can't get over how many quilts they keep making! Our total for quilts turned in at this sew day was 29 quilt tops,10 tops with backs & 9 finished quilts!!!!!!! All of the quilts go to wounded soldiers in Washington State. There is a Wounded Warrior Unit at
Ft Lewis that has asked for 100 quilts a month! You can go to the American Hero Quilts website to see how you can help or if you'd like to join our group e-mail me.
To all the quilters & piecers who make all this possible..........................................
Thank you for all you do! Sharon

Candy Corn Hershey Kisses

I always send Joanna some kind of Halloween candy. This year I found these new(at least to me) Hershey kisses. They are white chocolate and mmmmmmm good! One bag disappeared, we all know where they went. They made nice Peanut Butter Blossom
cookies. The cookies are really good warm! I made them during one of my cooking sessions while visiting with Joanna , Sam & Little Mister Andrew. I found the Candy Corn Kisses at Rite Aid.
Having Little Mister withdrawls..........Grandma Sharon

Grandmaland

Now this is the life! I had the privilege of going to the first pediatrician appointment with Joanna & Andrew. He weighed in at 7#12oz. A gain of 1#9oz in 13 days. Can we say our boy loves to eat? My days(& nights) are filled with lots of snuggling, rocking, & assisting with "haz mat" cleanup! Andrew is not fussy. We only hear from him when he wants to eat.

I've been cooking trying to put food in the freezer. Joanna joined a support group for new Moms online. One of the benefits is someone brings you dinner 2 times a week for 3 weeks! What a bonus! Wish that had been around when I had her! As a member you just have to take a turn making a meal for someone else!

Yesterday we put him in the Moby Wrap and went for a walk. It took 2 of us to figure out the "this way, that way,over,under" sequence to get it on Joanna right and Andrew "loaded" in for the walk. Can't wait until he's big enough for the Baby Bjorn! Much easier! At the rate he's growing it will be next week!

I brought 3 customer quilts with me to deliver. Yesterday I braved rush hour traffic to deliver the first 2(by myself). 3 freeways later & I was at the quilt shop. I have turned into such a hermit! At home it's a good day when my car doesn't leave the driveway!

Better get busy. I'm trying to do a little sewing while I'm here!

A very happy.............Grandma Sharon

Quilt of the Weekend

It's been "no weekends off" since I got back for California. Quilting, I just got back from Innovations in Tacoma & more quilting. Took 3 classes this year, Hooked on Feathers with Sally Terry, Pam Clarke's Easy Elegant Borders & Grace Anderson's Vines Twines & Twisty Designs. I love learning new techniques! I will definitely have to PPP(practice, practice, practice) in my sketch book while I'm gone.

The quilt today is an applique quilt that were friendship blocks done by members of Camano Island Quilters. Bunny,the piecer is 83! I tried a new background filler in the blocks & my feather's with tendrils in the border.

Jack Frost was here last night. He only got the windshields of the cars & a little on the roofs in the neighborhood. Brrrr! Guess it's finally time to empty some of the flower pots. It is beautiful & sunny today! I am going to enjoy it while I can.

Stay tuned, I will blog about Little Mister Andrew again soon!

Getting ready for Grandmaland........................Grandma Sharon

Quilt of the Week

Carol's Pumpkin is what I named this quilt. I think it was this customer's first machine applique project. I like quilting feathers in sections & adding curly tendrils. Much more forgiving! The thread was from Superior's King Tut line & is called Flower Pot. Actually I finished this quilt in September. Check out my webshots July-Sept 2008 album for more pictures of this quilt. I am behind on posting. Hopefully I can catch up by the end of the weekend.



I'm off to California on Sunday. Since Little Mister Andrew did not make his grand appearance until I came home I am going down for a few days to see him. Can hardly stand the wait! counting the days..............2 more sleeps to go..........Grandma Sharon

Only in California

So, while I was at Joanna's several things happened that either made us laugh or look at each other and say "Are you kidding?"

First at Trader Joe's as were leaving the produce area I hear a funny noise and a 3 year old no-neck-monster-ankle-biter zings at us on his razor scooter!!! I said something, maybe a swear word(oops)thought "what the heck?". Continuing with our shopping around another aisle we start to hear barking. We are in Fremont, not Beverly Hills, so I know it's not Paris Hilton & her side kick! We both look around and there is little Fifi(made up name) in a crate in some woman's shopping cart! After a store employee confirms that the dog is not a service dog, out to the car her goes! Then a couple days later at Safeway someone who loved their dog had their beloved Jack Russel in the child's seat.

On the freeway on our way to the airport there's a merging mini van with the driver's door open!!!! Again, we look at each other like "Are you kidding?" As a driver if I was having a problem with the door I'd at least pull over. Lucky he had his seat belt on!

My trips are usually not this interesting. Somehow this trip was different! Just when you think you've seen everything..........Sharon

Andrew Dean Patraw

Monday September 29th

Here he is! He made his grand entrance in less than 2 hours after Joanna & Sam got to the hospital! Weighing in at 6#4oz & 19 3/4" long. So far, so good! He's not a big crier & everyone seems to be getting some sleep! Can't wait to snuggle with my new grandson!

Grandma Sharon