Day 1 Mistletoe Make and Bake Blog Tour

Today is the first day of the Mistletoe Make and Bake!

Starting off the fun is Sherri Falls of This and That.

She has a super duper cute "Wish List" project for you.

She is giving away a pack of 8 of her new patterns.

I want to win them!!! LOL but I can't.

In addition, there will be a grand prize drawing, so be sure to comment on each blog each day to enter the grand prize drawing.

Be sure to check out Sherri's blog for her project of the day.

As part of the fun, each of us will be posting cookie recipes and a short topic each day.

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My first recipe for the tour is Bird's Nest Cookies.

My husband and I, yes husband and I, started making these a few years ago.

You see he's mainly the chef/baker.

I occasionally go on a streak of baking or cooking...occasionally.

LOL

I am really lucky to have him.

To download and print the pdf version of the recipe card click here!

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Do you believe in Santa Claus?
 I believe that Santa was a real person, St Nicholas.
 When people fill the stocking of their sleeping children and leave gifts for kids they are merely continuing the memory of a great and kind person.
I have been asked atleast 50X this weekend when Santa Claus is coming. Try telling a 3 year old they have to wait another month! Let me do the math..50 X 41 days to go...is 2050 times being asked when Santa is coming to town. Whew.

I Did It!!!

My Kitchen Aid is awesome.

 I used it twice yesterday!

 And look what I made :)

My first loaf of Artisan bread.

It is crisp on the outside and oh so chewy in the middle.

It's perfect.

I have dough left for 3 more loaves.

I am so so happy that I tried this.

I can have french baguettes from my own oven!

My husband and kids all loved the flavor as well.

That's a bonus in our house.

Okay off to bake some more..

Moda Bakeshop...

Mistletoe Make and Bake

yeesh...I have a lot of baking to do!!!

Layer Cake Quilt ALong and the Winners!

Can't wait to share my block with all of you!

Layer Cake Quilt Along

Look for it on the 16th....at a blog near you.

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And

The winners of the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks vol. 2:

Carol said:

I like your block Vickie. So nice of you to give away this magazine,

I would love a chance to win a copy.

and

Sandy said:

Congratulations on the block and the cover! How exciting for you! Annndddd, I would love a copy of that magazine...thanks for sharing.

I have sent you both emails!

Thanks for all the awesome comments about my block.

I hope Quiltmaker will let me design in the future for them!

100 Blocks and a Giveaway

Have you seen this?

It's the newest Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks!

Time sure flies by quickly.

 It seems like just yesterday I was sewing up my block for the 100 blocks vol.2.

At the time, I was making my Freebird quilt "Chocolate Stars" for Moda Bakeshop.

 I carefully selected the colors to accent the block, from the Freebird scraps.

I am slowly catching on to the color wheel, color world or whatever you'd like to call it :)

I love this block and it was really hard to send it away.

Now that you know which block is mine, do you spy it on the cover?

Quiltmaker named it Infinity. Cool name :)

When I received the cover art work, I blinked and double blinked. 

 Was my block one chosen for the cover?

It was.

What a lovely surprise.

Would you like a copy of 100 blocks?

Quiltmaker is sponsoring the gift of a copy of the magazine to one of my readers.

I have an additonal magazine to giveaway.

  Comment on this post TODAY ONLY for a chance to win.

Up for grabs:  2 a copies of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks vol. 2.

That's right 2 magazines.

 2 winners.

Contest ends 11/13/10 at midnight EST.

To find out more about other contributors to 100 Blocks check out Quiltmaker's blog.

why oh why have I waited sooo long for you?

Totally loving my Ice Blue (aka aqua) Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer

First goodie I baked was banana bread.

I just kinda stood in disbelief as to how nice this mixer is.

Now my goal is to start my bread dough from the book Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a day.

I have been reading and re-reading that book and preparing myself to make the dough. I bought yeast, unsifted, unbleached flour as so forth.

I also hope Christmas cookie making will be improved with this guy.

 I will have to let you know how we get along over the next weeks.

Do you have a stand mixer? what's your color?