May Star

I am so happy to introduce Duff to you. She is as unique as her name, and just so super talented! She is definitely one of the prettiest stars I have ever had, and she is as lovely inside as she is outside. I know you will love reading her interview and visiting her blog Bacon Then Eggs.

Name: Michelle Duffy, Hot Potato Extraordinaire, but most know me as Duff.

A Bit About Me: I teach English and reading at the local college, practice yoga/pilates regularly, have a Puggle named Bailey (but she answers to Stinkerella, Fatty Stinkenheimer, or Count Fatula), my "baby" Aidan will be 16 in another month (Send. Help. Soon.), I'm a Southside Chicago Irishwoman, and just started opera singing lessons. I began quilting over 20 years ago but stopped because the hand-piecing was just too time-intensive. I've been machine quilting now regularly since October, 2009. I love all the colors and unbridled expression that quilting has become!

What Inspires Me: Modern quilting! Quilters who throw caution to the wind and just create. Two of my favorites are Em of Em Celebrates and Mary Lou of Mary Lou and Cherries Too: these two gals aren't afraid of anything but boredom!!

What I Love to Do the Most Creatively: think of words as colors, colors as words: What am I trying to say and how can I say it through color?


My Favorite Fabric and Designer: Kaffe Fassett's Roman Glass. I love every color but interestingly, I've never made anything with it. Total chicken liver, right here, with lots of ideas.


UFO I Intend to Finish First...Strange story--I drove past an estate sale and then turned around as fast as I could. They were closing up, but I told the two ladies,"I'm supposed to by something here, I can feel it. Will you just let me take a quick peek?" They did and I was drawn to a back bedroom. In the closet, in a paper bag, was a 80 X 80 around-the-world quilt top in need of repair. The ladies didn't even know it was in there; they sold it to me for $10. I'm going to fix the seams (it's all hand-sewn) and then put it into service! :

What's on the Design Wall Now: I just bought some laminated Parisville by Tula Pink to make a beach/pool bag and a few fat quarters of very happy prints to experiment with Mary Lou Weidman's "Hoochy Mama" piecing method.

Who Would I Love to Meet: Famous Quilters? I'd love to meet Freddy Moran, Gwen Marston, and Mary Lou Weidman. Even though I consider Emily Douglas (Em Celebrates) a soul sista, we've never met in person--that would be wonderful! Other? John Cusack. Really! In one of his movies, someone had to put "spray hair" on his balding spot and (obviously) he didn't demand that it be taken out. Any man comfortable with his balding head is a man I consider confident and endearing...which leads me to...who's gonna set me up on a blind date with this guy??!

If I Had One Wish: If I only had one wish, then I'd wish that my son grows up to be a happy, healthy adult in a nurturing, appreciative, and committed marriage as well as has children just like himself--a blessing. Should it be about quilting? Then I wish I had intuition when it comes to putting colors and patterns together; I don't have a natural knack for it like so many quilters do.

Plans for the Future: I really need to take more chances with quilting (and with life!). I don't think I'm very good with 'breaking out of the box' so that's on my to-learn list. Yes, I have a "to learn" list. I think of it this way--when I'm senile, I want to ENJOY reliving my life!!

Thanks for the wonderful interview Duff! Your creations are out of this world!

You are one special lady!

My Bag is Finished and A Lovely Spring Day

I finished my hexie bag...all done by hand....It took me a while, as I had to make sure that the seams were sewn securely, and when you do it by hand, it is a slow process. I put red, leather handles on the bag, as all of the flowers for the various hexies are red.

Spring is officially here in County Donegal. The sheep and lambs are happily grazing in the fields, there is lots of green everywhere, and the sea is mild and calm. We will be taking our walk today after lunch. I was busy finishing up the bag, so we didn't take our usual walk in the morning.

Enjoy your weekend! I will be posting a Star of the Month tomorrow and then another one in two weeks. I am loving getting to know all the quilters through their interviews and work.

Keep smiling!

What I Have Been Up To!

If you remember...it was so far back...LOL..I showed you one hexagon that I was making. Well, now that my hand is better, I decided to finish that project. I have been making lots of them. I have 6 more to make, and then I have to hand sew them together to make a handbag. I am showing you what I made so far in the last two days. I have to admit that it is very relaxing to do, so it is a good first project for me. I will try to finish the 6 today, and then I will have lots of hand sewing to do while I watch television. There is nothing like doing hand sewing while watching my favorite shows like
"Desperate Housewives", etc. I haven't sewn them together yet, and have to do it in a certain pattern to form the handbag, but at least you get to see the hexagons. One of the hexagons is not one that I made. Someone sent it to me, so I am including it in the bag . It's the one that hasn't got a flower in the center.

I have been working on some art journal pages, as I will be presenting an art journal at the galley. Here is a sample of what I am doing. I am so glad to be back to my art work as I enjoy art journaling so much. I am a bit nervous about getting in front of people and speaking about my work, but I will do it..

Other than that, Joe and I continue to take long walks in the morning each day. We are so lucky to live near such beautiful hill walks, and today we walked on the beach, and had the whole beach to ourselves. Our beach is a remote beach and rarely has more than just a few people walking there. Hope your week is going well!

I'm Back and Thanks

I am able to do the typing again, and I am pretty much back to normal, but I can't overdo .It is Easter weekend here and we have a bank holiday on Monday. Joe and I have been taking lovely walks, as we are in beautiful Spring weather here. Ireland is just gorgeous in the Spring.

I just wanted to thank everyone who wrote and said that you were sending Zavier a card. I am sure that with all the cards that he will be getting, it should really make him smile. My heart really goes out to Lola and the family, and Joe and I are really praying that all goes well with him.

Also, thanks to Joe for typing for me and answering blog related emails. He did do a wonderful job, and it was so sweet of him to do that! I also wanted to say that all your emails wishing me well meant so much to me.

Enjoy your weekends and big hugs to you all!

Some Sad News and a Request

Lola, who was one of my stars for April, just wrote me and asked me a favor. Her grandson Zavier is having chemotherapy and radiation on a tumor that is on his spine. She told me that get well cards would lift his spirit, so of course, Joe and I will be sending him one tomorrow. If you know Lola, and you would like to send her grandson a card, here is the information.

Zavier Green

Room # 6311

c/o Monroe Carrell Jr Children’s

Hospital at Vanderbilt

2200 Children’s Way

Nashville, TN 37232

USA

Even if you don't know Lola, it would be so nice if you could send a card, so he will get tons of them, which will definitely bring a smile to his face. I know quilters have big hearts, so please do this for Lola's sweet grandson. Also, please do stop by Lola's blog and send her your prayers . I am sure that she would greatly appreciate the visit!

By the way, I am still typing this for Micki as she is dictating it to me. She will be able to do her own typing in about two weeks. Both of us send blessings to Lola and her family and big hugs!

Thanks from both of us if you do send a card !

A Recipe and a Surprise

Joe and I love Snickers Bar cake and every once in a while, we both treat ourselves to a slice at our favorite coffee shop called Muck and Muffins. Chris from Diet Coke Rocks asked me for the recipe, so I asked my friend who makes the cake to give me the recipe, so here it is Chris. Joe and I love this cake. The cake at Muck and Muffins is flatter than the one in the pic, but boy is it delicious! When we want a slice, we have it right before lunchtime, and then we skip lunch....works for us! Enjoy the recipe!

SNICKERS® BAR CAKE
2 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. water
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 c. SNICKERS® bars, finely chopped

FROSTING:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. butter
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 (8 oz.) box powdered sugar

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix together all cake ingredients except for

SNICKERS® bars in a large bowl. Mix for 30 seconds on low speed and then 3 minutes on high speed. The batter will be creamy. Stir in SNICKERS® bars. Grease and flour 2 (8") round cake pans. Pour batter in pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

For frosting, cream butter and cream cheese. Add chocolate; mix well. Add powdered sugar and beat until light and creamy. Frost cooled cake and refrigerate.

Hope you like the recipe everyone! Also, Joe got me the cutest stuffed animal "just because". It's supposed to be a Tarsier, which is from the monkey family. It has a long tail and big eyes as you can see, but mine is pink and white, not its true colors, which is why Joe got it for me...Pink is my favorite color. Isn't he cute and funny?

Off to take a walk! Enjoy your weekends!

March Star #2

It's time for another March Star, and Lola, from And Sew On is just such a lovely personality and just so talented! Her smile says it all! I am so happy that I have made friends with her, and every time I go to her blog, I feel so at home. I know you will love her interview and enjoy seeing her beautiful work. If you haven't visited her blog, please do so, and you will feel most welcome indeed.

Here is Lola's Interview:

Interview for April

· A Bit About Me:

Hello my name is Lola.

I am so honored dear Micki asked me to be one of her Stars!

I am a wife, Mama, Grandmama and Auntie to some sweeties I adore!

My blog is called …and Sew On.

Named it that to try to cover all my interests with sewing being top of the list!

Our home is in Virginia out in the country on what was my DH family’s farm for 4 generations.

We are just country folks. We live in a very historic area.

Just a ferry ride across the James River from Jamestown and Williamsburg in Isle of Wight County.

We are close to Smithfield , VA home of the Smithfield Ham.

Miz Paula Deen comes to make commercials there.

I love to sew , read, cook and make my home welcoming and comfy.

During the summer we can and freeze from DH’s gardening efforts!

Antiquing, auctions and thrift shops are some of my fav things to do!

· What Insprires Me:

There is no one thing or person that inspires me, there are many!

It can be all manner of things including talented folks on the many blogs I visit!

Books, photos or events.

Just a certain color or print of fabric!

Vintage fabrics and quilts can spark an idea!

· What I Love to Do the Most Creatively:

I love to sew. I just love fabrics period.

Been sewing a long time.

I used to do craft shows making dolls and all manner of things.

Now I love sewing for our home, making gifts for my family and friends.

Quilted items, bags and totes, toys for the grands. Most of my projects these days

are on the small size because of health issues.

I enjoy sharing with others so this leads me to sew for charities also.

Do some other crafts as well using papers and paints.

Like to sit and do simple stitchery to frame or use in projects.

· My Favorite Fabric and Designer:

Will have to say I love all manner of fabrics and designers.

At the top of the list is Lynette Jensen and Thimbleberries Fabrics.

I also have a Gobble Gobble by Sandy Gervais obsession right now!

‘Collecting’ it now…;-)

· UFO I Intend to Finish First:

I tend to work on a few projects at one time.

So who knows which UFO will get done first!!;-)

Whichever one it is I will be sure to share on my blog!

· What’s on the Design Wall Now:

On the design will right now is a black stitchery and toile fabric quilt top.

It is for my niece. Top is done so on to the quilting part. Next up is a red toile one!

· Who Would I Love to Meet:

Oh goodness I would love to meet MICKI and Joe of course!

Also many other wonderful folks all around the world I have met online.

Sadly I have not found that bucket of gold that darn leprechaun hid !

Until then my travels will only be close to home.

· If I Had One Wish:

One wish…oh dear..hummm maybe just that I could make better use of my up time!

· Plans for the Future:

My future plans include some new knees and maybe a hip…;-)

Will be all set then to sew up a storm for many more years to come!!

Really do hope I can be still sewing and having fun with it when I hit 80!!!

Thanks Lola! When you said new knees, I empathized with you completely. I loved your interview so much!Thanks to Joe also for continuing to be my typist. What would I do without him?

I'm a Guest Speaker! Wow!!!!!!!!

Yes, Joe is typing this. I am getting used to having a personal secretary, but boy will I be glad when I can write again all by myself!!! Can you tell by the title of this post that I am excited? Madame Samm, whom as you know gave me the new blog look, asked me to be a guest speaker on her blog. I was just so honored by that! If you go to her lovely blog Sew We Quilt, you can see my interview.

Other than that, I am hoping that in two weeks, I will be able to write. It has been a long haul, but it could have been worse, so I won't complain. Joe and I had a lovely time over the weekend. We went to our favorite place Muck and Muffins, and we had coffee and a wee slice of Snickers cake. We hung out a bit at one of our local pubs, and I had two Baileys. Then, we headed to a book fair where for just two euro, I got a great cookbook called The Delights of Ireland which has gorgeous pics of Ireland and also recipes that are all Irish.

I thought I would give you one of the recipes. It is called Dublin Coddle.

Dublin Coddle This is a very popular dish, especially in Dublin, and has been so for many years. It is nourishing, tasty, economical and warming - what more could you ask for? Although it is best made with a good stock - water in which a ham has been boiled, or even a ham bone - a light stock cube will substitute. Ingredients: 1lb/ 500g best sausages 8oz/ 250g streaky bacon 1/2pt/ 300ml/ 1 cup stock or water 6 medium potatoes 2 medium onions salt and pepper (serves four) Directions: Cut the bacon into 1in/ 3cm squares. Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan which has a well-fitting lid, add the sausages and the bacon and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausages and bacon and save the liquid. Cut each sausage into four or five pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices. Skin the onions and slice them. Assemble a layer of potatoes in the saucepan, followed by a layer of onions and then half the sausages and bacon. Repeat the process once more and then finish off with a layer of potatoes. Pour the reserved stock over and season lightly to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about an hour. Adjust the seasoning and serve piping hot Joe has had this many a time, as it is a traditional dish of Dublin, which is where he was born and grew up. It is easy to make and so yummy. Besides the cookbook, I also got a great mystery book called Genesis by Karen Slaughter. I am starting it, and it is very suspenseful. Isn't that great that I got the two books for only two euros? Anyways, hope you like my post on Madame Samm's blog and thanks again to her so much! It was so much fun to do!

More News From Dunfanaghy

Here we are again....Micki is dictating, and I am typing away. So if there are any typos, it is my fault. Now, here is Micki:

Hello all! I want to thank you for the wonderful emails I have been getting. My hand is healing, but I still have to rest it a bit more. I have been reading a wonderful series called the Shenandoah Series written by Emilie Richards. These are books that include quilting in them, and they even have quilts you can do based on the books. I just finished Wedding Ring, which was very enjoyable, and I already started the next book in the series. I have read tons of quilting magazines, taken long walks with Joe each day,and have been reading blogs too so I could keep up on all that was happening with you all. It's wonderful to see all the wonderful creations.

Then, something interesting happened. A local artist, who lives near us, stopped Joe who was walking back home from the shop and asked him about my art work.Yes, word got around that I paint....Remember, this is a small village. LOL

I landed up taking my art journal to his home.... I went with Joe of course. You should have seen his home...a real artist's house. He told me that he will be opening another art gallery in our village. That will make the third gallery in our village. He asked me to show my Native American work, and he wanted me to give a talk on my experiences teaching on the Navajo Reservation. I am going to do a larger pastel painting of an Indian when my hand is better to take to the event in addition to my journal work, so that will be fun.

I will be happy to get back to my sewing , journaling and painting too. I have missed it all!

Joe and I will be going to Tory Island in June, and then we are planning to do some traveling around our Donegal County , and then begin seeing Ireland. If you remember, we were thinking of doing it, but we were only in the planning stage. My legs have not been great after the fall, but we decided that we really need to just do it....Now is the time! I guess it has to do a bit with the fact that someone I knew well died at age 63...It made me think that Joe and I both really need to just go ahead with our travelling plans, but also spend it together doing what we always wanted to do. I had a bad year last year with the shingles and fall as you all know, and now this sprain, so it got me thinking that we need to make the most of each and every day.Anyways, I also saw this really neat show on tv about three men who went by boat around Ireland. One of them is the famous comedien named Dara O' Brian. They took a great trip around Ireland, and boy did it show off how pretty Ireland is. There are clips of the show that I am including, if you want to take a gander.I think it is coming on dvd, and if it does, it is a good way to get a tour of Ireland. Anyways, here is the link: http://www.ovguide.com/tv_episode/three-men-go-to-ireland-season-1-episode-2-1950791 You will have to click on the two pics at the bottom of the page called 3 Men in a Boat and Ireland by Canal and River. You will see some really pretty scenes of Ireland in these clips. I guess that the show also inspired us to start our travelling.

Finally, I got one more OWOH prize that was finally sent two months later. Here it is, and I wanted to thank Shaz from Simply Shaz for sending it. I also got a leprechaun on a shamrock from a friend. How sweet is that! Thanks to both of you!

Well, I have done enough chit chat for this post...Joe's getting tired of typing. LOL

Mothers Day in Ireland

This is Joe signing in again. It was Mother's Day in Ireland and Micki dictated this for me to write, and you know what a good typist I am .The rest of the post is all Micki talking...She was the star of the day, so it is appropriate.

First of all, I will introduce our two kids.There is Rufus, who is a border collie mix, whom we rescued from a terrible abuse situation. Then there is Charlie,a corgi/heeler mix, who was also rescued from abandonment on the street....The one with the big ears. They all had a meeting and decided to get me two Cricut cartridges: Preserves and From My Kitchen, as they know I am going to do a recipe journal of my vegetarian recipes when this wrist totally heals. They must have overheard my talks with Joe, as it was the perfect gift.

I also got flowers and they arranged a day out for me and Joe. The pets told Joe to take me out for breakfast at our newly renovated An Chistin restaurant in town. Boy, did it change in ambiance...very nice, and the food was yummy!I had a smaller breakfast, and Joe had a complete Irish breakfast.We then walked it off in a long hike up the hills in an area we hadn't been to in a long while. It took us two hours to complete the long hike, but it was well worth it. It was beautiful up there in the hills! I am the lucky bunny to be living in Ireland!

As to how I got the flowers, the pets then sent Joe out, and I was not allowed to accompany him, and they kept guard over me to make sure I didn't go.I even got a bit of a wee growl from Rufus when I looked at the front door, quite innocently, I may add. Joe came back with flowers and needless to say when a girl gets roses, one can only say," Oh my" and then give your kids and hubby a big kiss. I was spoiled rotten all day, and well, it was a lovely time! It was impossible to capture a pic of all three of our kids together, but I thought you might want to see them. I am a lucky mother to have the best kids in the world!

Being an American, and being used to celebrating Mother's Day in May, I also get to celebrate it then. I know... I am a lucky girl!

This is Joe again....I had the whole day organized by my funny boys. Micki forgot to mention that she also got a card from the boys, and needless to say, it was hilarious.

She is a great mom and deserved the whole day, and I have to admit I enjoyed it all too!