I Apologize in Advance

But these had to be shared.

The name i have seen given to them is 'better than crack brownies', but with kids i really don't want to explain what crack is and why that is so true!!! SO i think i am going to call them Regret Bars. I think that sums them up pretty well and if you make them yourself you will know why it is so fitting

but you should make them because they are insane and really are that good! I had to make a second batch because i forgot to take a picture the first time around. :o) Oops!

Regret Bars

1 package Brownie mix
1/2 c Dry roasted peanuts
1 bag mini PB cups(the already unwrapped ones)
1/2 jar creamy PB
2 T Butter
1 bag milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 c Rice Krispie cereal

1. Make the brownies according to the package. Bake for about 23 minutes in a 13x9 at 350.

2. Take out and sprinkle on peanuts and PB cups, evenly. Bake for 5 more minutes.

3. Throw PB, chocolate chips and butter in saucepan. Melt. Add in rice krispie cereal. Mix well.

4. Let cool on counter to room temp. Then place in fridge for about 2 hours before serving.

original recipe adapted from and found here

Leslie

She's Crafty

I have a budding crafter in my house!!! Avery has been a making machine lately. It is fun to see how excited she gets about her projects. I can relate!!!

She planned out her quilt block canvas, inspired by the one i had made, and had a lot of fun deciding on colors and placement of said colors!! But if you wanted to know my favorite i would have to say it is these yarn wrapped twigs. I love them, especially the rainbow one! They remind me of the urban knitted trees projects.

Leslie

Wordless Wednesday...because sometimes there are no words!!

Leslie

Stacks of Wonderful Things

We have undertaken a change to our schedule....

homeschool.

Summer is over and our real life routines begin again. These routines have been keeping me from sharing all these lovely stacks of things that have come my way lately.

It was my birthday not that long ago, and it was a very booky birthday indeed! I was surprised and thrilled to find all of these wonderful books wrapped on the table waiting for me to open them...pour over them and love them!!!

I am excited to make my next quilt project with my neighbor and new quilter from the book Simplify. I have already ordered a jelly roll of Ruby fabric. I can not wait!!!

Then there was this stack of utter and total yumminess. Hubby asked what cake i wanted for my birthday and i said i wanted a pan of rice krispie treats. Apparently that seemed to simple so he took that simple idea and went big with it....ending with a multi layered neapolitan rice krispie tower complete with its own set of calculations to make sure that it would fit in all the pans he had chosen. I love it when he nerds it up!!!

Oh the chocolate ones were my favorite!!! I think i might make another pan of those very soon.

Last of all the stacks is this set(stack, only if you look at it just right) of domino rocks we made. Avery, Chris and I collected up lots of flat black rocks from the beach at our cottage in Maine and made them our own rock dominos!!! Fun right....do you think anyone has played this yet? Nope, but they were a fun idea and fun to make. Just used a paint sharpie and did some dots and lines. Couldn't have been easier. Maybe we will use them for school or something. Or they could be just another bag of rocks for us to move around with! :o)

She is no stack...unless you want to call her a little squishy stack of lovin!!!...but she is pretty cute!!! I was feeding her lunch and before long it all got to be too much and she just zoned out and then passed out sitting there. Like a good blog mom, i was sure to take this picture before i rescued her and got her settled into be for a real nap somewhere more comfortable than the highchair.

Leslie

Nursery in Progress

I know that i had 9 months of pregnancy and now 9 months of baby should be plenty of time to get her nursery worked out and finished, but it seems to never happen like that for me. it has been a work in progress....still is really. But some of her pictures and things finally got hung, and i love them!!!!



I bet you have seen this idea stumbling around blogland or pinterest or somewhere like that. I knew it was for us as soon as i saw it. I already had a whole bag of vintage hoops my mom had given me and several scraps and pieces of vintage fabric. Adding in a D for her name to personalize it.



This side of the room was finished off with some adorable little prints i bought ages ago on etsy. We have a little bit of an owl theme going on. Oh, look at that little face peeking over the bumper. She already knows that if the camera is out she should do something cute and smile.

Leslie

A Safe New Home

It is always good to know that a quilt has made it to its new home, but in this case i feel a certain sense of relief...because this quilt found a new home in Vermont. A place that has been unexpectedly torn apart by the flooding and aftermath of Hurricane Irene.

It is so good to know that its new family is safe and dry and that they are all ok. If you have a moment go on over and check out TJ's blog. She lives in the middle of it all.

Leslie

Wordless Wednesday...sorting!

Leslie

The Best Book Ever

My sweet husband was ordering on Amazon, not that long ago, and asked if there was anything i wanted...."anything?" I asked.

My running wish list was consulted and we picked a few quilty books. Among them was Block Party, by Alissa Haight Carlton and Krisitin Lejnieks.

This book is ridiculous good. So good you have to go get yourself a copy. I think i have read it cover to cover now several times..studied it even. That good!!! It is so full of great patterns and amazing inspiration. I loved reading every woman's quilt story.

There are many wonderful projects to choose from but these are some of my favorites. Ones i hope to make sometime. After all that is what i buy these books for right.....they aren't just for eye candy, are they? Ok, mostly they are...but this one makes me want to sew!!!!!

As an avid blog reader i have seen this quilting bee and that quilting bee pop up...and they all look amazing, but documenting this one the way they did was genius! What a wonderful way to feel a little of that old fashioned comraderie that came with coming together with other quilters to make something beautiful.

How fun would it be to make a sampler quilt from all of these blocks?

**this is all just my humble opinion. I am getting nothing out of this!**

Leslie

Have a Peek at This

I hope to be able to share the whole of this little quilt, or big really...cause when it came to making and sizing it i got a little carried away. There are no babies that are this big, however it is something to be grown into and used for a long time. i digress...once i know it made it to its new home i will share more. So just a peek for now.

This one too is going to be off to a new home soon, but i have a terrible aversion to the post office(long story). There are a lot of little babies in our life right now. I was really pleased with how the fabrics all came together and the straight line quilting was definitely the easiest way to go for me.

The pattern for this was pretty modern but the fabrics were very vintage. They made a nice contrast and compliment to one another.....is that possible? :o)

Leslie

Quintessential Maine...to me....

I went through our vacation pictures looking for the pictures that said Maine to me. This is what i put together. Maine ,to me, in a series! ok you could probably just translate that as a lot of pictures....but i could not help myself. I wanted to share with you what we love about it there, other than everything!

...lobster dinners! Yes, he is waving hello(with the help of my wonderful Aunt)...

...beach combing for shells and mermaid tears(aka sea glass)...

...blueberry picking in the wild barrens right on the coast...

...relaxing on the beach...i know the picture is blurry/weird but i love how it came out...

...the fruits of our labor in the previously mentioned blueberry barrens...aren't they pretty? they are the shade of blue that Delilah's eyes are!...

...the lobsters, getting comfie together before the unfortunate demise for dinner!...

...Delilah getting to know the lobsters. the picture looks like she is asking Chris if it is ok for her to touch it!...

...My Dad and Mitch hanging out at the beach campfire, waiting to roast marshmallows...

...The kids waiting for the next big wave at our favorite stop in Maine, Schoodic Point...

...there is that wave they were waiting for!...

...and this is the picture that tells you why my kids don't eat lobster...it is pretty hard to eat something you made friends with and named(Bob and Larry, if you were wondering) a few hours earlier...

Leslie

Delilah Update

It has been a little while since i had pictures up of the baby...or it seems that way to me. As all you mommy's know, a lot can change in a little bit of time

...shaking hands with a real Maine lobster...

...sitting up like a big girl....still a little tipsy at times but she is getting the hang of it...

...plain old cuteness!!!...

...her first time in the playground swing...

...stuck under the coffee table, and like a good mom i went and got my camera before the necessary rescue!...

....tooling around with Daddy on vacation!...

Leslie

Crafts on the Road

As I try to put my vacation thoughts and pictures together i thought that i would share with you a few projects that i worked on while i was gone.

I like to have some hand sewing with me when i go away....and this time it was primarily bindings that i wanted to complete....so packed up and off they went with me.

The first one that i finished was this retro potholder/hot pad. My wonderful aunt had brought me one that she found and wondered if i could figure out how to make it...well, honestly, i had no clue how they did it and then one day i ran across a tutorial for one from Going Sew Crazy. It was easy to follow and i learned a few new things. It is not perfect but my aunt loved it and that is what counts.

I also made a matching/coordinating dish rug for her, and another for the owner of the cottage where we stayed. The tutorial was from Jennifer at That Girl...That Quilt. She gave great easy to follow instructions. I modified it a little by using a old bath towel instead of a dish towel...consequently that made it too thick to turn out so i put a traditional quilt binding on it instead of top stitching the outer edge..

i hope to make at least 2 more of these to use the other recycled towel pieces that i have left.

i will catch you soon with more projects and vacation pics!!! it is good to be back!

Leslie