Cloth napkins and baked zucchini

This week's sewing

We like cloth napkins and were getting short on them.  When I looked through my fabric scraps,  I found this tablecloth checked remnants.  There were 2 pieces of the blue that were big enough to cut into 15 or so inch squares for a large dinner napkin size-  I made 8 like that.

I also had more blue scraps as well as green and red scraps.  They were all cut in about 13 inch squares.  That size is a little smaller than we prefer but the fabric is just perfect for cloth napkins.

So,  I just pinned them together and made double faced napkins,  more a cocktail size.  

The small ones are reversible and I think they look very cheerful.

This was fabric from my stash- not anything I went out and bought.  I have a pretty big stash, mostly given to me.  Some is stuff my mom bought, some is from the thrift store and a lot of the recent stuff is bargains my dad finds at yard sales. 

I am really thankful to have it.  

My husband says that when I get ready to make something,  I can usually find what I need in the craft room and he is right.  

I've also been sewing up 2 tops for me - maybe they will be finished soon and I can show you next week. 

Baked Zucchini Chips

Baked zucchini chips

Another Pinterest recipe I tried this week- very good way to serve zucchini or squash.
I use Panko bread crumbs but I think saltine cracker crumbs would be great too.
I followed the recipe and had twice as much breading as would fit on my 3 squash.

Partying at 

Sunny Simple Life- Farm Blog Hop

and

Craft School Sunday at Creative Jewish Mom

and at
Manuela's (from A Cultivated Nest) and friend's brand new blog hop
The Creative Home Acre Hop

Pretty, funny, happy, real

Pretty 

2 KnockOut rose bushes,  just starting their blooming for 2013
pink on the left, red on the right

Funny

This is a sewing machine one of my brother's bought at a yard sale so he can patch  and repair his work clothes.
It is actually a pretty good machine,  he needed my help getting it up and running.  It had the wrong kind of bobbin in  it and once we got the correct kind,  I got it stitching for him.

I have my doubts that it will get used much though.

I have 2 older bachelor brothers.  Both are very smart in their jobs and do lots of gardening and other DIY things too.
One is a big time professor at a big time school.
The other is an electrical contractor.
They both value sewing but apparently never paid one bit of attention to our mother while she was sewing so much when we were growing up.
They both want to sew but were clueless about how to thread a sewing machine and did not even know how the bobbin worked either.  I've given them both basic machine lessons but they were both so daunted by how thread up their machines,  I doubt they ever sew.

Good thing they can both afford to buy new clothes if they wear out their old ones.

Happy Grandsons

1 month old JJ having sweet baby dreams

10 month old Braeden - quite happy and proud
when he climbed  up on the slide platform all by himself.  

4 year old Gavin- happy to catch a big fish from their pond

Real  - 

and kind of gross- so look away now if you are squeamish

I got our lawn mower out of the shed and this dead critter was underneath it.
Thankfully,  he was dead!
and thankfully he was outside and not in our house.

 he was big, those floor tiles are 4 inch squares.
I could of disposed of him but I told my husband and he told me to leave it alone and he shoveled it  up when he got home from work.

I hope your week has had many more happy and funny and pretty,

and less gross

partying with

Pretty Happy Funny Real at Our Mothers Daughters