Gingerbread

I don't know about you, but these cooler days make me want to warm up the oven and bake a spicy dessert. So the other day, my girls and I got busy and whipped up a batch of gingerbread for the family.

Not to brag or anything, but this is could possibly be the most delicious gingerbread I've ever put in my mouth. It's really that good!

So why don't you open up your cupboard, grab your ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and molasses, and give this fragrant, spicy cake a whirl? I bet your family will love it, too!

I always have plenty of help.

Plenty

We sprinkled it liberally with powdered sugar while it was hot from the oven.

And served it up on pretty plates.



Gingerbread

• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 cups unbleached flour (King Arthur's is best)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon soda
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup hot water

Mix oil, sugar, egg, and molasses. Add dry ingredients and hot water. Mix well. Pour into a 7X11 inch (or 8-9 inch round) baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Good girl, Bella. I'll share mine with you.

Love,
Laura Lee

And the Winner Is....

I decided to do things a little differently this time. I numbered all the entries in the order in which I received them, with a total of 28. Then, I went to Random.com and used their random number generator. The winning number was 19.

Lea Rainey Bessey, you won the quilt!!!

Oh, this is so fun! Lea and I have just recently reconnected via Facebook. We went to high school together in Warner Robins, GA. But actually, we didn't know each other until we attended Middle Georgia College in the fall of 1980. Wow! What fun, freshman-year memories those are! I dug through some old photos to find one of Lea and me. The only one I found was at a Halloween party; I was a gypsy and Lea was a zombie. Lea, how much will you pay me to keep that one off the World Wide Web?

Old friends have the best blackmail photos, don't you know?

Lea, I'll be packaging up the little quilt along with some fun fallish things and sending them out to you in a hurry!

I'll leave you all with my favorite quotes from your comments and emails.

• .... that nip in the air and the crispness in the blue sky.
• ...the crunchy loud sounds of the freshly fallen leaves when we go tromping through the woods...
• I think of fall as the last blast of party time before God settles his world down for a long winter's sleep.
• ...the geese flying overhead in a perfect V, honking and calling out, announcing to everyone that cooler weather is coming...
• I am reminded of God's love for me when I see his creation!
• ...delicious pies dusted with cinnamon and cloves and hot spiced beverages!
• Fall to me is the time that God really puts the paints on His Creations!
• ...things like hay-rides, pumpkins, ciders, craft fairs,
• ...pulling out all of the jackets and wearing a sweater.
• Cooler weather warms my heart!


• I love the symbolism of how beautiful the death of the leaves is, and how it heralds new life.
• ...throwing on a fluffy robe and making coffee first thing in the morning...
• ...snuggling up under a Mommy-made quilt for a good chat with none other than Mommy herself...
• I seem to have so much more energy in the fall!
• ...the smell of mom's pumpkin candles and playing games on the floor as a family when dad came home from hunting.
• I love the colors but not the leaf raking!

Thank you everyone for playing along! Have a beautiful fall weekend!

Love,

Laura Lee

Chasing Falling Leaves and Laughing Until You Cry

Thanks, everyone!

It's been delightful to read all the entries to the fall quilt give-away. While I paint with fabric, you paint with words, covering all the senses--the sights, sounds, scents, tastes, and textures of fall! It was easy to just close my eyes and imagine all the beautiful scenes in my mind, from smoke dancing out of chimney tops and vivid hues exploding on trees to leaves crunching underfoot.

Cinnamon and Cider.

Pumpkins and Patchwork.

Festivals and Football.

You All L~O~V~E Fall!

I enjoyed one of Lynn's descriptions so much, I decided to name the quilt with it!

"Chasing Falling Leaves and Laughing Until You Cry"

'Preciate it, Lynn. That pretty much sums up the mood of this quilt....falling leaves and bright, playful colors that hopefully make your heart sing! I hand quilted this little piece, and it measures just over 20 inches square, perfect for your table or your wall.

There is still time to enter, if you haven't. I'd love to read some more beautiful word pictures, so keep them coming! In addition to the blog, a lot of entries have come to my Facebook and my email, so I'll copy my favorite descriptions and post them on Friday when I draw a name for the winner.

And don't you worry. Quality is assured by Bella. She gives it four paws up!

In the meantime, you have a beautiful week!

Love,

Laura Lee

Fall Quilt Give-Away...coming soon to a blog near you!

I know, I know.

I'm supposed to be finishing a quilt for Abby. I only have four blocks left till I can put it all together. But what is a girl supposed to do when she gets a fit of inspiration in the middle of another project? Well, if she's an A.D.D. Quilter like me, she drops what she's doing and starts something else. I'm sure that you Type-A, one-project-at-a time-people *cough, cough, Jean, cough* won't be able to relate to this at all. So, just bear with me.

(I'm guessing there are a few of you out there like me. You just won't admit it. )



It's just that there was this cute little stack of left-over 2" squares and some fun, bright fall-colored fabrics, begging, just begging to become something beautiful. How could I resist? So I took a little break from my #1 project and whipped up this little table topper/wall hanging. And in an effort to spread a little autumnal cheer, I'm going to give this piece of stitchery away to one of you. *

*Insert wild applause and gleeful outbursts here

I can't tell you how much I'd love to have this on my table, with a bowl of apples and pears perched upon it. But I figure, why not share the love, you know?

On Monday, I'll unveil the finished piece. In the meantime, leave me a comment if you want me to enter you in the drawing to win it. And, hey, while you're at it, tell me your FAV-O-RITE thing about fall. Okey Doke?

Oh, and BT Dub, you're gonna need to really like C~O~L~O~R to appreciate this one!


Love,
Laura Lee

Scattered Leaves

It may be cooling off outside, but things are really warming up in my sewing room. I've been busy this week "painting" in fabric with a riot of fall colors. This pattern is called Scattered Leaves and is pictured on the front cover of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.


I knew the moment I saw it that it would be a perfect gift for the newlyweds up in Illinois. Where it gets cold. Really cold. And Abby loves Fall. And all that.....

Come along and I'll show show you how I put a block together.

I started by cutting lots of 2" wide strips of fabric. Basically, the blocks are built around these. Then I had to cut out the various lengths: 5", 6.5", 8" and 9.5". Each leaf block is set on a cream ground color, for unity. So it goes like this: 1 leaf unit plus six strips of varying lengths.



This leaf is going to be....you'll never guess. Yep, yellow!


Can you see it, yet?? It's sort of like putting a puzzle together. (It pays to be attentive in kindergarten.)


OK, time to sew the strips on to finish the block. This part is really fun and goes pretty fast.



The finished block. Except for the screaming yellow, this one is pretty tame.


And here we have all the friends. It's coming right along. Fifteen blocks down, five to go.

Check back in a few days and I'll show you how I put it all together.

Love,
Laura Lee