Snow Drops

"The Snow-drop, Winter's timid child,
Awakes to life, bedew'd with tears."
- Mary Robinson

SlowCooker Minestone

3 cups chicken broth
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
2 bay leaves
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
1 medium zucchini, chopped
2 cups coarsely chopped fresh or frozen spinach, defrosted
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

In slow cooker, combine broth, tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, onion, thyme, sage, bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Thirty minutes before the soup is done cooking, add ditalini, zucchini and spinach. Cover and cook 30 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese over top

This is the newest block for the Layer Cake Block Quilt-A-Long. I'm not that happy with it, but I am working with leftover fat quarters and have to be 'creative' with what I have left. I'm not sure I will get all 12 blocks, so it may be a 9-block quilt.

I am a member of the Carol Doak Yahoo Group and this is the newest block for her BOM. This fabric does not take all the seams and points well when it comes to pressing. I have to get my dress makers mallet and pound seams to get them flat. And some of the blocks I have altered, taking this in account.

I got my fabric cards and post cards finished. These are a few of the cards. I make them all 4" x6" and make my own cardstock base cards and postcard backs. The only difference in the cards is I use a double sided fuse to attach the fabric finish to the card. If you try to stitch your cards, they will over perforate and tear the back off. Here is a great tutorial for postcards:

http://calidore.wordpress.com/2007/02/14/postcard-tutorial/

I finished my Mug Rugs for the Quilter's Gallery Swap and hope to get them out this Saturday. Yes, quite different - a very sedate and a little bit fun. The cross stitch is one of my mini versions of my huge house on the hill, our large spruce (we once ran a large tree farm and lumber mill), and the courthouse step block represents one of the buildings - the first court house in NY.

I got my embroidery blocks done, but didn't get to setting them into the pieced blocks so they look a little bare for photos. Plus when I pull the scrap bin out I just get going in other directions.

I am so delighted that you girls have enjoyed the soup recipes, but remember my cooking was for the National Soup month of January. February will hold new beginnings.

Sewingly Yours,
Sharon