Go K-State!

My brother-in law Kent. Taken from the photos of all the alumni chairs.

 

I am a Kansas State University graduate and so is my husband.  We have season football tickets.  Yesterday we had a fun day in Manhattan Kansas.  Not only because we got to see our team beat North Texas 35 to 21 but because we met up with my brother-in-law Kent before the game.  I may have to start calling him Chairman Kent because he is now the National Kansas State Alumni Association Chairman.  He came by this naturally.  He was Student Body President in 1986-1987.  He also was preceded by his mother Bev Bradley who held the national alumni position from 1979-1981.

My mother-in-law Bev Bradley

There is a lot of K-State Purple that runs through this family.  Below is a photo of my husband on the left and my brother-in-law Kent on the right.

 

 

I have been in the Kansas State Alumni Center before but yesterday we got the personal tour from Kent.  It is beautiful.  Lots of purple but very tastefully done.  Below is the board room where the alumni board of directors meet.

 

 

 

Above is the cool view which looks out on the old Memorial football stadium.  The band practices on this field.

 

Did you know the world is purple?

 

...and the oceans are full of purple fish...or at least the aquarium in the alumni center is.

 

They even have a powercat quilt made up of t-shirts from bowl games.

It was a great day.   I hope you all have a wonderful week!  Amy

Birthday Weekend

The winner of last week's give-a-way is Mary.  Please email us Mary, and we will send you your free pattern.  Thanks for all the comments!

I have just made up a new rule for our house.  Buy tickets for my son Adam and his wife Megan to come home for every one of my birthdays.  They live in Denver.  I think it is a brilliant idea!  They arrived on Friday morning and got to stay until Sunday evening.  It was a fast weekend but FUN!  When my husband John hears that I have made up a new house rule he usually says....what now!  He likes this new rule!

While they were here my daughter-in-law Megan and a friend drove down to Wichita for their friend Nicole's baby shower.  She is expecting twins.  Megan took some photos and then I took some photos of the baby favors that she brought back from the shower.  I want you to see everything because it might give you some ideas for putting on your next baby shower. It looked like a wonderful baby shower.

The cutest diaper cake that I have ever seen!

Since she is having twins there were two cakes!  One in pink and one in blue with matching booties on top!  The party favors were laid out in front of the cakes.  New clothes were hanging on the clothes line for the twins.

Below is a close-up of the cookie favors.  Two peas in a pod...I mean two twins in a pod.  Super cute!

Below is a close-up of the baby rattle favors.  They were made up of iced round cake balls on each end of a straw.  Very clever and of course in pink and blue!

Below is a emergency diaper kit that they handed out as favors.  They labeled the sizes of the kits too.

Here is the contents of one of these cool kits.  Someone did a lot of work making all these bags. 

They had the baby shower at a country club. When Megan walked into the baby shower there was a waiter with a tray of alcoholic drinks and a tray of nonalcoholic drinks to welcome the guests. Times have changed! My baby showers for my kids were in church basement or friends homes with punch and cookies. Remember all the obnoxious games they made you play too?  My daughter Ashley had a family baby shower.  I loved it.  It was the first baby shower that my husband had ever been too.  It's about time those men get to join in on the fun!

Above is my birthday cheesecake that my daughter Ashley made for my birthday.  I gave her this recipe about 6 months ago and said that this is what I want for my birthday....Peanut butter cheesecake.  She loves to make cheesecakes.  It was to die for!  She and her husband John had us all over for dinner.  They are phenomenal cooks.  My son-in-law John has a big green egg that he cooked the steaks on and they were mouth watering delicious!  Everything that he has ever cooked on it, I think is amazing.  I am still thinking about my birthday dinner....why do they only come around once a year!  My kids made my birthday!

Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownie Cheesecake

Prep: 45 minutes  Bake: 28 minutes  Chill: 4 hours 
One 19 1/2 ounce package brownie mix
3/4 cup hot fudge-flavored ice cream topping, warmed
Two 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups crunchy peanut butter
One 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 chocolate covered peanut butter cups, chopped
2 tablespoons chocolate flavored syrup

1.  Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, using the 9" x 13" pan option.  Cool in pan on a wire rack.  Cut into bars.  Press three-fourths of the brownies into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan to form a crust.  Spread with fudge topping; set aside.  Crumble remaining brownies; set aside.
2.  In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and peanut butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until just combined.  Add sweetened condensed milk; beat until just combined.  In a medium bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form.  Add powdered sugar; beat until stiff peaks form.  Reserve 1/2 cup of the whipped cream mixture.  Fold remaining whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.
3.  Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the hot fudge topping.  Sprinkle with one-half of the reserved brownie crumbles.  Spread remaining cream cheese mixture over the brownies.  Top with the reserved 1/2 cup whipping cream mixture.  Sprinkle remaining brownie crumbles and chopped peanut butter cups over the top.  Drizzle with chocolate syrup.  Cover and chill the dessert for 4 to 24 hours.  Makes 16 to 20 servings.

Labor Day Weekend

 

My husband John and I finally got over to the National World War One Museum in Kansas City this last weekend.  It was wonderful!  We tried to see it all but there is no way to take it all in, in a few hours.  We definitely want to go back and take our parents. It is so moving to see the short movies, the artifacts and read the statistics that went with this war.  You can also take the elevator & steps all the way up to the top of the tower and look out on a beautiful view of Kansas City.

I took photos of three quilts that I saw in display cases to share. This blanket was made by Mary Radler and John Kramer of Kansas City in 1917 or 1918. It is made up of service flags.  Families hung these service flags with blue stars in their windows to show that they had family members in the armed forces.

The above quilt was made by Louise Rauch Stahl in 1915 in Springfield, Missouri.  She pieced the quilt using tobacco souvenirs called flannels.  Coupons on tobacco were sent in to redeem the flannels.

The third quilt that I saw was probably made by a women's auxiliary in Harveyville, Kansas.  It is a remembrance quilt.  The men who served in the county are embroidered on the quilt.

After the museum we drove to Greenwood, Missouri for the first time and took in three great antique stores.  On the way there I made my husband stop so I could take the above photo.  I have seen toilets in yards turned into planters for flowers but I haven't seen sinks before.  They had matching flower planter sinks!

I saw this stool made up of wooden spools in one shop.  Don't you just love the crushed orange velvet cushion!!!

This is a lamp that I saw that added a quilt touch to it.

I loved this pink wooden doll furniture made in England.  My granddaughter Rowan would of loved it for her Barbies.  Too pricey at $149.00 for Barbies. It would outlast the pink plastic stuff though!

I took this photo above because I keep forgetting this neat easel trick with old forks.

My Grandma Ree always had a sprinkler on her ironing board.  I just loved this Chinese laundry sprinkler.  I left the $30.00 sprinkler on the shelf.  I need the fast action of my steam iron or my handy dandy spray bottle. 

We also took in the new Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones movie "Hope Springs".  We enjoyed it.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too.

Comment on one thing that you did on your Labor Day weekend (work or fun) for a chance to win a pattern of your choice.

Have a great week!  Amy

Bride and Groom Collection

I was just at my Mom and Dads for a sewing weekend with my Mom.  I was looking at her Anri wood carved set and thought it would make a good start to this blog.  This set is very special because it was the cake topper on my brother Brad's wedding cake.  We lost him to brain cancer when he was a young husband and father.  This set will go to his only child Kate someday.

This set was also in my Mom's miniature box.  It was on my Great-Grandmother Mary and Great-Grandfather Ben Harbaugh's wedding cake.

Then above is the start of my collection of Bride and Grooms.  This is the newest addition.  My Mom and I laughed because it looks like the same doll dressed two ways!

This is a salt and pepper set.  This is the "Before" side.

This is the "After" side.

This is a little matchbox bride and groom set.

This is a set all dressed up in crepe paper which I noticed they used a lot for decorating these little cake toppers.

This is a plastic set in crepe paper outfits.

Kewpie bride and groom set in crepe paper.

Another set.

This one is a really small set.

These I call my "army men set" because they are that size.

My Mom gave me this set.

These say Princess Elizabeth and Lieut. Phillip Mountbatten on their bases.

I then decided to google today's cake toppers and found some funny ones to share.

New technology has come to cake toppers!

Bridezilla cake topper.

This one is a feat in cake construction!

I loved this one!

Can you imagine what the future mother-in-law would say if you had this on your cake.

Same sex cake toppers.

Expecting Bride and Groom

The Simpsons

The tee time golfer.

If all these cake toppers could only talk!


I think this is one of my longest blogs ever! I hope you enjoyed it.  I just love weddings.  I get teased that I go just for the wedding cake and the buttercream mints but I love it all.  It is a new beginning!

The Two Days Blues

I was so sad when the 2012 Olympics were over.  I was in total withdrawal.  I sewed and listened to them all day every day while they were on.  I caught my heart racing several times when I was worried about the outcome of a event.  I got so caught up in their excitement.  What an emotional roller coaster and I was just a spectator living in Kansas.  I can't even imagine trying to perform a skill that you have been working on for four straight years in front of thousands there and millions on TV.  I would get queasy before my small town track meets!!!!  I was so proud of everyone of our athletes!  Go USA!

I was sad for two days ..... and then someone came to stay with me to lift my spirits.

I get my granddaughter Rowan for five days!!!

I get my granddogs Kiley and Holly for five days!!

We have tea parties every day!  Sometimes we have miniature hamburgers....M & M's between two squished miniature marshmallows.  I love being a Grandma!  It is the best excuse to take time to play with dolls, fly a kite and have tea parties.    We all need time to play.  I can always sew next week!

Dazzling Dogs Give-a-way Winner

The winner of our Dazzling Dogs Give-a-way is mommarock.  Thanks everyone for your posts, it was fun reading about all the different collections!