Spinning Hearts - An Itty Bitty Freebie and Chocolate

 Good morning , Sweet Friends and Happy Tuesday.

I just wanted to pop in with a small freebie that I hope to begin today.  It is called Spinning Hearts- just a wee stitch to make into a pinkeep , a tag or whatever suits one's fancy.  It is a Choose Your Own colors chart- I have not figured out what floss colors I will use, but I will certainly let you know in future posts.

UPDATE: March 8, 2026. Spinning Hearts is stitched and now FFO'd. Eeeh! I am elated!  I finished it on a little paper mache box found at the Dollar Tree. I used DMC floss colors 3011, 223, and 371. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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OOPS/ CORRECTION: On the top heart - right side along the heart border-  a symbol has been left off for  "Y" .

 I will correct the chart when I am able. Please forgive me for the mistake. 

I just may do a bit of baking this evening- perhaps something chocolatey!  Yum! 

Old Fashioned Chocolate Cobbler/ Pudding Cake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of all purpose flour

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons of baking cocoa

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of milk

2 Tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of chocolate chips

1 cup of chopped nuts (optional)

1 cup of packed brown sugar

1/4 cup of baking cocoa

1 1/2 cups of  very hot water

 Vanilla ice cream ( optional)

DIRECTIONS

✴1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 " x 9" baking dish. 

✴2. Mix flour, granulated sugar,  2 Tablespoons of baking cocoa,  baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

✴3. In a separate bowl, mix milk, oil, and  vanilla until smooth. Add nuts. Add liquid mixture to the flour/sugar mix and stir to combine . Pour into prepared baking dish.  

✴4.  In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and 1/4 cup of baking cocoa . Sprinkle over the batter followed by adding the chocolate chips .  Pour hot water over the batter.  Do not stir. 

✴5. Bake for 40 minutes or until the top is dry.  Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

✴6. Spoon warm cake into the dessert dish and spoon sauce from the pan onto each serving. 

✴7. Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. 

Heart & Keys

I am off to stitch and bake. I hope your day is a delightful one! 

As Always....

Happy stitching, Y'all

Melisa

"Life is what you bake of it!  "- Unknown

Hugs and Stitches!!!!

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What Was In Your Stockings? And A Christmas Freebie

 

Do you remember these stockings sold in the department stores like Woolworth's long ago?

Photo from Pinterest. 

As kiddos come Christmas time, my sister and I would love to go to the local five and dime stores like Kuhns and Elmores. There, we would see these large, glorious,  red mesh stockings stuffed with candy, trinkets,  and cheap toys. Goodness, did we marvel at those magnificent Christmas goodies. LOL. 

Did we ever get one? Hmmm, I don't think so , but we did have  red felt stockings which were placed at the bottom of the tree for Santa to stuff.

 On Christmas morning, my sister and I would rush to the tree, and of course discover our stockings stuffed with an orange, crayons and a coloring book.  That reminds me... my aunt would gift us underwear - usually Days of the Week undies too. Remember those?  EEEK! Not a kids favorite gift but useful nonetheless. Hee! Hee!  LOL We really did appreciate our undies , but it is fun to laugh about it. 

Raise your hands if you got underwear or socks for Christmas? 😀

Aaw, such warm Christmas memories...  🤗❤

This year I did not hang  my girls' stockings on the mantle. Instead I hung a few of my redwork ornies. I wonder if my girls' will notice. I doubt it. 

  

Anywhoo... this brings me to my latest Speaking of Christmas stitch called "The Stockings". 

It is all nestled in the little dough bowl with the other pin pillows from the series. I will work on another one this evening. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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A NO BAKE PIE RECIPE that may be on the Christmas Eve menu. 

GERMAN SWEET CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 package ( 8 oz. ) cream cheese softened

1 1/2 cups cold half and half  

1 package ( 4 serving size) of Jello Milk Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding/ Pie Filling

3 1/2 cups of whipped topping , thawed

1 package ( 4 oz.) Baker's German Sweet Chocolate , chopped

1 cup of honey roasted pecans or plain pecans, chopped

1 ready crust chocolate pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

1. Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with mixer until smooth. 

2. Add half and half and beat at low speed until well mixed.  Add pie filling mix, beat until well blended, 1 minute. Fold in whipped topping, chocolate and pecans. Spoon into crust. 

3. Freeze until firm - 6 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer and let stand about 20 minutes to soften before serving. Store any leftovers in the freezer. 

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Later this evening, I will fully finish my Mini Santa Sampler. Soon it will be ready to add to my Christmas display in time for ole' St. Nick. 

Well Sweeties, that is my Saturday rambles. I am curious. 

What was in your stockings as a kiddo?  Did you have any gifts that you hoped you would not get like undies? 

May your day be magical and full of joy sprinkled with candy cane kisses! 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting

 y'all,

Melisa 

"The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. " 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

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A Great Day to Be Stitching and " Speaking of Christmas -Holly" Freebie

This week's quilt stack comes straight from the kitchen!  😀

 

Good Slow Stitching Sunday, y'all.  It is a good day to sit back in our jammies, prop up our feet and stitch the day away. Don't you think? 

Anywhooo.. Since a lot of us will be spending time in the kitchen this week , we better get in all of the stitching time we can in.😀 

 In the kitchen , I have   a small selection of quilts all rolled up into little bundles and tucked into vintage sifters. 

Soon those sifters will be put into work , sifting flour as I  prep for baking .  

Here is a yummy no bake pie recipe which is perfect for the holiday season. 

PUMPKIN GINGERSNAP PIE

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups cold half and half, light cream or milk

1 package ( 4 serving size) Jello Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding and Pie Filling

3 1/2 cups Cool Whip Whipped Topping , thawed

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup of chopped ginger snap cookies

1/2 cups canned pumpkin

1 1/2 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice

1 graham cracker pie crust

DIRECTIONS:

1. Pour half and half into large bowl. Add pie filling mix. Beat until well blended - about 1 minute. Let stand for 5 minutes. 

2. Fold in whipped topping, pecans, gingersnaps, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Spoon into crust. 

3. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours or overnight. Remove from freezer and let stand about 10 minutes to soften before serving. Store any leftovers in the freezer.

I have to admit I have had a rip-roaring humdinger of a week.😀😁 No, not a lot of drama  has been going on --well, except for The Mysterious Case of the Missing Santas  which is still ongoing. ( If you missed that mystery,  please hop over to that post. Where could those Santas be?  )  But my week has been filled with lots of time working with needle and thread .

 The Thanksgiving Jar

Earlier this week , I worked on Moda's Holiday Stitch Along Block 1 .  This was a SAL from way back in 2020 that is still available. 

Today I will work on Block 2.

I also finished ornament 3 of the Speaking of Christmas series. 

This one is simply named "Holly". 

I  finished it into a simple pillow , framed  with some leftover 1 1/2" unfinished fabric strips and some crocheted lace.

 

Large wonky black X's were stitched along the bottom seam. The large wooden snowflake came from Dollar Tree. 

It's a Holly Jolly Christmas ! It's the best time of the year....

Three Speaking of Christmas ornaments/ bowl tucks all whipped up. There will be at least 4 more to come this year. Maybe more later. 

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If you are interested in stitching this piece,  just grab , the images. For printing tips, refer to the post Tips for Printing which has loads of tips from my sweet friends. 

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I will start a new ornament  today. 

In the evenings, I enjoy sitting back on the couch and working on my Bow Tie quilt.  I expect I will do that tonight as well. 7 more blocks to go. Quilt, quilt, quilt! 

Well  Sweeties, we better get to work if we are going to have a humdinger of a day. Now grab your needle and thread and let's start to stitching. 😀🤗

 As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

"Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness  and gratitude. " 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who loved the holiday season. Sunday gathering are not the same without you, Amo.  .. Love you , Amo. 

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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Piecing Peppermint Pinwheels

 Howdy do, Honey Pies and a very Wonderful Wednesday to you! How are you doing on this lovely Fall day. Me? Well I am fine and dandy.  Do you know the ole' saying  "When the  cats away - the mice will play"? Well Mr. Pinker is out working so  I will have the whole day here to myself - quilting the day away . Imagine me with my arms filled with fabric as I swirl about in glee!  Though I will miss Mr. Pinker as he traipses out in the woods,  uninterrupted  quilting time is quite welcomed. 

                        

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Yesterday I sat down to the sewing machine as Burl Ives serenaded me on the cd player .It was not long before he whisked me away to a winter wonderland filled with sleigh bells ringing and jingling, and the halls were being decked. 

Soon I was joined in-  singing "Fa la la la la la  la la la la..." as I cut my 2 1/2 strips.

Mr. Pinker broke my  concentration when he entered into the sewing room singing   "Fa La La La La ! La La La La!" in his booming voice. "  Whatcha' working on? " he asked

Tickled by his singing I chuckled  and then replied with a smile , " Well, I am whipping up a batch of Peppermint Pinwheels ."

"Hmmm sounds yummy! "  He looked down at my blocks that I had already laid out. "But that does not look like anything I would eat. Don't you already a gazillion  projects in the works? "

"I sure do! " I said merrily." What's wrong with a gazillion and one, " I reasoned.

"Not a thing, " he said as he smiled and  walked away humming a little Christmas diddy. "

 My Peppermint Pinwheels are going to measure 8 1/2" squared unfinished  ( 8 " finished). 

If you would like to make some of your own, here are the measurements I am using. ( I like to write them down here just in case I forget in the future. 🙄LOL)

CUTTING FOR 1 BLOCK

CUT 1- Red fabric  2 1/2" x 18 "

CUT 1- Green fabric  2 1/2" x 18 "

SEWING

1. Sew the red and green fabrics together using 1/4" seam allowance. Press. 

2. Subcut strips into 4 1/2" lengths. 

3. Layout block as shown  and piece. WAHLAH! A super simple block . 

If you are using scraps, just simply cut 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles for your block. You will need 4 of each color. 

                        

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PEPPERMINT PINWHEELS RECIPE 
YIELDS : 18
 INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of softened butter

1 1/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

3 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons of baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of peppermint extract

1 teaspoon of red food coloring

DIRECTIONS: 

🍪 1. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy ( about 3 to 4 minutes) , stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs , one at a time  and continue beating well. Add extracts and beat. 

🍪 2. In a medium bowl, whisk, flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture , beating until well combined. Divide dough in half , beat food coloring into one half of the dough. Wrap the dough in portions in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. 

🍪 3. Roll each piece of dough between sheets of parchment paper to form a rectangle around 11"x 9" and 1/4 " thick. Remove top pieces of parchment and stack dough on top of each other. Roll layered dough to 12" x 10" trim edges . Starting at one long side, tightly roll dough into a log using the parchment paper to help roll. Refrigerate for 1 hour. 

🍪 4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

🍪 5 . Unwrap dough . Trim ends. Using a serrated knife, cut log into 2/3 inch slices. Place 1 inch apart on baking sheet. 

🍪 6. Bake until set - about 12-15 minutes. Place on cooling rack. Cool completely. 

       

OK back to the sewing machine I go! I have  at least 10 more blocks to piece  for the day. 

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May your day be filled with sugar sprinkles and peppermint kisses. 

As Always...

Happy  Stitching and Quilting,

 y'all

Melisa 

" You are the peppermint to my mocha. "- unknown 

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy who enjoyed baking sweets and treats.  I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 

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 I am joining these lovely ladies' link parties. I hope you check them out; they always have so many wonderful projects going on and provide the opportunity for other needleworkers to meet. 

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Denise at For the Love of Geese for Put Your Foot Down- Thursday

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