I feel like I have stolen a half hour of time as I sit and write this all because of a carpool.

We have little tomatoes coming out of our ears.  Still.  I made all the big tomatoes into a sauce yesterday.  I baked bread again this morning.  We're having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.

I went to Nashville and have much to say about that, but I need time to write it all down.  Soon.

I don't have time to write it all down because I am leaving town again tomorrow.  When I come home this weekend, I am here for a good, long spell and I am thankful for that.

I have never seen so many butterflies as I have this summer.  I wonder why that is.

I have plans to update the shop with camera straps and other goodies the week of September 13th.  Exact date to be determined.  I'll let you know once I decide.

I am thankful for my friends.

I need a good book to read.

It just dawned on me that I forgot about something that needs doing before tomorrow.  Off I go.

See you soon.

I feel like I have stolen a half hour of time as I sit and write this all because of a carpool.

We have little tomatoes coming out of our ears.  Still.  I made all the big tomatoes into a sauce yesterday.  I baked bread again this morning.  We're having spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.

I went to Nashville and have much to say about that, but I need time to write it all down.  Soon.

I don't have time to write it all down because I am leaving town again tomorrow.  When I come home this weekend, I am here for a good, long spell and I am thankful for that.

I have never seen so many butterflies as I have this summer.  I wonder why that is.

I have plans to update the shop with camera straps and other goodies the week of September 13th.  Exact date to be determined.  I'll let you know once I decide.

I am thankful for my friends.

I need a good book to read.

It just dawned on me that I forgot about something that needs doing before tomorrow.  Off I go.

See you soon.

Seeing as it is Saturday, I thought I'd tell you about my second biggest success of last weekend.  The biggest success, of course, was completing Hazel's new bed, but really that is neither here nor there.  The second biggest success was culinary and deserves a post of its own.

Sunday morning I found myself craving - and I mean I-need-it-right-now craving - some kind of fruity baked good.  For a minute, probably less, I considered putting the girls back in the car (we'd just arrived home from church) for a quick trip to the bakery, but I couldn't be bothered.  Kate had a friend coming over and Jane was set to meet up with a pal of hers and Fatty was driving home from a 50 mile mountain bike race in Georgia (an entirely different story all together).  It just seemed like too much to manage.  I briefly considered raiding the frozen chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer for a quick fix, but I knew that it wouldn't do.  There was no way chocolate chips were going to fill the need for warm, sweet fruit so I took a quick look in the fridge.  Raspberries!  They are my favorite berry and didn't I just see a recipe for some kind of berry scone? Yes, indeed.  Raspberry scones!

I quickly read the recipe and sighed at the sight of buttermilk on the list of ingredients.  I am not a good southern cook who stocks this at all times.  My brother might have some on hand, but that's another car ride so, that is not going to cut it.  Then I remember reading about making-do with milk and, what was it?, as a buttermilk substitute.  A quick google search and I have my answer: vinegar (or lemon juice, in a pinch).  Now I'm in business.

The oven is preheated by the time I have the dough out of the food processor.  I fold the raspberries in and three minutes later, after sprinkling sugar on top, they are in the oven.  Eighteen minutes later, I brew some more coffee.  Five minutes after that, the craving is more than satisfied.  Did these ever do the trick!

If you find yourself craving a little savory plus sweet, give these scones a try.  The dough is wonderfully flavored and not too sweet - I imagine it would work well with any number of additions.  The only change I would make is to sprinkle the tops with raw, or turbinado, sugar if you have it instead of your garden variety white.  I think it'd be a lovely touch, but the white works well enough as is.

I warned you.

I sewed a ginormous dog bed for Hazel to use in the kitchen.  Well, more specifically, the tiny hallway space adjacent to the kitchen.  Breezer, our last dog, used to hang out in this very spot because she could be in on all the action, watching us all go about our days.  Unlike Breezer, who stayed put most of the time, Hazel follows me around the house like, well, a puppy.  It's quite cute until you are stepping on her, ahem, while trying to pack the lunch boxes or make dinner.  So I made her a bed.  And, I think she likes it, even if it is rather large (about 52" x 30" finished).

I used Patchwork Promenade from the County Fair line by Denyse Schmidt because it has the patchwork look without all the piecing. It's also home dec weight which is perfect for something that is going to get slobbered on and washed almost weekly.  I quilted two panels with freeform loops - one for the top and one for the bottom.  I put a zipper in one side of the cushion so the insert can be removed for washing.  After the zipper was in, I quilted the side panels with straight-ish lines.  The fabrics on the sides and the piping (all 10 yards!) are from that same fabric line.  For the insert, I used an old sheet and stuffed it with about 4 pounds of poly-fil.  Everything came from my stash except the zipper and the piping - bonus!

It felt good to get back to the sewing machine after a long break.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I was also happy with how it came together even though there were some missteps along the way.  Bad measuring, wonky quilting, less than perfect corners - they really don't matter.  It is a dog bed, for goodness sake.

This isn't the end of sewing for the dog either.  Just saying.

I warned you.

I sewed a ginormous dog bed for Hazel to use in the kitchen.  Well, more specifically, the tiny hallway space adjacent to the kitchen.  Breezer, our last dog, used to hang out in this very spot because she could be in on all the action, watching us all go about our days.  Unlike Breezer, who stayed put most of the time, Hazel follows me around the house like, well, a puppy.  It's quite cute until you are stepping on her, ahem, while trying to pack the lunch boxes or make dinner.  So I made her a bed.  And, I think she likes it, even if it is rather large (about 52" x 30" finished).

I used Patchwork Promenade from the County Fair line by Denyse Schmidt because it has the patchwork look without all the piecing. It's also home dec weight which is perfect for something that is going to get slobbered on and washed almost weekly.  I quilted two panels with freeform loops - one for the top and one for the bottom.  I put a zipper in one side of the cushion so the insert can be removed for washing.  After the zipper was in, I quilted the side panels with straight-ish lines.  The fabrics on the sides and the piping (all 10 yards!) are from that same fabric line.  For the insert, I used an old sheet and stuffed it with about 4 pounds of poly-fil.  Everything came from my stash except the zipper and the piping - bonus!

It felt good to get back to the sewing machine after a long break.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  I was also happy with how it came together even though there were some missteps along the way.  Bad measuring, wonky quilting, less than perfect corners - they really don't matter.  It is a dog bed, for goodness sake.

This isn't the end of sewing for the dog either.  Just saying.

Thank you for all the nice well wishes and comments!  I wish I could give every single one of you a little something, but alas, there are only four lucky winners.

Number 560 is Jessica B

Number 343 is Nancy

Number 573 is hkordsmeier

Number 319 is Angela C.

Please email me at hillroad at bellsouth dot net with your mailing address and we will get talking about your custom curated fabric stack!

Back here tomorrow - see you then.

Thank you for all the nice well wishes and comments!  I wish I could give every single one of you a little something, but alas, there are only four lucky winners.

Number 560 is Jessica B

Number 343 is Nancy

Number 573 is hkordsmeier

Number 319 is Angela C.

Please email me at hillroad at bellsouth dot net with your mailing address and we will get talking about your custom curated fabric stack!

Back here tomorrow - see you then.

I've been organizing the studio and I've officially run out of room for the fabric.  Seriously, all the shelves are full and there is still some to put away.

And Sunday was the four year anniversary of the start of this blog. Holy smokes, does time ever fly!

So, in celebration of the last four years and five days of House on Hill Road and all the support you have given me along the way, I'm giving away fabric.  (See how that works?).  Leave a comment on this post before Sunday, August 22 at 5:00 p.m. EST and I will enter your name in the random number generator's pot for one of four fabric stacks.  If you are among the lucky four winners, I will ask you a few questions about your fabric and color likes and dislikes and then put together a stack just for you.  Yes, you get some say in the matter!  I'm thinking it'll be about 1 to 1 1/2 yards per stack, maybe with some trims and other surprises for good measure.  Sound good?

To be clear, you are not in a drawing for the ten lovely piles as shown above.  And you must check back on Monday morning to see if you won.  I will not be emailing the winners - logistically, it is very hard to do.

OK then.  Back here on Monday! Happy weekend to you all!