An Early Quilt

This is one of my favorite quilts, and one of the first that I made. It is an Ohio Star, on a natural background. The colors are rich reds, forest greens, rusts and browns, golds and soothing blues. The best part of this quilt, though, is that the plain blocks are hand quilted. Back when I had time!

The quilting pattern is a feathered wreath.

There are little tiny blood stains on the back in several places. If I were to try this again, all sharp objects would have to be hidden! With four boys, when did I ever have time to do this?

Must have been back in the days when the boys were in bed early, and I stayed up late. Now,
the reverse is true!

And no, none of the college-bound kids got hand-quilted quilts for their dorms!

Don't forget to check out my newest contest! It'll be lots of fun. And it involves a puppy!

Hmmmm....Enter quick...winner announced on Friday, Sept. 25.

I Feel Another Contest Coming On!

I am participating in Six-Word Saturday, hosted by Cate at Show My Face. Those are my six words in the title of today's post.


Stay tuned for contest rules. This is gonna be a fun one! I'm off to a wedding this weekend.

Should have some photos to share next week. And check back often. When you see this cute little guy again, he'll be announcing the new contest. It'll be another Great Poprs Giveaway!

Only His Hairdresser Knows For Sure!

Before we get to today's post, please click here for my Great New POPrs Giveaway. Everyone who recommends a beach book for Aunt Julie is a winner!

As many of you know, I'm a Cheesehead. Yeah, from the Frozen Tundra. Home of the first team EVER to win a Super Bowl. That would be the Green Bay Packers. And we love Brett Favre. Most of us. Many of us. Some of us? Well, there was a time when we ALL did.

So when there's breaking Brett Favre news, we're on it. And I'm here to tell you about it.

As soon as Brett Favre figures it out. And Heaven only knows when that'll be!

But one thing we do know...he has a sense of humor. He is reportedly making a TV ad for Sears, in which he agonizes over which widescreen TV to purchase. And the salesman says something about him having difficulty making a decision and he says "Yeah. Don't you hate that?"

Pretty funny! But here is one image I just don't want to see...

...Brett Favre in a Minnesota Vikings' uniform. And the Vikings play the Packers at Lambeau Field this year. Isn't it ironic?

They're Hoppin' to Get Poppin'!

Take a gander at Big Bear, Shark Boy, and Uncle Lynn, Sharing The Pop'rs Love early this summer at the Institute of Food Technologists trade show in New Orleans. The trio showed The Biggest Names in Food How to Get Poppin'! Smile, Boys!!

And, speaking of Pop'rs, it's time to enter our Great New Pop'rs Giveaway! Share that Comment Love and win you some of the most delightful, fun and nutritious seasonings around!


BTW, three--Count 'Em!--of our Bloggy Friends are Singing the Praises of Pop'rs!

Hoagie, The Coach over at DC Sports Plus--and also our only Giveaway Winner of the Male Variety so far--loves him some Pop'rs! Here's what he had to say:

"Try this Product!" Hoagie enthuses. "I recently won a contest where I received two flavors of Pop'rs. Pop'rs are essentially awesome-tasting, good-for-you Pop Rocks that you sprinkle on foods. They're mostly marketed toward families (so moms can get their kids to eat their veggies), but with my two flavors (Chocolate and Taco), I can add both flavor and nutritional value to my ice cream and Ramen Noodles. They're really worth trying out...To borrow the catchphrase from Pringles: Once You Pop'r...well nevermind."

Lula, Our Gal over at Lulaville, cooked her up a DyNaMite Dish the other day and added Pop'rs to the recipe. "Buffalo-flavored Pop'rs enhance chicken casserole. Delish! Thanks, Veggie Mom!" Lula's also the one who's trying to convince Uncle Lynn to e-mail Ellen DeGeneres to Get Poppin' with Pop'rs on The Dancin' Queen's show. Lula has all kinds of ideas to get that to happen. She's So Enthusiastic, that we Just. Might. Do. It. "Why aren't y'all on Ellen yet?" Lula wants to know. We're workin' on it, gal!


Mannequin, who is anything but at Fractured Toy, placated Mr. Man the other day with a Strong Dose of Pop'rs. Uncle Lynn's fun seasoning came to the rescue over at Mannequin's place.

"And have you tried Pop'rs?" Mannequin asks. "I was lucky enough to win some a couple months ago (Thanks, Veggie Mom!) and I'm greedy enough to enter for another giveaway! They were a big hit here! Mr. Man loves his chocolate milk but is VERY picky about which brand. Having run out one morning, I popped into my cupboard and popped out my Pop'rs (yes, very clever, huh?). Mr Man loved it! We used Taco on tacos and then per Uncle Lynn's suggestion, we used it on corn ( I added diced red peppers to mine also. Yum). We loved every one of the eight flavors; this is a giveaway you don't want to miss! The ColorBurst came in handy this weekend again! I had only plain vanilla yogurt in the fridge and wanted a treat. What better to use than my Pop'rs? What a yummy treat!"

Thanks to everyone who's been Sharing the Comment Love! You're all So Dear to our Little Ol' Bloggy Hearts. *Group Hug*!

Welcome to Wisconsin!

Hi, there! I’m Veggie Mom, the proprietress over here at Eat Your Veggies! Nice to meetcha! I started blogging back in June, at the behest of my BIL, Uncle Lynn. Lynn, also known as The Pop’r King, is a Wisconsin Legend in his Own Time. He makes Pop’rs, but that’s another story. Let’s just say he’s on a Quest, and it all revolves around his fun new product. If you have time after the tour, please drop by Uncle Lynn’s Great New Pop’rs Giveaway. You’ll be glad you did!

For those of you new to the Pop’r Family’s Story, let me introduce you. There’s Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn, the Pop’r Queen and King, respectively, and their four boys: Big Bear, Shark Boy, College Boy and Soccer Boy. I’m Veggie, and I’m married to Aunt Julie’s bro, Uncle Mark. We call him Moker, and he’s our Guest Blogger today. That’s him in the photo above, tailgating at the famed Lambeau Field in Green Bay. We have two daughters: College Girl and The Wild One. The six kids together constitute the entirety of that Famous Northeast Wisconsin Gang, The Pop’rs Cousins.

Before we embark on our tour, we’d like to thank Debbie and all her friends at Blog Around the World, for this chance to showcase the Great State of Wisconsin! So sit back, relax, grab some snacks (the cheese curds are fresh!) and pay close attention, as Moker takes us on a tour of our Upper Midwest Home.

Moker, here, with all the news that's fit to print, and then some! Wisconsin has many mottos. Some of them, like "Forward,” “America’s Dairyland,” and the “Badger State,” are official, steeped in tradition and history. But most residents understand that the best descriptive slogan is “Eat Cheese or Die!”

Wisconsin, where one congressional district has more cows than people, is a national leader in the production of milk, butter and cheese, especially cheddar. Fans of the Green Bay Packers (12 NFL championships) are known as “Cheeseheads” and wear yellow foam rubber wedges on their heads. BTW, one of those foam cheeeseheads once helped prevent serious injury to a victim of a small plane crash!

Wisconsin also is famous for its beer and bratwurst, delicacies that celebrate the German and Polish immigrants who settled in Milwaukee. The Scandinavians–Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Finns–who immigrated to the rest of the state brought along lefse, lutefisk and sandbakkels.

Living so close to two of the Great Lakes (Superior and Michigan), Wisconsin residents are hardy souls who enjoy delightful summers and falls and endure sometimes brutal winters. Only in Wisconsin can you have a White Christmas as well as a White Halloween and a White Easter all in the same year. No wonder the state leads the nation in per capita brandy consumption!

Wisconsin gets its name from an Indian word of various origins–the Algonquian word for "long river" or the Chippewa/Ojibwa Tribe word that means "grassy place" or "gathering of the waters." The towns of Oshkosh, Menomonie, Menomonee Falls, Oconomowoc, Aswaubenon, Kaukauna, Mukwonago, and Chippewa Falls, among others, are of American Indian origin.

Politically, Wisconsin is viewed as a progressive state that produced Gov. Robert M. “Fighting Bob” La Follette, maverick Sen. William Proxmire and Sen. Gaylord Nelson, the Father of Earth Day. Wisconsin also is the birthplace of the Republican Party (Ripon) and gave the country that infamous, disgraced “Commie Hunter” of the 1950s, Sen. Joe McCarthy.

Wisconsinites love their sports, especially the outdoor variety, including hunting, fishing (muskies), snowmobiling and skiing, and residents enjoy thousands of lakes, although they do grumble about the number of Illinois residents who head north and bag black and white Holsteins instead of deer every year!

Notable Wisconsin personalities include architect Frank Lloyd Wright, super computer inventor Seymour Cray Jr., pianist Liberace, actors Orson Wells and Spencer Tracy, astrologer Jean Dixon, and magician Harry Houdini, whose most famous trick may have been escaping from Appleton!

Well, that concludes our tour of The Badger State. Hope you enjoyed yourselves and Moker, our Guest Blogger! Please feel free to snag some more snacks (we’ve got plenty of lutefisk left!) on your way out, and Don’t Forget to Share the Comment Love Before You Leave. Pretty Please?

Beat Those Back-to-School Blues With a Giveaway!

As promised, Dear Readers, it's that time again--Time for another Great Pop'rs Giveaway! This one's simple, since you're right in the middle of that Most Bittersweet time o' year and some of you, most likely, are fighting those Back-to-School Blues.

Here's the deal. Leave a comment here, explaining what this time of year (end of summer, back to school, seasons changing--whatever tickles your fancy!) means to you. That's it! At Midnight on September 5, EST, we'll select Two Grand Prize Winners by random drawing. What do you win? Why, a complete box of Pop'rs--All eight flavors!--that tasty and fun seasoning that really encourages kids to Eat. Their. Veggies!

Above, BTW, is a Parting Shot of the Pop'rs Cousins at the beach. We haven't done it in years, but we used to line them up here every year for a photo-shoot. We renewed the Family Tradition this year, before the kids get too old for going to the beach with the Old Folks!

Pictured, from the left, back row: Big Bear, The Wild One, College Boy, Shark Boy; front row: College Girl, Soccer Boy. For those of you who are new to the Pop'rs Family, The Wild One and College Girl are mine; the four boys are the Number One Sons to Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn. And, to the Uninitiated, the answer is "no." Veggie Mom and Aunt Julie aren't the same person; Veggie is married to Auntie J.'s brother, Uncle Mark, also known as Moker. And who could wish for a better SIL?

Dirt Farmer

My Nana used to get down and dirty in her garden. When she was done, she was sometimes so filthy she'd have to hose off out by the well before she came in the house. I felt that way today!

Day #2 of "tidying up" before the end o' summer comes, and there still seems to be No. End. In. Sight! Finished up dividing and transplanting daylilies, and creating a new bed by the side of the house. Waiting for The Hubby to come home from work so that we can play Nuke the Honeysuckle. I do love that plant, but it's out of control this year. I think I'm gonna give him permission to wield the pick axe any way he wants--Damn the Torpedoes and Full Speed Ahead!

Feeling slightly anxious to get this done, 'cause school starts next week and then all Heck is gonna break loose. Which reminds me: Another Great Pop'rs Giveaway starts Friday! It's gonna have a Back-to-School Theme, and you're gonna love it!

One of the really good things to come out of all of this Daylily Surgery is that I moved a treasured plant that Aunt Julie gave me last spring. It's called Mary Todd; no relation to Big Bird or Stargazer, but another beauty just the same. I planted it right next to the Chicago Apache I got on sale today. Can't wait to see how that one blooms. I only wish I had the green thumb that Auntie J. has!

In the meantime, I must get my messy self back to gardening. Could someone please untangle the hose for me?