Goofin' Off With a Sweet Mystery Revealed

Well, the mystery quilt has been finished for a few days now. I've been waiting for an opportunity to hop on here and update the blog. I will give you a forewarning, however, there is a minor cake mix rant at the end...with a solution I found.

Also, I just wanted to slip in here that I was honored when I was asked to be blogger of the week over at the Blogger of the Week blog. I've met a lot of great new friends there. A new blogger is featured every week. If you're interested in making new blogging friends, this is a great place to start.

Clue #4 left me with these blocks joined together:

Clue #4 Revealed

And Clue #5 joined these pieces together:

Clue #5 Revealed

And the final finish after Clue #6:

Clue #6 - Mystery Solved

The name of the mystery was "Which Way". I can see where the name came from with the arrows point each way in the center. However, the top feels incomplete as is. It really needs a border. I think the white would wash it out, and I don't have enough of the pink left to do a border. I'll have to go through my stash to see what would look good.

But the month isn't over yet. And I still have a hankering for sweets. So I went through my stash remembering these fabrics I bought a couple of years ago and decided to see if I could slip in one more quilt finish before month end. 

Sweet Holiday Fabrics with Cakes and Gingerbread Houses, Red Floral Tonal, and Light Brown Waffle Cone Print

It seems Project Linus will be inheriting some pretty sweet quilts in the near future.  And I've made a dent in my stash at the same time. It's a win/win situation for sure.

I also got a little stitching in this week. I've been working on a few pieces from the August 2017 edition of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine from the patterns titled "Frozen Fun".

My First "Frozen Fun" - Just Needs Back Stitch

Second Piece from "Frozen Fun"

I wasn't able to complete the back stitch of the first piece as I didn't have the recommended color for the pattern. I'll need to get out and pick that up this weekend. 

Now for a slight cake mix rant.  I have, for the past few years, noticed my cakes were coming out smaller and flatter. I assumed that it was something that I was doing. After all, I am not a master baker like some of my friends and family. And then I ran across someone saying they had noticed that the amount of cake mix included in a box had shrunk by 3 ounces...from 18.25 ounces to 15.25 ounces. 

Cake Mix Now Only Contains 15.25 ounces of Cake Mix

What in the world was Betty Crocker thinking?  My 9" x 13" pan has not shrunk. My 9" rounds have not shrunk. The recipes in my Cake Mix Magic cookbook have not changed. How could they possibly think it's okay to change the amount? I'd rather pay a little more than to not have enough cake mix.

Am I the only one who didn't know this had happened?  

After some Googling on the internet, I was able to find what appears to be a common "fix" to the solution. Really, you're just adding your own ingredients to the mix to make it fit your pans or work in your recipes. But here it is:  

I'll give the three-ounce cake upsizer a try in the next few days and let you know how it went for me. 

If you've had the same issue and have come up with a good fix, feel free to let me know in the comments.  

Here is wishing all my blogging friends a sweet weekend!

Linking Up With:
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Goofin' Off With a Sweet Mystery Continuation

It looks like I may have a little time on my hands to read a book (or two) just for fun in the not too distant future. I don't get to enjoy mindless reading very often very often, but when I do, I love a good, simple mystery. The first real mystery I read was back in grade school. It was an Agatha Christie. I have read her classics several times each and never get tired of them. But sometimes...just sometimes...I need something a little more mindless.

Talking of mysteries, this past weekend I spent every spare moment I could find into working on my mystery quilt that I introduced in last blog post. Although I am almost finished, I'll post the results of the first three clues here, and then share the last three with the final reveal in the next post later this week. I should have a finish to show off by then. 

Here is the result of Clue #1:  

Clue #1 Finished

And Clue #2:

Clue #2 Finished

And Clue #3:

Clue #3 Finished

Clue #1 actually took the longest to complete because there were a ton of those little buggers. Clue #2 took almost as long. But Clue #3 went together pretty quickly. I can't wait to show you the results, but you'll just have to wait.

Since I have been kind of on a "sweets" kick this month...and since Mickey and Pirate Friends was at a good point to set aside for a week...I decided to start a couple of small stitching pieces. The theme for these, of course, was also "sweet". The pattern set is titled "Frozen Fun" and designed by Jane Prutton. They can be found in August 2017 issue of Cross Stitch Crazy magazine. 

Here is where I am at in my first stitching piece:  

Frozen Fun Piece #1 - as of 08/15/2017

I am thinking of completing two of the six designs in the set. I think I have decided how I'll finish them but keep it a surprise in case I change my mind. I do that sometimes...change my mind. 

There does seem to be a theme of sweets and mysteries here. So I guess it shouldn't surprise me that as I was searching for a good mystery or two to read I noticed another trend. Some of my most favorite book series right now include...wait for it...sweets and mysteries. Actually, this trend has been going along for a while not just the past few weeks. I've decided to give you a list of my favorite mystery series at the moment.  

My first pick is the "Cupcake Bakery Mystery" series by Jenn McKinlay. She writes of a cupcake shop owner and her co-workers that somehow always find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery. At the end of each book is a half dozen or so specialty cupcake recipes. Yum...

Cover Photo as Found on penguinrandomhouse.com on 8/15/2017

Another sweet series the "Paws & Claws Mystery" series written by Krista Davis (whom also has another delicious series titled "The Domestic Diva Mystery which is equally as appetizing). In this series a young woman goes to help her grandmother run an inn that tailors to travelers who travel with their pets. Apparently, murder and mayhem abound in this quaint little town. Again, at the end of each book is a few recipes for food served at the inn...both food for humans and food for their pets. 

Cover Photo as Found on penguinrandomhouse.com on 8/15/2017

The last series I've chosen for my pick is the "Emergency Dessert Squad Mystery" series by Laura Bradford. This series follows a baker who has inherited an old ambulance from a elderly neighbor. She transforms the ambulance into a business where she caters and delivers desserts on an emergency basis. Of course, as in all good murder mystery series, she always finds herself in the thick of a murder probe. As with the two series mentioned before, the back of the book will find you with a number of delicious dessert recipes.

Cover Photo as Found on penguinrandomhouse.com on 8/15/2017

So, apparently, I have a thing for books that are full of mystery and contain lots of new dessert recipes. I really like the fact that these books are good and clean...occasionally there is a side romance, but things never get smutty. They are also all very easy to read...but do often make me hungry.

I do not have any affiliate links at this time on my blog. These are my sincere "sweet" mystery series recommendations. If at any time I choose to change my blog to contain affiliate links, I will be sure to notify my readers. 

Do you have any series that you enjoy reading? Please leave them in the comments below. I am always looking for a new, good series. 

My thought for the day:
"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all."  --Laura Ingalls Wilder

Linking Up With:
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Goofin' Off With Some Sweet Treats

I have had a bit of a sweet tooth lately.  I have been trying to watch what I eat a little better, as I've got some clothes I'm going to need to fit into in a few months for a family cruise. But I love my sweets. (Deep sigh.) I'll put aside my sweet thoughts for a moment for a quick update on my projects.

I've been putting all those little pieces of fabric together and watching the sub-units of the quilt blocks begin to form. I can't wait to see how they will all look when I am finished.  I think I mentioned before, I have slightly altered a block pattern I found to create these blocks. I have not sketched out what the final block will look like. I have my fingers crossed it will look okay when it's finished.

24 Completed Sub-Units

48 Completed Sub-Units

I have one more set of 24 sub-units to put together before I begin block assembly for Chef Freddie's Favorites.  I can't wait to get this little guy's fabric worked into the blocks.  I don't know why, but this fabric reminds me a little of Kermit. I love a good Muppet movie.

Focus Fabric I Have Named Chef Freddie

Below is a quick update on my Mickey and Pirate Friends monster-sized cross stitch. The side of Goofy's head is beginning to appear.  Yay!  

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch - 07/23/2017

And a reminder of what the finished piece will look like.

As I talked about earlier, I have had a bit of a sweet tooth...probably for the past 48 years or so. But the sweets cravings have been especially bad lately.  

Last night Mr. Goofin' Off went out with the "kids" to celebrate my nephew's last Saturday as a bachelor. They hit up Red Robin and the Spider Man movie. He bought me these little babies so I wouldn't feel left out. Mr. Goofin' Off is really thoughtful that way. 

My Current Sweet Tooth Downfall - Lava Cakes

These lava cakes are rich.  I love how they just melt in my mouth with all of their chocolaty gooey-ness.  Fortunately, there are only two in a box, so once they are gone, they are gone.  I lost a couple of pounds the past few weeks, so I don't want to undo what I've accomplished.  These were not my only sweet tooth purchase this week...just the only edible one...that I am admitting to.

I saw a blog post earlier this week from a fellow blogger who had recently purchased a British cross stitch magazine with some adorable sweet treat patterns in it.  I hurried over to JoAnn's to see if they had the issue, so I could add it to my stash. The gal was putting out new issues of magazines when I came in. She asked what I was looking for, so I told her. She said she had a few issues but hadn't put them out yet.

She grabbed the latest issue of Cross Stitch Crazy and handed it to me. I gladly took the magazine from her hand, glanced at the cover, and finished my shopping at JoAnn's.  When I got home and took the magazine out, I realized it wasn't the one I had wanted.  But it did have the patterns for these little sweeties.  

I think they will make adorable little quilt block centers all stitched up. Oh, the ideas are flowing.  If only I had the time to do all the projects I have in my head.

Why do I feel like I need to go run five miles just for looking at these sweeties?  (Or maybe it's because I had a lava cake last night.)

What is your current craving right now...whether it be food, stash, TV show binge...? I'd love to hear from you. 

Linking up with:  

Slow Sunday Stitching

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