a swap and some bread

I have a couple fun things to share today.  First off, I signed up for a swap on Swap-bot that was a whimsical fat quarter and something handmade out of whimsical fabric based on our partners profile.  I checked my recipient's profile and was a little stumped at first on what kind of colors, themes, etc that I should go with.  I finally noticed that she put that she likes owls, so that's the theme I went with!  I'm still digging mug rugs, so thought I might try a little applique.  I'm happy with how it turned out, and best part is that she really liked it too! 

back view:

I just did a meandering swirly quilty pattern - I imagined that those were they "flying lines" of the owl before it landed on the mug rug. Hee, hee :)  And it also kind of mimicked the lines from the fabric I used on the back, which is an Alexander Henry print that I love!
The other fun thing is that I tried a new recipe for pumpkin bread and it turned out fabulously!  I have been finding all kinds of cool stuff to try on Pinterest, which is a website where you can browse all sorts of images that also have a link to a website that might have a tutorial and such.  I was right about to sign out the other night when I saw this loaf of beautiful bread, I clicked on it and it had a link to a recipe for pumpkin cream cheese bread.  Oh man!  Amanda, from the blog Modern Marigold, had posted a "pin-did challenge" for people to actually do the things that they pin.  I thought this was the perfect opportunity to try it out and I'm so glad I did because it turned out sooooooo good. 


That lighter area in the middle is a ripple of cream cheese! yum. I will definitely be trying this again!
In other news, I did not finish the book that I was sure I was going to finishe this weekend, The Mercy by Beverly Lewis.  I really, really wanted to keep reading -but- I thought that this week was book club and I had not read my chapters yet!  So, I buckled down and read to chapter 8.5 in that even though I'm pretty sure we were supposed to get to 11 (?), then I checked the church website in search of a phone # to confirm that book club was indeed tonight and it said November 1st.  Whooo!  :)  So, I still have time to catch up.  Good thing.  This weekend is the scrapbook retreat and I'll bring it along because sometimes my brain just needs a break from scrapbooking!