s'more bites

hello! i am chloe, heather's daughter, and today i discovered s'more bites.

i told my mom 'you should write a blog about them because they are so delicious!'

and she replied 'why don't you write a blog about it?'

and so i am.

you will need:

coconut oil

cocoa powder

maple syrup

vanilla

marshmallows

graham crackers (gluten free ones would work for this recipe)

tooth picks

parchment paper

baking sheet

small bowls

step 1:

first you will need to make your homemade chocolate

you will need

6tbsp of melted coconut oil

6tbsp of cocoa powder

2tbsp of maple syrup (or another sweetener)

mix all of these in a small bowl and there you have your chocolate!

It is also very tasty on its own.

step 2:

crunch up your graham crackers

you will need 

3-4 crackers

i put my graham crackers into our blender, and it came out well, but you could 

also crunch them with your hands or a meat tenderizer.

when your graham crackers are crunched enough, put them in a small bowl.

step 3:

stab your marshmallows with toothpicks

you will need

marshmallows

toothpicks

you need to put a toothpick right in the middle of all your marshmallows.

step 4: 

line your baking sheet with parchment paper

step 5:

dip your marshmallows

next you will need to dip your marshmallows into your chocolate

this doesn't take very long, but the chocolate can sometimes not want to let

go of the marshmallow.

right after i dipped one marshmallow into the chocolate, i dipped it

into the graham cracker crumbs, then placed them on the cookie sheet.

step 6:

once all of your marshmallows are adequately dipped into chocolate and

graham cracker, you can either eat them right then or put them in the

freezer. 

leave them in the freezer for an hour and once they are done, enjoy them!

It Only Looks Like Cheating

last week a client dropped off a quilt.

as what normally happens she asked about the computer on my longarm.

i told her it was wonderful.

and one of the perks is that while it's running i can do "other stuff" (e.g. writing a blog post, doing laundry, making food...).

as she walked to her car she said, "that's cheating!"

i chuckled to myself.

smiled.

went inside.

that's when i realized that i used to say the same thing!

i used to think that using a computer meant there was no originality to the quilt.

that hand guided was better, more artistic.

well, that line of thinking nearly trashed my body.

literally, it was a pain in the neck (and shoulder and back).

i ended up with my left shoulder muscle being so tight that i would brace myself for hugging people.

just the tipping of my head wrong sent pain that registered an '8' for me.

and i've got a very high pain threshold.

forget about sudden jarring movements.

that elicited a yelp of pain and would take me several minutes to recover.

people.  that is seriously not good.

plus i had the stress of being home but never getting anything accomplished.

everything was a mad scramble.

if i wasn't working the machine i was cleaning, or cooking, or driving people somewhere...

 and worrying about the responsibility of the unfinished quilt on the frame.

but if i was working on the quilt then i wasn't cleaning, cooking or...

as you can imagine i was a mess.

physically and mentally.

the addition of the computerized system (Intelliquilter, for those who are curious) has relieved the stress.

i still work.

putting a quilt on the frame requires more than just pins.

then i have to monitor it to make sure there aren't puckers, etc.

i also have to roll it up and other essentials.

this isn't a set-it-and-forget-it type of deal.

but i now can do more of my to-do list in a day.

as well, i think this is a dream for most working women (moms to be exact).

to be able to get paid work done while managing the trifecta (house, kids, husband) is really wonderful.

right.

so there you go...

and now i'm going to go sew a binding on a quilt!

happy sewing day!

xo,

~ h

Heather Spence Designs

this morning as i was sitting at the laundromat waiting for washing and drying on a rag quilt

i realized it was blog post day today!

so here's what i'm offering...a video of all the quilts i've had a hand in over the last four years.

well, okay...three and a half.

two of them aren't even finished being bound yet!

some of the photos are of very poor quality because the camera i was using wasn't good.

but...this is my first time.

i'm allowed a bit of breathing room.

you should totally watch the video!

maybe one of your quilts in it.

xo,

~ h

the joys of my life

i've been thinking a lot about my joys this week.

my dogs, kids, husband, home and my job (not necessarily in that order) all bring such immense joy.

my to-do list is being conquered...

the sun has been shining...

the roses are blooming...

here's what's been happening on the frame these last few weeks...

Jackie's dresden plate quilt
Quilted with Chantilly pantograph and a light yellow thread

Sheri's quilt
Quilted with Easy Orange Peel pantograph with a variegated cream to light tan

Sheri's quilt
Quilted with Easy Orange Peel pantograph with a variegated cream to light tan

Helen's quilt
Quilted with Bouganvilla pantograph in a light gold/wheat color thread

Sylvia's quilt
Quilted with Blue Lagoon pantograph in a variegated thread

My Elevation quilt
Quilted with Seafoam pantograph in a variegated dark green thread

My Elevation quilt
Quilted with Seafoam pantograph in a variegated dark green thread

A Finish!
My 2015 Ben Franklin BOM is officially done!
I gave it to a friend whose just had her 50th birthday.
The quilt is just as sassy as she is.

My Silo Barn Quilt.
I modified Lori Holts Silo Barn quilt to have 12 silo barns instead of 4.
I LOVE the way it turned out.
It's waiting patiently for it's binding.
Quilted with Blush pantograph in a light teal thread.

my studio is a bit of a disaster.

we've spent quite a bit of time away from the house visiting homeschool co-ops and running errands.

i'm hoping this next week will be quieter.

though, happily, we'll be having quite a few rehearsals for ballet coming up!

*squee*

did i tell y'all that i'll be a jellyfish in our recital?

the girls will be fish.

we'll be dancing together.

i love being a mommy.

my girls are without a doubt some of the most amazing people i know.

and they make me a better person just for having known them.

happy early mother's day to all you beautiful women out there!

whether you have children of your own body or not your influence and love is felt and cherished.

xo,

~ h