Goofin' Off and Wondering Where Did October Go?

I can't believe we're closing in on the end of October already. The Goofin' Offs have been having a great month and staying busy. It has definitely cut into my project time, but that's life I suppose.

Thanks to all of those who wished me well on my last post about an exciting possibility for me. I have had several magical opportunities present themselves lately. But the one I am most excited about...well, I got a call and have made it to the next level of interview. I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed that it all goes well.

I have not had as much time to sew lately, but I have managed to get the first two sets of borders on the Woody/Toy Story Quilt.

Woody/Toy Story Quilt With First Set of Borders

Woody/Toy Story Quilt With Second Set of Borders

The colors are coming together so well. It's such fun fabric to be working with. I love all the new Disney fabric lines that Camelot Fabrics has been coming out with lately...so many fabrics, so little time.

I managed to get another section completed on the Mickey and Pirate friends cross stitch. 

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 10/25/2017

Looking at Goofy's bright eyes never, ever, ever gets old.

Mr. Goofin' Off and I haven't had a chance to carve pumpkins yet. I was thinking about this the other day and looking up some fun designs on Pinterest. There are so many cool designs. But I found some really fantastic Disney designs with carving templates right on Disney's family.disney.com website.

Check out this Goofy pumpkin!

Image Credit:  Family.Disney.Com

Hope I can talk Mr. Goofin' off into carving this one.

It reminds me of the pumpkins we saw at Disneyland a few weeks ago. Oh, how I miss my Disney right now. So let me share a few more pictures of the Disneyland pumpkins.

Donald Pumpkin Greeting Guests at Disneyland

Minnie and Pluto Pumpkins Greeting Guests at Disneyland

Mickey Pumpkin Greeting Guests at Disneyland

Thanks again for letting me indulge myself with my Disney goofiness.  Are you carving pumpkins this year? If so, what will your pumpkin look like? I'd love to know in the comments. I'd enjoy some pumpkin-carving inspiration.

Have a magical day, my friends!

For more stitching, quilting, and crafting inspiration, I'm linking up to:
Needle and Thread Thursday

Goofin' Off With an Exciting Possibility and a Disney Animator, Director, and Producer

Last weekend, Mr. Goofin' Off and I had the opportunity to hear a 32-year Disney veteran speak here at a local community college. It was so much fun and fascinating to hear his stories of his years working on movies, books, and Disney theme park projects. I'll save that for later since so many of you are here for the updates on my projects.

I have finished assembling the center of the first Toy Story quilt for my nephew and his adorable wife. I am pleased with how it's turning out. Just need to get those borders on now and then go ahead and sandwich, quilt or tie, and bind it.

First Toy Story Quilt - Center Assembly

Here is a close up of the design and fabric.  It like it so much, I may have to make another one at some point...maybe for charity.

Woody is Adorable Smiling and Tipping His Hat

Just a reminder that the pattern comes from the book Modern Views With 3-Yard Quilts. The fabric of Woody from Toy Story comes from Camelot Fabrics.

I managed to get some stitching in over the past week and you can find the top of Goofy's head getting closer to completion. I still can't wait for more of his friends to appear in their pirate attire.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 10/13/2017

I like to post a picture about once a month of what the piece should look like once it is finished. It also helps to keep me motivated to see where I am headed with it.

Mickey and Pirate Friends - End Goal for Me

Towards the end of last week, I received an unexpected e-mail about an opportunity that I had applied for months ago. I had honestly assumed they weren't interested and had forgotten about it until I received the e-mail. I had a phone interview earlier this week and have my fingers crossed I will hear something back sooner rather than later. Who wouldn't want to have their dream job? If you think about it send positive thoughts, cross your fingers and toes, say a little prayer, etc., for me. I appreciate all you!

Last Saturday, our local group of Disney enthusiasts got to a meet-up at the local community college and hear Dave Bossert speak. I love this group. If you live in the Pacific Northwest area and are a Disney enthusiast you can find the group and all of their activities here at www.pnwmousemeet.com. They even handed out a little swag which included an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit frisbee.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit Frisbee

Dave worked with Disney for 32 years as an animator, producer, director, and as well as on special theme park projects. He worked on movies such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, to name a few.

One of his more recent projects actually has been to hunt down, save, and resort Walt Disney's first series of cartoon shorts...the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series. Can you see the resemblance in the picture of the rabbit to a certain mouse? Throughout his presentation, he showed us three different shorts. It was fascinating and fun to watch them.

He talked a little about his work that he did on movies and some stories about some antics that happened behind the scenes at the studio...including a flying nun habit that apparently wasn't as funny to a newly-hired Michael Eisner and his group as it was to the animators who were horsing around with it.

His speaking about the movies he worked on...namely The Nightmare Before Christmas...reminded me of this fun new Halloween display greeting us outside of Disney's California Adventure last month.

Oogie Boogie from The Nightmare Before Christmas Greeting Guests at Night

Sorry for more Disney pictures...well, sort of...  I have a few more to share with you before Halloween.

This got me thinking...about Halloween...about movies and cartoons...and I must ask...do you have a favorite Halloween movie or cartoon? I'm kind of partial to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. It's very nostalgic to me. I'd love to hear in the comments if you have a favorite or favorites. Maybe there will be something new for me to check out this year.

Have a magical day, my friends!

Linking to More Funtastic Quilting/Stitching Blogs:
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop
Finished or Not Friday
Friday Foto Fun
Show Off Saturday

Goofin' Off With a Splash of Color and Some Disneyland Pics

October has begun. This year, I feel it's kicking off the holiday season...beginning with Halloween. When we got to play at Disneyland a few weeks ago, they were beginning to decorate for Halloween. I've been going through my pictures and decided to share a few at the end to kick off the Halloween season here in the Goofin' Off house.

But I know many of you just come for all the quilting and stitching goodies, so I'll get started there first. A few weeks ago I decided to participate in my first quilt along. This quilt along is being hosted by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts. The name of this quilt along is Black and White with a Splash of Color. I chose to participate because the rules were pretty easy and progress is only posted every two weeks. It has just begun, so if you want to join in, it's not too late. 

My Splash of Color Fabrics

The only rule is that:  "Your quilt must be black and white with a splash of color, any color." You can see the fabrics I have chosen to use. As you can see, I've chosen blue as my splash of color. The picture is a bit misleading as I will just be using just some scraps and leftovers of blues from previous quilts. However, I will be using almost 3 yards each of the white and black fabrics that I pulled from my stash. This project should be a good stash and scrap buster.

If you're just now finding my blog through the quilt along, please feel free to follow me. I love meeting new people and making new friends.

Mickey Mug Inspiration

This Mickey mug became the inspiration for the fabrics I chose and the pattern I'll be using for the quilt top. The pattern is called "Wine Country" and comes from the December/January 2017 edition of McCall's Quick Quilts.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 10/06/2017

I got another small section finished on Mickey and Pirate Friends. I am beginning to see Goofy's pirate beard begin to take shape. I am still anxiously awaiting to see some of his pirate friends appear. This continues to be a lot of fun to work on despite all the constant changing of thread colors.

Disneyland Halloween Pictures Ahead

This is the first year in a while that I have actually been excited for Halloween. I am guessing it has something to do with the fact that when we were at Disneyland a few weeks ago, they were getting things all gussied up for this fun holiday. I snapped some pictures. Here are some pictures from the Cars Land area at Disney's California Adventure.

Giant Spider Hung Between Power Poles

A Spooky Face Hung Between Power Poles

I love the Cars Land area of the parks. If you have seen the movies, as you walk through this area, it feels as if you are actually walking through the movie itself. It is fantastic. 

Baby Tractor Dressed as Mummy

This adorable baby tractor was all dressed up as a mummy at Mater's Petting Zoo. 

Movie Posters That Have Been Re-Done With a Cars Theme

These Were So Much Fun to Read

Even the characters from the Cars movie were all dressed up for Halloween.

Mater All Dressed Up as Dracula

The small details of the Halloween theme were everywhere. Take a look at this adorable pumpkin patch...all made from gasoline cans. 

Pumpkin Patch of Gasoline Cans

It's given me a few ideas for Halloween decorations at the Goofin' Off house. I have a feeling I will be checking out Pinterest this weekend for a few more ideas.

Do you do anything special for Halloween?  Feel free to leave a comment and let me know. 

For More Stitching, Quilting, and Other Crafting Goodness, Follow the Links Below to Some of My Favorite Link Parties:

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!
Finished or Not Friday
Scrap Happy Saturday

Goofin' Off With Some Sweet Ghirardelli Goodness

I was doing some picking up the other day and finally finished unpacking my carry-on bag that I take when we travel. In the front zipper pouch I found I had tucked away a little sample that had been passed out to us at Disney's California Adventure. Did you know that there are a few places at Disneyland that give out free samples? Yep! And after we've shelled out so much money to go there, we never hesitate to partake of the free samples.

Ghirardelli Pumpkin Spice Caramel

I decided to have a little fun with this sample, but I'll get to that in a minute. First, let's get to what many of you are here for...updates to the projects.

I've had my sewing machine pumping out these these sweet blocks the past few days. I continue to be smitten with this Woody fabric and can't wait to see these block sets assembled into a quilt. 

Block Set C

Block Set D

My Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch piece continues to come along nicely. At this point, I am anxious to see some of Goofy's friends start appearing with him. I know I've got a ways to go, so I'll just enjoy Goofy's big eyes staring at me for now. 

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 10/04/2017

Back to my current appetite for Ghirardelli. As I mentioned before, we got a sample at the Ghirardelli shop at Disney's California Adventure on our last trip. They were handing out samples of their fall flavor of Pumpkin Spice Caramel. It was a tasty combination...pumpkin + chocolate + caramel = yummy.

Some people in our group...okay, all of us in the group...decided we wanted more than a Ghirardelli sample, so we went ahead and treated ourselves to some ice cream sundaes. I'm not sure what the boys ordered, but I know I got the Mint Bliss Sundae (on the far right). I have to get one at least once on every Disney trip. 

Sundaes from Ghirardelli Soda Fountain at Disney's California Adventure

I can report back that there was not anything left of these when we left...nope...not a drop...spoons licked clean.

Finding the little sample when I unpacked made me think of the ads Ghirardelli had kept sending to my Facebook feed. Basically, it's an oven-baked s'more using a Ghirardelli chocolate square instead of the traditional Hershey bar. Ghirardelli Facebook ads for the win!

Ghirardelli Oven-Baked S'Mores

It's really quite simple...and tasty. I layered one half of a graham cracker with a marshmallow and placed it on the rack in the middle of my oven. I turned the broiler on. It took me a little over 60 seconds for the marshmallow to toast. I would keep a close eye on it because it would probably start to burn quite quickly. After I took it out of the oven, I placed a Ghirardelli chocolate square on top followed by another square of the graham cracker. Take a bite...or two...

I enjoyed my first s'more with the pumpkin, so I thought in order to give my readers a more rounded review, I would try it with another flavor of the Ghirardelli squares. That's right, I did for you...really, I did. I settled on the Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel that I had. Yep. It was just as sweet and just as delicious.

Thanks for dropping by and giving me an excuse to indulge in my chocolate treats. I hope you enjoyed your stay and will come by again really soon.

Links to Where You Can Find Some of My Favorite Things from Today's Post

Modern View 3-Yard Quilts by Donna Robertson 

Disney Toy Story Woody Fabric

Ghirardelli Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Caramel Squares

Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Squares

For more crafting eye candy and inspiration, I am linking up with:

Mid-Week Makers
Let's Bee Social
WIP Wednesday

Goofin' Off With Friends and Toy Story

I had a fantastic weekend this past weekend. As I have been working on my newest project of three Toy Story-themed quilts, I have been pondering a lot the theme of the Toy Story movies...which is one of friendship. Blogging has brought so many new and wonderful friends into my life and enriched it. As we share tips, tutorials, recipes, patterns, and stories about our families with each other I find myself among a very supportive group. Thank you for that, my friends!

Block A Finishes

On Saturday, I finished the first set of blocks for the first Toy Story quilt.  How can you not smile seeing Woody's happy face smiling up at you?

Block B Finishes

Sunday afternoon I finished up the second set of blocks. I hadn't expected to get them all done, so I was happily surprised when I put those last triangles on the corners. Now I just need to trim them all up. The pattern I am using for this quilt comes from the book Modern View 3-Yard Quilts by Donna Robertson. The Woody Toy Story fabric is from Camelot Fabrics.

I got a small section started on my page 2 of Mickey and Pirate Friends cross stitch picture. It felt quite good to actually be starting a new page on this piece...even if it will take years to complete it. 

Mickey and Pirate Friends as of 09/26/2017

Sunday morning, I woke up to an email from Chooky over at chookyblue.blogspot.com. When I opened it, she had said she had seen something in a window display, thought of me, and took a picture of it. Here is the picture she shared with me. 

Chooky Thought of Me When She Saw This! Happy me!

I am so tickled that she saw Disney and thought of me. We are on opposite sides of the world. It is only through the blogging world that we have even met. It was one of several reminders this past week of how much my blogging friends have become a part of my life. I wonder how they are doing if they are feeling ill. I wonder if that granddaughter they've been waiting for has been born yet. I look forward to seeing their vacation pictures and project updates. Online friends are every bit as special as any other friends I have.

Mr. Goofin' Off and I decided to head out to brunch later on Sunday morning. It was a gorgeous morning, so we chose a place right on the water. Mr. Goofin' Off encouraged me to have a hot chocolate with my brunch. It was perfect for a fall morning. Mmm...rich, chocolatey goodness. 

Rich, Delicious Hot Chocolate with Brunch

After we stuffed ourselves with brunch, we headed out for a nice walk along the beach. The sun was out shining, boats were out fishing, families were out walking and playing together. I didn't want to leave and came home the most relaxed I've been in a while.

Walking Down at Edmonds Beach

A quote about friendship:

"Friendship...is born at the moment when one man says to another, 'What! You too? I thought that no one but myself...'"
--C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Have your online friends left an impact on your life? I'd love to hear your experiences.

Linking Up With - Take a Peek at These Linky Parties for More Crafting Eye Candy:
Fiber Tuesday
To-Do Tuesday
Too Cute Tuesday
Midweek Makers
Let's Bee Social
WIP Wednesday
Needle and Thread Thursday

Goofin' Off With the Start of Fall 2017

Mr. Goofin' Off kept telling me earlier this week that he felt like someone had flipped a switch and it had gone from summer to fall in a snap. The weather is cooler, the skies are gray, and the days are definitely getting shorter. Well, I guess officially it is fall now.

With the first days of fall, I am brought back to my days as a little girl. My father worked a late shift, so often my mother would often bake at night after we went to bed while she waited for my dad to get home from work. In the fall, I would sometimes wake up to the smell of pumpkin bread...mmm...pumpkin bread. That memory inspired me to make some of my favorite pumpkin muffins this week.

Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin

2 cups sugar

1-1/4 cups vegetable oil

1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

1.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. 

2.  In a second bowl, beat the eggs, pumpkin, sugar, and vegetable oil. 

3.  Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients just until moistened. 

4.  Fold in chocolate chips.  

5.  Fill muffin cups approximately 2/3 full. 

Bake approximately 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. 

Makes approximately 20 to 24 muffins. 

There is just something that smells so good about pumpkin muffins fresh out of the oven. I found a recipe a few years back that tasted very similar to my mother's recipe. I tweaked it a little so that I could add chocolate chips to the recipe. My family loves them, so they don't last very long around here.

Pumpkin Goofy!

I have added a gratuitous Goofy jack-o-lantern picture here from our trip to Disneyland because well...it's Goofy...and it's a pumpkin.

I found myself with some time yesterday and got my next quilt all cut out. Here are the pieces for the blocks.  

Pieces for Block A

Pieces for Block B

Pieces for Block C

Pieces for Block D

I love this fabric of Woody from Toy Story.  This will be one of at least three Toy Story quilts that I'll be making from the Toy Story fabric that I've purchased.  The pattern I am using is from the book Modern View 3 Yard Quilts by Donna Robertson of Fabric Cafe. I ordered it Monday from Amazon, and it arrived on Wednesday. Gotta love Amazon Prime. 

Modern Views with 3-Yard Quilts by Donna Robertson

Modern Views with 3-Yard Quilts

I already have about half a dozen of Donna's quilt patterns but none of the patterns in this book. Each pattern uses 1 yard each of three different fabrics. These are the perfect size for the charity quilts I make. The bonus of this book that I hadn't expected was that the book gave instructions on enlarging the quilts to twin and queen/king toppers.

Well, it's time to get in gear and work on the fall cleaning, baking, and getting those Christmas checklists started. Yes, I said it. I said "Christmas". It's going to be here before I know it, and I need to be prepared.

Let me know below. Are there any foods that remind you of the fall months? What are your favorites? I'd love to hear about them...and maybe drool a little bit over them.

Link Parties I've Joined - Just Click the Link to See More Crafting Eye Candy

Show Off Saturday

Saturday Share Fest

Slow Sunday Stitching

Moving It Forward Monday

Made By You Monday

Goofin' Off With the Winds of Change

I can't believe it has been almost three weeks since my last post. The past three weeks have been crazy, but it all came out great in the end. If you have been following me for some time, you'll know that we have had five weddings of nieces and nephews this summer. Well, the final wedding was a destination wedding...to the Caribbean...on a cruise ship. Well, Hurricane Irma changed those plans a few days before we were to leave. But more about that later...

Because things have been so crazy, I haven't been at my sewing machine much the past few weeks. I did manage, however, to put those last borders on my Gingerbread Square Dance quilt. You can see the finish below. 

Gingerbread Square Dance Completed Top

Now it's time to work on the Toy Story quilts for the happy couple that got married in July with the Toy Story themed wedding. They will be two lap size quilts to keep them warm while studying (or watching TV or playing video games) this winter. 

Here is the first set of fabrics that I've put together. I hope to be cutting into them in the next 24 hours. My rotary cutter is just itching to get picked up and slice through some fabrics. 

Fabrics for Woody/Toy Story Quilt

I did manage to get a bit of stitching on Mickey and Pirate Friends. It seemed an easier project to pick up and put down while all the travel changes were going down. Page 1 of ??? has been completed. I can see all of Goofy's eyes now.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 09/20/2017

As I mentioned above, Hurricane Irma decided to make herself known a few days before we were to leave for our Caribbean cruise. We were given the choice of taking a shortened cruise leaving four days late or canceling and getting our money back in the form of a cruise credit. The entire group that was going on the cruise decided to just cancel as there was no way we would be able to make it into Fort Lauderdale to catch our cruise ship. The flights were all booked up.

That gave us just a few days to make alternative plans. The wedding party was able to come up with an entire new plan in less than 48 hours. We would still be "cruising", only it wouldn't be on a cruise ship, and it wouldn't be to the Caribbean. It was decided that the wedding would be held in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. 

Victoria from the Front of the Fairmont Empress Hotel

We all boarded the Victoria Clipper in Seattle on Monday, September 11th, at way too early of a time in the morning. It was a beautiful three-hour trip up to Victoria and a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-70s. 

Let me just say here that when the Fairmont Empress in Victoria heard the story of the wedding plans being spoiled by Hurricane Irma, they were extremely accommodating. They allowed the wedding to take place in one of their flower gardens for no charge. They upgraded the room of the happy couple and made room for our large group to enjoy lunch together after the wedding. 

The Fairmont Empress is extremely beautiful and exquisite. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the lobby area. 

Mr. Goofin' Off on the Lobby Balcony in His Caribbean Wedding Atire

Lobby of the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, BC

The picture doesn't do this chandelier justice. It had to have been one of the most elegant chandeliers I've ever seen. And those fresh flowers just smelled so wonderful. 

After the wedding and lunch, Mr. Goofin' Off wanted to check out the miniature museum which was behind the hotel. We spent about an hour there. I think Mr. Goofin' Off probably could have spent another two hours there, but we had my mom with us, and I don't think her feet and legs would have held out as there was nowhere to sit down. We walked the waterfront for a while, and then went to catch the Victoria Clipper back to Seattle. 

After we got back home, we now had some airline miles that had been refunded back into our account and five days left of vacation that Mr. Goofin' Off had taken off of work. So what do you think the Goofin' Offs did?  I'll give you a hint...

Our Change in Vacation Plans Thanks to Hurricane Irma

You can look forward to a few pictures from our trip over the next couple of posts. As always, thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment or question below. 

*As a side note here, I just want to mention how much my heart hurts for those recovering from all the hurricanes, fires, and earthquakes. The Goofin' Offs send our prayers and good thoughts to anyone suffering from the devastation.*

Linking Up With:
Sew Some Love
Midweek Makers
Let's Bee Social
WIP Wednesday
Needle and Thread Thursday
Thank Goodness It's Finished Friday
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop!
Finished or Not Friday!
Stitchery Link Party

Goofin' Off With a Pre-Road-Trip Post

So this weekend is Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. I've mentioned before we have five weddings this summer for nieces and nephews. Well, number four happened last weekend down in Salt Lake City which we couldn't quite make. So this weekend the happy couple is having an "open house" in Vancouver, WA, so we'll be making a one-day road trip down and back. I'm looking forward to it. More on our plans down below.

I've got the center and first border on the Gingerbread Square Dance quilt. It's looking might tasty.

Gingerbread Square Dance With Center and First Border

I have a close up here so you can see all the tasty treats and gingerbread house on the focus fabric.

Close Up of Gingerbread Square Dance

I was able to stitch up another little section of Mickey and Pirate friends...just some more of Goofy's pirate hat. I apologize that I must have had a weird filter on when I took this picture. It's a little dark.

Mickey and Pirate Friends Cross Stitch as of 09/02/2017

And since I occasionally get requests for what this piece will look like when it's finished...and it's a new month so a good time for a reminder...here is what the finished stitched piece will look like.

Mickey and Pirate Friends

We're pretty excited to be headed today to celebrate wedding number four. When we asked what the dress code for the event would be, we were told it would be pretty casual. Blue jeans are perfectly acceptable. Yay! I'm thinking Mr. Goofin' Off and I should wear our special shoes. 

Our Disney Vans

These shoes are our special occasion casual shoes. Mr. Goofin' Off has the Mickey shoes and mine are a pretty purple with Jasmine on them. I wanted to be sure you knew because Mr. Goofin' Off would be horrified if he had to wear shoes with a princess on them. No mix-ups here.

Road Trip Snacks Courtesy of Mr. Goofin' Off

Mr. Goofin' Off headed out the other evening to pick up some snacks for our road trip.  I think he thought we were driving cross country or something because there is no way we'll eat all of these in six hours of driving. That's one ginormous bag of Red Vines. Minnie does approve and thinks these snacks are pretty sweet.

Reading Material for the Road Trip

I gathered up some reading material for the road trip...a few of my Disney magazines. I should be all up to date at what's going on at Disney by the time we get back...and possibly a few pounds heavier.

So that's what the Goofin' Offs have going on this weekend. What are your plans? Will you be sewing, stitching, BBQ-ing? Let me know in the comments below. 

Have a great weekend, my friends!

Linking Up With:
Show Off Saturday
Saturday Sharefest
Scrap Happy Saturday
Slow Sunday Stitching
Main Crush Monday
Moving It Forward Monday
Made By You Monday
Stitchery Link Party