I Like Thursday # 112 ~ Mail Call

 It has been a fun week for mail call ... for email and real mail.

This is my favorite new fabric! 

This is 

Bookish by Sharon Holland for Art Gallery

I really like this fabric collection.

There are a lot of fun ideas for this fabric in the Look Book.

There is also a

 Fabric Book Covers Video Tutorial by Sharon Holland

that looks like sun, but I am not sure what I want to make 

with these beautiful fabrics. 

I do love books.  

This is my favorite "new to me" book that arrived in the mail.

Since I am enjoying cross stitching at the moment I have been perusing cross stitch books online and this one really caught my eye.

Cross Stitch Mini Motifs Flowers by Susan Bates

I found my copy at Thrift Books for under $12.00.

I will not pay much more that for a used book.

This one was in almost new condition. 

It has large bright charts on thick glossy paper.

I will buy more of her books if I can find them inexpensively enough.

This is my favorite new Quilt Along find that arrived by email.

All info here: #mfaQAL @ Broadcloth Studio

This is all part of a new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston

I am actually thinking of maybe using my Bookish fabric for this QAL.

I should not be thinking of starting another sew or stitch along

but this one may be hard to resist.

I am hoping to plan a field trip to Boston to see this quilt exhibit. 

It is rare for quilting to be featured at a major art museum.

I actually had these little flags fly there as part of a 

"To Boston With Love" Flag Exhibit in 2013

To Boston With Love @ Museum of Fine Arts Boston

I was not able to attend the event at the time.

I thought about this on Monday

 when first post-pandemic Boston Marathon ran again.

Always a good day to celebrate life. 

My favorite mail call of the week was this lovely box of handmade ornaments from 

My Girl from her etsy shop,

The Cozy Forrest

I am so looking forward to adding these to my tree this year! 

Also in the mail  this week  ... 

Spooky Box 2021 @ Fat Quarter Shop

It is very cute! 

Beware! ... Sneak Peek Photo Below!

Do not look if you ordered and want to be surprised!

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It is spooky!

It was not all mail time this week.

There was fun stitching on my 

 October Halloween Stitch Along @ Pine Needles

I am slow-oww-ly stitch-ccch-ing ... on this one and having fun. 

There was work done on the house by Mr Scrapatch, who always takes the opportunity to ask for favorite goodies. One day it was tuna sandwiches, which he says I only make now when our son, Jonathan, is visiting. 

The next day it was Homemade Apple Crisp 

when our neighbor shared her apple picking bounty. 

There were chicken breasts and veggies to be used in the fridge,

so I concocted this recipe:

Honey Barbecue Crockpot Chicken

2-3 large chicken breasts
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup finely minced onion
3-4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon grated orange peel

3 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 drops hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy)
1/4 cup cornstarch

1 cup thin sliced celery

1 cup thinly sliced orange sweet pepper

1 shallot, thinly sliced 

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups rice

2 tablespoons butter

Trim chicken breasts and place in crockpot. Add salt and pepper, Mix all sauce ingredients except cornstarch in bowl and then pour over chicken. Cook on low 3-4 hours on Low.  When chicken tests done with meat thermometer, remove from sauce and cut into bite size pieces.  Add cornstarch to 1/3 cup sauce and stir. Add chicken and cornstarch mixture back into pot and cover. 

Cook 2 cups rice.  Add 2 tablespoons butter and fluff.

Slice veggies such as sweet pepper, celery, shallot into frying pan with 1/4 cup olive oil and stir fry over medium heat just to crisp tender.  I would have added other veggies if I had them.  Veggies can be cooked in crockpot with chicken. I like a little crunch to my veggies, so I cooked them on the stove.

Serve chicken and veggies over rice with plenty of sauce.

Mr. Scrapatch said it was yummy!  

This recipe is a keeper.

Happy Thursday

Linking up today with my thankful friends at 

I Like Thursday Bloggers @ Not Afraid of Color

where there are always smiles to be shared.