What's been going on?

It's been a good week and I thank God for that.  My husband has had to work everyday this week, including today, usually more than 12 hours each day, but we are so thankful for the hours.  He works in commercial heating & air conditioning, so it's starting to be the busy season, especially here in TX.

I made this recipe for banana bread brownies, which is from the Facebook page for Parent's Room:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease and flour 15x10-inch jelly roll pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.

2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.
4. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm). 

I would call it a cake instead of brownies, but it was delicious!

My mom liked my messenger bag so much that she asked me to make one for her.  She chose the same Joel Dewberry Home Dec prints, but in the citrine palette (also from Hawthorne Threads & on sale for $9.95/yd).

I also want to make a bag for my sister that would fit her laptop, so I purchased the Aeroplane Bag pattern from Sew Sweetness.  

I'm joining Pat Sloan's Charm-a-long.  I have had these charm packs of her Eat your Fruits N' Veggies print & batik lines for some time.  I love the bright, bold colors and was looking for a pattern for them.  I think I will pair them with a white background.  I love this look from The Cottage Home.

I finished the patchwork mini-quilt using Kaffe Fassett 6" charm squares.  I'm about to go give it to my friend for office wall decor.  I hope she likes it.

I am a member of the illustrious Pink Castle Fabrics Stash Stack Club since last August & I love the fact that every month I get a new fat quarter bundle of beautiful  fabric in a pre-selected color.  This is April's stack...

and here is all of the months from August 2012 to current (the whole first row & green & yellow in the 2nd row).  Do you see any other fabrics in there that you recognize ;) ?

Also, I made it last weekend to a garage sale that listed quilting supplies as one of its offerings.  I picked up a large stack of hexagons cut from vintage fabric.  Isn't that turtle just awesome?

I also picked up a package with several cathedral window patterns/instructions and some precut material for making them, also vintage.  The newspaper article shown is dated 1981 (before I was born!).

I am in the Skill Builder BOM hosted by Alyssa at Pile o' Fabric, but I am severly behind, so I hope to make some progress on my blocks this week & show you soon.  I also went a little crazy ordering some fabric a few days ago, so I'll show you my new beauties once they come in.  Have a great week!