Carol's Multiplication Table Examplar and a yummy chocolate dessert!

How delighted I was to receive this photo from Carol B. of Baltimore of her Multiplication Table Examplar! This is the first one of these that I’ve seen framed in the wonderful hornbook frame that Valley House Primitives made especially for this project. Didn’t Carol do a wonderful job?

Carol wrote, I knew as soon as I saw the piece that this was one that I was going to stitch. I ordered supplies and got started right away. I started with the motifs at the top and worked my way down so that I could start on the grid. I don’t think I have ever counted and recounted so many times!! I didn’t want to find out at a much later date that the grid was counted wrong. Once that was in, my plan was to put in all of the motifs at the top and bottom and save the numbers for last. Finally I just couldn’t stand it any longer and I had to put some numbers in – just to see how it was going to look!! From then on I switched back and forth between motifs and numbers. One of the ladies at the Stitching Post (where I had it put in the hornbook frame) asked me how I could possibly have stitched all of those numbers. I told her I was good until about the last 16 or so!! By then they were all double digit numbers and I thought I would never be done!! But I persevered and absolutely love the finished product. Of course, before I dropped it off at the framers, I checked and double checked that all of the numbers were in the right place! How embarrassing would it have been if the table didn’t “work”??!!

The piece is a well traveled piece – it was what I took with me on our Bahamian cruise over Thanksgiving. I stitched on it in Charleston, Key West, and Nassau!

For now the piece will hang in my office. I like going in to the office every morning and seeing my stitched pieces on the wall! It makes me happy!!

Carol, I did the same thing with the numbers. Not only did I check myself, I asked Tom to check. It sure would be embarrassing to have made a mistake on the chart and my model, right? My model hangs over the desk in my office.

You may remember seeing some of Carol’s lovely needlework in earlier blog posts. I’m amazed at all the wonderful pieces she accomplishes since she works full time and travels quite a bit. Another project that I know she has in the works is A Work’d Pocketbook--remember the project with all the queen stitches? Maybe we’ll get a progress report soon.

Over the Christmas holidays, Carol mentioned she was making a chocolate truffle. Being married to a “chocoholic”, I asked her if she would share the recipe which she gladly did. Wow--is this recipe not only delicious but also fast and easy, leaving you more stitching time! I’ve made it three times in the last month, and each time folks rave about it! I asked Carol if I could share the recipe with you. (Thanks, Carol.)

Chocolate Truffle
1 family-size package of brownie mix
1 large package of instant chocolate pudding
1 large container of cool whip, thawed
1 package of Heath toffee bits (If desired, you can use crushed Heath bars instead.)

Make the brownies following the package directions, and bake in a 9 x13- inch pan. Cool the brownies, and cut into squares.

Place half of the brownies in the bottom of a large glass bowl.

Make the pudding following the package directions, and pour half over the brownies in the bowl. Then top with half of the cool whip and half of the Heath toffee bits. Repeat the layers.

Cover and refrigerate.

This looks particularly lovely in a trifle bowl as you can see in the photo taken last night. (I made this for Tom to take to a meeting at church.)

I need to make this dessert the next time our son and daughter-in-law come home. The last two times they were here, I made it, but took it to gatherings….I came home with an empty bowl! I don’t see why I couldn’t do the same thing with smaller packages of brownie mix, pudding, and cool whip.