Susan

Welcome to my new blog website! My name is Susan. I have been blogging since 2007. On Raisin Toast I share family life, our new journey in retirement in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the building of our last and smaller home, my artwork, quilting, stories, and more. I hope you will enjoy what I have created here! Welcome! Don’t forget to Subscribe to my Newsletter!

Front Porch

Home & Garden

New Home Build

Batten Down the Hatches

Susan November 18, 2022
Big Bear has been working day after day on our house plans, and together we’ve been making lots of decisions – Closet or open space in a bedroom? Brick or Stone?Black or White Pella Windows?Casement or double-hung?Curved or square-top double front doors?Stain color for the…

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Home & Garden

Quilting

Sewing

Studio

Easy Christmas DIY Table Runner

Susan November 17, 2022
Table runners. They are easy and fast to whip out on your sewing machine, and make great gifts for family and friends! Fast and Easy – my kind of project with a big impact when the recipient opens their gift! What could be better! And…

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My Quilts

Quilting

Sewing

Studio

Sunbonnet Sarah Quilt

Susan November 16, 2022
Unfinished. Stashed in a box. Story of my life as a quilter and artist. I’m notorious for starting projects, but as long as I have interruptions, these projects will not see through to completion, sadly. I have gotten better in my older age, and that…

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Longarm Quilting

Quilting

Studio

Meet Freddie …

Susan November 13, 2022
Well, oh boy, did we ever take a deep dive yesterday. Bob signed us up to attend the APQS Roadshow in Hendersonville, NC. For about 10 years, Bob and I have been talking about someday purchasing our own Longarm Quilting machine. Bob loves to see…

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Ancestors

My Opus

This Veteran’s Day – Remember the Cost of War

Susan November 7, 2022
Thank You to my father, Harry Simms, my father-in-law, Kenny Vaughn, and my Uncle Bill Lee, for your brave service in WWII. Thank you to my brother, Mike, for your service during the Vietnam War. To my ancestors who fought in WWI, the Civil War,…

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Family

My Opus

Memories of Thanksgiving Past

Susan November 7, 2022
It’s Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, are we ready? This Thanksgiving will include 9 family members all together between 2 small apartments. Not fun but doable. My Big Bear hubby, Bob, our daughter, Sarah, and her hubby, Matt, and there newborn baby boy, Samuel. Our…

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Home & Garden

Kitchen Design

New Home Build

Cozy Kitchens

Susan November 6, 2022
There is something special about having a cozy kitchen. Even large kitchens can be cozy. When choosing the kitchen layout of our dreams for our new home in the mountains, there were definitely some elements I wanted to incorporate – somehow – in the design.…

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Family

My Opus

A New Life in the Mountains

Susan November 2, 2022
On July 2nd we celebrated our new life journey and move to the mountains, with friends and family, at the Lodge in The Coves at Mountain River Club, Lenoir, NC. A little piece of Heaven on earth that we feel enormously blessed to be a…

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Fine Art Pastels

Studio

Back in the Saddle

Susan July 16, 2022
I’m so excited to start painting again. Yesterday was the first time I have stepped into an art store in over 2 years. Big Bear took me to Cheap Joe’s in Asheville to get a few supplies I will need. They didn’t have pochade boxes,…

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Susan

Batten Down the Hatches

Easy Christmas DIY Table Runner

Sunbonnet Sarah Quilt

Meet Freddie …

This Veteran’s Day – Remember the Cost of War

Memories of Thanksgiving Past

Cozy Kitchens

A New Life in the Mountains

Back in the Saddle

Mother's Double Dutch Quilt Part 4

Fried Green Tomatoes - From Plant to Plate

There is this Dark Place Where I Go

Juried Capitol Arts Network "Patriotism" Exhibition

Mountain Home Life Can't Come Soon Enough

About Raisin Toast

Meet Our Contributors

About Susan

Latest posts

Mother's Double Dutch Quilt Part 1 of 10

Orange and Raisin French Toast

How to Make a Ruffled Pillow

Reagan's First Words in Monotone

New Home Exterior Color Choices

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