With Needle in Hand

Lent....And Africa

2011-03-15T10:41:00.001-04:00

I would like to share with you all some things God shared with me this morning in the Lenten devotionals I am using this season. The prayer and benediction especially.

Prayer

Loving God, the places you ask me to go are sometimes scary. I fear I’ll be alone, or that my needs won’t be met. Assure me with

your love. Amen.

Benediction

We have been told in the letter to the Hebrews that Jesus has journeyed to this unfamiliar place before us as a forerunner on our behalf.

Wherever you are, Jesus waits for you as the “sure and steadfast anchor” of your soul. Trust Him!

As I read these words I was reminded of our trip to Uganda in 2009. We were leaving Llolwe Island late in the day to go to Bavuma Island. Just as in the story in Luke 8:22-25, “a squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped.” I’m not sure we were in great danger, as the scripture goes on to say, but we felt we were. We eventually(after almost an hour) turned back to Llolwe for the night and, the next morning, made it safely to Bavuma. What we didn’t know at the time was that as we stopped on the lake for the leaders to confer, or so we thought, the motor had actually fallen off the boat. We had no idea!! Praise God, they had tied a rope around the motor and were able to pull it back up and re-attach it to our boat.

As I read the above benediction God brought this all to mind. He is so faithful to remind us that He truly is a “sure and steadfast anchor”. He cannot be lost in the depths of turmoil as the storms of life swamp my little life. He is my ever present help in times of trouble(Psalms 46:1). I only need to “Be still and know that He is God(Psalms 46:10). I only need to Trust Him for He is God!!

The boat is the one we rode in (all 20 of us and our luggage and supplies) and that is the motor which we (almost) lost. The sunset is what we experienced upon returning to Llolwe. The squall had died down and God showed Himself in all His glory!!

Finish #1

2011-01-31T17:31:00.000-05:00

As the month draws to an end, I have one finish to show from my UFO list.

My husband teaches 3rd - 5th grade Sunday School at our church. One week they were studying the gifts that each of us has been given by God. As an activity for the lesson he had them draw a picture of one of the gifts they studied. He feels sure the kids think he just got rid of their artwork but instead he came home and asked me to make the squares into a quilted wallhanging.

The quilting is a little wonky. Hey, I'm a beginner with a new machine. What can I say? I don't think his kids will mind the wonky cornerstones. They will just be excited that their artwork has been saved. I'm excited that there is actually one UFO finished and marked off my list.

Our New Year Started off with a Bang!!!

2011-01-25T08:12:00.000-05:00

The announcements have all been mailed so we can now make it public....I'M A MOTHER-IN-LAW!!!!!

That's right!!

They Eloped!!

Michael & Veronica

January 1, 2011

Key West, Florida

"It's with joy that we announce

We had a change in plans

We snuck away at New Year's

To exchange vows in the sand.

So now we share our happy news

We've started our new life

Michael is her husband

And Veronica is his wife."

The announcements were so cute. Here are the pictures included on the announcement. I'm sure I'll have more to share later.

They surprised us on January 3rd with a call saying they had gotten married. It was just the two of them on a beach in Key West. It suits them. We are so very happy for them and so very proud to have Veronica as a member of our family. I'm not sure where I read this(on one of the MANY blogs I read)but instead of a daughter-in-law, she will be our daughter-in-heart!!

Congratulations Michael and Veronica!!

Always Playing Catch-Up

2011-01-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

It seems I am always playing catch up when it comes to my quilting projects. I see soooo many cute designs and opportunities to join in a sew along while I am reading my favorite blogs. I already told you that I am a joiner. So here I go again, I'm joining Rachel's Postage Stamp Quilt Along. You know Rachel, from p.s. I quilt.

Yep, I'm three weeks behind but no fear. Since the holiday season has ended my work schedule has gone back to the normal part-time status which means I only work 3-4 days a week. YEAH!!! I have had the past four days off so I have been sewing, sewing, sewing. Here is my progress. To stay true to my resolution to use up what I have, I chose a jelly roll I bought back in 2008 at the NQA convention I attended. It is Daydreams by Deb Strain by Moda. (I told you I have been hoarding fabric for a long time).

I love all the pre-cuts offered out there. I have fat quarter bundles, honey buns, jelly rolls, layer cakes and charm packs. I'm addicted!! I buy them and then never know how to use them. So when Rachel started this project I just knew this fabric line would be great. The contrast fabric I'm using is just a white solid.
So I sewed and sewed and sewed and ended up with all the strips sewn together.

Lots and lots of strips!! So, then I went back to sewing and sewing and sewing! Whew, I'm finally catching up!!

Here are four of the forty-eight(yes, 48!!) blocks that I have finished and now I'm all caught up and can stay up with each step as they come. These colors are out of my comfort zone but I thought the fabrics were so fun. I guess that's why I bought it in the first place. DUH!!

Now onto another of my WIP's. Thanks for stopping by!!

More Thoughts on 2011

2011-01-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

2011 started off with a bang!! Not literally because I went to bed around 10pm on New Year's Eve. I know, how boring can you get??? Anyway, I can't tell you what kind of bang we had around here YET but I promise I will tell you all about it real soon.

Anyway, I have decided that 2011 is going to be my year to Finish It Up and Slash my Stash. I have so many projects that are in progress. I know all quilters do but I'm tired of having far more unfinished projects than finished ones. So, since I got my Janome this past year

I am determined to finish up as many of my unfinished projects as possible. I am also going to attempt to not buy any fabric except what is needed to finish up those projects. Now I'm not saying that I might not start some new projects but I will use what I have to do them. I have so many kits and patterns that I have bought that I just have to get to these or I'm going to drown in my sewing room. Besides, that way I can buy more fabric and patterns without feeling guilty, right???? I thought so!!

So the first step was to clean up my sewing room. That started last fall when our daughter went off to college and my sweet hubby took over her room for his art studio. I took over the formal living room. We definitely are not formal people here!! Here are a couple of pictures taken during that process. Beware, it's a mess!!

I told you it was a mess. You can't even see my sewing machine in any of those pictures. Anyway, here is the start of the re-do. There is still much more to be done but it is in good enough shape that I can get to everything easily so I've been sewing instead of re-doing.

That's better but not done. The bookshelves hold only my craft paraphernalia. The cutting table has been moved but still needs a skirt to hide all the junk under it. I still need more of the storage bins to hold my fabric and scraps. Well, maybe not once I get finished stash-busting, huh? So, we'll see if I can finish up the room re-do and stay the course for my project finishes and stash busting. I'm signed up for a machine quilting class on February 14th so that should REALLY help. I have so many quilt tops that need to be quilted.

Thanks for stopping by,

How Do You Like My Vue?

2011-01-19T13:22:00.000-05:00

No, not my "view", my Saturn Vue. This is my new ride. And yes, it is sitting out in the icy driveway. Welcome to northwestern Ohio weather in January!

Isn't is great?!!! One of our vehicles died week before last. After looking at all the options, we decided that we didn't want to put any more money into an old car so we headed out in the snow(of course) to look at what was out there. After driving seven different SUV's this was our choice(well,mostly my choice...my sweet hubby wanted the Jeep). I LOVE IT!!

Thanks for stopping by.

2010/2011

2011-01-05T12:27:00.000-05:00

I just love a new year. Getting out that new American Patchwork & Quilting calendar and writing all the birthdays in it is one of my favorite things to do during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. There is just nothing like the feeling I get when I hang that calendar on January 1st. If you are a golfer, it's like a mulligan. It's a do-over. My favorite scripture is in the book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verses 22-23.
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are
new every morning; great is Your faithfulness."
I guess that's why a new year excites me so MUCH. If God's compassion and mercy is new every MORNING, how much greater is it in a new YEAR?

2010 was a good year but full of changes for me.

January started out poorly with lots of snow to add to my grief over the loss of my precious Grandmother.

February, March and most of April were spent looking for a part-time job. I began working for a popular retail store April 22 and have a new appreciation for people working minimum wage jobs. I won't bore you with my soap-box speeches on that subject!!

May was spent planting our VERY prolific garden.

The first week of June was spent in Myrtle Beach with friends but I received bad news while there that our sweet Scout had died.

In July I received my new Janome sewing machine and I wish I could say it has made a BIG difference in my quilting output but it hasn't yet. I spent a great deal of time canning strawberry jam, jalapeños, tomatoes and salsa. We were also getting our baby girl ready to go off to college. She left us on July 22 to attend school in Washington state. Talk about change!! It took me almost a month to be able to talk about her without crying. We had become so close these past 3 years since moving to Ohio. My, oh my, was that van loaded!!

August was spent working almost 30 hrs. a week and canning. Did I tell you our garden was VERY prolific? We ended up with 22 half pints of strawberry jam, 55 pints of salsa, 44 pints of tomatoes, 27 pints of jalapeños, and 4 quarts of green beans. Whew!!!

September was spent working with a short trip back to Illinois to visit friends.

October started out with a trip for me to visit our baby girl. It was great seeing all the places she talked about and meeting all her friends. Then after a week home I went with my sweet hubby on his business trip to Washington DC. What a week that was!! While he was sitting in meetings, I toured the Capitol, the White House, went to the top of the Washington Memorial, toured several of the Smithsonian's, several of the Art Galleries, the National Archives, the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall, the Korean Memorial, the WWII memorial, Arlington Cemetery. I was so proud of myself for figuring out the Metro system. There is so much to see that even though I was going, going, going all day long for 5 days I feel like I missed so much. The architecture alone was amazing. I fell in love with DC and am looking forward to another visit soon, I hope!! Then after a week home we left AGAIN!! We took a long weekend and went to Florida to visit our oldest son and his fiancee. That was a quick trip but fun, fun, fun.

November and December are a blur. Working retail during the holiday season was crazy! My part-time job became as close to full-time as they could get without having to give me benefits. Needless to say, I was exhausted so the New Year rang itself in without me. I went to bed and slept 2010 out!! I did get some sewing done for Christmas.

These little goodie bags are a pattern from Better Homes & Gardens Quilts and More, Fall 2010 edition. Monica from Happy Zombie created them and as with everything she does, they are too cute for words!! I made 22 of them as gifts mostly for our baby girl's house-mates and friends at college. I filled each one with some shower gel, hand sanitizer, kleenex, and some sweets. They were a hit with the girls.

Excuse the picture, it's just the quilt top. I forgot to get a picture of the finished quilt. It was cut out, pieced, quilted and binding sewn on in less than 10 days while I worked 59 hours during that same 10 day period. I wrapped it on the 22nd and gave it to our middle son's girlfriend for Christmas. She was leaving to go home the next day. Nothing like getting it done at the last moment. But it was done! As you can guess, purple is her favorite color and I think she really liked it. I'll try to get her to get me some shots of it finished.

I even read 84 books in 2010. (Maybe that's part of the reason I didn't get too much sewing done.)

I'm really looking forward to what 2011 holds. I see many adventures coming in these next few months and hope to share those adventures with you on a more regular basis.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Quilting!!

What can I say.....I'm a joiner!

2010-10-19T11:58:00.000-04:00

We have a break in the regularly scheduled travel updates. Okay, I know I've only posted one and I'm about to leave on my third trip of the month but this is a completely different subject matter.

So, I wanted to announce that I'm joining up with some pretty amazing bloggers for a Sew Scrap Along.

Jodi Nelson from Pleasant Home blog fame is hosting a scrappy sew along and I have joined up. I just know I have told you more than once that scrappy quilts are my ALL-TIME FAVORITES of any quilts out there. So this is right up my alley!!

Now we all know that Christmas (sorry Anna, I used the "C" word) is right around the corner so I really don't have time to start 4 or 5 new projects but how can I refuse when I LOVE scrappy quilts? I Can't!! So we are off. If you are a quilter I would invite you to join us and join in all the scrappy fun we will be having over the next few weeks. If you aren't then you can just watch as we sew up some scrappy goodness, or at least start a few more UFO's to feel guilty about.

Thanks for stopping by. Now we return to our regularly scheduled travel blogging(maybe).

October

2010-10-05T11:23:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about October. Not only is it probably my favorite month of the year due to all the beautiful changes God brings to pass with the onset of autumn but this October is going to be a month of travel for me. As I have mentioned before, I LOVE to travel. The excitement of making a list of all I will need for the upcoming trip and preparing everything then actually getting in the car to drive, drive, drive or even driving to the airport and hopping on a plane is almost as exciting as the trip itself. ALMOST. For the past couple of months I have been planning four, yes you heard me right, FOUR trips, three of which will take place this month.

I have, in fact, just returned from a long weekend trip to Spokane, WA to visit our baby girl who is attending Moody Bible Institute there. It was my first trip to the state of Washington. What I saw of it was really great. We had beautiful weather all but one day and even then it wasn't that bad. I was able to spend lots of time catching up with our sweet girl and also meeting and getting to know her house mates and other friends. I was able to tour her school(and attend Friday chapel), which is really just a church that shares it's space with the college since there are less than 500 total students at this campus. Many of the students are aviation students who meet for many of their classes at another location called "The Hanger". I didn't see that facility. The photo below is the church/school as seen from her front yard. I love that she can walk to school!!!

Spokane has a really amazing downtown area. The river runs right through the middle of town with the falls providing much of their energy. The park downtown is great with so many different areas to explore. The photos below are of Hannah with the Clock Tower in the background(and, yes, she did "steal" the flower from one of the many beautiful planters downtown); the falls, the wagon, and the runners sculptures. I didn't make it over by the wagon and was really disappointed but we passed it several times in the car on our way to the parking area for the park.

What a great, great time I had!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Oh, you want to know about the other THREE trips I am planning. Well, you will just have to come back by later. This post is long enough. HeHeHe!!

Donna

Free to a Good Home!!

2010-09-20T10:49:00.000-04:00

REASON:
Caught eating a dead bird on the cutting table in my sewing room!!

Eeeeewwwwww!!!

Speaking Out about Loss

2010-09-01T12:48:00.000-04:00

Wow!! Here it is September 1st. I love fall!!! Not that it feels too much like fall yet but I love the changing colors of the leaves and the cool, crisp fall temperatures where you can turn off the a/c and enjoy the fresh air blowing through the open windows; having to add an extra blanket to the bed because you won't close the windows at night; having to switch out wardrobes because now you need sweaters and long-sleeves. I just love fall!!!

So much has been going on around here this past "silent" six weeks. A dear friend reminded me recently that I still have a blog that needs updating (Hey, Lynn. Love ya and miss you guys bunches!) so I thought I would try jumping back in. I have encountered a great deal of loss this past nine months. I guess I'm not dealing with it all very well.

December 17th, 2009 my sweet grandmother left this world to join my grandfather in heaven. They both hold such a special place in my heart. Some of you longtime readers may remember the quilt I made commemorating her 90th birthday. I'm so glad I finally got it finished and to her. She was so proud of that quilt and the fact that I had made it. She was one of my greatest cheerleaders!!
Each block on the quilt held a signature of friends who attended her 90th birthday party. What a sweet time that was. I'm so glad I got to spend so much time with her the last couple of months of her life. I miss her terribly.

In June, I was so excited to be able to join dear friends from our time living in Illinois at Myrtle Beach for a week. What a great time that was just relaxing on the beach, at the pool or at the many of the wonderful restaurants in Myrtle Beach. During my trip, though, our sweet dog Scout, who had been sick for a while, took a turn for the worse and died. Now I know many would say that he was just a dog but that's not the way we see things at our house. The pets we have (the MANY pets we have) are really members of our family. We take them quite seriously here. It was a real heartbreak not to be able to say goodbye to him. We "rescued" Scout in December, 2003 and he was such a good dog. He is missed.

July 22 brought not quite so permanent a loss but a loss, nonetheless. Our baby girl left to go off to college. The problem is that she is clear over on the other side of the country in Spokane, WA. It's not like I can just jump in my little car and go see her on the spur of the moment or that she can even come home for a weekend visit!! Her leaving brings us an empty nest. We are so proud of her and are cheering her on whole-heartedly but, man, what an adjustment this is. So many have told me that when we do finally adjust, we will love it but at this point I'm still not so sure about that. I have kids spread out all over this country and, just so you know, this mama isn't so happy about that! I REALLY miss my kids!!

So sorry this post has been such a downer. I'm just keeping it real and letting you see what's been going on inside and why, I think, I have been so quiet on the blogging. I do hope to get back to it on a regular basis(Lynn!!) so that you can keep up with my boring little life. HaHa!! Excitement I don't need. Calm would be nice!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Summer Squash and a Murder Mystery

2010-07-29T11:29:00.003-04:00

What do you get when you cross two prolific summer squash plants with a murder mystery? Here at my house we got cookies!! Let me explain......

I just finished reading Apple Turnover Murder by JoAnna Fluke. It is a cozy mystery whose main character Hannah Swenson owns a cookie shop in Small Town, MN. I love cozy mysteries - no sex, foul language, or blood and guts! The author always includes recipes used by Hannah in her shop. They always sounded so mouth watering but until yesterday I had not tried any of the recipes.

Here's where my yellow squash plants enter into the story. In this book there is a recipe for Rose's Zucchini Cookies. Now, we didn't grow any zucchini because we couldn't find any to plant last spring but our two little yellow squash plants have given us MORE than enough squash. I thought, What could it hurt? We have eaten squash almost every way you can imagine so why not in cookies?

They are delicious! Granted, it doesn't hurt that they include pecans and chocolate chips in the recipe. They are so soft and chewy. Who knew I could get in my 5 fruits and vegetables each day by eating cookies!! Yummy!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Spicy Doin's Round Here, Ya'll

2010-07-12T16:46:00.001-04:00

Another week has come and gone. We have been busy. Besides all the normal happenings of life and gardening, we have been preparing to send our youngest off to college in a few weeks. Very bittersweet days!! And, since I don't want to cry all over you I will move onto another happier subject.

Our garden is doing so well. We are just so excited about the bounty! I spent yesterday afternoon canning jalapenos. Yes, jalapenos. We are native Texans, you know!! I guess it's true what they say...You might take the girl out of Texas but you'll never take the Texas out of the girl.

So many jalapenos but that's okay because we eat alot of them.

After slicing up all those little peppers, I filled four pint jars full of them along with a vinegar brine to pickle them. I then put them in a water bath for 10 minutes and out they came. They will have to set up for about six weeks before we can eat them. I expect to be able to get at least 4 more pints of peppers put up with the way out plants are producing. If only the tomatoes would ripen we could have homemade salsa. Now we're talking!!!

And, I think I forgot to tell you that a couple of weeks ago I spent one afternoon canning 18 half-pints of homemade strawberry jam. It didn't have to set up and we are really enjoying it!!

I'm really enjoying the new sewing machine. The knee lift for the pressure foot is great for speeding along on chain piecing. Soooo much more to learn!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Our Weekend

2010-07-06T14:52:00.000-04:00

I hope you had a great July 4th weekend. We didn't do much different than any other weekend but it was nice having Bill home on Monday (or at least until he got a call to go play golf for the afternoon!!). We grilled out Saturday night and it was scrumptious, especially since the squash and green beans came out of our own garden. We were so excited!!!

YUMM-O!!!

It took me three whole days to gather enough nerve to actually plug my new Janome into the wall and turn it on. After reading the instruction manual Friday afternoon, I had myself convinced that a Janome rep would need to come live with us if I was ever going to use the machine. Since that was not remotely a possibility, I convinced myself that come Monday I would venture over to the sewing shop and ask for lessons. I chickened out!! So again, I grabbed the intimidating instruction manual, moved my little Singer off the sewing table and plugged in the electrical cord, the foot petal and even the knee lift bar. Good to go!!! I mustered up the courage to flip the little on/off switch and Woo Hoo..you should have heard all the little beeps!!!

So, I thought, "so far, so good! Surely I can figure out how to thread the bobbin and then thread the machine." And, what do you know, I did it!! (Thanks to the step by step instructions with illustrations, I might add. Have I ever told you I'm a visual learner??) Well, next think I knew I was sewing along piecing some blocks and sewing on borders and today I finished up my 2008 (yes, that's not a typo - 2008) Thimbleberries Lodge quilt top.

That's Rudy, our daughter's border collie, guarding the top from the wind so I could get a picture.
One UFO down (that's unfinished object for you non-quilting readers) and a couple more tops to go. Then I'm going to have to get brave again and learn how to quilt with my new machine since I told Bill that's the main reason I needed the new machine. I can't even begin to tell you how many tops I have to finish up with the quilting and binding but I've decided that July and August are going to be FIU (yes, that's finish it up, non-quilters) months here.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. Thanks for stopping by!!

Birthdays

2010-07-02T14:09:00.000-04:00

My birthday was last week. Besides having to work, Bill,Hannah and I celebrated at Buffalo Wild Wings. A pretty uneventful birthday EXCEPT.....I found out that my husband is a poet. Here's the birthday poem he wrote in my card.

Ja No Me Better Than Anyone
Ja Luv Me Like No Other
Ja No My Faults
Ja No My Strengths
Ja No Me
Janome - Buy It!!

And you better believe, I did!!! It arrived today. Brown showed up and left me this!

Now I just have to figure out how to use the thing!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Garden Revisited

2010-06-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

In May, I wrote about our hopes to have a garden that actually produces more than frustration.

So after Bill's hard work at tilling the garden plot. I jumped in the van and did the easy work of buying the plants.

Then he did the hard work again and got all these into the ground along with some sweet corn.

God watered the garden for us yesterday and as you can see from the standing water He did a great job of it. I, however, didn't want to slop out in the mud so I took this picture of our little garden plot from the deck. Don't pay any attention to the acres of corn planted behind it. That belongs to the farmers next door!!

And here are the first fruits(or veggies, LOL) from the garden. Not enough for a good pot of beans yet but hopefully in the next day or so more will be ready and we can have some fresh from the garden beans. Nothing else is ready to be harvested but it looks like we may actually have a producing garden for the first time in our gardening experience.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Myrtle Beach Revisited

2010-06-28T10:20:00.001-04:00

Since Monday is usually laundry day here I thought while that was going on I would update all my readers (all 2 of you!! LOL) on what's been happening this past month. June has been busy and I have some wonderful news to share but that will have to wait for another day!! (It deserves it's own post!)

As you can see by the last post, I spent a week at Myrtle Beach with precious friends from our time living in Illinois. I had a great time just chilling at the beach and by the pool reading, reading and reading some more. And then there was the food!!! Oh, my!!!! We, of course, had seafood at both Joe's Crab Shack and Landrys.

This picture is blackened tilapia topped with etoufee, fried shrimp and barbeque shrimp I ordered at Joe's Crab Shack. Oh, my my my my, was it ever good!! But I have to say that my favorite restaurant was Myabi, a Japanese steak house. It is not just gooooood food(and lots of it), it is also quite a show.

This is the volcano he made out of onion rings. It was a really fun evening spent with special friends.

Thanks for stopping by!!
(Sorry for the poor picture quality. They were all taken with my phone.)

Memorial Day celebrated at Myrtle Beach

2010-05-30T17:28:00.005-04:00

Life leads us down so many pathes. As I sat in church this morning at First Baptist Church North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I was reminded of the sacrifices made by so many that I could attend this very service. How grateful to them and especially to God I am for this freedom we take so for granted.

As I sat in church with dear friends from our seven years spent in Illinois, my thoughts were on a dear friend from our time now spent in Lima, Ohio. She is a precious lady who continues to be one who challenges me daily to "remember" the things of God and the pathes He guides us down. The pastor this morning spoke on "Stones of Remembrance". I know he was taking that subject because of Memorial Day but it is a topic I have been pondering this past couple of weeks because of my sweet friend Kathy's blog. She has reminded me lately of the many times the Bible speaks of remembrances.

Memorials were set up to recall divine visitations so that others might learn about God when they would ask, 'What do these stones mean?' (Joshua 4:6 - The Bible Knowledge Commentary) Divine visitations - isn't that a great thought? That the Creator of this grand universe would set up a time to meet with me? Wow!!

But the most prevalent use of "remembrance" in the Bible is the command to remember the Lord and His mighty deeds. As I spent the afternoon gazing out on the beautiful ocean and the amazing beauty, the precision of the tides, the wonderful sun, how could I not remember the God who made it all and who takes the time to meet me where I am and to love me unconditionally through it all. I stand amazed!!

(Photo not mine. It was taken from tripadvisor.com website. Hopefully, some of mine will follow soon.)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:07:00.004-04:00

My heart is so full this weekend. So full it keeps leaking out of my tear ducts. I'm not sure if it's because of Mother's Day or not but I will put the blame there, nonetheless. My kids are all now grown. That is really bittersweet to me right now. I love being a mom. It has been the joy of my life!

I have never been one to set goals for myself. I have always struggled with that when made to put goals on paper. I know it's said if you aim at nothing that is what you will hit. BUT, I can tell you that my one and only stated life goal was to be a wife and mom. Thankfully, I have had the privilege of achieving that goal for the past 25 years. I consider it a privilege to have been able to stay at home raising our children. I know we did without many things for that to happen but what a blessing it was.

So many changes have come in the past few years and, I know, many more are yet to come. In July, we take our baby off to Washington state for college. We will then officially be empty nesters with children from coast to coast and one right in the middle of this large country. Something tells me that my frequent flyer miles are going to go up far more quickly in the months to come.

I do love the fact, however, that later this year I will also become a mother-in-law. I'll be sharing a lot more about that as the date draws nearer. It is going to be a real fun time.

But before I close, I would be remiss if I didn't mention what a great mother I have. She has been such an encourager to me. She is such a strong woman and I love the fact that we are so close. I just wish we lived closer to each other. Here she is just a couple of weeks ago on a trail ride with some of her friends. I love you, Mom!! Happy Mother's Day!!!

And to Michael, Adam and Hannah....You mean the world to me!! I am so proud of who you are and who you are becoming. I love you with all that I am.

One More Try

2010-05-05T14:12:00.005-04:00

This little plot of land has been sitting idle the three years we have lived here. I'm sure it's where the previous owner's had grown a very prolific garden. We have talked about using the space since we got here but, you see, we have never had very good luck with gardens.

In fact, you could very honestly say, we have had very bad luck with gardening. The first time we tried we were still living in Houston and had a draught you would not believe. Of course, everything died no matter how much we watered. The next year, still in Houston, we had floods and AGAIN everything died. So we gave up.

We even tried again after we had moved to another house in Houston but had no luck again. We decided it was much easier to buy vegetables at the grocery store!!

If you blow this picture up you will see that my sweet hubby is sticking his tongue out at me. I guess he didn't like me standing around taking pictures while he was working so hard. Go figure!!

Well, we are going to give it one more try!! We are hoping that this nice Ohio weather will be better for garden novices. We (that would be HE) tilled up the rich dark soil that looks very fertile (at least to us). He has gotten the rows all ready for the planting. And now, I'm off for the easy part.....the garden center to buy the plants.

So, if you would, say a prayer for our gardening efforts and come back soon to check in on our new adventure!!

Sweet Sunshine

2010-05-04T16:21:00.005-04:00

The past two days have been really beautiful here. We won't mention the vicious lightning storm we had last night!! Such sweet sunshine and temps in the low 70's. I have been sitting out on the back deck reading and getting some much needed sun.

I just love these little johnny jump-ups. I'm so glad they come back every spring. The colors are just beautiful. Wouldn't that combination of purple and yellow make a gorgeous quilt? Hmm, I might just have to think about that. As if I need another project!!! I have so many WIPs (Works in Progress - for all you non-quilters). They have been weighing heavy on my mind lately. Just not heavy enough to get me back into my sewing room and get them finished up.

Now, where did I lay my book?????

I miss my boys!!!

2010-04-22T10:45:00.005-04:00

I have really been missing my boys lately. I haven't seen either of them in quite some time. I REALLY need to go visit them SOON. Problem is, they don't even live in the same state as we do.

This is our eldest son with his fiancee. She has just been sworn in as a lawyer for the state of Florida in this picture. We are so proud of her!! They are going to be married this October. Aren't they are cute couple?

This is our other son with his sweet girlfriend. They are also cuties!! He is finishing up his junior year at the University of Illinois.

No More Excuses

2010-04-21T10:10:00.005-04:00

Isn't she cute? My little red net book. I am trying to learn how to use her. I'm not the "techie" one in my family, to say the least. One of my sons is on the Geek Squad at Best Buy. The other is heading towards his senior year in computer science. Anyway, that's why I opted for the netbook and not a laptop. Maybe less of a learning curve?

I have fussed and whined and complained because every evening my sweet hubby and sweet daughter sit and watch TV and have their laptops to play on. I mostly sew while I'm watching TV. You know what they say about idle hands, huh? Well, now I have a choice. I can sew or I can surf. Funny thing is....I still mostly sew.

So now I don't have an excuse for not staying current on my blog. Well, except that I haven't yet transferred all my photos from the desktop to my Lil Red!!

Around our House

2010-03-31T13:50:00.008-04:00

Since I can't seem to get my thoughts to quiet enough to write about the past few months I will show you what is happening right now at my house.

Remember these?

Well, actually you don't remember them framed because I just picked them up from Hobby Lobby yesterday. They are the pictures my talented artist husband drew of our three wonderful children. He's good, huh? I certainly think so.

Well, when you walk in our front door now you are greeted by this arrangement.

I know the table scape needs some help but I am so pleased with the way it's turning out. I have been looking for something to go in that spot since we moved in almost 3 years ago. I finally found the little table at Hobby Lobby (I LOVE that place!!). And, I just am so excited to be greeted by my three kiddos every time I enter the house.

And that basket, you ask????
Another of my souvenirs from Uganda. It's a handmade raffia basket. Isn't it beautiful!!

I have been spending a lot of time in the sewing room. I have opened an "etsy" shop hoping to make a little cash to help out our 3 "starving college students". OUCH!!! It is pretty skimpy on items right now but I have several things in the works that are about ready to be added. I'm also hoping to include some items that are a combination of hubby's artwork and my sewing. We'll see how that works out. As I've said before on this blog, I'm also hoping to improve my camera skills so that my pictures will be more appealing.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Breakfast of Champions???

2010-03-12T10:33:00.004-05:00

I had Twizzlers for breakfast. I. Know!! You haven't heard from me in months. 136 days, to be exact, and that's all I have to say??

Well.....no. The problem is there has been too much to say. I have been completely overwhelmed by all I could say.

These past months have been so full of life. And, as we all know, that also includes heartache and death. I hope to share with you (on a much more regular basis) all I have been through these past "quiet" days of blogging.

Thanks for sticking with me.

My How Time Flies!

2009-10-27T09:01:00.008-04:00

It was 25 years ago that this young couple met and fell in love. They met at a church singles bowling league on June 24th. Their first date(July 7th) was a very special occasion with dinner out and a trip to Galveston for a moonlight walk on the beach. They were engaged on August 10th over a romantic steak dinner and movie (Somewhere in Time). Can you tell he's a romantic?

She had just graduated from college and was "supposedly" home for the summer and then on to seminary in the fall. But that's not the way it happened.

They married on October 27, 1984.

And have lived happily ever after!!

A Glimpse of Africa

2009-10-17T10:09:00.003-04:00

This song rings true in my heart. Sara Groves has taken her experience in Rwanda and put it to music. The images are the same as Uganda so I thought I would share this beautiful message with you.

Thanks for stopping by. More to come!!

My Ugandan Treasure

2009-10-12T10:50:00.008-04:00

One of the treasures I brought back with me from Uganda is the memory of this precious woman. This was taken at a women's meeting we held on our visit to Llolwe Island. What a blessing to be able to share with the women of the Island as well as listen to many of their stories.

Just look at that smile. You would think that this woman didn't have a care in the world. But she did. She began her story by telling us that she was the mother of nine children. She had buried eight of them. Her nine year old had just been buried the week before we arrived. Now look again at her smile. She exudes joy. The joy of her Lord truly is her strength.

The Ugandan women are so strong. They have to be. So many are either widowed or abandoned by their husbands to support themselves and their children. They have no government aid. If they don't make it happen, it doesn't happen. They go hungry.

And yet, they believe in a big God. Bwana is the Swahili name for Almighty God. Her God provides for her all that she needs, therefore, she can smile. They are so full of Tumaini (Hope).

Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. (Matt. 5:4) She was a living testament to the truth of this scripture.

This photo will be placed in the carved wooden frame I brought back with me from Uganda. Anytime I get to thinking that I have it bad she will be there to remind me that the joy of the Lord is my strength also.

Thanks for stopping by. More to come!!

Now for the Nitty Gritty

2009-10-10T09:25:00.017-04:00

Ok, so now I'm going to share some of the nitty gritty facts about Uganda! I know you have been waiting!! I've already shared that we had no privacy whatsoever while on the islands. There were kids everywhere and most times they were peeking into the windows anytime anyone was in our "room". The reason "room" is in quotes is because it was a classroom which had been cleared out for us to sleep in. Here is my "home sweet home" on Llolwe Island. I shared it with Deb and Jo. There were also two other tents set up in here for the other ladies on the trip. Ah, the comfort of concrete floors!!

Since the island had no running water the people of Llolwe set up a bathing station for us.

There were 5 very narrow stalls in the structure but it was private. (Sorry don't know why all of a sudden I have underlining???) They carried water from the lake and boiled it for us. We would pour the water into a tub and wash off. Actually, it was VERY refreshing after a hard day of work in the heat and humidity!!

The bathrooms almost everywhere we went were also as primitive. This(below) was my first exposure to a "squatting" toilet. I had imagined much, much worse from the accounts given by last year's team. This was at a convenience store we stopped at on the way to Busiro school.

This was at a bathroom stop we made on Suku Island on our way to Llolwe Island. Those are the edges of my skirt you see at the bottom of the photo. Not only do you have to squat to do your business but the women on the islands always wear skirts so we had to also so as not to offend them. And to answer your next question, Yes, there were geckos, bugs and all sorts of creepy crawlers around (especially at night).

The next photo is the women's bathrooms on Llolwe Island. It was quite a hike up to the bathrooms so in the middle of the night we just went out back of our rooms and squatted in the grass. Primitive camping, anyone???

A discussion several of us had one morning on the way to the bathrooms was really funny. We always had to carry toilet paper with us since there wasn't any in the bathrooms. Jo mentioned that in the States we would have been horrified to carry around our roll of toilet paper but on Llolwe Island it just wasn't any big deal. See what I mean, no privacy. You weren't going to sneak off to "go potty" because with that roll of toilet paper in your hands everyone knew your "business".

This was because the Island babies didn't wear diapers. They just squatted wherever they were and went. I saw two little girls run out of the children's meeting we had, pull up their skirts, pull down their pants, squat and pee. They then ran right back into the room and resumed whatever they were doing. Men just stopped on the side of the path and went. My what a culture shock that was.

Now, for those of you who have back or knee problems which would prevent you from squatting, help was there. Rex was kind enough to carry it for us.

The island girls, however, must not have realized what it was since they begged for their pictures to be taken with it. This was taken after our time on the island. YUCK!!

When we reached the lake to leave that day she even offered it to me and said, "Sit". I told her, "No thanks, we will be sitting on the boat for a long time. I'd rather stand." Awkward!!! Although, as this next picture shows, it was always the last thing loaded on the boat because we also used it as a step ladder to get into or out of the boat. Getting out could be a little tricky since not only were we wearing skirts but you had to watch your step so as not to step right down into the middle of the seat!!
The restrooms on Buvuma Island was quite nice. They even had toilet paper in them. This was quite a surprise since we had just finished lunch where we had to eat with our hands because they had no utensils for eatting on the island.

I must tell you that American Port-a-pottys will never be a problem for me again. They are like the Ritz Carlton bathrooms in comparison.

This trip was such a God inspired trip for me. Any of you who know me know I am all about my comfort. I don't like tent camping and never have, although I have done it. My favorite way to camp is at the Holiday Inn. I'll endure an RV if it is completely self contained with shower and my own toilet. Heat and air-conditioning are a must. I have been quoted OFTEN as saying, "I don't like to sweat". But I didn't even hesitate when I was told of the conditions we would be encountering on this trip. I KNEW I was supposed to go and go I did. It was an experience of a lifetime and I hope to never forget a minute of it.

I will never be the same....and that's a good thing.

Thanks for stopping by. More to come!!
(Several of the pictures shared today were from team members Deb, Michelle and Hannah. Thanks girls!!)

Taste and Touch of Uganda

2009-10-08T14:03:00.015-04:00

You feel the constant sticky heat and excessive humidity and wonder why the people of Uganda wander around in winter coats. You are pressed on every side by the wall of people in the city or the scurry of never-ending traffic mostly consisting of taxi vans overloaded with people or Bota Bota’s (motorcycles used as taxis) carrying two or three passengers along with their belongings. You were surprised as the sudden rains of rainy season drench you as you go about your day or the dusty roads that don’t seem to even acknowledge the rains. The many dirt roads that rattle your bones to your very core necessitate a visit to the chiropractor once you return home.

The native fruit trees were in abundance in Uganda but I was told by a native Ugandan that they didn’t know what to do with it all. It was not possible to use it or keep it from spoiling on a daily basis.

The picture below is a piece of jack fruit. It tasted like a cross between pineapple and something citrus. It was very good but sticky. You had to peel away the small fibrousy strands to get to the "meat" of the fruit. The outside of the fruit looked like a watermelon(about that size also) but with a prickly texture. Very odd looking and it grew on trees.

The delicious fruits we experienced were bananas, pineapple, mango, papaya, watermelon, oranges, lemons, limes and jack fruit. Also, in abundance, were avocado, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes (which, by the way, were white also), greens or several sorts and cabbage.

We had fish, fish and more fish, rice(the yellowish mound on the red platter), beans, posho, chapotis, and mandazi’s. Posho(bottom of picture on blue and pink plates) looked like a very thick mashed potatoes but tasted nothing like it. It was made from the cassava plant ground up into flour with water added. The Ugandans used it as a utensil to pick up other foods. Utensils are not always in abundance or even available on some of the Islands.

Chapotis reminded me of flour tortillas and mandazis were like a fried doughnut only not sweet. Unless, of course, you dipped them in sugar (made from sugar cane, another abundant crop) which we did!!

The children carried around sugar cane as a snack (just chewed for the sweet juice – not swallowed). Tim (the missionary) stopped and bought us some from a street vendor on our way home one evening. Here we are all trying to look like the locals. HaHa I don't think we fooled anyone.

We especially enjoyed the sugar in our tea. Hot tea, that is. I don’t think I saw a piece of ice the entire time I was in Uganda. Tea is grown right there in Uganda. They do have British roots, you know!

Tea was served every afternoon with sugar and milk available and ground nuts(peanuts) to eat.

Don't ask me why I was so taken by this "can" of mixed fruit jam except that I've never seen jam in a can. It was really good though. I had it on bread or chapoti's most mornings for breakfast.

Thanks for stopping by! More to come!!

The Sounds of Uganda

2009-10-07T07:12:00.018-04:00

You are assaulted in the city by a cacophony of sound. Horns are honking, people talking or shouting in any number of dialects from English to Swahili to Ugandan, children playing or crying, and music blaring from the many shops along the road.
Children were everywhere you looked. Over 50% of the Ugandan population is under the age of 16. Over 80% of the population is under the age of 30. Those are hard facts to get my mind around. Poverty and disease are truly wiping out generations or Ugandans.

They chased the van once we left the Kasubi school.

After arriving on Llolwe Island we thought we would take a walk out to a rock formation to have a bit of "team time". As you can see below, we were always surrounded. We never failed to draw a crowd everywhere we went.

Here in the States we are quick to respect the "personal space" of those around us. We can get really uncomfortable if someone enters our "personal space". Not so in Africa. They are a close people.

The shouts of “Muzungu” (which means “white person or whitie”) by the children as you pass never failed to bring a smile to my face. You see, the term is one of honor and the Ugandans consider it a blessing when “visitors” come to them.
They peeked in the windows where our tents were set up while on Llolwe Island.

Or, on the other extreme, you experience complete silence and the beauty of God’s creation on the islands in Lake Victoria. The waves lapping along the shores, breezes blowing through the trees, the beautifully colorful birds, the monkeys playing in the rocks or trees all spoke of God’s presence there. Rainbows greeted us one morning on Llolwe Island and another evening while on safari.

Whether experiencing the silent beauty of Africa or the constant chaos of the children crowding around, the diversity of sound that was Africa to us was beautiful.

Thanks for stopping by! More to come!!

Smells of Uganda

2009-10-06T08:32:00.012-04:00

Just as quickly, you are greeted by the smells of Uganda. The diesel fumes flooded our vans, raw sewage and trash piles ran down the ditches on either side of neighborhood streets,fish dry in nets to be sold for a daily salary, body odor from the constant crush of people(personal hygiene a constant battle with dirt floors in their homes and dirt roads slinging mud or dust depending on the season; and washing themselves

and their clothes in the polluted waters of Lake Victoria),

and foods cooking on almost every porch or at street vendors everywhere constantly bombarded systems.

Goats and chickens are left to roam at will in order to feed on whatever they could find which also meant they would leave their droppings at will also. The mixture of smells was completely overwhelming.

One smell, however, I didn’t miss from the US was cigarette smoke. The people of Uganda don’t smoke. Whether it is from lack of money to buy them or the desire to use all available space to grow foods to eat rather than grow tobacco, it was a welcome change.

Thanks for stopping by! More to come!!

Back in the States

2009-10-05T10:49:00.014-04:00

Africa is a country which is best experienced with all five of our senses. Immediately upon landing in the country you are bombarded by the differences. The many sights, smells, sounds, tastes and feelings of Uganda were overwhelming to our systems. Never mind the fact that we had been in the air for 17 1/2 hours and in several different airports another 6 1/2 hours waiting for those flights.

You see the differences in just about everything around you; the color of skin, the crowdedness,

the abject poverty,

bicycles used not for exercise but as a primary means of transportation or transport of goods to
market or home again; the beautiful flowers juxtaposed against the mud and thatch roof huts or corrugated tin homes,

the traffic which seems to come at you from every direction with no rules whatsoever; or military with guns on almost every street corner.
Large, modern buildings were placed amidst the poverty of very small shops which doubled as their homes. Even after two weeks we were not surprised to see something completely new to us.

Over the next few days I will be sharing with you some of my thoughts on our trip to Uganda. The exercise of processing it all will, I'm sure, go on for months but I didn't want to wait to begin putting it down in black and white. I can tell you that the experience has changed me. Just how much I am changed remains to be seen. I hope never to go back to the whine-y, selfish, self-absorbed person I was. I hope to continue along the path I've started to make at least a small difference in the lives of the people I encounter along the way.

Thanks for stopping by! More to come!!

Overwhelmed

2009-09-09T11:44:00.004-04:00

"Overwhelmed" is the word which frequently comes to mind as I prepare for this Ugandan adventure. I'm not at all nervous or apprehensive about the trip itself. I'm overwhelmed with the generosity of God's provision through our friends from across the years of our lives. I am overwhelmed with the burden of how I am going to be a blessing to these Ugandan people. I am overwhelmed by the privilege of being used by our wonderful God to be His arms and legs, His hands and feet, His eyes and ears. I am overwhelmingly humbled by His call.

I feel like a kid at Christmas. I am about to burst with excitement. I am already nearly completely packed and let me tell you that NEVER happens with me. I'm the one usually scrambling around throwing things in the suitcase the morning we leave. I have all 60 tote bags(see last post) completed and ready to be packed tomorrow night with all the other gifts we are taking with us. It just can't get here soon enough.

I guess you could say I'm overwhelmed with excitement!

Thanks for stopping by!

Making Gifts

2009-09-01T18:46:00.005-04:00

We leave for Uganda in 12 days. We are so excited we can hardly function. It's a good thing we have about finished up all of our preparations!

One of the things we know we will be doing while there is making home visits on behalf of the TAPP centers in Kampala. TAPP stands for Tumaimi (Ugandan for hope) AIDs Prevention Program. These centers reach out to those who are suffering with the HIV/Aids Virus. We will be taking toiletry items along with us as gifts for these home visits. These items were placed in gallon size ziploc bags last time the group from our church went. So, being a quilter, I decided to use up some of my stash to make tote bags to gift the items in. Also, in my stash are several panels from Block Party Studios that contain scriptures and phrases of scriptures from Psalms called Comfort of Psalms. I sewed one of these saying on the front of each tote bag.

I am pleased with the way they turned out(not the photography though) and am excited to use these items to share my love with these women.

We are so blessed here in the US. We take so much for granted. This little project is nothing and will do nothing physically to change these women's lives. I can only hope it will be a reminder after we leave that they are loved by a God who connects us all through the love of Jesus Christ.

Thanks for stopping by!

Living in the Midwest

2009-08-30T14:23:00.005-04:00

Can I just tell you that most days I absolutely love living in the midwest. Today, August 30th, the temperatures here are in the 60's. We are supposed to have a high of 69 degrees. It is too cool here for shorts. I spent the firsts 45 years of my live in Texas and NEVER did we have a day in August that didn't require shorts, tank top and flip flops. NEVER!! This is wonderful!!!

You may have noticed that I changed my profile picture. The one I've been using is four or five year old. As a fund raiser for our Uganda trip, we took and sold photos at our church. My only complaint with these pictures is that my sons weren't here to be included.

Thanks for stopping by!

I Love To Travel

2009-08-09T14:48:00.004-04:00

But then you already know that about me, don't you. I have told you before that I love to travel but this next trip I'm taking comes from a burning down deep in my heart. Something many of you may not know about me is that I have a bachelor's degree in Christian Missions from East Texas Baptist University. As long as I can remember, I've always had a special place in my heart for missions and missionaries. Yes, it's every parents nightmare...their daughter going to Africa as a missionary. I, however, am taking my daughter along with me on this adventure.

Our church has partnered with a missionary family in Uganda, Africa for the next few years. We will be the second group to travel to Uganda through this partnership to help them. There are 14 of us, as it stands now, that will be leaving September 13th for two weeks of service. I will share more detail in the days ahead. Please pray for Hannah and I as we prepare for this great mission adventure.

Thanks for stopping by!

P.S. The image of the African continent is borrowed from a google search.

What happened to July?

2009-08-02T14:08:00.009-04:00

Well, I'm back from my unscheduled blogging break. Where did the summer go? It seems as though we just celebrated graduation and now it's August. We have had so much going on around here and I've had so much to share that I find myself completely overwhelmed by it all. So, I just didn't post. So, where it start?????

I guess we should start by saying that our sweet daughter and Rudy finished up their schooling. Yes, it was a 6 week course. I know you didn't get any updates either. Just suffice it to say, they are both very different now. Our girl has had a taste of independence and found it much to her liking. Our Rudy is now a well-behaved (well -- almost!!!) puppy. He has learned so much and seems somewhat lost now that he doesn't have a full scheduled routine anymore. And, just like a kid who finds himself in a new setting he's trying all the limits and failing. His "mama" is a strict one and doesn't let him get away with anything. Aren't they cute??

After dropping them off at school, hubby and I jumped on a plane for Wyoming. It was some of the most amazing scenery. I took hundreds of pictures and would love to bore you with them all but I'll just post a few. I know you're saying, "Whew, dodged that bullet!!".

These are the Grand Tetons taken with my phone. I just couldn't get over how beautiful the snow-capped mountains were.

These three are of Wind River Canyon just out of Thermopolis. It is an Indian Reservation and just pristine and gorgeous.

I have loads more news and pictures to share. But this one was just to get my blogging feet wet again and not overly bore you!! Thanks for stopping by!!

A Month Later.....

2009-06-13T08:25:00.012-04:00

Things have been hopping around here. We got through graduation with a multitude of tears from me. :-( It was a great time with lots of family and friends visiting (but not quite enough company - we missed you Mom, M & V!!!).

We are so very proud of her. Now she and Rudy(remember the tulip eater??) are off tomorrow to the big city for 6 weeks of "school". They are attending the National K-9 Learning Center where she will be certified as a Master Trainer. She is excited!! Rudy doesn't know what he's gotten himself into!!

So now you know why I've not taken time to post in the last month. What with all the "end of the school career" awards banquets, parties, rehearsals, graduations, family and friends in and out AND getting her ready to go off to school so quickly after all the celebrations, we've been pretty busy. And then there's that trip to Wyoming also...we leave next week! WooHoo!!!!! I'm so ready for a vacation.

So tell me....do you have big plans for a summer vacation?

Another Milestone

2009-05-14T15:06:00.003-04:00

My baby turns 18 today!!

Happy Happy Birthday sweet Sue-Sue!!

You have grown into a beautiful lady!!

We are very proud of you!!

Love ya bunches!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:13:00.002-04:00

I was surprised by my sweet daughter with beautiful tulips for Mother's Day.

I hope you had as great a Mother's Day as I did.

The Case of the Missing Tulips

2009-05-06T10:27:00.015-04:00

I love to read. The past few years I have really enjoyed reading what they call "cozy" mystery series'. That would be those that have no sex or bad language in them. Of course, they couldn't leave out the murder or they wouldn't be mysteries but there is really no "blood and guts" in them either. They are fun to read and there are loads of them out there. Our local library has a ton of them so I'm fortunate to never be at a loss as to what to read next.

Imagine my surprise to find my own real live mystery here at home. Relax folks, no murder here.....yet!! The tulips have been blooming for a couple of weeks now. I love tulips. We have pink ones and purple ones and yellow ones. Here is a shot of some of the pink and purple tulips. Aren't they pretty?

But wait, what's this?

Here's a picture of this group from last year.

Beautiful yellow tulips. Ok, I ask myself..."What's the deal?"

A ha!! Mystery solved. Our little puppy (yeah, I know, he's not little anymore!!!) is eating the tulips. I certainly hope tulips aren't poisonous. Although, a little stomach ache for his transgression wouldn't hurt my feelings any! Just kidding. I'd have to clean up the results.

No worries! See him spitting out the pretty pink flower. I caught it in mid-air. This puppy is going to be the death of me!! Or maybe another mystery title.....Murder in the Tulips???!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Quilting!!

Prom 2009

2009-05-05T13:22:00.001-04:00

OK, I know you are all wondering why it was necessary to go to the airport to pick up Hannah's date. Back in those sweet days I was talking about in my last post, we lived in Houston TX and spent a great deal of time with some wonderful people. We all went to church together, several of us worked together at a local Mother's Day Out program, we vacationed together. Well, you get the picture. We were always together. We were very, very close. Then we moved and, as is too many times the case sadly, we grew apart.

Enter the world of technology. What with internet and unlimited text messages our kids reconnected. One thing led to another and here we were on our way to the airport to pick up "her date" for Prom. They were very close to inseparable when they were young, but have not seen each other since kindergarten graduation (or there about).

Check out these cuties. Hannah and Aaron are right next to each other. They always were. This was taken at Big Bend National Park on spring break when they were either 4 or 5. I can't seem to remember the year. (Old age does that, you know!!) The other cutie is Josh. He and Aaron are still good friends.

And here they are 11 or 12 years later. Senior Prom.
It was such a fun weekend and it ended way too quickly. The only thing that could have made it better would have been if his mom, dad and sister could have made the trip also. Oh well, sounds like another good excuse to visit Houston again!!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy Quilting!!

Happy May Day!!

2009-05-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

Do you celebrate May Day? I never have but last year thought it might be fun to make some of Monica's little Pennie Pockets to share with friends(picture below is from Monica's website). Did I get it done? Of course not!!! As usual, it snuck (is that a word??) up on me. Time just races by as we seem to get busier and busier. It's a vicious circle!

April was a busy month full of fun and rain. May will be even busier. I cannot believe that it is only 30 short days until our baby's graduation. What a mixed bag of emotions I am dealing with. We are so proud of her (as we are with our boys also!!), yet it just doesn't seem possible that all three of our sweet kids will now be adults. It seems to me that it was just last month they were all under they age of five and I thought I would be changing diapers and potty training kids FOREVER!!! Oh, what sweet days those were! Isn't hind-sight grand?! I do remember alot of whining while in the midst of all those diapers. I remember wishing for some "me" time or at least to be able to go to the bathroom without little fingers being poked under the door. Ah, what sweetness!!!

Well, thanks for indulging my melancholy. Time to return to the present since we're off to Columbus today to pick up our sweet baby's prom date from the airport. Now there's a story you'll want to hear. But now we've gotta run!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy Quilting!!

Blogaversary

2009-04-30T15:11:00.003-04:00

It hardly seems possible that it was a year ago this month (April 6th to be exact) that I began this blogging adventure. I am not as faithful at posting as I would like. I find myself spending far more time reading other blogs than posting to my own. Inspiration abounds as I read blogs from so many talented crafters and writers. I'm daily awed by their work. I have been so blessed to "meet" so many new people from all around the world! Isn't this world wide web just wonderful?!! One of these, ThimbleAnna, calls us her "imaginary friends". I like that!!

One of the fun things about blogging is the swaps available to participate in. I have fabric from all over the world waiting to become a postage stamp quilt. I also recently mailed off 60 signature blocks (pictured below) for another swap. I will soon (I hope) receive back blocks by quilters from around the globe.

It is so fun to share my boring little life with you, my family and friends (old and new). The next six months look to be exciting and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I vow to do better this year and hopefully soon will reach my 100th post. Thanks so much for making this adventure so much fun!!

Thanks for stopping by!! Happy Quilting!!

She Said Yes!!!

2009-04-06T16:49:00.002-04:00

So much has happened here in the past several weeks. The most important of which is that it's now official. Our firstborn and his sweetheart are engaged. He proposed on April Fool's Day. I get the impression that there is a story there but we haven't heard it yet. We just know that she said yes and they are really excited. No date has been set. She is finishing up law school in December and will take the bar in February so they really don't want to add the stress of wedding planning to all that. We couldn't be happier!!!

More news to follow....

A Little Philosophical Today

2009-03-18T11:38:00.003-04:00

Sometimes we just have to admit that we are not in control of our lives. I am very grateful that God is ever present and watching out for me and mine. We make decisions daily not really giving them any importance when really they will affect our lives for years to come. Decisions that we think are so trivial like our first born taking Tae Kwan Do, we find now was God-led in order to save his life one day. That day was yesterday and I'm overwhelmed with gratitude for God's answer to my many, many prayers for his protection.

As I ponder all this today, I find myself so grateful for the many people God led into our lives who have influenced my children for good. They are just too many to name but God knows who they are because he put them there. I am asking Him to bless them all today but most especially Bro. Ronnie. He is a treasure!!

Are We There Yet?

2009-03-17T14:36:00.006-04:00

I have told you before how much I LOVE to travel. That call to scour the internet for low fares to just about anywhere is always ringing in these old ears of mine. So just imagine how excited I was when my sweet hubby (yes, the very same one from yesterday) called to say that he needed to go out to Wyoming for work. My response - When do WE leave?

Unfortunately, the trip isn't until mid-June but all the reservations are made and I have already found several quilt stores, yarn shops and needlework shops in the cities where he will be working. I have to find something to do with my days while he's off working! I will just be in heaven going on my own little shop hop around the northwest corner of Wyoming.

The picture above is one from Flickr of Grand Teton National Park. We will be spending a few extra days in Jackson Hole after his work is done so we can explore this beautiful scenery. We will have time over the weekend while he's working in Cody to explore Yellowstone National Park.

I can hardly wait!!

His Mercies Are New Every Morning!

2009-03-16T08:25:00.005-04:00

It's a brand new week. A fresh start! Another beautiful day is forecast and lots to be done.

Last week was a hard one for us. Tragedy struck our daughter's high school for a second time in three months. Four of her classmates have been killed in needless accidents. When will they learn that alcohol and driving (especially at such high speeds) do not mix? It is a hard lesson for those left behind that these kids are not invincible. They are not untouchable. It was a very hard week.

On a happier note, I just have to brag about my sweet hubby. He is an amazing artist. He works with colored pencils and, if I may repeat myself, is amazing! You can check out his website here. He has been working on pictures of our sweet kids. Here are our oldest and our youngest.

He is just beginning on our other son's drawing. For those of you who know our sweet kid #1 you will agree that this is sooooo him. Such a perfect expression. I just love it! And then, our baby - she's just a beautiful person - inside and out. I can't wait to have all three framed and hanging in our entryway. Their pictures, that is, although there were days when they were growing up when I would have liked to hang them by their toes!! Now though, I'm so proud to be their mama.

Thanks for stopping by!

Spring?

2009-03-15T17:26:00.002-04:00

It seems that spring may have actually come to our part of Ohio. Little green shoots(like this one) are popping their little selves up all over our flower beds. It is so exciting. Temperatures are actually in the '50's and we are wearing sweaters and not coats. YEAH!!! I am so ready for spring!!!

We are finally able to get pictures from our camera to the computer so I have no more excuses for absenting myself from posting. I will be catching up on all of our activities soon. I promise.

Thanks for stopping by!

Little Quilts

2009-03-03T12:16:00.005-05:00

Hey there! I hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was full of activity since our Sweet Kid #2 and his girlfriend came home for a visit. It was nice to spend some time with them again but as usual it wasn't long enough to suit me.

Not much else going on here. I have been working on several projects but not finishing much. The last finish was this little log cabin mini which I used scraps to complete.

It's about 25 X 25 and came from the Little Quilts book I bought when I first began quilting back in 2001.

I'm working on another one from the same book and here are a couple of blocks from it.

I have finished 4 of the 6 little Overall Bill blocks as well as the four patch blocks that surround them. All are from scraps again. I love using my scraps!! And I seem to be stuck lately making little quilts. They are such fun and almost instant gratification.

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Quilting!!

Fabric, Fabric, and more Fabric

2009-02-26T14:00:00.013-05:00

My gracious, where has February gone? I can't believe it!! Whoever said that the older you get the faster time passes was sure right. Not that I'm getting old, mind you, time just keeps on speeding by while everyone else ages. ;-)

Last week heavy snow was forecast for the weekend. Now we all know that means you have to make sure ahead of time that you are well stocked with all the necessary items to make it through for a few days in case it gets really, really bad. You probably think I headed right out to the grocery store, right? Wrong!! I headed up to The Door Mouse in Bettsville, OH. It was an hours drive but I had a couple of pieces of fabric I needed to finish off two different projects that are already in the works and if I was going to be snowed in then I was going to be sewing.

You just would not believe this place. They have been in business for 30 years and to commemorate their anniversary they gave me a nice ecology bag for the next time I come in . The staff were all very helpful. But most importantly you will not believe the selection of fabrics they have. Here are some pictures taken by a fellow Ohio blogger, Lisa over at CandleLite Quilter (yes, my camera is STILL broken). Thanks Lisa for letting me steal(borrow) your pictures.
This is what every aisle in the place looks like. The fabrics are grouped by color, as you can see. Here are just a couple of the aisles and a corner as the back wall is filled also. And yes, there are fabrics behind all those bolts sitting on the floor. (Not much room for walking!!)

Did I mention this place is in a barn? Yes, there is even a second floor loaded down with all the flannels and Christmas projects. There are projects for all their kits all over the place. And just let me tell you how surprised I was when I went to the bathroom. Yes, that is where all the patterns for all Carrie Nelson's Schnibbles. I think I even laughed outloud when I saw that. I wonder how many of those patterns they lose with ladies just dropping a few of those in their purses or shopping bags? No, I bought mine already kitted up. (I'll show that to you another day.) It was just a thought but we also know that quilters are VERY honest people!! These next pictures are of the upstairs and the view from upstairs.

With all the fabric crammed in this store can you believe that they didn't have the two specific pieces I was looking for? I promise, they didn't. I just could not believe it. I had to have those exact pieces since one is for sashing that I ran out of on the last row and the other was some of the Thimbleberries for this year's project that I cut wrong (silly me!!!). Well, not to worry I bought the little Schnibbles kit and a couple of repro shirtings to put into a mini log cabin. (Again, enough pictures today. I'll show that one another day.)

Thanks for dropping by!
Happy Quilting!!

Happy President's Day

2009-02-16T12:34:00.010-05:00

I hope you had a great weekend and enjoyed your Valentine's Day celebrations, whatever that might look like at your house. We had a quiet weekend and that is always a good thing.

Today is another holiday for us here in the States. The celebration of two of our great presidents - George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I don't know about you but I really didn't enjoy history much as a child. I have, as I've grown older, also grown in appreciation for all those who have done so much to enable me to live with the freedoms I now enjoy. Much could be said about both of these great men but today as I think about our new and current president, I am reminded especially of all the great work of Abraham Lincoln. It also helps that we spent 7 years living in the "land of Lincoln" state of Illinois. Honest Abe may have had his faults but you have to appreciate his persistence and his ideals concerning the issue of slavery. No matter how you may have voted in this past election, you have to have great pride in our nation and how far we have come since Lincoln's days in office. I know I certainly am.

And now, on to much less serious subjects -- I have been doing a great deal of stitching lately but not much at the machine. Below are some of my finishes.
Sorry for the blur. This is month one of my snowladies BOM. It is finished and I am currently working on month #2(pattern shown below).

In fact, I am getting close to being finished with this one. And I need to be since I have already received block #3 in the mail. I'm not sure they are waiting an entire month on these. I'm really trying to keep up with all of these.

I have also finished February's block on Ellie's Country Calendar BOM. These are fun since they work up so quickly.

But then there are Anne's baskets that I have not even started. They are so adorable and I want to make sure I pick the right fabrics for them that I find myself hesitating to choose anything. You should see some of the ones completed already. They are fantastic, especially Monica's over at the Happy Zombie. She never ceases to amaze me with her choice of such colorful fabrics.

I could go on and on but I'll just stop here and say --
Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T11:33:00.013-05:00

Valentine's Day is always filled with such sweetness. From the colors - pink, red and white, to the flowers and candy. It's a fun time to show some special "tlc" to the ones you love. My sweetie showed up with a gift certificate to the spa so I KNOW I'll be having some "tlc" soon!!

I finally finished the Valentine runner I started in June of last year. It's a free pattern over at The Happy Zombie (thanks Monica!!) done in the fabric line by Moda All You Need is Love. I just love that song by the Beatles, don't you. It will be stuck in my head all day now!!

Love, love, love
All You Need is Love!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

What's Up with the Weather?

2009-02-10T16:34:00.003-05:00

I had to step back and ask myself if I was still in Ohio. Yes, here I am looking at the thermometer on my back deck and seeing 60 degrees. Sheesh!! It was just last week we couldn't even get out of our driveway because of the 10 inches of snow. Is it no wonder winter is flu season?

Too bad the day was also gray and drizzle-y or we could have spent some time outdoors. Or at least more time than just taking the "grandpuppy" out to potty. What an exciting life I lead!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Copycat Quilting

2009-02-09T10:04:00.006-05:00

While catching up on my blog reading last week I stumbled across this little jewel on Lucy's Quilting with the Past blog. Lucy, is a blogger from the Netherlands. She is quite a prolific quilter. If you are a fan of Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville then you already know about Lucy. Bonnie traveled to the Netherlands last fall and spent time with her. If not, you need to check them both out. Anyway, back to the quilt. It was so cute that I had to make one for myself.

This is my version. (Again, bad photo. I can't wait to get my camera back!!). This little cutie is only about as long as a pencil. It's about 9" X 6 1/2". It sewed up quickly on Saturday. I hand quilted it that evening. I then used some left over binding I had from another project to get it bound on Sunday afternoon. TaDa!!

I get so easily distracted!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!!

Blogging

2009-02-07T13:28:00.004-05:00

I was so fortunate to win a prize from Elizabeth of Creative Breathing blog this past week. Is this not the cutest little valentine peg doll you have ever seen? The time that must have gone into making this little cutie-pie just amazes me. The hair alone had to take forever. Each little ringlet is felt sewn in a zig-zag fashion. The details are so cute. I just wish you could tell from my awful photography.

I have so enjoyed being a part of the blogging world. It's not always an easy thing to lay your life out there for all to see. (Not that I think the whole world is reading my blog!!!) It can be very intimidating to share your hopes and feelings whether they be past, present or future. To show the things we create all the while hoping that they will be enjoyed by the reader as much as we enjoyed creating them. To risk criticism and hurt from people we may not even know by showing just a part of ourselves is scary. But still, many of us do it.

Elizabeth is a master storyteller. Her stories come from her life which seems to be full of colorful adventures and intrigue. She'll tell you not to ask what she did yesterday because she'll not be able to remember the details but the way she recalls her childhood is amazing. Who can figure out our minds? If you haven't ever been over to Elizabeth's blog, it is well worth your time to read her stories, let alone look at all of her amazingly wonderful creations.

Thanks so much Elizabeth for sharing your life and your creativeness with me. I love my little sweetheart peg doll.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!!

2009-02-04T09:06:00.005-05:00

This was last week's snow. We got about 10 inches which may not seem like alot to those of you further north but to this southern born girl transplanted here to Ohio it's HUGE! It might have been okay if I could have stayed in all week but that was not the case. It was our turn to host Family Promise again so that meant a great deal of time on the road back and forth to church. It's been a blessing to be a part of the solution for hurting families during this hard economic time. What we do may not be big but it is a step in the right direction for the two families we served this past week.

Some of the snow has melted and we expect to get up into the 40's by the weekend so we might see some of our dead grass. I have to tell you that I have stayed inside as much as possible, though. I have spent a great deal of time at my sewing machine and have this to show for the effort (Once again, picture is from my phone as the camera is still broken. I'll shoot better pics when it's repaired.)
I'm so sorry you can't see all the wonderful civil war repro fabrics. They are just amazing. This is a Bonnie Blue Quilts pattern named Second Hand Clothes. There are over 110 different fabrics in this quilt. It is so easy to put together and turned out beautifully. I promise, better pictures of the fabrics soon!!!

Progress on my BOM's is slow. I have finished the first block of Ellie's Country Calendar (shown here) and have printed off the second month's pattern. I have almost finished the first block of the Snowladies BOM and have not even started the Bunny Hill Basket BOM and she is due out with the next block on the 5th. I usually only do my handwork in the evenings while we watch TV so that makes for slow going. I also spent a couple of days working on my Grandmother's flower garden blocks so that has helped me lag behind. Hmmm, I guess with all these different projects going, I certainly can't complain about being bored. ;-)

And, of course, I couldn't end the post without showing you this cute picture of our sweet(fast growing) puppy taking a nap while "grandma" blogs.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Block of the Month Progress

2009-01-24T17:15:00.007-05:00

One down, and....I've lost count of how many more to go. First, let me apologize for the quality of this picture. I know I am not a great photographer but this one is especially bad. It was taken with my phone (which, in itself, is amazing to me) because our camera is broken at the moment. So this will have to do. Anyway, here is the first block from Ellie's Country Calendar BOM. Since you can't tell by looking, the fabric around the stitchery is a dark blue check. And those are real black buttons sewn on the snowman.

I have drawn the stitchery pattern onto the muslin for the Snowladies BOM from This-N-That Creations and will begin stitching on it tonight. I know it will take much longer to stitch than the one above.

And, as if I haven't taken on enough projects. I have joined something else!! I know. I'm obsessed!!!
For my non-quilting readers, I will try to explain what a siggy swap is. Several quilters have organized a swap for 60 of us. We will be making signature squares from a pattern specified by them. When they are swapped, each of us will have signature squares from all over the world. So far I think there are quilters from USA, UK, Australia and Germany registered. There are still a few spots and I'm hoping quilters from other countries will jump on the bandwagon. It continues to amaze me how small our world is getting!!! (More of that amazing technology.) I haven't decided yet how to sign my squares. I want to make it something really special. Any suggestions?

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!!

Block of the Month Fever

2009-01-19T12:30:00.001-05:00

I know that if you are a quilter or a stitcher you have seen all the block of the month projects that have popped up all over the internet. I have never done a block of the month but this year seems to be the year. I have succumbed to several.

Anne Sutton of Bunny Tales has a free BOM on her blog. Her work is so very cute that I thought I would join right in on this one.

Then I discovered a BOM at This-N-That Creations called Ladies of the Snow. I couldn't resist! It is "snow-ladies and quilting. I borrowed this photo from their website. It is the first block which I have already received. I REALLY need to get busy on this one since I just received word that the second is in the mail already.

And then there is this cute one from Ellie's Quiltplace. It can be done as a stitchery or as appliqué. I'm not sure that I'm not gonna do both.

Ok, I know there is a theme here. I just love snowmen (or ladies as the case may be). Since they all started out that way I just couldn't resist any of them. There are so many more of them out there that I would love to do but my family seems to think they need meals and clean laundry. And then there's also this!!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!!!

2009 is rolling right along

2009-01-13T13:44:00.002-05:00

Aren't they cute? Scout stays worn out most of the time trying to keep up with his new little buddy. It is such fun to watch them play but at the rate that Rudy is growing it won't be long before the tables are turned and Scout is the "underdog".

I've been doing a lot of "puppy-sitting" now that school is back in session for our sweet daughter(Rudy's mom). Oh my, he's so constant. The weather doesn't help either. We have had so much snow this year and they are forecasting blizzard conditions for tonight and tomorrow. It's not fun taking a puppy out for potty time in snow that is almost belly high on him. It doesn't seem to bother him but "grandma" doesn't care for it.

I have been doing a bit of sewing. I took pictures but the computer won't seem to recognize the USB port so that I can get them uploaded. I am working on a new project I bought fabric for in Houston last month and also trying to finish up my 2008 Thimbleberries quilt. I have jumped into the middle of several BOM projects but will wait to post those another day. In the meantime, we are rearranging our hobby rooms(again). My hubby's art(check it out here and here) and hunting supplies are going back upstairs to the spare bedroom and my quilting is spreading out into the formal living and dining rooms now. As soon as it's in some kind of order I'll post pics of it also.

There hasn't been much else going on around here. Both of our boys are back to their respective apartments at school. Spring semesters are starting next week for them. As I said earlier, our sweet girl is already on the downhill slope of her senior year. I know these months are going to race by so quickly.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to have the camera up and going again soon.
Happy Quilting!!

One Last Christmas Gift

2009-01-02T09:23:00.008-05:00

This is the last of my Christmas projects/gifts. Our middle son attends the University of Illinois so when I discovered this kit at Quiltmakers in Fishers, IN while searching for quilt stores around the Indianapolis area I knew it would have to be one of his Christmas presents. It was so easy to put together. I bought the kit instead of just the pattern and they had done all the hard work already by arranging all those blues by color values. Some of them are so close it would have been difficult.

While in Houston, I had my friend use her snazzy Brother Innovis 1100 to embroidery the school name on the bottom border piece(the closeup picture).

I hand quilted lines radiating out from the blue dot representing Champaign and outlining the borders.

Our trip to Toledo Wednesday was alot of fun. The place where hubby was being fitted for his new driver happened to be right next door to a Target. I love Target and we don't have one anywhere near us here. So, the time just flew by!! I also discovered a really nice quilt store called Sonflower Quilts and Gifts in Sylvania(a small suburb in the nw part of Toledo). The owners were so very nice and they had a great selection of fabrics, notions, books, patterns and block of the month programs. I think a return trip is in order for me(without hubby so I can really scour the place)!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy Quilting and Happy New Year!!

Black and White and Red All Over

2008-12-31T09:28:00.007-05:00

Staying with the same color scheme as yesterday, here's another Christmas gift. My eldest son and his sweetie are decorating their apartment in black and red with white accents. I discovered the book Skinny Quilts & Table Runners by That Patchwork Place last February when I was in Houston visiting my friend, the quilt shop owner. The book is a compilation "from today's top designers". The pattern I picked is called Astrological by Marti Michell. I knew then it would work up really nice in their colors but didn't get around to making it until this last trip to Houston. It is also my first attempt at machine quilting(just a little cross-hatching).

Hubby and I are headed to Toledo today. He's being fitted for a new driver. He may not be able to play golf right now but it doesn't stop him from thinking about it and planning for next season. I'm going along to scope out a couple of quilt shops there. Isn't it nice that quilt season runs from January 1 thru December 31!! I'm hoping to find some great end-of-the-year sales!!

Happy New Year to all!!

Gifts revealed

2008-12-30T08:54:00.006-05:00

Life here is slowly getting back to normal. Well, as normal as can be with a new puppy in the house. He's doing great but is so constant. I'm hoping he'll be completely trained by the time school starts again Jan. 5th. (I know I'm delusional!!!) I guess "grandma" will not get much sewing done for a while. ;-(

Back in November I showed you some Loralie fat quarters I brought home from Texas. Here is what they became.

I made my mom a purse, kleenex cover, and a zipper bag for Christmas. She has been wanting a bag like this to carry her Bible to church. I was really pleased with how they all turned out.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Happy Quilting and Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Past is Past!

2008-12-29T13:49:00.011-05:00

Can you believe how quickly this Christmas flew by? We have already put away all of our Christmas decorations except the snowmen. They hang around here until about March then off they go into their boxes in the garage until next year. We had a great time with all the kids and their "girls" here. Our oldest brought the "grandpuppies" with him. That always stirs things up nicely. They are both Miniature Pinchers and are full of energy. We just love having all of them here from Florida.

Of course, my Christmas was all about quilting. I got a new chair for sewing and a new 36" X 48" cutting mat. I'm in the process of reorganizing the room so when that is done I'll have pictures of both. I'll also post pictures of all the sewing I've done over the past weeks that got wrapped up for gifts but first...I have to show you the cutest gift received by anyone this year.

Meet Rudy(shortened from Rudolph(yes, the reindeer - he was after all a Christmas gift.) He is our daughter's. He is a full blood border collie. Isn't he just adorable. He's one big ball of fluff. Oh, and sharp little teeth too! He is 9 weeks old and was adopted from a rescue place in Indiana.
I think he will be keeping all of us on our toes for months to come. Our daughter plans to become a dog trainer as her line of work once she graduates from high school. In order to attend the school of her choice, the National K-9 Learning Center in Columbus, OH, she is required to bring a dog to train - hence Rudy has been added to our family. I think she has her work cut out for her!!

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!!

Merry Christmas to All!!

2008-12-24T10:27:00.007-05:00

Since arriving home from my trip to Houston December 8th I have been in fast forward mode. Note to self -- next year DO NOT plan any out of town trips after Thanksgiving!!! I did, however, get an amazing amount of sewing done while in Houston. So what else happens at a quilt store? Duh!! (Another Duh!! Yes I did bring home fabric and patterns. Those pictures coming after Christmas.)

I did not finish all the projects I had planned for gifts but did get the major ones done and they are wrapped and under the tree(or in route to their prospective recipients). Sorry the gifts are arriving late mom. ;-(

As you can see, I also got some baking done. These nut cookies are a tradition in my husband's family. They are a must every year even if nothing else gets baked. There is more but no pictures of anything else. Really the main reason I am on the computer at all today is to wish all of you who celebrate this wonderful season a blessed Christmas! I hope you enjoy this time of family and friends while remembering the real reason for this season doesn't lie in the decorations, gifts, food or even time with loved ones. Jesus was born one blessed night so that He could live and die to live again so we might have life eternal.

Born To Wander

2008-12-02T11:18:00.006-05:00

Why is it that I always let Christmas sneak up on me? It's not like it doesn't come around the same time year after year. I love Christmas. I love all the music and the food and the lights. I plan every year to start on Christmas presents in August but it never happens. My house still looks like Thanksgiving. The snow falling outside should be motivation enough for me to dive into all those boxes of decorations out in the garage but I can't seem to stay home long enough to do that.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We left Wednesday to spend a few days with friends back in Illinois where we moved from last year. It was fantastic spending so much time with such good friends. (We really missed you guys, Lynn.) I even found time (of course) to visit the local quilt store where I spent so much time when we lived there. If you are ever in the area around Oblong, IL (yes, it is the only Oblong) you just have to stop in at the Village Stitchery. It's on Main Street. You can't miss it. Lisa and Sherry are the sweetest and they have that place just full of wonderful eye candy and treasures!! Our plan was to come home on Saturday because my sweet hubby and I were due to fly to Houston on Tuesday and back home again on Thursday (him for business, me for a visit). Instead our friends talked us into staying an extra day.

Well, as often happens, yesterday his trip was moved from leaving today back into the middle of January. So, what's a good wife to do? Cancel her visit too? NO WAY!!! I just called the airline and extended my stay. It's a good thing too because I'm such a dope and had made my reservations for Wednesday instead of Tuesday!! God has to work overtime watching out for me!! However, I'm so excited. You see, my best buds back in Houston now own The Quilt Room. Here are a couple of early pics from her place. I'll be sure to get new ones while I'm there.

Since I'll have to go to work with her every day (Aw, shucks you say!! hehe) I'm taking all my Christmas projects with me and will sew, sew, sew. How convenient will that be? All the supplies I could ever need right there at my fingertips. Can you spell H-E-A-V-E-N? So, here I go again back to Texas for the second time in less than 4 weeks.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!
And Happy Holidays!!

Is There A Doctor In The House?

2008-11-25T14:35:00.007-05:00

I have returned from Texas where I had a wonderful visit with both my mother and my grandmother. The weather was fabulous there while here in Ohio the first snow fell. I just love the snow so was a little disappointed but there will be MUCH more of it to come. Woo Hoo!!! I know. I'm a flake!! Ha!!!

I didn't sew a stitch while I was gone but I did finish several great books while traveling. Here are a few of the titles I have finished lately and highly recommend to you.

Sisterchicks Go Brit! by Robin Jones Gunn (I enjoyed every one of the Sisterchicks books)
Sisters, Ink by Rebeca Seitz (If you are a scrapbooker you will especially enjoy these)
Coming Unglued by Rebeca Seitz (#2 in the Sisters, Ink series), and
Cedar Cove Christmas by Debbie Macomber (all the Cedar Cove stories are great - this one
falls after #8 but can stand on it's own)

I seem to keep my nose buried in a book too many hours of the day and night lately. I'm not sure why. I have always enjoyed reading but recently it seems to be my best tool for procrastinating. I have so many crafting projects in my head that I can't seem to settle down to any one of them. I have projects that I would love to give as Christmas gifts and here it is only one month to Christmas and nary a one has been started. I'm calling it "blog inspiration overload". Have you ever been infected with that disease? I never seem to be able to get it completely out of my system. I really think someone would become very rich if they could develop a vaccine for my malady. Surely, I am not the only sufferer.

Instead of spending time in my sewing room I spend way too much time on the computer drooling over all the beautiful projects everyone else is churning out at record speed. I even have patterns printed out for projects I drooled over last year!! I have it REAL bad! Part of the problem IS my sewing room. For too long now it has been a dumping ground for supplies and partial attempts at projects, so the thought of even walking in there is depressing. I can't even get to my sewing machine. I guess that means I have found #1 for my project list!!

Anyway, on to something fun. While in Texas my mother and I visited a quilt store. Surprise, surprise!! It is called The Enchanted Quilt and is only 4 months old. She had a lot of fabric I had never seen before and much I had as well. My mother has been hinting (not very subtlety either) that she wants a small tote bag to carry her Bible and things in to church. While at the store she fell in love with a fat quarter bundle and I came home with it.
Aren't they cute? These were some of the fabrics I had never seen. They are a mixed bundle - Dear Doggies Tossed and Poodle Party by Loralie Harris for Loralie Designs. Here is one of my favorites. It will probably have to be the inside of the bag since it is so busy but it's just adorable. My mom has a schnauzer so this one will be perfect for her bag.

I guess I should get off this computer and go clean up my sewing room. I won't be able to get anything done until after Thanksgiving since we are leaving town (again) to go back to Illinois and spend some time with some of our friends there(at least the ones staying in town for the holiday - we'll miss you Lynn!!).

To all my US readers - Happy Thanksgiving!!
To all of you across the pond and down under - Happy Quilting!!

Unintended Blogging Breaks

2008-11-11T12:10:00.007-05:00

Well, I really didn't intend to take a blogging break but here it is almost the middle of November and my first post since October 23. What's up with that???

I wish I could say I have been doing a lot of sewing but that would not be the truth. I did follow the little basket bandwagon and made this.
If you are one of the few who haven't seen these yet the tutorial can be found at the Pink Penguin. They are super easy and fun to make!

I have started on a couple of Christmas gifts but, of course, I can't show those yet!! I haven't done nearly enough but can't seem to get motivated. I have always been a procrastinator!!! Truth be known, I just haven't had much to say. (I know those of you who know me well will be shocked at that since I never used to shut up but it's true.) My vertigo has been acting up lately and that is miserable so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I'm leaving for Texas tomorrow to visit my mom and grandmother. I'm really looking forward to the visit. I'm taking along my grandmother's flower garden hexagons I started on our trip to Florida. I haven't spent much time on them since returning home. I hope to keep all my supplies firmly in my seat with me this time.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Fair and Balanced

2008-10-23T09:56:00.009-04:00

I can now say that my coverage of the US election this year has been fair and balanced. I have attended functions for both candidates. I didn't get pictures from the Food and Wine Tasting we attended last month for the Barak Obama campaign. So sorry to you Democrats. I do have to say that the food was delicious but I felt really sorry for the local candidates. (Obama was not there.) Wine tasting and stump speeches just do not mix. They should have spoken much earlier in the evening if they truly wanted the "tasters" to listen.

Yesterday, however, the candidate was there. I am so impressed with Sarah Palin. She was quite a dynamic speaker and since the doors opened to the event at 7 am most everyone was polite and listened to her speech(no wine tasting here). There was one protester who was quickly escorted out the door but all else was calm by mob rule standards.

It is such a privilege as an American citizen to be able to place my vote for the next governmental leaders. No matter which way you vote, Independent, Democrat or Republican, let your voice be heard.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Senior Night

2008-10-13T18:34:00.010-04:00

This past Friday night was the last home football game which means it was senior night. Our band seniors get to decorate berets to wear that night. Here are a couple of pictures of Sweet Kid #3's beret.

The colors for the school she attends now are blue and gold with the mascot of Mustangs. The high school she attended her Freshman and Sophomore years were maroon and white with a mascot called the Maroons. Hence, the "M". The "09"(no, it's not a 60!) is, of course, for 2009. Since she wanted to celebrate her entire high school experience, I'd say it was lucky for us that both mascots started with the letter "M".

Another bittersweet moment!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Quilting!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-10-11T14:58:00.017-04:00

September left and October has just barged right in. Although the mums are blooming everywhere, I haven't seen very much change in the color of leaves yet. I hope we don't just skip that part of fall. I love all those colors.

The temperatures during the day have been so nice. It's a great time to get out and wander around a corn maze and pumpkin patch. Our church is involved in a ministry called Family Promise. It's a cooperation of churches to help homeless families with children. I have just been blessed by being named one of the Family Promise coordinators for our church.

Last Saturday we took the two families to a nearby farm and had an afternoon of fun. Some of us were lost for several hours in the corn maze.
Some of us were very serious about the duck races.

Some of us got our very first pumpkin ever.

But all of us were blessed by the beauty of God's world.

Thanks for stopping by.

Mums and Fall Pumpkins

2008-09-26T16:01:00.009-04:00

When it comes to gardening I am a total failure. Two brown thumbs!! It is so great that the couple we bought this house from were pros at landscaping. I watch in amazement as each season changes to see what the gardens are going to bring forth. Our gorgeous mums are all abloom.
Last year as I began decorating for fall I bought two large pumpkins and set them out in the beds. My true nature took over as winter fell upon us and the pumpkin just melted into obscurity. In other words, as they rotted in the flower beds I did nothing with them. My daughter and one of her friends carried one off to the fields next door and played "smash the melon" until it was pulp. The other pumpkin stayed right where I had placed it.

After our spring bulbs began to die off something else began to appear from under the soil. You guessed it!! We had a pumpkin plant in our front flower bed. Curiosity got the best of us and we left it for the summer.
You can see it has not been cut loose from the vine yet. We need to do this soon as we have just discovered that another is on it's way.
I'm so excited to have a pumpkin for fall decorating with possibly another on the way. The sad fact remains that if I had planted the pumpkin intentionally I never would have gotten one. Mrs. Brown Thumbs is here to stay!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

One Last Tale of Florida

2008-09-25T12:31:00.004-04:00

This was my take-along project for our trip to Florida (sorry for the bad photo). You know when you fly these days you have to get to the airport and through security long before the flight begins to board. Then, of course, is all that time seat belted into your seat on the plane. I spent an afternoon before we left cutting out fabric hexagons to work on using the Quilt-Pati's I bought at NQA and got started on the grandmother's flower garden quilt I have always wanted. It will take me awhile to get it done but I'm loving it already. The fabric I bought in Jacksonville will also find it's way into the quilt.

One humorous note, on the trip home we were settling into our seats and as we were taxiing (is that really right, spell check didn't buzz me) down the runway I dropped my spool of thread. Since we were in takeoff mode I couldn't jump out of my seat to retrieve it. So just imagine my horror (and especially my sweet hubby's) when as we ascended into the wild blue yonder my spool of white thread went rolling all the way down the aisle to the back of the plane. I could have died. I'm sure I was quite red faced. When the flight attendant approached my seat she said, "I'm guessing this is yours?". If I hadn't been laughing so hard I could have said, "You think?". I just said thank you and tried to hide under my seat for the duration of the flight. Luckily it was the short leg from Jacksonville to Charlotte, NC. The rest of the trip home was without incident.

Enough vacation stories. Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Quilting!!

Quilt Store in Jacksonville

2008-09-24T17:28:00.013-04:00

While in Jacksonville we visited the Olde Green Cupboard Quilt Store. If you are in the area and have not been there, shame on you. It is an amazing store with the friendliest staff. They have over 10,000 sq. feet of gifts, home decor, fabrics, patterns, wool, stitcheries, just about anything a quilter could want. I could have spent hours there but had everyone with me and believe me, they were not near as impressed as I was. I could have also spent a fortune there but didn't.

This was a little room all set up with '30's repro fabrics. This is where my money went.
I only bought 12 fat quarters and the purse pattern below. I was really proud of myself. I bought so much at the NQA show in June that I really didn't need to get anything else until I finish some of those projects. Right? Isn't that how it works? HA!!!

I just love this one.
As I mentioned, I could have been there all day. These pictures don't even begin to give you a feel for how big this place is. I didn't even photograph the front quarter of the store where the gifts and decorations were or the classrooms in the back. I have never seen such big classrooms. I guess it's a good thing I don't live in Jacksonville or we would be so very broke!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!

Our Florida Trip

2008-09-23T16:32:00.010-04:00

We flew down to Jacksonville, FL last week to visit Sweet Kid #1 and His Sweetie. It was so good to spend time with both of them and all their 4-legged babies.

We arrived there Saturday evening to much heat and humidity. I don't miss that southern heat AT ALL!! We had a fantastic mexican meal but sorry, I don't remember the name of the restaurant where we ate.

Sunday we spent the afternoon at the World Golf Village with the majority of that time in the Golf Hall of Fame. I'm not a golfer but after living with one for almost 24 years i have to say that I enjoyed it very much.

Notice that they are even smiling in the shot below. They were so patient while we enjoyed all the exhibits.

Our Sweet Kid #3 is a tall fellow(6' 8") so we were quite amazed to find a driver that was too tall for even him.

After going through the Hall of Fame we played the 18 hole putting course. I almost didn't make it from the heat. I'm such a wimp!! It was a fun afternoon and a beautiful place to visit.

We then drove into San Augustine which is the nation's oldest city. We walked around the city a bit; toured the Castillo de San Marcos; and visited the San Augustine Lighthouse. It was a gorgeous day. I could have gone on sightseeing for hours but....well, you judge whether you think my Sweet Hubby is thinking the same thing.
I'm thinking that I'm glad those cannons in the background don't work anymore cause he was ready to shoot me out of one of them. And let me tell you it got worse. We got back to the car and they all thought we were headed back to Jacksonville. But I lead us on an adventure to see this.
I could see the lighthouse across the bay from the Castillo and I wasn't gonna leave until I got up close. Unfortunately, when we got there it was 25 min. past the time of the last guests being admitted up onto the lighthouse. I was crushed. So, my sweet hubby got out of the car with me and we took several photos. I just love this next one with the gnarly trees. Those trees were so cool!!
That's enough for one day. The trip to the quilt store was the next day. I'll share those tomorrow. Aren't family vacation slide shows just the worst?
Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Fall

2008-09-22T17:06:00.007-04:00

Since today is officially the first day of Autumn, I thought I would share a couple of quilted items I use to decorate for Fall. First is a table runner I finished up right after the first of the year.

You might notice that it's too large for the table. Well, when I bought the pattern back in 2005 we lived in a different house and used a much larger dining room table. That table has become my sewing table for the time being so the corners will just have to "drape" off the table.

This was the 2002/03 (I can't remember which year) Thimbleberries Club Fall Quilt. Back then the club offered a different quilt for each season. I made this quilt back then but never quilted it until just this summer. This next picture is a close-up of some of the hand quilting.

We had a great time in Florida. I'll share photos from the trip tomorrow. And yes, there are several from the quilt store we visited. Just let me wet your appetite by saying that the store is a whopping 10,000 sq. ft.. I was in heaven!!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

I'm in Florida

2008-09-14T11:37:00.004-04:00

As I write this post, I sit in Sweet Kid #1's living room in Jacksonville, Florida. It's gorgeous down here but it's HOT!! I so don't like to sweat.

We flew in yesterday and will be here until Wednesday. Today we are going to the World Golf Village and into St. Augustine. I hope to have pictures for you when we return. I will be visiting at least one quilt store while I am here and hopefully will have pictures of that also.

While on the plane (and all the time waiting in airports) I began a grandmother's flower garden done in '30's repos. I have always wanted to do one and have seen several around blogland done with applique in the borders. I'm hoping to do something along that line.

On another note, we are so grateful that our family and friends in the Houston area are all safe and sound. My brother and his family evacuated since they live south of Houston towards Galveston. We have not heard if they have any damage to their home. My father-in-law who lives in a high-rise in downtown Houston didn't even lose power during the storm. We feel very blessed.

Meanwhile, have a great week. I know I will!!

A Lazy Fall Day

2008-09-09T12:43:00.007-04:00

I know that by the calendar we have not yet ventured into the season called Fall, but here in Ohio the weather seems to contradict the calendar.
This is the view I have while sitting at the computer. It's one where I can literally watch the corn turn to its withered and dried readiness for harvest. Our windows are open today, as they have been for several days, letting in the cool breezes autumn brings. What a beautiful day! Yet, as I sit here at my computer, wasting oh so much time, I have to wonder what these next days will bring. Do you ever fell that life is speeding past you while you are standing still? An unsettled feeling yet you just can't seem to put your finger on what is so unsettling? That's where I am today. But, I guess I shouldn't worry. I'm under the ever watchful eye of our "king of the castle".
Well, maybe not so watchful.

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!!

It's a Hole in One!

2008-09-06T11:00:00.001-04:00

My husband LOVES to play golf. In fact, that's what he's doing today. Now, I don't mind watching the game on TV. I have even gone with him to the U.S. Open. But I don't especially like playing the game myself. I should. It's in my blood. My grandmother was a great golfer in her day. The love of the game must have skipped me. Anyway, back to my husband. Everyday when he gets home from work he changes clothes and goes outside. He has set up a golf hole in our back yard and he spends hours out there hitting golf balls. As I said, I don't get it but he loves it. The other day I went out to tell him something(important, I'm sure) and on my way back into the house I saw this.

When I pointed it out to him he said, "It's a hole in one. I was aiming at the tree." He's hopeless!!! But I love him!

Note to you quilters who have stuck with me these past few unproductive (on the sewing front at least) weeks: I promise, the sewing is going to be back soon.

We've had company

2008-09-04T08:13:00.006-04:00

We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. My father-in-law and brother-in-law came to visit. They flew in from Texas last Saturday. We have had such a great time visiting with them and, of course, lots of eating.

We have had a great summer with such cool temperatures so the guys spent a lot of time outside whether it was just standing around talking, hitting golf balls or reading out on the porch swing.

The time flew by way too quickly. Before we knew it, it was time to take them back to the airport for their return home. Now I guess I need to do laundry. It never seems to take a vacation!!

Happy Birthday to Bill

2008-09-03T15:05:00.006-04:00

Today is my sweet husband's 50th birthday.

Happy Birthday, sweetie!!

I Love to Travel

2008-08-26T13:24:00.006-04:00

As I was making flight reservations this morning for our trip in September to see our Sweet Kid #1 and his sweetheart, it stirred up in me a love I have had for years(besides, of course, Sweet Kid #1). I LOVE to travel.

Now I don't mind at all just jumping in my van and hitting the roads (proof here, here, and here.) But lately I especially dream of trips to Italy and Alaska, of cruises both domestic and international, you name it and I want to go!! I am always scouring travel sites to see if I can find some outrageous deal to somewhere; just about anywhere. Not that we can afford to go no matter how outrageous the price. Anyway, I was so excited when I ran across this on my morning blog reading.

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Edited: Sorry for the graphic being cut off. I was quite proud of myself just getting it to post much less being smart enough to size it to fit. A complete map can be found(and will remain) at the bottom of this page. It's such a burden to be computer challenged!!

What a great graphic! As you can see, I have much more of our great country to see. If I had a bucket list then this map completely filled in would be on it. BUT as it now stands, I could also post this.

create your own visited country map
or check our Venice travel guide

My bucket list for the world would include more than just Italy with it's magnificant art and architecture, the canals of Venice, the hills of Tuscany. How about the history of England, the beauty of Austria and Switzerland, the mystery of the land down under, all the places where Jesus lived and taught, and my husband would add, the St. Andrews golf course in Scotland?
Ah, how I dream!

Where have you always wanted to visit?

Fellow Blogger Needs Assistance

2008-08-19T13:37:00.004-04:00

Joan over at Keeping you in Stitches is in need of some suggestions. She contacted me a couple of weeks ago after I posted my progress on a Christmas Stitchery here. She has since ordered the stitchery panel from The Good Life and gotten it framed with half-square triangles. She uses exclusively Thimbleberries fabrics so you can just imagine how cute it is looking. Jump on over and read about her delimma.

While conversing back and forth with Joan I realized that I have never shown a finished photo of my project.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Joys of Motherhood?

2008-08-18T18:31:00.008-04:00

One of the joys of motherhood is watching your babies grow up. One of the heartaches of motherhood is watching your babies grow up and leave the nest. These past couple of weeks have been filled with both joy and heartache for me. Our boys are both in college. One lives in Florida and we are hoping for a visit down south in September. It's hard having him so far away. The other is now a sophomore at this Big 10 school.

Since he lived in a dorm last year the move to school didn't seem as final as this year. Here is a picture of our sweet kid #2. See that piece of paper in his hand, it's a lease for an apartment.

He was so excited (until he saw mom with the camera in her hands). We had loaded up our van and his car and set out for the new digs. We spent the next two days getting his room all set up. It's really hard driving off wondering if he'll ever be back home again for anything other than a visit. Sweet Kid #1 in Florida doesn't get up this way too often and we haven't gotten down there yet. (Hopefully in September!!). Driving away I decided I needed to drown my sorrows so I stopped and got one of these.
YUM-O!! It helped but only slightly! I got home in time to make the County Fair Battle of the bands. Our sweet kid #3 is on the front line kneeling. This is her senior year. Bittersweet!

Hopefully, I'll dig my way out of this "semi-empty nest" funk and get some sewing done soon. At least the Olympics are keeping us distracted. Go USA!!
Thanks for stopping by.
Happy Quilting!!

It's Been a While!

2008-08-08T15:39:00.014-04:00

I'm not sure where I've been but I'm back. I actually sat down at my sewing machine today. It's the first time in weeks. The days are just flying by too outrageously fast. We are packing up our sweet kid #2 to take him back to college next week. He'll be in an apartment this year instead of the dorm so you can just imagine the spending flurry that has been going on around here. Fortunately his roomie's have all the necessary furniture except, of course, his bedroom furniture so that helps.

Anyway, I thought I would take a second and let you see what I have been working on today. I told you already about the stitcheries I have been working one here. Since I finished the last one up last night I spent this afternoon framing them. Next will be sandwiching them to make blocks for the garland.

Don't ask me why I'm stuck on Christmas decorations right now. I can't even use the excuse that it's so hot here that I wanted to focus on colder weather. We have had the best temps lately. It think we hit a high of 78 degrees today. How about that for August? (Sorry to my native state of Texas but I just DO NOT miss that humid heat of the Gulf Coast.)

Gotta run. I've got a chicken simmering on the stove to make The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Spaghetti. If you have not been to her website.....well, I just don't know what to say except..GO, GO RIGHT NOW!! She has the best recipes and some of the best giveaways around. (But sadly, I have not won any of them. :-( I have tried several of her recipes and they have all been winners. YUM!!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Flora and Fauna

2008-07-28T15:34:00.010-04:00

There seems to be a theme emerging on several of the blogs I read daily, namely Anna and Sharon, displaying the beautiful flora and fauna in their yards. I thought I would jump on the bandwagon with them. My husband showed me this little nest last weekend when he was mowing. I have been watching it all week and decided to get some pictures last Friday.
Aren't they adorable. There are five little baby robins in the little bitty nest. I couldn't get any closer because mama robin was really fussing at me. After reading Anna's post about her baby hawks I decided to run out and try to get another picture of the robins. This little one (well, not really so little)was out on a limb just chirping up a storm. I didn't want to scare him away to look into the nest so he(she, maybe) is the only one I could snap.
Can you see him/her out there? I guess it's almost to to fly the coop, make that nest. I'll try later this evening to see what the other four are up to.

Now on to the flora.
This is the first bloom on our hybiscus. This one is almost as big as a dinner plate. As you can see from the next picture, we are about to have many, many more blooms. I just love them!!

And, going from big to little this next shot is of a miniature pansy. I've never seem such small pansies ever.
This is a close up shot but each bloom is about the size of a nickel. So darn cute!! I'm a real dunce where gardening is concerned and was so surprised to see this one grow up and bloom this year. I REALLY need to get some books and learn a thing or two about the plants we have here in our yard.

These fields are not ours but this is what we see on all four sides of our property. And as the lyrics go - The corn is as high as an elephant's eye (even if we do live in Ohio and not Oklahoma).They planted soybeans last year and we find we really like the look of the corn better.
So, do you have any flora or fauna around your place you would like to share? It would be fun to know what's blooming at your house!

Thanks for stopping by! Happy quilting!

She's Done

2008-07-25T16:39:00.012-04:00

She's done. Are quilts she's? Not sure but it seems right to me. After whining to all you good listeners yesterday(thanks!), I finished up this little jewel. One of the nice things about these Lori Smith Four Plus One Patterns is that you get a complete quilt out of five fat quarters. It's a small quilt, but it's a quilt.

Here's the back all pieced together. The only thing is that you have to be really careful about your cutting. I'm not sure I will only buy five for the next one of these I try. It just made me real nervous with the cutting and then I goofed when cutting the bias stems for the applique and ended up having to use the cream for the back instead of the brown you see around the little churn dash squares. It's not a big deal except I didn't get all five fabrics on the back.

I don't think I will do too much quilting on it so I should finish it up quickly.

This is my next project. It's sad, but I bought this pattern at least 5 years ago. I had forgotten about it until today when (still on my cleaning/organizing binge) I rediscovered several patterns and kits stuck down in a drawer.

I'm going to make the garland. Many moons ago I bought a bolt of muslin with my 40% off coupon at JoAnn's. I have most the DMC colors already. So this afternoon while doing laundry, I spent some time with the light box and tracing pen. I can begin stitching whenever I'm ready.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!

Distracted

2008-07-24T13:42:00.009-04:00

Monday was just one of those days. Tuesday I became distracted. While looking through my stash for a backing needed for a christmas stitchery(yes, it's never too early to start sewing for Christmas) I was overcome by a horrible smell down deep in the tote bag I was perusing. It was awful. Nothing doing except to take all that fabric (most of it was fat quarters) and dump it in the washer. It was a washer load (and a little left on the laundry floor, if I'm completely honest). Well, you know what came next. I had to iron all that fabric once it came out of the dryer. Since I was on a roll, I grabbed my scrap bucket (one of them at least) and started ironing those little scraps. That rubbermaid bin(luckily a small one) has been a tangled mess for years with me just diving in and making it worse every time I needed scraps for another project. Two days later I have it all nice and ironed, organized and put away.

In the meantime, I am still distracted by everything. Most evenings my husband and I sit down to watch a movie. That's when I pick up my handwork. So this week I have been working on some stitchery kits I bought in Columbus last month at a booth called The Good Life. Both of the ladies were so very nice. That's the same booth where I bought the Quilt Pati's also. This is the one that started the whole ironing binge. As you can see I did find a backing fabric for it or at least you'll have to take my word for it since all you can see is the top and the batting.

Here's a close up of the stitchery part. It was really fast and easy.

I didn't get it basted together until last night to start the quilting on it. I was too busy with these.

I will have to decide on borders for both of these. I really enjoy doing them. They are so relaxing to do. It's sad but I almost can't watch a movie anymore unless my hands are busy. But not too sad!!

I'm also still working on this.
I have almost all of the pieces made. I just need to sew together the top and bottom half square triangles and then I can put all the pieces together. Then where do I go from there? I am so distracted by it all. I'm just going to have to concentrate on one project, get it finished and then maybe this mojo of distraction will disappear. There are just too many fun projects to be done!!

One last thing - Penny is having a little beauty of a give-away that you will WANT to be included in. Jump on over there and take a look.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!

One of those days!

2008-07-21T14:27:00.013-04:00

Ever had one of those days when you struggle and fight to keep all the pieces together? I'm not talking about life; that would be a really bad day. I'm talking about just sewing together a quilt block. You just know you cut out the correct number of pieces because you counted them at least twice. You have everything right there together so you can just sew, sew, sew. But then when you do finally sit down at the machine you don't have the right number of pieces and have to drag out the mat, rulers and rotary cutter AGAIN. Then when you do start sewing you can't seem to lay your hands on the right pieces. You are chain sewing along and "what's this? I am two triangles short AGAIN?"

I've had one of those days today. I sat down this morning to begin sewing this little Lori Smith pattern. I bought it in a kit at the NQA quilt show in Columbus last month. I spent Sunday afternoon cutting out all the pieces and just knew I would zip right through it. No, Nope, Uh Uh, No way, how many other ways can I say it? It just was a fight from the beginning. Let me just tell you though, it wasn't the pattern. Although, the pieces for this little jewel are miniscule they did finally go together just fine. It was ALL me. Just one of those days!!

I put the scissors and pin cushion there so you could get the scale of these little beauties. I love the pinks and browns that are in right now.

When these are squared up they will only be
3 7/8". The block is about 4 3/8 right now. My chubby fingers really struggled with those little half square triangles and I still have all the little pink and cream ones to make for the center of the quilt. I sure hope I get my act together. Maybe I should just wait for another day.

On a more positive note, I finished up the Coneflower Wool Penny rug that I started in a class at the quilt show. Pat Sloan was so much fun and also a wealth of knowledge about wool. I only work on handwork in the evenings so it took me a while to get this finished up(I was still working on hand quilting my grandmother's quilt when I started it.
Thanks for stopping by. I feel better now that you let me vent my frustrations.
Happy quilting!

Hanging of the Quilt

2008-07-19T16:16:00.004-04:00

Here's another view of my latest finish. I got the idea of hanging the quilt from a rod out of one of the million (probably an exaggeration!!) quilting magazines I read. It's such a great idea. The rings have little clips on them so you don't have to bother with sleeves or loops to hang the quilt and it's very easy to switch them out for the seasons. Now I just need to get cracking on quilting the fall wall hanging or we will be summery around here all the time. That wouldn't be too bad if I didn't love fall so much!

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!

Finished another one!

2008-07-16T12:14:00.005-04:00

I am continually amazed at how time just seems to fly right by. This week is now half over and it seems like it was just Saturday when sweet kid #3 left for San Antonio. What fun she is having.

I spent most of Sunday afternoon and evening sewing on my OC mystery quilt. Here are is a picture of the blocks finished. Actually, it is just one of each of the sets of blocks sewn. I now need to print out step 6 (the last!) and put this baby together.

I spent Monday in front of the television (something I don't normally do during the day) watching a marathon of The Closer on TNT. We just love this show; probably her southern drawl. I had seen most of the episodes but they were leading up to the new season's launch that evening. While watching I was hand sewing down the binding on this quilt. (Side note - I would love to learn how you bloggers get web pictures into your blogs. Any help???? Thanks)

The fabric is from the 2003 Thimbleberries club. Our local quilt show owner in Oblong, IL designed the pattern and we used it in place of the summer quilt in the program. I finished the top in 2003 but didn't start on the hand quilting until just recently(took a break and made my grandmother's quilt)but now it's done!! Next is the fall quilt from the same year that needs sandwiched and quilted. I have a couple of months before it's needed so I'd better get on it too.

Better run. I hear my sewing machine calling! Thanks for stopping by.
Happy quilting!

Scraps and Scrappy Quilts

2008-07-11T16:18:00.007-04:00

When I first started reading quilty blogs last fall I was continually amazed at the generosity of quilters. After only four short months of blogging myself I have begun experiencing it first-hand. Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts is one of my favorite blogs to read daily. Besides making the most beautiful quilts, she also has one of the cutest dogs I have ever seen. Even if you were not into quilting her blog is a must read just to keep up with Ozzie's antics. Back in June she was blogging about a project she took apart in order to get the design to work. When she showed the pile of scraps she said she was going to trash I quickly left a comment telling her to just ship them my way. She did!! They arrived Wednesday and what a haul it was. The picture just shows a portion of them. I am taking part in a postage stamp quilt squares swap and knew these would be great for that. I have already cut a 1 1/2" square of each of the fabrics for my quilt. There were over 50 different fabrics in that gallon sized zip-loc bag of scraps. Thanks, Nicole!!

I have been working on these squares for my Orange Crush mystery quilt. After all the warning Bonnie gave in the instructions about making sure the red/black squares were turned just so, I still got one of them turned wrong. So this morning the seam ripper and I spent some one-on-one time together and FINALLY all 30 of these blocks are done. I am off to begin the cutting on the orange and blue fabrics for step 5. Hopefully, I will get those blocks sewn up this weekend and can start getting the quilt top sewn together.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Home Sweet Home

2008-07-09T12:55:00.007-04:00

It's fun to go visit family and friends (well, mostly fun; more on that later) BUT it's also really great to be back home. And just let me say, that I'm home to stay (for a little while, at least). Our trip to Texas was looooong but oh so worth it. My grandmother seemed to really love her quilt. It was wonderful to spend so much time with her and my mom. My one regret is that I didn't get pictures of my grandmother with the quilt. I'll have get my mom to help me out there!! (Thanks mom, just helping you finish up that film). I wish I could say the trip down and back was uneventful. Oh how I wish I could!! The trip was 17 hours each way. We were within 35 miles of mom's house on the way down when we heard something unusual. We knew right away (because we felt it) that we had a flat tire. You know that feeling? Well, we pulled over and just looked at each other. We were only half a mile from a rest area which had a gas station but I didn't want to drive that far on the rim. So what did we do, you ask?

Well, I'm pretty independent as you can tell from the fact that sweet kid #3 and I were on this long trip by ourselves. I've made the trip several times alone. No sweat! But it's been about 30 years since I've had a flat without my husband being with me. So I call him, like he can help, being 16+ hours away. (Side note - Aren't cell phone just the greatest little things?) He suggests the can of Fix A Flat in the little emergency kit we have. So (for the first time since it happened) we get out of the van to look at the tire and Nope that's not gonna work. It had flat blown in half. But by doggie, (sorry, we were really close to the Texas border) with his wonderful moral support we changed that there tire and were on our way. (Second side note - Don't you just hate those little donuts they call spare tires?) We were right proud of ourselves.

Here's my third(and final) side note - Do you know that the entire time we were on the side of that busy road (I-44 in Oklahoma) not one person stopped to help two females changing a tire. OK, I said I was independent; I didn't say I was a feminist. I would have been more than happy to let some Oklahoma cowboy change that tire for us. But, NOOOOOO not a soul stopped. This little Texas girl (well, maybe not so little) was sorely disappointed in her Oklahoma neighbors.

Getting down off my soapbox and on to the quilting front, I got back to work yesterday on my Orange Crush. The mystery is solved already but sadly I fell behind. So back to my sewing machine I go to sew up half square triangles for step 4. I also had some interesting mail today but since this has gotten long enough you'll just have to wait until tomorrow for that.

Thanks for stopping by. Happy Quilting!!

Secret Project Revealed

2008-07-02T10:00:00.004-04:00

People have always said that I am just like my Grandmother. I take that as a compliment. She is a very special lady. She is a strong but loving woman who has always been one of my biggest cheerleaders no matter what I have attempted.

I remember spending time with her and my Grandfather every summer. She was a golfer so while she played golf at the country club we got to swim. I say "was" because she is now 93 and doesn't spend much time on the course anymore. She was actually pretty good. I always love looking at all her trophies she has displayed on shelves in her bedroom. She is still active at her church in north Texas. She is a "class mom" and loved dearly by all. She played the organ there for many years. We had such fun there growing up. She makes the best pecan pie this side of the Mississippi River. In fact, so far I've found, she makes the best pecan pie on either side of the Mississippi!

When my Grandmother turned 90 my mother threw a huge party for her. During the party I collected signatures for a quilt to commemorate the occasion and her life. Unfortunately, it has taken me 3 years to finally get those signatures into a quilt. Fortunately, the quilt is now finished!! This trip to Texas is to deliver the quilt.

I used the "cracker box" square to set off the signatures. The fabrics are an assortment of '30 prints that you can read about here.

I hope that people will always compare me to my grandmother. In my estimation, you would have to try very hard to top that compliment. I admire and love her deeply. Sorry it took so long, Grandma.