What happened to July?

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.....

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?

The Case of the Missing Tulips

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!!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!!!

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!!

2009 is rolling right along

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!!

Christmas Past is Past!

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!!