Beautiful Walk

Scott and I took Amelia to the Riverwalk and as always we were treated to a show by the creatures that live there. Today it was put on by the Woodpeckers...

A small woodpecker is in the center of this photo just below the mistletoe.

This was one of two Flicker woodpeckers feeding toward the end of our walk.

And of course there is always interesting fungi...

These were growing up the entire side of this old tree.

Scott captured this amazing photo of the Sycamore against the gorgeous blue sky...

I love the contrast!

And as always I caught a picture of my sweety and our mutt...

Scott and Amelia

Thanks for walking with us!

Oh My - Mug Rugs!

I decided the other day to make up some 9-patch blocks utilizing some squares that I had cut during a session of strip work (the leftover bits of a strip). Then yesterday I took one of the blocks and started a "mug rug" - basically a large fabric coaster for a mug and a few cookies or chips.

In the picture above you can see the mug rug with it's binding awaiting a turn and a stitch to complete; which I did this morning. Here is the first completed mug rug...

Mug Rug

I have added a side strip to the rest of the blocks pictured in the top photo and will get them sandwiched and quilted over the weekend. I'll post a picture of them all when completed. I'm planning to sell these as they would make a unique teacher gift for the end of the school year which is fast approaching.

Sitting here at my computer I noticed the Mocking bird nest in the Dogwood tree out front and thought it looked so lovely against our blue sky with wispy clouds this afternoon; I just had to go photograph it.

A promise of future young to watch out my front window.

On my mind....

It's that time again to join in the fun with Rhonda at... http://down---to---earth.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-my-mind_28.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Down---to---earth+%28down---to---earth%29

A sparkling clean bathroom. I washed walls and ceilings to rid the room of mold and mildew; it's something we battle here with the humidity and it doesn't help that our son takes really long showers that create a lot of excess moisture from steam. I made the curtains for this room several years ago and they are wearing well. Today I replaced the shower liner with a $1 liner bought at the local Dollar Tree. I'm wanting to repaint this bathroom in a sage green one day.

So - whats on YOUR MIND?

Should I or shouldn't I?

While cleaning up my sewing/craft room I came across some Philosophy Essays that I wrote in 1998. They were my exam's for that class and I got all A's and A+'s on them but should I share them here? Ones on the death penalty, ones on legalization of drugs and one is on the Heath-care crisis. Should I bore you all with these such writings?

Decided against posting them.

Today's Project and The Boys!

This morning I decided to use up a charm pack that I came across while cleaning up my sewing room. I pieced them together; added a border then quilted it  and just a few minutes ago put the final hand stitch in the binding. TA DA....

A completed table runner - done in a single day!

A gift for a friend's daughter

I really like the way that it turned out and so did Scott. He wants me to make one for the top of our buffet table in the dining room but a LOT longer. I happen to have a bunch of Earthy squares cut all ready so perhaps that will be one of my near future projects. I think next I want to make some candle mats and mug rugs though to have on hand for quick gifts.

The boys have stuck pretty close to me all day. Here they are this morning trying to see who could out cute whom and have the desk space next to me. Tesla won out in the end as he followed me on into the sewing room.

Fluffy one is Nicholas and the fat one laying down is Tesla

Tomorrow will be a cleaning and sewing day again. I love being at home like this making things.

Ready for sewing.....

Or just about... I have a pile of fabric and stuff in the hallway still waiting to be gone through and put away but that won't take me too long to finish up in the morning. What a difference a day makes...

Hello Faye...

Several years ago Scott and I were driving home and we spotted this case on the side of the road and I told Scott that it looked like a sewing machine case. So we stopped and took a look; the case was in bad shape and Scott had to do some work on the wooden base. We will recover the wooden base and are in search of a users manual for it now. It is a Morse sewing machine - Model 492-TW followed by a stamped number 11398; made in Japan.

Life took over and she was sent to the garden shed. Tonight Scott went out and got her and cleaned her all up with a bit of bleach added to the water as all sorts of bugs droppings were inside. Perhaps it won't be long until I have a third machine to "play" with and to have as "back-up". I'm going to call her Faye as that is what is written on her face just above the stitch length knob.

Of course anything brought into the house has to be OWNED by Tesla.

Bye Bye Acrylic yarn

I just posted on my FB wall that anyone in my area is welcome to this trash bag full of yarn. I just want to be rid of it ASAP....
Just listed it on Free-cycle as well - sure hope that I can have it out of here before tomorrow night.

On my mind.....

From the door of my sewing/craft room... this mess has been on my mind a lot this week and because I have been asked to work more than I'd expected I haven't been able to touch a thing in here all week. BUT tomorrow and Saturday I am completely off from work and will tackle this room so that it can be truly 100% functional once again. I have my hands in MANY hobbies - jewelry making, crocheting, knitting, sewing (clothes, bags, kids clothes, toys, etc... ) , quilting, scrap-booking - YOU NAME IT and I've probably tried my hand at it. I have a HUGE stash of fabrics and plan to make myself a bunch of new summer clothes as well as work on Christmas gifts throughout the year. I'm trying extra hard to use whats in my glorious stash this year and avoiding bringing more home. (we won't talk about my treat for myself in March of a road trip to Mary Jo's (HUGE fabric store) in NC). SO.... to make room for possible birthday findings I've got to get this room pulled back into shape so that I can sew my way through some fabric. I'll post my progress on Sunday morning.

 This is my contribution to Rhondas  'On my mind' at Down to earth

A Purple Sweater

My latest project...

A purple sweater for Abby for Valentines Day. It's made with....

I love this yarn! It's so soft and easy to work with. I need to get the pink, green and yellow skeins for the flowers; I've been waiting so that I could use 50% off coupons on them. If I ever find this stuff on closeout I will buy a bunch. I'm going to go through my yarn and will be getting rid of all the Red Heart acrylic - know anyone that can use it? I just can't stand the texture of it anymore. Bamboo, silk, wool, cotton and a few of the softer acrylics is all I want to work with anymore.

The quilt project has taken a back burner to this one as Valentines is approaching fast. I will need to come up with some other surprises for the rest of the "littles" in my life. What do little boys like for Valentines?

I've been working more than I thought that I would be and that has put a damper on my crafting endeavors , but we need the money so I will roll with it.

Catching up...

Sorry I've been away a couple days - fighting some type of bug and still going to work this weekend. All I really want to do is stay home and catch sleep anytime my body asks for it. But thats just not going to happen right now.

I wanted to show what was left of the paper I used for the block backing in the last step of that Mystery quilt I am working on; I think I'll save it for shipping filler. No point sending it to the dump just yet.

And I've got the fabrics all cut and ready for the sewing portion of the next step.

I'm anxious to get this quilt done and on our bed but it's going to take awhile at the rate that I am going. The next step requires 600 triangle sets to make 600 blocks. I'm going to be BUSY... and did I forget to mention that these will finish out at just 2" square. WOW~ I better get busy. Wishing I had a maid so that I could focus entirely on sewing. Maybe one day....

There are still little patches of icy snow here and there about our yard. Further north in the state they are still having issues with the icy residue on the roads so they didn't have any school at all last week and now are trying to figure out how they will make it up as they surpassed their "snow days". Makes me glad Greg is grown. I hope that we don't see anymore snow this year but we still have February and March to get through before it's a guarantee on that.

Have a lovely Sunday!

A FULL DAY of sewing

I've been in my sewing room ALL day!

This is where I started this morning a little after 10 o'clock; a few blocks nearing completion from another day and LOTS of strips and quite a few 8 1/2-inch paper squares waiting to be combined into these strip pieced blocks. I had to cut even more strips to reach the end of Roll Roll Cotton Boll Step 3.

This is all that remains of my strips tonight and here is what I accomplished....

32 BLOCKS.... Yes - I completed the remaining needed for this step. Tomorrow I will trim them to a perfect 8 1/2" square and add them to these....

for a total of 60 BLOCKS! Then on to step 4 which is MUCH easier and less time consuming. I'm almost to the half-way point in this Mystery and am getting so excited to see what mine will look like. Right now I'm exhausted!

 UMMmmmmm.... I didn't wait for morning - now I REALLY must get to bed. I'll remove the paper in the morning.

SURPRISES in my mailbox

When I returned from work this afternoon this package was sitting on top of the cooler just outside the side entrance. I brought it in.....

And opened it up.....

And I WAS IN HEAVEN!!! Just look at all these wonderful old cookbooks...

Lots of wonderful NEW old recipes to try!

THANK YOU 

Carolynn of Washington State!

Melting... melting... melting...

I'm hoping and praying that the melting starts happening a little quicker as I have to drive to work later today and I'm not used to driving in this stuff at all. I grew up in NY but didn't learn to drive until I moved South so I'm right there with the rest of the Southern drivers -  EXCEPT I know you HAVE to slow down.

The birds have been feeding quite heavily on our feeders and we are trying to keep un-frozen water available for them.

At least the road I will be traveling on looks pretty clear from the SCDOT camera's. I should be ok - my real concern is today when I'm traveling home and the temp has dropped again and everything freezes back up. I'll just be real careful!

Greg's been staying with his girlfriend the past couple days and I pray for their safety. This wintery mix is just not something to mess around with thats for sure. 

Time to sew a bit before I get ready for work. Last night I made 6 more of the string blocks for the Roll, Roll Cotton Boll Mystery. http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/roll-roll-cotton-boll.html If anyone wants to do this mystery you should go here and print it off as she will not leave it up forever as a freebie as it will be part of a future book. It's been a delightful Mystery and it's made me stretch my quilting wings a bit. The end result is a stunning quilt and I can hardly wait to get mine completed for our bed.  

I'm staying home! The store called and said that they hadn't had a customer yet and that they weren't going to need me. YEAH! I can sew ALL DAY!!!!

ANOTHER Wintery Walk by the River

Again this winter we've enjoyed a walk in the snow at our beloved River-walk. ENJOY....

Rice Pudding .... m'good

Rice Pudding

Beat slightly to mix:

2 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

Scald:

2 cups milk

Add above to:

2 cups cooked rice

1/2 cup raisins

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

Pour into 1 1/2 quart casserole which has been set in another baking pan containing one inch of warm water. 

Bake at 350*F for 1 hour 15 minutes.

6 servings

This recipe is from the Betty Crocker's Picture Cook Book c-1950

A wintery Morning

I was wide awake and in pain again at 5:30 this morning (pulled something in my back yesterday)  so I decided to get up and move around a bit; have some coffee and take some asprin (it's all I got in the house). When I looked out I was greeted with this view...

This is out our front door facing the street; I turned on our porch and street light. Everything is so pristine and lovely and I am glad that I don't have to be anywhere today. I made the coffee; fed the cats and the dog and then Nick wanted out to handle "business"... He started backing up but I made him stay out and told him to hurry. It wasn't long until this is what I saw...

I believe he is ready to come back inside. Tesla always looks confused about the snow - he rarely goes outside because he literally looses his mind and goes into insane psycho cat; plus he has horrible separation anxiety. Perhaps I will take him out to check out the snow in a little while and I will stay with him.

Looking like a GREAT "sew" day to me. 

Going Round and Round

I just finished adding my round around Irene's Spring Round Robin and it's all packaged up to mail on to Carolyn in Washington State. By the time this crosses the ocean home to England it's going to be one grand quilt top. I'm looking forward to seeing this after the last two add their bits so hopefully Irene will post a completed photo once it arrive home to her.

Homebody Monday

"MONDAY
SNOW IN THE MORNING
THEN LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND VERY
LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE IN THE AFTERNOON. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION
OF 2 TO 4 INCHES. ICE ACCUMULATION AROUND ONE QUARTER OF AN INCH.
HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION NEAR 100 PERCENT. "

Monday I will definitely be a homebody and will hope and pray for my fella's safety as they go to their jobs. Above is the updated forecast for Monday - it'll be pretty and the dog will LOVE playing ball in it - gives her an added challenge when the ball disappears in the snow. 

As long as the power stays on I will be able to occupy myself all day at the sewing machine. If it does go off I can always clean the house OR read a book or magazine all bundled up in extra clothes and blankets. Regardless of what happens I've got plenty to keep me busy. I could also knit or crochet.... I occupy myself well. Must be from the first 18 years of my life living with my Grandma most of which was just her and I; living in the country where at times people couldn't get into because of the icey hills on both ends of the road we lived on. The only times I really got to be off the farm was for school and the once a month grocery shopping expedition into town. It was a pretty isolated childhood so I learned a lot of things to keep me busy. I was telling Scott last night that I'm about ready to return to that lifestyle and hide in a cabin in the woods - only coming out for supplies. 

OK... I've digressed into childhood memories - don't want to dwell there long.

Scott's coughing a deep worrisome cough this morning. I will have to see whats in the medicine cabinet to break it up before it becomes more serious. Greg is going to be late for his drill if he doesn't get moving and then he'll catch it from the Chief. I just knocked on his door and he grumbled OK. I guess I better get moving myself as I have the morning free and I have some things I'd like to get accomplished. I hope everyone has a GREAT day.

Wintery Forecast

""""".WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM LATE SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING
  
TONIGHT
MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS IN THE LOWER 20S. NORTHWEST WINDS
10 TO 15 MPH.
 
SUNDAY
MOSTLY SUNNY. HIGHS AROUND 40. NORTH WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
   
SUNDAY NIGHT
CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW IN THE EVENING

THEN SNOW LIKELY AFTER MIDNIGHT. SNOW ACCUMULATION AROUND AN INCH
POSSIBLE. LOWS IN THE UPPER 20S. NORTHEAST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH.
CHANCE OF SNOW 60 PERCENT.
   
MONDAY
SLEET. SNOW IN THE MORNING
THEN FREEZING RAIN IN THE
AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATION. HIGHS IN THE
LOWER 30S. NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION
NEAR 100 PERCENT.
   
MONDAY NIGHT
LIGHT FREEZING RAIN AND VERY LIGHT FREEZING
DRIZZLE IN THE EVENING
THEN A CHANCE OF LIGHT RAIN AND VERY
LIGHT FREEZING DRIZZLE AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS AROUND 30. NORTHEAST
WINDS 10 TO 15 MPH. CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION 80 PERCENT. """"""

I am so hoping to be home tomorrow night BEFORE all this arrives and I am hoping that whatever falls melts quickly!  I'm off Monday and can stay home and hibernate but on Tuesday I do have to work a few hours. Monday will be a house cleaning day for me as I want to get things put back in order from the Christmas sewing and crafting sessions. The decorations are all put away BUT I have things here and there in rooms other than the bonus room (where I store my "stash) and my sewing room and I'd like to have those rooms clutter free once more. It sure would be nice to move all my creativity out in the bonus room all together... BUT! the man and man-child have their "stuff" in half of that room. Perhaps one day I can take over! I'm not holding my breathe.

Time to hit the hay!

Good Chilly Friday

It's 36* here this morning and there is a slight frost laying on top of my car. I dread driving in weather like this as other's don't slow down and use caution. I need the additional hours at work but am wishing I was still off today. I'll be home before lunch though so it's not an ALL DAY venture.

When I return home I've got to get laundry taken care of and some more blocks sewn together since the last step was posted this morning for the Mystery Quilt that I am working on and I'm still on step 3 but as Bonnie said - this is NOT a race to the finish. And when it is done I will have tackled my first challenge of 2011 as I have never got along with paper piecing. As I progress to block #60 I am starting to find "my groove". I may yet learn to love this block.

I've got my own challenges to get accomplished as well in the form of completing UFO's. I want to make this year full of successes small and large. I want to have a stack of finished projects before the end of this year. The past two days I've been fighting depression - not sure why either - nothing has happened to make me feel blue. Perhaps it's just the overcast skies and cooler temperatures. Here's to today being the most productive of this week!

TREASURE!

Yesterday I went over to Jo-Ann's hoping that the new Spring pattern books would be out but they weren't. I looked through the Winter/Holiday Simplicity and got 5 patterns for 99 cents each as Hobby Lobby has them on sale for that and Jo-Ann's will price match with the Ad from the competitors store. I got 3 patterns for Christening gowns, 1 for stuffed animals (LOVE the horsey) and 1 skirt pattern for me - love the layered skirt. the cat fleece in the background was in the remnant bin and it's nearly 1 1/2 yards - enough I am hoping for a pair of lounging pants for me. And it cost me just $4.68 total. LOVE deals like that. The new fabric they are getting in seems a lot thinner and their prices are going up. I'm truly thankful for my stash. I'll be so happy to look through it for future clothes for myself. SEW SEW SEW.....

Mr. Tesla and Little Nickie watching the wildlife

The partner's in crime were just so cute yesterday morning - watching squirrels and birds through the window. I HAD TO take their picture.

I better get a move on; have a wonderful day!

More hours than I expected...

I'm actually getting more hours at work this week than I was scheduled which is a "good thing"; BUT I've got to make another skirt or a pair of pants and another top as the ones I made in December are starting to show they've been worn every day I've worked. Here I am in that original outfit - just home from work this afternoon.

I made Shrimp and Grits for dinner tonight and it was delicious! As always! It's something that goes together quickly and has tons of flavor.

I'd like to get a few more of the step 3 blocks made tonight so it's off to the sewing room!