Finished

 

I got the quilt top finished.  I finished this in the fields and furrows setting instead of my usual barn raising setting.  I like this setting (I wanted to try something a little different) … but it’s confirmed that I really do prefer the barn raising setting.  But I’m  not going to rip out all those stitches to re-set it.    Now it will sit waiting for me to finishing the hand quilting on my single Irish chain quilt.  I’ll be sure to share pictures of both of those once they’ve been quilted and bound.

 

 

I won’t be getting to that hand quilting today.  I’ve got the 4 Ts coming over for the day.    I love to quilt … but I love spending time with my Ts even more!

 

It looks like we’re going to get some of that rain that I thought we were going to get yesterday.  I certainly hope so … we need some rain.

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. What can the average citizen do to honor a military veteran and/or those currently serving?
Never, ever take for granted the freedom they fought for.
 
2. Besides a flag what is something you own that is red, white and blue?
The log cabin quilt I’m currently piecing is red, white and blue.

 
3. Does love really conquer all?
Yes, sooner or later Love really conquers all.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1st Peter 4:8
 
4. Strawberry shortcake or blueberry pie?
Definitely strawberry shortcake – with whipped cream on top, of course.  I’m not much of a fan of blueberries … I’ll eat them if they’re in something where their flavor is more subtle (like pancakes or muffins).
 
5. Do you share personal stuff with your hairdresser?
I guess it depends on how you define “personal”.  Private stuff - no.  But things about me, my life – yes.
 
6. Does money lead to selfishness?
I don’t think money itself does … but the love of money can.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.  1st Timothy 6:10a
 
7. What piece of furniture in your home most needs replacing or refinishing?
We just had our end tables refinished, so we don’t have any furniture that needs refinishing.  Our hardwood floors need to be refinished, but I don’t guess that counts as furniture.  I would like to have our couch replaced or reupholstered (could that be considered refinishing?).  The couch is still in excellent condition, but esthetically the upholstery is showing the couch’s age (we bought it almost 20 years ago).  Of course, if I replace/reupholster the couch, that means I’ll have to replace/reupholster the chairs, too.  <sigh>
 
8. Insert your own random here.
I sewed together rows of my log cabin quilt yesterday … I got 9 of the 10 rows put together.  Next up is piecing together the rows to make the quilt top (i.e. flimsie in quilt talk).  Hopefully I’ll have a picture to share soon.

Tuesday Trivia

 

The long weekend is over … we now return to our regular programming.  Of course, when you’re retired, the “regular programming” isn’t that much different than the weekend … although I still find myself looking forward to the weekends. 

 

I’m down to the last log cabin block … of 70 ... not the 90 I was hoping for, or even the 81 that I expected.  I ran out of the white on white.  When I calculated the number of blocks I was expecting, I forgot to include the seam allowance.  Since there are 8 strips of white in each block, that seam allowance adds up.       I hope to get the last block put together and start putting the blocks together … 7x10 blocks which will finish at 63x90, which is still a nice-sized quilt.  I need to get some backing fabric, now that I know what size it will finish at. 

 

USA Network had a couple of NCIS marathons this weekend, and I got to see the one they showed on Saturday (while sewing my log cabin blocks) … they were so good that occasionally, I’d forget to sew while watching. 

 

It was HOT this weekend … set a new record yesterday.  Perfect weather for T#2’s water play birthday party.  Even some of the grandparents joined the fun (yes, I was one of those grandparents … the water straight out of the hoses was pretty cold, but T#2 is worth it ).  It’s going to be very warm today, but a cool front is moving in … it’ll be 30+ degrees cooler Friday than it was Monday.   

 

The only thing on today’s agenda is a hair cut later this morning.  That will leave plenty of time to spend in the sewing room. 

 

Friday Fragments

 

 

Today is a perfect day for Friday Fragments here … if it weren’t for Friday Fragments, I don’t know that I would have had a post today. 

 

I’ve been spending a good chunk of my days in the sewing room.  I’m continuing to make good progress on my log cabin blocks.  It’s helped that the USA Network has been airing some NCIS marathons … they’ve helped keep me entertained while I’ve been sewing strips. 

 

 

We had to break down and turn on the air conditioner yesterday.     Not so much because it was getting too hot, but because the winds were blowing in a lot of dust from the construction site next door.  When I saw a thick layer of dust on the dining table, I knew that it was time to shut the windows … which meant we’d have to turn on the air conditioner.  It was inevitable that we’d have to turn on the air conditioner as it’s going to be in the 90’s this weekend (97 on Saturday and Sunday).  

 

 

I have a view of the late-afternoon/early-evening sun from my sewing table, and last night’s setting sun was beautiful.

 

 

DH and I are planning this fall’s trip.  We’d originally planned to return to Hilton Head this fall, but after talking about it, we’re going to visit the Outer Banks instead.  We had planned a visit there last fall … but Hurricane Irene interfered with those plans.

 

 

I’ve been a day off all week … yesterday really felt like Friday, and I’m convinced that today is Saturday.  Ha!

 

 

It was looking like we were going to have a quiet, uneventful weekend here at Chez Nana … thankfully we’ll have some excitement this weekend with T#2’s birthday party.  She’ll be turning 8 on Tuesday, and we’ll get to celebrate that a little early on Sunday.     

 

Wednesday Hodgepodge

 

After a brief hiatus, the Wednesday Hodgepodge has returned – and I’m so glad it has. 

 

1. What's something you miss about the 1980's? If you're too young to miss the 80's how about the 90's?

DH & I married in 1987, so that was a pretty good decade for me.  DD turned 5 in 1980, so I miss those childhood years of hers. 

 

2. Do you have a library card? If so, how often do you visit?

I’ve had a library card for as long as I can remember.  I grew up in a family of voracious readers, and I have to admit that I was shocked when I first realized that not everyone was an avid reader.  I live in a small village, so our library is small.  But it’s part of a large regional library system, so I “visit” the library online frequently and request books I want to read … they get delivered to my library, where I can pick them up.

 

3. What's the secret to success?

3 Ps – patience, perseverance and perspiration (hard work). 

 

4. This is National Backyard Games week...what's your favorite backyard game?

I enjoy playing washers.  We bought DSIL a set quite a while back, and we frequently play when we get together at DD’s house.

(source:  Google search)

 

5. If I dropped by today what would I find on your coffee table?

Um, nothing … I don’t have a coffee table. 

 

6. Do you own a bicycle? When was the last time you rode a bicycle? Is that something you enjoy?

I have a bike and enjoy riding.  I’ve not gotten out on my bike yet this spring (I can’t believe that – it’s been such a pleasant spring).  There are hundreds of miles of bike trails in the county in which I live, and while there’s an access point not far from where we live now, we’d have to travel along a pretty busy road with very narrow shoulders.  So we load our bikes onto our bike carrier when we go biking, drive to the access point and take off from there.  Which means that we don’t always get out for a short ride like we used to … at our previous house we were a few blocks from an access point and could ride along through a quiet residential area to get to the access point, so we road frequently.  One of our favorite things to do in Hilton Head is ride bikes … there are 50+ miles of bike trails, and we especially enjoy biking on the beach.

  

 

7. What's your favorite cheese?

It depends.  I prefer cheese on/in something over eating it plain.  A month or so ago we were shopping over in St. Louis and stopped at a quaint little deli where I had a turkey panini with smoked gouda … it was fabulous. 

 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

DD needed a little break yesterday, so she called me to see if I wanted to join her while she did a little birthday shopping for T#2 (gifts and birthday supplies).  We had a fabulous time … I love being with her, she makes me laugh in a way that no one else can. 

Miscellany Monday

 

Goodness knows that I need something (anything) to make my mundane interesting. 

 

I had a good time with my sister in town.  My sister who lives near Chicago was unable to come down, but my sister who lives in Austin came in.  She treated us to hotel rooms near the airport in St. Louis.  It was fun to watch the planes taking off.  After we checked out, we came here to our house, where DD & family joined us for lunch.  The littles were getting tired just as it was time to take my sister back to the airport for her return to Texas.  Perfect timing.

 

 

It sure felt great to get back home and into my routine last night.  After dinner, DH had to go help count offerings at church, so I spent my evening in the sewing room.  I was able to piece together several more blocks … it felt so good to get back to the sewing machine that I stayed up until after midnight piecing <gasp!>.

 

 

We finally got a little rain last night … not enough to really do any good.  I thought sure that I’d guarantee a good rain after I got the hose out and watered all my new plants.  The rain brought in cooler weather … for the next couple of days; it’ll be in the mid 90’s by the weekend.

 

 

We have small group tonight.  Between missing time when we went to Hilton Head and missing last week (I’ll take T-time over small group any day of the week), I don’t know where we’re at in our study.

 

 

Other than small group tonight, there’s nothing on Monday’s schedule here at Chez Nana … with getting to bed so late while getting up at the usual time, it’s going to be nice to have a lazy day here at home. 

Let’s Go on a Walkabout

 

I’ve been a busy little bee in my sewing room lately … but sewing together log cabin blocks just takes a while.  There are 16 strips to be sewn onto the “chimney” for my block that will finish at 9” square.  I think I’m in the ballpark of 30 blocks completed, which means I’m about 1/3 of the way done.  It’s ok … I’m making this quilt for us, so there’s no deadline.

 

I did take a bit of a break late this morning to check on the flowers I planted on Wednesday.

Left:  The yellow flower is a New Day Yellow Gazania.  The pink flowers (in the rectangular planter) are Cherry Blossom Superbells (Calibrachoas – related to petunias).  Right:  The green-yellow leafed plant is an Impatien.  The collection in the solid gray pot includes Dracaena (spikes), Spellbound White Trailing Impatiens, and Tango Rose Mega Splash Geranium.  Center:  Lanai Bright Pink Verbena (in the cute planter that DD & family gave me for Christmas last year).  You can click on the picture to enlarge it.

 

While out and about, I checked on some other plants in my landscaping.

Clockwise from top left:  A start of a sedum that my dad gave me; his neighbor gave him a start a few years back.  I’ve got the perfect spot for it as soon as I can persuade DH to dig up a bush that I don’t really care for.  My hydrangea is in bloom, and my hosta is getting ready to bloom (the buds were cropped by Picasa when I created the collage).  And of course, my garden flag commemorating the 2011 World Series Cardinals. 

 

I neglected to get photos of my Knockout Roses (which are in full bloom).  I’ll get pictures of them when my Balloon Flowers (planted around the roses) finally start blooming.

 

A Little of This, A Little of That

 

It doesn’t feel right not having Wednesday Hodgepodge today … not that I don’t understand the reason why Joyce has chosen to take a bit of a break from blogging (including Wednesday Hodgepodge).  But it’s become a habit to answer the 8 questions and to see how everyone else answered them, and I have to admit that I’m missing that this week.

 

Yesterday was a nice, lazy day here at Chez Nana.  I spent a good part of the day in the sewing room.  I got a few more blocks finished.  I did find my notes on the log cabin quilt … I hope to be able to get 90 blocks and will set it in the fields and furrows setting. 

 

I usually set my log cabin quilts in the barn-raising setting, but I feel like doing something a little different with this one.

 

I also finished the book I’ve been reading for the last week. 

I’m always on the lookout for free books for my Kindle, and I was able to get this one from Pixel of Ink.  It’s a Christian love story (so no steamy scenes) … it was a little predictable, but it was a fairly good read.  Besides, it was set, for the most part, on Sanibel Island (where we visited a couple of years ago) … it was almost as good as being there again.   

 

My sisters are coming in from out of town this weekend for a bit of a family get-together.  My youngest sister is the one coordinating it, so I’m not sure what we’ll be doing.  She likes to go-go-go, so I do know that we’ll be busy the entire weekend. 

 

There’s nothing on my agenda for today.  I need to get to the nursery and pick up some flowers … I like to put some flowers in pots and place them around the house.  Maybe today will be the day.

Altered Plans

 

As is often the case, my Monday didn’t quite go the way I had planned, but it’s ok … no, it’s more than ok.  Because my Monday turned out to include two of my favorite people, T#2 and T#4.  Believe me, skipping small group to be able to spend the day with a couple of my Ts was no sacrifice! 

 

T#2 asked if we could do some sewing … she wanted to make a “blankie”.  About 7 years ago, DD’s family took a road trip to visit DSIL’s sister in Chattanooga … I bought 2 yards of a couple of flannel prints featuring their favorite characters, sewed the edges under and created what they call a “blankie”.  Since then, I’ve made several more … and they all still like sleeping with their blankies.  We grabbed her sewing machine and stopped at Wal-Mart so she could pick out fabric for her blankie … she chose a tie-dyed fleece.  And of course, no trip to Wal-Mart with the grands would be complete without a stop in the toy department, where they each selected a package of Squinkies.  T#2 still has trouble sewing a straight line, but she’s 7 and this was only her second time using a sewing machine, so she’s still learning. And she’s pleased with her end results … and that’s what really counts.  I helped a little bit, but really for the most part, she did it herself. 

 

After dinner, T#2, T#4 and I went for a walk around our subdivision … T#4 enjoyed getting out and seeing the flowers (even if some were weeds in bloom in the vacant lot), T#2 not so much. 

 

It was a wonderful day.  Today is another day with nothing much on the agenda … wonder if it’s going to stay that way? 

 

The Weekend Wrap Up

Once again another weekend has come and gone.  Even though I’m retired, the weekends simply fly by! 

Friday was a fairly uneventful day.  I did get some piecing done … it’s just slow going, but I am making progress.  Salvation Army came to get DD’s stuff that had been stored in our basement for the last year (they moved to a smaller house, and 2/3 of their basement is finished, so we’ve been storing some of their stuff since they moved).  We don't use our basement for anything other than storage, so it was no big deal.

Saturday morning I baked an apple pie … to take to our neighbors’ annual spring fish fry … the food was fantastic, and we had a great time visiting with everyone.  An couple of high points were meeting a new couple who also love Hilton Head and Gus.  Our neighbors’ son and his wife were down from Chicago, and they brought their dog – a lab mix named Gus … he was a little shy, but after a little while, he warmed up and I got to spend a little time loving on him.

Sunday was Mother’s Day, and it was a fantastic day.  We attended church with DD and her family.  After church we all (DH and I, DD and her family, DSIL’s parents) went to Longhorn for lunch.  After lunch, we came back here for the afternoon.  I gave the Ts the t-shirts we got them while in Hilton Head (I think I hit a home run with the Darth Gator t-shirt I found for T#1, who is a HUGE Star Wars fan).  DD and DSIL challenged DH and me to a game of Rook.  After everyone left, I unwound by spending an hour in the sewing room, doing a little more piecing. 

All in all, it was a good weekend … just the right combination of busy-ness and relaxing time … which is the way my week will be starting as well.  We have small group this evening (unless DD & DSIL choose to have their date night tonight – and I’ll get some T-time!).  I should have some time this morning to be able to spend a little more time in the sewing room.