happy birthday to ME! :)

Yes, that today is my birthday *does* explain why this kicks off my favorite time of the year! :)

Lots of pictures today, because I've been a big slacker this week and have not be an active poster. It wasn't for a lack of things to share, but because I was so busy *doing* those things! You know, my blog conundrum.

First, here are the pictures of my annual fall "fun" for my mom. I finally got it finished *and* got it in the mail. Geez. You'd think procrastinator was my middle name!

I think it turned out really well, if I do say so myself! Now I've got two more sets to do -- one for Joc and one for Kim! Hopefully I'll finish 'em before October ends! At least I won't have to mail them! *grin* Below is the table topper along with the tea towel. The annual squirrel -- gotta get it in!

After I got that off in the mail (along with the Grand Hands quilt), I wasn't sure what to do with myself. Lots of options. Like . . . .

New Tea Time magazine! Yum -- doesn't it look like fun? The bagger at the grocery store looked at the cover and asked if I was going to make that cake. I told him I sure was going to *read* about making that cake! :) And look at the pretty cardinals on the tea pot! My favorite! Well, if not the magazine, then . . .

Did I mention I'd won another contest?? Yes, I'm pretty sure I did. Part of the winnings arrived yesterday -- this book is GORGEOUS!!! I love it! The pictures are simply wonderful. What I really like is that a lot of the quilts have a very traditional feel, but the fabrics give them new life! Just downright beautiful. Oh but wait -- while I'm on the subject on winning, I did get an e-mail on Friday that I'd won the TGIF Giveaway (the link is on my sidebar). Can you believe it?!?!?! I'm quite excited about this win, too -- it's a darling little accessory kit from Ruby Jane's Retro Fabrics. I was just tickled! What fun. Hmmmm, there's also . . .

A charm pack easy-peasy baby quilt . . . it's laid out, I just need to pin and sew. Actually, I there's way too much I should be doing in this room. I'll save this room for my "sew freely monday"! Perhaps . . .

My darling mom and dad sent me a nice little happy birthday check -- fun money! I turned around and ordered a couple of DVDs that I felt needed to join my collection. Lucky me, they arrived in today's mail! Lots to choose from! Oooh--but first . . . .

Tomorrow is time for another Secret Pal gift! Sticking with the idea that packaging is half the fun of a gift, I hot glued leaf cutouts all over the top of a piece of cardboard, then added the Autumn Angel and lots of Hershey's miniatures! After wrapping it in cellophane, I hot glued a couple more leaves on the outside and voila! I hope it's a happy. So, what will it be . . .

At first glance, this sure doesn't not look like it could possibly be my activity of choice, but . . .

That turns into this! Isn't it pretty? It's a flowering tea -- white peach tea, to be precise. My friend, Jennifer, gave me the flowering tea and the clear pot for my birfday! What a fun happy! So I thought to myself, self, let's make a fun pot of tea to go with whatever it is you decide on! So I did! Then I thought to myself, self, let's go all the way with this tea thing. So I did!

I made the tea tray out of a gold picture frame (LOL -- but not today -- a while back!). I picked a pretty fabric and topped it with a crocheted doily of my grandma's. Then I screwed in the handles and put felt pads on the four corners underneath. Isn't it sweet? The creamer and sugar bowl go with the teapot the kids got me for Mother's Day -- I *love* it! The cup and saucer set is really special to me. I've given one to my daughter, and one to my daughter-in-law. And I'll give a set to every girl grandchild that comes along, too. That way, we can think of each other whenever we have a quiet minute to sit down and have a nice cup of tea; no matter the distance between us physically! LOL---and check out my pumpkin-topped sugar cubes! I had splenda in the sugar bowl, but the cubes were so darling, I wanted to include them! I don't know why I didn't just use 'em -- I ate 'em anyway! It's okay, it's my birfday. :)

So, I brought my tea service into the living room, set the tray on the couch beside me, turned the tv on to the Alabama game (and muted it) and put Hocus Pocus into the laptop. Yes. I vegged. It was a cool, grey day -- the perfect kind for doing exactly what I ended up doing. Curling up on the couch and watching old movies, with a pot of tea. Bliss.

Oh . . . and I made dinner for a family at church for tomorrow; white bean chili and pumpkin topped brownie bites. Cute little things! And I finished scanning all my magazine clippings into pdf files! Hooooray! And I tidied the house (because the kids are coming over after church tomorrow to celebrate with me). I think that's it. Oh yeah -- and I played on facebook. Alot!

Finally, for posterity, here's a self-portrait of me on my forty-seventh.

Life is good.

:)

God is so good!

Not for any particular reason or because of anything particular that happened to me.  He just is.  :)

Joc and I had a lovely day together yesterday.  We hit the road at about 8:30 yesterday morning and took a trip to Franklin, Tennessee (about 88 miles or so) to cruise the aisles of the Whole Foods store there.  It was very easy to find; 3 minutes off of I-65 at exit 69.  It's a pretty store and full of lots of wonderful things!  The first thing we saw was a jackpot find -- local grown mums (that were quite beautiful) at $6.99 a pot!  I think the mums made it worth the trip for Jocelyn!

We started in produce and worked our way around the perimeter of the store, then when back and cruised the aisles.  They have lots of interesting organic foods.  Plus, both hot and cold food bars (lunch for $7.99/lb).  And a bakery, cheese counter, an olive bar, a meat/seafood counter that was really beautiful; we really did enjoy browsing (and putting select items in our cart)!  One thing they had which I've not been able to find anywhere in Huntsville (except as a bulk item at Garden Cove) is quinoa (pronounced keen-wah).  What else?  Oh yeah, they had sodas made with regular cane sugar instead of corn syrup.  Plus it was kind of neat to see what regular stores carry that actually is organic.  They even had vegan cookies! 

After our trip to Whole Foods, we went to Dave's BBQ and had lunch.  Please don't comment on what an oxymoron that is!  It gets worse.  We stopped at Wal Mart (cotton balls and some other details) and I got a Hershey bar with almonds.    But on a positive note, I did drink all my water!

Whole Foods aside, it was nice to spend time with Jocelyn, just chatting and enjoying each other's company.  I like what God has done with my children so far.  :)

I finished the table topper Sunday evening; I'll post a picture before it goes in the mail.  I was very pleased with it -- I hope my mom is as well!  I'd sent her a pdf file from a 2005 (?) issue of Martha Stewart's Living, that had instructions to make some really cute squirrel favor holders.  I think they'd be darling with the table topper!  The squirrel favor holders can be found here.

Tonight Todd and I are heading to Jason & Jocelyn's for dinner.  And I'll get to see the cutest kitten in the whole, wide world!  Only she'll have just gotten back from surgery, so she'll probably be a little delicate.  S'okay, can't wait to see her and cuddle her!  I only ever get to see her on FB!

Oooh!  In yesterday's mail I got a birthday card and check from my mom & dad!  What perfect timing!  I'd wanted to watch Babe in my laptop, but I don't have it on DVD.  Then I wanted to watch Hocus Pocus, but I don't have it at all!  So, me and my little birthday money hopped on to Amazon.com, and both those movies (dvds) and Arsenic & Lace *and* To Kill A Mockingbird are on there way to my collection!  Whoohoo!  So what did I watch instead, you ask?  Twilight.  Don't laugh.  It goes with my Hershey bar.  Thanks Mom & Dad!

Fiddle-dee-dee, tomorrow is another day!

:)

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: Freaky Friday Fun Giveaway, WK# 2

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe: Freaky Friday Fun Giveaway, WK# 2

primative pumpkins!

Oh, and goodness . . . also check out Brenda's Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe blog -- she's got such darling stuff, and right now is having a little contest for a trio of goodies that is *so* cute and I missed my opportunity to buy it, even though I wanted and *intended* to buy it.  Sheesh. 

Fun, fun, fun! 

:)

planning themes . . . hmmmmm!

Okay, so I love women's ministry.  I've been involved with women's ministry for as long as I've been a Bible-believing, born-again member of a church.  I have such a heart for women and the challenges they (we) face as children of God living on this here earth . . . it's almost too much for me to be able to vocalize!

 La.  That being said, I've done lots of searching and researching for resources to use in women's ministry wherever I am.  One that I found several years ago is Marnie Swedberg, who is like a mentor's mentor!  She comes up with lots of great ideas and puts them within reach of those who need them.  I've subscribed to her Marnie Minute, and Event Planners Friend and most recently, Eating With Gratitude.  She's a fabulous resource and I'm so grateful for her (and I've told her that, too)!

Right now, she's got this cool contest going on, "Resources Via Marnie".  She's got thirty-two theme planning sets; each set includes things like the overall theme (okay, duh), game ideas, publicity ideas, food, decorating, entertainment -- it's really quite ingenious, and incredibly useful!  The contest involves folks picking their favorite theme set, and blogging about it, which is what this blog entry is about!  :)

So I went through the different sets.  There are a LOT!  And surprisingly, of all the wonderful themes, I was able to pick one that I thought was the most fun.  Surprisingly again, it was not what I would have thought I'd have picked!  Let me 'splain . . .

I love tea parties and quilting and crafting -- so anything with those themes you'd think would be top picks for me right?  There's also music-based themes, and exercise (okay, that one's a "stretch" for me!), and holidays, and eating and so much fun stuff!!  But the one that *really* captured my eye was this one:

"Taking Every Thought Captive"  Help Your Women Learn How To Lasso Those Wild, Wild Thoughts with a Wild West Event!

A Rodeo Theme!!!!!

It looks like *so* much fun!!!  And what a GREAT way to *rope* women into a terrific study/event, with such a *catchy* theme!  Rodeo just sounds like an exciting time -- and having everyone come dressed to fill the part makes it relaxed and easy to feel comfortable.  Super idea! 

Anyway, that's the one that gets my vote.  Take a swing by there and check it out.  And check Marnie out while you're at it!  You'll be blessed, that's for sure!

Get along, little doggies!

:)

happy FRIDAY!

Even though the day is gray, rainy, and cool, it's still a beautiful day!

Lots of exciting things this week:

1)  I won a prize package!  I was so thrilled -- and it caught me totally off-guard!  I'd forgotten that the drawings for the nine members of the Gum Tree Blog were for September 30th!  So imagine my surprise when one of those members, Jenny, e-mailed me to say I'd won the drawing on her blog!  Hurrah!  Lots of pretty things, shipping all the way from Australia, no less!  I can't wait to play.  Thank you, Jenny of ELEFANTZ!  :)  You can check out my windfall here!

2)  Todd got a call from one of the members on the Camp Macoba committee.  It was very positive and the committee is very interested in having us out there!  He was under the impression we were wanting to move out there in the next THREE WEEKS!  Ummmm.  Wow!  Lots of thoughts to process there.  Pros & cons!  The committee members are going to meet with Todd in another week, and go from there.  There's the possibility we could spend Christmas there, which would be really cool with me, since both the kids are going to Maryland to spend Christmas with my mom & dad.  That's another story!

3)  I have about 50 more stitches and I've finished quilting the table topper for my mom!  I will bind it this weekend and put it in the mail on Monday.  She and my dad are in Corpus Christi, and she didn't want to get mail in her absence.  Good for me!

4)  I got out all the "Fall" totes on Tuesday!  Hurrah!  I pulled out three totes of stuff and lined it up on the dresser in Jocelyn's room.  I kept what I wanted, which boiled down to about 10 things -- the squirrel votive holder, the Jim Shores pumpkin, a wicker pumpkin, a ceramic pumpkin, a scarecrow door knob thingie, a three pillared candle holder, a big black spider (!!!), the acorn basket, and the acorn accents.  I've got some garden flags and a door plaque, too, as well as my turkey cranberry dish and two table runners (one I bought, the other that I made last year and have promised to whichever of my children hosts Thanksgiving at their house first).  My plan is to keep *all* my seasonal stuff to ONE tote.  Pretty extraordinary, if you ask me!

5)  The call came yesterday:  I am working my first shift at Tate Farm tomorrow; a light shift, 11-4.  Should be another beautiful day for it.  The rain is supposed to clear out soon, and the clouds are supposed to be out of here by early this evening, leaving us with a breezy, sunny, cool forecast for tomorrow!  Perfect for a day of fun out at the pumpkin farm!

Tonight, Todd & I are having dinner with Kim & James.  Kim is making her yummy Chili!  Should be a fun evening.  Perhaps tomorrow night, we'll spend the night in the RV.  It's been a week or so.  Todd's on shift on Sunday, so he'll head in after church (which means we can't spend the night out there on Sunday).  I'm still tossing around the idea of sleeping out there by myself; I'll have to do it sooner or later.  I might as well give it a shot now!

Alright -- on to be about the day!

Tenga un buena dia!

:)

time!!!!

I do not have it!!  Do you ever fall victim to the conundrum of not having the time to blog about the things you're doing / thinking / feeling, because you're too busy doing / thinking / feeling the things you'd blog about?  It's where I am!

I didn't have a "Sew-freely Monday" because my boss, who had been out of the country for a week, returned to work yesterday and wanted me there to help catch him up.  Understandable.  I have today off instead, which is a pretty decent trade! 

I'm still working on finishing the table topper I started for my mom two weeks ago.  I've finished quilting the appliqués, and now I'm quilting "leaf swirls" in the center.  I'll probably machine quilt the sides . . . or not.  I haven't quite decided on that yet.  I'd like to have it ready to sew the border on tonight, though.  I have until Saturday to get it into the mail.  My folks leave today for Texas, to visit my youngest sister and her family, and they (mom & dad) won't be back until next week.  So I've bought myself a little time there!

I got a sweet call from sister Cynthia this morning.  She returned from Israel on Sunday evening.  I got a brief glimpse of her trip, but can't wait to hear more about it and to see pictures!!!!  I love to see the pictures people take on their trips.  The things people take pictures of gives one an idea about the picture-taker's perspective.  When I see Cynthia's pictures, I won't just be seeing Israel, I'll be seeing it as she saw it.  Interesting.  And, I can't wait!

Then the oldest of my younger sisters -- Julia -- called at around 8 am.  I'm sending BBSQ to her today.  She's using it in a display this weekend.  I need to get busy!!!!

I did something I've never done yesterday; a NEW thing!!  I entered an online quilt swap!!!  Doesn't that sound like fun?  It's a mini-quilt swap -- the largest it can be is 24" X 24", so it's not too overwhelming.  And the deadline for mailing is January 29th, so it's all cool.  I may use the topper that I've patterned and do a fourth.  I dunno.  I'll post the link for the swap this week -- it's a pretty cool concept.

What else?  Let's see, hopefully we'll hear something about Camp Macoba this week.  In the meantime, I just keep praying the prayer that never fails:  Thy will be done!  :)

I forgot to get a picture of my secret pal's gift this week.  It was cute!  I found some fun fall stuff at the dollar store -- a pretty stuffed pumpkin, a leaf-shaped votive candle plate, a bag of Hershey's kisses (ok, they weren't fall, but they were chocolate!), and an autumn angel with maple leaf wings -- very cute (and my sp collects angels).  I found a basket I'd had and arranged the things prettily and wrapped it with clear cellophane draped in fall-colored curly ribbons.  It was pretty!  I may have mentioned this, but I truly believe that half the fun of the gift is the packaging.  A simple gift, thoughtfully packaged, feels extravagant!  :)  At least, that's how it feels for me. 

Goodness.  I feel like there's so much more for me to say, yet if I stay here to write (type) them, I'm not quilting, or scanning more clippings, or going to the post office, or getting laundry done (which wouldn't hurt my feelings too bad)!  And the more I do today, the more I'll have to talk about later!

Enough!!!

:)

just a quickie . . .

I have so much to share -- lots of things running around in my head today. From the ministry, to moving to the RV, to moving the RV . . . it's amazing to see God at work in so many areas in my life, and to see how it's all connected to one good.

I do want to share a quick pic I took Wednesday night -- this is an RV parking spot (!!!) up at Camp Macoba. It has full sewer, water, electric hookup. The little campsite sits at the top of about 110 acres of beautiful woods, ponds, creeks, meadows, and walking trails. Gorgeous. My dream yard! Over and over, as we looked at this and pray through the formalities, God keeps bringing my verse back to me -- Ps. 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

I'd love to share more, but now is not the time . . . busy day!

:)

such a daze!

I think I got lost.

So much has happened over the past few days! Where to begin?

The first day, of course! Saturday and the Quilt Show! Oh wow. Let me just tell you how incredibly impressed I am with the quilting talent we have in the Huntsville/North Alabama area! *So many beautiful quilts!*  I worked Saturday for most of the day, being a floor hostess and then at the admissions table.  It was so gratifying to see so many people walk through the doors (after buying a ticket) to see all the wonderful handiwork!  I was thrilled to have the white gloves, so I could go around and inspect quilts all the more closely!

One thing that really captivated me was that, unlike at the national (or international) shows I've been to, where the quilter was from some far off state or even across the ocean from another country, all of these quilts were created by women I see at guild meetings every month.  They live and work and raise their families in the same area I do.  Fabulous quilting isn't just done by faceless folks.  I know them!  I could become them. 

With a lot of practice, time, patience and practice.  Lots and lots of practice.

The good news is, I bought *plenty* of new fabric to practice with!

So, I worked the show on Saturday, and took some pictures, and I think I purchased something from just about every vendor that was there (we had about twenty), even if it was just a fat quarter, as my way of saying "Thank you!" to each one of them for helping to make our show a success.  From what I gathered after speaking with many of them, the weekend was good for them, too.  I'm glad.  Happy vendors tend to come back for future shows!  I won't bore you with pictures of *everything* I purchased, but let's just say I got lots of different orange fat quarters (must be pumpkin month) and several MODA charm packs (for little baby blankets) and a very interesting tutorial on machine quilting, that came with pre-marked fabric to practice on!  Fun!

Sunday, after church, Todd and I headed back to the house and I made us a quick bite to eat, then we headed back to the show so I could continue to take pictures.  I'm fairly certain I got at least one picture of every quilt in the show.  I got duplicates of several -- especially if they caught my eye.  I'll post a few of my favorites before the week ends -- but I decided I won't post all of them!  I think the guild is going to post them all -- I'll link over to their link!

I wanted to be at the show on Sunday when they drew for the raffle quilt.  It was created (mainly) by one of the women in our guild.  One who happened to win several ribbons.  LOL -- Okay; we could enter up to four quilts.  Karen did.  She got three blue ribbons and one second place ribbon.  Plus one of those blue ribbons won the people's choice award, to boot!  Anyway, she did a beautiful job on the raffle quilt as well, and I'd have loved to have won it!  But no.  Oh well!  My quilt didn't win anything either, but I really didn't expect it to.  Not in a self-deprecating sort of way, but in a realistic, I-know-(now)-it-wasn't-a-show-quilt kind of way.  I'll speak more to that line of thought later one.  At five, my quilt (and my apron) were ready to be picked up and taken home!

As we headed toward home, James & Kim called and wanted to meet us for dinner.  Since we were already in town, we suggested Applebees.  They met us there at about six-thirty and we stayed there until after NINE!  It was a fun night and we talked and talked and talked.  It's nice to have that kind of relationship with your adult children!

Monday, I put my feet up!  I diddled, mostly.  A little tidying here, a little grocery shopping there, and a little scanning to add to the mix.  I also worked on the leaf & acorn table topper.  I was blanket stitching the outlines of the leaves; I started with the sewing machine and did one leaf, but I didn't like the way it looked.  So I pulled out the floss and finished the rest with a double dose of thread.  It looks better.  I varied the stitched lengths between the two remained leaves, so they all three have a little bit of a different look.  I'll probably go ahead and do this on all three of the toppers.

Jason and Jocelyn headed to the house on Monday for dinner with us.  I do love my children and spending time with them!  I'm really experiencing the best of both worlds in a lot of ways.  I've not felt in any way useless or like I'm missing something since both my children have moved out and on . . . and yet I still feel very privileged to be a part of their lives and to communicate with them (one way or another) on a very regular [daily] basis!  God is GOOD!

Work is work.  And why spoil a perfectly nice post by saying more?

FIN! 

:)

shhhh!

Okay.  So there's a new text editor in blog-town and I just 
wanted to take a moment to check it out.

And voila, I'm done. 

Do you realize how many terribly creative people there 
are out there?  It floors me.

And it humbles me. 

:)

HOW COULD I FORGET???!

I can't believe I forgot to share this! A couple of weeks ago, I entered for chances to win on Mel's Own Place for her "blogiversary" event. She had some really *great* prizes and guess what? I WON! I won the 4th post - Swaps. My prize came in the mail Monday -- look what it is!!!!!!

Fat quarters! My favorite! Aren't they pretty?!?! I love the colors -- and they make me think of my sweet daughter-in-law, Kim. She's a brown and turquoise girl! Mel sent the fat quarters in a cute little pillow, along with a sweet note. Thank you, Mel, and congratulations on your anniversary!!!!

Today is TGIF! Don't forget to check out the Freebies Friday button on the left! They are giving away an inchie quilt book and tool. Fun stuff! Also, speaking of giveaways, check out the Gum Tree button to the left. This is a new group of nine Australian designers, and each one of them is doing some significant giving away, too!

Today is also the first day of our local quilt show!!!! HURRAH!! So much hard work has gone into this event. From the organizers, to the promoters, to all the show contributors -- it amazes me! We had the judge, Kathy Kansier, as our guest speaker at our guild meeting last night. Wow. She's quite fun to listen to and a fount of information. I was impressed with her guidelines for quilt judging, and it made me feel a little better about knowing my quilt probably had no business being in that show! :) What really impressed me about Kathy was that she incorporated her faith into her program. Not in an in-your-face kind of way, but in a way that let you know it had made a difference in her life and was a part of who she was. Neat lady. I'd like to take classes from her. She and her students will have a special exhibit at the Houston show!!!

I'll work tomorrow as a hostess, from 10-12, and then in the booth, from 1-3. Then I'll wander around to my heart's content!!! Oooh, and the craft show is also at the VBC this weekend, so I'll probably stop in there, too. Then, as a special bonus, Todd and I will go again to the quilt show on Sunday afternoon. My husband is such a good partner. The best.

One of my favorite web stores, Pumpkin Patch Primitives, has a new blog. You can check it out here. She has lots of fun projects and fabrics and is very personable too. Enjoy!

On a more serious note, here's a blog to take a look at: Building the Blocks. What an incredible family this is, with a passion for children needing adoption, and helping families fund those adoptions. They have a pretty incredible testimony. You can "click to give" to help a family adopt a precious one. Good stuff. :)

I had orientation for Tate Farms Cotton Pickin' Pumpkins yesterday. Whoohoo!!! Bring on the pumpkin season! I will be working on Saturdays in the admissions office, and sometimes in the country store (which is my favorite). I don't work here because I need the work; I do it because I really enjoy being out at the farm during the month of October! I love the crowds and the color and the air and the smell and the atmosphere! What a super-fun place! Maybe next year I'll see if they will let me have a quilt booth there on Saturdays! Wouldn't that be a fun thing???? I could do fall and Christmassy things. Bet they'd be big sellers! :) Hahaha -- this coming from the woman who's wondering why she put her quilt in the local show! Anyway, all the money I make from Tate Farms will go to outfit our RV and get it ready to take on the road. We are blessed.

Early, early, *so* early this morning, my friend Jennifer left for Nicaragua. She's going with a team up-river to help build a church for a small village -- Asang. That's what they are doing during the day. At night they are going into even smaller villages and sharing their testimonies and showing the Jesus movie. They will be speaking with people that have never heard the name Jesus before! I'm honored to be one of Jennifer's prayer partners. She will be on my mind and in my heart for the next week!!

Merlin found a sunny spot by the door. He's a good fellow and a sweet companion.

It's Friday -- the kick-off to a three day weekend. Yay!

Tenga un buen fin de semana!

:)

And so, today, it's back to work! I really enjoyed my long weekend; especially my day of quilting. I accomplished most of what I wanted to get done. I really like how the tops of these fall table toppers turned out. I played around with the stitches on my Janome last night to see if I couldn't embellish the leaves (and acorns) a little. Good lessons learned last night! I went ahead and added a fourth acorn, and I used a tight zig-zag stitch to make the veins and stems. I know I still want to outline the leaves and the acorns -- I'll probably do a blanket stitch. I'm afraid to do that on the machine, though. I may get some floss and do that part by hand. Makes for a nice evening activity!

This afternoon, after work, I'll swing by Patches and Stitches and get some more of the acorn fabric for the backings, and the brown for the binding. And some more thread. And gosh, their Christmas fabric was really looking pretty when I was in there last . . .

But NO MORE BOOKS!

Then.......I drop off the quilt and apron for the show! I posted an event on Facebook, too. Lots of coverage; we want lots of folks to come out and see how fun quilting is! Then to Stuckey Builders and then HOME! Long day, non? But it should be prosperous!

Toodles!

:)

SEW FREELY MONDAY!

Okay. On today's (so-to-speak) design wall . . .

I wanted to do a really simple table topper (square) for my mom. Then I made it *so* simple I decided to do three, one for my mom, and then one for my daughter and my daughter-in-law. The tops are all pieced, I just have to cut out the rest of the leaves, press 'em and stitch. Then the tops will be finished. I'll back them with the cute, cute, CUTE acorn fabric, and then bind them with the darker brown. Fun colors. The photos don't do justice.

For the last five or six years, I've made it a tradition to send my mom something squirrel-related every fall. This year, will be this cute little fellow:

He's using the same fabric as the acorn bottoms in the table runner. The acorns in the tea towel are the same fabric as the acorn tops in the runner.

Let's see. I also squared up BBS quilt top, and cut out and squared up the flannel back. At least, they are both squared up providing the lines in my kitchen floor linoleum are squared. I had swept and mopped the kitchen floor this morning, so I could lay the top and back on the floor to get them ready for quilting. I'd no sooner got them down when Merlin, my little black cat, just *had* to try and walk on them. Stinker.

Lastly, I had to put a tag and a sleeve on the back of the Grand Hands quilt, to get it ready to turn in TOMORROW!!! I can hardly believe the quilt show is this coming weekend!! I can't wait to see what other women from our guild have done! We have lots and lots of talented women (and men) in our group. Should be an incredible show. I'll take lots of pictures!

So. There's my day. To see what others are doing with their design walls, check out Judy's Patchwork Times blog! There's LOTS of quilting going on out there today! I do love Mondays!

For now, back to the cutting board . . .

cya!

:)

LAZY DAY?

Well, it certainly started off that way. I was not motivated to do much of anything this morning! We slept in late -- it was nearly 7:30 when we got up this morning! Then we lounged around drinking coffee and discussed all the things we *could* do, until about 10:30. The day really did get off to a slooooooow start! But then I wrote my list and headed off to the grocery store, and things picked up from there.

I was reading Hanne's Quilt Corner blog and she has a picture of a beautiful hexagon quilt she's worked on in today's entry. It reminded me that I still have not shared pictures of the unfinished quilt top that belonged to my Grandma Wadleigh, which my aunt sent me last month. Here it is! You can see from the closeups that not only did she hand piece, but she fussy cut a lot of the hexagons. Whew. I'm not sure when I'll get around to finishing this up! I'm a more than a little anxious about it -- I don't want to mess it up! It's very dear and precious to me!



As I was sorting my magazine clippings this week for scanning, I came across a recipe for "Scotties" that looked pretty good. It was a nice change of pace from brownies. I tried 'em out today -- they were very easy and are very tasty. I will send the plate in with Todd for the crew at Station 6, tomorrow! Here's the recipe:


Scotties

1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Heat oven to 325°F. You'll need a 9-inch square pan lined with nonstick foil (let foil extend 2 inches above pan on opposite sides).

2. Put sugars and butter in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes or until butter is melted and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool about minutes.

3. Whisk in egg, then whisk in remaining ingredients until well blended.

4. Spread in prepared pan. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until sides being to pull away from foil and pick inserted near center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. (Batter will rise, then fall. Edges will be higher than the center; that's okay.) Cool in pan on wire rack.

5. Lift by foil ends onto cutting board. Cut into 6 strips, then cut each strip into 6 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.


Mmmm, mmmm, GREAT!

Let's see . . . what else? Oh yeah. I remembered I have a gift for my Secret Pal this week. I hate spending money I could be spending on my Pal on the gift bags, so I've challenged myself to use things I have here at home to cleverly wrap the gifts I leave for her. She's a big John Deere collector, so this week I pulled out some leftover fabric I had from the Grand Hands quilt and came up with . . .


TaaaDAH! What's the saying? Necessity is the mother of invention!

Last but not least, here's a glimpse of what I'll be taking in this evening and tomorrow afternoon between church services!


October's issue of Quilter's World


The September/October issue of Southern Lady


and the Halloween issue of Celebrate!

Can you say, "Happy Camper!"?? That's me!

:)

OH WELL!

It's FRIDAY! Hooray for Friday!!

I couldn't do it. I had to tell my sister that I was working on something for her. I even sent her a picture. I can't keep quilt secrets!! (Except that big one I kept from my mom!) Here it is...

I absolutely love the fabrics in this! When I saw the rooster print (from the French Country Rooster line from Clothworks), I thought immediately of my sweet sister and KNEW I had to do something for her with it. The pattern is actually one Thimbleberries (I think) did a long time ago for use with a snowman and lights--sorta country-Christmassy--but it lends itself well to whatever applique I've wanted to do. I did it with different horses, and I'll do one with cats in the near future. This time it's a rooster with the cupola and probably sitting hens in the corners. Love it, love it, love it!

You know, for years I've been saying that I'm not the kind of quilter that buys fabric just because I like it . . . when I buy fabric it's because I've got a specific project in mind. I'm not a stash builder or a fabric collector. I'm not fabric frivolous.

Or am I????

I've recently purchased quite a bit of different fabrics (a lot with a specific project [vaguely] in mind) and last night I got the urge to pull out my fabric bin and fold and sort everything I had.

Um. That was a bit bigger project than I thought it would be. I was quite frankly AMAZED at the amount of fabric I had. And even more amazed to hear myself exclaiming over my finds (which I OWN) as I sorted and folded. I was having a moment of duality. On the one hand, I was so enjoying the feel, color, and prints of each piece of fabric. On the other hand, I was ever so amused with myself.

La. One of the quilters of whose blogs I read, recently commented that she was on a mission to not buy more fabric until she'd used all her scraps or stash or something on projects. I thought, Hey! That's a good idea for me -- I've got *lots* and lots of fabric, big and small amounts. I should do that! And so last night I resolved I would not buy another scrap of fabric until I had used that stash that I'd built (and am, I have to admit, a little proud of).

After today, I mean. After all, today was the day to turn in my blocks to Patches & Stitches and get this month's installment. I feel obligated to support small, local businesses -- especially quilt shops. What could I do? If it makes me feel better, I do have a specific project in mind, that I plan to start on my next Sew Freely Monday.

Yum.

:)

TGIT!!!

Are you frantically trying to figure out if you missed a day or if I missed a letter?

No! Thank You, God, it's Thursday!

I realized this morning that I've really always liked Thursdays. I'm not sure why. To the best of my knowledge nothing spectacular has happened to me on a Thursday. I wasn't born or married on a Thursday. My children weren't born on Thursdays. I really couldn't pinpoint one singular event that would cause me to not just *like* Thursdays, but be really excited that it is Thursday.

Unless . . . maybe just maybe . . .

This is the day that the LORD has made?? He made all days, I know. But just think, way back to the beginning . . . He did some incredible things on each of the 'first' days. On the first "fifth" day, or Thursday, though, He made all manner of creatures to live in the oceans, and birds to inhabit the air! I love birds! They bring so much interest and enjoyment; between their song, their beauty, and their antics, they are well-rounded entertainment! And fish? My husband *loves* to fish! It's where he is headed right this moment!

I can't imagine what this day -- this Thursday -- would be like if the Lord hadn't seen fit to do on the original Thursday what He did. I wouldn't have enjoyed the cheery call of the wren this morning, or the dozens of sparrows making a mad dash from my boxwood hedge this morning as I passed by, and my dh would have headed into work as normal, instead of heading to the lake with his dad. How blah. God, You are SO good!

This *is* the day that the LORD has made; I WILL rejoice and be glad in it!

Viva jueves!

:)

THOUGHT PROCESSES . . .

May I make a confession?

I've really been struggling about just what books/magazines/media would make the shift from our 3,000+ square foot home, to our 300 (maybe) square foot RV, with a 3,000 lb weight limit.

Really, REALLY struggled!

We're tossing all the dvd clamshells and putting all the dvd's into one of those books made just for that. That's condensing. We'll no doubt do the same for our cd collection. I reported earlier this week that I was scanning my magazine clippings into pdf files, and I think I've resigned myself to doing that for the intact magazines I was planning on keeping too. Instead of keeping any of my quilt magazines, I'll go through and scan the projects or articles that I really want to be able to reference (some day way on down the line), and toss the bulky magazine. I think I'm going to keep my Tea Time magazines intact. They are more of a collection; I've got every single issue that's ever been published. But, as time passes, I may even just scan those, too. So, see? I've struggled, yes, but I'm also conquering. I am woman, hear me roar!

And then there's my precious books . . .

Hey, I've come a long way. I've sorta-kinda gotten over the book thing. This is major. MAJOR! I have a *huge* collection of books. Shelves and shelves and shelves. Books double-stacked on shelves and shelves. Books stacked in random spots. Books stacked in hidden spots! I love to read, and I love to buy books. Lots of all kinds of books. Have I mentioned I have a lot of books? Cookbooks, fiction books (then there's the whole break down of those), historical books, crafting books, hymnals, children's books, reference books, Bible study books; there really are a lot of 'em.

L O T S.

But. I have sucked it up and decided that with the exception of my Bible, one or two really good Bible references (that I can't get on cd-rom), and my Mitford series books (including the cookbook, the beside companion, and the rest), the books go. Or rather, they don't go with me on the RV.

Ooops. Then there's my quilting books. I'm taking 'em. I AM TAKING THEM! It's not like I have a whole lot. I've put a moratorium on purchasing them. No, really -- I just last weekend put down two books that I had in my hand and was ready to purchase. Discipline, right? As it is, I only have enough to fill a shelf that's right at a single yard long. Not bad, eh? Especially for one like me who is a BOOK FANATIC! I think it's pretty incredible. So incredible that the books themselves deserve to make the move.

Have I talked me into it yet?

It means I probably can't take any shoes. Oh the sacrifices I have to make.

I prefer flip-flops anyway.

:)

LOVING IT!

That it's Tuesday morning, that I got so much accomplished over the weekend, that my boss was in a great mood this morning, that it's fall . . . what's not to love?!?

While I was scanning clippings into my computer, I came across a very darling pattern for a fall table runner. It's very simply pieced, but it has big leaves and acorns appliqued down the center. Very cute! The leaves and acorns would be the perfect use for the fall fabrics I got last week -- I just need a plaid for the border. I've probably got something on hand that would work for the center. It's nice to have gotten my 'stash' to the point where I can say that (and not have it detriment some other project I've purchased it for -- which I have done)! I'd like to make a simple runner for Jocelyn, Kim, and my mom. Of course, I told the girls last year that the first one to have family Thanksgiving at their house would get the pretty runner I made last year! :)

I'm really tickled with the project I'm working on that I can't talk about. It's fun to see tangible evidence of what started as a simple idea. I love playing with fabric and colors and shapes! I think perhaps I was born to quilt. LOL!

I need to square up the pieced top of BBS quilt and cut out and do the same for the flannel back. I'll get it to Becky this week! Whoohoo!

This afternoon I'll go from work to Stuckey Builders and take care of his books. Then I'll stop and get us something for supper. We were going to have sloppy joes, but I cannot find the freezer bag of it anywhere! I've been through both freezers twice -- all I can think is that I bagged that up with Jocelyn's stuff. Ah well -- nothing that I had in there sounded good for tonight. I may have to settle for Chinese. *grin*

I can hardly write without including a picture . . . last night I went to sit on the porch for just a bit to watch the storm that was passing to the South. As I came out the door, I saw the big, white, fluffy tail of Bernadette walking into the cluster of evergreens around the storm shelter. She wasn't rushing -- just taking her time, swishing that tail of hers. Bernandette is one of our three skunks. She's the most beautiful -- mostly white -- sparkly white -- with very, very long hair. She's definitely the prima dona of the bunch! Anyway, she left before I could get a camera shot of her, but I did turn on the fairy lights and sit on the porch for a while. I'll upload the picture later, when I get home.

Enough for now!

Hasta luego!

:)

SEW FREE MONDAY!

As in, "So free to SEW on Monday!" Catchy, non? I think so. I also think this is the first of many such wonderful Mondays! Know why? Because as of this week, I no longer work on Mondays! Hurrah! So (sew) I shall dedicate Mondays to days of quilting and the like! Isn't this absolutely wonderful??? It makes me SMILE!
What a super weekend I've had! It started Saturday morning. Todd chose not to work overtime, but to spend the day with me! Yay! We headed to Madison and the Cracker Barrel there for breakfast. From there we were going to go to Decatur to a quilt shop (don't I have the most wonderful husband?!?), but when I called them, they didn't have what I'd hoped they would have. Seemed a shame to drive all the way out there for something I could get in town, so we headed back to Huntsville and Hancock Fabrics.

It was my lucky day. Hancocks had solid flannel quilt backing - 108" wide. Yay again! When the clerk cut it for me, he commented that it was a new item -- they'd only just put it out within the hour. Wow! While I was there I found some really pretty autumnal fabrics that will make GORGEOUS applique leaves! I'm finally finding my fabric fetish, I think. There were lots of fun Christmas fabrics, too, but I held off! There's time . . . sorta! Are they pretty? They all have sparkle! Here's also the fabrics I got in the mail this week. I love mail ordering!!!



Anyway, from Hancocks we headed home. From there it was a domestic day. We picked the rest of the apples from our trees and then I picked tomatoes and the last of the cucumbers and a couple of cantaloupes, while Todd picked tomatoes and raspberries! He stayed out in the yard, tending to the garden and watering plants and trimming bushes and putting out birdseed. He also re-hung the bird feeder tray outside my yellow room window! I love to watch the birds while I sew! Plus Todd informs me that the squirrels are back -- perhaps they'll find their way to it too!

I high-tailed it into the kitchen and put up stewed tomatoes and green peppers, baked a pan of brownies, baked a raspberry cobbler, and got dinner ready; home made meatball subs, potato wedges, and a recipe from Eating Well magazine that my daughter had recommended to me -- Corn & Tomato Saute. It was really good! We had cobber & vanilla ice cream for dessert. Bliss!

After dinner, we camped out in the living room. Todd was going through his RV helpful hints book, and I was scanning. So many years ago, I got the bright idea to clip articles, ideas, recipes, etc. from magazines and filing them -- so I didn't end up saving a whole magazine for a couple of pages of interest. Great idea, right? Not so much, when you're moving into an RV that has a limited weight capacity, and my 'saved' clippings were already close to 50 pounds! Egads! So *then* I got the bright idea to SCAN all of my clippings, and store them appropriately on my laptop! They'd be a LOT lighter, and a lot easier to access, to boot! So, that's what I did.

And we watched the game. The GAME. The season opener for the Alabama Crimson Tide. Whew! They sure didn't want anyone to get comfortable, did they? What a four quarters! They played Virginia Tech, which is rather funny; my nephew Ben (the B in BBS quilt) is a freshman there. We texted back and forth throughout the game. Happy ending. For our home, anyway!

We topped off Saturday night by retiring to the RV. Yep, we slept out there! It was a good night's sleep. :)

Sunday we headed to church at Lighthouse, came home to eat dinner, headed to WalMart and Tractor & Supply, and spend a quiet evening with Todd playing xbox, and me scanning. And once again, we retired to the RV for the night. I could get used to it! (Ha ha, I know!)

Today finds Todd back on shift and me in the yellow room. Guess what?? I FINISHED IT! I need to square it up, and then it's off to the long-arm quilter!! Whooo whooo!

Now I'm going to finish piecing the gift quilted wall hanging. And some more scanning. Oooh--and probably some more reading. I finished the last of the Mitford series this morning; I'll start the Father Tim series (of which there's only one book right now) next. Lemme see; I think that's it. There's a pot of Constant Comment on the warmer, and a brownie for an afternoon pick-me-up. Life is good.

Sew Free Monday. Amen & amen!

:)

MR. MOON!

Todd surprised me with two containers of yellow mums! Yay! Fall is truly one of my favorite times of the year! Anyway, I came home from work to see them sitting so prettily on my front porch. It was like getting a smile and a hug all wrapped up in one. I dearly love happies! And my darling husband is so obliging. Again, I am blessed.

Last night coming home I almost hit a deer. She jumped *right* out in front of me! Luckily, I was so entranced by the moon, that I really didn't have time to react. This is a good thing. My natural inclination would have been to swerve, or slam on the brakes or some other dumb move. As it was, she leaped out in front of me, and lickity-split, leaped onto the shoulder and into the field! Good think that big, beautiful full moon was there!

As I drove down the road to our home, I had such a sweet memory of driving through the tobacco fields in the fall in Maryland. Crisp cool air; the yellows, browns and oranges so prevalent to the autumn landscape; little indicators of the earth mellowing and preparing for harvest. Isn't funny how a quickly one can be transported back to a distant memory? And more than a little ironic. I sometimes have a tough time remembering what I did yesterday, but I sure can dredge up those memories from my childhood!

Enough of the reminiscing. Memories . . . light the corner of my mind!

:)

CELEBRATION!

This is the day that the LORD hath made . . .

And it's also the day He saw fit to bring my youngest baby, James Edward Panter, into the world. Twenty-two years ago!

And now my baby is getting ready to be a daddy. Circle of life!

Last night James and Kim came over and had supper and cake (ice cream cake, in a bowl, per James), and celebrated. I cannot get over how blessed I am.

He really didn't want me taking his picture. Mom's privilege. LOL!

I didn't do a whole lot on BBS quilt yesterday; I framed it out in the black borders; that's all I had time for. This morning I added the six-inch borders down the length. I'll sew that up tonight! I did talk to Becky, who is going to quilt this bad boy on her long-arm quilter. I did not know that with the long-arm machines, you don't have to put the quilt top, batting, and backing together -- the machine feeds it together! WOW! I finally understand the charm of long-arm quilting! You can tell I'm still such a newbie quilter! :)

I got the fabric and fabric swatches in yesterday's mail! I got some Moda charm squares -- autumnal looking and festive; a yard each of acorns and Indian corn; and 2 yards of a Moda Christmas print - red and green and stars. fun, Fun, FUN!

Today I am going with my friend, Jennifer to one of my favorite places for lunch - Emma's Tea Room! Yay! I even have a coupon for a free pot of tea. Whoohoo!

Today is also Friday. FRIDAY! And it kicks off a three-day weekend! Hooray!!

Happy Birthday, James!

Happy Labor Day weekend, laborers!

:)

ps -- I added a link to TGIF giveaways! Check it out!

SUPER-CHARGED!

Or rather . . . I was. I feel deflated due to headache, right now.

But last night, at a ladies conference featuring Lisa Harper with Kim Hill leading the worship -- it was awesome!

I did get up and work a tad on BBS quilt; I got the borders all cut, and did something I've never thought about doing . . .

I sent an e-mail to inquire about someone else doing the quilting for me!!! I think it may be the only way that quilt makes it to Virginia when my sister would like to have it there!!!

Okay. I really am spent with this headache. No pictures, no talk . . . I'm outta here.

Bon soir!

:)

HO HUM . . .

So, this morning I got up *really* early to have my quiet time, and then Todd & I had coffee together before he left, just before seven. Then, since I was ready to go and had an hour to kill, I headed to the yellow room!!! You know what that means . . .

I was almost late for work! :)

I went ahead and cut out the fabric for the block and border of the next quilted wall hanging I'm going to do! It's a present, so I can't talk too much about it here, except to say it's SEW cute! I got a bunch of fabric in yesterday, that I'd mail-ordered. What a fun collection! Mixed with some pretty prints I already had, this project is really going to be fun. I can't wait to post pics! I guess, too, I should just zip my mouth on that one! I'll be spoiling it in no time. I *do* like to talk about my projects, though!

Jocey's wedding pics are finally up and online! I was so hoping I could post a few here, but not yet. The thumbnails are too small to be able to see. Pooh!

My sister called; she must know I need a major event in order to get me cracking on a quilt! She wants to use BBS quilt in a display at their Boy Scout booth at the Montrose fair. I have to have it to her by the first weekend in October!!! I betta get busy! I ordered several swatches of solid flannels today, and they should be in before the week's end. I'll pick one and get the back of the quilt done and get it quilted! Yikes!

Wouldn't it be fun to be able to do things "quilt" full-time? Ahhhhhh!

Que sera, sera!

:)

MORE GIVEAWAYS!

Okay, so I'm finding all these fun blogs! Here's one ... Mama Spark's World! She's got a "400th Post" giveaway going on right now. Right now! It ends tomorrow (September 1st) at noon, est. Check it out! The prize package is some darling Christmas fat quarters!

Right above that post she's got one with a very darling wall hanging in it. Cats. I do love cats.

Enjoy!!!

:)

WHAT A WEEKEND!

First, let me repeat the four confessions of love:

1) God is perfect love.
1 John 4:18
2) Nothing can separate me from God's perfect love.
Romans 8:38-29
3) God pours His perfect love into my imperfect heart.
Romans 5:5
4) Accessed, I can love anyone through anything.
Philippians 4:13

What a good way to start off a glorious morning! I need to keep this in the forefront of my mind today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week! If God can be for me, who can be against me??? HA! Take that.

So . . . this weekend. I did finish the bulk of BBS quilt. Yay-rah! There's still the sashing that needs to go on, which will add about nine inches on all four sides. I'll get there! I promised a picture, so here it is. Phew!


I also said I was going to make that chocolate cake on Sunday. I had to laugh. I consider myself a fairly decent hand in the kitchen. I've been at it for a long, LONG time. I've baked cakes from scratch many times. I love making new desserts and trying new recipes. *Never* have I had such a tough time as I have with the two cakes I've tried from the Mitford cookbook. Egads! The first cake looked simple beautiful, but tasted just mediocre. This second cake absolutely FELL APART! I do not know what happened. I did everything the way the recipe said to do it; I used the best and freshest of ingredients; I waited until the cake had thoroughly cooled before trying to position and frost it. Nevertheless, it simply fell apart. It looked like a huge earthquake fault line had run through the stinking thing! No, really. It looks like California sliding off the rest of the continent. Just look at it!

But oh. my. goodness. It tasted HEAVENLY!! I am not kidding, it was goooooood! The cake was feather-light, and the frosting was . . . well . . . ganache. My favorite! It really doesn't get any better than that. Even Todd agreed that it was simply terrific. I had to take pictures to show; it was only fair. Besides it's great for a laugh!!


It really was rather timely, too. The lastest issue of Eating Well came out this week. The first page I turn to when I get a new issue is the back page, which always has a funny story-like editorial on it. This month's story is about a girl who is a great cake baker and attempts to bake a cake for her boyfriend, who cannot do glucose and sugar and all kinds of things. Anyway, she uses all these special ingredients, bakes the cake and begins to frost it. As she spreads frosting, the cakes begins to crumble underneath her efforts. She piles the frosting on to hopefully 'glue' the cake together, but to no avail. I laughed when I first read it, but I'll admit, I really couldn't envision the scene. I must have read it with a tad of superiority, for God truly gave me empathy in my own mess. I was laughing as hard as my cake was cracking! Julia Child I'm not.

But let me repeat . . . it was GOOD!

This is a shot of last night's sunset, which was simply gorgeous:

In case you're wondering about my plethora of photos today, I got a new camera yesterday, and it's so much fun! It's a little Canon, with a big BITE! It's got lots of pre-set options, one of which is "SUNSET". I just happened to have found this option as the sun was setting in the backyard.

Opportunity taken!

I also took pictures of myself, Todd, us together (using the timer and a cool little flexi-pod that came with it), and Merlin!

Then I went back and took pictures of my first paper-pieced project. I actually took a class at Patches & Stitches and this was our classroom project. I took my completed pieced center and made it into a pillow. Cute, non? It was a great class -- the teacher was Barbara Black, who I really enjoy -- and I've paper-pieced several times since then.

This morning I checked on one of my favorite blogs, Mel's Own Place, and found out I had WON one of her giveaways from over the weekend! I am so excited!! Her button is further down on my blog on the left side. Check it out quilt lovers! She's lots of fun and a *fount* of information! I think I may have ended my "cook your way through Mitford" phase. Yesterday rather did me in. Perhaps I'll focus on quilting and outfitting the RV for now. Goodness.

Carpe diem!

:)