Friday with the Mt Quilter

This morning I had  someone ready to "help" give hubby his morning stretch........

He decided to hop onto my side of the bed and supervise the stretch, after the stretch we had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, not a yummy as the ones Elizabeth made yesterday, hers were from scratch, mine were from the "dough boy". 

After I finish this post I will be choosing from one of these projects, who knows maybe I will work on all of them.  First is a birthday present for a friend, I would like to get it finished so I don't have to rush, it was simple because it was a panel.  I just need to quilt it, make a binding, and sew it then viola a table topper or maybe I will add a sleeve in to hang it on the wall.  I have more of the backing left so I could make a hanging sleeve that would blend in, what do you think, it is about 36 x 45? 

I also began working on bock 9 of the Civil War Quilt and this one is another stumper and I need to rip one of the seams and still sew one of the pieces then the four corner triangles then the 18 inch block will be finished and I have to make an identical one only 12 inches!  I wish you could see the colors in person, they are so much prettier in person than in the photo.

You can see the pucker that needs to come out in the bottom left corner, it's hard to explain but you have to add a small triangle and the seam is tricky :0(

I have been wanting to make several projects in this book. 

One of them is this ShooFly PotPie, my sister wants me to make another runner to match her quilt  so I will be using some scraps that I had leftover, I will have to modify this pattern a little because her dresser is smaller than this project. 

Stay tuned to see how many I work on today and what I get done, they are all doable in one afternoon, but sometimes I get distracted, LOL.  It just started pouring out and will be doing this all afternoon, so I have a perfect day to be inside!

Monday Doings.......

Today was week three helping my niece "C" with her quilting class, we have actually begun sewing.  Last Wednesday she came over and we regrouped and got her caught up for today's class and she has "homework" that I know she is very capable of doing.   I am having fun helping her, it is sometimes tough for me to remember all the little steps that are involved in quilting, if you quilt, stop and think of ALL the things that you just do without even thinking:   1/4" seam allowance, setting the seam, pressing it open, pinning pieces, squaring up, and many more.  I am also helping some of the other girls in the class, but my first priority is to help "C" keeping on track.  I have an extra machine that I brought today, I ran a few pieces through it since I haven't used in a quite sometime, I also made sure that the bobbin was full.  Some time during the morning my machine started to make a different sound and when I took it home I oiled it and checked it out then I realized one little arm that hold the bobbin "guts" in place was our of place, I fixed it and "Magnolia" is sounding great again.  It is so important to learn how your machine is supposed to sound so when something is wrong you will know, I have also mentioned that to "C" so she knows to check things.  I am teaching her to get "up close and personal" with her machine so she is not afraid to take it apart, it is a basic model Singer Esteem II and the perfect little machine for a beginner.

I ran a few errands on the way home from the quilting class and then lunch and I sat and started reading a book that I found at Mardens (a salvage discount store in Maine) that was greatly reduced.  The book is called A New Kind of Normal by Carol Kent, it's about a woman whose life is changed when her son is sentenced to life in prison for murder and how she chose to follow Gods promises rather than fall apart when her life changes overnight.  This book can apply to anyone that has had life altering changes, and of course for me the title jumped out, as many times I have referred to my changes as the "new normal" and for a long time my "normal" changed monthly.  It also has questions for reflection at the end of each chapter so I should get out my journal and reflect on the questions as I read :0) 

Tonight I went to a Budget Committee meeting, I am a member of the committee, there is a special town meeting coming up next month to ask for more funds for an unexpected problem.  Yes, I did say town meeting, we are a small town and we meet once a year at the local school and vote with a show of hands for each article in the budget, sometimes it gets real heated and we have to stand to be counted!   We need to meet next week to discuss this article further and make our recommendation, then sometime in November we get rolling for the next budget year.

Tomorrow is going to be rainy and I plan on staying in and sewing.  Maybe putting a few more fall things up, gotta clean the dining room light fixture to change the candle rings, sounds real exciting, bet you wished you were here, LOL. 

Gotta get ready for bed so I can rest up for my fun day tomorrow!

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him......Psalm 37:7

Wow, I decided to post the reflection tonight in case I didn't get to my computer tomorrow.  That verse says a lot....how many times have I neglected to take time to rest in the Lord......how many times have I been impatient and wanted answers now?  When I do rest in the Lord how peaceful I feel afterwards and how He helps me to wait patiently for the Him, He has never let me down. 

I know that some may wonder how I could say that He has never let me down when I have experienced life altering changes in my life, but He has always been with me, never leaving me....opening my eyes to the many blessings that He has bestowed upon me. 

Hope you have a restful Sunday, taking time to rest in Him :0)

Frolic Top

I wanted to work on my Civil War Quilt yesterday, but I made myself work on the Imagine/Frolic quilt top.  I finished it, the top at least, now I need to cut and sew the backing.  I am going to add a strip of blocks down the back of the quilt, that will help it to be just a little wider for the quilting machine.  The top is just shy of 82 inches square, that makes it tricky to just sew two pieces salvage to salvage wide, I have some blocks from the layer cake leftover so I will sew them end to end and add them to the back.  The plan is to get the backing done this weekend so I can bring it to the quilter, I really don't want to "play" or "practice" on this one and the woman that has quilted several of my quilts is very reasonable.  My nephew and his wife are still planning on coming the second week of October so that gives me time to get the binding done before they arrive.  I finished it after 9pm last night and it's raining this morning so I only have this little shot of it folded on the ladder in my sewing room.......

I really like using this ladder to hang pieces that I have pressed and things that I am using for a specific quilt, glad the ladder was tall enough to get 2 from it :0)

I

Later I hope to work on this basket, I haven't done anything with the Civil War Quilt in several months and believe it or not tomorrow is the fourth Saturday, the next meeting.  I am not sure if I will attend since we have some "stuff" to get done??

I am looking forward to getting my hands on this fabric, but I do need to shift gears as the quilts I have been working on are not as difficult as this one.  I know that I won't be able to get three months caught up in one day, even if I quilted all day, there is a lot of cutting and piecing.  I think I'm ready and when I need a break I can work on something easy again!

I thought I would give you a sneak peak of what my livingroom ladder will look like when the other quilt is completely finished, it's also a great place to "store" it until I get the backing on and quilt it.   

The wall color is really green, an olivey green, hard to capture in the photo.  Well time to get moving for the morning.  TTFN.

Finished the Top

Yesterday I finished the top that I started on Tuesday night, amazing how quickly that went together, I even surprised myself.  Even more amazing......everything came from my stash, including the backing and binding, the only thing I had to purchase was the batting.  I need to watch for the next big sale on batting at Joann's and get a large quantitiy so I will always have some here when I work on smaller lap/twin size quilts.  What do ya think.....

I will try to take another picture outside later today, to see if the colors look different.  I am planning on keeping this one and putting it on the ladder in the livingroom corner.  I think I will try to make a few more quilts like this using fabric (most I already have) that is "seasonal" so I can change during the year!  Sounds like a great idea, stay tuned to see if I actually get it done, LOL. 

I want to get in the attic today and get the fall stuff down so I can decorate and actually enjoy it until after Thanksgiving.  The fall stuff goes great with my house as most of the colors I have are all in that family of colors so I love the feel of my house, just need to add a few quilts to make it cozy.  I looked at the pictures  from the last post and laughed because I make quilts and I had fleece throws on my chairs not quilts!  Terry, I promise the next photo with the ladder will have a quilt on it even if it is not complete, LOL, it will take longer to get them on the chairs and back of the sofa! 

Gotta get going so I can get something done today!

What's Happening on Pumpkin Town Estates

Don't let the name fool you, it's only three houses on a back road, LOL, that is the name the builder chose when he divided the land.  Our house is the first one on this side of the town line, after 25 years living here only one new house was built  just over the town line about 16 years ago, we have no house across the street and I can barely see my neighbor's garage through the trees.  Now there are three new houses going in just around the corner over the town like, thankfully I still can't see them, but it is strange seeing houses where there once were woods.  The above photo is the extent of our fall decorations, but do notice that the trim around the garage doors is now brown, finally got that done!  I forgot, this is also a Fall decoration at our house.......

Yesterday afternoon I decided that some fresh air, tylenol and aspercreme might make me feel better so I fired up the John Deere and the saw rig and sawed up this pile! 

Earlier in the day I decided that I finally would get the shelf I wanted up in the livingroom.  I already had two shelf brackets that one of our sons made in high school shop class a few years ago, the board is an old wide board that has been kicking around the yard for quite some time and I already made the shelves in the kitchen with some of the same board.  It looks quite "primitive" it was outside unprotected and I knew that I needed to get it inside as there was already some insect damage in one area. 

So hubby, "Mr. DeWalt" and I did the necessary work and voila here are the results...............

Sorry about the mess in the first photo but I wanted to get a photo and wasn't done cleaning the paper "rack" .  I put a few things from around the house on the shelf, but I would like to use some old family wedding photos on this wall, I think, so for now it will probably change several times before I am finished. 

Last week was the first week that I helped my godchild, "C",  with her quilting class, she is making a small "baby quilt" size of a pattern that I have used several times (chosen by the instructor).  On Monday of this week we began cutting the fabric and it was quite overwhelming for someone new to quilting, all the tools and how to use them.....needless to say she didn't get much done, we also have to share tools with others so that slows things down and there were only 2 adults, the instructor and me, that knew what to do.  Today C will be coming over so we can work some more on cutting her fabric and learning how to read the pattern, and properly measure, cut, etc.  In the meantime, I decided to see if the time that was allotted was realistic for a class that size, sharing equipment and just learning the ropes, etc.......so I did each step and set my timer and kept track of how much time it took to get it done, keeping in mind that I am alone in a quiet room, with all my own tools, and I "think" I know what I'm doing, this is what I got done so far (I started at 8pm finished around 11pm).

I really wanted to use this to encourage C that she is doing great and that even with me knowing what I am doing I barely got thing done in the allotted time, of course I jumped ahead quite a few weeks in the lesson plan.

Well gotta get going, need to finish morning stuff  and get ready for C to come over and play in the sewing room! 

Being or Feeling A Little Lazy....Not Sure Which One

Yes, I'm still alive, I have been reading and commenting in blogland, but just haven't posted.  Today was a little busy and when it slowed down I didn't do anything!  If all goes well I will try to post with pictures tomorrow, but don't hold your breath since hubby mentioned that we need to saw wood, LOL.  Guess I will see how my old body is feeling, I'm a little achy today, hope I'm not coming down with something.  Need to think postive thoughts and take care of myself, maybe sleep in?? 

Thank you again for all your prayers for Hunter, he continues to improve, we may never really know exactly how much damage there is to  his liver and one kidney.  The doctors are still not 100% sure whether he had  Leptospirosis, he does receive a vaccine for this with his yearly shots, but sometimes the vaccine doesn't cover all possible variations.  The numbers in his test results were elevated but not enough to be sure, one of the doctors at Cornell said that it takes several weeks for those numbers to reach their highest.  Anyways, long story short, the treatment he received was appropriate for Lepto and now the important thing is that he continue to improve.  He is still on antibiotics for a little while longer so hopefully he will not have a setback after they are done.   He his happy except for when he realizes that I won't let him run free like he is used to and he can't run after his ball :0(  The fact that he WANTS to run is great and he is finishing all of his food and keeping it down!!

Hope you are all doing well and I will get my blogging act together in the next day or two. 

Sweet dreams :0)

Home at last....

Hunter is home, I picked him up at 5pm and now we need to work on getting him to eat and then we need to see how well he recovers.  The Dr. doesn't know how damaged his liver and 1 kidney are, short term is to get him to eat and gain some weight and then we watch and see, they will draw blood on Monday to check the "numbers" . 

I will share more later, just want to eat dinner and relax in case the evening is a little crazy.  Thanks for all your prayers,  he is not out of the woods yet so keep doing what you are doing. 

Hunter Update

Today we went to visit Hunter at the Vets, he looked better than when I brought him in, he really needs to eat though.  We did not get the results today from the tests that were sent away, although the treatment would not really change it would probably give the Dr. a better idea of his prognosis.  Hunter was very happy to see us, Roger and I went and our middle son had the day off and met us there so he was really happy to see one of his "brothers".  We took him outside for a little walk and while some of the updated lab results show improvement in one number two are elevated so the Dr is "cautiously optimistic" that he may do okay.  They also did an ultrasound and there is some liver damage, how much they really can't say, and one of his kidneys may also have some damage.  This was a nasty "bug" and hopefully I will name it tomorrow, but the most important thing will be getting our dog home and healthy again!  The Dr. said he may be able to come home tomorrow or Friday, they would like him to eat, but as we told them  Hunter often doesn't eat when there is change, if Roger and I leave for the day he won't eat all day, even when our sons are home.  So I really think that if he doesn't need any IV meds he should come home where he can be in familiar surroundings with his family and his pesty little "brother" Midnight. 

Thank you for your continued prayers and letting me ramble on about my sick dog.  I truly believe in the power of prayer even for God's little creatures.

Hunter & Midnight in February of this year.

Still waiting.....

Please continue to keep our dog, Hunter, in your prayers.

We are still waiting for the results from a test that needed to be sent away.  This test will confirm what the vet thinks is the problem with Hunter.  He is very sick, 103 temperature he hasn't eaten for several days, we are hoping for the best outcome.  He has been on IV fluids and antibiotics since yesterday after I brought him in, he only ate a very small amount late this afternoon, he really hasn't changed much one way or the other, I am trying to look at this as a positive, and continue to pray that tomorrow he will show some improvement.  

Watching the Game......

Don't have time for a long post right now so I will share this.....

This is how our Newfoundland, Midnight, sleeps, he is supposed to watching the game with us. 

This is probably a strange prayer request but our German Shepherd, Hunter, has not been feeling well so could you say a little prayer for him to get that spring back.  I am calling the vet as soon as they open and I should be able to get in today. 

Have a great day!

Did I Pass the Test......

Today there was a fabric sale at one of the local churches.  I missed the sale last year and this year I was determined to get there at 9am when it started!  I found several pieces that I liked and the prices were very reasonable and I know the guild does great things with the money!  Here is the test......I knew about how much I had spent and was chatting with one of the ladies that I knew and paid, when I got in the car I realized that they had not charged me for one of the pieces, the most expensive and largest piece almost 7 yards!  Well I could have just driven off, but......I ran in and told them they forgot to charge me for that one piece and paid them!  Did I pass the test??  Here are the goodies that I found:

The dark fabric was the one that was almost free, LOL, these are my favorites!

These were packaged as a bundle, I liked  the

three on the top the most and the rest will be added to my scraps for a project someday.

I was able to get the shutters painted and the trim around the garage doors done, a trip to the dump transfer station and got rid of some of the old stuff that has been under the deck waiting for me to take it away! 

Here is what else we have been working on...... our middle son and one of his friends came today and sawed the big pile and now I will be able to manage them for the splitter.

Here is the pile that w had already split and stacked to come in the house sometime next month.

Last week my hubby was out digging and cleaning the roots where we have been cutting trees and he found this bottle, don't know how he didn't break it with the bucket of the tractor! 

Our road used to be a small dirt back road that I think many drove and threw their trash, it says wine on the bottom and has a patten # on the it, I don't think it's that old but probably older than me, it has a screw top that is rusted. 

Hope you have a great weekend.

All Stars.............

Just a quick post to show you photos of the completed All Stars quilt, I finished the binding and the label yesterday morning. 

This quilt will be raffled to help the family of a young man that passed away on September 2.

May he rest in peace.

Joseph "Joey" Olszewski

March 16, 1982-September 2, 2010

My "New" Bible

Today I had to run a few quick errands and stopped at the local used book store to look for something for my son.  Didn't have any luck finding anything for my son, but I did find this.........

Several of my blog friends are from the South and have posted some yummy sounding recipes, so I thought it might give me some Southern secrets, LOL.  My nephew who grew up in NC is coming soon and maybe I can try to cook up something, I know he had to give us a lesson on how to make Sweet Tea last time he visited.  This book is not that old and was only $4.00, the best thing is that the proceeds go to Hospice of S. Maine.   I will be sitting with a cup of 'joe later and seeing what sounds yummy!  Does anyone else have this cookbook?

Have a great day!!

Saturday Fun

Thanks to Lisa for giving me "permission" to go out and check the yard sales.  I  had a successful day, here are the goodies that I found:

The candle holder was 50 cents at the first stop, found the candles for 25 cents for two at the next stop.

I got the crock and harness for $5 and the books were 50 cents each, they are all in excellent shape.

This last bunch of stuff came from a surprise stop on the way home.  I stopped at a house of a woman whose son went to school with one of my boys, I had been in the house a few years ago and it was beautifully decorated, just the way I would like if I had an unlimited budget.  She is selling her house to travel more and just simplify things so I got ALL of this for only.....$5.00.   I have been wanting one of these to put by the wood stove for quite some time now, patience pays:0)

 

The basket with the sunflower has a bunch of little stuffed things, there are even some stuffed candy corn and several small pillows with crows on them.  Everything comes out of the basket, nothing is glued in so I can take them out and use them around the house this fall.  The two wooden boxes will be great catch alls for my sewing room, I think. 

This basket will be put away for Spring.

The only thing I didn't get a photo of is a floor grate that I bought for $6.00 and already put it in place.  I had a brass one that was broken and found a black cast one that fits perfect.

When I got home I finally decided to get working on the ladder that I posted about on July 8.  Hubby helped me to (Deb close your eyes, you probably don't want to see what I did, lol) cut this old ladder into two shorter ones that I could use for display in the living room and my sewing room.  I was just going to measure and take a handsaw and cut the thing in two pieces, hubby had other ideas.  He though I should angle the cut based on the distance away from the wall I planned on setting it, so it took longer but I guess I have to admit they probably set better because of the angle cut, just don't tell him I said that, LOL.

Instead of the handsaw I got to use this tool.

Hubby showing me how to mark for the cut.

You really can't see them but here are my two lines to cut on, when I finished I had two ladders.

Midnight checking things out and looking for something to steal and chew on!

The one on the left is in the living room and the one on the right is in the sewing room.  They will look great with "stuff" on them. 

One questions for you ladies that are "re purpose" pros, do you think I should use some Howard's Restor to make the surface a  little smoother?  I put some on the (back) of the left side to see how it would look.  The can I have is Walnut so it's darker, but  it does feel smoother and I think it will make it easier to dust??

Okay, I have really made up for lost time with the photos today, but not sure if I will get a post in tomorrow or even Monday so I thought it would be okay to have a long post today.  Have a great weekend.

Stay tuned....

I know I have said that I would get some photos soon.....my goal today is to get a post of a project that I hope to work on later, instead of going to the yard sales that are calling me??!!!  Maybe I will sneak out for one or two ;0) 

Sad Ending to a Beautiful Day

I just found out that the young man we have been praying for, Joe, passed away today.  Please pray for his family.

Thank you.

Happy Thursday

Today is a new day, my hope today is that I can stay home and work on a special project in my sewing room.  I finished the backing for the All Star Quilt and dropped it off to be quilted, I will prepare the binding later today so I can begin putting it on as soon as I pick it up from being quilted. 

Every day I wake up, thank you Lord for that, I start the day fresh with plans to get what I have on my daily list done, be it the written list or the mental list.  Amazing how some days I can only cross off one thing and sometimes nothing off the list, I get so frustrated when I don't get everything done.  Only four short years ago I was working full time wishing I could be home all day everyday tending to the everyday household things.  I need to remind myself to be thankful for the little things again, like being able to be home, spending more time with my husband, being able to take those unexpected phone calls that lead to more, being able to blog and make new friends, you get where I'm going.....Being thankful for today and whatever may come.  To me, that does not mean that I should not plan or make a list of what I want to get done, it just means that I need to be open to the other opportunities that may present themselves during the day.  I wonder if I should wake up and say "what do you have in store for me today Lord?"  How do you react when you are called away from your plans for the day?

Okay, I bet you are saying "gee I hope she hurries and gets photos back"!  I will try to work on that today so maybe in the next few days it will be back to business with photos, LOL. 

Hope you have a wonderful day, I know I will!

Happy first day of September!!

Thank you to everyone for adding Joe to your prayers and prayer warrior/chain list.  I will do my best to keep everyone posted, it may be several days or longer, as the family is in LA and I don't know them personally. 

We dropped off our laptop computer yesterday and were able to pick it back up later in the day.  We were gone most of the day and then went back out to pick it up, sounds silly but I love staying home and today I am soooooo glad that I only have one quick, local errand to run.  That means that I will be home all day today but maybe 30 minutes, yee haw!!  It is still hot and humid here, I put our window AC back in at 10:30pm last night, yes you can laugh, I stubbed my toe and everything, but I did get a cool night's sleep!  We are going to tough out the next 2 days without the AC for the main part of the house and only use the bedroom one at night. 

Roger is busy getting the laptop all set up the way we like, you know how it is when your computer has a "brain" problem and gets rebooted, the stuff is there we just need to get it comfy again.  That means I probably won't get my hands on that computer for at least another day, so you are stuck with words only 'til then.  I am just so thankful that it is back and we have the important stuff, etc.the Geek Squad did it all for only $30.  The fact that we have 2 computers, this desktop and the laptop is also something to be thankful for!!  Sometimes us "old folks" as the children refer to us are sitting at our computers playing some of the games we enjoy, we are just a couple of kids at heart! 

.......while you don't realize that I started this post some time ago and got sidetracked I am now going to finish it.

What called me away was a call from a friend about a fundraiser for Joe and that lead me to make a call and then I ran out and made one more call when I got back.  Besides the prayers, which are the most important thing, the second thing that friends are trying to do is fund raise.  I have decided that I will donate my All Stars Quilt for them to raffle or use in a silent auction, or whichever way they deem that it will raise the most. For me this is a way that I can say "thank you" to all the people that helped us out, to give back to one of the families in the great community that I live in is one of the best feelings in the world.  So after I finish this post I will finally get the backing sewn and drop it off to get it quilted later this evening or tomorrow.  The women that will be quilting it said she would work on it ASAP and hopefully I will be sewing the binding on it by the weekend. 

Well I gotta get sewing!!

Prayers Needed....

Recently I found out that a young man named Joe  from the town I live in has been hospitalized for a respiratory infection of unknown origin.  I really don't know much else, he is a few years older than my oldest son and his mom and I know each to say hello, but that's all.  The most important thing he needs now are prayers as his prognosis is not good, but I know first hand the power of prayer. 

I also wanted to share with you a website that helps people fund raise for people in situations like Joe, it is called giveforward.org.  It is a great way for people that want to do something but aren't local and can't physically help in other ways.  There will be a fundraiser here in town later this month to help with medical and other expenses for the family as Joe is in a hospital in Los Angeles so his family is away from their home. 

Thank you for your prayers, NEVER underestimate the POWER of PRAYER!! 

Denise