Quilting Dreams

I'm on Island Time!

2012-02-16T00:02:00.000-05:00

I am really too tired to post, but wanted to share a few photos of paradise, where I'm staying with a friend this week. We're been walking on the beach:

Sightseeing:

We've seen some exotic animals:

We've shopped, eaten good food, and watched the sun set over the Gulf.

Contentment definitely includes watching sunsets.....Sunny

For Maria

2012-02-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

The great Getaway

2012-02-13T00:47:00.000-05:00

I'm in sunny Florida for a few days, freezing my buns off! I hope the warm weather returns soon, but I'm still enjoying myself, even if it stays cold.

Walking:

Thinking:

Relaxing:

Resting:

and spending time with good friends. Many thanks to Carol and Carl for the past few days, and today I arrived at Marianne's of Life at RuffHaven. More fun days to follow. I realized while driving down here, that I've never seen the Gulf of Mexico before! That deficiency was solved at exactly 6:00 this evening.

Contentment is an early morning walk on a beach. ..... Sunny

We have a winner.

2012-02-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Pass It On Box is KatieQ. Please send me your address Katie so I can get the box mailed out before I leave on vacation on Wednesday!

OFW and Pass It On Box ready to travel!

2012-02-01T23:23:00.000-05:00

Ah yes, today was February 1st, and instead of snow and ice, the temperature was in the upper 60's, so I went for a long walk in the park with a friend. We haven't had much of a winter at all and I'm sure not complaining today. While there aren't any flowers in bloom at the park, there are several in my house!

Two of these are for the Inchy Swap, and the others will be incorporated into my flower garden.

PASS IT ON BOX is ready to leave Maryland. This box originated with Brandie at abc last Saturday. I was a little amazed when it showed up at my house on Monday! The USPS isn't usually quite that speedy. I stopped what I was doing to open it and look at all the goodies. I took out 2 books, a little coin purse, and a small bundle of homespuns. I put 3 books back in, and some fat quarters. I expect to add a few more magazines before I mail it out. Here is a copy of the rules from Brandie's blog:

How would you like your name on this mystery box? I won't tell you exactly what's in it, but I will say there are more books and patterns then fabric.

First a few rules.
You need to be a blogger, so that you can "pass it on" to another blogger and keep us posted as to where it's going.

You must be willing to ship it on to the next person.

You have to part with leftovers. Things like orphan blocks, books you have no use for, fabrics that just don't float your boat. Maybe a sewing tool you don't use. You don't need to buy anything, just gently used leftovers.

Everything you adopt needs to be replace with something you don't need.

So there are the rules. Still willing to receive it?
If so, leave me a message and I'll pick a green winner on Sunday.

Good luck you thrifty quilters!And I hate to add this part, but because of the weight of the box, I will only be able to ship it within the US. I'm planning to take a short vacation starting next week, and If I get a mailing address in time, I'll ship it out before I leave. Just leave a comment on this post if you're interested in playing.

Contentment is planning a trip to sunny Florida! Sunny

January Summary

2012-01-31T14:59:00.000-05:00

January was an extremely productive month for me. I've set the bar high. Can I continue at this pace?

Who can resist starting a new project or three? Barbara at Cat Patches decided she didn't have enough UFOs so started a group to make NewFO's. This month, I started my Farmer's Wife quilt, which will be ongoing for several months,

And a Schnibbles Full House, which I hope to complete in the next few days. Perhaps I'll be binding it while watching the Super Bowl?

I'm new to OPAM this year, and I managed to finish two projects in January. There should have been more, but I got distracted and started new things instead of finishing what I had.

The bread cloth above also counts for Christmas Through The Year.

Earlier in the month, I posted my finishes for the Ornament Challenge, Sew It's Finished, Block Swap Adventure, and the Inchy Swap. Yep, I feel good about January. And now it's on to February!! More projects to start and to finish, and to dream about.

Contentedly checking off my list.....Sunny

It's All Your Fault!

2012-01-30T13:34:00.001-05:00

My Sunday morning appointment called Saturday night to cancel, so I had an entire day to get some quilting done. Yes, actual quilting. The sewing table was all cleared off, as is necessary when I quilt. There are three sandwiched quilts to choose from. Should I start with the easiest one? Or the one that will take the most time?

Perhaps I will take some time first to think about the design for the applique border on my SAHR. I just finished a border and you all said such nice things about it, and I'm eager to continue. So I looked at images of applique online, and I pulled out many books from my shelves and leafed through them. Next came the graph paper and the colored pencils. (SQ1 rather than EQ7) I started sketching, and getting ideas for some template shapes. I think we're all ready to go with this now, but I have about two fewer hours for quilting.

Then an email popped up on my computer from my friend Vickie, with a link to this site: 4Patches4Hope. It is for a cause that I will gladly support, so off to my scrap basket I went, and I made a few 4 patches and prepared them for mailing today.

Then I saw yet another Schnibbles Full House on someones blog. I really want to make this, but I cannot purchase any new fabric. So what's a girl to do? Think hard. Get creative. I remembered that a couple of years ago I received 2 charm packs and another Schnibbles pattern for a gift. I hesitate to say this in public, but I've never really cared for the pattern, so it never got made. Perhaps it's time to decide that it never will be made, and use the charms for something else? Excellent idea! I bring you an almost completed modified Full House. The fabric is Old Primrose Inn, and I thought it would be perfect for constructing some houses.

So, how's the quilting coming along on those three quilts? Well, that's a topic for another day. When I actually do some quilting.

Contentedly sewing the day away.....Sunny

Progress on SAHR

2012-01-28T18:03:00.000-05:00

I got a little behind schedule on my SAHR, so I'm just now sharing my Nov/Dec border. It was to be either pinwheels or hourglass blocks, and I took the easy way out. I wasn't originally planning to put the blocks the entire way around, but I can't count so I ended up with more than I needed. So, they went all the way around. Sorry the picture isn't the greatest, but it was windy outside, and I was using my slow camera. But you get the idea!

And now I must go plan an applique border. I'm looking forward to this one. Hopefully, there will be less math involved.

Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.
Lao Tzu

Sunny

Foto Finish

2012-01-28T10:50:00.000-05:00

This week's optional theme is 'White'. We haven't seen much white here this winter, so I went back into the archives and found some from last year.

Go visit Cat Patches Foto Finish if you'd like to see more interpretations of White.

Contentment is not shoveling snow on a Saturday morning........Sunny

All Things Friday

2012-01-27T13:30:00.000-05:00

I've been too busy sewing and stitching this week to do much blogging, and now it's time to share!

My first Christmas gift of the year is a cross stitched bread cloth. I've had this pattern for many many years, and I recently learned that a friend has dishes in this pattern, Winterberry, so the time was right!

This will also count as a Sew It's Finished project, and as OPAM!

I managed to stitch three ornaments for the One Ornament a Month challenge. I haven't decided yet how to finish them into ornaments, but the hard part is done! I'm going to kit up a couple more, because these little projects are so handy to have when I have to sit in a waiting room somewhere.

I also finished 5 more Farmer's Wife blocks for Jamie and 5 for me. I had to put them aside to work on a few other things, but I can't wait to get back to them. So much fun!

Three flimsies made it through the sandwiching process this week, and I had every intention of having some quilting done this week, but that hasn't happened yet. Instead, these took over my sewing table. Apparently I can't count, so there will be a few extras. Perhaps a cushion? Or perhaps they can be used later in the quilt? These are for the SAHR (ahem....Nov/Dec assignment) Hopefully they will be attached before bedtime tonight, so I can move on to the current applique assignment!

If you heard a loud crashing noise the other night coming from my direction, it was my Rowenta being thrown out the window. I cannot keep it turned on for more than about 6 seconds and I just couldn't take it any more. At first, I could get it to turn back on if I flicked my wrist a certain way. Then I had to shake it all over the room, and finally, I had to actually unplug it and plug it back in. When that quit working, I gave up. I read a lot of reviews on irons, and it doesn't seem that there is a really good iron out there, so I just went out and bought a cheapo, and will see how long it works. I specifically looked for one with an *ON* button, and found this.

It shuts off after 30 minutes, but it has an ON/RESET button, it's not just motion activated. My fingers are crossed!

SUNSHINE SQUISHIES

Many of you joined Allie's Army to help a friend in need last Fall. Allie collected blocks from around the world, and then spent hours and hours joining them together so our friend Kaaren of The Painted Quilt could be wrapped in our love. Well it's now time for more 'boots on the ground' . Please go to Red Quilts or Happy Cottage Quilter if you'd like more information on joining Operation Sunshine Squishies.

And now I must bid you adieu so that I many continue to contentedly trim some more blocks!

Sunny

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T23:41:00.000-05:00

Scrapbookers and Card makers

2012-01-22T13:52:00.000-05:00

I seldom do paper crafts any more, and I'm tired of the clutter. I have a box of ribbon, and various paper embellishments looking for a new home. Will it be you? They are older, and not the 'current must-haves'. Sadly, this one will have to stay in the US. If you're interested, leave a comment and I'll draw a name on Tuesday the 24th.

Contentedly decluttering......Sunny

One Two Three Flower Wednesday

2012-01-18T23:40:00.000-05:00

I am a person who needs a certain amount of structure in my life. So One Flower Wednesday is a wonderful way to keep me on track! I started sewing my flowers together a few months ago, and it quickly became apparent that I need to continue tending my garden. If you'd like to see more pretty flowers, visit Karen's blog for links to other participants in One Flower Wednesday.

I also did some Farming today! This makes 7 blocks, of the 12 that I'd like to complete by the end of the month. My partner had a head start, so I'm trying to catch up with her.

Contentment is a choice........Sunny

Farmer's Wife Update

2012-01-17T01:07:00.000-05:00

I was hard at work in the sewing room today. I finished up the BSA block that I started a couple of days ago, and it will be in the mail tomorrow. This was a specific block that Vickie requested.

I had to do a little reverse sewing, but I'm getting good at it lately.

Then I debated between working on Farmer's Wife blocks, or prepping some flimsies for quilting. Since I'm making FW blocks for a partner, I decided they should be my first choice.

I still need to add the handles to the flower baskets, but didn't want to attempt them when I was tired. At this rate, we'll be done in no time! LOL! I have a few errands to run tomorrow (today?) and then I hope to finish a few more blocks.

Contentedly farming......Sunny

SAHR - January/February

2012-01-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

Okay Ladies, how are we all doing? I'm still not finished with my Nov/Dec border, but I'm going to go ahead with the next assignment as promised. I know that some of you are all caught up and ready to move on. Next up will be a border with Applique! You choose the size and the technique that you prefer. Feel free to add floaters between borders if needed. And the applique can cross the lines onto another border if that might be appropriate.

I Googled "applique borders" to find these beautiful samples. There are many more if you need more inspiration. Our next assignment will be on March 1, and then we should be back on track for monthly assignments. Are you having fun yet?

Contentedly searching for inspiration.....Sunny

Foto Finish

2012-01-14T21:03:00.000-05:00

This was taken on one of my Autumn walks. It was my favorite picture of the day.

Linking up to Foto Finish at Cat Patches

When we cannot find contentment in ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

La Rochefoucauld, Francois De

Sunny

Mail Call :-) and Friday the 13th :-(

2012-01-13T18:19:00.001-05:00

Oh My! Look at this absolutely amazing basket block that I got from Vickie!

As usual, I had a hard time capturing the colors, but believe me when I say it is beautiful, and exactly what I was hoping for! Thanks so much Vickie.

I also received this 1/4 yard piece of fabric in the mail. You have no idea how excited I was with this.

As you may recall, I decided to add an additional border to my Christmas quilt, and was unable to locate any of the fabric locally. So off to the sewing room I went, anxious to finish the border.

Happy Friday the 13th to me:

Guess what I did the rest of the afternoon!

Contentedly frogging.......Sunny

One Flower Wednesday on Thursday

2012-01-12T17:38:00.000-05:00

oops! My camera battery was dead on Wednesday, so although I did make my flowers on Wednesday, you're seeing them on Thursday. If you'd like to see more pretty flowers, go HERE for the links. Thanks to Karen for keeping us busy in our flower gardens.

Contentedly puttering in my garden.....Sunny

First Finish of 2012!

2012-01-10T00:39:00.000-05:00

I just put the final stitches in my 12 DOC Mystery Quilt from Temecula Quilts. They published one block each day for the 12 days of Christmas. The block for the first day was only one piece, and the block for the twelfth day had 12 pieces. It was fun and simple, and it's very exciting to have a finish this early in the year. The fabrics are all from my scrap basket.

I'm also working diligently on my 'Christmas Through The Year' gift, I've crocheted my monthly rectangles, and I've got an ornament stitched. I have to take my car to the dealer tomorrow for some recall work, so I should have plenty of time to do more stitching.

Sunny

Contentment is not Complacency.

Foto Finish

2012-01-07T21:39:00.000-05:00

This photo was taken at the National Arboretum in Washngton DC on October 22, 2011. These are the old columns from the Capitol. They're just stuck in the ground, surrounded by pretty flowers on one side, and a reflecting pond on the other. We took pictures of fall foliage and flowers, and walked around the grounds, on a very pretty fall day. On our way home that night, we stopped for dinner at Pei Wei in Leesburg, VA. It was a special treat for us, since we don't have one in our town, and dh was just starting to eat normal food again. As I was taking pictures all day, I was planning my blog post in my head. Unfortunately, that blog post wasn't meant to be, so I'm sharing the photo now.

Linking to Foto Finish at Cat Patches.

Sunny

Contentment: A state of happiness and satisfaction

And so it begins....

2012-01-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

I officially started my Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt yesterday! I'm working with Jamie, so I did a block for her and a block for me. Can you believe these are from the same pattern?

Jamie's fabrics are on the left, and mine are on the right. I've decided that I'll do mine first each time, so if there are any 'issues', I can work them out on my fabric. I'm also joining the FWQAL at Brynwood Needleworks. I'm sure I can get some pointers as the blocks become more difficult, and it will be great to have the extra motivation to keep going.

This will also count as my NewFO for January.

I'm off to a good start for 2012.

Sunny

Contentment: A state of happiness and satisfaction

SAHR, BSA, and OFW

2012-01-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, Stay at Home Robiners - How are we doing? I'm sorry to report that I haven't yet started my November/December assignment. I suspect that I'm not the only one who is running behind schedule, so I'm proposing that we start the next assignment on Jan. 15th, and then move the next one to March 1st. What do you think? If anyone is chomping at the bit to move on, please let me know, and I'll get the next assignment out sooner. There is a tab up under my header with all the previous assignments if you're joining in late, or just need a refresher.

ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY:

It's been a couple of months since I've made any hexie flowers. But it's time to get back to them. I received some small pieces of fabric from Anna last week, and while sorting my scraps the other day, I pulled out some that I thought would be good for flowers. Karen is the Hostess with the Mostest, and you can find links to other blogs on her site if you'd like to see more pretty flowers.

BLOCK SWAP ADVENTURE

Here is the beautiful block that I received from Andra for January! We were both extremely efficient this month, and got our blocks out early. A huge Thank You to Linda who keeps us all organized and sends out new partner info each month.

12 DOC MYSTERY QUILT

Tomorrow is Day 12 of Temecula Quilt Co's 12 Day of Christmas Mystery Quilt. Are you playing along? If not, you're missing out on a really cute quilt. There are only 12 blocks, and they're 3 1/2 inches. And... I'm even caught up with all the blocks! Me! I can't wait to see how they're put together.

FARMER'S WIFE SAMPLER QUILT

Today was the day to get started! Jamie asked me to partner with her, so we each exchanged some fabric, and I'll make some of the blocks for each of us, and she'll make blocks for each of us. We've got a handy dandy spreadsheet to keep us in line, and we're starting with some of the easier blocks. Here is Jamie's fabric just before the first cut.

That sums up the last couple of days for me. What's up with you?

Sunny

“It is not our circumstances that create our discontent or contentment. It is us.”

Vivian Greene Quotes

Help!!

2012-01-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

Desperately seeking about a quarter yard of this fabric. Do you have some in your stash that you would be willing to sell? I cannot be content until I have this fabric to finish my border.

Sunny

Fabric has been located and ordered. Thanks LuAnn!!

The 'In-Between' Week

2012-01-02T15:53:00.001-05:00

"A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world. " Joseph Addison

After a lot of thought, I have chosen "contentment" as my word for 2012. In searching for a quote, I found that to many, contentment is a negative rather than positive state of being. After a year of great discontent, I consider it to be a desirable way of living. Being content with what I have - not always wanting or 'needing' something that is out of reach. So CONTENTMENT it is.

I have been extremely busy during this week in between Christmas and New Year's. My plan for 2012 is to finish many of the quilts in my sewing room that have yet to be started. But before I can even start, I needed to get some UFOs out of the way. So I sandwiched, quilted, and bound the Little Baskets quilt that I pieced last summer. This involved an emergency trip to the LQS because I was about 5 inches short of the binding that I needed.

After making some wall hangings for Christmas gifts, I had enough 'tree' fabric for two more wall hangings, so they have been finished off and put in the basket for gifts next year. Yippee! I'm already started on 2012 gifts.

The stitcheries 5,6,and 7 from Lesley's Stitch a Long had to be stitched.

I don't know what happened to 1-4, but I'm sure they'll turn up as I continue to work my way through the sewing room. There was a small 'incident' involving some sloshed tea, but I think I was able to get it all washed out. If not, the entire set will be tea stained before I continue. What did you all make with yours? I don't plan to make a banner, so probably another wall hanging? Any suggestions would be welcome.

I also made my December and January blocks for BSA, and they've been mailed out.

Next up was to work on my kitchen curtains. Remember the curtains that didn't get made with vintage hankies? Well soon after that, I found a wonderful tablecloth, and it was 75% off! I just cut it in half, hemmed the raw edges, and folded over the top. Totally the 'look' that I was hoping for.

I couldn't get a good picture during daylight, so I'll try again after dark. The curtains barely cover the window, but we seldom close them, so I think they'll be okay.

Next up was to make a few thank you cards. Thank you cards are a thing of the past in this world, but I still enjoy sending them out.

My current cross stitch project is coming along nicely, and I work on it in the evenings while watching TV. The sample on the pattern shows this made into a beautiful pillow.

For the next three projects, I had the tops done, but still had to make backings and bindings. My Christmas quilt:

It's still not completely finished because I decided to add another border, and I ran out of fabric. I just hope I can find enough to complete it. I didn't like the way the stars just ended, so I added the border to finish the stars. I was able to put two sides of the border on, and I have all the flying geese done to finish the stars. I also pieced the backing with siggy squares from the participants in the Bee, some yardage, and some scraps. The binding is all make, so this will be a finish soon. Cross you fingers that I can find the necessary green fabric!

Bindings and backings are also done for my little spool quilt and my black-eyed Susan quilt. In order to do the pin basting, I have to completely clean off my sewing table, so I like to have a few in the pile before I do it.
Busy, busy busy. It feels great to get so many things finished. In order to keep making forward progress in 2012, I've signed up for Barbara's NewFO Project at Cat Patches

I really don't have a lot of UFO's, but I do have a lot of fabric and patterns that have never been started, so this is the perfect group for me.

I've also signed up to make one Christmas ornament each month, and I've just learned that Christmas Through the Year is going to continue, with Darlene and Cheryl picking up the reins to allow Allie to move on to other pursuits.

I also decided to make the little Mystery Quilt by Temecula Quilts. If you haven't heard about it, check it out! There are only 12 little blocks, and the first day was only one piece, the second day had two pieces, etc. Day Nine was released today, so I better head back down to the sewing room. Here are my first 8 blocks. Apparently there was a kit that could be ordered, but I just shopped from my scrap basket.

So, I think that should be enough to keep me on task and keep my quite content throughout the year. I really need to get back to blogging more often so that each post doesn't become an entire novel.

But, before I go, I need to thank Vickie for the beautiful Charm pack that I won. She also tucked in a cute little notepad. Thanks Vickie!

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” Frederick Keonig

Sunny

Foto Finish

2011-12-31T21:47:00.000-05:00

I've decided to play along with Barbara's Foto Finish each week, and this is my first offering. DH and I are sitting watching TV, and his cat is snuggled up beside him. Zoe is a "daddy's girl" all the way.

The movie that we're watching is of absolutely no interest to me, so I'm going to head down to the sewing room.

Have a Happy New Year to all of my USA friends. My international friends have already seen in the new year. Here's to hoping that 2012 will be a little kinder than 2011.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Catching up. . .

2011-12-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

I need to get caught up on quite a few things today. First, I received another Christmas gift from Di. She sent this beautiful table topper, and it's even hand quilted. She also included a nice little sweater for one of my bears, and a bon-bon. The bon-bon was filled with M&M's, but somehow they seem to have disappeared.

I used the table topper on the table with my hors douevres on Christmas, and received very nice comments on it.

I also received some Hexie flowers from Anna, just because. She also sent some fabric which is destined to become part of more flowers. Thanks Anna!

We had a very nice Christmas, filled with family and friends. Santa brought us some gifts, and most of mine were stitchy things. I received fabric, scissors, needles and rotary blades. I'm terrible about changing my rotary blades, so I immediately put a new one in my cutter, and it's amazing how well it works. Why don't I change them more often? I also put a new needle in Fiona, and she's very happy..

I got a little behind on my BSA blocks, but today I mailed off my December and January blocks. This block went to Shannon for December:

And this block went to Andra for January:

I've been working on finishing several small projects, and will have more pictures soon. I'm trying to dig out my sewing desk, and instead of moving the piles around, I'm trying to finish up the project. It feels great. I have a huge list of projects to do, and I'm going to tackle them one at a time. No more buying! Just sewing.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Merry Christmas to All

2011-12-24T22:10:00.000-05:00

And to all a Good Night.... Sunny

Busy Postman!

2011-12-23T01:07:00.002-05:00

Well, it's official. I'm ready for the big day. I need to pick up a few groceries tomorrow, and drop off a gift, and that's it! I put up my outside Christmas lights today. Wearing a T-shift. That's just not right. Now it's raining. I don't want rain for Christmas - I want Snow!!

No, this is not my house. But isn't it pretty?

Today I made several loaves of cranberry bread, and some chocolate covered pretzels. The pretzels didn't work out the way I thought they would. I covered them with crushed up candy canes, but the candy didn't want to stick to the chocolate! I gave up after about a dozen.

I've been neglectful in posting about all the little packages that have showed up at my house lately. A couple of weeks ago, Heather posted a picture of the most adorable snowman. When I asked her who the designer was, she found the pattern and sent it to me! I think this will be my first project after Christmas. I'm in love!

Picture borrowed from Heather's blog.

I also got a little wool kit from LeAnn

Blogger wants this picture to be sideways, and I'm too tired to argue with Blogger tonight. If you turn your head to one side, you can see how cute it is. Thanks LeAnn! Maybe this will be my little project on Saturday?

The next delivery was from my very dear friend Maria in Australia! She sent me the cutest little bon-bon, and - the pattern to make more of my own! I've been planning to make a few, but I've never quite got it done, so now I have no excuses. Maria was the first person that I ever exchanged/swapped with after I started my blog, and we've become good friends. When I win the lottery, I'll be visiting her in Australia.

Yesterday, a Lapel Stick arrived in my mailbox. I'm embarrassed to say I don't remember whose blog I won it from. I'm looking forward to giving it a try. I pictured it here with a stocking that came in the mail today from Di

Look at the size of this stocking! Seriously, did she knit it with toothpicks? Did you, Di? It's so cute, and it's hanging on my tree.

Today's mail brought the cutest little thread catcher from Linda. I had admired these on her blog, and was very surprised to receive one of my very own! And it came with a big bag of deeelicious caramel corn. Too bad hubby isn't able to eat popcorn yet. LOL!

I had hoped to try out the thread catcher tonight, but I started wrapping gifts, and then started this post, so haven't had time to stitch. Watch out tomorrow, though.

It's been a fun couple of weeks. I think I'll finish opening the gifts in my Santa Sack tomorrow. And then it will be almost Christmas.

counting my blessings....Sunny

SewMamaSew Giveaway winner

2011-12-18T21:11:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered my drawing! I made some new friends and gained some new followers, for which I'm very happy! I loved hearing all your favorite songs.

Drumroll . . . . . . . . .

Mr Random Number Generator picked #74, who is:

Rose!

"love that snowman!!
My favorite Christmas song(s) is Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth as done by David Bowie with Bing Crosby."

Rose, please send me your snail mail address, and I'll get Mr. Snowman in the mail to you pronto.

counting my blessings......Sunny

My Santa Sack Overfloweth!

2011-12-16T15:17:00.000-05:00

If you've never swapped with Laura of Fun with this and that, you don't know what you're missing. We were paired for Cheryll's Santa Sack Swap. Starting in July, we were to send our partner 2 gifts each month to put in their Santa Sack, to be opened in December. There were so many gifts in my first box that I thought Laura had decided to save on postage, and send everything all at one time. Not so. I received another box every month!!!! My Santa sack is still overflowing, because I've only opened the large items that wouldn't fit in the sack.

I should mention that Laura is not a quilter, but an artist!! And my December gift was a signed watercolor! I just love it, and it's the perfect colors for my living room. I don't have an artistic bone in my body, so I'm in awe of anyone who can draw or paint. But wait, there's more. One of the earlier gifts was this hand-painted box.

And then there was the wonderful centerpiece in November. It's a little treasure chest filled with hand-painted Santas, fabric candy canes, and assorted pretties.

Thank you Laura! I'll be opening and sharing more gifts later.

On the sewing front, I've finally finished a set of place mats. The recipient really liked the focus fabric, so I snuck some into my cart, and it took quite awhile to decide what to do with it. Then of course, because it was so directional, I had to improvise to get four place mats. Then I decided I didn't like them at all. But I kept going. Once I finished the binding, I decided I really did like them

Blogger insists on flipping this one.

I think I finished my Christmas shopping today. Now I have to make some cards. I think that's what I'll be doing tonight for FNSI!!

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!

2011-12-12T09:23:00.001-05:00

It's here, and I'm playing along. Are you? You can follow THIS LINK to Sew Mama Sew's blog, to find a list of who is participating. I hope you're in a comfortable chair with a nice cup of coffee or tea.

This is what I'm giving away this year:

Just leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite Christmas song is, and your name will be entered in the drawing. International entries are welcome. I will be drawing the name on December 18th, and 5:00 PST. and the package will be mailed the following day. (eta: I will post about the winner, and email them if I have a contact. There are already several no-reply-bloggers who have commented. You will have 48 hours to claim your prize or I will draw another name.) Are you ready? Do you have that favorite Christmas music playing? Then leave your comment below, and start hopping to the other giveaways. Good Luck!

counting my blessings.....Sunny

FNSI results, Occupy, and Mail call

2011-12-10T23:05:00.002-05:00

I am so far behind on blogging, so make yourself comfortable if you plan to read this. I was sick most of last week and didn't accomplish much. Unfortunately, tis the season when much needs to be accomplished, so I've been sewing like crazy this week.

FNSI results: only a sneak peak is permissible.

Friday night was spent sewing down bindings on mini quilts! I also worked on an embroidery piece that will be shown as a finished project on Give Away Monday.

OCCUPY your sewing room: I spent most of the day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday in my sewing roon making the aforementioned mini quilts. They are now winging their way around the world. Who knows where they'll show up!

Block Swap Adventure: This is my December block from Shannon, and is a beautiful addition to my basket block collection. This is number 14, so I need to start thinking about a quilt design.

I also received my December hexies from Kathryn, my partner for the Inchy Swap. She even sent a pretty little piece of fabric, which I'm sure is destined to become another flower someday soon.

This swap has been so much fun! It's just a 'little something' each month, but I get to add unique flowers to my garden, and most of the ladies also send a postcard from their area. I'm getting quite a collection.

I also did a private exchange of stitched ornaments with Patty C. Here are the beautiful ornaments that I received from her.

I don't have my tree up yet, but these will be hung front and center when I do.

Be sure to stop by on Monday for the big Giveaway Day, because I'm planning to participate. Read more about it HERE. It should be a lot of fun, and lots of giveaways!

I guess that's it for tonight. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but I'm falling asleep at the keyboard, so I'll call it quits for now. I spent the entire afternoon at a car dealership (crocheting) while DH purchased a new car. Then we went to friends house for a lovely dinner and a glass (or two?) of wine.

Occupy 2011!

2011-12-04T16:28:00.000-05:00

Ladies, it's time to Occupy Your Sewing Room! Barbara, from Cat Patches, has a great plan for us to occupy our sewing rooms for an entire day, during the week of Dec. 3 - Dec. 10. If you can't do an entire day, break the time up however you need to. Have fun. Get some projects done. Win Prizes. You can click on the link in this post, or on my sidebar to go visit Barbara and learn more about this fun time.

from my sewing room.......Sunny

I Need Assistance!

2011-11-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

I saw this picture on another blog recently, as an example of kitchen decor. I totally fell in love with the curtains. I immediately went treasure hunting and bought several vintage hankies. The problem is, they're all different sizes! Then I realized that this is yardage, it's not individual hankies sewed together. Any suggestions how I can accomplish something like this? I REALLY want these curtains.

counting my blessings....and my hankies.....Sunny

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. Today is a day for giving thanks for all our blessings, and spending time with family, friends, and good food.

Counting my bountiful blessings.....Sunny

Tis the Season

2011-11-19T23:21:00.000-05:00

I can't make it stop. Christmas really is coming. And coming soon. Last night, for FNSI, I worked on several Christmas projects. I sandwiched and quilted something for my Santa Sack partner:

I also added borders to another project for a swap:

I put a few stitches in another swap project:

And I made 2 stockings for Stockings For Kids.

Thanks to Heidi and Bobbi for organizing FNSI each month. I join in most months, and I really do get a lot done.

One of the blessings of not working, is that I can meet up with friends and do fun things on week days. Yesterday I met up with Marianne, and we went to a Craft Show. We walked, and talked, and shopped, and ate. Marianne fell in love with a rocking horse, but with a price tag of $5500, she chose not to purchase it. But how often does a girl get a chance to ride a $5500 rocking horse?

While we were talking and eating lunch, I mentioned the mystery quilt that I had received the day before. She said she had recently received a little quilt also When she got home, she read my post and saw my quilt, and sent me a picture of the one she had received. It's the same quilt! She, however, had the name of the sender, so I did some searching around, and found where I had won a giveaway that I had forgotten. Thanks Sandy!!

This afternoon, we went to a small town Christmas parade to see our granddaughter dance! Their routine was so cute. I tried to get a picture, but they were moving too fast for my little camera.

We also saw firetrucks, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, miniature horses, a few marching bands, old cars, friends on motorcycles, and lots of little elves and snowmen.

While I love watching the big parades, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, small town parades are the best!

And last, but certainly not least, I received a little squishy package from Portugal. A beautiful fat quarter from my friend Ana Maria. Thanks Ana! It's gorgeous, and I'll certainly be thinking of you when I create something with this fabric.

counting my blessings......Sunny

Christmas Magic

2011-11-17T18:42:00.002-05:00

And so it begins. I found this at my front door earlier today.

What can it be? Hmmm...there's no return address. Is it from my Santa Sack partner? The contents are nestled in Christmas tissue paper, but they're not wrapped. And my partner is not a quilter. Apparently someone wanted to add a little JOY to my life.

I checked everywhere for a signature or a label, but there are none to be found. What I can say for sure is that I received an adorable little table topper, made from beautiful fabrics, and amazing quilting. And it's been washed and crinkled. Oh my!

Thank you, whoever you are! You really know how to make a girl's day. If it wasn't meant to be anonymous, I'd love to have a little label to attach to the quilt.

Counting my many, many secret blessings......Sunny

A Season of Change

2011-11-16T00:20:00.000-05:00

Seasons change. There is a time for every season. I can look out my window on a daily basis and see the chlorophyll disappearing with the shortened days and cool nights. The birds are feasting on the fruit that is weighing down the branches.

The clock changes Although there are arguments for and against Daylight Saving Time, I will say that I am all for it! The way I see it, I have to get up in the morning and follow a daily routine whether it's dark out or light. (Assume for this argument that I have a job) But an extra hour of light in the afternoon/evening is a gift. If the sun has already set before I get home, I put on my jammies, fix dinner, and settle in the the night. That's it. I never leave the house in the evening. Well, maybe for Quilt Guild.

Lives Change I am in a season of change. But unlike the seasons and the clock, I don't know where I"m going. I'm not even sure I know where I want to be going.

But this I know. I'm where I am for a reason. I'm meant to be here. To learn some lesson. I've often wished that I didn't have to work for a living, and now I'm not working. I should be appreciating this time more. I should be reading more, accomplishing more.

Last Friday I spent my afternoon coloring and watching SpongeBob SquarePants with a Hospice patient with late-stage dementia. I'm so grateful that my daily existence offers so much more, but I'm reminded how quickly circumstances can change. We need to live life to the fullest. We need to live every day as if it might be our last. Because it just might be.

To everything there is a season,

a time for every purpose under the sun.

A time to be born and a time to die;

a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

a time to kill and a time to heal ...

a time to weep and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance ...

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;

a time to lose and a time to seek;

a time to rend and a time to sew;

a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

counting my blessings. . . . Sunny

I'll be back tomorrow with some stitchy news and treasure hunt finds!

The Bridge theme continues

2011-11-13T23:27:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning, we got up very, very early. As a matter of fact, this picture was taken THREE hours after we got up! Our destination:

We always take the Staten Island Ferry, to get views of Lady Liberty and the Manhattan Skyline.

We then walked over to the 9/11 Memorial site area, but the only way to see anything is to have tickets, and there aren't any weekend tickets available in the foreseeable future. Next stop was Brooklyn. We had a light lunch, and then walked around Brooklyn Heights. It's so different from Manhattan, with big houses and tree-lined streets in addition to the apartment buildings. Most of the front 'yards' have little fences and gates, and we saw some great doors! I enjoy seeing places where the lifestyle is so different than mine. I've always lived in relatively small towns, in single family homes or very small apartment complexes, where the typical family has two or more cars.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking across the Brooklyn Bridge:

We started noticing padlocks all along the bridge, on cables, and anyplace else that they could be hung. I had never seen that before, so of course I googled to see if I could find out why they were there. Does anyone out there know? It seems that they are "Love Locks" on which lovers write their names, and toss the keys into the river, to lock in their love. Apparently it is a world wide phenomenon. How interesting.

Then dinner and a little shopping in Chinatown:

We stopped to ask a policeman for directions to China Town, and he recommended the restaurant where we ate. Since we don't speak Chinese, we were able to get an English menu. The walls were covered with dollar bills, mostly with things written on them. The food was delicious, and we had a table where we could look out the front window and watch people go by. We made a couple more quick stops, and then had to head to Macy's for our bus pick up. It was a very long day, and we walked for what seemed like miles. My feet hurt so bad! I have to admit that I took a very long nap this afternoon!

In order to make this a stitchy post, I will add that I crocheted on the bus! A day without stitching of any kind is not a good day.

counting my blessings............Sunny

SAHR - November/December

2011-11-02T20:12:00.000-04:00

Stay-at-Home-Robiners! Is anyone out there still playing along? By now you should have your center block, a border incorporating triangles, and then a border incorporating log cabin construction, setting on point if appropriate. Because I had problems getting my 'on point' math to work out, I will be giving a range of widths for all future borders to make it a little easier to get the math to work. Most of you are probably much better at math than I am. And of course, since it's YOUR quilt, you can make any changes you like! Our next border will be a 4-6" border incorporating either pinwheels or hourglass blocks. You can use floaters between rounds whenever necessary or desired. I inserted a floater before my log cabin border, but I won't need one this time.

Speaking of log cabin borders, where was this one when I was searching last month?

Here are some samples I found with either pinwheels and/or hourglass blocks.

Click on any of them to enlarge. I hope these give you some ideas! This last example also has several samples of floaters. Feel free to add them whenever you need to seperate busy borders. Have fun!! I can't wait to see how you're coming along. Be sure to post your projects on the flickr site. If you still need an invite, leave a comment here and I'll send the invite to you. Remember - this is a two month assignment. We will take the month of December off so everyone can work on all their little secret projects and spend time with their families. I plan to get mine done soon so I can kick back and relax.

Counting my blessings......Sunny

A great Day!

2011-11-02T17:36:00.000-04:00

Okay, so it started out with a sad event.

Please note the shoes, socks, and long pants! Aack! summer really is over.

I waw this really fun tutorial for fabric pinecones this morning. I was planning to run some errands, so I decided to stop for some styrofoam balls. Ideally, I thought having a couple of different sizes would be a great idea. But then I found this bag of mixed-size egg shapes! Even better than round pinecones.

Then on to the hunt for Nutter Butter minis. SCORE!!!!

Be watching this space for acorn cookies soon.

I also made a trip to my LQS because today is Club day, when I can get a nice discount. I found some nice green plaid fabric in the sale section, which I plan to use to make a couple of "Stockings for Kids". Please click on the link and help if you can!

I guess I better go get busy! I have acorns and pinecones and stockings to make! I'll be back later with the SAHR assignment. Is anyone still playing along?

Counting my blessings....Sunny

I sewed!

2011-11-02T00:24:00.000-04:00

I'm home, the laundry is done, there are groceries in the refrigerator, and I sewed!!! Tomorrow night I'll show sneak peaks of my November Inchy Swap and BSA. And hopefully my Santa Sack gift for November 1. I'm a couple of days late, but I had things well under control before I was called away, so it won't take long to finish.

I received my October BSA block from Lynette while I was away. If you're not a regular reader, I've asked for basket blocks each month.

Isn't this awesome? How on earth do you all come up with totally new ideas month after month? I love it!

I also received my Inchies from Patti H. Perfect colors - and a very cute handmade card.

I had to cancel my job interview last week, so I'm back to square one again in the job hunt. I was hoping I could reschedule, but that didn't work out.

I'll try to post the November SAHR assignment tomorrow night. But first, I have to go in search of mini Nutter Butters! Anyone know where to find them? I need to have my cookies baked and delivered by Friday.

And a HUGE thank you to all of you for all your hugs and prayers over the past 10 days. I wasn't able to answer each of your comments individually, but I really did appreciate them all.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Home, Home on the Range

2011-10-28T00:35:00.001-04:00

We took a few hours break today from family obligations, and did a partial tour of the Black Hills and Custer State Park. Remember the song: Home, Home on the Range,

where the deer

and the antelope play.

We also saw mountain goats, buffalo, and burros. Although none of the wild animals are to be fed, the burros will come right up to the car looking for handouts.

The highlight of the trip was Mt. Rushmore, as always.

Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as we say our final respects to my father.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

In Loving Memory

2011-10-26T00:26:00.000-04:00

J.W.M.

9/5/1935 - 10/21/2011

On Saturday evening, following a fun day in Washington DC, and stopping for dinner on the way home, I received the phone call that we all dread. My father was gone. It was very unexpected. On Sunday, I flew half way across the country to meet with my siblings and to make arrangements. Services are scheduled for Friday and I plan to return home on Sunday.

My father was a good man - a family man. He served his country, family, and friends with honor and pride. He will be greatly missed. Our entire family still vacationed together on a regular basis. Although he officially retired in 1991, he worked tirelessly for many associations and organizations. We learned today that one of the associations is sending a corporate jet with seven company officers for the services on Friday.

Always in my heart.....Sunny

Going off grid

2011-10-22T21:23:00.001-04:00

I'll be back in a couple of weeks. SAHR November assignment may be a little late, but we won't have an assignment in December, so there should be plenty of time to get everything done.

Sunny

The phone rang!

2011-10-20T12:34:00.000-04:00

I made it to the next round! In-person interview next Wednesday!!!!!!!!!!!! See post below for more details.

Random thoughts while waiting for the phone to ring.

2011-10-20T10:59:00.000-04:00

On the Job Front:
I received an email yesterday stating that I had been selected for a preliminary job interview via telephone today. So I'm waiting for the phone to ring. I'll put a smile on my face and will answer my phone very professionally! I will be confident and awesome. A few prayers wouldn't hurt!

On Hexies:
I've been ~~whining,~~ ~~complaining~~, mentioning lately that I've begun sewing hexies together. Last night I took out as many papers as I could, and that made the task a little easier. I still have a very long way to go, but my fingers hurt and my carpal tunnel is acting up, so I think I need to slow it down and work on some other things. I have a tendency to get tunnel vision when I'm nearing the end of a project. I've been making hexies for almost a year, so I guess there's no reason that this has to be finished this week!

Actually, after laying this out for the picture, I'm not sure it's suitable for an Aunt Sarah. I think there are too many colors. I many have to start all over with new fabrics. Maybe all from one line? Not to fear, I have plenty of fabric. And if I use a small hexie I can punch out my own papers. I could use some of the really ugly scrapbook paper that will never be used otherwise. Hmmmmm.... yes, I can see this happening.

On Hedge Apples:
While out walking one day last fall, I came across an Osage Orange tree. Why is the fruit from this tree called Hedge Apples? I can't answer that but I think hedge apples are cool looking. When I happened upon the fruit on that particular walk, there was an older couple looking at the fruit as well, and they picked up a few to take to a friend. As I was just starting out on my walk, I decided to wait until I returned to get a few for myself. However, when I returned, every single fruit was gone! Yesterday, while driving through the parking lot for that very same trail, I found another tree with hundreds of hedge apples! I was actually looking for oak trees, but settled for some very pretty hedge apples instead.

On Oak Trees:
Yesterday I drove past a nearby county park that I seldom visit. As it's located off Oak Ride Drive, I decided to drive through and look for Oak trees! Yes, there are many, but I still couldn't find any acorns. I'll go back later today (after the phone rings?) more properly attired, and I WILL find acorns. Bonus: there appear to be a couple of nice walking trails in the park, and it's very close to home!!

eta: Hubby called awhile ago and asked if a shoebox full of acorns would be enough. YIPPEE! the search is over.

On Fire Sirens:
Living in a small town, we have a mixture of paid and volunteer fire fighters. I live about a mile from the nearest volunteer station. It's a beautiful day out, and sitting here with my window open, I heard the fire siren a few minutes ago. It reminded me of something I saw in our newspaper a couple of months ago. Did I already complain about this? We have a column called "Mail Call" for which anyone can call in and make comments that will be printed in the column. In general, I would say that the people who call in are on the lower end of the IQ scale. I recently saw a comment from someone who had moved from 'the city' to a small rural community near here for the peace and quiet and the slower pace of life. However, they were very upset about all the fire sirens and thought somebody should do something about them. HELLO! These sirens are calling the people and equipment who may be saving your life or your house someday!!!!!

On Cookies:
I volunteered to make cookies for an upcoming Hospice function. Should I splurge and make these delightful looking confections? Or should I use the ingredients on hand and make either peanut butter cookies or molasses crinkles? I've also seen a version of these using mini Nilla Wafers instead of Mini Nutter Butters. I guess if I was really ambitious, I could make my own mini peanut butter cookies for the tops?

On Pumpkins:
It's time to get off the computer and get to the sewing room! Hmmm....shall I work on my Tilda sewalong? My log cabin pumpkin kit? The new BOM that I signed up for, which starts with a pumpkin block? An applique project for a swap, that just happens to feature a pumpkin?

TTFN! Counting my blessings......Sunny

Acorns

2011-10-18T23:49:00.000-04:00

I went in search of acorns today. I'd like to fill a pretty bowl or jar with acorns. I didn't find any though. Later, I'll Google oak tree habitat and see if I can come up with a better place to look.

While thinking of acorns, though, I was thinking of fall and squirrels. and the whole idea of "squirreling away for the winter" and that made me think of my quilty/stitchy/crochety stash again. I've been squirreling away my fabric, threads, patterns, and yarn and I'm well prepared to hibernate for the winter.

I almost stayed home and stitched today instead of going for a walk, but I'm so glad I changed my mind. It won't be long before the cold winds of winter are blowing and I will want to hibernate! So I should be out today appreciating the beauty of nature, and taking advantage of the fact that I'm not cooped up in an office all day.

My favorite place to walk when I'm alone is on the tow path along the C&O Canal, which runs beside the Potomac River. The trees growing there don't get very colorful, and right now there is still a lot of green. About the only red I saw today was poison ivy and I kept my distance.

I did see this beautiful tree/shrub while I was driving down the road. It will be absolutely stunning in about another week. I also stored up some images of fields that have been harvested. Or not harvested yet.

In stitchy news, I started joining hexies last night. I'm going to rank that as the least favorite thing I've done since I started making quilts. I started by sewing strips together, and then joining the strips. Now that I have two strips joined, I may just add one hexie at a time. Perhaps that will be less awkward. If anyone has any tips of words of wisdom, please share!

Thanks for all your kind comments on my last post. It helps to know that there are others who are fighting their way through life the way I am.

Counting my blessings......(but not my acorns)....Sunny

Oak tree = acorns (picture from internet)

Pixels are free...and another bridge

2011-10-17T16:38:00.002-04:00

I've been watching entirely too much daytime TV. A couple of my favorites are Nate Berkus and Ellen in the afternoon. Last week there was a woman on Nate who had dug herself out of something like $24,000 debt in 16 months. Her motto was "if it's not critical to my survival, I'm not buying it". That has really stuck with me the past few days. While I'm not in debt, I'm currently living on a very restricted income, and if I don't find a job by the time my unemployment compensation runs out, we will be in trouble. So I've decided to adopt this motto! When I took my little solo vacation a few weeks ago, I went on a major spending spree. That should last me for awhile.

I certainly have enough fabric to last a long time. I might just need to get a little more creative in order to finish some projects. Maybe I'll make the quilts that I planned and purchased two years ago when I went on a Shop Hop. I have all the materials necessary for plenty of hexie goodness. I started sewing hexies together last night for my Aunt Sara inspired quilt.

One of my favorite fun activities is taking pictures. Lucky for me, pixels are free! When digital photography started becoming so popular, I swore I'd never switch from film. Needless to say....... Today, I went down to Antietam Battlefield to take some pictures. It was a beautiful day, and a good day to be outdoors and do some serious thinking. It's hard to imagine, on a beautiful day like today, that this was the setting of the single bloodiest day in American history, with over 23,000 casualties in a single day during the American Civil War. Thinking of the battle helps put things in perspective in my life. I often feel like I'm fighting a losing battle.

The reality is, I'm only battling myself. I wonder if I'll ever really believe that, because that's the only way I'll ever be able to win. If I feel trapped, it's really internal. There are no stone walls holding me back from what I want to do. It's all mental.

I need to start being kinder to myself. And if some one's mean to me, I'm not going to tolerate it any more. Life is too short.

I think I'm going to have to become more creative since I'm not going to allow myself to spend any money. But I think creativity will lead to satisfaction and happiness. So if you're on my Christmas list, fear not!!
Being in nature and taking pictures is critical to my soul, therefore to my survival. There will be more little escapes like today. There was a potential high cost to today's walk, because I lost my eyeglasses! I retraced my steps without any luck. I returned to my car to make sure I hadn't left them in my purse. Then I retraced my steps again. The man and woman who were helping me search thought it was really strange that I found them in deep grass because I recognized a weed that I had photographed earlier. I remembered changing the lens on my camera, and the glasses must have fallen when I bent to pull the lens from my bag. Thank you weed.

A couple more photos before I finish up. I took a bunch of pictures of Burnside Bridge, but they're all washed out because the sun was too strong.

It felt good to be outside today, and I'm counting my blessings......Sunny

Catching Up

2011-10-16T00:06:00.000-04:00

Where does the time go? When last I posted, I was in southern West Virgina, admiring the fall foliage and a particular bridge. On Sunday, we took yet more pictures of the bridge

Driving homeward, we stopped for awhile at Summersville Lake. How beautiful! We are already planning to go back next summer for some kayaking. Although the area is famous for it's whitewater adventures, we'll stick with the flat water!

On Monday, I turned to the paper crafting side of my craft room. I made some Thanksgiving cards, and then I (gasp!) worked on some scrap booking. Before I became seriously addicted to quilting and stitching, I was seriously addicted to scrap booking. I had a large stack of pages that had been started at a retreat several months ago, and just needed some finishing touches before they could be put away in an album. It felt so good to clear that stack off my desk!

Another project that required a lot of time this week was the Sew Happy Sew Along. Three weekly stitcheries had been published, and I hadn't started stitching yet! I'm happy to say that the fourth one was published yesterday, and I finished it earlier tonight. I'm caught up!!

I also took the time tonight to cut more fabric for hexies. It's time to start joining them, and I need to make a BUNCH of white hexies to do the job. They should to pretty fast, and I'm anxious to see what I come up with once I start the joining process. At last count, I think I have approximately 85-90 colored flowers, and probably 75-80 white flowers. I may need to make a few more, but I've decided to wait until the joining process is well under way to decide what I might need more of.

I recently purchased some Caron Simply Soft yarn when it was on sale, and was planning to make a shawl with it. The pattern was on the wrapper. Once I got home and started reading the pattern, I decided I wasn't interested in making it. I like my crocheting to be very simple and mindless, so I decided to make a small afghan instead. I didn't want to buy a lot more yarn, so I'm designing as I go. I'll probably have a picture in a few days.

And now I guess I should go to bed, so I can get up tomorrow and start all over again. Next up on my list is my Tilda doll sew along.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

2011-10-10T13:11:00.001-04:00

To all my Canadian friends!! Have a wonderful holiday.

Sunny

New River Gorge revisited

2011-10-08T21:35:00.001-04:00

After visiting the New River Gorge Bridge by myself a couple of weeks ago, I decided that hubby and I should come back, so today was the day. It was a bee-utiful day! Blue sky, warm temps, and a very slight breeze. It was a very leisurely day, with stops for breakfast and lunch, some geocaching, an emergency trip to Michael's because I forgot to pack my crocheting, and a stop at Candy Land! Baskets of candy that would have been considered penny candy back in the day, now sold by the pound. I found individually wrapped circus peanuts! Can't remember the last time I had those. and some orange slices. Candy Land is actually located within a fruit market, and they had samples of the most wonderful jam today - Traffic Jam! oh my, I think it has strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, and I forget what else. Needless to say, a jar is safely packed away in the car.

It's amazing how much has changed in two and a half weeks. Nearly all the wildflowers from that trip are now gone. All I found were some little asters.

But the forests and trees are ablaze with color. Naturally, the most beautiful sites are those that aren't easy to photograph as we were speeding down the highway. Or we saw colors that would be totally awesome in different light.

The New River is famous for it's whitewater rafting, and we saw a few rafts this afternoon. My pictures aren't great, because in addition to forgetting to pack my crocheting, I didn't bring my "real" camera! I've never left home without my DSLR, and I don't know where my brain was this morning. Fortunately, I keep my point 'n shoot in my purse, and it takes very good pictures, too. But not great for distance shots.

We'll go back to the bridge tomorrow to get better pictures in the morning light. I've also scouted out a nice walking trail for us to visit on the way home. It feels good to be out in the world, but we probably shouldn't have made the trip. Hubby does not have this much energy, and slept much of the way today. It certainly wasn't the trip that I was hoping for. I guess I need to adjust to a new reality. I'm not ready for that yet.

but....counting my blessings......Sunny

One Flower Wednesday and SAHR

2011-10-05T17:45:00.000-04:00

oops - wrong flower! When I was outside earlier, I was just so happy to see all our happy cheerful flowers still blooming. We've been cool and rainy lately, but today is a bright sunny warm day. This is what the front of our house looks like:

Because we live in a townhouse, we don't have a lot of yard, and hubby likes his flowers (especially mums) and his pumpkins! I pulled a weed from the flowers down by the sidewalk, and went to brush away a dead leaf, but it wasn't a leaf at all"

Click on this picture to enlarge it!!

I did make a few hexie flowers this week, and I also made a small candle mat.

And I've also been working on my Stay at Home Robin project. I get to work ahead since I know what's coming next - hehe. First I added a floater:

Then I set it on point, which was the assignment for October. Our model today is Zoe. Every time I shooed her away, she was back before I could stand up and refocus the camera.

I'm off to a club meeting now, at the local quilt shop! See ya later.

What's in a name?

2011-10-04T11:16:00.001-04:00

Dawn, over at As Sweet as Cinnamon has asked how/why we named our blog what we did. I decided to play along and tell you all about the exciting meaning of the name 'Quilting Dreams'. A couple of years before I actually started my blog, I thought I was about to lose my job, and I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish while I was out of work. Starting a blog was on that list. Fortunately, I found a great job and never had that downtime to accomplish things. So one day a couple of years later, I was reading blogs, and decided just to see how easy it was. In a matter of about 60 seconds, I had a blog! I wasn't really prepared for that, and gave it the goofy name of Quilting Dreams. No thought process at all. I was a very new quilter, and most of the blogs that I read were quilting blogs. I really wish I could go back and do it over, but I won't. If I did, it would probably have "sunflower" or "black-eyed Susan" in the name.

counting my blessings.....Sunny

With a little help from my friends.

2011-10-02T20:57:00.000-04:00

Actually, with a LOT of help from my friends! Earlier this year, I was invited to join the Quick Christmas Bee that was hosted by my friend Cat. For 7 months, I made blocks for others, and received my blocks. And now my beautiful blocks have been sewed together. Presenting:

Sorry for bad photo - it was a rainy, dreary day, so photo taken indoors.

I requested a star block from each of my six partners, and a block of their choice. Unfortunately, each of them said I didn't send enough fabric, so they added some from their stash. And I must say they all made wonderful choices. So stand up and take a bow: Cat, Isabel, Manuela, Jackie, Jodi, and Ana Maria. Thank you all so much for your part in such a beautiful quilt.

Now I need some advice. Should I just finish this off with green binding? Or should I add more to the outside border and finish off the star motifs? Or use a scrappy binding? I have siggy blocks from everyone and they will be worked into the back. I 'm sure you'll be seeing more of this.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Air Force 35 Navy 34

2011-10-01T21:51:00.001-04:00

I don't really care about the score of this game, but I bring it up because the attendance today was 37,500, and every one of those people was on the highway and in the town where I wanted to be today. It took us approximately 30 minutes to take our exit off the highway, and even longer to get back on the highway when it was time to leave. In spite of all that, we had a lovely day in Annapolis, MD. We spent some time shopping, visiting a Maritime Museum, and eating crab cakes at a riverside cafe. It rained off and on, but alas, I don't shrink in the rain.

It seemed strange being there on a cool rainy day. The outdoor seating area of our favorite restaurant was closed.

In the foreground is where they sort through the crabs and select the ones to take up to the kitchen for steaming. It's hard to see in the picture, but above and behind the crab shack is the outdoor patio, which was very lonely today, and the umbrellas were tied down.

There are usually boats tied up, and people partying while they wait to get in to the restaurant. There's always a line to get in, even a line to get into the parking lot!

I'm sure you're tired of hearing about this by now, but hubby ate a crab cake! He has made remarkable progress this week. I think he's well enough now that future updates won't be necessary.

In quilty news, there is major progress on my Quick Christmas Bee quilt, and I hope to have pictures tomorrow. I tried to finish it last night, but got too sleepy. It's oh-so-close. Maybe I better head down to the sewing room now!

Counting my blessings.....sunny

Stay at Home Robin - October assignment

2011-10-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are at month three. This month, if appropriate or desired, you will set your block on point. AND you will somehow incorporate log cabin construction! I will make my setting triangles from log cabins, but you could also make some little blocks for your cornerstones if you’re not putting your block on point. I had a hard time finding examples of using the log cabin pattern in a border, so I am not going to suggest a size for this border. Use whatever size works for you. And remember that the entire border does not have to be constructed this way. Log cabins in the corners, a couple of cute little hearts from log cabins? or whatever your creative brain comes up with. I’m thinking that Maria and possibly Linda won’t be putting theirs on point.

I’d also like to bring up the subject of ‘floaters’ at this time. If at any time you feel that the newly assigned border will be too busy, or will conflict with the previous border, you can add a floater or two. These are solid colored borders, often found in pairs, to separate and differentiate two other borders. They’re not easy to see in my samples, but if you look closely, I think you can make them out. I’ve used one between my triangles and my log cabin on-point. It wasn’t in my original plan, but it also gave me some wiggle room to make my measurements come out properly.

Is everyone who’s playing posting their pictures in the flickr group? I’d love to see some discussion over there! Are you having fun? I’ve already seen some amazing creativity, and got some new ideas for myself for the future. If you have any questions, please e-mail me or post them on the flickr site and I’m sure you’ll get help and advice from others in the group. I was asked for help with some math for the triangles border, so I got out my handy graph paper, started drawing and coloring, and then easily figured out the size needed. I hope. Did I get it right?

Working on this assignment has shown me how inexperienced I am with this type of project. I spent most of a day trying to figure out the size of my triangles. Please use your best judgment in any of these assignments. In the future, I’ll give a range of sizes for the borders, to make things easier to adjust for your needs.

I am amazed with the work I've seen so far. Stitch on, ladies!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-28T22:43:00.000-04:00

counting my blessings.....Sunny

The Loot!

2011-09-26T23:15:00.001-04:00

I thought I better share some pictures of all the loot that I brought home from my little road trip last week.

There were books:

Patterns:

Some fabric:

Even a kit. I don't usually buy kits, but this was too good a deal to pass up.

Everything has been put away, and I've been doing lots of sewing. I had to get a few things finished and off the sewing table so I can start Mr. Jack O'Lantern. After all, it will be October in just a few days.

And what, you ask, did hubby do while I was away? He went out and bought his annual pumpkins and mums. He says he's cutting back this year - one year he bought 19 pumpkins!

And in other hubby news, we went out to dinner with friends on Friday night. He ordered a bowl of soup, ate it, and ordered and ate a second bowl!!

Tonight he ate my homemade chicken noodle soup. Yeah!! He's finally turned the corner and is beginning to improve. Hopefully he'll be eating solid food in the near future. I think he's lost over 40 pounds. Thanks you all for your prayers throughout this ordeal.

Counting my blessings......Sunny

2011.09.22 Back to reality

2011-09-22T22:40:00.000-04:00

Today was the final day of my little adventure. I slept in a little later than usual because I had trouble sleeping during the night. I'm not sure why - the bed was comfy, it was quiet, the room was dark and it was a comfortable temperature. But I was only a couple of miles away from my first destination, so sleeping in was okay.

Last year I discovered a large Antique Mall but it wasn't open when I was in the area. I went back one Saturday, but hubby was waiting in the car so I made a very quick trip, knowing that I would be back someday. Today was the day. This place is so huge and packed so full of stuff that it's just overwhelming. I spent about two hours, and that was all I could take. I'm not even sure I would go back. I think I prefer the smaller places.

Patchwork Plus was my next stop.

Yet another quilt shop located in an out-of-the-way place. It was a very nice store, and unlike the antique store, I will definitely be going back. They had a sample on the wall for sale and didn't have any patterns available, so I may look for this online.

I spent some time at a farmer's market right next to the quilt store. Hubby had requested some country ham for sandwiches, so I was in search for the ham. He can't eat it, so I'm not sure what he wants it for, but if it motivates him, I'm all for it.

Here's the major scenery for today. Not quite as nice as the last couple of days. And despite the doom and gloom weather forecast for rain all day, nary a drop fell on me. But I suppose if I had planned an 'outdoor' day, the rains would have come.

There were some interesting clouds, but they don't photograph well from a moving vehicle. Fortunately I had just put the camera down when I passed a State Trooper!

Here's a picture of the loot from my three days out and about. I may take more tomorrow when I'm organizing and putting it all away. I had to take this one quickly before the hubster came home.

If you look closely, you can see Zoe to the left of the bags. She's blending in with the plants.

And this? This is my favorite pillow. On my own bed. In my own little house. Where I'll be resting my head tonight. Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

Gratuitous picture of flower inserted here.

So what have these past few days been all about? I mean, besides shopping and sightseeing. I have not been in a good place lately. I do not have a job. My husband is dealing with serious health issues and I am dealing with my husband. I need to figure out what I want to do with my life. As awful as my job had become, we are defined by our work in today's society. So without a job, am I nothing?

I feel motivated, inspired, creative again. The time away was good. I feel ready to begin anew. I think it's time to get a little more serious about finding a job. I want to paint my kitchen. I want to spend more time sewing. I'd like to read more. Remember this?

I need to spend less time on the computer and more time participating in real life. I just started taking an online Journaling class. Maybe journaling more will help me find my way. Maybe my blog posting will become more 'real'. Maybe I'm just rambling now and I should say "Good night" sign off.

One last thing. I did not shed a single tear all weekend, which is very good for me, especially when considering how much time I spent alone in the car. The only exception was when I read a blog that I linked to. Go HERE if you haven't already read about this and you want to help.

counting my many blessings......Sunny

2011.09.21 The Adventure continues

2011-09-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

“Adventure must start with running away from home”
William Bolitho quotes

Day two. As you're viewing today's pictures of the New River Gorge Bridge, think of all the crazy people who will be jumping off this bridge in a few short weeks. Check out this site if you'd like to read more about Bridge Day.

Seriously? Jumping off this?

The view from the Visitor Center

Inside the Visitor Center

You were expecting pictures of flowers, weren't you?

I can't help myself.

Driving down into the Gorge

Seriously??? Jumping off this?

The old bridge, at the bottom of the Gorge

Some people can take a dozen shots of a single quilt. For me, it's all about bridges. I love bridges, and this one is exceptional.

A few other shots from the bottom, and then we'll move on.

I finally decided it was time to move on down the road, and the next stop was Tamarack, where I did some shopping. It's a very interesting place selling all things West Virginia. Quilts, pottery, books, carved wooden items, jams and sauces, etc.

I got a couple of ideas for Christmas gifts while I was there!

I knew where I wanted to spend the night, so I headed down the highway again. After a couple of hours of driving on the Interstate, I decided it was time to hit the back roads for a while. What a great decision! I hadn't gone far when I saw this sign:

A very cute little quilt shop!

Of course I had to stop, and of course I spent a few $$$. Then I drove to my final destination town for the night. I stopped at the local quilt store (imagine that!!) before I found a hotel. I walked in at 6:00, and I thought they were open until 7:00. I asked about the pattern for a quilt they had in the window and a copy was quickly found for me. I was very embarrassed when I then discovered that they closed at 5:00 on Wednesday! The door was open because they had a club meeting. I quickly made my purchase, and headed out the door. Here's the quilt in the window:

Tomorrow is the last day of my little adventure, and it's supposed to rain all day. I'm going to spend a couple of hours at a local antique mall, and then head for home. I have three choices for the route home, and will decide based on the weather when the time comes. Wish me luck!

counting my blessings......Sunny

oops, almost forgot - it's One Flower Wednesday!

2011.09.20

2011-09-20T22:05:00.001-04:00

8:19 am. 61 degrees. light rain, drizzle, fog.

fuel tank filled - check
apples and carrots packed - check
candy corn packed - shhhh. it's fall after all
camera, phone, and computer packed - check
gps, maps, books, crocheting, hexie making kit, cross stitch - check

I have decided to run away from home again. The adventure begins with breakfast at Hardee's. We don't have Hardee's in our town, so any venture to the west begins with a stop here for breakfast. mmmm love their Frisco breakfast sandwiches

I drove up to a scenic overlook to get a picture of the fog.

Then I started the long trek to my final destination for the day. But it's quite a long drive, and I tend to get sleepy if I drive too long, so I planned a few stops. Fun stops. Like Four Seasons Stitchery, Sew Chic, Sweet Memories Antique Mall, and The Sew Inn. Isn't the Internet a wonderful thing?

I also stopped at a park to walk around and stretch my legs a bit.

I saw several signs along the highway for a Fiesta Ware outlet, so I stopped in and bought a couple of pieces. I'm seriously considering painting and redecorating my kitchen, and want to try out some new colors. I left all of my new purchases in the car tonight, so you'll just have to believe me when I say I had a pretty good day.

Fall is slowly coming to the mountains of West Virginia. The leaves are starting to change in a few places.

The light was fading when I neared my final destination.

The New River Gorge Bridge. I pulled in to the Visitor Center, but it was closed for the day. I got out of the car to see if I could find the Overlook, but before I got very far, a biker came up to me and told me about a road I could take to get great views of the bridge. I didn't get any really great pictures because of the rapidly fading light, but I have plans to go back tomorrow morning for a short hike. Rest assured, you'll get plenty of pictures tomorrow night if I don't get rained out!

Until tomorrow! Another busy day planned.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Mail Call

2011-09-19T20:47:00.001-04:00

Today's mail call brought two wonderful squishies my way. First was a basket block for BSA from Pamela. Not only did she send the pretty basket block, complete with a bluebird of happiness, but she sent me an extra basket, some fabric, and a couple of other little goodies. Thanks Pamela!!

I also received some Fig Tree patterns from LeAnn. One is called Summer Ribbons, but I think I might look for a Christmas Jelly Roll, and make Christmas Ribbons. Thanks so much LeAnn.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful, stitchy week.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Fun Day SunDay

2011-09-18T20:05:00.001-04:00

I have been a companion volunteer for Hospice for the past few months. I sit with my patient on Sunday mornings while her family attends church together. Today when I arrived, the Granddaughter, her primary caregiver, told me she was staying home from church so that I could give her some quilting lessons! She has an embroidery machine, and had embroidered Pooh designs on 15 squares, and was ready to try to put them together. A new baby was coming home from the hospital today to join the family, and the quilt was meant to be a baby gift. So I started my day with teaching someone how to trim blocks, line them up, and sew them together. Gotta love getting a new person into quilting!

When I left their house, I was amazed by how beautifully, gorgeously, wonderful it was outside, so I headed home, loaded up the hubster and his lawn chair, and off we went. First stop was his favorite little restaurant in Shepherdstown, WV where he had a bowl of won ton soup, and I had a yummy California roll. He ate all his soup and ordered a bowl of miso soup to go. We're making progress! He ate a bowl of soup last night, too.

The we drove just a couple of miles to the C&O Canal towpath. I've been needing to get out of the house, and couldn't resist taking a long walk today. I left hubby here, and I went off for a solo walk.

I saw this when I was a few feet from getting on the towpath. I asked if I could take his photo, and he maneuvered around so that I could get a shot.

Then I set off with my walking stick and my camera!

How awesome is this mushroom that someone found??? I think this is a chicken of the woods mushroom?

The towpath was quite popular today,with walkers, runners, and bikers. There were couples, singles, and families. I'm glad the temperatures are turning cooler, so I can start taking advantage of this wonderful park again.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

“When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen.”

― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

FNSI results

2011-09-17T23:46:00.000-04:00

Hubby was watching a yucky movie last night, so I got an early start on FNSI. At some point, I took a break for a snack, and came up with this. I heated up some of the homemade applesauce that I made last week, and put it over vanilla bean ice cream. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm..

In stitchy news, I made two blocks for Block Swap Adventure. I can only show sneak peeks here for now.

I also stuffed and stitched three pincushions closed, started some watermelon blocks, and and worked on a Christmas cross stitch.

Today, I worked on the cross stitch some more, but it's not ready for pictures yet. I've bought several patterns recently, so I need to speed up on the stitching!

counting my blessings.....Sunny

A not-so-stitchy day

2011-09-14T21:42:00.000-04:00

As you all know, hubby has been having some health issues this summer, and has been unable to eat much. However, I keep going to the produce market each week! We have a freezer full of zucchini bread, corn and peaches. And after today, there is more corn, peaches, and peach bread! I wanted to use the peaches in something that could freeze for later use, not just a pie or cobbler.

A few remaining peaches went into the freezer.

Then on to the apples that were past their prime. How about an apple walnut cake? Hubby will take most of this to work.

I also found some ears of corn in the fridge that I bought a couple of days ago and forgot, so into the freezer with them.

I actually cooked a real dinner tonight, but I didn't take any pictures. I haven't been cooking much lately.

Next it was on to the bedroom, where I cleaned out my closet.

I filled two bags with unwanted clothes to take to the Rescue Mission. Last week I cleaned out my drawers, so the bedroom is almost finished.

And then there were the bills to be paid. I just paid them last month....why do I have to do it again?

So after all that, hubby comes home, and says "what did you do all day? Why didn't you feed the outside cats?" It's illegal to shoot him, isn't it?

Yesterday, I made my final trip to Borders. I picked up 9 books for $31. I've probably mentioned a time or six that I love books.

And you know I can't go an entire day without stitching something, so here are my weekly flowers! My computer is so slow tonight that I've actually been stitching hexies while I wait for pictures to upload.

So there you have it, a day in my life. Hopefully there will be more stitchy news tomorrow.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

My first Prairie Points

2011-09-12T20:01:00.002-04:00

The stay at Home Robin is living up to my expectations! I'm learning and I have to do math. I made my first Prairie Points this weekend. They're not perfect, but I'm pleased with them. I cut out the squares on Friday night, and then Saturday while I was at a quilting class, I noticed a tool to be used in ironing the points. There's a tool for everything quilty, isn't there?

It's not too late to join the Stay at Home Robin. We started with our center block, and then added our first border this month. If you'd like more info, click on the tab under my header photo, or comment on this post. You could get caught up in no time! For those of you already participating, don't forget to post your pictures on the flickr site.

Counting my blessings......Sunny

A day of memories.

2011-09-11T08:29:00.000-04:00

A stitchy kind of day.

2011-09-09T22:33:00.000-04:00

I stitched my little fingers to the bone today so I could show this tonight.

I'm not sure what I'm doing with it next, but I'm thinking of some green vines and maybe a couple of leaves on the outer border? Any ideas or suggestions? This is inspired by a picture in a magazine, but I don't have an actual pattern.

I also started playing around with my blocks today from the Quick Christmas Bee. I have an idea for how I want to set them, and I'm taking them to a quilt shop tomorrow, hoping for some advice from experts. Here's what I have so far, compliments of Cat, Jackie, Jodi, Manuela, Isabel, and Ana Maria.I requested a star block from each of them, and a block of their choice.

I also have siggy blocks from everyone, and they will be incorporated into the backing.

I received my September block from Penny today for Block Swap Adventure. It's a wonderful block of pinks and greens. Some day soon, I'll have to photograph all of them together. For now, you can see all that I've received on one page if you click on the BSA page under my header photo.

In other miscellaneous news, I'm taking a needle turn applique class tomorrow. I've tried a couple of times without much luck, so it's time to learn the right way to do it.

Hubby's last radiation treatment was Tuesday! We haven't seen much improvement in his pain levels yet, but we're hoping for daily improvement. The doc told him that within a week, he should feel about 80% better, and 100% after two weeks.

The airwaves have been monopolized with remembrances of 9/11. I can't believe that it's been 10 years. It seems like yesterday. May we always remember.

Sunny

Mail in and Mail out!

2011-09-08T22:11:00.000-04:00

Today was the day to send off the Travelling Stash Box! As it turns out, the winner, Marianne, lives within driving distance of me, so we decided to meet in person for the hand off. Where did we meet, you ask? Why a quilt shop, of course. We spent an hour or so roaming around, looking at and touching fabric. If I'm not mistaken, a small collection came home with each of us. Then we went to lunch and sat and talked for a couple of hours. I'm so happy to have a new quilty friend! I stopped at JoAnn's before I left town, too, and picked up a few crafty items.

When I got home, there were THREE packages sitting at my front door. First of all was a big box filled with my OASS Spring swap goodies from Vickie.

See the little flower? It's a solar powered dancing flower. And it works! Brings a smile to my face. The pincushion is a welcome addition to my collection.

How cute is this?

There was also a box of goodies that I won from Patty's giveaway. She started with a little pouch, then added a book, the cutest little tiny pincushion, some hexies and hexie papers, needle, buttons, etc.

this pincushion is tiny! and oh so adorable.

look who showed up while I was staging the photo.

My third package was a partial order from 123 Stitch. They send me an email every week, and I spend way too much money with them.

Can't wait to stitch these.

Well, I guess I better get off this computer and get some stitching done. Wait until you see what I did with these:

I hope to have pictures tomorrow. And did I mention that I found another little quilt that uses hexies? It's an addiction I tell you.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Rainy Day Ramblings

2011-09-06T00:13:00.001-04:00

Rainy days and Mondays...lalala..... Mondays have been hubby's worst days the last few weeks, and today was no different. He never should have gotten out of bed today However, we were 450 miles from home, so he didn't have much choice. That meant I had a lot of driving time today, and a lot of time to think. The above picture is a good representation of what we saw for most of the drive. Except when it was so foggy that we could barely see the front end of the car. Or when it was raining so hard that we could barely see the front end of the car. Or when we were stuck in traffic for not one, but two separate accidents. Or when we stopped at a Dillard's store.

cruising right along...

Hubby loves Dillard's. He's the shopper in our family, not me. I only like shopping when it involves fabric, crafts, or books. But I digress. Hubby wanted to stop at Dillard's so we did. Which brings me to my first ramble. We were in the store approximately 15 seconds before a sales associate spoke to us. And more associates continued to do so. I felt like I had landed on a foreign planet. Why should it be the exception rather than the rule to get good customer service? I would guess that at least 7-8 employees spoke to me, asked how I was, if I needed help, took my selections to a fitting room while I continued to shop, etc. Is this the norm at Dillard's? Or was it because we were in the south? Because it sure ain't the norm around here! (yes, I deliberately used the word ain't) Why isn't it the norm everywhere? I fault management for poor customer service, which often includes allowing employees to talk on their phones and be rude instead of waiting on customers. I plan to call Dillard's tomorrow to congratulate them.

We have made this trip to North Carolina for Labor Day weekend for 6 of the last 7 years. If you live on the east coast, you know that Labor Day falls during prime Hurricane season. Last weekend Irene made her way up the east coast, and for the next few days, the remnants of Lee are making the way north after drenching parts of the south with a foot or more or rain, along with tropical storm high winds. Last Saturday, we saw about 25 power company trucks gathered just outside our town, heading east. I'm not sure where they came from, but they were moving in to be ready to help out as soon as the storm passed. Early today, I saw what I believe to be those same trucks headed south. I wish I had counted them, because as the day went on we saw hundreds of power trucks heading down the highway. Where do they all come from? How long has it been since they've seen their families? Do they just go from storm to storm to help restore power? We see something like this every year. Who are these angels? I didn't need my power restored today, but I thank these wonderful people who gave up their Labor Day holiday to help strangers in need. I actually get teary-eyed to see all these trucks heading down the road.

A special thanks to our wonderful hosts for the weekend. It was good to get away for the weekend, spend time with loved ones, and be pampered at the same time. Thanks B&J! These 'quilt squares' are starting to show up all over their town. If I had done more of the driving, instead of being chauffeured, there would be more pictures. For some reason, not everyone gets excited by this sort of thing, and their cars don't automatically pull over to take pictures.

And lest you think I didn't get any stitching done, I say "ha!" I wasn't planning to pack any hexies, but I only had 4 more to make for my black eyed Susan quilt, so I tossed them in at the last minute, and got them finished.

I always take yarn on road trips to crochet rectangles for the rectangle group that I belong to. They're the perfect project for the car. I was so happy to learn that I could crochet without getting car sick. The times goes so much faster when I'm stitching and not just staring at taillights.

So now you know what was on my mind as I spent my day driving. Oops, I just remembered something else, but I'll save it for tomorrow, because I'm sure I've put everyone to sleep by now.

Counting my blessings....Sunny

Just a relaxed Sunday

2011-09-04T20:47:00.000-04:00

I did a little stitching when I got up, and then after breakfast I sat out on the deck and tried to photograph some of the many birds. I hope my next house is near a wooded area so that we can attract birds. They're so much fun to watch. The in laws have several bird feeders, and attract many pretty birds. There were some goldfinches, but they didn't want to have their picture taken.

A little more stitching and crocheting, and then lunch. We then loaded up the car and headed to Hendersonville for the Apple Harvest Festival.

Apples, crafts, apple butter, crafts, baked apple deserts, crafts, apple cider...... I settled on apple cobbler with ice cream today, and DH had apple cider.

My camera also found some pretty flowers.

Now we've had our dinner and we're just chilling. It will be an early night and a long drive tomorrow.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Caregiver Day

2011-09-03T22:12:00.000-04:00

We have made our annual trek to North Carolina to visit with bil and sil for the long weekend. They are known to be fabulous hosts and tour guides, and they usually have every minute planned with fun things to do and places to go. Because of dh's health issues, this weekend is not planned. We are just playing it by ear, to see how he feels, how much energy he has, etc. Today was the most unusual day. SIL and I were chatting after we arrived yesterday, and I mentioned a billboard that I had seen for a fabric outlet. So she decided that she and I would have a girls' day out, and the brothers could fend for themselves. What fun! We started at a yarn shop that she had been wanting to visit, then popped into a couple of gift shops. I love this flag:

I actually bought a very pretty necklace and earrings that were reasonable priced, and of course I bought a book at the small book shop that we visited. Then we went here:

She insisted on buying my lunch, saying I needed to be treated for all my caregiving! How sweet. Then we stopped here:

I have to admit that I left with a bag filled with FABRIC of all things. Can you imagine? Don't tell SIL, but I picked up something to make a Christmas gift for her. Our final stop of the day was to see this:

I read the book last week, and I loved the movie! Then we came home and had dinner that had been cooking in the crockpot all day. Yummyy.. Ahh what a wonderful day, with no cares or worries or responsibilities. I could get used to this!

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Travelling Stash is on the move again...

2011-09-01T15:27:00.000-04:00

Here it is ladies! I took a few things out: fabric, patterns, vintage sheets, and I added a few things: more fabric, more patterns, ribbon, buttons, etc. This box is stuffed tight. Are you wondering where it's off to next?

Well, I went for my job interview today, and I thought it went pretty well. But they don't plan on making a hiring decision for another month. Then I stopped at a rubber stamp store and a new-to-me fabric store on the way home. The fabric store had a wonderful selection of Australian magazines, so I'll definitely be going back.

And now I'm going to head downstairs to the workroom and whip up a card with my new rubber stamps. I want to make one to send in the traveling stash box when it goes to:

MARIANNE!! Marianne, if you'll send me your address, I'll get the box in the mail on Tuesday. Thanks for playing everyone! Watch Marianne's blog for the future giveaway.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

SAHR - Border #1 - September

2011-08-31T22:29:00.001-04:00

Stay-at-home-Robiners: Get out your rotary cutter and let's get started. Have you posted you center block on the flickr site yet? Have you checked out the others? It's not too late to join us.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1711536@N20/

For our first border, we’re going to make a 3” border incorporating TRIANGLES. Stop and think of how many triangles you can find in quilting. You could do an entire border made of HST’s. Or how about some hourglass blocks? Or you can incorporate almost any star pattern. You can use 2 triangles or 100. I spend a lot of time at Google Images, and you can look there for inspiration, or also on other flickr groups.

a zigzag border made of triangles.

flying geese border

sawtooth border

prairie points

I have a plan - do you? The next assignment will not be made until October 1, so you have plenty of time to design and sew. Always remember, the only rule is that you have fun!

Counting my blessings ... and my borders .... Sunny

Black Eyed Susans

2011-08-31T20:53:00.000-04:00

The black eyed Susan is the state flower of Maryland, which is where I live. I've always loved them. Several years ago, I collected a few little porcelain quilts, and one of them was a black eyed Susan. I'd love to find a pattern to make this quilt.

Last week I saw a picture of a quilt in a magazine, and knew that I must make it. It took me about thirty seconds to decide that I would do it in the colors of black eyed Susans. I already had some yellow fabrics, and Marianne found the perfect brown for the centers during our little shopping expedition last week. I've been making hexies like crazy since then. I can't stop!! I need a total of 29.

I'd like to get them all finished, because I think I signed up for not one but TWO quiltalongs that start tomorrow. That's in addition to my Stay at Home Robin. Aack - what was I thinking? Oh yeah, I was thinking about fun and about quilts, of course.

In other news, I received my September hexies today from Jan for the Inchy Swap. They're perfect for my garden, and came with the cutest card.

beautiful flowers for my garden

How cute is this?

WooHoo!! I reached 100 followers today. I was shocked and amazed when I got my first follower, so this makes me very happy. I've never made being a follower a condition for any of my giveaways, as I prefer to write for people who enjoy coming here and leaving the occasional comment. Thanks to all 100 of you. Stay tuned as there may be a small giveaway coming to celebrate.

Counting my blessings......Sunny

Will you be next - Travelling Stash

2011-08-29T19:21:00.000-04:00

A big ole box of stash arrived on my front porch today, and I'd like to get it back on it's way no later than Thursday. Would you like to play? The box is packed full of fabric, books, patterns, thread, buttons, rulers, and on and on. I've found a few things that will be staying at my house, and I'll replace them with others. So what do you have to do to play?

The rules are really very easy~~

You must have a blog to participate.

Due to shipping costs, you must live in the US (a flat rate priority box is the best way to go).

And you must agree to host your own giveaway with the Traveling Stash after you have taken what you want from the box and refilled it.

Sound fair? And FUN? :-))

Just leave a comment on this post and I will announce the next lucky winner on Thursday the 1st..

Counting my blessings......Sunny

Bits and pieces

2011-08-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

Pretty skies on Friday

Saturday Irene skies

I live just above the 'W' in Washington DC

We started getting some rain bands mid afternoon today. We are just on the edge of the storm, and don't expect any damage. We hope. Prayers for all those who have been and will be more seriously impacted.

I made a trip to Borders today to see how the sale is going. I wandered around for awhile and picked up a stack of books.

I believe I've mentioned a time or three that I love books.

I didn't realize the irony of my selection until I pulled these out to photograph!

I will really miss Borders. Thank goodness for Amazon.com.

I went to an antique market on Wednesday, and bought a really cool frame. Unfortunately, it's still in the car, and it's really raining right now, so no photo. I did take a picture of this in the market, though.

How cool is this?

On Thursday, I met a new friend for lunch, and then we went to a new-to-me quilt store. It was a wonderful afternoon. My new friend is Marianne from Life @RuffHaven. She's the first quilting blogger that I"ve met, and I just love her! If you don't already 'know' her, pop on over to her blog for a visit.

I saw a picture of a quilt that I really liked the other day, and it uses hexies, of all things. I've been a hexie-making fool since then. I think I only need 29 flowers, so it shouldn't take me too long.

Speaking of hexies, I received my August flowers from Dawn in the UK. THe colors are beautiful, and will fit right into my flower garden.

I've noticed that I've gained a few new followers this week. Welcome! If you're here for the Stay At Home Robin, you can find the information on a seprate page link, listed just under my header picture. It's not too late to join the party! We've been working on our center blocks, and I'll be posting the first border assignment on September 1. If you get started right away, you'll be able to catch up in no time. If you have any questions, or need info to get to the flickr site, comment here and I'll get back to you. Here's my center block:

I guess it's time so stop rambling now. One last note. I have a job interview on Thursday, so if you could say a little prayer or send some good vibes, all will be appreciated.

Stay safe!!!!!!!!!!!! Sunny

Wow - Earthquake!

2011-08-23T14:17:00.000-04:00

I just felt my first earthquake! It was centered south of Washington DC, and was very minor. I was out sunning myself on the deck, and it was swaying! But it's all over the TV, so I'm not able to watch any of the afternoon programs that I've become accustomed to watching. Guess I'll have to sew.

Today's post brought to you . . .

2011-08-22T20:37:00.000-04:00

By the color GREEN! As hubby and I were driving down the highway over the weekend, I was amazed by the lush 'greenness' of our surroundings. Believe me, green is not normally a color associated with August around here. So I decided it was time to celebrate green.

Seriously, green and August are not usually used in the same sentence around here.

Green flag marks which entrance to go to at the Medical Center for the Cancer Center.

ugh...grocery shopping

All ready for my morning cup of tea

three new tomatoes!

my under-used kayak. poor thing.

And last, but certainly not least....How about some Green trees! Quilty green trees that is.

If you like either of these, and you know you do, you'll want to go HERE to see what Linda and Stephanie have up their sleeves for a new Quilt Along! there's still plenty of time to get signed up, and you'll have a lovely quilt in plenty of time for Christmas.

Counting my blessings.....Sunny

Stay at Home Robiners

2011-08-21T20:34:00.000-04:00

Well, ladies, how is everyone doing with their center block? I only see one posted on the flickr site so far. I had to go back to the drawing board for mine, but my goal is to have it posted by tomorrow night.

If you haven't joined the site yet, or introduced yourself, come on over!!

I just went looking for a little more inspiration and here are a few images that speak to me.

What design is speaking to you?? It's not too late to join the fun. If you'd like more information, click on the tab just under my header photo.

See you aRound! Sunny