Sunday check in

It has been awhile since I posted again. Duh, that's obvious to anyone who regularly reads my journal. I CAN believe that 12 days have passed so I won't fall back on that old statement but what the heck did I do with the days since the 1^st of July? HMMMMM

I finished a top secret project two days ago---a Christmas row that I can't show you till next month. Originally I planned on doing poinsettias for it but the quilt has become just one giant mass of red. An alternate plan came out of the nowhere and I went with that. It took a day of preparation counting the design time in EQ and then piecing for about 4 days time. The joining was a bit of a challenge but I was done with it on Friday evening (the 11^th)

I am behind on working on these robins . Some of that is my fault, some was not. I finally had to give up the pretense of getting one of them moved along. That one's theme, Jailhouse Rock and any ideas I have involve (ugh!) appliqué. Not feeling it—sorry! BUT much to my dismay, I was holding not one but two people up. Oh, oh! I suggested that the group leader pick it up when she dropped off the one she had been working on. It was to go to her sister next anyway. I'll meet the deadline of August 8 but it buys me a little more time. I also have a fall/thanksgiving themed one to do. There too, my initial thought was something entirely different but my idea has been done and done well by another participant so I'll review some block options. A possible choice was spotted while I was checking on some book listing prices. I'll explore that a little further.

How boring! No pictures of any recent work and to top it off, I forgot to take my camera when the quilt group met on Tuesday. I'll throw in a Skyler picture in for some eye candy--taking over in one of Pippi's old hiding spots as you can see. I've done a little knitting on my ongoing cardigan sweater---from the neck down version and I am at the bottom ribbing with sleeves to go. Well, here is the link Knitting Pure and Simple Basic Cardigan #9725
I have also done a little stitching on the November Blue work snowman this week as it is my carry along project. I am working on what is supposed to be the corn stalks (I guess that is what those are anyway) with just the lettering to go after that. Well, the December block as well. The rest of the blocks are already done. I really want to stitch on the next project though (whine, whine, whine) which is Bird Brain Designs "Here Comes Santa" shown HERE. The snowmen were available on http://www.cvkey.com/htms/041.htm and my list had permission to use the drawings for handstitching while they sold a digitized version but it appears the whole site is inactive due the passing of Vicki.


As I said, the quilt group met on Tuesday still out of our meeting place but our friend Linda C had us over. We had a nice potluck lunch and enjoyed our time together. Nancy had finished her Fred Flintstone top that is going to a family member so Nancy, Beverly, Lois and Linda were able to pin that for Beverly to quilt up. Judy was quilting and up to the binding by the time we left. I was picking paper off the row quilt thing I am working on and then working on my bluework snowmen while Nancy pulled out her greenwork kitties. I have the same book and might have to try the kitties myself! Nancy J. Martin's Kitties to Stitch and Quilt. Lois was plugging away on what she calls an ugly quilt though we keep telling her that we like it, LOL. It goes perfectly with the fabric she chose but perhaps an odd combination? Beverly was removing some backing fabric from a top that had been made by a family member that will go to her daughter once completed. Linda was readying some more flying geese for a medallion quilt that she is working on--I showed a picture of the center of it on my last post actually. Just a relaxing day spent with friends. We are planning a field trip for our next meeting though rumor has it, the church MIGHT be available on the 22^nd. LOL, any excuse to go shopping, right?

It has continued to be pretty dry here in the state of Alabama. Often we have threats of rain and even thunderstorms passing over but then only get a tenth of an inch if that. Much of the state remains in a drought situation. My guess is that some fell at the right time for some of the girl's gardens. Beverly has been overrun with yellow squash to the point that she was joking about dropping bags at people's doors and running away before she was spotted. We helped her out with some, LOL and took it voluntarily. Pat F is swimming in tomatoes, I heard along with the other veggies taking up her time. Lois was covered up with peaches. DJ and I made a run out and took the last of them off her hands so she wouldn't have to spend another evening peeling and slicing peaches. The mushier ones made a wonderful smoothie, I can tell you but I filled up 3—4 cup storage containers for the freezer.

I would have tried the fresh peach pie recipe that my dad recently gave me but wouldn't you know, I had just made a peach cobbler with canned peaches the night before? Who knew that I would be sharing some of Nature's Bounty from Lois? Mabel was a cousin of ours so my guess is that it was served at a family reunion. Dad makes a delish strawberry pie himself though! Here goes if you want to give it a whirl.

Mabel Fink's Peach Pie

Cook together:

1 c sugar, 1 c water and 2 heaping tbsp. cornstarch

Stir in one box of orange or apricot jell-o (1/2 for one pie)

Cool, Stir in fresh peach slices to fill pie (about 8 peaches) Pour into a baked pie shell and top with whipped cream. Good with strawberries too but Dad doesn't like strawberry jell-o taste.

6 average sized peaches is about right for a regular sized shell--8 maybe for the deep dish.

I mentioned that we were going to be switching to Vonage phone service in my last post. Sure enough the phone adapter unit was delivered on 7-3. No 10 year old was included, LOL. I figured all the internet connection stuff out quite easily since I had recently switched over to my own cable modem rather than the leased one from the cable company. No problems there. I told DJ the phone part was probably the part where I would mess up since my phone was on a splitter. Well, we got MY phone to work but the others in the house still worked on the old number. I read through all the FAQS and printed out what HE needed to do with the outside phone wires. Still didn't work on the other three phones in spite of his disconnecting things. He thought about it for a bit and the solution came to him---that darned splitter on my phone was messing things up. It only took us 24 hours later and a ripped pair of pants for DJ for us to get the job done, LOL.


On Wednesday I once again had to have my eyes dilated for some further testing. Fortunately the reports were good---just a variant of normal limits and no disease process other than I have some early cataracts forming. Huge sigh of relief from the two of us. It took some time for the meds to wear off so the rest of Wednesday was a sort of lost day. No reading, sewing or it was hard to watch TV too unless I left my sunglasses on. The computer flicker thing was more obvious too so that was out. It just makes you realize just how precious one's sight really is.


I have also come down with some sort of bronchitis type thing with a croupy cough and very close to losing my voice in the past 3 or 4 days. Very sore throat that alternately feels like I have been swallowing broken glass or have a sweat sock stuffed in my throat. No energy or ambition either. This will pass. I just hope I feel better by midweek when I am supposed to go my brother's house in Lebanon, TN. One of my sisters from CO will be there with her youngest daughter and the youngest IL nieces and nephews are coming too. Plus I have more fabric from Mom and my found glasses to pick up. Not sure what the plans are for it should I not be able to go.


Other than working on listing a few more books and pricing what I have on the shelves so I know what their re-sale value is yesterday and today, that is about it for my little corner of the world------thanks for stopping by.