Sunday, its a fun day

…………..at beautiful US 30 drag strip. LOL an old radio ad slogan from my teen years in IL. Imagine the reverb.
But seriously what a gorgeous weekend we are having. What a blessing it is after the dreariness of winter days. It is downright balmy out as the warm weather pushes up from the Gulf instead of that Alberta Clipper and overnight temps in the teens a few days ago. We seem to have quite a bunch of crocuses up after a few appeared far, far too early last month. This is the time we expect them. The daffodils along the fence will be open soon as well. DJ made sure to point me to them when I was grilling up some brats for lunch. The camellia, as we feared, got zapped with the extreme cold with blackened blooms scattered on the ground.

Look who was surveying the scene as I was taking the flower pictures? Skyler loves it when the front door can be opened or even better, the windows. Currently he is up in the sewing room perch facing the front yard watching for birds and any of the neighborhood cats to come by. He has been chasing puff balls (pompoms) most of the morning and is a little worn out, thank you very much! He loses his ball, comes back meowing and hops up on the desk till I give him another from his container near the computer. In the mornings I go on Pom Patrol with the flashlight and yardstick to dig around under the bookcase, the couches and appliances for the ones that got away. No way is DJ going to do that for him!

I got the last of the scrap cutting tasks I mentioned in my last post finished up yesterday afternoon. 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 as well as some 3.5 and a few nickel squares. Some of the two’s are cut to size for the rail fence blocks and Grandmother’s Scrap Bag. Amazingly there was room for most of them in their designated size containers, but just barely. The 2.5 didn’t have a home till I put them up in the large foundation pieced Pineapple Log Cabin bin. I decided that the smaller block PLC needs it own container since I have so many strips in the project bag---another 20 qt container on my next trip to town.

Immediately after finishing the strips I headed off to the kitchen to pick pecan nut meats. My friend Marilyn had brought me a large paper grocery bag half full of cracked pecans from her mom’s trees. The mom has three trees which outdid themselves this year. I filled a 1 1/2 quart bowl twice for my efforts. Considering that I can buy a 6 oz. bag of pecans for about $2.50 at Dollar General FREE is better, LOL. Because I was so busy dealing with these, I somehow managed to convince DJ that he could fix the ravioli in the freezer and heat up some marinara from a jar just as easy as I could. He turned down the request to help me with the nuts so I figured it was the least he could do. I kept picking and I guess he thought if he wanted to eat last night, he best help me out. Trust me, that is progress! The man does NOT cook nor does he re-heat if I am home and not ill.

Other than cutting scraps for two days I finished up my 2nd redwork block as pictured. The golf club cover is finished but I still need to make the pompom for the top.

Also I got one dish cloth knitted and another started. My mom emailed me the directions but I just found the LINK for it. It looks pretty cool, like a square “on point”. It almost appears that you are knitting “sideways” in just two basic rows, increasing till you get it wide enough and then decreasing down on the other half. Little thinking involved which makes it a good project for TV viewing time. The yarn company wants you to use their product when providing the free pattern to make it but I am using Sugar and Cream (well make that Walmart’s Peaches and Cream) cotton. Mom says you can get three dish cloths out of 2 skeins of yarn. I made my first one a bit bigger and may knit a bit looser than her but I guess I will find out.

I think I will get out my “Be Attitudes” book and cut out the fusible shapes for the February block, Be Loving. MELINDA had read my post about working on this quilt and shared some pictures of one she had just beautifully quilted. It seems that Tiny Stitches where she works in Marietta, GA had done the quilt as a BOM last year. You can see the blocks “up close” on her blog. Thanks, Melinda! Naturally I will post my version when I am done with it but you can see where I am heading with it, LOL. I rarely try to duplicate a quilt exactly but I am as much as possible THIS time as I love the fabrics. My birthday/Christmas money made it possible too. I have already swapped out machines as I like the buttonhole applique better on my trusty Viking and prefer to quilt on it as well. DJ wants me to cut his hair tonight so I best get crackin’.

Hope that you have had a wonderful day where you are. Thanks for stopping by……..