another week goes by...........

Here the machine sits, not even plugged in from last week's meeting day.  I only have to put on two side borders and this top would be/could be done.

The closest I came to doing anything quilty was draw up this block in EQ.  It is a block in the friendship quilt that my friend Veronica assembled and quilted for me that I particularly like--there are two identical blocks using this pattern in the quilt.

You see, I am going to a guild sew-in come mid-April.  An email was sent out saying we are to bring the two blocks to our next meeting.  Why so early, was not explained but whatever!  One is to be a 12 inch "male" themed block that will be pooled to make comfort quilts for the guys.   The other is a 6 inch Spring themed block.  We did something similar for the fall sew-in that many of us went too only it was fall themed blocks and QOV's for donation.  Some lucky duck(s) won the fall blocks.

SO I figure this block can work for both and printed off the two sizes to foundation piece them.  Oh, I could do it the standard piecing way--EQ does give rotary cutting instructions as you can see on my print out but that one shape almost needs a template to verify it is cut correctly.  Besides, I like to foundation piece.

About the only creative thing I have done lately is cook.  That is something that I seem to do precious little of.  Why bother for just me, too easy to throw a salad or sandwich together or grab something out.  You know all the excuses.  Saturday I spent a good bit of time in the kitchen figuring I would at least fix something good for Easter.  I made a half batch of blueberry congealed salad, prepped some asparagus and nuked it, made a batch of scalloped potatoes (they can be frozen--not quite as good but okay enough).   I put the pork tenderloin in the crockpot and sliced it up and ended up making a small batch of egg salad.  

Actually I decided to do a tenderloin instead of some ham expressly so I could make this Cubano sandwich.   Does that make it planned-overs??  Thin slices of pork, deli ham, swiss cheese, mustard, dill pickles slice on a ciabatta bun and grilled on the panini press.  YUMMO!   Last night the leftover asparagus wound up in a quiche. The rest (not the blueberry stuff though--ate most of that!) is in the freezer for down the line.

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I took those pictures this morning before lunch intending to post then.  Oscar wanted to go to the back yard so I let him!  He was testing out the new bedding out in the dog house.  I had taken his old one to air the other day as it felt a bit damp. The next thing I knew, the side split out and huge clumps of stuffing were falling out on the patio.  I guess the extremes of hot and cold got to the fabric after two years.  I chased around yesterday tracking down a new one to put in there.  

That and 3 more bags of ant mound treatment where the main shopping .  I had already gone through what was left in the shed and 3 bags the day before.  I had spent two mornings this week treating every fire ant mound I had spotted, along the road, even some technically in the new neighbor's yard since Oscar heads that way when we walk.  40 lbs of the stuff and it had not looked all that bad yet.  I hate those things!

Today dawned and I was off to walk.  I have found by the pedometer app that 7 laps and walking TO and FROM the park via the trail access totals the same as doing 8 laps or close enough to it 2.2 miles.  Add another mile, mile and half to the days totals walking Oscar in the lane 4 times.  The parking lot is still not re-paved but most of the work must be done as only two pieces of heavy equipment are on the premises.  No one was operating it at 9 a.m. but maybe it has to settle a bit before they lay down the asphalt or something?  Word is, they hope to open the Community Center sometime in April so there were a few workmen around for that.  I heard a power saw going when I neared the building.  We'll see!

After lunch, ashamed of myself for being such a slug about sewing and with obliging dog outside, I went into the sewing room for a bit.  Skyler was happy that I let him sit in the open window.  I only had to chase him from the cutting/pressing area twice.


Borders are all on this one now------

 ..........and so you can see the fabric better, particularly the dot which is not really showing up above.  This is the one that Bev and I teemed up to assemble last week.

This next group of Ribbon Candy blocks was a team effort with Brenda and Lois.  I finished up one small section of the blocks halves on the lighter green one and joined the halves.  Then I cut the setting triangles and corner triangles using that same blue fabric.  It works better than what I originally thought I might use as Lois used more blue fabrics from the strips Beverly had left for us to use.   There is enough left of the blue dot and the blue to back each of the quilts so I set that aside.   I still need to cut binding for the two quilts but I'll wait till my new blades arrive to do that.  I was having to re-cut those "hairs" a bit too much with the one in the rotary cutter now.

Oscar is back in and keeping me company on the couch.  I may head back there to pull some fabric for those two blocks but I have a feeling I'm done for the day in the sewing department.   The top can wait till next Belles meeting anyway.

Tomorrow/late tonight we have been advised to be weather aware.  2-4 inches of rain and some possible tornadic activity or high wind speeds are possible.  I doubt that it will be too conducive to sewing but I wouldn't be able to hide back here for a couple of hours anyway if it is storming.  Oscar would most definitely be in and he hates wind, rain, lightning.  Lots of that high pitched whining.  We'll see what happens.

Lily did well with her surgery on Friday and may have even gotten to go home yesterday or today.  I have not heard from my sister, her Nana, for a couple days.  The tumor is out, all systems go.   Diane said Lily was playing games on her phone and didn't seem too uncomfortable.  Smiling.

Guess that's it for now----thanks for stopping by and I hope you are having a good day wherever you are.

Sew Day and other stuff

Bama Belles met today and the plan was to get those three stacks of Ribbon Candy blocks made up into tops if possible.  I had sort of grouped them by intensity of color or shade last time and knew that we had enough blocks, once I made one more green toned one, for three tops.

Bev and I are always the first ones to arrive (we have the keys to open the Fellowship Hall)  and I had laid out the blocks for the tops.  She said "what do you want me to do?"  I had asked Lois to bring her humungous 20.5 inch square for me to cut the setting triangles for two of them so I pointed her to this first grouping using Lois' idea for making Ribbon rings.  15 - 12 inch blocks gets it in WTIL range.   She kept on plugging so this was the first one finished.

I had gotten my 3rd row joined yesterday afternoon and joined to 4 so all I needed to do is join the two halves.  After I cut two quilts worth of setting triangles, that is!

I used some yardage someone donated for setting this one as it sort picked up on the yellow tones, the blues and teals.  The green in it isn't quite the same shade but there are 5 different greens that I could have attempted to match, LOL.   Lois put this one together and then pieced 5 more blocks to go with 3 blocks Brenda had made.  I will put that one together here at home.

This one does not show the blue polka dot used in the setting triangles very well.  I am in the process putting on a darker blue border but left before I got the two outer verticals on it.  Bev and I teamed up to get this together.  She had never done an on-point setting so I talked her through it.  I joined the rows as Bev had to leave for a 2 p.m. appointment and assembled row three.

Margarita was diligently working on getting the borders on her big block of the month quilt.  I suspect she will have it completed by this evening--she was close and working on her outer borders when she left.  Jane was working on binding for a donation quilt and Brenda was busy marking a fusible applique project.   Linda S was able to come join us for the first time in a long time and preparing hexies.  We enjoyed a potluck lunch again.  Teresa stopped by on the way back from an appointment.  Good day with friends!

I thought you might like to see a couple other of the girl's projects.   Bev made this disappearing nine patch for the JOY Guild's challenge to make a disappearing block of some sort for donation to the comfort quilt program.   She will be vacationing when it is meeting time so she brought it to have us deliver it to the group leader.  They can just be tops though they would take completed ones too, LOL.

Linda S said this has been hanging in her sewing room just waiting for her to drop it off.  The fabrics in it were one of those "grocery" bags challenges.  Make something with a variety of scraps we had loaded up to share.  

Brenda had a couple tops to share with us today but I didn't get any pictures of those.  Maybe once Lena has worked her magic quilting them?

Linda had messaged me Saturday and asked me to call her as she had been given a huge box of fabrics and yarn for her neighbor's estate.  The sons were clearing out their mother's home and needed help connecting the items with crafters/sewers that Linda might know.   The box was huge, tall and heavy, so we just dug through it on my driveway from the back of her van.  Some I was able to keep for Belles use, some I thought Teresa could use since she makes purses and tote bags.   She picked it up today.

Gene saw the message from Linda to me and perked up at the "yarn" part.  I told him he could have at it, LOL.  He dropped by yesterday and picked out some for his weaving.  Some of bagged up to see if Margarita might want as she is an expert knitter.  She thought her daughter could use it since she crochets little animals and such for fundraising.   Woohoo!  Very little is living at my house right now.

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Other than that, no much happened around here last week.  Same old, same old.  Walk, walk the dog, housework, errands----yada, yada, yada.  Seriously, home all week.  I've got a new neighbor across the lane as the house finally sold.  I don't know if she is still moving things in or not but she has been working out in the yard a bit, trimming overgrown bushes and picking up after the two half dead trees.  Going to be one heck of a bonfire!   The house across the main road is apparently off the market as the same folks are still there.  Chickens and all.

We did get one last blast of winter after almost two weeks of being able to shut off the furnace.  It got so warm one afternoon that I did turn the a/c on for about an hour.   The sun sets on the front of the house and I knew it was not going to be pleasant trying to sleep if the bedroom stayed at 78!  It had frosted last night and I think we have one more night in the 30's overnight.  Then it is back to real spring.

The local park where I walk my laps was working on re-doing a large section of the parking lot.  Monday there where three road working large vehicles busy under the supervision of the Public Works Department with barricades going up as well as caution tape.    You see, the construction for the new Community Center had cause a great deal of damage to the asphalt so it had to be repaved.  They had one of those things with the nobby rollers and one with smoother roller and an endloader, I think it is, going back and forth.  I got my laps in but had to walk around the new building and duck under the tape at one end to get to my car.  Later the Mayor said the park was closed due to the activity and that meant the drive through lane for paying the water bill was closed too---come into City Hall.  I guess I'll see if I get to use the park tomorrow or not.  There is another way to access it from the back OR walk the trail.  

I am going to ask for prayers for my great niece Lily.  She has to have further surgery on Friday to remove the teratoma that remains in place.  You may recall that she had surgery on it when she was a bitty baby but due to the location, it was not all removed.  She has been monitored by a team in St. Louis since then and the doctors felt it was time. The procedure will take 4-7 hours and she will have to stay in the hospital for about a week afterwards.

Here is the little cutie---they did Easter egg hunting early at her Nana's yesterday.  Diane said they egg hunted like 10 times so you know she was getting into, LOL.  Love those purple shoes that look like dyed eggs.

Okay, I think that is really it for this post.  I hope you have had a good day and thanks for stopping by to see what my buds and I have been up to.

early spring?

I guess the official start of spring is this coming Sunday, Palm Sunday actually. It has been giving signs of an early arrival for at least two weeks. Highs in the 70's and even 80's. I think yesterday officially broke the record since it was 83?  I turned the heat off a week ago, drug in my stand fan and reached in the closet for some shorts!  Still, they say not to plant till after April 15 and you get the feeling that one last cold spell is coming.  Maybe not this week, but coming.

I took my camera along with me on one of Oscar's walks in the lane.  He kept jerking on my arm but I got some pictures of the emerging flowering trees in the neighborhood.  Bradford Pears are in their full glory, just exploding like popcorn on Sunday.  I've been watching and waiting!

View as you walk out the front door.

Subdivision entrance--there is another row just like this in the median.  The third one on the other side of the entrance was attacked by tree assasins several years ago.

I love to just stand and look up at the flowering tree.

My neighbor's flowering plum or cherry--pretty pink blooms just starting

As you go down the lane--not sure if this is red bud or what

One of the two dogwoods is opening up.  Still a green tint to the flowers and small flowers.  There is one more just past it that is not quite ready.

I don't know how well this shows up but there are all kinds of ant mounds out there---along the road and along the fence row, very close together.  Walking the dog is a bit of dodging the mounds because he wants over there to sniff and do his business.   So far my yard is not too bad even along the road.  Cross your fingers!

Robert is supposed to mow this afternoon or sometime this week.  The wild onion is everywhere!.  The backyard is particularly overgrown with some sort of weed stuff and dragging on Oscar's belly so he sticks to the perimeter I have noticed.  I think the only thing I am growing is dandelions, violets, whatever that weed is, the aforementioned wild onion and dry nettle.

And as much as I love Spring, even unofficially, the critters love it more.  Skyler will sit up in the open window for hours.  Even getting on his window perch.  Oscar "asks" to go out and will sun on the back patio steps, not barking to come back in.  However, I am starting to see the dreaded yellow pollen on the car which means I probably have to or should close any open window.  I also wonder what that outside smell is that I catch every once in a while when walking-- bit like outhouse/funky fishy lake or creek water/fertilizer?

Hope you are having a lovely day whereever you are---------

this and that on a Monday

Around the house---

Oscar has been in and out all day today, walked three times as of this writing (4:30 pm).  1st trip was before I went to the park to do my 2.2 miles.  We'll go again about 6 and then it is the backyard should he indicate he needs out.  Of course, we go through the usual "Time for bed, Oscar.  Get in your bed."  and he interprets this as "go outside and bark", LOL.  BUT he usually will hop right into his crate when he comes back in to settle in for the night.

Meanwhile, Skyler has been napping in the back of the house this afternoon, other side of the gate.  I was busy with laundry this afternoon and assumed he was either sitting in the sewing room window though he cannot see out OR on my bed or window perch.   I was wrong!  This is a new one on me.  He only used the perch to get UP on the armoire and the stack of pinned quilts (3 are mine and they've been waiting for some time!)

He only used the perch to get UP on the armoire and the stack of pinned quilts (3 are mine and they've been waiting for some time!  One is Aline's.  3 are donation quilts and the one that Skyler is parked on is a personal quilt.  I see I missed grabbing one of my t-shirts for the wash too.)

No sewing since last Belles' day.  The closest I came to doing anything quilt related was cutting the setting and corner triangles, oversized.  The butterfly fabric is kind of growing on me but then I look at this each time I pass the master bedroom.

Oh, I think about sewing but walking in the sewing room to do it isn't happening again.  I didn't even unpack the machine from last Tuesday.  Probably going to Tuesday sewing so that part is handy, LOL.

Today, I ordered some cone thread for a couple of the Belles along with some marked down 40% Connecting Threads fabric ($3.96 or something a yard) that will work for a background on another of GE Designs projects.   If the order is $50 or over, no shipping so we have combined orders before.

 I also finally got around to packing up the used rotaty cutter blades for both the Belles and me personally.   I so rarely turn on the desktop anymore unless I need to print.  Today I did so I could send a note with the checks and then ran it into the post office.  L.P. Sharp does an exchange thing where you send in a minimum of 5 used blades and they send you brand new Olfa blades in their place.  They have recently increased their pricing but slightly.  The girls know to turn in their old ones for me to collect when they got a new one from me, reimbursing the treasury.

So what have I been doing?  Well, Friday and Saturday it was high school Basketball mania around here!  My nephew Teddy is a senior at LeRoy (IL) high school and is on the basketball team with a group of kids he has played ball with since 2nd or 3rd grade.  The Panthers had finally gotten passed the regional round on the 3rd try, I think that's right.  They won the sectional---they won their super sectional last Tuesday which makes them part of the Elite Eight and on to State.  Class 1A, the smallest enrollment schools.  Friday, they won the semi-final game beating Liberty by 16 but trust me, the other team pulled within 4 at one point.  So on to the finals!  They beat a tough Chicago St. Leo team by 3 points---and that game was tied up late in the game, exchanging shots.  It took a 3 point shot and a last second missed shot for them to emerge as the 1st place team.  Exciting, nerve wracking to watch.  Teddy is in the last row next to the assistant coach in the blue shirt.  I was able to watch the games, post game interviews and read the articles off Facebook links along with enjoy pictures my brother and other parents took and posted.  I paced, I told Oscar he had 5 minutes to walk as it was half time but by golly, the kids made history,  not only with their team getting passed regionals but going to State and then winning the whole enchilada!  The football team had done well this school year also---some of the guys played football as well--I believe they made it to the semi's?  Teddy had an injury then so his season was cut short.  Here is one Phil took after the medal and trophy presentation.

Sunday after all that excitement I read,  finished up one half done book, read another one through and started on a third till Skyler came and sat on my chest/belly again and I gave up.  It is hard to read a real book or use the Kindle app on the tablet with a cat inches from your face.  Unfortunately, I did not get really get to sleep till 4 a.m. new time ( I hate changing the stinkin' clocks!  pick a time and leave it there---sheesh)  I don't know what my problem was but I hope it does not recur tonight.  I crashed and burned till 8:30.

Guess that's about it for this installment.  It is just been errands, walking and more walking with the dog,  haircut, two showers (the 2nd one to get those itty bitty scratchy hairs off me) and laundry today.   THX for stopping by-------

Tuesday meeting

Some snaps from the quilt meeting yesterday.

The girls pinned maybe 5 quilts?  Aline had her version of Ribbon Candy that I showed you in the last post.   Bev also had a patriotic wall hanging to pin that was going to a family member.  I didn't get a picture of it and I think I missed one of Lois'.  I heard her say she had 4 tops done, maybe more knowing how prolific she is, LOL.  The first three pictures are ones that she brought to pin.

This is Emily's Wedding quilt.  (There is a free pattern for a larger block version on the link but called "Aunt Gracie's Garden".)  The JOY group has several people working on this one, including our guest Rachel who came to sew with us again.

 Lois had borrowed my GE Designs book( Strip Your Sash) and liked Pixie Stix as much as I did whipping up a Wrap Them In Love sized one with a lighter background.

And here is Lois' Ribbon Candy but set "block to block" rather than on point as the book shows.

I was sewing too--those 4 blocks for my own Ribbon Candy donation top.  Before I left, I picked out 15 blocks that "kinda, sorta" went together and stacked them up.  Another grouping can go on point (need 8 for that). It had a good bit of green in the blocks so I made one more block to even out the required number.  The third batch needs one block re-done.  It was a practice block really and one of the colors is too short to have a seam allowance.  I've got it dismantled to re-stitch.  We plan to sew again at the next meeting and get these together.  That bunch is a mixed bag but has some lighter shades of fabrics.  I have some fabrics we can use for the setting triangles.

We had some "show and tell" too.

This is Beverly's top which was the Block of Month from Ashville House.  She is electing to skip the outer wide paisley border as she didn't care for it much and is planning on donating for a comfort quilt.  This one could be used for a guy.   Margarita is working on sashing her own version of this quilt but she did 25 blocks for a larger quilt.  I had helped her cut the sections out recently and talked her through how to do the pre-sashing.  However, she said she felt more comfortable having more experienced quilters around her if she had questions.  I told her after seeing her more recent work that she needs to start calling herself an "experienced beginner"  I'm not kidding as she did a border treatment I would not have tried on last big project!!

Brenda is returning to the group now that she is retired had several quilts to share.  This is t-shirt quilt for her son who is an area fireman.  You see that reflected in the shirt selection.

I'm sorry this is so fuzzy.  Really cute mini with wool appliques also made by Brenda.

This lovely quilt reminds me of 7 Sisters in a way but that is not the correct name.  I  believe she said that this was in McCall's Quilting?  I seem to be missing the picture of this one's "sister" quilt, similar colors but different pattern.

Brenda was holding up her friend Jackie's quilt for her as she is recuperating from recent surgery.  Jackie said she had made this for a step-granddaughter.

Jackie chose appropriate backing and binding fabric too!  The houndstooth check is like the hat that long time coach Bear Bryant used to wear and look at that elephant fabric!

Brenda pointed out the Bama Belles shirt so I had to get a shot of it since that's our group name.

Most of the group went off to Olive Garden but Rachel and I had brought our lunch and stayed to sew.  Margarita came back after lunch and we three closed the place down, LOL.

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I didn't touch my sewing today but that's okay.

• The dishes are washed though I cooked lunch (just frittata)  after it was started and I'm back to needing to unload/re-load.   
• I walked my laps, walked Oscar four times, visited with my neighbors two sets of them and later the neighbor's son too. Warmer weather will get people out of the house!  I may have sunburned the back of my neck a bit as it is itching--all that time outside.   I drug out a pair of shorts after I got my shower taken as it was 65 when I got up and hit the high 70's.  Even had to drag one of my fans in from the shed.   Skyler is enjoying sitting in the open windows. 
•  The laundry is done and an errand run.    Not much goofing around just a busy day.  
• Still haven't gotten around to reading the morning paper--that kind of day.

It is exciting to learn that my nephew and his basketball teammates are going to represent their school in the Class 1A division of the Illinois High School Association state finals.  They one their super-sectional game last night and are in the Elite Eight.  This is the first time in LeRoy's school history for the basketball to get this far.  They play next on Friday and my brother sent a link for the streaming video.  I saw some of this game when the town paper had a link to the opposition's feed.  You may recall that we went to watch Teddy play when I went back to Illinois at  Christmastime.  They are fun to watch!

Guess that's about it.   THX for stopping by----

decisions, decisions

We have been blessed with some lovely weather the past few days. Oscar and I went for a long walk on the trail yesterday but also went on a short lap in the park to see if the water had cleared enough on the southwest low corner that is notorious for huge puddles. Enough time had intervened that the worst of the water is along the left side. If you stick to the extreme right hand side, it was okay.   I did my normal laps in the park today but left Oscar home!  Dogs that stop at every tree or vertical surface tend to slow a walker down.    We've done 4 trips in the lane and the day is not over.

Best thing about lovely weather is that Oscar can be outside for a bit.  Please don't think I am booting him out the door.  He wants to go out and in fact, sometimes I bring him only to have stand at the back door wanting right back out there!  Still, let me have an hour or so to sew.   I stitched up a couple more blocks that will go in my Ribbon Candy efforts yesterday and today, finished two pretty blue blocks that Jane had started.

4 of these blocks were plucked off the table at our Sew Day, thinking that they might go with this weird butterfly fabric.  It is one of those "changeling" one that switches shades when you think you have found the perfect shade of a pinkish purple.  The butterflies look orange  and then they look pink/coral.  It was a fabric donated to the group for challenge quilt purposes.  It IS a little tricky finding compatible fabrics, I am finding. You can see a little better in this shot.  Top left and center are two of the 4 I have gotten done specifically for this. (At the sew day I was re-doing two blocks that sections reversed.)   I have 4 more cut out and will give the other ones back UNLESS............

I am trying to decide if I am going to do like I initially thought.  Aline set one like this but thought it too narrow and added borders.  I hate doing borders and would just cut the setting bits over-sized if I continue with the 2 x 3 set.

Here is Aline's that I took at guild with the phone camera.  Looking good even it is hanging a little crooked, LOL.

Anyway, I could do it 3 x 4 and use up more of that challenge fabric with plain setting squares.  It would finish more in lap quilt size of 50 x 70.  Kids come in all sizes, after all.  I think I have enough butterfly fabrics to do it this way but will to verify that assumption before I start whacking out 12 1/2 squares.

So this is what is occupying much of my thoughts and will continue to do so till the top is done, I'm guessing.

THX for stopping by---------

Checking in

Oscar is being a good boy and cuddling up with his frog and napping.  We have already been on three walks today and he also logged some outside time so I could work on my quilt top.

Skyler, of course, wants my undivided attention since the dog is not around on the other side of the gate.   It was fine when he was in the window, like this.  Not fine is sitting on the pressing table while Kitty Mama has the iron in her hand.  He was also trying to burrow under it while I was trying to pin the rows together.  He was removed so the last joining seam could be completed in peace!

And, drumroll please, the No Bake Jolly Bar Quilt top is done!   Today's task was to join the rows on the bottom 5 and then join to the top half that was already completed.

For being touted as a quick and easy quilt I sure made it harder than it needed to be, LOL.  My sewing is a little less than stellar in a few spots, not nesting as well as I would like.  I re-tried it on two spots and since it didn't improve the situation much, I gave up.  I'm going with something my dear quilting friend Theramae used to say "it will quilt out".  

I did see a slight variation of the technique for this quilt yesterday.  There is a tutorial from Denise Russell of Pieced Brain for this.   It starts off the same and then she goes the "disappearing route".  I think she said this was a way to use some of the leftovers in HER version of No Bake Jolly Bar since you don't use the entire pack.  

What's next in the sewing department?  Back to the Ribbon Candy blocks and the two blocks I was stitching on when we packed up on sew day.  I hope to get a top done next week.  But first the machine needs de-linted, needle changed etc.   Bama Belles will be meeting this next week so I'll plan on sewing then.

What else?
Jane invited me to go to the Kiwanis Annual Pancake Breakfast this morning.  Her husband was out of town at a ham radio operators event so I was her "date".  I could have gone to Ashville today as she and Aline were off to their block of month deal at the quilt shop.  It would have been fun but I wanted to sew.

We had guild on Thursday but several of us met at a local Jacksonville restaurant as it was a friend of ours birthday.  Betsy the birthday girl got to pick the place.  It was a horrid rainy and cold day.  Gary said it was even snowing and sleeting as they left.  I just know that the thermometer in the car was reading 35-36 and there was little icy balls hitting the windshield.  Thankfully, better weather is back.  Those Bradford Pears will be open soon.  The forsythia is coming out on a couple neighborhood bushes.

Nothing much else going on here.  I've been trying to straighten up this house but just end up making more of a mess (sewing will do that!).  I'll wait till Oscar goes out to drag out the vacuum cleaner to avoid the barking and attack.   I made a batch of Sunday Eggs and Bacon (but used sausage) in my "new to me" casserole dish and took some over to my neighbor.  She sent me home with some vegetable soup as she had made too much.  Swapping food works!  I've got supper already made, right?

Till next time-------

this and that

It has been sort of an odd couple of days, sort of like waiting for the other shoe to drop---what next?  Life's little annoyances and detours, I guess.

• A well used, ancient casserole dish somehow fell off the microwave stand and shattered.  A friend saw the picture on Facebook and offered to give me an extra she had in the exact "Spice of Life" pattern.  I just got back from meeting Shirley to pick it up near Pell City.  Lovely day for a drive!  
• Last night I managed to leave the house to go sew and shut Oscar on the WRONG side of the gate.  I could have sworn he was in the living room.  That probably was okay though since the storms we were expecting came while I was away.  Rain and thunder are not his thing so he probably found a spot under the bed to hide out.  I haven't found any piddle spots----yet!
• Couldn't sleep last night so at 1230 I put the 2nd half of my quilt up on the design wall.   Some spots need re-working.   I was robbing a charm pack and doing some cutting and fiddling till about 0145.  Next thing I knew it was 9 a.m. and I needed to get cracking if I was to meet Shirley about 11.

I was able to sew on Sunday afternoon a bit.  There was one spot that needed a piece replaced and since the blocks, not the rows, were the only thing joined it was a good time to fix it.  I started to put it back up on the wall and thought "just sew the rows together".  The top half is done so this mess is the bottom half.

At sewing last evening I joined the blocks for rows 5, 6 and 7.  I don't know if I got them out of sequence on row 7 or what but there was too much aqua and the same prints far too close to each other to suit me.  I needed to see the long view and what I wanted to replace.  One whole block I am re-doing on the bottom row and there are 6 or 7 other spots with the replacement pinned to it.  I swear that once the re-sewing is done, I am NOT messing with fabric or block placement anymore on this project!!   Move one and you move half the quilt.  Still, I am liking this quilt.

The group on Tuesday evening has 3 less experienced but eager to learn quilters.  Donna was helping Janice make a Self Binding Baby Quilt using a tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  I had helped Janice cut out the flannel pieces that last time I was there but need to watch that video.  Margarita needed some help with her cutting as she was preparing to sash and corner stone her block of the month quilt (trees, houses and stars from last year's quilt shop offering).  We discussed how to "pre-sash" the blocks rather than do long skinny rows of sashing as her pattern showed.  I would have sewn the cornerstones to the sashing fabric WOF and THEN sub-cut it but it was too late.  Aline was sewing the setting triangles on the Ribbon Candy quilt from our Bama Belles Sew-Day.   The top looked really cute but one block had gotten rotated. She was wanting to add a small outer border yet so I didn't get a picture of it.

It was raining and lightning when I got home and I just left the machine in the car rather than linger.  I'll get it set up and get to rippin'.  Maybe one of these days I can share a completed top!

I've got quilt guild tomorrow and one of our friends is having a birthday.  Some of us are going out for lunch to celebrate it before the meeting.  Then I think I'm done running around for a few days anyway.

 I have got to get back to my walking routine which illness and bad weather have circumvented.  My neighbor's son/brother had asked me and Oscar to walk on the trail with him and his dog Monday afternoon which I did do but I have not followed through on my laps.   Paul on t  Bad girl!!  That needs to change, after Thursday.  I prefer to go 1st thing in the morning especially in the hot months.  Paul, on the other hand, is recently retired from a long stint in 2nd shift and fits his into the afternoon.  Oscar was stopping to smell and water way more than Baby did, LOL.

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Here is who was waiting for me shortly after I got home. 

 Oscar came in from the backyard and Skyler met me at the front door.  Both were fed--again.  Skyler unfortunately got sick this morning within minutes of getting his wet food so he had torn into his crunchies.  Of course, I was running behind this morning so carpet cleaning was the last thing I needed/wanted to do.  Always the case, isn't it?  Oscar, for his part, was just sure we were going to go walk and kept running back and forth from the kitchen doing his happy trot.  I think some time in the back yard changed his mind as he is now conked out in his little bed on the couch and Skyler is velcro'd to my leg, LOL.