home happenings

In my post in late December, I mentioned that Charles was working on a forced bathroom repair situation complete with leaky and leaning toilet and disintegrating particle board in the master bathroom.  The project was finally completed on Friday January 6th--woohoo!  I've got some before and after type pictures to share.

You can see Charles down on his back in the crawl space with the flooring cut away that was under the ruined flooring.  He got it all filled in and then discovered that particle board was just flaking away when the two courses of vinyl flooring were removed.  (DJ had just put one layer down over the existing flooring while my bathroom went down to the bare flooring).  He had to cut out about a 24 x 30 some section total.  Thankfully we had the two varying thicknesses of plywood on hand for the initial placement and no more lumber was required.  Just lots of that mud stuff and sanding.

In order to remove the leaky toilet, the curved counter top over the stool had to be removed.  Here you see the sink's residence while the work was ongoing.

In this picture Charles was getting ready to cut down the existing counter top over the vanity from the top side.  You may be able to see how it narrows where he has his left hand placed.  We were able to salvage the trim for the cutaway and re-use it.  I am not fond of this counter (UGH it is in the kitchen and my bathroom too) but it did save money to NOT replace it.

How it looks now.  New bathroom accessories and door pulls.  The wall paper border we applied to covers the tears to the paper when the counter came out.  Charles idea there so we would not have to strip off the rest of the wall paper or paint. It brightens the room up and matches the existing drape in there.  The vanity also got a new coat of stain to freshen it up.

He also tried to cut down the full size mirror that had been in place.  That didn't work out so well.  A friend saw a comment I had made of facebook and suggested a place near here that can cut hers down and then she used molding and rosettes on the corners to give it new life.  Too late for mine but we are talking about updating mine next.  THX Brenda for the suggestion!  We picked out this mirror from Lowe's---our home away from home lately!!--when the plan did not work out.

Charles is a retired master electrician so it was a piece of cake for him to move the electrical box over a bit to center the new light fixture over the sink.  The problem was that it did make a larger hole.  I thought we would have to get a different fixture with a bar like base but he suggested using a ceiling medallion, painting it and using it behind the round light base.  I didn't get what he wanted me to do with two different colors of spray paint as it was not working to try to spray on the darker color on lightly.   It was either one color or the other.  He finally told me to spray some of the darker paint on paper plate and then daub it on the high spots.  LOL, I finally "got" that he wanted me to use like a stenciling, pouncing technique to sort of antique it.  In person it looks good with the light globes we picked out.  The lighting is much brighter in there now especially with one bulb not hiding behind the medicine cabinet.

Finally the new toilet made it into the house on Friday morning, once the flooring was completed.

And here it is in place along with all new quarter round and the shelving above the stool for a bit more storage space.  We got a chair height one so it is easier on the knees as several of my friend's were suggesting.  One of them asked me the other day what I thought of it and I haven't used it yet!!  I have always thought that one secret to a good relationship is never having to share a bathroom with your spouse or significant other if you can help it!  I bought a baker's dozen more of the tile so we can use what remains in my bathroom down the line.

In between tasks and waiting for glue to dry for the umpteenth time, he put a small ceiling fan up in the laundry room.  I tried to do what I could to help mostly being the ground guy and holding the flashlight, LOL,  That and pick up the stuff that got dropped.

Earlier THIS week he corrected an long time electrical situation in my living room.  For almost 20 years there have been light switches that turned on nothing. From the hallway and the kitchen I had to cross the living room to turn on any light source.  Well, that was like waving a red flag in front of a bull or at least throwing down a challenge to the electrician to solve this mystery.  We picked up some of his electrical tracing equipment from his home shop and he was off and running.  The problem was in the wiring to the ceiling fan and he took the thing down to wire it correctly.  I can turn on the living room ceiling light in three places---hallway, living room and kitchen.  I can turn on the fan on its own switch--not the speed, I still have to reach up on my tiptoes for that part--but off and on works great.  There is one remaining mystery switch in the kitchen and that's challenge for another day, he said.   I have been happily flipping switches since he fixed it.  Woohoo!  Doesn't take much to make ME happy, LOL.

We had some raining and cold weather recently along with some ice and freezing rain/sleet stuff a week ago Friday.  Enough that they preemptively cancelled school on Thursday.  In light of the cold weather he couldn't work out in the shed or set up on the sawhorses on the patio.   I told him he could work on our chain saw here in the house if he protected the table. Here he is working on the primer pump and tubing which had disintegrated out in the shed. ( He took a small engine repair class after he retired.)  It is still not completely fixed but it did take off some limbs on the large crepe myrtle tree yesterday!  He borrowed his son's temperamental chain saw to get the last of the holly bush limbs down.  I helped haul off the sections to the burn pile and did some of the go-fer stuff.

Wedding plans are still in a stall pattern.  That recent ice deal cancelled church on Sunday but mostly it is because of the pastor's wife's continued health concerns (recent transplant).  We went at the appointed time but found a note on the door.  He had lost Charles' phone number and we didn't have his cell number so we were not making connections.  I think that is resolved thanks to one of church members/usher/deacon that was at the church today helping the missus set-up for a baby shower. We'll try again this Sunday.  I should be writing down some of my questions and get my nose back in my Weddings for Dummies book.  At this writing we are 43 days away for the big day---yep, the calendar is marked and we're counting!

I haven't mentioned the critters.  Oscar is back to wearing his belly band as he has been peeing on everything lately but especially since we were gone on that 2nd trip to Gulf Shores.  Charles is always asking him "where is your diaper?" as Oscar shimmies out of it when he crawls under the bed.  Skyler just gets more clingy but especially at night when Oscar has gone to bed.

Guess that is it for now---he is asking me if I am writing a book, LOL.  Maybe but that is what I get for not blogging for over 10 days.  Lots going on but I CAN take a hint.  Tomorrow the grandkids are coming for a bit so Mama can go shopping.  Decent weather means they are all going to the park and burn off some of that energy!  Till next time---------

Around here-- catching up

Look at what has decided to bloom this year with more blooms about to pop open.  I had cut back the gardenia bush quite a bit 2 years ago as it was impeding airflow a bit into the kitchen.  There was a bird nest in there so I had to wait to finish the job but it has taken time for it to rebound from my unschooled pruning/annihilation. Last year I think there were only two blooms for the entire summer but maybe it likes it hot and dry?


While it has been overcast for the past couple days, we have not really much measurable rain.  Rained on the way to supper last night and while we were walking into the restaurant but it didn't budge my rain gauge.   Rained for about 15 minutes this morning and just enough to dampen the street.   We are currently about 3 inches below the average amount and about 5 inches behind where we were at this time last year.  No wonder the grass crunches underfoot!

This top has been waiting for me since the Tuesday evening group.  Everywhere you see a blank space is where there should be a small pieced floating square.  Donna and I helped Stacy lay out a quilt top so she could begin sewing her blocks.  Marilyn and Donna were teaming up on a top too--Donna cutting, Marilyn sewing.  Margarita and I had our head's together  working out the backing for 3 identical bowtie tops.  She needed to get them larger in order to take them to the longarm quilter by Thursday when JOY Guild was to meet.  I elected not to drag my machine in and marked the diagonals on the stack of white charm squares for "Seas The Day".  Then I laid out my version of Floating Squares using a mix of Benartex Lazy Daisy and Brigitte pinning it to the vinyl table cloth and then hanging it up once I got home.

I've been busy!  Maybe busier than usual or just gone a lot, more like.

Thursday was JOY Guild day with a potluck lunch, sew and tell and a silent auction.  I delivered my two personal tops ( Prairie Sticks and No Bake Jolly Bar) along with Aline and my joint endeavor (previous post) and Charming Boxes from the retreat group and me.  Felt kind of strange to head out the door empty handed except for my "dish to pass".  I was waffling back and forth about what to fix but ended up making a Greek Salad with turkey chunks as one of my ingredients.  I had most of the ingredients on hand anyway.  Actually, I have a couple more turkey tenderloins marinating in Italian dressing that I'll bake in a bit as that worked out well as a replacement for chicken.


This was my Friday focus.
My neighbor Glynda had asked me if I wanted some zucchini the other day.  Yes!  Then I mentioned that if they found themselves over-run with the stuff, I would like to try to make some Zuke and/or Cuke/Carrot Relish this year.  Later she came down with three more.  I figured I would see how far I would get with the ones I had and adjust the recipe.  I called my parents to get some clarification on the recipe.  I HAVE made a batch once umpteen years ago.  Mom has tweaked it since then and gave me the updates.  Alum was added and more spices than the original.  Also some bell pepper, etc.   I  made one trip to the store prior to the phone call consultation and one the next morning for anything I was missing.

When the recipe called for larger stock pot than what I had on hand, I asked Glynda if she had one I could use.  She had two of them, one from her sister-in-law's estate and she said to take it.  Later I had borrow the other one so I could hot water bath without crowding the jars in the pan.  Oh, and I needed to get some more zukes.  After I ground up the ones Glynda had given me, I had to ask for the ones she had mentioned were in the fridge.  As she came back down to the beauty shop, she spotted a couple more.  Miss Kathryn was at the shop between clients and said she had one to spare too so I got that one too.  Still used 4 cukes to total 10 cups of ground zuke-cuke mix. Now that might be the last time I have to ask for zucchini as you know how that stuff is!  The joke about leaving some on your neighbor's doorstep, ringing the doorbell and then running away so you can get rid of the surplus?  LOL.

For being a nervous novice on this canning stuff, they all sealed.  I had to make another call to my parents to figure out just where to measure for headspace--from the top rim down?--but I got the job done.  I've delivered a jar to Glynda and Miss Kathryn.  When their brother (or son depending on who you are referring to) Paul saw the post I had made on Facebook, he chimed in and said he wanted a jar.  I told him he could have some but I had heard him say a couple nights before that he didn't particularly care for carrots except in pot roast.  Just teasing me, he said "I love carrots!"  He has some now too.  I may deliver some to two other neighbors on the block as well.

I mentioned in the last post that I had signed up for a basket weaving class being given at the Public Library of Anniston-Calhoun County.   This cute little salt and pepper basket was what we made.   The kit came with blue for the accent color but I have greens and yellow in my kitchen.   It was fun!  I love that wire handle even though I didn't get the wire bent back as tightly as I would have liked.  The kit of supplies had a set of needle nose pliers in it but not heavy enough for the job.  By then I had sort of stripped the black off the wire.  It is what it is!

The class was from 9 a.m. till we finished.  By the time I ran an errand on the way home it was almost 3:30 before I got home.  I stopped in at Miss Kathryn's to deliver her jar of relish as I was walking Oscar.  She said Paul and Carolyn would be by soon and said to ask me to go along for dinner with them if I wanted to.   They had served a light lunch at the class but I would probably be hungry enough to eat by the time we got our order.  He swung by to pick us up and the rain started coming down on the way. 

Paul decided on Zoe's On the Lake, not far from us, hearing no objections from us ladies.  I had eaten lunch at the restaurant before but they had not been there.  It turned out there was a class reunion going on there in about an hour and they were planning to send non-reunion folks to the upper dining room.   They set us up in a side room when I told the hostess we had one with some walking difficulties in our party.  (I was the first one in the door.)   We had finished eating by the time most of the reunion crowd was arriving but it still made getting out the door a little problematic.  Everyone was grouped all around the exit in the large room, hugging, talking, greeting each other.  We each saw someone we knew in the Jacksonville High School Class of 61.  (Me, a member of the quilt group.  Carolyn, a male first cousin and Paul and Miss Kathryn, their brother-in-law/son-in-law's aunt.)   More, hugging, talking and greeting.

My critters have barely seen me, LOL.  Still, it is good to get out a bit. 

What's on my mind creatively?   Couple of things.  Always!  I was reminded by a long ago seen quilt called
"Contrary Wife-Ornery Husband".    My perpetual quilting calendar kicked it off.  This crossing type block is called "Contrary Wife"  I kinda like the name, LOL.

Mary Hickey in a book published by Leisure Arts in 1997 entitled "Big Book of Small Quilts" apparently combined the Contrary Wife with a Shoo Fly/Snowball variation block (both are in the nine patch family 3 x 3 grid) to come up with a quilt called "Contrary Wife-Ornery Husband"  I really like THAT name!

Maybe you can see how these two blocks are similar but the coloration switched up a bit---and I eliminated a few extra lines when I drew it up in EQ,   If that link above won't open for you I know I spotted the quilt in a google image search.  Cool how it sort of makes like ribbons across the quilt top they way the blocks are rotated.

Then another quilt block that Lucy mentioned to me the other day in an email.  Circle of Squares from toefeather blogspot that makes a cool 12 inch finished block using 2 1/2 inch cut squares.  You can eliminate a line from this too.  I refuse to sew two squares of the same print together in a 4 patch when I can cut a rectangle instead!   She sent THIS link to a finished small baby quilt.   Cute, huh?

I got to thinking that you could probably use charm squares or cut squares from your stash.  You could cut the charms a bit smaller if you wanted and ditch the pinked edges.  Anyway, I drew it up in EQ7 a bit ago.

It would use one charm pack provided your background choice provided enough contrast.  I think as long as you work in a number easily divisible by three on that one you could cut the charms any size you want and re-size the block accordingly.  For example 21 inch blocks with 4 inch sashing, trimming the charms down to 4 inches and using the remainder of the charms  for the cornerstones would get you a 55 inch square quilt  2 blocks x 2 blocks. This  was calculated at 32 charms for the blocks, 9 for cornerstones.   I think it said around 3 yards of background fabric?  1/2 yard for binding.  I might just do this!   Mind you, there is nothing wrong with the original version but just another way to use a charm pack and their mix of fabrics in a different way.  The blogger on toefeather got their inspiration from a Circle of Wonky Star Tutorial, just simplified it a bit more when she made hers.    Just a thought!  I have lots of those, LOL.

Guess that's about it!  I need to run down to the gas station while I still have 10 cents off/gallon and I want to sew a bit.  Hope you are having a good day in whatever you chose to do.  THX for stopping by----

This and that

Let's see what have I been doing since I last posted??  This and that probably describes it fairly well.  I had a routine doctor's appointment Thursday morning and then met a friend at our meeting place to help him pin a twin sized quilt.  I offered when he mentioned that it was getting too big for his normal basting methodology.   Happy to help him out as no one needs to be crawling around on the floor and killing their knees if I can help it!!

Friday was not a good day for the fuzzy headed.  I thought it was getting better and had talked to the doctor about it the day before.  He seemed to think it might be med effects and possibly my B/P med might be need to be changed if it continued--check my pulse and b/p and see if a pattern emerges.  Well, I was really rocking and rolling.  Gait disturbed more than anything.  I stayed on the couch like a lump.  Thankfully, by Sunday I was able to get back to my walking regime after laying off for the better part of two weeks.  Now stay away, will ya?  Not welcome here!

 I should probably be sewing and specifically sewing Aline's D9P blocks together but I am in a holding pattern before I get any further along than placing the blocks on the "design wall".  She wants it bigger and one way to achieve that is to sash them.  I have some stuff her daughter's sent me--a soft yellow like her small squares and then a light blue for an outer border.  I think maybe too light with the bold teals, greens and purples.  She is still recuperating from her recent injuries and family members are there to help.  Might be wearing her out!  I told her call when she had a few spare minutes for me to run out for a consultation, LOL.

Meanwhile, over the weekend I have been digging around in the closets.  At first it was just to switch some of the long sleeves and jeans around in favor of my summer wardrobe.  Read:  a few things more than bike shorts!

Then I was off on a treasure hunt and looking for quilt backings for some of the recent top finishes.  I thought I had all the Ribbon Candy tops paired up but I forgot one.  I did have some yardage set aside  but initially I thought that it was going for a different top.  I want something else for the binding though.  I had a list started for Connecting Threads anyway as I discovered I do not have quite enough yardage for the queen sized Pixie Stix quilt from the GE Designs book Strip Your Stash  (or alternately, one called Quartet on craftsy.)  I need to get another yard or two of the denim Quilter's Candy Mirage I had previously purchased.

I also puzzled over which gray was which---Moda Bella Solid has a Gray  9900-83, Zen Gray 9900-185 (I think!) and Fog  9900-282.   One might be a tad dark but the Fog might be perfect for a challenge quilt I need to work on in the next few month.  Since I had the invoices and could check past orders, I believe the storage methodology is straightened out.  The hangers are labeled if it won't fit in a project box for now.

How about a choice of Hay 9900-104 or parchment  9900-39 or Snow 9900-11?  What is really the difference between Bleached White PFD 9900-97 and white 9900-98 anyway?  Would it hurt if you mixed the two in the same project.  I am trying to keep them separated for now.  Making my head spin.  You too, no doubt.

I found something I can use to back the Charming Boxes but it will need to be seamed.  I've got a little time before our quilt meeting to get that together.  It is a striped fabric and NOT horizontally either.  It is waiting over the machine which still needs to be de-linted and bobbins wound, needle changed before I start on any sewing.  Working with pre-cuts makes for a good bit of dandruff bits in the machine, on the pressing surface, probably what is floating around on the ceiling fan blades too.

I drew a bit in EQ which helps me figure out how to re-size the block and layouts if I wish.  It is an alternate idea (or two, LOL) for the challenge quilt.  However, I am fairly certain that I will go with my original idea.  I reserve the right to change my mind.

In reviewing the online order history at one site I saw I had gotten a Blooms and Bliss layer cake and charm pack.  Huh??  I don't remember what I did with that let alone what I make with it!!  Of course, it was in a container, even labeled as it turns out, but in with another project.   I was noting the other project but not the small print.  LOL.

 That lead me to ponder the difference between the Moda Bake Shop Speedwell Quilt presented by Nicola Dodd and the similar looking Missouri Star Double Square Star.   I guess it depends on many seams you want meeting at the block intersections.  I like the cleaner looks of the Speedwell one better---and the pieced in border color.  I've printed the pattern off and put it with the fabrics and in its own container.   I love the pretty pastels and florals in Blooms and Bliss and it would work well for this pattern. I will work it into the "mental" list.  I should really start a document so I can scratch off or remind myself what I planned to do with my fabric treasures though I have been doing better about leaving notes in the containers if not the actual pattern print out or copy!

Meanwhile my friend Lucy has completed not one but two Floating Squares!  She said I could post the pictures.   Mine is waiting but I may work on it tomorrow, after I cut out something else I have in mind.

This is from her relocated Peppered Cottons and is probably quite similar then to the one shown on the Missouri Star tutorial.  I really love how these turned out and seeing them makes me want to get cracking on my version!

What am I cutting out?  Have you seen the Fat Quarter Shop free patterns page?  Or their videos?   Scroll down and there is one called "Layer Cake Lattice" that is a currently craze of plus quilts..  I would link it but it goes straight to pdf download.  You should check out the page when you have some time.   I have a well antiqued layer cake I got for Christmas from DJ (Silk Road from Benartex) that I will use.  I am using a Moda Bella Parchment and maybe bind it with Hay, LOL.  (he gave me money to spend down---worked for me and even more for him!  Pants that turned into an iron instead any indication of his shopping expertise??)

I puzzled how you did Indian Hatchet shapes if you don't want to do a flippy corner half square triangle.  Marti Michell had covered this in a Farmers Wife Sampler post---I know because I read back on her blog to find THIS POST on cutting tricks.   I have many of her template sets in my sewing collection and the idea of not wasting the fabric but removing the fabric and sewing on the correct sized half square triangle could possibly be explored.  Scroll down to what she shows in the Ava Block #19--that is an Indian Hatchet shape and what is needed in the Speedwell Quilt.  I couldn't get it to work necessarily with the charm square but may have found a work around but need to do the seam to know if it will work for sure.   OR I could try Trudie Hughes Rotary Mate with the speedy triangles shown in several of her books, Crib Quilts for one.  I have the ruler.



I spent a good part of the day Saturday washing and trying to dry the pet linens.  Skyler is not using either of his perches so I took them down to wash the sheepskin stuff.  He would rather park on the dog crate or the front door rug right now.  However, that danged washing machine is not good about heavy or bulky items.  I could not get the water to spin out properly and that meant prolonged drying times.  So what does Mister Mister do after all that?  Dumps his bed upside down along with his frog and sockie laying on the BOTTOM, not the cushy top.  What a goofball!  Oh and drug it over to the front door area.  Not quite to in front of the TV but close.

And this one?  He had been snuggling up with me on the couch till I needed something, like the camera off the coffee table.  Of course, I can't get a decent picture of him.    He won't look at me, or is licking or scratching for a kitty blur.

So I resort to this..........I had switched out the quilt on the master bed to the more summery Cheese and Crackers quilt.  Then threw the light weight 50's vintage bowtie on top of it. Skyler is acting like he found a long lost friend.  Oscar wants up there in the worst way but mainly because Skyler is on there!  Hop, hop, hop.  Lucy says I should get him steps, LOL.  I think not.

Well, Oscar is acting like it is time to walk again and I am about ready for supper. Greek Salad awaits!

Hope you have had a good day in whatever you chose to do.  I've been busy as usual but trust me, that is way better than mugwumping on the couch like Friday!  Till next time------

Wednesday check-in

I know--I just posted a couple of days ago, LOL. I'll catch a few of you off guard maybe.

What a gorgeous day we are having. It has cooled down a bit but that to me, is a blessing. Apparently we are due to go even lower for a couple nights with an "Alberta Clipper" swooping down or what they term "Blackberry Winter"   High 40- low 50's for overnights actually sound good.  I didn't even get sweating till I was almost done with my laps this morning.  Lately it takes more like 3 or 4 laps instead of 8!

I took these yesterday.  Skyler stole Oscar's little bed mostly because I had laundered that towel earlier in the day and he loves clean laundry.  I would prefer the towel to my underclothing or the basket of binding.   He even followed the basket with the spaghetti heap of strips over to the spot atop the printer.  I put it an opening atop the shelving unit so he can't access it.  Today I kind of rolled/folded it so it wasn't in an attractive heap so we'll see if he leaves it alone.  I'm going to find a small container for it next trip out as a holding spot till it is pressed and filed in one of two binding containers.

Meanwhile, Oscar just flopped on the living room floor.  He still cannot decide if he wants in or out.  Lately too he is doing something I want to stop, now!  I tell him "time to go to bed" and he trots not to the bed but the back door.  Usual pattern.  I figure he should potty one more time anyway.  The problem comes when it is time to come back in.  He flops on the patio for belly rub.  I go outside and try to coax him in.  THEN he has taken to getting in his dog house and won't come in.  I take the lid off and tell him again.  Growling, snapping ensues.  I am afraid he is going to bite me.   He cannot stay outside all night and bark!  Am I doing something wrong or is he just being an unruly dog??  Looks pretty innocent here, doesn't he?

I went to evening sewing last night and got my Climbing Roses top finished up.  I also seamed the backing and binding I had cut earlier in the day.  I had Skyler's supposed assistance with that until I finally had to just escort him out till I finished up in there.  I cut out the Floating Squares top I mentioned the other day but only had time to seam one small piece of what looks like floating sashing.    I wanted to get home to watch the American Masters presentation on PBS featuring Janis Joplin so didn't stay as late as I could have.

Susan of Patchwork Reflections has said to me in comments  "I have been looking at granny square quilt patterns, didn't remember you doing one - will have to check it out in your archives".   It has been awhile!  I don't always remember to tag my posts and I don't always share update pictures as I am working on the same project.  I told her I had two batches of them but didn't re-call just how many on either UFO.

These are the bonus squares from challenge fabric Ellen had sent.  I added the background and that light lime-y green to the mix but the other three prints where what she sent to make a quilt or quilts for Wrap Them in Love.   I had made a Quatrefoil quilt but had a lot of leftovers so cut strips to make the Granny Squares using the Blue Elephant Tutorial the guild had used for its raffle quilt.  Now this was all circa October 2015 because I was working on it at the Fall Retreat in Attalla.    I made 5 of this bunch at that retreat once I had the Quatrefoil top done.  Then later I made a few more at one of the Friendship Quilters sewing days.  I'm trying to recall which machine I used on it though.    With the limited strip selection I am trying to make one in each color way, switching out the "outer ring" color.  I still need to do a couple more greens and another pink,  it would appear.   The tute shows 20 blocks but is a bit larger than what we shoot for but I don't know if a 3 x 4 set is big enough.  I still have a lot of strips cut but they could go in something else---even that Square Dance top.

Then we have this bunch circa spring 2012.  These are a little schizophrenic actually.  I started off in sort of the bright range with the greens/blue, gold /red and purple/teal combos.  Then somewhere along the line I got a jelly roll set from Connecting Threads and they got a little more towards the Civil War range, LOL.

And here is more strips in the same container that are not particularly bright looking.  I think I have two projects in this grouping!  I like them and like doing the blocks but maybe I just need to settle down into one or the other.  Not right now though.  I think the donation ones need to be done first.  Just one of many UFO's.

Stacy one of the new quilters in the evening group heard us using the term UFO as we were chatting last night and asked what we meant.  She is working on her 2nd quilt and the girl is bit!!  Her enthusiasm is contagious.  We told her a few of the quilt acronyms but basically she would find out the longer she is at this craft.  She had taken a top her grandmother had made to the long arm quilters after doing some repair work.  Marilyn helped her get the borders and binding put on it.  She had it at the meeting last night and it looks wonderful!  It is going to be a gift for her mom for Mother's Day and Stacy was trying to figure out how she would present it to her mom.  Sweet!

Okay, I think Oscar needs to go for a stroll in the lane so I'm off.  Hope you are having a good day where you are----thx for stopping by.

Checking in

This was a picture that Wendee, my tablemate took of me at the sew-in and recently posted to the guild album.  We were to wear an old fashioned apron that day which explains the attire.  Otherwise, I'm in my standard t-shirt and jeans or in hot weather, t-shirt and bike shorts until I get the summer clothes officially out in circulation, LOL.

Anyway---
 I have been doing a good bit of sewing recently with this one getting moved along.  This is the Climbing Roses top I showed you from last week though at that point I had 5 more rows to go.  I did that on Thursday when I was trying to keep my mind occupied and not get so mopey about the day's significance to me.    I then spent the rest of the day flipping strips, re-sewing and generally changing most of the quilt around in some manner.  Sometimes more than once on the same section.  Friday morning it got so bad with all this quilt fiddling that I finally got out of the house and went to Ashville House Quilt Shop for some retail therapy, LOL.

They were having a 25% off sale of everything except sewing machines and I needed some backing for this top.  I ended up getting something that is not quite the same shade of aqua but it WILL work since I am using some yardage that is that aqua and red diagonal stripe for the binding.  It also happens to be the same Good Karma yardage that was issued for the fall challenge quilt for the retreat with the Attalla bunch.  The shop has plenty more on hand if I mis-calculated my needs for the two quilts.  I know what I am going to do for THAT one but have not started it yet.

Saturday, I started sewing the sections into pairs.  Later that evening I sewed the pairs into sections of 4, or into thirds since there are 12 vertical rows.  That is where it still stands two days later--just two joining seams to go.  I didn't feel much like sewing yesterday and then we had some thunderstorms roll in.  Figures too since it was Race Weekend at Talladega, near here.  Always rains, storms, even tornado threats.

I am un-decided what I want to do next but have it narrowed down to three things.  That is, after I prep the back and binding.

1)  Make the other 5 blocks needed for Square Dance.  Leaning more to this one as it would be a quicker finish.

2)   Get back to the Granny Squares that have been waiting since two fall sew-in's.  I don't remember how many I have done or even how many more I need but it used some of the leftover Ellen challenge fabric.  I already did one top and this was a bonus one, or two.  I had planned to see how far I would get with the strips I had already cut.

3)  Something altogether new.  I have a charm pack of Bernatex "Brigitte" that I got for free from Missouri Star last fall.  I had pulled some Moda Marble background from my stash, ordered just a bit more to be sure to have enough.  I want to try that Missouri Star tutorial for Floating Squares with it.  When I put the fabric away in its own little compartment, I had typed up my own sort of cutting guidelines so it would just be a matter of going in to cut the background fabrics up, more or less. Might do that if I don't want to drag the machine to evening sewing this week.

 ALWAYS thinking of the next project or in this case, the next three, LOL.

To commemorate DJ's birthday, I did two things in his honor.  I made pizza, albeit this one was topped with turkey pepperoni.  He would have preferred ground beef or ham and cheese with white sauce like they had at Cici's.   When I think of all the crust recipes I tried till I found the one we both liked.  I think I told you the story about how he was telling me about his days working the part-time job at George's Pizza in Bloomington while he proceeded to burn the tar out of frozen one we planned to have for supper.  The 2nd, he had ice cream almost every blessed night---it was the lowest fat content he could find or the cheapest store brand low fat he could get.  I asked him once why he didn't get the "good stuff" and cut back on the frequency of eating it.  I did not want to get in the habit like him and rarely ate it but I did buy some Klondike Bars (Heath Crunch, thank you very much!)  and consumed TWO in his honor.  That's the closest I could come to a bowl of fat free whatever stuff.  Mostly, I treasured my memories and him.  I was truly a blessed woman and wife.

Okay, what else?  Saturday I was invited over to Paul's for a fish fry.  He had been out fishing a couple days late last week and told his mom to call and tell me late Friday evening.  His former boss even gave him some fish he had caught.  I guess Sonny wanted the fun of fishing but didn't care to clean or eat them!  Miss Kathryn said she was bringing some coleslaw but I didn't need to fix anything else.  I did anyway recalling that they had apparently had to hunt to find some tartar sauce last week.  I whipped up some Comeback Sauce which is supposed to be "so good that it would make you slap your mama", whatever that means!  Anyway, I used what is supposed to be a copy of Zax Sauce but a tad less heavy on the hot sauce content or it was when I made it but I still ended up adding about what the recipe called for, and made a triple batch.

These critters!  Oscar can't decide if he wants in or out.  Mostly the opposite of whatever he IS doing.  It has been threatening rain or actually raining for three days now so outside is a little chancy.   I am almost positive that the back gate was his escape site based on something he managed to do today inside.  I had the hallway gate closed and the bungee cord tightened across the top.  You may recall that I caught him recently with his head between the gate door and the frame?  I was working in the kitchen when  I heard him clattering the gate.  With it intact, the little booger had gotten on the other side and I found him sitting in the master bedroom near the foot of the bed.  I stretched the bungee cord a bit tighter.

I had found one of Skyler's old sparkly puff balls (AKA PomPoms) in the couch cushions recently.  He used to love those things!  Oscar tried to eat them so neither one of them was getting any to play with.  Skyler promptly lost it, I thought under the coffee table.  I could feel that there were others in the frame.  You see, DJ had hammered some lumber strips on the table to keep Skyler from loosing all his puff balls in the crack in the frame.  He knew I would try lifting and scooting it to get at them or use a yard stick under the couches to dig them out.   I don't think the strips worked as look what was under or jammed into the frame work!!

I never did find the blue sparkly one but man, did I others of them.  The frayed one was extracted with an old hemostat from the sewing room.  Skyler has again become enamored with his scratching post too hence the catnip mess on the floor!  And a pink sparkly puff ball.  I think it is lost again but he sure had some fun tossing it around.

Glynda and Robert sent a bag of cat toys that had been the sister-in-law's the other day.  You got it, Sky wants nothing to do with it and Oscar plays with the stuffed mouse though so far he has not managed to tear it up.  As soon as I see stuffing, it is gone and he can play with his squeaky frog again.

I probably better walk Oscar one more time before the rains come in.  THX for stopping by to see the latest installment of "Life on the Lane".  Few dull moments here, that's for sure!

'Round here

The azaleas are done and it appears that the Snowball bushes and irises are out. What I THINK are Confederate Roses are blooming and the magnolia trees nearby are beginning to flower though it seems early for that.  Meanwhile, I'm growing........ clover.   Lots of it but I am not alone with that!  There are also fields of red clover growing wild.  Oh, and kudzu is coming up unfortunately.   It is too hot, too soon but a week from now they say we are back to 40's overnight with rain and storms possibly in between.  We marked 5 years since those devastating EF-2, EF-3, EF-4 and maybe 5's hit the state---bad  4-27-11.

So what is going on 'round here?  Beats me and I'm living it along with the two critters.  My friend Sandy teases me by calling my blog the "Alabama Home Companion" but I suspect she might be right with these tales I spin.   True stories though, not Norwegian bachelor farmer stories.

This is the looks I get when I open the refrigerator door, the two little beggars come running.  I have even managed to get Oscar out from under the bed with that trick!

Of course, Skyler gets right up close and personal and begins yowling even though it was just 10 a.m. at the time and he got feed two or three hours ago, he feels it is time for treat bites AKA a glop of Fancy Feast canned instead of crunchies.

Have a squirt of cream instead--maybe that's what he was after anyway.  You see the untouched crunchies though he didn't have one kernel in there first thing this morning.   (Oscar got a baby carrot for his treat.)

I know they can't tell time but I DO think they hold to a certain schedule maybe in part set by me but they know when it is light and dark, when to follow the sun to the front door instead of laze in the morning sun.  Oscar goes and stands at the carport door when he wants to walk and so forth.  When I do things like eat "lunch" at 10 a.m. no wonder, they get confused.   I grab some water and a breakfast bar before I go do my laps.  That's not breakfast but I don't feel like scrambling eggs, making oatmeal or even eating really before I go trudge around the park for +/- 2 miles.   By 10, 1030 I finally feel like eating but sometimes it will be anything but traditional breakfast food.  What does it really matter?

Today it was the third hamburger patty I fixed Monday evening.  That's what was left in the bag of patties from the freezer so I fixed them all.  Now the story, LOL.  My neighbor Robert had called to see if I had a staple gun he could borrow.  He had a speaker component he wanted to re-cover.  Sure, I said be right over and I grabbed my little case with it and the staples, not knowing what size he wanted.  Miss Kathryn was out as I started back home so I stopped to chat with her. Paul (her son) was out fishing so would not be over to join her for supper.  She said something about maybe going out for a  burger.  I had been thinking the same thing and had in fact, just come back from a bread store run (buns and rye bread).  Well, once I got home I thought "I'll make us some patty melts and join her for supper".  I hate looking at that empty chair of DJ's at the table, come meal time.   I sliced up a couple onions to carmelize and called to say I would be bringing over dinner, don't run out.   LOL.  I had gotten some potato salad to go with the fish so dished up that up and trotted the plates across and up the lane.

Paul had apparently caught enough fish last week to have a fish fry on Saturday afternoon. At 10 pm I found a text from Glynda saying her Mama had fish from Paul and if I wanted some to get with her.  That was sent at around 8 so I thought I missed out.  Sunday Miss Kathryn called and said some of that fish and hush puppies were for me, LOL.  It re-heated nicely.  Last week it was collards, a mix of Hoppin' John with purple hull peas and cornbread.  Think they might get me to like beans and greens yet?

I had gotten that pile of binding strips sewn together on Sunday and put the machine out in the car for Belles day.  As I am known to do, I just dumped the whole pile of it on the pressing table in the sewing room.  I couldn't find Skyler later that night and you guessed it, he was sleeping on that mess of "spaghetti" though I made him get off it.  Some of those quilts will be donation stuff and let's cut down on the cat dander, shall we?

The carpeted surfaces of the house got vacuumed but I still need to mop the kitchen floor.  I swear, it is a losing battle trying to keep things swept up.  Oscar goes out and rolls around in the yard and drags in grass clippings or from getting too close to the bushes to water them when we walk.  I drag in stuff on my shoes from the walking trail or the drive.  Skyler drags grit from the litter box in spite of the matting around it though it does cut down on some of that mess.  SIGH.  And dusting??  I thought that the pollen had lessened but there is still something flying around out there as the car is coated and so are the electronics and TV screen.  Dust the surface and it just lands right back where it was and more air borne!   I've already learned the lesson to not look up at the ceiling fan blades--best to either not look or keep them spinning, LOL.

Yesterday was Belles Day and a fun day with my buds.

Here is what I am working on.  There are 5 more vertical strips to go.  This one is called "Climbing Roses" and uses Bonnie and Camille's "Hello Darling" from Moda in pre-cut Jolly Bars, 2 of them, from the Fat Quarter Shop.  (Actually, I could have gotten a layer cake and cut it in half)  It also calls for two charm packs of white.   Mine will look a whole lot like the picture in the link as I was following the pattern trying to match the fabrics in it.  I layered those together Sunday evening with the PostIt denoting which row and which one needed to be cut back or halved in the case of the charms to get the staggered row effect, rather then randomly cut 4- 5 x 7 1/2

Beverly and Jackie were working on binding.  Jackie took the last stitches on this lovely quilt after lunch.   She said it was a quilt kit called something like Sweet Berry Fondue.  She has a small throw made with leftovers from the kit that she uses in her favorite chair that she calls "Leftover Fondue"  LOL.

Marilyn was sewing and working on Twisted Sister Blocks in teal for ovarian cancer donation.   Margarita was sewing on her Block of the Month for Ashville House.  I guess they get two of them each month.  Jane was doing some un-sewing as she had discovered one of her batiks in a Fiddlesticks top was running dye.  She was going to substitute something else for the offender.  Brenda was marking freezer paper for two lovely applique projects she has in the works.  Two big old sections worth!

Bev needed me to help her with an on point setting.  The blocks were a mystery quilt from Lick Skillet Guild had done called "Hanging Cabins".  Apparently they used a Mystery Quilt from North Parish Quilters as I found it online when I googled it.  Bev said they did not get the page that had instructions needed in step 4 of how to lay it out and she was lost in completing her UFO.  My best hint is that you HAVE to think in terms of diagonal rows not what you see when you look at it head on.  AND, isolate the row so you don't get confused in which direction the setting triangles and corners go.  I take the picture of the quilt--usually something I have generated in EQ or copy a page from my book or magazine--and fold it so all I see is say, the corner of the quilt in that diagonal row.  Then move on to row 2, 3 and so forth.  It should look just like the picture before you move on or fix it.  Bev was on the right track but one end had a couple of misplaced blocks.  We got down on the floor and un-sewed, re-positioned and she pinned the block or setting triangle in place.

She was also missing two sashing component 4 patches.  I showed her how to do 2 at once 4 patches with a charm I cut from her scraps and one of my white ones.  Just for an example as I did not complete the final cut.  This is the method shown in the Nickel Quilt books, Billie Lauder Quick Quilt Tricks and the old Alex Anderson"Simply Quilts" TV series is where I learned it.    You can find a pdf file to print off on Moda Fabrics Sewing Tips page that has a quick sheet for this technique  called "What Can I Do with a 5 inch Charm Square?".  Here is a screen capture of what you are looking for but seriously, go download and print it off for reference!  There is one for layer cakes too.

Speaking of layer cakes (10 inch squares), Margarita had been working on some unique 3D fabric bow tie blocks and had enough for two baby quilts.  Not the usual four patch with the knot sewn in kind I learned to love years ago either.   She said that they had someone demonstrate how to do this at a retreat but it was one of those things where the" notes got cold"?   She had found a video on You Tube that she thought was a bit easier so this is the one she used on her blocks from Paw Patch Quilting.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULjpeUAyGuo

The entire thing is done by hand and the blocks were 7 1/2 inches unfinished.  Margarita was working with a directional print for her bow tie blocks and figured out how to manipulate the fabric at a certain point to have it go the way she needed so half of her blocks went one way and half the other.  She needed some guidance for sashing and cornerstones, like how many strips to cut etc and we had discussed doing pre-sashing on her last quilt.  Way easier when you understand the concept it.  I told her I would draw it up for her in EQ and do some calculations since the evening group would be at the church.  We went over this last evening then and I think she is clear on what she needs to do next.  I had sort of color coded things and marked up the print out, just like I do my own, LOL showing how I arrived at the numbers.  Basically you strip piece the sashing bits and cornerstone and cut in her case 41 of them.  Then they go on the verticals on the block and across the top.  The unpieced ones go on the bottom of the block FIRST.  AND cut one single cornerstone for the very corner of the quilt.  The first quilt will be practice for the 2nd one.

Got you all confused??  Sit down here with me then  and I'll go over it with you.  LOL.

Even though Brenda and Jackie had brought their lunch to Belles, we convinced them to go out to lunch with the gang.  Bev and Beverly's husbands had both come to pick them up for lunch so they left before we decided where to go.   There was the usual "I don't care" stuff and almost as usual. I picked a spot since no one would decide for the group.  We could "I don't care" for hours, LOL and get hungrier by the minute.   McAlister's Deli though Margarita picked ahead for next meeting, LOL  Or I said that was where we would go next time as we drove to McAlister's.


On another tangent, tomorrow would be my dear man's 80th birthday.  I am not entirely sure how I will mark the day other than to thank the Good Lord above for the time we had together and that he came into my life when he did.  I will love DJ till the day I join him again and miss him daily.  I might not have gotten to celebrate those last three birthdays with him but I honor him for the man he was with me and for me.

Now, if you'll excuse me,  the clock says Skyler can have his round two treat bite and Oscar is probably ready for a walk.  Hopefully he will not just stop dead still up near the neighbors in the blazing sun as he has been doing---right in the middle of the lane!  We're up in the high 80's all week and I don't need my neck sunburned.  LOL.   THX for stopping by--------

Some productivity

I have been trying to get some sewing done for several days. Actually that plan is just as much so I can get the machine put up and get my kitchen table back and mop the floor in there!  Yeah, that last part is no fun but needs to be done desperately.  Same with the living room, hallway, master bedroom floors for strings.   I would still rather do something creative than clean but not always possible.

I considered going to the evening group earlier this week but got held up here at home (laundry dragged on longer than it should).   I did go over just to say "hello" to the girls and see what they were up to.   Three of the gals work days and relatively new to quilting, well Donna not so much but the other two girls need assistance from the more seasoned quilters among us.  I was happy to see Janice working on the binding on what I think is her 2nd or 3rd quilt.  Margarita is feeling more confident about following the block of the month instructions this go round.  Even the newest member has a completed top of simple squares and was starting on a baby quilt with a panel at center.

Wednesday night after Oscar was tucked in bed I sat down and finished sewing the blocks together for row 7 and then joined the sections seams (2 long seams).  This is called "Prairie Sticks" and uses a Jolly Bar from the Fat Quarter Shop.  These measure 5 x 10 or half of a layer cake.   Only took me a half hour to finish up but by 9:30 pm I was beat and ready to call it a day.

Yesterday morning I woke up early and got up and cut what will be the backing for this.  I would like quilted with a loose stipple which means it will go to a long arm quilter (maybe--I don't do that!).  A long armer requires at least 4 inches all around the top so I knew I had to get the top wider and longer.  I had fabric left over from this and the other top I made with the same fabric line a couple months back.   I only had to snitch one strip from another junior jelly roll to make the 7 blocks as I had typically over-cut section of the jelly roll for the Prairie Sticks.    I sewed this up today between home chores today.

I also cut binding for 4 quilts.  The pink/orange stripe was already cut for my recent Ribbon Candy top (the pink and purple one) but it was just sitting around in the sewing room.  This may sound crazy but that red/orange print from the Charming Box might work for backing THAT one too.   I should have enough for both tops.  The blue goes for two Ribbon Candy tops that the Belles and I worked on.   The multi-stripe goes on the No Bake Jolly Bars Chevron.  The Doily stuff,  Prairie Sticks.

Sewing this goes on the "tomorrow list" though knowing me I will not press these till somewhere down the line!  It is too sticky standing over the iron when the indoor temp hit 78 this afternoon.  I called "uncle" and turned on the air for just a bit till the sun truly sets and the outside temps start to drop a bit.  It was 66 when I got up at 6 a.m. and sticky with rain on the way in.  Way too early in the year to start with that stuff!

Then I finished up today's production by joining the blocks into rows for this top from late March.  It has been pinned to the table cloth and folded up since I thought I MIGHT get to it at the retreat---I didn't, LOL.  The top two rows are joined but not the two bottom ones---not in this picture, but trust me, I got it moved along.   Tomorrow.  It won't take long.

Electronics maintenance continues.  I think I told you I had re-set my phone this week.  It kept draining the battery and I think it is that darned google play mostly.  Anyway, I decided to switch phones with one I had tried before and had in the drawer.   It took a bit to get that switched over yesterday and make sure the number was activated properly and the few things I had downloaded added to the new one.

Today between sewing I had to go to Walmart to find out what had happened to some software I had ordered online that had been delivered on 4/16 but I was never notified to come get it.  I had chatted with Customer Service online who said contact the vendor.  The vendor was no help because, as I already knew, UPS/USPS had already delivered it and I had confirmation.  I printed all that stuff out and headed over to Site to Store.  The CSR couldn't even find the order number in the computer.  After a few in store phone calls, her supervisor came by and she remembered the package.  Come to find out, the address label only had my first name and middle initial, no last name with the store address.  NO packing slip, no order number, no way of tracing it.  She put it in the back figuring someone (ME!) would come looking for it.  I did, one day after the delivering window ended.  So anyway, after a late lunch and this unplanned break, I got Office Home and Student 2013 installed on the desktop.  Then back to the OTHER machine.   See above.

Oscar has been such a good boy since he ran away up the lane!  Goes out and comes right back in practically sitting on the back stoop till I let him in.  I still don't know how he got out or the modifications I made were the escape routes and they are effectively blocked.   I got him a new harness type thing and retractable leash so we are both getting used to that.  Well, I thought the webbing leash I had gotten was too long.  Glynda said "you sew.  shorten it".  Machine was sitting there so who cared about the wrong color thread?  Then I cut the wrong section away---oops!  I took the old handle apart which frayed the leash and then it was way too short.  Get the retractable one and it can be long or short or just right!   Thing is Oscar is poking and plodding along so I don't know if it just needs adjusting somehow or he is just in that frame of mind, LOL.  He keeps wanting to go over the neighbors but then we often stop to see Paul and his dog when he visits his mom or just to visit with Miss Kathryn.  He is starting to think it is part of walking in the lane, I guess.

I took the day off from walking my laps in the park, woke up too early and I'm beat!   I've been a busy girl  most of the day today with not much down time.  I think it is an early to bed kind of night but I hope I don't keep waking up before 6 especially when I can't get to sleep till after midnight.  

Guess that's it for this installment.  Off to find my jammies----

I love retreats!

I was privileged to attend the 2nd day of the JOY Quilters 1st ever Spring Retreat.  Actually it is more of an all day sew-in because you don't stay overnight but the facility was open from 8-8 for two days.  We met at First Baptist in Jacksonville in a large meeting room right next to kitchen facilities.  I only went one day as Lois and I shared a spot--she could only go Thursday so I said one day would be enough for me and we split fees.

The theme was an old fashioned quilting bee.  They asked us to wear an old fashioned apron on Friday.  Marilyn had rode with me and mentioned this just before we left the house.  She had a few extra to share but I had one of my own that my friend Pam had made for me several years ago.  I grabbed it and off we went.  Some of the girls partcipated in decorating quilting bonnets.  There was a prize for that.

They set up a lemonade station and we each got a mason jar with lid decorated with our name and little lady bugs.  Our name tags were beehives with a magnetic "pin" that our president Wendell had painted.  Later he passed little bees around and encouraged us to decorate our jars or pins with ribbons or whatever.  There is mine down in the corner.

The folded stars were a little give-away from our friend and fellow member Jennifer who does a lot of the long arm quilting for the group and the Attalla group.  They will host another retreat in the fall as they have for the last two years---I'm going!  The fat quarters were clothespinned to the trellis (that you will see below on the left). There were enough for us to go through twice and pick them out so those were my choices.  I picked a couple out for Lois as well at the organizers instructions.  There were door prizes galore too---I won a vintage Pattern box and this pillow case kit and the latest issue of 100 Quilt Blocks Summer 2016.  Jennifer has a block in it as she has done in other issues called Franny Odorlicious (cute skunk) on page 31.  She autographed it as she had donated it as a door prize!  I misplaced it though and thought I had left it behind.  It turned up in my sewing accessories bag right with the sewing machine manual.

I borrowed this image from the JOY Quilters page.  I'm at the machine on the left pinning rows to my current project or finishing up the assembly of what I would teach the girls to make that afternoon.   You can see some of the vintage quilts that decorated the room.  There was also a panel that some of the group told about their quilting mentors.  Marilyn gave her thanks to Bama Belles and our dear friend Joy Albea who co-founded the group with me.  JOY Quilters was formed out of our group some years later after a chance meeting with Ada and I at a Home Extension sewing session for cancer caps and pillows.    Wendee, my table mate, was diligently sewing on sewing 4 patches for Disappearing 4 patches in both standard and diagonal methods.

On Thursday I guess the lunch was catered but Friday we had some yummy chicken salad from one of the local Jacksonville businesses.  The committe folks set those up on croissants from Publix and had fruit, chips and desserts that some had brought to share.  I think Margarita made a pumpkin cheesecake with a gingersnap crust that was delicious!  If you went hungry, it was your own fault.

Most of the time was set up for sewing but most of the group played "Strip Poker" with 2 1/2 inch strips they were asked to bring--12 of them.  Donna came back saying she had lost her favorite purple strips, LOL.  I don't know who won or how many of them just went to see how the game was played.  I didn't want to part with my strips though!  They passed a basket of hankies with change tied into them and read a poem about hankies.  The one with the most change won a door prize and we all kept the change.  Annette's husband was the one who had his change jars raided.  There was also a reading about aprons.

Since the display boards were forgotten, I had to talk the girls through the steps of making one of my "Charming Boxes" blocks that will be combined to make a donation quilt.  I walked around with some of the sections pinned to my apron!   I'll have to make a few more blocks to go with it and will do the assembly.  Wendell will quilt them.  Most of them participated so I have a nice pile of blocks.

We were asked to make a 6 inch finished Spring block and a 12 inch finished "guy" block.  One lady one all the spring blocks.  The guy blocks will be combined for a comfort quilt.  Aline offered to sew those.  I didn't take my camera and didn't think to get a picture with my phone.  They turned out well and made for a neat display at the retreat.

You saw my completed Charming Boxes top in the tutorial that precedes this post.  I did the final rows assembly at the retreat.  Then I started on this top which is "Prairie Sticks"  named after the Prairie fabric (Corey Yoder for Moda)  So easy.  I sewed a bit yesterday afternoon and all the rows are now done, the top half all joined.  I only have to sew the last row of blocks together and 3 seams to complete it.  I may go over to the church to sew once the laundry is done.  Or I might not.   At any rate I'll probably have this top done to share in the next post.

I left the retreat about 4 on Friday.  Mostly because I was tired and my body was rebelling.  I got the worst leg cramp in my right thigh that would not let up no matter how much walking or flexion/extension I tried.  Later that night the peroneal muscle on the left lower leg kicked in.  I just cannot sit and sew for hours like I once did!

Also I needed to stop at the store on the way home to get stuff to make potato salad.  Paul, my neighbor's son and/or brother had invited us to come watch the Alabama spring scrimmage game (His mama Miss Kathryn lives across and up the lane from me in a mobile home on her daughter and SIL property.   Glynda the daughter is his sister.  Paul is a friend of mine. )  Got all that, LOL?   Us is Miss Kathryn, their friend Esther, his friend and former co-worker Charlie, his lady friend Carolyn, Paul and me.  Paul was planning on grilling burgers before the afternoon game and I offered to bring potato salad to go with it.  I knew from talking to him that he preferred dill relish.  Later I thought I should have gotten some mayo since they probably did not prefer "the tangy zip of Miracle Whip" like I would.  I borrowed some Hellman's from Miss Kathryn.  Then because it tasted so different to me with dill and mayo, I took some over to ask her if it tasted all right.  Next day I was still not so sure about it and bought a small container at the store just in case it was inedible.

I was still messing with computers this week.  I decided to hook my old one back up in the master bedroom just so I still had access to some of the software and old emails on it.  It does not have internet hookup though.  I found a small monitor at the thrift store that will work out fine and got an inexpensive pair of Logitech speakers so I can listen to downloaded music on it.  A few of the more recent additions were missing from the old desktop so I was running back and forth from the notebook, the new desktop and the old one a good bit on Sunday afternoon.   The only problem I had with hookup was the printer said it was offline---I got two new ink cartridges to do the taxes so I wanted that thing to work till it runs out!  Later as I was walking it hit me what the problem might be.   I did not recall with any degree of certainty that I had plugged the USB cord into the processor.  Sure enough, that was the problem.  I'm back in business!

Yesterday was trying to get a backup to run on the new desktop.  The initial one ran fine last week.  It took 4 tries till I finally got the job done.  I think part of the trouble was the computer kept shutting down after 20 minutes as a power saver and then the backup timed out.  Still, I was not going to stay up Sunday night for hours to see if it would go.

Today, the biggest thing that happened was Oscar somehow escaped from the back yard.  I had heated some leftover pizza slices from the freezer and went out to give him the crust end.  He was gone!  He has not escaped for 2 years and I thought we had the fence secured.  I do not know where he got out.  It seemed sturdy enough the length of the fence even where he had been digging.  Possibly he squeezed out under the back gate.  I've put a paver and/or cement block at those locations.  Miss Kathryn heard me hollering for him and then she spotted him running down the hill at Glynda's yard with her cat.   He got called by all three of his names just like any bad boy when they are in trouble with "Mama".  I had the leash in hand and he flopped on the ground for belly rubs, like it would make it all better.  He must have drunk half the bowl of water once he got home.  I have been advised to watch him without him knowing I am doing so and see if he is hanging around a spot in the yard and that might be his escape spot.  That is, if I have not thwarted him already.  He wore himself out on his unauthorized trek up the lane and has been flopped on the floor in various locations this afternoon.

Last week I caught him trying to open up the hallway gate with his head and shoulders.  I had not tightened the bungee cord across the top enough and there was some play in the gate.  He managed to get a portion of himself between the gate and frame banging it.  I was in the kitchen and he thought I wouldn't see him doing it.  Most times I wouldn't because he quits when he sees me coming around the corner, LOL.  Booger butt!

However, it is time we should BOTH go stretch our legs and I need to check the dryer too.

There you have it---thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to.