Spring foliage

Some of the spring foliage from a few days ago---of course they all have opened up a bit more since then. Isn't nature grand?

The pampered lilac bush--not native to the area so DJ augments the soil, etc. All that attention is starting pay off. After about 5 years in the ground, it is looking the best it has ever looked with lots of blooms open now.

One of the azaleas--this one was darned near dead when we moved in but it is now thriving with the help of "Farmer Alfalfa" Watering it also encourages the clover and nettle though.

This azalea looks a bit more spindly. It was planted in a pot for a long time and it looked better than the other bush. Loaded with blooms though. We also have a small white Encore azalea planted between the two red ones that he got last year.

My little dogwood tree. Actually this is the 3rd one we have tried to grow and seem to be having a bit more luck. I really had my heart set on a pink one but I guess those will have to be enjoyed in someone else's yard as I drive by. I always enjoyed going to the AQS show in Paducah and hoping that the dogwoods were in bloom and take the drive around town in the evening to see them. Now all I have to do is hop in my car in about any direction. Had I remembered to take my camera with me on Tuesday I could have gotten some good shots of all the wisteria and redbud.

I got my little row of spools finished up and mailed off yesterday. Did a little bit of sewing of the beetle top shown HERE in this EQ sketch. The first row is together and part of the 2nd row units are started. I am thinking that I should have finished up the heartstring blocks first though since Lois sent a bag of strings home with me. Somehow the last three blocks that Beverly made and dropped by the house for the quilt are missing. I could at least get that ONE top done before diving head first into another. I am more in the mood for some mindless sewing--strings or Chinese coin strips might be just the ticket.

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Gratitudes:

1. Good news from DJ doctor appointment

2. Cooler weather today and some possibility of rain

3. Walking getting easier and shaving a minute off the lap timing

4. BLT for lunch---yummy!

check in on a Weds. evening

The Belles met yesterday so as usual I have a few finished quilts to share. The framed 4 patches were some from Nancy that I assembled and Ginny quilted. She used a nice leaf pattern on it so I hope the quilting shows up. Silly me--I went off without the digital camera so DJ had to do the honors once I got home.

Ginny also quilted the pseudo- Railroad Crossing top with a multicolored primary color thread in a zigzag pattern. I think it looks like a "happy" quilt but then I love yellow or gold. I have noticed that a lot of the quilts I make DO have yellows in them. If I like them, then I imagine one of the kids will too.

The other quilted top is one that Lois made shortly after her quilt shop class on how to use the Tri Recs ruler. When she pinned it she commented that her husband didn't think that she should donate this one. She used what she had left of the blue/red print on the back with a border around it--stashbusting is contagious??

We pinned a few quilt tops yesterday and I shared the block I had picked out for the BOM. I had decided to feature blocks this year that either include a nine patch or would incorporate nine patch elements. THEN I saw somewhere that someone else came up with the same idea, independent of mine. Same thing happened when I was writing up a handout for three ways to do attic windows and bowties. Debby Kratovil or some magazine did the same thing, LOL. Like minds think alike?

I should have been piecing some spool blocks that will be my part of a row robin with 4 friends as it needs to be mailed off to IN sometime this week. I had a few done but what did I do at the meeting instead?? Pieced 5 quilts backs for some race car tops that Theramae had assembled, LOL. Oh well---it needed done and I think I was the only who had brought their machine. I made some last night and finished up today though they still need to be joined. Not much in the mood to do that at the moment.

The obligatory Pippi picture shows her in her at her supposed hiding spot. There is a bit of quilt batting in there so it is nice and cushy. I didn't blame her a bit for hiding when the house was full of people on Friday and Saturday. Herb is here often enough that he does not bother me which is surprising to me--he talks loud and you would think that would spook her. DJ was a little jealous when she stood still for petting while she slinks away from him---most likely because she wants him to check her food bowl, no doubt.

Not a whole lot going on around here. I have been making an effort to get out and walk on a more consistent basis--more like daily schedule permitting. The temperatures have been in the mid 80's for several days so I have been trying to beat the heat. Seems like just a week or 10 days ago we still needed to run the heat. Now we could almost turn on the a/c--we could but won't is more accurate. You would think that there would be a little time interval where you could have a lower gas bill before you switch to a higher electric bill! I have some spring bush and tree pictures to share but I'll add those in another post. Meantime, I'll keep plugging away. 5 in my stack to quilt again but I am piecing for a few days till it cools down a bit. That's more fun anyway!!

Charity Quilt Day

Please pass on the following to any interested quilt group, online list, blog etc-----------

"Charity Quilt Day" March 29 Wraps Up "National Quilt Month"

To wrap up "National Quilt Month," Judy Howard is designating March 29 as "Charity Quilt Day." This is a campaign to raise awareness and funding for the sacrificial volunteer work of hundreds of thousands of quilters who provide comforters for sick babies, orphans, homeless and elderly people, cancer and Alzheimer's patients, soldiers and victims of disaster-those most in need of the touch of God's love and comfort that quilts represent.

On March 29, Judy is donating the net proceeds of Amazon sales of her books, "Heavenly Patchwork I and II" and "Centennial Stitches-Oklahoma History in Quilts" and companion DVDs to non-profit organizations like Linus, local Quilt Guilds, The Hugs Project, Binky Patrol, ABC Quilts, Quilts for Injured Soldiers, Wrap Them in Love, Newborns in Need, Quilts for Kids, My Brother's Keeper, etc, that provide charity quilts. Just tell them which group you would like to designate.

Besides donating to worthy charities, those who purchase Judy's award-winning gift books on Amazon on March 29 will receive bonus gifts valued at $100 of free quilt patterns, quilting tips and book excerpts by renowned celebrity quilt artists and historians like Kaye Wood, Darcy Ashton, Nancy Kirk, Ruth Harris, Jennie Rayment, Judy Anne Breneman, M.J. Van Deventer, Lucille Ralston, Dorcas Publishing, NLS Productions and more.

Please join Judy on "National Charity Quilt Day" in honoring charity quilters and their tireless work by helping "Wrap those in need with Quilts of Love" through your purchase of "Heavenly Patchwork" gift books and DVDs on Amazon March 29. See http://www.heavenlypatchwork.com/ and www.MySpace.com/nlsproductions for details. Thanks for sharing this info in quilt newsletters, websites, yahoo groups, blogs, chat rooms, and with all your quilting buddies.

Thurs check in

Pippi enjoying the spring weather. I may regret opening up the doors and windows with all that yellow pollen stuff blowing around right now but it is so nice to be able to not be so shut up in the house and have hot air blowing. Not sure what the trees beside the pines are responsible but I read that there are about 6 trees that produce that dust this time of year.

I have seen all kinds of redbud out --at least I THINK it is redbud-- and the dogwoods are starting to show up and a few azalea bushes are already in full flower. Just in the last few days it really looks different out there. My little dogwood so far has two little teensy bracts open---lots of possible blossoms this year so I have hopes that I might be able to share a picture of it this year. DJ said his much babied lilac is doing well too. Gotta love it!

DJ and I had to laugh at Pippi the other day when the neighborhood tomcat came by to see her. They butt heads through the glass at the base of the storm door and try to sniff each other. Usually Pippi just turns on her back on him and plops over on the catnip scratching box. The other day they went through the usual routine but the next thing we know she is being quite the inhospitable hostess and walks off up the hall. "I'm throught with you. Be gone!"

No sewing or quilting going on the past few days though I did get pedal to the metal over the weekend and early week. I got three of the donation quilts quilted on my stint. This Bright Hopes for the boys, one of Linda S' that will be a raggy like block and Jeanne's Delectable Mountain. I will share a picture of that one once the binding is done though. Lovely quilt. I have two more in the stack to do--the pink and brown framed 4 patch that I assembled from Nancy's blocks and Jeanne's Rail Fence in blues and greens. The pink will go to the girls and the Rail Fence needs to have the quilting lines marked--either a meandering line that I would like to try or be lazy and mark some diagonal lines. I'm debating, LOL.

What has stalled me out is household type work. Monday is always errand day but it turned into paperwork day in part though I did finish up the little bit of quilting that was left on Linda's top. Tuesday was clean the house day as company was due in Wednesday. I was "duster girl" while DJ was "vacuum boy" though I did half of that too when he went out to wash and wax his car. Wednesday I needed to go to the doctor and by the time I got home the boys were already on the golf course. Next thing I knew it was time to start supper preparations ( homemade scalloped potatoes, glazed ham balls, corn per DJ's choice and peach cobbler)

Today was much the same---walked again today, made a batch of banana nut muffins and then a huge pot of vegetable beef soup. It smells great at my house. Herb wanted to go out for pizza buffet so we met him at Cici's after he played another 9 holes. The soup is for tomorrow--you know how tomato stuff tastes best the next day anyway.

Darel's son, DIL, grandson and his gs' best friend will be here sometime tomorrow morning and Herb will be leaving first thing. Word has it that they all might be going out to play golf but we'll see. All week I have been trying to figure out where we will put everyone for the night. Do we have enough pillows and quilts? Yes. Bought another air mattress and set of sheets just in case. Other than putting up the sewing machine if I have to set up one of the mattress in here I guess we are ready for the next batch of visitors. How did we get so popular all the sudden?? They are actually on their way to New Orleans from here and will be taking a cruise from that port. I said, he does realize that we are two states away from there? This will be only the 2nd time they have been here since we moved 10 years ago--third for Tracy if you count when his dad had open heart surgery.

Really not too much else going on around here. We just found out that our Hancock's will be closing. I had heard within three months time but yesterday I passed there and they have store closing signs on the window already. A corporate decision to close 100 of the stores, we were told. This is not particularly good news. It is not clear how the Walmart decision regarding their fabric departments will affect our three area supercenters. There is NO local quilt shop---closest ones are either in the Birmingham area about 65 miels away. One of the two is closing, may have a buyer but the shop may be moved if it does to a less handy location. Other choice: over on the Georgia side of the state line, a good 45 miles away or so but you best call as she is not always there. Good thing I have a pretty good stash!

I do want to make a Building Blocks quilt like Pam shows on her blog. I think she probably linked you to the pattern which is the Debbie Mumm March 2007 quilting project of the month. I need some primary color yardage for a couple of things I have in mind for the boys and some fabric I hauled home from the donation bin.

Guess that is it for now----check and see what y'all are up to.

checking in

From Wednesday afternoon, Pippi, the bright eyes girl---just sure that I am heading to get her Petromalt. That must be like "chocolate" is to humans or something. The one below shows her scouting out the birds flitting around outside on the patio. Today she is smelling the pot roast cooking in the pressure cooker and is trying to get me back out to the kitchen with her.

Yesterday we had a rainy day and eventually had over an inch of rain in the last 24 hours. The weather guy says that most areas are about 6 inches behind on our rainfall totals for the year so even a little bit will help. DJ and I went on our trek to the thrift store about 35 miles from here and found him several really nice golf shirts for a dollar each. Some of these were quite pricey designer name shirts. We stopped a catfish restaurant for lunch on the way home.

Here is my DJ up on the ladder doing some home maintenance work. He needs the super long ladder that was NOT delivered on the moving van when we moved here 10 years ago. Scaring me to death up on the roof scraping paint off the fascia board and here he is priming what he can reach from the ladder we DO have. Painting was out today as it was quite cool and windy most of the day. He concentrated on doing maintenance work on the lawn mower instead--changing the filters and cleaning off the deck. He has had to mow once already this year but that is because the last three years he has over seeded with winter grass on the front and side yard.

We got word last night that his golfing friend will be coming through again next week on his way to Florida (Weds evening through Friday morning) His son just called and he, his wife, son and his son's friend may also be here Friday for a quick trip--they are catching a cruise out of New Orleans, I guess and since they were heading South, he thought they might come to see us. I doubt that DJ will be going back to IL with me in May or June so it would be good if they decide to come. Just odd that everybody wants to come the same week, LOL.

I have not gotten one darned thing done this week except the Card Trick blocks are all un-sewn now. At this point I am about half done with the cutting. About 2/3rd of the quarter square triangles to go. I have intended to quilt all week but that just has NOT happened. I guess it will still be there tomorrow unless some quilter fairy decides to pop in and do it for me, LOL. That girl must be at someone else's house is all I can think.

Don't forget to wear your green tomorrow or you will get pinched! Happy St. Pat's--------

quilts and quilt meetings

A few pictures to share of recently completed donation quilts

A couple of the girls are doing 16 patches lately--I've got one to stitch up too, as a matter of fact, in a Road to St. Louis setting. This is Theramae's simply sashed and cornerstoned version. She used a small check for the cornerstones and then used the same fabric for the binding cut on the bias.

Theramae is calling this one "Dotty Rickrack". Fits doesn't it? The pattern is actually called Streak of Lightning and can be found in the book 101 Fabulous Rotary Cut Quilts from Judy Hopkins and Nancy J. Martin---this was a compliation of some of their earlier books like Rotary Roundup and Rotary Riot so it might be in either of those publications too. She had used some of these same fabrics to make a wallhanging for her school teacher daughter's class room and used it all up by making scrappy binding from the fabrics leftover from the quilt top.

Aline's Log Cabin

Aline's Butterfly Challenge quilt

I met my objective of emptying out a couple of the donation bins at our meeting site. One box was too big and unwieldy and cracked on both the lid and the container so it had to go! I was busily tossing some of the poly cotton stuff and so forth when one of the new members who is getting up a group at her church to make lap robes came in. She thought they might be able to use it and hauled a large garbage bag off for their needs. I certainly don't care who uses it. Theramae also was taking some of it to the Salvation Army for donation.

We located the tops and race car fabric kits that I knew where in there. Hung the tops up with backing fabric to pin at a later date while two others need some modifications for our needs. Theramae has one and I took another. Lois, Theramae and I all have a race car kit with more to tend to later--probably at the spring sew-in next month. Lois got busy cutting some strips for Theramae and then on some of the selvageable bits and pieces. We can put on our creative caps and come up with some stuff there.

I still made several trips out to the dumpster and some fabric did follow me home. Backing stuff or something I could work up as whole cloth quilts or another purpose. Since we pinned so many tops last meeting, we just did the one leftover top. So many of the girls had other obligations (an out of town meeting, one just had cataract surgery, family obligations, leaving on vacation the next day, etc) that just a few of us were there this time and we called it quits earlier than usual.

DJ and I were tenatively planning on going out of town today and out for lunch but I am feeling a little "puny" today. We'll try again on Friday, weather permitting. He is doing some outside home maitenance and started the laundry. LOL, my priority was washing some fabric and a couple of quilts. The heck with the clothing! Since I still have 5 quilts to quilt, I think you know where you can find me for a few days, right?

more spring pics

Every year, it seems, we have birds building nests on the front door light and occasionally the back door one as well. You look closely and click on the picture I think see that the bits of grass and some sort of fuzzy stuff. Makes me wonder if it is quilt batting or dryer fluff, LOL.

The Bradford Pears are blooming every where and it seems like it happened just overnight. Highs in the 60's and plenty of sunlight will do that, I guess. This at the entrance to the subdivision at the end of our lane. I don't know if you can tell but there are three rows of trees, on the outside edges of the two lanes and on the median. About 20 or 21 trees. Looks like popcorn on the tree limbs in person.

Not sure what kind of tree this is in our yard but it is flowering--might be the plum tree or the apple. It was darned near dead but seems to be coming back this year. DJ had sawed off some of the really gone limbs so that may have helped.

And this one---no burning prohibition in the county, obviously. The across the land neighbor is NOT being very neighborly. I just shot this through the window but he he has been at this since early afternoon. I hate this--first, because we finally get some nice days and could have the window open and then can't because of him and 2nd, I have a real problem with smoke anymore. (Tightens up my chest) The breeze shifts and he is sharing this with the whole subdivision. GRRRRRRRRR

This has been a day of errand running and paper pushing mainly. I picked up some sheet protectors and a new notebook while I was out so got my 9 patch BOM ideas filed away and combined with another smaller notebook of kid quilt ideas. Cleared out the old mail and catalogs that I was just piling up and filed some recipe printouts in the notebook I just emptied. Not sure what I'll do the rest of the evening. Or maybe I do, after all. I saw that they have revamped and reprinted the Mary Ellen Hopkins book "It's Okay If You Sit On My Quilt Book" I have a copy of the old one and will re-visit it.

The Belles will meet tomorrow and MY main plan for the day is to go through the donation box and get things re-organized in our storage space. I know that there are some tops in a lower bin that need to see the light of day but they are hard to get at right now. A couple of the girls want to save "everything" and I want to winnow things down and get it down to one container. If anyone has any objections to my tossing something, then they are welcome to take it home and make something with it. Only fair, right?