Tuesday check-in

You know how they say if things sit in the same spot long enough they become part of the landscape?  Well, these containers are getting close!  Earlier this summer a friend of some of the Belles had come to visit our quilt group and brought these containers.  I/we did not go through them at the time, probably because we were all off for lunch and then home.  We were not there long  at the last meeting so I tossed these in the car. I wanted to see just what is in there and if it can be put to use for the donation quilts.  I peeked in the top one and THINK there might be some yardage AKA possible backing fabric.  I keep thinking that I will dig in--kinda like opening a Christmas package---but a week later, I still haven't done so.  There is nothing much that I care to watch on TV tonight so maybe this is the day after all.

I've been busy but that is almost always the case.  I've laundered everything that needs laundered in the last two days including the dog bedding and toys, inside and outside locales.  Errands were run, groceries bought and menu ideas posted.   I've tried to do some picking up and cleaning around here but I still need to dust off the fan blades in the kitchen, sweep for the umpteenth time and mop.  We have had some cooler nights so I finished putting away the rest of the summer clothing and drug out the long sleeved shirts, jeans and pj's.  Of course, now we are going into a slight warming trend for a few days and I may wish some things were still more accessible.

Oscar did NOT like me being back in the bedroom while he was stuck out in the living room all by himself.  I HAD thought about doing a winnowing down of the things I had not used this season but not with him whimpering.   Actually BOTH Skyler and Oscar are being more needy lately.  Skyler wants to sleep with me again rather than stay out on the couch or wherever he parks overnight.  Of course, with my problems sleeping that is not a good idea.  Licking, scratching, anything but sleeping ---him, not me, LOL.  Oscar keeps wanting to go walk--at least I think that is why he keeps whining.  He's out and wants in or in and wants out?  I'm okay with it to a point as I need to keep moving too but this morning he wanted to go both BEFORE and AFTER I had trudged 2.5 miles and again 2 hrs later.  Neither can stand it when I pay attention to the other one though Oscar is worse about that than Skyler.  Skyler snuggles up next to me on the couch only when Oscar is in bed or out doing his business.  I almost look forward to going to walk as it is 45 plus minutes that neither of them is whining or yowling at me---something I do just for me.  SIGH.

 I even had a day of "binge" cooking last week.   My version of Pimento cheese spread, Health Nut Bagel topping, Apricot Cheese loaf but doubled it to two loaves since I had the extra bag of dried apricots and box of chopped dates on hand.  Some I shared with the neighbors and the rest went in the freezer as I think I am taking it with me to that retreat I'm going to soon.  I had bananas to use up including some stacked up in the freezer so did up a batch up of Pearson House Hummingbird Muffins before I did the bread.  Doubling the Cheese Loaf left me short one egg but Miss Kathryn came to my rescue.  I traded her a fresh baked muffin for an egg.  I know she wouldn't let me give her the egg back as we went that route with an onion the week before, LOL.  A little nosh, she would do.  Lastly, I did a Mexican version of Cheeseburger Soup subbing some leftover from Santa Fe Salad fire roasted corn and black beans for the potatoes and using some chili powder, oregano and cumin instead of the seasoning called for and dumped in the half bottle of black and corn salsa I had on hand and a small can of chopped green chiles.  There is probably a recipe for someting like it but I was just winging it--pretty good but I am not sure how the leftovers will freeze/thaw.

I may be baking some cookies tomorrow to take to retreat but haven't decided for sure.  There are any number of options available for that enterprise but I am leaning towards Oatmeal Toffee if I do decide to bake.   I have heard there are 42 attendees so there will probably be plenty of snacks and goodies around without it.  The first day they are providing the noon meal but you are on your own or brown bag it the other two.  It should be a fun time!

I did manage to get two more blocks done on the Quatrefoil quilt top this past weekend but not without making a few silly piecing errors along the way.  I have done this wrong THREE times in the course of piecing of this stinkin' top.  The right side lined up so nicely too---but of course, wrong!  Yesterday it was obvious that I was not going to get anything more done of the top even through the 3rd row of 4 was complete.  I packed up the car for the retreat.  One less thing to worry about while I try to clean up the tracked strings and fluff.  I'll have plenty of time to finish this top and then what do I want to sew on next??

I have been following along with the Farmer's Wife 30's Sampler stuff.  There are 99 6 inch finished blocks in this one.  I have the Farmer's Wife Inspired 20's Sampler started--like 30 block of 111 in but have not touched it for what three years???  So I am more collecting patterns and most specifically the Marti Michell conversion sheets more than the tutorials on Angel Gnome's site.   Both of these endeavours are based on the books by Laurie Aaron Hinds and the letters written to the Farmer's Wife Magazine.  I love the letters in the first (the 20's) book but have not really had time to dive into the 30's one and the Depression Years.  I love 30's prints and do have quite a few in my accumulated stash so this might be where they find a home one day.  There or in a couple half done quilt tops!   It is fun to see the finished blocks that the facebook group has come up with using their own fabric choices but I'm not ready to join in just yet.  Still thinking about ideas for leftover donation challenge fabrics, I guess.

 Here are a couple links if you want to see what I am talking about.

Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt Sew-a Long on Angel Gnome

They are currently 7 blocks in--click on the block images to get to the tutorials
Angel Gnome Tutorials

From Marti Michell Conversion Charts on her blog

Of course owning the book as reference is a must or the conversion charts don't mean a thing!  I think this is an ebook format  HERE.

My mom called last night and she had put aside the cleaning out and going through her quilting reference materials to sew.  Apparently something caught her eye and she was doing "how would this look?", resizing and whatever and now she is translating that to cloth.  Send a picture if you get a chance, Mom, so I can better visualize what you are up to!

I've been reading a bit.  Recent finishes were Jasmine Moon Murder and Chamomile Mourning in the Laura Childs Teashop Mysteries Series, the latest one #11 in the Bellingwood Series Look Forward Always by Diane Greenwood Muir and Death Comes to London (Kurland St. Mary #2) by Catherine Lloyd.   Some days it is all I can do to get through the local paper.  I also have a big fat book from the bookmobile that I should be reading and just cracked it at supper time  Jan Karon's Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good.  I enjoyed the previous books in the series over the years and see that there is another one after this one just released in Sept. 2015 called Come Rain or Come Shine.  

And sew it goes 'round here--never enough hours in the day to do everything I should do or want to do.  It is 7 pm now and Oscar is still whining and apparently thinks we should go do "walkies" yet again as he keeps running to the car port door.  I am not giving in--it is dark out, cooling down and I do NOT want to put my shoes back on.  We three need to be getting into slowing down and relaxing mode!   Skyler gets it, while Oscar apparently does not.  Back door and out just lead to a bark attack an hour ago.

Oh the across the road neighbor cut down a large cedar that was blocking one of her garage lights.  Then she was replacing bulbs in her set of two flood lights, like a quadruple shot of bright lights shining through the blinds and the back deck lights on as well.  Oh goodie!  I did not make that light blocking cover for the blinds any too soon.  Her house is lit up like runway lights while the other house that used to do the same thing (still up for sale all these months later) has dialed it back, most nights, all night long and even into the daylight hours.  Glad I'm not paying their electric bills!

Okay done rambling.  I'm going to see what's in those containers.  Who know--there might be something that will work for Quadrefoil.