Happy New Year!!

I am sure I am not the only person to say, "I can't believe that this is the last day of 2013!" But, we are there, indeed!! I do not make resolutions, or make any 'out of this world' goals. I'll just try to do my best with what God gave me, EVERYDAY! That is ALL I can do, right?

I am in the sewing room today. Hubby is gone for the day, so I am excited to have NO INTERRUPTIONS!! At least from him, anyway! LOL The phones have been quiet, so I am good there, too! I am working on a queen sized Dresdan Plate, which is a Christmas present for our best friends. Oh well, they will get it soon, just not on Christmas Day! I am machine quilting it myself, working with my new machine I bought just for that purpose. I love my machine! That might seem a little corny to some people, but if you are serious at sewing, I am sure you have the same tendencies!

Well, I am going to get back to my project!

I hope you New Year is wonderful for all of you!

God Bless You!

CM/PA

Uninterrupted week...

Dennis has been away all week. He went to Kansas for a Minister's Leadership Training at Adam Hamilton's church. For all of you non-Methodists... Adam Hamilton is to the Ministry like E.F. Hutton is to the financial world. Everyone listens!! LOL... Dennis is flying home at present.

This week of recuperating and relaxing (or should I say, behaving myself!), has been productive. I made cards which I needed for new babies, birthdays, and a couple I haven't decided whom is receiving them or for what occasion, just yet. But, I'll have them when the need arises! I didn't do any machine sewing/quilting. I don't think my back would have taken all that bending and setting, just yet. The quilt I am working on is a scrappy one. That means, the strips are in my strip drawers and on the floor, meaning I would have to bend over in my chair to reach them. Let me show you what I am working on.

I start out with the strips in the drawers and on the floor... (Sorry the picture is a bit blurry)

Then, I foundation piece, the blocks...

Then... I arrange the layout...

I have yet to start sewing the rows together... that will come in time. At this parsonage, my design wall turned out to be my design floor... so, that means more bending! Not good at this time, like I said before. But, I saw this quilt on Pinterest a few weeks ago and this is my rendition. This will be for my niece. She wants it for her couch to snuggle under this winter. I think this will be the #3 or #4 quilt I have made for her.

I also did some mindless knitting... more dishcloths. They will come in handy for Christmas! I was going to work on my sweater I have in progress, but, I have discovered that I do not have the right size circular  needles. Oh well... off to the quilt shop to get them!! Not that I need an excuse!

And, yesterday, I started on a Fall Wool Penny Rug. This is all hand stitching... I love keeping my hands busy! I'll post a picture when it is finished!

OK... Bye, Bye For now! Have a great night/weekend, all!!

FOOTBALL!!!

I really love Sunday Football Games. Of course, I only watch when the Steelers are playing!                      <3 STEELERS <3  I was really worried for the first part of the game, but, my boys have made a comeback... let's see if they can pull it off! OH NO!!! Another turnover, ending up in a TD for the Bears!! UGH!!! My boys had better get busy playing some serious football!! Less than 4 minutes to the end of the game! It doesn't look good! But, I'll never give up on my boy team!

Since I have been laid up for the last few days, I am happy that Dish Network is having the Encore channels FREE this month! Love it! Yesterday and today, I watched most of the North and South mini-series. I missed a few of the earlier parts... but, I enjoyed it so much, that I have ordered the entire mini-series on DVD from Amazon. Can't wait to get them. I'll be watching it again as soon as I get it in the mail!

I haven't been able to get up to my sewing to actually sew yet since my back treatment. Too sore to bend or set for any length of time. I did get to spend about an hour up there yesterday. I started on my Christmas cards. I think they'll turn out beautifully! I am cutting and stamping now. Next step will be assembly. We send out over 100 cards, so this way it will be much cheaper for us and more special for those who receive them.

OK... time to close. Last 2 minutes of the game... only problem is the Bears has possession of the ball. They'll just leave the timer run down. GAME OVER due to that!!

Night!

Happy Fall, Y'All!!

Fall is here!! That is for certain. I am not sure how happy I am about that. Don't get me wrong, I love Fall! The colors, the cooler temps, the smell of the air. But, I am not sure I want the warmer temps to go away just yet. I am not ready to get out the warmer, heavier clothes or put my sandals away. But, it is what it is. And, I will rejoice in the days that the Lord has made, and be glad!

I am ready to get back to my knitting. I have a sweater started (from the Spring knitting classes), that has been in ZZZZ-Land all summer with good intentions. It was just too warm to be messing with wool! I need to get it finished though... I want to be wearing it soon!! My other projects, as in a shawl and a scarf, will be next in line.

I have been quilting this summer... I have made 2 queen sized quilt tops. They both need to be quilted by the long arm machine, which won't be me doing that! One (the Dresdan Plate made from my stash), will be a Christmas present for our best friends. The Turning Twenty, done in mints, chocolates and creams, will be the new quilt for the guest room here at the parsonage. I have a Scrappy String Quilt in progress. It is beautiful and I am in a hurry to get it done! I think it will be going to my niece. She wants it for a couch quilt. There are many wool projects that I want to get done, also. So, needless to say... I'll not run out of things to do!

I bought blank cards today that I will be making into our Christmas cards this year. Now, I have the cards, the stamps, and the ink and other papers are coming. I do need to make up a sample so I can figure out the layout, etc. That will be the fun part!

Have a great day!

God Bless...

Errands and ME time!!

I am headed out for a few errands, then I will be making a detour to the local quilt & yarn shop for some ME time. I hope to find some needed inspiration! Hopefully, I'll find it there! After my outing, I am going to retreat to my quilting studio for a little creation time! I made a table runner a few weeks ago for my dining room table and absolutely love it! Now, I want to move on to something else! Maybe another runner... we'll see! I have a pattern for a Dresdan Star, and I think that will make a fabulous runner or wall hanging! Of course, the possibilities are endless!

Have a great day!!!

Mid to late July ALREADY!!! GEEZ!!!!!

I can hardly believe how fast the summer is flying by! Yes, it is hot and humid here in my neck of the woods... and I am not complaining because it is better than the cold and colder temps we will be having in another 3-4 months! The local county fair is next week, which means (for us) that summer is officially over. Once the fair comes and the kiddo's go back to school, it's all over!

I have taken a break from my more serious knitting projects, talking about my sweater and shawl. I have been doing some mindless knitting as in dish cloths. I have been busy making greeting cards, though. And, I do want to make my own Christmas cards this year, so I really should start deciding on stamps, punches, layout and the color. We send out over 100 cards so that means I'll have my work cut out for me! I love giving Christmas cards!

We had a few mini vacations this summer... Washington DC with our grandson, couple of days with friends, etc. FUN, FUN!! But, I am ready for a longer vacation, maybe next year... Let's go west!!!!! Who knows, it could happen!!

Rantings over... Have a great day!

A bit of this, a bit of that!

My day was a little filled with bits of this and that today. First; oil change and tries rotated on my vehicle. Then off to knitting class, which I was behind on my homework. I felt bad, but, it happened! So, will be working to get my sweater finished on memory of the directions from the instructor. But, I can email her for updates, which is very nice of her. OK, moving on... side trip to an antique/primitive decor store, which I found a few goodies! 2-100% American Flags, which I brought home and immediately coffee stained. Though, I want it a little darker, so I need to find some Rit Dye. (That's harder than I thought because not very many stores carry it anymore!) I also bought an old wooden crate at the antique place, that I will be hanging on my bathroom wall and using it as a shelf. Stopped for a small pizza which I brought home for dinner, then off to my quilt guild meeting. After all that, I really enjoyed my cup of hot tea on the patio when I got home!

Make the best of the day you are given!

It has been raining for several days now, and I love that because it gives me time in my sewing room. So, another quilt is in the works!! This one is a scrappy one. I am trying to use SOME of my strips! I know this will not even make a dent in them, but it will be a start!

The flowers in my patio garden are beginning to bloom. I am hoping that the new flowers bring in some hummingbirds. I have been 'impatiently' waiting on them since we moved here. I will wait, and continue to keep the feeders fresh.

Bedtime here, so goodnight all.

May Days are almost gone!!

It is hard to believe that we will be flipping the calendar to June soon! The time is flying by and our summer dates are getting filled up with picnics, weddings, family reunions, church activities, etc. I hope it goes by slowly... I want the spring/summer to remain here as long as possible!

The weather has cooperated with the season, meaning it was beautiful and warm  today. We have been flipping between the heat and the AC, it has been crazy! Downright cold for several days, then very warm to hot for the next several days! Mother Nature is having a hard time making up her mind this year, as to what she wants to do!

I have been working on so many projects... knitting, my hexies (Grandmother's Flower Garden Quilt), and my new primitive wall hanging I am making for my living room. There is not enough time in a normal day! But, I try to work on all 3 each day, and I am making progress. And, I fit in some reading at bedtime in there, too!

All the work we put into the flower garden and landscaping last year when we first moved here has been paying off. The plants are coming up so full and with many flower buds... I can set back (while working on my projects, and watch the colorful show as they bloom. The bird feeders have been having lots of activity, as well. I have my hummingbird feeder out, but have yet to see even one hummingbird. I am hoping as the flowers bloom, the hummers will come! I guess I need to lay out a red tablecloth or something to really attract them in. We also have several resident rabbits and a few squirrels, too. I do enjoy them all!

Have a great day/evening/night!

Wednesday...

I am trying to get the carpets scrubbed here at the Parsonage. I have the fireplace room and the hallway done, along with half of the living room. I am trying to get the gumption to finish the living room, but it is hard to find today! Thank you, God, that the bedrooms are hard wood!! Such a blessing!

Season Finale's!

Tonight, I watched the season finale of NCIS and NCIS: LA... I am really confused on NCIS as to just where they are going with their story line. On the NCIS: LA... the ending is just creeping me out a bit! Such sadistic minds... I hope I don't have nightmares over this!! But... now I have to wait till SEPTEMBER!!! UGH!!!!

It's FRIDAY!!

I love Friday's... sleeping in, being a little lazy, and having my tea on the patio (if the weather permits me).

Today's To-Do's... finishing the Dresdan quilt top... "Blades of Stash". I am excited to get this done because ALL OF IT was from my fabric stash... even the back. I really want to BUST my stash as much as possible and finish some of the UFO's that fill up another shelf.

Though, before I can do this, I need to get to bed!!