Open House

I had great plans for this holiday weekend. We had an open house Saturday afternoon. That meant Lem and I had to get the house in mint condition by 1:00 PM. We got everything done, got the children loaded into the car and headed out to do errands....

I took a few pictures of the house since it was looking good.



I had the table set. It is a lovely view out the back window. Lem and I had planted a few flowers but they aren't blooming much yet. It is a pleasant place to sit and eat.




I only have two place settings of those dishes. That is all they had. Total cost for the plates and placemats was $10.00... The glasses were $2.50 each and the candle holders I picked up at the free shop. Now the candles are another story. They cost $3.50 EACH..... Highway robbery...but they are exactly what I needed to complete the look.

The flowers came from our yard. Some Lilly of the Valley, a few pansies, a couple of sprigs of bleeding heart and a touch of honeysuckle.

That looked so good that I found another votive holder and picked a few more flowers.


A picture of the fireplace.


A view of a clean kitchen.............


Another kitchen view.


Master bedroom cleaned and ready.


And how could I resist another flower arrangement.




Yesterday I recovered from all my efforts on Saturday. Just sat around and enjoyed being with Lem.

Today I worked on my list a bit more. Chores done and once more I spent time in the garage. Robert calls it rearranging the deck chairs on the Titantic. I did pack the items that had found their way to the workbench and we loaded the car with things to go to the transfer station.. Around here you have to take off your own garbage... There are company's that offer that service but the price is a bit high and Lem and I do need something to fill the weekends.

Last week I found a skein of red and a skein of gold Red Heart yarn in the basement. They came upstairs with me and I have been sitting in my chair mindlessly knitting hats and mittens. Pictures tomorrow.

A Finish or Two

I do have a couple of finishes to report so far. I finally finished the Wonder Wallets. There are two in each stack giving me a total of 60 completed.

I have them in a bag and I am letting my friends pick out several for themselves and a friend.



I am counting this as finished even though he needs a button on his ribbon. Now to select the fabric for this month. Peg reminded me that I will soon be late for that block if I don't start soon.




I have also finished another block for Leanne's House... four done five to go.



My 'beside the chair' bag was empty which meant I needed to get some things prepped and ready to stitch for those days when I need to sit.



I finished one of the free designs from Gail Pan. She also has a new Christmas pattern available. All I need to do is stitch the binding and it will be ready to hang.



I enjoyed doing it so much that I traced another one to stitch.





Three months of the Jan Patek 2008 BOM ready to stitch.




I have all four Wonky houses traced and ready to stitch. They were designed by Jenny of Elefantz.


Peace is ready to stitch. It is another Gail Pan design.




And a drumroll please.............. I am ahead on my One a Day Quilt Along inspired by Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Any Help .......

would be appreciated. If you are not sure what this is a picture of, then click on the picture to enlarge....


What, still don't know? It is a plate of brownies.


I have three boxes of cocoa for some reason and I am trying to use it up. I found a recipe for brownies that called for 1/3 cup and that seemed like it would help me with the problem.

The last time i tried brownies I used a box mix. Yes, I did over cook them. Hockey pucks would have been easier to eat.

The recipe said DO NOT OVERCOOK. It also said to cook for 25 to 30 minutes. At the end of 25 minutes I checked... Hmmm.. still rather soupy in the center. 30 minutes I checked. A bit better but still not firm at all. 33 minutes. Still not firm but the edge seems to be VERY firm.

I took them out and they sort of fell in the center. The recipe had icing to put in them and the instructions were to put in while the brownies were hot. So I did. Can you tell they didn't turn out too well. My sister said that perhaps my cocoa was out of date. Who knew that cocoa had a sell by date. I haven't checked that yet and if I do and it is past I am not telling. After all, my sister is always right and why give her one more thing to laugh about......Any suggestions?

Okay, I looked and I could not find a expiration date....... Lem tried a piece and said that it tasted good......I am glad because he has a plate full of them to eat.

We Are...

up early this morning. The realtor called yesterday afternoon and asked if someone could look at the house today at 2:30.

We both get just a bit excited but I am trying not to.

While my husband is really wonderful, he tends to see a problem in everything. Remember they are not coming until this afternoon and I agreed to come home for an hour to make sure all was well but he started putting things away. Like the laundry basket downstairs beside the washing machine instead of in the bathroom where we keep it for convenience. Yes, we will need to put our dirty clothes in it this morning so he had to go back downstairs to get it.

I have been awake since 4:00 AM but did not get up until 5:00. I went upstairs to make sure everything was put away in the studio. He got up earlier than usual and now wants to "get the house" ready. Well, we vacuumed and dusted and did all the laundry on Saturday. Just how bad can it be. Really now.

The dishwasher is running and as soon as I finish this post I will fix lunches and polish the top of the stove. Everything else is really last minute, putting the dog crate and all the dog beds (they have one for each room) in the car. Putting the bedspread for SHOW on the bed with the quilt folded on the bottom . Shining the sink with Sheila Shine. Putting the children in the car and then leaving the house while someone looks at it. They aren't even coming until 2:30 - eight hours from now. Think we can be ready?

Surprise - Surprise

Saturday morning we had a Fed Ex delivery............ Pro Flowers..................

Life is so much easier for us these days. Without even leaving home or even getting dressed to go out you can send your mother flowers direct from Holland...............




Packed so nicely and a card is even enclosed.



They even come with a vase and flower food.


Now I can enjoy them for some time to come.

A Stitch or Two Here and There

I did get a wee bit of stitching done this weekend. I cut out 30 more Wonder Wallets. If all goes well I can get them stitched up this coming weekend.



I also got my fabric together for Judy's Scrap Quilt. I even managed to get started on that project.


Here are the blocks I have put together already. I don't have many brights so it was a stretch to find enough fabric in my stash for this quilt but I finally did.



I can already tell that I am going to enjoy this quilt.

Wee Gifties

I signed on for the Birthday Siggy swap (I did mention earlier that I was a real pushover for siggy swaps).

Since everyone deserves a gift on their birthday so I thought I would enclose a Wonder Wallet with each one.

When I got home from work yesterday I cut out 20 of them. They don't take long to cut and you can get two from one fat quarter. I then sorted them into colors that could use the same thread color. Changing the thread can eat up time. Especially if you have to fill a bobbin too. No I do not have a sidewinder but if anyone gave one to me as a gift I would enjoy using it. I mention this only because sometimes my daughter reads this blog and I thought I could give her a hint.


Here they are, all lined up with the correct thread and pressed and ready to stitch. Time to go downstairs for the evening.


This morning I got 14 of them sewn. Six more to go.


I made these years ago for friends and my Dear Lu asked if I could make a few for her friends too. "Of course", I said but alas I never got it done. I called her last night and suggested she stop by before I mail them off to select the ones she wanted. I will probably make 10 more next week. Tomorrow is breakfast with the girls and mornings are when I can sew.

Saturday I will be in the garage packing up some odds and ends and getting that area looking a bit more spiffy.

Sunday is another open house for us. I keep hoping the Lord will find the right buyer for us but so far He has us treading water for some reason. I understand that He knows best but my human nature is wanting to move NOW.

Finishing

Lately I have been giving much thought to finishing and the importance we place on it.

I will confess that I tend to be a bit compulsive obsessive. Doesn't seem that I have seen a quilt I did not want to make. Fabric makes my heart go pitter pat. The more small pieces a quilt has,
the more my heart flutters.

Thanks to the encouragement from some of my fellow bloggers I will say I am at long last enjoying more finishes and starting fewer projects.

I have finally made my list of the projects I have in the studio. I really go oven the top when anyone offers a B0M or if Judy has a new pattern.

Siggies are another weakness of mine. Below are the first of my birthday siggies. This year I am adding a wonder wallet by Lazy Girl. If you don't have one of these you are missing a real handy item. I am moving right along and have one fourth of them done.





The other day there was nothing prepped in my basket by my chair except this Gail Pan design. You can click her link on the side bar. This is a pattern she offered free. I have no idea at this time what fabric I will use for this stitchery or exactly how it will be finished. A small wall hanging or even a pillow. Only time will tell. I am still counting it as a finish for now.


A few days later I prepped the April block from Gail Pan. I have two of them stitched with fabric but I am not to happy with the choice. It is what I had on hand. I am not going to add the borders to anymore but look for a fabric I like better first.

One of my Long Term Projects is the ubiquitous Grandmother's Flower Garden. I have been working on this since 2005. No, not consistently but every once in a while the muse brings this to mind and I add a few more flowers. Well, all the flowers are done and now we are in the assembly stage. FINISH? I sure do hope to. SOON... Probably not. I am enjoying this adventure. I have gotten pleasure from every stitch I placed in this quilt. I have stitched it at home and on car and plane journeys. This quilt has traveled with me to North Carolina and back more than once. And when it is done I will remember those times while I wrap it around me.


This past weekend I cut all the rest of the strips of fabric for the pathways. Now I can just cut out the hexagon shapes

and iron on the freezer paper. I will be working on this for many more days and nights. But who is in a hurry?


Finishing is nice but so is the journey. I will be much more thoughtful about any project I begin and I will be finishing many more than I start but I will alter my pace and savor the time I spend with my needle much more than ever before.

Another Thing or Two.

I made a few of these little bags with a pocket and a zipper closing. I really do not remember the name of the pattern but I will add it later with a link.

They are easy to assemble and I enjoyed making them. I made one for the Siggy swap mom and one for the designer of the siggy stamp I used.

This one was mailed with my Dear Jane Siggies.


This is the picture Jane drew for me for my Dear Jane Siggy swap. Then I sent it to Carol to be made into a stamp. They are all done and in the mail. Boy am I happy about that.

Before the First of May

I simply MUST finish:

Tisket Tasket Block

Leanne's House Block Six

Birthday Siggies

I am close on all three things but so far I have not crossed the line on anything.

I also looked at my Finishes for the year. I see a few things missing from the list so I need to update that.

We should have good weather this weekend and making some order in the garage is on the top of the list. I should also clear out my car a bit. It seems to collect things that need to be taken here and there and now most of it needs to be unloaded.

I would also like to get some email read and answered. So many things - so little energy.....

I Have Had

just a little hitch in my git-along..............

Several years ago I fell and injured my back. All has been well until the last year. Things have been increasingly worse so we (not the royal we, just myself and spouse) had the Dr. check it out.

Then it was off to The Spine and Pain Clinic of New England. We did a test several weeks ago and another one today. In May I go back for one more try to get the problem resolved.

As many people in America, I am working for health insurance. I have to show up each day but by the time I got home it was just to try anything to get the back to ease off.

That meant not much sewing going on each morning although I did manage to get my siggies made for the Blog Siggy swap and they were mailed out on Tuesday. I haven't been able to get my usual blocks prepped each morning for hand work in the evening.

Fortunately I had already prepped the Noah's Ark blocks and I am pleased to report that they are done and assembled.

Yesterday I was looking around for something else to stitch in the evening and my GFG came to mind. Vickie and I had laid out the flowers and they were all marked and ready to assemble. I now have that beside my chair for a time.

Who knows, perhaps the next treatment will work and I will be back to my old self.