Update

The last 10 days have been a blur of activity.............  A week ago Friday Jason and Kim came for dinner.  I fixed chicken pastry.......  No, I did not roll my own.  Yes, I do know that it is so much better but time did not permit.....  In fact it was a last minute decision and threw together just what I had in the freezer..........

A week ago Saturday was the baby shower.........  I finally got the gifts wrapped and ready and myself dressed and away we went.  Teresa is an exceptional hostess and it was a delightful event........  My first family baby shower in over two decades and a good time was had by all..........

I spent the rest of the week in home chores.......  I got more pictures hung.....  Just a few more feathers in the nest........  When I hang groupings or pictures that must be hung side by side I cut out the shape on freezer paper and mark where the hanging wire would be........  Then I can tape them to the wall to get them exactly as I want them to be.............

When they are hung they come out nice and even..............I got the four seasons hung in the hallway.

And the Welcome that Joyce made as a 50th anniversary gift for my parents hung in the guest room....

Mama had these Williamsburg Prints hanging in her dining room for a long time.....  I put them over the bed in the guest room...... I don't have bedspread or dust ruffle for this room yet so pillow cases to match a quilt will have to suffice.....  No need to do it all at once....  After all, little and often fill the pot.....

Last week at this time we were on the way to meet Jean and Bill........  We met them in Danville which is half way for each of us..........  We needed to replace the poinsettias with spring flowers....

Rebekah had come on Sunday and she went with us to Danville.  Then Rebekah and I spent the rest of the week baking and planning............  We baked 2 cakes, three batches of scones, two kinds of cookies, homemade rolls and biscuits.........  We visited with neighbors, knitted on our socks and talked with people stopping by to visit with us............
Saturday was Amanda and Matthew's house warming.........  Another grand time had by all.........

Now this week I must tackle the work in the yard.........  Maybe I will remember to take more pictures....

So Far

So far today I have gotten a few things accomplished.........  I got the mirrors hung in the bathroom........

A picture hung in the family room.............

A picture of the dining room furniture...........

And a grouping completed in the stairway off the breakfast nook.  The wall hanging on the right is one I appliqued several years ago.........

The clock was from a kit that Lem gave to me for Mother's Day in 1985.....
The picture under it is cross stitch and I purchased it yesterday when we stopped at the antique shop.

The dough tray is one my Mother used to make biscuits for years.  Then Papa put it on legs and she used it for years for many different things from a fruit bowl as I have it to a magazine rack..........  How wonderful it is to have those childhood memories around............

Wreath Hung

Well, I did get one thing done even if it is not on my list of things to get done.............

I got the wreath hung on the front door......

Tuesday morning is Bible Study....  I do all that I can not to miss that........... 

This week I needed to stop and pick up a few items while I was in town so I did not get home to fix lunch till 1:00  PM...........We ate quickly because I needed to spiff the house for Movie Night.........

Joyce called to say that John would be able to help us get the dining room furniture......  They got here about 5:00.  I called and the store said that they would stay open for us..........  It took longer than I realized it would (as usual) so I made a few calls to change Movie Night to 7:00....... 

I will post furniture pictures later.................

We had a grand time talking and watching the movie..........  There was popcorn and chips and chocolate and drinks.............. 

Carol was with us...........

And Marilyn and Fleming........

And Jane and Georgina..... 

We did pause the movie a few times for intermission and to chat......  What a great way to get together.

A Wee Bit of Progress

But a few steps in the wrong direction..........

I needed a few snaps and buttons to finish my wee gifts and I had an opportunity to get to Greenville for some shopping.........  Jane and I had lunch at the Olive Garden........A favorite of ours........... 

I found my snaps and buttons and some curtain rings........  The curtain rings were marked down to 50cents each and are great knitting markers..........

We checked out The Pottery and I found a wreath for the front door........  Now to go upstairs for the hanger and get it put up..........

After we got home it was good to just sit and visit for awhile...........

John and Joyce were our riding their bikes and stopped for a visit.........  If it doesn't rain today John is going to help us get our dining room furniture from Greenville.

I could wait no longer and cast on a baby sock.  I found this pattern online last week and I was anxious to get it started............ 

I did manage to get the coleus planted.  This is a pot that was left over from last year.  I am surprised that it is still alive but we have had a mild winter....  We will see how well it grows.  At least the coleus is safe till I get the pine straw down and find a better place to plant it...........

I got the bulbs from Lem's parents house planted.....  I am not sure what they are........  It was hard to tell this past winter so this will be a nice surprise....... Those two white sticks are knives from the cutlery packets that came with our church dinners this past year.....  They work well for plant markers......Just write the name on them with a Sharpie...........

I

I also got my dozen petunias in the ground........  Now I need two dozen more for the rest of the front.....

Now off to my Tuesday morning Bible Class.........  After which I need to rush home and do a bit of home blessing.....  Tonight in Movie Night and the girls in the neighborhood will be here for popcorn and drinks...

This Week I Need To

Finish hanging some pictures in the house........  Some in the guest bathroom, some in the guest room and some in the hallway.......  Must be done before Friday..........  Rebekah will be coming for a visit and I will need to get all this off the guest bed and get the room ready for company........  Also I need to wrap my wee gifts for the shower on Saturday...  I am really looking forward to the shower....Teresa is the hostess and she is just great at this sort of thing........  It will be good to see her and other family and friends.........

Flowers need to be planted........  You can buy them and bring them home but they need to be planted if you want them to grow.........  Lem and I also need to go to Jason's to rake pinestraw........  Maybe we can schedule that on Wednesday......

Button hole band needs to be knitted on the baby sweater........

And snaps need to be added to the wee dresses........ 

I am also knitting some dishcloths for a few friends, hand quilting the GFG.........  It is coming along nicely by the way...  I might even get it done this year........  Wouldn't that be grand..........

Well, enough for now.....  I am going to start putting my Lucinda's Gift quilt together..........

Design Wall Monday

This is it.......  Still working on it...........  I have two rows of ten together.  I might even get the rest put together this week...........Judy at Patchwork times has other design walls on display.  Lots of inspiration can be found HERE

A Thing or Two New

Joyce came by Thursday afternoon and we headed off to the Pottery Barn in Greenville........
There was a sale at the Fox and the Hound Antique shop next door and of course we checked that out.  I found a few things there but first look at the bird Joyce found at the Pottery.............

Isn't he just the perfect thing to fill that little corner under the window?

I got a few pictures hung and unpacked some milk glass items that were my mothers........  The soup tureen was a gift to Lem's grandmother......

One of the things I found at the Fox and the Hound was this clock.......... 

And a couple of rabbits to mark the Easter Season in the foyer..........

We also found some dining room furniture and a side table......  Lem and I went back yesterday to pay for them but I will have to wait till I can find someone with a truck to help me move them........

All in all it was a successful adventure.

Now to finish the bullion roses I am putting on my baby dress..........

Online Again

We hopefully have our internet back up and running again.  It will be nice if it works better than the last internet service we had worked.............  Time will tell.......

I have been trying to stay focused on one thing at a time but it is difficult for me to do that.........  I can come up with ideas for more projects than I can find time to execute them.

I had been using Lucinda's gift as a leader/ender project but found another leader/ender project so I started finishing those blocks.........  No that quilt was not on my list of current projects but I decided I could clear it out quicker if I worked on in exclusively.....

All the center blocks were done.

Now all the edge blocks are completed......................

And at last I have it on the design wall........... 

I started sewing it together yesterday but ran out of full bobbins..........  I need to clean The Duchess before I fill more bobbins and sew with her again..........  It is just as well, I have three baby shower gifts to complete before the 24th..........

Today I hope to get some bulbs planted and some yard work done.....  Time will tell.

TaDa

Here it is..............  I added a narrow green border to give some contrast to the cream border and then a narrow cream border for contrast with the hourglass border.............

I am going to take the hourglass borders off and trim down the cream border.  It seems to pull a bit and the center does not lay flat as it should......  That should solve the problem...........

Yes, that will be added effort but it is necessary to get a good finished product...........  No sense in rushing it and not having something I can be proud of...............

I Need a Second Opinion........

This is the Round Robin I am working on......  I have added the log cabin border and the next one is an hourglass border.   I have the border almost complete and realize that I will need to add a spacer border so that it will fit..............  I have put in a red fabric on the right and a green fabric on the left.........

Close up of the red.......

Closeup of the green...............

Red.................

Green.............

Which one should I use................

A Bit of This and That.....

Joyce came by early today and it was warm enough to sit on the porch to have our tea....  She helped me trim Wade Hamilton........  Please remember that neither of us knew exactly what we were doing so the poor puppy looks like he got caught in a weed eater..........

Well, it will grow.........  At least he is too small to see himself in a mirror and it hasn't dampened his spirit at all.

I began working on the third border of my stay at home round robin being hosted by Sunny of Quilting dreams.........  It was supposed to be a log cabin border and it took me quite some time to decide exactly what to do.........  I finally came up with a plan...........  Drafted my block.........

Got out my basket of fabrics and began.............

A wee bit of cutting and I was ready to sew once more............

Voila!!!!!!!!!!!!

The contrast between the log cabin blocks and the other border fabric is not quite so stark in real life..  Joyce and I discussed putting some applique on the plain parts but I am wondering if I should leave them for some nice feathers when it is quilted............ 

The next border we are to add incorporates hourglass blocks or pinwheels..........  Since I made that for this border in error I have a good start on the next border.....  I might catch up with the rest of the group yet.  VBG

A Stitch or Two

I got the corner cleared out in the studio and I now have The Nativity all set up and I am ready to stitch...............


But first I want to make a couple of smocked dresses for a niece that is having a little girl in March.....

It has been a long time since I have done any smocking............. I couldn't find any batiste around here so I called Murray's in Orleans and they mailed it to me............ It finally arrived......


I found my pattern and brought the pleater downstairs....... It is just great to be able to go upstairs and find the things I need right away....... When I finish unpacking and organizing the attic it will be much better.


I had forgotten how long it took to get a dress ready to pleat but here it is.........all ready...........



I actually got the smocking done last night while we watched the Nascar race.................


Now to smock the second one and get both of them ready to sew together........

Today is my Bible study day and after that I have errands and when I get home we will need to go to the grocery store............ Another busy day planned with no stitching...........