If I am not enjoying the studio then I can enjoy the kitchen.......... I asked Jason and Kim for dinner last night since I would be cooking a ham..... I planned to give the kitchen a thorough cleaning yesterday also. Needless to say, that did not happen......
I had my list and I still did not finish with everything.....
I like to keep jello on hand...... It is great with a sandwich at lunch..... The last time I made jello it did not jell... How can you mess up Jello..... Well, I did............ The refrigerator has been full and I have not made any for a couple of weeks....... I got some ready yesterday. I also did some pudding for Lem but he ate all of it before I got the picture made..........
I had to boil eggs for the potato salad so I boiled a few more for deviled eggs........ Another easy thing to make that adds a touch to lunch...... We eat a lot of eggs these days.......
Of course I got the potato salad finished............
And I made a Blackberry Wine cake for Jason....... This as you can see did not go too well...... It still tasted good... I got the recipe from Judy at Patchwork times. You can find it here .
The collards were washed and ready to cook later......
No picture of the ham because it was spiral cut and I took the bone out before I baked it to use in cooking the collards....... It was a grand meal............
This is what was outside the window this morning......... Another Glorious Day to Praise the Lord.....
I finished the assembly of the Guild Quilt.......... Now if the backing comes in time I can get it layered Wednesday and quilted next week.............
I have also finished the assembly of Lucinda's Gift........... This is a quilt along I joined last year..... I would like to have circular feathers quilted in each color and cream section....... I can't spend that money right now so this top will go into my "To Be Quilted" drawer. There are two tops in there now..........
This are the quilt block I won at the guild last year...... I need to get them assembled into a quilt... I am going to try to play with electric quilt for a bit to come up with a setting......... I have never used my electric quilt and perhaps now is the time.....
But first I will need to do some work in the house and spread some mulch in the yard and mow the grass.....
I even got two new toys this weekend to help with the yard work.................
I really don't know where the time goes......... I seem to stay busy but accomplish so little.
Lu, here is the picture I promised you............... Last Friday we went to Yoder's for breakfast. They also have a feed and farm supply store where I purchased a hat to wear in the garden..... I told Lem that I needed a riding lawnmower to ride on while I wore my hat........ This is what he came home with..... It will be put to good use as the lot is one acre and Lem has such allergies that the mowing falls to me.....
I did get the grass cut and I have been watching it grow........ Looks like I will need to do it again soon..
Our Guild is making quilts for the new Veteran's Home that will be opening here soon..... I ordered some
two and a half inch strips from Keepsake Quilts in Salute colors................ They came with an easy quilt pattern....
In between cooking and cleaning and visiting with guest I did manage to get them all cut.................
And sewn and pressed..............Now I have to finish putting together the quilt that is on the design board so that I can get that one on............ I plan to chip away on that project today in between tasks.........
Yesterday Marilyn and I went to Bojangles for breakfast and then to get our nails done.... There is a new gel polish that fills in the ridges in your nails...... I have one that splits so she put acrylic on that one but the rest are just gel........ It does not last as long as acrylic but it does cost a lot less.......... I promised Lu a picture of my nails so here it is...................
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 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............
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.
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...........
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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...
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..........
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
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..........
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.
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...............
