Babies

Stitches and Sissy love Hog Man!

 

Baby pigs, puppies and now a kitten.  A very young kitten.  A too young to be weaned from mother kitten came to the house Sunday evening late.  I heard it meowing out in the field behind the house earlier that day then when a thunderstorm came up it came running to the house.  It is tame. Purrs like some kind of machine.  It laps milk well -- very good.  And it can eat cat food.  But too young to survive without some care.  So here we go.  Hog Man is not fond of kitties to begin with and certainly not in the house.  He grumbles a little.  It's been two days.  Grow fast kitty!  Oh, and DGD Aimee and I decided "Stitches" would be a good name for her.  Yes, she is female.  Oh, there he goes grumbling again.  LOL 


The puppies are growing.  And as you can imagine they don't stay in the kiddie pool anymore.  So Hog Man made them a pen from a cattle panel that has smaller wires and they cannot escape.  We've started them on puppy food.  A few have been given names.  There's Roman, Opal, Jet, Diva (just imagine why), Diamond, Whiney (always whining when the rest are asleep) and the rest I don't remember what the grands named them -- not that it matters.  Their owners will give them new names when they are adopted.  In just a few more weeks.  I am counting down.  LOL

This has not been a really hot summer but I am ready for fall.  There is something restful about cooler temperatures and the beautiful blue skies of autumn are a sight to behold.  Speaking of the sky--we have had some beautiful sunsets lately and the clouds and blue sky at times have been so pretty. 

Yesterday I was invited to go shop at United Notions/Moda. I had never been in their warehouse before.  It was too much to take in.  Everyone of their employees were very helpful and courteous.  And their facilities were 5 stars.  The FABRIC!  I tried not to drool.  It's a good thing the bolts are wrapped in plastic.  ; )

The WCQG quilt show is coming up next weekend!  Lots to do. 

Blessings and happy quilting,

Done is a very good thing!

There's my sewing buddy in the top of the picture.  She will come and stay with me in the sewing room when I'm sewing.  Awwww.  And she snores, too. LOL

The piano key border is on and it's done!  I love this pattern.  : )   It measures approximately 72 1/2 by 82 1/2 inches.  And guess what?  With the trimmings from the piano keys and the extra 1 1/2" squares I am well on my way to starting another one!  I loved how the piano key border went on like a glove.  No adjusting seams just a small amount of easing.  But I squared up my blocks and that does make a difference.  I messed up though!  I had the borders all sewn on and laid it out to take a picture.  Took the picture and was uploading the picture.  I kept looking at it thinking something isn't quite right.  Yup.  I had sewn the piano key corners on the wrong direction.  Out came the seam ripper.  It pays to check the picture of your pattern.  ; ) 

The puppies are getting to a cute stage.  Yesterday evening I heard them growling and barking at each other.  I went out to see and sure enough they were playing and beginning to wag their tails.  Two and 1/2 weeks old.  It's been getting in the 100s this last week.  They whine when they get hot. Poor babies.  We have a fan blowing on them 24/7.  Then when that wasn't enough we started putting ice packs in with them and they really like them.  See what you think . . .



Yup, it's going to be time to get new ice packs when these babies get moved outside.

The other two grands are coming soon.  Where's the spinach, Popeye?  They'll enjoy playing with the puppies.  And there will be lots of sewing going on.  : ) 

Happy quilting and blessings,

Tumalo Trail coming along

Sorry for the fuzzy picture I must have moved.  The blocks and sashing are all sewn and the red inner border.  I have started cutting and sewing the piano keys.  I am loving this!

The two youngest grandchildren visited us this past weekend.  We really enjoyed having them.  Their innocence is refreshing and entertaining! 

I don't think  I have mentioned that our dog, Ruby, had puppies.  It was an unplanned pregnancy with one of the male dogs that lives down the road who jumped our fence.  There are seven.  Six black ones like him and one that looks like a border collie like her.  They are sweet and the grands loved seeing them.  That is the one redeeming thing.   We have them in the garage with a fan because it is so doggone hot in the afternoons.  They are going outside very soon now. 

We still have grasshoppers by the hundreds.  They eat my tomatoes off the plants as soon as they're almost ready to start turning red.  I step on as many as I can!  This has not been a good year for raising a garden.  The squash were killed by squash bugs and the cucumbers and jalapenos bloomed but no fruit. What?  I've never had this happen. Someone suggested that we might not have enough bees to pollinate. 

Hog Man had another litter of pigs born over the weekend. 

Happy quilting and blessings,

Scrappy Goodness

 

 

Before I went to guild meeting Saturday morning I laid out the blocks and sashing for Tumalo Trail, Bonnie Hunter's pattern from her book Scraps and Shirttails II.  This week I have been sewing all the rows together and then joining each row.  I have two more rows to go!  This view doesn't do it justice. There will be a small red border that goes on next and then a piano key border which I haven't even started cutting out yet.   The grands are coming so I need this bed.  That was my push to get this done.  If I laid them out I didn't want to have to pick them back up un-sewn.  ; ) 

 

 

 

This little quilt loaded on the frame is all made from scraps and is a pattern from MaryQuilts.com and is called 4 Patches on the Diagonal.    

 

 



I really tried to rotate this picture and I have given up! 

And here is another one I put together recently.  This I decided to use all blue for the triangles because Hog Man thought the first one was to o busy.  I like both.  These will be C.A.S.A. quilts for my contribution to our Kraz-z Quilters project.  I probably have enough four patches sewn to make a couple more little quilts.  And I keep more 2"squares cut out by my sewing machine to sew as leaders and enders as Bonnie Hunter does.

Happy quilting and blessings,
Catering Quilter

Down but not out

I have been missing.  On the internet.  Not intentional--but due to computers around here needing repair.  One is up and running the other is history.  Amazingly I got a lot done or it seems like I got a lot done without the distraction of the internet or spider solitaire.  : )  

Let's see I got DD Amanda's Dresden quilt completely quilted and bound the last week of June.  Hog Man and I delivered it last week one day and it fits her bed.  Happy Dance!

I had the strangest feeling when we got in the car and drove away.  I felt sadness.  I can't explain it.  I was so happy to have it done and for her to have it but at the same time I felt a loss.  Like something significant was no longer a part of my life.  I know -- WEIRD!  I guess when you bond with something for several years you can't help but experience loss when it's gone.  : )

Enough of that!  Onward and upward.  We had some wonderful cooler weather last week.  Cool as in upper  50's and 60's for overnight lows and 80's for highs.  Unheard of around in these parts for June in Texas.  I got outside and worked in the yard.  I weeded my round brick planter that is home to the irises and tulips.  I edged the sidewalks.  I trimmed with the weed eater.  I cleared an area that briars always want to take over.  It was rejuvenating to work in the cool temps.  We have a BIG yard.  And we (Hog Man does because I am a chicken about mowing a slope on the riding mower and working around traffic!) keep the bar ditch mowed outside our fence because the county only mows it maybe twice during the season.  I did chop down the tall Johnson grass that had sprung up with the last rains we have had.  Long story made shorter--it is looking better around here!  If only it would stay that way.  It's kinda like bathing a child or cleaning house--you do it over and over again.  : )

My friend, Priscilla, lives part of the year here and part of the year in Colorado.  They had to evacuate because of fires in her area.  Their cabin is still safe but fires are burning in a national forest near their town.  Her loss our gain kind of thing.  She is missing out on her friends up there and the cooler mountain temps but I have enjoyed having her back.  She and I decided to go sew with the Paradise ladies the last Saturday of June.  There were 13 of us in the fellowship hall sewing away.  So fun.  I took my blocks from Bonnie Hunter's quilt pattern from her book Scraps and Shirttails II and I got four more blocks sewn together.
You can see them here.   I have continued cutting  scraps and sewing this week and now have 29 blocks sewn with two more laid out to sew.  I need a total of 42 blocks and then the sashing and piano key borders.   Everyone I show these blocks to love it.  What is it about small scrappy blocks that make us smile?

It is the season for show pigs to be born for next year's shows.  Hog Man has two litters so far.  One litter of blue butts and one hampshire.  So for the next few months there will be baby pigs making their way into the world.  It is a challenge to keep the mothers cool when the temps are in the 100's like this week.

Happy quilting and blessings,
Catering Quilter

Grands have come and gone--Whew!

Note the flour on faces! It was also on the floor.  Thanks to DG Aimee and her mischievousness.  They helped mix up banana bread Thursday.  AND clean up the mess.  ; ) 

Then the two younger grands joined us Thursday evening.  There was lots of giggling and activity!

 

Our son-in-law threw a surprise party for DD Amanda to celebrate her masters degree. He pulled it off which is truly amazing since she is one who likes to know what's going on all the time.  He rented their local pool and got help from friends and family with the food and keeping it quiet.  It was fun and all the kids really had a great time. 

 

  

 

Look at that face! 

The last two went home last night.  I  am relaxing this morning! I think the dishwasher, cook stove, washing machine; not to mention doors (in and out) are relaxing too!  Thank God for dishwashers!  They got to see caterpillars, honey bees in the squash blooms, and even an empty cicada body.  Ewwww!  And with the doors opening and closing (CLOSE that door!) lots and lots of flies!
And of course there was crafting time--paper, markers, scissors (3 yr. olds and scissors, oh my) although there wasn't a problem--no hair cutting or upholstery or clothes.  Or at least I haven't found it yet! It's easy to see the play dough pieces that wound up in the carpet.  No problem--this grandma knows to clean the carpet AFTER not before.  ; )

So my feet are up. I had a relaxing shower.  And I am surfing the internet.  I just might visit you today!

Happy quilting and blessings,
Catering Quilter

A little catching up before

A little catching up before the next round of activity.  Isn't that the way life is?  A snatched moment here and there to put your feet up and relax.  Or to walk outside and listen to the birds or enjoy a sunset.  Before the next thing requires you to go or to come or to unload it or fold or wash it or cook it.  Notice I didn't mention quilting.  That's a welcome chore. ; ) 


This was the sunset on May 28.  Isn't it so pretty?
 

This was right before the sun went below the horizon.


I drove down for my nephew's memorial service this weekend.  I went a day early in order to get my mother to her hearing aid appointment.  She had gotten to where she couldn't hear thunder.  Again.  Bless her heart she drives me CRAZY.  I sure hope I don't do that to my kids someday.  It was recommended that she see an ear, eyes, and allergies doctor.  Do you think that is going to happen? NO  She says she is feeling just fine.  Her blood pressure runs high but oh, no she is not going to no doctor.  She drives me crazy. 

The memorial service was nice.  The slideshow they played was very nice.  I chose not to attend the private burial to avoid any possible family issues.   Mother decided to go to the memorial service.  I was glad she did.  It all turned out just fine.  If was a relief. 

I was almost into Winters on Friday morning when I came upon these combines
going down the road.  It is wheat harvest time.  Mother and I saw them harvesting in the fields around Rowena and Miles on our way to San Angelo for her appointment.

This is a wheat field east of Winters, Texas.

I have picked a few zucchini and I will cook some for our evening meal today.  We have more green tomatoes coming on the plants.  There are blooms on the cucumbers and little yellow squash. 

The grands are coming!  We will have all four later this week.  I can't wait to see them playing together.  Our house will be a flurry of activity.  Right now I am soaking up the quiet.  LOL 

Happy quilting and blessings,
Catering Quilter

More progress

I have been hand quilting more on the Dresden.  I have two sides and two corners completely done.  : )  It's getting done -- just not as fast as I'd like.  Who am I kidding?  This IS hand quilting and it's not meant to be fast.  : ) 

Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed remembering all the quilting projects I have going.  But I stop and tell myself--they will get done and it's okay.  Enjoying the process is it.  Sometimes I enjoy some processes more than others.  But I always learn something. 

Last Wednesday at Kraz-z Quilting Club I got out one of the sewing machines that had been donated to our club by some very nice folks after the building burned that we were meeting in.  That morning early I had cut 10" squares from an old sheet.  I had some strips of fabric that I put in a basket thinking of making a string quilt.  The week before we had been talking about string quilts and one of our new members didn't know what a string quilt was.  I showed how to sew the strips on the 10" squares.   I came home and cut enough 10" squares to make another small quilt and will take this week.  I brought the second sewing machines home after discovering that it was very sluggish.  I asked Hog Man to look at it.  He got it to going after using penetrating oil and then sewing machine oil to oil everything really well.  He tried and tried to get the bobbin winder to work and it is just couldn't get to free up completely.  So now we have two machines working!  Two people can sew at the same time.  Yay!  Very helpful when the quilt on the frame is almost complete and only a few have a space to quilt.
 
I have more little green tomatoes and LOTS of little zucchini.  The jalapeno plants have blooms and I am waiting for blooms to appear on the yellow squash.  We've had rain and the grass is green.  It looks so good.  Thank you, God.

Hog Man had some folks come pick up show pigs this weekend.  I grabbed two of the feedsack tote bags I made and gave them to them.  I gave the more purple one to the little girl (new customer) and handed the more blue one to the fellow (repeat customer) who had brought the little girl and her dad from Burkburnet.  The fellow said "My wife will really like this."  Wasn't that nice of him? 

Hog Man has been wanting a gas grill.  He earned some extra money the last couple of weeks and he got to get himself a gas grill.  So we grilled this weekend. The only part I don't like.  The cleaning.  But isn't that the least enjoyable process of any cooking?  But it sure is nice once everything is nice and clean again. 

Ya'll have a great week and be blessed,
Marilyn

Tornado

My heart goes out to the people of Moore, Oklahoma.  Read more about it here.  The weather man is forecasting more possiblities of severe weather today.  We got a sprinkle yesterday.  Points north--nearer the Oklahoma border-- had a tornado touch.  This weather pattern with humidity and warm temperatures--90s is much more normal than recent years with the drought. 

The tornado that happened in Granbury last week was just east of where DS#1 lives.  We received 1 1/2 inches of much appreciated rain.  The grass immediately perked up.  I have teeny weeny zucchini on the plants.  And one green tomato!  Looking good.  I can't wait to taste them. 

This past Saturday was WCQG meeting.  It was a good meeting and I did the Worry Free Bias Binding demo for them. 

I took a break from quilting on the Dresden plate quilt.  Temps were too warm to sit under it!  Until we turned the a/c on.  The humidity was just too great not to turn it on.  So now the quilting continues.  I am almost to the end of the 2nd border.  I marked the corner this morning.  I am finding that the chalk marks are disappearing with my handling if I mark too far ahead.  This is not loose chalk but a chalk cartridge. 

I don't think I am going to be able to keep up with Hog Man.  He empties the feed sacks faster than I can sew them!  Those little pigs are growing fast!  Which is a good thing. : ) 

I gotta share a recipe of sorts.  I had some leftovers in the fridge.  Little pieces of this and that.  Steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes, roast beef.  I had seen a recipe on Pinterest for broccoli patties.  My mother used to make potato pancakes.  I only had about 1/2 cup of mashed potatoes--not enough for potato pancakes.  I had about a cup of leftover steamed broccoli that needed using or would have to be thrown out.  So I chopped the broccoli and mixed in the mashed potatoes.  Then I sprinkled in dry minced onions and broke an egg and stirred.  I added some frozen corn--maybe 1/3 to 1/2 cup.  Then I added a tablespoon of cornmeal and about a fourth cup of flour and seasoned with salt and pepper.  I took small spoonfuls and pan-fried them for our lunch yesterday.  The roast beef was minced up and added to white sauce and served over toast for a fast tasty lunch.  Leftovers gone! 

Happy quilting and blessings,