Lymryk Quilts and Portuguese Water Dogs

RED AND WHITE QUILT

2011-06-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

A quick update on the RED AND WHITE quilt. I ran out of star point blocks so need to make a few to finish the borders. The original didn't have borders, but I decided to carry the points out into a red border.

RED AND WHITE QUILT

2011-03-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

This is a Nancy Rink design I saw on her web site a while ago. I found it in Jan issue of McCall's Quilting. These are the blocks. and the stars are made with the sashing. This is as far as I've gotten. It's a large quilt, seems to work up easily and quickly. Simple piecing. Makes a great quilt. Jimmy, the quilt critic, gives his approval.

RRCB QUILT 2 FLIMSY

2011-02-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

Purple Haze (RRCB) is now a flimsy! The backing is ready, it's packed up and ready to for the long arm quilter. This is a very big quilt and it's VERY PURPLE!!!! Another wonderful Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt. This was a fun quilt to put together.

RRCB QUILT 2 BORDERS

2011-02-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

It took a while, but these will be the colors of the inner border and the outer border. You will recognize the outer border as one of the first steps with 'wings' added as one of the last steps. Wonderful border. Looking forward to working on RRCB Quilt 1 again.

RRCB Quilt 2 New Slow Down Techniques

2011-01-31T15:52:00.000-08:00

I'm not leaving without my scissors.

What scissors? I don't see any scissors.

What do you mean "Get off the blocks? It's warm here"

RRCB Quilt 2 Step 8 Slow Down

2011-01-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

I'm having trouble putting the blocks together. My 'help' is being too helpful.

Something New

2011-01-11T19:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know how many of you have tried Mary Ellen's Best Press Spray, but a friend and I were talking about it the other day and how much she liked it. I happen to mention that everyone I knew thought it was the best thing since sliced bread but had never tried it because of the expense.

Well, look what arrived from my friendly UPS guy today!!! WhoooHoooo!!! Can't wait to try it. :-))) Thank you, Rita!

RRCB Quilt 2 Step 8

2011-01-11T07:33:00.000-08:00

I put together a few blocks just to see what finished quilt might look like. Still deciding on the inner border color.

RRCB Quilt 2 Step 8

2011-01-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

Here it is! So purple and so bright. Not sewn together yet, but this is what the center will be. Borders are next.

RRCB Quilt 2 Step 7

2011-01-04T14:51:00.000-08:00

I skipped step 6 but you can see the blocks in step 7. Oh MY!!!!!! This is SO PURPLE!!!!!! Jimmy and Lois are testing it out.

RRCB Quilt 2 Step 4 and 5

2010-12-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Step 4 and step 5. Step 5 is 600 2" HST and 30 2" squares of the constant color. In this quilt, the constant is a green. My neutrals are the purple. Who would think purple would be neutral? On to clue 6.

RRCB Step 3 Quilt 2 Purple Strings

2010-12-13T22:46:00.000-08:00

Purple string blocks for Quilt 2. 7 down, 53 to go! I still need more variety in my purples, but I think it's going to work. Jimmy giving the final inspection.

RRCB Step 3 Quilt 2

2010-12-13T18:23:00.000-08:00

These are the neutrals for the RRCB Quilt 2. I'm still going to make the purple ones, but need a greater variety of purples to finish them. On to step 4!

RRCB Step 3 Quilt 2

2010-12-04T05:26:00.000-08:00

Who knew purple could be a neutral! Only 58 more to go.

Step 2 Quilt 1 RRCB Batiks

2010-12-01T22:17:00.000-08:00

Finished the step 2 with Batiks and my helper tonight.

Step 2 Quilt 2 RRCB Regular Cottons

2010-11-28T07:08:00.000-08:00

These are my Step 2 for the regular cottons. I finished them last night and realized as I was pinning the last group together, I used the wrong color. The brown was supposed to be purple. I've decided to go with it and use my purples for my neutrals. At the last minute, I decided to use browns as my neutrals instead of creams. It will be interesting to see how it turns out. At the very worst, the dogs will love it, if it turns out great, the dogs will still love it.

Roll Roll Cotton Boll Fabrics regular cottons

2010-11-24T06:21:00.000-08:00

I found so many colors I liked in my stash I decided to make 2 quilts. one out of Batiks, the other, regular cottons. As you can see, I had lots of help picking the colors and sewing.

Roll Roll Cotton Boll Step 1

2010-11-21T10:31:00.000-08:00

Some of the step 1 Batik pieces. Ready for next week's step.

Roll Roll Cotton Boll Fabrics

2010-11-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

So far this is what I've decided to go with. Found some real deals at the Attic Window today. They were having a sale and I couldn't let go to waste.

With all the help I'm going to have, this might be more difficult than I thought.

Garden Maze Blocks

2010-10-30T18:36:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go. Garden Maze block exchange on the top is half done.

Some of the new fabrics for Bonnie Hunter's new mystery starting the middle of November, "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll". I'll make the final decision on which colors when I know the yardage needed for the colors.

Who you lookin at?

HEREEEEE CHICKIE CHICKIE

I left the garage door open one day and came out to find some visitors from across the road in the garage. They came over all summer to eat my flowers, dig in my flower beds and eat the seeds out of the low growing sun flowers.

Two Finishes!

2010-09-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy year. Hope to keep up with my blog on a regular basis. These have been waiting for binding for at least a year. I'm on a roll, I've got another finished and one pinned and ready to finish.

UTILITY QUILTS

Visions of Dog Bones Dance in Their Heads

2009-12-24T17:32:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all...

And to all............... A good night.

Let It Snow

2009-12-10T13:36:00.000-08:00

We haven't done much quilting lately. We've been busy since Black Friday. Cabela's, Zale's, Guess, Nordtroms, Saks, Dillard's, Boscov's Chico's, Sahalie and Barney's arrived early evening. We are having lots of fun and Lois just can't get over we have little mice for pets.

Lois, on the other hand, is very bored. She's figured out how to open the drawer on the bottom of the new bathroom sink vanity where the TP is kept to stop her from doing this. Clever little kitten that she is. She's very proud of herself. Needless to say the rest of the roll is no longer useable.

Carolina Christmas Mystery Quilt

2009-11-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

One more day before we begin. I've found a few more fabrics I'm considering. I won't know till I start cutting which ones I am going to use.

After a little more digging, I found these darker colors, a wine, gold and dark rich blue with a light gray tone on tone for my background. That's the picture on the top

I also found a dark background for the rust, green and turquoise, hoping it would make the colors pop a little more

Another light background with a little more life to it, not so white white.

This was my original choice.

Let the mystery begin.

Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving.

Carolina Christmas Mystery Quilt

2009-11-21T09:53:00.000-08:00

Bonnie Hunter is doing another great mystery starting the day after Thanksgiving. Those of us who aren't brave enough to face 'Black Friday' shoppers will have another project to keep us busy.

So far these are the colors I've chosen, but they are subject to change. We still have a week before we start. I'm making it easy on myself this time. I'm sticking to three main colors and one or more cream tone on tone background.

Now we are off to Home Depot to get paint for the kitchen. With a little luck, the new bathroom and kitchen cupboards will be up and running before Thanksgiving. It will be nice to have a complete bathroom again.

IT HAS ARRIVED!!

2009-10-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

My 6600 was delivered late Friday night in the pouring rain. I was upstairs didn't hear the driver, one of the contractors saw him drop it at the back door, grabbed the box and brought it in the house. It was covered with a big plastic bag, but I can't imagine it being left outside for any length of time in all that rain.

With the contractors working here, I had to put away all of my sewing stuff. No room till they are finished. All the stuff from the rooms they are working on is shoved in the other rooms. Miss Mouse left her mark and let the contractors know what she thought of the mess they made. Too bad she couldn't sign her name. She walked right through it just as Jeff finished mudding the floor.

Hopefully I will have a working shower by the end of this week. I had no idea a new bathroom would take so long and end up being just the beginning. New dinning room floor too. The 'new' old floor was all cracked, chipping and tiles were coming up off the floor.

As you can see, Lois loves the printer. She thinks the paper needs her help to come out. She's such a character. On Thursday, she made her TV debut on our local news with my vet. She does a segment on the noon news every Thursday. This week it was how to give a cat medicine. Lois thought everyone was there to see her. Her video is here under Pet Peeves. The video will load if you wait a few seconds.

http://www.wzzm13.com/life/animals/default.aspx

Houston

2009-10-18T10:44:00.000-07:00

We are back from Houston. My first and probably last time. What a blast! So many vendors, anything you want at your fingertips; fabric, notions, comfy shoes, machines, cabinets, more fabric, pain relief for anywhere on your body. (I could have used that after the first day) Walking on cement for 3 days is quite painful. Wore my Crocs, my feet were very comfy, but the rest of the body, not so much.

There were a lot of quilts, but not quite what I expected. Many were art quilts, some which were painted. Some were Ohhhhhhhhh AAAAAHHHHHHH and some were "what is it and why is it here?" I'm not really the artsy type. They had some of the Hoffman Challenge quilts. The quilts done with thread only were beautiful. Optical Illusions are fascinating to me.

I purchased a new Janome 6600 and the Martelli cutting matt and rotary cutter with its rulers. All of that stuff is yet to arrive as it will be shipped in several weeks or so. I kept the stuff I brought home to a minimum. Some FQs, some batiks, a couple half yard pieces, a few patterns and a few notions. Everything fit into my carry on. Even the delicious fudge.

It was a great time but as always, it was great to be home and in my own bed last night.

Back to Quilting New Family Member

2009-09-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

Puppies are all in their new homes and we also have a new family member. Her name is Lois. She's a Devon Rex. It's been a long time since I've had a kitten and boy is she busy!!!!!!!!

I'm also catching up on my BOM's and exchanges. These are my Bento Box blocks for an exchange.

A Happy Ending

2009-07-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

To make this sorta quilt related I have to go back to spring cleaning. I decided to move all of my boxed fabric into my huge garage and put it all on shelves. In order to do that I had to clean out a section in the garage.

We found lots and lots of treasures I didn't know were there, a leaf blower, mig welder, two chain saws, compressor, numerous riding lawn mowers, walk behind mowers and lawn mowers in pieces.

This lawn mower was purchased at the end of the season (5 or 6 yrs ago) for a little more than pocket change as 'new in the box' . I got it home and something was missing. I always intended to take it back to the store, but it never happened.

Needless to say, it was also used for piece parts. A friend was helping clean up the garage and move boxed fabric out to the garage wanted the mower if I was done using it for parts. Off it went to another friend along with many other small engine machines for an overhaul.

She told me she was going wash and wax it after she used it. Here it is, all put back together washed and waxed and it runs like a top! Enjoy it, Liz!

Hot Humid Summer Days

2009-06-27T09:19:00.000-07:00

Already the end of June! Wow, time flies. It's been a tough week here with temps and humidity way above normal, breaking records. The Bloomin Bunch are growing and Travels with Dick and Jane are doing great!

Bunnies make wonderful pillows for a snooze.

The potted flowers are loving the humid weather, unlike the humans and 4 footed critters that live here. It's been so hot and humid, the puppies have had to stay inside to play. The water in their kiddie pools is like bath water within an hour. That's very unnatural here.

Moving Day

2009-06-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

WOW!!! Look at all the room we've got now!

The Bloomin Bunch moved from the puppy room today. Spot's puppies needed our room, so we moved out to get more room for us to play. We can see everything from our new digs, we're the middle of the universe, everybody is here to see us. Maybe tomorrow we will see more of it, for now a few zzzzzzz's

I told you mine was bigger than yours.

Time to Feed the Flowers

2009-05-28T19:45:00.000-07:00

The blooms are beginning to flower. Their eyes are open, they can hear and are learning to walk. But mostly they still sleep.

Jack in the Pulpit found mom's food dish tonight and dove right in, sharing with mom.

Spring Flowers, Bloomin Bunch News and Dick and Jane

2009-05-20T15:52:00.000-07:00

My Spring flowers waiting to be planted. It's been too cold at night to plant young flowers. So they've been out during the day and into the garage at night. I missed taking them in one night when we had a frost warning. They looked pretty bad the next day, but I think they will survive. Hopefully I can get them planted this weekend.

The Bloomin Bunch is 2 weeks old today.

We have a few peepers. They are getting so big.

The Dick and Jane litter are growing but look so small next to the Bloomin Bunch.

May Flower Updates

2009-05-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

A week old today. As you can see, they are growing like weeds.

"Witch Hazel" is going to be a lot like her mom, "Wicked Wanda"

Sweet William, so cuddly.

Bachelor Button

And the rest of the Bloomin Bunch: Snapdragon, Coral Bell, Jack in the Pulpit, Trillium and Holly Hock

The May Flowers Crew

2009-05-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, not this photo. Trixie was our whelping box tester. Scribbles is usually in the box with the puppies, but we needed a stand in to be sure it would be perfect for Wanda and her May Flowers.

It was a long sleepless night, but we have 8 very healthy, pretty puppies. Yes, Marco, there's one in there for you!

Mom with the crew. More pictures hopefully tomorrow.

Water Water Everywhere

2009-05-01T06:57:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken yesterday from the car as we were driving by. This is one of the creeks nearby that usually has a nice slow moving body of water through it. But as you can see, it's way over it's banks.

There is usually a little island in the middle of the first picture, but it's nowhere to be seen. I'm hoping for sunny, windy, dry days for the next few weeks so things can dry out and the flooding will stop.

This is the other side of the road the creek flows under. If this would have been a normal day, you would barely be able to see the water from the road and it would be so clear you could see the bottom, but with so much rain, it's pretty high and is quite muddy.

Portuguese Water Dog Mania

2009-04-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

WOW! It's been a busy few days here with the arrival of the new member of the White House. The phones haven't stopped and the emails are still being answered.

While these dogs may look like cute little cuddly teddy bears, they can be a handful as the new owners of "BO" are finding out.

A few things you should know about Portuguese Water Dogs if you are considering one for your family. They love paper, paper towels are a favorite. Nothing is safe on counters. They bring a whole new meaning to 'cleaning off the counter top. Mr. Big, as little as he is, is a prime example of counter shopping (table in this case).

They require training, grooming (hair cuts every 6-8 weeks), a lot of interaction with people and dogs as young dogs and adults, brushing and lots of exercise. They are also notorious chewers. Anything at their level is fair game, shoes, table or chair legs, that antique buffet you got from your great grandmother, clothes, Barbies, Kens, other dolls, toy trucks, steering wheels, couch cushions, whatever it is, they will try to chew it. They will also help with the landscaping. Don't like what you have? Tell them, they will rearrange things for you. They are great at removal. Maybe not exactly what you would consider, but it's satisfactory to them. Need a post hole? Just tell them where to dig, they're the best in the business!

Yes, I love my dogs, but my yard, which at one time had lovely flowers inside the fence and around the house has turned into dog heaven. The flowers are gone, the holes have appeared and the grass is nice and green these days.................... where it survives! Life goes on, the dogs are happy and don't complain about the dirt.

The good things about the breed outweigh the bad, but they are not a breed for everyone. You need a lot of love, energy, patience and most of all... a great sense of humor for this breed. Several of the dogs you see here are in show coats, the others are in their everyday wear.

Just think how much I save on fertilizer! It's been a long few days for the group, Birdie says it's time for a nap!

Wanda Strikes Again

2009-03-31T06:21:00.000-07:00

For those who know Wanda, know she is Isea's daughter and should have been named "Murphy". Isea absolutely refused to stay in the yard. She looked for any weakness in the fence and used it to her advantage. She is the reason we have patio blocks buried under the fence line. When Isea went to live with a friend in California I thought my problems were over.

Not long after she left, her daughter, Wanda, took up where she left off. Not so much trying to leave the yard, but in ways you would never suspect. She almost lost one of her rear legs when she was about a year old. I found her tangled up in bailing wire one day in the back yard. She couldn't get up. It took two of us to get that off of her. One to hold her still, the other to cut the wire off her leg. We don't use bailing wire around here. She has also gone through a window in the middle of the winter on a Sat. night. No damage there except to my wallet. She was fine.

Her latest is an encounter with the upright freezer. Things were fine when I went to bed around 1 am. Some time during the night Wanda's coat got caught in the door handle of the freezer.

Not only did she loose a huge hunk of hair to the freezer door handle, but she managed to open the door and bend it just enough out of whack that it would no longer shut. Notice the duct tape on the door!

Only Wanda!!!!!! That freezer has been around longer than Wanda. It was full of frozen dog food, she never touched a thing. New freezer has been ordered, duct tape is still holding.

My neighbor came over to help me remove some doors and Scribbles was giving him advise on which method to use.

Who's in Charge

2009-03-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

It was the second day of Spring....... I guess Mother Nature didn't get the memo or she wants to let us know she's still in charge. We woke up to S*&^ on yesterday. It didn't stay long, but it was S*&^. I'm so ready for Spring, sunshine, warm and dry weather.

This is a block from Sampler Quilt for a block lotto. The quilt is very pretty. I like the colors, nice and springy.

March Not So Ugly Blocks

2009-03-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

I almost gave up on the Tudor Rose block. I made it three times, I cut pieces wrong, too small, wrong colors, apparently not an easy block for me. It's a simple block. I just could not follow the directions. Mental block?

The second block went together like a piece of cake. All four look pretty good together. I'm running out of the yellow, so will have to look for something close for the rest of the blocks or make the rest all different.

I've also finished a few more of my 'Magic Blocks' so simple if you follow directions. The blocks that seem so complicated were easy. I'm going add a few more colors to brighten it up. The green and orange I used got a little dull after I looked at it for a while. The added yellow has added some brightness to it. Mz Mouse approves too.

Mr. Big writes another chapter of How Can I Embarrass My Owner

2009-02-24T16:07:00.000-08:00

We had an new hot water tank put in this morning. All installed, up and running by 1pm. Old tank in the Windstar, Mr. Big jumped in his seat and off we go to the scrap yard.

Before reaching the main roads, Big was on the floor shaking in his boots. The water tank had broken away from it's barricades and was rolling from side to side in the back of the van when I turned corners.

By the time we got to the scrap yard, he was trying to crawl under my legs. I got to the loading dock, was directed to the 'other' yard for scrap appliances. Back to the car, down two drives, no big deal.............. unless you have a dog crawling around the floor trying to under your feet. Got to the scale without incident, semi in front of me and behind me. I can't move; Big is now between my feet, I can't reach him, can't find the gas or brakes, dog in the way, slam car into park. I open driver side door, to get out and grab said dog and he bolts from the car into the middle of the scrap yard!!

EVERY VEHICLE IN THE YARD STOPS DEAD!! Big decided it was time to play "catch me if you can". Several of the semi drivers jumped out of their trucks to help with the 'catch', by this time the office people were hanging out the windows watching the chase and the guy on the forklift just kept driving along watching the circus. Big finally gave up, went belly up in the middle of yard and three of us dove on him.

Put said dog back in car, weigh in, dump water heater holding said dog so he wouldn't take off again, weigh out of scrap yard. They flag me into the office. I'm really ready to crawl under a rock somewhere. Park car, lock said dog in car, roll up windows so he can't escape that way.

Sheepishly walk in office, they want to know what kind of dog I have. I tell them, a dead one when I get home.

They hand me a receipt for the water tank, I have to redeem it at the little building outside, scan bar code and it spits out money. MONEY?? What money?? Are they paying me for the entertainment value?? I hand the receipt to the good Samaritan behind me (driver who joined the 'chase') I couldn't get out of that crap yard fast enough. Said dog was glued to his seat all the way home, he seemed to be smiling....................

Magic Stars

2009-02-23T16:29:00.000-08:00

Our weather this weekend was cold, windy and snowy. The snow was supposed to stop yesterday afternoon, but somebody forgot to tell Mother Nature. This is the snow still coming down last night.

I spent the weekend cutting out blocks from a book by Nancy Johnson-Srebro called Magic Stars. I got one put together. They use a lot of background fabric but I like how they come together. I got 10 cut out, each block has different measurements so it was time consuming. Here's the one I did finish. It wasn't my intention to make so many but I wanted to try out the different blocks. I'm sure the snow hasn't given up yet, so there will be more snow days to work on them.

Always The Gentleman

2009-02-23T16:01:00.000-08:00

Dinner time here is usually short and crazy. Whatever you do, don't get between the dogs and their dinner. They will knock you over to get to their food with one exception......... Put down Mr. Big's dinner and look who's waiting for it....... Scribbles. Mr. Big lays there waiting, patiently, till Scribbles gets all he wants then he eats what's left.

It's not like Scribbles doesn't get enough to eat. He has all the cat food he wants whenever he wants, the cats free feed. I don't know what is in that dog food that Scribbles thinks he has to have every night. He doesn't eat that much so Mr. Big isn't going hungry. Mr. Big, always the Gentleman, even with his dinner. He's such a sweet little guy.

Tropical Twist Borders

2009-02-15T20:09:00.000-08:00

I worked on the pinwheel border blocks for the Tropical Twist today.

I also decided to join in the new Stashbusters Ugly (not so ugly) challenge BOM. There were some pretty ugly fabrics being used. The two requirements are all fabric must come from stash, each block must contain orange or yellow along with the ugly fabric. Two blocks will be chosen each month, you can do either or both. My fabric isn't really ugly, but it's one of those where you wonder, "WHY" did I buy this. It's a green and red paisley on black with gold flecks. Ok, so it is ugly. The solid green and yellow compliment it and doesn't look too bad.

Tropical Twist

2009-02-09T16:51:00.000-08:00

Math-----------my nemesis. While assembling my Tropical Twist I decided it was a row short. I counted, recounted, still could not figure out where I went wrong. I had as many pieces as in the directions........... how could I be short? After adding another row of blocks, I realized, I wasn't a row short, now I had an extra row. The Tropical Twist turned out very nice.

Here's the center with the correct number of rows. :-)))) The purples worked well with the blues and greens.

Tropical Twist -------- with help---or not

2009-01-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

I've been working on Bonnie Hunter's Tropical Twist from the recent issue of Quiltmaker magazine. As you can see, my work space is shrinking by the day. I'm now reduced to the kitchen counters for my fabrics and the kitchen table to cut pieces.

I got a few blocks put together and it's quite pretty. I'm hoping to get the rest assembled tomorrow on Quiltville's Superbowl Blue Horizons sew in. I've got a lot of blue and purple in the Tropical Twist.

Mr. Big's Shopping Trip

2009-01-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

Don't leave the dog in the car while you are unloading food from the grocery store! Notice the big bags of dog food to the left and there are dog cookies in the Meijers bag to the right.

Quilting Weather

2009-01-25T19:31:00.000-08:00

After our heat wave last week where it was above freezing for two days, Jeff was here to get started on the east side of the house to put the new siding on. They got it all insulated, hauled away the old siding and were putting the last piece of insulation in place and OOOPPS!! There goes the phone and internet. Nicked the outside wire so he couldn't go any further till the phone company came out and repaired the wire. Of course, they give you a commitment time of end of the day 2-3 days out and it was already Thurs. Jeff wanted to get the new windows in and start on the siding by Fri morning because it was going back into the deep freeze this weekend (and it has). He got the two upstairs windows in on Fri. While he was working on those, the phone guy showed up. Got the phone up and running but not the DSL. He had to call the 'internet guy' to find out why it wouldn't come back up. Took them an hour or so to get that back up and running. It's been quite cold all weekend, but nice and sunny both days.

I worked on another Bonnie Hunter quilt pattern this weekend. Tropical Twist is featured in the Jan/Feb issue of Quiltmaker magazine. As you can see, I had lots of help. When Scribbles fell asleep on my arm it was time to call it quits for a while. He always wants up on my lap, but will usually stay in the kitty bed I had to put on my table so they wouldn't lay on my projects. Mz Mouse had other ideas. She sees that bed as HERS. Several weeks ago she found Scribbles in HER bed and slapped him silly thinking he would get up and let her in. No, he just turned around and put his back to her. If looks could kill, that would have been Scribbles' last dance. I got a second bed, one for the chair and one for the table next to the sewing machine....... both are now on my table so I can sew.

A Happy Quilt

2009-01-19T14:23:00.000-08:00

I finished Bonnie's NYE Double Delight Mystery last night. Bonnie's quilts are always fun, her mysteries are always a mystery till the end. The Double Delight was no exception, also a lot of fun, it is also a happy quilt. I stayed pretty close to Bonnie's color selections. It's got stars, pretty pinks, cool blues, bright yellows and oranges, a complement of browns, with a second pattern of flowers. In the middle of Winter, you get a hint of Spring. This quilt makes you smile.

As you see, we are back to snow on the ground, there's a foot or more so far with more to come this week in the form of Lake Effect! Last week it was very very cold, in the negative for a few days in a row. Wind chills were in the double negative digits for days. It was 12 below last night and will be at least that cold again tonight. It was up to 19 degrees this afternoon with the sun. It felt like a heat wave.

The second picture is a finished UFO! I finished the binding last week.

Double Delight Mystery

2009-01-06T09:18:00.000-08:00

TA-DA!!!!!!!!!!! I finished the square in a square blocks for Bonnie Hunter's NYE Day mystery. Who would have thought that these pieces would

Make into this block! I've still got most of the 9 patches to make, but this is a very pretty quilt. Bonnie has another great pattern to share.

What Difference A Day Makes

2008-12-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

Over the last 24 hours we've had warm temps, almost 60, and 24 hours of rain some being very heavy. Combine that with the warm temps and the 3' of snow we had you get lots of cold water looking for a place to go. Flooding everywhere here. As you can see, Plow Boys will get a fresh start and Gate Corgi is once again manning the gate.

Today the winds are very high and very cold. Temps have dropped almost 30 degrees from yesterday and will continue to drop.

Mosaic Tiles Christmas Mystery

2008-12-27T21:17:00.000-08:00

I finished the center of my Mosaic Tiles Mystery this evening. I'm not sure what kind of borders I'm going to do yet.

I've also pulled fabric for Bonnie Hunter's new New Years Mystery, Double Delight. I'm not for sure on these fabrics yet, until I find something I like better, this is what I'm going with. If you want to join or follow along, check out Bonnie's blog http://quiltville.blogspot.com or her web site www.quiltville.com.

Happy New Year

WINTER WINTER EVERYWHERE

2008-12-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

Even the gate keeper Corgi is up to his elbows in snow.

There is so much snow, I've been feeding the birds by just putting the feed on the snowbanks. We've got Cardinals, Blue Jays, Finches, and Morning Doves. There's even been a few Wood peckers. They were eating the seeds out of the Sunflowers I left up for them until the dogs pulled the heads off the stalks this week.

Plow Boys are on my naughty list today. They were here in the wee hours of the morning to plow out the 4" or 5" of new snow we got all day yesterday. I know..... I heard them. The driveway was proof, the tire marks where they pushed the snow into the yard and SANK the front end of their truck was also a tell tail sign. The snow was heavy and wet. The ground still hasn't frozen and with all the rain we got last week, driving on clay with a plow truck isn't the smartest thing to do. That can all be fixed in the Spring.

Last time they came during the day, Plow Boy made a comment that it was really hard to get the snow away from in front of the garage................. not enough room, he needed a shorter truck....... I didn't know that was his way of telling me he was just going to plow the drive and not in front of the garages (yes, we have 2, actually 3, but one doesn't have a drive to it) Silly me, I thought he was apologizing for me having to shovel the 18" high drifts in front of the garage door that I knew his plow couldn't grab. Since that pleasant exchange Plow Boy hasn't attempted to plow in front of the garage door. I shoveled all the heavy wet snow out into the driveway so when Plow Boy comes back, he's gonna remove it one way or another. I will be calling the office on Friday to find out what their plan "B" is to remove the snow in front of the garage doors from now on. If he needs a shorter truck, it would be in his best interest talk to his boss, not me....... I'll hand him the shovel and tell him to get busy. Notice the marker post and how far past the marker post the snow is pushed. I wonder how long it took them to get the truck out of the dirt! Yes, it is still snowing, raining and freezing, going back to snow this evening with more snow. Driving is a real adventure. More snow, rain and sleet to come Christmas night through the weekend. WINTER ................. Ya gotta love it to live here.

Remember the reason for the season. Merry Christmas

Updated Mystery Choices

2008-12-22T13:36:00.000-08:00

There was a suggestion that I use a brown with my fabrics rather than the light cream. I wasn't sure I had just a brown. Brown is plain, brown is dull, and wearing brown has always reminded me that I looked like I worked for UPS. (I didn't work for them.) But that's what brown was to me.

I managed to find a piece of Michael Miller's Krystal in a dark brown that might work. I've included it with the other colors. I must say, I do like it, but I am hoping it won't blend with the focus fabric, but not knowing what the pattern is, it's going to be a real 'mystery'.

It's been snowing since Saturday night. The plow boys are earning their money this season so far. They were here twice on Fri, again on Sat, Sun morning and I heard them again around 3am trying to plow out the drifts that had accumulated on Sunday. I'm glad I wasn't in the cab with them. I'm sure it was blue by the time they were finished. The drifts were high, heavy and the ice on the uphill drive makes it almost impossible unless you have chains. The job usually takes about 20 min. I could hear the tires still spinning in the driveway around 4am when I drifted back to sleep in my nice warm cozy bed under my down quilt. It's still very very cold and not expected to warm up any time soon. It will be a white Christmas for sure.

Merry Christmas!

New Mystery Colors

2008-12-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

These are the new colors I've decided on for the Christmas Mystery. My dark wasn't dark enough to make much contrast.

And Mz Mouse is in her usual position when I'm at the computer. No wonder I can't type! I hope she's comfy.

BINDINGS SHARON SCHAMBERS WAY

2008-12-20T17:26:00.000-08:00

After watching Sharon Schambers video on how to do bindings, I wasn't sold on the glue and spray starch.

I was in the process of making puppy blankets that just needed bindings. I tried Sharon's method with the glue and spray starch. I followed each step except the hand stitching on the back. I was really impressed with how much better the corners were on the first try.

My stitching isn't the best, these are just puppy blankets, but the corners turned out much better on the first try. I'm sold on the glue and spray starch. I'll use it on my next binding.

A NEW MYSTERY

2008-12-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

These are my choices of fabrics to use for the upcoming Christmas Mystery. I will probably not be working on the Christmas Day mystery until Christmas night if I get home earlier enough.

The one I don't use for the Christmas Mystery, I will use for the New Years Eve Mystery. This is the first year I've done the Christmas and NYE mysteries.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.

THE TECHNIQUE

2008-12-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is one of the first quilt classes I took at the LQS. It's a 3-D Attic Window. It doesn't show up well because all my colors sorta 'blend' into each other. It's a couch quilt so it gets lots of wear and washings.

I just grabbed some fabric from my stash that looked like it would go together. I had no idea what I was doing or how to chose fabric. I was new to classes and quilting, the instructor was so kind. She spent half of the first class explaining color, using those green and red things to show how the colors would blend and how to choose fabrics that would work best. I didn't know it wasn't part of the class. When she finished, she asked if I wanted to look for something in the store that would make the windows stand out rather than blend with the background.

That's when I said, "I'm here to learn the technique, I'm not really concerned about the color." I can only imagine what she was thinking to herself, but she was very gracious and we have been friends since then. I've taken many classes from her since then and she lets me know my color choices have gotten 'so much better!'

SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

2008-12-06T12:47:00.000-08:00

It doesn't look deep, but after one trip around the yard, Birdie came in wearing her snow leggings and curled up on the couch with her son, Mr. Big. They're both cold and wet. The driveway has been plowed 3 times in the last 2 days and the snow is still coming down.

I've been working on another UFO that just needs binding. I did finish another UFO that just needed the binding sewn down. My plans for this winter are to finish up as many UFOs as I can. I've got 4 boxed up and ready to send off to my friend who quilts them for me with several more ready to go when I get those back.

I've got this one with a friend who wants to do custom quilting on it. I don't know when that's coming back. :-)))) She hasn't started it yet, she keeps changing her mind on what she wants to do. I've given her free reign to do whatever she wants.

JUST A QUICK TRIP

2008-11-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

I've had a lousy cold and for the last 3 days haven't left the couch except to feed the dogs, let them out and go to bed. I pretty much feel like this picture looks... out of focus, fuzzy and don't want to be bothered.

This morning it was just a quick trip to the P.O. to pick up mail and back home. Weather was not so nice, lots of heavy wet snow and the Windstar decided it didn't like the slush on the way home. Note to self---- switch cars, use the all wheeler till the snow goes away. Crawl home, try to turn into the drive and plow boys are here to do the drive. I go around the 'block' and they should be done by the time I get back to my house. My block is a square mile, so that gave them plenty of time. Oh Boy! slippery doesn't describe it. Did I mention my drive is uphill? I go directly to the garage on top of the hill, do not stop, slow down, speed or it will be all over. Switch the Windstar for the Escape.

UH-OH no dog food. Just another short trip out for a couple cans of dog food. As I was heading to the register, dog food in hand, I went down the soup isle. While was looking at which can I wanted, somebody tapped me on the shoulder and gave me a coupon for the soup. It was another customer in the store. I knew I didn't look my best, but didn't think I looked so bad I needed a coupon to buy soup. No energy to argue, I took the coupon and dragged myself to the register. It wasn't till I got home and realized I had on my sweats, my hair was a mess and I was wearing my coat with a broken zipper and I had it buttoned wrong. I can only imagine what I looked like to those that saw me.

UFO FINISH

2008-11-23T06:05:00.000-08:00

Finally............... A UFO finish. The binding has been pinned for about two years. It's been pretty cold for the last few days around here so I decided it would be a good time to finish up a few UFO's that are soooo close to being finished. It's a good feeling to finish up something. Now that it's MZ Mouse approved, it's off to it's new owner who is very happy to have it.

JUST CALL ME DORK

2008-11-17T16:21:00.000-08:00

I know, I look like a Dork. I did my best to get away so she couldn't make me look like this, but, she knows how to make me behave. It has to do with dangling food in my face. I'll do anything for a 'cookie', even behave.

I guess I should be happy she just shaved my muzzle.

Poor Wanda, look what happened to her. She says she likes it. She doesn't have all that hair and feels much better without it. But what am I going to grab when we play. I can't get to the top of her head for that carrot top she's growin.

We also had some white stuff this weekend that was kinda neat to play in. It didn't last long, but was fun. They tell me there will be more this winter. Can't wait to see more of it.

VETERAN'S DAY - OBSERVED

2008-11-11T06:01:00.000-08:00

IF YOU LOVE YOUR FREEDOM, THANK A VET!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY!!

No mail today because the Post Office is closed for Veteran's Day. It's still cold outside and my plan is to catch up on some of my sewing. I have several UFOs ready to put together and lots of blocks ready to sew on my Fall exchange blocks.

This past weekend we had cold rain, a little snow and lots of mud. I didn't feel guilting going to the dog show on Sat and Sun because it was too nasty to work outside. I've included some pictures I took at the show of friends either in the ring, getting their dogs ready for the ring, or very happy with their new champion. I apologize for the fuzzy photos. The lighting in the building was terrible and the camera didn't like it.

Yesterday I was able to get rid of some old car batteries that I found in one of the garages while cleaning it up this Fall too. Because there were so many of them, I was afraid I would have to manifest them. I was very happy that all I had to do was take them to the salvage yard and they would dispose of them. They were going to pay me by the pound but needed my drivers license for ID. AH I decided they didn't need to know who I was and opted to just get rid of them. I wouldn't have gotten very much for them, so it was worth it to keep my identity to myself. Mr. Big thought it was great, he wandered around the scrap yard while they were unloading the batteries from my car. Now we can call him the "Junk Yard Dog". One of the employees had been to the dog show that weekend and recognized him as a Portuguese Water Dog.

KITTY ON A MISSION

2008-11-05T19:13:00.000-08:00

Scribbles hasn't been outside much in the last year because he has to take meds twice a day for his heart and thyroid. But today I was out hanging clothes on the line and he came out with me. I'm not sure where he was headed but he he was going there fast. I caught up with him just before he got into the fields behind the house.

INSPIRATION

2008-11-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

I was looking for something to add to my Fall quilt so I went out side and took these beautiful Fall pictures and this is what I came up with. I'm adding a maple leaf block and I think it will be on point. I'll get more of them made later this week when it's too rainy to work outside. It's been beautiful the past few days and I've been working outside still trying to get things cleaned up before winter. Next is the pile of dirt in the front yard. I hope to get most of it down by tomorrow before the rain later this week.

FIRST HAIR CUT

2008-10-28T18:00:00.001-07:00

Notice raggedy sister Sparkle in the top photo. She will be getting her first hair cut this weekend. She will be getting the traditional Lion Cut. No inbetween with this cut, you either love it or hate it. I'll post pictures of before and after.

Today I received pictures of Dentyne (now Dexter) after his first hair cut. They sent him home with this cute collar or ribbon, not sure what it really is. A tie maybe with a 'shirt collar'? Or he looks like he's all dressed up to be in the Christmas Choir! He's so handsome. Notice all his toys in the background. Maybe it is Christmas for him!

Latest Project

2008-10-27T19:11:00.000-07:00

This is a block exchange with one of my quilt groups. It calls for Fall colors. Here are just a few that I've finished so far. It's going to be quite pretty with all the different colors.

OHHHH THE GOODIES!!!

2008-10-25T13:38:00.000-07:00

This morning it was raining, like it's been doing for two days now. I decided I would get my trip to Joann's for sewing machine needles out of the way as they were on sale. I'm down to one so don't want to be without any spares.

No needles....... all sold out so I wandered around the store, thread 50% off, nooo I've got lots of thread, Oh what's this??? 50% off their red tag fabric, just let me look, uh-oh........! I think I cleaned off one shelf. Some of these were fabrics I looked at when they were full price, $9 a yard, then red tagged for $5 still more than I wanted to pay for as much as I wanted. Well, at $2.50 a yard, yes, I'll pay that and bought bolts of the stuff. Some of it isn't what I would use a lot of in a quilt, but it sure will make very nice backing for any quilt. I'm set for backings for at least a year.

Some had only a yard or two, but some were full bolts. Nice sale. Still no needles. With the big sale over tonight, I'm hoping they will restock the stores before or as they open tomorrow.

MZ SPARKLE

2008-10-22T21:31:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple pictures of Mz Sparkle Liz took when she was out walking with us. Sparkles likes to go with and watch what's going on. She's a little cuddler too. No, that's not me with Sparkle. That's Birdie on top of the dirt pile.

Puppy Update

2008-10-21T08:38:00.000-07:00

A friend took this picture of me picking up the yard Sunday. (yes, it has been cropped!) She thought it would depict the 'essence' of a breeder's life's work. Yup, clean up is a great part of our life. The puppy in the picture is Sparkle formerly known as Double Bubble. She loves being out in the yard with the big dogs, but sometimes they get a little too rough for her. That's when she runs to her mom or me.

Wonderful Surprise

2008-10-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I got a sorta squishy in the mail. I thought it was a FQ from a friend. What a great surprise it was. It was this lovely Post Card from Brenda. It's just lovely and so cute! I love the eyes! Thank you, Brenda.

Needed Landscaping

2008-10-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I didn't get any pictures of the mish mash of "Christmas Trees" here, but there were pines, spruces and some weird trees I wasn't able to identify. It's been a long time coming but the trees finally got too big and had to be removed. They were interfering with the power line from the house to the garage. There were at least 20 trees that were overgrown and dying because they were too close. They also covered a lot of the driveway so it was hard to get up to the garage without scratching the car. One tree was so big, I couldn't use one of the garage stall because the tree covered it, so it was time. You couldn't park your car near them or under them because the sap would cover the car. What a mess that was to remove!

The landscape company did a wonderful job removing everything and replanting nice Arborvitaes that won't get so big they reach the power line even when mature. It's so nice, I guess I'm going to have to do something with the rest of the yard out front now. They did all this in less than 2 days.

With this being an election year, you see so many signs in yards of those in support of one candidate or another. I like mine best! I'm endorsing my Landscape Company! They do good work, no they do GREAT work. I was impressed.

A Few Days Away

2008-10-02T18:55:00.001-07:00

As you can see, Mr Big and Scribbles weren't impressed that they got left home while I was gone. As soon as I got out of the car, they jumped in and wouldn't get out till I brought them in the house. After most of the puppies went to their new homes, my daughter called and asked for help cleaning their new house. It was a foreclosure home and has been vacant for at least a year. She worked my fingers to the bone! Here are a few pictures of the home. It needs a lot of work before they can move in but they like the house a lot. The kitchen was really nice. The house smelled a lot better once they got the indoor pool emptied too. It was such a lovely shade of emerald green. These are a few of the rooms we worked on and they still need more work. In the top picture you see a pear tree with 'Wood' sitting under it eating his lunch while watching the humans go in and out. He lives under the tree. His buddy ' Chuck' lives under the Oak a few feet away. They both sit there and chatter back and forth and we must be very entertaining to them. They watched us come and go for the days were were there. Not afraid of us at all. As we left, they waved good bye, said come again soon! Maybe next time I'll get better pictures so you can really see how cool these creatures really are...... from a distance of course.

Going Home

2008-09-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

The puppies got their well puppy checks today and have started going to their new homes. Terrilynne met me at the vet's tonight and took her puppy, "Dentine" home with her. Tomorrow Doublemint goes to her new home and on Sunday, Chiclets goes to her new home. The others, Big Red, Spearment, Bazooka, Juicy Fruit and Double Bubble leave next week. It's going to be so quiet around here and I won't know what to do with all my time.

Last Bloom of Summer

2008-09-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

I had some late bloomers with one of my Day Lillies this year and this is the last flower of the season.

New Friends and cuddle buddy

2008-09-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is little Xander. He's just adorable. He's already made friends with the fish and his sleeping buddy is Griphon, the Portuguese Water Dog. It's always nice to have a big buddy you can cuddle up to on those chilly Michigan nights or when you need protection from the other kitties you just tortured.

Old Tobacco Road Inspiration

2008-08-30T14:27:00.000-07:00

You can see we brought back quite a bounty in our little plastic bags. The peaches, apples, apple boxes, fruit trees, corn, the old barns are all going into my Old Tobacco Road along with wheat, rye, oats, soy beans and of course Cows! Instead of Old Tobacco Road, mine will be more like Old Country Road as there is no tobacco in this part of the country. My little piece of Heaven on earth. I left out the pictures of us picking from the trees to protect the guilty. :-)))

New Bonnie Hunter Mystery Old Tobacco Road

2008-08-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Look at the color of these apples.

Yesterday Karen, my neighbor, and I went for our usual walk but instead of walking the 'streets' we took a walk to the back 40 where her family has their peach trees. These are some of the pictures I took of our walk. This is the road back to the apple and peach trees. That's Karen heading out from our backyards just ahead of me.

Some of the corn silks and shades of green for inspiration.

Twister Puppy Updates

2008-08-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm the cute one. Just aske me.

It's always nice to have a "Big" brother to hang around with, but this little one hasn't figured out that "Mr. Big" is just his older brother not his mother.

The puppies like to go out side during the say but like to come in and sleep in their pen at night. This little one really likes his turtle.

Twister Puppy Updates

2008-08-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the puppies went outside for the first time. Mike and Terrilynne stopped by to see them and take some pictures. Mike has a big fancy camera and knows how to use it! :-)))) Here are a few pictures that Mike and I took. Now that they are all tuckered out, I think I should go work on one of my UFO's.

BQ Have It Your Way

2008-08-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

The puppies have kept me pretty busy for the last few weeks but tonight I put my BQ Have It Your Way blocks together for the current clue. I like the colors and how it went together. Still have them on my paper plates according to their block number. But this is a picture of the blocks we assembled from the smaller blocks so far.

Twister Puppy Updates

2008-08-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

The puppies were 4 weeks old on Monday. They got moved out of their box into the bigger pen across the kitchen this week. Mom has decided the only time she wants to be with them is when they have food. :-)) Here's a few pictures of them right after they got into the bigger pen and had their first meal.

Twister Puppy Updates

2008-07-30T13:39:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Twister's puppies. They will be 4 weeks old on Mon. I'm late posting but hope to get back on track by next week. They're starting to play with each other and walk around a bit. By next week they will probably running around the kitchen.

Clyde

2008-07-30T13:05:00.000-07:00

He wasn't born here, his ancestry was uncertain and always a curiosity. His time with us was short. But some things were certain and unquestionable, his ever present smile, his happily wagging tail, his love of keeping the yard bunny free, his unending loyalty to his buddies and us. Most of all he had heart. He loved going to McDonald's drive thru every morning when we went to pick up mail. He was my traveling buddy on long trips. The passenger seat was his. We lost him Sat, a short time after his lymphoma diagnosis.

Twister Puppy Updates

2008-07-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

I'm late posting updated pictures this week. Here are a few. They now have their eyes open, are getting around and starting to play with each other. The curly little adult you see peaking over the edge is Mr. Big. Twister was outside with Clyde so Mr. Big decided he would see what his competition for attention was. He jumped in the box, was sniffing and licking the puppies till one decided it was hungry..... out he came just as quick as he went in. You can see him standing just outside the box still cleaning the puppies.

I hope to get back on schedule posting the updates on a weekly basis.

Liz and Macy Do It Again!

2008-07-21T06:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Liz and Macy on their second place in Rally this Spring. Liz and Macy are quite a team. They've gone on to the next level already and are having a blast!

More Have It Your Way

2008-07-20T19:40:00.000-07:00

I caught up to the current mystery step today with my 6" blocks. The colors are coming together nicely. I think the 9 patch was the right block for me to work with. The 3" blocks are next.

Twister Puppies

2008-07-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Here's an update on Twister puppies. You can see how they are growing and are very well taken care of by Mom, Twister.

Have It Your Way Mystery Quilt

2008-07-15T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is the Friendship Block I was considering for the Mystery Quilt. I made a 3" block for the middle of this one to see how difficult it would be. It takes a while and you need to be very accurate. That's why I went with the 9 patch. But, I really like how this block turned out. I have some time to decide.............maybe I can find some time today to try it.

Stashbusters Mystery

2008-07-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

So far these are the blocks I'm using for the "Have It Your Way" mystery quilt. The blocks will be made as small as 3" finished. I'm still not sure if this will be my block. I really like the Friendship Star.

A Sad Day

2008-07-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

For about the last 7 months Clyde has been having some odd health problems. It started with him limping on his rear leg for unexplained reasons. Xrays showed the hip was dysplastic. He pretty much lost the use of the leg. Shortly after that he was having trouble with a painful back. He is long and low, so we thought it was the bigger dogs pushing him around. We also don't really know how old he is. He came here as an adult rescue, but just how adult we don't know. We put the ailments off to old age catching up with him all at once. He was put on medication for his back and hip pain and once we got the dosage right, he seemed to feel much better but did a lot of sleeping. Old dogs sleep alot, right? One day last week I was giving him his medication and noticed terribly swollen lymph nodes.........off to the vet............ aspirate one of the lymph nodes. Results came back today. My worst fears have been realized. He has lymphoma, he has meds to try and take down the swelling and we will take each day as it comes. He's my happy little guy who has a wag and a smile for everyone and never knew a stranger (except the guy who tried to break into the house when we were all home) For that act alone, my little rescue guy had a home here forever.

Kaffe Fassett

2008-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is my version of one of Kaffe Fassett's quilts. This quilt was a class, I used some of my Kaffe fabrics, but the majority of the fabrics are just what I had in my stash. I really like the fabrics, my layout could have been a little different. Don't ya just love how crooked these pictures are. I took them a while ago with my old camera.

More UFO's

2008-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

I planned on doing some sewing for my Red Sky At Night today, but I'm still playing catch up with sleep and work because of the puppies. They still need a lot of watching to make sure mom doesn't lay on one accidentally, I find myself just sitting there watching them sleep, it's mesmerizing. I thought I would post some of my past mystery quilts, retreat quilts and group exchanges. The top two quilts are now quilted and bound, just waiting for me to sew the binding down The top one was a group exchange, the friendship star was a block I started for an exchange and used the wrong black. I finished it and it will go to a friend who loves the colors. The bottom lone star was a retreat project several years ago. I haven't decided whether I want to make it longer or not.

Twister Puppies

2008-07-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy day around here. Got some weeding done this morning, around noon the thunder, lightening and rain started. Then around 3pm after the thunder and lightening moved on, Twister decided it was time to have her puppies. In over 25 yrs of being a breeder, this is only the second litter that was born during the day. The amazing thing is it took her less than 3 hours to have 8 puppies. The 9th was born about 2 hours later. For a first time mom, she's being wonderful. This isn't a very good picture, but she's taking very good care of her new little family. All are strong, healthy, wiggly and quiet. We've got 6 girls, 3 boys. Two of the girls and one boy are brown, the rest are black, all are wavies. I will be updating as they grow. Now to see if these old bones can handle sleeping on the floor next to them for a day or two till they get a little bigger.

Dog Yard Art

2008-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

I saw the little mounds in the grass, figured the moles were back. I put down the grub stuff, still more mounds running through the yard. Then the grass in on those mounds started to die. That's when I realized I didn't have moles, it was voles. I treated it again for voles, no more tunnels in the yard, but I guess they didn't leave. The dogs found those tunnels, followed them and dug up every one of them. I have trenches all over the yard. I sure hope those voles never come back.

Yup, one of the tunnels lead to a young Maple tree and they dug under the tree looking for that vole.

RED SKY AT NIGHT by Judy Martin

2008-07-03T13:37:00.000-07:00

This is a Judy Martin pattern from her book Yes! You Can Make Stunning Quilts from Simple Patterns. It took me several weeks to figure out Judy's method of assembly. I'm not following her method, I'm strip piecing instead of sewing each piece together to make the strip. There are almost 140 strip sets to assemble before you can start to put them together. I've got 22 done so far.

I've seen the quilt finished and it's beautiful. It looks complicated, but if I follow the directions to assemble it, I'm hoping it will turn out just like the picture. Unless I've assemble one of the strips incorrectly. :-)). This is for sure a long term project for me.

The EWWWWW Factor

2008-07-01T20:42:00.000-07:00

I've been asked what a June Bug is. Well, it's a beetle. It's out for a short time in June. It's the adult form of your white grub. They are attracted to the lights at night. Mostly the males, as the females are burrowing to lay their eggs for the next season. I guess it's different colors in different areas. Here it's brown hard shelled on top and sorta furry on the body. It's got 6 legs that look like they're barbed. If they get in your hair, they stick. ICK!! ICK!! ICK!! They don't bite, they're just creepy. I found a picture of the "June Bug" we see around here.

Debi's Dog Show Ring

2008-06-27T07:17:00.000-07:00

I got a call from WI Debi yesterday who's been training some young dogs for the show ring. Several novice people were coming over for some handler training classes. She thought it would make it easier for them to understand the ring pattern by 'drawing' it on the grass. Well, let me tell you, her way of 'drawing' the ring pattern was quite unique.

She took a flat section of her property, used her tractor mower and 'shaved' the grass! It probably wouldn't have been too bad with the moderate weather we've had but as soon as she did this, the sun came out, it got really hot, muggy and burned the shaved grass and that flat spot was their front lawn. LOL! Her daughter is out on the 'diagonal' working with one of the younger dogs. Hopefully it will rain soon enough to grow the grass back before it goes dormant for the year and she has to look at the show ring the rest of the summer. Great job Deb!!! I'm still laughing.

We have a lot of friends named Debi so we have nick named them by the state they live in. WI Debi has a great sense of humor so the ring pattern in the lawn is just one of many things we've laughed at over the years.

One Terrified Kitty, Clyde, Twister and Mr. Big

2008-06-26T18:51:00.000-07:00

I found this little kitty in the back yard between the fences. He looks to be only about 10 weeks old. I'm sure his mom is the old Ma cat across the road. She's ferrel and so are her kittens. She has several litters a year. She's got to be at least 8 or 9 yrs old. I feed her in the winter, have tried to catch her to get her spayed, but she won't come close enough to humans and is way to smart for traps. This little kitten is really mean and terrified. I'm sure the dogs scared him and I couldn't pry him off the fence. He was spitting, biting and scratching so I just left him there hoping he will leave during the night.

Clyde is my little Corgi/Chow mix that was a rescue dog. He's feeling much better now that we have worked out the right medications for his back.

We are waiting for Twister to have her puppies. They are due on the 4th of July. We will be sticking very close to home for the next few weeks. I'll be working on some UFO's while we wait.

Many have been asking for pictures of Mr. Big and Marnie. It's hard to get good pictures of either of them because they insist on following very close to me making it hard to get pictures of them. This is one I got of Mr. Big tonight when he was out with Clyde an Twister, his two favorite buddies.

Ewwwwwwwwww, they're outside eating June bugs!!!!!!!!!

Sunday Scenery

2008-06-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

While I was ironing and cutting fabric around noon I got a call from a friend asking why we were under severe thunderstorm warnings. HUH??? I guess I didn't know. Sure enough, turned on the TV, we were under severe thunderstorm warnings with the chance of hail. I guess that would explain the thunder and lightening while the sun was out. I walked out to the driveway and saw this to the northwest. Pretty as a picture. To the southwest, I could see dark skies and possible rain coming but it was going to miss me and most likely hit the city where Molly was. We really could use some rain, it's been a couple of weeks and the crops need it. Just a nice all day slow soaking rain would be nice. Well, the dark sky went over, no rain, it went east of us. Sun is back out, it's a beautiful, cool summer day.