The Best Laid Plans

I had planned to make this little baby quilt according to the pattern for Twisting Turning Twenty, as I told you in my last post.  First of all, I didn't like the blocks after I cut them.  So I made them smaller.  This is a layout with the blocks trimmed to 12 inches instead of the 16 inches they should have been.   I don't know.  It just wasn't doing it for me.

Here they are now, all rearranged and sewn together.  I like it better.  Do you?  I'm going to border it still, but haven't quite decided what I'm going to use.  And did I mention that it has to be ready to give away on Saturday?  I wonder about myself sometimes. I really do.

Here's a little glimpse of some of the good things happening

around here right now.  I thought for a while that our pretty little lemon tree had lost all its flowers without setting any fruit, but I'm seeing lots of lemons out there!!  And now we're getting more blooms.  I didn't know they did that.  We've enjoyed our first ripe tomato from the garden and looking forward to more.  Yum!

This is young Sunny with her two mothers today.  And yes, they really do give me looks like this.

I will leave you with this little video.  I cut a lot off the beginning.  Sunny had quite a time figuring out how to get from her side of the gate to the other side where her moms were.  But she did it!  That little one has determination, a good characteristic.

I guess I'm sort of like her.  I just keep on muddling around until I figure it out.  Hope you're getting it all figured out, too!

Hugs and kisses,

                                          

One Finished, More to Go

Last night I had my latest Circle Quilt all quilted, trimmed and the binding ready to sew.

These little blues are still on my design wall.  I really don't know where I'm going with them or even if I'm going anywhere.  I just like to look at them.

Also on my design wall are the half square triangles.  I had a little case of goofing off to play with them for a while.  'Cause that's just what we do, isn't it?

I have a new project all cut out for a shower next Saturday.  That one just got moved to the front of the line.  LOL  It's from the Tricia Cribbs' pattern, Twisting Turning Twenty.  This is in the book, Turning Twenty Just Got Better.

I read about this book at the wonderful Wanda's Exuberant Color.  Seriously, this woman inspires me every time I visit her blog!

Aaannnnnnnndddd....................drumroll, please.  A finish!

The Circle Quilt is finished and washed and dried and lovely crinkly.  It is for Mr. Muddling's sister who has been so kind to procure loads of lovely fabric for me.  It's the least I can do.  Her only suggestion was that she likes purple.  I gave her a lot of it!  Hope she likes it as much as I do.

I'm missing our little girl.  She's twenty-seven years old, but she'll always be my baby.  That's how mothers are.  We had a good visit, and now she's back in New York.  That's a long way from home.  Maybe one of these days she'll move closer.  I hope.  For now, I'll just be glad Miss Ru is still here with us.

It's very hot here, but beautiful nonetheless.  Our little chick is still the only one, but she is thriving and being well taken care of by her two mothers.  (They have no clue who the actual mother is, but since they were both on the nest - they both claim her.  LOL)

Hope your weekend is wonderful!!!

Hugs and kisses,

Still Here

I AM still here, just not being very good about telling what I'm doing.  Sorry.  I am working on a couple of things that I'll try to share in the next day or so, but I was sent this little video and enjoyed it so much - I thought you might like it, too!  Here's a link, just in case you can't see it well here.
Hugs and kisses,

Surprise!

There was a surprise for me this morning out in the chicken house.

I totally take back every mean thing I said about those chickens.  LOL

Miss Ru has named her Sunny, short for Sunshine since her daddy likes to greet each new day's sun with a loud voice.  They still have a nice sized pile of eggs under them.  (Notice that it has taken two of them to get this job done.)  Only time will tell if more hatch and how they handle motherhood.  But we are excited.  I've always wanted to have some eggs hatch right here at Muddle Manor, and now they have!  Whoopee!

Of course you do understand that there's no living with Ray now.  He is SURE he's all that!

I finished another of the circle tops.  I really like that pattern!  I'm working on another top as well.  I want to have plenty to do on the quilting machine, because next week the sewing room will once again become the bedroom for our younger daughter.  Our baby girl is coming home for a visit!!  Double whoopee!!!

We did get a little rain here yesterday which we needed oh, so badly.  Matter of fact we could sure use some more.  Hope you have a really wonderful weekend.  We are having a Family Fun Day at our church on Sunday, so I know we'll have a good one!

My bestest hugs and kisses to you all,

Looking Up

Things are looking up around here!

Even in this drought we've been having there are so many things growing and prospering out in the yard.

And......I finally finished this quilt

And it is on our bed.  I love it.  It is so imperfect I should be ashamed of it, but I'm not.  It's done and it feels wonderful, and it looks pretty good, too.

And here is Miss Ru as she looked before she went to church with us yesterday morning.  Hard to believe that a little over two weeks ago her right lung collapsed.  It was one of the most intense and frightening times we've been through ever.  But God is so good!  And friends and family have been so kind to pray and to offer help.  I am just thankful!

Our son and daughter in law surprised us by showing up at church as well.  It was such a sweet Mother's Day gift for me.  He also cooked us some mighty good steaks out on the grill afterwards!

Our little home is getting back to normal (whatever that is) and, as always, there's plenty here that needs to be done.  So, I guess I'd better get to doing it!

I am so thankful for so many things.  And my sweet blogging friends are certainly on that list!

Hugs and kisses,

Upgrade

I did do a little sewing last night.  LOL  I did an "upgrade" on our backyard swing.  Our ginger lilies used to shade the back of the swing from the late afternoon/evening sunshine, but they have died so far back the last couple of winters that they're not doing their job.  I hemmed around the edges of a piece of outdoor fabric and sewed it to the back of the canopy.

Oh yeah, much better!  I did actually sit here for about five minutes.  LOL  I had the fence opened into that little flower bed so the chickens could clean it out for me.  They're really good at that.  You just have to watch them pretty closely or they'll destroy everything!

Here's a closer look at the flowers on the althea in that bed.  It is really showing off right now and I'm really enjoying seeing it.

I did manage to get the binding sewn together and pressed, so maybe I can get that sewn onto the quilt for our bed tonight.  Fingers crossed.  I'd like to be finished with it.  It's been "in process" for well over a year.  I really do not like to have unfinished things hanging around.  Done is GOOD!

Get out there and do something!  You'll feel better.  ;)

Hugs and kisses,

                                           

Celebrate!

Miss Ru came home from the hospital on Monday, so it's definitely time to celebrate.  This trip was a hard one for all of us.  But thanks be to God!  She is home and on the mend.  Glory to God!  Thank you for the sweet emails and messages of love and support.  They mean so much to me.  You're the best!  I wish I could share some of these cupcakes with you, because they are really good.

I'm taking a little plate of them to my neighbor after Mr. Muddling gets home.  We like to share.

While I've been busy with other things a lot has been happening out in the back yard.  See that one ripe plum I missed there at the top?

These plums turned out to be quite a bit smaller than I had thought, but they're still mighty tasty.  I think I'll make some jam with them.

There's still plenty of noise going on in MuddleLand.  Ray is in wonderful voice.

It is so cute how he guards his "women"!  LOL  He cracks me up.

It's so good to see everything so full of life and health!  We really need some rain, but not the amounts they've had in other parts of the country.

There hasn't been much sewing going on around here.  Soon, though.

Or maybe I should just go take a nap. 

I hope you are having a wonderful day and doing things you love to do.  I am so happy and thankful for so many reasons!

Hugs and kisses,