Totally Finished!

The quilt for my Sweetie's co-worker who retires in August is finished at last.

As I said before, the pattern (Lake Cabin) is from Kim Brackett's book, Scrap-Basket Sensations.  The only real change I made in the pattern was to add more stars in the sashing and to make their direction alternate in each row.  (I love that book, by the way.  Well worth the price, and I WON it!)

I made a disappearing nine patch for the backing with piano key borders.  So he gets two quilts in one.

He is such a good man, and has been such a good work partner for Mr. Muddling for so many years.  I can hardly wait to give it to him!

This is what I'm working on now.  The color choice I received when I asked the intended recipient was "burnt orange".  I think this will grow into a representation of that.  It will be interesting to see!

Out my window, Claude is surveying the chickens who are out running free.

And out in the chicken house, we have a "blonde" setting more eggs.  Mr. Mudding and I are discussing a totally separate area for her and her hatchlings, if there are any.  We don't want any more of those bad things to happen.

Look at that soil.  Dry and pitiful looking, isn't it?  But take a look at those zinnias.  Aren't they gorgeous?  They are one flower that can take the heat and dry better than the rainy.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Hugs and kisses,

                                           

I Really NEED to Stop!

But somehow, once I get started, I just have to keep going.  I finished quilting this one for my Sweetie's co-worker at 4:12 a.m. this morning.  What can I say?  I was on a roll.  I have now trimmed it.  I'm about to get the binding ready to sew on it and who knows - maybe tonight I'll finish it.  No promises though!

I was listening to Night by Elie Wiesel as I sewed last night/this morning.  I think that's one thing that kept me awake.  It is a very intense tale - he was fourteen years old when he and his family went into a concentration camp (actually several of them) during World War II.  He and his father were able to stay together, though they were separated from his mother and other siblings immediately, but his father died in the camp.  To hear of the inhumanity of humans is not easy.  I cannot even imagine how terrible it would have been to live through it.

Yesterday Mr. Fed-Ex brought me this purchase.  Ebay.  My friend.  Don't you love it?  It's RED!!!

And today was definitely a day when a good cup of coffee came in handy.

I have another bunch of goodies all picked out for my next project.  I know.  I haven't even finished this one yet and already I have another elbowing its way into the line up!  One good thing though - I'm never bored.

Neither is Chloe.  She's keeping an eye on a gecko outside the window here.  Our little supervisor kitty believes in keeping an eye on everthing that goes on around here.

Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Hugs and kisses,

                                           

Getting There

I finished the top last night and got the first little border sewn on.  I'm beginning to feel that I might actually finish it in time.   There's still lots to do on the backing, but I think I can.  I think I can.  I think I can.

I saw something new today.  Two robins were in the fig tree eating ripe figs.  By the time I went inside and got the camera they had flown, but this mocking bird was there for his turn. 

Miss Birdy's rose is doing so well in the planter.  I'm just thankful those chickens did not decide to tear these plants out!

On my way back inside I saw this little fellow.  I do so love my little corner of the world.  There is always something to see and enjoy.

Hope you're seeing lots of fun stuff where you are.

Hugs and kisses,

                                             

What Am I Doing?

Not what I should be doing, that's for sure.  I should be sewing.  I promised myself that I would be sewing.  But I am not.  I'm sort of out of kilter.  Mr. Muddling and Miss Ru went to Arizona for his sister's funeral, and I'm just not used to being here alone.  Chloe thought she would guard Mr. M's carry-on bag and not let him leave. LOL  She is so funny.  And it didn't work.

They are having a very good trip and visiting with all the relatives they haven't seen in a while, so it's good.  And I don't begrudge them the trip.  I just keep thinking one of them will come in and say something to me, like always.  Odd.  Could it be that I'm a bit spoiled?  Oh, definitely!

Here are a couple of shots of Claude, our feral addition to the family.  He's a very handsome boy, even if he is stand-offish.

As I said earlier, I've been letting the chickens roam around quite a bit, mostly to help them bear the heat, BUT this is the sight that greeted me when I went out the back door this afternoon. 

Oh, yeah, they definitely crossed the line.

"Unfair!  We've been unjustly imprisoned!  Help!"       Oh, brother.

On the plus side, the four o'clocks are blooming and perfuming the evening air.

Hope you're safe from marauding poultry.

Hugs and kisses,

Progress

Moving right along.  I've got this much sewn together.  Lots more to do, but getting there.

These are the blocks for the backing.  The blocks are all sewn into rows.  I just have to press and then sew the rows into a complete backing.  (And then see how far off I am when I finally finish the top and add borders to the front and probably the back, too.

I've also done a little trimming the flannel squares I showed you earlier and sewing them into half square triangles.  We'll just have to wait and see where they go from here.

I got a new camera today and I've been playing with it a bit.  It's nothing fancy - a point and shoot, but it is a little bit of an upgrade, so hopefully the pictures will be better.

This is the view from my swing looking toward the street in the front of the house.

And this is Ray, peeking around the corner at me.

I've been letting the chickens maraud out in the back yard quite a bit.  Most everything is having a hard time staying alive in all the heat and dryness, so I figured they might as well enjoy it while they can't do a lot of harm.

This is outside my sewing room window.  And where I'm pointing out the food bowl is the feeding station for a new addition to our back yard crew.  His name is Claude and he has apparently decided that he wants to live here.  He wants nothing to do with anyone (hmmmm.....who does that sound like?) but he does demand food.  Several times a day.  So, being the obedient human I am, I put some cat food out for him.  He is really a pretty cat.  Yellow and with the most amazing yellow/green eyes.  I've not been able to get a picture of him yet, but I'll keep trying.  I'm pretty sure that he is from the same house where we got Chloe, so probably a cousin.  Same attitude.  Exactly.

Hope you have a really good weekend.  We have the promise of a good chance at rain, so fingers crossed here.

Hugs and kisses,

                                             

Some Days Are Just More Muddling than Others

I have all of the main blocks sewn together for Mr. Muddling's co-worker who is retiring next month.  But I wasn't altogether pleased with the first part of the layout I put up on my little design wall.

 The way they were turned sort of took away emphasis from the stars in the sashing blocks.

 See how much more the stars show up when I put the blue parts of the blocks next to them?  Anyway, I like it better.

And here is the first section of it all sewn together.  I might add if I were honest, and why not be - you all know by now what a muddler I can be - that it is actually sewn together for the third time.  I had to unsew and resew a couple of the blocks because I somehow got them turned the wrong way and didn't notice.  Bummer.  Of course it could also be due to sewing in the middle of the night, but we won't talk about that.

Remember this quilt?  I sent it off to my sister in law in Tucson.  I never did talk to her after she received it, but her daughter texted (the language of today) and said that they all loved it.  On Sunday we got a call that this sister in law had passed away in the night.  The whole family is just stunned.  She was only in her forties, much too young to leave.

I had no intention of sending her that quilt.  I thought I was making it for myself.  But something  (should I say SOMEONE) just told me to give it to her.  Can I just tell you that I am so glad that I obeyed that urge.  I know that I fail all too often to listen to that still small voice of the Spirit of God.  I have a long way to go to get where I should be, but I'm so glad I did not miss it this time.  That she had a tangible token of the love we feel for her while she was still here means so much to me. 

We actually had a small, short, but very welcome shower this morning.  I was about to leave for the store, when I saw that it was just pouring.  I only had a few minutes to wait till it had cleared up and moved on, but oh, it was heavenly while it lasted!  We have been short of rainfall for months now, and others have it far worse.

I do so hope that all is going well for you, and that your weather is doing what it needs to do.

Hugs and kisses, my friends,

                                           

Nachos Especiales

Tonight we had some nachos especiales (special nachos).  This is a 12" pan and this is how it looks before baking.

And this is what these nachos look like after baking. 

It's a very easy recipe.  You simply spread a layer of tortilla chips on a baking pan.  Glop on some refried beans. (Yes, "glop" is a technical term.  It means to use a spoon and sort of sling a bit of refried beans on as many of the chips as you possibly can.)  (Sorry, it's late and I'm a bit silly.)  Anyway, then add a layer of cooked meat (I used ground beef tonight), guacamole (I had an avacado left over so I just mashed that together with a tomato and some lime juice), a layer of sour cream, a few good sprinkles of shredded mozarella cheese, and a layer of Velveeta (process cheese product).  Pop into the oven and heat just until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  This was three very generous servings for Mr. Muddling, Miss Ru and myself tonight.  Oh, my - it was good!

I was very happy to receive these goodies in the mail before the Fourth of July holiday.  I have so enjoyed Kim Brackett's Scrap Basket Sensations that I had to order this one as well.  I see several projects in here that I want to get started.  And yes, I bought some more fabric, too.

These little babies were a gift.  They are flannel squares, about 8 inches square.  There was also some other flannel material with them.  Hmmmm....we'll have to see what develops from those.  I'm thinking they would make a mighty nice, warm quilt for winter time.  Though it is pretty hard to imagine being cold right now.  LOL

And just because I love you, I'll show you my less-than-perfect kitchen window.  Not perfect, but for sure a lot of things that make me smile.  And when you're washing dishes, every little bit helps!

Hope you're finding lots to smile about, too!

Hugs and kisses,