Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I hope you are having an absolutely wonderful one!

Hugs and kisses and lots of love,

Elaine

Christmas Is Coming

I got the Christmas panel quilt finished and hung up in the hallway. I like it a lot! I just added some nine patches I had on hand, and some sashings to a pretty panel and ended up with a pretty seasonal wallhanging!

I think it looks pretty cool outside with an empty chicken feed bag beside it! Color coordination, you know!

Lots going on around here. We've been decorating for Christmas, especially because we're expecting our sweet Mary home from New York! So excited, all of us! Some warming chicken noodle soup tonight, cats being cats under the Christmas tree, another of my little watercolors, sweet Ariel, our first double yolk egg from this batch of chickens, and some of the pretty still going on in our yard. I am so amazed at that Christmas cactus bud that grew through the screen and is now trying to bloom! Talk about determination!

Mr. Muddling, God love him, brought home a couple of orchids last week. They are so pretty and really brighten up a room.

Just because I could and because I am not too fond of Winter, I put a new header on the blog of a beach scene. It is Galveston, Texas, many years ago, and those pretty little girls are our daughters Mary. and Ruthie.  It makes me smile.

Lots of things going on in this world make me angry and discouraged, or at least they try to do that, but there are so many MORE things that make me so extremely grateful to our good God! He is truly good all the time.  I hope you've discovered that.

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

Happy Thanksgiving

Hi there! I've been getting a head start on the Thanksgiving feast today. Still lots to do, but I wanted to stop in and wish you all the very best of days tomorrow! There is still and always so much for which to be thankful. God is good!

I asked and Mr. Muddling installed a curtain rod in the hallway. The pumpkin quilt makes a very colorful statement!

I splurged (online shopping is the best right now!) on a genuine "brown betty", though mine is cobalt blue and a two cup size, just right for Mr. Muddling and me to have nice hot cuppa! It really does make perfect tea.

I finished another quilt last week, all except for the binding which is still not done.

I am still playing around with watercolors. I don't pretend to be very good at it, but it is fun and relaxing for me. It is good to have fun!

May the good Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Pumpkin Quilt

Here is my pumpkin quilt, finished and tempting one to crawl under it on the swing on our patio.

I do like it so much! Considering that I just pretty much made it up as I went along (muddling, you know) it turned out well! I believe this is the first autumnal quilt I've made deliberately. Of course, here in Houston, Autumn goes by before you've had a chance to notice it most years. We've had some cooler weather this week, but right now the sun is shining and it is quite warm and pleasant outside.

As you can see from these photos everything is still lush and green. And there may have been scones baked. And eaten. Maybe.

I ran across this picture of Lady, Mr. Muddling's baby girl. They are so funny. And she is absolutely sure he cannot get along without her!

Buddy is doing very well.. We have an appointment with the vet on Monday and we'll see what he thinks. The surgery/wound is almost totally closed now. We are still putting the cone on him at night. He hates it. BUT, we do not want any more "accidents"!

It is so peaceful and lovely here today. It is hard to imagine all the strife and turmoil going on in the world around us. I am so thankful for this little piece of heaven on earth the Lord has allowed us to enjoy.

I do hope it is peaceful and beautiful where you are and that you are having lots of fun!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Beautiful Autumn

We had some much needed rain this week, but now we are back to glorious fall weather. Not cool, but still pleasant early and late.

I've started playing with watercolors. Muddling, as usual, but still - it's fun!

I am still making the maple leaf and 25-patch blocks.

I am also making some pumpkin blocks, very simple machine applique.

They will go in between these 49-patch blocks. I originally made these thinking I would use them with the maple leaf blocks. Silly me. These blocks are 2 inch blocks, and the maple leaf has 2 1/2 inch elements. Sometimes my muddling works, and sometimes it just morphs into another project. But it's still fun and I still get to play with some very pretty fabric!

My Buddy was a very naughty boy. He chewed the surgery area, taking out all the stitches. This made another surgery necessary. He now wears a cone at all times that our eyes are not on him. The vet also gave him some medication to help with the pain, and that makes it easier for everyone. No word yet on the biopsy, and I am not pushing for information yet. We are changing the dressings every three days, and he is also on a pretty strong antibiotic. I feel so sorry for him. And he is such a good boy. Most of the time.

What's going on in your world? I do hope you're enjoying yourself and having some fun. It helps!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Glorious Clamshells

I have had such fun playing with these fabrics. Apparently my tastes have changed because I am really enjoying these reproduction fabrics. 

And here is my clamshelll  quilt all finished. I love it so much.

Obviously I did not take it out of the dryer quickly enough. It looks a bit wrinkled, but it is still so soft and comforting. The quilt was made using the Go! clamshell die, and I have to say, it could not have been easier. Everything went together so easily. It really does help when the pieces are uniform. And the notches help in getting them together correctly!

I have an unexpected little morning glory out in Ruthie's garden. What a happy surprise! Another surprise was the yellow toadstool I found growing in one of the pots on the patio today. What a bright yellow! At the upper right you will notice that the turnip green seeds I planted right before the rains began to fall have already sprung up and started growing! Now if I can just keep the chickens out of there!

My darling Buddy had a trip to the vet yesterday. He had a little fatty tumor on his leg. Unfortunately the doctor did not like the way it looked when he removed it. We are waiting for results from the biopsy. He has had such a hard time and is the sweetest big old baby in the world. I am believing there will be no bad news.

I hope all is well in your part of the world, and that you have lots of happy things going on!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Happy Friday

Perhaps you've heard that things are bigger in Texas. It is true. Sometimes it surprises me. This pot of coleus have just about taken over this little seating area.  There is a hanging basket  with a spider plant almost buried to the left.  Oh well, it's too hot to sit out there anyway!

 I have one lone pimento pepper plant and it is in that bottomless white bucket you see on the bottom. I have to protect anything I want to keep from marauding chickens. The garden is fenced, but somehow they still manage to invade it from time to time. The littles are growing like mad and the old lady chickens are just tired. They are barely laying any eggs at all now, and I don't blame them. Dinah on the upper right is one of the two masters of the house (they think!) Buddy tries hard to keep them in order.  If you click to make the picture larger you can see him herding chicks out of Ruthie's garden. 

It's a tough life, but he does a good job. I do love him so!

Mr. Muddling and I took a little ride to an antique mall we like to visit this morning. We NEEDED to get out of the house. I was so happy to find this little teddy bear. Unlike most I've seen, this one is a quilt on the front and the back. I like him!

I was also quite pleased to find the little lady on the right. I've had her "brother" for years and years, a gift from my darling grandmother. Aren't they sweet!

The clamshell quilt top is complete now and I got it loaded on the quilt machine last night. I've made a couple of passes on it. I'm using the "loopy clam" design which seemed altogether fitting! Maybe I can get it finished today.

I hope you are well and happy and that you are finding many things to make you smile! There is always something for which to be thankful.

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

I Seem to be a Little Scattered

This is the design wall directly behind my sewing machine. This is what I see while I'm sewing. As you can see, I have jumped all over the place with my sewing lately.

This is how it looked a few days ago. I had seen that picture of the maple leaf on Pinterest. I know. Big mistake to linger there at all. Anyway, I figured out a pattern to make the block. So far I've made ten of them. They take forever. For me, anyway. My brilliant idea , which you can see on that design wall, was to make another block to put between the maple leaf blocks. 

So far, I've made twenty-one of these 49 patch blocks. They take forever, too. At least for me. Then I notice that these blocks are not the same size. Actually I noticed it several days ago, but I kept on making them. While I make up my mind what to do. There is a reason my blog is named "Muddling Through". That is what I do just a whole lot of the time. I muddle. Usually it turns out pretty well if I keep at it. We'll see what happens with this one. At any rate, it has kept me occupied here at home, and mostly out of trouble. Of course, there has been more fabric purchased online. Have I mentioned lately that I have the best husband in the world? He never complains about me buying fabric. I am truly blessed! 

In other news, it is HOT here, but that is nothing new either. Houston in the Summer is always hot, and it seems to be Summer here for at least three quarters of the year. 

The baby chicks are not babies any more, and they are getting along just fine with the big girls. And they are all hilarious! I love watching them. There is always something new to laugh about with them.

We've bought some really good peaches lately,, more than we could eat, so I've been drying some of the excess. I can see some fried pies in our future. After it cools off some, of course.

Today, I decided I would cut something new to play with, and I noticed the clamshell GO! die. I have no idea how many I've cut so far, but I've put these up on the other design wall, and I'm liking the look a lot! I did sew three of them together, just to see how hard it would be. It's not. So far, anyway.

With all the bad things going on these days, and there are plenty, there is still so much for which to be thankful. We are so blessed as a nation, and there is still so much that is right about our country, even though there are things that are not. Perhaps the very best thing we can do in these times is to talk to God about it instead of complaining. I am talking to myself here, I hope you know! And I am trying to do better.

I hope all is well with each and every one of you, that  your family is healthy and happy.  Because I love you!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Where Have I been

Most of the time I've been right here. I have been doing most of the things I usually do, except for getting out and about much.

I spent a lot of time working on this quilt for our daughter Mary. As I mentioned before, this is the third of these quilts I've made from the Sew Many Strips sewalong, a Tara Baisden pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting. I made a queen size first for Mr. Muddling and me, then a king size for our son and daughter in law and now another king for our baby girl. 

This is the original size.

Lots of pretties outside and inside. Flowers just make the world a better place, don't they?

This is Mr. Muddling's birthday cake. We had a sweet celebration with family enjoying barbecue and cake. Delicious!

Next, the figs ripened and I canned enough fig preserves to send some to each of my siblings and still have plenty for myself. Mr. Muddling does not like them.

Next, back to Mary's quilt and another couple of borders added to bring it up to king size.

Here it is after quilting.  I do love that wavy line quilitng. On pieces this small (each strip one and a half inches wide before sewing!) I want a lot of quilting and this seems to do the job.

Here it is getting its binding. Now it has been boxed shipped and has safely arrived in upstate New York and is on the bed!  Hurrah!  And Glory to God!

Next I had a birthday. Our sweet Houston children came over bringing Mexican food and we enjoyed a feast and good company. Yes, I made my own birthday cake and I don't mind a bit.

Now I've cut a new project with my Studio Cutter. This will be the Hugs and Kisses quilt from The Quilt Factory. My friend Sandy is going to sew this one for the USO Lounge at our local airport. Hopefully they will soon be able to reopen.

Sorry I've been so long away. I just was not in the mood to post. And if you can't find much good to say, sometimes it's better to say nothing. But I'm back now, and God is still good  and we can still trust in Him!

I hope all is well in your world.

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Two Finishes

The quilt is finished! It is a little too heavy to be on the bed right now, but you know I had to see how it looked.

It looks pretty happy.

As I said earlier, this is a quilt design and a free pattern from Donna Jordan of Jordan Fabrics. I really like the little extra detail she added to the borders on all four sides. It was a very easy pattern and went together quickly.

Right now it is living on our sofa in the den. I just like looking at it!

Project number two is the little fabric panel wall hanging. It seemed like time to get the Valentine hanging down and put up a new one. I just quilted a very simple design and put it up. Seems perfect for summertime.

More sunshine is the plumeria flowers in a pot on the front. And the chrysanthemums. 

What I really like about the plumeria is that you can just pull it out of the pot before it freezes every year and let it rest in the garage, or someplace where it will not get too cold. Come springtime, put it in fresh potting soil and it will leaf up soon.

We have had lots of rain this week, but it seems to be over for now. So back to the heat!

 

I hope you are having feelings of completion and happiness. This is a beautiful world the Lord has given us.

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine