Another One for the USO Lounge

 

But first, take a look at this gorgeous, brilliantly colored plumeria!  Isn't it beautiful! My next door neighbor gave it to me a couple of years ago, but this is the first time it has flowered. I am so excited to see it! 

 

Don't you love this backing fabric for my newest quilt for the USO Lounge at our Houston airport! From my friend Deb.

 

 

And here is the front. Very simple rail fence with a couple of nine patches in the middle. Fun quilt to make!

 

 

I read a really interesting article the other day in which a woman who is a food scientist made the case that a lot of the health decline in our country is directly traceable to the commercial milling of wheat grains starting in the 1920's. Freshly milled wheat grain spoils rather quickly because of the wheat bran and wheat germ which are both somewhat fatty, and therefore will spoil or go rancid relatively quickly. Commercial mills discovered they could profitably sell ground white flour that would not spoil IF they removed the bran and wheat germ first before milling or grinding the wheat berries into flour.  Of course this also removed the majority of the real food value from the bread made with that wheat!

 

 

So, I bought a grain mill, the one she recommended, and it worked perfectly, quickly and quietly!

I had ordered five pounds of the hard red wheat berries and I ground up all of that last night. This morning I got up early (Yes, this is a miracle!) and mixed and kneaded and waited for that to rise, cut it into three, formed into loaves and put in pans and waited for that to rise. Baked and deliciousness was enjoyed!! I also made some pimiento cheese which Mr. Muddling and I slathered on a couple of pieces of the bread. Heaven! 

I was really impressed with how easy it was. Needless to say, I've ordered more wheat berries!!!

 

It's always good to learn something new, and to go back and renew your mind to things you once enjoyed. I am so happy it turned out so well! 

 

I hope you are growing in the things you know and learning new ones! It's always good to learn and to do!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

 

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Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue

 

I finished this one. Just got photos taken. It will be going to the USO Lounge at IAH Houston. I am so glad to have another one ready to go. My friend Sandy has some ready as well. Three Cheers!

 

 

In other news, Mr. Muddling's darling baby girl Lady had surgery this week. It went well and we expect a full recovery, but she does NOT like her new wardrobe. Life is just full of challenges for all of us, isn't it?

 

 

This one is getting closer to completion. Maybe a couple of borders. It will be going to the USO Lounge, too. We are behind in what we want to give them, so once we get this latest batch there, we should be caught up. YAY!!!

 

 

How cute is this pin cushion!!! A friend from our prayer group at church gave it to me. I love it. What would we do without our friends?

 

My very good friend who has been our across the street neighbor for over forty years moved to heaven this morning. She was in the her nineties, and has had a long, good life. But I will miss her.

 

I am so glad our good heavenly Father knows all our joys and sorrows and is with us through them all.

 

I hope your week has been wonderful so far!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

Glorious Spring - No, It Is Summer

 

Left to right, starting at the top row: Four o'clock, Daylily, Coleus seedlings, Nocturnal Spider, Rose of Sharon (Althea), Tommy Toes tomatoes, Zinnias, Mother of Thousands, Summer Personified.

 

I think we may have had a couple of days of Spring here in Houston. Maybe. But we for sure have SUMMER now! All the wonderful growing things are compensation though.

My blog friend Deb very kindly had her husband dig up and send me some Mother(s) of Thousands after I told her mine had died off long ago. Blog friends are the best! 

I potted up some of them and shared with the ladies at our prayer group, along with some of the coleus seedlings I had started. I love it!

 

 

Our great niece is expecting a baby girl soon, so of course she needs a quilt. I am really pleased with how it developed!

 

 

The top picture is before its trip through the washer and dryer and the bottom one is after those voyages. Don't you love that crinkly-ness? It is so soft and cuddly. The green backing is a thick flannel. I think it will be a wonderful floor quilt as well as a bed quilt.

 

 

After all that sweetness, I had some green flannel left on the frame, so I quilted this little panel and got it bound. It is so vibrant! And now it will be ready for display when Autumn rolls around.

 

This red white and blue has now had borders added and is on the frame ready to be quilted. It will be going to the USO Lounge at Houston's Intercontinental Airport.

 

I DO try to stay busy. It tends to keep me out of trouble. Sometimes anyway! LOL!

 And seriously, there are always so many things I want to do and see and learn. 

 

Our God is infinitely creative, and I think He's made us creative, too!

 

I hope you're having a wonderfully creative time in your part of the world!

 

Hugs an kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abundance

 

There are so many beautiful things outside it is hard to know where to start. I'll start with the flowers - my favorites. I love Springtime when all the flowers start to burst into bloom. It feels like the earth is waking up from a long winter's nap.

 

This is one of my favorite trees - the mimosa. Lots of people call it a "trash tree". They don't like it at all. I grew up seeing mimosa trees every spring and summer. Their flowers have a sweet gentle perfume, and they hold a special place in my heart.

 

 

This is the front on the left, and the back on the right of the quilt I had to make after seeing it on the Jo's Country Junction blog. It is called Brick House. It was super fun and easy to make and will be going to the USO Lounge at our local airport. 

 

Most of this green mass is mustard greens. I grow them mostly to feed our chickens. They love them. I am trying to get them all picked and eaten by said chickens soon, because there are also tomatoes and cucumbers growing in there!

 

 

AND.......this Celeste fig tree I am growing from a cutting from our old tree that was destroyed by a hurricane! I love figs. Mr. Muddling - not at all. But I am excited it is doing so well. I have another variety I bought online that is also doing well!

 

 

The queen sized log cabin is getting closer to a finish. I sewed the last strip of log cabins onto the center part of the quilt, and I have sewn the first two inner border strips on. Two more inner border strips to sew on and then an outer pieced border and the final outer border. Then quilting! I knew it would be a long term project, and it is, but the couple I am giving it to deserve the very best. So I'm trying to make sure they get it!

 

I hope someone is making sure YOU get the very best! I know our good God has you on His mind for good. I would certainly not want to be here without Him!

 

Hope your week ahead is full of only good things!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

Cats and Flowers

 

I cannot even tell you how much I love these cats! Cats are such stinkers anyway, and these look full of personality! Our Miss Dinah is a beautiful girl who belongs still to our daughter Ruthie. Dinah does not acknowledge any other owner, though we do qualify as servants!

 

 

Just look at those faces. They are not going to be good kitties. You can tell just by looking. The beautiful fabrics in this quilt came to me from a dear blog friend. (She sent such a box of delights! I am so happy!) Thank you Deb!!!

 

 

And look at all that crinkly-ness! Yummy!!

 

 

 

Meanwhile, outside, things have been simply beautiful! Roses outdoing themselves blooming, amaryllis dazzling in their beauty, iris in all their purple glory bursting out everywhere, dogwood covered in blooms, azaleas blooming with super abundance! AND, in the lower left, you can see the little lemon tree we bought in the fall blooming its little heart out. What you probably can't see is all the little lemons on there! I do so love Spring!

 

 

There are over 100 of these log cabin blocks here. I think there are enough for the center of a quilt I'm making for a sweet couple we know. They are such a blessing to everyone, I wanted to make something special for them. Still a very long way to go, but Lord willing, I'll get it done!

 

I hope all is going well in your world. It does seem sometimes that there are just too many challenges, but you know, maybe they are what we need to make us stronger and to make us what God wants us to be! I choose to believe that anyway.

 

Thank you for being my friend. I wish you lots of good things only!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And So It Goes

Toward the end of February I just got fed up with winter. I found this panel in my stash and quilted it and hung it in the den. Mr. Muddling and I have truly enjoyed this little glimpse of beach-y beauty. Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands.

 

 

 

I made this little quilt for the children at our church. The sweet lady in charge told me they really enjoyed the last two I made. They like to put them on the floor and sit on them as they do their activities and listen to stories.

 

 

I made this one to go along with it. I hope they love them!

 

 

 

In my ramblings around blogland I noticed this quilt on Jo's Country Junction. It is called Brick House and you can find directions for it here. 

Why do I keep starting new projects? Who can I blame?

I NEED to get back to the log cabin quilt. What can I say, I was sidetracked.

 

 

 

I am really loving the Mary Engelbreit daily calendar I got for this year. This page for today and tomorrow explains a lot.

 

I hope you are having lots of fun and doing things you enjoy.

There are so many things always for which to be grateful.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pink and Green

 

A very sweet young lady at our church recently had her eighteenth birthday. You know I couldn't let that go by without a quilt. I asked what colors she would like and this is the result.

 

 

The backing is this solid flannel.

 

 

Here it is all folded up in its gift bag.

 

 

She loved it, and I do, too! She is such a lady, if you can even say that nowadays, and this suits her personality.

 

 

I've done a little cutting with the Studio cutter for my friend Sandy and the ladies in her sewing group. They want to make more of the potato chip blocks.

 

 

This is on my design wall. I think this may be about a quarter of the way. It's going to be a queen size for some friends of ours. 

 

 

This is my cheering section. It is so encouraging to look over and see they are all rooting for me! (I know, but sometimes I just have to amuse myself!!!)

 

In other news, we are bracing for another round of the polar vortex. We'll have to get out there and re-wrap all the plants we uncovered and bring lots of things inside again. Oh, well, life IS an adventure, isn't it?

 

There are so many things in the world I cannot do one little thing about. I've decided that the Lord is much smarter than I am, so I'm going to let HIM handle it!

 

Hope you are all staying warm, or cool according to your location!

I am so glad to count you as my friends, and I"m thankful you still enjoy reading my ramblings from time to time!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

Quilts 2024

 

 

Here are the quilts I made in 2024. I am so thankful for the blessings of a good husband who supports me in all I do and for the supplies and fabrics to have lots of fun making quilts!

 

We have been preparing for the arctic blast due here early in the week. Not looking forward to it at all!

 

I hope all is well in your part of the world and that you have a wonderful tomorrow!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Flower Garden

 

I am documenting now the pretty things outside. Mainly because I know it will look nothing like this next week. I am not excited about the polar vortex we are promised. I am not a fan of cold weather. However, sometimes you just don't get to choose! LOL!

 

I've been working on another quilt. I know that is not a big surprise, but I like to document the quilts I make, so here we go. This one is for a special friend of ours. She is such a great blessing to us, and we love her a lot! She gave me a little idea of colors she would like and I've done my best to give her at least some of what she wants. 

For anyone who might be interested, the flower prints are cut into 6 1/2 inch squares and the gray/burgundy quarter square triangle blocks in between are also 6 1/2 inches, turned gray side up in one row and burgundy side up in the next.  There is a 1 1/2 inch burgundy inner border and a 2 1/2 inch outer border of Lotus Blossom, one of my all time favorites in all colorways.

If you want beautiful floral fabrics, it's just really hard to go wrong with Kaffe Fassett/Philip Jacobs designs. They are the best!

 

 

So here we have it: FLOWER GARDEN.

 

I sent my friend Sandy a picture of it on the quilt frame when it was close to being finished and she said, "You made a flower garden". 

That's a pretty good name for it, isn't it!

 

This was a daily page on my new Mary Engelbreit daily calendar. Not necessarily advocating this, but it did strike me as funny! And sometimes a laugh is a very good thing. 

I hope you are having a good start to this new year. A lot of how it turns out is going to be up to us. Not all, but still a lot. I am going to try to keep a good attitude and to continue to be thankful for all the many good things in my life. They are all from the Lord!

You know, you are some of the good things! I am so thankful for the friends I've made here in blogland! I'm glad we "met"!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine