Staying Busy

Here is the completed quilt happily doing its job on our bed! I do love it. 

I again used Bonnie Hunter's pattern, Narragansett Blues. I used mostly reds, and between each vertical row I added a one inch strip of red. Gives it a totally different look!

I used this sweet fleece as the backing and the batting is Hobbs Tuscany cotton/wool blend My aim was a warm quilt without all the weight. We tried a couple of my other quilts after my knee replacement surgery and I could not stand the weight of either. This one is so much better, and since I have the other knee scheduled for replacement early next month, I'm glad to have it finished!

American Patchwork and Quilting magazine has a quilt in their latest issue (April, 2019) that I like, so I had already decided to give it a shot. Then I noticed there is a quilt along starting today.  The strips are all one and a half inches wide, but fortunately I have the Go! Cutter strip die in that size. Yay! Makes it go so much faster.

Here are the first three blocks. It's going to be a time consuming project, but that's what I need right now. Quilting really does help me to stay sane, and not to think about things I cannot control.

Lots of pretties out in the front and the back yards! The chickens are having a marvelous time whenever they get to roam. Chloe, of course, is not impressed. 

I'm really enjoying our little patio. We've had some nasty, cold and rainy weather, but when the pretty days come along, those are all forgotten. It is joy to have the back door open and enjoy the birds and the chicken songs. Mr. Muddling is sure it's not singing, but I know better!

Isn't it good to have fun? I believe in it! And I hope you're having a lot of fun where you are!

Hugs and Kisses,

Lots of Good Things

This was Monday's page from my Mary Engelbreit daily calendar. I have to say, I am enjoying these pictures and sayings every day. This one really made me laugh.  But. I think a lot of the time, we are the ones who stop ourselves. Something to think about.

This is not a very good picture, but I wanted to share with you how strange our weather has been.  It is not usual for a hibiscus to be still alive outside in February. They are a tropical plant, and for one to still be blooming is really unusual. Add to that the narcissus blooming right under it!

                                                            The angel trumpet is still blooming

and in the front yard this little yellow rose is in full bloom. 

Seems to be a little difficult to see what season it is out there!

The most exciting thing to me is that I'm quilting!!! It's taking me much longer, but I am doing it and I'm happy and thankful!

I'm also thankful for a husband who after almost thirty-eight years still brings me flowers!

Life is good, even with its challenges. God is so good to me.

I hope you're having lots of things to rejoice about, too. You may have to look a little harder for them, but they are there!

Hugs and kisses,

February?

Almost unbelievably to me, this has become a quilt top!!! Hopefully it will actually become a quilt sometime in the near future. One lives in hope!

Isn't it funny what you'll find out in the yard? I do love our very own fresh flowers.

Buddy feels absolutely entitled to spread out where ever he chooses. I do love that dog!

And just for grins, a friend shared this with me and I thought you might like it, too! I did laugh, I'll admit.

I don't know about you, but I enjoy finding things that make me laugh. You know, the Bible says that a merry heart does good like a medicine. And doctors say that patients who have a positive attitude do better overall and recover more quickly than those who don't. Plus, it's fun! And we do like to have fun, don't we?

I hope you've found some fun for yourself. Have a wonderful weekend!

Hugs and kisses,

Winter Is Finally Arriving

We had a cold front blow in early this morning. Temperatures have been steadily dropping all day. The weatherman says it will freeze tonight, and we've got strong winds as well. I guess we've escaped it for long enough for one year, but I cannot say I'm looking forward to waking up in the morning and seeing all the pretty things out there today looking not nearly so pretty tomorrow! But such is life. Nothing is forever!

Do you see my beautiful Buddy? I do love that dog. What a gift he has been to me.  And speaking of gifts, look what Mr. Muddling did. He laid a little extension to our patio of bricks. That will help a lot with the mud usually there from our darling chickens wreaking havoc! We have a bird feeder right outside that door and enjoy seeing the birds there every day. Of course when the chickens come out they have to "clean up" any seed left behind by the birds.

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend and lots of fun!

Hugs and kisses,

Just Peeking In

I just had to share with you that I SEWED last night! Not a lot or for long, but it felt so good!  Truly, just feeding fabric through the machine is therapeutic.

I am so thankful for each and every step toward recovery and trying so hard to be patient.

Meanwhile, it is a beautiful sunshiny day outside. Buddy is keeping me company while I catch up on a few things on the computer. Mr. Muddling is outside working on a project. All's right in my world. I hope it is in yours, too!

Hugs and kisses,

2018 Recap

I seem to have had a pretty productive year making quilts. Which is a really good thing, because from the looks of things there will not be much production going on this year.

Knee replacement surgery is nothing to underestimate. I'm finding it much more challenging than I thought.

Enough of that. I will recover. I just hope it doesn't take forever.

I do hope you are having some fun where you are. I am extremely blessed to have the best husband in the world to take care of me. Thank God he is patient!

Hugs and kisses,

I AM Still Alive

Hi there! I have missed you all sooooooo much. My knee replacement surgery took place on December 12th. It was successful in every way and I got to come home the very next day. According to my doctor and physical therapist I am doing not only well, but much better than normal. Truthfully, it doesn't feel that way to me, but I trust them so I will try to be patient and do the things I need to do to fully recover. Mr. Muddling is taking the best care of me every day. God bless him, his patience is something for which I am eternally grateful!

I went out in the back yard this afternoon and took a few pictures. As you can see there are still bits and pieces of prettiness out there. Top left was a pleasant surprise for me - one of the Christmas cacti has a bloom! There is an lot of brown not-so-exciting stuff out there, but the chickens have been having a glorious time rampaging all over the back yard and digging up everything they can get their little claw-y feet on. I don't care. They make me laugh, and you know what the Bible says, A merry heart doeth good like a medicine!

Our dear friend Dawn sent us these beautiful flowers for Christmas. At almost two weeks they still look gorgeous, just like our Dawn. We got to "meet" her through Ruthie. Dawn lives in London, and she and Ruthie were great friends. One of the last quilts I made while Ruthie was still here was a quilt for Dawn.  I am thankful our friendship has continued.

I tried very hard to finish this quilt before I had the surgery. I wanted it to welcome me home, but alas, it was not to be.

Chloe tried her best to help me finish it.

I even had a little Christmas tree next to the sewing machine to encourage me.

But this is as far as I got. And that's where it is now. I have a couple of borders I'd like to add and then there's the quilting and all the rest to make it into a real live quilt. I'm very sure it will be next year before this one is finished!

Still and all, it's been a good year. I believe next year will be a better one for all of us! I do wish each and every one of you the best and that your dearest wish will be granted.  God is so good to us all!

Hugs and kisses and lots of love,