Weeks 50-52 Happy New Year

Well, the Christmas rush is over.  Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday. Ours was quiet, just the 3 of us.  We opened our gifts and had a lovely dinner that John prepared.  TriTip steak and baked sweet potatoes with a side salad.  Yum! 

Our son and daughter-in-law gave us a Roomba - you know, one of those robot vacuums.  She is scheduled to vacuum the entire house about every other day at 10:00 a.m. (per my programming).  And like clockwork, she powers up at exactly 10:00 on the mornings I want her to work.  It takes her just under 2 hours to vacuum the entire house and then she goes home to her dock to recharge her battery.  We've named her Mrs. Doubtfire. 

My foot for context...she's about 14 inches across.  The cats don't seem to think much of her - they ignore her unless she is heading toward them on her rambles throughout the house.  Then they move out of her way.

Wishing you all a most Happy and Healthy New Year.  Remember, the 20's are starting at midnight! I don't know if they will be roaring or not, but I'm looking forward to whatever the future holds for us. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Week 48 & 49 - The Holidays are Fast Approaching

In the last couple of weeks we have been approaching the holidays.  John drove to Utah last week with two huge coolers filled with the pork we raised and butchered for our son and his family.  He drove straight thru - 20 hours.  Or almost straight thru.  About an hour outside of Salt Lake City, his truck just suddenly stopped!  Fortunately, it was about 5 in the morning and not a lot of traffic on Interstate 80.  He was able to coast to the side of the road. He called a tow truck who advised him that there was no shop in the nearest town who could work on his truck and he should tow it nearer to our son's house.  Thankfully he took that advise.  After several hundred dollars and a ride in a tow truck, John had his vehicle back, along with a brand new alternator!  He spent a few days with John III, Jill, and the 5 grands and came home on Thursday last week.  It was lovely to have him home...even after 46 years, he's still my guy!

While John was gone, Mom and I put up our tree.  I used our pencil tree this year - 7 feet tall and skinny.  It's already got lights on so all I had to do was put the three pieces together and Voila!  I put in on the bench seat, looking out the bay window.  So far, the kitties have not tipped it over.  I didn't put any decorations on it - too much temptation for kitties to play.  It looks pretty plain during the day, but when the night comes, with the lights on, it's magical!

I saw the following the other day and it really resonated with me. I'm sharing it with you, hoping it resonates with you, too

So now you know, it's up to you to carry on.  

I'm looking forward to 2020.  And this is helping me form my plans.

Positivity is my word for this next year!  

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season and a Blessed New Year.  

Thanks for stopping by. 

Week 44 thru 47 - Where Did the Time Go?

Today is the 1st of December.  Have you ever awakened on January 1st and think there's a whole year of adventures and blessings ahead.  And somehow, you suddenly wake up on December 1st and wonder where the time went.  That was me this morning.  Where has that year gone?  I know I retired back in mid-March and have spent a lot of time knitting and quilting and embroidering.  But, WOW, just wow!

I have participated in collecting rows from the annual Row by Row Experience since 2014.  I have several 'themed' quilts planned.  But until this year, I've never actually completed a quilt using Row by Row blocks.  The theme this year was Taste the Experience - all about food!  I decided to concentrate on Ice Cream blocks and collected and designed a cute quilt.  I actually finished it and took it to the quilter 2 days before Thanksgiving.  I didn't even photograph it yet.....obviously, you will see it when it's totally done!  I am not sure which one I will work on next - I've got plans for a Harry Potter quilt, a Wizard of Oz quilt, one with nothing but Guitars, a Musicals quilt, a space quilt,  and a couple more - all using Row by Row blocks. I have my work cut out for me, huh?  It'll keep me off the streets, for sure!

We had several of John's family for Thanksgiving.  Food, family and fun!  Couldn't beat it.

And the next day was our Annual Knotwell Girls Cookie Day.  Everyone brought a batch of sugar cookie dough and it was rolled out, cut out, sprinkled and baked.  We have a whole assembly line all figured out and after 6 hours, we had made over 25 dozen sugar cookies.  Split up into 4 groups, everyone got a bunch!  

Rolling out and cutting out and sprinkling area.

Baking stones staging area.

Cooling area.

The crew!  Mr. didn't participate except to kibbitz!  

First batch ready to go into the over.  

Once the cookies had cooled, they were divided up into takeaway tins we each provided.  I want to try making sugar cookies and then decorating them with royal icing...probably next week...Have never done that so it will be a new experience for me.  I know someone who will gladly eat the ugly ones!

Now is the time when all the Facebook folks are posting memes and pictures.  Some of them are pretty silly and some of them resonate with me.  Here are a couple:

I plan to spend more time really enjoying the season.  I love the music of the season.  I love the lights and the trees and the colors. I love how most people are kinder during the season.  

Thank you all for stopping by!  

Week 42 & 43 - Bacon Seed all Grown Up

Once every couple of years, we need to replenish the freezer with pork.  Living in the country, we don't generally run to the market for meats....we grow our own!  Last March, John and our friend JP picked up a new batch of Bacon Seeds - 7 of them.

They all fit in a cage in the back of John's mule at the time.  We keep them at JP's place - he has the setup for the pigs.  Time passed and we come to the end of October and the Bacon Seeds have grown to their full capacity. Time for Freezer Camp!  

All loaded up and ready to head out.  Two of those are ours.  Named Pua and Pigg!  We have already received the fresh meat ant it's resting in the freezer in the garage.  We pick up the smoked portion this Friday.  John is planning on driving out to Utah with Pua meat the beginning of December.  Our son and his family gladly admit that they are spoiled for home-grown meat!  No preservatives, no hormones, just grass and non-additive grains.  This is one of the perks of living in the country!

John and I recently spent part of a day at Silver Dollar City.  We get season tickets each year and usually only go to the Festival of Craftsmen and the Holiday Festival.  Going twice pays for the cost of season tickets, for sure.  

We love this festival!  

Everyone knows I spend a lot of time on the computer...mostly on Facebook.  I see a ton of memes that tickle me.  Here are a couple that I wanted to share with you.

I kinda like this one.....might be something I can include in each day.

Winter seems to be coming on rapidly here in the Ozarks...yesterday's temps were in the high 60's. Today we will be lucky to see 32.  We are getting rain, sleet, icy rain, and snow.  Not a great Veteran's Day, for sure!  The wind is wicked and, combined with the moisture, makes for some tricky driving.  Thankfully, I don't need to drive anywhere anymore!  Prayers for Mr. Wonderful - he had to work today!  Here's a chuckle:

Makes sense to me!  

Today being Veteran's Day here in the U.S., I want to wish all of our veterans a Most Happy Veteran's Day.  Thank you for your service to this still great country. Thank you for helping to keep our families safe.  Thank you for your sacrifice.  And thank you to your families for their sacrifices...they had to keep the home fires burning while you made sure that homeland was safe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 40 & 41 - Just Some Random Things

I've been working on stuff!  Nothing terribly important to anyone but myself. Nothing that would stop the turning of the earth if I didn't get it done. Just Stuff.  I worked diligently on two stockings that were requested by my brother and sister-in-law.  They are getting a new daughter-in-law and grandson soon and wanted to welcome them with Christmas stockings.  

This one was a delight to make.  Only 15 pieces but tons of beads and sequins. 

Damien is 11 and this one I'm hoping will delight him.  Greetings from Santa was fun to make. 

I've also finished one that was in progress and had to be put aside while I got the others done in time for the holidays.

Kitty's Christmas was another fun one to make.

That makes my total for felt stockings this year of 4 starts and 5 finishes.  I've started one more that I just might be able to finish before the end of the year.  Dino and Santa from 1993.  Photo to follow soon.

Ever thought about Karma?  Sometime I do...most of the time I don't.  But this kinda brought it to mind.

Gentle reminder to self - it doesn't have to be big to count!

While Mom and I were in Arizona in September, I managed to remember to get a photo of the three of us kids together - the first time since 2012.  After I had it printed off for Mom, I noticed that there had been another photo with the three of us taken while on vacation in 1959. 

Yes, folks, we lined up the same way...R, Me, and B 60 years later.  Looks as though I stopped growing when the boys continued to their full heights!

I saw this the other day, and because I was missing my son, it resonated with me. 

'Nuff said....he is my greatest achievement and my treasure.  

John took the pigs to Freezer Camp last Thursday.  Pua weighed in at 326 pounds and Pigg tipped the scales at 316 pounds.  That's quite a lot of bacon, folks!  He's picking up the fresh pork on Friday and the smoked portion will be ready in 2 more weeks.  Then he is planning a trip to Utah just after the first of December to deliver Pua to the family there.  It's such a blessing to be able to supply our son and his family with home-grown meats.  In the spring, we will take their steer to Freezer Camp and then deliver as well.

There is snow predicted for Halloween.  Thank goodness we live so far out of town that we never get trick-or-treaters.  I'd hate to see fairies and ballet dancers out in that kind of weather!

I'm off to sew and knit and embroider....thanks for stopping by.

Week 37, 38, 39 - Playing CatchUp

In spite of what appears to be slacking off on my part, I am determined to keep up with the blog for the rest of the year. That being said, I can't make any promises...Just sayin'.

Last weekend, John, with our friend and neighbor, John P, decided to make homemade sausage.  John P has done it in the past so he had all the hardware to do it.  All we needed to do was provide our own meat to start off with.  I think my John said he took over an 8 pound pound pork shoulder roast.  They ground it up, mixed in spices, and stuffed the meat into casings.  We ended up with about 10 pounds of sweet Italian sausage.  We put them into packages of 4 sausages and vacuum-packed them and they are now residing in the freezer. 

 We ended up with 35 sausages.  

I've been busy this past week.  The embroidery machine has been 'smokin''!   I love doing gifts for folks.  These are mug rugs - used as oversized coasters when one has a mug of coffee or hot chocolate or tea and a cookie!

Two of these are meant as gifts for friends...the other 2 are not meant for anyone in particular.  I'm working on some more felt Christmas stockings for gifts...need to get them completed and mailed before the holidays....I just might make it!  

We had our first freeze of the season the other night.  John had secured all the waterers for the garden and there was nothing left of any produce to freeze.  A good thing he did, too.  Wicked cold it was on Friday!  He took down the electric fencing around the garden and now the deer can have their way with what's left.  Once everything turns brown, he will trim back all the asparagus shoots and wait for next spring.  

He had picked all the peppers that were left and is preparing them for freezing today.  We will put them in vacuum packaging and freeze them for later use in soups, casseroles, etc.  Thank goodness we have 3 freezers - one of them I call the coffin freezer cause it's big enough to freeze a body!  And with Pigg and Pua going to freezer camp week after next, we will need to plug in the 3rd freezer and get it ready to hold them once they come home from camp.  

I've seen several 'memes' online recently that resonate with me.  Please take no offense, they are meant to encourage or remind.

And this one is for anyone who has a crafter, artist, creative person in their lives.

Well, folks, thanks for stopping by!  Until next time. 

Week 33, 34, 35, 36 - Catching Up

Time has surely gotten away from me, hasn't it?  

In the last month, we have been sewing and traveling and saying goodbye to old friends.

I'm really loving working on the embroidered bench pillows by Kimberbell.  I've completed 3 of them so far.  

Make Yourself at Home Bench Pillow 

Let's Go Fly a Kite Bench Pillow 

May Flowers Bench Pillow (Done in autumnal fabrics)

They measure about 16 inches by 38 inches and 2 of them fit perfectly on the bench seat in the morning room.  Since they have an envelope back, I can change them out whenever I want and only need to store the covers!  I go to a Bench Pillow Clinic every month to work on mine in a communal atmosphere - and there's a teacher there is I need help.  Am going tomorrow to work on my Gather Together bench pillow - will have it done in time for Thanksgiving.

Mom and I flew to Phoenix for a week with my brothers.  We stayed with my youngest brother and his wife.  During the week, I went to visit with a dear friend for a few days - shopped and sewed and generally caught up on each other's lives. I sure do miss the desert landscapes and the sunsets from Arizona. You might see why by these photos.

Cactus along the road. 

Flags in the City Square in Prescott. 

Sunset! No need for other words.

 When I went back to my brother's house, he and I took mom up to northern Arizona to visit our middle brother and his family.  It's the first time in 8 years that the three of us have been together....What a treat for me to get to see both of them.  We had lunch and then spent the afternoon at their house, just talking and reminiscing!  Then my youngest brother and his wife had a family BBQ on Saturday before we left on Sunday...I got to meet my great nephew and his girlfriend, and my niece's family.  We flew home on Sunday.  It sure was a great vacation but it was lovely to get home to my own bed!

I hope it's not another 8 years before we get together again.

While we were gone, our rescue dog, Kai Bella, had begun to lose the strength of her legs and back end.  John had taken her to the vet and they'd started some treatments but they just weren't working.  I called the vet on Monday and it was decided that with her 11 year history of abuse by her former owner, and all of her existing conditions, it was kinder and more loving to let her go.  So yesterday Mom and I took her to the vet where I sat with her while she crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  I could have left her alone for the procedure (and I have done it in the past) but she deserved to NOT be alone for her passing.  It was so quick, I almost didn't realize she was gone.  Thanks to the vet and his staff, she was treated with kindness and love.  And thanks to Kai Bella for making this last 4 month a time of joy and blessings.  You truly made our home special with you quiet grace.  Thank you, Your Highness...you will definitely be missed.  

Thanks for stopping by.  I'll try NOT to let 4 weeks go by before I post again.

Week 32 - Finishing

This past week has been one for Finishing.  Finishing project started a while back.  And finishing ones started a short time ago.  

Row by Row started back in 2011 but I wasn't aware of it until 2014.  The following year, 2015, I got really involved in collecting kits and patterns. The theme that year was water, or H20.  I had flown out to Arizona to see mom and then spent a few days with a friend down in Phoenix. Since we are both quilters, we hit a few quilt shops to get row kits.  This one is a personal favorite - Arizona Rainforest from Sun Valley Quilt.

I love the colors of this row.  And the piecing wasn't terribly involved; it just involved being totally focused on which way to put each piece. This row will go into my Arizona quilt - don't ask me when it will be done, I simply do not have a clue!  

I also finished a Bucilla kit this week.  Holy Family is one that called to me from the very first time I saw it.

This is 18" long.  There weren't a lot of pieces to this one.  I'm already working on another.  Kitty's Christmas is one that only has about 60 pieces so it won't take long to complete.  

The following picture came up on my Facebook feed the other day.

That smile has always enchanted me....it's just the right amount of sweet and tender mixed with a pixie glint.  This past week, this lovely young lady had her braces taken off, after 2.5 years as a brace face.  

There's that sweet, tender, pixie glint I've always loved.  

And a final finish for this week.  The pattern is called May Flowers but I used autumn colors to make this Autumn Flower Bench Pillow.  I spent all day Thursday at the monthly clinic making this one.  I got all the embroidered applique done there and came home to make the ribbon flowers and put the whole thing together yesterday.  I'm particularly proud of this one!  

Now on the more bench pillows....I'm thinking the next one will be Gather Together - just in time for Thanksgiving.  Or maybe I'll work on Boo - for Halloween.  Depends on what mood I'm in when I go to choose a pattern for the next one.

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 30 & 31 - Sewing Along

I've spent the last two weeks just sewing and sewing and sewing some more.  And stitching and embroidering.  I like a lot of needle arts, as you can see.

This lovely row is from Floyd & Lizzie's in Salt Lake City. It was from 2016 but will go quite nicely in my Food & Drink quilt. That is, of course, once I get cracking on that particular quilt.  

This next set of 2 rows are from 2015.  The top one is from Minnesota and the bottom one is from California.  The California one has intimidated me for a long time.  One day last week, I woke up and just knew how to accomplish it...it went together very well, I think. 

The bottom row is from That's So Debbie in Groton, CT.  It is from 2016.  She always does a maritime row since Groton is the home of the Submarine Service branch of the US Navy.  While we weren't part of the Sub Service, I still was drawn to this row since it features Homecoming at its most beautiful.  I will be using this row in my Silhouettes quilt - I've got a lot of them done already and might be ready to put it together really soon.

The garden is producing this year, thanks mostly to the fact that John put an electric fence around it to keep the deer and other nighttime creatures away from our produce.  This was almost a 3/4 full 5 gallon bucket of tomatoes...yes, it's only 7 quarts, but that's more than we got in the last 2 seasons - which was NOTHING!   John picked again this past weekend and we will probably get another 4 quarts out of that batch.  And there are even more tomatoes ripening on the vine.  

And finally, another cute picture.

Yes, that is kitties sleeping on top of the tall laundry cabinets.  That's my tall washer and dryer on the bottom and the top cabinets above them.  And kitties sleeping in their baskets at the very top.  Keeps them away from Kai Bella, you know.  Kai really does not care of kitties - she hasn't attacked yet, but she growls a lot when one walks by.  The cats give her a wide berth in the house and prefer to sleep far away from her so they aren't taken by surprise when she comes in to the laundry room for water.  

Thanks for stopping by.