End of July

Have you ever had a sudden realization that time is passing and you have been standing still and not doing what you planned to do?  I had one of those realizations today.  It is the last day of July, the summer is 2/3 over and I have not been out to spend any time in the fresh air and sunshine.  Yes we've had a lot of rain this summer and yes we've had several days with heat warnings and many others with the humidity so bad you can barely breathe which sends me into coughing fits.  But there have been many days like today that was warm, not too humid and not raining or even thinking about raining.  So what have I been doing you ask?  I've been staying home - chair potato-ing  and not doing much.  We took a trip to the Grand Canyon, Arches and Canyonlands in May - but since then - nothing much.

So today I decided to do something about it.  I took my granddaughter and we went stamping - also known as Letterboxing.  I looked up a whole list of boxes we haven't found and we took of for a day of fun in the sun.  We found 5 out of 6 boxes - one was missing - and had a great time.  If we get another nice day before she has to go home, we will go again - we still have a stack of them to find.

Today is the day when another block of my Loyal Union Sampler BOW (Block of the Week) is due.  I've been working on this quilt - a block a week - for nearly 2 years.  It will probably never get put together and quilted - but then again maybe it will.

This is the block titled Nevada.  It has a lot of Y seams but I've learned that practice really does make perfect.  I'm not saying I'm perfect at them - but I'm sure a lot better than I was 2 years ago when I would find any way possible around doing Y seams.

I didn't get a lot of reading done in July - just two books which when you think about it, isn't very much reading for me.  I did acquire a tablet with a Kindle App, so I have a ton of books to read there, plus a lot of  real paper and ink books to read.  I will get around to it all eventually.

The two books I read this month are:

The Shell Game by Janet Evanovich

Murder is a Family Business by Heather Haven

Heather Haven is a new author to me - this is the first book in a series about a family owned Detective Agency.  It was interesting enough for me to read the next one in the series.

Project completed

I while ago I posted about our entry way where the mirror tiles started falling off the wall - the first one at 3 in the morning.  Scared my husband and granddaughter out of 3 years growth.  Anyway - we tore all the tiles off the wall, painted, put in Oak baseboard and framing and ledge.  After that was in we decided that the flooring was a mess sooooo - we replaced the landing and the stairs with Oak Laminate flooring - which meant that all the baseboard had to come up and the door framing had to be trimmed as it was cut for the tile that had been on the floor.

I made a Storm at Sea Quilt - machine pieced and hand quilted to hang on the wall - it is a twelve foot wall so there was plenty of room for a large quilt.

I Completed the Quilt in March but we still needed to figure out how to hang it as the studs in the wall are NEVER where you need them.  

We added an oak 1 x 4 and hung the rod on it and placed it where we wanted it rather than where the studs would let us.  

My daughter gave us a wall plaque to hang in the entrance also and we finally got it hung so except for painting the door and the door trim the entry is completed.

Now our next major project is the guest room which hasn't had a renovation since 1994 when our son moved out.

I know I haven't posted my book lists in quite a while.  Not because I haven't been reading - but because I have simply been lazy about doing it.

So:

May  2015 Book List  

Saints Gate by Carla Neggers

Garment of Shadows by Laurie R King

Murder on the Half Shelf by Lorna Barrett

Mediterranean Caper by Clive Cussler

The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich

Rock Point by Carla Neggers

All of these Authors are old favorites.  Lourie R King continues her tales of Mary and Sherlock - fun and interesting exploits in the 1920 era.  I've read many of Clive Cussler's books, but never read the early ones - so I'm starting at the beginning - This one is actually book 2.  The Carla Neggers books are Book 1 and the Prelude to a new series which I have been enjoying.  And of course who can miss Janet Evanovich whether she is writing about Stephanie Plum or Nick Fox!!

June  2015 Book List 

The Lost Key by Catherine Coulter

The India Fan by Victoria Holt

Dreaming Spies by Laurie R King

Cats Claws by Susan Albert Wittig

Power Play by Catherine Coulter

Again so Old favorite Authors - Catherine Coulter's New series A Brit in the FBI - this is the second in the series (The Lost Key) but it has all the favorite characters from her FBI Series.  This was the first Victoria Holt I have read in way too many years and it was fun.  I love Susan Albert Wittig and she didn't dissapoint with Cats Claws.

Tuesday Farm Block 1

This month I started a new Block of the Month - but it turned out to be a block of the week as we have to complete 4 blocks each month.  Living in the MidWest in farm country I love the farm theme of this BOM.  It is called Farm Girl Vintage and the book is by Lori Holt.

My favorite farm building is of course the old barn- it is on my most photographed list.

Window of old barn

Red Barn

Run Down old Barn

Abandoned Barn

Another old Barn

I guess you can sort of get the idea.  At any rate the first block I chose to make was the Old Barn Block.  I'm making the 12 inch blocks although there is a 6 inch option.  I am using new fabric for the background - but the rest of the fabric will be mainly from my stash - unless I run into something I can't fill - which is highly unlikely.

At any rate, here is my block for this week.

Spring Salad Dressing

This was on a Salad my Sister made for my Birthday one year and I want to make sure I don't lose it - so I'm posting it here this spring.

1 cup    mayo
1 T white wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Whisk together mayo, vinegar, and sugar. Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.  

Winter in November

Winter has arrived - over a month early with temps more conducive to January than November - I have lived here for nearly 40 years and I don't remember a winter that started out like this.  We are slated to set the record low maximum temperature today - the old record you ask - 26 F back in like 1880 or so.  Right now it is 16 and the overnight low was 8.  Believe me when I tell you that these temps are 25-30 degrees colder than normal.  I remember Thanksgivings when we had to run the Air Conditioning!!

Any way - life does continue.  Hubby is talking about buying me another car - he looking at a 2013 Ford Fusion.  My other 2 cars average age is like 15 or 16 and the Cougar needs some transmission work and both cars need new tires.  I guess it is time - I've staved off losing the Cougar for probably 10 years but I guess the time has come.  He is afraid of it leaving me stranded in the winter cold somewhere - I guess I can understand and thank him for caring that much.

Been busy working on Loyal Union Soldiers Sampler Quilt -

Manger Block

Campfire 

Manassas

These are just a few of the new blocks I've made.  I'm quilting the Lovely in Lavender quilt and it is going very well so far.  Soon I'll be in the borders and that might get a little tricky.

Found a book on barn quilt blocks - the blocks that were painted on barns.  There are also Barn blocks themselves.  I'm planning on making a barn quilt with a panel I found - but to add the barn blocks that were painted on the barns and to actually read about the reasons behind the custom is going to be a lot of fun.

Well, I need to get off of here and hopefully get some work done on my Storm at Sea quilt today.  I'm on Blocks 18 and 19 of 35.  Getting there - but still a ways to go.

The time has Flown by

Here it is, the first of November - the Summer has gone and now Fall is in it's closing days.  We have had some beautiful days this fall - far more than I expected after the less that stellar Summer.  I have completed a quilt and started several more.

This one is called Spring Garden - and I completed it in September.  I had originally planned to keep it, but then I listened and just knew it belonged to my friend.  I was invited to her surprise birthday party last week - so I gave it to her.  It is a throw quilt - not large enough for a bed but great to cuddle up with on a cold Illinois winter evening.

We had mirror tiles on our entryway wall for many years.  It is a 12 foot tall about 6 foot wide wall and I liked the mirror tiles.  But one night a few weeks ago, one of the tiles fell off the wall - scared my granddaughter out of 3 years growth and shook up hubby.  Anyway they cleaned up the tile and the next day we decided to tear down all the tiles.  Good thing we did as about a dozen more were ready to fall.  We have patched the wall and picked up the paint for it.  I'm also making a wall hanging quilt for there.  It is burgundy and eggshell with gold flecks - in a Storm at Sea Pattern.

This is one form of the Storm at Sea Pattern.  This one is for my Loyal Union Soldier Sampler and is in different colors.  But it gives you an Idea of what it will be.

This is the wall we are redoing - the tiles have been removed and some of the patching is completed.  it is a big job, but will certainly be glad when it is done.

I feel like it was yesterday since I last wrote a post - and it has been nearly a year. The time has just flown by - yet it has been a trying and stressful year. We did finally finish the basement after the flooding and it was looking really good. It was a very very hard winter - for us a nearly record snowfall and harsh temperatures plus winter didn't ease it's hold until late in May. My Azalea never did bloom as it was simply too cold for it. Hopefully it will bloom again next year.

The summer has been unusually cool which helped with the electric bill, but we didn't really have a summer. Early in the summer, my husband hurt his neck and arm and was unable to do anything for the pain. He couldn't even drive. So many things I normally do had to be set aside to care for him. Three doctors later we found one who could actually help him, but he said it would take 3 - 4 months. Here we are 3 1/2 months later and he is so much better - he can drive for extended periods of time, he can start the lawn mover and he can do other things he was unable to do in June. He is not completely back to where he was in May, but he is well on his way and I am so grateful.

We wanted to go to a could of reunions this summer and visit Gettysburg and Manassass but that was not possible this summer. We are planning a day trip to Chicago to visit our grandson and go to the museum - he wants to take his Grampa to the new U-boat exhibit. I'm not into tight enclosed spaces, so I will opt out and go for the doll house or the electric train display.

 I have completed a couple of quilts this year:

This is Sunbonnet Sue around the year and was a gift to my sister.

This is the Underground Railroad Sampler Quilt and was a gift to my Brother.

I am working on several others and hopefully will have more completed soon.