LONG WEEKEND

Today was the last day of the long weekend. Much was accomplished although there is little to show for it. For example: I washed, dried, folded and put [nearly] all my quilts on a display shelf. We moved the television, stereo, DVD player, satellite box, etc. to a new entertainment center and the old unit was revamped as a quilt rack. That was just a fraction of the chores.

I continued working on the batik sampler blocks this weekend. Here are the next five completed. When I finish two more I am one-third of the way to the end!!! This is going to be a very colorful sampler. The predominant colors are those I consider "jewel tones" plus a few background colors and other blenders.

I have been experimenting with the camera again. Tonight I was experimenting with the "bulb" setting and the use of a tripod to capture lights in the dark. I experimented on Ross's Christmas display in our front yard because tomorrow night is a tree lighting ceremony which includes fireworks. I am hoping to capture fireworks. Here are the Christmas lights..... we also took a video, but we have to figure out how to upload to YouTube and then embed the video in a blog post.

It was a wonderful holiday weekend. There was much fun and sharing with Harry and Janelle across the consecutive days away from school and work. Nothing was rushed or hurried. It was relaxing and comfortable. The best!

Until I learn how to embed a video.....

THE AFTERMATH

We had a lovely Thanksgiving feast yesterday with Harry and his daughter, Janelle. Harry and I each contributed various items on the menu and together we created an entire meal. We had all the traditional fixings... turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, dressing, corn, rolls, jello, and dessert.

This was my dessert contribution: Mixed Berry Cheesecake, recipe courtesy of Ina Garten on Food Network. It tasted as good as it looks!



As for today, there were no 4 a.m. treks to the mall to get the best deal of the century on any item. In fact, I am cooking a stuffed turkey as we speak so that I can have some leftovers and make turkey soup.

Later today Ross has some friends coming over to help him decorate the yard with Christmas lights. I am hoping to experiment with taking pictures of the colors and lights after dark. If they work out I will most certainly share.

Other than cooking the turkey today, I hope to make a couple more quilt blocks or work on some other sewing project. I have so many I want to do but only 2 hands and 24 hours in a day. Life isn't fair!!

Until another time...

SO SOON?

First, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving filled with love and good times. It seems unfathomable that it is the end of November, nearly Christmas, the end of the year, and almost a new calendar. Where did 2008 go??

Below are the latest two batik blocks to be completed. I am officially one quarter of the way through the blocks.

Here is the picture on the cover of the pattern. I hope to finish this some day!! Hopefully sooner than later.

Enjoy the Christmas sounds... these are some of my current favorites; some old and some new.

Until there is more to share....

WEEKEND DOINGS

It has been a busy weekend as well as an exciting weekend. My high school senior got an acceptance letter from his first choice university. He was thrilled (and so was I)!! I am so proud of him!

I finally finished the pillowcases to match the bed cover currently being quilted by a talented woman in Iowa. I can't wait to see the finished results, but in the meantime I can clean my room, get the pillowcases ready, and have all the busy work out of the way so that when the quilt gets back home I can bind it and get it put on my bed as quickly as possible.

This picture below is the next batik sampler block to add to my "completed" column. I have again changed my plans for this sampler quilt. At first I was trying to keep the colors as close as possible to those shown on the cover of the pattern. I decided that I could play with this a bit by experimenting with colors and combinations in each block. After all, it *is* a sampler and that is by definition what a sampler is.... a means to PRACTICE while honing one's skills. And boy, do I need to hone and practice!!

Thanksgiving will be very nice this year. Ross and I are going to Harry's house to share the day with him and Janelle. Harry is making half of the meal and I am contributing the other half. The two "young-uns" are looking forward to seeing each other as well. My parents go visit my elderly grandmother at her assisted living center. My sister makes dinner for all her college kids, and Wes spends the day with his girlfriend and her family. I've quit feeling guilty at not getting to have the whole family together for one big holiday celebration. They simply have to trust that in my heart I love them all dearly and will spend the day reflecting on those feelings of closeness despite being apart.

Ross and I are cleaning house in an effort to get a jump on holiday decorating. We gathered a HUGE pile of things for the recycle bin, cleaned out my vehicle, relocated the entertainment center, took bulk trash out to the curb for collection, shared lunch, and in between we listened to Christmas music and watched the Cowboy game. And that reminds me of some more things I need to accomplish.

Until I take another break....

Can you picture Juliet on this balcony? Or maybe Rapunzel in the turret waiting to be commanded to let down her hair? It definitely has the qualities of something written about in a long-ago setting.



However, more realistic than a fairy tale or a classic tragedy written half a millennium ago, this is the County Courthouse in Decatur, Texas.... county seat of Wise County, Texas. It is considered the "sister" to the courthouse in Waxahachie, Texas (Ellis County; I shared pictures from that excursion quite some time ago) because they were both built in the same time period and designed by the same architect, James Riely Gordon. The design is based on the cruciform plan and the Romanesque Revival architectural style.


Here is my attempt at a "picture perfect" postcard of autumn colors. (I better keep my day job). This was taken from the grounds of a museum, using the iron fence as my tripod.

Decatur is one of those towns with a retail square surrounding the courthouse. This ad was on the side of a building and convinced me I was transported to the 1940s. The price of the soda, the pharmacy designation, the brick streets.... I had a hard time remembering it was 2008.

And then there was this. This was more like it... now I felt "home". (Definitely more my price bracket than the turrets of the "castle" in the first picture!)

The latest addition to the ever-growing pile of batik sampler blocks. Harry commented he liked the colors in this one.


Until later.....

RELEARNING OLD TRICKS

To look out the window you'd think it was a warm, wonderful day. The sun is shining, there is a breeze stirring the leaves, and there isn't a cloud to be seen. However, it is more like winter than anything else. The temperature is near 50 with the winds putting a chill factor in the air to make it seem more like temps in the 30s.

So I've spent time staying warm and making blocks for a batik sampler I started YEARS ago. The pattern is by Lori Smith and each 7-1/2" (finished) block is comprised of many small pieces. The pattern contains 80+ of these blocks... and I just completed #12 and #13. I am no good at applique, so the handles on the baskets below are "raw edge" applique. That means when I wash the completed quilt the edges will fray and sort of curl up to cover the stitching so visible in the photo.

This block is without a doubt the most difficult block I've ever constructed. Jumping right in and cutting the pieces as called out in the pattern, I quickly figured out the ONLY way to assemble this block was by using y-seams almost exclusively. I have not done y-seams in even more years than since I started working on this pattern. I had to relearn and it was tough. I sewed, unsewed, and resewed multiple times. I finally decided it was done and I wasn't going to fuss with it any more. In retrospect, if I ever need to make another one, I will "think squares and half square triangles" to come up with my own pieces to assemble on the order of a 9-patch. I noted that on the pattern and from now on will look more closely at the cutting instructions before taking my first cut.

Until I have more pictures to share.....

.... and 100 POSTS Later...

This is my 100th post to this blog! I've come to look forward to sharing my life as I chronicle my adventures. I thank everyone for reading and hope I've managed to put a few smiles on some faces.

This block below is the 6th block for the Mystery BOM being done at Fat Quarter Shop. I am impressing myself at how well I am staying up to date on this one. In the past that wasn't always the case with a BOM (Block-of-theMonth).



Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day. I decided to check out the progress on my garden. It held a few surprises!! Here are the largest tomatoes so far. The biggest has the diameter of a large tangerine. I counted more than 30 tomatoes!

As an experiment, we are growing some broccoli this fall. Never having done so in the past, I am not sure when it needs to be harvested. We decide this crown looked like it was approaching the stage of flowering, so we cut it, cooked it, and ate it. It wasn't very large, so we basically each got a couple bites. The jury isn't quite ready to reach a verdict on its tastiness. It smelled and tasted like broccoli. However, the texture was not the same as broccoli from the store. The outside of the stem was much tougher and the inside of the stalk was much softer. I don't know if that means it needed to grow more or was already beyond the point of perfect harvest. Will experiment some more with the other broccoli plants we've yet to cut.

Last Saturday afternoon was yet another perfect autumn day in Texas. We got in the car and headed north, thinking we'd see some fall foliage in the northern section of the state. WRONG!!! Surprisingly the majority of trees had already lost their leaves. HUH??? When did this happen? The leaves in Dallas are just now starting to turn, so I assumed a bit farther north would have been at its peak. Shows what I get for thinking!

Regardless, we saw some wonderful sights. This little church is the Methodist church in Sadler, Texas. Sadler is just south of Lake Texoma and thus the Texas-Oklahoma border. The town bragged a couple hundred residents.

The windows on the back of the church were even more ornate and colorful. I would have dearly loved to have gone inside, but the church guard dog (we suppose it was the minister's dog and the minister's house since they shared the driveway with the church) wasn't too thrilled that city-slickers had invaded his territory.

We continued driving north. Destination: Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge . The scenery was extraordinary. I don't quite know what to make of it. Some areas were rather marshy with tall grasses. I loved this picture. I was standing on a spillway at the same level as the lake and noticed the beautiful reflection of the trees in the smooth surface of the water.

We turned down one gravel lane and found quite a few cars pulled over to the side with people standing outside their vehicles, cameras in hand. Upon further investigation, we learned what the fuss was about. There were flocks and flocks of snow geese. Some circled overhead. Some stood in the meadow honking their calls. Yet others braved the waters for a swim or a meal. It was a beautiful sight... and wouldn't you know it?? I left the zoom lens at home. I'd not intended to be anyplace where it would be necessary and opted not to carry the extra weight in my pouch. That was the last time I'd be caught unprepared.

One of the most interesting facets of this wildlife refuge was puzzling. The gravel roads were little more than service roads to reach OILWELLS. Each road was designated with a number or letter which seemed to correspond with the pump number. The little shiny objects in the distance below are oilwells, pumping their contents into a network of pipelines that ran parallel to all the gravel roads. I was amazed at how many there were. It is almost as though Lake Texoma is nothing but one massive oil preserve.

Back to the water fowl. These were much smaller birds and brown. I don't know if they are wood ducks or some unfamiliar-to-me geese. A visit to the Hagerman website mentions some small geese known as Ross's geese.

You always know you are in Texas when you see certain "roadkill". This day proved no exception. There was a dead possum in the road and 2 HUGE black vultures were treating themselves to a free dinner. (From the homeschooling days I recall discovering that vultures are not birds of prey since they never kill another animal for food. They rely exclusively on carrion; therefore they are considered extremely helpful creatures since their sole function is to rid their territory of any dead animal carcass). One flew off into the distance as we drove closer. This one in the photo below decided to be bolder and only flew to the branches above his dining spot. I literally stopped the car beneath him and took photos without him stirring from his roost. He must have been very hungry to avoid the chance some other bird would come mooch his meal if he flew away.

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.

Until the next time....

#99.. ONE MORE TO GO

Thanks for the prayers for my sister. Tests showed nothing of consequence at this time and she will have a recheck in six months. No news is good news!

Today has been filled with chores, work, and tasks. I worked all day at my jobs and now try to get required monies sent to various recipients for completed college applications for Ross. Have SAT scores sent here, send non-refundable application fee there, etc. I am beginning to think these College Board agencies are little more than rip-off outfits. Ross took the SAT as a junior. He hadn't a clue where he wanted to go to college. He had 9 whole days after he signed up for the test to devise a list of score recipients. Well, he didn't do it (it was well over a year ago).... and now to get scores sent to the universities in which he has interest requires a FEE.... even though he didn't use the handful of FREE sends that came with the test registration.

My big news is that I finally got a quilt top sent to a quilter. I can't wait to see what she does. It is my Christmas gift to myself this year... that and a new water heater. Neither of these things will fit under a tree.

Making the rounds for my Disney job has been fun this week. I am in all the grocery stores as they put out all the Christmas merchandise. At least this is putting a smile on my face. Harry made me watch a Christmas program last night (on-demand) to "get [me] in the holiday spirit". Oh [comfort and] Joy!!!

My next post will be my 100th post since beginning this blog over 3 years ago. I am trying to think of a way to make it special.

Until I come up with an idea....

FARM REPORT ... #98

Lately Harry has taken to calling me Mrs. Green Jeans. I am having a marvelous time taking care of the fall garden. Can you believe we are STILL producing poblano peppers? They are much smaller now, but they are also much hotter than even a mild jalapeno.


The tomatoes are loving this cooler growing season. The summer heat tends to parch the plants and often necessitates twice-a-day watering. Fall tomatoes however get the warm daytime sun (mid 80s) with the benefit of cooler evenings. (The hottest part of a summer day is typically between 4 and 6 in the evening, so there is no such thing as a "cooler evening" during those hot months.) One drawback - the snails like it better too!!!

Until I have more to share....

1930s PRINTS & A VISITOR...#97

Here is the completed quilt top done in 1930s prints. I am pleasantly surprised at how colorful it is because I've always associated 30s prints with light and pastel. Regardless, I had fun exploring something new-to-me. Don't know that I will make another project from this genre, but at least I won't turn my nose up at the mere thought of doing so.

I've been busy this morning!! Oh.... first.... how about those Texas Tech Red Raiders beating Texas???? The end was spectacular and puts a team like the Dallas Cowboys to shame. There are lots of longhorns in the family, but Lubbock will always have a special place in my heart. The two oldest boys were born in Lubbock and adopted there.

I've been to the grocery store to buy supplies to make soup. Then I decided my oven was too filthy to go another day uncleaned, so I did that, too. I am on a roll.

My youngest son came for a visit yesterday. I was very surprised. He has seemingly matured, cut off all the long stringy hair, and actually looks like a very handsome young man. I am proud of him. We had a nice visit. Patrick is on the left and Ross is on the right. I can't believe Patrick is nearly as tall as Ross. Ross is 17 and Patrick is 14. His story is heartbreaking and perhaps some day I will be able to share it without totally losing my composure. It brings floods of tears at the least provocation.

Please remember my 51 year old sister in your thoughts and prayers. Her recent mammogram came back with suspicious results. She has further tests scheduled this week.

Until another time....