Seed Success

My Seeds of Kindness quilt (hand-cut and hand-pieced) as of 10 minutes ago. It is now 18 rows by 18 rows (that's 324 cores so far). While it was laid out on the floor of the porch, I planned 2 more rows. The cores I have cut out that are as-of-yet unused are all greens, reds, and golds. If you could donate some blacks, blues, purples, and oranges, I'd be so grateful. This is the screened-in porch where I stitched this AM. Since everyone (except for me) has been staying up w-a-a-a-a-y late, I am usually the first and only one up for a while. In a few hours it will be too hot for me to be out there. Now it's only 70 degrees.

I continue to be amazed at how flat the Seeds of Kindness quilt is staying. This is my first hand-pieced project, and I've been told that this is a difficult shape. I am stitching one set of cores together, flipping the quilt so that the "smile" side is facing me. So every other set, I have to flip the quilt around. It makes a much flatter seam. I picked up that trick from Shar somebody on www.quilterstv.com. We don't have a TV at home, so I'm not familiar with all these folks' names. I think her quilt is called Apple Cider.

My DH is taking the girls to the lake today. That means the boys will be here playing video games, swimming, eating, more swimming, watching movies, etc. I get to be chief cook and bottle washer for them today.

Hope your day is a blessed one.

~Joan

Blessed Beyond Measure

My DH's cousin's family has allowed us to stay in her home while her family is on vacation elsewhere. The house is beyond beautiful. It is very large, and when there are ten people "visiting", that is valued as well. Here is a pic of the kitchen from the back door. This is looking from the kitchen into the dining room...
Looking out the back door over the pool...
A wonderfully-planned-out screened in porch with full bath and full-sized frig off it...
We have enjoyed the "facilities" so much. We are leaving them some goodies in appreciation...some consumables, a homemade meal ready to eat when they arrive home (in an etched baking dish, a la Kairle), and a family movie night basket (complete with movie, popcorn, peanuts, etc.).

My children have enjoyed swimming, jet skiing (at a lake about an hour away), and many movies. I have been doing most of the meal prep and cleanup. I do love to cook. More than I let on (the girls do nearly all the cooking at home). My 3rd daughter packed most of our cooking supplies and food. She did a wonderful job. Made it very easy for me.

I just watched a Poirot movie while I hand-pieced more of my Seeds of Kindness quilt. I'm still looking for donations for that (4" x 5" rectangles of Thimbleberries scraps). Email me if you wish to be included. Picture after I get home, most likely.

More later!

~Joan

Hello from Vacationland

Plain Jane flower... Pistiled and stamened (I think I made up those words)...
The finished product, unironed, but freshly finished...

We are far, far from home, enjoying a few days in another atmosphere. We arrived after 1 AM, so that threw our whole schedule out the proverbial window right from the get go.

If you're awake, you're probably wondering what the above pictures have to do with vacationing. Very astute of you!

Way back (when I only had 3 children) my sister lived right next door to me. Well, she actually moved in the day my 4th was born....really! On a pre-birth-to-#4 trip to a craft store, I ooo'd and aaahh'd over the above cross stitch kit. I love signs that have "welcome" on them. They're all over my house.

Unbeknownst to moi, my sister bought it that very day, and started cross stitching it. The year was 1993. It's on a very small ecru evenweave fabric (translation for non-cross-stitchers: the most difficult stitching to do!).

YEARS later, when I was visiting her for the birth of her 3rd child, she casually opened a drawer and asked, "Would you like to finish this?" She pulls out the partially finished cross stitch. That was the first I knew that she had been working on it for me. As far as I recall, about 2/3 of the cross stitches were finished (well, she had been working on it for 4 years). That was about 11 years ago!! (My sister just emailed me today, 7/10/08 and told me it was indeed '97!!)

My daughter, Emily (of former piecing fame), finished the cross stitching and all the back stitch, except for the flower stamens and pistils French knots and backstitching. Somewhere along the winding, dusty trail, the stitched picture, threads, and directions had been separated. Then they were found...then lost again!!

Well, I am thrilled to announce that this AM, the picture--she's finished! That was my vacation goal, and I'm happy to say it has been reached.

I will have this matted and framed after we get home (when Hobby Lobby has a 50% off framing coupon, of course!). Even after all these years (my 4th-born child is now 15), I still like this picture! Good thing the name is still correct ;)

~Joan

Fall Festival 7-3-08

Here is the Fall Festival quilt as of tonight's addition. I am liking it more and more.

Hope you have a blessed Independence Day tomorrow. Be careful...make memories!

~Joan

Aquatic Family Fun

The family we have been walking with in the EARLY mornings is gone out of state. They said we could use their pool any time we wanted. Well, that was a no-brainer. My DH and the children have gone over many times after walking or in the afternoons. This was my first dip in the pool, however. My DH took this pic from pool-side. That's me in the blue innertube. My oldest son and 3rd daughter were working, so they did not join in the fun--this time.

Here's Elisabeth and I clowning around a bit. Although it looks like we're about to drown each other, we both could have just stood up!

Torpedos away! Isaac having fun. I am proud of the little nipper. He was very afraid of the water when we first arrived. I don't know how he did before as this was my first time in the water with him (not counting early bath days--it seemed I got as wet as him some times). By the time we left, he was going all the way under water and trying to "swim" from one side of the pool to the other. Much braver!

Off for another jam-packed day of duty and adventure.

~Joan

Fall Festival Quilt

Below is my progress as of last night... I really like it! This is how I get quilts pieced...I just had to see a few of the 9-patches sewn above the gold bar. I now have all the 9-patches pieced, but I just finished them, so they will wait for another day for being united with the rest.
The quilt finishes at 61" x 73". I might make it a tad larger, but that is a nice size for laps. Stay tuned!

~Joan

How Does My Garden Grow?

Whew--three posts in one day. Just like when I first started blogging.

Well, first of all, Bette is alive and well (hey--you didn't mention donating all your coupons to me in your email, Bette). When I mentioned the chair-kicking in an earlier post, it is because Bette sits right behind me in choir. We hold down the alto section. Or at least we like to think we do. We have a patriotic service on Friday this week.

I've had some curious folks email and ask how much of our food we grow ourselves. Zilch. None. Nada. I only wish.

I am hoping to have some small garden plots next year. One of my daughters will graduate from high school in 2009. I am giving her the project of planning and caring for our garden since she will have some extra time and would be fabulous at it. I have a book on order that should be here any day (Square Foot Gardening). We used this method at our first house and it was highly successful.

Here in the land o'cotton the ground is red clay. I mean red, and I mean clay. I don't know how they grew that cotton in the good ole day. I grew up in Pennsylvania, where the ground is rich and actually nourishes the crops. What a concept!

Some asked if we eat oatmeal for 2 meals a day. Nope! Breakfast is usually something hot (eggs, grits & biscuits, pancakes, baked oatmeal, etc.). So much cereal has been nearly free in the past couple of months that we have started eating it for a couple breakfasts a week with muffins, bagels, or homemade wheat bread toasted. Lunch today was homemade mac & cheese, chili sauce with hamburger in it, and hot dogs (on sale yesterday). Supper was baked scalloped potatoes and ham (scrumptious), sweet corn, and freshly baked homemade wheat bread with jams and honey for topping. Wanta join us? We eat very well and have meat with most meals. I thank God for keeping us so healthy for so little cost. To Him be the glory.

FWIW, we also have company frequently. My WH walks/runs/does upsie-downsies with another man and HIS son nearly every AM. The father nearly always stays for coffee and sometimes they both eat breakfast with us. We have company for lunch or supper often--like every week.

~Joan