A Little What I Have Been Doing

I've been putting in time before I leave tomorrow afternoon with my Daughter on our Cruise to the Bahamas. Well it leaves on Sunday evening but I'm going to my Daughters tomorrow.

To make time go a little faster I have been sewing and sewing those old half square triangles. Every block has 6 of them and 3  four patches. Should you the start last week and here is what I have done now.

That didn't go just where I  wanted it but will do. I have all the rest of the 42 HST made but not trimmed and doubt I will get to that unless I have extra time tomorrow while waiting for my daughter to get her.

I have also finished another Kids quilt. So Have two that I have made out of my own fabrics. Think they turned out pretty good. The other one I had shown a couple blogs ago.

Blogger has made a lot of changes and one is the google photo storage and I have spent a whole lot of time fooling with it tonight and now don't really have much more to say.
Except it has been very HOT in the east and I think all over. I went to town today and the thermometer in the car said 98 when I was on my way home. Bet it was Hot where you are too. Sure am ready to ride the sea.  Hope I get some good pictures to show you.  See you in a couple weeks. Thanks for stopping by.

The Big 80

Yesterday was quite a day for me. Yes, I turned 80. Had a dinner out with my good friend, adoppted daughter, I call her, Robin.
But I had so many well wishes from everyone in my online friends and then also most of the relations on Face book. Yes, I am on Facebook because of my oldest Nephew RL in Houston. After my sister, his mother , passed away several years ago he started it and wanted all the kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews etc. to get on to stay in touch. Even my big brother in Oregon finally got on because of his kids. I don't talk much, not like my daughter who has to go to Facebook as soon as she logs in.

Anyway more about my birthday. My daughter had been up on Tues over night and took me out for lunch after I got out of the beauty parlor. She had lots of things to do before leaving for a week on Sat.
This is the block that Kim found online with the instructions starting this coming week. I didn't want to wait so figured it myself. Using charms so 5 inch blocks to make the HST. 2 1/2 in strips for the 4 patches.

I spent most of the day, sewing. Am making lots of half square triangle and 4 patches . What fascinated me about this block is the many, many ways to set it. I've had to make a few blocks  to see.
I really wanted that to be down here but it doesn't matter. See if you turn the blocks you can have a different design.

So that kept me busy during the day. In the afternoon my oldest granddaughter, the artist, called me for a chat. She's back in Philly working and waiting for school to start, her last year.

Roben called about 4 and wanted to know if I was ready to go. She wanted to go to Wal-Mart sometime in the evening. Decided to head out of town towards Pa. A little town and see what kind of restaurant we could find. First found a neat farmers market and stopped and got some corn and fresh peaches. On and came across this buffet style restaurant that has sort of gone the way, this one has been there for a long time. Country cooking and help yourself to as much as you want. fried chicken and all the trimmings. Too much. Couldn't pass up trying some of the 20 pies they had. Since we were in the area with lots of Mennonites they had an Amish specialty, Sho Fly Pie. Very rich. My Mother-in-law used to make them.

So too full we left to find a new Wal-Mart that she had heard opened. Really out in the country but found what we wanted. I wanted to get some of the oldies I like to listen to on CDs while sewing. Didn't find a Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby but did find 6 that will be good listening. Then she wouldn't let me pay for them. So Happy Birthday.

We headed home and parted ways. Later I got a phone call from my niece in Colorado Springs, who will be visiting me for a week in Aug. Then heard the beep of call waiting. Got the next that I thought would be my son, but what a surprise, My oldest grandson, that I hadn't heard from or seen for over two years. He is a chef in an exclusive restaurant on the Chesapeake Bay. He will be coming to the Memorial in Aug. for his PapPap.

I forgot to say while we were shopping in Wal-Mart my cell phone rang. surprise, Last two grands of Daughters, called and being on a speaker phone, sang Happy Birthday. They used to do this when a lot younger. Now going on being a Senior in College and a Junior in High School, was really a treat. Gee, thanks again all of you.

I had to call daughter and tell her, she had texted all of them to say it was my birthday. But still great. Son didn't call but got another short email saying he would call today sometime. Being where he lives sometimes his cell does not work and he has to call while in the valley. He will be coming in a couple weeks.  I was very late getting to bed but what a wonderful day. Well , it isn't everyday you turn 80 years old. Thankfully in fairly good health. Now looking forward to a Cruise to the Bahamas with my daughter.  Thanks for listening and I will be back in a couple days.

Finished Projects

Heres my completed Charming Friends quilt and if you click on it you might be able to see some free motion quilting I did in the outside setting triangles. I am much better in stiching in the ditch or triangles.This is the first of the Kids quilts that I have made. I got the kit at the quilt shop. This is the project that is sponsered by the Downey Corp. They have woven labels for us to sign and put on the back. The lady in charge here in this area usually quilts them but since I had some large scraps of batting and found a good backing I decided to go ahead and finish it off.

Here you can see a closeup of how I quilted it. Such cute fabric.

This is the second one that I made up of some material I had. Figured it a good way to use up some of this stash. I have it ready to get sandwiched and quilted. Once that is done it takes no time at all to quilt them. Doing the binding takes the longest. From what I understand these quilts are given to some of the local childrens hospitals. There are a couple in the DC area.

Now I have no more pictures. Didn't think to take any down at my daughters home. I went down in the early afternoon on the 4th. It is in Southern Maryland not too far from the Chesapeake Bay. She's living with another lady that works for the government and has this spacious home right on the edge of woods with a stream below. What a wonderful outside screened in porch. They have 4 cats and when M. is gone on business which she is often is for days at a time. DD tends to the cats and the house and tries to pick up after her. They really make a good pair.


They gave me a job in the afternoon of shredding paper. Tedious and time consuming so was glad to help out.

We had hot dogs on the grill and potato salad which DD had made enough to take to the Church for the pot luck after the VIPs sang at the church for their homecoming concert. DD had gone with them the week before to Chicago and area for several concerts. She is the costume caretaker . She doesn't have anyone in the chorus now but the director has gotten to used to having her won't let her quit. She loves it.

Dan and Angela two of my grandchildren were there for hot dogs on the 4th. Didn't go to any fireworks but after I went to bed I heard plenty of them going off.

Monday then was the concerts. Which was the one of the reasons I went down. Also it had been almost 4 years since I had been down there. Had never seen where DD was living.

On the way home I stopped to see an old friend in Annapolis. She had lost her husband a year ago and I had not seen her since. We'd talked on the phone. So that was a nice stop. Also I did what we so often did after coming home from an antique show or DD. stopped in Frederick at our favorite Chinese Resturant and had my late lunch, early supper. Was just nice to get out and drive someplace other than to Hagerstown.

Now will be getting ready for my cruise which leaves on the 25th. Brought my big suitcase up this morning from the basement. Now to start packing it. Lots of new clothes especcialy for the cruise. 

When we get home from the cruise my DS will be here for a week and then we will have a memorial service and put DH to rest in his final resting place. He was cremated as wished and had been sitting on the hearth with his favoite bear watching over him. 
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to get to this more often. Now this time the pictures went in where I wanted them.