Some Visitors and a little Sewing

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   This is the finished quilt from the group "Between Charming Friends Quilt Along" I will get it quilted in the next couple weeks, I hope. It has been a lot of fun making but all those 1 inch squares made into the 12 patches. where a challenge for even a  seasoned quilter. Of course you see some mistakes after you get it done. Like the three lights together and then about 4 darks down on the right hand side of the outside border.Little Smilie, The youngest of my Great Niece Briana from Colorado Springs. These pictures have gotten all mixed up and I wanted to show you all the kids playing with My Niece Nancy on her harp. The picture shows Similie conductiong,  In this picture of the four of us which is fuzzy because of taking in the living room. From left to right is Nancy my niece who is now living close to Bowie Md. and she plays the harp. My daughter the tall one, Me, and Briana my Great niece. The girl partially seen on the left is Soquel and  the little one Smilie.
  

These are the blocks, both the 12 patches and the little 4 patches with the muslin around them

Again they are not uploading like they said it would..

Isn't this dear? Smilie playing the harp? She did do some good cords.

This is the group, The two oldest, play the violins and started when about three years old. This is Squire in the front with Smilie conducting . Nancy is playing the harp and in the background by the window is Soquel . Little Sequia will start the viola next year. He will be five. She is homeschooling them and doing a wonderful job. Everything they do is a lesson. On these trips they are seeing all the Civil War places. Nats Mother and Sister live in Martinsburg, W. Va. and they try to come back every couple years. Have always come over to visit. This is the first time that DD and my niece could come. They hadn't seen each other for years. Was a very nice visit.

Then on Sat. Briana called and said that Nat and the boys wanted to come and help get the grass cut for me. Oh, what a blessing. I had a good job for the boys. Pulling weeds that I had started earlier. Did a great job too. Nat also got my new swing put in the grass where I wanted it. Needed to fix some wood strips to put the legs on and it is perfect. Now I go out in the evening when it has cooled off and read .

Thanks, guys,

Lots Of Piecing

Here's the stack of wood that my neigbor cut up for me. Roben wants it when she gets the time to come and get it.

Look what I found this afternoon. This is what happens after cutting down some dead tree stumps.

The trees had been cut off to about 20 ft. DH wanted the trunks left for the woodpeckers. When I got back from Texas the one had fallen across the drive. There were twin trees.
Two views of it. I want to fill in the center with some good dirt and transfer a large Lavender plant out of the perennial garden where it has gotten to large.

Well the cut up wood didn't go where I wanted it. So much for the pictures not going to the top.

My Quilt aloing blocks for the mini. Christmas prints.

Now what this post is about. I Hope the next picture comes here where it is suppose to go.

I mentioned in my last post about working on the blocks for the quilt along. Here are my blocks. This will make a cute little quilt. Just waiting now for the next instuctions for setting the blocks together. Click on the button on the side bar and go look. 

A Long Walk

Last Saturday I went to Fairfax to my Colarado Granddaughter's other grandmothers. She is in Maryland helping her Aunt with her three little ones . We had her for the weekend. So we headed to DC Mall. Wasn't long before we wanted a cold  refresment. This is Sara and her big hat eating in front of the Washington Monument. We were headed over the hill to the WW2 mounment

This is the newest mounument and very impressive. Many were sitting with their feet in the water and we did it also to prepare our feet for more walking.  We had decided to go to the Newsmuseum which is at the other end of the Mall on Pennsylvannia Ave. It was hot but there are many shade trees along the walk and furtunately benches for an old lady to rest once in awhile.

In the meantime it was lunchtime and after asking one of the policemen about the closest cafeteria, He said the Reagon building. Boy are these building show places. In the basement was any kind of eatery you would want. With lots of nice tables to eat at. Much better than getting a hotdog out on the street from a vendor.

W walked and walked down Penn. Ave finally coming to this beautiful new building. Went inside and found out that it closed at 5 and it was already 3:30. The cost was high and since we certainly couldn't see it all in that time we decided to find someplace else to go.

Grandmum had never been to the Arberatum and since it
was just across the Mall in front of the Capital building we set out for it. See the ducks in the water enjoying the summer day . This is the new pool in front of the Capital building

I had a lot of other pictures to show of the Arberatum but had a lot of trouble the first time around trying to write this. After reading some things I guess I should have read before I think I have figured this new system out. Well almost. Those flowers didn't go to the bottom and didn't seem to want to move. That is just one of the many blooming flowers in this wonderful place. If you ever get to DC do not miss going to it. Flowers and plants from all over the world.

Now I did get a little sewing in over the weekend, This Schnibbles quilt finially got the binding on. I also since got the other one bound and I think It is my favorite. I wish I could remember all the names. It is the one with Nine patches in two different sizes. I will get a picture of it another time.

Have you noticed that I have a new button on  my sidebar for the quiltalong. I am making the little quilt and as soon as I finish the blocks I will be posting them. Hopefully over the weekend. Now that I have finally  figured this thing out. Maybe. thanks for sticking with me even when I don't post very often. I am doing fine and seem to always find something to do. 

What a Wonderful Day

Last week I went out to the Quilt Shop to see about when they had their meetings. Also about the program they do ,sewing quilts for kids. They aren't having them this summer but did have a couple kits there so I took this one and have it all finished now. Think I will call and see if it is OK that I finish it with the quilting. The lady that takes care of these has a longarm so quilts them but I imagine if someone wants to go ahead and quilt one it would be OK. I want to use up some of this material around here and make good use of it. Really don't need any more quilts

Now I want to show you what I have been working on for a few weeks. This is the first Schnibbles, Imagine, small quilt I have made from her new book, Schnibbles Times Two, because she has used the Plates and the Charms to make the patterns. The plates make a larger quilt. Kim has been making some of the larger ones. I used two of the charm packs that Kim sent me for a condolence gift, so I would have something to do. Ha.!

I have just started to quilt this little guy.

This quilt you have seen before but not completely finished.

I have been busy outside when I can, getting all the high grass cut with the weed whacker but can only do it for about an hour a day. Then my back starts to hurt.
But am continuing with the swimming 3 times a week and the past week have had my eyes dialated twice. Once to get new lens and I do have a cataract which will have  to come off in about a year and then my bi-yearly check up for my macular. It is still at the dry stage so that is good. Have too many quilts to finish. Now that I have more time I am also trying to get involved with some local quilters.

Then this weekend will have a visit with my Colorado grandddaughter and her other grandmother, my DD and oldest Daughter. Going to meet in Fairfax and go to a big Fairfax celebration for the day. Sara has just finished her second year of collage and she wants to be a teacher.

So am doing alright and will be back to you when I have something else to show you and talk about. Thanks for visiting. I love your comments.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY , HUBBY

Today is my Hubbies 81 birthday, but he didn't quite make it.
He was a wonderful son, husband, father, grandfather to 6 and from all the notes and condolences I have gotten Teacher. Great friend and very strict; But in later years quite the tease.. All the nurses and aides in the hospital and nursing home got to know him quite well.
In his early years he loved to hunt. I went groundhog hunting with him many times. He was very pleased when he got his first deer with a bow and arrow, In the morning before school. Then came home and got ready for school. Always wore a white shirt and necktie and a suit. Taught Biology and Chemistry, General Science, in one school for 30 years.

I miss him so much. Not the running to the hospital or the nursing home but not being here.

This past week, my oldest granddaughter, the artist, called and asked if I was going to be here . She wanted to stop by on her way home from school. She has stayed for two days and what a joy to have her. A wonderful 21 year old.

I have been sewing a bit. Will get a picture up later of the New Schnibbles pattern I am  making. First one from the new book.

I do plan on making a quilt out of all the cotton plaid shirts that hubby wore in the summer. But that will come a little later.

Thank you for listening and being such a good friend.

Oh what a Beautiful Day

So this is what my perennial garden looks like when I got home from Texas . Had a great time with a great lady. She hadn't told me we were going to be stopping at a friends house below Fort Worth and do some cooking.

Yep she is the one that writes cook books mainly so far for those that have Celaic Disease. They can't eat anything with wheat in it so she tests receipes using other flours like rice, potato and baking powder for a few.

So now she is working on a book for Mircrowave baking.

 

Here is the mainly quilty thing that I finished on the trip. I had shown this before but not since I quilted it and then did the binding on the trip. Had to wash is as some coffee spilled on it but did not hurt it. It is all Thimbleberries fabrics.

These pictures got in at the wrong place again. But this is the final product of the muffin done in the microwave for about 2 minutes.

Here is Roben mixing and recording on her laptop what she is doing. Then mixes this in the measuring cup. Yes, she uses one egg and the rest of the ingridents and beats it up and puts it in the little pyrex bowl for baking.

She also baked some chocolate cake. After several tries with the different flours she decided that was good. I thought I had a picture of them but I think that was when my batteries decided to go bad.

We  had stayed in this little town the night before and did get out in the afternoon to get a little lunch and do a little shopping. Have you ever heard of an eighth measuring spoon? I hadn't but with these little cakes you need one. When this book comes out next year I will tell you about it. I want to try this myself. Would be nice to be able to bake a small cake for just me and not have so much left to have to eat.

I did go into one quilt shop but was not impressed.

We left there about six and had a 3 hour drive to Austin and needed to find a hotel.  about in the middle of where her wedding was and where My grand nephew lived. That took some time as the first couple we stopped at were full for the weekend. OPPS what was going on. Yep, Graduation at the University.

Finally got one at the Hilton Garden Suites. A King size bed which was OK and a very nice room. The best thing of this trip was we both had laptops and was able to get online at every hotel we stayed at . So were able to keep in touch. I had hoped to post to the blog but was usually so tired that I couldn't think straight.


When we got there I was looking for my nephews phone number. I had their address but had left the card at home. So set out to try and get it. Found their name online but no number. I called my brother in Ohio and the number they gave me was disconneted. So Roben thought about Facebook. Finally , yes, lots of my relatives have a facebook page and set out to get the number. Seems nobody was online that night but finally in the morning my nephews sister-in-law  had it for me. Of course I got a lot more too. So Facebook is good for something.

Had a wonderful day with them and Anne took me to downtown Austin and showed me the sights. What a fun day and of course temperatures at around 90. We only had one day of rain on the way down. Beautiful coming home. But was I tired. 

Thanks for dropping in and listening to my tale. 

On The Road Again

Yes, we went through the great Smokey Mountains to Nashville but the interstate goes right through the center of town but NO we did not stop.

Left Matyland about 9 AM and after the necessary stops for gas and drive through at McDonalds for lunch we finally found a nice little town with a number of Motels and food.
Went to Ruby Tuesday's for supper but wasn't impressed. Ended up with the salad bar. Tonight will have to find some good Southern Cooking.

So we are in Dickson, Tenn. half way between Nashville and Memphis. So in a little while we will be On the Road Again. Going to a little town beyond Dallas where Roben has a friend that wants to see some of her new recipes she's working up for a new Microwave cook book., She specializes in receipes for those with Celiac Disease.

So will see what today brings. Maybe tomorrow I will get some pictures of Deep in the Heart of Texas.  Have great days everyone.