Motivation Friday

My goals this week were family time, and I did that. Lots of Mason time, even though at the moment he has outgrown the snuggling. Shucks, I thought he was going to stay little forever! But we had fun, shared our cereal, played at the park, and moments like getting a ride in a laundry basket were fun. Now, I miss him!

I also found a bit of time to sew the setting triangles on Alycia's #2 project, and that means I will soon be able to work on side borders for it. I wanted to make it a big wider. I didn't do any stash enhancing while I was gone either. Right now I am busy with volunteering, it has been unseasonably cold, no triple digit temps, last night was in the low 50's. Great sleeping weather!

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, today is the last day of July. I can't believe how the time has flown.

If You Think I've Forgotten How To Sew.....

I know, you were wondering if I had forgotten how to sew! But I found a little time while doing laundry, and I put the setting triangles on Alycia's #2 project.
Next I need to sew the rows together and square it up. I think it's a bit narrow, so I am thinking of adding a pieced border to the left and right sides. Probably something to do with more 4 patches. But for the moment, this is what's on my design wall!!

Nick and the Burgers!

This is my son in law Nick. He's a great guy. But, he has one quirk--he arranges items by size. One day I watched him rearrange our sunglasses, our cell phones, and then three flower arrangements. Today Laura Beth caught him organizing the burgers he had just taken off the grill--I made him quit and stand there while I took his picture!
If that is the biggest "fault" I can find, I think he's a keeper! Nick, you're such a good sport! Love--your mother in law!

Tuesday--Visit Coming to the End

Yesterday and last night was pretty quiet. After supper we went to the park and took pictures and played with Mason. It's going to be hard to leave him.

But it's time to hurry up and pack, it's a long drive back home. Will have to speed it up so I can have lots of Mason snuggles and kisses before I leave!

Monday Goals

My time this week is spoken for already. No goals except to continue to sew on Alycia's #2 project and my bricks and stepping stones blocks. I work on them while I'm doing laundry, and in the evenings in my camper if I'm not too tired.

I'm not spending much time sewing, I know in South Dakota summer never lasts long enough! Right now we are still in Minnesota and not scheduled to head home until Tuesday, Wednesday is appointments, and I volunteer Thursday-Tuesday.

Liver Quivering Meme!

No requirement to tag anyone, or to link to me or anyone else. Just copy and paste the questions to your blog, erase my answers and do whatever makes your liver quiver.




1.] How come I can never find: my glasses! Poor husband is always helping look for a pair!
2.] I wish I'd never started: the block swap where I never got my blocks back!
3.] I wonder why: when men fart it's normal, when women fart men act offended!~
4.] Mama always told me: What's worth doing is worth doing well!
5.] There's this one thing in my closet that I just can't seem to get rid of: my favorite old purses.
6.] My favorite guilty pleasure is: Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Lays Ripple potato chips!
7.] I always forget to: take my blow dryer out of the sink, my husband HATES that!
8.] I have never: I'm with MightyMom--no high places, and certainly no jumping out of or off of!
9.] I'm obsessed with: using up my scraps
10.] One of my favorite memories is: watching my mother mix up homemade bread, the sight, the smells, all wonderful.

Boy, I must lead a boring life, my answers have no "liver quivering" feel to them!

Sunday with Mason

Yesterday we went to New Ulm. Sidewalk crazy days so there were lots of things to look at. Toured Schell Brewery Gardens, two different weddings having their pictures taken there, it's beautiful. Mason is great fun, today grandpa was pulling him around the house in his new "wagon". The laundry basket!

Who says you have to have a fancy toy?? The other hot item to play with today---a wooden spoon. And grandma had to share her cheerios.

Life is good at this age, everyone shares!

Hey Everyone--I'm awake!

He's such a cheerful child!

And here is Mason and his gate--rattling it because grandma and grandpa are standing at the bottom!

Saturday Morning

Shhhh! Everyone is asleep yet but Ken and I. But I HAD to show you something. Laura Beth and Nick live in a house where you come in and go up a flight of stairs to the main level, or down a shorter flight of stairs to the daylight basement. Now, I don't like steps. And with Mason crawling and hanging on things to stand, I liked them EVEN LESS! But they promised when that happened they would get a gate. And here it is, it's a beauty.

Looking up

Looking down

Now, as a vigilant grandma, I can tell you there are EIGHT steps to the bottom. And there is no carpeting on that bottom landing! So I was sure glad to see that sturdy gate.

More later when I have pictures of everyone AWAKE!!

Wednesday Ramblings

Home early today, did several errands before I left. Tonight a few loads of laundry and worked on Alycia's #2 project. I think it is almost to the setting triangles. The more I work on it the more I like it!

The mailman had a gift waiting for me when I got home, I had won a Moda Harmony charm Pack from Missouri Quilt Co. Thank you! There are lots of paisleys and are very much "my style!"

I enjoy their website, follow their blog, and often check out their "deal of the day". I've been very happy with anything I have ordered from them. Best of all is their flat $5 shipping! Be sure to stop by and check them out! I am thinking of a special project to make using these pieces--there are lots of motifs that remind me of civil war type fabric, and I love the dark colors, the sage greens and reds, dark blues and golds. Can anyone think of a good project to use them in?

If we don't hit any snags, we'll be in Mankato with Laura Beth and Mason Friday night. Lots of snuggle time I hope, but if Mason is too busy to snuggle, he and grandpa will eat ice cream!! I heard today Mason was busy eating a rock! No matter what we do, we plan to enjoy it and have lots of "family time"!! My camera is packed with new batteries, now I just have to remember to take pictures! If it were at all possible, we would pack them all up immediately and move them closer to us, we miss them so much! I grew up with lots of family living very close most my life, having my only child live five hours away is HARD! I long to help and give support to my daugher as my mother and grandmother did to me. sigh

Monday Goals

Well, I'm going to take the easy way out and not post any goals for this week. Towards the end of the week we are heading to Minnesota to see Laura Beth, Nick, and Mason. I'm going to spend my time enjoying family, and not thinking about sewing. Oh, I may have time for a bit of STASH ENHANCING, but trying to keep it to a minimum, as I have projects half done! I have plenty of "stuff" cut up, and need to work on the D9P, Bricks and Stepping Stones, Alycia's #2 project, and crazymomquilts 9 patch project. But it can't be this week, unless I get some sewing time in while I'm doing laundry!

Some days I feel really OLD! Where I volunteer has several college students as summer rangers/interns, and those kids have lots of energy. Makes me wonder if I EVER had that much energy. They're always makings plans for their evenings, and they are always ready to pop up and help a visitor! Or me! So here's my salute to all the summer rangers!

Motivation Friday

I'm resting up after sewing so hard on Tuesday. (not really, but it SOUNDS good!) I am volunteering for the next five days, so will probably get my machine out one of those evenings and sew. Today I went to the laundromat and did laundry, now it's hanging all over my camper on hangers! The weather has been beautiful today, cool with a breeze. My windows are open. It rained for several hours near morning. Can't believe how much rain we're getting, not like the Midwest at all.

Next weekend we will visit Laura Beth, Mason, and Nick. Mason is crawling and hanging onto your legs, it's not FAIR that he's grown so much since the last time we saw him!

Thursday Reminder

This is the time of year I go for a physical/mammogram. Reminding everyone to not neglect these very important visits to their Dr. Sure, I'd rather sew, but these tests are VERY important. So I'm urging you to schedule them if you haven't already.

A Day Spent With the Nebraska Heartstringers!

What a great day! Ashfall Fossil Beds was even better than the brochure, I was able to watch the man who discovered Ashfall work. Linda--I can't remember his name--what was it again? He explained what he was doing (excavating a baby rhino head) and talked about the different kinds of soil, ash, etc.


And here is what we saw--

Lots of intact fossils, whole bodies, unborn babies, even seeds still in the mouths of the adults.

We were going to eat lunch at Green Gables, but they were closed. We went to Winnetoon--it has whole buildings done as they were in the 1880's, and someone has quite the green thumb--lots of old fashioned flowers! On the way to Orchard we took the "scenic route"--I loved it--Thanks Linda!

flowers beds with a bridge

row of outhouses

"privy path"

more buildings with flowers

Seems like wherever I go I find the jail!

And then we went to Orchard and sewed. What fun!!

We had plenty of strings.....

But I think the chaos might have gotten to Jenny.....

And I'm not sure Flischa wanted to be seen with us!

So I'm glad I got a picture of all of us earlier in the day~!!

We sewed a complete set of blocks for a quilt! I forgot to get a picture of that big stack of blocks, but know there were 51, and Linda had made them a bit bigger as she has A PLAN for them!

It was a wonderful little trip, and I look forward to us doing it again. Maybe I can join their sewing group, after all, I'm not THAT far away in South Dakota!!

Can't Sleep

My life is busy but actually pretty quiet. So sewing with the Nebraska people is pretty exciting. I am SO looking forward to it! It started raining here about 9:30pm and is just now tapering off. Almost 6 hours of steady rain. But the rain makes me ache, so I'm up for some pain killer! I made salted nut roll bars to take along for while we sew. The car is packed. All I need to do is get up and get ready to go. My camera is packed and attached to my purse. Spare batteries and memory card too.

Monday Goals

Monday again, time to plan my week!

1. Tuesday I sew with the Nebraska Heartstringers!
2. Sew on my Bricks and Stepping Stones
3. Sew on my D9P blocks

I will be somewhat busy this week, I am gone all day Tuesday (BIG GRIN) and then have an appointment and I am hoping Ken will be able to visit on his days off. Starting Friday I volunteer for five days straight! After that Ken and I plan to visit Laura Beth and family. I was told Mason is crawling! Hey, he can't grow that fast without Grandma seeing him! And mom isn't willing to let us "borrow" him for a visit yet!

A Quick Note

If I'm slow to reply to anyone, it's because my internet here is somewhat "hit and miss" at the camper. I miss my super fast internet!

Sunday Stash Report

Nothing finished, no fabric BOUGHT this week, so I'm still -28 yards! But when I got back to my "summer mailbox" it was stuffed full. Hey guys, no fair, I'm sending YOU fabric! Too funny! Thank you everyone! And since I didn't BUY this fabric--heehee--it's not going on my stash report!


I received a LOT of fabric from pdudgeon--in my favorite color--green! Thank you!! There were FQ's, nickels, and noodles! They are going to be saved for a "me" project!

And from Nancy--a "Quilt in a Box" Christmas wreath kit, a handmade washcloth with a bar of delicious smelling soap (I'm hungry--I think I'd rather eat it than use it!) a picture postcard that she herself took, and a cute bag to hold it all. Nancy, you must know on my "to do" list is a shelf around the top of my sewing room to hold all my precious items like this!


There were more packages I received earlier, but I have them at home already. I am sure my Nebraska mailman is wondering "who is this woman??!!"

Motivation Friday

I didn't forget my goals for this week. I am ready to sew with the Nebraska Heartstrings ladies! My machine is ready, my sewing box is packed, and I even have a basket of strings ready.

These strings were left when I was CLEANING THE FLOOR AND MY SCRAP BUCKET! No, my floor isn't completely clean, but the basket is full and ready to go! I also cut a few more noodles and bricks--hey--can't miss a chance to add to those baskets! I volunteer over the weekend, then am off until next Friday. I can hardly wait to meet the ladies from Nebraska, see the Ashfall Fossil Beds, and lunch in a converted barn. I bought extra batteries for my camera--so I better not forget it!

We Were Hailed Out

All of you who have any knowledge of farming know those words. Yes, last night we had 70+ mph winds, hail (anything from marble side to ping pong ball size) and almost 3 inches of rain. Here are a few pictures--

these beans USED to be 18" tall, now they are sticks

A cornfield that used to be almost 6 foot tall, now it is broken off about 12" tall

Another one of our cornfields, same story

The wind blew this hay bale uphill, over the fence, across a deep ditch and into the road

Same spot, this bale was taken up the hill, across two deep ditches, the road, and into the next field!

My garden didn't fair any better, most of it is pounded into the ground. Broke a couple of windows on our house, and we need to get up on the roof and check the shingles as it looks like they might be damaged also.

my squash, pumpkins, and tomatoes

My rhubarb--it looks rather ill!

It blew so hard that the electric poles are leaning!


Lots of water over the roads, the culverts and cricks are running.

This storms came through early this morning, I was awake and watched it out the door. I took a few pictures as it got light out.


In 30 years we have not seen hail this bad. But, I will remind myself these are just THINGS, no one was hurt (that I know of) and we do carry crop insurance. But I remember all those hours we put in this spring, Ken said this was the best he's ever seen crops look, and I still feel rather ill.