Monday Goals

Not sure what I will have for this weeks goals. For some reason I'm just blank.

1. Piece more on b/w Bricks and Stepping Stones
2. Piece on navy blue/white Bricks and Stepping Stones

Laura Beth, Mason and Nick are coming for almost a week next week, so somewhere in between I need to do laundry and make up beds. Ken will hopefully be able to help with the cleaning. I think Grandma and Grandpa may get Mason to themselves for a day. If we beat the parents off with a stick.......

Sunday Stash Report

I bought nothing, and finished nothing. But I have been sewing, so maybe a finish will happen pretty soon!

Cover Girl

One day about eight weeks ago my boss said "Jerry" was coming to interview me about volunteering at the Visitor Center. He asked me lots of questions and took lots of pictures. He interviewed several people that day. I never gave it another thought. Then, about a month later, I received an email from my boss saying "You're a Star". HUH???


I never dreamed I'd be on the cover of Workamper News!! For those of you whom RV full or part time, you know it's the major publication in finding contacts/employers. I remember Jerry taking this picture, it was SO WINDY that day! There was a three page article in the magazine, and parts of my interview and another picture of me were in that too.

Motivation Friday

I've kept busy this week. More black/white 4 patches are made. I pressed, cut, and pieced my Disappearing 9 patch blocks into a top.

I'll put it away for now, I'll work on the borders after I'm done volunteering. I cut my navy blue and white strips, they are waiting for me to cut them into bits and then make the 4 patches. I counted and cut a few more blue bricks to make sure I have enough.


My light wasn't very good, it washed my pictures out. But you get the idea. I made all my goals!

Monday Goals

Time to plan my week.

1. Make enough b/w 4 patches to finish piecing my Bricks and Stepping Stones top
2. Press and cut my D9P blocks
3. Cut strips for navy blue/white 4 patches
4. Check my blues stash for more scraps to cut into bricks

Okay, that is more than I know I will get done! But a girl's gotta have some GOALS!!

Sunday Stash Report

Stash report time, I have to fess up! When Sally and I were shopping, I did buy fabric. 3 yards of navy blue Kona cloth.


I have been sorting my "bricks" and thinking of pulling all the blue/purple bricks into one quilt. Sorta like I saw on Mereth's blog. I really liked her quilt, and thought I would try it with dark navy blue instead of the blacks I have been using. So that makes it -25 yards for the year. I do hope I remember how to finish something!


PS--I've been reading everyone's stash reports, but unable to leave comments on most of them!!

Riverboat Days

Today was the parade for Riverboat Days, and although I staff the Visitor Center while the rest of the Corps staff do the float, I participate in spirit! Mardi Gras was the theme, and we had beads, crowns, and masks. I wore my beads and crown all day, but the mask had feathers that were around my nose and TICKLED! I even wore my crown and beads when I got off and met my sisters and Ken. Ken rolled his eyes, my 30 yo nephew wanted my crown, and my sister wanted the beads!

All the visitors laughed when they came in, and asked if I was the "queen for the day"!! The weather was perfect, it was a great time.

Motivation Friday

It's a perfect day today, cool, about 69 degrees out, and slightly overcast. My windows are open, and I am enjoying it!

I've gotten a lot done this week. I did errands, played a day with Sally, and even sewed and pressed a large pile of blocks! I do sleep under quilts in my camper, I have a couple of my favorites here. First is my Christmas chinese coins quilt. I had a large stash of old Christmas prints I had inherited from my mother, grandmother, and CARING friends! This is the 3rd, and last quilt I made from them. It actually started out as potholders, and it grew into a queen size quilt. I backed it with a TOT blue flannel, and it has become a "using" quilt. I have very few non-using quilts at my house, most of them get put on a bed at one time or another! Or hung on my walls!

Another quilt I keep here is a bricks and stepping stones quilt. I love the pattern, most of the blocks were received in an international swap. I backed it with fleece, and its very cuddly and comforting. Think rainy days and books!

And MightyMom asked for pictures of some blocks, proof that I had been sewing! So here are the bricks and stepping stones blocks I have been working on.

I am out of 4 patches, I had been sewing the "bricks" to the "stepping stones". That pile doesn't look very big, but there are at least 500+ bricks in it, enough to make 3 bed size quilts! I haven't made a dent in my stash cubes. I have been pulling out any piece of fabric that was 9" or smaller and cutting it into usable pieces. Some of those little odds and ends had been there for years! I love scrap quilts. I only cut into 5" nickel squares, 2.5" noodles, or 3.5x6.5" bricks. Those are the sizes I use the most, and I have stacking baskets just for that. Some of the bits get throw into my string basket too.

I hope you all have wonderful weather wherever you live, and have a great weekend! I plan to!

Thursday Road Trip

Today I went on a road trip and met up with my good friend Sally. We had a great day, we went to stores we usually don't go in, found some jeans on sale, and went to our FAVORITE store--Barnes and Noble. Sally is always a good sport, and we did go to a couple of fabric stores! But the addition to my stash will not be big. I haven't spent a day just goofing off with Sally in a long time, and it felt wonderful.

Yesterday I pressed all the blocks I have sewn so far. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to sew a bit more. This weekend is Riverboat Days--parade, fireworks, hundreds of vendor booths in the park, lots of things to see and do. I will be volunteering on Saturday, but plan to wear my crown, mask, and beads. Did I tell you the theme this year is Mardi Gras?? The Corps always has a float that's theme is about water safety and we have to figure some way to tie it to Mardi Gras. The suggestion was made for the slogan "Show us your Buoys" but that one didn't make the cut! I don't remember what the slogan will be, but everyone has masks, crowns, beads, and gold foil coin bubble gum to throw. Ken will be here for a few days, and maybe my sisters, so I am planning on having fun!!

Wednesday Ramblings

I almost forgot that I promised a picture of the new lawn chairs we bought on the auction! Ken says they're HIS chairs, but if possession is 9/10th, they're MY chairs!! I think we'll agree to share them, here is a picture of him sitting in one outside my camper, doing is favorite thing--reading junk mail!!

I like these chairs because the footrest slides out from underneath the seat, and you don't have to recline. They're perfect for sitting outside and reading.

Monday Goals

No stash report this week, I didn't buy any fabric or finish anything. And no design wall, so no new pictures.

Goals--This week is a big celebration in Yankton--Riverboat Days. Parade, vendors, lots of things to see and do. Although I will volunteer on Saturday, I will have Friday and Sunday off. The theme this year is "Mardi Gras", and I have a mask, crown, and beads ready to wear! Wonder if the visitors will think I'm crazy?!! I will ask someone to take a picture if I remember.

1. Piece Bricks and Stepping Stones and D9P blocks.

Yes, I think that is all I will have for goals this week. I have errands to run, and several days of volunteering coming up, and also possible guests this weekend. The weather has been beautiful yesterday and today. It rained and rained and RAINED on Saturday while I was volunteering! Good day to be inside.

Motivation Friday

I've been busy on my days off. Ken and I found time to attend an auction sale. An elderly man is moving into an apartment and he had some "treasures" I had to buy!


I bought all these items in a box for $4. The square baking dish with removable handle and lid, 2 aluminum pie pans, 2 glass fire king pie pans, a pyrex pie pan, a pyrex loaf pan with lid, and the two collectable red/orange pyrex dishes with lids. Oh, and there is a pyrex 8x11 pan that I forgot to take a picture of. Ken bought a spare "air tank" (you fill it with compressed air and take it to where you need to fill a tire) a very handy item for a farmer. We also bought two camping chairs! I will have to take a picture of them when I get them to the camper, as they are in my trunk!

I found a dab of black fabric, enough to cut 11 more strips for my bricks and stepping stones, so I've been sewing on these.

I found time to press my D9P units, so they are ready to sew too!

Tomorrow I volunteer, so I better hurry up and get all my stuff together. What did you do this week??

Thursday Mumblings

Monday I did make it to Orchard to sew. Met many nice ladies, they all remind me of my relatives! Right now I'm home for a few days, catching up on "stuff" around here. You know, laundry, dishes, that sort of "stuff". I should mow, we would like to go to an auction tonight, and I still need to fit in a trip to Sioux Falls, but that may have to wait until next week.

I've sewn a few more 9 patches, plan to press my D9P blocks and lay out the Bricks and Stepping Stones. I need a few more 4 patches for the bricks and stepping stones, but I am out of black and white fabric, it will have to wait until I buy a bit more.


But my garden did recover enough that I have had a few tomatoes to eat. Funny how such a little thing makes everything seem better!

Monday Goals

Other than sewing/pressing the Bricks and Stepping Stones blocks and the D9P blocks, those will be about my only goals this week. I am planning to drive to Orchard tonight to sew with the Nebraska ladies. We'll see how tired I am by the end of the day. Missed the stash report yesterday, but that's ok, as it hasn't changed, nothing bought and nothing finished. And there isn't a design wall in the camper, so no pictures!

I hope the summer is treating everyone well, the weather has been different this year. Lots of rain and cooler weather until the last few days, and then it was hot and muggy. I haven't accomplished much of anything it seems. No garden to speak of, so no canning.

I do have something to look forward to, Mason and family will be coming to visit in early September for Mason's birthday, can hardly believe he'll be a year old. Laura Beth wishes he would stay a baby forever. Me, I just wish we all lived closer so grandma and grandpa could play with him more. sigh

Motivation Friday

Yes, I've been able to sew this week. Ahhh. The weather was beautiful the other evening, so I took my sewing outside.

In the evenings if it's not hot or windy, sewing outside is great. Lots of room to spread out, and the threads can fall on the ground! I have gotten over half my blocks sewn together into pairs, it goes fast if I stay off the PHONE!! And if you wonder what I see when I'm outside--here's my view.

The little white bag you see "suspended" in midair is actually a finch feeder hanging from a long fishing pole. I often see finches eating from it, both purple and the gold ones.

This is another view from my picnic table, the camping spots are quite high, and I look over into the tops of the trees. Each camping spot is huge, and has a picnic table (or more if you'd like them), full hookups and a fire ring. We also have our own picnic shelter that all the campers share (all 4 of us!) LOL I see deer, turkeys, and all other sorts of wildlife walking across my campsite. We are quite secluded, you can't "see" into the camping area from the road, so no one drives through. Although it looks like we are miles from anyone when you are there, I am about six blocks from the Visitor Center!

Wednesday Ramblings

I'm glad I'm not volunteering for a few days. I had a run in with a buffalo gnat, and although he "lost the battle", he did bite me first, and my right eye is swollen almost completely shut! I look like I've been in a bar room brawl. If it doesn't get better soon, I will have to see a Dr. I've been using antihistimine eye drops, and although that controls most the itching, the eye is still very swollen. That little devil snuck up on me while I was napping, er, reading in my lawn chair. I think I will avoid most public places for a few days! LOL Hopefully it will not affect my reading or sewing.

And if you think I'm not reading your blogs, I am, but replying via the camper connection is almost impossible. I have been using a wireless hot spot the last few days. It's the only thing I miss from home! (Well, I miss Ken!!) Okay, that makes two things from home! teehee! But I hope he has time to come and camp with me on his days off this week, I can usually work my schedule around his days off. I share volunteering with another couple, and we work out our schedules between the two of us, and it works out very well. Thanks Toni and Eddie!!

Mail Call!

Since I have a summer mailbox, I have been getting lots of mail. Hey, I even love to page through the junk mail! But when I got back this week I had a package in there.

It had all sorts of goodies in it! Green fabric! Red noodles! An angel (did you remember I love and collect angels Julia??) And brochures, I am a brochure nut, I read them all! Julia send me one I ESPECIALLY like, it is a brochure with all the independent QUILT SHOPS in Nebraska! I better keep that one handy in my purse! Here is a photo of all the items in Julia's package.



If you look carefully, you will see a string of beads. Now, I was unsure WHAT the beads were for. Too small for a necklace, no clasps for a bracelet. Hmmmm. But in turning over the baggie they came in there was a business card in it, and the clue was on the back! It read "THONG". Oh dear, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do with it! Wear it??? Looked a bit uncomfortable and small to me! And in checking a little further--it's a BOOK thong!! Yes, a lovely bookmark! Oh Julia, how you made me laugh!! And yes, I started to use it immediately, no more lost slips of paper, kleenex, or turned down pages!

Monday Goals

Time for Monday goals. I am still volunteering, and hadn't planned to go home this week on my days off.

1. Work on Bricks and Stepping Stones
2. Work on D9P Blocks

That is all I have with me in the camper, so working on them will be my goal. I want to get in some reading time and bicycling time too.

PS--posting my goals late, the internet connection at the camper is so bad I drove into town to use a wireless hotspot!!

Sunday Stash Report

Nothing bought, nothing finished. Just enjoying the camping and the volunteering.